Kovu laid there napping alone under the charitable tree whose cool shade shielded him from the scorching sun. The air carried warmth and the cool air brushed against his brown fur. A thin content looking line fluctuated with snore passed into the world.
Like all those under time's spell, Kovu has grown. His body was now bigger, stronger, and more rugged than it was a few years ago. His growing jet black mane now coursed around his neck. and his senses grew sharper as much as his fangs and claws did. With this new look on display, those who laid eyes on him could tell that Kovu's a full grown teenager now. Although, his appearance wasn't the only thing to alter over time.
With the grimness of a grouchy old man, Kovu chose to remain distant from his friends and family, insisted on solo hunts for his own food rather than accept the gracious offers from his mother, and prefered to stay silent for most of the day so he could listen to the strange voices in his head. Joking? Maybe, but being around an entire lion pride, there should be at least one feline who thought Kovu's sudden transformation from a bright happy cub to a gloomy emo teenager was a little mind boggling, but the adults who knew Kovu as the son of the crazy maniacal tyrant would hardly bat an eye in his direction. The few that do care anyways were driven to a begging point towards Kovu's sudden change of nature, but he refused to answer. He didn't want his problems to be their own.
Even Kiara couldn't remove the green dullness in his eyes. Almost everyday she tries to comfort him and say she missed the times they hung so much together, yet her voice dripped with lies for he can see it in her eyes. Fear. She was afraid of him. Probably has been since after she eavesdropped her loving parents.
Good, maybe now she'll focus more on her own life than waste her time on his.
But despite how his life radiated overwhelming depression, purpose resided within.
Day by day as the sibling's time together grew less frequent, the disapproving scowls the fragile little princess received slowly diminished, much to Kovu's relief. Behind his cold attitude and even colder eyes, he still loved Kiara. It's just that he believed avoiding her will keep her royal status intact without the danger of some random revolt just because Kiara keeps a freak by her side.
Or am I only doing this because I want to prove my darkness wrong? Kovu thought glumly as he rolled over and his paws covered his eyes, ashamed.
Oh, and did I mention Nala was pregnant again?
She told her son the exciting news months ago, hoping that this new edition would make his joyful smile return just it like it did when Kiara was welcomed into the world. "That's… wonderful," he responded through a very forced smile. In reality, he only saw this new edition as a backup plan created from his father incase he did something to hurt his little princess.
So that's why he's out here all by himself, so he could purposely miss his new sibling's birth.
Regardless of everything he's determined to do, Kovu felt desperate to live besides Kiara once again and stay every step of way with her, but he denied this feeling. He promised Kiara that he'll protect her from anything, even if that anything is himself.
However, the great kings above couldn't accept the lifestyle Kovu's chosen, it wasn't right, so they designed fate to have him meet a certain someone….
A small cry emitted not very far disturbed Kovu. He opened eye, awaiting for the noise again, and later closed it back down, thinking the whole thing was a one time event. Seconds later, he almost grasped the pure blissfulness of sleep until that same incessant noise drove it away. Deciding whether he should waste his time destroying the dream destroyer, he got up, grudgingly though, yawned, stretched out his body, then dragged himself towards the disturbance with half the mind of stuffing it down a hole.
Well, he would if this little thing didn't change everything.
It was some sort of alien whose orange fur perfectly matched the rising sun and was decorated with stripes as dark as a starless night and a nose almost impossibly pink, a tiger cub, much to Kovu's bewilderment. It was like someone just left the poor thing near base of the tree so it could do nothing but wail indescribable words to the world nonstop, but based on Kovu's personal whim, it cried "Momma! Momma!"
Torrents of pity overwhelmed Kovu. Driven by pity, as if he was beholding the most fragile object in the universe(Or multiverse because I'm a nerd), he nudged the small creature, and just like that, the cries were suddenly reduced to small sniffles. Yellow pleading orbs that leaked tears almost melted Kovu's soul as they were gazed upon him. "Hey, are you lost?" the larger feline asked.
It sneezed, blinked its clueless eyes, and shrugged.
Kovu analyzed his surroundings only finding wind pushing heads of grass. "Are you alone?"
It shrugged again.
The lion looked around again and found only a duo of bugs buzzing their loud wings together. "Are you waiting for someone?"
It shrugged again.
"Do you need any company until your parents get back?"
It shrugged again.
Eyes glared, Kovu huffed and frowned, turning tail and started walking away from the amused cub, yet couldn't seem to move faster than a snail. He looked back, making sure the defenseless tiger was still there.
