Chapter VI
The few uneasy days that shot past after Vitani's demise dragged on. The fire had consumed the entire outlands, sparing the pridelands . Any greenery growing back in the outlands and any signs of life had been destroyed within minutes. The deep water that separated the two sectors of the lands were surrounded by ash. The deadly smoke could still be seen rising from the destroyed lands now showing no hope for it. The viciousness of the fire was intensely extreme. The residents of the Pridelands were lucky that the day the horrors produced caused a large monsoon of rain, putting the remaining remnants of the fire to peace.
Kovu had not spoken, nor had he moved from his section of the cavern. All he had done was replayed the same incorrect thought through his mind:
It was my fault.
His depression levels had reached an all time high. The fact that all of his family were dead frightened him to the core; it frightened him more knowing that he could potentially be next. Any of them could be next, the question was: who and when?
The day after the fire ceased the fire premonition existed no more, instead replaced with an image of a lion being thrown to the bottom of Pride Rock. He had also seen a lion being attacked in long grass and another lion slipping into the outland river. But it was at this time where his care for the premonitions was minimal, instead trying to forget about the horrors of what the week had been.
At sunset three moons after the fire, Kiara sent the cubs to sleep before stepping over to her mate with concern.
"Kovu?" Kiara softly called. Tonight not even the sound of her gentle voice was enough to please him.
"...What?" Kovu replied with a sigh.
"I'm worried about you. You can't sit here your whole life."
"I just want to be left alone, there's nothing I can do to make me feel better."
Kiara sat beside him and with her paw gently rubbed the bottom of his muzzle.
"I could have done something. I could have not been so weak and done something."
"Kovu, there was nothing you could do, she was doomed the minute she walked in there. Don't be so hard on yourself."
"But if I wasn't so frightened like a...like a little mouse then I could have jumped through the flames..."
"Where you would have died."
"Oh just leave me alone, Kiara. If I want to starve myself then I will."
Kiara nuzzled Kovu's majestic mane but he gave no response. She didn't stop though.
Simba paced into the cavern, looked over at Kovu and sighed. He walked cautiously over, trying not to awaken sleeping lionesses.
"Kovu," he started. "Do you..."
"No." Kovu impatiently replied.
"But, you can't sit here, if you don't drink then you'll die. If you don't get any air then you deteriorate."
"Please just leave me be!"
"Kovu please listen to us!" Kiara shouted. "We're trying to help!"
"Leave me alone!"
"Kovu!"
"Alright! Alright for crying out loud!"
With a reluctant sigh, Kovu staggered up and stretched. His legs ached as did his back, the pain of not moving for a few days was a pain that he somewhat liked. He clicked his legs and back in a stretch and yawned. When he finished his roar like yawn, Kovu turned his head and looked over at the three sleeping cubs. It was a precious sight; watching the cubs away in their dreams. So peaceful, so relaxed. The only disturbance he noted was the small cub Shemba.
She was still in shock as much as Kovu over her adoptive mother's death. A part of her had never recovered from seeing her parents die in front of her too. Kamba and Shemba had lost three parents now, so it wasn't a new feeling for her, but a bad one all the more.
Kovu looked back at Kiara, still so loving and caring. Simba began to lead the distraught black lion out followed by Kiara. Nala, still not asleep, watched the lions leave. She quickly hauled herself up and followed after them. Once they had exited, the small charcoal cub Kamba sprung up. He padded over to his older sister and prodded her tiny underbelly lightly.
"Shemba, are you awake?" Kamba whispered.
"Of course I'm still awake." She rudely replied. "We really have lost it now Kamba, I still can't believe you! What's worse is that weknow the truth of our mom and dad's deaths!"
"What truth?"
Shemba swivelled round in surprise. To her knowledge Nira had been asleep which she now decided wasn't true. She had never been any good at lying, so had to tell the truth.
"Nira, I'll tell you, but don't tell the others."
Nira nodded.
"Okay, Vitani..."
Kamba was quick to interrupt.
"Shemba don't! Don't let the loser know..."
"Shut it Kamba!" She yelled.
"Well I don't want him to know, and it's my decision as well as yours."
"Oh shut it you!" Nira shouted.
"That's right Nira, insult me...you'll pay for it later..."
Shemba rolled her eyes and turned back to Nira.
"Now, Nira, Vitani…"
()0()0()
Kovu was plodding very slowly through the grasslands, his eyes remained firmly locked on looking at the floor, the green grass swaying below him. The cold night's chill briskly brushed against the lions at intervals. Kovu was reluctant to continue; he wanted to curl up and cry in a corner of the cavern. The fresh air and fireflies that danced around peacefully didn't change the fact that he was in depression.
