(A/N: This is my first sad story [But it has a happy ending!], so bear with me, okay?)
Bring Me To Life
Max and Vitawny were taking a stroll with each other in the Oasis. It was just the two of them; They enjoyed company as much as the next animal, but sometimes, they just had to get away from the hustle and bustle. Together.
Vitawny loved Max, and Max loved Vitawny. It was simple as that. When they met, it was almost love at first sight for her. For him, not so much. Plus they had a lot in common, so she was able to do her favorite stuff with him. Such as digging tunnels, singing, that Tai Chi thing (even though Vitawny fell on her butt every time), etc. He started growing fond of her in a friendly way after seeing the interests they shared. Like for everyone else, their lives improved greatly upon moving into the Oasis. The best part for her was: When on one of the vine hammocks during the song, she mustered up enough courage to kiss him. And he kissed her back! Truthfully, she had been afraid that he was pull back, and push her away to her doom, but he didn't. It was super ironic how he ended up loving a hyena. Everyone expected him to end up with another meerkat, but he wanted to be with her. So he did, and still is.
That was years ago; Now, they were husband and wife! Yep, you read right. After what happened at Pride Rock with the Outlanders, Rafiki blessed Vitawny and Max's love soon after Timon and Shenzi's. It was completely by surprise too; there was no telling in advance about it. But they were quite happy nonetheless.
Little did they know, this happiness was going to be briefly, and temporarily, but horribly ruined.
The couple found some berries that they'd never seen before growing. "What kind of berries are those?" Vitawny wondered aloud.
"I'm not sure, darling," Max shrugged, investigating them. He had the same expression on his face as when he was fingering Timon's hula flower. "I've never seen this before."
"Hmm." Vitawny's stomach suddenly growled, much to her embarrassment.
"Your stomach empty, Vit?" Max teased her, as he turned around, and poked at her tummy. Being very ticklish, she naturally burst into fits of giggles.
"St-stop that!" She giggled, as she tried to protect herself.
"Why? You ticklish?" Max teased her some more as he tickled her tummy under her "shield." He already knew all too well that she was.
"Yehehehes! Now stohohohohop!" The hyena begged, and he did just that.
"You have a cute laugh, Vit," He smiled at her, and she blushed and giggled. "It's true."
"Aww," She giggled timidly, "Thanks." She rubbed her nose on his. "You do too," She smirked evilly, drawing her paws towards him stealthily, before tickling his sides with her claws.
"Hehehehehey!" Max burst out laughing, as he tried to protect himself. Like her, he was very ticklish. "Stop thahahahahat!" Vitawny obliged after a few seconds. "Anyway, do you want some of those berries, Vit?"
"Well, I dunno…" She nervously hesitated, "What if they're gross?"
"I'll try one first," Max chuckled, before plucking one off.
"If it tastes icky, I won't kiss you for a week," Vitawny teased him as he popped it in his mouth.
"Oh, I don't think so, little missy," Max teased back, as he tasted it. "Hmm," He raised his eyebrows in satisfaction, "Not bad." He ate up a couple others, but Vitawny still felt weary. She trusted Max and all, but something kept her from eating those berries. She didn't know what it was. A few minutes later, she noticed that Max was grimacing a bit.
"Are you okay?" She asked him.
"Y-yeah," He stuttered a bit, "I just started feeling kinda funny all of a sudden."
"Are you sick?"
"I, I think so," Max grimaced some more.
"Does your stomach hurt?"
"Y-yeah," Max nodded, his hands and arms going to his gurgling stomach, "Ugh."
"Hang on, I'll get Timon, so he'll get the monkey! Stay here!" Vitawny exclaimed, before running off to where the others.
A while later, the gang, consisting of Timon, Nina, Shenzi, and Pumbaa were there with the couple. Rafiki was there too, investigating Max as the meerkat was breathing heavily from the sharp pains in his stomach. While he was alone, he actually threw up once. It had taken the mandrill longer to come than what Vitawny wanted.
"I'm afraid there is nothing I could do," Rafiki told them regretfully.
"WHAT?!" Vitawny screamed, startling him so he almost dropped his staff.
"WHAT?!" The others yelled as well.
"What?!" Max shot up in shock, but flopped back down in pain. "Oh! Ugh."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO?!" Vitawny screamed some more, "YOU'RE THE ONE WITH THE HEALING SO-AND-SO WHATCHAMACALLITS! SO FIX HIM!"
"I-I'm sorry, Miss Vitawny, but there is nothing I can do," Rafiki told her gently, although was intimidated by her, "All we can do is wait for the poison to take its course."
