A/N: No one hurt me, I beg of thee. We switched computers and I didn't have this document on the new one, so I forgot the story existed..Well on with it, you've waited long enough!

Chapter 6

Vitani woke up before everyone else the next morning, seeing as she went to bed early. She got up, shaking herself.

Her bangs flew everywhere. She wondered why she even had them. Rafiki said that the Great Kings of the Past had

marked her as being clever.

'Why couldn't they have marked me with something less annoying?' she thought as she stepped outside, noticing just how early it was. She sighed, and took a deep breath as some dandelion seeds whisked past her. Slowly,

she headed off to the jungle, where her 'special spot' was. She reached the jungle and looked around. No one.

Good.

She jumped up in the closest tree. She quickly and quietly jumped from tree to tree, until she reached a clearing.

There was a small waterfall running into a pool or crystal clear water. Trees covered most of it from the sun.

Vitani smiled when she saw Rafiki sitting on a rock, meditating. She looked above him. There was a branch protruding right above

him. Her smile widened.

She jumped from branch to branch, doing her best to be quiet. She reached the branch above Rafiki and looked down. He seemed to

have no clue that Vitani was above him, and just as Vitani was getting ready to leap down and scare him-

"Hello Vitani." Rafiki said, opening one eye and looking up at Vitani. She laughed.

"Hello, Rafiki." She jumped down in front of him, and sat down.

"Why are you up so early, Vitani?" Rafiki asked, his eyes amused.

Vitani sighed. "I went to bed early."

"I see."

"You know, Rafiki, I don't know what my problem is. Surely you've noticed; I get mad at every little thing. Sure, I was

kind of like this is the Outlands, but not as bad. What is wrong with me, Rafiki?"

Rafiki sighed. He knew the time would come when he had to explain this to Vitani, but it would be hard for him. He didn't

want to see his friend hurt.

"You see, Vitani, all your life, you have been trained to be unemotional. I know this, and you know this. The only emotion

you were allowed to have was pain, and anger. Now that everyone you love has been killed except one, you cannot help

but feel these emotions. It is your way of grieving Vitani. I am sorry, Vitani, but you do not know how to love."

Vitani stared at him, face unreadable. She knew he was right.

"But I'm learning, right Rafiki?" He didn't answer. "Right!"

"Well, Vitani, you might..if you let yourself."

Vitani sighed. She looked up at the sky. The sun was right above!

"Rafiki, I have to go! I need to meet Mpita!" And with that, she ran off.

"Mpita!" she cried as she reached Pride Rock. "Mpita..?" She ran around the corner into the den, and right into..Mpita.

"You're late." He said.

"I am not! I arrived precisely when I wanted to!" Vitani protested. Mpita smirked.

"Whatever you say." He smiled. "Let's go."

He bounded off Pride Rock.

"Where are we going?" Vitani called, even as she followed him.

"I don't know." he called. Vitani snickered, but continued to follow him.

He headed off towards the jungle. Vitani raised one eyebrow, but kept following him.

"What is it?" Vitani asked. Mpita broke into a run, his mane blowing as he took off. Vitani was confused for a moment.

She seemed to get mad, and ran off behind him, as fast as she could. She could see Mpita in the distance. He stopped in front

of a pool of water, with many different waterfalls flowing into it. Vitani didn't seem to notice he stopped. She ran into him,

and he flew into the water. She looked out over the water. Suddenly paws appeared and pulled her into the water.

"Hey!" Vitani cried as she surfaced. She glared at him, but he just smiled and said, "Oops."

She giggled. She couldn't help it. Mpita looked so silly smiling like that, his mane dripping wet, two waterfalls on either

side of him. For the first time in her life, Vitani actually giggled. She looked around.

"Where are we?" She asked.

"I don't know." Mpita answered.

Unbeknownst to either of them, it was the same spot where Simba and Nala had felt the love that special night, when Nala saw Simba for the first time in years.

Mpita glanced at Vitani out of the corner of his eye. She was beautiful, her fur shimmering wet, her eyes sparkling.

Vitani sighed. Everything looked so peaceful. She never wanted to leave. She swam to the bank and got out of the water. Mpita followed her. They sat silently in front of the two waterfalls.

"Vitani.." Mpita broke the silence. "What was in like in the Outlands?"

She sneered, "As if you don't know."

"What?"

"Kovu told you, didn't he?" She raised her eyebrow as he shook his head.

"All he told me was how you acted. I mean..how were the lions, what was it like living there, spending all your time there?"

She sighed and looked down as memories flooded back to her. Her eyes seemed far-off.

"It was..horrible. All the time you were there you wished you were in a better place, and you hated the Pridelanders, not only

for what they supposedly did to Scar, but because they lived in a better place, had more food.." She looked at him in his red-brown eyes with her shocking blue ones. "It's so much better here. But..it's hard. No one knows how to adjust. We feel guilty, like we're living with our enemies..but we know the true story of Scar now. He was evil. But, living in the Outlands..you become evil." There was hurt in her voice, but she pretended to stay strong.

"Vitani.." Mpita's voice was quiet, loving even. "You're not evil."

"You barely know me, Mpita." Her voice was harsh.

"I can see it in your eyes..you're not evil at all." A tear slipped down Vitani's cheek unwillingly, and Mpita pulled her to him gently, and she let him. She smelled in him, his personal scent, as she rested her head on his chest, his mane enveloping her.

"I have to leave in a day, Vitani." His voice was quiet, and she looked up at him, her eyes wide.

"But..you just got here!" He sighed.

"I know." Vitani felt every place their bodies touched, and she reached up and licked his muzzle gently. His eyes widened but he smiled.

"Vitani..When I first met you, there was something about you.." She looked down sadly. This must be rejection. "I think it was love at first sight." She looked up hopefully.

"But..we hated each other."

"I know." He laughed. "I think that's what love is." She laughed. She had felt it too-a pull to him, a need to be with him. She knew in that moment, as a gust of wind came out of nowhere, carrying seeds and leaves with it snaked around the two lions, that this was the lion she was to be with. She rolled on her back, pulling him on top of her.

"Well, if this is going to be your last night, why not make it count?" She smiled seductively. 'Yes,' Mpita thought, 'I want to be with her forever.'

And in that clearing, with streams of wind snaking around them, she gave herself to her one and only love.