Chapter 7: Confessions
Dusk had come and went in the Pridelands as the sun sank below the horizon and the subtle hues of the orange sky slowly turned to the cooler ones of night. The aftermath of the furious battle between the Outsiders and the Pridelanders scarred the savanna surrounding Pride Rock, as blood and feathers stained and littered everywhere across the greenery. Despite the gory scene that plagued the once-brilliant scenery of the African savanna, it was a miracle there weren't many fatalities as a result of the vicious battle, save for a trio of unlucky hyenas who were slain during the midst of the skirmish.
Once Kion roared away the Outsiders, Simba thanked the civilian animals for their bravery and assisting the Lion Guard in defending the Pridelands, he even announced that a special gathering will take place the following day to celebrate their well-deserved victory against Janja and the rest of the Outlanders. But tonight, the Lions of the Pridelands along with the Lion Guard were having their own gathering inside Pride Rock.
Simba and Nala along with Kion, Kiara and Kovu stood over a stone ledge that overlooked the entire den where the Lionesses and the rest of the Guard were gathered down below. Simba stepped forth and began addressing his speech to his subjects:
"First of all, I'd like to thank everyone here for finding the time to attend this rather impromptu meeting here in Pride Rock. I know that now is usually the time when we all would usually rest and sleep and prepare ourselves for the day ahead, but I feel that tonight's agenda could not be put off to tomorrow or anytime later."
The Lionesses and the Guard nodded with acknowledgement, many were accompanied with warm smiles as all of them were more than willing to sacrifice their time and sleep for their King and Queen, despite their injuries.
"As we all know, Nala and myself were ambushed by the troop of rogue Outlanders while we were at the Elephant Territories, which, according to Kion, was part of the devious scheme orchestrated by Janja to take over the Pridelands. Yet, despite our absence and your assumptions that Nala and I were dead, all of you fought hard and defended our home, and for that you have my utmost gratitude. I'm very proud of each and every one of you."
The Royal Family beamed as the audience below them cheered at their King's complements. They reverted back to silence when Simba continued;
"The path we have chosen for the present is full of hazards, as all paths are; but it is the one most consistent with our character and courage as Pridelanders. The cost of freedom is always high, but we Pridelanders have always paid it. And the one path we shall never choose, that is the path of surrender or submission. Our goal was not the victory of might, but the vindication of right; not peace at the expense of freedom, but both peace and freedom. And with what happened today, I believe it is safe to say that our goal was finally achieved; we have won the war against the Outsiders and peace is restored to the Pridelands, her citizens once again have the freedom to continue on with their respective journeys in the Circle of Life."
Murmurs and nods of agreement were exchanged amongst the Lionesses as Simba finally concluded his speech;
"And, as an act of gratitude, I have planned a little feast to celebrate our victory today. Vitani?"
Their attentions were shifted to the den's opening where Vitani and two other Lionesses dragged in the three dead carcasses of the hyenas that were slain earlier during the battle earlier.
"Okay, I know it's not really nice to eat the dead bodies of the enemies that you defeated in a war… but hey, it's 'cause of them we had to skip lunch and dinner just to defend the Pridelands. It is the Circle of Life, after all." Vitani sardonically joked while the other Lionesses grinned at her dark humor.
"Okay, jokes aside… you may all dig in. Go ahead, you all deserved it," Simba announced to them with a warm smile, to which his subjects bowed respectfully to him before crowding around and feasting on the carcasses.
The King then turned his attention to the other side of the den where the rest of the Lion Guard (including Fuli) stood and watched the Lionesses ate. Simba promptly hopped off from the ledge and approached them. "Bunga, Ono and Beshte, if you head down to the Lair of the Guard, you will find that I've arranged a delicious meal of various types of grubs and some fish for you all to eat before going back to your respective homes," he informed them, smiling as he did.
"Whoah, you actually hunted the grubs and fish specially for us, Your Highness?" Bunga gleefully asked him with widened eyes.
"Haha, no Bunga, it wasn't me. I asked Timon and Pumbaa to hunt the grubs for you and Ono while two of the Lionesses hunted the fish for Beshte. Oh, and speaking of your uncles, Bunga, they're actually waiting for you in the Lair right now."
