Navigating terrain with crutches was harder than it looked. I fell at least three times while trying to keep my balance walking along the Ali'i' Trail.

It was a trail mostly off limits to Lilo, so we rarely ventured there. Now in the night alone, I'd felt like walking it. I found it very peaceful, the sound of crickets the only thing accompanying my strides in the dirt. Occasionally an owl hooted, or I'd hear the cry of a wild animal. Since my family assumed I was suicidal they'd probably think I went to that cliff again if they realised I was gone – which was precisely why I'd hiked up here.

Apparently the trail itself was haunted by ghosts called 'Night Marchers', according to a local Hawaiian legend. I didn't believe in ghosts, but that would likely change if I were to see one with my own eyes. After all, I still couldn't explain those pure white beings I'd seen when I'd died. Like my father, I was highly sceptical. I believed in science moreso than fate itself. Science could explain many things.

Although it was failing me more than ever right now considering my father – while having the highest IQ on the planet – couldn't figure out what was going on with me.

I sat down on a rock, inspecting my injured leg. It still hurt like hell and the bandages I was wearing were still damp from my bath before.

I hoped I wouldn't run into Chopsuey because right now I wanted to be alone. I was in no position to fight him and would probably lose if he attacked me. I was unprepared to deal with him.

I thought about that voice. I wondered if I could will it. It was a part of me, wasn't it?

That's what I thought at least.

Come out half-wit. You bother me every other time, now seems perfect for you.

Silence.

"WELL?"

Birds around me were startled awake and flew away. Still no answer. I huffed.

I was tired, but had no intentions of going home. It didn't really matter anyway; the only one that would care about me missing was my father and he'd probably over-react again in panic. The B.U.G was probably up above, monitoring me from a distance like a drone. Monitoring me like the criminal I was.

"Admit you enjoyed that escapade with that little brat when you stole her away from her sister."

I jumped. About time.

I growled.

No I didn't. It had to be done.

"Even you thought it was exhilarating. You cannot deny that. You enjoyed feeling like a criminal again."

I frowned.

"Expecting me though, were you 626? That's a new one. Seems like you're finally starting to come around. It won't be long now until I'm in complete control. Just the way it was always meant to be."

What do you mean? Who the hell are you, demon?!

Laughter. It was mocking me again.

"Haven't you figured it out yet?"

I paused.

"I'm surprised, considering your level of intelligence. Come on! You have a brain, why don't you actually use it to it's full capacity for once?"

I growled. Stop playing games and tell me who you are.

I was met with silence. It had gone again.

"Darn it all!" I seethed, pounding my fist against the ground.

Slumping my back against the rock this time, I put my head into my hands in aggravation, before curling up sadly, knees held against my head. My spines sliced into the rock behind me, but I didn't care.

I just wanted to figure out what this voice was.

So I sat and thought. I thought back to when it had first started coming about. There was the time I'd seen that odd figure on the roof, was that the first time?

No. I'd heard it that time I'd run away after breaking Lilo's lamp. But when had it really started? I dug my claws into my head, trying to remember back.

After that fall down the hole? No... I didn't recall it sounding then.

That was right. The engine room. That was the first time I'd heard it. Then again, after I'd been electrocuted. If there was a time before, I couldn't remember. Those were the significant ones. After those incidents though, that was when I'd started seeing the figure. And then that chair had appeared too, becoming more frequent as time went on.

But where had it come from?

A huge puzzle was in my mind. It was hard to fit the pieces together, but I kept trying. I sat there for hours, contemplating.

Maybe I had been possessed by a demon after all.

"Think again."

I growled. "JUST TELL ME!"

It laughed at me again, showing me the chair and pointing to it, grinning, before vanishing. The figure was black with green eyes. That was all I could make of it.

I sighed. Clearly I was alone in this.

Yawning, I slumped down. I didn't recall my eyes closing as I fell asleep.

"HEY!"

I was startled awake. Opening my eyes it took a moment or so for my vision to adjust. It was daylight. A group of tourists was in front of me.

