[Author's Note]
For those who aren't aware, the title is taken from a Linkin Park song. Like many of you, I was shocked by Chester Bennington's death, and as a musician who draws creative influence from Linkin Park, I thought it only right to cover the topic of suicide in one of the last scenes. And while the overall tone in this chapter isn't too dark, I wouldn't want to upset anyone who is sensitive about the matter. Read on at your discretion.

All I ever wanted, secrets that you keep,
All you ever wanted, the truth I couldn't speak.
'Cause I can't see forgiveness, and you can't see the crime,
And we both keep on waiting for what we left behind.
—Linkin Park, "Final Masquerade"

"We were somewhere around here," explained Kion, circling a paw over the stone wall before him; rather, the map painted upon its carefully crafted surface. "Not all the routes are drawn on this map, but it looks like the major landmarks are all in the right places."

Simba examined the map, his gaze sweeping the surrounding geography as well. "That's...not far from the Back Lands. Did you see which way Malka went?"

"Sorry dad, your guess is as good as mine," sighed Kion. "These paths go in literally every direction."

The king knit his brow. The two of them were sitting in the Cave of Ancestry, having spent most of the morning digging through the gorge for survivors. Nala had brought a team to relieve them some time ago, although the rest of the Lion Guard resolved to stay and help with rescuing potential survivors. So after dismissing his team and heading back to Pride Rock with Kion, Simba had been trying to make sense of what his son had seen in the mountains. It wasn't helping matters that his mind was riddled with questions about Janga, and he already knew he wasn't going to like the answers.

Kion also looked as if something was bothering him. "You're sure Malka's with the good guys?" he asked.

"He's never given me reason to believe otherwise," Simba responded, surprised. "Why, did you see something?"

"No, nothing like that," his son said slowly. "But if this Janga is grandmother's daughter, then why would she do something like this?"

Simba's expression changed instantly. He was staring at the constellations painted above their heads, and his eyes found the scratched-out star that once bore a name. "Scar," he growled. "I never thought he would have dared...but now I remember who I'm talking about. If he wasn't already dead..."

"Janga's name isn't on here," Kion noted, taking in the names inscribed on the stars.

"Rafiki painted this long after you were born," Simba told him. "You just never came in here because you were so busy with the Lion Guard. It looks like he omitted Scar's kin from this star map. But there is another, older family tree near the edge of the Pride Lands..." The king trailed off, wondering if Scar had etched his lineage into the original family tree.

Kion hadn't taken notice, as he was still staring at the map of the constellations. However, he was staring at the star that was linked to Simba and Nala's. "Dad? Who's—"

"I never thought I'd say this, but I'm going to take a bath," grumbled Bunga, entering the cave with Nala's team close behind. "Handling corpses is a bit too unhygienic, even for me, not to mention horrifying. What're you and the boss up to, bro?"

"We're still figuring this out, Bunga," said Kion, tearing his eyes away from the painted ceiling.

"Wasn't talking to you, boss," the honey badger clarified. "I guess I should've been more specific. But I dunno, Simba, I just don't find 'king-bro' has the same ring to it—"

"Any survivors, Nala?" Simba interrupted, getting straight to the point.

"None," the queen murmured. "We dug out the last of them, seven in total. They succumbed to their injuries long before we found them."

Simba nodded wearily, having expected as much. But there was something else on Nala's mind, he could see it. "Everyone, you're dismissed. Good work. You too, Kion."

"We still don't know what's going on between Janga and Malka," said Kion as Bunga followed Nala's team out, leaving him with his parents. "I should take the Guard back into the mountains and see what else we can find out."

"But you just came back," Simba said in surprise. "You were gone for so long, Kion. We were worried about you."

To Kion's credit, he did look contrite. "I know dad, but look at what we're dealing with. I've got Fuli following Malka, and if I take the Guard we can link up with her and then—"

"Your friends have been excavating the gorge all morning," Nala reminded him gently. "They've worked very hard and they're tired; so are you. Please, son, stay home and rest awhile. Kiara doesn't even know you're back yet."