"T-take its course?" Shenzi stuttered in fear, "What do you mean?"
"The poison will spread to his whole body, until… his organs shut down completely," The mandrill sadly explained, and gasps were heard throughout the group.
"You mean… he's going to die?" Vitawny whimpered, already on the verge of tears.
"I'm afraid so," Rafiki nodded, "I'm very sorry," He stroked her bangs with two fingers in comfort before slowly going on his way.
"Wait, wait! Wait!" Vitawny yelled after him, but he didn't hear her. "Come back! Help him! Make him better! Come back! No! No! NOOOO!" She yelled even louder, before running over to her husband. Her paws were right behind his head, and her face was hovering above his. "M-Max? You're gonna be okay, I promise."
"Vit," Max smiled weakly, "You can't promise that."
"Yes! I can!" She insisted, "And you will be!"
"Vit," Max started again, "You can't control this. I'm sorry my love, but you can't."
"B-but I can't live without you!" Vitawny whimpered. Back with the group, Shenzi started getting tears in her eyes.
"You'll be fine darling," Max reached up to lay his hand on her cheek, "You'll be fine. I can promise that." Vitawny knew that she had to accept this; there was truly nothing she could do to help, but she couldn't accept the fact that her husband was possibly seconds away from dying. Who will cheer her up when that girl she's enemies with puts her down again? Who will go on private, romantic strolls with her? Who will she practice digging tunnels and sing that song with? Her eyes filled up with more tears and her nose started getting stuffy from misery when those thoughts ran through her head. "B-but I'll miss you," She whimpered. Shenzi's eyes became filled with more tears as well.
"Sweetie, you'll be fine," Max assured her. "You can make it without me. You did before we met, you can now."
"No!" Vitawny exclaimed tearfully, "I can't!"
"Yes, you can," Max insisted as firmly as he could without sounding angry, "You did before, you can now."
"B-but I…" Vitawny started, but saw Max giving her the look the best he was able to. "O-okay," She gave in, as she laid one of her paws on his hand.
"I…" Max cringed in pain, "I love you," He smiled weakly but lovingly. Shenzi sniffled a bit.
"I, I love you too," Vitawny smiled back for the first time since before all this happened. But then the worst happened: He started slowly shutting his eyes and lowering his hand, getting weaker and weaker. "No," She muttered in horror, "No! Nonono! No! No! Nono! No!" Then his eyes closed completely, and his chest stopped moving. "NOOOOOOO!" She screamed in despair, her tears finally falling. Shenzi whimpered before whipping around, and sobbing in Timon's chest. Timon hugged her and his crying mother tight to him, his eyes squeezed shut, as tears ran down his cheeks. Pumbaa naturally burst into sobbing.
Poor Vitawny was hysterical; Expectedly, she was taking it the hardest by far. She was already on the verge of hyperventilating, as tears were falling on Max's unmoving face from her now red eyes. "No," She kept whimpering through her heartbreaking sobs. She tried desperately to wake him up, but to no avail every time. It broke the group's hearts to see her that desperate.
Omarion and Zuberi, two meerkats that were in love with Vitawny, and both practically had a devil's tail and horns, smiled at each other secretly. They were going to comfort Vitawny. And by comfort I mean: Take advantage of her fragile state. "She can't stay there forever," Omarion told the group, "We'll take her home." Shenzi raised an eyebrow at them through her cries; She knew all too well that those two were in love with her stepsister, so she didn't trust them.
"NOO!" Vitawny screamed, having heard everything. "I'm not going anywhere!"
"It's for the best," Zuberi told her, as he and Omarion walked up to her.
"NO!" Vitawny screamed again, tears falling out of her blue eyes, "NONONO! I'm staying here! You can't make me leave!" But the two grabbed her, secretly enjoying the feeling of her silky soft fur on their hands, and started taking her away. "NOOO!" She screamed louder, and started struggling, "I'M NOT LEAVING! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME! NOOO! MAX! DON'T LEAVE ME!"
Meanwhile, Max's heavy eyes blinked open, but when he saw nothing but a blue sky with no tree canopies, they shot open. "What the-? Where am I?" He wondered aloud, as he stood up. To his amazement, the agonizing pain in his stomach was gone! But that didn't answer his question.
"Max?" He heard a very familiar voice say his name. He whipped around, and too his surprise, he saw a meerkat with dark tan fur, and dark brown hair. He was Timon's father!
"La-Lane?" He stuttered in shock.
"Hey big brother," Lane smiled. Without another word, Max ran forward, and tightly embraced him, and Lane hugged him back.
"Wait a second…" Max realized something after a few seconds, as he whipped away. "If you're here right now, then… that means… Oh no. No. Nononono."
