Le gasp! TWO updates in one month? It's a miracle!

Anyway, here's the latest chapter! It's about 1/3 the length of the last freakishly long one, but it's still important. (For organization purposes, it's not as long.) It's also the start to part three! Enjoy!

Also, if you review, may I ask your opinion on the impact of this story so far, as in are the relationships between the characters (both actual (how much they love/hate each other), and "philosophically" (as in how they reflect/contrast on each other)) effective? This story does have a point to it, however long it is. I've heard from a few people that I'm doing my job right, I just want to make sure the rest of you have "got it". I know these newer chapters are putting the first early ones to shame. :3

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Part 3

Tired, Tanga squinted at the three, hearty-looking lionesses who followed closely behind Natin.

Something about the scene made her chuckle. To her extra amusement, her chuckle earned her an uncertain glance from Asuma, though he said nothing to her about it. Whether or not she was delirious, she guessed it was because they reminded her of the flies that would hang around her head on hot days. They would incessantly buzz in her ears and sip the moisture from her nose and eyes.

She also guessed it was in part due to their bouncy, light steps and dark, scruffy pelts. Not to mention that scowl on Natin's face.

She didn't catch what Asuma muttered under his breath as he stood and moved to provide somewhat of a barrier between her and them.

"Are you satisfied?" Natin frowned at one of the lionesses. "My cousins are no threat to you. Now bring Kovu here to meet them."

There were several more lionesses who had shadowed after Natin as well, but they were lingering much farther behind him. Squinting again, Tanga could tell they were talking closely with each other as they flashed uncertain glares at her and Asuma. From the way Natin was talking, she assumed her father and the rest of the band of rogues would be along shortly once word was sent back to him that there were no tricks. She could see them a ways off, but it was difficult for her to tell one lion from another.

"Is the one named Chaka dead?" questioned one lioness.

"No, he's not," Natin muttered, stopping a few lengths in front of Asuma.

Tanga noticed that Asuma's mouth and paws were twitching.

The same lioness looked Asuma up and down. She then cocked her head to the side. "Did you kidnap him?"

"No, if you're gonna eavesdrop, do it right. This is Kovu's son, like I told him."

"He's too skinny either way."

Another one huffed. "Did you just say that Chaka isn't dead? Why?"

The first lioness frowned deeply. "Hey, Kovu promised you'd do it."

"Well, he promised no such thing. You've let your weak imaginations get away from you."

"We were prom-"

"Last time I checked, I don't answer to you, now do I?"

Tanga couldn't help but gasp when Natin quickly lunged at a lioness. To her further surprise, without hesitation the lioness rolled over to show her pale, heavily-scarred belly. The others skittered backwards and growled at him in protest. The lioness on the ground curled up like a cub and snarled at Natin.

"What's keeping Kovu?" Natin demanded, his tail lashing back and forth. "Find him!"

"Chaka's still alive," they heard the lioness mutter roughly as she struggled to her paws, her groaning pridesisters dispersing to find their suspicious leader.

Tanga swallowed hard and felt her brow furrow. "Natin? Why would they say that?" she asked him cautiously as they waited together. Her hot, sore body shuddered at the idea of finally seeing her father.

Natin hadn't stopped frowning, and his expression only deepened. "Say what? About Chaka?"

"Yes."

Natin smirked wryly. "What? You doubting me?"

"No."

He rolled his eyes at her brief answer. With the vigorous shake of his head, he replied, "They're good for mindless killing and tracking. If they didn't have a purpose, they'd probably die from their stupidity. Kovu told them the point of my mission was to scout. To spy, like I said. They know better that Kovu wants to kill Chaka himself. He's told them over and over, in fact."

Tanga opened her mouth to speak, but her fear kept her mute.

It's nothing new I haven't been told before... Of course he'd want revenge on Chaka... and yet I'm still finding this all so very hard to swallow.

"Should we expect him to be angry that we're here?" Asuma asked.

Natin's blue eyes softened a bit. "Little to late now, isn't it, cousin?"

Asuma fell into silence.

Tanga tried to read her brother's expression from the small view she had of his face, but when he noticed she was starting from out of the corner of his eye, there was a fleeting moment of irritation followed by an expression as stoic as she'd ever seen.

"Whether you believe we're incapable or not... we're the only ones who can do it."

Asuma's words flashed in her mind, causing several chills to ripple through her spine and into her toes.

What did I get myself into...

Finally, when Natin started to walk a few lengths to meet them, Tanga looked on as a much larger group of the rogue lionesses approached them. This time the group was headed by a strange, dark-furred lion.

"Father..." she breathed once it struck her that the dark-furred lion wasn't just some battered, heartless rogue... but it was indeed Kovu. She gasped and lowered her ears.

"Shhh... easy, Tanga," Asuma whispered in her ear. He nudged her to stand her up and he supported her when she swayed on her three paws. Her injured paw was pulsing in pain. As she leaned against Asuma, she could feel how tense his muscles were beneath his pelt.

