Alright guys, I know there's some technical difficulties with the text, but I SWEAR it's fault, not mine. So jolly good there. Please put up with it! I can't find a way to stop it other than going all the way through, and I DON'T want to do that.

Soon, Radhi and Ke met again. Radhi was pushing things around with his paws, when he heard a shout of delight.

"Radhi" A lioness came running toward him.

He squinted, and noted that it was... Ke!

"Ke" The two ecstatic lions ran to greet each other.

"Radhi..." Ke said, tears of joy pouring from her green eyes.

She then straightened up. "Where have you been, all these years"

Radhi sighed. "I can't tell you."

"Why not"

"No no no, it doesn't matter. You wouldn't understand. I just can't."

He had walked away a few steps from Ke, and was walking away with his head down.

"Why" Ke was growing impatient. "Radhi, you've been gone all this time. You have no idea how we've missed you. Your little sister almost didn't live because your mother was in depression when she was pregnant with her! Simba pays no attention to anyone, he's just a loner! Radhi" She was crying now. "We've all gone mad without you"

Radhi gasped, and began running away, seemingly in unbearable emotional pain.

"Radhi! No! Come back" Ke attempted to go after him.

Something stopped her. She looked next to her to see none other than Closphir.

"Closphir" She asked.

He didn't even look at her. "Let him go. He has his reasons."

"Why" She asked, feeling rather annoyed with Closphir.

"Have you ever heard of giving a guy his privacy" Closphir kidded, smiling at the young lioness.

Ke gave him a look. "Well..." She sighed. "I suppose you're right."

Radhi paced through the dead grass near the edge of the Pride Lands.

"What am I doing" He asked himself. "What is there for me here"

He sighed, nearly desperate. "How can I kill my father? Scar, help me! What can I do"

"Radhi" A voice said.

Radhi looked all around him; but there was nothing. "Huh"

"Radhi" It was a normal voice now.

He turned around. There was Scar. He looked at him, plainly. There was not a hint of anger on his face... he almost looked joyful! Why? Hadn't Radhi just brainlessly betrayed him?

"You were right, and I wrong. We shall not kill Simba."

Radhi sighed in relief.

"But there is trouble in the pride lands, I can sense it. If you do not do your part, all will be ruined."

"What do you mean" Radhi mouthed. "Come with me, Scar! Come with me"

Scar seemed hesitant, as though he sensed something awful. "Very well. I shall."

Unsurely, Radhi took a seat outside the cave, as Vitani turned to venture inside the den. After seeing Radhi, she glanced toward him.

"What's wrong, my brother" She licked him, pulling his lips up a little too far.

Radhi sighed. "I don't know." He turned away from her, sighing again.

"Radhi"

"I just - I don't feel - I don't know. Leave me alone."

Vitani looked concerned, staring at her spirit-sunken brother and best friend.

As his mane blew in the wind, Radhi waited outside the den. Soon, he caught sight of Sarifa. She was limping heavily, but walking all the same. Rafiki said the limp would be permanent, but it would lighten up a bit.

"Sarifa" Radhi exclaimed.

"Oh, Radhi! Bonjour"

"Bonjour. I see you're doing better" Radhi said.

"Oh, oui. Heh, merci gentiment sauvetage."

"No problem, sis."

Sarifa smiled.

"So, I uh, I guess you uh, recognized me when I saved you eh"

"Oui, I did."

"How? Why? We've never met, have we"

"You're my brother. I've never seen you, but how could I not recognize you? Everyone tells me about you."

"Ah, shucks" Radhi chuckled. "Well, I have a little confession. I, uh, I actually didn't recognize you." He laughed in embarrassment.

Sarifa nuzzled her brother, laughing. "That's okay! I je t'aime anyway"

"Well uh, thanks."

Radhi had not been complimented like that in years. In the elephant graveyard, if you're to open your big mouth, it's to complain, inform, or argue. No one had real conversations unless they were debating or complaining together. No one complimented each other.

"You seem to speak French quite a bit" Radhi remarked.

"Oui. My mother taught me to speak, so both of us know French better than English. Do you speak French"

"Oui. I used to. I haven't had to for a long time, though. I don't know if I'd do it well."

"You have an accent" Sarifa said.

Radhi's accent was tinted toward French a bit, though it wasn't nearly so noticable as that of Sarifa.

"Vitani, on the other hand, is an expert! Like you." Radhi laughed.

"Oui" Sarifa said. "I know. Mere's told me."

"Ah."

"Say, uh..." Sarifa trailed off. "Would you like to stargaze with moi"

"Thank you" Radhi said. "I would, oui."

During the middle of the night, Simba stretched and descended Pride Rock to the valley floor. Fondly he walked toward the water hole. Above him was Radhi, hiding behind a rock. His head was down, ears flat against his head. He sighed. Suddenly, Sarifa jumped in front of him, from around the front of the rock.

