Disclaimer: I own nothing written about in this story.

Pursuit

AN: So, originally, this was slated to be Aristocats, but after I heard about Disney's plans for a certain TV series, well I just couldn't help myself. Note that pretty much everything I wrote about here was purely speculation and I honestly have no clue how they will utilize the new characters.

Chapter Eight – of a Guard

Terra frowned in his sleep and grumbled at the weight bouncing around on his chest. He had decided to take a nap after they arrived at their newest, though familiar, vacation world. He grumbled again and turned over, attempting to dissuade the disturbance on his person. Even in his half-asleep state he could guess at the offender's identity, but a proper rebuke required him to wake up and he honestly didn't feel like doing so yet. For whatever reason, his current form always seemed to make him feel lazy and just all around unmotivated. Maybe it was the beast's metabolism, programed to conserve energy. Maybe it was the already warm morning sun in the sky, causing his body to relax and feel sluggish. Then again, maybe he was just simply enjoying a moment of peace, that is, up until a few moments ago.

Because, unfortunately, his son had no such deficiency in the energy department and every intention of sharing it. "Dad, come on Dad, are you gonna sleep all day?"

That was the idea, Terra thought as he eased his eyes open to mere slits and let out an enormous yawn which phased into a lazy roar. He raised his heavily maned head to give Eraq a thoroughly annoyed look before rightly shoving him off his torso, earning a startled yowl from the youngster. "Get off," he muttered grumpily before dropping his head back to the grassy ground. He sighed in exasperation when the cub began tugging at one of his brown ears persistently.

"Come on Dad," Eraq whined with his father's thick-furred ear between his teeth. "We're lions! We should be hunting stuff!"

Terra sighed and turned over to his other side, causing the cub to release his hold and step back so as not to be squished. "Sorry runt," he told him and placed a giant paw on him, pinning his tiny body to the ground with little to no effort. "Hunting is for girls in this world."

"Aww Dad!" Eraq growled, half frustrated and half playful as he struggled to escape his father's hold, his teal-black hair tuft fluffed out and messy. "Lemme go already!"

Terra ignored his young son's yowls and his struggle to escape. He looked up to see Aqua lying a few feet away, her lioness form once again blue and powerful looking. She didn't appear to be effected by their noisy tussle in the slightest. In fact, she looked serene, with her head held up and her eyes closed, as though she were enjoying the light breeze passing over their grassy hilltop.

His gaze drifted briefly to see that Ven and Zack were off a good distance so as not to disturb his nap, both of them tumbling around sparring and testing out their powerful new bodies. Their pelts perfectly reflected their normal human hair color as usual, with Ven being a brilliant golden yellow and Zack a striking ebony on the landscape, both of them sporting magnificent, flowing manes.

Rin and Angelo sat close by the dueling duo, apparently finding the activity entertaining. Rin's lioness form was just as dark as Zack's, though she naturally lacked his bulk and the crown of a mane. Angelo once again hadn't been graced with an alteration and remained in her dog form, though oddly enough, they could all still communicate with her as in the previous world.

Tiny, sharp daggers yanked Terra's thoughts back to his son as his paw recoiled automatically, releasing the cub. "You bit me!" Terra growled, trying to sound indignant though his breath hitched with a stifled chuckle.

"Sorry Dad, but you wouldn't let me go!" Eraq defended quickly, a pensive, wild look about him as his tail snapped around.

"You'd better run!" Terra roared playfully, his shoulder muscles bunching as he prepared to stand. He couldn't hold back a bark of laughter when his son's eyes went wide before darting off to flee. But Terra was too fast and even with all his bulk he managed to pin the cub in one leap. "Got you!" he chuckled maniacally. "Now for the punishment to fit the crime."

"No!" Eraq practically howled in desperation and squirmed in his father's hold, for he knew what would follow. "Not that, please!"

Terra ignored the pathetic pleas and commenced his tickle torture, nuzzling the cub's stomach and bathing his head in licks that produced a crazed laughter out of him. "Mom-" he puffed between a quick breath. "Help!"

Terra scoffed at his son's call for a rescue and proceeded with his torture mercilessly; Aqua never interfered with- "Oof! What the?" He suddenly felt his breath knocked out of his lungs as he was promptly shoved a good five feet away. He looked up to see Aqua standing over Eraq, checking him as he recovered from his forced laughter session. She met Terra's confused, gaping gaze with her own, though hers was arrogant and tipped slightly to the side, her blue tail flicking playfully.

Terra blinked at her. Had he just been challenged, by his own wife? He felt his maw tug into a wicked smirk as he dropped into a crouch. "Challenge accepted."

