Glitched

Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong. Today was definitely not going according to plan. It had started out normal enough; wake up, scale back down my tree 'bed' using my incredibly awesome inhuman strength, eat a breakfast of fresh fruit from the surrounding area and I was ready to face another day. The fact that it was past noon already didn't bother me in the least, and for a couple of reasons. Number one: I'm only twenty, sleeping all day comes with the territory. Number two: Im a twenty year old alien, not like my schedule was full or I could just waste a day shopping at the mall. Well, I suppose I could but I had other reasons why that was a bad idea, other then having no money. Which brings us to reason number three: I'm a runaway teenage alien. Shocking right?

My name is Lilo. Surprise! You were expecting someone else huh? Nope, its really me. My reasons for running away are complicated, so why don't we start my explanation with something fairly easy yeah? I'm an alien, or I guess a half alien would be more fitting. Stitch and I had been bratty twelve year old's (I was twelve and Jumba just assumed Stitch was around that age as well) when the accident happened. I had broken into Jumbas lab for some reason or another, probably to grab something for Stitch and I to mess with, and in a typical my life fashion things had gone wrong in a spectacular way. At first it seemed like nothing but a typical accident, me knocking over a few vials of liquid that doused me in sticky liquid that smelled awful. Who knew what kind of concoctions the mad scientist had thought up now. Id toweled off quickly and scampered away, fearing the scolding Jumba would give me if he came back and thought that was the end of it. It never is though.

Jumba knew someone did it but I was careful not to look guilty when he had stormed the house demanding answers and in the end, when no one would fess up, he'd let it go with a stern warning to everyone about the dangers of his lab. Things were normal from then on, at least till puberty hit. I know puberty messes with people and its normal to be temperamental but I took it to the extreme, wild fits of anger and crying fits freaking everyone in the house, to include me, out. I don't really know when the shift happened, it was lost in the hormonal tide.

We were fifteen when I finally worked it out, small signs fitting into a bigger picture that shocked the living hell out of me. Somehow, somewhere along the line; id very stupidly fallen in love with Stitch. Not in the I love my brother way but in that body consuming way that makes your heart speed up and stomach clench. How its even possible with our CONSIDERABLE differences is beyond me, but id reevaluated the situation countless times and always came up with the same answer. That was the beginning of the end. It was a usual day of school, Stitch and I lazily walking back home in the Hawaiian heat. A loud whoop caused us both to turn in time to watch a blur of bubblegum pink crash into blue, my sapphire furred 'friend' landing in a heap on the road with Angel clinging to his neck. Id been aware of my feelings for a while at this point and had determined the best course of action was keeping my damn mouth shut and pretending nothing was happening. Needless to say that day something snapped.

Rage like id never felt flooded my veins like lava, blood boiling so quickly it made my head spin. My teeth nashed together so hard Stitch's head snapped up and swiveled towards me, face concerned and a bit confused. I know its hard to understand with him being an alien and all but he has gorgeous eyes. Fathomless like my beloved ocean and filled with emotion, the color so dark you can lose yourself in them. By then he had outgrown his cute baby monster look and looked...well...more like a monster. Not an adult yet, but getting there. Now those black eyes shimmered in concern, something not seen often in them, and asked me a silent question. Damn my reaction to the pesky female alien. Snorting in a way only he would understand as an affirmative answer to his 'are you ok' I turn away from their sprawled forms, feet flying across the pavement as I race to leave behind both the scene and my volatile emotions. It was then that I happened to look down and blanched. There, curled into my palm where flesh colored fingers tipped in bright red chipped polish had been moments ago were claws.

Burnt orange like the Hawaiian sunset, thick at the base and thinning towards the end into a lethal point they would be considered beautiful if they weren't on my very human self. Freaked I double my pace, hardly registering that it was way faster then I should have been able to move, storming the lab and giving Jumba one helluva fright by waving my newly clawed hands in his face and screaming hysterically. Not my cutest moment. Sealing the both of us in and everyone else out he ran test after test on my, hours of examinations and needles and prodding questions leaving me exhausted and feeling exposed. My fessing up to the crime three years ago finally solved it, and though he explained the process and what was happening I hadn't been listening. Hadn't really cared. I was alien now. Oh god. When id finally left the lab it had been almost dawn, mist clinging to the ground except for where Stitch paced a few feet from the doorway. Hed been worried, nearly frantic to break down the door but matured enough now that he could respect privacy. Good thing too. I had soothed him and blown it off, taking a sick day from school and spending it curled on my bed in shock.