"Alright! Thanks so much for your generous offer, Your Majesty!" Bunga exclaimed excitedly before he darted off towards the exit without saying another word.
Unlike the Honeybadger, Beshte and Ono remembered to politely bow to their King before excusing themselves, though Simba didn't really mind Bunga rashness considering he was already used to the Honeybadger's demeanours. He then turned his attention towards Fuli, who had been gazing at the Lionesses the whole time in deep thought and didn't seem to realize her comrades had already left.
"Fuli, you're not eating?" Simba asked, snapping Fuli out from her train of thoughts.
"What… oh, it's okay, Your Majesty, I err… I'm not feeling hungry right now," Fuli politely replied to him, bearing an automatic smile. "If I may ask for your permission, Your Higness, I err… would like to excuse myself and head back to my usual sleeping grounds."
"Oh… so soon?" Simba exclaimed, surprised that the usually energetic Cheetah was already tired while the night was still young.
"Yeah… I'm a little worn out from everything that happened today and I should probably rest and get ready for tomorrow's activities."
From her tone of voice, Simba sensed that there were other reasons why the young Cheetah wanted to excuse herself from Pride Rock, though he didn't want to pressure her by asking too many questions. "Alright, Fuli, you may go. But if you change your mind and wish to join us for the night, we're always more than happy to welcome you here."
"Thank you, Your Highness, but that won't be necessary." Fuli simply replied and quickly made her way to the exit before disappearing into the night.
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Kovu was standing next to Kiara on the ledge when he noticed his sister was simply standing at a corner, watching the other Lionesses eat. He pardoned himself from Kiara and hopped off from the ledge before walking towards Vitani.
"Hey, sis. You okay? How come you're not eating?" he softly asked as his sister turned to face towards him.
"Well… I think the others deserve to eat first, they did most of the fighting after all," Vitani said, watching the other Lionesses indulge in the meat. "You know, I can't help but feel it's a miracle that all of us actually made it back alive from the battle with the Outsiders."
Vitani's condescending seemed to hit a realization for Kovu, as he got closer to his sister and gave her an unexpected brotherly nuzzle. "You know, there was a moment back when we were at the Elephant Territories and Kion had just figured out the hyenas' plan to attack Pride Rock, I actually felt concerned about you, you know… I… I was afraid that they'll harm you and all… and… I just couldn't bear the thought of losing you, sis."
His voice was shaky and he couldn't hold back his tears as he spoke his last sentence. Vitani, on the other hand, was pleasantly surprised by her brother's words and sudden display of affection for her. But rather than directly admit of being touched by his confession, she decided to tease Kovu for his rare display of vulnerability.
"Wow, Kovu, you were actually concerned about me?" Vitani gasped, pretending to be shocked. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with my brother?"
Kovu let out a disgruntled sigh and rolled his eyes at her. "You know 'Tani, even though I love you as my sister, there are many times I've wondered exactly what horrible things Mother did in her past life to end up accidentally giving birth to you," he said, maintaining an unamused look at his sister.
"Relax, you little furball, I was just joking," Vitani replied good-humouredly before returning her brother's embrace with a contented smile, nuzzling comfortably against his side.
Though he was still very annoyed with her, Kovu eventually found it in his heart to forget Vitani's snarky remark and just enjoy the brother-sister moment that they shared with each other. That was when he noticed the three scars that were slashed across her left eye. "Hey, how's your scar? You gonna be okay?"
"It still hurts like Hell, but I'll be alright," she assured him in a rather indignant tone of voice.
"Well on the bright side, at least now you look more alike like me than you were before," Kovu joked with a grin, using his paw to trace the healed scar that snaked across his left eye that Zira gave him many moons ago.
"Ugh, don't remind me. The last thing I need right now is to be reminded that I'm sharing the same look as your hideous face." Vitani replied, grinning smugly as she did.
Kovu let out a sigh, wishing he could get back at his sister, but he knew they could keep on going like this till the end of the world unless one of them admitted defeat. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, sis."
