The Lion Guard watched as they were approached by a hyena, though not one from Janja's clan. Rather, the hyena approaching them was a female hyena, with purple eyes and black and purple hair, plus slightly lighter fur. "I came as soon as I could, Kion," she greeted as she walked up to the cub. "Madoa's looking after the pups, but I can't stay here too long, in case any other Pride Landers see me."
"Asante, Jasiri," Kion replied with a nod. "This won't take long, I promise."
"Well, since I'm here, why don't you tell me why you asked me to come here?"
"Right. You see, I need to ask you and your clan for your help."
Jasiri smirked. "Again? Surely, you could have come to visit me if you needed our help."
Kion frowned, shaking his head. "I'm afraid it couldn't wait. Its too urgent."
Just like that, the hyena's smirk faded. "I see. What is it you need help with?"
"It's a long story. You see, a few days ago, the hyenas attacked one of the herds. We were able to save the herd, but… Fuli wasn't quite so lucky."
Jasiri's eyes widened. Scanning the friends of her faces, she could see the hurt behind their expressions. "I take it that's why she isn't here, then? I noticed when I got here, but I thought she might be doing her own thing."
Kion sighed, his head dropping. "Sadly not. You see, while trying to redirect the herd away from the Pride Lands, she… went over the edge. She tried to climb back up, but Janja… he…"
She gasped, not even needing to hear him finish. "He didn't… did he?" Kion couldn't even respond, so he solemnly nodded instead. This caused Jasiri to frown sadly. "Oh, no… Kion, I… I don't know what to say. Is she… alright?"
"I… I'm not sure. You see, when Ono told me Janja… did what he did, I went to see if she was okay, but… she was gone." Jasiri blinked, tilting her head in confusion. "We think the hyenas took her into the Outlands, because Ono told me she was unconscious. We hadn't seen her until earlier today."
"She came back?"
"Not exactly. The hyenas and the jackals were attacking one of the zebra herds, so we went to deal with it, but we got split up- Beshte had to deal with the jackals, while Ono had to deal with the vultures. Me and Bunga were trying to catch up with the hyenas, and that's when…"
Jasiri waited for him to respond, but when he didn't, she noticed the pained expression on his face. "When… what?"
Bunga sighed. "Fuli appeared out of nowhere, and tackled Kion to the ground," he explained. "It was un-Bunga-lievable, and not in a good way. I tried to tell Kion, but the herd was getting away, so I had to go after them."
"She wasn't acting like herself," Kion added. "She was acting as if we had turned on her, claiming we banished her to the Outlands and that Janja and the others saved her."
She looked at him incredulously, asking herself if she had heard him correctly. "You mean… she's joined Janja?! But, Fuli wouldn't do that!"
"I don't think so either, which is why we need your help."
Her face showed her determination. "You've done a lot for me and my clan over the years, so just tell me what you need us to do."
"We need you to see if you can find out why Fuli is with them. After what happened earlier today, some of the Pride Landers think she's on their side, so we need to stay here and try and keep everything calm."
She nodded. "I understand completely. You can count on us, Kion!"
He shot a small smile her way, which she returned when he said, "Asante."
"No problem, Kion." She looked up at the sky, seeing how dark it was getting. "I best return before it's too dark to see where I'm going. First thing tomorrow, we'll start seeing what we can find out, and I'll meet you back here to report, same time tomorrow."
"Understood. Be safe getting home, Jasiri." She nodded, and everyone exchanged their goodbyes before she began to walk away, quickly disappearing into the Outlands once more. Once she had, Kion turned to the others. "Okay. Tomorrow, we'll need to maintain patrol and make sure that panic isn't being spread, so head home, and make sure to get some rest."
Kion turned to start walking away, but Beshte called before he could. "Kion," he asked the cub, "what do we do if Fuli shows up again?"
This question left an uncomfortable silence between them for a good ten seconds, as Kion tried to figure out what the answer was. "… I'll… get back to you tomorrow on that, guys. Usiku mwema."
"Usiku mwema," they all replied as they went their separate ways. As Kion saw his home in the distance, his mind began to mull over the issue that Beshte had pointed out, and it seemed to be jumping back and forth between both sides of the argument.
'She's still our teammate and our friend,' he attempted to reason with himself, 'we can't just attack her… but if she truly believes that she is on Scar's side, then that means she'll see the Pride Landers as her enemies… and our duty is to defend them no matter what… but how am I supposed to defend them against someone who knows me better than anyone else, and is my friend?'
'Perhaps the answer is much more simple than you think,' he could hear Scar's sly voice suggest, a distinctive chuckle following it.
Kion shook his head. 'Don't listen to him, Kion…' His lips curled into a frown. 'I cannot allow him to control me again.'
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Another hyena asked as she walked alongside Jasiri.
"Yes, Madoa," she replied. "Kion and the Guard have helped us a lot in the past, so it's the least we can do." It was the next day, and Jasiri and Madoa had begun their search of the Pride Lands, as she had promised to the Pride Lands' prince. "Besides, I want to know why Fuli is working with Janja."
"But don't you remember what happened last time?" She was referring to when the hyenas found out about their spying, and used it to ambush them, and although the Lion Guard saved them in the end, it was a close call. "I don't want that to happen again."
"I know, Madoa, and it won't. Besides, that was a long time ago, so maybe they've forgotten about it. We both know that they aren't the smartest of hyenas." She grinned smugly. "That would be us." They both shared a laugh at this, but stopped when they heard someone coming near them. "Quick, hide!"