Aqua crouched low as well, prepared to meet his assault with her own. "Get him Mom!" Eraq cheered as he sat up, his breathing still slightly labored from laughing.

As if the cub's words were a signal, Terra lunged and Aqua met his charge, both rearing and striking gently, with claws safely sheathed and teeth careful not to wound as they tumbled and rounded on each other.

Aqua grappled his thick mane and threw her weight masterfully, making him tip forward, unbalanced and headfirst. Not wasting an instant, she leaped over him as he rolled, batting his head as she went. Terra growled low in irritation but launched himself at her in retaliation, resuming their tussle.

It was times like these when Terra could truly reminisce and appreciate how far they had come together. Every time they sparred, with keyblades or otherwise, he felt himself drifting back to days when life with her was so blissful and simple. When neither of them were masters, and all that mattered was matching strike for strike, dodging in order to counter. They were simply just Terra and Aqua, with nothing in between, moving to and fro with the rhythm of their duel as if keeping perfectly in tune with an elaborate dance. Their dance. It would always be their dance, and no one else would ever know the steps.

Suddenly overcome by a fierce wave of emotion, Terra missed a step, staggering and Aqua took full advantage of his hesitation. She once again grabbed at his neck and flipped him, pinning him to the ground, to which he relented with a huff and a gentle bat to her head. "I hope you've learned your lesson," he puffed. "To never interfere with Eraq's punishment again."

Aqua collapsed onto his heaving chest, panting herself as she sneered down at him. "Well, I have learned one thing," she told him smugly. "It seems I can do as I please without consequence."

"Is that so?" Terra rumbled and raised his head slightly, as though picking up another challenge. And just like that, they had once again eased back into their fixed alignment of husband and wife. It was a flawless transition and he had to marvel at it, if only for an instant. "Maybe this is what I had planned from the beginning?"

Aqua scoffed and looked away, as though she couldn't handle listening to his pathetic excuses for losing any longer. Her attention caught on something and Terra found himself glancing in that direction as well. It seemed that somewhere amidst their tussle Eraq had grown bored and wandered away, towards the crest of the large hill their group occupied. "Eraq, be careful, don't get too close to the edge," she called to him and sat up, preparing to retrieve him if he didn't listen.

Terra sighed dismally, their intimate moment shattered as usual. He forced himself to sit up as well and noticed curiously that Eraq's tail was whipping around like crazy and his mouth was wide open in an excited expression. "Hey Mom, Dad, there's another cub like me coming this way. Can I go say hi?"

"What?" both Terra and Aqua questioned dubiously, though it was Aqua that provided an answer. "No, stay there Eraq." They padded over to him quickly, with the others moving closer as well. It seemed that throughout their "duel" their friends had wisely decided to keep their distance, but they too approached Eraq's position, wondering what the disturbance was all about.

Eraq failed to mention what else was coming their way. Although even seeing the animals approaching with his own eyes, Terra still found it hard to believe. The lion cub that Eraq mention was indeed headed their way with an intent gaze, but he was flanked by four unusual creatures. Padding along on his left was a cheetah and a badger and on his right lumbered a bulky hippo with a gangly white egret gliding overhead, and frankly, it just looked unnatural, not to mention ridiculous.

What surprised Terra the most though, was how much confidence the young cub flaunted. He couldn't be too much older than Eraq, since he was only slightly bigger, yet he eyed each intruder as though he owned every single blade of grass they stood on. Terra didn't even need to make an exchange to know for a certainty that this was a prince, born and bred. But neither he nor Aqua had the chance to form a pleasant greeting before the cub delved strait to the point upon reaching a comfortable speaking distance.

"Who are you and why are you trespassing?" The cub demanded. "The Pridelands belong to my father." His fur was a bright golden hue, even lighter than Ven's, while the sweeping tuft of hair on his head almost burned red as it was tugged by a light breeze. His orange eyes shined grandly and his black rimmed ears were slightly flipped backward in agitation. There was also an odd patch of tan spots on his left shoulder that resembled a paw print.

So he is a prince, Terra mused to himself. But was he Kovu and Kiara's cub? Was Simba still alive? Were they even in the same era as the last time they visited? He promptly forgot that the cub had presented them with a question, leaving Aqua to answer it herself. "I'm Aqua. We're sorry for trespassing," she began and tipped her head to him respectfully, introducing everyone in turn. "We're just visiting. You see, we met King Simba some seasons ago and we were just passing through to see how he was doing."

