Yeah, the mystery creature that spoke to Jua might not even be a lion. I'm not really sure what kind of animal it is really; all I know is that it's an ally to the real bad guy of my story. So it might be a lion but not likely. I've put a lot of thought into this chapter, mostly because this is one of the most emotional parts of the story. I wanted to make sure it touched your hearts in some way. Hope you guys enjoy and don't forget to review.
I just remembered, there are two questions I have to answer. First, this story is going to be relatively twenty or more chapter long. Second, my real name is Kevin; I am not going to tell you my last name. Sorry if you find that impolite of me but I'm sort of a closet fanfic writer. Besides, I prefer to be called Zero Unit anyway.
And one last thing…On Friday (11/23/12) premiers the final episode of iCarly…I'm not sure if you guys like that show but it's my most favorite show in the world. If you like the series please make sure you watch it. I'm definitely going to do it. I wouldn't miss it for the world. I've never been sadder to see a show end. Not even my old favorites like Wizards of Waverly Place, Suite Life on Deck, or Hannah Montana. I'm going to miss iCarly. I will always remember the laughs, the sad times, and the happy moments. This was my tribute to the greatest show in the world, to me at least. I love iCarly! :')
'I always knew this day would come…We'd be standing one by one…With our future in our hands…So many dreams, so many plans…I always knew that after all these years…There'd be laughter, there'd be tears…Never thought that I'd walk away…With so much joy but so much pain…And it's so hard to say goodbye…But yesterday's gone, we gotta keep moving on…I'm so thankful for the moments, so glad I got know you…The times that we had, I'll keep like a photograph…And hold you in my heart forever…I'll always remember you…' – I'll Always Remember You by Miley Cyrus. (I'll never forget…)
-X-
Scar woke up early when he heard the flapping of the majordomo's wings near the entrance of the cave. He opened his eyes and looked over at his guard and Zazu who were conversing with each other. Soon the guard nodded her head and turned to Scar.
"Looks your free as of today" said the lioness without any emotion in her voice.
Scar's been under den arrest for months now and he had changed so much. Physically that is. From his strong self he had become scrawny and ugly. Hearing that he was now free came as a shock to him until he remembered.
"So I guess my nephew or niece is born then?" assumed Scar.
The lioness nodded. "Zazu just told me. The new heir is prince Simba. I hope you enjoy your freedom" With that the lioness turned and left without another word.
Scar slowly left the den and took in the scenery. Nothing in the Pride Lands had changed that much but after being inside of a dark cave for months had made everything look so much brighter.
"Scar! You're finally out! I've missed you so much!" smiled Zira coming towards him.
"Thank you Zira…Now if you excuse me I'm going to go meet the new prince" said Scar.
"You don't want to meet him…He's just a little kitten…Besides you're the one who deserves the right to be king, not that fur ball" said Zira coldly.
"That 'fur ball' is my nephew"
"No he isn't…You said so yourself, you have no brother and therefore, you have no nephew"
Scar turned deathly silent. "…That was a mistake…"
Zira frowned, this wasn't good for her. Did his punishment actually change him back to his old self? "But Scar…You don't understand…All Mufasa's ever done is undermine your authority. You could've become a great king! And you still can! All you have to do is listen to what I say"
"Zira…I can't do anything of the sort to my family…And besides, I have no allies anyway. Everybody hates me and they love my brother…I can't compete…"
"That's not true…The hyenas still follow your every command. If I'm correct they even snuck food in for you to eat"
Scar grimaced and looked away from her. "Yes…Shenzi and the others have been loyal. That's how I know they are my real friends"
Zira smiled but carefully hid it so that Scar didn't notice. Her expression changed from a cold smile into that of worried look. "Then you didn't hear about what happened to your friends?"
"What do you mean?" asked Scar.
"They were caught trying to sneak in food for you and they were thought to be poaching so Mufasa punished them" said Zira. What she said was true; the hyenas were punished for poaching. They didn't want Scar to get in trouble so they made up a lie that they were stealing food from the Pride Lands. Truthfully though, they hunted the food themselves past the northern border away from the Pride Lands.
"How did he punish them?"
"He drove them out of the Pride Lands, had them chased off with at least a dozen lionesses and himself. They're severely hurt by some of them but nothing fatal or permanent"
"How could he?" roared Scar. "He's supposed to be this fair and incredible ruler! But instead he goes and attacks some animals. He has no idea of the pain they've gone through"
"I know, what happened to them was horrible. And I have to ask, don't you want to be king?" asked Zira.
