The dark night was upon the Pride Lands and two desperate felines were looking for each other. Each heading in the wrong direction. The cheetah was running as fast as her paws could carry her, but she was losing speed fast.

"Come on," Fuli said to herself. "Don't let me down again."

She pushed herself further and the silhouette of Pride Rock became visible.

"Kion," she sighed in relief. "I'm coming-"

But as she spoke, she hit something. Someone had crossed while she had run. Fuli stumbled across and she could feel the thing she had collided with had fur. She dizzily came on her paws and so did the other one.

"Watch where you're going, your big lump of – Fuli?"

Fuli looked up. Her jaw dropped Moto was standing in front of her, looking angry, while nursing her head.

"You?"

"What are you doing here?" Moto asked.

"I could ask you the same thing. I have come to talk to my husband," Fuli said with dignity.

"Too bad he doesn't want to talk to you," Moto hissed.

"I don't care what he wants, I just need to tell him I'm sorry, I shouldn't had walked away when you had –" but Fuli went silent. Moto had come in the direction she was heading. "What were you doing at Pride Rock?"

Moto took her time to answer. "To see Kion, of course."

"Giving him an apology, I hope?" Fuli replied.

"No, to ask if he wanted to go out with me, but he had guard duties to do," Moto hissed.

"Going out with you?" Fuli asked in disbelief. "After you had fooled around with him?"

"How dare you! Don't you think it's odd he hasn't found you yet?" Moto barked.

Fuli frowned. "I'll assume he-"

"He doesn't want to be with you, he hasn't even gone out looking for you," Moto hissed. "he is happy without you."

Fuli dropped her mouth. "No, that can't be true, Kion won't stop looking if someone was lost."

"You better believe it, he is wonderful at nighttime," Moto hissed. Malice shining in her eyes.

"You're in a relationship with him?" Fuli asked, not believing what was coming out of Moto's mouth.

"Oh, yeah, and he is a wild one," Moto sneered. "You know what he called you? A slut," she added, not waiting for a reply.

"No," Fuli said humiliated, a tear was appearing in her eye.

"And don't bother concern yourself with The Guard, your place has already been taken," Moto sneered, enjoying every single moment of Fuli's despair. "So, let me ask you again, what are you doing here?"

Fuli didn't reply but just looked sadden into the ground.

Moto gave her a wicked grin. "That's what I thought. Don't interfere in my and Kion's life, your cubs are also happy without you, no need to bring them into all of this," Moto added, walking past her. Fuli turned her head.

"Just promise me you'll take good care of him, he is not as fierce as he looks," she said, letting a tear slide down her cheek.

Moto turned her head in anger. "Aren't you not even mad on him?" she barked.

"No, I hope you'll be a good wife to him, better than I was."

"Just leave, Fuli," Moto sneered.

"I'm not leaving him, I'm letting him go," Fuli replied.

"What sentimental rubbish," Moto barked.

Fuli shrugged and walked past the lioness, head bend down in shame. She couldn't believe Kion had ended up with her. Course she was pretty, but she didn't feel like his type. She walked and walked until her paws gave in and she collapsed beside a large tree.

"So, it's just me and you," she said to her belly. "Don't worry, we can manage."

"Fuli?"

Fuli turned her head. She hadn't noticed what tree she had crashed at. It was Makini's tree, and right now she was hanging from one of her branches, looking worried at her.

"Hey, Makini," Fuli sighed.

"Where have you been? Everyone has been looking for you, Kion is really scared-"

"Not scared enough to bother, going looking for me," Fuli said bitterly.

"What?"

"He hasn't been out a single time to look for me."

"The Guard and your cubs have," Makini told. "And believe me, he is really upset, blames himself. Rarely talks to us anymore."

"Yeah, too busy with Moto, right?" Fuli said bitterly.

"What do you mean?" Makini said, jumping down from the tree. "He blames her for letting him go weak, forgetting you."

"Oh, he is weak, all right," Fuli hissed. "How could he get attracted to her? Yeah, she is a real beauty, but really, she is not Kion's type at all. I'll suppose they already have planned their marriage."

Makini looked perplexed at her. "What do you mean "planned their marriage"?" she asked puzzled.

"She told me," Fuli began, tears sliding down her cheek. "She told me he is happy without me, she told me they are together and that I should stay out of their way."

"But that's not true, honestly, how could you believe her?" Makini asked.

