Hey you guys! Hope your still enjoying the story! I've been working hard this past weekend to really work on this story, especially the emotional parts. This story has been an experiment with tension and foreshadowing for me. I also combined a couple of chapters that were quite short into bigger ones. I'll try to aim for a wc of around 2,000 per chapter when possible so that they're still of manageable lengths.

Thank you, my reviewers, for coming back and leaving your comments. They're very appreciated, and I've probably already said before :)

Enjoy today's installment!

"Wait! Where are you go-?"

Asuma tripped and rolled head over paws with a yelp. Thick mud was caked heavily on his fur, and it ran into his eyes. He cried out in desperation again for his father, blind, and deafened by the deep growl of pounding thunder. He coughed. "Dad!"

He stroked the mud from his burning eyes, and when he opened them, a white flash lit up the scene before him like the midday. It lasted unnaturally long while he crept towards a shuddering bush. The storm was harsh overhead, but somehow there was no wind. I can hear those angry roars again, too,Asuma thought, cocking his ear to the sounds in the distance.

In his sleep, Asuma kicked his leg, waking himself up with a jolt. He sighed. He was sore from his nose to his tail, and he hadn't slept well. All night, he had drifted in and out of the same, eerie dream. Wasn't it enough that he had experienced it first hand? He hoped that the dreams would go away after he fully recovered from his ordeal. He didn't think that he would be able to stand it for long if they continued.

"Where's Dad?" he asked Tanga, who was resting next to him. Their mother was still sleeping, as were several other members of the pride. Outside the den, the sun was bright and growing hotter by the moment. He stretched his paws out in front of him and yawned.

Without opening her eyes, Tanga muttered, "He and Vitani already left. They were going to look for Grandfather, remember?"

"Oh, right." He didn't feel much like sleeping now that the ever-present threat of nightmares was just waiting to pounce and drag him back under. Instead, he wandered outside of the den and looked over the expanse of the Pride Lands. His grandfather once told him that someday he would inherit all that he could see when he became the king of Pride Rock. Scanning that land, he eagerly took it all in. He didn't want to ever be lost again on his own land, not even disoriented. He thought it was embarrassing enough that he had been lost once.

The young lion's ear swiveled to the sound of hooves, and he turned to find a warthog and his meerkat companion, who rode comfortably on his head, climbing slowly up the side of Pride Rock. He grinned at the sight and raced over.

"Hey!" he cried happily in greeting. "You're back!"

"You betcha, kid!" the meerkat said as he jumped down with a small thud. Placing his wrists on his narrow hips, Timon looked Asuma up and down. "You've gotten bigger since we last saw you."

"Awe, if only they could be cubs forever..." Pumbaa cooed warmly.

"Yeah, it was just yesterday that your mommy and Simba were just little guys," Timon agreed. "And speaking of little guys, where is everyone?"

"Most of everyone is sleeping, but my dad and Vitani are looking for Simba."

Both Pumbaa and Timon raised a brow in worry.

"Oh, what for?" Timon asked.

Asuma deflated a little. "It's my fault really... Yesterday I got lost, and everyone had to go looking for me. They're looking for Simba to tell him that they found me. He must still be looking, because he hasn't returned home yet."

"Well, that's Simba for you," Timon remarked, a hint of pride in his voice. "What a go-getter!"

"Don't worry, Asuma," Pumbaa said. "They'll find him. They're good at that."

"Yes, very. Now, let's go wake up your family. They may be lions, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind being woken up by a visit from us."

As he followed him inside, Asuma knew they were probably exhausted from the rain-soaked night of searching, but he had to agree. They'd have no problem with such a wakeup call.

"This was what you were doing while we were searching for your son? Kovu, how could you be so stupid!" Vitani lamented, disappointment lacing her words. With a knot in her gut, she gazed down at the shallow grave that her brother had dug for the deceased king, only to have hastily excavated part of it to show him to Vitani. It was a grisly sight that she had to turn away from, and she had previously considered her stomach to be very strong. There had been bodies in the Outlands, but seeing the king dead like this disturbed her.

