***Chapter 8***

"Get beyond love and grief, and exist for the good of man."

-Miyamoto Musashi

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It was over. There was nothing more that they could do. It didn't even make sense to try and run; all exits in all directions had been sealed off. The black lions watched them from afar, seeming to take pleasure in the discomfort of the poor refugees.

Kya looked over the somber crowd with deep pity and sorrow. The young cubs cried openly with the adults, all knowing well what their fate would soon be. They knew why the hunters were there, and they had no doubt of their intentions. Though she considered herself quite emotionally tough due to her past experiences and losses, Kya found herself being deeply distraught by how it all was going to end. Bitter tears fell slowly and silently from her face, though neither sobs nor deep sighs could be heard from her body. Other than the tears, she was as stoic as a stone.

Lela walked over to her, accompanied by several young cubs. "Thank you…" she said in a near whisper.

Kya just shook her head in despair. "You have nothing to thank me for."

"You tried…"

"Well trying doesn't cut it. I failed."

"And yet, you're still here. That's more than can be said for others."

"I still can't believe that he left…" she replied bitterly. "I thought he had changed…"

"Some people just don't change, Kya." The former queen answered. "But it really doesn't matter now anyways." They were silent for a few moments, both taking some vague comfort in the other's equal amount of distress, "It just seems so… unfair." Kya continued eventually. "Tanai will be coming for us in a few days… we will have missed him by so little!"

Lela nodded. "It wasn't meant to be."

"Don't say that, the kings didn't have any part in this!"

The former queen sighed deeply. "Maybe that was the problem."

Her words made a decent amount of sense to Kya, and tshe actually considered them. Maybe her father wasn't watching over her like she thought he was. She didn't cry, but the sadness was clear in her eyes as she gazed out at the observing hunters.

Kya growled subconsciously at the sight of them. "What are they even doing? They have us trapped, why don't they just do it?"

Lela shook her head in confusion and sighed as she pulled the fearful cubs closer to her in a vain attempt to comfort them. "Toyo's hunters are a very… calculating lot. They usually win by superior tactics and plans. Even with us, they won't take any risks. All variables will be accounted for."

Kya frowned. "So we won't stand a chance."

"We never did."

The two lionesses were silent for several moments while the hunters discussed something amongst themselves from afar. Every so often, they glanced up at their trapped prey with expressions of vague amusement. Clearly they had done this before; they knew that the outcome would be the same as it always was.

Their discussion ended in due time, and three of the apparently in-charge hunters walked towards the refugees. Lela quickly gave her nearby cubs to another lioness and stood at the front of the group with Kya.

"Hello again, Queen Lela." One of the dark lions said with excess politeness.

Lela just glared at him with hate.

"You know why we are here," said another hunter. "You and your pride have refused to comply with King Toyo's offer. The punishment is death for you, and the placement of your younger members in the ranks of King Toyo's army."

Kya growled. "That's horrible… You're all monsters!"

The hunter shrugged nonchalantly as if he had heard this insult many times before. "It's our job, miss. Sorry that you don't like it."

Lela continued to glare. "Why are you telling us this? Why don't you just do it?"

"It is standard procedure. Now that you have been informed of your sentence, we can proceed to the next portion of our involvement with your pride."

Kya gaped in horror and disbelief at the sheer clockwork of the hunters. Everything that they did was so mechanical, so cold and heartless. As Lela had said before, they were very calculating. She searched her mind for something to use, something to barter with perhaps, something that could somehow convince the hunters to leave them with their lives. Food? A bribe? Something told her that it wouldn't work against these soldiers. They were just too procedure-oriented.

"Sir!" a shout came from a row of trees not too far away.

The entire group of hunters, as well as the refugees, looked over immediately to see one of the hunters that had been watching the perimeter struggling against another lion… and losing. The blackened lion gave a deep grunt as the outsider pushed him away and to the ground with a dull thud. He wasn't really hurt, but the hunter lay where he fell and allowed the intruder to pass by without any further violence. Maybe he was just acknowledging his superior skills, but it seemed more likely that he was simply afraid of getting hurt.

Kya watched in shock as the lion approached them and the hunters at a neutral pace. "Kiota?" she gasped with a mix of surprise and anger.

The rogue simply nodded in her direction to acknowledge her. Other than that, however, he appeared to be completely neutral and unexcited. In fact, he appeared almost irritated, though that was a pretty standard thing for him.