"Bonjour" She laughed.

Radhi was rather stunned, and took a few moments to disguise his previous mindset and intentions. Meanwhile, Sarifa was jumping around on her pawtips, very friskily.

"Surprised ya, oui" She laughed.

Radhi looked back toward the water hole; Simba was gone.

"Hey, c'mon! Let's partir"

A dumbstruck Radhi followed Sarifa. The two walked off, side by side and laughing as they went. Soon, purrs began to mix with their laughter.

"See that? See that? Look at that! It's really pretty" Radhi chuckled.

"What? Oh yeah! Um- regard... there's one that looks like a baby rabbit. See the fluffy tail" Sarifa asked, chuckling.

Radhi smiled. What a girl thing to say. "Yeah... hey! There's one that looks like two lions killing each other for a scrap of meat" He laughed, wondering what would make Sarifa's response.

She grimaced. Ew!

"I haven't played this in so long..." Radhi thought aloud, snuggling closer to Sarifa.

"Reelement? My pere and I used to do this all the time. He says" She lightly sighed. "All the great kings of the past are up there."

Radhi nodded. "Sc- my guardian told me that part of him is up there."

Sarifa looked at him, realizing their differences. He was a loner. She was a princess. Although they had the same parents, the two were set apart in some way she could not explain. It was just - there.

"Who was your guardian"

"I can't tell you" Radhi said.

"Well why not"

"Never mind."

"Radhi" Sarifa sat by him and put her paw on his scarred one. Limping paw to limping paw. "I'm your sister. You mean the world to me. I promise, I won't laugh, I won't get mad, I won't ask questions."

"Yes you will, but " He sighed reluctantly. "Scar."

"What" Sarifa said, showing off her knowledge of a new English word and immediately forgetting her promise.

"No one here thinks he's very great... do they"

Sarifa looked at them again, thinking of how different the two were. Strangely, she didn't think of him as being 'evil' or 'bad,' just 'different.' They were siblings, but they were from completely diferent backgrounds. He was a loner, raised by Scar - an outcast. And Sarifa was raised by the queen. It was almost... as though she was superior to her older brother. She realized that... that's probably what Radhi thought. How could she tell him: it wasn't true? They were equals. Friends. Siblings.

"No." Sarifa chuckled. "Of course not. After all, he did kill my grand-pere."

"I-I know. I just... Somewhere inside me is a feeling."

"A feeling"

"Well, yeah. I mean, just feeling. It's just... the way I was brought up" Radhi said.

"What kind of a feeling"

"I" He sighed. "a feeling of love. For Scar."

"Quel? Pourquoi" She asked, strangely softly and understanding, as though she were trying to talk to a frightened cub.

"Well, have you ever wondered- where I went? Where I came from? Why I'm still alive"

Sarifa nuzzled her brother, thinking again of the difference that set them apart. "Well oui, plenty of times. But I know how people like you like to keep secrets." She laughed.

Strangely, Radhi took it completely seriously. He didn't take it as a joke, he just sighed and went on. It made Sarifa feel horrible. "Yeah, but I think I oughtta tell you this."

"Tell me quel"

Radhi sighed again. Sarifa could tell this was very hard for him, and sympathized completely. "The day the hyenas took me- you weren't alive, but I'm sure everyone's told you about it - they took me to Scar. I felt sympathy on him, for being ignored all his life. And since I was the cub and him the adult, I was wrong and him right. And so I believed him."

Sarifa looked horrified. Could his past be so horrific because he was captured and made to believe horrible things?

"Combien - combien"

"I mean like, not reallly Scar but"

Sarifa got up - with effort because of her limp - and stood her ground now, suddenly feeling fear. "You know, I really don't care! When you saved me, I thought you were a decent, kind lion. Now I know the truth"

"No Sarifa, it's not like that"

"No, I think I know what it's like! Scar killed Mufasa, and now his heir wants to kill Simba"

How did she know what Radhi was sent to do? But how could she understand that he didn't want to do it anymore, without her thinking he was just an irresponsible rat?

"How could I love someone - even my brother - who's loved one killed my grand-pere"

"No Sarifa. You just- you don't have to love everything someone did to love them."

Sarifa sighed. Everything was so confusing.

"Look, I, like you, think that Mufasa was a really great guy. To tell you the truth, I was sent to kill Simba. But, Scar and I both realized that it was wrong. I have no interest left in killing Simba"

Sarifa sighed, calming and coming to back to sit with her shot paw on his scarred. What kind of a liar was this sweet, somewhat scrawny lion"My pere said there was a... a darkness, in Scar, that he couldn't escape."

"Maybe there's a darkness planted in me, too."