When they arrived at the central watering hole Kovu found himself sighing and stepping up to the water. Before he took a drink he the sight of his reflection stopped him. Every time Kovu could see himself rippling in the water, he stared only at the vicious scar that sat comfortably on his left eye. The true remaining piece of his mother; the haunting and silent memory of Scar. The vertical deep cut across his eye sent his memory flooding back to the time, to which Kovu had nocontrol of.
"What does my scar remind you of?" Kovu questioned as his tail end hit the floor. The air filled with the same question on the three lions muzzles.
"What?"
"Well, I know what it reminds me of, one word: hell. Every time."
Kiara stepped up to him and sat, staring at his reflection with him as she did.
"..and it sits upon my face as it will forever. So it's just a constant reminder of the life I hated. Do you know how that feels?"
Kiara said nothing, instead nuzzling him from his chin. She didn't know where he was going with this and continued to listen. Kovu decided that three and a half years was definitely enough time to wait to tell the truth about why he supposedly became a rouge. He allowed Kiara to sit comfortably next to him before he jumped up and walked away a little. Kiara, confused stood up and stood behind him.
"Kovu?" She asked. "What's wrong?"
"It feels horrible." He started. "Kiara, you know we said we'll always be honest?"
'Yes...'
"Well, there was a time when I wasn't...completely honest with you."
"About what?" Kiara remained seated behind him, curiosity slowly expanding at the same time as her confusion.
"Well, I'm not in this pride because I was a rouge,"
Simba looked at him, already knowing what came next and gulped.
"Just remember before I tell you this, Kiara, I love you. With all of my heart."
"Tell me what needs to be said."
"The real reason, that…that I stand here today is because I was working with Zira, I mean you knew that bit already, but I was supposed to…I was supposed to…"
"What?" Never in her life had she looked so hard at Kovu. "What were you supposed to do? Don't hesitate."
"Kill Simba."
Kiara said nothing. She just stared at Kovu in utter dismay. There's her life againin a big plot. "And do you know what? I would have done it as well if you hadn't have interfered." The double meaning in Kovu's sentence grabbed Kiara's heart and tugged on it painfully.
"And so where do I fit into this?"
"I really hate to say it…"
"Just tell me what needs to be said!"
Kiara could feel her heart being pulled on more.
"I can't tell you."
"You will tell me now what needs to be said!"
"Please Kiara..."
"Tell me now!"
"You were the bait!'
A cold silence invaded the open area of the pridelands, sending a vicious gust of wind through the lions. Kovu's mane flipped around in the sudden blow and whipped him in the face.
Why did you just do that? He thought to himself. If you hadn't have told her, you could have lived on...you idiot!
()0()0()
"You're serious?" Nira exclaimed. He wasn't able to comprehend what he had heard. A situation like that could most definitely have been avoided. It was all making sense to Nira now, that's why Vitani was like that.
"Now, don't ever tell the others. Please Nira. It's something I don't like being the truth" Shemba whispered.
'He's gonna forget about it in a second anyway.' Kamba spoke up. 'He's that much of an idiot.'
'You're such a pri-'
Shemba shoved her paw on Nira's mouth, preventing a fight.
'Shut up!' Shemba hissed. 'I don't wanna fight now!'
'Let him fight me, Shemba.' Kamba laughed arrogantly. 'He'll lose anyway...'
Nira shoved Shemba's paw from his face. His frustration had grown inside him. He sprung up and stamped over to the charcol cub.
'Jerk!' He yelled. Nira's squeaky voice echoed eerily around the cavern. 'What's your problem?'
'Don't square up to me, I can't be bothered to beat you tonight.' Kamba replied.
'I didn't square up to you, I called you a jerk!'
'That is squaring up to me, doofus.'
Nira lost the short temper of his and pounced on the charcol cub, pinning him down. Kamba grunted as he hit the floor.
'Do you wanna stop being a dick?' Nira shouted.
'Temper, I wasn't aware I was a 'dick'...where do you learn these words anyway? You're fathers a bad teacher...'
'Kamba just shut up! You're starting it, do you wanna fight? Because you know I...I will!'
The small cub exploded with laughter. The idea of Nira fighting him amused Kamba dearly. He continued to laugh uncontrollably as Nira failed to growl down at him in his honestly puny voice, before he pulled on his tuft of mane lightly, shutting Kamba up.
"You honestly think you'd be able to defeat me?" Kamba laughed more.
"Well you haven't shown me you can fight yet, so how'd I know?" Nira protested.
"Because you're weak, your annoying oh and you look too highly at your dad!"
"Leave him alone!"
"You're so called 'amazing' dad cried when Vitani died."
"Why do you think, she was his sister!"
"So? Does that mean..."
"Don't you even think of saying what your gonna say Kamba!" Shemba interrupted.
Nira grew tired of the cub underneath him and hopped off, plodding sleepily back to his little corner.
'I'm not gonna bother with you anymore Kamba, you jerk!'
