A/N: Have I ever told you guys how patient you are? :3 Here's a big fat update!

Letting go of the breath she'd unknowingly held in, Tanga tried to blink away the angry shock that had come over her when her mother had so suddenly appeared... and then disappeared. When Pumbaa glanced in her direction, she asked hoarsely, "Where'd my mother go? She just got here, didn't she?"

Pumbaa lowered his ears and stood up. Brows arched, he shifted fretfully on his hooves. "Uhh… gee, Tanga, I dunno…" he mused worriedly. "Maybe she went to get you something to eat?"

"Maybe." Tanga pursed her mouth dubiously. But I don't think that's the whole reason she left so quickly… She turned her head to hide a frown of disappointment. When several meerkats had shown up to say that Queen Kiara needed to speak with Timon and Pumbaa, Tanga's tangled feelings had gone from some-what relaxed and fatigued to irritated and anxious in two heartbeats.

Why is she here? How'd she know where to find me? Did she know I was here? What are we going to say? What can I say? How will I explain everything that's happened since I ran away? Is she angry with me? Disappointed?

The one thing Tanga hadn't imagined, while her mind had flitted from one scenario to another, was that her mother would turn tail and run away. Though it wasn't what she'd really wanted, she'd at least expected her mother to run up to her and embrace her and to tell her she was finally safe.

Tanga narrowed her eyes in thought.

Was there fear in her eyes?

"She did leave to hunt for you."

Tanga flinched in surprise and looked up at the young lion who'd appeared with her mother. Perched on his golden-furred shoulder was a blue bird. Behind the lion, who couldn't have been much younger than Tanga herself, she could see Timon. The grey-furred meerkat stood at the other end of the clearing with his back to everyone, scratching his head in confusion, staring at the spot where Kiara had disappeared.

At least I'm not the only one who was caught off guard.

She heard the young lion say something, but she didn't catch all of it. "Excuse me?"

He glanced away, an awkward look in his blue eyes. "She told me to make sure you aren't hurt. I'm kind of a shaman in training."

Grunting softly as he spoke, Tanga pushed herself to sit up. "I'm not hurt, I'm just tired."

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Her muscles were even stiffer than they'd been before she'd laid down to rest, but physical pain was far from her primary concern. She thought if she gave someone the time treat her body, it would just take that much longer before she got the opportunity to get some answers and explain what had happened. As she rolled her shoulders to loosen them up, Pumbaa frowned worriedly at her. Ignoring him, she asked, "Who are you?"

"Kenyi. King Tojo's son. I'm escorting your mother."

Tanga cocked her head to the side. "Why?" She then shook her head. "Why are you here?"

Kenyi quickly gestured at Pumbaa with his eyes. "My father wants to speak with Simba's... er... parents. Your mother and I are to escort them to the Pride Lands."

That's not odd at all...

"My father is helping Chaka with his... temper," Kenyi elaborated, even though by his tone it sounded like a side note. He then turned to Pumbaa, as if noticing him for the first time. "My father wants you to help him help Chaka."

Tanga raised a brow. Her uncle wasn't somebody to openly show his happiness or excitement, but she wouldn't have described him as having a 'temper'... or at least was what she thought until she remembered how he'd barreled out of the den at Pride Rock the day her father had first disappeared. She also recalled how Asuma had described Chaka's brutal attack on the wild dogs he'd saved him from years back.

Were the signs really so obvious? Or were the circumstances just not right, as they are now?

Pumbaa was nodding enthusiastically when Timon wandered over. The meerkat exclaimed, "Great! ...Planning on visiting the Pride Lands... We'd love to help our boy out!"

Tanga half-listened as she mulled over this information, which probably complicated things even further. I don't understand how I could've been so blind... Chaka's anger must be another thing they hid from me... Like how Asuma hid his hatred... It's still hard to believe...

Even though she insisted she didn't need the attention, Kenyi spent little time looking her over, probably just so he could tell her mother he'd done as she'd told him. Tanga was mostly covered in bruises, and nothing much more than a few cuts and scrapes. She knew someone as brief and impassive as Kenyi could do nothing for her invisible wounds- the very wounds that hurt the most and would take the longest to heal. Not long after Kenyi's inspection, however, the leaves at the end of the clearing rustled and her mother reappeared. There was a large rat in her jaws.

Although Tanga was relieved to see her mother, she had to look away to hide any bit of frustration on her face that might betray her inner emotions before she was ready to explain herself. She'd started to suspect that was the reason why her mother had fled in the first place. Feeling slightly guilty, out of the corner of her eye, she saw her mother approach her. Kenyi, Timon, and Pumbaa stepped back as the honey-furred lioness carefully deposited the rat at Tanga's paws.

I don't know how much of an appetite I have, though, Mother...

"Can we have a moment alone...?" Her mother requested softly, the first words Tanga had heard her say in weeks. "I have to talk with my daughter."

Four pairs of confused eyes exchanged a nervous look, but the young lion, bird, meerkat and warthog left willingly, walking into the jungle and disappearing from view. Immediately, an awkward silence filled in the space where they'd just been. Tanga looked down at the sad rodent at her paws, but left what was probably meant to be a peace offering untouched as her stomach went into spasms of nervousness. A few lengths away, her mother sat facing half away from her, her head angled so neither of them could see the other's face.