Id sworn Jumba to secrecy that day and tried for months to hide or ignore the changes occurring in me. I was still human unless my emotions got too strong and triggered my 'change'. For an angsty fifteen year old with pre existing anger issues...it happened a lot. On my sixteenth birthday my life, which admittedly had already been spiraling out of control, crashed down around me. I almost hurt Nani. If not for Jumba stepping in and subduing me I most likely would have. Id been scolded, out of ear shot of the others, about controlling myself and how dangerous I was now. Fear had been a living entity inside me, screaming at me for the rest of the day that I was a danger to them, all of them. That was the night id left.

My greatest fear was losing or hurting my family, the only people who had ever loved me...and I had come so damn close. So, id packed a bag after dinner, biding my time with carefully hidden nervousness until the house was dark and quiet and Stitch was lost to dreamland. It hurt, looking back at the only home id ever known with a duffle bag slung over my shoulder, but it was for the best. That had been around four and a half years ago, give or take a bit. Hey its hard to keep track of time in a freaking jungle, give me a break. I don't know if Jumba ever blabbed my secret. I never got close enough to tell. I did check in though, spying my way of insuring their safety and happiness. Id been scared to back for the first two years, but worry finally broke through my resolve to stay away.

My first glimpse of the house had brought a familiar pain, the same id felt looking back so long ago. No one was up as it was well past midnight, something I did on purpose to keep from being detected. Id crept from window to window, stealth bred from years of living in a dangerous jungle making it easy to go undetected. Nani was gorgeous as ever, just as id imagined her to be though David lying beside her in the bed was a pleasant surprise. Jumba snored just as loud as ever. Pleakly mumbled incoherently, which caused me to stifle a surge of giggles. God I missed them so damn much.

The last window was hard. I was scared for no reason, my heart pounding a heavy rhythm in my chest. This was Stitch dammit, my best friend. Nothing to fear. So, grabbed the ledge and raised my body up, suspended with ease thanks to my new strength.

Did you know aliens can mature? Yeah me either. I had noticed before I had left that he was growing and obviously I had grown as well but I hadn't realized just how different he could look. My already racing heart throbbed at the sight of sapphire fur, something id always secretly adored. I could remember often burying my fingers in its soft depths, using some excuse to explain away the touches. Scanning his body my mouth dropped open in surprise. He had changed. Yeah, id expected it since I had changed a lot a well, but this was unexpected and hard to put into words. Bigger worked. Rather then my small mid sized 'dog' pal he was now the size of a damned German shepherd at least, if not bigger. Definitely bulkier, muscles defined along what I could see of his arms and back that were way more humanoid then I remembered. My alien form was far more humanoid then the other experiments, but I had always attributed that to my being a human. Guess its just maturity. Hm. He is facing away from me so its impossible to see him properly, but the familiar black tufts on the tips of his ears make me grin. They had darkened considerably right before I had left, a sign of him maturing Jumba had said. I thought they were cute.

Stitch shifts in his sleeps, the motion slapping me from my casual observations and sending me scurrying away from the dark house in panic. It had become an every few month ritual to go check on them, assuring myself they were alright. I never even considered id get freaking caught! Now here I am, racing through the damn jungle with a blue masterpiece of an alien chasing me down. Story of my life.

Stitch

I'm yelling for the damned escaped experiment to stop, the alien language coming out harsh and angry. Pretty much everything came out that way now, but I'm extra annoyed at having to chase the thing down today of all days. It was Nanis birthday and I knew for a fact that David was going to propose to the pretty human woman. How? I'm unnaturally smart remember? Plus David asked me to help plan the surprise. My lips curl into a grin and I boost my speed, eating up the space between me and the other alien. No way was I gonna miss flustering Nani and Davids big moment. With little effort my extra set of arms pop from my body and I use them to shove against the ground, the push rocketing me at the orange blur and I latch onto its fur with a victorious whoop.

We land hard but hey, we are aliens. We are kinda built for shit like this. My spare arms circle the hissing ball of furs middle, strapping it to me in an unbreakable hold as I produce tech cuffs and slap them on flailing wrists. I always try to be humane in capturing my cousins, but this menace was asking to be knocked out so I obliged with a snap of my arm, fist slamming into its temple and causing lights out instantly. As the creature sagged in my grasp I take off back towards the lab, eager to dump my capture in one of our specialized glass tubes and get this interrogation over with before the party. Jumba is waiting for me when I reach home, door open and sadistic scientist grin already stretching his lips. Creepy much.

