Title: Rhythm of the Pride Lands
Author: Meru Makai
Pairing: CloudxLeon
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nothing, I tells ya!
Notes: This chapter took longer cause it went through a complete rewrite.
------------
"Wait, Leon, where are you going?" Zazu asked from the sky. He swooped lower and flew alongside Leon as he walked.
"I'm just going for a walk," Leon answered.
Zazu flew forward and landed on a rock that put him at eye level with Leon. "Before you go wandering off, there are a few places that I feel you should avoid."
"Okay, I'll make sure to stay away from them then," Leon said, hoping to out smart Zazu and avoid the lengthy speech he knew the hornbill could easily deliver.
"Ah, good. I'm glad you're so responsible - wait. I didn't tell you about them yet." Zazu laughed. "My, how silly both of us are."
"Yeah, Silly," Leon said, sitting down and hunching over sadly. He could feel his mind begin to wander as Zazu begun his speech.
At least the hornbill wasn't apologizing again for how he had treated Leon the first night they found him. Zazu had apologized on six different occasions the next day.
Zazu stopped his speech mid-sentence when he saw Simba approaching them. "Ah sire, I'm glad you're here. I was just telling Leon about places that could be dangerous before he goes for a walk."
Simba offered Leon a sympathetic look before addressing Zazu. "Would you mind if I interrupted you? I want to have a talk with Leon."
"No problem at all. We'll just have to continue this later, Leon," Zazu said.
"I can hardly wait," Leon said insincerely.
It fooled Zazu, though. He bid farewell to both lions then flew of to give them some privacy.
Leon watched the hornbill's small form vanish in the distance before turning to Simba with a smile. "What did you want to talk about?"
Simba took a breath and cleared his throat. "I wanted to ask about your lost memories. Have you regained any?"
"Nope."
"Does it bother you?"
"I'm... not sure, actually." Leon frowned from the conflict he felt over the matter. He flicked his tail back and forth a few times as he thought, paying little mind to the swishing noise the grass made from the movement. "I am very curious about where I came from, but if I remember I may have to leave here."
Simba's own expression became somber.
The understanding in the king's eyes encouraged Leon to continue. "I know that I was most likely just wandering around, belonging to no pride before I came here, but I just can't convince myself to let it go at that. I still somehow feel that there may be someone hurting because I'm gone. If I remember and there really is someone, I would have to leave the Pride Lands to be with them." Leon averted his eyes before continuing. "I don't want to leave here, but the thought of losing someone important by giving up on my lost memories makes me feel terrible. My chest even starts to hurt when I think that way."
Simba was amazed by just how much Leon was like he used to be before he returned to the Pride Lands. His father had helped him realize who he was, and he hoped he could do that for Leon. "Do you want to know what I think?"
Leon nodded, hoping the king wasn't going to tell him that he really was as selfish as he felt.
"I think you already know what you want to do, you're just afraid to take the first steps towards doing it."
"But what if I'm not able to remember?"
"You'll be able to. I know you will," Simba said, the confidence he felt in Leon clear in his voice.
Leon found it hard to believe that his memories would be so easily regained, but the faith Simba had in him gave him hope.
"Your mind doesn't recall who it is that is missing you, but your heart does. I think that alone proves how important who ever it may be is to you."
"I think you're right," Leon breathed. Things were starting to make some kind of jumbled sense, but it was all happening too quickly. "It kind of scares me."
Simba nodded, sympathizing greatly with the dark lion. "It is a lot to take in."
"I need to think this all through," Leon mumbled, already falling into his thoughts.
"Why don't you continue the walk you were going on before Zazu stopped you," Simba suggested. "It might help to clear your head."
Leon nodded and stood up to leave.
"No matter what happens, you'll always be welcome here," Simba said as Leon walked past him, causing the dark lion to pause and flash him a grateful smile before continuing his walk.
------------
Cloud paced back and forth swiftly, a distressed look on his face.
He was beginning to doubt his loyalty to Zira. It was getting harder and harder for him to see the sense in all this, when it had always been so easy before.
He had asked himself many times why he fallowed Zira so blindly, and the answer had always been simply that she was his mother. At one time, that had been enough, but that was quickly changing.
All fallowing Zira had gained him was the absence of his mate and the scorn of his sister.
And despite all he did for her, Zira didn't even seem to like him that much. She wasn't one to show affection, but there were times when she would look at Vitani with fondness in her eyes. She never looked at Cloud like that. She rarely even talked to him when it didn't have something to do with the Pride Lands.
