Chapter 121: The Outlands

The sun had just risen in the Pride Lands, the light from the sun beamed on the kingdom that awoke the lions at Pride Rock. It was good news to hear that Kiara and Kovu had gotten closer after they work of their love set-up, as well as knowing that Simba seemed to be accepting Kovu more, but the group looked all night for any signs of Hikari; they couldn't find her in the Pride Lands. After speaking to Simba about Hikari's disappearance, the Lion King had asked Kovu if he could help them look around the Outlands to help find their friend, which the brown mained lion nervously agreed too. Max, Donald and Goofy made their way back to the gummi ship to deliver the message of Hikari's disappearance to Riku while the newly travelled Sora and Kairi stayed on the Pride Lands with Brian, Hikari and Ventus.

Of course, Brian didn't agree with this decision. "What are you guys doing here? You're supposed to be resting, training, whatever you guys were doing?" He questioned, looking at the white and brown lion and the pinkish lioness cubs.

Sora, who was used to his appearance on this world, looked as if he was a little in pain. Most of his ashy brown fur has turned into a white fur while his grey fur under his belly, toes and under his mouth remained. His mane was shaped like his normal hairstyle, remaining white like his other infected parts of his fur. His eyes are bright blue while his scleras are yellow and his silver crown necklace still hangs from his neck. His front infected paw remained covered as his front left leg was completely white.

Kairi, who still couldn't get used to walking due to her limb leg, was a pale pink coloured fur with a pale yellow toes, belly and under her mouth. Her hair didn't show in the form that she is looked more like a naturally lioness, her pearl necklace remains around her neck, her eyes remaining a violent-blue eyes with a yellow scleras. Each of their balance badges hidden nicely in their fur.

The Keyblade Master only sighed at he explained, "Riku mentioned that you guys needed help with something. I was going to come down alone but Kairi wanted to come along."

"Well Riku said that I should go with you; make sure that you are alright." Kairi said with concern, looking at him with a sad expression.

"Wait!" Brian stopped them. He knew from a call before that Sora was acting up a bit on the gummi ship due to his virus so it made sense for Sora to come down but for Riku to suggest for Kairi to follow after him when he very well knew that Kairi was still healing from Sora's outburst and that he was the one to suggest that Kairi should stay on the gummi in the first place, he knew only one thing that would make him change his mind. Brian quickly turned to face Ventus, catching the keybearer off guard. "Did Hikari tell Riku about our set-up?" He questioned.

Ventus only chuckled sheepishly as he replied. "Maybe a little?" he grinned.

Brian only sighed. Trust Hikari to try and set Sora and Kairi up. "Damn Hikari! When I find her—" He growled slightly, as well as making him more worried.

"What happened that made Hikari go out on her own?" Kairi asked.

"We encountered some Unbirths while we were sorting the set-up out." Brian expressed sadly. "When Hikari and Ventus reached us, Max blurted out that they were wind-based unbirths."

"Wind-based?" Kairi repeated, she looked at Sora as she said with concern. "If they are wind-based then-"

"Storm is here." Sora finished for her. "Hikari must have gone to search for him."

"Who's Storm?" Ventus asked, not knowing what the three were conversing about.

"Hikari's brother, Sazuky." Brian answered before stepping forward. "We need to find her. We don't have much time to waste. The lion's main is the last item that we need. As soon as we have the cure then we can go look for Storm but we have to help here."

"What about Storm?" Ventus asked. "Shouldn't we find him too?"

"We got attacked by his Unbirth. He's properly working with Vanitas now." Brian pointed out. "If we were to find him and take him back to Little Devon, he can easily send the world's location to the Endless."

"But maybe Sakuzy is still in there." Sora jumped in. "He cares enough for his sister-"

"Only to backstab us at African Depths or did you forget that from being a jealousy twat to us all by running into battle on your own." Brian spat with a glare.

"Hey!" Sora roared as the two infected began to glare angrily at each other, his white fur quickly changing from white to red as the two growled at each other, ready for a fight.

"Guys!" Kairi stepped between the two, mainly to stop from Sora's fur from changing colour. They didn't want Simba and the others to freak out. "Stop it! Now's not the time."

"Brian." Ventus called the Aversion Endless, breaking his glaring contest with Sora. "What would happen if we don't find Hikari?" he asked him.

Brian sighed as he controlled his breathing. "The world's side effect." He breathed, trying to control his anger. "The badges…they can provide protection for those already infected but they will only last for so long for someone that isn't infected."

"You mean, if Hikari stays in the Outlands too long-" Sora gasped slightly in pain, trying to control himself as well.

"We'll lose Hikari to the virus." Brian told them.

"We should go!" Sora said with determination.

"I'll go. You guys stay here." Brian told them as he began to walk toward, gasping in pain slightly, his last attack when chasing Hikari had done a little damage to him.

"Brian." Ventus look at his with a worried expression. "The only reason that you weren't able to stop Hikari in the first place was because you had an attack. You should rest."

