Holiday's

By: Kioko the Pirate

Chapter 11: Farewell

The sound of crackling pebbles and dirt beneath tires filled the tiny jeep as the ohana made their way onto the dirt road that lead to Kioko's house. Stitch and Angel both looked out of the windows as the dense green forest rushed past them. The kids, Jumba and Pleakly were following in the buggy just a few car lengths behind them. Angel finally gave a sigh and flopped down onto the car seat, Stitch soon did the same.

"Hopefully he hasn't left already." said Angel sounding a little nervous.

"He's only going to be gone a year." blurted Stitch, trying to give a little comfort to her.

"Yeah, I know that but… a year can be a long time." Angel looked down at her necklace, the one that Stitch had given her for Christmas. She carefully clutched it in her paw and gave a long sigh. "It'd be hard for me to have him leave without saying good bye."

Stitch smiled and wrapped his arm over her shoulder, pulling her into a small hug. "I've never once seen him do anything to hurt you, and I really doubt he'd do anything now."

"You think so?" asked Angel with an airy voice.

"I know so. Besides, if he did then I'd just have to kick some sense into him." joked Stitch with a large smile.

Lilo cringed slightly as the two experiments began laughing. Knowing what the pirates true intentions were at first and hearing how much the others liked him made her feel even more like she'd been tricked. It made her feel like her whole family had just been brainwashed, nothing but a bunch of puppets, believing what ever he had told them. Lilo clenched her fist, popping her knuckles, as she felt her anger growing. Yet she kept a calm face, she didn't want them to know anything yet but that was another problem… when to tell them. If she did it while he was there, she could consider it revenge, getting him back for manipulating them by destroying everyone's love of him. But then she'd be reducing herself to his level, if not lower. The whole thing just kept getting more and more complicated by the second, the more she thought about it the more troublesome it got. But her time to act was quickly approaching and she had to make up her mind.

Just then Kioko's house came into view, his ship sat in front of it, now uncloaked and a light grey smoke pouring from the engines. Just a short distance away a black car sat next to palm tree, a large black man wearing sunglasses and a black suit was leaning against its hood.

"I see Cobra is already here." blurted Lilo as she sat up straight in her seat.

"We better hurry, it looks like Kioko is warming up his engines." added Stitch as he stared at the smoke coming from the engines.

The two cars pulled up near Cobras black car and came to a stop. They all could see Kioko standing on the other side of his ship, running his hand over its hull as he walked toward them. Everyone quickly began getting out of the cars, smiles on their faces as they all walked toward the pirate. They all meet up near by to the ship; Cobra slowly walked up along side the group and removed his glasses.

"The moment has come for you to depart, Kioko." blurted Cobra in a professional tone.

Kioko gave a small laugh as he looked at the man out of the corner of his eye. "No need to be so formal, Cobra, you are talking to a pirate after all. Besides, why are you here anyway?"

"I'm here to confirm that you do leave this planet."

"Why, can't your government trust a pirate?" smirked Kioko.

"The very fact that you are a pirate is the reason for me being here."

"Of course it is." said Kioko with a smile.

"Now, you have 15 minutes before you are in violation of your banishment from this planet. So I suggest you say your good bye's and be on your way as soon as possible."

"Pushy, pushy… that's very rude you know." said Kioko as he rolled his eyes. "I really don't care if I violate any of your laws, which shouldn't surprise you, so I'll take all the time I want."

The sun was now close to the horizon as twilight settled upon the island. The sky turned shades of orange, red and yellow and the few clouds in the sky turned as pink as Angel's fur. A cool breeze swept through the area as Kioko finally turned toward the family. They were all lined up as if they were in roll call. Pleakly and Jumba were first in line; Kioko stepped in front of them and extended his hand toward them. The two aliens smiled and shook hands with the pirate, but as soon as Jumba had released Kioko's hand Pleakly clenched his skinny fist and hit Kioko in the arm. Kioko raised his eye brow and looked over at the alien, who was now holding his hand after cracking his knuckles on the pirates arm.

"What was that?" asked Kioko, sounding a little irritated.

"I read that it is customary for Pirates to say good bye by punching each other firmly in the arm. So I thought it'd be respectful if I followed your tradition." explained Pleakly with a small smirk.

Kioko scratched his head and looked away for a moment before looking back at Pleakly. "Ok, two problems with that. One, you are not a pirate and the day some one like you becomes a pirate… the universe will cease to exist. Two, I don't think you want me to punch you firmly in the arm."

Pleakly looked up toward the sky, considering the pirates words and then gave a slow nod. "You… you're probably right about that." said Pleakly quietly as he rubbed his arm.

