Hey, here is the newest chapter hope you all like it. But before that, I must say that I was pretty surprised to see the mixed reaction from some of you after finding out Hasani was evil. Apparently, some of you knew he was it and others were completely caught off guard by the revelation. I wasn't expecting people to figure it out; I tried to conceal it as much as I could with the only hint being the missing meerkats from the oasis. Well, you will soon find out why Hasani is doing all of this. I have a few questions to answer.
To Littletiger – This chapter is dedicated to you. Hope your hand gets better! What happened to it anyway? The answer to your first question will be answered very soon. As for the second question, I'm not quite sure what you mean when you say Rafiki heard Max's voice from Kopa and Hasani. Fact is, being a shaman, Rafiki communicates with the dead. Just to be clear, Max is definitely dead.
To Blacklion – Sorry but your theory is wrong. Originally I was going to make it Hasani who spoke to him but I decided instead to let it be some other creature, and ally of Hasani. That person was the mole, Ashon. Since in the chapter where the creature spoke to Jua I said that the animal was too light to be a lion. But it was a totally reasonable guess.
Now on to the story! (Leave a review)
-X-
Rafiki and Pumbaa walked down the steps of Pride Rock and stood near the back of the crowd. They watched as the silhouettes of the two lions in the distance get closer. Ma soon joined them and scurried all the way to the front where Timon and Tamina were.
"Timmy, what's going on? Why is the whole pride out here?" asked the elderly meerkat.
"Well, earlier Kopa had run off but now he's back" said Timon, cutting a long story into a few choice words.
Pumbaa pushed his way through so that he was next to his best friend. "With Hasani too" said the warthog.
"Oh yeah there's him too. Isn't it great Pumbaa? Kopa's going to learn the full truth about his past. Then our family can finally be complete!" smiled Timon.
"If things turn out alright" muttered Pumbaa.
Soon enough, Kopa and Hasani had finally reached the pride. But their emotions were completely unreadable. It was like their faces had turned to stone.
"Kopa, I'm so happy you've come back to us!" said Nala, teary-eyed.
The rest of the pride murmured in agreement. Even with all of their smiling faces, they were only greeted by the placid expressions of the other two lions.
"I thank you all for your hospitality while I've been here but I think it's time a repay a long overdue debt to my father" said Kopa in a quiet voice.
"Kopa, what's wrong, you don't sound like yourself" said Tamina worriedly.
"Hasani, you haven't spoken a word, did something happen?" asked Sierra.
The pride was no longer smiling but instead, many were either frowning or muttering to each other in confusion. It was a rather unsettling environment.
"What's the matter my son?" asked Simba.
"Don't even call me that! I was nothing to you wasn't I?" growled Kopa.
"What? Of course not, how could you say something like that?" said Simba in shock and surprise.
"Don't lie! I now see the truth and I'm no longer blinded by false words" said Kopa.
Everyone just stared at the prince in complete shock. They couldn't believe what they were hearing and many were already glaring at Kopa, ready to pounce of something happened.
"Then what is it that you want? You say that you have heard the truth although I doubt you did. If you do know the truth then what is it that you want from me?" asked the king.
"I want to challenge you for the right to rule the Pride Lands" growled his son.
There was a unanimous gasp from the pride but the most surprised were of course his friends and his family.
"Kopa what are you doing?" said Vitani.
"My brain is hurting and I am so confused" commented Timon.
"That makes two of us" groaned Tamina.
Simba stared with his mouth hanging open, he couldn't believe what he was hearing from his own son. He finally replied in a small voice and he refused to look Kopa in the eye. "I…I can't accept it. You are my son. I won't go into a fight to the death with you."
"You didn't have a problem with killing me before" said Kopa. Before any of the other lions or other animals had the chance to argue, he continued. "And it is by common law that you accept my challenge!" growled the prince.
There was now growling coming from the pride. They were all throwing in their own comments in defense of their king.
"Unfortunately my sire, he is correct. You don't have a choice but to accept" said Zazu.
"No, I can't fight my own son. Kopa…I won't accept your challenge but if you'd like…I will step down" said Simba.
