***Chapter 7***

***Anniversary***

Akido woke early and went outside. He climbed a large boulder and observed the ledge of the great rock from a relatively hidden position. He enjoyed sitting there and watching the pride wake. It also gave him some time to think. Adira's words rang in his head. Anniversary. It had been exactly one year since he had died, one year since he was brutally murdered by Nuru. Speaking of which… Akido watched the large gray beast emerge from the cave, surrounded by an entourage of leopards. He felt anger boil inside of him for everything the monster had done to his family.He watched the lion slink down the path to the ground. An early rising lioness approached the king and began to speak. Akido couldn't hear what she was saying due to the rather far distance, but it was clear that she was a bit agitated. Nuru just stared at the lioness for several moments, waiting for her to finish her rant. She finished on her own time, and looked quite proud… that is, until the gray lion's paw connected with her face. The sheer weight of the strike sent her to the ground and Nuru bent down to whisper what was surely a threat into her ear. The humiliated lioness waited for the king and his leopards to leave before she stood and returned back to the main cave with her head held low. Akido just stared in shock; Nuru was just a terrible individual. How could a King treat his followers so poorly? He remembered what his father had told him about the responsibilities of those in power; that it was their duty to keep the balance and maintain the circle of life. Nuru was created a massive imbalance in the social structure of the Pridelands; the land and food chain itself may have been alright, but the animals lived in fear of the king and his leopards. There was a reason why Hatola wouldn't visit the pride.

Akido's anger festered for a while as he sat on the boulder overlooking the entrance to the main cave, but he soon let go of the hate as more of the pride awoke and wandered out of the dark cave into the brightening day. He found it amusing to see the difference between those lionesses who were "morning people", and those who were not. Soon, most of the pride had woken and embraced consciousness, and Akido got ready to leave is perch. But before he could leave, a familiar face exited the cave. Adira exited slowly, even cautiously. She looked around for any other lions before moving at a quick pace away from Priderock. Akido watched her head off in a strange direction; there was nothing that way. Not the waterhole, or the hunting grounds, or the forest, or anything. Where was she going? The question perplexed him, and he decided to follow the lioness. He leapt from his rock and took up a brisk pace in the same direction.

It was rather easy for him to follow Adira's trail; the dew from the night before had not yet evaporated in the morning heat, so the untouched grass kept its sparkling texture. Adira's trail was clear due to the lack of droplets. He walked quickly for some time, still unsure as to where she was going. The trail lead through grassland, nothing special. He passed a tree here, a boulder there, but nothing unique. He figured that the only way that Adira could possibly know where she was going, is if she had traveled the route several times before. Well, he figured, he would find out soon enough where she was going.

The trail he followed cut closely to a ledge, and at the bottom Akido could clearly see the massive skeletons of the elephant graveyard. He stared at the bones; they were a chilling sight, and more importantly, they reminded him of something. He looked down the trail that he still had yet to travel, and saw that it led to a large stone structure, dotted with caves, on the edge of the boneyard. It came back to him in an instant. This was where Zira and Nuru had taken them; where he was murdered. His knees started to shake from the fear that he associated with the place. He wanted to turn back and go home, but he couldn't. Adira was in the cave, he needed to see her.

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The young lion stepped over splintered bones and dead plants as he approached the caves. It had been a long time and he stood much taller than he had before, but he still clearly remembered where they had been taken. Akido climbed several stones to reach the mouth of the cave that instantly plummeted at a downward angle into a larger cavern. He was careful not to make a sound, he probably didn't need to, but the cave radiated a chilling mood that called for silence.

He entered the dimly lit room and looked around silently. The first thing he saw was Adira. She sat to the side, head hung low. The next thing he saw was the corner where they were kept together, in the time before he had been killed. Then he looked to the center of the room, marked by a small indentation in the floor; the place where he had been murdered. Akido took a step forward towards the indentation. A dry twig snapped under his paw and Adira looked up at him sharply.

"Vateli?" she asked in a surprised tone. "What are you doing here?" Her initial shock soon gave way to anger. "You shouldn't be here! This is our place!"

Akido looked back to the indentation where he had been killed. Memories and emotions filled his head. Fear. Helplessness. Darkness. He continued forward to the corner where they were held as if in a trance, vaguely aware that Adira was still yelling at him. He approached the spot and stared at the floor. Though it had been a year, the cave had remained unchanged. The wind could not penetrate the entrance, so the dust that Akido had walked on was still there. The young lion stared at small paw-prints that he knew to be his own, to those that he knew to be Adira's, surrounded by the much larger leopard tracks. He placed his paw over one of his small prints and pressed his new mark into the dust and replacing the old one. Akido looked to where the tracks led, to the indentation in the center of the room. He followed the markings and reached the spot where he had been killed. The cave was like a time capsule; nothing had changed. The signs of a struggle were clear; the dust was disturbed in erratic patterns and many footprints lay about the scene. But the most chilling evidence of the event was the dark stain that penetrated the dust and even the stone. Akido stared in shock at the sight of his own blood from his previous life.