Kioko then shifted his gaze over to Jumba and gave a small smirk. "Though I'm sure you could handle one punch."

Jumba's eyes widened slightly as he raised on finger and wagged it in the air. "Oh no no, you know evil geniuses are not punching type peoples. Besides, Jumba bruises like round, orange Earth fruit."

Kioko chuckled and then moved on to Nani. The two shared a rather formal good bye, shaking hands and nodding slightly. Stitch was next in line; Kioko stepped over in front of him, looking down at the experiment with a small smirk.

"Well I bet you're relieved to see me go?" said Kioko quietly. Stitch lowered his head slightly as his ears dropped. "You'll be the strong one around here again. So I'm expecting you to take care of things while I'm gone my friend." Kioko kneeled down to Stitch's level and extended his hand to the experiment. "I admire you for all that you've accomplished, Stitch." Stitch looked up at the pirate with a rather surprised look on his face. "I could only hope to have what you have gained. In that way, you are indeed greater then I."

Stitch bit his lower lip as it began to quiver; he couldn't believe that Kioko had just said that to him. No one could believe it as they all looked on in amazement. A small smile formed on Angel's face as she watched the two smile at each other. Stitch looked between Kioko and his outstretched hand, with a small smile on his face. But to further every one's amazement, Stitch stepped forward, past Kioko's hand and wrapped his arms around Kioko's neck in a big hug. Even Kioko was surprised by the experiments reaction. But instead of trying to push the experiment away, Kioko clammy reached up and patted Stitch on the back.

Lilo had to turn her head in disgust; she couldn't watch her friend hugging the man who had been sent to kill him. After a moment Stitch released himself from the hug and took a step back, a happy smile plastered on his face. Kioko smiled back, gave Stitch one more pat on the head and then looked over to the kids. As he scooted over in front of them, their saddened expressions became clear as day. All three of them had their ears lowered and their heads drooping slightly; Kioko had to hold back a laugh as he found their demeanor at that moment somewhat on the pathetic side. They looked as though they had been defeated.

"Oh come on guys, I'm only going to be gone a year. It's not like I'm leaving forever." smiled Kioko.

The three kids looked up at him slowly, suddenly they al leaped forward at once, nearly knocking Kioko off balance as they all tried to wrap their arms around him. "We're going to miss you, Uncle Kioko!" cried all three of the kids at once.

"I'm going to miss you guy's too." smiled Kioko as he wrapped his arms as best he could around the three of them. "But I'll be back, don't worry about it."

"Do you promise?" asked Kina after nuzzling Kioko's arm.

"I promise."

Kina looked up at the pirate with a big smile on his face and teary eyes. "We made something for you, Uncle Kioko." blurted Oki.

"Yeah, something to remind you of us." added Ashley as she pulled away from the hug and turned around. She reached down and picked up the card that they had made, she turned it around and held it up for Kioko to see.

There were pictures of different events that the kids had remembered lining the edge of the card with the words "Good Bye Uncle Kioko!" written in big letters at it's center. Kioko gave an approving nod as he looked over the card. After a moment he smiled and rubbed each of their heads, making the kids giggle.

"Thank you, guys. That's a very nice card."

"You're welcome!" blurted Oki with a goofy grin on his face.

"We drew pictures of things we did and things we thought would help you remember us." explained Kina as he pointed at all the pictures.

Kioko gave a nod. "I see, we've got a Christmas tree, a pumpkin, a beach ball, a birthday cake," started Kioko as he examined the art work. But a small picture at the lower corner got his attention right away. "Say, what's this picture of down here?" asked Kioko as he pointed to the picture.

Ashley looked to where he was pointing and gave a smile. "That's just a picture of the wrestling match Mom and Dad had to make us."

Stitch and Angel both gave startled gasps as they both began to blush. Every one was either blushing slightly or trying to hold back a laugh. Even Lilo, who still had her head turned away, had to cover her mouth to keep from giggling. Kioko just raised an eye brow as Ashley handed him the card, he smiled and took it before leaning back toward Stitch.

"I thought you and Angel explained the whole… process to them already?" whispered Kioko into Stitch's ear.

"We did but… we may have just… left out a few details." said Stitch with a sheepish grin.

"Right… and your reason is…?"

"Hey, it's not as easy as you think." Stitch then turned to face the kids and instantly put a look of shock upon his face. "Kids look over there! It's a giant sea serpent!" shouted Stitch as he pointed toward the ocean. The kids all gasped and looked toward the ocean, while Stitch quickly grabbed the card, ripped the corner of it off that contained the picture, crumpled it up, tossed it in his mouth and swallowed.