"Just let Natin do all the talking."

Tanga nodded and tried to breath evenly. She glanced at her brother. "Are you as scared as I am?"

He grimaced. "Be brave, Tanga."

I'd be braver if you'd given me a straight answer...

"Kovu, I have returned, as instructed, from the Pride Lands."

Tanga watched as Natin dipped his head deeply to Kovu, who acknowledged him with nothing but a curt nod. His attention was clearly focused on her and Asuma.

"As I was telling you before, your chil-"

Asuma gave a little growl as Kovu came towards them. He had a smile on his face, and he looked like a weight had been lifted from him. Tanga recognized the smile... or at least the gesture behind it. It was the smile he would have given them, long ago, right before they'd been about to fall asleep, or when he'd returned home from patrols and would play with them. She hadn't seen that particular smile since before her grandfather's death, and it disappointed and frightened her to see it marred by the scars on his jaw that made his grin tight and awkward. She also noticed he was missing the last half of his tail, and she suspected his deformities were parting gifts from Chaka.

It was uncertain whether to make the best of the situation and embrace him... or cringe and crouch behind Asuma like an infant cub.

"I thought I'd lost you!" Kovu gushed. He eagerly looked them up and down. "You're both looking so grown up... it was a shame I had to miss out on it."

"Well they're here now," Natin remarked, then chuckled. "Tanga was so eager to see you she insisted on keeping up a hard pace despite her paw."

Kovu frowned and came a little closer. "What's wrong with your paw, Tanga?"

She glanced at Natin, noticing the shadow of a nod he gave her. She then forced herself to put on a pleasant, easy smile. "It's alright, Daddy, I'll be fine. I'll rest up and then I'll be as good as new."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Tanga could feel Asuma's eyes burning into her back as she limped forward to butt heads and embrace their father, as awkward as it was as she tried to stay on her paws without collapsing. She felt her legs shake.

"You were always a stubborn one," her father said, a smile in his voice.

As he stepped back from her, Tanga searched her father's face for any hint of the killer that Natin and Asuma had described. Aside from his rough, aged appearance, he was the same to her. But it struck her then as he turned his attention to Asuma... that she felt numb inside. She knew she was going through the motions, as orchestrated by Kovu's would-be assassins, but she was disappointed that she didn't feel at least something either way. Where Asuma and Natin only seem to have hate and repulsion, and where I'd imagine I'd at least have sympathy... I have... nothing... Hoping nobody had noticed her expression falter, self-consciously she widened her smile.

"Chaka turned them out," Natin spoke up. "They were willing enough to return with me to help their father."

Tanga glanced at Asuma and guessed Natin's explanation for their presence had been something they'd planned out before she'd tracked them down.

Kovu snarled and tensed. "What? And Kiara let him?"

Natin nodded. "She barely said a word to stop it, he has her so scared. He's just about turned the whole pride against Asuma. Tanga went with him because she disliked Chaka's decisions."

"Don't worry Asuma," Kovu said, moving towards Asuma, "we'll get your throne back."

Asuma pulled a face, and Tanga guessed it was his attempt at a smile. "Certainly with a whole army behind me, Father, we'll have no problems. Chaka's done nothing but weaken the pride. He deserves what's coming."

As Tanga's stomach turned at this, she watched Kovu's expression lighten again. He smiled. "Enough of that for now," he said. "How is my son?"

Asuma now was returning Kovu's smile, seemingly in earnest. "Better, and things are looking up even more now that I'm here with you. It's been a while."

"It's been too long." Though he remained smiling, it looked for a moment that their father was going to embrace Asuma as he had her, but the dark-furred lion seemed to stop himself from doing so. "Have... your nightmares gone away?" he asked.

Asuma nodded. "Not one in years."

Tanga caught herself before she could narrow her eyes at Asuma's response. She'd noticed the twitch at the corner of her brother's mouth. He's never been much for lying either, she thought with concern. He had played the part up until then well, but she also knew what signs to look for. She suspected that their father would as well, despite Asuma's minimal instances of lying as a youngster. Now that she was aware of her tell-tale sign of lying, she knew it would be easier for her to fake a believable truth without getting caught, so long as she avoided her father as much as possible. It was already much easier to lie to him than she had ever dreamed it could be. If Asuma stays low, too, and I tell him about the twitch, he and Natin can get away with this...

"Sauda!"

Snapped from her thoughts, Tanga watched one of the lionesses slink up to Kovu's side.

"Yes, Kovu?"

Sauda's gaze met hers for only a heartbeat as she eyed her leader's children, but Tanga felt a definite chill... Not to mention she's one of the ugliest lionesses I've ever seen...

"I'm going to have a word with Natin. While I'm away, scout out something for my cubs to eat and drink," Kovu instructed. "I can imagine... You must be tired, coming all this way from home."

"Yes, we are, Daddy."