The traumatized lion noticed two large sets of footprints that lay only a short distance away. They were significantly larger than those of the leopards. Zira and Nuru. He felt his self pity give way to anger. Anger for everything the two evil lions had done to him, to his family and to the Pridelands. He roared in rage, the yell echoing off the walls of the cave. He struck out with all his fury at a nearby stalagmite. The stone shattered under the force of the blow and bits of stone went rolling across the floor of the cave. Akido stood there, staring at the destroyed column. His breathing gradually slowed and his muscles relaxed. A single tear fell from his eyes and wetted the already stained dust.

"Vateli?" It was Adira.

"What?" he replied quietly.

"I'm sorry." She said sadly, walking over to his side. "He was your brother… you deserve to be here as much as I do." She nuzzled the young lion under his chin. "Today is the one year-"

"-Anniversary… I know." He pulled away, not because he didn't appreciate her affection, but because he couldn't stand to lie anymore. He couldn't go on like this. He was tired. Something had to change.

"What is it?" She asked, confused at his action. "Talk to me."

It took him a few moments to respond. "Adira?"

"Yea?"

"Have you… have you ever lied to people that you care about in order to protect them?"

The lioness smiled faintly. "I've been lying a lot lately to protect you."

Akido shook his head and turned to face her. "I mean a big lie; something that would change everything if people knew the truth."

Adira was silent for a while. She finally answered in a small voice. "Yes."

He knew that she was thinking of how she lied about the violence of his death, so he didn't push the issue. "So have I…" he said in a near whisper. "I've been lying to you… to my parents… to everyone."

Adira looked at him quizzically. "For how long?"

"Ever since I was born."

Adira was clearly confused. "What could you possibly have been lying about for your entire life?"

Akido took a deep breath. This was it; the moment of truth. He had envisioned it since the day he was born, but now it just seemed crazy. Would she believe him? There was only one way to find out for sure. "I'm not who you think I am… I'm not Vateli."

"What do you mean you aren't Vateli?"

"I mean that my parents named me Vateli, but I had a different name before that."

"Oh really." She replied skeptically. "And what were you called before you were Vateli?"

"Akido."

Adira's half- smile vanished from her face and she stared at him. "That's not funny, Vateli." She said coldly.

"Does it look like I'm joking?" he said with a solid expression. "I am Akido."

"How dare you!" she cried. "I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you, and you just want to mock me!"

"You aren't listening to me, Adira! This isn't a joke! There's no game!"

"AKIDO IS DEAD! AND YOU ARE A TERRIBLE PERSON FOR DOING THIS!" The lioness turned and started to leave.

Akido stared for a moment. He had failed… she didn't believe him… No. He refused to give up. He ran after the departing lioness cut her off before she could exit the cave. "I was Akido, and I did die. The kings sent me back to fix the balance!" She just stared angrily at him for a moment before pushing aggressively past him. "I KNOW YOUR LIE!" he yelled in a last ditch attempt.

Adira froze. "What?" she asked quietly, turning back to face the young lion.

Akido could have smiled, though he didn't; he had gotten her to stop. "You said you had a lie that would change everything if people knew the truth… I know the truth, because I lived it."

She took a step towards him. "There's no way that you could know what I know." she said in a dangerous tone.

He took a deep breath before continuing. "I know that it was a horrible death, not a quick, painless one like you told everyone."

"That doesn't prove anything…" she muttered.

"I know that we were kept prisoner over there!" he declared, gesturing to the corner. "And that I was taken out to the center where they blinded me, broke my bones, and ripped out my throat while you were held down by a leopard!"

Adira stared at him. "I never told anyone about that… how do you know that?"

"I am Akido!" he insisted again. "Why won't you believe me?"

"Because it's crazy! It isn't POSSIBLE!"

Akido was getting frustrated. "Why not? What's so farfetched about it?"

Adira glared at him. Well for starters, where's Simba? If you came back, why didn't he?"

He sighed. "They could only send back one person to counter Shetani's interference. They chose me because I was young, and because I was the prince."

Adira shook her head. "Vateli… this had gone far enough."

Akido scrambled in his mind for more proof. "I can tell you what we were talking about the day I died!"

She looked at him. "Go ahead."

