A/N: Sorry for the wait my faithful readers. Lately though, I have been on a Kingdom Hearts binge after borrowing the PS4 collection from my brother-in-law and have kinda gotten into it. I hope you enjoy this little fic. Suggestions and constructive criticism welcome. To all flamers and abusers of the Guest review: Zero fuqs given.
And a very special thanks to Fighting Joe.
Chapter one: Prologue. (Part two.)
"Are you all right there Naruto? It was somewhat of a trek." The king asked out of concern as the lad was huffing and puffing slightly, sweat drippind down his body as he dumped Shenzi to the ground, making her glare up at him for the rough treatment.
"Yup. Just need a minute... to catch my breath. You go on ahead, I'll keep our eye-witness here while you put old Scar on the spot. Give me a holler whenever you're ready for us." The blonde replied, giving Mufasa a small wink. The crimson maned lion then smirked slightly, seeing what the boy was getting at, so he padded along towards the flats where the lionesses were waiting.
Scar was there too, and it was plain to see from the look in his eyes... he was trying not to show his fury at his failure. Both Sarafina and Sarabi were pleased to see their cubs returned home safely, deeply nuzzling their children while crying some tears of joy. It was then that Zazu spoke "I am pleased to see your return your majesty, along with the cubs... but where is Mr. Naruto? Was he not with you?"
"Yes, where is the human?" Scar asked in fake concern, though if Mufasa had to warrant a guess... the schemer was fishing for a consolation prize.
"He'll be along shortly. I have to ask you Scar... what was the 'big surpise' you had planned for my son?" The king asked, his face a hardened mask as he stared down his brother. The black maned lion's eyes flicked between Simba and the king quite nervously for a moment before he regained his composure.
"Ah yes. THAT surprise. I was going to show him the Wildebeast herd once I had gotten you, then I wanted to show him how two lions really hunt. Maybe treat him to some fresh Wildebeast meat." He lied smoothly, all the while the Lionesses watched in silent curiosity, wondering what was happening between the two brothers.
"Really? How convenient. So then, if you left my son in the ravine to come get me... how did you know of the stampede?" Mufasa asked, his question catching his brother off guard and exposing his lie. Scar's voice stuck in his throat, making some small choking sounds as he tried to come up with an excuse.
"No answer? Then how about the fact you failed to warn my son that Hyenas lived in the Elephant graveyard?" Mufasa growled as he stalked closer to his brother, slowly backing him into a corner. At these questions, the Lionesses began to heatedly glare at Scar as they started to surround him, cutting off any chance of escape he may attempt.
"Admit your guilt. You wanted my son to die both times to extinguish my bloodline, but the stampede was meant to snuff out my life as I attempted to save Simba. With both of us dead and gone, you would be the new king." Mufasa flat out accussed, now painting his brother as a traitor and attempted murderer in front of the whole pride.
Scar cleared his throat and regained his composure, letting out a chuckle as he spoke in his 'charming' voice "Quite a tale you've spun brother. But, unless I have the power to be in two places at once, it'd be impossible for me to frighten the Wildebeast herd and fetch you at the same time. And I had no reason to believe that Simba would actually go to the graveyard since it was quite a good distance from Pride rock."
"Lie all you want Scar. It only deepens your guilt. Especially since we received a confession. NARUTO!" The king roared, summoning the human forth. The black maned lion's face then fell as he muttered questioningly 'confession?'
After a few moments, Naruto appeared, dragging along Shenzi who was busy grunting in pain as the boy deposited her to the ground in front of the Pride. He then slipped off the wires around her muzzle, and spoke to her with a triumphant tone "Go on Shenzi, tell everyone what you told us." With a nod, she began to tell the Pride about all of Scar's machinations and dealings, completely exposing the truth for all to hear, and then made sure to announce that Mufasa had promised to spare her life in case he tried to back out of that oath. Her confession, combined with the open-mouthed expression on Scar's face was all that was needed to finalize his guilt.
