Chapter 16 Old flames
"Wait," said Tiifu. "You have how many sisters?"
Tiifu, Kiara, Zuri, Kovu, Lewis, Cleo, Rikki and the lion guard were talking with Arabella.
"Sixteen," repeated Arabella. "I'm the twelfth born. My mother's a nymph, my dad was a mortal. Nymphs can live for a very long time. Three of my sisters, Lucille, Millicent and Iman were mortals like my dad. Lucille and Millicent are the oldest two, Iman's the seventh. Me and the rest of my sisters all are water nymphs like mom was. Except for Beatrice and Cora, they're sky nymphs."
"You have a big family Arabella," said Kion.
"I know," said Arabella. "But my sisters and I loved each other very much. But we've all basically separated as the years past. I'm 395, my dad, Lucille, Millicent and Iman have passed away. I haven't seen my mom in two hundred years or any of my other sisters."
"So Rikki," said Kiara. "How are things with you and Zane?"
Rikki jerked her head up. "What do you mean?" she asked trying to sound innocent.
"Oh, come on," said Kiara. "I can tell you and Zane have a thing for each other." Tiifu and Zuri chuckled.
"Yeah," said Zuri. "You look at Zane like he's your boyfriend"
Rikki's face went as red as flames. Cleo and Lewis looked worried, they had a feeling the Pridelanders would eventually find out that she and Zane used to date.
"We were boyfriend and girlfriend," said Rikki admittingly. "But we're broken up and just friends now."
Arabella and the Pridelanders looked surprised.
"What happened?" asked Beshte.
"Will has an older sister named Sophie," explained Cleo. "Rikki caught her kissing Zane and thought he was cheating on her. Although their friends again, they haven't gotten back together."
"I kind of remember the first time we kissed," said Rikki softly. "It was on Mako island the first time I got moonspelled. We kissed and my fire powers caused fire to surround us."
Shupavu and Njano were listening nearby and they decided to tell Scar about this.
JAW
Scar was interested in what the skinks had told him about the first time Rikki had kissed Zane.
"Rikki and Fuli have fire powers," he said thoughtfully. "Perhaps they can do the work of destroying the Pridelands for us."
JAW
Rikki was walking through the Pridelands, she wanted to be alone. She thought about Zane, she really missed him.
Just then she heard laughing. She turned around and saw Janja's clan ganging up on her.
"What are you doing here Janja?!" snapped Rikki.
"We've heard about you and Zane," taunted Janja.
"It's none of you're concern!" snapped Rikki.
Janja's clan just laughed. "Why?" asked Janja. "Can't be a tough girl if you're dating a tough boy?"
Rikki's face was red with fury.
"I'll show you tough!" she snapped.
She unleashed a fire ball at the hyenas. The hyenas dodged the ball as it hit the ground. Janja smirked at Rikki.
"Can't throw a fire ball?" he kept on taunting.
Rikki furiously threw another fireball even harder this time. The hyenas scattered around evading the flames.
"That's the best you can do?" called Janja though there was fear in his voice this time.
Rikki was to enraged to notice it though, she just kept throwing fireballs at them. She also didn't notice the fires she was starting.
"Uh Janja, I think we should stop now" said Cheezi.
"Yeah, that last one almost got me!" said Chungu worriedly.
Janja looked at Rikki whose teeth wearing clenched menacingly.
Just then Arabella came running in.
"Rikki!" she cried horrified. "Stop! You're causing a fire!"
Rikki snapped out of her anger and looked around to see fire blazing around. she placed her hands over her mouth in shock.
Arabella raised her hands up, a sun shower suddenly poured down. It put the fire out, but also accidently turned Rikki into mermaid form. Also, to Rikki and Arabella's amusement, Janja's clan were soaked in the water.
Janja grumbled and the hyenas ran away.
The lion guard ran up to the two girls.
"What happened?" asked Kion. "Ono said he saw a fire and the hyenas."
"And why is Rikki in mermaid form?" asked Bunga.
JAW
Back at Pride Rock, Rikki (who had legs again) was telling the lion guard, Emma, Bella, Cleo and Lewis about Janja and how she had gotten mad.
"I was so mad at Janja's teasing," said Rikki in a guilty voice. "I just blew a fuse and threw fire at them. I wasn't realizing the fires I had started around the area."
"It's okay Rikki," said Beshte. "It was an accident."
"Yeah," added Ono. "Good thing Arabella showed up to put out the fires and no harm was done."
"Something I find strange though," said Bella. "They weren't attacking Rikki; they were just teasing her about Zane."
"How do they even know I used to date Zane?" asked Rikki in annoyance. "I never told them that and they certaintly weren't around when I told you. We would've found them spying if they were."
The lion guard thought for a moment and then it came to them.
"Scar uses skinks to spy on the Pridelands," said Fuli. "They must've been spying on us when you told us about your past with Zane!"
"But why would they or Scar take interest in my relationships?" asked Rikki.
Everyone was unsure about that.
JAW
Back in the Outlands, Janja informed Scar about what happened.
"So, the plan was working," explained Janja. "Rikki was furious when we were teasing her, but then Arabella showed up and put them out."
Scar frowned. Janja was worried, was Scar mad at him?
"Well, since the plan worked at first, I can congratulate you for that," he said dismissively. But I want you to try again."