"They said you hadn't eaten..." her mother started, her voice slightly airy. "Aren't you hungry?"

Tanga couldn't hold in a sigh. She muttered, her chest aching with a seemingly infinite number of emotions, "Not really..."

What do I say? What do I say? What do I-

Kiara took a breath, too, but a moment or two passed before she spoke. "Tanga, I'm glad I found you... I was so worried. I'm happy you're safe now."

Tanga felt her body tense, and she couldn't stop the muscles in her face from bunching up into a frown she was glad her mother couldn't yet see.

"...I hope you're not too upset with me..."

At these words, Tanga's body flushed hot from her nose to her tail. "Of course I'm upset!" she blurted, unable to stop herself. "Mother I'm sorry I ran away from home but I'm even sorrier that I learned the truth that you hid from me about my father!" The outburst caused her eyes to begin filling with bitter tears of embarrassment. "I'm so mad at you!" The sharp displeasure in Tanga voice rang in her ears.

Her mother started to turn around. "Tanga, I-"

Now the words were cascading from her mouth like water from behind an obliterated dam. "How could you keep such terrible secrets from us? Why were you helping Neo and not Asuma? You should've helped your own son and not someone else's! The whole pride knew what was going on, but we knew nothing! You know how that makes me feel? Like a big idiot! No wonder nobody listens to me! They were right to think I knew nothing, because I didn't, and still don't! Did you really think I couldn't handle myself? Why didn't you tell me?" Letting out a tense growl, Tanga heaved a heavy breath and looked up at her mother and opened her mouth to let more barbed, furious words fly, but she immediately stopped herself. Instead of being furious with her for being so disrespectful, her mother's pink-rimmed, red-brown eyes were blurred by fat tears that were streaming down her face.

Tanga's eyes widened in shock. She'd only seen her mother cry in front of her twice- both times had been when her own parents had died.

"I know I made a mistake!" Kiara exclaimed, choked by her tears. "I know I did! All I wanted was to protect you both. That's all I wanted! Tanga, I admit I was wrong. I'm sorry I didn't just tell you the truth..." Kiara turned her face away again and sniffed, blinking hard with a grimace to stop her tears. "I was scared for you both, and when Tswane told me what he thought Natin and Asuma were planning, I was so terrified! I didn't want there to be a war, but I didn't want you three to take on that kind of a task. And now Chaka's anger is so out of control... And I didn't know what to do with Asuma, and he was distancing himself from everyone... And I feel guilty for telling your father to leave, even if it was for his own safety..."

"M-Mom?" Tanga stammered as her face flushed with uneasiness. "Mom?"

Did I really believe she was totally oblivious to what was going on with Asuma? That she was just sitting by and doing nothing? Arg, how could I be so naive!

"I'm so sorry I lied to you, Tanga... I think I'd be more concerned if you weren't angry with me. I didn't know I was just making things worse for everyone..."

Lowering her ears and swallowing hard, Tanga whispered, "Mom, I'm sorry I yelled at you. I'm-"

"I don't blame you, Tanga." Kiara sniffed again. "I know we haven't been very close since your father left the pride, but..."

Tanga moved closer and carefully rested her face against the back of her mother's shuddering neck and shoulders. "I just wish you'd told me..." Tanga said quietly, feeling odd that she was the one comforting her own mother. "I wanted you to help Asuma, not Neo, but I didn't know how to tell you... and he wouldn't tell me anything..."

Kiara shifted position and nuzzled her daughter's face with her own. "We'll find him. Natin, too. We'll help them, bring them home safe. Don't worry."

Tanga swallowed awkwardly. She rasped, "Natin's dead. He was killed in a stampede when we were trying to get Kovu alone... so they could kill him." Tanga closed her eyes, trying to block out the image of Natin's broken, forlorn body. On the verge of a sob, she croaked, "He wouldn't listen... I couldn't do anything for him... not even bury him."

Kiara shuddered and nuzzled Tanga harder. "Oh, Tanga... I'm so sorry..."

"Asuma's changed a lot since we left..." Tanga went on. "Now he's so tormented, and he's wasting his life... Mom... he said he hated me... The whole time we were away from home, I was so scared he'd do something he'd regret- I tried to help him, but he's so lost... He was babbling something about Kovu's lionesses coming after us... making things up so I'd leave him alone..."

"Tanga..."

They sat there without speaking, taking comfort in each other's company and letting their tears dry. Slowly, her mother's soothing warmth caused Tanga's anger melt and her frustration lessen. The pain in her chest eased up, too, but her stomach was still in fits. Finally, she whispered, "Mother...?"

Kiara nodded. "Yes?"

Blinking tiredly Tanga felt her face muscles constrict into a slight grimace. "I can't even describe what's happened to my own brother. I want him to come home, too... but what if when we find him... it's not him... just someone else...? What then? He won't come home until Kov-Father is finally dead."