Once again this caused quite a stir among the pride. They were soon silenced by Kovu.
"Silence!" roared Kovu. He turned to his father-in-law. "Simba…You don't have to do this."
"Please father, you can't just give up the throne" pleaded Kiara.
"Do you really expect me to kill my own son?" asked Simba, effectively shutting them both up.
"Doesn't matter, I won't take your deal. It's not good enough for me; you must repent for your sins through death. So either accept my challenge or break your own law and suffer the consequences" said Kopa.
Simba sighed but before he could answer, Kovu cut him off. "I'll take your challenge" said Kovu.
This caused another huge stir among the crowd. "Don't you guys have other reactions to show?" questioned Timon.
"Kovu, what are you thinking, I don't want you to die" said Kiara.
"And only the king can accept this challenge. I won't fight you" said Kopa.
"The law dictates that a challenge must be accepted no matter what. It does not specifically say it is the king even if it implies it. It also does not say that the lion that was challenged cannot have another take his place unless that lion has something to give up that is of equal importance as the other that is being anted" pointed out Kovu.
"I'm rather impressed with that explanation" commented Zazu.
"No kidding" said Timon.
"And what is it that you can ante that is of equal importance as the throne?" asked Kopa with a raised eyebrow. He was curious to know how his brother-in-law would deal with this.
"My inheritance to the throne, since you want to challenge the king, I guess that means you have decided you are no longer his son. This means I am next in line. So if you win, you will be" explained Kovu.
"Kovu is not as skilled a fighter as Simba, he will be an easier opponent" whispered Hasani to Kopa.
"But I want to take vengeance on him not his preferred son" muttered back Kopa.
"You can just execute them and the rest of his family for crimes against you all those years ago" pointed out Hasani.
"Hm…I suppose you're right" said Kopa then adding in a louder voice. "Alright, I accept. Meet me in the gorge at sunset, that's when we fight."
With that Kopa and Hasani turned away from them and walked off to who knows where. Once they were gone, the pride began to express their worries to the royal family.
"Enough, I believe that the royal family would like a moment of peace so that they can talk things out" said Rafiki as he herded the rest of the pride back into Pride Rock.
This only left himself, the meerkats, Pumbaa, Zazu, the royal family, and Kopa's friends.
"What in the world has gotten into that boy's head? I'm going to have to knock some sense into him when we get to that gorge" said Tamina.
"You can't, once a challenge has been accepted no one can interfere or attack, injure, harm one of the fighters before the challenge" said Zazu.
"Kovu, what do you think you're doing? You don't actually plan on killing him do you?" asked Vitani worriedly.
"I don't plan on it but if it comes down to it, I will have to" said Kovu quietly.
"But you can't!" shouted Vitani.
"I won't let you do this. I'll take this challenge myself" offered Simba.
"Just trust me on this one okay? I have to do this" said Kovu.
While everyone else were trying to talk him out of it, Simba looked at his son-in-law trying to see what it was he was planning before coming to a conclusion.
"Let him do it. I trust him…And if he's going to be king then all of you must as well" said Simba.
"Yeah, you're right…But I'm still unsure about this" Kiaras sighed.
"This whole thing is crazy! I mean why is Kopa acting like this in the first place?" questioned Afua.
"It's because of Hasani, he is manipulating him somehow" Pumbaa informed them.
"What! No, that can't be possible! It just can't!" said Sierra in Hasani's defense.
"I'm afraid that Pumbaa is correct, Hasani is behind this" said Rafiki.
"But why would he be doing this? What's his motive?" asked Ma.
"Only time will tell" replied the mandrill.
"Nonetheless, we should all be there to support Kovu" said Zazu.
"I'm not going" said Vitani.
"Vitani…" said Kovu.
"No, I'm not going to watch the two most important lions in my life try to tear each other apart! I just won't!" said Vitani.
"I won't force you to come but just know that I don't intend on killing him nor do I intend of dying. You have to trust me when I say that everything will be fine" assured Kovu.
The tears that had been building up in Vitani's eyes were blinked away as she looked up her brother in the eye. It was then that she saw the determination behind them. She suddenly felt that if anyone could bring the Kopa back then it would be him.