"Just for a few days then," Kion agreed, albeit a little grudgingly. "What about Janga?"

"You let your father and I worry about Janga," the queen reassured him. "Go on, Kion. Ono and Beshte are waiting for you outside."

Simba could tell that Kion was far from appeased, but the prince's smile was sincere as Nala nuzzled him affectionately. The king watched Kion leave the cavern, struck by how much Kion had grown. He caught Nala's beaming expression, and for a moment they enjoyed the solace of their son's safe return.

Once the moment passed, Nala became solemn again. Simba inclined his head to the back of the cavern, and the king and queen padded over to the map stretched across the wall. "So we won't be getting any answers from Janga's lions," he said. "Did you find anything that tells us who caused the rockslide?"

"I think I have an idea," Nala admitted glumly. "Ono did some scouting while we dug out the last of the bodies. He counted ten sets of tracks headed for the Zuberi River. The trail vanished around here," she indicated a spot along the Zuberi River's blue stripe, "but he thinks they're somewhere around here." She placed her paw against the wide, protruding chunk of jagged rock denoting Mount Kilimanjaro.

Simba frowned. "I don't understand, who are they?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Nala said incredulously. "Malka was the one who ambushed Janga in the gorge!"

"You think so? It doesn't sound like something he would do."

"Think about it, Simba. Who else would have a reason to start the rockslide on her?"

"She could have made enemies," Simba said darkly. "I'd like to know why she attacked Malka's pride."

Nala clearly recognized his tone, for she responded imploringly, "We won't know until we find her. But we shouldn't do anything rash—Janga can be reasoned with."

The king's eyes narrowed. "You know that, do you?"

"I do, actually," she snapped back. "I know what you're thinking, Simba, and I know you've been avoiding me all morning, but at least for your mother's sake try and set an example for the pride. They're all as confused as we are."

"And it's my job to do something about it," Simba growled. "I'm sorry I was avoiding you, but I've been trying to figure out why Janga was sneaking through the gorge in the dead of the night, heading for the Pride Lands while we were asleep."

"She might have wanted to come home," Nala asserted.

"Or maybe she was going to do to us what she did to Malka," he muttered.

"She isn't him, Simba!" cried the queen in frustration. "This is exactly how you were with Kovu, and we nearly went to war with the Outlanders. I don't want another war."

Simba relented, seeing how distraught she was. "Neither do I," he told her. "But why couldn't you have told me about Janga? You, or my mother?"

"Because I asked her not to." Sarabi entered the cavern, prompting Simba and Nala to halt their quarrel. The queen mother stepped in between them, staring just a bit ruefully at her son. "I was always afraid to tell you, Simba, because I know how much pain Scar has inflicted upon you already. I always hoped that...maybe she was..."

"Dead?" Simba gasped. Even he was horrified.

Sarabi fixed him with a stern look. "Certainly not. No, I hoped she'd forget her past, move on...be happy without anything to do with Scar, without the Pride Lands...without me."

He shook his head in disbelief. "So you'd have never told me? If she'd never come back..."

"Don't try to take the high ground with me, son," she said sharply. "If you thought what I wanted was wrong, then you wouldn't have done exactly that, all those years I thought you were dead."

Simba was taken aback by the ferocity of his mother's words. She immediately looked apologetic, but he spoke first. "I...understand. I kept Kopa a secret from his siblings too, all these years..." He paused. "So the question is, how do we find out Janga's motives?"

Neither lioness spoke at first. The troubled look that had plagued Nala's features earlier resurfaced. "Mheetu."

"Sorry?" Simba asked.

Sarabi, once again, seemed to understand. She gave Nala a meaningful look before turning to Simba. "Tell me, Simba...have you ever heard of the Keepers?"