'Do I look like I care?'
Both cubs then curled up and began to snooze lightly. Still sitting up, Shemba grunted loudly and fell to the floor, her first attempt to sleep in days. Nira opened one of his eyes. He looked at Shemba's stomach slowly move in and out, still wondering what she was going to tell him in the fire. If it started with an L, there's only a few things it could have been. Strange emotions induced the tiny brown cub when he was with Shemba however he couldn't describe them.
His attention was then drawn to Kamba, he snarled at the cub.
I'll fight you one day Kamba... He thought. One day I'll hurt you...
()0()0()
'Look, Kiara, I just…"
"No, shhh! Don't say anything." Kiara shouted over him.
There was nothing that Kovu could say at this point to help his cause. Both Nala and Simba stepped back cautiously and in unison. They were not to get involved.
It was only on rare occasions that Kiara became infuriated with Kovu. But what she was just told had tipped the iceberg.
"Bait?" She growled after the bitter silence.
"I'm sorry Kiara. I wasn't thinking straight." Kovu reassured. He turned to face a furious Kiara with a puny attempt at a weak smile.
"And you didn't think in that tiny mind of yours to tell me sooner?"
"I'll have you know I tried to tell you before!'
'What, three years ago?'
'I just found it too difficult, because I love you too much. I just don't want to lose you because of my past."
Kiara exhaled in frustration.
"No, no Kovu, you can't just say that now! You knew how much I hate being part of plan's, so if you had told me a hell of a lot sooner then perhaps this could have all been dealt with earlier and then it would have taken less time to get rid of your darkness!"
"Please Kiara..."
"Don't plead for forgiveness! There's nothing more you can say, except one thing: why didn't you kill father when you had the chance? You had about, what, three chances?'
Kiara gasped in realisation.
'No, when I met you that morning...for that hunting lesson...you weren't..."
Kovu nodded his head. Simba was surprised, he was nearly murdered on more than one occasion. Without thinking, Kiara began to rip into Kovu.
"What about me? I suppose it was all part of your master plan to kill my whole family." Kiara had never referred the pride as her family ever since the incident. Kovu was in trouble.
"Were you just going to rein as evil king? Or was Zira in her twisted mind going to do what Scar did?"
Kovu, using little skill he had, attempted to apply damage control to the situation.
"Kiara I-"
"Don't even think about saying sorry!"
"But what else can I..."
"Nothing. Nothing at all!"
"Please...I wasn't going..."
"Kovu, why don't you just kill us now? Eh?"
Because Ki-"
"What's holding you back? Your strong enough go on!"
"Kiara-"
"Kovu go on why not?"
"Kia-"
"Why not?"
"Kiara stop this!"
Kovu could feel the frustration inside him slowly covering each corner of his mind.
"Why...Not?"
"Stop-"
"Do it Kovu you hard lion!"
"Kiara, shut up..."
"I thought you didn't need anybody, you were so tough!"
"Wha-"
"If you're so tough kill us now!"
"Shut up!"
"Why should I?"
"Because I love you!"
Kiara paused dead. Her eyes remained on Kovu, waiting for what she thought was going to be a lame excuse.
"Because I love you. That's what stopped me three years ago." Kovu exhaled. "Love. The first time I met you when we were cubs, I loved you," He moved closer to Kiara, who now had moistening eyes. "I didn't want to chance not getting with you, because my heart just wanted you. I loved you back then Kiara, and I love you even more than I did then, now. I protected you Kiara, for one reason and one reason only..."
Kovu edged closer to his mate, slowly closing in on her. She looked deeply into his eyes, trying to spot if he was lying. He then lowered his muzzle down to her ear, where she felt his warm breath seep across her ear.
"Because I loved you. And I still do love you, so, so much. there is no one else I want and I went against the world to get you into my paws. Please don't throw that away because I didn't tell you the truth. I don't wanna fight with you, because it kills me inside. I didn't go ahead with the plan anyway. It was all I wanted, you."
Kovu moved his head back and licked Kiara on the side of her muzzle. He stared deeply into her brown eyes as Kiara looked into his. She could see how much he loved her, and she felt exactly the same...but she couldn't forgive him at that moment. She was too upset that her entire life she was just placed in big plans and plots. Whether they did good for society or were evil: they were still plots.
"Not good enough." She tearfully whispered. She flipped around and began to storm off. Kovu, shocked, snorted and growled.
"You know what then Kiara? Fine! Think whatever you wanna think! But I'm not lying to you!" Kovu turned around and began walking the other way. There walking away was interrupted by a loud roar.
"STOP!" Simba Roared.
Kovu and Kiara stopped dead in their tracks, leaving a dead straight line behind themselves, it looked almost like a rope was preventing them from walking any further. Simba stepped in the middle of their perfect line and attempted the damage control that Kovu had failed.