"You know what she told me Kion had called me? A slut," Fuli sobbed. "Just because I wanted to sacrifice myself by mating with Makucha. Why was I so foolish?"

Makini hugged her. "Fuli, that can't be true. He would never say such things about you. He loves you and you love him, honestly-"

"I'm not going back to him, Makini," Fuli sobbed. "Not after what he called me."

"Fuli, you can't give up," Makini comforted. "Why did you return?" Makini asked. Drying the cheetah's eyes.

"I stayed in the Outlands, and Janja told me I was being a coward, and he was right, but know I feel like a moron," she cried. "I have just been his fool!"

"janja, was right, you can't hide, Fuli, you can't give up," Makini comforted. "That's not the Fuli I know. You got to talk to him."

"No, I'm not," she sighed, looking away into the open night. A silhouette was running in the distance and it was clearly to her who it was.

"Now go, see, he is right there," Makini urged, pointing at the silhouette.

"I can't," Fuli sighed. "He won't listen to me-"

SMACK

"Ouch!"

"Fuli, pull yourself together, this is not how your cubs, husband or mother want to see you, now get out there, and talk to him!" Makini urged. "You don't care what other's think about you, and neither should that be any different with Kion."

Fuli nursed her head. "Do you always have to knock sense into people's head?"

"Only people who are to blind to see what's right in front of them."

"Very funny," Fuli said, getting on her paws and running after the silhouette. "Wait, Kion!"

The silhouette was becoming blurrier and Fuli could feel her paws go weak. She hadn't rested enough. "Come on."

She gave it a last shot and caught up speed and the silhouette of Kion became more visible. "Kion, wait up! I need to talk to yo-" Fuli tripped over a root and knocked her head to the ground, going unconscious.

Kion turned his head. He thought for a second he had heard Fuli's voice, calling his name. But there where no one behind him. He lowered his head and began to walk instead. He really thought he had heard Fuli's voice, but it must had been his longing need for her that made his imagination run loose. He made it to Makini's tree and fell to the ground in exhaustions.

"Did you find her?"

Kion looked up. Makini was climbing down her tree again.

"Find who?"?" he asked puzzled.

Makini paused. "You didn't meet her?"

"Met who?"

"Fuli! She is looking for you, she ran after you!" Makini said urgently.

"But why didn't I see her?" Kion asked worried.

Makini came close and reached out to touch his cheek but paused. "Maybe she got cold paws again."

"What do you mean?" Kion asked more puzzled.

"She met Moto before she came to me. She had some non - I'm sorry but this is my opinion, non-happy news," Makini said, lowering her hand.

"Did she talk to Moto?" Kion asked bewildered.

"She said you two was in a relationship."

"What?" Kion said in outrage. "I'm never going to get close to someone like her again!"

"Someone like her?" Makini frowned.

"A slut," Kion said angrily.

"So, it wasn't Fuli who was the slut?"

"What? Never, I would never call her that," Kion said, feeling himself get filled with guilt, knowing his wife had been thinking he was in a relationship with Moto.

"Then Moto must have made a lucky guess by calling her that, because Fuli saw a parallel with Makucha and that word," Makini shrugged.

"I should never had called her that," Kion said, feeling tears appear in his eyes.

"You need to find her, Kion," Makini said, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"I know, I know," he said, getting on his paws and sprinting away.

000

Dawn rose over the Pride Lands and Kion had been out all night looking for Fuli with no success. He ventured exhausted and moodily back to Pride Rock to deliver his report to Kiara. Amara was waiting for him at the entrance.

"Dad, where have you been? Grandma said you never came in and joined us last night?" she accused.

"I have been out looking for your mom," Kion sighed. "With no luck," he added. "Amara, where have you and The Guard searched?"

"Ehm, the Night Lands, Proud Lands, the leopard territories and the northern parts but not a single clue from her, not even a scent," Amara said.

"And what about the Outlands?" Kion asked.

"We didn't consider that since it would be too far away from good hunting terrains."

"Okay, then I'll go look there," Kion said, turning around.

"Wait, dad, your exhausted, you need rest," Amara called at him.

"No, I don't, this is my fault your mom is missing and therefore I have to get her back."

000

Light shinned into Fuli's face. Her head felt soar, as if she had hit it against a rock. Something else felt weird as well. Someone was stroking a paw across her belly. She opened her eyes sleepily and saw a dark silhouette standing in front of her. "Kion?" she murmured. She raised her head, but it hurt. She laid down again and blinked.

"Finally, you're awake, naughty girl."