•••

Even before he and Tumaini left the Mirihi Forest, Kopa was no stranger to climbing mountains; it was something they often had to do when they went hunting or when Tanzu sent them along to protect the animals sent to scavenge for plants and herbs. But after the harrowing events of the last few days, and the fact that he already climbed a mountain recently, he wasn't particularly eager to do it again. But if there was one thing Kopa was glad about right now, it was the dense layer of fog they were walking through that concealed how high up they really were.

But Kopa could only feel so grateful about their dreary surroundings, and he knew he wasn't the only one from the look of the other shivering, rain-drenched lions as they stumbled on against Mount Kilimanjaro's howling winds. He focused on trying not to slip on the wet rock, while taking care to keep up. Tumaini remained at Kopa's side as promised, but he was moving at a firm pace without a shred of fear of the precarious drop beside them.

"You do this sort of thing often?" Kopa panted, half-joking.

"Less talking, more climbing," Tumaini said shortly. "It sounds like you'll need the energy."

"Who...me?" the younger lion gasped. "No, I'm just...I just don't like heights is all. I can keep up...honest."

Tumaini rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Kopa." He made to continue onward but stopped as he felt a paw on his shoulder.

"Tumaini," Kopa said seriously. "Let's wait for your dad to catch up."

The black-maned lion peered down at the rest of the group. Chumvi and his companions had slowed down noticeably, and Malka was, with some difficulty, bringing up the rear. "He knows where the entrance is," Tumaini grunted. "We're almost there anyway."

"Tumaini, what's gotten into you?" Kopa demanded. "I've heard all these things about you since we came out here, and now it's like you're someone else."

"Not someone else," Tumaini muttered. "Just a part of myself you were never supposed to see."

"Well, I have seen it, so what now?" The younger lion didn't falter as his friend gave him an angry look. "I know you're mad at me about the rockslide. And whatever happened between you and your father—"

"I'm not sure how to feel, okay?" Tumaini blurted. "And right now's not a good time to talk about it. If it makes you feel any better, I'm not mad at you anymore. But I'm still mortified about what you did."

"And you think I'm not?" Kopa said exasperatedly. "I saw what I did, and trust me, it's not something I'm going to forget. But I'm going to bear that burden, Tumaini, like you do with all your secrets."

"You're both doing this wrong," Siri offered from behind them; the other lions had caught up and were filing past. "Kopa, don't say that, that's not fair—and Tumaini's right, you'd be better off having this conversation when we're not marching through a cloud." Without so much as a pause at Kopa's bemused reaction, she added, "Tumaini, stop hiding yourself so much. Family's the one place where the worst things about you don't matter."

Malka was having some trouble climbing up to them. His paws fumbled to find purchase against the slippery rock. "Can one of you..."

To Kopa's surprise, Tumaini reached over and grabbed his father's paws. He strained as Malka pulled himself up against his weight. "Phew," the king panted. "We're not far now, I just needed a moment. Thanks, Tumaini."

"Yeah," his son muttered. But as he stood and followed Chumvi, he added, "Anytime, dad."

Kopa saw that Malka was moved by this, and he thought of his own parents somewhere in the Pride Lands. Chances were they had no idea he was alive, but he wondered if Siri was right about family always accepting one another no matter what. Would my parents have tried to find me if they knew I was alive? he wondered as they proceeded with their laborious climb. Or was Tumaini right about them? Despite their turbulent history, it was clear that Malka and Tumaini still saw each other as family.

It wasn't until Kopa accidentally bumped into Siri that he realized they were standing on a grassy stretch of flat ground. The mountainside opened up into a modest-sized tunnel before them, from which the faintest light emanated.

Tumaini was waiting by the entrance as Kopa and Siri approached. The others were filing into the tunnel, eager to be out of the heavy rain they had endured. "This is one of three ways into the Hollow," the black-maned lion explained as he led them inside. The rush of the incessant downpour faded away quickly. "The entrance is hidden by clouds most of the time, but it's difficult to find even without it."

