***Chapter 10***

***The Spell is Broken***

Akido caught up to Adira who was descending the trail from the main cave. His face split into a wide grin as he fell into step with her.

"What?" she asked carefully, not liking his look. "What do you want?"

Akido just kept smiling. "When are you leaving this morning?"

"Later. We caught more than enough yesterday, so we decided to shorten the length of today's hunt. Why, were you planning something?"

"I actually was going to go talk to my parents for a bit." He replied.

Adira looked at him quizzically. "Does that mean what I think it means?"

Akido's grin verified her suspicions. "Grandpa gave me some messages for them."

She chuckled at the new information. "When are you going to tell them?"

"Right now, actually. They're just getting up, so I figured we could meet up with them on their way to the water hole."

"We?" she asked.

Akido shrugged, taken aback by her reluctance. "Well, I just figured that you could back me up… but if you don't want to, that's fine."

Adira shook her head and smiled. "Oh… no, Akido, of course I'll go, I just figured that you wanted to do this alone. I didn't want to get in the way of your family."

"Adira, You are my family!" he responded happily. A noise over his shoulder made him look. He spotted his parents along with Nala exiting the cave into the morning sun. "There they are, come on."

Adira followed the lion back up the path, and after he explained that they wanted to accompany them to the water hole, they set off as a group. The cool air from the night before still remained in the shadows of the trees, but in the open savannah the warm breezes heated by the newly risen sun were predominant. They moved slowly to accommodate to Kovu's crippled leg. It clearly bothered him to have to be catered to, but he traveled without complaint. He was used to it by now. The group walked in slow silence for a while, save for some minor conversations about weather and hunting; Akido wanted to make sure that they were alone before he said anything.

"So Adira," began Nala. "How do you like the hunting party?"

She smiled. "It's great. Everything that I hoped it would be."

Kiara snorted humorously. "I'll bet it is, you're actually good at hunting. I was always terrible!"

Everyone laughed and Kovu spoke. "Oh come on now, you just weren't meant to be great hunters like me and Nala!" His joking arrogance made Kiara smile before she pushed him away playfully.

Akido decided to chime in. "Hey, don't leave me out! I'm just as terrible of a hunter as mom!"

Nala grinned. You're all bragging about who was the worst hunter, but let me tell you all!" She turned to Akido. "Your grandfather was absolutely horrible! He never learned how, and he never had to." The aging lioness shivered. "He grew up on all those bugs, yeacgh"

"Oh don't remind me!" added Kiara, who also cringed at the thought.

Akido glanced around them. They were definitely completely alone; the savannah was quiet. "Ummm, speaking of Grandpa…" he began, "Dad, you remember yesterday when you found me at the peak?"

Kovu nodded, his expression was uncertain.

"What happened?" asked Kiara. Nala seemed equally confused.

Kovu shrugged. "I found Vateli on top of the peak yesterday, and he was just talking. It was nothing, really."

Akido smiled at his father's casualness. "Well, I didn't really know how to explain it then, but I think I can now."

"Really?" his father looked at him in a vaguely curious tone. "So, who did you think you were talking to?"

"Well, I was talking to Grandpa, I thought you were him."

His parents smiled, as did Nala. It probably seemed sweet, he figured, a grandson trying to talk to his grandfather that he had never met before. Kovu was the first to speak. "Does he usually respond like I did?"

Akido was quiet for a moment. "Actually… yes, he does."

His father's expression darkened along with the others'. "Akido… don't joke around about that sort of thing. It isn't funny." He turned to Nala and began to talk about something else, but Akido cut him off.

"I'm not joking dad. I've been talking with Grandpa for a long time."

Kiara looked sad. "Vateli… don't. That's crazy."

He resisted the pull to frustration; he knew that it would take time. "I talked to him yesterday, after you saw me. He said that if you thought it was crazy to talk to dead kings, than you probably thought he was insane."

Nala chuckled, but otherwise remained silent.

"Vateli!" Kiara said forcefully.

