Chapter XXV

Kovu and Vitani wandered side by side out into the vast plains of the Pride Lands, calmly and deeply breathing to take in the fresh air around them. Night was settling in the sky, and only on the most distant part of the horizon behind Pride Rock could any shade of pink be seen from what was left of the sunlight.

The two siblings treaded forth away from Pride Rock, calmly enjoying the touch of grass against their paws in the early hours of night with the sounds of insects chirping off in the distance. As they did, many thoughts ran through their minds, especially Kovu's, for he really did wish to speak with his sister at that time. Vitani sighed.

"Well that was one hell of a fanfic, huh?" She said. Kovu nodded.

"Tell me about it. I haven't known Timon for that long, but clearly someone out there knows him better than any of us."

"Whether that be for better or for worse, that is."

They laughed softly at that comment for a moment before Kovu looked ahead to the horizon, staring in awe at the vibrance of the stars against a dark purple sky.

"It sure is beautiful out tonight." He said to himself. The lion cleared his throat after that.

"Hey Vitani?" He started. "Can I talk to you about something?"

The lioness gave him an odd look for a moment, but after a moment of silence she nodded. "Yeah, what is it?"

Kovu was rather reluctant to say anything before he finally asked her, "Well there's something I've been wondering. When... when you and Kopa went out to the Water Hole that day, was that what got you pregnant?"

At first he flinched, expecting his sister to slash him in the face for such a question. But surprisingly, her calm tone persisted. She replied casually,

"Nah, it happened before that. That was just us needing to forget about what we saw in the art, you know?"

Kovu snickered playfully at her, seeing now that she wasn't in another mood swing... as far as he knew, that is. "So you wanted to forget about the pictures by doing exactly what it is you were doing in them?"

Catching onto his somewhat frisky tone, she replied, "Well not exactly. Last time I checked, you weren't exactly the one I was doing it with there."

Kovu shuddered. "You don't have to tell me twice."

There was a brief pause as the two siblings continued moving across the savannah, feeling the soft breeze rustle their fur ever so gently. Kovu cleared his throat again, which got Vitani's attention. Now was his time to make use of the real reason he had tagged along with her for this in the first place.

"Hey, why did you ask if that was what did it?" The lioness asked. Kovu replied,

"Well... I wanted to say that I think you'll do fine with the cubs, Vitani."

Unexpectedly, he nuzzled her earnestly, which comforted her somewhat. He went on, "You'll be a great mother to them. I... I wanted to tell you that. That's why I came with you for this, really."

Vitani's eyes widened with surprise. "You really think so?" She asked. Kovu nodded.

"I know so."

Vitani smiled at her brother sincerely as the two sat down next to one another in the grass, looking at each other as the wind ruffled the lion's mane ever so gently. He pushed it aside out of his eyes with his paw.

"Hey Kovu?" Vitani asked softly. "I've kind of wanted to ask you something too... Why haven't you you and Kiara had any cubs yet? I mean I know Simba went crazy when you guys first mentioned it, but he's bound to have cooled down by now."

Kovu sighed and looked down to the grass, which was waving slightly in the wind. "Well... I-I know about the traditions Simba follows. The one about not needing an heir until you're king."

Vitani replied, "But you're not going to be king. Kopa is."

Kovu paused. "I know, but..."

The lion found it difficult to find the right way to word this to his sister, especially when it came to what he was about to bring up. Deciding to take the chance, he reluctantly blurted out,

"D-do you remember what happened before with the ambush I accidentally led him to?"

He immediately braced himself for her reaction with another mood swing, expecting the worst. But surprisingly, she just scoffed. "Ugh, don't remind me." She replied.

Seeing as though she wasn't going to be mad about it, he sighed in relief as he went on. "Yeah. To be honest, I... still feel bad about that whole thing and how I almost got him killed. Even if it is behind us now, I still feel horrible about what I must've put him through because of that."

Vitani stared blankly at her brother with worry and a hint of confusion. She knew now that he was feeling uneasy about this. "Do you mean with the battle the next day?" she guessed. Kovu shook his head.

"Well that too, but... I was talking about him thinking I left the Outsiders and then the one time he trusted me it nearly got him killed. I hate to think what I put him through mentally, mostly."

