Disclaimer: I do not own The Lion King or any of its characters.

Chapter three: A King to Be

Simba was asleep in his normal spot in the den of Pride Rock, beside Nala, his mate. Although Kovu was king now, he didn't see fit just to kick Simba out. Nor was polite, especially with him being his father-in-law and all. And besides, it was just a stupid rock. Kovu was just fine as long as Kiara and his children were with him. Although… Today… They weren't exactly with him…

Ikkena and Zuri jumped on Simba's vast and soft mane, not caring whether or not he had been sleeping.

"Grandpa!" they called together.

Simba moaned, and tried to go back to sleep, but that was impossible with the two kids playing on top of him.

"Come on, wake up!" said Ikkena happily.

"Yeah! Come on, Grandpa! The sun's already out!" added Zuri.

"I'm getting too old for this…" complained Simba.

"You better go before they get serious…" said a half asleep Nala.

"Alright… Alright… I'm getting up already," he announced while his grandchildren played with his fluffy ear, and began to rise. Ikkena and Zuri happily made their way out as Simba yawned, and sleepily followed them.

The day became brighter and brighter as the sun continued rising. Not long ago it had been just a small line of light on the horizon, but now, it was nearly all the way out.

Simba padded through Pride Lands with his grandchildren, simply reveling in the beauty of the place. Ikkena and Zuri, who kept tackling each other, even seemed to be somewhat awed by the sheer beauty of the place. He observed them with a smile, never when he was a kid he would have imagined to have such a big and healthy family, nor could he imagine the feeling of having a sibling.

Trying to make conversation other than, "Stupid Ikkena! That hurt!" he raised his head and took a deep breath of the dewy morning air.

"It sure is beautiful today, huh, kids?"

"Grandpa, you promised you were gonna tell us stories all day," demanded little Zuri.

"Alright, alright…" Simba replied. "But first, I'd like to talk to you a little."

"Really? About what?" asked Ikkena, curious.

"Your father seems to really need a hand with this, so I'm teaching you everything you need to know to rule the Pride Lands."

"Oh…" said bored Ikkena gloomily. "You're gonna lecture us about that again?"

"Don't speak that way to Grandpa!" ordered Zuri.

Ikkena sighed, trying to show respect for both Simba's age and wisdom. "Sorry, Grandpa…"

"It's alright, I knew you'd be bored by now. But today's lesson is very different."

"It is?" inquired Ikkena, now curious.

"Yep…" Simba reassured him.

"Then what is she doing here?" he pointed his sister.

"Is there a problem?" asked Zuri, angrily.

"This is probably gonna be a lion's talk, so you, little kitty, should go play around or something," teased Ikkena.

"Who are you to ditch me?"

"I'm the future king, and right now, I'm consulting with another king."

"King? Yeah right… I didn't know there were miniatures of those."

"Grandpa, are you gonna let her get away with that?"

"I was talking about you, stupid Ikkena!"

"Just live with it, alright sister? One day, I'm gonna be the greatest king ever to rule these lands! The powerful and fearless Ikkena!"

"Probably the dumbest one as well."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure you'll make a great sidekick!"

"Sidekick? Beware how you speak to the future queen!"

"Not while I'm around."

"Wanna bet?"

"Alright you two," Simba said, finally intervening. Leaning in so he could face them both, he began to speak once more, his deep powerful voice rumbling in his chest. "You're both rulers of the Pride Lands, so both of you are to hear this," he gazed the far away lands, along with the two children. "This is something my father once told me. Everything the sun touches, is our kingdom." he said in a very wisely manner, making both Zuri and Ikkena impressed. "Ruling a kingdom this big is not easy, so you must understand and respect every living thing in it. From the ants to the zebras."

"Why do we have to respect the zebras?" asked Ikkena.

"That's right. Aren't they our food?" Zuri inquired, also curious.

"And they're really dumb too."

"That's where you wrong, because we're also their food." explained Simba.

"What? The zebras are eating lions now?" were the surprised words of the young Ikkena.