Terra once again found himself grateful for his wife's quick thinking and proficiency at placating a potentially hostile situation. In all reality, the cub had every right to be worried; the sight of so many male lions must have immediately set off some red flags, as they no doubt appeared as an invasion force.

The cub took a moment to ponder Aqua's answer, shifting on his paws and glancing over the newcomers suspiciously. He seemed to have a surprising amount of insight for someone so young. "My name is Kion," he finally said. "Son of Simba, and prince of the Pridelands."

Terra blinked in a momentary stupor. For whatever reason, he hadn't even thought of Simba having another cub besides Kiara. He glanced down to Eraq with an internal cringe. His opinion that one child was certainly enough must have been effecting his subconsciousness, and he didn't want to imagine the chaos of having to chase down another runt all the time. Absently, he noticed Eraq was watching the whole scene intently, though he looked thoroughly confused and was probably wondering why the other cub wasn't offering to play.

"This is Fuli." Kion turned to the young female cheetah at his side and Terra tipped his head curiously towards her, since she too had that odd pattern of a paw print on her torso. In fact, with a quick glance, all four of Kion's companions had the mark. "Bunga," Kion continued as he nodded to the male badger that stood beside Fuli. "Beshte," he said and turned to the female hippo at his other side and then finally to the male egret perched on the huge creature. "And Ono."

"Forgive my insolence, your majesty," Ven started out respectfully, though he eyed the odd assortment of animals dubiously. "But aren't lions supposed to hunt with other lions?"

"We aren't hunting," Kion answered directly. "This is my Guard, my task force. We patrol and protect the Pridelands from scavengers." He cast a pointed glance over the newcomers. "And invaders."

"Enough of this," the cheetah beside him huffed impatiently. "Let's just decide what to do with them already."

Terra could hardly hold back a scoff of laughter; what did this young, ragtag team of animals think they could do to five fully grown lions? The only real muscle they had was the hippo, although badgers were known for their scrappy nature and even though Bunga looked young and docile, Terra didn't really want to find out how scrappy he was.

"Hm, your right." Kion nodded at Fuli contemplatively and looked to Aqua and Terra. "Well, I'd better take you to see Dad then. He'll decide if you can stay or not."

"We don't plan on staying," Aqua put in. "But it would be nice to see Kovu and Kiara again."

"Oh, so you know my sister?" Kion tipped his head curiously. "Odd that she's never mentioned you before."

"We only met briefly a long time ago."

"Well, in any case, my dad will know what to do," Kion said. "Follow me."

The party's trek towards the huge rock formation in the distance led them over vast plains and lush undergrowth. And, although the journey was long, it was somewhat enjoyable as Kion and the members of his "Guard" talked and explained various things about the Pridelands. It didn't take long for Terra to determine the different personalities between Kion and his friends.

Kion himself seemed ambitious and domineering. Fuli the cheetah was the voice of reason for the most part, though at the same time impetuous. Bunga the badger, as if to contradict the nature of his species, was a constant goofball, grinning and rolling around as though he were hyperactive. Beshte the hippo was quiet, speaking only when spoken to, and though she was the biggest creature in the area, she seemed to be the most gentle. Ono the egret was loud and obnoxious, flying overhead and squawking down to Kion about every little thought that crossed his mind.

Terra smiled at Eraq's attempts to befriend the odd group. The cub even tried trotting along beside the prince and the cheetah for awhile, earnestly wanting to be acknowledged. "Hey, do you guys ever go hunting? Dad says hunting is for girls, is that true?"

Kion offered the smaller cub a sidelong glance but made no move to halt his march. "Like I said, we don't hunt, we patrol. And yes, the lioness' do most the hunting for the pride."

"Oh," Eraq said, his excited demeanor and gaze suddenly plummeting with disappointment.

Kion shared an inquisitive look with Fuli and she smirked back with a shrug. "We do go fishing sometimes though."

"Really?" Eraq chirped up with a sudden, gleaming smile.

"If my dad says you can stay," Kion started with a bit of hesitation. "We could teach you how to catch fish if you want."

Eraq nodded exuberantly in answer but his ears switched back as though remembering something and he looked back to his parents with a frown. "Mom might not let me though."

"Not a problem," Kion told him with a sudden, wicked grin. "I've got a plan that works every time." The two cubs brought their heads closer together as they padded along, Kion whispered and Eraq nodded.

Terra couldn't hear what the cubs were talking about over Ven and Zack's usual chatter, the egret's squawking and the badger's excessive clamor. It didn't really matter though, he was glad Eraq was making new friends. Absently, he hoped Simba wouldn't run them off straight away, especially since the cubs seemed to be hitting it off so well.