Akido was surprised at his mother's assertiveness, but continued anyways. "He gave me some messages to give to you."

Kovu stopped walking. "Vateli, this isn't funny! Knock it off!"

"It isn't meant to be funny, it's the truth." He replied calmly. "He wanted me to tell you that he saw you both on that one night."

Kiara narrowed her eyes. "What night?"

"The second night after dad came to live here. You were both stargazing for a while before Rafiki came and lead you away. He said it was disgusting how you two were all over each other."

Nala burst out laughing and his parents just stared. "Mom!" Kiara hushed the older lioness.

"I'm sorry honey," began Nala while she wiped tears from her eyes, "but I was there too, and it was disgusting!"

"WHAT?" exclaimed both Kovu and Kiara simultaneously. "You were watching us?"

Nala kept laughing. "Yes, I know it looks bad. Simba was still trying to figure you out, Kovu, he was actually asking his father for guidance when I showed up."

Kiara was dumbfounded. "So you put Vateli up to this, Mom?"

Nala shook her head. "I never spoke a word about that event to anyone except your father." She looked at her grandson and smiled. "The next time you see him, Vateli, please tell him that I love him."

Akido smiled. "He hears you whenever you say it."

"Nala, you're buying this?" asked Kovu who was visibly irritated.

The lioness just smiled up at the sky. "Kovu, you should know by now that there are things in the world that are larger than us. Have a little faith."

The dark lion shook his head gloomily. "I lost my faith a long time ago." He said in almost a whisper. "If the kings really cared about us, things would have been different."

His father's harshness surprised Akido. He began to think that this might be a bit more difficult than he originally figured. The look on Adira's face showed that she felt similarly. "Dad," he began, "The kings have been more involved in our lives than you know."

Kovu frowned at his son. "If your grandfather could have seen how I acted when Nuru came, he would never have tried to contact me again, especially not through my son."

"You're wrong dad." Akido said calmly, remembering his words from when he was just a newly returned cub, "Grandpa is very proud of you."

Kovu snorted and turned away from the group. After he left, Kiara turned back to the younger lions. "Don't worry, Vateli. He just needs some time to think about it, is all."

Adira frowned. "He didn't even tell him the big stuff."

"What big stuff?" asked Kiara in a surprised tone.

Nala was equally surprised, "You knew about all this?" she asked.

Adira looked frantically to Akido for help, clearly regretting speaking up.

"Umm, yea," he began slowly. "I told her a while back because we kind of decided something…"

The older lionesses looked at the two intently, waiting for him to continue.

He decided he should just come out and say it. "We decided that we're going to be mates."

A broad grin spread across both of the lionesses' faces. "Oh that's wonderful, Vateli!" cried his mother, pulling both him and Adira into a tight embrace. "I always thought you two were so cute together!"

"Mom!" Akido protested as he looked over to Adira. She laughed at his distress and returned Kiara's hug. The lion sighed and just hugged his mother. "Don't tell Dad, okay? I want to tell him myself."

"Of course Vateli," Nala agreed. "We'll keep quiet for you."

The walk went on for quite a while longer, deeper conversations about Akido's interaction with Simba. It became quite clear that Nala believed him completely, and Kiara was well on her way as well. Akido figured his father just needed some time; it was quite a difficult concept to swallow, especially considering everything he had been through. Eventually the group went their separate ways and Akido found himself walking with Adira again.

"Well that went well." Akido looked over at her and realized that she was serious.

"How do you figure? I didn't get far enough to tell them the truth about me!"

Adira just shrugged. "Oh, don't worry about it, Akido. Just be happy that they believe your thing about Simba."

He sighed deeply. "I guess you're right. They just need time to sort it all out. I'll talk to them in a week or so about it again." He looked at her and realized she was grinning. "What?"

"You told them that other thing too." She stated smugly.

He chuckled. "Okay, that went well. I'm glad they know."

"Me too." She agreed as she nuzzled her love's cheek. "I liked you reaction to your mother's hug, by the way."

