Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They belong to Twentieth Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios, not me. Anyway, on with the story!
Games Sabers Play
The herd had just settled into life at the island, when Diego and Shira announced the date of their wedding. Everyone was both shocked and overjoyed that Diego had finally found his true love. A few days after Diego and Shira's honeymoon, the herd spent a day in the clearing. Crash and Eddie were tormenting each other like usual, occasionally pulling Diego into the argument.
"Diego, tell Crash I'm right!" Eddie commanded while twisting his brother's wrist.
"No, Diego, tell Eddie I'm right!" Crash begged.
"Neither of you are right. Contrary to both of your beliefs, Shira didn't marry me because she' going to kill me in my sleep, or because I forced her to. She married me because she loves me!" Diego roared.
Shira just stared at the possums in disbelief. Peaches, being aware of her aunt's discomfort, spoke up.
"Why don't we play a game?" she suggested with a smile on her face.
"Sure, why not. It's not like we have anything better to do," Manny said.
"This game is called How Well You Know Your Herd." Peaches told her family.
"What do you do?" Shira asked while she placed her paw in Diego's.
"Two people from the herd are selected to be questioned. They then must answer every question to the best of their ability. If the answer is wrong, the other person speaks up," the teenage mammoth explained.
"How are these people chosen?" Diego questioned, for he knew there had to be a catch.
"They're chosen by a vote!" Peaches revealed to her uncle.
Diego and Shira looked at each other and knew they were likely candidates.
"Let's get started! Voting will start with my dad and continue around the circle," Peaches smiled.
"I vote for Diego and Shira," Manny grinned.
"Diego and Shira have my vote as well," Ellie chuckled.
"We're voting for Diego and Shira," Crash and Eddie laughed while pointing at the sabers in question.
"I vote for Diego-poo and Shira!" Sid yelled.
Diego glared at him, for he hated that nickname and the fact that so far everyone had voted for him and his mate.
"I vote for Lady and Shira!" Granny cackled.
There were four votes left, but Diego knew the odds were stacked against him. Shira sighed as she placed her head on Diego's back, for the white saber knew she would have to confess every feeling she had for her Softie.
"I vote for myself and Peaches," Louis whispered.
"I vote for Sid and Granny," Diego smirked.
"I vote for Sid and Granny, too," Shira giggled.
"With the last vote, I choose Uncle Diego and Aunt Shira!" Peaches announced.
The two sabers turned to face each other, while up on the highest rock pedestal in the clearing.
"Let's just get this over with!" Diego commanded.
"Diego, it will be okay. They won't ask us anything too embarrassing," Shira said with a reassuring smile.
"The first question is for you, Mr. Uber-tracker. What is Shira's favorite color, and why?" Many called.
Diego knew this one off the top of his head.
"Shira's favorite color is the purple found in the sunrise and sunset, because those phases of the sky are her favorites," Diego answered.
"Shira, what is Diego's favorite color, and why?" Sid asked.
Diego blushed after Sid asked this questioned. He didn't want the herd to think he was a wimp or a complete hopeless romantic.
"Diego's favorite color is sapphire blue. He says it reminds him of when we met in the ocean, and as a bonus, he adds that it is the color of my eyes. Those are two solid reasons as to why sapphire blue is Diego's favorite color," Shira reveals.
"I didn't know you were sentimental, Diego," the possum twins mocked.
"I didn't know you knew what that word meant," Diego smirked.
He hated it when Crash, Eddie, and Sid made fun of his relationship with Shira. He deserved to be happy! A smile crept over his face as he thought about when he met his beautiful mate for the first time. True, she had wanted to kill him then, but that didn't matter to Diego. He knew Shira was the girl for him, and swore to himself that one day he would be with her and never let her down. Maybe that's why this next questioned scared him half to death.
"What attracted you to Aunt Shira, Uncle Diego?" Peaches innocently asked.
"Where do I begin? I loved her eyes, her determination, her athletic build, her fur, her quick wits, even the small scar on her flank," Diego purred.
"What scar?" the herd questioned with wide eyes.
"I was attacked by another band of pirates on a land raid, and they scarred my flank. It's mostly healed, and super small, but apparently Diego can see it. He noticed it right off the bat, but didn't get the courage to ask me about it until our honeymoon," Shira told everyone her secret.
"Well, that's something you don't hear every day. I never knew that someone could think a scar is attractive," Crash muttered.
"I think it is, because it proves Shira's strong and can look after herself," Diego announced.
"Shira, what attracted you to Diego?" Ellie questioned the white-furred saber.
"I loved his pale green eyes, his courage, his muscular build, his fur, his quick reflexes, and most of all, his soft side. Almost everyone I have ever known has been ruthless or wanting to kill someone else. Diego's not like any of them. Maybe that's why I love my Softie so much. He's like nothing I've ever known," Shira breathed.
"Let's get back to more general questions," Louis suggested, for he never was big on romance.
"Okay, this question's for Lady," Granny told the herd.
"This ought to be interesting," Diego mumbles under his breath.
"What is Shira's favorite food?" Granny inquired while she tried to gum a kiwi.
"Shira's favorite food, now that she's allowed to eat meat, is deer. She still loves fish, so we catch some of those on a weekly basis, as well," Diego honestly answered.
"Shira, what is Diego's favorite food, and why?" Manny asked the tigress.
"His favorite food to eat is yak. His favorite food to catch is rabbit. He likes having to twist and turn in order to not let the rabbit escape."
"If you two were to have cubs, would Shira want a girl cub or a boy cub?" Peaches questioned.
"Shira would want both. She would want a daughter to be just like her, and a son where he could grow up like me," Diego guessed.
Shira looked at Peaches with a questioning glance.
"Where did that question come from?" Shira laughed.
"I just wanted to know what types of kids you would want to have. I've always wanted some cousins to play with!" Peaches trumpeted.
"It's a little too early to be thinking of having a family," Diego and Shira answered in unison.
"Why?" Sid complained.
"We want some time to ourselves before taking on the responsibility of becoming parents," the saber couple told their sloth friend.
"Would Diego want a girl cub or a boy?" Ellie asked.
"Diego would want a daughter, where he could spoil her. She would be his little princess. Diego might also want a son where he can teach him to be just like his father," Shira tried.
"Well, I think that's enough questions for now. I'm kind of tired," Diego yawned.
With that, the herd split off in two separate directions. Diego and Shira headed for their tree-cave, while the others headed for their giant cave. Upon reaching their cave, the two sabers hopped onto their rock-shaped bed and curled up beside each other. Diego wrapped his forepaws around Shira's waist, which put her head against his chest.
"You make me so happy, Shira," Diego whispered in his mate's ear.
"You make me happy too, Diego," Shira confessed as she placed her paw in Diego's.
"I know we're going to have a happy life together," Diego spoke into the darkness.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed my one-shot on Diego and Shira. Please check out my Ice Age
Lion King Crossover entitled Through It All. It contains major Dira moments, for all the Dira lovers like me. Thank you for your support!