Upon reaching the base of what Kion deemed "Pride Rock", the prince told them to wait while he left to retrieve his father. Meanwhile, Eraq was bouncing around his parents' paws, looking like he had a secret he knew they would just die to hear about. "What are you up to Eraq?" Aqua pressed with a hint of suspicion.

"Oh, nothing," the cub replied mischievously, though he grinned up at her innocently.

"Unlikely," Aqua replied flatly, though her eyes smiled fondly as she bent down and nudged his rump with her head. "Behave yourself when we talk to Simba."

Eraq nodded and used the momentum from her push to scamper over to Angelo with a playful crouch, to which the dog responded with her own play bow.

Terra ignored his son's antics and looked around, noting curiously how there were a number of lionesses roaming around. Apparently none of them brave enough to approach the newcomers until their king deemed it safe to do so, though they were all watching cautiously.

"Who are these trespassers?" came a ferocious snarl from beneath an overhanging boulder. Simba trotted out from the shadows with a wild look in his eyes, his grand mane shifting as he moved.

"Dad, I told you not to worry, their friendly," Kion tried to reason with his father, padding along beside him, while a cream colored lioness trailed after them both, presumably his mother.

Simba halted only a few feet away, a pensive look about him as he noted the three male lions standing before him. His gaze fell and remained on Terra and Aqua though and he studied them with a curious tip of his head. "You two look familiar."

"Terra and Aqua, your majesty," Aqua supplied and dipped her head to him submissively. "We passed through your territory a long time ago."

Realization dawned on Simba's face and he smiled with a nod. "Yes, I remember you. Sora's friends, right?" He cast another glance over their companions, his eyes catching on the cub at Angelo's paws. "So you really did go on to start your own pride," Simba noted amiably. "Impressive."

Aqua just knew she was blushing furiously. Did he really think that Zack, Ven and Rin were their adult cubs? She scowled when she heard Ven snickering, though he had turned to bury his snout in Zack's mane in the hopes of stifling his laughter. To which Zack scowled and tried to inch away without making the blond's laughter too obvious.

"Is that a hyena?" Simba questioned, causing Rin to cringe as his eyes locked onto Angelo beside her. "Hyena's were banished long ago."

"Uh, no, Angelo's a dog," Rin tried to explain, though she frowned when she realized he wouldn't know what a dog was. "She won't cause any trouble though."

"I'm just here to protect the cub," Angelo supplied in a bored tone. Eraq had been pouncing around at her paws but abruptly halted to gape up at Simba; he was even bigger than his dad!

"You're the cub's guardian then?" Simba questioned and Angelo shrugged with a nod. It seemed that as long as the dog had a purpose, he didn't have a problem with her presence. He turned back to Terra. "You and your pride can stay with us for the day, but I'll have to ask you to leave by nightfall. Otherwise some of the lionesses will get anxious."

"Understood, your majesty," Terra said, bowing his head respectfully. "We'll leave before sunset."

Simba nodded once in approval before turning to his pride and nodding to them as well, a silent signal that it was safe to move around again. All at once, as if a looming entity had been holding its breath and suddenly released it, the pride of lionesses dispersed and the area was immersed into a buzz of activity.

Eraq slipped away from Angelo and had his head pressed close to Kion's as the prince seemed to be giving him some sort of instruction in an undertone.

Ven seemed to have overcome his laughing fit and stepped forward, bowing slightly to Simba. "Your majesty, let me just say that it's an honor to finally meet you! My name is Ven and Sora has told me so much about you and how you helped him on his journey."

Simba's expression perked up. "Oh? Sora still talks about me? I haven't seen him in so long. I wonder if he's grown any since the last time he visited?"

"Oh yeah, Sora's much older now." Ven seemed to be at a loss as to how he should explain that Sora was actually a leader back home. "He's still the hero we all know and love though," he said with a grin, hoping that would be enough to sate Simba's curiosity.

"Hey come on, he's not the only hero you know!" Zack put in as he thrust his shoulder into Ven's, earning him a glare from the blond. The two dismissed themselves from Simba and moved on to mingle with the rest of the pride, Rin followed after them, leaving Angelo to loiter around on the border of all the activity, no doubt feeling uncomfortable around all the big cats.

"Is that Terra and Aqua?" a lioness called as she descended from the stone path, a dark maned male padding along behind her.

"Kiara, Kovu," Aqua greeted fondly as she moved to meet them.

Terra would have been right behind her but he felt tiny paws press against his chest and looked down to see Eraq demanding his attention. "Hey Dad, can I go with Kion? He says he'll teach me how to fish!" For whatever reason the cub was keeping his voice low, but Terra dismissed the matter distractedly.

