Nuka's Decision

Author's Note: This is a what if. What if Nuka had not died, instead he was there to help his mother in the final fight. It ain't great I'll admit it.

Kiara gave her little speech, it turned everyone against Zira including Vitani, still her son Nuka stood beside her. He could not turn on his mother, not now when he finally had a chance to prove himself.

"Wh-wha... Where are you going? Get back here!" Zira demanded.

"Let it go, Zira. It's time to put the past behind us." Simba replied.

"I'll never let it go. This is for you, Scar! " Zira leaps at Simba, but Kiara catches her in mid-flight and rolls over with her; the two lionesses tumble down the embankment.

"Kiara!" Both Kovu and Simba shouted. "Mother!" Nuka shouted at the same time.

Simba jumps down the slope, trying desperately to reach Kiara, but she and Zira have already fallen too far for him to catch up. Kiara manages to catch a hold on the ledge, slowing her descent enough for her to jump onto a small ledge. Zira clings to the rocks some distance below Kiara, hanging by her front paws.

"Hold on Kiara!" Nala shouts to her daughter. Nuka pushes past Kovu.

"Mother! I'll find a way to save you!" He promised. He looked around but spotted no way for him to rescue her.

The dam of logs breaks; the river suddenly begins to swell to many times its normal flow.

"Simba! Simba-- the river!" Nala warns.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no." Nuka repeated over and over again panicking not know how to save his mother.

The river is rapidly rushing to fill the canyon. Simba leaps from rock face to rock face, trying to reach Kiara. Below, Zira hangs precariously from the rock face. Kiara is above on the ledge.

"Zira! Give me your paw!" Kiara pleaded reaching for Zira.

Zira looks at her and does nothing. She slips down some more.

"Zira, come on... I'll help you.." Kiara said again. Nuka watch from up above. 'Please mother take her paw please.' He thought to himself.

Zira slides further down the rock wall, scrabbling for traction on the rock, but is unable to climb up. Zira slips and falls to the rushing water.

Kovu looks down where his mother fell, closes his eyes, and lets out a sigh. Nuka face would have gone white if it wasn't covered with fur. He let out a roar of agony, not hurt physically but in huge pain mentally. Kovu looked to his brother and walked over to him as Kiara got to safety.

"I'm sorry." Kovu said not knowing what else to say. Nuka only reply was his deep sobs. Vitani goes to her brother as well and places on of her forepaws on his back trying to give him some comfort. Kiara walked over to Kovu.

"Oh Kiara." Kovu said feeling joy come forth.

"Kovu I was wrong you belong here." Simba said. Kiara leaned onto Kovu. "Now lets go home, all of us." Simba then turned around. Nuka stopped sobbing and with now pure rage in his eyes looked to everyone.

"No, lets not and say we did!" Nuka pounced away from Kovu, Kiara and Vitani and landed on Simba back. He dug his claws into Simba and fell off leaving fresh wounds. Simba let out a roar of pain. All the others looked at Nuka shocked.

"Nuka, don't!" Kovu yelled. Nuka looked back to him.

"Shut up murderer." Nuka voice was filled with rage. Before Kovu could react Kiara walked up to Nuka.

"Nuka, he didn't kill your mother no one killed your mother." She began. "But if need someone to blame you can blame me, I wasn't able to save her." Nuka retaliated by slashing her on the side of the face. This got a huge reaction. Simba, Nala and Kovu came forward to Nuka ready to fight as Kiara stumbled back in pain.

"Wrong bitch. You're all guilty in one way or another. You are all partially responsible for what happened here today. You all did something." He looked to Simba. "Killing one of her love ones," He then turned to Kovu. "Betraying her." He turned to the whole crowd. "Or leaving her in her time of need, you're all guilty!"

Vitani stepped between Nuka and the three lions. "Nuka don't do this, mother had made her choice long ago to live and die for revenge, you don't have to."

"And then what Vitani? Hm? Become one of the Pride Landers, be a good boy pretend I don't blame everyone for killing the only person whoever cared about me?" Nuka shot back.

"I care about you Nuka, I know I never showed it but I do, and I don't want to see you end up the way mother did, I watched her, she let her bitterness consume her, she let it control her life, don't let it happen to you." Vitani's little speech left Nuka looking confused. Kovu stepped forward now calm.

"You can finally have friends, family, a life not controlled by mother."

Kiara now came forward once again, the wound on her cheek was still fresh but she ignored it.

"Think about it Nuka, no one will judge you for what you've done in the past, you'll be treated as an equal."

Simba joined the suit.

"I know you love your mother, but do you really want to inherit her personal vendetta?"

Nuka looked overwhelmed, such a decision. Could he really continue what his mother had started? Truthfully Nuka never knew Scar, but still she was dead could he ever forgive them for that? Or was he really trying to forgive himself? He looked up into the sky.

"Mother please forgive me." He said out loud. He then turned the group.

"Thank you." He replied simply. Most members of the group smiled. The Outlanders including Nuka were taken to the pride lands back to there new home. It would take a long time to fully forgive the others and an even longer time to forgive himself, but with help from his family and his new friend he eventually accomplished it, in the Pride Lands Nuka had finally found a real home.

The End