"Scar... for your crimes, I disown you from my family, from our Pride, and from our very species. In my eyes, you are no longer even a Lion. Much less a brother. You shall be taken to the Black pits to die beneath the sun. Have you any final words?" The king spoke, his voice now blank and emotionless, though his eyes showed a semblance of sadness... he had a duty to his cub, to his Pride, and as King.
"Zira! Help me! What of our cub?!" Scar shouted out towards the lioness, making her back slowly away as her Pride-sisters all looked at her upon realization that she was carrying the cub of a traitor. They gazed at her as though she were now a stange insect, unsure if they should crush her for fear of her being poisonous or to let her be to crawl away into some dark hole.
"N... Now you care? You care now that I can be useful? You care in the hopes this cub may save your life?! I... You're not worth it! You're a horrible, horrible creature!" Zira shouted angrily then stormed off into the den of Pride rock to escape the stares of the other Lionesses.
"A vain attempt doomed to failure. Trying to use your unborn cub to preserve your life? You shame yourself ever further. Lionesses... take him away and put him under guard. Come dawn, he goes to the Black pits." The king spoke in a bitter tone, his eyes filled with a mixture of sorrow and fury as his former brother was led away by a group of lionesses. With a roar of fury, the traitor attempted to flee and escape his fate. He didn't get very far as his guards quickly overtook and trapped him.
"Need a little help ladies?" Naruto asked as he held up more wire, and used it to bind Scar's legs, preventing him from further escape attempts. With that done, the black maned lion was dragged away to a more secluded area until it was time for his punishment.
The ninja in training looked over his shoulder and saw Mufasa walking away, obviously wishing to be alone right now. Understandable since he nearly lost his son, and now lost a brother who was nothing but a murderous traitor. "Being king isn't always easy is it?" Naruto asked, glancing out of the corner of his eye and noticing that Sarabi was sitting next to him, watching her mate leaving for privacy.
"No. It is not. As king and a father, he must protect his family and his Pride. If he let Scar go free because of their bond as brothers, then Scar may have one day returned and possibly succeed in another plot of some sort." She explained in a simplistic manner, informing the boy of the consequences of what happens when a leader doesn't maintain law and order in their kingdom.
"You know... for the longest time, I wanted to be the Hokage of my village. That's what we call our 'king'. I wanted to be Hokage because, I wanted to be recognized, respected and treated like somebody important. To be honest... I never really thought about what it really meant to be a 'King'. Now, after all that's happened here... I think I have a better idea now. It makes me question what I really want to do in my future." He explained as he sat down on the ground, hugging his knees to his chest as he called into question his dream of being his village's Hokage.
"Let me share with you some advice. Being the leader of your homeland is an admirable goal, but to be a leader or a king, means that you shall be the one others rely on. They shall come to you, hoping for your help. Others will covet your power and position, as you have witnessed between Scar and Mufasa. If you ever become the leader of something, you must surround yourself with only the faithful and loyal, those whom you can trust and shall trust you in return unconditionally. But be warned, that to be a King means that you shall face difficult choices and dilemmas, and you won't always be ready for them." She cautioned him in a gentle tone, nuzzling his shoulder with a small smile.
"Thanks Sarabi. That helps a bit. One of these days... I'll figure out for myself whether I wanna be a leader or not. But, I don't think that's gonna happen for a long while." He responded and scratched behind her ears making her purr deeply in her throat. He then looked towards the den that Zira vanished into, wondering what might become of her.
"What'll happen to Zira? She was Scar's mate, right?" He asked a bit out of concern, frowning at the fact she might become an outcast within the Pride.
"Nothing good. According to our laws, if a traitor to the Pride sires a cub, then that cub is killed to prevent it from seeking revenge for its parent. If Zira conspired with her mate, she faces exile. If she is innocent, she will be forced to surrender her cub once it is born. Should she refuse, she'll be exiled anyway." Sarabi explained in a somber tone, as a mother herself, she knew it was a truly cruel thing to ask someone to give up their child.