It was still there, and no matter how hard Kovu fought the magnetic pull the two felines shared, he couldn't move more than one feet away from it. Why doesn't he want this stupid tiger to be left alone? "Maybe I'll just camp around here, you know, just to make sure it's parent's get back," he told absolutely no one as he hid himself within the tall grass.
Minutes passed in silence.
By now, rivers should be streaming with tears due to the cub's limitless cries, but even though Kovu was nowhere near the cub's vision, the urge to cry disappeared. It's as if it could sense Kovu's protective gaze watching over it, knowing he will rush to its aid at the first sign of danger.
Couple of hours passed. Many different animals returned to their homes throughout the African plains once after witnessing the grand introduction of their king's new child, but Kovu saw not a single tiger in sight. Where were they? Off partying and getting drunk on alcohol? Probably not, but seriously, no animal would leave their baby out alone, would they?
Whatever the case, while the entire pride was probably busy overdoing their love and cuddles to Simba's new heir, Kovu was busy stuck babysitting for who knows how long.
And just when Kovu thought the bugs buzzing near his sensitive ears and the wind constantly shoving grass all over his face was annoying enough, the cub's never ending cries returned, louder and more cringeworthy than ever before. Though, for an entirely different reason.
The cub was hungry, Kovu later found out when he heard its stomach growl almost louder than its cries. And not knowing any better, he hunted not far off and came back with a juicy good sized bunny ready to be eaten, but the cub stubbornly refused. Kovu tried stuffing the meat down its maw, however, the cub remained unbreakable. The only time a fraction of its maw opened was when it chose to stick its tongue at him with a half pissed off half amused look. What was it, a vegetarian?
No, it's not. It's a freakin baby, and babies can't eat meat. They need milk, and Kovu wanted to drown himself in embarrassment once he finally figured that obviously obvious fact out, but who to provide the milk? Surely not him: a male lion in his teenage years. What Kovu needed was someone who's female, someone who's good at mothering, and most importantly, someone who's currently lactating good nutritious milk for anyone young….
That's when his mother came into the equation as the perfect answer, but there was problem.
"Do you have a name?" Kovu asked.
It shrugged again.
"If I'm gonna introduce you to the pride, you gotta a have name," Kovu explained as he tried creating a suggestion through the cub's adorable features. "First things first, are you a boy or a girl?"
It shrugged again.
Kovu wanted nothing more than to spit all his rage onto the cub's smug face, but instead grumbled and lifted its hind legs. Definitely a boy.
"Ok, then, From now one, until the end of time, you shall be forever known as…. Kopa!" Kovu finished excitedly.
The tiger thought for a moment, then shook his cute little head and responded in an adorable almost squeaky voice, "Nuh-uh."
Kovu's expression hardened. "How about Alucard?"
"Nuh-uh."
"Kirito?"
"Nuh-uh."
"Kazuto?"
"Nuh-uh."
"Yugioh?
"Nuh-uh."
"Ichigo?"
"Nuh-uh."
"Naruto?"
"Nuh-uh."
"Lucario?"
"Nuh- uh."
"Goku?"
"Nuh-uh."
"Sasuke?"
The cub seemed to actually put some thought into that name, but like all other names, he refused with a shake of his head and a "Nuh-uh."
Ok, so maybe about now Kovu was a little low on ammo on cool names, but he had one left, and if this goddamn cub says one more goddamn "Nuh-uh", he's gonna lose his goddamn mind.
"Kamina, take it or leave it," Kovu demanded with a little excessive force behind his voice.
This time, a spark was lit within the tiger's eyes as he nodded approvingly.
"Kamina…. that's the name you want to be called?"
He nodded more furiously this time.
"Are you sure? Because there's no take backs. You'll be called Kamina for the rest of your hopefully not short life."
The tiger scowled in total annoyance, but decided to nod again anyways, well, he was about to until the lion leaned closer until their noses were practically greeting each other., "And there's no take backs!" Kovu interrupted. A set of firm eyes then awaited for the answer.
He nodded again, a little more frustration to it than last time.
"Did I mention there's no take backs?"
Tired of all this bull, Kamina bit hard into the lion's nose.
"Ow! Ok! I get it! Let go!" Kovu frailed with all his might as the cub's barely developing fangs injected pain all throughout his black nose. And no matter how hard Kovu swung him around like a drunken swordsman, Kamina's steel maw was locked in place. Time for the magic words.
"Please let go?" Kovu begged with a voice so nasal it was almost comical.