"Can we feed them with Ikkena?" joked Zuri.

Simba laughed at their naivety. "No, it's nothing like that. You see, once you die, your body becomes grass, and the zebras eat the grass. So we're all connected, in the great Circle of Life."

"Wait a minute, are you telling me that even the kings who died became grass and the herbivores ate them?" asked Ikkena.

"Yeah… Even the kings."

"But that means…" Ikkena thought a bit longer, and suddenly seemed preoccupied. "Grandpa! We've been eating the great kings all along! What should we do?"

Simba laughed and caressed his grandson's head. "Don't worry about that, alright?"

"Simba!" they heard someone calling out from the distance. It didn't sound like a call for help, just one to get their attention. And that was when Timon, riding Pumbaa as he usually did, came to join them.

"Good morning, Captain," greeted the little meerkat.

"Good morning you guys. What are you doing here?" asked Simba.

"Oh, you know, the usual. Taking Pumbaa out for a walk, discovering the best restaurants in town, scaring the vultures, for your sake of course. I hate those cursed things…" he spotted the two cubs on the ground and leaped down happily to land in front of Ikkena. "Ikkena, my boy! You missed morning practice today."

Ikkena laughed, remembering it was not much of a practice what he used to do with the meerkat. "Sorry, uncle Timon,"

"Been practicing that roar, just like I taught you?"

"Yeah. I'm still working on that though."

"Good to hear," he quickly climbed onto his back. "What do you want to do next? Weight lifting? Burp competition? Bury yourself?"

"Why would I bury myself?"

"Believe me, it comes in handy sometimes."

Simba laughed, and smiled to his grandchildren. "Why don't you two go have some fun?"

They both looked at him, surprised. "But Grandpa!" they said together.

"What about the stories?" asked Zuri.

"There'll be plenty of time to tell 'em" Simba reassured them. "Now go. I'll see you guys later…" he said while making his way back to the Pride Rock. The two cubs didn't seem as cheerful as their grandfather, though. They liked their uncles very much, but they didn't really do anything fun—to a lion's concept, that is.

"Come on, there's a place around here where's really comfy to rest your butt," said a happy Pumbaa. Zuri and Ikkena decided to follow them after all. What else did they have to do?

Later, at Pride Rock, a pretty young cream colored lioness pursued a butterfly, not very successful at catching it. Suddenly, another thing caught her attention. It was a strange formation on the rock wall, that made it look like some sort of scale. Smiling, she began to scratch her back against the wall, rapidly seeming to enjoy it.

"What are you doing?" asked little Ikkena, who had just walked over to stand in the shade.

"Oh, hi Ikkena," she replied, now scratching the back of her ear. "My back felt kinda itchy. Have you tried this? It feels really good,"

"You're strange, Kamaria," he stated, peering closely at her through squinted amber eyes.

His friend now started scratching her side on the rock. "I mean it. It's kinda weird, but it feels really great."

"Come on, stop that," he said, pulling her off of the rock. "You'll embarrass me if someone see us like that!"

"So what is it?"

"I'm going out on a new adventure."

"You and your adventures… Last time you really got in trouble."

"I was careless and got caught, that's all. This time I got the whole thing planned,"

"Yeah, right… Anyway, Mom tells me to straighten you up. You know, play safe games, like splashing the waterhole..."

"Splash the waterhole? What are you? A baby? I wanna be brave! I wanna face dangers! I wanna see what no king has ever seen before!"

"Now you're having delusions of grandeur."

"Oh, come on… Don't you wanna do something exciting?"

"Sure," smiled his friend. "But I have to tell my mom."

"Are you crazy? She'd never let us go. Besides, she would tell my mom, and then I'd be in trouble too."

"Where are you going anyway?"

"To the Wastelands…"

"The Wastelands, again? But we've already been there! There's nothing but a pile of dirt!"

"Well… I'm gonna go a little deeper now, crossing the Shadow of the Mountain..."

"The Shadow of the Mountain? Wow…"

"That's right. So what do you say?"