"And they'll find something to take care of your paw, Tanga," Kovu assured with a nod. He then turned to Sauda. When she didn't move at first, he cleared his throat and glared at her.

The lioness shot Kovu a haughty look in return. "Right away. Only the best for the majesty's children."

"Thank you," Tanga managed to say as she started after Sauda, when the lioness turned to go, unnerved by how the lioness had reacted to Kovu's order.

"No, you can stay here and wait," her father insisted, smiling as he put a paw gently on her foreleg. "Rest," he continued, then glancing at Natin, "while my nephew and I have a chance to catch up on a few things." Without another word, Kovu turned away, and Natin began to follow.

"I'll be back soon," Natin told her and Asuma over his shoulder.

In her thoughts, Tanga wished Natin luck as she watched them go off together.

"Natin will take some heat," Asuma whispered in her ear, "for bringing us along. It would be worse if we hadn't said it's Chaka and Mother's fault we're here."

Tanga frowned. "He'll be fine... won't he? Daddy must want to ask him what he learned. He was a spy after all."

"I hope that's all. But remember... it's the lionesses we need to concern ourselves with. They're our biggest obstacle."

A couple of the younger rogue lionesses had stayed behind and were play fighting. Tanga cringed, watching as they tussled, unafraid to draw blood with their unsheathed claws and sharp teeth. Yes, those lionesses... she thought grimly.

"Here, let me look at your paw again."

"Alright..." Tanga laid down and allowed Asuma to look over her paw. She let him help her clean it, hoping she would feel better once she had the chance to eat and drink. She wondered what they would find to put on her wound, too. She rested there in a daze, trying to wrap her mind around her situation.

"You did good. Keep it up."

"Huh?" Tanga blinked. "Oh... that. Right. What, did you think I was gonna tell him the real reason why we're here?"

"Of course not." Asuma frowned. "It's just... I know how you feel about... all of this."

Tanga could only sigh and pull a face to return Asuma's brief smile before he started on her paw again. She watched him tiredly for several more moments before a thought occurred to her.

"Hey, Asuma?"

"Hmm?"

"You... didn't bring Tswane's herbs with you, did you."

He paused for a moment before shaking his head.

That's what I thought...

"Asuma, next time you lie," she began, "you should be aware that your mouth twitches. Natin told me how my ears twitch when I lie.

"I've noticed you'd stopped that."

"Yes. Well, I thought I'd tell you so you could be more careful. Daddy might notice."

Asuma made a face, as if he were inwardly chastising himself. "Yes, I see what you mean... Thanks, Tanga."

"No problem. And Asuma?"

His ears perked.

"If you want... I'd listen to you if you wanna tell me about your nightmares. And... I know how Mother and the others haven't been as kind to you..."

His mouth was set into a hard line as his gaze dropped to the ground.

"...But I've always been here for you. I want to help you."

...Within reason... she added silently.

He smiled back at her, nodding once, but she noticed the smile didn't reach his eyes. She had to suppress a sigh of frustration even as he said, "It's nice to hear that, Tanga. Thank you. I appreciate it." He then returned his attention to her paw, running his tongue gently and carefully over her wound.

As she watched him, the numbness she had been feeling up until then lifted.

I think help has come too late for you... or at least I pray it hasn't.

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Natin flicked his ear. With his paw he swatted at the large fly that had been bothering him.

"Is that everything?"

Natin nodded. "Yes, Kovu. Am I excused?" Kovu had taken him to a secluded area under a shriveled tree that had been selfish about offering them even a scrap of shade. Often during their discussions concerning the impending war with Chaka, Sauda was allowed to be present, but she hadn't been welcome this time.

I don't dare ask why...

Kovu nodded once. "I'm sure you'd like to get back to Asuma, and especially Tanga," he agreed. "Make sure the lionesses have looked after them."

"Of course." Natin dipped his head to the dark-furred rogue. He remembered to breathe calmly as he pushed himself to his paws to leave.

It's happening... I've gotten this far...

He now had help to take out Kovu and had managed, somehow, to not get himself killed along the way.

I'm almost there, Mother... Simba...

"But... there is something else."

"Yes, Kovu?" When Natin turned to give Kovu little more than a glance over his shoulder, it was difficult not to flinch at the hard look on his elder's scarred-up face.

Kovu narrowed his green eyes. "Don't go against my orders ever again, Natin. I told you to keep them out of this."

Natin's throat tightened. His instinctual thought was to again defend his reasons for bringing the rogue prince's children with him, but he knew he was on shaky ground. He had nothing new to tell Kovu anyway, and the more he talked about his "reasons" the higher risk he ran of slipping up in any way.

"Yes, of course, Kovu," he promised. He dipped his head. "Can't expect to make that mistake and get away again with just a warning, right?"

Kovu smirked a little and tilted his chin. He stood up and walked past Natin. Under his breath, his uncle roughly muttered, "Good. I'm glad you see it my way."

"Right..."

Almost there, Mother...