I'm not as careful as I probably should be when I toss the orange blob into the tube, but him/her had gotten a few good hits and scratches in during our scuffle and I was feeling less then hospitable. Damn Jumba and his experiments. Speaking of Jumba I watch as he takes advantage of the things unconsciousness, slipping a needle into its arm and withdrawing oddly average looking blood. Like, human average. That's weird. His face shows the same thoughts and he snaps the tube shut with a mumble and lumbers off to do whatever it is he does with blood, one hand pressing a button that would release a wake up chemical from a vent at the top of the tube. Within minutes the thing groans, orange fur shifting as its head turns and scans the lab in groggy confusion before snagging on me.

The change is immediate. The fog clears and the thing is up, clawing at the tube and running around looking for any weak points with menacing hisses. Well, just as spunky as ever it seemed. Dropping from its inspection of the vent the creature stands still at last and my eyes widen. Shit, shes gorgeous. Fur like an orange sunset, lightening at her stomach and face into a pretty peach color that makes my mouth water. The body shape is like mine except way, and I mean WAY more feminine, hips flaring out past a trim stomach and chest distractedly large even with the covering of thick fur. Her arms and legs are slim but toned, not overly muscular like some of my other cousins but obviously powerful all the same. I catch a glimpse of something swaying behind her and note with surprise she has a tail, slim and ending in a delicate heart shaped point but I would bet money there was hidden strength in that seemingly fragile appendage.

But that all compared to her face. It was similar to my own, but so feminine and pixie like it hurt to look at her. The eyes were captivating, dark chocolate filled with strange emotions I cannot place. I cant believe how pretty this female is, cant believe Jumba had made something so captivating. I've met female aliens, a lot of them actually, and some had been plenty pretty. Take Angel for example. Pretty, pink and everything girly. But she couldn't hold a candle to this delectable orange creation.

My thoughts are cut off by a vile curse from Jumba, eye widening as he throws one of his fits at his desk before storming the tube and slapping the glass furiously.

"You stupid girl!" I watch as the words make her cringe, her eyes dropping to the floor in shame. Huh? Her mouth opens to respond and I feel myself tense, for some reason on edge about hearing her voice. "Eh! You cannot have good enough reason!"

"I know." Ooh I liked the voice. Low and husky, not the annoying high pitch female voice that grates on your ears and leaves a bad taste in your mouth. "I thought it was the best thing I could do."

"Change back. It has been long time and you were wrong."

"I don't think thats a goo-"

"You think too much. Change." I've never heard Jumba this angry. Annoyed yes. Crazy even bigger yes. But not this angry. What the hell did this female do and what did he mean by change?

"Make him leave." The hell did I do?

"No. Change. I will not be letting you out until you do."

"Dammit Jumba its my choice!"

"Not anymore." Her annoyed hiss, one that id found equally annoying back during the chase I now find adorable and I shoot her a grin when her eyes slide back to me, face pinched in anger. With a huff she crosses her arms, body shimmering before her fur starts to shrink into her as her body stretches to a human shape. Awed I keep quiet, watching as the hair reveals smooth mocha skin, shades darker then the sand surrounding our island. Even stranger is the dark onyx hair rapidly growing to hover around those sexy hips, streaks of orange shining bright against the dark color. Her alien eyes shrink to human size, tilted at the corners in the same way many of the islanders did. The face...wait...she looked like Nani, but not. I scour my brain trying to place the similarities and recognition blasts through my body like a gun shot. Oh shit.

"LILO?!"

Lilo

I'm using my arms to cover my chest and lower area and glowering at Jumba when his shout rips through the silence, the tone of it hinting at how much trouble I had just gotten myself into. Dammit. Why me. Whining to myself doesn't help, but it gives me the minute I need to collect myself before I turn my head to lock eyes with him, his face a mask of shock.

"...hi." Not a good response, but I'm at a loss right now. I'm stuck in this damn tube until Jumba decides I can go and now Stitch has seen my change. Yeah, this day had definitely not gone according to plan.

"What the hell Jumba?!" Oh hes getting mad now, shock giving way to the hurt I knew I had caused by leaving. Jumba just stares at me, his eyes reproachful and so full of pity I cant look at him straight. Finally, after a few tense moments, he steps back and mumbles something about leaving us alone to talk before he disappears. Hes gonna tell Nani, I just know it. Before I can yell out to him Stitch is at the glass, so close that even through the barrier I can feel the heat of him. Reflexively I step back and bump into the other side of the glass, my eyes wide and locked on his own angry orbs.