"That's one of the biggest loads of shit I have ever heard. Why the hell should Zira's cub be punished for something it hasn't even done? That's not fair!" Naruto growled as he stopped petting the lioness and stood to his feet, his hands clenched tightly together.
"Indeed, old laws like that... are never truly fair. The cub need not even know the truth of it's sire if you ask me. Although... if a male crazy enough were to claim Zira and her cub as his own to take away from Pride rock when she is to be judged, it would solve a very large number of problems." Sarabi spoke with a smile gracing her face, a small wink being directed towards the human.
Taking this new piece of advice to heart, he gave a nod of understanding. "What about her?" He asked, pointing towards Shenzi who was busy trying to chew through the wiring binding her legs, only to whimper from the metal wires causing pain to her teeth and gums.
"Usually... death. But if the king promised to spare her, then another punishment must be chosen. Perhaps you could aid in that decision?" She proposed, earning another nod from the blonde.
"I'll see what I can do. Till then, I'll be keeping an eye on her till Mufasa's ready. And Sarabi? Thanks for all the advice. It really helps." He spoke and patted her head in thanks. She merely smiled since even leaders occasionally needed someone to speak to about their problems, and since she was the Queen she was often her mate's confidant.
The blonde brushed off some dirt on his clothes and approached the bound Hyena, almost smirking at her current misery. "You won't be chewing through that any time soon. You'll only succeed in cutting up your gums. May as well give it a rest there." He spoke in an almost mocking tone of voice.
"You just wait, once I get free, I'll be sure to get some sweet and juicy revenge on you." She replied angrily, her fur standing on end as she showed off her teeth.
"Watch what you say. Wouldn't want the lions to think you were a threat or anything and then give them a reason to kill you." He warned her mockingly, although the threat was indeed very real. She clamped her mouth shut then sank into the ground in defeat, although she still grumbled under her breath a bit.
"That's better. All right then, upsie-daisy." He spoke and lifted her up onto his shoulders, carrying her to his campsite to ensure she wouldn't be inconveniencing the Lionesses anytime soon. After a short walk, he deposited her back onto the ground close to the remains of his campfire which was now nothing but ash and some remnants of twigs left to smolder.
With a sigh, he used a Kunai to cut off a portion of meat that the lionesses had given him earlier then tossed it to the captive Hyena. "Here." Was all the blonde spoke as he began working to build up a new fire to cook his own food.
"Wait... you're actually feeding me? What for?" Shenzi asked in surprise since it was the first time that anyone had actually offered her food before.
"You might be a prisoner, but I don't think you really deserve to starve to death... unless of course you had some personal desire to murder an innocent cub?" The blonde asked with a heated glare, his hand gripping tightly around his kunai as he felt the urge to stab out one of her eyes should that be the case.
"Wha? No! I had nothing against the brat okay?! I was just following orders! Blame Mufasa for what happened, ya hairless primate!" She yelled while uselessly kicking her bound legs.
"What's the king got to do with that then? What's your problem with him?" The blonde asked, as he placed some fresh wood he scavenged into his makeshift fire pit, and began striking together his flint to help start up a fire.
"It's because of the king and his Lionesses that me and my pack are stuck in the Elephant graveyard, barely scratching off a living as scavengers! We're always frickin' hungry! With Scar in charge, we could have had as much food as we wanted!" She complained, growling in disdain towards the lions off in the distance.
"Oh yeah? You could have asked Mufasa all nicely for a hunting ground or something. Heck, you could have found someplace else to live, somewhere away from the Pride lands and Mufasa's territory, it's not like the Pride lands is the entirety of the world you know. There's bound to be a better place for you and your pack somewhere out there." Naruto scolded her as though he were talking to an idiot.