"About what?" suddenly another cub barged in the conversation, a smiling Zuri who had just caught her brother in the act.

"Oh…Zuri…" Ikkena sighed.

"So you were planning on going to the Wastelands again…"

"No… Not at all…"

"You sound really dumb when you lie. Besides, I heard enough of your conversation."

"Aren't you a nosy one…?"

"So how about we cut a deal?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're a really poor liar Ikkena. Mom will never believe in you. However, I'm willing to help you out if you let me tag along too."

"No way; last time you ruined everything, and it was your fault we got caught!"

"No it wasn't!"

"Yes it was! Besides, the Shadow of the Mountain is no place for a frightened kitty like you."

"Look who's talking. Anyway, if you want to go that badly, that's alright. But I think Dad's not gonna be very happy when he hears about it…" she said hintingly. "It would be a real shame if something like that ruined your so called adventure…" she continued innocently.

"She's got a point there, Ikkena," added Kamaria, which made just Ikkena more frustrated.

Ikkena sighed. "Fine, you can come with us," Zuri smiled happily at this, waiting for him to go on. "But only if you can convince Mom we're going somewhere else…" he finished.

"Deal," said a confident Zuri.

A little while later…

Zuri walked proudly aside her brother and Kamaria. Ikkena, however, didn't seem so happy about it. "How does she do that…?" he asked himself.

"Come on… Cheer up, Ikkena," Kamaria tried to lift his spirits. "Having Zuri around might not be a bad idea."

"Listen to your girlfriend, Ikkena." Zuri said with a grin.

"She's not my girlfriend!" replied Ikkena angrily. "Anyway, I'm still in charge here, so you'll do as I say."

"And who put you in charge?" asked Zuri.

"That's a good question..." Kamaria added, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm the lion, and the future king here, so that makes me the leader."

"I really don't think that's a good idea," said Zuri.

"Me neither," agreed Kamaria.

"This isn't a matter of choice. Besides, it was my idea,"

"But I'm the one who convinced Mom!"

"That doesn't mean anything. I could've done it myself."

Zuri rolled her eyes."Oh, really? Then how about this? We can go back now, and you'll talk to Mom, if she believes in you, I'll let you be the leader, okay?"

"What…? But… Wait! That isn't fair! Like she'd believe in me now!" said Ikkena, not thinking that was the brightest idea.

Meanwhile, Simba was taking a walk at the Pride Rock, enjoying one of his leisurely days of retirement. "Zuri! Ikkena!" he called. Soon he realized that he didn't seem to be getting any answer. "Where did those two go?" he mumbled to himself.

It didn't take long for him to spot Timon and Pumbaa sleeping nearby, so he went to wake them up.

"Hey, you guys. Wake up," Timon, still snoring and half asleep, opened his eyes. Seeing Simba, he immediately began to scream loudly, and Pumbaa, waking up, followed right after. "It's alright you guys! It's just me!" Simba said, trying to calm them down.

Timon sighed, relieved. "Oh… Simba… You scared me to death… Come on man, you know I get the creeps waking up with a carnivore facing me,"

Simba laughed. "Right, I'm sorry. Listen, have you seen Ikkena and Zuri around?"

Timon seemed to remember right away and answered promptly. "Oh yeah, we took 'em to a lot of cool places, but they wanted to come back home. Honestly, kids these days… They won't be satisfied with anything."

"I can't believe they didn't like the echo caves. Makes your fart sound really funny," added Pumbaa.

"Anyway, we thought about getting back here and take little nap. You know? Long day…"

"That's strange…" inquired Simba slowly. "They said they wanted to hear some stories… Think they went out looking for me?"

"They were going to talk to Kiara about something. Maybe she knows,"

"Right. Thank you guys," Simba said as he left them.

"Think we got ditched Pumbaa?" asked the meerkat.

"Uh…" Pumbaa thought, not knowing exactly what to answer.