Her mother shivered. "I- I don't know. I wish I knew." After nuzzling Tanga, Kiara pulled away gently so they could look into each other's eyes. Firmly, with a hint of a smile, she added, "But we'll think of something. Right now, you need to eat and rest. I need to talk to Bron so he can fly-"

"The bird?"

She nodded. "Chaka and Tojo need to know about this immediately. We can't plan anything until they know what's happened. Now eat."

As Kiara started to pull away, Tanga asked quickly, "Kenyi said you came here to help Chaka with his temper. What does that mean?"

The look on her mother's face was a mixture of exhaustion, worry, and grief. "He was very angry when he heard Kovu was building an army for war... He's..." Her voice then dropped to a low whisper. "It's not good, Tanga."

Beginning to feel even more hopeless than before, Tanga lowered her ears. Just like she hadn't been able to properly describe what Asuma was going through, she suspected her mother wasn't able to do the same with Chaka. Her eyes went to her paws as she murmured, "We're a family of lost brothers... aren't we, Mom? Unable to move on and forgive?"

Kiara nodded slowly. "Sometimes it seems that way."

A question then entered Tanga's mind, but she hesitated so long that Kiara started to walk away again to find the others. "Mom?" she said to get her attention. "Mom, wait."

Kiara paused mid-step and turned half-way around. "Yes?"

Tanga pawed self-consciously at the big rat on the ground. "H-have you forgiven Father for... you know...?"

The corner of her mother's mouth twitched a bit, and her vision grew distant, and again her eyes started to blur with fresh tears. "Please eat something... even if it's only a bite, Tanga," she said quietly. "I won't take long, and then I'll be back and we can talk some more. Okay?"

"All right..." Tanga sighed in mild disappointment, but nodded nevertheless as her mother disappeared into the jungle bushes surrounding the small clearing. She wasn't at all surprised by the answer she'd been given, and she couldn't blame her mother for giving such an answer. Crouching down, she sniffed at her small meal.

That's all I've done, just preaching that they just need to forgive and get on with their lives... but do I even believe in the power of forgiveness anymore?

She took a small bite and closed her eyes as she chewed.

Do I really?

"You're upset that you're not upset enough?"

"Yes."

"Feel the way you want to feel. I don't think that you're wrong."

"The heart wants what the heart wants, I suppose."

"It's not your fault he was killed by a rogue."

"Yes, well, I have regrets about not being around to protect him. I should've been there to help."

The words Tanga had said so long ago, when she'd caught him pacing outside the den at Pride Rock, whispered through Chaka's head, making his heart feel hollow, yet unbearably heavy, under his ribs. He felt defeated as he walked with his head down, forcing himself to walk slowly for Natin, who gimped along on three paws. He'd figured Tswane would've at least paused to grab something for Natin's wounds, but he hadn't, saying he'd return after they'd secured the prisoners. The pair of scruffy rogues had stayed in front of the group where everyone could watch them. Chaka made up the rear. It would've been a lie to say he hadn't considered if the old lion and gangly mandrill were strong enough to stand any chance against stopping him from getting to Kovu. He had then realized how tender the strikes to his head and back were. He'd also sensed that Tojo hid a lot more of himself than he let on, despite his advanced age.

Natin's blood crusted on his muzzle, Chaka tried to swipe most of it away with his tongue as the faces of lionesses began to appear. They'd reached Pride Rock in the time it might have taken Chaka, on a good day, to run to Tswane's tree and then back to Pride Rock. By then, Natin was huffing and puffing, but when Chaka thought the young lion noticed the eyes on him and Kovu, Chaka was half-way amused to see the blue-eyed rogue lift his head and attempt to put more weight on his shredded leg as he walked.

In front of Chaka, Tojo came to a stop. "Where do you want them?" Tojo asked, keeping his voice level. The old king glanced unhappily up at the gathering onlookers who were not ashamed to openly gawk and glare at their prisoners.

"This way," Chaka replied, stepping to the front of the small group. Because he could feel Tojo and Tswane's eyes on him, he made sure to go around the prisoners on Natin's side and to stay away from Kovu. Where he wanted them wasn't far beyond the main den, but it was a place he'd only visited a time or two, mostly out of curiosity. Most of the other pride members wouldn't dream of going near Scar's cave, where his great uncle had lived out his days brooding about killing Mufasa and young Simba. Natin limped right in, but Kovu hesitated at the mouth of the small den, his anxious green eyes widening with confusion.

"What? Not homey enough for you?" Chaka inquired, smirking.

"Irony isn't becoming of you, Chaka." Out of the corner of his eye Tswane glared at him. "If there was a safer place for these two to stay, I'd say you'd better try and pick a different place than this," the mandrill stated sharply.

Natin half-turned around. He eyed the ceiling and the walls of the small den. His voice echoed slightly when he asked, "What is this place?"

Tswane answered. "Scar's old den."

A sharp growl at Chaka's side caused him to furtively switch his gaze to Tojo.

"Really. Is that what this is?" the old king stated with a hint of mock surprise in his displeased voice.

Chaka shrugged. "You heard Tswane. No place is safer than this."