"I saw everything," Lane told him, as the older meerkat was wandering in a random path, muttering "No" over and over again in denial. "You had some poisonous berries, and the monkey said you were going to… pass. So… you kinda… did," He hesitated to say.
"I can't die!" Max exclaimed, startling him, "But… it's too late now," He sighed shakily, "I can't go back."
"But you can." Those three words made him whip around to face his younger brother in shock.
"I can?!" He exclaimed, "How?! How can I go back?"
"It's simple," Lane whispered it in his ear.
"Ohhh, okay," Max nodded in understanding. "Wait… how'd you see everything?"
"This thing here," Lane referred to a TV behind him.
"What is that?"
"I don't know," He shrugged, "But it's great. You can see what's happening on Earth; Look." He used a thin square thingie with buttons, and Max jumped in surprise when it turned on. But his heart broke when he saw his family and friends there.
"I'M NOT LEAVING! YOU CAN'T MAKE ME! NOOO! MAX! DON'T LEAVE ME!" When he saw Vitawny going ballistic with cries and sobs, tears flooded his eyes, and fell down his cheeks. But what he saw next turned his tears of despair into tears of fury; Omarion and Zuberi taking her away. He knew that they were in love with her, and it was so clear that they were taking advantage of her fragile state.
"Ohhh, those jerks are dead!" He growled, his hands bunching into fists. He turned to Lane, "I'm going back."
"That's great!" He smiled.
"Come with me."
"I can't," Lane said sadly.
"What?! So I can go back, and you can't?!" Max exclaimed.
"When you're eaten, or anything where you end up as more than one piece, you can't go back. And if it was natural causes. But anything else, yes. I'm sorry. Um… tell Nina and Timon I said hi, and that I'm very happy for Timon and Shenzi. And tell Nina that I love her very much, and that I miss her. Okay?"
"I will," Max nodded, before starting the process.
"Wait! One more thing!" Lane piped up before Max could do anything else.
"Yes?"
"I'm happy for you and Vitawny too," He smiled at his older brother.
"Thanks," He smiled back, "I'll tell that to Vitawny."
"Never thought you'd end up with a hyena," Lane chuckled.
"Me neither," Max shrugged. "Well… I'll see you when nature takes its course on me. Maybe you'll see Vitawny again too."
"Maybe," Lane smiled. "Have fun on earth."
"I will," Max smiled tearfully, "See you." He then started the process.
A few seconds later, Max's spirit was lowered back into his motionless body. He blinked his heavy eyes open, and slowly sat up. He turned around, and when the gang sans Vitawny, whom was still being dragged away with great struggle, saw him alive, they were about to say something, but Max put a finger to lips, indicating for them to stay quiet, and they stayed quiet. But they still looked very shocked, and very, very happy.
"Get Vitawny over here," He whispered, before hiding in the nearest bush.
"I will," Shenzi announced, before running off to where her stepsister was being dragged to. "Hey! Put her down!" They obliged, and Shenzi dragged Vitawny back to the clearing, with Omarion and Zuberi following.
"What the-? What're you-? AAAAAHHH!" Vitawny screamed when she realized something was wrong. Or something else was wrong. "WHERE'S MAX?!" The others shrugged in faux oblivion. "OH MY GOD! WE'VE GOTTA DO SOMETHING! WE GOTTA FIND HIM! WE GOTTA FIND HIM!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, as Max was walking behind her. To Timon, the scene looked quite familiar.
"It's okay, sweet-…" Max started saying, but Vitawny grabbed him, not realizing who it was, and started shaking him like a ragdoll.
"OH, IT IS NOT OKAY! DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME THA-!" Vitawny was screaming, but stopped when she saw who was right in front of her. Max couldn't help but smile widely, as his wife gasped happily. "Max!" She smiled, before he knelt down to her level, and they shared a tight embrace. Vitawny burst into emotional sobs, as she soaked his shoulder.
"Shhh, it's okay, my love," He whispered in her ear, as he rubbed her back, and head in comfort, "I'm here."
"Th-that's just it," Vitawny slowly pulled back, wiping her eyes. "I just can't believe it! You're back! You're alive!" She cried happily.
"I'm so glad to be back," Max smiled lovingly at her, as he brushed her tears away. When he saw the group behind Vitawny, he looked down at her. "Now, I've got to greet the others, 'kay?"
"B-but if I let go of you, you'll die again!" Vitawny whimpered, effectively breaking his heart.
"I won't, I promise," He assured her, as he brushed her bangs from her watery, sapphire blue eyes. "After I'm done, it'll be just me and you. Okay?" He kissed her forehead, and rubbed his nose on hers.