He handed the card back over to Kioko as the kids all turned back around with confused looks on their faces. "What sea serpent, Daddy?" asked Ashley.

Stitch snapped his fingers and shook his head. "He must have gone back under water when you guys turned around; sea serpents are tricky little things you know."

Kioko gave a small laugh and rubbed each of the kid's heads one last time. "Again, thank you for the card guys. I really appreciate it."

The kids all smiled and gave their uncle one last big group hug before letting him move on to the final members of the family. Kioko's smile widened slightly as he saw Angel next in line, a smile of her own growing larger on her face. Kioko now scooted over in front of her, as he dropped to his knees in front of her she leapt forward and like Stitch wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. But unlike Stitch, Kioko was expecting it and quickly wrapped his arms around the little pink experiment as well. Angel gave a soft purr as she nuzzled Kioko's neck; Kioko gave a sad sigh as he stroked her back. After a moment the two pulled away from their embrace and looked straight into each others eyes.

"I think I'm going to be the one to miss you the most." smiled Angel with a tender look in her eye.

Kioko gave a small huff. "And I'll miss you most as well."

"I'm a little worried though about what will happen once you're gone. What if we need your help?" Angel's voice suddenly became filled with concern and a worried look matched it on her face.

"Angel, if you or anyone here ever needs help… you can just contact me over the video link; I'll be here in a flash if you ever need help."

Angel lowered her head for a moment and looked towards the rest of the ohana out of the corner of her eye. She looked back toward Kioko and gently pulled him closer. "What if my problem starts acting up and I can't handle it?" whispered Angel as she cupped her paw over Kioko's ear.

A soft smile formed on Kioko's face as she pulled away, looking up at him for answers. Kioko placed his hands gently on the females narrow shoulders and leaned in to her so his mouth was next to her ear. "I have total confidence in you now, Angel." started Kioko. "I've taught you all the techniques that are suitable for helping you deal with it. Just remember meditation and physical exercises are a big help."

Angel looked down toward the ground as an unconfident frown crossed her lips. "I still don't feel like I can handle it on my own. You've given me all of these warnings about what might happen to me if I let it overcome me… I just don't want anything to happen." said Angel in a solemn voice.

Kioko gave a sigh through his nose as he pulled away. "Look at me," Kioko gently raised her head so she was looking straight into his eyes. At that moment they were full of emotion; the tiny experiment could see confidence, pride, pleasure and yet at the same time she saw worry and even a tiny amount of fear. All together a stern and yet comforting look sat upon his face. "Nothing will happen as long as you stay strong and I don't mean in the physical sense alone. You must remain strong here as well as here." said Kioko as he pointed to her forehead and her heart. "No matter what may happen, you must always stay strong. And out of all the things I have told you, that must remain the most important. Got it?"

Angel's frown melted away into the slightest of smirks, she felt like a child whenever Kioko spoke to her with such a serious yet caring tone. It gave her a warm feeling inside, like no matter what there was some one to look out for her. Her smirk broadened slightly and she quickly wrapped her arms around the pirate in a soft hug, the way a daughter would hug a father. She rested her head against his strong chest as he stroked her head gently. As the family watched the two, they were beginning to expect Stitch to intervene, but to their surprise the little blue experiment just watched the two with a small smile on his face.

However Lilo still had a disgusted expression on her face as she glared at the two out of the corner of her eye. Her arms were now folded over her chest in a rebellious fashion. But as she looked away Kioko and Angel released each other, Kioko kissed the experiment on the forehead and then stood up and turned his head toward the girl. Lilo turned toward the pirate with an angry scowl on her face. Kioko only had a slightly arrogant smirk on his face as he stared at the girl. The two of them stared at each other in silence for a few moments before Kioko finally spoke up.

"Well it's obvious you're still mad." blurted Kioko rather quietly.

"Why wouldn't I be? All these years and all of a sudden you just come and destroy everything I once believed."

Kioko gave a small laugh as he quickly glanced over at the rest of the family before looking back toward Lilo. "If you plan on telling them, I suggest you do it now."

Lilo was caught off guard, her eyes widened momentarily as she now stared at the pirate with a confused look. "What are you talking about?" asked Lilo, her voice stuttering a little.

Kioko's smirk faded slightly. "It'd make things easier for me; you see I'm not just leaving because I was told to… I'm leaving in order to keep you and your ohana safe."

"Safe from what?"