The shape became visible, but it wasn't Kion. It was the lioness she least wanted to find her right now. Zira was giving her threatening smile, while gently caressing her paw creepily across her belly. Fuli quickly got up, though it hurt, and moved far away from the lioness.

"Why the hell were you touching my belly for, creep?" She hissed.

Zira's wicked smile grew.

"Naughty girl. Forgot to tell you were expecting," Zira said threateningly.

"Don't you ever touch me again!" Fuli bellowed. "You evil – you wicked – you foul-"

Zira's wicked smile widened for each word. Impressive it could still grow.

"What are you doing here by yourself?" she asked.

"I was looking for my husband," Fuli replied angrily.

"So that's why you ran away, because you have been cheating on him?"

"What that's supposed to mean?" Fuli hissed.

"You haven't been her for a while, your husband hasn't even cared to look for you, so he must know about your secret," Zira said threateningly.

"They are his cubs. I didn't cheat like he did!"

Zira's smile widened. "So, he has been naughty to? My, my, you certainly have a functioning family."

"And what about yourself!" Fuli hissed, feeling she had to come up with a good escape plan. "You family left you because you were so – so – none motherly. See how happy they are without you!"

"They are ungrateful, yes, my son is king now but Simba is still alive and-"

"He is the rightful king, much better than you looser of a husband!" Fuli hissed. "I bet that was why you cheated on him and got Kovu with somebody else, you saw him through, but you're to proud to admit it!"

"Aren't you forgetting your married to him as well," Zira pointed out.

Fuli looked puzzled at the lioness. "What do you mean?"

"Inside that precious lion of yours, lies the soul of Scar. They are very much alik-"

"KION AND SCAR HAS NOTHING IN COMMON!" Fuli bellowed. "Scar was terrible towards his subjects, Kion shows everyone respect, even prey!"

Zira snarled. "Think what you like to think, I know what I saw."

"He was just protecting his family against you," Fuli snapped.

"Yeah, if he hadn't been there to save your ass, your cubs might not have a mother any longer, just like yourself," Zira snarled.

"You keep my mother out of this," Fuli said with burning anger.

"I admire how calm you were about it. Maybe she didn't mean as much to you as I thought," Zira asked.

"Don't you dare talking about my feelings," Fuli spat, feeling anger tears in her eyes. "I loved my mother, but now she is gone, and I don't know who was behind her death! Kion has his suspicions on you, but I don't," Fuli snapped.

Zira's wicked smile widened. "Now I know why Kion picked you," Zira mocked. "He feels smarter because you're so dumb, can't even put two and two together."

Fuli's mouth fell open. She couldn't believe what was coming out of the lioness's mouth. "Did you-"

"Yeah, I have to take the honor for the dearth of your pathetic mother of a-"

"MURDERER!" Fuli yelled, jumping on the lioness, pinning her down. "You filthy, wicked, evil-"

Zira's eyes were shining with madness.

"YOU BASTARD! WHY? She never interfered with lions when Scar ruled!"

"You don't get it, do you?" Zira snarled. "She is close to your heart, and I have to admit you're in my way too much, even for a cheetah. I had to break you. And it seemed to work, but then you left Kion and-"

"I didn't leave him, he made me do it!" Fuli yelled, lashing her paw upon Zira's cheek, giving her a cut. "Just because you take someone away from me, doesn't mean you will EVER destroy me!"

"Was that your best?" Zira hissed, launching and pining down Fuli instead. "Was that your best?" she repeated, lashing her claw across her cheek. "I'm tired of you, cheetah," she added, lashing a claw across her eye. "If I can't break you, I'll have to break someone you love."

Zira took her jaw around Fuli and swung her near a gorge. Zira approached her, rolled her on the side so they could look at each other. "Funny thing, your husband's grandfather died in this gorge, and you'll go same way. Think of how devastated he'll become when he finds your dead body. Sort of ironic."

Fuli's eyes widened. "No," she begged.

"Say hello to your mother form me," Zira added, pushing her over the edge.

000

Kion arrived at the Outlands, under his breath. He was exhausted but he was so close to his goal, if Fuli still was in the Outlands. He couldn't stop now. He ran through the narrow gaps and came to Jasiri's cave, without being meeting a single hyena.

"Kion, what are you doing here?" Jasiri asked bewildered when he entered the cave.

"I need to talk to Fuli, where is she?" he said under his breath.

"She is not here," Jasiri frowned. "Isn't she with you?"