"Alright…I believe in you Kovu" said Vitani.
"Kovu…I want to thank you. You've come so far and now…I just hope you'll be able to bring my son back to us" said Nala.
"I will…I promise" said Kovu.
"…Sunset isn't so far from now…We should get going. The gorge is pretty far from here" said Simba.
"But…But I don't want to go if Hasani really is the one behind all of this. I-I just can't" said Sierra as tears began to build up.
"Sierra, we need to be there. If Kovu fails then the only ones capable of bringing our friend back is us" said Afua.
"But Hasani…" said Sierra.
"Forget about him. If he is behind all of this then he was never worthy of you in the first place. Besides, which is more important, a guy you met only days ago or your friend who you've never let go of for years" said Afua.
Sierra sniffed and blinked her tears away as well. "Thanks Afua, you always manage to cheer me up as always."
"It's what I live for" smiled Afua.
"I think it's time to go" said Tamina catching their attention.
"Right" said Simba as he roared to get the attention of the rest of the pride. The other lionesses walked back down from Pride Rock. After a short speech from Simba, they all followed him to the gorge. It seemed it was time to meet with destiny.
-X-
Hasani looked up to see the position of the sun. Unfortunately, the clouds did not clear up enough for him to see the sun in the first place. Therefore, he could only guess when sunset was. His head suddenly shot up when he saw Simba and the rest of his pride heading towards them.
"Hey Kopa, looks like its time" called Hasani from his spot on top of the rock.
"Thanks Hasani" said Kopa as he walked out from behind him.
"Is this really where you want to fight? At the place of your grandfather's death?" asked Kovu once he and everyone else positioned themselves around the two fighters. This created a rather large ring.
"That's right; this fight will be watched over by king Mufasa. Right now, he's the only one I can believe in, in this family" said Kopa.
"That's a little ironic" muttered Kovu under his breath.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Kiara.
"No, why would I be sure to fight my own brother-in-law?" said Kovu.
"Before this fight begins, Hasani and I were talking earlier and we both decided that what you have placed on the line is not worth the throne. For all we know your king can just exile me when this is over" said Kopa.
"And who says you'll be coming out of this alive when this is over?" asked Kovu with a raised eyebrow.
"You better watch what you say about me. I'm a much more formidable foe than you think" growled Kopa.
"I never underestimate my opponents" smiled Kovu cockily.
"Anyway, we both decided that this challenge will be called off unless you throw the throne on the line as well" said Kopa.
Kovu and Simba exchanged glances and in a second, Simba sighed and looked his son in the eye. "Fine, if that is what it takes" said Simba. "If you win then you will be king of the Pride Lands."
Kopa smiled in satisfaction and turned back to his opponent. "Then it's settled, this fight will-"
"Wait!" yelled Sierra. This took everyone's attention from the two lions and to her. "Before we start this fight, I have to ask…Hasani, if you were planning on this then why…Why were you with me?" asked the lioness.
"Sierra…" Afua whispered.
"You mean it's not obvious to you yet? I just needed someone to show me around, this way I could know this land a little more. I wasn't planning on any of this, it's like I said when I first arrived here, I'm just a sightseer. But I decided to help Kopa take back what is rightfully his" said Hasani. "I was just a lion in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"But how is this supposed to get back what is rightfully Kopa's? We never took anything from him!" argued Afua angrily.
"You Pridelanders are really good at playing naïve aren't you? Guess that's how everyone raised here is, a liar and cold-hearted" smirked Hasani.
Now the whole pride was growling in Hasani's direction. It was now clear to them who their real enemy was but Simba stopped them from doing anything rash. Sierra had gasped in horror and began to cry. So Afua let her weep into his mane.
"I should really take that jerk down" said Timon through gritted teeth.
"I feel the exact same way" agreed Tamina.
"That makes three of us" nodded Ma. "And I don't usually like violence."
"If we're done with all of this idle chit-chat" said Kopa bringing their attention back to the princes.
"Right I almost forgot you were standing there" smirked Kovu.