Akido laughed at the memory. "You just love to see me uncomfortable don't you?"

"Of course not!" she replied in a mock surprised tone. "I just think that it's funny to see you, the great Akido, master of the afterlife, humbled by your mother's touch. It's very funny." She explained.

"Alright," he conceded in between laughs, "It is funny. Now let's go find my dad."

The two continued up the pathway to one of the higher caves of Priderock where Kovu spent a lot of his time. Akido suspected that it was because neither Nuru nor his leopards ever went up there, so the former king did not have to be reminded of his past. The Sun was still only barely above the horizon; much of the pride had not yet woken. They found Kovu right where they expected to; he was staring out at the savannah from the mouth of his secluded cave.

"Kovu?" Adira began quietly.

"What are you two doing here?" the dark lion said with a slightly bitter tone.

"About earlier…" Akido began. "I know that the whole thing is a bit hard to swallow, but it is the truth, and I hope that you eventually see it."

"Is that all you came up here for?" he asked suspiciously.

Adira smiled and looked to Akido as she responded. "Actually no."

Akido smiled back at her. "We already told mom and grandma, but we figured that they would tell you if we didn't get to you first…"

Kovu looked at his son intently.

"It's just that Adira and I decided that we are going to be mates."

The former king stared at the two younger lions for a moment before a broad grin spread across his face. "Well. Congratulations to the both of you!" he told them. He chuckled. "I was wondering when you were going to spill the beans."

"You knew?" gasped Adira as she began to blush.

Now it was Akido's turn to laugh at her discomfort.

"Of course I knew." answered Kovu. "You two have been inseparable from the day you could walk. It makes sense that you would fall in love."

Akido smiled and hugged his father unabashedly. "Thanks dad."

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Akido trotted through the warming Savannah towards the Cheetahs. It was nice out, similar to how most of the days had been lately. He was glad that he had at least tried to explain things to his parents, even if he didn't get to the really important stuff. They knew that he had been talking with Simba, and that he and Adira were together. The lion shrugged; Adira was right, it was a win. They just needed time to get used to the idea before he laid down more truth. Time was something that he had plenty of; there was no rush at all to get anything done, and he liked it that way.

Just as he thought that, a massive roar echoed from Priderock. Akido stopped and looked back at the massive stone. No other sounds emerged from his home. He shrugged; Nuru was probably just warming up his lungs.

He met up with Hatola and Tana shortly in the shade of their grove. Hatola smiled at him.

"Good morning Vateli, it's good to see you again."

"Likewise." Akido responded as he usually did. He had visited the Cheetahs so many times that their initial greetings had become rather redundant.

Tana smiled at his friend. "I'm sure that you want to do the usual stuff today Vateli, but I'm going to have to decline."

Akido frowned. "Oh come on, don't give me that."

The cheetah shook his head. "No, no, no. I was up all last night trying to catch an antelope, and I only just got home a couple minutes ago. I am completely exhausted."

A quick look at Tana was all Akido needed to see that he was telling the truth. There were dark bags under his eyes and his knees appeared shaky. He felt bad for the poor animal; he was hunting so hard because of the leopards. "Alright, never mind then." He conceded. "Go get to sleep!"

Tana chuckled and turned to a small overhang. "I've got no problem with that!"

Hatola smiled as he watched his son lay down. "You're a good friend, Vateli, you know that?"

Akido smiled and looked at the cheetah leader. "He's a better one." He said simply. "And he's a great teacher as well."

Hatola smiled. "Well he says the same about you."

"What?" what have I taught him?" struggled Akido.

"Tana told me that he learned a lot from you. He feels that if he hadn't met you and Adira that one day, he would have ended up hating all Lions because of everything Nuru has done."

Akido shook his head. "I wish there was something I could do to fix this whole thing with you and the leopards."

Hatola sighed. "Don't worry about it, Vateli. We are a strong family; when all the herds left during Scar's reign, we were the only ones besides the lions to remain faithful to the land. If we have to try a little harder to get enough food, then that's just what we will do."