"Don't act dumb Lilo, you know what I'm talking about. I'm leaving to keep you safe from me; I'm far too dangerous a person to be around a family like yours. I need to get as far away as possible, and I don't want any reason to come back. And if you tell them and turn them all against me, it'd make that a whole lot easier." explained Kioko in a cold and serious voice.

Lilo's expression turned from confused and back to angry again. "That would be betraying this family again, you idiot. You promised them all that you'd come back after a year and by running away forever you'd only be betraying our trust in you again. I can't let you do that again, I'm not going to tell them with you around." snapped Lilo in an angry whisper.

"You're forgetting, Lilo, if you tell them now they'll hate me and won't expect me to come back. So I'd be free to leave and not have to worry about keeping such a promise."

"I'm not going to do it. They all love you Kioko and I'm not going to be the one to break their hearts."

"You'll have to tell them eventually, Lilo. So why not get it down with now?"

"What makes you think I have to tell them?" asked Lilo with a quiet huff.

Kioko was silent for a moment. "Because if you don't tell them then that secret will remain trapped within you. I don't think you want to live with the burden of keeping such a secret away from them."

Lilo opened her mouth to speak but stopped as she found no words to say. The pirate was right, if she kept a secret like that way from her family, she'd only add to her already burdened mind. Yet she didn't want to hurt her family and telling them that their once trusted friend was only there to kill Stitch would almost undoubtedly hurt them. It felt as though fate was against her at that point, there was nothing she could do to escape it. She had to tell them but to her surprise she now wanted to find away to keep Kioko from leaving forever as well. Just moments before she was glad to see him go but now she was trying to think of a way to keep him in her ohana.

The girl lowered her head as Kioko continued to stare at her. "You have to come back." blurted Lilo in a solemn voice.

"What?" asked Kioko sounding a little confused.

"I'll tell them, but you have to come back no matter what. I don't care how long it takes you, you just have to come back."

Kioko gave a sigh. "I can't guarantee that, Lilo."

"I don't care, you just have to come back. Even if everyone does turn against you, you just have to come back. Even if it's just for a day."

"I'll try my best, Lilo."

"You better. And while you're gone I'll try my best to learn alchemy." Lilo finally looked up at Kioko who was now looking at her curiously. "Just because we had this little disagreement doesn't mean I won't try myself. If anything I want to learn it in order to beat some sense into you." finished Lilo with a confident smirk.

A smile crossed Kioko's face as well. "If the Elric brothers couldn't beat me with alchemy, I'll be very impressed if you can."

"Well then prepare to be impressed." smiled Lilo.

Kioko gave another small laugh before turning and walking back toward his ship. In one leap he made his way up to the cockpit of the craft. He paused and turned back toward the family, smiles crossed every one's faces, even Lilo's. "Well this is good bye for now." shouted Kioko over the increasing noise coming from the engines.

"We'll miss you , Kioko!" shouted Angel in return.

"When you get back I want a rematch in arm wrestling!" added Stitch.

"Bye, Uncle Kioko!" shouted the kids in unison.

"Will be seeing you later!" yelled Jumba.

"We'll have a big feast when you get back! I'll cook!" added Pleakly which made every one wince in disgust.

Neither Lilo nor Nani said anything as Kioko gave a quick wave before stepping down into the cockpit. But as he did he stopped again and looked back toward Nani. "By the way, Nani. I needed to get rid of my Earth money so I've paid off your mortgage and paid your heating and water bills for the next four months." shouted Kioko with a small grin on his face.

Nani's jaw dropped as if it were made of lead. "You… you paid off all of that?" asked Nani in shock.

Kioko shrugged. "Yeah, I couldn't figure out what else to do with all the money I had lying around so, I decided that paying off your bills would be a nice farewell gift."

Nani was now speechless as the pirate turned and lowered the canopy, waving as it lowered. The family did the same even after the canopy was shut and Kioko could no longer be seen. After a moment a low rumbling filled the area as the engines began to glow with blue flame. Slowly the ship began rising off of the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. Every one shielded their faces with their arms until the sand settled back down to the ground. The ship was now about 100 feet over head, it rotated in mid-air and angled its nose up toward the sky. Finally, a moment later, the engines exploded in a burst of blue flame and the ship rocketed toward the atmosphere. This time every one held their ears from the deafening noise of the powerful engines until the sound faded into the clouds. As silence settled into the area everyone kept their eyes on the skies, taking in the fact that Kioko was gone.

Without a word, Cobra turned and walked back to his car and drove way down the dirt road. Nani still had her jaw hanging open as she tried to come to terms with their new financial situation.

"You know that's one thing about Kioko I never realized," blurted Stitch. "He was filthy stinking rich."