"Who are you, rogue?" asked the hunter. "Why are you here?"

Kiota looked at them for a moment, then to Kya, then to the rest of the refugees with an expression of vague interest, but not much.

"I asked you why you are here!" the hunter repeated, showing some of his teeth in a fairly obvious threat."

Kiota looked to him. "I have a few questions for you."

The leader looked taken aback. "You have questions for me?"

He nodded. "What would it take to join your team?"

The dark lions grinned slightly. "Ahhh… so you want to join us."

Kya just stared in hate at her former companion. True, he had shocked her with his rather abrupt departure from those he had promised to protect, but this was unbelievable. He was actually going out of his way to kill the same group that he had just left. The group that had trusted him, the group that had needed him. He was doing more than just turning a cold shoulder, he was going to help murder them!

Kiota nodded. "I'm sick of being a lone fighter."

The dark lion nodded. "Well then… first you can try to prove yourself to me; you will have to be a special type of lion to join us. Then, if we think that you are alright for the job, you will be presented to King Toyo for his final decision."

The rogue appeared somewhat pleased, an extremely unsettling sight for Kya.

"And what would I have to do in order to prove myself?"

"YOU EVIL PIECE OF SCUM!" Kya shouted, unable to restrain herself any longer. "HOW CAN YOU LIVE WITH YOURSELF?"

Kiota just stared at her with a strange look on his face. Something was different, she realized with a start.

The hunter chuckled softly to himself. "Well, rogue… she is kind of bothering me. Kill her, and we can start the process."

Kiota nodded, expressionlessly staring at Kya.

"No…" she said softly, not believing her ears. "You can't, Kiota…"

"I can, Kya." He said evilly as he advanced forward towards her.

She took a step back, but quickly decided not to take another. If she was to die at his hand, then so be it. There was no way that she was going to run or try to escape. She would be strong.

"Why are you doing this?" she said sadly, an involuntary tear falling silently down her face.

Kiota hesitated and glanced back at the hunter. When he returned his focus to the lioness, she saw a new expression, one that she couldn't identify immediately.

"I had to see you again…" he whispered so that only she could hear him.

"Why? Just to make sure that we all died?" she spat bitterly, feeling her familiar hate work back into her heart.

"No… because I'm the one that's probably going to die. I had to see you one last time."

She gaped at him for a moment, shocked by his quiet statement. It was then that she realized the expression that he wore; it was pure empathy! "What are you saying, Kiota?" she whispered slowly, not wanting to get ahead of herself.

"What's taking you so long, Rogue?" came a voice behind him. "Kill her!"

"Patience!" Kiota replied with a sneer. "I'm just tying up some loose ends."

He turned back to Kya. "I'm saying that I get it now… and that I'm sorry. For everything."

Kya didn't know what to say. A second ago he had been ready to kill her, and now he was apologizing? Either he was having some sever behavioral problems, or he was putting on a big charade.

"So you aren't going to join them?"

A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "No… I figured out what was really important to me."

"Us?"

He shrugged. "Yes, but mostly you."

Kya blinked in surprise. Her? It sounded strange coming from him, but to be fair she had been on rather friendly terms with him before he had left. "So… what are you-"

"I need you to organize the refugees." He whispered even more quietly than he had before. He did not want the hunters to hear him. "I can take most of them, but I won't be able to get them all. If you can gang up on the remaining hunters, you should be able to win."

"What about you?" she asked slowly, not really sure if she was going to like the answer.

He smiled, a strange sight. "Just make sure that you get all the leftovers."

With that, he turned away from the stunned lioness. Unsurprisingly, he found it rather difficult. That would likely be one of the last times he would ever see her, and it bothered him deeply. As soon as he discovered his true feelings and values, he had to say goodbye to it all. It was depressing to say the least, but yet extremely fulfilling; even after his duels he had never before felt this strong. All doubt, concern, and discouragement had been cast aside, and he felt himself take on the aura of serene focus. He would fight, he would kill, and he would die against the many hunters. But in the end, Kya and the other refugees would be safe. He would have succeeded and made his life somewhat meaningful. Perhaps his final actions would even make up for some of the crimes of morality that he had committed earlier in his life. But maybe not.

"What are you doing, rogue?" the hunter asked confusedly as Kiota approached him. There was an unsettling look in the lion's eyes that had been absent several minutes ago; Kiota was determined, focused, but most of all sincere and confident. He knew exactly how, why, and what he was going to do. No one could stop him.

