*Note to those of you who stumbled across this story first: This is the third of a full trilogy that I have written. If you want to, click on my name and read Books 1 and 2 of the Pride Trilogy (The Pride of Man and A Lion of a Man) FIRST before reading this one. Kay? ^_^

Hey guys! Guess who's back and writing again? I know its been well after the time I expected to have this released, but writing is an art...and you can't rush art! ^_^

Actually, the truth is I took an extended break from writing, and it would have been longer...had my parents not done something that, unknown to them, inspired me to pick it right back up;

They took me to see The Lion King onstage in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino about 2 weeks ago.

OMG...it was SO incredible!!! Word cannot begin to describe the awesome-re-frikin-diculously-tastic-ness of that play!! (And that is my word that I made up about a month ago. I've started getting other people to use it too! ^_^)

Well, I know you've waited for this, so I will not deter you any further! Without further ado, I present to you...

The Heart of Man

Written by "SimbaFan" a.k.a. Johnny

Co-Written by "BookRose" a.k.a. Cathy

Beta-Read by "BookRose" and "TonyBoy" a.k.a. Dan and Cathy

Chapter 1 – A New Life

The sun shone brightly through in the gorgeous blue sky above. The green grass moved lazily in waves as the breeze blew through. Herds grazed happily here and there across the landscape. It was another beautiful day in the Pride Lands.

But I was not focused on the beauty of the land. I had lived there for so long, that while its beauty was as grand as it always was, I paid it no mind right now. I was focused on how to use the surrounding environment to my advantage.

The slight breeze moved towards the south, downwind of my target. It allowed me to move forward silently without worrying too much about making noise. Keeping my eyes on my target was growing easier as I moved closer. Slinking as low to the ground as I possibly could, I stealthily progressed towards my prey.

A smile curled my lips as I came within pouncing distance. My prey was slouched over the bank of the stream, silently taking a drink. He was totally unaware of what was about to occur.

A small growl escaped from deep within my chest. The creature's ear perked and turned towards me. Acting quickly, I tensed low on my haunches, and launched myself forward, a roar bursting from my lungs.

Simba ducked in time for me to soar clear over him and dive headfirst into the stream. Unfortunately for me, it wasn't deep enough to dive in, and I was soon nursing a throbbing bump on my head.

"Third time's the charm, eh soggy?" Simba managed to wheeze through sidesplitting laughter.

"Oh shut it," I spluttered as I climbed, soaking wet, out of the stream. "I'm still new to this whole four legs thing."

"Doesn't mean it's not funny!" he laughed.

"Funny?" I said, raising an eyebrow. "You wanna see funny? Well here you go funny boy!"

And with that, I began shaking the water from my fur vigorously, aiming it as best as I could in Simba's direction.

"HEY!" he cried, raising a paw to shield himself from the spray.

About halfway through my drying session, I felt myself suddenly leave the ground as Simba pounced at me. We tumbled through the air together, until we landed on the ground in a roll. Two revolutions later, I threw out my hind legs and met solid ground. With my front paws, I then pushed forward, and succeeded in pinning Simba to the ground. He looked up at me incredulously.

"Nala taught me that," I said through a toothy smile. Slyly, I added, "Bet you'd like to know how we do it."

Rolling his eyes, Simba pushed me off and smiled. "You know, one of these days you guys will be on the receiving end of my vengeance, and boy will you be sorry then."

"Nala said you've always said that, ever since you were cubs." I said, throwing him a friendly dirty look. "We're still waiting for that 'vengeance'."

Growling playfully, Simba swiped at me. I growled back and pounced at him. Like a pair of cubs, we roughhoused for quite some time, enjoying every minute of it. We both may have been middle-aged for our species, but we certainly didn't feel like it.

It was still taking some getting used to, but my new body was feeling more and more natural than it had when I first was blessed with it. Only now did I truly see just how much more honed a lion's senses were than my old human senses. Seeing it through this side made me see how much my old senses truly paled in comparison. As we roughhoused, I couldn't help noticing the differences between my old ways. No longer did I need to exert an excessive amount of energy to keep up with Simba, nor was I exhausting myself after a few minutes while Simba was still ready for more. Now he and I were on a level playing field, and I was gaining the upper paw more often than not.

About an hour later, we returned together to Pride Rock exhausted, but laughing and talking happily. Even the walk back from the stream seemed less draining than it had when I was human. My strength was really incomparable to that which I used to possess. As we ascended the path up, Rafiki, cane in hand, came wandering out of the den.

"Rafiki," Simba said happily. "Glad to see you came."

Rafiki knelt in a respectful bow.

"How's he doing?" I asked seriously as Rafiki stood back up.

"Well…" Rafiki said, turning to face the den. "He's not doing worse. But it's gonna be a long road for him. He has a strong heart though. I tink he's gonna pull through in dee end."

I sighed. Ever since we had discovered that Nuka was alive, it had been a difficult time tending to him. After Kamau has lost control of himself and beat Nuka within an inch of his life, Nuka had slipped into a state of constant sleep. Had he been diagnosed by a human, it would have been called a coma. It had been almost five months since the Great Union, as it had come to be called, and Nuka was still indefinitely unconscious.

What was even more disheartening about the situation was that it seemed that only Kamau, Nala, Kovu, Vitani and I really cared about Nuka. The rest of the Pride was too preoccupied with other issues to give their undivided attention to his needs, which were constant. Feeding an unconscious lion was not an easy task, and if one was doing it by oneself, it was all the more difficult.