By now, Kovu had made the effort to enter the cave and sit down near Natin. Chaka noticed both prisoners were focused on something behind their three wardens. Shadows on the ground also caught Chaka's eye, and he turned around to see that several angry-faced lionesses had followed them.

"Why aren't they dead?" one lioness barked, tossing her head back as she gestured to Kovu and Natin. Several called out in agreement.

"Are they gonna be dead soon?" another shouted.

Tojo stepped forward. He scanned the crowd of lionesses. "We need three lionesses to guard this den... You, you, and you."

Chaka noticed Tojo had picked only one lioness from his pride. The other two had come with Tojo from his. The Pridelander lioness also happened to be Suki, Neo and Isabis's mild-mannered mother.

I'm not surprised...

"Why isn't Kovu dead?" cried one lionesses as the three guards separated from the group and settled in around the mouth of the den. "You can't just leave us in the dark!"

"For now, you will be in the dark," Tojo told her tersely. "Now go back to what you were doing, please." He started forward, as if to herd them away, and Tswane did the same. "There's nothing for you here at this time."

The group of angry lionesses glared rebelliously at Tojo before turning away with a cumulative grumble.

Tojo then turned to the guards and gave them instructions to let nobody in or out of the den without prior permission, and also to not address the prisoners. In this time, Tswane said he would be back with something for Natin's wound and pain. While the mandrill made his leave, Tojo's back was still to Chaka...

"Stop. You're coming with me."

Chaka's body slumped mid-step. He had tried to slink away, tried to avoid the scolding he had coming, but it had been no use. When Tojo walked to Chaka's side and gestured for the younger lion to follow, Tojo's sharp blue eyes glared back at him without a hint of humility or tolerance.

"We're going to your watering hole."

Biting his tongue, Chaka quickly glanced over his shoulder at the den, but was disappointed to find that the inside was too shrouded in shadows for him to clearly see Kovu and Natin, who at least appeared to be talking and settling in.

Silently, Chaka followed Tojo to the watering hole. The old king then instructed Chaka to clean up his blood-crusted face and grass-blade-riddled fur and mane.

"Why are you still here?" Chaka lowered his head and dipped his face into the water. When he opened his eyes, his reflection, rippled by the beads of water dripping from his muzzle, was tinted pink. He resisted the urge to furrow his brow as the blood in the water gradually expanded and faded away.

"Why would I leave and give you what you've wanted all along?" Tojo nudged a small rock closer to Chaka. "Kovu and Natin served right up to you?"

Chaka sat up straighter and frowned hard at Tojo. "Well, now you see that I'm not all talk. I've done much worse to wild dogs... to the point I didn't know what they were anymore after I-"

"Stop... stop." While Chaka had been speaking, Tojo had started to slowly shake his head. "This is how you repay me for helping you?" Tojo growled. His upper lip twitched, momentarily letting slip one tooth. "I could've kept running past Tswane's tree, gotten my lionesses, and gone right back home. Clearly you know that. Bron and my son would know what to do once they returned with Kiara... But I didn't leave. Are you trying to impress me with how brutal you can be? Trying to make this harder on yourself than it has to be? I don't understand. Honestly, I don't."

To this, Chaka didn't have a retort. He just wanted to be left alone, but at the same time he knew nothing good would become of that. Lowering his head, he looked at his reflection again.

Why am I acting like this? Don't I want to be happy?

"Don't be proud, it's getting old," Tojo snapped. He shook his head again. "You can't afford to be proud right now. You need to make up your mind: are you a killer with the mentality of a cub, or are you something else?"

Chaka couldn't bear to let Tojo see his face, and he turned his head away. Disgust quickly started to well up on his chest again.

How did I totally lose control, and so easily? I haven't figured myself out.

Quietly, Chaka finally said, "Really... I... I wouldn't blame you if you did leave, Tojo."

"You're just angry," Tojo went on, his voice slightly less harsh. "You let your anger act and speak for you." He paused. "It's your first defense against everything."

Chaka snorted. "You think?"

"And I've never heard so much sarcasm from one creature."

Chaka sighed. His body started to feel heavy as the very last traces of adrenaline left him. He really wanted to find some place quiet to sleep where he could be alone.

"Chaka, look at your reflection again. Like you just were."

Chaka's focus went to the water. He couldn't see real clearly, but he knew there were still traces of blood at the corner of this mouth, and he could still taste blood on his teeth and tongue. His mane was bedraggled, and the expression on his one-eyed, scarred face was one of cool displeasure and jaded scorn. Next to him, he saw Tojo's perfect, commanding, imposing reflection. The old lion's chin was lifted, his observant blue eyes half-hooded.

"You can do better, Chaka," Tojo stated quietly. "Caking on more blood or adding to your collection of scars wouldn't improve your appearance."

The words burst from Chaka's mouth before he realized he'd even thought them. "My appearance is the least of my worries."

"What are you worried about most then?" Tojo pressed.

There were plenty of things he was worried about. Chaka took a deep breath and exhaled. Finally, he muttered, "What's inside..."

Tojo's rippling reflection smiled. "What made you say that?"