His intentions became clear when his lethal claws sliced through the nearest hunter who collapsed to the ground, his throat making a nauseating gurgling sound.

"RALLY TO ME! RA- ACHHH-!" shouted another to the rest of the unit before Kiota made his way over to him. When the rest of the hunters became aware of Kiota's sudden violence, they all ran to engage him. They left their posts on the perimeter and rushed at him to defend their fellow murderers.

Kiota just turned to the first one with his face emotionless and his eyes filled with fire. He ducked under a swipe and quickly ripped across his side as he made his way to the next. He blocked a blow, leaned away from a bite, and countered another strike with his own. The hunter's blackened hide released a significant cloud of dark ash dust as Kiota's paws with its unsheathed talons collided with extreme speed and force, knocking the wind out of his lungs. Before he could recover, a sharp claw dug into his chest and found a way though the ribs and to his lung. The killer gasped as he felt his lung collapse, staring into Kiota's resolute eyes as he died.

Though he would have liked a quick break, Kiota quickly moved onto his next opponent. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw as an unsuspecting hunter was brought down by a small team of old and young lionesses, led by Kya. He tried to fight back, but they were simply too numerous against him. Thankfully, the rest of the murderers were too preoccupied with Kiota to help their losing comrade.

That left almost ten for Kiota to focus on. Even when he had faced Shinmen he hadn't had to go against that many, and these hunters were far better trained than the Vita mercenaries. He knew his survival was almost impossible, but he fought ahead nonetheless.

The hunters gathered around him, each desiring a piece of his flesh to be their own. He roared, he ripped, ducked and dodged, struck and was struck. He moved faster than he ever had before; his claws moved in perfect unison, as if they were each independent of the other. Though his skill was impressive and superior to his opponents, the strikes did eventually find their way to his body. Blood flowed from his shoulder, mixing with the blood on his claws and arms. Every so often, he had to blink away the mixture of blood and sweat that dripped into his eyes. He didn't feel pain or flinch from the many blows. Instead, he only pushed ahead with his claws of death leading the way.

The refugees did their part willingly, if not terribly effectively. He was able to see them move from one of Toyo's soldiers to the next, overpowering them with their larger numbers and greater teamwork skills. Kya was wounded, and it bothered him. But that was nothing he could help now; there were still many more fighters to deal with.

There were still no illusions of a miraculous victory; he was too wounded to be very effective for long, and it would only get worse. Despite it all though, he continued against the fatigue and fought his exhaustion. A paw swung out at his face, only to be caught and shredded by his own paw. He pivoted his feet sharply while still clinging to the enemy's arm, causing a sickening 'crack' to resound from the dark lion's shoulder. Before he could even cry out in pain, his arm was sliced near the armpit and a generous amount of blood began to pour from the severed artery. He was dead in a matter of moments, but Kiota didn't see it. He was already on the next fighter with a new fury of ruthless attacks.

The pain began to make its way through his tough hide and finally affect him. Kiota winced and growled when he took the strikes and gashes to the side, but he didn't slip or fall. He gritted his face and pushed ahead. This time though, it was slower. He was falling in slow motion towards the ground, unable to stop himself. The ground rushed upwards at him with surprising speed, but it seemed to take forever to hit it. The end was near and he knew it; if he fell, he would not be able to defend against the next barrage of attacks. He would die at the hands of the hunters.

No.

The single word spoke with more meaning than any word ever had before. No, he wouldn't die, not yet. He had too much to live for. No, he couldn't die, Kya and the refugees needed more help; there were still too many soldiers. He refused to leave his job half-done. There would be plenty of time to rest after he was dead.

The ground rushed up at him, but Kiota tucked his head into his chest into a fluid roll. He leapt up, several yards away from the group of hunters and roared challengingly. They roared back and rushed towards him. Kiota only grinned and lunged back at them. He fought with a new vigor; he simply didn't care about his exhaustion or injuries. He was ready and willing to give his body to his friends.

He blocked a strike with his shoulder; head butted the attacker, and rolled across his falling body towards the next fighter, ripping across his ribs as he went. The next hunter was frozen with fear as the violent rogue leapt at him with his claws extended. He let out a quiet gasp before Kiota made contact with him and tackled him to the ground with a sharp twisting motion. A dull 'snap' could be heard from the victim's neck and his body went limp instantly. Kiota jumped away to meet the next blow, but it never came.