"You wanna explain something Lilo?"

"Mm...not particularly."

"Lilo..." His voice is dangerous now, anger and hurt so sharp they cut to the bone. Damn him and me for my weakness to him.

"What is there to explain? You pretty much saw it all." That's right Lilo, don't let him get to you. Stay strong then get the hell out of here.

"Yeah. I saw. I saw a lot." Something in his voice has my stomach tightening, but I'm not gonna acknowledge it. "But that does not explain why you look, smell and obviously are alien."

"Oh that."

"Yeah. That."

"It was an accident. A long time ago. When we were twelve." Shock again covers his face and his mouth drops open before hes back to yelling.

"Your telling me you've been like this sense we were twelve!"

"No. Not exactly. The accident was when we were twelve. The rest took time. Years actually. It started out small. Mood swings, too severe to be human. Then the claws started appearing, followed by fangs and the tail. The fur was the last bit, developing about a year after I left."

"Yeah. Left. Why exactly did you do that anyway? Because of all this?"

"Its complicated."

"Uncomplicate it Lilo. I deserve to know why you left me after swearing that you'd always be there. Ohana remember." His voice is bitter and I cant really blame him. I kinda knew this would happen eventually but I was in denial, telling myself I was too careful to slip. But in my heart I knew it would come to this and I knew how bad it hurt him. I felt like shit for it.

"I was getting dangerous. You had to have noticed, the wild moods and manic behavior. I thought I was going crazy, but turns out it was Jumbas shit working its way through my system, changing me. The accident...I broke in the lab. I wanted something but I don't remember what anymore and ended up knocking things over, dumping several bottles all over myself. I cleaned up and thought it was done but as we got older shit started happening and then on my birthday...if Jumba hadn't been there id have hurt Nani Stitch. I know I would have. I was scared, so I bolted. None of you needed the freak that I was to double into the freak I am now."

"I never thought you were a freak. I'm fucking pissed you didn't tell me about any of this, but I still don't think your a freak." Its gonna take him a while to deal with all this. I can see it in his eyes, he is scrambled to keep it together. A perk to growing up with him, no matter how long we were apart I would always be able to read him. "Just...here." With jerky motions he snags an overall suit from one of the tables and tosses it though a hatch in the side of my container before taking off so fast my eyes have trouble keeping up with him. Sighing I slip into the clothing. Its gonna be a long day.

As I take a seat on the cold metal floor a thought crosses my mind and my eyes widen fractionally. He spoke just like a human, acted human. What the hell had happened to Stitch?

Stitch

What am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to say? To feel? I'm drawing a blank right now. Running is a release for me so I take off, legs carrying me with unimaginable speed back through the forest I had dragged Lilo from thirty minutes ago. Lilo, the god damned orange hellcat I had found insanely attractive. Im so fucking confused. Slamming to a stop I drop my face into my hands, claws curling against my skin as I try to sort through my raging emotions. Id been destroyed when she left. Lilo was my best friend, my Ohana, and to have her just fucking disappear had sent me into a rage. We knew she packed so there was no way she didn't leave on her own, and the idea that she made a choice to leave me just made the situation worse. It had taken days to calm down and begin the process of grieving for my lost friend. Even longer to realize she was way more then a damn friend.

Yeah I know how cliche of me to fall in love with her, but there was just no helping it. Lilo was fucking perfect. Fierce, loyal, loving, forgiving, kind and with an inner strength id never seen in alien or human. It was inevitable to love her. The fact that the older she had gotten the prettier she was just a bonus. Id never expected her to go from pretty sixteen year old to drop dead gorgeous twenty year old though. That was a pleasant shock, even as anger drowned out that pleasant buzz of attraction when id realized just who I was looking at. She was a woman now, not a girl, and the changes both enraged me and made me wanna beg for a taste. Id missed her so fucking much.

Calmer now I drop my ass to the ground, legs outstretched as I focus on continuing to sort my emotions. Yeah, weird for me right. Id calmed down a lot since the old day, learning to adjust to the world around me and blend in better as well as keep my destructive nature in check. Lilo had missed that as well. She had missed a lot with her little disappearing act. I had surprises of my own to show her, surprises I was now suspicious of Jumba for creating. No wonder he was so excited about it. A clearing throat has my head tipping back, unsurprised to see Pleakly standing a few feet away.

