"You have the same blackness in your soul that Scar had" Zira purred as she paced around him. Kovu kept his eyes straight ahead and his stare blank, just as he had always been taught.

"What is your destiny!?" Zira hissed after a few more circles around her son. Kovu dug his claws into the rock below him.

"I will avenge Scar, take his place in the Pridelands." Kovu knew the answers to these questions well. He had been hearing them all his life.

"Yes!" Zira exclaimed, her mouth twisting open in a smile, revealing her sharp yellow fangs. "What have I taught you?"

Kovu lowered his head and flattened his ears, his eyes still fixed straight ahead.

"Simba," he spat the name like it was poison. "Is the enemy."

"And, what. Must. You. Do!?" Zira panted. Kovu's mouth curled in a snarl at the mention of his mission.

"I must, kill him." He roared, listening as the rest of the outlanders raised their voices in passion.

Kovu finally tore his eyes away from the wall in front of him, gazing at his mother with cold eyes. He had no problems with the thought of murdering the lion king… but there was one little problem he would never admit to his mother or anyone else in his pride.

Kiara… even the name of the young princess made his heart flutter and his stomach clench. Honestly, you wouldn't think he would even remember one little encounter from his cubhood. But he did. Kovu sighed entirely, he didn't want to kill Kiara…

the youthful Lion suddenly shook his head.

They are the enemy! He reminded himself. And she is one of them… she must die as well. They all must die!

Kovu awoke from his dream with a loud gasp, his entire pelt soaked and sticky with sweat. He glanced around him and relaxed a bit when he noticed where he was.

I'm at Priderock, Kovu purred as he glanced beside him and found Kiara's head resting on his shoulder. Everything's ok… I didn't go through with it. I did the right thing.

Kovu moved his head so that he could lick his mate's ear. Kiara groaned at the action, popping open a single brown eye to glare at him.

"What in the name of the great kings are you doing up so early?" The princess grumbled, her expression becoming even more agitated as she risked a glance outside of the cave. "It's not even dawn yet, Kovu!"

Kovu grinned sheepishly. Hey! It's not like I chose to wake up this early!

"Oh, just thought I'd wake up early and watch the sunrise!" He meowed.

Kiara's eyes turned sad.

"Kovu," she whispered, getting up from where she had been laying at his side. "Did you have another nightmare?"

Kovu flattened his ears, glancing wearily at the other sleeping lions. His eyes were mainly on Simba, who was sleeping on the other side of the cave with Nala. Even though it had been many sunrises since Simba had adopted the Outlanders as part of his pride. Kovu still had a constant fear in the back of his mind that he might do something to make the king angry, and that Simba would exile him again. Kovu shivered at that memory, turning back to face Kiara.

"Er, if I say no, will you leave it alone?" Kovu said hopefully.

Kiara rolled her eyes, stretching out her long legs in front of her. Kovu cocked his head as he watched her, he wondered if it was his imagination. But she seemed to be getting a little plump.

Probably just enjoying the peace, Kovu mused. No more need to run around the pridelands from fires, or stampedes, or… Zira.

"Was it about Zira again?" Kiara asked. Kovu sighed, ok, obviously she isn't going to let it go.

"Sorta…" he mumbled, shifting his paws. He hated talking about his past, especially with his mate, who held him up on a pedestal.

She wouldn't understand, anyway. Kovu thought, shaking out his mane. She's always lived a sheltered life with lions who love her… she wouldn't understand anything I went through.

Kiara, realizing he had no intention of speaking anymore about his night terrors, yawned and started toward the cave exit.

"Come on," she said. "We're already awake so we might as well go for a walk."

Kovu watched her go a heartbeat, before bouncing off after her.

The two lions walked to Flatridge rock without speaking. It wasn't until they were gazing out over the Outlands that Kiara asked.

"Do you ever miss it?"

Kovu raised an eyebrow, jumping up on the rock to sit beside her.

"Miss what? That Outlands?"

Kiara nodded and he barely resisted the urge to throw back his head and howl in laughter. What's to miss? The termites, the days without food or water…

"No," he answered, resting his head briefly on her's. "The Pridelands are my home now."

Kiara purred.

"That's good." She meowed. "Just wondered if you ever got homesick. I mean… you did grow up there."

Kovu snorted, define growing up?

"Kovu," Kiara whispered. "Did you ever think about… having cubs when you were younger?"

Kovu pulled away from her at the bizarre question.

"Well…" he squinted his eyes in thought. Looking back his cubhood really had just been one big training session. He hadn't had time to think of anything but training. "Not really."

Kiara looked surprised.

"Not ever?"

Kovu shrugged, wondering why she cared so much.

"No, not that I can remember, why?"

Kiara glanced away from him, back over the Outlands.

"Do you… ever think about it now?" The light from the rising dawn was playing through her coat now, making it shine like the sun itself.

"Uhh, not really, why?" He asked, too caught up in her beauty to process the question.

Kiara closed one eye and gazed at him through the other.

"Well," she ran a hand over her stomach. "You'd better start thinking about it now."

Kovu blinked stupidly at her.

"Uh?" He uttered, yelping as she hit him over the head with a paw.

"Oh, Kovu!" She cried. "Must you be so dense? I'm going to have cubs! You're going to be a father, Kovu!"

Kovu stared at her blankly a heartbeat longer before understanding lit his green eyes.

"Cubs?" He whispered his heart beating wildly in his ears. "Me? A father?"

Kiara nodded hesitantly watching him closely. However, she didn't have much time to watch him. For the next thing she knew, her mate was leaping back and forth like a monkey.

"We're going to have cubs!" He yowled joyfully. "I'm going to be a father!"

Kiara giggled batting at his ear with her forepaw.

"Yes, and let's just hope they don't take after you, the Pridelands will never be able to handle more than one giant baboon!"

Kovu seemed to caught up in his own thoughts to catch the teasing. The dark lion shook his head in disbelief. How the heck am I going to be a father?