"…I'm not sure…"
Zira sighed and turned around with a very sad expression. "I was hoping I didn't have to tell you this but I guess I have to. There's another reason behind why I want you to be king and not Mufasa"
Scar tilted his head in curiosity. "And what's that?"
"I was from a minor pride and my father was the king. Even though I was the oldest, he favored my younger sister and wanted her to be queen. I was always a failure at everything while she was a natural born genius. When I was younger I was beaten a lot for being a failure. No one liked me all because I couldn't do anything right. One day I overheard my parents talking about me and I decided to listen. They were both planning to do away with me because the law states that the firstborn must become the next ruler no matter what. So I ran away…I found the Pride Lands and thought I had found the greatest place in the world. No one trusted me back in my old pride and when I saw you and after what you did…Right now you're in the same position as I was…I don't want you to suffer the same pain as I did"
"Zira…I'm sorry to hear about what happened to you but I am the youngest. Mufasa is the king…I can't change that" said Scar.
"But you grew up surrounded by lies and false words. Your own brother didn't keep the promise he made you and now he's the king. I heard him laughing about you once…Saying terrible things about you and insulting you"
"B-But…He would never do that!"
"But what do you really know about him? You changed so much in matter of months…How do you know it can't happen to him? What if he's become someone unrecognizable?"
"…Mufasa…isn't like that…he just…he just isn't…" It was if Scar couldn't stop shaking his head to rid it of her words.
"You can keep saying that but I know what I heard…"
"I…I don't know what to do"
"Do what you were born to do…Rule the Pride Lands, show them all who you truly are! Think about it…"
A few days passed on without incident. Scar though had been treating Mufasa coldly and started become much more sinister. Thus on Simba's presentation day, he didn't come. Every night Zira came to him and told more lies of his brother and how the kingdom could do so much better with him as king. Days became weeks and weeks became months and months finally turned into years.
Rafiki looked out to the ravaged Pride Lands. He shook his head sadly and looked up to the sky. "Oh Mufasa…Things do not look very good over here. If only you were here right now"
He was about to go to sleep when he heard approaching footsteps. He turned and was surprised to see Scar there. But he didn't look angry, quite the contrary, he looked sad.
"Rafiki…I need to speak to you" said Scar.
"Before that, I must ask you a question" said Rafiki.
"What's that?"
"Why don't you leave the Pride Lands and follow the herds? If you don't then you will starve"
"…I once asked my brother what was important to him…I wasn't sure what was truly important to me at the time…But one thing is for sure. I won't move because this is my home…I don't want to leave it"
"But everyone else will die"
"…I don't want them to die…Not Shenzi…Or Banzai…Or Ed…Or Sarabi…They're all important to me…I want to revive these lands. That's why I came here, I wanted to know if there was some way to bring back the grass and life"
"…Unfortunately there isn't one. Your father king Ahadi brought this drought upon us as your punishment. He is very angry about the death of his son although I do not know why"
"…I see…Then I guess there is only one way to make amends. I need to die"
Rafiki coughed in surprise. "You need to what!? Have you lost your mind, why do you want to throw your life away?"
"Bacause I killed Mufasa! I killed my own brother…" sobbed Scar. "I wanted him dead so that I could rule…It was selfish of me and now look at what I've done. I've destroyed these once beautiful lands…This world would be so much happier if I was gone"
Rafiki watched Scar cry for a few moments before sighing. "Scar…Follow me" said Rafiki as he led the king to a special area of his tree.
"What's this?" asked Scar.
"When I painted the portrait of king Mufasa he made a special request of me. He told me to paint this instead" said Rafiki as he revealed it. Unlike his other paintings, this one was more extravagant. Instead of blurry images of lions, there were full images of both Mufasa and Scar. No, not Scar, it was Taka. They both stood on top of Pride Rock and giving off mighty roars.
"He wanted me to paint a giant mural. But it wasn't just me…He helped, as did queen Sarabi, your mother Uru, and Sarafina" said Rafiki.
"They…They all painted this?" questioned Scar. He noticed an engraving in the corner. "What's that?"
"It's an engraving that says… 'Taka, the lion in our hearts'" read Rafiki.
Scar stood there staring at the mural for a long time. He placed his paw over the image of his brother and the broke down crying. "What have I done?" he sobbed loudly.
"What is it that you want exactly?" asked Rafiki.
"I want to change the past! I want my brother back!"
"Scar…We cannot change the past but we can make the future"
"It won't be possible; I've lost the trust of everyone in the pride. And not just them, the hyenas too, I've treated them horribly. I can't make the future…Even if I were to die; there is no suitable heir to the throne. Oh if only Simba were still alive"
"…Simba is…"
It took a few minutes before the wordsthe shaman had spoken actually passed into the lion's head. "What? But how can that be?"