"That's for sure." agreed Nani finally snapping out of her trance.

A few moments later the family piled back into the cars and began their way home. Sad expressions hung heavy on the kids' faces, while Stitch and Angel tried to comfort them. Lilo no longer had a sad expression of her own, she now had a rather proud smirk on her face, despite the nervous feelings she had about telling them the truth. She didn't know when exactly to tell them but she knew it had to be soon. It took her the rest of the evening to work her self up to it but she finally decided to come forward and reveal to them just what she had found out. She waited for the moment when all of the family was in the living room before telling them.

The room was quiet besides the sounds coming from the TV as the family all sat and watched a late night talk show. Lilo was sitting on the window seat looking around the room nervously. Despite the fact that Kioko had just left, every one had rather pleasant smiles on their faces as they enjoyed the peaceful evening. Lilo was now beginning to feel her nervousness building once more, she felt almost guilty about what she was about to do. But finally the girl managed to work up the courage, stood up, walked over to the TV and turned it off. Every one gave a disapproving moan as the girl stepped in front of the TV.

"Lilo, we were watching that!" shouted Nani.

"It was just getting to the best part of the show!" added Stitch.

Lilo clasped her hands together and let them dangle in front of her. She took a deep gulp and looked toward her family. "There's something I really need to tell you guys." Lilo's voice was quiet as she looked around the room at the family. She suddenly noticed that a certain pink experiment was missing. "Hey, where's Angel?"

"I think she's upstairs tucking the kids into bed." said Stitch as he gave a quick glance toward the hall.

Lilo gave a sigh as she looked in that direction as well. 'It's probably best if I told her in private anyway.' thought Lilo as she turned back toward the family.

"So what is it you are wanting to tell us?" asked Jumba.

"It better be important, young lady." added Pleakly waving his finger in an almost scolding manner.

Lilo took a deep breathe to try and clear her anxiousness before starting. "The other night, during the New Years party, I over heard Kioko and Cobra talking…" started Lilo.

"What were they talking about?" asked Nani sounding curious.

"They were just discussing what Kioko had to do after he left but… that's not what I need to tell you."

"Well then tell us already." blurted Stitch, sounding anxious to get back to the TV show.

Lilo gave the blue experiment a cold glare which made him sink into the cushion of the couch. "You be patient, Stitch!" shouted Lilo angrily. "After all this has a lot to do with you."

Stitch's ears perked up in curiosity, every one else also now looked at the girl with curiosity filling their eyes. "So, what did you hear?" asked Pleakly, sounding a little timid now.

Lilo looked away from Stitch and over toward Jumba, Nani and Pleakly. "At one point in their conversation, they started arguing over something that Kioko had been told to do a long time ago…" as Lilo began to explain Jumba and Pleakly looked at each other with worried expressions. "At first I was hoping it was just a lie, a misunderstanding maybe, but I was quickly proven wrong."

"What are you talking about, Lilo?" questioned Nani.

Lilo lowered her head. "I found out that… Kioko had originally been hired to…" Lilo paused.

"To what?" asked Pleakly, urging the girl onward.

"To… kill Stitch." blurted Lilo hesitating only slightly.

Nani gasped as Stitch's eyes shot open, yet Jumba and Pleakly did not seem too surprised. Stitch gulped as he looked around the room in disbelief. "He was after Stitch too?" asked Nani in disbelief. "Why, what reason could he have possibly had to go after Stitch?"

Lilo gave a sigh as she walked over and sat down in a chair near the TV. "Apparently the Galactic Federation and the Earth governments hired him to dispose of Stitch before he did anything."

"But I thought that's why Jumba and Pleakly were sent after him, to capture him before any damage was done?" continued Nani as she scratched her head.

"Well I guess they hired Jumba and Pleakly in order to hide the fact that they hired Kioko? After all I assume it wouldn't look good if a government like the Federation hired a space pirate for any reason."

"But, Lilo…" blurted Stitch, his voice shaking slightly. "How could Kioko have been after me, I don't recall ever seeing him?"

Lilo looked at the experiment with almost sympathetic eyes. "Well apparently he was never far from us. Even when you wondered off into the forest that one night, I heard him say that he thought about killing you then."

Stitch's whole body began shaking slightly at the thought of how close he came to death. He remembered clearly, feeling so lonely and lost that night, but never had it crossed his mind that he had been so close to death. And never had it crossed his mind that Kioko could have been after him. It seemed almost impossible, that as close a friend as Kioko could ever have been just another person out to get him. The whole thought of it made the poor little experiment feel uneasy about hugging him just a few hours before. But one thing suddenly popped into his head, if Kioko had been out to kill him, why didn't he?