Now the answer came to Chaka so quickly he could barely get the words out of his mouth. "Because my family hates me. They keep putting up with me."

"They don't hate you. It's the anger they don't appreciate," Tojo corrected. "Trust me."

I'm so conflicted... I don't want to-"

"I don't want to hurt them more than Kovu has. With my anger," Chaka said, trying to register the epiphany.

"You spend too much time burdening yourself with these worries. I don't think you gain pleasure from hating Kovu, and it's become an addiction that only makes you unhappy. You need to make peace with yourself, Chaka. Stop thinking about these worries and do something about them."

Chaka's mind began to clear, and he frowned at Tojo's reflection again.. "What is there to do...?"

Tojo hesitated. "As hard as it will be, I suggest you make peace with Kovu first. He's your trigger."

"Of course he is-"

"Sarcasm, Chaka. You are angry with him because..."

Chaka growled quietly and thought for a moment. "...Because he let my family down when he was supposed to be protecting them in my place."

"Good. Very good." Tojo nodded slowly. "Now you're going to make peace with Kovu-"

"But-"

Tojo's tail smacked Chaka in the back. "It's not for him. It's for you. You need to let it go."

Chaka's mouth was set into a stubborn hard line. He looked up and stared hard at Tojo.

The old lion's expression softened. "At least try," Tojo coaxed. It was amazing how he was able to keep his voice so calm. "What can trying hurt?"

Maybe a lot, you don't know.

"Don't be such a pessimist, Chaka. All you have to do is tell him what you told me, about why you're angry with him."

Sounds too easy...

Chaka glanced to the side. "What if he laughs at me?"

Tojo started to chuckle. "That's what you're worried about now? Don't be so trivial." Tojo chuckled louder as he stood up. "I'll make sure Kovu doesn't laugh at you."

Chaka wasn't sure what to think. "Do I have to tell him now?"

Tojo shook his head. "I'll give you the rest of the day."

Chaka sighed wearily and stared off onto the savannah.

"And no running off. Keep cleaning yourself up."

Chaka rolled his eye. "Fine." He pulled a grimace as Tojo walked off. The lion made sure to make eye contact with Chaka before he went back to Pride Rock. He nodded once, and Chaka nodded back.

Great... I've got until the end of the day fester with my thoughts... Is that even enough time?

Kovu hadn't scanned the hostile mob for long before he realized that none of the angry, disgusted faces he saw belonged to the brown-eyed lioness he missed most. Because he knew she wasn't someone to hide, even from him, he knew what Chaka had said was true. Kiara really wasn't there.

He knew their reunion- when or even if there was going to be one- wouldn't be perfect, or as heartfelt as the one they'd had after Simba had exiled him from the Pride Lands years back. This didn't change how much he missed her or how he much he wanted her help to find their endangered children. He had to find them because, if anything, they were her cubs and half of her… even if the other half had come from him.

"What is this place?" Natin's voice had echoed through the modest den.

"Scar's old den."

"Really. Is that what this is?"

The palpable sarcasm in Tojo's cross voice had caught Kovu off guard, more so than the old king and Tswane's intervention between Chaka and Natin had. He was still reeling from Tojo and Tswane's tolerance for him and Natin, and their implicit power over Chaka confused him. He focused harder on what unspoken issue was happening between Kiara's brother, Tswane, and the old king, but he'd quickly become distracted by the mob of death-chanting lionesses who'd collected behind Tojo, Chaka, and Tswane.

"We need three lionesses to guard this den... You, you, and you."

When Tojo had picked out the guards, Kovu wasn't sure if they were there to keep Natin and himself in, or to keep the mob of lionesses at bay. A flash of fear ran through his anxious mind, but not exactly because he was terrified of being ripped to shreds by the lionesses.

"How long will they keep us here?" Natin had asked.

"I don't know…" Kovu had answered quietly. "Do you know what's going on with Chaka?"

Natin's head had gone back and forth. "Not a clue."

After they'd been secured, Chaka, Tojo, and Tswane had departed. Tswane had promised to return to look after Natin's wounds, and soon enough Natin had been dosed up to ease his pain with some leaves, which, judging by his nephew's sickened expression, must not have tasted too great. Tswane then placed a muddy-colored mixture directly to Natin's wound before he arranged seven large leaves and several tendrils under Natin's injured foreleg.

Natin's face was pinched in pain. "That stuff stings."

Bent over his patient, the shaman picked up both ends of one tendril. "More than Chaka's bite?" He then crossed the tendril's ends, lifting two leaves with it, and tied it tightly over the wound.

Natin hissed sharply. His other forepaw lifted slightly off the ground and his toes curled in discomfort.

Kovu studied the intense look of concentration on Tswane's face. The shaman certainly wasn't as young as he had been when he'd last been in the Pride Lands, but Kovu still wondered if this had been what Rafiki had looked like in his prime.

Tswane tightened the second tendril, his eyes still on Natin's wound. "I can't give you the answers if you don't ask the questions, Kovu."

Self-consciously, Kovu shifted his weight. He listened as Natin hissed in pain again, and cringed.