Her jaw dropped at this, making her head dip towards the ground as she mumbled to herself about not having thought of that before. "Okay. Fine. You... make a good point I guess. It's just... never mind... I doubt you'd really get it." She spoke in a tone of utter defeat, turning her head away from the human.
"Lemme guess, you're tired of being an outcast? Of being looked down on? So you want to get one over on those you believe to be oppressing you?" The blonde asked in a rather perceptive manner, making his prisoner turn towards him with widened eyes.
"How'd you know that?" She asked him, surprised that he picked up on her feelings so easily.
"Takes an outcast to know an outcast. Don't think you're the only one to be suffering in the world. I had no parents and had to pretty much take care of myself my whole life, adults would always avoid me like a plague and tell their kids to do the same. And there's this one guy I feel I could possibly be friends with named Sasuke, who has or at least had everything I could want... but he lost some of those things and wasn't even grateful for the time he had with them. So now he acts like an asshole to everybody and views himself as superior or something. He seems to take a particular liking in putting me down too, if only to make himself feel better, so that whole 'friends' notion got shot down pretty quick. So yeah, I kinda do get it." He explained in a matter of fact tone, crossing his arms at Shenzi with a small scowl on his face.
"Wow... you... really had it rough huh?" She asked him, getting a better understanding of the human, and began to feel a certain... kinship to him. "What did you do about it then?" She asked, referring to how he handled his status as a fellow Pariah.
"Well, people label me before getting to know me. So I guess, I do my best to beat their low expectations and show that I'm more than what they think of me. That way, I suppose I'm telling them to fuck off for underestimating me. That make sense?" He asked at the end, wondering if he explained in a way she could understand.
"Yeah. Kinda does. Maybe I'll try that. See where it goes from there." She replied with a small smile, then began nibbling on the meat he had given her earlier to help calm her growling stomach.
"By the way, what about your buddies? There were two other Hyena's with you. Wanna go back and bury them or something?" He asked her, remembering the two bodies lying where he and the others had found her earlier in the gorge.
"Buddies? Oh, you mean Banzai and Ed? Sure, we hanged out and had a few laughs together, but we weren't really 'friends'. More like partners-in-crime." she replied while shaking her head.
"Oh. For some reason... that makes more sense to me. I just thought you were close to them since you were crying for them." He spoke with a shrug of his shoulders as he roasted some meat over his new fire.
"No, no, no. I was crying NEXT to them, not for them. I had just survived that Wildebeast stampede, and watched as they got trampled just inches from my face. Then I realized 'That could have been me'!" She explained to the human.
"Ahhhhh. I get it. You were in shock at your own survival. So... there was no real emotional investment or attactment to those guys?" Naruto asked as he turned the meat over to roast it more evenly.
"Nope." Was her only reply along with a small scoff of dismissal. The two then ate in a much more comfortable silence, a large amount of animosity quickly vanishing as they bonded together. Realizing that they were a bit more alike than one may think.
The next morning.
Dawn had arrived with the sun barely peeking over the horizon, and the entire Pride had gathered for the judgement of both Zira and Shenzi. According to Sarabi, once they had been dealt with Scar would then be taken to his death. To Naruto's knowledge, he supposed that it was a process of elimination and tying up loose ends. The blonde himself sat next to the Queen and King, since he himself was a witness and a guest of honor for saving the life of Simba with The prince sitting in the human's lap.
To the side, Scar himself was under heavy guard by his soon-to-be executioners, but thanks to the wire around his legs, cutting off the bloodflow, and preventing him from running thanks to Naruto's skills with knots and properly tying off the wire. Skills he had attained from hunting in the Forest of Death when he was low on funds. But that was just extra details at this point. There were more important matters at hand.
"Zira, after an investigation conducted by Zazu amongst the Lionesses, I find you innocent of any involvement in Scar's plot. But according to the old laws, I ask you now, when your cub is born, will you surrender it... or will you accept exile?" Mufasa spoke in a tone of authority, his face impassive and utterly devoid of emotion as he needed to maintain appearances.