"It's alright, let's just go back to sleep." These two fell asleep again almost immediately. Moments later, Kovu was passing by and spotted them, with a smile. "What are you guys doing here?"

Timon weakly tried to open his eyes, and as soon as he saw Kovu facing him, he began screaming again...

Meanwhile, the three cubs were still walking towards their destiny.

"So that's why I'm better than you," said Zuri.

"You're annoying, that's what you are." retorted Ikkena.

"Say whatever you want, you'd never have caught those geese by yourself, though."

"Maybe if you weren't in my way, I wouldn't have taken so long!"

"Excuse me? You can't even catch a slug..."

"If you say so… Anyway, what does this have to do with anything? I was explaining why I'm the leader here,"

"And I was explaining why you're not!"

"Are you guys gonna go on with this all day?" asked a really bored Kamaria, since her two friends had been going like that for some time now. "Wow… Look…" she said, suddenly getting completely distracted with something else. "We're here…"

In front of them extended an enormous open field, whose lands, dead and forgotten, wouldn't even grow any grass no more. A dry and sterile place… The Wastelands… "Wow…" they all said together, impressed.

"For a pile of dirt, I must say, this place is really cool." Kamaria stated.

"Yeah… Come on, let's go!" Ikkena said with a grin.

They entered the place, dazzled by such a lifeless sight, after all, when you grow up in the Pride Lands, something like that is indeed not a common sight. Some mosquitoes were flying all over, and on a rock nearby, a snake made its way to its lair. It was something very different, unique, and captivating to the young lions. They walked a bit further and stopped.

"Okay, this is as far as we came last time," said Ikkena, and looking back, he realized they had not gone so far into those lands at all.

"Look you guys! There it is!" pointed Kamaria, indicating two great and imposing mountains that seemed to rule over the lands with their mighty presence. It seemed like in the past they had been only one, but now, they made a tall and dark corridor between them, never touching each other all the way.

"The Mountain's Shadow…" said Ikkena, marveled.

The cubs went closer, and that took some time. It wasn't that close after all, because the mountains were even bigger than they had anticipated. They had a really majestic presence, although the corridor between them was really gloomy and creepy.

"Alright," said a confident Ikkena "Let's go all the way to the other side." they stepped closer, but Kamaria slowed down, seeming to have second thoughts.

"You know… There's still time to back out guys…"

Zuri and Ikkena looked at her surprised. "What? You don't want to go in?" asked Zuri.

"It's nothing like that. I just…"

"Come on, Kamaria," encouraged Ikkena. "We'll just go take a look and see what's on the other side, nothing is gonna happen to us. Besides, I'm here, so there's nothing to be afraid of,"

"I don't see how's that much of a comfort..." Zuri added quietly.

"No one asked you anything," replied her brother, frowning. "Anyway, come on Kamaria, this is gonna be the coolest adventure we've had so far,"

Kamaria looked at them a bit longer, as though praying they would change their minds, but both Zuri and Ikkena seemed to be decided. "Oh… Alright then…" she mumbled. And still uncertain, she followed them. The three cubs made their way into the corridor of shadows, looking impressed as they made their way through.

"This is so cool…" said Ikkena, dazzled with his surroundings.

"I wonder what's on the other side" commented Zuri, curious.

"Well, we're about to find out."

Kamaria shrunk in fear as a rock crumbled down, but it was only a scorpion making its way to its lair. The further they got, the further the light seemed to be, much to Kamaria's discomfort. "You guys… Can you see how much further is it to the other side?" asked a frightened Kamaria.

"Will you relax Kamaria?" Zuri said trying to calm her down. "It's just a bit further. Let's keep walking."

After a walk that seemed to last forever, they were finally only a few yards from the end. "We're here…" Ikkena smiled triumphantly. "Come on!" he shouted excitedly. They ran towards the exit smiling at their victory in this game, and even Kamaria seemed to have regained her joy. They laughed as they ran. Only a few meters more...