What do I want to ask? What should I ask?

"What's up with Chaka?" Natin blurted right before the last tendril could be pulled taut, and he gave a grunt of pain.

"Please be more specific."

"Why," Kovu started, "are you treating Chaka like a cub? And why don't you want him to kill us? Why should you or Tojo care at all?"

"All of you have been acting like cubs. Chaka's just the biggest," Tswane replied evenly as he finished tying off Natin's bandage. "I care that he doesn't kill you for a number of reasons. One, because I don't care for murder." The shaman stepped back and brushed his paws together, cleaning off the bits of medicinal mixture from his fingertips. "Two, because murdering you isn't what he or this kingdom needs right now; and three, I didn't want to take the trouble to clean up after all three of you did each other in."

Kovu grimaced in distaste, but then raised a brow when he saw the small smile on Tswane's face. His eyebrow rose higher when Tswane came forward and rested a paw on Kovu's shoulder. The gesture was surprisingly kind.

"You understand I risked a lot by stopping him, right?" Tswane glanced at Natin, who looked back at him with drooping eyelids as the leaves he'd eaten relaxed him.

Natin smirked back. "Yeah, right, he can't kill you with that lethal stick of yours."

"I am that good, but I said I risked 'a lot', not 'my life'. I think you should lie down, Natin." Tswane then turned back to Kovu. "Rafiki did what he had to do, you should understand that. I'll help you as much as I can. You just use your head to make the right choices," he went on. "Chaka trusted me and Tojo enough to make the right choices for this pride because he couldn't do it himself- not that he's incapable of making decisions. He's learning. But you heard what Tojo said... I don't think you would at this point, but if you make any move otherwise to prove us wrong…" At this, Tswane drew a finger across his throat. "I won't be able to talk my head off any more to save you."

Even though Kovu was tired of hearing this threat in various forms, he realized the look on Tswane's face wasn't cruel, but sympathetic.

"Your family has been out of balance for too long. I don't know everything that you've been through, but I'm telling you this because I believe you're capable of proving Chaka wrong." Tswane's grip tightened on Kovu's shoulder. "Prove to him you're not the monster he sees in his imagination... And maybe an apology wouldn't hurt, either. Someone should apologize first, and I don't think it'll be Chaka."

Kovu's eyes drifted to the stone at his paws. He wondered how many sleepless nights Scar had spent pacing that den. "I talked to the Council, and they told me I owed a lot of apologies to those who I've wronged."

Tswane's eyes widened a bit. "Hmm, you talked to them, did you?"

"They brought Natin back from the dead."

"Oh... Well..." Tswane rubbed the back of his neck. "If I was anybody but me, I'd say that was crazy talk... But do me a favor- if you tell Chaka that little detail, soften the blow?"

Kovu nodded, knowing that if he hadn't seen Natin's resurrection happen for himself, he wouldn't have believed it either. He knew, however, that because Asuma and Tanga had seen Natin fade away with their own eyes, and because he had every intention of finding his children, Chaka would hear about it eventually. And if the three guards at the mouth of the den were any good, they'd just heard that detail, too.

Tswane pulled away and went to Natin's side. By now, the young lion had fallen fast asleep, the exhaustion having melted from his face, which was beginning to look much older than it should. The shaman looked over his handiwork.

After a moment, Kovu cleared his parched throat. He had to ask... "Where is Kiara if she's not here?"

Satisfied with Natin's bandages, Tswane stood up to his full height and picked up his staff, which had been leaning against the stone wall near the den entrance. "She's gone to bring Timon and Pumbaa back from the oasis. Tojo wants to talk to them. She left very early this morning with Tojo's son, before dawn. She should be back tomorrow evening at the latest."

Kovu pursed his mouth. This wasn't good news.

Will I have to wait that long? Did Asuma's plan work? Does that mean he is in mortal danger? What's even going to happen to me?

Tswane picked at the decorations on his staff. When one of the dried gourds fell off and shattered, the shaman kicked at the bits and frowned. "Darn... I was hoping I didn't have to fix this. Oh, well, I guess..." He then started walking towards the mouth of the small cell. "You'll probably have an audience with Chaka by sundown. I'd get some rest, Kovu. Natin'll be out until morning probably. Do you want me to bring you some water?"

"Yes... thanks." Even if he'd refused, the hoarseness of Kovu's voice would've given him away.

With a nod, Tswane left him alone with Natin and the three guards posted at the entrance. For a moment, Kovu closed his eyes before turning his head absently to look at the back of the den. Bleary-eyed, his green eyes fell upon ten, jagged, pale marks on the back wall. It was as if someone had used the whole length of their body to claw down the face of the stone. Along the ground he thought he could see a few bone shards, too.

Kovu sighed, finally allowing the full weight of his exhaustion to hit him. His muscles and paws grieved him after running so hard. If the shaman knew anything at all, it was that he could use the rest. He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept longer than a few hours.

Though, I could use a bit more than just rest, he thought. I need luck... and not the kind that's been following me around. And Chaka's patience... if he has any.

Natin slept only about the length of Kovu's body away from him. Resting his chin on his paws, Kovu heaved another heavy sigh and closed his heavy eyes.