Kopa was only half-listening, for his attention was drawn to the faint light he glimpsed from around the corner of the tunnel. He hurried ahead, leaving Tumaini with Siri. The colours seemed to be glowing and shifting, but not like fire; it seemed calmer, more steady. He turned the corner and stopped dead at what he saw.

An enormous cavern opened up before him into a cocoon-shaped abyss. A few lions could be seen below, navigating its depths upon the pathways and bridges that interweaved the interior. But what really caught Kopa's eye was the plethora of luminescent plants bursting forth from the countless dens in the habitat—vibrant, flourishing colours splashed across the walls, illuminating the darkness along the edges of the vast space.

Tumaini and Siri had caught up, though both of them were preoccupied in a hushed conversation. As they came to a halt next to Kopa, he noticed that Tumaini's surly demeanour had evaporated; scratch that, he actually looked happy to be where he was. The black-maned lion grinned broadly at the astonished look on Siri's face.

"Take a good look, guys, at the best-kept secret in the Tempest Pride," he said, sounding more like his old self again. "This is the Hollow."

•••

When Kion emerged from the Cave of Ancestry, he was surprised to see that not all of Nala's team had left. Afua was sitting in Pride Rock's shadow with the Lion Guard, listening to Bunga's animated conversation with Ono and Beshte in silence.

"...so I'm pretty sure these lions have heard of us, outside the Pride Lands," the honey badger was saying. "I think maybe they just haven't heard of, you know...us."

"There are old legends of the Lion Guard still floating around," Ono noted. "Though I dunno how many of them are true."

"You think Janga knows about us?" Beshte asked thoughtfully.

"I'm sure she does," Kion said as he joined them. "Given her past with Scar, I'm sure she's heard of the Lion Guard. So we'll need to be ready for anything."

"So what are we waiting for?" Ono chirped, ruffling his feathers in anticipation. "Just give the order, Kion."

The leader of the Lion Guard smiled as Bunga and Beshte straightened in affirmation. Nala was right, they did look tired from the events of the last few days. But there was no complaining from them, no protests at the idea of having to continue their duty. Not for the first time, Kion wondered how he had found such loyal friends to serve alongside him. "Okay, Lion Guard, here are your orders," he declared. "Get some rest. We'll make our next move when the time is right. For now, go enjoy yourselves… Spend some time with your families. You've earned it."

"Aye-aye, Kion!" said Bunga, with no small amount of relief. He nudged Beshte. "Hey, Big B. Can I get a ride to Timon and Pumbaa's on your way to Big Springs?"

"You sure can, Little B," the hippo replied cheerfully. "Hop on."

As the Lion Guard headed away from Pride Rock, Kion noticed that Afua hadn't moved from where he was. He sat down next to the other male, enjoying the cool of the shade for a moment before he spoke. "So what's up, Afua? You haven't said much all morning."

Afua fumbled to find the words. "Sorry, I've just...had a lot on my mind since the rockslide."

"Of course," Kion said sympathetically. "You didn't have to go back to help with the digging, you know. It must have been hard to see."

"It was, but I needed answers," the black-maned lion admitted. "Whatever happened last night...I can't shake the feeling that it's connected to my...when I..."

"When my dad found you in the last rockslide?" Kion murmured. "I wasn't around when it happened, but why do you think that? Is there something you need to tell me?"

Afua opened his mouth, but then he seemed to change his mind. "I can't. Not right now." There was something behind the haunted look in his maroon eyes; a deep-rooted tinge of bitterness that didn't quite come out. He shook his head, and suddenly asked, "Kion, would you choose your family if it were up to you?"

"I did," the younger lion replied. "I consider the Lion Guard my family."

"Not like that. I mean, if you could walk away from the family you were born into, the one you never got to choose...would you?"