Sarifa nuzzled him, and he nuzzled back this time. Sarifa thought again of the difference - the darkness in Radhi - but was willing to forgive, for darkness planted is not necessarily planting the dark spirit forever. She felt sympathy for her brother, lost, left in the dark in this huge, confusing world.

"What did I tell you" Vitani asked Ke.

The two were planted on a hill, watching Radhi and Sarifa from some distance away.

"He's not "bad" Ke. He just needs someone to understand him. Sympathize him. Your best friend seems to be doing a good job."

Ke looked down, feeling a little.. crabby. "I know... but I love him."

"I know. And so do I. Do you really think he'll marry his sister"

Ke sighed. No.

"This is a decision for him to make."

She turned and walked off; after a moment of hesitation, Ke followed.

Sarifa nuzzled Radhi, but he pulled away clearing his throat.

"What's wrong"

"Uh, nothing."

"Radhi... I'm your sister. I can understand anything. I sympathize you. I understand what sets us apart, and I can help" Sarifa pleaded.

"It's just that... nearly my whole life... I've been taught - nothing. I gotta go."

He turned to walk off.

"Radhi- attendre."

He paused a moment, looking at Sarifa's face... staring back at him; he looked away and continued.

"No Radhi" Sarifa was right up with him. "It's okay. I understand. I don't mind. I completely understand."

"No one understands."

"Yes we do. We want to help."

Again she realized the difference. And she realized... Radhi's mane. Radhi had been absorbed by darkness, living with Scar and the others in misery. But he still had goodness within him. He was born a pridelander, and a pridelander he would well stay. ((it's not: he would, well, stay it's "he would stay well;" switched.)) Even in his eyes. His eyes were a color of a faraway water. The color of sadness. He had faced misery. He wasn't evil, he was in the middle of a mixed up life. He had never been complimented for his still amazing abilities. The only time he had ever talked to someone was to complain, inform them of something, or insult them. That was life for him. Sarifa could not imagine that Radhi grew up this way, that he ever would have insulted someone. But in the elephant graveyard, she supposed that was life. She could not imagine that someone such as Radhi would deserve such a life! Perhaps that was just foolish selfishness. Radhi was Sarifa's brother and thus, of course, she would not feel such a life was right for him. And she was sure that someone out there - perhaps even Radhi - felt that Scar didn't deserve such a life; even if he had been the creater of the whole mess. But was he really? Was it really his fault that he acted in such a way? What would it be like to live that life, that life with a shadow over you, with no future and hardly a friend in the world? Might that, Sarifa thought, be a hard life to live? What were hyenas for friends anyway? Rarely do they listen to a thing another says; they're so caught up in "their petty complaints", and when they do listen they hardly pay you any mind. Might that be hard to deal with?

"It's okay, Radhi."

And there were similarities too: and there was a bond, a bond between the sister and brother. They were both almost... a second hand. A substitute; one that will "do" but that's not so special as the one they replaced. Both had only one to care for them. And a wish they longed for and revolved around. A wish to be wanted. A wish to be loved. Like Scar, she realized.

"I'm here for you."

Radhi looked at his sister with admiration. All the feelings he had suffered through lately... could she understand them? How he hoped someone understood his pain... It wasn't possible to describe. He didn't even know what to think anymore. Everyone here seemed to think Scar was a villain, but he had raised him, cared for him. Why had he? Why didn't he treat him the way he did everyone else? He was a murderer, Radhi knew that. Then why did he feel such strong affection for one who had prevented him from ever knowing his grandparents? The one who had put such a dent in his father's life that he had nearly died in his emotions? To him, the answer seemed simple. Because Scar and he had shared a bond; he was like a son to him. Scar had always comforted him, taught him about life, dried his tears when he was down. And so he'd done the same for Scar. Scar and Radhi had become equals. Scar didn't restrict him, order him around as would a parent, he let him do what he pleased. He let him make his own decisions; learn to live life the real way, rather than being told. They were in the same boat. They sympathized each other, understood each other, helped each other. They loved each other. After Radhi had been taken from his parents, he had someone to love; and one to love him. After everyone that ever mattered to him left him, Scar had someone to love, one to love him. They were equals. Friends. Companions. Partners. But how could she understand? How could she understand someone's love and loyalty for one she had been raised to hate? He only wished it was as easy to adapt and realize how to love someone as it was to learn how to hate, and how to love without a first impression.

"I'll always be here for you."

"You too. I only wish you could understand."

"I do."

Radhi nuzzled his sister, feeling for once that someone understood him. Sarifa licked him, and then he knew; they would stick together no matter their differences. In that moment, he promised her that he would always be there for her if ever her life or feelings were in jeopardy.

He sauntered into the den and lay by Vitani. She, half asleep, smiled and opened one eye.

"Go to sleep, my friend" Radhi said, smiling tenderly.

Ke, now on the other side of Radhi, smiled as well, feeling at last that she was home.