It was at this point, that Sarabi nudged the blonde boy in the ribs, reminding him of her earlier advice. With a subtle nod, the whiskered teen raised his hand and spoke "She doesn't need to. I'll take her and the cub with me out of the Pride lands." After he had uttered those words, a long silence filled the area, then the Lionesses began whispering amongst themselves at how bold the boy was for what he was trying to do. Many of their hearts were warmed by this mancub trying to help Zira and her unborn cub.
The Lioness in question herself, having a wide eyed expression on her face, her mouth agape and almost seemingly ready to invite a fly inside. It was as though she had fainted on her feet. "Very well then. Zira shall be in the care of our guest, but should she return with her cub then we shall have no choice than to put it to death. Bring the Hyena called Shenzi." Mufasa spoke as a pair of Lionesses pushed Zira to the side, who seemed to be mindlessly stumbling around like some kind of undead creature, still in shock at the mancub's kindness.
Shenzi however, was roughly shoved into view of the entire Pride, and she quickly curled herself into a ball, trying to look as meek and non-threatening as she could, lest she invoke the wrath of the Lionesses. "Shenzi, as promised, your life shall be spared. But you are hereby exiled forever from the Pride Lands, should you ever return, then you will be hunted down and killed on sight. Naruto, I trust you shall find a suitable place for her?" The king asked, having a feeling the boy was planning on taking the Hyena with him. The blonde mancub nodding in confirmation, seemingly taking it upon himself to save these poor creatures out of the goodness of his own heart.
"Very good. Now that the others have been properly judged... it is time to end this. Take Scar to the Black pits. See to it that he dies a slow and painful death as he so deserves. Young Naruto? Would you accompany the Lionesses to ensure the process goes smoothly? There is something you can help with that the Lionesses cannot." the king asked, knowing that the mancub had proven himself quite reliable.
"After what that prick tried to pull? I'd be happy to." The blonde replied as he slowly got up, letting Simba jump out of his lap. After giving the cub a quick ear scratching, he followed the group of Lionesses who were dragging Scar away. And they weren't even bothering to be gentle as they deliberately dragged him across some obviously sharp rocks and pebbles.
The black maned lion protested angrily and desperately kicked his bound legs, which made for a rather pathetic sight. Then Scar started hurling petty insults to the Lionesses, which earned him several hard kicks to his back from Naruto which quickly shut him up. After some time, with the traitor's options exhausted he began to weep uncontrollably which was possibly the most pathetic thing that his captors had ever seen.
At long last, they arrived at their intended destination, a large pond sized pit filled with nothing but a black substance was waiting there. Some skulls and skeletons of past victims being visible above the surface, a truly grim sight and a reminder to passerbys what will happen if they were to commit an unforgivable crime within the Pride Lands.
"Naruto? Could you help us with this?" Nala's mother Sarafina asked, as she and another pride-sister pulled a long vine out from nearby tree and handed one end to him, the blonde quickly noticing a look of terror on Scar's face as he started to hyperventilate.
"What's the vine for?" He asked, though for some reason... he already had a decent idea. But he had to be sure that he was using it for its intended purpose.
"Usually, Rafiki would do this for us... but the king requested for you specifically. Tie one end of the vine into a noose to put around Scar's neck, then climb up into the tree, very carefully, and put it over a sturdy limb for us to pull. It will keep Scar's head above the surface of the pits and keep him from dying prematurely. As you may guess... we cannot tie it ourselves." Sarafina explained, noting their lack of opposable thumbs.
"Wow. You guys don't do anything half-assed huh? Then again... a quick death would probably be too big a kindness for this piece of shit." The blonde replied as he began tying off the needed noose and then placed it around the prisoner's neck. With that part done, the whiskered teen took a breath and scurried up into the tree, thankful to his Forest of Death training that made him very proficient at climbing. After slipping the rest of the vine over the needed limb, he climbed back down and joined a pair of Lionesses who took their end of the vine within their mouths and began to pull.