"I don't know Eraq, I promised I'd keep an eye on you."

"Aww come on Dad, please? You won't take me hunting so I want to catch a fish instead!"

Terra sighed in exasperation. "The water hole isn't far," Kion put in. "And my Guard will go with us."

Terra carefully looked from the two hopeful cubs to Aqua, who was currently conversing with Kovu and Kiara. "Alright Eraq. But listen to Kion, and be careful." The smaller cub whooped and hopped around happily as Terra turned to Angelo nearby. "Can you go with him?"

The dog nodded as though she were happy to get away from so many big cats and followed right after the cubs when they scampered off, the four members of the Guard trailing behind.

Terra managed to withhold a cringe as he stepped over to Aqua's side. He hoped she wouldn't notice Eraq's absence until he formulated a good explanation for himself. He decided to try and distract her for the moment by delving into their conversation. "Kovu, Kiara, you're both looking well," he said as they both greeted him in turn. He made a point to look around curiously before adding blatantly, "no cubs of your own yet?"

"Terra!" Aqua scolded and both Kovu and Kiara traded looks of embarrassment. "Don't be rude."

Terra merely snickered and smirked at her admonition; he couldn't understand how his comment was rude when they stood in a world ruled by lions. "It's alright," Kiara said to Aqua through a sheepish smile. "No cubs yet, but we both feel that one cub in the family is enough right now." Her voice and expression darkened suddenly. "And rivalries run deep in my family."

Terra and Aqua shared a concerned, confused look but were afraid to pry. Fortunately Kovu sensed the tension and gave his mate a comforting nudge before turning to the couple in front of him with a positive tone. "What about you two? I see you've got a pride of your own now."

"Ah, but only Eraq is ours," Aqua piped up quickly, eager to set the matter straight that the other grown lions in their group were by no means her offspring.

There was nothing Terra could do about the cringe this time as it crawled along his spine, up to his ears and down his face when Aqua began looking around for their son. "Where is Eraq?"

"Oh, about that," Terra started, attempting to sound nonchalant but wondered how successful he was. "He went with Kion for a bit."

"Went where?" The anxiety in Aqua's voice spiked and she looked like she was ready to run off and retrieve him if only she knew which way to go. "Terra, it's not safe for him to be alone."

"They went to catch some fish. And he's not alone," Terra defended while both he and Aqua were completely oblivious to Kovu and Kiara shuffling away, sensing an impending argument. "I sent Angelo with him and Kion has his guard."

"That isn't enough," Aqua snapped and darted after Eraq's tracks. "One of us should be with him."

"Aqua, calm down," Terra murmured after intercepting and blocking her path. "He just wants to make some friends. We should give him the chance."

"But there are dangers out there, Terra. You know that." She looked like she was prepared to make him move if she had to. "I need to protect him."

Terra was surprised by the severity in her voice and expression and he couldn't help but feel like she was overreacting about the whole situation. Granted, they'd had a close call in the previous world. But that was a completely different scenario, in a world with too much chaotic energy. The current world had a wild nature to it but it was much more controlled. Something Aqua wasn't seeing, or wanted to see, in this case. She seemed so blinded by her need to keep Eraq safe that everything around her posed a threat.

Realizing there would be no point in trying to reason with her further, Terra was seriously considering moving out of her way when Simba cleared his throat objectively nearby. He and his mate were sitting in the shade only a few feet away, apparently having heard the entire argument. "I can assure you that the Pridelands are perfectly safe. The water hole is especially safe, since it's at the center of our territory." Aqua listened to the king's words, though she lowered her head as if she felt teamed up on. "But if you'd like," Simba continued amiably. "You're welcome to watch the cubs from the crest of Pride Rock. You should be able to see them from up there."

Terra watched with an ache in his chest as Aqua didn't so much as offer him another glance, nodded to Simba with a muttered "thank you" and slunk away towards the summit. He let out a hapless sigh, knowing he would have to follow after her and somehow patch things up. He just couldn't understand what was going on with her. This was almost worse than when she was pregnant with Eraq, when she would lash out at him for no apparent reason and then end up apologizing five minutes later. At least at that time he knew why she was acting that way and he could just let her outbursts roll off his back.

Now though. Now she just seemed so distant and distracted. He understood that the incident in the previous world had terrified her, it scared him too, but they had dealt with such things with Ven a long time ago. Sure, things were a little different when the kid was your own but still, with everything they had been through in their lives, it shouldn't be that hard to move on and learn from such things. Where was the woman he admired and spared with only a short time ago? That brilliant warrior so confident in her abilities, whereas this angry, bitter creature had stood before him instead.