"If Kioko was after Stitch, why didn't he ever do anything?" asked Nani, apparently she had been pondering that same question.

Lilo shrugged. "I'm not completely sure on that myself. He did mention that Stitch looked too innocent and defenseless while he was in the forest." Lilo then glanced over toward Jumba and Pleakly; she quickly noticed their lack of surprise. "What's the matter with you two, aren't you surprised by any of this?" asked Lilo her voice almost accusing them.

"Well…" started the two of them in unison.

"Well what?" barked Lilo when suddenly her eyes widened with realization. "You two knew about this didn't you?"

"Well, we might have been knowing about it a little." said Jumba as he looked away from the girl.

"Yeah, just a little." agreed Pleakly as he pushed his finger tips together.

Lilo looked at the two of them with an angry and upset look on her face. "How long have you known, and why didn't you tell us sooner?" shouted Lilo.

"It isn't like we have been knowing for a long time, Lilo." started Jumba. "Pleakly and I only found out about it a few years ago."

"Only a few years?" snapped Lilo.

"We didn't want to tell you, probably for the same reason you were hesitant to tell us." blurted Pleakly.

Lilo's angered expression disappeared in an instant. "I… I was just so nervous to tell you all because I was afraid to hurt you. I thought you'd become angry with Kioko, but… you don't seem to be. I don't understand why."

"Maybe it's because we expect this sort of thing from him." blurted Nani, her shocked tone gone, replaced by a tender one. Lilo looked over at her sister with confused eyes, begging for an explanation. "You built him up in your mind as something he wasn't and when that image you had of him was shattered you became angry."

"But believe us, Lilo." blurted Stitch, who had a calmer expression now as well. "It shocks us too, to hear that Kioko was out to get me, and it's still sending chills down my spine, but we can believe that it's something he would do."

Lilo gave a sigh, walked over to the wall near the kitchen and leaned against it. She folded her arms over her chest and lowered her head. "I guess you guys are right. After all I did see him as a super hero almost when I was younger, I just never saw him for what he was."

"Well you don't need to say it like it's a bad thing." smiled Nani, trying to bring some levity to the moment. "The important thing you need to see is that he never did anything to hurt us. Stitch is still alive and kicking…"

"Thank god." blurted Stitch.

"And Kioko has helped you through many hard times in the past. You can't hold something he never even did against him, especially with all of the good he's done for us." finished Nani.

Lilo was silent for a moment, not even looking up toward her family. Finally a small laugh began to escape her, growing into an amused giggle. She couldn't help but find it all so funny, she was laughing at her self more then anything. After their parents had died she swore to herself that she'd never think of anyone as a hero, besides Elvis, and now she realized that she had made a hero out of the one guy who most people wouldn't have been able to tell if he was a good guy or a bad guy. She felt almost childish about it, she felt so foolish.

"You're right, absolutely right." laughed Lilo as she looked up with a smile on her face. "I thought that a space pirate would never do anything like that and I set myself up for a let down. I was stupid and childish; the problem wasn't entirely with Kioko, but with me."

"What Kioko was going to do was bad, yes, but he didn't go through with it. In a way, you should almost be grateful toward him." said Nani.

"Well I wouldn't say grateful. He did nothing to hurt nor help during that time, but still… I'm thankful." smiled Lilo as she stood up straight and began walking into the hall.

"Where you going?" asked Stitch curiously.

"I'm off to tell Angel, but this time, I won't be mad, or hesitant." answered Lilo as she started up the steps.

With out another word from anyone the girl ascended the steps and stopped at the top. She looked down both ends of the hall as she tried to find out where Angel was. Her first guess was still in the kids' room. Lilo quietly walked down the hall and stopped in front of the kids' door. She pressed her ear against it to try and hear if Angel was in the room, she'd sometimes read the kids a story before bed and given what had happened that day it made sense that the kids would need more to get to sleep. But Lilo didn't hear anything coming from the other side of the door. She pulled away from the door and then looked down to the other end of the hall where Stitch and Angel's room was. She noticed the door open and instantly assumed that she was in the room.

The girl got down to the room and slowly peeked into the room. The lights were all off, the light from the moon was the only light, and it became apparent that the little experiment was not in the room. Lilo stood back and looked around with a confused look on her face. The girl scratched her head for ideas as she looked back down the hall. Suddenly she noticed that her own door was cracked open and a strip of light shining through the slot. Lilo made her way back down the hall to her room; she carefully pushed open the door and stepped in. She then noticed that the window across the room was open, the drapes were fluttering in the gentle night breeze as she made her way over to the window. Lilo crawled onto the window seat and peered out, looking around she finally noticed a figure sitting on the roof of the house.