"But-" Brian was about to object only to sigh in disappointment. "Okay." He said sadly, earning questionable, confused looks from Sora and Kairi. He walked passed Sora, speaking to him as if he was begging him. "Find her please." He said before lying down, facing away from the others.

Kairi only looked back in concern. "Is he alright?" she asked.

Ventus could only shrug. "He's been acting like this since we arrived here." Ventus explained. "Hikari told me it was nothing to worry about but—" The keybearer could only sigh. "I'll look with Kiara and Nala around the Pride Lands again, keep an eye on him, Kairi."

"I will." She smiled as she and Sora watched Ventus walk over to Kiara and Nala as they prepared to make their way. The two lion cubs couldn't help but smile at the romantic smile Kiara and Kovu were giving to each other before Ventus, Nala and Kiara began to search the Pride Lands.

Seeing that Simba and Kovu were waiting, Sora quickly looked back at Kairi. "I'll be back soon. Hopefully with Hikari." He smiled before making his way over to the two lions.

"Be careful." Kairi told him, watching as he halted to her words.

He quickly turned back before saying. "No matter what, I'll come back for you." He smiled before making his way.

Brian could only watch as Sora went along with Simba and Kovu, seeing Kairi watch them leave. He could only sigh with despair. "I can't even help Hikari now…" He muttered, his thoughts filling his mind.

BOWBOWBOW

Sora, Simba and Kovu travelled their way into the Outlands, travelling the dark land in search for Hikari. Kovu shown them parts of the elephant graveyard where the hyenas used to be, the lions could find no signs of the snow leopard there. After searching the graveyard, Kovu began leading them to an ash like area, as if it had been set on fire. Kovu looked over the area, "The fire from the Pride Lands must have stretched over here too." He said.

"Maybe Hikari is here." Sora said as he began to make his way into the ashy land, with Simba and Kovu following behind. Sora quickly scanned the area, only to sigh in disappointment. There was still no sign of Hikari. He looked back at Simba and Kovu, only to see them in a deep meaning conversation. The Keyblade Master stepped closer as the two looked at the surroundings.

"-Scar couldn't let go of his hate... and in the end, it destroyed him." Simba finished.

"I've never heard the story of Scar like that..." Kovu breathed in disbelief as he looked up as the ashy land. "He truly was a killer."

"The darkness in his heart was the killer." Sora chipped in.

"And so is fire." Simba nodded as he continued. "Sometimes, what's left behind can grow better than the generation before..." He dusted the ground, to reveal a small young plant that rests there. "…If given the chance." Simba watched as Kovu smiled gratefully at him.

"Thanks Simba." Kovu smiled before looking back at Sora. "Let's go help your friend, Sora."

"Yeah." Sora grinned as he turned around to check his surroundings, only to bump into something. He shook his head as he looked at what he bumped into, only to see shadowed, rock covered lions. "What the-" He gasped as vicious roars could be hear.

Within the dusk of the ash, red eyes began to appear as the form of more shadowed lions moved in, beginning to surround the three lions. The three lions backed away, their backs to each other; Kovu's panicky mutters are ignored as the shadows are accompanied by an actual lioness among them. The lioness had pale tanish-brown fur with a darker brown stripe running down her face, stopping between her eyes as well as a cream chest, blood red eyes and a notch in her right ear. Her ears also feature two thin dark brown stripes. The lioness body structure was thin and a dark aura disappeared around her as she came into view.

Simba could only spit the lioness' name with hate. "Zira…"

"Why if it isn't the Lion King and the Keyblade Master?" The lioness grinned sadistic at them. "What are you doing out and, so…alone?" She chuckled before looking up at the brown mained lion. "Well done, Kovu….just like we've always planned."

Sora and Simba's attention was turned straight to the teen lion, looking at the two with a panicky and guilty expression. While the Keyblade Master looked at the lion in confusion, wondering how this thin lioness would know Kovu, Simba simply snared at him. "You…" The sound of his voice sounded as if all trust has been broken as the King glared at him as if he was his worst enemy.

"No! I didn't have anything to do with this!" He said to the two of them, trying to convince them. From the tone of his voice, Sora could tell that Kovu might actually not be involved but Simba just continued to snare at the lion.

"Attack!"

"Light!" Sora didn't waste any time in summoning his beloved kingdom key, casting strong amount of light to try and pushed the lions back. He quickly looked to see that Simba was dodging their movements, clawing at them while Kovu attempted to help. Casting more light to keep the shadowed rock lions back, he gasped as he saw one knock Kovu unconscious. "Kovu!" Sora ran over to the brown lion, looking around to see most of the shadowed lions follow Simba out of the Outlands, along with the 'Zira' Lioness. "Kovu! Wake up!" Sora nudged Kovu, trying to wake him up.

"Are you forgetting something?" The thick accent rang in Sora's eyes.

The Keyblade Master had no time to respond as he felt the sharp leather dig into his back leg, throwing him off balanced as he felt his body began to drag across the ashy ground. He clawed himself into the ground in an attempt to get a grip and break free, but all he managed to do was to watch a trail mark of grass appeared from where the ash was previously laying. "Let me go!" Sora turned his attention towards the item that had gotten a hold of him, he saw that it was some kind of whip. Sora tried to summon his keyblade again, only leading him to ache in pain as his fur flashed. "Ahhh. Not now!" He groaned.