I have to find them. I have to help Asuma and Tanga and bring them home... I have to. No matter what...

Generous was how Chaka would've described the amount of time he'd taken that afternoon to prepare himself to at least hear Kovu's story. He thought he'd heard everything...

Apparently not.

Gathered in the main den inside Pride Rock at sunset, Chaka made himself patiently listen while Kovu described his adventures away from home- from Vitani's murder to his abandonment of the princes and princess- but he'd started to grow impatient as he tried to absorb the rest.

What's all this about the Council wanting Asuma to be king? And some sort of 'test'? And Kovu's dreams- How could he sanely believe he'd actually helped Asuma and Tanga through his dreams? And how could Natin come back from the dead? How, by the Great Kings, was that possible?

"I know what you're thinking," Kovu spoke up in a pleading voice. He took a deep breath after his long-winded fairytale. "But I swear I am not lying. I'm telling you the truth..." Kovu glanced away and added more quietly, "I actually wish everything that's happened were a lie."

Chaka leveled a narrowed dubious glare at Kovu. He waited for Tojo and Tswane, who were sitting behind Kovu, to speak up, but they remained silent. Their expressions were observant, but neutral. So far, they'd only listened to the conversation between the murderous rogue and the Pridelander heir. Acknowledging that they were only there to make sure he didn't kill Kovu, Chaka rolled his eye and gave a dismissive shrug. Addressing Kovu, he asked, "What proof do you have that you aren't lying?"

Kovu opened his mouth.

"And don't say Natin's your alibi."

Kovu closed his mouth. He then looked down at the stone at his paws. "I have nothing then. At least until I find Asuma and Tanga."

Chaka sighed in frustration. The den was too hot, too stuffy, too closed in. This interrogation was going nowhere, and his uneasiness was rising. He briefly glanced at the two stoic figures behind Kovu.

At some point, Tojo expects me to try and make amends with this nut-job in some way... Wonder how I'll bring that up...

He was seriously starting to think he wouldn't be able to do it...

Chaka inwardly growled. But I have to!

Then, Kovu loudly cleared his throat. "I have something else to say to you..."

Coolly, Chaka raised a brow. "Now what?"

Kovu blinked slowly, as if he were choosing his words carefully. In a dry, scratchy voice, he calmly said, "I'm sorry... Chaka... for... hurting everyone."

"What?" Chaka's disbelieving gaze snapped to Kovu's tired face. The harsh tone of his voice made Kovu flinch a little. "What?" he stammered again, feeling a twinge of anger. Through gritted teeth he spat out his words in contempt, "For hurting everyone...? No! Hurting everyone is the least you could say!"

Kovu looked down for a moment, but then he looked up and held Chaka's glare. His voice was just above a whisper at first, but then it grew stronger. "I'm sorry... Chaka, for taking your father away from you, for causing your mother and sister pain. Especially your mother... I ruined your life..."

Chaka felt his lip twitch. Like a starving hawk searching the land for a meal, he searched his enemy's face for any trace of dishonesty, any trace of insincerity.

"...But PLEASE..." Kovu went on, his gaze hardening despite the tremor in his voice. "Please help Asuma and Tanga...I've already punished them enough. You can kill me for all I care the second they're both safe again. You are their only chance. I lost my chance to protect them, and I can't help them alone. I have no right to call them my children. I'm no father to them, but you're the one who replaced me when I caused Simba's death. I promise I have every reason to tell the truth now, and I am. They're in danger."

Chaka's eyes widened at the onslaught of words pouring from Kovu's mouth. The tension in the room tripled, and he knew it was because Tojo and Tswane were watching, waiting, for his reaction. He'd never expected Kovu to bear his soul like this. Hadn't thought it possible at all.

And I thought he was gonna laugh at me.

His appeals to Chaka's supposed paternal side were clever, but Chaka found that they stung more than swayed him to help Kovu. Looking hard to inflict pain on the monster who'd taken his father away from him, Chaka wasn't surprised he'd become someone who was so out of control, deaf, and unhappy. He was unsure of what happiness really was, he hadn't felt it in so long. It didn't make him happy to hear Kovu apologize to him, far from it, but as he sat there, Asuma and Tanga's faces crept into the forefront of his mind. They weren't just his family's only heirs, but they were also the cubs he had seen grow up, suffering because of someone else's actions, always playing by someone else's rules, never actually controlling the direction their lives took. Chaka knew he'd played his part in letting them down, which was probably why he'd tried to push as much responsibility onto Kiara as she'd let him.

Kovu had lowered his head, his scarred face hidden by his dark brown mane, and his skinny form hunched. He looked like he was just waiting for a pack of buzzards to pick him up and fly him off to the underworld, waiting for the long-coming execution order to come down on his head. Outside the sun was setting, casting Kovu in a shadow that extended to the tips of Chaka's paws.

I might hate him... but he's right. Asuma and Tanga can't suffer any more than they already have.

