*Warning* - I am not a native English speaker!
AN: This is for all those Evil Kovu/Vitani fans J. TLK's such a great story you can make everything out of it, even a horror tale. Inspired by a fanic from DeviantArt…
A silent night fell upon the Pride Lands after a day of great significance. Kovu, freshly accepted into king Simba's pride, was sleeping firmly beside Kiara.
He dreamt of the peaceful, upcoming future- of the happy life he would have alongside his newly wed mate, of their cubs... He saw himself standing on top of Pride Rock, with his family at his side, in a bright, sunny morning…
But then the weather changed. Dark clouds covered the sun, everyone disappeared. A rush of wind came, as he fixed his eyes on the grey sky- where the thick fumes formed something in the shape of… a lion.
His dead stepfather.
-Kovu… - a ghastly voice called his name. He felt somebody violently pressing against him.
-Kovu… Kovu! C'mon, wake up!
He opened his eyes.
-What the… 'Tani? Is that you?
When he got used to the darkness, he saw his sister standing in front of him in great commotion. He noticed she'd been crying.
-What's the matter?
-Shh! Be quiet! We gotta go, now! Please, don't ask. No one can know about this. Get up, hurry!
The lion, totally startled, silently rose from the ground.
Suddenly both of the siblings shivered, hearing Simba giving away a loud snore. But the king just rolled to the other side afterwards.
They quickly left the cave. Kovu looked at Vitani, expecting her to give him some explanation, but instead she just started to run.
-Hey! Wait!
He barely caught up with her. She lead him far away from Pride Rock, close to the borders of the kingdom, near the great Zuberi river. Only then did she halt.
They stood for a minute, breathing intensely before they were even able to speak after such a long run. Kovu approached his sister and looked her in the eyes.
-Vitani, what's going on? Why did you bring me here?
She answered with a worried, sorrowful voice.
-Unlike you, I haven't been sleeping tonight. Yesterday, all day long, I have been searching… and I found her. I hope we're not too late…
She turned around and led him to the river bank. Fear filled him as they approached a large rock, behind which there was something lying on the ground.
Something… alive.
Vitani bent down to the wet pile of ragged fur.
-Mother… I brought him as you ordered me. Can you… hear me?
Kovu stood petrified as he heard coughing… and a weak, familiar voice.
-You have done… well. Tell him… to come here. As for you… I don't want to see you again.
-Mother… - Vitani sobbed, full of pain and despair.
-That is my will… - whispered Zira. – I expect you… to respect it.
The young lioness left her, devastated.
-Go… she wants to speak to you… - she uttered.
Kovu was close to crying himself. He noticed he's already forgotten about his own mother.
How could he?
He made a few awkward steps, approaching Zira's seemingly lifeless corpse. She had many broken bones… she wasn't even able to open her eyes.
-Mother? – he asked.
What he heard as an answer, filled him with horror. This dying body gave away a long, gruesome laugh, that made his paws shake.
-HAHAHA! Is that… my son? Oh, what a wonderful paradox… The very one, who stabbed me in the heart… now comes to witness my death.
-No, mother… I… I didn't want to…
-Hush! Please, Kovu. Don't cause me any more… pain. I have had enough of it… already. Instead, I want you to listen. Imagine… all I've ever wanted… all I've ever worked for… you managed to destroy.
Kovu cried.
-And for what? So that you could… have the daughter of your enemy… as your mate. In the end… that hurts me the most. Not the wounds, Kovu. But Vitani. My pride. And you. I will be glad… to reunite with Scar. And Nuka, too. Poor Nuka…
-I'm sorry, mother! I'm so sorry… I didn't want this to happen. I regret it so much…
He couldn't tell whether she was able to hear him anymore. He just stood above her corpse in tears, until someone approached him. He turned around.
It was Simba.
-I know I had a good feeling about following you. Is she dead? Yeah, I can see she is. Well, she earned every last bit of it!
Kovu closed his eyes.
For a moment, he was a cub again, lurking at the dried ground of the Outlands as his mother taught him how to pounce. He heard her voice, so gentle and loving…
-My sweet child! I hope that one day we'll all have a happier life than we have now. When we finally take back what is rightfully ours, what that bastard Simba took away from us… Oh Kovu. You'll always be my little king!
She snuggled him then, but now she laid on the rocky ground, cold and dead. Beside her, stood her enemy. Victorious and content.
-I'm so sorry, mother… I almost forgot. – he whispered.
Then he swung his paw and slashed Simba on the face.
The lion king roared.
-RAH… I knew it! You'll regret that, you traitor!
-Oh no… - Kovu hissed. – This time, you're the one who's going to pay for everything you've done…
They started fighting. Both filled with fury, both vicious, slashing, biting and hitting each other with all their strength.
Standing far away, Vitani heard their angry growls. She quickly abandoned her grief and launched towards the battling couple.
-Kovu! – she shrieked.
The fight was ferocious, both of the opponents were blood-soaked and wild.
She thought for a moment about what her mother had told her. About the disappointment…
Now Zira was dead, but there was still a chance to redeem her unfaithfulness. Vitani growled, furiously.
-Simba, you've made your last mistake today – she said.
Then she jumped in the middle of the duel, helping her brother. It didn't take long afterwards.
Minutes later, the king laid dead on the ground, beside Zira's body.
Their mission has finally been fulfilled. They looked at each other, both breathing heavily, examining the scars on their bodies. Vitani even had a fragment of her right ear torn off.
It was as if they followed a dark destiny, written somewhere in the stars.
-What are we gonna do now? – asked the lioness.
-I don't know. What matters is that we DID it. – sighed Kovu.
-And what about you and Kiara?
-Kiara? Kiara's my mate now. And that makes me the king. She'll just have to live with it.
The lion proceeded a few steps and leaned down towards his mother's corpse. He nuzzled into her cold, wet fur.
-Did you hear that, mom? I'm king now. Thanks to you.
The wind blew with might. Clouds blocked out the moonlight, as a thick darkness fell across the Pride Lands.