"No, I didn't find her. I think she got scared away," Kion confessed, still heaving for air.

"Janja," Jasiri whispered.

"What has Janja to do with this?" Kion asked puzzled.

"Because he made her leave, he told her she was being a coward, that she was wrong that you-you-you-" she went very silent all of a sudden.

Kion knew what she wanted to say and gave her a guilty look. "And do you believe her?" he asked slowly.

"No, course not, it doesn't make any sense," Jasiri confessed. "I knew she was being scared."

"Scared of what?"

"She is a cheetah, she thinks she doesn't deserve you and you want a lioness instead of her," she sighed. "Course that's stupid, but she is just insecure."

"Yeah, I know how difficult she is," Kion sighed too. "But she wasn't all wrong with her accusations. I bet she told you a lot?"

"Yeah, all about this lioness and you being angry on her," Jasiri confessed. "What was her name?"

"Moto," Kion sighed. "She is the reason Fuli left again."

"What do you mean?"

"Hey, what's going on?" said an intruding voice.

Janja had arrived. "What are you doinmg here?" he asked accusingly to Kion.

"Hey, Janja," Kion greeted moodily.

"We are discussing that's it your fault, Fuli and Kion haven't found each other!" Jasiri barked.

"What? Did you really want her laying around and being fed up here?" Janja asked angrily.

"It's not his fault," kion interrupted. "It's all mine," he added, looking away. "Moto tried to seduce me," he confessed.

Jasiri and Janja both dropped their jaws.

"Yeah, I was seduced by her playfulness, I thought I had found a friend who understood me, who cared for me, but it was all to come close to me. She wanted to mate with me for no reason, I turned her down, but later she came to me again and flirted with me," the lion confessed. "I-I told her she was a slut, but it backfired. Moto met Fuli and told her I called her a slut. The problem is Fuli thinks this is true because she wanted to mate with Makucha to make a sacrifice, so he never could touch our family again."

It took some time before Janja and jasiri closed their jaws and spoke.

"So Fuli is out there now but we don't know where?" jasiri asked.

"Yeah, I should had known she would be here," Kion confessed. "The Guard and the cubs looked anywhere else than here."

"Why didn't you come earlier?" Janja asked angrily.

Kion lowered his head. "Because I was angry because she accused me, but I realized I was the one who was wrong, when Moto tried to come close to me the second time. How could I be so stupid?"

"It's not your fault, Kion," Jasiri said caringly.

"Yes, it is, and now Fuli is gone," the lion sighed. The two hyenas looked sorrowfully at him.

"You have to find her."

"I know."

000

Moto walked for herself in the long grass. She liked being hidden away. Lately she had done somethings she regretted, and she felt like she was being judged wherever she went. It hadn't been her intension being the one destroying a relationship, but someone had forced her to do it, but now she felt like she would had taken the second option.

"Moto, there you are!"

Moto jerked in the air and turned around. The lioness who she had been spying for and playing puppet for was right behind her.

"Zira, what are you doing here, if anyone-"

"Why didn't you tell me the cheetah was expecting!" she hissed.

"I thought-"

"It slipped from you maybe?"

"I didn't thought it was important, I thought she would be gone but-"

"She returned, I found her," Zira hissed. "But it matters not."

"What?" Moto asked, frighten, feeling she had made a big mistake. "I told her off."

"She is dead now, took the same way as her husband's grandfather," Zira smirked.

"She-she-she-"

"She's dead," Zira repeated. "Next time tell me this before, so it's not a surprise. I'm not keeping you alive so you can play with that brainless lion."

"But you said I should just stop their relationship, nothing with killing her," Moto said fearfully.

"If it makes you happy, then it wasn't you who did it, you only got a share of it," Zira said menacing. "How's it going with you blossoming romance?"

"Well – I-I can't touch him!" it blurted out of her. "He loves her, I can't match her, it's always Fuli that and Fuli this!"

"Then you have to work harder, I don't want them to go suspicious," Zira said, turning around. "You got a clear way, with the cheetah out of the way."

"Wait, where is the cheetah?" Moto asked, realizing Zira was about to leave.

Zira paused and turned around, giving her a wicked smile. "Don't bother your brain with that," she said, resuming walking.

