Chapter Three: Getting over it
Three days. Three days was what it took before Tohru finally saw land.
It was one of the Hawaiian islands, Kawaii probably, or Neihow. She had just docked her boat on a private part on the island when she saw it, a giant vessel land just a couple kilometers away from her. She climbed up the side of the island to get a better look; there was that same thin creature from her dreams, and the scientist, and the blue puppy, and...and... she had to wipe the tears she didn't even know she was shedding when she saw him, Captain Gantu. She wanted so much to run over there and ask him so many questions- where was she from, why did her parents land here, what exactly was she?! But just as quickly as she saw them, the beings, including the Captain, boarded the strange vessel and headed off into the stars once again. All she could do at that point was watch wide eyes and helpless as the vessel dispeared into the sunset colored sky.
Afterwards, Tohru sat down and sighed, if she was just here a few seconds sooner... she looked at where they had landed on the beach and noticed they didn't take the blue puppy and the scientist.
Maybe, just maybe...
"So Jumba was able to fix the spaceship at your place so you can come here without sailing miles of ocean water? That's so cool, now we can visit you in Japan whenever we want to!" Lilo said excitedly.
After the incidence with the blue puppy, Tohru now knew as stitch, she was immediately welcomed as part of the little Hawaiian girl's "ohana". At first, they thought she was with the blue "dummy" Lilo liked to call him, but soon found out she was nothing like him.
At all.
After she told her story of how she came to be, even the scientist, she now knew as Jumba, was dumbstruck.
"Is very unlikely any of those gargantuans would come even remotely close to this quadrant of free will; must've had engine troubles and were forced to land on underdeveloped rock known as earth in hopes of saving unborn child. However, we are to be never knowing for sure, is just Jumba's best guess." Jumba theorized. He tried to tell as much as he could about her heritage, about her world, but it didn't amount to much. Heh, he didn't even know the name of the planet she came from, him only being concerned with himself, with his planet, and his brilliant evil scientific research.
The other alien with one eye was even less help. Hisname was pleakley, and his only opinion on her species was that her kind were known for being very headstrong and aggressive, particularly with his brief interactions with Gantu. This made him all the more surprised to see how gentle and eloquent Tohru was, he would almost classifie her as docile.
Both aliens agreed Tohru was very much opposite of her kind from the color of her hide to her mannerisms and behavior. And for that, they seemed very well relieved.
"I think she's a much better representative of her kind; she's like a big fluffy pillow you want to cuddle!" Pleakley would boast excitingly.
"Jumba also agrees with one eye, very big difference, so cute and sweet and much kinder."
This made Tohru blush the most.
When she finally got back to her village, which had only been two weeks (the scientist wasted no time fixing his ship to take her home) everyone battered her with questions, the priestess most of all.
"We could've been at the mercy of the mountain gods or a typhoon and you were somewhere else! Don't ever do something so rash and reckless in the furture again and, and, it's good to see you in good spirits again. We were all so worried." the priestess finally calmed down, all in all just glad to see her little guppy again.
"So this is village you grew up in. Huh, no wonder you have such docile behavior, no aggressive anything within miles!"
Everyone turned to the scientist with four eyes. Back to the battering of questions.
Back in current time, Tohru could still feel her embarrassment as the townspeople showed their lack of knowledge with modern technology.
"Yeah, the townspeople were very fascinated by him, even if they didn't understand a word he said. I tried to translate some of it, but let's face it, all that sciency stuff just goes right over their heads, but I'm sure the Miko would be happy to meet you."
"Miko? What's that?"
"Our town's new current priestess, her name is Hanna. Though sufficed to say, she's kind of a clutz with electronics herself and is very shy around new people."
"That's alright, I'm happy with any friend, no matter how clumsy they are with electronics."
This went on for about a year; Lilo and the gang would teleport to visit Tohru and Hanna, join them for their summer festival, and Tohru and Hanna would go visit Lilo and the gang for her hula concerts and luaus. Tohru got to learn more about the United Galactic Federation, and Hanna was just glad to see a different version of a village with no large cities. She wasn't mad, just annoyed that her first time exploring the world was at another humdrum town.