I jumped up, but fell backwards onto my butt as pain seared up my leg.

"Relax boy, we ain't gonna hurt 'cha. Got'sa owner around, do ya?"

I stared. This tourist spoke in a very strong accent I'd never heard before. It reminded me of how humans spoke in those old 'Wild West' movies I'd seen David watching from time to time.

He also sported the same hat they wore.

I grunted, pushing myself up and looking around for my crutches. They had fallen into the terrain behind me at some point during the night. I utterly baffled the tourists when I picked them up and simply crutched away, their mouths open in shock. How embarrassing. I didn't expect I'd be so knocked out like I was.

It looked like everything was finally taking a toll on me, both mentally and physically.

As I walked I heard a buzz beside me. I thought it was a mosquito and thrust my paw at it, telling it to buzz off, however it didn't stop. Then it occurred to me what it was. Sure enough, the B.U.G was hovering beside me, watching me. I looked at it.

"Naga going home. Leave me alone. Not gonna go to cliff, chi-chabada."

The B.U.G remained. I faced it before eventually it flew off.

However, as I exited the trail, I ran into a huge tourist group and of course, all of them stopped to stare at me. Even more annoying; they pulled out their cameras and took pictures of me.

"Is that one of the ghosts they were talking about? That wanders the trail at night?"

God humans were stupid. I was clearly covered in bandages and had crutches.

I paused at that, and gave her a deadpan look. I wanted to see for myself who this idiotic tourist was.

She was an older woman, sporting grey hair and a red shirt with some sort of football team logo on the front of it. And she was kind of fat. I wondered if she'd actually manage to complete the trail. They took even more pictures of me as I stood there, all of them gawking at me like I was some kind of exotic being. I supposed I was, considering I was blue. At least it was positive attention this time. Not like those stuck-up snobs that had mocked me about being inbred outside of Mr Kuakini's store.

I yawned, crutching away once I'd had enough. I made my way back into town and headed towards Mr Kuakini's store.

Mr Kuakini was finishing serving a customer when I approached. I wasn't due to work for a while considering he'd been informed of everything that had been happening and given me time off. I appreciated it.

"Stitch!" he said, sounding delighted. "How have– oh... oh my goodness..."

I meekly smiled and waved. I must have looked terrible.

He shut the door to his store, flipping the sign over to say 'back in twenty minutes'. I appreciated it. I needed to talk to him. He led me out the back and we sat down at the small staff table he had.

"It's been a while. I knew you were kind of out for the count with what happened, but geeze Stitch. I didn't think you were this banged up."

"Ih..." I muttered. "Is least of problems."

"Really now?" he sensed my tone. "I've grown to know that tone from you. What's up?"

I sighed. Putting my head into my arms, I explained to him everything. About Nani, about David, about Lilo and how I felt she was loosing faith in me. And then I asked him if Nani could have my job. I didn't beat around the bush. I didn't want to.

He looked shocked. "I see. Well... I suppose. For a little while, anyway. I'll still need you to move stock, but if she is working, then I won't be able to pay you."

"Fine with Stitch," I told him. "She needs more than me."

"Alright. Well... I'll give her a call. How does that sound?"

I smiled at him. I was overjoyed he understood, I was just too tired to show it.

"Well... I've put out the sign. Anything you want to tell me about while you're here?"

Mr Kuakini had somewhat become my therapist. I had started coming to him now when I didn't want to talk to my father. When I needed somebody that wasn't family to lend a shoulder. He had really helped me out a lot since doing so. So I told him how I felt. How torn I was with the 'demon' inside of me, and I didn't know what was going to happen. I still hadn't told him the truth about myself and Jumba – I was scared of doing so. I couldn't know what he'd do. It felt like a long twenty minutes, but I got off my chest what I needed to. By the end of it all, I was crying.

I was scared for myself – but what had truly scared me was seeing that orange badness chart above Lilo's bed. Lilo losing trust in me and losing her love for me would utterly destroy me.

I clenched my fists against the table.

