A/N: Only a quick note, I promise. These stories are in no particular order, and sometimes in no particular time-line, but this one takes place during the early days of Scar's reign.

Short Summary: Banzai is quick to anger, everyone knows that. Banzai and Shenzi have an argument, nothing new about that, either. It's over something stupid, as it usually is. What's weird is why Shenzi gets so riled up over it. What's she hiding?

Temper, Temper

"Why the hell can't ya just drop this?" Shenzi grumbled to her gruff male companion. Her brows were furrowed for so long today she swore that she'd be getting a headache soon from the strain.

"'Cuz you won't stop being so damn secretive, that's why! Just tell me and I'll leave ya alone!" Banzai argued.

Ed, who was drinking from the watering hole nearby, rolled his unfocused eyes. They'd been arguing like this for the past half-hour. They argued often, but today Shenzi had been getting a lot more short with them, especially Banzai. It blew up when she started chewing him out after he nearly got stomped on by a giraffe, and the more she shouted, the more he shouted back, and so forth. It was strange for Shenzi to be so overly-aggressive with them, as she was not one to start arguments or let them continue on for so long, let alone raise her voice to Banzai-levels; Banzai had always had a loud voice and a quick temper, so it was no surprise whenever he started a fight or couldn't let something go.

Ed was considering leaving the two alone for a while and heading back to the skull they all shared with the few remains of the zebra they had caught earlier.

"And I keep tellin' ya, there's nothing wrong with me! Can't ya get that through that thick skull of yours?!" The female hyena shouted, her bangs dropping in front of her eyes for the tenth time. She huffed angrily at the male, who gave her a disbelieving glare.

"You're never this pissed, that's why! You avoided looking at me all morning, and then you go and bitch at me over the giraffe - which I could've handled - way longer than normal! I'm not gonna shut up until you say what's got you actin' so weird!" The pair had hardly any space between them now, yet they were shouting so loud a passerby could swear the whole Savannah could hear it.

"I'm not actin' weird! I'D BE FINE IF YOU WOULD SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE!" She barked, pushing him with her paw.

"You ARE actin' weird and you know it!"

"Am not!"

"Just freakin' tell me what you're problem is!"

Ed started to slink away from the two, watching them shout at each other on the hill above him for a moment before turning his gaze to the sunset before him, trotting towards it.

"YOU ARE!"

"ASIDE FROM ME!"

"PISS OFF!"

"MAKE ME!"

Shenzi slapped her paw to her head, growling as she willed herself from killing her best friend.

"Just tell me what's got ya actin' so weird and I'll drop it, Shenz'! Just tell me!" He shouted quieter this time.

"NO." Shenzi growled stubbornly.

"At least say WHY!" Banzai growled loudly, his thick eyebrows furrowed at her.

"N-"

"THEN TELL ME!"

"FINE," she barked. "I -" She stopped herself, biting her lower lip.

"You what?"

Shenzi lowered her gaze to the ground, her glare softer, but still present as she tried to compose herself.

"Well?" Banzai asked impatiently. He was less angry, but now as eager as ever to finally hear what she'd been holding back all day.

"I JUST...! Ugh, I -" Shenzi stumbled over her words, her cheeks flushed with anger and embarrassment, biting her lip more as she tried to work out what she wanted to say.

"Well, spit it out!" he said.

"WOULD YOU QUIT IT, I'M TRYING TO TELL YOU THAT I LOVE YOU!" The female hyena yelled, her gaze finally meeting his again.

The savannah was suddenly very quiet. Other animals around them, near and far, looked in their direction.

Farther off, Ed's ears had perked up at Shenzi's exclamation, and he was staring back at his two best friends on the hill above the watering hole. He could seen Banzai's absolutely stunned expression as clear as day.

It's about time one of them said it, Ed thought to himself. He certainly wasn't the brightest hyena, but even he could see that they liked each other. He lingered in his spot, wanting to see what happened next.

Banzai was speechless. He felt lighter than air at the moment, wondering if he was in a dream of some kind. There was no way she had said that. He was hearing things. There was no way that the girl he had a crush on since forever actually felt the same way...

Shenzi stood there for a moment, her face beet red with sheer embarrassment as she realized what she had just blurted out. She gave a half-hearted glare at the speechless male as her eyes teared up, and she ran off.

It only took two seconds for the male to realize what was happening. The only chance he had was running away as he sat there. "Shenz', wait!"

She kept running, and he swore he could see her crying, something she never did in front of others.

"SHENZI!" He yelled louder as he gave chase, hoping to get her attention. Still being ignored, and not catching up to her as quick as he'd like, Banzai did the only thing he could think of - stopping in his tracks shouting at the top of his lungs.

"I LOVE YOU, TOO, SHENZI!"

The female hyena slowed to a stop, her tear-stained face turning back towards him as her grew eyes wide.

Banzai was digging his claws into the dirt to stop himself from shaking.

Shenzi's mouth started to stretch into a shaky grin, and in moments, she was sitting in the plains, laughing with her head in her paws. For a brief moment, Banzai was terrified that this was some awful, awful joke that life decided to play on him….

"You idiot, could you yell any louder?!" She laughed as he breathed a mental sigh of relief and dared to walk closer, a wary smile starting to form on his face.

He stood across from her now, still a bit unsure about the situation. "You...were serious, right?" He asked, worry edging in his voice.

"Yeah, you yell pretty damn loud," her tone softened, and her smile became sincere as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Of course I was serious."

Banzai's face lit up in a toothy grin as he collapsed sideways onto the grassy plain, laughing in relief. "I really hope I'm not dreamin'."

A paw swatted him in the face, evoking a surprised yelp from the male hyena.

"Well now ya know you ain't dreamin'!" Shenzi laughed as she laid down next to him.

A short distance away, Ed sighed in relief and began the journey back to the skull. He knew that sooner or later Banzai would be strutting in there and telling him the good news, Shenzi rolling her eyes and swatting him for blabbing so openly.