Kopa roared and pounced on him, however, Kovu was quick and was able to evade it. Almost every member of the pride had to do everything in their power to keep themselves from interfering. Simba made himself a wall in between Kiara and Vitani knowing that they both wanted to throw themselves into the middle of the fight.
Kopa with claws unsheathed kept trying to swipe at his opponent. Kovu however, kept his claws retracted and just kept evading.
"What is he doing? He'll never get a shot in if he just keeps doing that" said Timon.
"I don't think he wants to hurt Kopa" pointed out Pumbaa.
"Well yeah but he might get killed if he doesn't fight back" countered the meerkat.
"If your strategy is to tire me out without having to attack then I will become the victor of this battle" growled Kopa as another one of his swipes missed.
"I'm not here to fight you. I'm hoping this will help you see the light of day" said Kovu.
"Just because you don't attack me won't make me want to give you any mercy" scoffed Kopa.
"Then just hear me out" said Kovu.
Even though the two of them were still moving around the ring, one trying to claw the other, Kovu was still planning on having a conversation while fighting. Or in his case, dodging.
"You really plan on talking to me while you avoid death?" asked Kopa curiously.
"Just listen" said Kovu. He was caught off guard for just a second but it was enough time for Kopa to claw him in the leg. The darker grunted but held in his pain as he jumped back once more. "Do you honestly believe that we'd have the heart to kill a cub?"
"There are a lot of animals out there" growled Kopa as he pinned Kovu down. A majority of the crowd gasped but became relieved when Kovu pushed the lighter lion off with his hind legs.
"Well we're not the kind to destroy a family" said Kovu as he stood back up.
"Then what other story is there for these hideous scars on me?" said Kopa as he got another scratch on Kovu's left flank.
"Oh, I can't watch this" said Kiara as she hid her face into her father's thick mane.
"My mother tried to kill you" grunted Kovu. After that first scratch on his leg, he was unable to doge as easily as before so his opponent was able to get a lot more hits in.
"Quite the family dynamic, but you're wrong. She and the rest of her followers were framed just because they disliked Simba" said Kopa.
"And you seriously believe Hasani more than your own family. You mock my family and yet you distrust your own" scoffed Kovu. "Maybe you should check twice before criticizing others."
"Well if your mother did do it then why would you be the heir to the throne?" asked Kopa as he swiped but missed.
"That's because I'm not judged by my ancestor's decisions. I've redeemed myself and you can to if you put an end to this pointless fight" said Kovu. "But I guess I wouldn't know how to judge you. With your grandfather Mufasa or your great uncle Scar."
Kopa groaned as a memory flashed through his mind.
"This is for you, Scar!" shouted a crazed lioness as she threw a claw down upon a little Kopa.
"Shut up!" roared Kopa as he pinned Kovu down once more.
This time Kovu was unable to push his brother-in-law off. He was covered in scratches and every time he struggled a new sensation of pain would shoot through him.
The pride almost ran down to help if Simba hadn't stopped them. Kiara looked down at her mate. She could see he was hurt and she wanted to do something to help him so badly.
"Do you honestly believe we'd cover you with scars? You've been with your mother haven't you? You've gotten to know her. Why would she ever dispose of her own son?" asked Kovu from under Kopa.
Kopa was breathing heavily as he stared down at the face of his opponent. He looked up to see his mother's sweet and sad face. Tears were slowly rolling down her cheeks and he saw that she was experiencing inner pain inside her.
"Sh-Shut up! I-I don't need you to feed me more lies!" shouted Kopa.
"I want you to look at everyone around you and I want you to tell me straight in the eye that they are evil. I want you to look into the eyes of your sister, your father, your mother, and your friends and tell me that I'm wrong" said Kovu.
Kopa froze there as he involuntarily complied with Kovu's orders. He looked up and looked at all of their faces. He started with the teary-eyed face of Kiara, his little sister.
"Kopa we need to talk to you" called the melodious voice of his mother.
"I didn't do it! Zazu's out to get me! I'm innocent! I demand to see a lawyer!" shouted the little cub form of Kopa.
"Calm down, you're not in trouble" his father chuckled.