A forlorn sigh broke him away from his thoughts and he looked up to see Simba turn to his mate in question. "I wasn't really that bad, was I?"

"No," she replied with a smirk. "You were worse."

"Nala," Simba groaned at his mate. "How was I worse?"

"Well," she began, a hint of laughter in her tone. "I recall there were spies involved."

"Timon and Pumba are hardly spies," Simba defended grumpily.

"Wait, what do you mean "worse"?" Terra asked curiously, ears flipped forward.

Simba looked like he was about to explain himself but Nala cut him off with a playful twinkle in her eye. "Simba was extremely overprotective of Kiara when she was younger. Couldn't go anywhere without an escort. No hunting, not ever. Ordered to stay where he could keep an eye on her. Shall I go on?"

"Please don't." Simba groaned, his head and ears lowered miserably, as though he had just been drenched by a sudden downpour.

Terra chuckled at the king's expense. Perhaps Aqua's behavior wasn't so unusual after all. And if Simba could act in such a way in the past but now seemed completely relaxed in the same aspect, then there was hope that maybe Aqua would get over this phase of hers as well. Suddenly feeling much more optimistic, he pounced up the rise after his, no doubt brooding, wife.

Ven was starting to feel uncomfortable. Zack and Rin had followed him when he went to talk with some of the lionesses in Simba's pride and they were having some interesting conversations at first. Things started going sour, however, when Rin was somehow separated from them. It was a subtle shift, but both he and Zack had noticed the change in the atmosphere, where Rin was kept at a distance talking with a couple lionesses whose job it seemed was to distract her while the larger part of the pride was gathered around the two bachelors.

Yes, Ven was feeling very uncomfortable now. Especially when he noticed Aqua and Terra seemed to have abandoned him and Zack by scaling the huge stone above. Great, thanks guys.

"Simba never lets strange lions into the territory," one of the lionesses remarked. "The dark one is so handsome," another one giggled. There was an awful lot of girlish giggling going on actually, and was it just his nerves or had they gotten a lot closer? This was not at all how he imagined a visit to Simba's pride.

"Zack," he whined in desperation.

"I know," Zack huffed back, his breathing had intensified as though he were feeling the stress of the situation as well. "What do we do? I like girls but this is just too weird!"

Before Ven could reply he was distracted by more murmuring while the mass of bodies closed in even more, if that was even possible. "Who will they pick?" one wondered. "Will Simba even allow it?" another replied. "He said they have to leave tonight."

Ven swallowed thickly. Panic was starting to crawl down his spine and to his legs. This was not what he thought of when Simba said the lionesses would get anxious...

Rin's "attendants" had left to join the rest of the mob and she was left to her own devices under the shade of a bushy tree, which included rolling around on the ground as she laughed hysterically at their unusual predicament. "You guys are so popular today!" she hollered at them in between a fit. Some of the lionesses sneered at her but she was too consumed with humor to notice.

"Not helping Rin," Zack growled.

Rin didn't seemed to hear him as she pounded the earth with one paw as though the laughter was killing her. "Maybe you should fight to see who gets first pick!" she barely choked out before another fitful round assaulted her lungs.

An idea suddenly blossomed on Ven's features and he gave Zack a determined look before whispering to him. "That's it! Zack, Let's pretend we're fighting for... attention. That should buy us some time to work up another plan."

"Attention!" Zack hissed incredulously. "The only attention I want from this crowd is the kind that gets lost!"

"Zack," Ven sighed out as he retreated a step back, though that only brought him closer to the females behind him. "That doesn't even make any sense."

"It does to me!" Zack cried back, not even bothering to keep his voice low anymore. The lionesses were closing in, as if on a kill and Zack's nerves were spiking higher than the hair on his mane when he suddenly rounded on his male counterpart. "Fine, lets do this thing!"

"Woah!" Ven let out a startled roar when Zack grappled onto his golden mane, but he quickly returned the sudden attack with a shove, causing the line of lionesses to ripple outward in response. Ven was relieved to see the plan was having its desired effect, as the females all seemed to be backing away in light of the sudden disturbance.

The two males were soon a writhing mass of golden ebony as they tussled and lunged at each other, throwing in a few growls and snarls for added effect. Rin was still lying on the ground some distance away but instead of laughing she was watching with a surprised interest as though she had never expected them to take her words seriously, though at the same time equally entertained by the whole scene. The audience of lionesses were just as intrigued, though for entirely different reasons.