Suddenly, someone else besides them laughed, making them stop abruptly. Two strange figures leaped from the very end of the path, blocking the way. They had long snouts, dark fur mixed with a little bit of brown, and large ears that seemed to listen to everything.

Wild dogs…

"Hm… That's weird, don't you think, Sefu?" asked one of them.

"And what's weird now, Makena?" replied the second, the one that the other had called 'Sefu'.

"I lost my midday snack somewhere around here, and I just can't put my finger on where..." answered the first one, now known as 'Makena'.

"That's a real shame, Makena,"

"A real shame indeed..."

"Do you remember what your snack was?"

"Not quite. I remember it was something like… Three small chunks of meat,"

"That's very sad for you…"

"Hey! I got an idea! Maybe they know where to find it!"

They were saying this as they advanced towards the cubs, who slowly retreated, Zuri and Kamaria hidden behind Ikkena. "We don't know what you're talking about," the prince stammered.

"Oh, really?" said Makena. "Oh, that's a shame… But since you were so very polite to answer me, let me repay you. Please… Stay for lunch…" he added in a very macabre way.

"No… Thanks…" answered Kamaria quickly. "We were just…We were just heading back now…"

"And what's the hurry?" asked Sefu. "We'll have a very special dish today… Don't you like lion steak?"

"Uh… No thanks…" answered Zuri.

"Oh, that's a shame…" said Makena, sarcastically. "It's one of the most popular dishes among us. I'm sure you'd love it if you had a taste. Sefu, for one, can't stand the idea of just a taste, though; he needs to have a bite. But I'm not the one for talking. So…" He crouched, preparing to bounce, his eyes gleaming evilly. "If you excuse my rudeness… I'm having a piece!" Makena suddenly thrust at them, but the three young lions quickly dodged, making him miss his bite.

The cubs ran as fast as they could, but right behind, the dogs had started their chase, and since they were much faster, they had to quickly figure a way to escape. "Through the rocks!" shouted Ikkena. "Hurry!"

Zuri spotted some rocks that could be used as steps for some sort of footbridge on the wall. And without wasting a heartbeat, she climbed it, Kamaria right behind her.

"Come on Ikkena!" shouted his sister. Ikkena jumped from one side to the other, avoiding Sefu's bites, and climbed the steps, pushing Kamaria forward—and trying not to lose his tail.

They ran across the footbridge, and since it was too small for the dogs to walk on it, speed didn't matter so much anymore. But since they didn't exactly want to hang around, they pushed on, scrambling along as quickly as they could.

Also, it was a bit higher, which gave them another advantage, but that still wouldn't make their pursuers give up or fall behind. Since it was too narrow for the youngsters to run side by side, they were in a single-file line; Zuri in front, followed by Kamaria, and then Ikkena.

The wild dogs soon realized that if they jumped high enough and aimed just right, they could reach the cubs. Makena tried to grab Zuri, who quickly halted, avoiding the predator's teeth by a whisker. Sefu used his paw, trying to reach one of them. Kamaria and Ikkena quickly squeezed themselves against the wall, while Sefu's claws scratched the rock beside them.

The run not only had to be fast, but it also had very cautious, for the path was narrow and the hungry dogs right below kept trying to seize them. Makena jumped, but couldn't get high enough to reach them; Sefu, on the other hand, did, and fiercely snapped his teeth at Ikkena. He avoided it by jumping over the wild dog's snout.

After many attempts, Makena was finally able to get hold of Kamaria's tail. She screamed in fear and pain as he began dragging her down, his eyes gleaming with hunger. Ikkena acted quickly and scratched its paw, making him let go of his friend. "Why, you…" infuriated, Makena jumped and head butted the rock, making it crumble.

Kamaria nearly fell, but she was able to grab hold of the rock with her claws. "Kamaria!" shouted Ikkena, immediately going for her aid. Zuri, that had been in front, stopped and went back when she realized the situation.

Makena sat on the ground, disorientated. Sefu approached him angrily. "You're a real idiot, aren't you?" Then he saw Kamaria hanging on the edge of the footbridge, which made him smile. "But you know… I've never been so thankful you're so hard headed," he praised sarcastically.