The hyenas looked nervous as Scar said that, Rikki had almost burned them, so they didn't exactly look forward to seeing her again.
"But this time," said Scar. "Take the jackals with you, Rikki could make more fire with more of you around for her fire powers."
Janja weakly nodded.
JAW
Rikki was talking with Nala about what happened. Ever since Mother's Day, Nala had been a motherly figure to her and Zane, so Rikki had decided to talk to her about what happened.
"Everybody gets angry sometimes Rikki" said Nala kindly.
"Yeah, but Janja teasing me that I used to be Zane's girlfriend made me feel like I was on fire and I almost destroy the Pridelands" sighed Rikki.
"Feelings like anger can't be cured," said Nala. "We all get angry sometimes, Kion sometimes gets worried to use his roar sometimes. Once I got into an incident with Janja's clan too. Kion was furious to see them attacking me, he roared so hard it caused some destruction. He was too afraid to use the roar, but I reminded him the roar is part of him and he shouldn't stop using it."
"But I'm not afraid of my powers" declared Rikki.
"I know you're not," assured Nala. "But I think the reason you were mad at the hyenas is because you're hiding your feelings for Zane."
Rikki was surprised and looked at Nala, but the queen just walked away. When she was out of sight, Rikki thought about what she said.
But then she was rudely interrupted.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the fire tempered girl."
Rikki looked to see Janja's clan and Reirei's pack.
Rikki frowned.
"I can't believe anyone would fall in love with you," taunted Reirei. "Zane doesn't love you."
Rikki felt like she was gonna burst in flames.
"Come on and get us," added Goigoi. "But you'll probably miss us like you did with the hyenas!"
Rikki started throwing fire balls at them and the jackals scattered.
JAW
The lion guard was patrolling, when Ono saw what he believed was smoke. He flew ahead to see what was going on. When he saw Rikki fighting with the hyenas and the jackals, he cried out in horror and flew back to his friends.
"What's wrong Ono?" asked Kion.
"Rikki is fighting with the hyenas again," cried Ono. "And this time the jackals are there too!"
"Is Rikki okay?" asked Beshte.
"Well," said Ono. "They didn't look like they were attacking her, they seemed to be taunting her and the scatter when she throws fire balls at them."
Kion thought for a minute. Arabella had told him that when the hyenas attacked her earlier, they had just taunted her then too.
"I think their taunting Rikki so she can cause damage in the Pridelands for them, because she's getting mad at them and unleashing her powers!" he cried in realization.
"You think Scar put them up to this?" asked Fuli.
"I think so," said Kion. "Ono, get Cleo and Arabella, we might need their help with the fires. The rest of us will go deal with the hyenas and jackals."
JAW
Rikki was doing her best to hit the hyenas and the jackals, but they kept dodging her fire balls.
"Rikki!" cried a voice.
Rikki turned around and was surprised to see Zane running up to her. The hyenas and jackals all stopped and looked in surprise too.
"What are you doing here Zane?" asked Rikki. "I'm trying to fight Janja and Reirei."
"But look your anger is causing fires again!" cried Zane. Rikki looked around; she knew she was causing trouble again. "You need to calm down" said Zane.
Rikki did start to calm down. Neither she or Zane noticed that the flames were starting to calm down too.
"I overheard you talking to Nala," said Zane. "About when we used to date, I do love you. You're mad because the hyenas and jackals are teasing you, and you're trying to keep it hidden. You seem to still have those feelings."
Old feelings started to build up inside Rikki. The feelings she had when she and Zane started to fall in love. She and Zane then kissed.
"Ugh!" said Janja in disgust. Then he, his clan and the jackals looked around and noticed the fires were dying!
"The lion guard's coming dear!" cried Goigoi noticing the lion guard heading in their direction.
Reirei and the others gasped and quickly ran off.
"The fires," stammered Kion. "They're out!"
"How did that happen?" asked Bunga.
"Zane helped me calm down and they went out" explained Rikki.
"Rikki, we found out the reason why Janja and Reirei were taunting you," explained Kion. "They were trying to make you mad so you'd unleash you're fire powers and cause destruction in the Pridelands for them."
Rikki's mouth hung open and put her hands on her hips she couldn't believe they tried to get her to do their dirty work.
Ono swooped in with Cleo and Arabella running not far behind them.
"It looks like you got the fires under control yourselves" said Cleo.
"My love for Zane helped me overcome my anger when the hyenas and jackals taunted me to attack them with my powers," explained Rikki. "And when I calmed down it controlled the fires."
"That's so loving" Beshte sighed happily.
Cleo smirked at Rikki and then she helped Arabella put water on the burnt patches to make sure the fires were completely out.
JAW
That night after everyone had gone to bed, Rikki and Zane sat around the campfire smiling at each other.
"You know Rikki," said Zane. "I've missed our relationship when it's had it's downs."
"I've had too," said Rikki admittingly. "Maybe we weren't ready to break up after the comet Eva incident."
"I would like you to be my girlfriend again" said Zane.
"Me too" agreed Rikki.
And with that the young adults kissed again.
Author's note; Rikki and Zane are officially back together again, sorry again for taking so long. I wanted to make them boyfriend and girlfriend again. I know they became friends again in the finale of the series, but they weren't officially together again.
I based Nala and Rikki's talk off an episode of Supergirl where Cat talked to Kara about anger, which that scene to get what I'm saying.