"Ven," Zack rumbled as he batted the golden lion's ears. "What do we do when one of us "wins"?"

"No idea." Ven swatted back at him. "Hadn't thought that far ahead."

"I say we make a run for it," Zack said, shoving Ven aside in order to take quick glance around for an escape route. "The others will just have to find us later."

"What are you saying Zack?" Ven lunged, grappled his black mane and spun, effectively flipping and throwing Zack a few feet away. "Heroes don't run away!"

"In a case like this I'm willing to make concessions!"

To their audience they just seemed like they were roaring at each other fervently, Rin being the only one that knew what they were truly arguing about.

"What is going on here?" a thunderous voice boomed and in that instant, all eyes flashed to see Simba suddenly standing between the two feuding males. "If you two are fighting over one of my lionesses then we have a serious problem here." His stare was dangerous as it switched between them and his tone was a resonating growl.

There was a tense silence for an instant but Ven quickly piped up with the only thing he could think of to explain their actions, though the repercussions of his comment weren't exactly thought through completely. "Er, no your majesty. We were fighting over Rin, actually."

Rin's face split into a vicious snarl from her place not far away. It seemed that their fight had eased them closer to her.

"Huh?" was Zack's automatic response, but Ven promptly stepped closer to slam a hind-paw on his objectively. "Oh right, yes. Yes we were," he said with a strained face and voice, a pained tear squeezing out of one squinting eye. "That Rin, gotta love her."

Simba's gaze traveled over to the dark lioness in question with a disbelieving scrutiny. "She doesn't seem to be too happy about the idea."

"Oh, well," Ven started and offered a nervous laugh. "That's just Rin for you. R-right Zack?"

"Eh," Zack cringed but nodded. "You have no idea."

"Well then," Simba said, throwing his head in Rin's direction. "You can spend the rest of the day over there with her." He turned to his pride with a piercing reproof, his tail whipping with authority. "The rest of you, back to your duties."

The lionesses dispersed in that instant, though not without a good amount of grumbling. "Simba," one of the lionesses complained. "We weren't going to leave with them."

"Yes your majesty, we'll just do that," Ven answered as Simba departed.

"Thank you Simba!" Zack called as well before turning to Ven with a grin. "Now that guy right there is a hero."

Ven scoffed as the two made their way over to their female companion as they were ordered. "Ow!" he howled when Rin suddenly boxed him and Zack over the head, which produced a similar proclamation from the black lion.

"We're sorry Rin," Zack whined as he applied a tender paw to his ringing ear. "Geez, you know we weren't serious!"

"It's fine, we're even now." Rin was looking rather smug as she noted with amusement how these two males, both of whom greatly outweighed her, cowered and submitted to her ire. "But it looks like we've been banished for the day."

"That's just fine," Ven said with a sigh of relief as he plopped down by the tree. "I'm too tired to fight off another mob of females."

"Same here," Zack admitted as he too dropped to lay on the other side of trunk. "I'll be having nightmares for sure."

Ven closed his eyes and heard Rin chuckling at their expense but he didn't care. He was just grateful they had a nice, shady tree to doze under. After all that excitement, he was so ready for a nap.

Terra sat at the bottom of the great, jutting rock, watching Aqua as she lay at the top with her maw resting between her paws, no doubt moping and watching their son as closely as she could. Although he was feeling much better regarding her behavior, he still needed to think about his approach carefully. No use trying to make things better if he was just going to end up making things worse in the end.

He had been faintly aware of some disturbance down below, but after noting that it involved Ven and Zack he promptly dismissed the matter as trivial. Those two were always causing trouble together, thus everything was right in the world.

Taking a deep breath for bravery, he stepped forth and upon drawing beside his wife, nudged her gently to alert her of his presence, if she hadn't been aware of him already. "Hey."

Aqua raised her head and regarded him placidly for an instant before returning her head to the cold stone.

"What's wrong with me, Terra?" she sighed wearily. "He's having so much fun down there. How could I have ever thought to deny him that?"

"You just worry about him, and I don't fault you for that," Terra told her tenderly. "That's why I'm here to help balance you. We temper each other, remember?"

His words earned him a smile and she lifted her head to him once more. "Light needs Darkness, or it blinds. And Darkness needs Light, or it wounds." She turned to look at the horizon as she finished reciting one of the new academy teachings. "You can't have one without the other. There must always be balance."

The water hole could clearly be seen in the distance, a small stream flowed into it while another flowed out on the far side. Eraq and Kion were mere dots on the landscape as they darted around the edge of the water. Angelo and three of the guards seemed to be loitering around watching while Beshte, the hippo guard, floated on the surface of the reservoir, no doubt serving as a safeguard in case one of the cubs fell in.