Akido nodded. He was sure that the cheetahs would be fine; he just wished that they didn't have to struggle so much. It wasn't right.

The lion and cheetah continued their talk for a long while before Akido departed back towards Priderock. On his way, he realized that he had actually stayed later than he would have normally for his training. The afternoon was setting in, and the savannah reflected the laziness of the air. Akido walked along the path at his usual pace, observing the land as he went. After a while, he started to notice a difference in the lands. He couldn't put his finger on what it was, but something was definitely off. One look at any of the herds he passed verified his concerns. The animals looked worried, even sad. He climbed a nearby hill and looked out over the savannah. The huntresses that he expected to see were nowhere to be found. Something was definitely off, and Akido increased his pace back to Priderock.

He approached the base of the great monument to find most of the pride just laying around in silence, almost in shock. Akido climbed the pathway and entered the main cave. His parents stood in the corner silent in each other's company.

"Mom, Dad!" he called.

They looked up at him with pained expressions. "Vateli…" his father began. "We have some bad news."

"Yea, I kind of figured that something was wrong. What is it?"

Kiara stared at the floor. "Zira is dead." She stated bluntly.

Akido was confused, Zira was not the most beloved lioness in the pride, her death would not be mourned this much. "What?"

She continued through a closed throat. It seemed to be very difficult for her to speak. "Nuru found her this morning after you left, she died in her sleep."

Akido was still extremely baffled. If he had just found out that Zira was dead, he would have been happy, though he knew it was wrong. He waited for his mother to continue.

Kiara looked up at him. "Nuru blamed you, Vateli. He said that you had the motive and that your departure this morning proved your guilt. He wanted to kill you." she said in a small voice.

Akido stared at his parents in shock. "So Nuru is going to kill me?" he asked in utter disbelief.

Kovu shook his head sadly. "No son. He wanted to, but…" he started to get choked up. "Adira… Adira took the blame. She said that she poisoned Zira last night with some of Rafiki's plants." A tear dripped from the dark lion's eye. "Nuru believed her."

Akido was horrified. "No. No, No. He… he didn't."

Kiara looked up at him. "No, he hasn't killed her… yet. He said he's going to execute her at sunrise tomorrow."

Now he knew why everyone was in shock. He didn't know what to feel. She was alive, so he couldn't mourn, but she was also close to death, so he was afraid. He had to find her. "Where is she?" he asked urgently.

"Nuru put her in one of the higher caves," answered his mother. "But I don't think they are allowing visitors."

Akido turned away without another word and ran off toward the higher caves. Tears streamed down his face as his heart raced. How could he let this happen? This was completely his own fault. If he had taken the initiative like Simba had told him, this whole thing could have been avoided. He shook his head angrily as he ran. Why did he have to leave this morning? He should have stayed here, then he could have at least taken the blame! Akido's mind raced through hundreds more possibilities as he ascended the trail. Every way he thought of it, he could have done something different that could have saved her, but now… now he had no idea what to do.

He reached the cave where she was held. It was pretty clear that she was in there, due to the two leopards that guarded the entrance. He approached them aggressively, but the Leopards held their own against the larger lion.

"Let me through!" he demanded of the corrupt animals.

"Strict orders," they hissed maliciously. "No one sees the girl"

Akido growled angrily and threw his head back aggressively. The leopards moved into a ready stance, and he realized that they wanted to fight him. It would be playing right into their hands to do so, if one got away he would tell Nuru and then Akido would be condemned as well. He couldn't help Adira if he was dead. He decided to change his tactics a little.

"Tell you what…" he began slowly. "I think we can reach an understanding."

The leopards relaxed their stances, becoming interested in the offer. "What did you have in mind?" the larger asked.

Akido lowered his voice. "I know a few of the huntresses pretty well… I can get you a lot of extra meat. More than you'll know what to do with."

The cats looked at each other skeptically. "How do we know that you'll deliver on this?"