He realized in an instant that the next hunter must have been behind him, so he turned sharply to meet him. There was no one there. Kiota looked around frantically for the next opponent to fight, but the blood-stained savannah was vacant except for the many corpses that lay about the ground, torn and bloody from the brutal combat.

He stood there for a moment in sheer and complete confusion at the sight before him. Where were the rest of the hunters? He looked at the bodies for several moments as he slowly figured it out. They were all here. All of the hunters, every single one of them, now lay at his feet, killed by his own hand. He had won.

He blinked in surprise at the sudden revelation. How did THAT happen? The fight was so lopsided and excessively against him; yet he had survived… No, he had emerged victorious! The accomplishment was amazing to say the least; he had single handedly defeated an entire military unit!

The rogue looked down at himself to examine his injuries. What he saw surprised him greatly; deep gashes of all sizes and shapes lay across his body like some violent checkerboard. Blood flowed easily and fluidly down his side and to the ground below. It was truly a wonder that he was still standing!

A sound from behind him made him look away from himself. Not too far away, the refugees were congratulating each other happily. The cubs were all still quite shaken up, but they at least understood that they were safe. The older lionesses cried openly, this time with tears of joy. Only one did not. Lela stood not too far away from her pridemates, staring at the ground solemnly.

Kiota did not see Kya anywhere around the area, Lela probably knows where she went, he thought to himself. He started over to her, taking his time on his injured limbs. Just because he had survived the fight didn't mean that he couldn't die now from all the wounds he had received.

"Kiota…" Lela said softly as she realized he was approaching.

He nodded in acknowledgement to the former queen. "Glad to see that you are alright. Where did Kya go?"

She shook her head sadly. "Kiota… it's bad…"

He was momentarily confused until Lela stepped aside. Behind her lay a young lioness, a deep slash marring her otherwise perfect fur.

"KYA!" He shouted in alarm at the sight of her wounded body. He rushed to her side with lightening speed, instantly forgetting about his own wounds.

Lela was right, it wasn't good. The gash was very deep and it revealed the ivory white bone of her ribs. She coughed weakly as he stared in shock at her broken body.

"Kya…" he whispered, lowering himself to her level.

She focused her eyes on him with significant difficulty. "Kiota…" she whispered back. "Did we… win?"

He nodded numbly. "Yea… the hunters are all gone. Everyone is safe."

She smiled. "Good."

He didn't know what to say. "A-are you alright?"

She looked at him with plain eyes for several moments before responding. "No, Kiota… I don't think so. I'm cold."

Her words almost broke his newly found heart. "No, Kya… You can't… That was my job, not yours!"

"It's all of our jobs; no one can escape it…"

"Not now though!" he protested with significant distress. "You can't die, I need you!"

She tried to smile, but it was too difficult. "You never needed me before, Kiota. You will find a way to live without me again. Thank you, though…"

He shook his head. "No… you have nothing to thank me for. I should be the one dying now, not you!"

She stared past him with her vision blurred by silent tears. She smiled suddenly, as if she had heard something wonderful. "I'm going to miss you, Kiota… I wish you would have changed sooner."

Her words only made him feel more terrible. "Me too… I'm sorry… for everything."

"…It doesn't matter anymore." Her serene eyes glazed over, but the smile remained. "I'm home…"

Kiota watched as the light left her eyes. "No… no… NO, KYA!" He screamed in despair. He tried to shake her back to consciousness, but she was already gone. He didn't know what to do… He was alone. The grieving rogue buried his face in her limp shoulder and allowed his bitter tears to soak into her fur. He sobbed heavily, his breathing becoming ragged. He prayed to the gods and begged to switch places with her, to allow her to live. But she was already gone.

Lela and her fellow refugees gathered around the fallen lioness and her mourning friend. They bowed their heads in respect and sorrow for the one that had made the ultimate sacrifice in their stead.

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They stayed at the site of the battle for several days afterwards; they removed the corpses of the hunters and disposed of them appropriately. Kya's body was left in the clearing; no one had the nerve to move it without Kiota's consent, and he would not give it. He did not help with the cleanup; he only stared at Kya for the entire day and then some. He left the next morning without a word, the deceased lioness on his back. Lela and the others did not even try to talk him out of it; they knew that he was doing what he needed to do. The rogue carried her body for many miles until he reached the desired location: a hilltop, overlooking a vast expanse of savannah and jungle. In the distance, a winding river wove its way from the base of a mountain range and supported a small waterhole with all the life around it. He smiled at the sight. She would have liked it.