"Now, look. This has really got out of hand, and I am going to deal with it. Because Kovu's right, you went against everyone to get each other."
Kiara and Kovu both turned around almost in perfect sync.
"Kiara. You over reacted. Kovu. You should have told her sooner, and why you didn't is completely beyond me. You both know underneath that hate there is some love. You do love each other, lots, so why let a little misunderstanding...'
'Oh is that what it is now?' Kiara cut off. 'A puny misunderstanding? Not really!'
'Kiara, don't be such a cub!" Simba continued. "Come back guys."
While both reluctant, Kovu and Kiara stepped slowly back towards the middle where Simba was standing.
"Look each other in the eyes."
Kiara immediately lifted her head while Kovu lifted his eyes from the ground first before he tilted his head up until his eyes met with Kiara.
"What do you see?"
"A liar" Kiara immediately spat.
"An attention seeker." Kovu immediately replied. That was not the responses Simba wanted.
"Ok," Simba sighed. "Now what do you see?"
"Oh I still see the liar, Father."
"And I can still see the attention seeker."
"How am I an attention seeker?'
'You won't forgive me after I apologized?'
"Just proclaiming your love isn't an apology!"
"Yes it is."
"No it's not."
"Yes. It is."
"No...it's not."
"Yes it is!"
'Oh my god!" Simba roared once more silencing the lions. "What else do you see?' Simba interrupted. 'You both must see more than lies and over reactions, just look past your angers!"
They sighed loudly and continued to stare into each others eyes. They stopped thinking about their anger for a moment as they felt the spark they had felt previously. Kiara quickly forgot the reason she was angry as her head tilted to the left. The argument dissolved in the air as they felt the emotions they had previously experienced the first time their eyes met in a loving way.
"Life is too short to fight," Simba began. "Vitani proved that a few days ago. Arguments can shatter lives, Scar proved that. Anything you want is worth fighting for. You, you both proved that. I don't like to see you two fight, because I see more love than me and Nala have when I look at you two. You two were destined for each other, that's something that was out of our control. Something not planned Kiara. Now do what you know is true to your hearts and nuzzle and make up, because you love each other."
Nala stepped forward and nuzzled Simba.
"Well done." She whispered. 'Didn't know you had it in you...'
'Neither did I.' Simba chuckled.
Kovu walked up to Kiara and immediately started to nuzzle her. He could feel his problems and worries slowly lift and burst in the air, forgetting all of the crap for a few brief minutes. Kiara wrapped her foreleg around Kovu's. It felt like the first time they ever nuzzled, but this time they were allowedto. The idea of ceasing didn't occur to the lions for a few prolonged minutes.
"I love you." Kiara whispered.
"I love you too." Kovu replied. "But, please just promise me one thing,"
"Anything, anything."
"Please trust me from now on."
As their secure make up nuzzle came to a slow end, Kovu smiled and walked over to the watering hole to do what they had left here for in the first place and took a drink. He felt the water gushing down his dry throat. His drink lasted longer than it usually would, having not hydrated himself for days. As he finished he cleared his dry throat, ignored his reflection and smiled at the other lions.
"Anything to eat?" Kovu asked.
The lions chuckled at Kovu's innocent question. He sneered before Kiara kissed him on the side of his cheek and they proceeded back to home. As they walked sleepily back to Pride Rock, a thought suddenly hit Kovu; Vitani may be dead, but she carved all of her premonitions into her cave wall. This meant one excellent fact; they were a step ahead.
When they arrived home, Simba and Nala with no hesitations entered the cavern and walked to their sleeping area, entering their slumber the second they hit the floor. As for Kovu, he stopped Kiara from going in for a second and nuzzled her trustingly again. Once their nuzzle finished a second time, Kovu looked to the skies.
'Aren't you coming?' Kiara whispered.
'Huh? Oh, I will in a minute.' Kovu replied, still staring into the glorious skies above him. Kiara shrugged her shoulders and walked into the cavern, falling asleep instantaneously.
Kovu sighed, watched a shooting star whiz through the sky. It amazed Kovu, what mother nature's beauty possessed. He then walked along the crumbling ramp to the upper summit and lay atop Pride Rock. He looked into the starry sky once more, where he could still see devious smoke lifting magnificently. After watching the smoke rise for a second his sleepy head relaxed atop his paws. The promontory of the rock seemed strangely comfortable.
I'll just relax for a second...Kovu thought.
He needed to settle down a little however within minutes of resting atop Pride Rock he concluded that his laziness had beaten him and he decided to sleep there the night. His eyes slid shut.
"Night Vitani;" Kovu yawned. "Sleep tight, you can finally relax now...'
Within minutes of closing his eyes, his thoughts were away in his dreams, possibly dreaming of what was to become of him in the future.