Ikkena was trying to pull Kamaria up, though Zuri couldn't do much, her being on the other side of the fissure. "Hang in there Kamaria!" she shouted, but below, Sefu readied his jump, and attacked furiously. "Kamaria!" screamed a frightened Zuri, but suddenly, Ikkena jumped over the dog's head, preventing him from grabbing Kamaria.

With this sudden move, Sefu couldn't concentrate on his landing and crashed on the ground, along with Ikkena who quickly got to his paws. "Ikkena!" screamed Zuri, followed by Kamaria. "Ikkena!"

He looked up at them. "You two keep going! I'll distract them!" and he dashed away, but the two wild dogs quickly recovered and chased him.

"Come on!" Zuri hurried, as Kamaria leaped towards her side and quickly got up, so they could both restart running.

Ikkena ran as fast as he could, but on the ground again, his speed didn't match his chasers' any longer, and they were drawing closer fast. The young lion found a small hole in the wall, and at first he wasn't even sure if he could fit in, but, with no other option, he decided he would make it work. He had to.

He squeezed his way through, painfully. The hole was not very deep, but at least kept him out of reach from the dogs' teeth.

"Hey, snack, snack, snack… Come out now…" demanded Makena, trying to reach him. Suddenly though, a rock hit him on the head, and looking back they saw Zuri and Kamaria, still standing over the footbridge.

"Leave him alone!" ordered Zuri angrily. Ikkena spotted a small passageway on the wall on the other side, and taking advantage of their distraction, he rushed between their legs. They spotted him very quickly, but by that point he was already out from under them, and still running strong.

He ran as fast as he could, relieved that it wasn't very far to the other side. That's probably what saved him, for as he once again squeezed his way through. Sefu's jaws snapped right where he'd been less than a heartbeat before.

Ikkena was in some sort of narrow cave, in which he barely fit, but he could climb some rocks, crawling towards a faint light at the end of it.

Zuri and Kamaria finally got out on the sun again, when a rock suddenly popped open right beside them. Ikkena jumped out, stumbling onto them, and making them all fall straight back to the ground.

Once they got up, both Kamaria and Zuri smiled happily. "Ikkena!" said his sister, glad to see him okay. They were finally out of the Mountain's Shadow, and could even see the Pride Lands far away.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Ikkena said with a sigh of relief.

"Not so fast!" Both wild dogs suddenly appeared in front of them, cornering them against the rock wall of the mountain. "That was really some chasing," remarked Makena. "It really made me... Hungry..." They forced the cubs to a single spot, not leaving any openings for them to run away. "End of the road…"

Kamaria and Zuri shrunk behind Ikkena, who also seemed frightened, so it wasn't much help.

"Why? Not running away?" continued Makena. "That was some serious exercise! Didn't have one of those in ages. This meal better replenish all. You're like big fat rats! Hate those damn things! Always running around and... Wait… They are like rats, aren't they Sefu?"

Sefu sighed, tired of his partner's dumbness. "Whatever… Let's eat!"

They both lunged for the kill, but suddenly, a single maul from a big and strong paw swept both of them away. Simba had arrived, more furious and savage than ever, and with his strong body he could easily take care of them. It didn't take much time for Makena and Sefu being the ones shrunk.

"Alright… Good kitty now…" let out an incredibly frightened Makena.

"Touch my grandchildren," spat a furious Simba, "and I'll happily turn you two into a carpet..."

Makena laughed, frightened. "Oh, we wouldn't want that. We were just… Just… Just showing these three gorgeous little cubbies the way out. Weren't we Sefu?" he turned to his partner, who quickly agreed.

"Oh yeah… Sure… Most definitely."

"I'll take it from here…" growled Simba. "You two… Get out."

Immediately, the two dogs saluted continence to him. "Yes sir!" they said together and quickly took off. The cubs approached Simba carefully, thoroughly ashamed, and unable to meet his eyes.