Today was no different; they got permission to take a couple days off from being at the shrine to go to some beach barbecue in Kawaii. Tohru had to sit this one out and help keep house while they were gone so Hanna could practice being in crowds (she gave her ten minutes before running back home crying about how overwhelming it was). Even though both Pleakley and Jumba were going, despite their alien appearance, Tohru was still ever cautious and skeptical about going to the beach where there were crowds.
Out in the open, where everyone could see her, judge her. Critique her.
She never really noticed it until recently, but she saw she looked very much like an alien. That, combined with her outrageous height, how could she ever be accepted anywhere except for the village? And the only reason she was accepted to begin with was because they raised her? The only close exception was Lilo's family, and they were majority alien themselves.
"Tohru, we're home early!"
"Huh?" Tohru looked at the clock as it read 3:25. "Thirty minutes and forty-seven seconds. A new record." Tohru said as she helped unpack the buggy. "So what was it this time? The heat? The water to high? The crowds?"
"Not this time, ask Stitch." Hanna pointed to Stitch who was on all fours trying to quickly make his way to his and Lilo's room, on the ceiling.
"What about Stitch? Another water incident?" Tohru asked, referring to his sinking problem.
"No, he decapitated an entire buffet table with a chainsaw." Lilo piped in, holding a severed pool toy.
"Where'd he get a chainsaw at the beach?"
"Long story, he just needs some ice cream right now. Ice cream makes everything better."
"Well, I hope he feels better about, the chainsaw."
Okay, that sounded weird even for Tohru.
"You ready to go home Tohru?" Hanna asked, having more than enough of crowded beaches filled with people.
"But Hanna, we didn't even get to have a slumber party." Lilo said in a whiny voice."
"Lilo," Nani chirped in. "Hanna's home is in a place where right now, it's way past her bedtime. Besides, Tohru's got duties to her village she need to attend to in the morning."
"oh, I wish she didn't," Lilo pouted.
"I'll leave in a little bit; I'm gonna go take a walk and watch the sun set; it beautiful when you see it on the water here."
"It's just as beautiful seeing it on the mountaintop back home." Hanna said, wanting her to come with.
"I'll be one hour tops, I'll call if I'm late."
Hanna sighed heavily "Fine. See you in the morning."
Tohru walked outside and stopped when she saw Lilo's older sister at the steps, muttering something about covering damages.
"Afternoon Nani-San."
"Oh, hey Tohru. Did Hanna get home okay?"
"She just left. I'm going back right after I see the sunset."
"Ah, the Hawaiian sunset. I'd watch it every day if I had the chance."
"You know if there's anything I can do to help, I'd-"
"I know, and I feel bad whenever you ask. You've done so much for me and our Ohana, you even helped repair our house!"
"Oh it was nothing."
"Yeah, well not to me. You will never know how grateful I am to you for just being there for us, for giving Lilo a friend, for giving her so much happiness, and you don't even ask for enything in return!"
"Your acceptance into your 'ohana' will be more than enough to pacify me, that and your Hawaiian sunsets."
Nani smiled, she still couldn't believe something related to that giant monster that nearly took her sister a year ago could be so kind and generous.
Tohru said her byes and headed off to her usual spot, the spot where she first saw the ship right at the top of a waterfall when she first laid eyes on that Captain Gantu. Oh, the thoughts that danced in her head if only she was just there a few seconds sooner. If only she had another chance to see him, she wouldn't let that moment go to waist.
Oh well, so much for regrets. At least she got something from the experience, and that wasn't to bad of a thing to accomplish.
As the sun finally set into the water, Tohru headed back to the house to ready to hear another lecture from Hanna about being late for bed. Honestly, she spent way too much time up on the mountains, Tohru really needed her to start expanding her circle of people before she became a hermit.
Tohru was just in sight of Jumba and Pleakley's ship (that's where they held the teleporter) when she saw it. It was some kind of ship parked outside of Lilo's house. Tohru should've felt like this should've been no big deal, maybe it just some alien friends of Jumba or Pleakley's coming to say hello, but Tohru couldn't shake the bad feeling creeping up her spine as she inspected the craft. Her bad feeling was confirmed when she saw Jumba being hauled off aggressively into a pod capsule located in the back of the ship.
What really scared her was who she saw grabbing him.