Vitani raised an eyebrow. "Kovu, what does this have to do with-?"

Kovu interrupted her, at last getting to the heart of his point. "But because he was willing to forgive me with all that and still let me be with Kiara, I figured I could at least wait a while before making his own daughter go through having a kid or two. You know, show some respect and be patient about it. That's why we haven't had any cubs yet."

Vitani's mouth opened slightly at her brother's unexpected answer, slowly becoming amazed at his words. At first she didn't even know what to say to such a thing since she never would've expected such reasoning from him.

"That's very considerate of you, Kovu." Was the only thing she could come up with. The lion nodded and managed to even crack a smile at his sister.

"It's the least I could do after the whole incident. I don't want to just go right at Kiara and have a kid as fast as I can... as much as I'd like to."

Vitani gently laughed at that comment before he went on. "I want to be able to show Simba I can wait to have my own cubs for a bit and really prove to him that accepting me was a good idea."

Vitani inhaled loudly when he finished this, feeling rather astounded at what he was saying. She scooted in closer to him.

"Wow. T-that's deep, Kovu. That's nice."

"Thanks." He replied. "I mean imagine of he accepted me and then I just get busy with her the night after... even though we kind of did, but you know what I mean. Getting her pregnant so soon just seems too ignorant and... well, rude for me."

"And she's okay with this too?"

"Yes. Kiara's fine with waiting for same reasons too."

The lioness at that moment in time felt esteemed for her brother. For quite some time she had wondered why he had not become a father yet, especially with how long he had officially been with Kiara. Beforehand she could only guess that it had something to do with not being able to handle the responsibility of having a child. But apparently that was not the case. Silence fell upon them once more until Vitani broke it.

"You know Kovu?" She started, making him perk up. "You and Kiara are the only couple I know that's both so raunchy and so self-restrained at the same time. "

"What do you mean?" Kovu asked. She continued,

"I mean you two haven't gone more than three days without going at it since your wedding, and I know you're both horny as hell for each other in general."

Kovu simply blushed. "Yeah..." He said reluctantly, unable to deny that.

"But I also know it's not all about that for you two." She said with her tone becoming more sincere. "You waited two weeks after Zira died to make it official, and now you tell me you guys want to wait to have a kid just to show Simba some respect. There's gotta be something to that."

The two paused and let the sound of the wind whistle in their ears until they eventually looked at each other once again.

"Somehow you're both insanely horny and self-restrained at the same time. That's really nice, Kovu."

Her brother nodded. "Thanks."

Then, Vitani looked away from him and sighed sadly. "I just wish it was the same with Kopa and I." she mumbled to herself.

Despite what she wanted or intended, Kovu picked up on this comment and knew that she was talking about her own pregnancy. He suddenly grew concerned for his sister, showing it on his face. "Ah, don't blame yourself for it." He said in a comforting voice. Vitani shook her head.

"No, I should. I should've controlled myself that night since I started it, but... I just wanted to have my own cub so badly, you know? I..."

Kovu could tell that she was having a hard time putting her thoughts into words. "What?"

"I wanted to be the mother we never had." She said unexpectedly turning back to face him. Anxious guilt began to ever so slightly rise in her voice. "That was why I started it. I wanted to be able to have our own kids so I could give them the life none of us ever had. We were talking about Zira right before it happened, and I was still so angry with her for putting everyone through so much hell, and then he was talking about how I would be a better mother than her so I-"

Kovu leaned into his sister and nuzzled her again, placing a paw on her shoulder. She stopped speaking and listened as Kovu said,

"It's alright, Vitani. I get it. I understand. Personally, I don't blame you. I mean you're in love with Kopa since childhood, he's taken from you for years, and then he shows back up right when someone would usually be at the age to have their cubs."

It took a moment to contemplate that before Vitani chuckled to herself as she replied, "Hey, sounds like what happened with Simba and Nala that night in the jungle."

The two of them laughed jokingly at that comment, realizing now that the situation did in fact sound similar to what happened with Simba and Nala before them. They soon calmed down as Vitani sighed.

"You know, Kovu?" She said. "Thanks. I think this is exactly what I needed here."