Kion was silent at this. "That's...a tough question, Afua. I can't imagine trading my parents or my sister for anyone."

"But?" Afua prompted.

Kion sighed. "But it's hard to understand who I want to be with all these expectations. My parents are the rulers of the Pride Lands, Kiara is next in line. I believe in them, but I see how much time they put into taking care of everyone else that I wonder if they remember to live their own lives too."

The older male scrutinized him closely. "You really don't want to be here, do you?" he asked.

"When I'm here, I have to be the king's son, the protector of the Pride Lands," Kion explained heavily. "There's a specific way things get done, laws that must be upheld because that's how the kingdom maintains order. I brought the Lion Guard back because this is where we're needed, but things are still so slow to change and I'm tired of it. I walked out on my father because he was ready to go to war with the Outlanders. And right now? He can't even let go of his misgivings about Janga to see her apart from Scar."

"Doesn't give her the right to do what she did," Afua muttered crossly.

"You're right, it doesn't. And if it were up to me, I wouldn't have come back until I found the truth to it all. But home is home, and family...well, family is everything, you know?"

The other lion contemplated his words. Kion wondered what it was that weighed so heavily on his mind, but he decided not to pry. A hard determined look appeared on Afua's face, and when he spoke his voice held none of the uncertainty that Kion could still see in him. "Yeah, I guess it is. Thanks, Kion. You remind me a lot of someone I knew once."

"You're welcome, I think," Kion said as the black-maned lion stood up. "What are you doing?"

Afua still looked very much lost with himself, but his response was once again without hesitation. "To talk to your parents about something," he said. "I think there's someone out there that needs me as well."

•••

"Can I join you?"

Tumaini didn't turn around as he heard Malka approach. "You're the king, you don't have to ask my permission," he pointed out. He continued gazing into the depths of the Hollow, entranced by the sea of shimmering colours before him.

Malka looked relieved, likely having expected a less cordial response. He sat at the edge of the chasm with his son, admiring the view. "It's still as amazing as it was the first time, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Tumaini said. "I just can't stop thinking about mom, especially now that we're here. I had no idea that she..."

"I know, son," the king assured. "She'd be so happy you returned. If she were here to see you now..."

The younger lion hung his head. "But she isn't, and it's my fault."

Sadness entered Malka's eyes. "Tumaini, don't do that to yourself," he pleaded. "Don't do what I've done all these years, because if you hadn't come back I'm not sure I would have ever let myself find closure. You made mistakes because of my poor guidance, and even now I'm not sure it was right of me to let your mother and your uncle put so much on the two of you. But what they taught you has not only helped you survive on your own, it enabled you to take care of an injured, frightened cub who was suddenly alone in the world."

"So I lose my brother, but it's not so bad because I found another kid instead?" grumbled Tumaini.

"No! Don't you understand, Tumaini?" exclaimed Malka. "Kopa wouldn't be alive if it weren't for you! You were there when he needed you!"

"That's not true," Tumaini scowled. "An old chimp named Tanzu found him, not me."

The king gave him a look of mock disapproval. "Don't try and be modest, son. Siri told me everything you told her."

"She did what?" he yelped.

"Including the fact that Tanzu brought Kopa to you," Malka continued, "specifically because he wasn't sure how to treat his wounds, which were, as you said at the time, potentially fatal."

"Dad, when did Siri tell you those things?" Tumaini asked, looking confounded.

"After we escorted Kopa and everyone else to the resting dens," Malka actually chuckled. "Ease up son, it's all good things and I trust Siri. I want you to know...I'm proud of you. As for what happened, there's a lot of blame to go around between the two of us, but I don't want you to feel guilty about your mother anymore."

"How can I not?" the younger lion muttered bitterly. "I should've been there, and then she wouldn't have..."

"She made her own choice," Malka professed. "I will always love your mother and it breaks my heart to think that she might still be alive if I had done more, but I came to realize that no one had the strength to save her from herself." He looked down slowly. "After Afua—after we lost him—she blamed herself for...teaching you. Said she as good as killed Afua herself, and made you into...into a..."