Carefully, Lilo began crawling out the window, stepping onto the narrow ledge that sat below. She slide toward the roof and finally leapt across onto the roof. She crawled toward the figure, which soon revealed its self to be Angel. The pink experiment was lying on her back, staring up at the stars with her hands resting behind her head.

"Angel, what are you doing out here?" asked Lilo as she crawled over to the experiment.

"Just talking with the stars and enjoying the night." answered Angel in a dreamy voice.

An almost amused smile crossed Lilo's face as she sat down next to Angel. "Well uh, I think I may be a bit better at the conversation thing then the stars."

Angel gave a small laugh, letting Lilo know that she agreed. Yet she still remained focused on the glittering stars above. "What did you come out here for anyway?" asked Angel.

"Well…" started Lilo, trying to force back her nervousness. She knew that Kioko and Angel were extremely close and while the rest of the family had taken the news fairly well, she didn't know how the experiment would take it. But what confused her was why she was acting so care-free, it made Lilo even more uncertain of her decision to tell Angel the truth. But she knew she had to do it, she promised herself she wouldn't hesitate and she was going to go through with it. "I wanted to tell you something."

"Well can I ask you something first?" asked Angel as she looked over at Lilo. "It's something that's been on my mind for awhile."

Lilo looked at her curiously. "Sure, Angel… what is it?"

Angel looked back toward the stars with the same content smile still on her face. "Do you think it's possible to love more then one person?"

Lilo's eyes widened slightly as she found her self almost speechless by Angel's question. "Well… of course… you love your family and… your family is more then two people." shrugged Lilo.

Angel gave a small chuckle. "Not like that, Lilo. I mean truly in love. Is it possible, for some one to be in love with two people at the same time?"

"Well… I guess some one could… why?" asked Lilo, stumbling over her own words.

Angel's smile widened. "Because I think I might… be in love… with Kioko." said Angel quietly as her cheeks became red.

A sharp gasp escaped Lilo as her jaw dropped. "Angel, but what about Stitch!" shouted Lilo a small tone of anger hidden in her voice.

"Don't worry, Lilo." started Angel as she looked at Lilo. "I still love Stitch more then anyone but, that's where my problem begins. The feelings I get with Stitch I think, I'm starting to feel towards Kioko. That's why I asked you if one can love two at the same time."

The slightly angry expression that had made its way onto the girls face melted away into confusion. She was silent for a moment as she looked around, trying to find something to say. If anything this news was even more shocking then the news she had to tell Angel. "I… I don't know what to tell you, Angel." said Lilo finally breaking her silence.

Angel gave another chuckle and looked back toward the stars. "I kinda figured that. After all this isn't a problem most people face in their lives. It's just not normal; they say that when you find that special some one you feel complete. Like finding your missing half and finally becoming all you can be. But… for me it was different, my missing half, was broken in two. And I need both of those pieces to feel whole, and it just so happens that those two pieces are completely different people."

"I'm not sure I quite understand what you're talking about, Angel?" blurted Lilo, sounding almost guilty about not being able to pick up on what she was saying.

"Simply put Lilo, Kioko and Stitch both satisfy certain parts of who I am and neither of them can take the position of the other. When I'm with Stitch… I feel loved, I feel like I belong, he was my first love and so he holds a special place in my heart. He makes me feel like I have a reason to live; he makes me feel special and makes me feel like an equal. He satisfies my needs for companionship, he makes my life amazing…" Angel had a dreamy tone in her voice as she spoke; Lilo gave a small smirk as she saw just how much love she felt toward her friend.

"I get it; Angel…" blurted Lilo with a small laugh. "He's amazing."

Angel smiled. "He is, he's funny, smart, loving, supportive and just between you and me… pretty dang good in bed." whispered Angel as she looked over toward Lilo.

Lilo gave a slightly disgusted cringe, which she quickly hid behind a small smirk. "I'll take your word for it."

"But in the end he doesn't have everything I need. Despite all of his good traits, he doesn't understand me as well as I wish he did. Of course I can understand why, deep down he still sees me as the experiment I was before I was captured. But I've changed and that's something he can't see." explained Angel looking once again towards the stars.

Lilo did the same and gave a small sigh, finally, seeing where she was heading with this. "And Kioko sees that, right?"