Mr Kuakini rubbed his hand along my back. "It's okay. Hush boy..."

He put his jacket over me. "Look, I have to open up shop. You are more than welcome to stay here for a while if you do not feel like going back home yet."

I nodded. "Okeytaka."

He nodded in return, before heading back out to open up the shop again as I rested my head against the table.

I heard a soft voice, calling my name. I opened my eyes.

To my surprise, I wasn't in the store. As my surroundings came into view, I looked around. I was in a field. Beautiful, tall strands of wheat of surrounded me; I was in some kind of wheat field. A soft breeze blew around me and the sky was dusk, strands of the last sunlight just seeping through.

But... how was this possible? Where was I?

"Stitch!" a happy voice called. I looked around for it, unable to locate it anywhere.

"Lilo?" I called. "Is that you?"

The voice giggled. I looked around. The giggle was coming from different directions. I had no way of pinpointing it.

"Over here!"

"Lilo!" I called again, running for the source of the voice. The wheat never seemed to end. "No, over here!"

I whirled around. This time the voice was behind me. Everytime the voice sounded, it was in a different direction. I stopped.

"Lilo, come out!"

More laughter.

"This isn't funny Lilo!"

And then, silence. I looked around me as my ears whipped against the wind. The breeze had picked up.

"Mitch!"

A voice was right behind me, startled I whipped around. There was nobody there.

Now I was scared. I backed away.

"Mitch!" the voice sounded again, this time behind me.

"Naga!" I cried. "Leave me alone!"

"Mitch! Mitch! MITCH!"

"Naga, I'm Stitch!" I cried. "I'm STITCH!"

It went silent again. Wheat strands blew before me. Suddenly the voice sounded, right against my ear.

My eyes shot open, heart racing. My vision cleared and I realised a hand was on my shoulder.

"Mitch... time to wake up."

I looked up groggily. Mr Kuakini was standing before me, his wife and daughter beside him. My vision focused.

"Mitch? Naga, I'm Stitch."

He looked at me strangely. "What did you say?"

"I am Stitch!" I repeated. "Not Mitch!"

He looked at me oddly, as did his wife and daughter. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Ih...?"

"Come on, let's head home. I think you need to get some rest," Mr Kuakini said softly, crouching beside me and putting his hand on my shoulder. "I'll make your favourite soup for you when we get back, alright son?"

Son...? Son?!

"B-but... Jumba is my father! I– I'm not..."

"Oh dear... not this again..." his wife said quietly. The pair of them were eyeing me now. I went to flip up my ears but nothing happened.

"Gaba?!"

I tried again. Nothing.

I put my paws to my ears but to my utter shock, my ears weren't there. I felt something odd where they should have been. As I ran my hand up over my head, I didn't feel fur... instead I felt... HAIR?!

I whipped my hand back, eyes going wide as I saw a human hand before me. I had five fingers. Five, fleshy fingers. No claws. My hand was no longer a paw.

I stared down at my body. I was a human. And I was in a wheelchair.

What the flying hell was going on?!

"I-I..." I stuttered. "W-wh... w-what happened to me?!"

Mrs Kuakini bent down beside me. "Oh sweetie..." she brushed her hand over my head. "It's alright. Seems like you're starting to have a hallucination again."

"No!" I cried. "No, I'm not! I'm not a human, I'm an alien!"

She looked worried. "Shh... it's okay..."

"It's NOT okay!" I screeched. "What is going on?!"

They didn't answer me. Mr Kuakini went behind me and started to push the wheelchair out from the store. As they pushed me up the street, I saw Lilo and Nani coming out of a doorway ahead of us. Lilo was holding my wedding suit.

"Lilo!" I cried. "Lilo! Help me!"

Lilo looked in my direction at hearing my cry, as did Nani, however they didn't move. Tears formed in my eyes.

"LILO!" I shouted. "PLEECHI-BA!"

Nani looked at Lilo. "Do you know that kid, Lilo?" I heard her ask.

"Uh... no? she responded. "I have never seen him before. How does he know my name?"