"I'm not sure myself…But when the time comes I will bring him back here. For the time being there are a few things you must do"
"No…I know what I must do. I have to get Zira and the rest of my followers to be away from the pride. And I must die to atone for my sins. But Simba won't be the one who does it, if he does then he'll just end up like me. The hyenas will kill me…"
"What? But they have been loyal to you for such a long time. Even if you have treated them horribly, they would never kill you"
"I know…That's why I must force them to hate me…Rafiki…I thank you for showing me this. But I must ask a favor of you. I want you to bring Nala back too. She ran away…And because of that I've realized my mistakes. I was able to see that what I was doing was making the ones I loved run away from me. Tomorrow I will tell Zira to go off on a hunt to far-off lands. I want you to find Nala and Simba by then. During this time I will make sure I treat everyone badly so that no one will feel pity for me when I die. I don't want them to pity me, not because I don't want it…But because I don't want to sadden them more than I already have" said Scar and with that he walked back towards Pride Rock.
Rafiki smiled and looked up towards the sky. "It seems that your brother has finally started to think like a king"
-X-
"I don't believe it…Scar…He…He died willingly?" said Kovu in shock.
"But he actually tried to kill dad! He told me that Scar held him over the edge of Pride Rock. Why would he do that?" asked Kiara.
"My guess would be to lift Simba's darkened heart. Simba believed that it was all his fault that Mufasa died and so…He told Simba he was the one who killed Mufasa knowing that Simba would get angry and push back" explained Rafiki.
"But didn't he plead for forgiveness…For Simba's mercy? Wasn't he trying to live?" asked Kovu.
"I'm going to guess that was a test to see if Simba was ready to be king. He wanted to see if Simba would choose to let him go or execute him on the spot. He was also probably fighting with all his might to make sure it didn't look like he wanted to die" said Rafiki.
"He did all of that…Just to make sure no one would be saddened by his death?" said Kiara. "It's just…so hard to believe. All this time I believed Scar was evil…"
"Scar was…Taka was not. In the end it was Taka that lived not Scar. However since a majority of his reign was as Scar, he did not qualify as a great king…Therefore…He is not spoken of in the leonine prophecy" said Rafiki.
"Then I guess him attacking Simba from behind was just a way to make sure he would die" said Kovu quietly. He was answered by Rafiki's nod.
"I'm going to tell father" said Kiara. She turned and was about to run for her father when Rafiki stopped her. "What?"
"I made one other promise to Taka that day…He told me to make sure Simba would never know the truth of that day. He'd rather have his own nephew hate him rather than have him pity him…He is a lion…He has pride…" said Rafiki.
"But I don't want father to live hating Scar…And pride is something I don't like. It's because of pride that made Zira die and the same thing happened to Scar. I know he didn't die because he didn't accept Simba's act of mercy but he was too prideful to tell everyone about who he really was…And I hate it" said Kiara.
"I understand what you are saying princess but listen carefully. Simba may hate Scar but he does not hate Taka. And what killed him in the end was not the same kind of pride that Zira had at the time of her death. What Taka had, was golden pride…Zira had black pride…" said Rafiki.
"What Scar-I mean Taka did was truly noble and I believe that if he ruled like that…He would've become one of the greatest kings alive. And I will make sure to keep his legacy alive. Zira said I would follow in Scar's footsteps…Well I'm not…I'll follow Taka's…Simba's…And all the other great kings. I will keep their legacies alive…Therefore…I will always keep Taka alive" promised Kovu.
"Oh Kovu" smiled Kiara as she nuzzled him.
"I won't let you or our cubs down" whispered Kovu lovingly.
"I know Kovu…"
Rafiki smiled and walked back to his tree. There was nothing left for him to do except wait and see what happens next.
-X-
"I remember doing this a lot that's for sure" smiled Kopa after finding a constellation of a lion.
"Glad to know you still remember your favorite activity" Vitani chuckled.
The two of them were lying in the grass looking up at the night sky. It was beautiful and relaxing. It was the perfect chance to just talk.
"It was always my favorite activity even after I lost my memory. Or maybe it was my favorite activity because subconsciously I always knew it was" chuckled Kopa.
"Hey, I've been meaning to ask, what things you remember about me?" asked Vitani.
"Well let's see…You love to rest in the shade, you want to be the greatest huntress in the pride, you're a bit stubborn and hard to deal with sometimes, and your favorite color is orange, well…sunset orange" said Kopa.
"All true"
"Now tell me what you knew about me"
"Okay…You loved to jump in the water hole on hot days and swim around, you're very picky about what you eat, you didn't like baths or going to sleep, and your favorite color was blue, like the sky"
"All true except that last thing"
"Your favorite color isn't blue?"