"Yeah," replied Angel with the same dreamy voice as before. "He sees me for who I am now. He understands me better then anyone does and probably ever will. When I'm with Kioko I feel… carefree, I feel safe and secure. When he holds me, I feel like a child in her father's arms, it seems like there isn't a single thing I need worry about. I've even fallen asleep in his arms before, that's how carefree I feel. But none of that is what makes him so special to me, he's the only one who can help me with my problems."

Lilo scrunched her eye brows curiously as she looked over at Angel. "What problems?"

"Their nothing you or Stitch need worry about. It's just something that I've had since I was with Hamsterviel." Angel looked over at Lilo and saw the concerned look on her face. "It's something I'd rather not talk about. It's just something Kioko helps me with, since he has a similar problem." Lilo's curiosity grew a little more but decided to let it go.

"And that's why you feel so attracted to him, because he's like you?"

"Yeah, I guess it is." blurted Angel before falling into silence for a few moments. "Maybe I'm just mistaken about being in love with both of them. But none the less, I only feel whole when I have both of them." Angel looked over at Lilo, who was sitting with her knees against her chest and her eyes fixed straight ahead. "Now what was it you wanted to tell me?"

Lilo began cursing herself in her thoughts for letting Angel go first or even trying to tell her the truth. Angel feels like she's in love with Kioko, how was she going to react to what she was about to tell her? The whole thing suddenly became more complicated then Lilo had expected, if anything it was the most complicated situation she had ever been in. But something inside told her to go ahead, to just come right out and say what she needed to say. She suddenly felt like she could handle anything that it might lead too. Lilo swallowed hard as she prepared herself; slowly turning toward Angel she lowered her knees away from her chest and turned her whole body to face the experiment. Finally, with a final deep breathe Lilo let what she had to say flow out.

"Angel, I found out that Kioko… was out to kill Stitch when he first came here."

The two fell silent as Angel stared at Lilo with an unfamiliar look on her face. Her mouth was partially open and her unblinking eyes were trained on Lilo. The two of them seemed like statues as they stared at one another. Finally, the silence was broken in an unexpected way, Angel began to chuckle. A look of confusion fell on Lilo's face as the experiment turned away as if the news was nothing.

"Is that all?" asked Angel, amused.

"Is that all? Is that your reaction to hearing that the guy you think you're in love with was out to kill Stitch?" said Lilo, her voice rising as she tried to restrain her anger.

"It's just that… I kinda figured it was something like that. I saw it in Kioko's eyes when ever he and Stitch were competing. He understands me and I understand him, and given that, it's not hard to see that such a thing would be possible." smiled Angel.

Lilo gave a sigh, followed by a short laugh. "Well… I'm the only one who apparently missed all of the signs. Everyone else in this family either knew about it or had a hunch… I had nothing. But come on, doesn't it bother you that he was after your Buchi-boo?"

"Stitch wasn't my buchi-boo then… I was still just a dried out pod floating inside that container. All of that happened before me, so why worry about it?" Angel closed her eyes and gave a relaxed sigh. "Now if Kioko tried that now, I'd have to kick him in the face with a high heeled shoe but… I know he wouldn't."

Lilo smiled and laid down on the roof, closing her eyes and putting her hands behind her head as a cushion. "Well this isn't the way I pictured this day ending. I thought for sure all of you would hate Kioko after I told you."

"Just goes to show you can never predict how anything will happen. But still, you had every right to feel angry toward Kioko and none of us would mind if you still held that anger against him."

"No, I'm not mad at him anymore at least not to the extent that I was before. I'll show him, I'll learn that Alchemy stuff and he'll see that no one messes with my Stitch and gets away with it."

Angel began laughing and was soon joined by Lilo. Their laughter echoed through the area as the stars shined down on them. But at the same time, thousands of light years from Earth, a lone ship floated through space, silent and seemingly lifeless.

"So she made her decision…" blurted Kioko as he sat reclined in his pilots chair, his feet resting on the control panel of the ship, a small glass filled with a dark green liquid sat firmly in his hand. "She made her decision and found it not to be as expected." Kioko raised the glass to his lips and took a quick sip of the green liquid. "Now it seems I have no choice… but to make my own decision. It's time to change this fate of mine, it's time to finally free myself and I hope… all of you can forgive me in the end."

That's it! The end of "Holidays"! It's finally over! I hope you all enjoyed this story of mine. I'm not too pleased with this chapter, I missed a few details but, that's just something to work on. I'll be working on my other series for now, so don't expect the next story of this series for awhile. But when that next story does come, expect the action and drama to be at an all time high! I'll be working on My "Pirate Chronicles" (DeviantArt only) and then my long postponed Tejina chronicles. Thanks for reading, please review.