DarkEcoOttsel: Yay, Scar's dead—for real this time. More romance in this chapter! Yaay!!

Untainted Souls 2: Confessions with A Bloody Paw

By: DarkEcoOttsel

Chapter Six

Shenzi was having another weird dream.

She was standing before another glowing figure. It was a male hyena. He spoke to her in a reassuring voice just as calming as her mother's.

"Shenzi, you must listen to me and your mother, for what we speak is the truth. Do not dwell on the past, but the future. Scar is dead, but the dangers are not gone yet. You must have courage, Shenzi."

Shenzi spoke in her dream. "What should I do?"

"Trust in your friends. Do not lose faith when things seem the absolute worst."

Her eyes fluttered open. She raised her head up and groaned in pain. She saw Banzai lying a few feet from her and just behind him was Scar's dead body. Her dream was right, but she felt a wave of panic flow through her.

Ignoring the pain in her head, she stood up shakily and staggered over to Banzai.

"Banzai?" she muttered. She nudged him once and sighed in relief as he moaned. He was still alive.

"Ugh..." Banzai muttered as he opened his eyes. He gasped and jerked his head up, which was a mistake. "Shenzi—OW!"

"H-hey, are you okay?" Shenzi felt the panic return. "Don't do that again, stupid!"

"Yeah..." Banzai rubbed the back of his head and winced. "Are you okay, Shenzi?"

"Yeah, I just got a headache," Shenzi replied. "I'm concerned about you, though. You're the one who needs help."

"You—showing concern for someone?" Banzai laughed. "You're getting way out of character, Shenzi."

"How is showing concern putting me out of character?" Shenzi asked with a hint of anger in her voice.

"W-well, uh, I just never really saw you...er, what I mean is—"

"I'll always be concerned for you, Banzai!" Shenzi cried angrily. "I may be mean and rotten, but I'm not so heartless that I wouldn't be worried about you!"

Banzai felt horrible about what he said to Shenzi. He gasped as she turned away from him. Banzai stood up and took in a sharp breath as pain shot through him. Still, he managed to limp over to Shenzi and sit down next to her, only to have her turn away again. He sighed.

"I'm sorry, Shenzi, for saying such a careless thing without thinking of your feelings."

Shenzi was surprised to hear Banzai saying something like that. She slowly turned around to face him, a small smile on her face.

"Okay. I forgive you, but next time I won't go so easy on ya."

Banzai grinned and asked, "So, uh, did you have another dream?"

"Yeah, actually. It was my dad this time, I'm sure of it."

"What did he say?"

"He told me to be brave," Shenzi said and then a look of worry crossed her face, "and he also said not to lose faith when things seem the absolute worst. That line made me nervous."

"Woah," Banzai looked a little freaked out. "Maybe he knows something we don't."

"That's why it scares me," Shenzi murmured. Her eyes widened and she said loudly, "Okay, now that was out of character!"

"Heh. Don't worry, I won't tell," Banzai promised with another smile.

Shenzi smiled as well. Then she asked, "So, you killed Scar, huh? How come you killed him when I couldn't get near the jerk?"

"Well, after he threw you into the rock, I got really pissed off and I ripped his throat out—literally," Banzai told her.

"Aww, all that for me?" Shenzi batted her eyes at him.

"Um, heh, you're getting out of character again," Banzai stated, although he couldn't help but smile.

"You said you wouldn't tell anyone," Shenzi said quietly, moving a little closer to Banzai.

"You're right, I did," Banzai inched a little closer to her as well, the two hyenas staring into the other's eyes.

"Banzai, I..." Shenzi trailed off, not knowing what to say at a time like this.

"Yeah?" Banzai murmured, moving his face closer to Shenzi's.

"I..."

"Yeah?"

"I...have to go to the bathroom," Shenzi broke eyes contact and ran behind a large bolder, leaving a very puzzled Banzai alone.

What the hell is wrong with me? What is this feeling? Shenzi tried to steady her beating heart. She was sure it was going to explode if it kept beating as fast as it did. Her cheeks would be a bright red if it weren't for her fur. The butterflies were trapped inside her stomach again, flapping their wings rapidly.

"Shenzi?" Banzai came up to the boulder but didn't come up to Shenzi, just in case she was actually going to the bathroom, which she wasn't. "Is everything okay?"

"Uh, y-yeah," Shenzi said. She closed her eyes and tried to calm down. She felt someone grab her by the neck. Her eyes snapped open and she attempted to cry out but another paw was quickly clamped over her mouth.

Shenzi didn't know who was attacking her and she didn't care. All she knew was that she needed to get away. She bit the paw that was over her mouth and made her escape.

Banzai gasped in surprise as Shenzi came sprinting out from around the boulder, looking very freaked out.

"Shenzi?" he muttered.

"We gotta get outta here!" she told him as she continued to run but she screeched to a stop as lionesses leaped out of the darkness, blocking their only exit.

The two hyenas were surrounded. Shenzi looked back at the boulder and gasped as Zira came out from around it.

"Zira!" Shenzi and Banzai cried in unison.