Chaka closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Noisily, the air exited through his nostrils. The silence that had fallen in the cave was killing him. He had to keep calm! He had to- he wanted to- so badly! Opening his good eye, he first focused on Kovu before his gaze flitted to Tojo, who did nothing more than offer a small, prompting nod.

The time for Chaka to change his pattern of rage was now, he knew that much, and there was no escaping it.

Chaka took another deep breath before grounding out, his eyes still on Tojo's face, "Sit up straight and look at me in the face, Kovu."

With some hesitation, Kovu lifted his head. As his battered body rose up, his green eyes- demon-hunted eyes- met Chaka's fierce stare. The rogue blinked tiredly, but after a moment he managed to lift his chin a fraction.

Chaka swallowed, desperately trying to hide his anger and nervousness as he looked into the eyes of his sister's mate, the father of Tanga and Asuma, the son of Zira, the heir of Scar, the killer of Simba. He dug down deep, past his hatred and the betrayal, and said tautly, "What you did to the pride, harming them instead of protecting them in my place, was deplorable. If you'd done that in the pride I came from, we wouldn't be sharing the same air in this den right now... Maybe there's a reason why I didn't get to grow up here," he went on, "and maybe there isn't a reason. What matters is that we're both here. Right now. And that Tanga and Asuma are out there somewhere in danger. I-"

Suddenly, there was a burst of activity at the den entrance. Tojo and Tswane turned completely around to look while Kovu, slightly wide-eyed, remained frozen, aside from swiveling his ears. Tojo's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. A blue bird landed near the old king.

"Bron?" Tojo exclaimed, his tone harsh. "Why are you here? Where's Kiara and my son?"

Tswane frowned. "They can't have returned from the oasis this quickly."

The bird's stance was unsteady. He wheezed, "Th'queen, Kiara, sent m'here... to-to-to... Tanga, the princess, has been found!"

Chaka's eyes widened and his jaw dropped, too. He never thought he'd see his niece again. "Is she safe?"

The bird nodded furiously. "Yes, yes! She's bit exhausted'n body an' spirit."

Now Kovu moved and started towards the bird. He exclaimed, "And Asuma? My son!"

The bird fidgeted, looking nervous and irritated, but unhappy. "They dunno, sir. Th'fear th'worst."

From across the cave, Chaka narrowed his stare and sensed the bird was holding something important back. He opened his mouth, but Tojo broke in first. Calmly, slowly, the old king asked Bron, "And what about the one named Natin? Kiara's nephew? What news is there about him?"

Chaka's body tensed as he watched the bird's expression grow even more grave. The bird seemed to take forever to reply.

"Sir... Natin died ina stampede. That th'do know."

Chaka immediately jerked his head in Kovu's direction, knowing in his mind that he was openly gaping at the rogue. It didn't matter, though, because Kovu was doing the same thing.

"It wasn't just a dream..." Chaka thought Kovu murmured. "I'm not so crazy... I did talk to Asuma..."

Before anyone could say anything else, Tojo bumped Chaka's foreleg with his paw and motioned for him to follow him outside, just out of earshot of the others. The king whispered, "This lines up with what Kovu said about Tanga going to the oasis, now doesn't it? Bron also just told you what has become of your misguided nephew- Natin's certainly worse for wear, but he's not dead."

Chaka looked side-long at the old king. Had everything in Kovu's story really happened? He replied, tight-lipped, "I s'pose it does... So I guess that means-"

"Asuma is facing the lioness pride alone."

Whipping around, Chaka stared blankly at Kovu, who had wandered out of the den as if he'd just seen a ghost.

Now what the hell am I supposed to do with you? What the hell am I supposed to do about Asuma?

As Tojo moved away to speak with Bron, Kovu lowered his head and squeezed his eyes shut tight. The dark-furred lion then sat down heavily. Chaka was still deep in shock when Kovu muttered something he didn't quite catch all the way, only hearing the word 'run'.

"Come again?"

Chaka flinched when Kovu sniffed and said, "I told him to run away. He wanted to fight them."

"In that dream of yours?"

Kovu nodded. "He wanted to so... Tanga could get away."

Chaka grimaced, knowing what Kovu's statement implied. Absently, he watched as Tojo spoke quietly with Tswane. Tojo himself turned and looked back at Chaka with dread in his blue eyes. Chaka then looked away and turned his attention back to Kovu, whose head was still lowered in misery.

"We'll... We'll find him," Chaka told his enemy akwardly. "Even if- We won't stop until we find Asuma. You can count on it."

His body giving a shake, Kovu acknowledged him with nod.

Chaka sighed through his teeth.

It's probably going to be easier said than done.

A/N: Enjoy this chapter? I hope you did! It was super hard to orchestrate and pace! *faints* I normally PM my regular readers for reviewing, but I just wanted to say that I really enjoy reading your reviews, dudes and ladies! :)

There's still a decent amount of content left, but my outline feels a bit sparse. So, I wanted to ask if readers wanted the characters A) to just go from the Pride Lands to the oasis and skip Kovu and co. going through the desert, or B) to have some sort of an actiony opportunity for Kovu and Chaka to 'bond' in between? I'm leaning towards B because I need to write something other than dialogue. :B