He searched his memories. The day had been burned into his mind, but it had still been a year. "Ummm… The day started when I pushed you into the mud, then you got me all muddy. Then our mom's cleaned us off. We were still in trouble for messing with the rhinos… and I said that when I was king, I would let you be the leader of the hunting party."

She stared at him for a long while before she spoke again. "I don't know what to think."

"Please." He begged. "I can't live a lie anymore… I need you to believe me."

"It doesn't make sense… if you are Akido, why didn't you ever tell anyone?"

"I wanted to… but no one would have believed me. You still don't even believe me!"

Adira just stared at him. "But… how… I don't…" She shook her head in confusion and gazed at the dusty floor. Tears began to fall from her eyes, dripping to the floor. Akido couldn't tell if this was a good sign or a bad sign. Her eyes soon told him that it was, in fact a good sign. Adira raised her head and smiled at the young lion, finally recognizing him as her deceased friend. "It really is you… I missed you so much… Akido."

Her words filled him with happiness. She believed him! Akido took a step forward and nuzzled her cheek. Adira returned the affection and the two sat in the darkness, enjoying the bliss they found in each other's company.

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"So… what was it like?" the lioness asked to Akido.

Akido smiled. The warm afternoon breeze ruffled his growing mane and filled his lungs. "It was beautiful. The land was perfect; it made the Pridelands look like the elephant graveyard." Adira raised her eyebrows at the comparison. "But the really great part," Akido continued, "was that everyone was there."

"What do you mean, everyone?"

"I mean everyone who you ever had any connection to." He explained. "I saw my grandpa, my great-grandpa, my uncle, everyone!"

Adira looked up at the clear-blue sky. "Wow. So you can see them, but none of the rest of us can?"

Akido blinked. All of Adira's questions made him realize how little he really knew about the whole after-life thing. "I don't really know, to be honest… I only talk to my grandpa when I'm completely alone because he won't show up otherwise. I think if he wanted you to see him, you could, but there are rules that he has to follow."

She snorted bitterly. "There are always rules."

Akido chuckled. "Yea. There always are."

They walked along in silence for a while. The dew had fully evaporated off the grass, but Adira knew the route well. Besides, Priderock was now in sight, so it would be rather difficult to get lost. The lioness looked as though she wanted to aske another question, but for some reason she held back. As always, Akido did not pry. He waited for her to ask on her own time. The question came soon enough.

"So why are you back…" she asked in a small voice.

Akido sighed deeply at the question that he knew she would hate the answer to. "The kings sent me back to correct the balance."

"What does that mean?"

"Nuru created the imbalance… so as the kings put it, the two forces are eventually going to have to collide."

"What?" Adira exclaimed. "What do you mean collide? You don't actually intend to fight Nuru, do you?"

Akido was quiet as he decided how to answer her question. "Adira… Nuru is a terrible king. He has no respect for the land, or for anyone else. I can't let him stay in power."

The lioness speed her pace and cut him off, preventing him from walking any farther. "I don't care how bad he is, he'll kill you!"

"Not if I have my way." The young lion pushed past Adira, who only looked at him with amazement.

"I don't think you get it!" she said, falling into step alongside him. Nuru is massive and ridiculously powerful! He killed Simba without any trouble, and he'll do the same to you!"

"I'm getting training." Akido replied concisely.

"What, with Tana? Not that he isn't a great fighter Akido, but he only barely beat that leopard. And that was just one leopard! There's a reason that they follow Nuru, he's stronger!"

Akido just stared at the ground. She was right, though it pained him to admit it. How was he, still a mere juvenile, supposed to beat this devil-empowered beast of a lion? It was a very difficult task, and for the first time he was beginning to feel doubtful. "This isn't about me, Adira."

"THIS IS COMPLETELY ABOUT YOU!" Adira yelled at him. Akido was shocked speechless at her outburst. Upon a closer analysis, he realized that she was close to tears. She seemed embarrassed from her outburst, and she lowered her eyes. "I just don't want to lose you again…" she said in a small voice.

Akido sighed and placed his paw around her shoulder. "Hey, come on. I'm not going anywhere, anytime soon."

She looked up at him. "I know… just please be careful."

He smiled, "I always am."

Adira snorted at his fake arrogance and pushed him into the grass. Akido went rolling a short distance down the side of the hill before he stopped his momentum. He looked up at the lioness who was now laughing at him from the trail.

He growled playfully and leapt at her. She screamed in feigned surprise and took off down the trail towards Priderock with her newly returned friend at her heels.

***Author's Note***

I had a ton of fun writing this chapter. It took me quite a while to decide how I wanted the whole thing to play out, but I really like how it all came together. Not much more to say, other than to Review and Comment!

-Ben