He could not stand the thought of scavengers picking at her body, so Kiota began to dig. After many minutes of arduous labor, he gently placed her body in the shallow grave. He waited a moment before covering her face with dirt. Her beautiful, peaceful, and innocent face.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered one final time. "I'll see you soon."

With that final gesture, he pushed the dirt over her. He bowed his head and closed his eyes; a final tear fell from his already soaked cheek, staining the disturbed soil with its grief. He took a final look at the view he left her with before turning away. Tanai would be arriving soon.

Kiota returned to the refugees without a problem, and quickly isolated himself off to the side. He harbored no ill feelings towards the refugees at all for the trouble they had caused him and Kya; on the contrary, he saw them as the purpose of her life. Had it not been for her, he would not have helped them, and they would surely have been murdered at the hands of Toyo's hunters.

"Kiota?" a familiar voice came from not too far away.

He turned slowly to see a sandy colored lion approaching, backed by a small entourage of fighters. "Hello, Tanai." He replied neutrally.

Within moments, the refugees took notice of the new arrivals and swarmed over them with joy. Tanai greeted some of them respectfully, but quickly noticed Kiota's quick withdrawal from the reunion.

"Are you alright, Kiota?" he asked the rogue slowly as he walked up beside him.

Kiota only sighed and stared up at the sky. "I don't know."

"What happened? I heard there was a fight?"

He nodded, but remained silent.

Tanai waited patiently for him to explain, but Kiota was silent. "Well?"

"Toyo's hunters showed up for the refugees…"

Tanai blinked in surprise. "How did you escape?"

"I fought them."

"All of them?"

"They're all dead."

Tanai was silent for a moment, clearly surprised by the Kiota's apparent skill. Still, the deep and relatively fresh injuries on his body were evidence enough of a recent fight. "Well… good job, then. These people are in your debt…"

Kiota just continued to stare at the sky.

"Is Kya around? There was something that I wanted to talk to her about."

"She's dead." His voice cracked as he said the painful words.

Tanai blinked in shock. "What? How?"

"The fight… she just… died."

Tanai appeared to be dumbstruck; he was silent for several moments while the news settled in. He hadn't really known the lioness that well, but death was one thing that always hit him rather hard.

"I'm sorry, Kiota... I know you were good friends."

"She was my only friend. Without her… I'm alone."

Tanai stepped up beside him. "It may not mean much, but I consider you to be my friend. You aren't as alone as you might think."

Tanai's comment made the grieving rogue lighten slightly, but it didn't take away the pain of his loss. "Thank you, Tanai." He whispered.

"If you don't know where to go…" the Pridelander offered, "…you could certainly come with us. We could always use a good lion like you back home."

It was a tempting offer. "No thank you. There are some things that I need to do on this side of the world first."

Tanai nodded, fully understanding the need to finish a loved one's life in their stead. "Alright… but promise me one thing, Kiota."

"What's that?"

"Take care of yourself."

He nodded. "I will."

After a brief farewell to Kiota, the Pridelanders left in the morning with the refugees close behind. Kiota watched them leave across the desert towards their African Paradise on the other side with a small amount of pride. It was because of himself and Kya that they were alive. Together, they had rescued the doomed pride from the hands of Toyo. It made him wonder: How many others were suffering under the King's reign? How many others were having their families ripped apart for the sake of his conquests? Kya had been one of his earlier victims; how many others could there possibly be? How many good people like Kya had been killed or worse by the ruthless practices of this evil lord?

They were surely too numerous to count. He knew what he needed to do; as he had told Tanai, He had some things to finish here. Toyo had made a mistake; he had awakened a sleeping warrior. Faced with this realized injustice, Kiota knew what he had to do.

***End of Part 2***

***Author's Note***

Well, this was an extremely fun chapter to write, and I hope you all enjoyed it despite the rather depressing event. As you may have noticed, I changed my avatar to an actual picture of me, (I'm not terribly afraid of internet stalkers.) Also, this will be the last chapter with a quote in the beginning, there simply aren't enough by Musashi to continue with them. Thanks for finishing Part 2, and I hope that you will continue into part 3. All reviews, even on old chapters or this part in general would be greatly appreciated!

-Ben