Vitani brought her face in closer to Kovu's. "You're welcome." He said. "I think you will give them the lives we didn't have. You'll do great."

Vitani nodded. "Thank you. But what about you?" She said. "I think you and Kiara are ready to have your own cubs too."

"You think so?" He asked. The lioness nodded. "Absolutely. You could teach them great things if this is any indication. Hell, if you can care for your cubs even half as much as you care for Kiara, you'll be set."

"I could say the same thing to you and Kopa." Kovu replied earnestly.

Following this, a moment of silence passed as they both thought about some things. As a matter of fact, Kovu did always want to have his own children, as did Kiara. Even though he was never quite so afraid of the responsibilities they would undoubtedly be, he still was sensitive about the notion for Simba and how touchy his father-in-law most likely was about it. He went on,

"Maybe I could talk to Kiara about it tonight, then. Do you think I'd have to talk to Simba too, though? I mean, this is his daughter we're talking here."

Vitani shook her head. "Nah. Just go for it, Kovu. You've been together with her longer than I've been with Kopa and we're already having them. If you ask me, you've waited long enough, you've given Simba the respect you wanted to."

Kovu bowed his head in thought for a bit. "Maybe..."

"And besides", she went on. "Kiara can't ask Simba for everything for the rest of her life. She can decide things for herself without him, especially when it comes to this."

"Yeah..." Kovu said, acceptance rising in his voice.

"Even if Simba doesn't approve for some reason, what's he going to do? Exile you again? If he didn't want you to have them, he probably never would've let you marry her to begin with. He knew damn well it was going to happen. All of us did."

She placed a paw on his shoulder before continuing her heartfelt speech to support her brother. "Having a cub is your choice, Kovu. Not his. And although I think it's noble that you want to respect Simba by waiting, I think you're just being paranoid. I say it's time to go for it the same way Kopa and I did without asking. And look at us, he didn't freak out on Kopa. If you ask me, I think he's going to be fine with it."

Slowly, Kovu looked back up to her and smiled sincerely. He sighed.

"Thanks, Vitani. You know what? Maybe I am ready. I want to have my own cubs, actually... we have waited long enough!"

"Yeah, that's it." Vitani said supportively. "You guys deserve them for sure."

"So do you and Kopa."

The two laughed softly together, embracing one another warmly as Kovu hugged his sister for comfort and both of them purring gently.

"I love you, Vitani." He said sincerely. Vitani purred.

"I love you too." She replied.

A tender brother-sister moment passed between them there in the grassy field as the last glimmers of sunlight disappeared behind Pride Rock, leaving only the stars to give them light now.

Kovu whispered into Vitani's ear, "Hey, thanks for not freaking out on me this time.", amazed that she'd gone this long without an outburst of any kind.

Without warning however, she grabbed onto his back and forcefully sank her claws into it, making him twinge with sudden pain.

"Don't push it." She replied through gritted teeth.

That night, Kovu and Vitani returned to Pride Rock and reunited with their mates in the den. All of them ate well once more thanks to the huntresses. A few of them asked why Minara had been gone so long, but the lioness decided that it'd be best to wait until morning to answer. She promised her hunting party that they'd also get an explanation for the laptop at the same time, so that managed to keep them quiet about that for the time being.

While each of them ate the day's kill in the center of the den, one of the lionesses finally got around to asking Minara just what it was that made the Water Hole taste so foul, remembering why they had sent her to Pride Rock in the first place. When she asked, Kopa and Vitani both perked up and winced in fear, remembering the situation from before and the embarrassment it caused.

Simba came up to Minara and the other lionesses with an odd look on his face, sighing before he spoke.

"Well... yes, I know why the water tastes different, everyone." He said calmly.

Nala, Kiara, Kovu, and Minara all turned their attention to Simba with some worry on their faces now, suddenly intent on hearing what he was going to say. Kopa and his mate both stood up and abruptly took a step back, ready to sprint out of the den at any second. Tensing their faces up and shutting their eyes tightly, they both braced themselves for the reactions knowing full well that Simba was about to spill their secret to the whole pride. They were certain that not a one of the huntresses would ever let them hear the end of it.

But then, something unexpected happened. Simba paused before suddenly saying to the twenty lionesses, "Vitani and Kopa were both out hunting together when they chased after a zebra. It ran into the water and they killed it there."