My eyes widened in utter horror. "Lilo! It's meega! It's Stitch!"

"Why is he talking like that...?" Lilo whispered to Nani, looking scared.

Mr Kuakini stopped pushing me and I saw his wife head over to Nani. "I'm so sorry about this – he has a neural disorder, please forgive us. He's having a hallucination right now."

"Oh... I'm so sorry," Nani responded, and Lilo looked sad. "Will he be okay?"

Mrs Kuakini didn't answer her.

"Lilo!" I tried again, reaching for her. I pushed myself out of the wheelchair but fell over. I couldn't walk. I had no feeling in my legs.

I was paralysed.

"Lilo!" I rasped. "It's me! Help me!"

She backed away from me in fright as I tried to drag myself towards her. Mr Kuakini and his wife were frantic. "Oh my gosh! Mitchell, stop it!"

"No...!" I cried as the older Pelekai pulled Lilo away from me, looking mortified. "Come back!" I croaked.

Mr Kuakini picked me up, securing me tightly in his arms.

They started to vanish down the street. "N-no...! Don't leave me...! Don't go! Please!"

Tears flooded my eyes. Everything warped around me and started to go dark. Mr Kuakini and his wife... his daughter... the street...

Everything started to disappear. Faces distorted.

And finally, everything went black.

"Mitch... I-I mean Stitch, wake up!"

"Gaba..." I muttered tiredly, my vision coming into focus yet again. I had no idea if this was real or not. I was too confused.

I felt so exhausted.

"Oh my gosh, I meant Stitch... I'm so sorry."

What?

I flipped up my ears, this time to my sheer relief feeling them actually flip up. I sat up and put my hand in front of me, seeing a four-fingered paw. My heart was racing. No wheelchair. No human form – I was myself.

It was a dream. A really weird dream, I realised.

Mr Kuakini was before me again, but we were in the loading dock of the store. I was still at the table. His wife and daughter were nowhere in sight.

"Mitch?" I asked, and he went red.

"Sorry. I meant Stitch. For a moment I thought..." he trailed off, looking away. "Never mind."

"You thought what?" I asked, curious.

He sighed. "I thought... you were him," he continued, elaborating when I tilted my head slightly. "My son."

"Why?" I asked softly. He put his hand to his head, running his hand through his hair.

"Because from behind with that jacket over you, you looked like him. I couldn't see your head or ears."

"I see. You did that to him?"

He nodded. "Yes, he loved that jacket because he'd bought it for me. Anyway... I called Nani. Told her about you being here. She was delighted about the news. She will start after the wedding."

"Okeytaka. Isa good."

"It's afternoon now. Nani told me Lilo has gone to class. They are wondering where you are."

I doubted Nani was. If anything, it would have been Lilo or Jumba that wondered, although I was sure Jumba knew where I was anyway due to the B.U.G.

"Ih... I should go. Dougabba."

Mr Kuakini nodded. He scruffed the top of my head. "I'll see you at the wedding then. Hope you feel better, Stitch."

I gazed at him, before leaving the store on my crutches, the dream still playing heavily on my mind.

In the distance, I heard laughter echo.

I crutched my way home. It took ages, but once I arrived back I headed to Jumba. I could hear him outside of the ship. When I got up there, to my complete surprise, the area was clear. All the trees and debris had gone and it looked spotless. A small area was set up to the side, consisting of tables and chairs. White streamers laced the area.

I looked around in surprise. My father eventually spotted me, wiping his brow with his arm. His sleeves were rolled up.

"Ah, son. You're back."

I nodded. "Eiek?"

He smiled at me. "Spent morning clearing up area and setting up for... her wedding." He looked annoyed at the thought of having to mention Nani. "Among other things."

He winked at me. I blinked.

"Quite tired now. Need a break. Want to join me?"

I didn't hesitate. Jumba picked me up and carried me into the ship, pouring himself a drink.

"Figured you needed time away. So was why I didn't pester to you to come home."

I nodded. I was glad about that.