They quickly dashed over to a large boulder, making sure that their tails were tucked in and that they were just able to peek out without being spotted. After a few seconds, they noticed none other than Fuli, wondering around with her head looking down at the ground. She came to a stop after little more than a few steps, and let out a heavy sigh.
"Why does everything seem so… strange right now?" She asked herself. "I should be feeling good right now- Scar has been helping me to remember my past and my mission, while the others have been making sure that I'm at top physical condition after the accident… so why does something feel off? Like I'm somehow missing something, even though I don't know what it is?"
"What did she mean about remembering her past?" Madoa asked Jasiri in a hushed voice.
"I'm not sure," Jasiri responded. "But whatever it is, it seems Scar's trying to manipulate her… is it some sort of power he has, like how Kion has the Roar?"
"Who knows?" As Madoa turned her head around, she saw that Fuli was no longer alone, as Reirei approached the cheetah. "Maybe she can tell us more."
The jackal cleared her throat, getting the attention of the speedy mammal. "What are you doing out here?" She asked.
"Oh, Reirei," Fuli replied, looking relieved. "It's just you. I was just trying to gather my thoughts."
"I see. Well, any who, Scar told me that you're to train with the crocodiles today, and they're not exactly the most patient, so I'd be quick about it."
Fuli simply smirked. "Did you forget who you're talking to?"
Before Reirei could respond to this, Fuli dashed off, leaving the lead jackal coughing in the cloud of dust she had produced. It lasted for a few seconds before dissipating, which allowed Reirei to breathe normally again, before growling. "How much longer do I have to put up with this brat," she muttered.
"Reirei!" They heard a voice call, looking to see Janja approach his reluctant ally. "You seen Fuli anywhere? Kiburi's getting all angry that she hasn't shown up for training yet."
"Yeah, I just sent her his way. Anyway, how much longer are we going to have to keep up this charade?! I'm sick of acting like she's a pal of mine!"
"Believe me, I am too! I'm starting to wish that she died from the fall rather than just lost her memory." Jasiri gritted her teeth, doing her best to suppress her growl so as to maintain anonymity in that moment.
"Yeah, you and me both. I still think we should be taking her out of the equation before she gets wise of what's really going on."
"Well, if you want to be the one to tell Scar, then be my guest." She scowled at him upon realising that he was right. "Until Scar tells us otherwise, we gotta keep up the act, or else it'll be him taking us out."
She sighed. "Yeah, I guess. Still, if I have to call her dear one more time…"
"Hey, you're the one who started that, you've only got yourself to blame." His ears perked up as he heard something in the distance, which led to him groaning exasperatedly. "What are those Furbrains up to now?"
He took off in one direction, not hearing Reirei mutter, "you're not exactly that sharp yourself," before she took off in the other direction. Once the coast was clear, Madoa and Jasiri left their cover and began to head back to their clan.
"I can't believe it," Jasiri spoke out loud. "Fuli's memory is lost from the fall, and Scar is trying to rewrite it for her so that she believes that Kion and the others are the enemy."
"I don't know whether to point out how low it is of them, or how uncharacteristically clever it is of them," Madoa mused, receiving an irritated glare in response. "Either way, we have the information Kion asked us to find."
Jasiri nodded. "I'll let Kion know when I meet up with him tonight."
"So, I'm on babysitting again? That makes it, what, three nights you owe me?" Madoa smirked as her friend rolled her eyes at her. "Don't worry, I'll watch over them. Just make sure that you don't get ambushed on the way."
"I will. Right now, I'm more concerned of Kion's reaction."
"He's WHAT?!" He practically roared, having just heard the hyena's explanation of her findings. He was already on edge after the day's patrol, in which he noticed more than a few of the herd members were wary of them, but thankfully only the zebras from the day before. Still, this news did not come welcome to the Lion Guard's leader.
"I wish I was lying, Kion, but that's exactly what we heard," the female hyena replied.
"That's low, even for Janja," Beshte muttered, his ears folding against his head.
"I dunno, Big B," Bunga argued, "it seems about as low as their usual tricks."
"I hate to agree, but I do," Ono conceded. "Besides, knowing that they work for Scar now, it seems pretty light in comparison to his other acts."
"If it helps," Jasiri added, "when I heard Fuli talking to herself, she seemed conflicted."
"So, you mean… her memories might be coming back?" Kion asked, a trace of hope in his voice. That hope, however, faded when he saw Jasiri's nervous expression.
"I don't know for certain, Kion. This is the first time I've known of this happening, so I don't know how bad her accident was for this to happen, or how likely it is that she could recover."
"She's right, Kion," Ono explained. "Concussive memory loss isn't something that I've heard much of in the Pride Lands either.
The prince sighed, disappointed yet understanding. "I see… thank you anyway, Jasiri. I really appreciate it."
"Of course, Kion. Now, if you'll excuse me, I better head back."
Kion nodded to her, and she turned around to start walking away. 'There has to be a way to stop Scar from rewriting her memory… rewriting her…' His eyes shot wide open with a gasp. "Wait a minute!"
Jasiri stopped walking when she heard him, turning to give him her attention, as did the others. "What is it, Kion?"
"There may be a way to get Fuli back! Jasiri, I hate to ask, especially after everything you've done, but-"
"Whatever you need, I'm willing to help."
He smiled. "Thank you. Now, this is a little risky, but I've got a plan."