The mancub assisting them as Scar was dragged into the Black pits, his body entering with a wet 'sploop' sound the tar immediately sticking to his fur and body which made it pretty difficult to drag him in, finally they managed to get him far enough away from solid ground to ensure he wouldn't be able to escape. Naruto tied the free end of the vine around an exposed tree root that Sarafina pointed out, to make sure that Scar didn't try to dip his head beneath the surface.
Once all was said and done, the blonde realized... that he was now responsible for the slow demise of another living creature... and he didn't even feel bad about it. But then he recalled how Scar attempted to murder Simba twice over, making it obvious why he felt no remorse for this. Though he didn't take any joy from it either, if he did... then he'd be worried about his mental stability.
"So what happens now?" The blonde asked with a shrug, unsure of where things were meant to go from here. He hadn't even made any progress in finding a way back home to Konoha.
"A Lioness shall pass by here daily to make sure that Scar hasn't escaped. It is highly unlikely, but we can't be too careful." Sarafina answered him as she and her Pride-sisters padded off, with the whiskered teen following close behind with his hands loosely clasped behind his head. The Lionesses stopped and tensed up as the sky above darkened, behind them Scar was shouting angrily while a dark aura surrounded what was visible of his body.
"It should have been me! ME! I should be King! I should rule the Pride lands! Mufasa and that brat should have died in that gorge! I will be King! The Pride lands are mine! MINE!" Scar roared angrily, as he shook his head violently, the noose around his neck snapping which caused him to fully sink into the tar pit. In Naruto's mind, that should have been the end of the traitor... but warning bells kept ringing inside of his head.
"Run... run away! Danger! Danger coming!" The blonde shouted as he sprinted away with the Lionesses following close behind him since they too sensed something wrong. A loud crash was heard as an explosion of rock, tar, and gravel showered the area, making them turn to see what had happened. They all stared in horror as the form of a tar covered Scar emerged, an inky black aura surrounded him. His body decorated with bones of past victims with a Wildebeast skull decorating his head and acting as a kind of helmet, making for a very intimidating sight.
Beneath his paws, a whirlpool of darkness formed and strange imp-like creatures began to climb out, their eyes glowing a pale yellow as they followed behind the Lion. "Wha... what are those creatures? How did Scar summon them?" A lioness asked as they backed away, trying to maintain their distance from this new phenomena.
"No idea. We gotta go. Now!" Naruto shouted as he and the Pride-sisters ran towards Pride rock to alert the king and all the others of what was transpiring.
Meanwhile, in the distance standing atop a hill, two figures were watching events unfold. They were dressed in black and their hoods hid their faces, but one of them pulled their hood back revealing a man with spiky crimson hair. "Seems things are getting pretty interesting now. I'm curious... was it the kid that allowed darkness to creep into this Realm? What do you think, Zero?" He asked his partner, who was busy looking through a telescope.
"Darkness is never that far away, Where there's light, darkness shall exist. And vice versa, it is a never-ending and symbiotic relationship. The brighter the light, the longer the shadow, the deeper the dark, the brighter the light. Scar already held it in his heart, but his plans were thwarted and it seems the darkness claimed his heart when he was met with his own end. That boy was not the cause, necessarily, but he was a catalyst of sorts. That child possibly has one of the most dangerous powers of all... the defy and manipulate the very course of fate itself." The one called Zero answered in a philosophical manner, almost chuckling in amusement.
"No kidding. So what's the play then boss? You wanna lend the kid a hand? He's kind of out of his depth." The crimson haired man asked with a small smirk as he pulled out a bladed ring, with bits of fire emerging from the weapon.
"No. Not just yet, Axel. Let's wait a bit longer before we do anything. I have a good feeling about this one." Zero replied as a row of teeth became visible beneath the hood, showing a toothy grin.