"I'm not? Then why do you need to talk to me?" asked Kopa.
"Well, you know how I haven't been feeling well right?" asked Nala.
"Uh-huh" nodded the young prince.
"Well it turns out I'm pregnant. You're going to be an older brother!" said Nala.
"Really? That's so cool! We're going to have so much fun together and I can introduce him to all my friends!" cheered Kopa as he bounced around excitedly.
"Whoa, calm down, it might be a girl" pointed out Simba.
"Oh, well a little sister's still going to be pretty cool! When is she going to arrive?" asked Kopa.
"In about two to three months" said Simba.
"Aw man, that's too long of a wait" whined Kopa causing his parents to laugh. Kopa gave them a goofy grin and laughed along with them.
Kopa shook the memories out of his head and turned back to Kovu. He raised a paw to deliver the finishing blow but something compelled him to look at his father.
"Wow, the sunrise is so beautiful" commented Kopa who was standing at the edge of Pride Rock with his father.
"It is, isn't it?" agreed Simba before turning back to his son. "Listen carefully Kopa, I'm going to tell you something my father told me when I was your age."
Kopa looked up at his father with a look of admiration as he waited patiently for his father to continue. "Listen carefully now, everything the light touches, is our kingdom. My life will set like the sun one day, and when that day comes, you will have to take my place as king" said Simba.
"But what if I'm not good enough? What if I end up like uncle Scar?" asked Kopa as his face fell to one of worry.
"Kopa trust me, you will be a better king than I. And you won't be alone, your queen, your friends, and your family are all there to help you. Remember, we are one" smiled Simba. Kopa smiled back at him.
"So now can we play?" asked Kopa.
Simba chuckled. "Of course, a king needs some time to have fun too."
Next he looked over at his mother who looked like she feared what he might do. So he brought his paw down but not to kill Kovu, instead he just rested it near Kovu's head.
"Hey mom is it okay if I watch you hunt?" asked Kopa as he bounded up to his mother.
"I'm not so sure if that's such a good idea. These hunts can get very dangerous" said Nala.
"Aw, but dad's busy and I have no one else to play with, Zazu's too boring and uncles Timon and Pumbaa aren't here" complained Kopa.
"Tell you what, why don't I take a break from hunting today. I can teach you some of my fighting strategies" said Nala. "It's what's always helped me beat your father when playing 'Pinned 'ya'."
"Wow, you're a better fighter than dad? I thought no one could beat him" said Kopa in awe.
"That's what your father wants you to think" chuckled Nala.
Finally Kopa took a look around at all of the lions and various animals around him. All kinds of memories began to flood back into his mind. He slowly looked back down at Kovu.
"So have I shown you the light of day?" smiled Kovu.
"Zira was the one who tried to kill me" whispered Kopa.
"Glad to see you understand" said Kovu quietly.
"I'm sorry Kovu…For everything" said Kopa. He got off of his brother-in-law and Kovu turned himself onto his stomach. The clouds were finally clearing and moonlight broke through. The pride smiled and ran down to meet their two princes.
"Kopa, it's so good to see you're back" cried Nala.
"Glad to have you back old buddy" said Tamina.
"Thanks you guys" said Kopa.
"So I guess everything's okay now" said Afua.
"Not quite" said Kopa as he turned to face his father. "Dad…Could you ever forgive me for my behavior?"
Simba broke out into a smile and hugged his son. "How can I not, you are my son and I love you so much" said Simba through tears.
"Thank you dad…I love you too" cried Kopa.
Kovu smiled at the scene as Kiara came to help him up. Kovu looked through the crowd and realized that something was off immediately. A scream pierced through the air and caught all of their attention.
"Vitani!" shouted both Kovu and Kopa.
-X-
This extra long chapter is from me to all of you. Call it an early Christmas gift. Hope you guys liked and this and remember there is still a little more to come. Hope this chapter was satisfying and make sure you come back to see the next chapter. The exciting conclusion is coming soon. But don't fret, this just means the sequels are getting closer as well. Leave a review, spread holiday cheer, and please make me happy this holiday season!