"Why did this happen? How? How, Kovu!"

But he wasn't paying attention, distracted by the task of looking for Zazu. After Nala reminded him about the majordomo, of how he was a very biased witness, he had been itching to find the king's bird. Kovu thought the injured bird couldn't have gotten far, but there seemed to be no trace of him. Only a scraggly feather or two. This worried him sorely. He secretly hoped the bird had been carried off by a predator.

"Kovu!"

He snarled when Vitani smacked him on the shoulder. His ears pressed against his skull. "It was an accident, Vitani!" he shouted angrily despite knowing that his sister was bound to be furious with him, and rightfully so. Somehow, he was going to have to turn this situation into his favor. His gamble depended upon it.

"This was no accident. He's dead, Kovu, dead! Why haven't you told anyone about this?"

"It's complicated."

"He's dead, Kovu. That's not complicated at all."

Kovu ground his teeth. "Before I explain, I need you to see something else."

"What, another dead body?" Vitani sneered with the roll of her eyes.

Kovu pursed his lips. He knew by the look on his sister's face that he was not hiding his guilt well at all.

"Kovu... what did you do...?"

"Just trust me. You'll see."

Kovu turned and led Vitani near to the spot where Zira had fallen, noticing instantly that a stomach-churning stench was emanating from it. Overhead, more than a few buzzards were circling, though none had touched the meat. He hadn't bothered to do much with her except push her into a nearby thorn bush, and he thought that was generous enough. The buzzards don't even want her...Kovu thought as he gestured for his sister to come closer with a nod, and she came to stand beside him, looking down past the leaves. For a moment she saw nothing, but upon the sight of the clearly dead lioness, she leaped back, nearly losing her footing. Her expression was somewhere between disgust and astonishment. She made a gagging sound.

"Kovu, what happened to her?" Vitani's voice shook. "Her throat-"

"She found me and begged me to bring Simba to her," Kovu began to explain. "It got ugly and-"

"That was your first mistake," she spat. She growled, "Why would you bring Simba to slaughter like that?"

"I never thought she could look so pathetic," Kovu continued, his tone surprisingly dull as he defended himself. "She wanted mercy, saying we could all move on if she got it. It seemed simple enough. Just a request."

Vitani rolled her eyes again. "And you believed her? I don't know about you, but I moved on the moment she threatened my life on the battlefield."

"But she threatened to come near our cubs, Vit-"

"We would have been able to deal with her if she had dared. But this still doesn't explain how you were able to get Simba to talk to her. Kovu, you should have killed her on sight, or at the very least, brought her back to Pride Rock where you wouldn't be alone with her. I would have thought that you best of all would know what she's capable of!"

"I know, I know!" Kovu shouted. He growled. "I thought I could handle the situation myself. All she wanted was to admit to a crime she had committed- the one that got us exiled."

"It was because she was a follower of Scar, you know tha-"

"No, there's something else that she never told us," Kovu said sharply. "Simba had a son."

"What?"

"We were exiled because Simba believed she killed him. She was going to confess to him that she killed him... or at least that's the impression I had. When Simba agreed to speak with her, she admitted nothing. She went as far as saying that his son may still be alive. That's when Simba attacked her and they fought to the death. I tried to break them apart, but they wouldn't stop, and... and..."

Kovu lowered his eyes in shame. "Look, I screwed up, okay? It got out of paw and she killed him. I never meant for this to happen. Simba's trust in me was fading and I wanted to prove myself to him- to give him some closure for his son. I planned to kill her after she spoke her piece. I was desperate! "

"Did you?"

Kovu's body hung even lower. "Yes... I had to. She was still alive when Simba died."

"You should have known better, Kovu. And as much as I hate to say it... you shouldn't have murdered her."

Kovu rolled his eyes now. He had had enough. He shook his head vigorously. "Will you just stop chastising me like a cub? I brought you here to hel-"

"No!" Vitani began backing away from him. "Do you think I'll go down like this? I have a son and a good life. You're on your own. Had I known about this, I would not have come here with you."