Shrugging, Kamina loosened his maw and and his butt dropped firmly on the ground, unharmed. Well, at least for now as Kovu's devil like glare told untold amounts of painful vengeance. However, just one long look at the small cat's overly large puppy dog eyes and Kovu's burning hatred completely burned out. Those eyes kinda reminded him of Kiara, like how she would beg for forgiveness whenever she did something to piss him off when they were younger. Good times.
But enough about useless memories, getting this defenseless, albeit deadly, tiger straight into Pride Rock to sate it's annoyingly growling stomach. Kovu then very carefully lifted the cub by the scruff of his neck, then carelessly tossed him onto his back like a rag doll. No complaints, thankfully(Kovu didn't notice but Kamina was currently chomping down unaffectedly on Kovu's neck for vengeance), as the dynamic duo bounded off towards the towering pile of rock.
Often Kovu continued to search behind him, relieved to find the small tiger still clinging onto his neck for some strange reason. How light as a feather the cub weighed scared him, as if Kovu could look away for one single second and later look back to find Kamina has disappeared in thin air.
Luckily though, before Kovu's paranoia could become a world record, he had crashed straight into an iron wall and fall right on the butt cheeks. Once he shook the stars out of his head, the lion soon found out there was no wall at, but a nervous zebra shifting his legs uncertainly next to a furious hyena who raked her claws against the ground. She stomped her way towards Kovu, her growing rage seemingly able to make the bugs and even the grass around her cower in total terror.
Beyond anyone's eyesight while still clinged onto Kovu's neck, Kamina sneezed.
"Ok Kovu, you've been avoiding us long enough!" Mayla snarled as she shoved her face a good way across the comfort zone.
"Avoiding?" Kovu said. He wore his best fake grin. "What ever do you mean? Didn't I like invite you two a few days ago for a good old game of rhino riding? Colt of course said no because, you know, he almost died the first time he tried it."
Mayla thrusted a sharp claw beneath Kovu's chin. His hard expression never wavered. "That's not what I meant! Kiara told us of how you've been avoiding nearly everyday. And all I wanna know why!"
"Why I sleep next to my Pikachu doll?" he said carelessly.
"Cut that sarcastic crap out! Wherever you've inherited that from must be the most annoying lion ever to exist!"
"If it takes sarcasm to place as the most annoying lion ever, I'm pretty sure that singles out my father and mother," Kovu responded as he rolled his eyes. "Oh and before I say maybe about one or two more witty remarks, I've gotta check on something first."
Ignoring the glare that could possibly end his own life, Kovu looked back to find the adorable orange and black fluff of a cub, and then found him missing.
Kovu's grin dropped.
"Crap crap crap crap crap crap crap!" Kovu chanted madly as he relentlessly circled around on the spot like an excited canine chasing its own tail for no apparent reason. Few minutes later, Kovu stopped, tired and gasping for air. Even his lungs themselves were trying vainly to crawl out of Kovu for a single ounce of precious oxygen.. "Hey guys," he struggled between haggard breaths, "Have you seen a baby tiger around these parts? He's pretty short, has yellow eyes that can kill you with infinite cuteness, and a nasty bite that's sure to-"
But one words went into ear through the other as Mayla's black mushy eyes were completely fixated on the small orange figure sitting comfortably on top of the lion's head nearly dozing off. And when Kamina blinked his confused eyes, a fire sparked within her.
"OMG!" Mayla squealed like a fangirl having her mind exploding in the most amazing anime convention ever. Her paws shot forward and grasped the little bundle of fur. He yelped uncertainly at first when the hyena's death hug nearly knocked the consciousness right out of him, but a swift few cradles later, a sailboat of sweet dreams sailed away.
"So….. since we're all good with my head still on, what the heck was that all about?" Kovu asked Colt as they sat side by side together, watching the hyena run wild like bull with a baby hanging onto her fur for dear life.
"It seems that our hyena friend has a soft spot for cubs," Colt concluded the obvious as he rubbed his chin.
"No, I mean, yes, but why did I feel like Mayla wanted to maul my face back there?"
"Even if I did tell you, you would just avoid the question."
"I can't avoid the question if I don't know what it is," Kovu joked but Colt frowned.
"Stop hiding," the zebra said simply.
Kovu's chuckles were the combination of confused and nervous as he fist bumped his friend's shoulder. "What? Hiding?The heck are you talking about?"