"It's okay, dad," Tumaini murmured. "I know how mom was. And I did that to her—I'm trying to move on, but it's not easy."

"Well, your mother taught you well when it comes to dealing with 'not easy'," the king told him warmly. He turned his gaze back to the Hollow. "Remember when she decided to plant these?"

Tumaini smiled. "You told her she was crazy," he recalled. "And you asked why we would bother when we rarely come to the Hollow anyway. She told you she'd grow the plants herself if she had to. You didn't believe her."

"Yes, I really should have known better," Malka smirked. "She liked the colours. I told her we didn't need them, that we could see just fine in the dark. Do you remember what she said?"

"'Seek shelter in the dark, and soon you'll forget you came from the light'," his son recited. He sighed. "Mom would know what to do about this mess. About Janga."

"No use dwelling on it, son," the king reminded him. "Stay focused on the family you've got in front of you. Does Kopa know about you and Afua?"

"He's definitely heard something," Tumaini said, frowning. "He's been asking questions, but I'm not sure how much he knows."

"Tumaini, as a failed father who is trying to do better, I want you, just once, to take my advice. Come clean with him, so that you can move forward with a clear conscience."

"Is your conscience clear, dad?"

"No. But I hope one day it will be."

Father and son sat in silence, watching the illuminated figures of the lions moving about below. There weren't many who had made it, since half the pride was still lost in the mountains, or worse. Tumaini could tell that Kopa was preoccupied about something, and if they were going to find the kid's parents and deal with Janga's lions, then they had to trust each other without fail. Rattled as he was about the recent rockslide, Tumaini realized that telling the truth could help Kopa understand why he felt that way. Regardless, his friend had never kept any secrets from him, and maybe now he was old enough to finally hear the story. Even if he wasn't, there was no more time to dawdle.

"Okay," Tumaini said decisively. "I'll tell him...everything."

Malka smiled approvingly. "We'll come back to the light one day, Tumaini. You'll see."

•••

When Afua entered the Cave of Ancestry, he was surprised to see Sarabi already inside, speaking to Simba and Nala. For an old lioness, she was certainly good at moving about noiselessly. She must have come in while I was talking to Kion, he thought, hoping he wasn't interrupting anything important as he approached.

"All I know is that she may have been looking for them," Sarabi was saying. "Right now it's hard to say if Mheetu is still with her, but we won't know until we find her."

"He wasn't in the rockslide, thank the Great Kings," Nala noted, though she also sounded guilty for saying it.

Simba looked rather flustered. "Slow down a bit. So Mheetu—your brother—disappeared with Janga after you took them out of the Pride Lands, in search of these...Keepers?"

"I don't know," the queen admitted frustratedly. "Mheetu and Janga wouldn't stop talking about it while we were on the move, and they wanted to look for them in the Outlands, which was where they were rumoured to be."

"Yes, but who were these Keepers?" Simba asked. "Where did they come from, and what was so important about them?"

"I think they were some sort of resistance," Sarabi told him. "Against Scar, some say, but no one in the pride has seen them outside his trusted circle. Scar forbid anyone from mentioning them, but it wasn't long before the hyenas started talking about their pack members turning up dead while patrolling the borders."

Afua stood off to the side, listening to the discussion with some interest. Simba turned to him just then, and suddenly he had everyone's attention. "Yes, Afua?" the king said.

"Um, sorry to bother you, but are you going to send teams to find Malka's pride?" Afua asked.

"We will," Simba told him. "But first we need to finish making these plans." When the young lion didn't respond, Simba tried again, with forced patience. "Was there something you needed, Afua?"

Afua took a deep breath, letting it out before he answered. "Yeah," he said. "I want to be on the team."

In memory of Chester Bennington (03/20/1976—07/20/2017)