"No it is…Just not like the sky…More like your eyes"
Vitani hid a small smile by turning away from him. "Thanks…"
"Hey love birds, mind if we join you?" asked a male lion's voice.
Both Kopa and Vitani looked up to see Afua and Sierra looking down on them. Sierra looked as if she was trying to keep herself from giggling while Afua just looked amused.
"How long have you two been there?" asked Vitani accusingly.
"Oh…Long enough…" giggled Sierra.
"Well…I guess the more the merrier" said Kopa.
Kopa and Vitani turned on their stomachs as the other two sat down in front of them.
"Kopa, these two were our cub hood friends, Sierra and Afua" introduced Vitani.
"Oh yeah, I think I remember you two" said Kopa.
"Good to know you haven't forgotten completely" smiled Afua.
"So…What are you two doing at this time of night?" asked Sierra with a suggestive smile.
"Just stargazing…Now stop looking at me like that!" laughed Vitani. "But Afua, I thought you were always with Jua, where is he?"
"Jua's been like a jerk lately so I sort of ditched him. So I plan on taking up Simba's offer of sleeping in the main den" said Afua.
"Jua being a jerk, hm…What else is new?" said Vitani.
"Come on 'Tani…Jua isn't all bad" said Sierra.
"Is this Jua guy someone I should know about?" asked Kopa.
"He's just a guy that used to hang out with us but I don't think it's a good idea to get to know him again…He's…He's a bit more different than how he used to be" said Afua.
"Oh…It's strange…I don't remember anything about Jua" said Kopa.
"Maybe he didn't leave as much an impression on you as the rest of us" said Vitani.
"Hey Kopa, what do you remember about me and Afua?" asked Sierra.
"Well…The memories are a bit vague but I'll try…Let's see…I know Afua was my best friend, he liked pretty much everything I liked except for the fact that he actually enjoyed sleeping. One other thing that was different was that he…" said Kopa but paused here. "Never mind!"
"Now hold on, you have to finish that sentence!" demanded Vitani but she had an amused smile.
"Yeah, come on, tell us!" added Sierra.
"He doesn't have to say anything" said Afua catching on to what Kopa was thinking.
"Oh come on, is it a secret?" asked Vitani.
"Sort of…" said Afua.
"But it was a secret from when you were a cub, it's not like it's still true" said Sierra. "Is it?"
"Pfft! Of course not…Go on and tell them Kopa" said Afua reluctantly.
"Okay…Afua had a crush on Sierra" said Kopa.
"Ooooooh" said Vitani.
"Aw, that's so cute you had a crush on me. But I'm already taken" smiled Sierra.
"Really? By who?" asked Afua.
"By Hasani" said Sierra.
"The same Hasani that came with me?" asked Kopa.
"No Kopa, the other Hasani in the Pride Lands" said Vitani sarcastically.
"Just trying to clarify"
"I've got to go" said Afua suddenly standing up.
"Afua?"
"I'll uh…See you guys later" said Afua. He turned and began making his way back towards Pride Rock.
Once he was gone, Vitani turned to Sierra. "I don't think it was an old secret"
"Oh man, I didn't mean to hurt the guy" said Sierra.
"Then go after him…Just tell him what you need to and just be sure to let him down gently" advised Kopa.
"…Thanks Kopa, I'll go do that" said Sierra as she chased after Afua.
"Wow…When we were cubs, you wouldn't know what to say in this kind of situation. You certainly have changed" smiled Vitani once Sierra was out of earshot.
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Kopa smirked.
"I think it's a great thing" smiled Vitani. She licked his cheek affectionately before getting up. "I think I'll turn in…You coming?"
The lick caught him off guard and he was smiling like an idiot but he quickly snapped out of it. "Yeah…Right behind you"
"Oh, but promise me one thing" said Vitani.
"Sure"
"Just promise that we'll always be good friends"
"Heh…For you…Anything"
-X-
I know it's still a bit early but I just wanted to get this up before Friday to get the word out about iCarly's finale. Plus I've had some free time on my hands lately. Anyway, I hope you guys watch the final episode if you're a fan. If not then why don't you check out some of the funny quotes from iCarly I wrote down on my profile? There are a lot and they're all at the end. Hope you find them funny. Here is my last tribute to iCarly. I will never forget the random dancing; baby Spencer, Sam's butter sock, Gibby's head, Carly's awesome room, the idiot farm girl, the insane fans (Talking about you Mandy and Nora), and especially…The loving moments. I love you all, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and don't forget to review!