"Grandpa…" Zuri began weakly.

"You two got a lot of explaining to do," Simba interrupted harshly, making them lower their heads and flatten their ears. "Let's go home," Simba ordered just as grumpily as before. The cubs followed him, wearing sad expressions.

As the sun began to set, they were still walking through the savanna. Simba suddenly stopped, and the three cubs nearly bumped into him, not realizing that he'd halted. "Kamaria, go back home; your mother must be worried sick. I need a moment with my grandchildren."

Kamaria seemed surprised. "But, sir," she was going to continue, but the former king's serious face made her change her mind. "Alright…" she murmured, while turning around to head back home, passing by her friends before. "You guys…" she wanted to say something, but couldn't spell out anything. "Ikkena… Thank you…You were very brave back there…" she said, nuzzling him briefly, before sprinting away.

Zuri looked at her brother for a moment, and then, sadly, both of them approached their grandfather, who was already sitting down, staring off into the distance.

"When your mother told me what you said… Somehow I knew you were going to disobey her again… Why do you keep doing that?"

Neither of them could answer at first, until Ikkena found his voice.

"Grandpa..." the prince tried to answer. "We're…"

But Simba cut him off. "Your mother would never tell you to do anything unless it was for your safety. She loves you two very much, and so do I, so you can't keep scaring us like that. When we told you the Wastelands were dangerous, we weren't lying or trying to hold you back. But we're your family, and you're both the future rulers of these lands… No one can afford to lose you. Especially me…" he sighed deeply. "It disappoints me that you weren't thinking about the consequences, and not even for me, but for you two. You placed each other and Kamaria in danger. What would you have done if you had lost one another?"

"We were…" said Ikkena, but thinking back, he remembered it was his idea. "I was… Only trying to make everyone proud…"

Simba looked at him closely. "But we're all proud of you… Both of you…"

Ikkena looked at the ground, looking very ashamed and sad. "I… I didn't want any of this to happen… I didn't want to endanger Zuri and Kamaria…"

But Zuri finally stepped forward. "That's not true. I helped you trick Mom… If it weren't for me, you two wouldn't have gone in the first place. It was… It's my fault…"

Simba gazed them deeply, silent for a long moment. "You're both guilty. But you're also both fine, so that doesn't mean you can't make it right. I want to show you something. You see those stars up there?" The three of them looked up at the sky. "All the great kings of the past are there, watching over us. Our time here will eventually end, and one day, not me, your mother, or your father will be around anymore. And despite that we'll all be up there watching over you, it's up to you two to take care of each other…" Zuri and Ikkena gazed each other, and then up to the sky again.

They stood like that for a moment, until Ikkena finally gained the confidence to speak again. "So… Weren't the great kings eaten by the zebras?"

Simba and Zuri laughed. "No," said their grandfather. "But maybe for you, they'd make an exception." he knocked Ikkena over and started running away, the kids, laughing happily, chasing him.

They finally caught Simba, laughing as they tackled him. They laid down laughing, while watching the stars.

"Grandpa…" said Zuri.

"What is it?" he asked.

Zuri gazed at him. "You know we love you, right?"

Simba gently smiled, touched by her kindness. "Of course…"

And finally was time for Ikkena to spoil everything. "Come on… I'm gonna stick on the grass with all this touchy talk," he said, making his grandfather chuckle.

"Remember you two…" added Simba seriously, looking up at the stars, and remembering the image of his own father. "You're never alone…"

Only later that night they got back to the Pride Rock, Simba walked all the way with the two cubs playing around his legs. The mood was definitely better among them, but the situation changed once they saw their parents standing at the entrance of the den, both with serious expressions on their faces. They stopped playing right away and lowered their heads, flattening their ears at the same time.

"Come on, you two…" prompted Simba walking along with his grandchildren, but as they sat down in front of Kiara and Kovu, Simba kept walking into the den, giving his daughter a light smile as he did.

The king and queen faced their kids with very unsatisfied expressions. "You two better have an excellent excuse for this one…"