"Well, well, well. Now this isn't what I was hoping to catch." The western voice chuckled; greater force was felt on the whip. It wasn't long until Sora felt himself lift from the ground, looking eye to eye at Mayor Snake once more. "I was hoping to catch Ventus but getting rid of you would please me so much better." He smirked, hanging the cub in front of you.

"Snake?" Sora gasped slightly, slashing at the humanoid. "Why are you human? You're goin-"

"To let them know I'm not from these parts?" Snake finished before chuckling. "Take a look round, Keybearer. There is no one in sight. The fog has hidden us nicely." He watched the keybearer to look around to realise that he was right. The fog was a thick as his foreign accent, the sight was of nothing, as if they were the only too. "Now let's turn you into a nice comfy rug." He smirked as he released Sora from his whip, only to strike at the cub fast, sending the keybearer to the ground.

"AHHH!" Sora cried within the fog, the cut stinging deadly along with his infected paw, making the cub limb. Without the keyblade, he couldn't fight back, even with magic by his side; it wouldn't affect Snake that much for him to escape. The whip sounded again. Another yell left his lungs as the pain rocked through him. Whip after whip after whip. The pain suddenly got worse as the whip struck the balance badge that was hidden within his fur.

"Now this is just pathetic!" Snake groaned as he withdrew his whip, kicking the fallen cub a distance.

Sora gasped in shock and pain as his body painfully hit the cold ground as it skidded across the rocky surface, the white cub only had a short amount of time to claw into the ground, giving the infected being grip, only for his body to be hanging over a cliff. He looked up as he saw the tall infected human come closer. "You won't win." Sora growled with anger.

"Trust me, Sora." Snake sneered as he spoke. "Once we have Ventus caught and taken our dear 'One for a thousand' then you will see the marvellous beginnings of the Order's rule." He crushed his boot onto Sora's paw, making the cub cried in pain. "That is, if you survive the fall." He chuckled as he grinded into Sora's paw harder.

"HYAH!"

Sora gasped in pain from his crushed paw but he was glad that the pressure was gone from it. He pulled himself up slightly, trying to see what was going on, only to see what was going on, only to see a blue snow leopard in front of him, biting on him in an attempt to pull him up. "Hikari?" he gasped in pain.

"Hold on, Sora." Hikari mumbled as her mouth held the grip on Sora. The ground started to crack from underneath them. The snow leopard and lion cub yelled in terror and fear as the ground gave way, leading Sora and Hikari to their fall.

Snake smirked at the sounds of their terrors and he looked down to make sure that the two had fallen into the darken cracks of the ground. "That would teach them to attack me." Snake dusted himself off, showing as his claw glew dim. He looked around to see another snow leopard looking at him in disbelief and anger, his claw flashing rapidly. "You have no protection here, Storm." Snake chuckled, feeling the wind pick up strongly as he laughed at the deathly glare he was receiving. "This is your trail." He told him. "You follow them. It will be your last deed. You will fully become one of us."

"I WILL NEVER BE YOU!" Storm shouted, his voice as his weapon, causing Snake to balance himself. Without another word, the Shock Endless dived into the darkness. The Persistenc Endless could only laugh as the cries of help continued on until the sound of impact silenced the rest.

"HEEELLLLLPPPPPPPP!"

Brian jumped awake, the cries of help screaming in his heart. He breathed heavily, feeling as if he had been in a deep nightmare. He controlled himself before looking around the cavern, noticing something off. Kairi looked as if she had just see a ghost, breathing heavily as she didn't waste time getting up from the ground and rushing over to Ventus. "It couldn't be—" Brian muttered slightly. Could Kairi have awoken from the same call for help. The Aversion Endless quickly followed the Princess of Heart, quickly joining her talking to the keybearer. "What's going on?"

"Sora's in danger." Kairi gasped slightly, her voice spoke with worry. "I just know it."

"How come?" Ventus asked.

"I just know it." She repeated. "I heard them. Him and Hikari. I heard them call for help."

"I did too." Brian blinked in confusion. It was a first that he was confused by his own guesses. "I mean, they have been gone for ages. We should search for them."

Ventus seemed to share the same worry. It didn't take long for him, Nala and Kiara to return to Pride Rock after their search but it was nearly sunset and there was no sign of Simba, Kovu or Sora. "Let's quickly go see if they're on their way back."

"Wait for me." Brian limbed slightly but still he followed Ventus and Kairi onto Pride Rock, scanning the area, only to see Kiara, Timon and Pumbaa aiding an unconscious Simba back to Pride Rock. Something had gone terribly wrong…

A/N: Woop! Another Chapter. I kinda wanna get lion king done now. I love the film but I just wanna get to writing the other chapters. Well, Sora is MIA as well and Kovu is a traitor. Hope to see you guys soon.