Kopa's eyes shot wide open again, as did Vitani's. They stared blankly upon him the pride with some confusion as Simba went on with these unforeseen words. "Kopa was with her because she was tense about her pregnancy, and she wanted to have him with her to help her... relax."

Simba put an odd emphasis on the word 'relax', but none of the lionesses seemed to pick up on it. A few of them nodded.

"So something did die in there, then!" One of them said, turning her head to the others while smiling. "I told you that's what I smelt in the water! I know the scent of dead body anywhere."

Deciding to ignore the irony in that statement, Kopa and Vitani's mouths both fell open in shock and their eyes widened in amazement. It took them a while to truly comprehend it, but Simba had actually used the same lie Kopa had told when the others found out about their actions in the Water Hole. They realized that their secret was not going to be let loose. Nala, Kiara and Kovu all smiled upon hearing what Simba said.

Minara gave the king a strange look at first, but he merely winked at her, signaling for her to keep quiet about it.

Simba turned around and faced his son on the other side of the dead carcass between them. He gave them both a warm smile, and the two of them did the same in return. Kopa's posture lightened and he walked over to Simba with all of his other family members watching. Stepping in front of him, he put his paws around his father's back and embraced him warmly, their manes gently rubbing against one another. When this happened, Nala and Kiara both gasped with happiness, realizing what was going on here. Nala in particular seemed thankful for her mate's compassion for their son, and Kiara also appeared happy that her brother was just spared a lifetime of ridicule. Kovu grinned approvingly.

Kopa looked up and winked to his father in a friendly fashion, now indescribably grateful for what Simba had just done. And the king merely nodded. Deciding not to question anything, the prince whispered the words "Thank you, dad... thank you. You have no idea how much you just saved our asses." to the king. Although Kopa had trouble hearing it, Simba quietly whispered back,

"We'll call this a family secret."

From there, the lionesses never would find out what truly happened in the Water Hole to change its taste. Despite saying otherwise, Simba had indeed covered for his son and spared him and his mate a lifetime of embarrassment and ridicule from the entire pride. He was better than to let that happen to his own son, and from then on Kopa considered it a warm act of forgiveness that he would thank him for on many occasions afterword. Even though Nala, Kiara, Kovu and Minara also know the truth, they would never reveal it to the pride either. Some things truly were better left unknown.

Later that night, Kovu did in fact tell Kiara in private about his talk with Vitani, repeating to her what she had told him. And after hearing those same supportive and comforting words as he did, she had finally become wholly comfortable in becoming a parent, saying that she too was now ready for it. They made sure that no one else would find out until they would be ready to hear of it.

When Simba, the huntresses, and everyone else had fallen asleep and the laptop had been shut and put to the side for another calm night, Kovu and Kiara had only pretended to fall asleep beside one another while excitement secretly rose within their bodies. In the dead of night, they both snuck out of the den and went far out into the savannah plains together. In fact, the heartfelt couple had returned to the very site on the same grassy hillside where they had looked up to the star formations that night so long ago. And there, they mated intimately beneath the stars like they had done so many times before, this time fully prepared to have their own child as a result of it.

Even though Kovu knew for certain he was going to have to deal with the reaction from Simba, he hoped for the best as to what it would be.

Author's Note: To make up for the delayed updates here, I decided to compensate by posting this chapter earlier than usual. I wanted this one to be another one of those heartfelt ones with true emotion behind it, and I consider this to be the companion chapter to Chapter XII. It's a bit of a risk, but hey, so is most of what I've done with this so far. And I'm willing to take it just to see what works and what doesn't for future reference, like any good writer should.

Speaking of which, to keep things fresh around here, I'll be trying something different with the next chapter or two and then it'll go back to the fanfics. Next up, they will be covering something that's actually rather notorious around the Lion King fan base (If the message boards are anything to go by, at least), and something I've wanted to tear a new one since the start of this. Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud(?) to announce that next up, they will be watching Confused Matthew's review of The Lion King. Oh joy...

Also, I don't think it takes a genius to figure out that the last part of this chapter was an intentional reference to one of my other more experimental stories. Which one, I'll let you decide.