"Your call then Boss." Axel replied as he put away his weapon, a smirk forming on his face as he desired to see things continue to escalate. It would prove to be an interesting spectacle to say the least.
Meanwhile, Kingdom Hearts library.
"Everyone! Big trouble! Disaster!" the form of Rikku shouted as she flew about the library in search of her fellow Gullwings. Her two friends, Yuna and Paine appearing, with the latter having a sour expression. Although Yuna seemed more concerned and was hoping that nothing else had happened... but that didn't seem to be the case. "Come quick! There's something wrong with the 'Lion King'!" the blonde fairy shouted as she flew down into the hidden vault containing the realm's storybooks.
Her partners chased after her and gaped in horror, seeing that the 'Lion King' the Realm of the Pride lands was now covered in a black aura. This could only mean one thing... the Heartless had creeped into the Pride Lands and it was a strong possibility that the boy from earlier was likely in there somewhere. "We have to get Master Aqua immediately! She'll handle this! She's currently in Wonderland, Paine, go fetch the master and tell her what's happening. Me and Rikku will scout the Pride lands to better determine the situation." Yuna spoke, taking on a roll of leadership during this crisis.
The silver haired fairy nodded and went towards a book labeled 'Alice in Wonderland' before vanishing into it, leaving both Yuna and Rikku to make their way into the Pride lands. Hopefully it wouldn't be too late to undo any damage the Heartless may cause. They also silently hoped that the boy from earlier wasn't responsible for this. But for now, they needed more information since it'd be dangerous for their master Aqua to go in blind.
At Pride Rock.
"Dear spirits... it seems like the end of all things out there." Spoke the form of Zazu as he and the entire Pride saw the creeping Darkness on the horizon, swallowing all things in its wake. Naruto and the other lionesses were now visible in the distance, running towards Pride rock with all haste.
Mufasa's eyes narrowed as he wondered what form of magic could cause this. He then turned to the Lionesses and spoke in a tone of authority "Get the cubs into the den, get every available Lioness and prepare yourselves. Zazu, fly as fast as your wings can carry you and get any of our Lionesses that are out on the hunt. We'll need every claw and tooth, for I sense that we'll be in for a fight." The king stated, prompting his aide to nod and fly off into the distance, the Pride-sisters taking positions around Pride rock as Sarabi took the cubs inside the den for their safety.
After a few more moments, the King was greeted by the forms of the mancub and his group who were now wheezing as they tried to catch their breath. "What's happening out there? What is that... darkness?" Mufasa asked, hoping to learn more of how or why this was now happening. The blonde teen raised up a hand as he finally caught his breath and began to explain the situation. He started with how things were, at first, going smoothly with Scar being dragged into the black pits... then something happened as the lion was now using a power that they had no knowledge of, and worse, strange black creatures were now following Scar as if he were some type of a leader figure.
The king was unsure of what to make of this account, but the Lionesses and even Sarafina all confirmed it to be true. With any luck, Rafiki would now be on his way to provide his advice of the situation. Until such time, they would need to hold out.
In the background, Naruto watched as... what could best be described as a black hole started to open into the sky. His hands now in a white knuckle grip as he cursed himself for his own powerlessness... if only he were stronger then he would be of better help. But what could he do against this? Unknown to him... the answer thrummed deeply inside of his chest... and his own heart.
End chapter two.
Next time: The Heartless are now invading the Pride lands, a corrupted Scar at the lead, seeking vengeance. Will the Keyblade master Aqua be able to reach Pride rock in time? Or will Naruto stand alone against the all-consuming darkness? And who is the mysterious Zero? Find out next time.
A/N: I wanted to try and make this a bit longer, but I thought that this'd be a decent stopping point without giving away too many spoilers. And it seems that Organization XIII is involved. Hope you enjoy. Reviews and suggestions are very much welcome. Feedback is also welcome. Hope you enjoy.