"Little girl is worried, though. She seemed very sad."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "Found a message, from you apparently. On floor. Forget what it said, but it seemed to really upset her. Showed me this morning."

"Oh..." I muttered, remembering back to my message I'd thrown in the bin. How had she found it? If it was on the floor it must have just hit off the bin, not landed in it. That was the only way she could have seen it because Lilo didn't usually double check the bin in our room once she threw something away. A number of times I'd had to retrieve things she'd accidentally thrown away, not realising they were important.

I felt bad, but the thought of the new chart crossed my mind and I felt numb again.

"Had phone call from older man. You gave up your job to her, correct?"

I nodded. "Won't thank me I bet."

My father sighed. "Well... you are a good soul, 626. As long as you know that, and I know that – then it doesn't matter. Imagine being like her."

I didn't want to.

Jumba coughed and took a swing of his water. "Very busy morning. Preparing for tomorrow, preparing surprise for you tomorrow... also, was making this."

He led me over to a white sheet covering something beneath it on his workbench. He pulled it off. A strange looking contraption sat there. It had multiple buttons and a pulley belt.

"What is it?" I asked quietly, confused by the strange appearance.

He smiled. "Watch this."

Jumba pressed a few buttons and pulled a lever. To my complete astonishment, money started spitting out of it, pooling on the floor.

"G-gaba?!" I said in disbelief. "Makea na-quala?!"

He nodded. "I know... is quite illegal, however with my invention money is no different to official human currency. Identical in every aspect, right down to security imprinting."

"Eegalagoo," I said, still in shock as I examined a note. "Is for Naanee?"

He nodded. "Last shot at redemption before... well. Coming clean about past. How can she hate you now, right? Hate me?"

I sighed. It sure felt like she hated us.

Jumba hugged me. "Have been running tests all morning as well. Quite busy, you see."

"On meega?"

He nodded. "Fail-safe, chip. Everything is in working order, 626. Makes me think problem could be blanketed somehow. Undetected by scanners and internal search processors or in hard to reach place. Since your body is reacting and changing now, however, I fear there is no more time to find cause. It would take me many more days... weeks even. May not be time and... well... may already be too late."

I hugged him. "Did your best. It's okay. I've accepted my fate."

His eyes narrowed. He looked utterly broken.

"Is okay..." I told my father, kissing him on the cheek. He let out a choked cry and held me tightly against him.

"626, I do not want you to die. If you died, then I would have no choice but to as well. You are my reason for being, what is point of existing if you were gone?"

I couldn't answer him at that. I knew how he felt.

"Face together," I told him. "Like before."

He nodded. He put me down and covered up the machine again.

"Going to present this tonight. Do not be saying word, okey-dokey?"

"Naga, I won't."

"Good boy."

I looked out of the ship window. "Why not wait for meega? Help clear trees?"

"Ah, no time 626. Quicker doing myself and family arriving in–" he checked his watch. "–less than an hour. Wasn't as hard as I thought would be and besides, you're like that. Not going to risk making injuries worse."

I plomped myself down on the dining bench. "Uh... pa?"

"Yes?"

"Uh..." I swallowed. I had no idea how to say this. "Is... is possible, for reincarnation?"

He stared at me. "What do you mean?"

"Like..." I flicked my paw. "Somebody die, they come back. In some way. Different body. Human no pasa da boogotoa toba."

"Uh... no, am not thinking so. Not from scientific point of view, at least. Is highly improbable. Also impossible. But... considering you were coming back and I could not figure out how, is not seeming so impossible anymore. Was not possible for you to come back after dying yet you did. You came back to me. What makes you ask such thing?"

I sighed. "Well..."

I told him about Mr Kuakini and his son. How his son had died, and how Mr Kuakini believed I was his son reincarnated as an alien. The strange dream I'd had, in which I somehow was Mitch. The coincidences between myself and the child.