"Hey." Terra gave her head a nudge, his focus once again on his wife. "Are we ok?"

"Of course," she replied, leaning her head into his and purring. "You know I can't stay mad."

Their intimate moment didn't last long though, as their ears twitched at a heavy padding behind them. "Terra, Aqua," came Simba's approaching voice. "I'm sorry, but I'll need you and your friends to leave as soon as your son returns." He glanced back the way he had come with a scowl. "You're friends have caused an uproar in my pride."

"Ven, what have you done this time?"

"It wasn't my fault!" Ven cried defensively. "Honest!"

"It's true," Rin added with a bemused smirk. "Ven and Zack are actually the victim's here."

"See?" Ven exclaimed while Zack merely nodded in agreement.

"Though I suppose if they're guilty of anything it's appearing too handsome to the locals." Rin was enjoying herself too much and she conveniently ignored Ven and Zack's death glares.

Terra looked from Rin, to Zack, then to Ven and back again as though he were trying to piece all the information together before shaking his head dismissively. "That's enough, I don't want to know anymore."

Aqua looked from their companions to Terra, her curiosity piqued. "Well I do!" she announced as she crossed over to Rin's side to have her relate the incident, much to Ven and Zack's chagrin and Rin's amusement.

Terra felt a smile tug at his maw at seeing Aqua laugh at whatever Rin had just said. He was just happy, and thankful, to see his wife in high spirits again.

As Rin seemed to be finishing her story, with Ven and Zack adding a detail every now and then, Terra looked up when he heard some scuffling paws nearby, only to be tackled by a small body an instant later, a small, wet body to be exact. "Dad! Dad, guess what!?"

"You caught a fish?" Terra deadpanned as he regarded his son's excited expression.

"No," the midnight-blue cub said with a frown, though his face brightened again. "But I saw a bunch of em! And Kion caught a really big one!"

"You mean to tell me, that you got completely drenched and you didn't catch a single fish?" Terra prodded his son playfully.

"No," Eraq repeated. "But I tried!"

"And that's all that really matters," Aqua told him as she appeared by Terra's side and nosed the cub affectionately.

At that, Terra bent down to whisper in her ear, though he was sure Eraq could hear him too. "Don't tell him lies Aqua."

"Look, I've had about enough out of you for one day," Aqua growled at her husband and pounced on him, pinning him for the second time that day as a brilliant humor lit up her tone and features.

Once again, however, Terra was unable to enjoy his moment with her. Simba cleared his throat objectively as he approached, and Terra noted idly that Kion was keeping his distance, still sitting at the base of the rock; apparently no one was allowed to approach the visitors anymore.

"It's been nice too see friends again, but I have to ask you to leave so I can reclaim some semblance of order in pride again."

"Right," Terra conceded as Aqua moved to let him stand. "Thank you for allowing us to visit, and we're sorry if we've caused any problems." Simba merely nodded at the apology and Terra looked down to Eraq with a wistful expression. "Say goodbye to your friends Eraq, we have to leave now."

Eraq looked up to his parents with a pout but Aqua gave him a nudge and he pattered away to Kion and his guard for a final farewell. When they finally started their trek across the plains in order to wait for the Gummi ship to pick them up, Terra turned back to see that Kovu and Kiara had joined Simba, along with Kion and Nala. It seemed that the royal family had lined up to watch them depart.

He couldn't help but wonder if they would ever be welcome in the Pridelands again. He didn't blame Simba for expending them, after all it was his job to keep the peace in his pride, what constituted his family. Terra understood that completely. Besides, as peacekeepers themselves, they weren't supposed to interfere with the worlds' affairs. If he was to guess though, probably only Sora himself would be welcome back here again.

With a weary sigh, Terra trudged on beside his companions. Being a lion had its ups but it definitely had it downs too. He was so ready to be back in human skin and clothes. With that thought he turned on Ven with a sudden, intense energy. "Ven, you had better pick a normal world next time!"

"Aww, but Terra, I had this one I really wanted to go check out. It's really cool!"

"No!" Terra growled and pounced after his blond friend, teeth baring in a way that no one could determine if he was playing or dead serious.

"But it's the last one, I promise!" Ven yowled as he leaped away from Terra's grasp in a mad panic.

"No!" Terra snarled out again. "No more animals!"

The chase ensued for awhile longer, and the others simply sat down to watch. Rin and Zack even chose to make a bet out of it. "An ice cream says Ven gets his way?"

Zack held out a paw for Rin to swat and seal the bet. "You're on."