Moto watched the lioness leave, heart pumping. She couldn't believe the cheetah was dead. Sure, she didn't like her, and she was a thorn between her and Kion, but she never wanted her dead. She made a decision and ran towards all the cliffs and gorges she had been passing, while walking around the Pride Lands. She searched and searched and then she caught her scent. She sniffed the air, approaching the gorge. She looked down and almost had a heart attack. Down on an edge was the cheetah lying, with her head alarmingly close to the edge. She hurried down to the edge.

"Oh, no, no, on, on."

Moto saw that her stomach was rising, which meant she was still alive, just unconscious. She sighed in relief. She tried heaving the cheetah up on her back, but she was too heavy. Then she tried dragging her up and it went better, but they moved very slow. When Moto had walked sometime with her, she could feel she couldn't keep her up anymore. She dropped the cheetah, heaving for air.

"Fuli?"

Moto turned her head and saw a honey badger, an egret and a hippo staring disbelievingly at her. She had never met The Lion Guard, but knew instantly who they were, looking on their shoulder and what Kion had told her about his team.

"Who are you?" the honey badger asked.

Moto was taken aback.

"Fuli!" said the hippo alarmed, walking over to her. "What did you do to her?"

"It wasn't me. It was Zira, I'm trying to take her to Makini," Moto confessed, trying to keep herself innocent.

"It will take too long with you," said the hippo, lifting the cheetah on her back and walked away, with Fuli, lightly bouncing on his back.

"Who are you?" the honey badger asked again.

"I'm-I'm Moto," she answered.

The egret frowned. "Are you not the girl who has been stepping in the way of our two friend's relationship?"

Moto was flabbergasted. "I didn't mean to-"

"You're the ass who made them go from each other!" the honey badger accused.

"I'm sorry but Kion has to know about this, why isn't he with you?" Moto asked, escaping the honey badger's accusation.

"We don't know," the egret confessed.

"I have to find him," Moto said urgently and ran off. She ran all the way to Pride Rock, hoping to find the lion inside, telling him she had found his wife, she might be forgiven for her bad choices. She entered the cave and many lionesses frowned at her. No one than Kion and Fuli had seen her before, so it wasn't a surprise to her. She scanned the whole cave, but no sign of Kion.

"Who are you?" asked a dignified voice.

Moto turned her head. A graceful lioness with green eyes was walking towards her. She had to be Kion's mother. "Who are you?" she asked again.

"I'm Moto," she replied more confident.

"You're the lioness who made my daughter-in-law ran away?" the lioness accused.

"I didn't mean to."

"You didn't mean to?" the lioness repeated. "Because of you we don't know where she is, and right now I don't know where my son is either!"

"I'm really sorry your majesty, but I thought-"

"Moto!" someone said angrily behind her.

Moto turned slowly around. In the entrance Kion was standing, looking fiercely at her. "How dare you be back. I told you not to approach my home again."

"I'm sorry, Kion, but it's-"

"When is the wedding?" the lion hissed angrily.

Moto looked more nervous than ever.

"Oh, you didn't tell the others? Well you didn't tell me either!" Kion roared.

"Please, Kion I was being stupid. Fuli, she-"

"A slut! Don't you talk shit about my wife ever again!" Kion said furiously. "Who is the slut here?"

"It's not that, it's Fuli, she is hurt," Moto said alarmed, stepping back from the lion's fury,

Fuli," kion said alarmed. "What have you done to her?"

"It wasn't me. The hippo has taken her to Makini but I-,"but Kion ran out of the cave before she could finish. "-found her."

Kion sprinted as fast as he could. Closer to Fuli than he had been all day. He was exhausted, but he had to see her. He arrived to Makini's tree and saw the mandrill bend over the graceful cheetah, binding a leaf string around her back leg.

"Fuli," Kion said under his breath. He noticed a grim looking scar across her cheek and eye.

Makini looked up. "Kion, she-"

The lion approached and hugged the unconscious cheetah very tightly. "I'm so sorry, love," he apologized. "it's my fault," he added. He caressed a paw across the scar on her eye and a tear fell on her as well.

"Kion, let her go, I need to take care of her," Makini said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"No!" he cried.

"Kion, if you don't let me take care of her, she might never be able to run!" Makini said firmly.

The lion looked fearfully at her and slowly began to loosen his grip.

"That's better, now wait over there with the others," Makini said, pointing at The Guard.

Kion hadn't noticed they were there as well but did as he was asked to do and stood beside Bunga, moodily looking into the ground. The honey badger placed a paw on his shoulder.

"She will be all right," he whispered.

Kion snuffled and looked by while Makini was mending Fuli's leg, hoping she wasn't as bad as she looked.