"… O-okay," She nodded, a tear falling down her cheek.
"Thanks sweetheart," Max smiled lovingly, "You're the best." He pecked her tiny black lips before slowly standing up, and walking up to the group. "So uh… who's… first?" He asked awkwardly, and Shenzi pushed Timon forward. His lips were clinched shut, and he looked like he was going to break down any minute. "… Oh c'mere, you!" Max smiled after a second of silence, and pulled Timon in a tight embrace. He smiled wider as his nephew soaked his neck and shoulder with emotional tears. After a few seconds, they pulled away. Nina ran up to him next, and gave him one of her famous near-death-hugs. "H'oy!" He exclaimed, as the air was rushed out of him. "N-Nina! Choking… not breathing!"
"Oh, sorry!" Nina apologized as she let up, feeling flustered.
"Oh sure, she hears him say it, but not me" Timon joked to himself. Thankfully for him, no one heard. After a few seconds, Nina drew back, leaving Shenzi sitting there with an awkward, but sweet smirk on her face.
"… Oh, c'mere kid," Max smiled, holding his arms out. Shenzi's smirk grew into a smile as she ran over to him, and in his arms. She rubbed her head on his ribs and chest, as he held her closer to him. She was always like a little sister to him, and he was like a big brother to her. Vitawny smiled at the sweet scene, secretly wishing that she was in Shenzi's place. They drew away after a few seconds. "Okay, is a certain cute little beauty next in line?" He grinned widely, gazing at his wife with his arms out. She smiled wider as she ran up to him, and jumped on him in a huge hug. In the heat of the moment, Max spun her around, making her squeal happily. She then practically climbed up, and started kissing him all over his face. "O-okay, okay, okay!" Max laughed in amusement.
But his laughter grew when the claws on her kicking hind feet started rubbing against his belly and ribs. "Geehehehehehehhe!" He giggled, as he collapsed on his knees, still struggling to hold her, "Vi-Vitawny, you're t-tickling mehehehe! Hehehehehehe! Stop it! Hahahahahahahaha!" He finally put her down to make her stop, but kept her close to him and she obliged.
"Sorry," She smiled sheepishly, "I was too excited."
"No, don't be sorry darling," Max smiled at her, "It's understandable."
"… That's good," Vitawny smiled wider, before lunging forward, and kissing his lips. He reciprocated, as his hands found her cheeks, and stroked the soft fur devotedly, before they separated after almost half a minute.
"Now, there's something I've gotta do." He slowly stood up, and walked over to Omarion and Zuberi, both of whom now looked nervous. Max stood in silence with his eyebrows down in anger for a split second, before he punched Omarion in the nose, knocking him down. He then punched Zuberi in the stomach, making him hunch over in pain, before he kicked him in the chin, knocking him down. "I saw everything," He stood over them in an intimidating way, "You think you'd take advantage of my wife and get away with it? Ha!" He taunted them, "Idiots." He walked away, stepping on their stomachs intentionally, and back to his friends and family.
"By the way!" He got their attention, "Um, I saw Lane today before I came back." Nina and Timon gasped quietly in surprise. "Everybody, he says hi. And Timon, Shenzi, he's very happy for you two." Shenzi smiled happily, as Timon kissed her head in joy. "And Nina, Lane says he loves you very much, and that he misses you." Nina smiled widely as happy tears came in her green eyes. "Plus Vitawny, he's very happy for us."
"That's great!" She smiled with joy.
That night, everyone was getting ready to turn in. Everybody slept surprisingly easily… except Vitawny, and Max somewhat.
"I, I can't sleep," She told him.
"Why not, Vit?" Max asked her.
"I… I'm afraid that if I do, this'll all be a dream, and you'll be dead again," She whimpered, tearing up.
"Vitawny," Max rubbed her cheek in comfort, "This isn't be a dream, I promise. I'm right here, okay? I'm not going anywhere."
"Mmm… o-okay," Vitawny hesitantly nodded, "I believe you."
"That's my girl," Max smiled as he kissed her nose, making her giggle, "Now, why don't we try and get some sleep, okay?"
"Okay," Vitawny nodded, before yawning, "G'night, Max. I love you."
"'Night. And I love you too, cutie," He smiled, before they fell asleep in each other's arms. Vitawny laid the side of her face on Max's chest, as he kissed her head between her ears.
(A/N: None of the characters belong to me except Vitawny, Omarion, and Zuberi. The idea of Timon's mom's name belongs to Maran Zelde. My idea for Timon's dad's name is a bit similar to his. ;))