Vitani smirked in triumph before giving Kovu a long, unexpected lick on his muzzle, just for the sake of embarrassing him in front of the other Lionesses. "As much as I'm enjoying making your life miserable, I need to catch up on some sleep, so… I'll see you tomorrow morning, you little furball," Vitani said, chuckling as she teasingly ruffled her brother's mane, just like she used to do back when they were cubs.
"Heh, I love you, too, sis," Kovu said, managing to force himself a smile at his sister before excusing himself to return back to Kiara.
Vitani turned and started heading towards her usual spot at the furthest corner of the den, more than eager to finally get some rest. Along the way, she passed by the ledge where she saw Kion, standing at the very edge and his eyes were fixed at the den's opening, where Fuli had left just minutes ago. From his look of discontentment, Vitani knew that whatever was troubling Kion had to do something with his Cheetah comrade. Her lips curved downwards into a small frown, she couldn't bare to see Kion in such a depressed state. With a sigh, she changed course and began walking towards Simba, meaning to discuss a few things with His Royal Highness in order to help out her friend.
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Kion remained glued to the ledge, his eyes trailing off towards the exit where he last saw Fuli. For some reason, her abrupt departure had left him feeling somewhat disheartened and he couldn't figure out why. Was it because she didn't bother saying her goodbye to him before leaving? No, that can't be it, there were many times she had done so over the years when she felt the need to hurry back to her usual sleeping grounds whenever they finished their daily patrol late… so, why did it feel so… hurtful this time?
His mind began to reflect his interaction with her during the day. He remembered working together with Fuli to pull that gazelle from the quick sand in the Desert Plains that morning, they got along just fine. Then on their way back to Pride Rock, he complemented her for her actions and she returned it with an affectionate nuzzle to his neck, no problem there. So where did it go wrong? He then remembered their little argument at the Elephant Territories, when they were planning to storm the cave. She had wanted to join him and the others to save Simba and Nala, but he insisted for her to do the less riskier task of taking out Cheezi and Chungu, and even gave her a threatening glare when she refused to do so.
Wait, did he actually threatened her? Did he really stooped a new low as to intimidate a female, whom happened to be his own best friend? Kion's ears folded at the sudden thought. He couldn't understand, sure, like any pair of friends, they do sometimes argue and disagree with each other from time to time, but it never once reached to the point where he actually domineered her. So, why was he so bitter towards her that day? His mind then brought him to the time when he and Fuli were at the top of Pride Rock, just an hour before they left the Pridelands to save his parents. He recalled how he had proposed to her and asked for her paw in marriage, yet she turned him down. He could have sworn he saw the gleam in her eyes that told him she was about to say 'yes', so… why did she reject him in the end?
A discontented sigh escaped his lips when he remembered that sorrowful moment. He just wished that everything that had happened that day was all just a bad dream and he would soon wake up to see the sun rising and seeing Fuli smiling at him and telling him that the rest of the Guard were ready for the Morning Patrol.
"Kion, are you okay?"
The Lion gasped and spun around to see Kiara approaching him and joining him by his side. "Yeah, I'm alright." He said it with such a heavy heart, it couldn't be more obvious to her that he wasn't telling the truth.
"Yeah… sure you are," Kiara said in disbelief, giving him a teasing nudge to his side. She saw that his gaze was still fixed to the den's opening where he last saw Fuli.
"Still thinking about her?"
Kion nodded once, not bothering to face her. "Am I supposed to be thinking about someone else?" he asked rhetorically.
Kiara paused, debating whether she should proceed with her next question. "Hey err… you told me you were about to 'pop the question' to her just before we left the Pridelands, so… did you ask her?"
His ears folded as he let out a long, tired sigh. "Yeah… I did."
"And…?"
"She turned me down." Kion said, his voice was shaky and tears began streaming down from his eyes.
Kiara's face fell, wishing now that she didn't ask him her question. "I'm- I'm so sorry, Kion," she softly apologized, giving him a comforting nuzzle against his neck. Her brother gave in to her display of compassion and tilted his head and resting it against her muzzle, too upset to say anything else.