"Stitch. Are you alright?"

"As alright as I can be."

"Should we go back?"

"Yeah."

Lilo

Nanis been crying. Not saying anything. Just crying. Its breaking my heart. I had tried to speak a million times but nothing would come out. I could only just stand there and watch her sob as David tried to soothe her. The look in his eye makes me wince, knowing full well he would lecture the hell out of me later. Clearing my throat again I try to put my feeling into words. "I never meant to hurt you."

Her head snaps up at that, the sobs dying in the face of anger. "You disappeared. You didn't mean to hurt me but you just disappeared!"

"I know. Its bad. But I just wanted to keep you safe." Her scoff noise is not appreciated. I'm trying to pour out my soul here, I don't need attitude, but I bite back the annoyed retort. She has the right to her anger. "Jumba already told you about it. You have to understand. I am dangerous Nani."

"No more dangerous then that damn blue dog you brought into the house when you were a kid. That danger didn't stop you. But you being an alien makes you run away?"

"No. Almost hurting you made me run away."

"What?" The shock in her voice would be priceless if the situation were different.

"I came so close to hurting you that day Nani. My last birthday here. I got so angry over something so stupid and I almost lost it. It scared the shit out of me. If I couldn't control myself enough to keep you safe then I had to go. Period."

"Your kidding me! You little brat! Sisters fight, that's what we do! That isn't a good enough excuse to up and disappear."

"I don't think you understand Nani. I'm a monster! Sometimes I just lose it and there is no stopping me! What would happen if I attacked you! I could live with myself if I hurt you!"

"Your an idiot! You should have just talked to me! Talked to Stitch! Talked to someone other then the psychopathic scientist of the family!"

"I did what I thought would keep you safe. I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you, but id do it again if it meant keeping you safe."

"You! You just-OH!" My sister storms from the room, arms flying as she rages. I cant help the quick smirk of amusement that graces my face as I look at David.

"She still has that temper."

"And you still have that attitude. You hurt her Lilo. You need to apologize, not say you would do it again."

"Yeah...I know." I handled that badly, but hey I wasn't exactly expecting all this today. I watch dispassionately as he exits the building, leaving me to my silence and regrets, but only for a few moments. My head snaps up at the clanging of the door and somehow I'm not really surprised to see Stitch standing there, eyes dark. "I'm not sure I can deal with much more today. Please just leave." I'm not trying to be mean but I'm running on empty after my fight and all these altercations. Not that my furry friend seems to care.

"Tough. I have something to show you." With a sigh I make a sweeping gesture, the universal sign for go ahead why not. He looks annoyed at my attitude but doesnt comment and I'm glad for it. I'm reeling right now and honestly just wanna go back to sleep and pretend none of this happened. Watching him seem to debate with himself wearily I lean back against the glass, having seated myself when David left. Stitch's eyes meet mine and hold them for a beat before he nods to himself and his body seems to...shimmer? I know that shimmer. Leaning forward my mouth again drops open in shock, eyes glued as my friend does a repeat of my own performance. What?

He makes a hot human. Not really the point right now but its worth mentioning. His hair is a deep black, the tips almost glowing an electric blue color. He looks like a rocker, but its a good look on him. His skin has lightened into a tanned peach, scars scattering over his defined abs and adding a roguish quality to his looks. Muscles bulge, but not in that obnoxious body builder way that is so unattractive. This is sleek and defined and lick-able. Naughty Lilo. The only things that don't change are his eyes, still black as coal and fathomless. Gorgeous. Confusing, but gorgeous. My stutter breaks the silence, voice whisper soft. "W-what?"

"Yeah. Jumba did something to me a few years ago. I'm guessing he got the idea off you. Cool huh? I went to school like a normal human, I can interact with them and no one is the wiser."

"...wow." I'm at a loss. I thought I had been dealt enough blows today but apparently life is out to get me. It wasn't bad enough that I had a major heart on for my monster Stitch...life had to throw me an even more scrumptious version? Come one now. My back thuds against the glass again as I fall back, eyes still wide and mind whirring. "So...your like me."

"Basically yeah. Just backwards."

"That's...convenient."

"Yeah. I thought so too. Jumba and his damned science." He shakes his head, blue tips catching the light and glowing like fiber-optics. That is some sexy hair...no not the time Lilo.

"So...are you gonna let me go now?"

"No. I don't think so."