It was him, the other one of her kind, that Captain Gantu!
This was no coincidence, Jumba himself said none of her kind would even think to look in this direction of the galaxy, not even for a pit stop. With that said, him being here must've meant there was a reason behind it all. It was a sign to Tohru that she still had a chance to learn more about her species, about where she came from. About him.
'Could it be? Is this real? Was this, fate?'
"Oh, come on Tohru. We' be been waiting almost two hours now." Hanna sat in the dining area of the shrine with her grandmother, their breakfast of Hanna's favorites slowly reaching room temperature.
"Hanna, it hasn't been two hours, it's only been ten minutes, be patient."
Hanna and the preistess were sitting in their usual spots, waiting for Tohru to arrive as she promised.
"But grandma, she's taking forever! It's bad enough she goes there practically every day, but now we have to wait up on her while she finishes looking at the sunset? What's wrong with the sunset here!?"
"Hanna, enough. You know why she really goes there, to console her spirit of what could've been. Besides, don't you like that she introduced you to a new friend? She's very nice too."
Hanna blushed a little, she did like hanging out with Lilo, even if they barely understood each other, but she still liked being around Tohru all the time. She just couldn't take those few minutes she was without her.
"I know you miss having her around all to yourself here in the mountain; you don't think I feel the same way? I raised that girl for the better part of her life, I feel like a mother to her. I still worry that she'll one day go there, and she won't come back. We have to respect her decisions even if we're not part of them anymore, she's a grown woman, it's hard to believe it even now."
"I know, it's just...I miss her cooking and playing with me! Now she's over there a lot and I'm over here all alone with schoolwork! It's not fair! I miss Tohru! Whaaaaa!"
"Hanna please! You're acting like a spoiled child crying for her mommy."
"But Tohru-"
Whoosh!
Both priestesses looked to see a very stunned Tohru waddling in the doorway.
"Sorry I'm late. I was, dealing with something."
"Tohru?" The old priestess questioned her very unnerved face.
"Tohru-tan!" Hanna flung herself onto Tohru, even if it was for a few minutes, it felt like an eternity for her.
"Hanna, were you fretting about me again?"
"Tohru, never leave me again, never never never!"
"Oh Hanna,"
"Ahem, you look tired. Something hold you up?"
"Um, something alright. I'll feel better after I eat something." Tohru sat with a thump and ate her lukewarm omelette. The priestess knew something was eating at her, but she was to out of it for her to really ask her right now.
All morning, Tohru had the same directionless behavior. She kept going on about the day with that twenty yard gaze in her eyes and wandering attention. Finally, the preiestess had enough when she caught her spilling a cup of tea well after it was full.
"That does it! Tohru, did something happen while you were on the island last night?!"
"Huh? No miss, I-I'm Fine. What makes you ask?"
"Your spilling your tea all over the floor."
"Oh, heh, Sorry." Tohru immediately rushed to grab a towel to soak up the remaining tea from the mat before it stained.
"I think you should go back to that island and clear your head. You clearly seemed distraught since your return; your mind seems muddled and cloudy, and you are obviously not ready to talk about it just yet."
"What?! What do you mean? I'm fine."
"Go back to the island and don't come back till I see clarity in your eyes again. I cannot stand to see you like this another second, that is final."
Tohru didn't argue at this point, she knew what was eating at her, she was just to stubborn to really deal with any of her personal problems.
She didn't want to deal, that she chickened out.
She was so excited to finally meet this individual, she completely overlooked any setbacks she might find.
Begrudgingly, Tohru returned to the island and began to walk aimlessly through the jungle brush.
'I just don't know how I'm supposed to go about this other me. Should I have just walked up to him? Should I have written down my questions in advance? What would he think when he saw that we didn't have the same colors?! What if he rejected me completely?! Ugh, I'm so lost right now. I wish I could just talk to him, but this is big! I've searched my whole life for answers to who I am. Now that I have seen him, if I met him, would I have liked what he had to say? Should it even matter at this point in my life? No! It matters. It matters a lot to me, I have to know. Even if it's bad, it won't change who I am on the inside. I just gotta know-
CRASH!
Oooh! Dun dun DUNNNN! WE'RE getting to the good part! I own nothing by the way.