Vitani walked up to Cloud and paused before speaking to him. She went through a mental list of other things she could be doing to see if any of them were better then talking to him. They weren't. "What's your problem?" she asked, fallowing the tense movements of her brother with her eyes.
Cloud halted, surprised that Vitani had spoken to him. She hadn't said a word to him since Leon left. "I'm just thinking."
"About what?" Vitani asked after once again going through that mental list of other possible things to do. They still weren't any better then talking to Cloud.
"Everything. Everything we're doing to take the Pride Lands. The more I think about it, the more pointless it all seems," Cloud answered.
"You're just now getting that?" Vitani asked, rolling her eyes in disgust. "Your mate is gone and you're just now realizing how stupid all this is?"
"He's not gone! He'll come back."
Vitani laughed bitterly. "I wouldn't be so sure about that. Wembe just came back from the Pride Lands with news on Leon's progress. It seems he's become quite close to Simba and his pride. So close in fact that Wembe doesn't think he'll go through with the plan."
Cloud grit his teeth. "She's wrong. Leon wouldn't abandon us." Leon had only gone through with the plan because he loved Cloud. If he abandoned the plan that would mean he had chosen Simba over him...
Vitani laughed again, humorlessly. "Do you actually think Leon would ever be the same if he went through with the plan? He would forever have the blood of an innocent king on his paws, and it would be your fault. Oh, he'd still love you, I don't doubt that. But no matter how much he would try, he would always see you as the reason he killed Simba."
"Stop it, Vitani!" Cloud shouted, his voice close to cracking.
Taking pity on Cloud, Vitani took a few deep breaths and calmed herself down. She had finally said the things she had wanted to for a while now, but she still couldn't help feeling bad for her brother. "Cloud," she begun calmly, "Leon loves you more then our mother ever will. It was cruel of you to choose her over him."
"I know..."
"I even love you more then she ever will," Vitani added to prove her point.
"I get it! Geez..." Cloud sighed and stared hard at Pride Rock in the distance. "I just want is to see Leon. I wish we could just go get him and leave all this behind."
"What's stopping us from doing that?" Vitani asked, her cheeky grin making an appearance.
"Nothing," Cloud said slowly, smiling for the first time since Leon left.
"Then let's be on our way!" Vitani yelled in excitement before taking off towards the Pride Lands with Cloud not too far behind.
------------
Leon paid no mind to where he was going as he walked, knowing he'd easily be able to get back to Pride Rock since it was visible from anywhere in the Pride Lands.
He gasped and came to an abrupt stop when he looked up just in time to see that he was mere inches from walking right into a tree.
Deciding it was probably best to stop walking around while in such deep thought, he walked around the tree and laid down in its shade.
The last thing he needed was another memory-taking blow to the head.
Though, the idea of having to be found all over again by Simba and his pride was kind of funny. Of course, he wouldn't be able to appreciate the irony, so it wouldn't be worth it anyway.
Or maybe a blow to the head would bring his memories back.
Hopefully he'd be able to remember on his own and it wouldn't come to that. Just the thought of another head wound made Leon's current one ache.
He laid his head down on his front paws and closed his eyes, clearing his mind of thought and hoping the headache would soon go away.
Only moments later, a soft fluttering sound piqued his curiosity and made him open his eyes to see what it was.
A blue butterfly was sitting on a rock a few feet away from him, fluttering its wings every few seconds.
Leon watched the butterfly's fluttering wings until his eyelids begun to feel heavy. He closed them just to rest his eyes, but soon fell asleep.
------------
"It's just as you predicted, Cloud has left," Wembe told Zira, having watched Cloud and Vitani leave from atop den.
Zira grinned, extremely pleased. "It seems that Leon's incompetence will pay off after all."
"How so?" Wembe asked.
"Cloud is most likely blinded by jealousy. He could go there and end up killing Simba himself." Zira examined her paw casually, her grin still in place. "Or Simba could kill him. Either way, I benefit."
"Vitani went with him."
Zira groaned. "I had hoped that she would stay and side with me."
"She hasn't necessarily sided with Cloud. Leon's her friend and she probably just wants to see him," Wembe reasoned.
"If she has sided with him, she'll have to be gotten rid of too," Zira said darkly. "I swear, I'll kill Leon myself if it comes to that. Vitani is the only thing I have left to remember Scar by."
------------
Thanks for reading!
Please tell me what you thought. I'll love you long time if you review.