"Your smile, your laughs, and your personality, they're all fake, and something's hiding behind all of it." Colt returned Kovu's fist bump. "C'mon, you gotta tell me what it is. I'm your friend."
Staring at the opposite direction, Kovu mumbled, "Yeah, and it's because you're my friend that I don't want you getting mixed in with my problems."
"I heard that, you know," Colt smirked.
"Well excuuuuuse me," Kovu sassed out. "Sorry for trying to express my deepest darkest feelings about myself."
Their laughs together seemed to ease the tension looming above them, the lion's chuckles soon died. "It involves Kiara," he said simply. Colt;s blush immediately flared, but Kovu ignored it. "I don't think she needs someone like me around her, you know? She's the one who's suppose to lead the entire pride once she finds a mate. And me? I'm just some dead weight dragging her down."
"But none of us, even Kiara, think you're dead weight," the foal comforted.
"Well, tell that to my father and the rest of his pride."
"Ok, I see where you're going with this, but mind explaining why you stole some tiger's cub?"
"I didn't steal him!" Kovu said in mock hurt. "I found little Kamina abandoned alone and abandoned by his fellow felines, crying and practically begging me for help."
"So you just took him?"
"And I just took him!" Kovu cheered and smacked his friend across shoulder. "And from now on, he'll be on my care until the day I die. Just as long as my mom adopts him of course."
And the adoption went better than Kovu expected. As soon as he brought Kamina into the pride, the tiger played his adoring little eyes and was instantly accepted. Every lion loved him while the other cubs grew envious of his irresistible charm of being completely clueless. Though Kamina has loads of attention nearly everyday, he prefers to be with Kovu, much to Simba's disbelief. So the king tries to win over his affection no matter how ridiculous he has to make his face look, so it's really become a never ending contest to see who the tiger likes most. Spoiler warning: Kovu always wins.
Kopa, Simba and Nala's new cub, is Kamina's best playmate. Those two were almost inseparable. They're either play fighting with each other, or causing mischief together while using their combined cuteness to seem innocent.
Kiara, on the other paw, bared her claws and fangs at the mere sight of him.
How come he's the one Kovu spends every second of his time with now? How come he's the one who returned Kovu's smile? How come he's the one who had replaced her?
These question banged relentlessly across her head as she stood at the top of Pride Rock under the starless night sky deciding whether she should tear the throat of the thief who stole her brother.
Kamina sneezed.
"Sis, the hell are you doing?" Kovu called, bolting out of the cave once he found Kamina nowhere near him. He jumped in between Kamina and Kiara, his gaze confused and hurt that his sister would do something so horrible
"What am I doing?" Kiara snarled. "Getting rid of the runt who stole you away from me!"
"Stole?" Kovu took a step forward. "What are you talking about? He never stole me away from you. I'm still here, aren't I?"
"Yes he has!" she cried. "And I'll do anything to get you back!" She swung her claws and Kovu quickly grabbed ahold of it. It struggled, but couldn't free itself from his firm grip. "Let go!"
"No…" he said simply. "Not until you tell me what exactly is going on through your head!"
"Fine! I hate how you have been avoiding everybody, especially me! Then this runt shows up and suddenly you're all over him. Since then, you won't even say a single word to me! Did you lie to me? I…. I thought you cared about me..."
"But…. I thought you were afraid of me," Kovu said as gently as he could. "You heard what mom and dad said about me…. doesn't that scare you?"
Kiara nodded. "Yeah, it kinda does but no matter what I'll still always love you, and I know you do too but I wanna know is why you replaced me with the tiger."
"Because I'm only dragging you down sis. You're suppose to be the future great queen who's gonna lead the pride, but everybody hates to see you wasting your time with me. So I started avoiding you because you're better off without me, and when I found Kamina, I thought I could use him to not feel lonely anymore…." He sighed. Talking with her after so long really made him realize some things. "Turns out, you've been feeling the same way so…" He draped his paw over Kiara's back and brought her in for a warm hug. "I'm sorry... I promise I'll never leave you alone again."
Nothing else was said after that. The siblings were too busy relishing in the others warmth. Then suddenly, something light clambered on top of Kiara's head. Both looked lifted their eyes and found Kamina resting comfortably on the princess' head, almost sleeping.
"You know, this guy can be a little cute sometimes," Kiara said.
"I know," Kovu agreed through yawning. "That's why I'll keep my eye on all of you."
Sorry for the really long update. Long story short, homework and school. There's probably a ton of mistakes too because copying and pasting leaves out some stuff for some reason so I'll fix it later. Anyways, please review!