"And do you think that I have any less to lose? What's done is done! And think about what will happen if they were to find out- I'll be exiled for sure."

"And that's my problem? You might as well do us all a favor and run."

"Yes, it is," Kovu snapped. His tone of voice changed. "What do you think will happen to the pride if they make me leave, Tani? I'm the only adult male now. There is nobody else besides me to protect those lionesses, or the cubs- especially those young ones. Think about what would happen to the Pride Lands if a rogue were to take over? You can't guarantee the temperament of a new ruler, which they do not need right now. The lionesses are tough, but they will need to mate eventually. It'll throw the balance off so much more if they know the truth. Please," Kovu begged, following her as she continued to back away. He felt terrible, the lowest ever in his life. He thought things had changed for the better, his one desire in life since he had learned there was more than murdering and conquering, but they had only pulled back in full reverse. In seeking what he wanted, he'd caused himself pain. "Please, you have to help me."

Vitani glared hard at him, her lip twitching and the hair along her spine standing on end. "No, Kovu. You are on your own."

"Then at least consider how this will make Nala feel... the truth would devastate her. And how would Kiara react? I promised her that I had my back turned to the past. She can't think that I'm responsible for her father's death. And my cubs! I'd lose them forever, and a new ruler would oust them, and none of them would get to rule in their own right. It'll be much easier on the pride if we lie. They'll be saddened at first, but-"

"Then why don't you, Kovu? Why don't you lie your tail off?"

He narrowed his eyes. "If I lie about this to protect them, then you'll be lying, too. And if you decide to tell them... Think about your son, Vitani."

Vitani said nothing, but her eyes narrowed.

"If this is going to work, we have to trust each other. I believe we can do this."

After a moment, Vitani spoke, her tone quiet. "Do you think that you can live with this lie, Kovu? It's all yours to bear. Even with everything you've threatened, it would still cost me little to confess. Do you think I'm afraid of you, Kovu?"

Kovu growled, closing his eyes. "I'll take this with me to the grave," he muttered.

"What do you plan to tell them?"

Is she accepting the task?"I'll say it was rogues," Kovu explained, borrowing Zira's suggestion. "He must have been ambushed. We found him just now and buried him so he will keep until the rest of his family can see him and move him to be properly buried. We wouldn't want the wildlife getting to him now, would we?"

Vitani looked away. "This is crazy." she said under her breath. "They'll be looking for these rogues, you know."

"They've run for their lives. You see those marks on Simba? He must have given them something to remember him by. He died bravely, just as he lived."

Visibly, Vitani swallowed hard. "You're really going to do this then. You're really going to lie to them? Even though, they'll figure it out eventually, and if last night was a sample of you handling yourself, they'll figure it out quickly."

"No, we're going to be lying to them. They won't figure it out because they won't want to believe it. If they suspect me, the thought of me returning to my past ways will be so distasteful that they'll do anything to not believe it."

"Well..." Vitani then stood a little firmer, and leveled her gaze at Kovu. "When they do figure it out, you're on your own. You will not incriminate me, you will not tell them that I even knew what you were doing. I will not be brought down by you. I am only doing this for the sake of the pride in the long run. Otherwise, I'd betray you in a second. Do you understand?"

Kovu ground his teeth. He could have guessed what her terms were going to be without her saying them and wasting his time. He was just glad she was on his side for the most part, though he'd never be able to completely trust her. "Fine," he agreed grudgingly.

She nodded slowly. "Just answer one question for me, Kovu."

"Yes?"

"Did she ever say she did this for you? So that you could finally take your place as king, as Scar's heir? After all, it's the whole reason for the war. How much of a difference is there now?"

Kovu hesitated for a moment before he replied.

"No, she never said a word of it."

Well, I hope I didn't stray too far off Vitani's character... look for updates this Friday, or maybe earlier depending upon the progress of the story. I've had chapters on backup, but it seems like I'm posting them faster than I can write new ones.