Akido snorted. "You know who I am, and you outnumber me, so feel free to hold me to it." He answered bitterly. He had no intention of keeping his promise, but he hoped to the kings that they would buy it.

The larger leopard nodded slowly. "Alright… but be quick. There'll be hell to pay if anyone finds out about this."

The lion nodded and passed by the crooked cats. The cave was as dimly lit as any of the other caves, but something set it apart from all the rest. It was colder, not in temperature, but in atmosphere. It chilled Akido's soul as he scanned the dark stone.

Adira lay on a wide slab towards the back of the cave. He approached slowly, noticing the dark bruises that were starting to show through her fur. Small amounts of dried blood were present around her neck and shoulders.

Akido collapsed next to her in remorse. "Adira…" he whispered to her.

She stirred and rolled over to look at him. "Akido." she smiled at him and his heart soared at the sight.

He licked her muzzle. "I'm so sorry. I should have been there."

"No, you shouldn't have. Nuru would have killed you if you were anywhere near Priderock... Now you don't have to die." She said it with so much happiness that it almost broke the lion's heart.

"But now he's going to kill you!" he protested.

"It doesn't matter," she replied weakly. "You're alright."

He paused and looked at her. "Did you do it?"

Adira tried to laugh, but her bruises limited her. "You mean did I kill Zira? Of course not; she was old and died on her own. I made up the whole thing about poisoning her."

"I wish you wouldn't have." He murmured.

"I had to. I couldn't bear to let him hurt you again. You already died once, let me go this time." she pleaded.

"No!" I won't let this happen. You can't die, Adira, I can't live without you! It tears me up to see you like this, how am I supposed to deal with your death?"

"Oh, Akido," said quietly, "It isn't so bad. It hardly hurts at all."

He knew she was lying, but he didn't push the issue. "I can't just sit by and watch you be executed by the same monster that killed me and my grandfather."

"You have to." She insisted. "Please, Akido, promise me that you won't do anything dangerous. There's nothing you can do."

"I can't promise that."

"Promise me Akido! I'm doing this so you won't get hurt, so don't throw your life away just because I am; I want you to live!"

Akido sighed deeply as tears began to fall. He was silent for a while, contemplating her demand. "I love you so much." He whispered as he nuzzled her cheek. She started to cry as well, and their tears mixed on each other's cheek as they lay together in silence.
Time passed too quickly for Akido. He wanted to stay with her all night, but he knew he couldn't. He felt her breathing slow as she descended into slumber and he slipped out of her embrace, careful not to wake his love. He gazed at the lioness for several minutes before he turned and exited the cave past the corrupt leopards.

He looked to the across the savanna to the setting sun. It was blood-red, just as it was the night he had died. He stared at the darkening sky for a while, remembering the day. He suffered so much at the hands of Nuru. There was no way that he was going to allow Adira to experience anything close to what did. Akido felt all of his fear, anger, frustration, and sadness melt away with the setting of the scarlet sun. The emotions faded into the cooling air, only to be reborn, just as he had been, into a new feeling. He wasn't afraid, he wasn't angry, or frustrated, or sad anymore. He was determined. Determined and focused to stop Nuru. He had run away from his responsibilities for long enough; it was time to face the monster.

He realized that there was little time to waste. Akido sprinted down the pathway and away from Priderock toward his destination. There was a certain grove that he needed to visit before dawn."

***Author's Note***

ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT! I take it back, it was a good chapter! I just thought was a bit lower than average for me, but from the responses I received, I guess I was the minority there. So, in response to everyone's protests, I withdraw my earlier statement.

Now, onto this chapter, and this story in general. It has hit a couple of significant milestones that I wanted to share/thank you for. Namely, receiving over 50 reviews and containing over 30,000 words. This chapter is also the longest so far, if I'm not mistaken. Usually I try to do somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000, but this one is over 4,000. You guys probably don't care too much about my writing statistics, but I'm pretty proud of it.

I'll close by saying that I think I have a great ending in store for this story, so stay tuned, watch for updates, and REVIEW!