"Look… I know it's not my place to ask this, but… did you at least find out why she said 'no'?"
"No… I didn't get the chance to."
"Okay… then you should go out there now and ask her."
Kion couldn't help but scoff at such a suggestion. "What's the point, Kiara? She already made up her mind, and her answer is 'no'."
"'What's the point?' Kion, I may not be as close to Fuli more than you are with her, but even I know for a fact that she's a reasonable friend who wouldn't keep you guessing whenever something goes wrong between you two. I'm very sure she has her reasons for saying no, it could be something about you that you lack or needs improving. And if you just ask her and improve yourself… who knows? She might actually say yes to you on your second try."
Kion raised a brow and began considering her advice. "I still don't see the point. Even if she says 'yes' to me, I'm still betrothed to Vitani. I don't think Dad will be too happy if told him I plan on marrying Fuli."
"Oh, right." Kiara said, just remembering her brother's betrothal. "Look, I know it seems that everything is going against you right now, Kion, but… you just need to believe; love will find a way. If love can work its magic and bring me together with Kovu, I'm very sure it'll happen again to bring you together with Fuli."
Kion's face brightened once again as Kiara's words of encouragement seemed to have lifted his spirits. "Thanks for that, Kiara. I really do hope things will work between me and Fuli. But, even if it doesn't… well, I just want you to know that whatever it is, I really appreciate you trying to help me out. I might sound lame for saying this, but… eventhough there were times I've resented you and said some things to you that I didn't really mean to say… well, there were also many times I looked up to you and just being grateful that I have you as my big sister. This is actually one of those times again, so… yeah, thanks for looking out for me, sis."
Kiara couldn't stop herself from beaming ear-to-ear after hearing his heartfelt confession, not once had she ever expected her headstrong brother would admit his appreciation for her of being the older sibling. "You're more than welcomed, Kion. You're my little brother, I'd do anything to protect you and help you whenever I can," she said warmly with an equally affectionate smile, putting her paw across his shoulders and sharing a moment to nuzzle with her brother.
"Well, you two seem to be enjoying each other's company."
The two siblings pulled away from each other and turned around to see their mother smiling warmly at them. "Hi, mom." Kion politely greeted her while managing to return a smile.
"Kiara. Kion." Nala nodded at both her children before focusing her attention solely on her son. "Kion, your father would like to have a word with you in private at the back of the den. He said he wanted to… have a little word with you."
Kion's heart began pounding heavily against his chest. He couldn't explain why, but something in his gut told him that his father wasn't calling for him just to have a friendly chat.
"Don't worry, son. I'll be with you and your father the entire time, so… everything will be alright," her mother continued in a softer tone.
Somehow, Kion doubted her. If everything was going to turn out alright, why was there the need for her to even mention about it? "Um… yeah, sure, mum!" Kion replied, trying to sound enthusiastic. Together, Kion and his mum left Kiara and began heading towards the corner at the back of the den, which was designated as Simba and Nala's personal sleeping quarters. Kion looked one last time over his shoulder to see Kiara flashing him an assuring smile before mouthing "Good luck!" to him. Kion gulped and swallowed the lump in his throat. For some reason, he felt that he was going to need all the luck in the world when he faces his father after this.
To be continued…
A/n: Okay, while the whole theme for this story is about the love between two lovers (Kion and Fuli), I wrote this chapter in appreciation to the love that exists between family members and the special bond that make them inseparable (in this case, brothers and sisters). Don't worry, next chapter will be all about Kion and Fuli, and also a brief (I repeat, brief) moment between Kion and Vitani as well. I actually wrote this chapter as a dedication to my younger sister who's celebrating her 11th birthday today. To my lil' sis, eventhough you have a tendency to make my life miserable and forcing me to continuously resist the urge of wanting to choke the life out of you, you're still the only person I know who went thru hell and back just to make feel better after a long, sh**ty day, and I love you for that. Happy birthday, lil' sis.
P/s: Simba's speech was actually based on an American president's speech in real life. Can you guess which one? Also, please don't forget to leave a review, I'd gladly appreciate it :)