Jumba looked perplexed. "How odd. Well... time rifts work in strange ways, 626 and Transmigration theory is widely believed among humans. As was mentioning, you are pure. You disobeyed your original programming and you rebelled against my original purpose for you. I had never created you to do so, yet somehow..." he tapped his finger against the bench I was sitting on. "Somehow you did, 626. And even after all I put you through, you still forgave me. Never have been able to figure that out."

I nodded.

"Even today, you still display such traits. Holding me back from Nani as you did. You do not have a single bad bone in your body, despite I hard-wired it into your very DNA. Has been the biggest mystery to me of all... and from you mentioning strange aspect, it makes me wonder. Why were you given second chance after dying? Data on fusion chamber clearly indicated was not turned on in time to save you. Your circuits were so badly damaged after burnout that recharging them should have been impossible. You should have died, 626. Yet, you didn't. Your circuits were fine."

My father sat beside me. "The emotion and compassion you display is nothing like my own, 626. In fact... it's almost human."

My eye's widened. My heart pounded slightly. "G-gaba?"

"I know this because you are part of me. And how you react to situations is different to how you should, having my DNA and traits. You have Kweltikwanian blood, and blood from the most ferocious and terrifying creatures in the galaxy, yet your brain is hard-wired different. You're supposed to be angry and attack, instead you defend and protect. You find reason to do so, when there is none. It goes against everything I intended for you and there is no rational explanation for it," Jumba poked my stomach. "Except for the one you mentioned."

I choked slightly. "So... so... you think?"

"You have human emotions? Yes. Very much so. You are not like me. You do not act like the alien you are supposed to be."

Could it be true...?

"I-I..." I stuttered.

"Of course, is something that can never be proven, 626. Only possible chance of it being true if you were to say... have memories of deceased child that you should have no memory of to begin with. Then yes, that would make me very suspicious and is something no amount of science or investigation, or even testing, can make sense of. I could never explain a memory that was never created by you to begin with residing in your mind."

Jumba put his finger under my chin. "You know who you are, 626 and even if you are not what I intended you to be, you are still my son. You are unique. Don't be forgetting that."

Jumba smiled at me before leaving to head outside again. I sat there in deep shock.

Was I the way I was because that child's soul had ended up inside of me? I recalled the time when Mitchell died lining up to when I'd been created. That was no coincidence. Nor were the other aspects, like the things I did that he did, Mr Kuakini catching onto them so quickly just by watching me move stock.

It was true that I had disobeyed my original programming. That I didn't feel the need to harm others, and felt remorse for those that had been hurt. I was haunted by those that I'd killed. I hadn't wanted to ever do so, instead I was made to. And that had destroyed me.

I loved a human, despite being an alien. I wasn't supposed to fall in love with a human. It went against everything I was programmed for, yet to me... it felt right. I'd always felt a connection to Lilo. It had never mattered to me that she wasn't the same species and I'd feared her rejection above anything else.

I cried. I felt pain and fear. I hard a hard time understanding the motives of humans. But then I realised. A lot of other humans had that trouble too, as far as I was concerned. Lilo often questioned why people were so mean – and I found myself doing so too.

I cared deeply for Nani despite how much she'd hurt me. I'd felt a duty to protect her unborn child. I'd also felt suicidal. I wasn't supposed to; I was the strongest creature in the galaxy and I knew the idea of suicide shouldn't even exist in my mind. It was a human thing. They were weak creatures, controlled by their emotions and pain.

I was supposed to be the opposite – yet I gave in to them so easily as well, those emotions. I had nightmares. I had dreams. Despite being somewhat computer inside due to my make-up and circuits.

It all started to make sense. My head spun.

Even that dream had been so detailed. So real. I'd really felt I was that child.

Maybe I really was Mitchell inside. And because of that, I had human emotions. It had been why I'd connected to Mr Kuakini so easily despite once hating him. Why I'd trusted him enough to be a therapist to me. And why I'd so strongly opposed Jumba's original intentions for me.

Why I'd felt love for Lilo and fallen for her.

I had the ability to reason. Not in an alien way – but a human way. I pulled my legs to my chest and smiled.

Because this revelation was going to entirely change the way I viewed the world.