The three of us had taken it upon ourselves to switch shifts watching over Nuka. Kamau, his feelings of guilt spurring his desire, spent the most time with him. Nala's and my own shifts were fairly equal. We would always offer to take over for Kamau at times when he appeared exhausted, but he would have none of it.

"It's my fault he's here," he would always say firmly. "It's only right that I be the one to spend the most time caring for him."

I thanked Rafiki, who nodded, and then walked into the den. Simba stayed behind to discuss the going-ons of the kingdom with him. A few lionesses lay napping around the den. I glanced around to see if anybody I knew was here, and sure enough, Tanabi sat silently on the raised rock in the center.

Tanabi was finally passing from adolescence into adulthood. His mane was thicker and it ran down his chest to his stomach. Though he resembled his father, there were certain features to his face that showed hints of Mufasa. I waited for him to see me, but he seemed too focused on something – or someone- else.

Vitani sat some feet away, her back to Tanabi. She was staring into the darker corner where I was headed. She seemed unaware of Tanabi's gaze, which he was probably grateful for.

Vitani was well past adolescence, but she was certainly no old lioness. The same age as her twin brother, Kovu, Vitani was a powerfully built lioness. Now that she had a chance to live a proper life with proper meals and treatment, she had filled out to her physical potential, and it was certainly something that could turn any lion's eye – or both eyes in Tanabi's case. No longer was she thin and bony, but muscular and well rounded. Her fur was no longer matted and dirty, but well kept and silky smooth. The tuft of fur on her head that resembled bangs even looked neater than it had when she lived under Zira's rule. Vitani was quite a beautiful lioness.

I smiled at her as I passed by, and she returned it, but it was short lived. Her gaze returned back to the corner I was heading for, concern lingering in her eyes.

Finally, I reached Nuka, his chest slowly but steadily rising and falling. Kamau stood next to Nuka, looking utterly exhausted as he always did lately.

Quite the opposite of Vitani, Kamau looked almost as bad of a mess as Nuka did. He stood in such a way that he looked very uncomfortable. His eyes remained determinably fixated on his unconscious brother. Never before had I seen such bags under his eyes. Kamau was denying himself any unneeded sleep for sake of keeping a constant watch over what he blamed himself every second for. His fur was far less well-kept than he usually kept it, matting and sticking up in certain places.

"Kamau," I said quietly. "You need your sleep."

As miserable as he looked, Kamau turned and smiled at me, his sagging eyes sparkling their clear blue happiness. It was quite a contradiction to his outer appearance, and I could tell it was slightly forced.

"Not a chance, Ayden," he replied as warmly as he could. "Go on out for a while longer. I'll be fine for a few more hours. Come back then."

Under normal circumstances I would have asked if he was sure, but after the first month of asking him this, Nala and I decided it better just to take his first answer. Kamau always meant what he said the first time he said it.

Smiling, I turned to leave the den. My eyes lingered on Tanabi, who still stared at Vitani intently, before I left.

-Simba-

After Rafiki departed when we finished talking, I went to look for Kovu and Kiara. For the last few weeks, I had taken it upon myself to go and teach them the proper ways of looking after this realm. And considering that Kovu's training for ruling a kingdom was instructed by a vengeance-driven lunatic, he needed it.

I wandered through the area surrounding Pride Rock for a while, calling out to them, but to no avail.

Ever since the Great Union, Kovu and Kiara had openly expressed their love for each other. I was reluctant at first simply out of instinctual protection for my daughter. But as their relationship became more and more apparent, I realized that what they had was real, and they truly loved each other.

I was just about to give up searching, when a sound caught my ear. Narrowing my eyes, I turned my ear to the source of the sound.

"Damn it Kiara!" Kovu's voice whispered hurriedly. "Stop shifting! You're gonna-"

"Give away your position?" I finished for him.

Both Kovu and Kiara must have jumped, because the bushes they were hiding in rustled vigorously. I chuckled as they scrambled out together, looking at me sheepishly. Kovu looked pointedly at Kiara briefly before looking back at me.

Kovu was as muscular and fierce-looking as always, but he was still growing. His mane was growing faster now, giving it a bit more of a spiked look while still retaining his upsweep.

Kiara had grown even more than Kovu had within these last five months. She was growing into her shape even better. She was slender and sleek, making it obvious that speed, rather than stealth, was her forte. Her sparkling amber eyes were as beautiful as always, just like her mother's.

"Playing hooky huh guys?" I said, smiling.

"Daddy…we-"

"Don't worry about it Kiara," I replied warmly. "If you guys want to spend time together today, I won't raise a paw to stop you."

"Really?" Kovu asked, looking uncertain.

"Yes. Really, I only needed to tell you guys something. Ayden and I will be leaving for a few days soon, and I was curious to see if you guys and Tanabi would like to run the kingdom in or absence."

Both Kovu's and Kiara's eyes widened.

"Daddy…that's a huge responsibility. I'm not sure we're ready," Kiara said, concern clear in her quiet voice.

"I am fully confident that you three will do just fine." I said boldly. "Besides, Zazu and Nala will still be here watching you guys should something happen."

Kovu stared at me, his mouth slightly agape. Realizing this, he shook his head wildly. He said nothing for a moment, seemingly lost in though. Finally, when he spoke, it was confident yet concerned.

"It would be an honor, Simba."

Kiara looked over at him. There was a flash of uncertainty in her eyes, but it was gone so quickly, I was sure I had imagined it.

"Good," I replied happily. "Ayden and I will let you guys know what's going on with the kingdom when we leave."

"Where are you guys going?" Kovu asked

"Just for a visit," I replied. "To an old friend…"