Welcome back, guys! Once I got past a short spurt of a writer's block, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter! The benefit of writing a bunch at once and updating them one a week! I was extremely happy when I realised this chapter lines up with Valentine's Day! (Edit: after posting it, I realised I accidentally updated it a day early... well, enjoy it a little early!)

Lion-O was alive. He had died, but by the will of the Spirit Stone, he was alive. He was talking like a leader, he had the other's support, he was listening to them and making good decisions.

Leopara should have felt happier, but…

"What do you think?" Lion-O asked.

Leopara stared at the bouquet of flowers in his hand, then looked up at him. She blinked at him, once, twice. "What are these for?" she asked him warily, dodging his question.

Lion-O straightened his posture and rubbed the back of his head. "An apology." Confusion knitted her eyebrows. Is he apologising… for dying? Before she could ask, Lion-O clarified, "I was so focused on my own feelings, I lost sight of what was important. All of you guys. I didn't notice how unhappy I was making you, and I'm sorry."

She reached forward, gently taking the bouquet. While she inspected it, she wondered if he'd heard her night terrors.

She would be happier if she didn't know he'd died. Slithe's axe glinting in the moonlight, Lion-O's body limp in the air as he fell with a shower of stones… she wished she could get those images out of her head. Forget how fragile Lion-O's life was. Forget how helpless she was, unable to save not one, but two kings.

"Do you… like them?" Lion-O's question snapped her out of her morose thoughts.

Leopara smiled at him, although she didn't fully feel it. "They're pretty, thank you."

Lion-O narrowed his eyes at her. Leopara looked away from the scrutiny and caught sight of WilyKit and WilyKat, dressed down to basics. They ran through the underbrush towards the river, whooping with excitement. "Whoo-hoo!" WilyKat called out. Leopara heard a large splash.

She opened her mouth to excuse herself, but Lion-O beat her to speaking.

"Can I ask you something?"

That wasn't really a question. It had only one answer, no matter how much she wanted to slink away. "Of course, Lion-O." she answered.

"... who's Uncio?"

Leopara snapped her attention back to him. "What?"

"Uncio. You mentioned him the other day," has it already been a couple days? Leopara thought about it while he kept speaking, "-while you were… chastising Cheetara."

He heard that? Whiskers.

"It doesn't matter." Leopara said flippantly. "Don't worry about it."

Lion-O looked unconvinced.

"Anyway… thank you for the flowers. They're nice, Lion-O; I should get them in some water." Leopara took a step away, hoping he'd just let her slip away.

Lion-O matched her step. "I'll help you find something to keep them in." he offered with a genuine grin.

"That's okay…"

Lion-O paused. Leopara's gut twisted with a hint of dread; he was more observant now than she'd ever given him credit for.

"Are you okay? If I've upset you-"

"Of course not-"

"-you've been distant-"

"-I just have a lot on my mind-"

"-and I miss you."

"-Lion-O."

They blinked at each other a couple times as they processed what the other said.

"You… miss me? Lion-O, I've been right here the whole time."

Lion-O sighed. "Yeah, but it hasn't been like it used to be. I've really messed things up since we left the elephant village."

"That's not true, Lion-O. The lizard army-"

"I don't mean the lizard army. I mean you." He rubbed the back of his head again. "I should have been more mindful of my emotions and how they affect you- I promise you, I will be in the future."

The gears in Leopara's head turned. "Is that why you decided for us to spend the day here?" She gestured around at the forest edge a short distance away, where the Thundertank was cleverly tucked away and hidden, and the river to their other side, where WilyKit and WilyKat were splashing. It was only a short distance away from the mountain, but any distance away from it was a good distance as far as she was concerned.

"I think we all needed a break after the last couple days." Lion-O answered, looking towards WilyKit and WilyKat. "If you want space, I understand. But I want you to know you can talk to me. You're my friend, Leopara. I want to make things right."

Through the heavy feelings of melancholy, she felt a bit of confusion. Make it right?

"Lion-O, I'm not upset with you. I just…" want some space. She sighed. "A lot has happened in the last few days."

Lion-O nodded.

This time when Leopara took a step away, he didn't follow her.

Lion-O sighed as he watched Leopara retreat to the forest's edge. Good talk, Lion-O. he thought sarcastically.

"I heard you talking." Cheetara's voice was unwelcome at that exact moment. Irked, he turned around to look at her. "I have to admit, I was surprised when she brought up Uncio myself… I haven't heard her speak about him in years."

Lion-O raised a brow. All feelings of annoyance were out the window, and curiosity was in. "Who was he?"

"Uncio was Jaga's apprentice before I was part of the clerics. Leopara and he were very close, like brother and sister." Cheetara explained.

Very close? Brother and sister? That was far from the impression Lion-O had gotten from her. The way she spat those words, "Just like Uncio," was a curse- filled with venom and contempt for both Cheetara and Uncio.

"What happened?" he asked.

Cheetara looked towards the river. "I was told Uncio grew to be faster than even Jaga, and grew arrogant- using his powers for his own benefit, without a care for the rules or anyone else. For a time, Jaga still believed he could guide Uncio to a better path."

"What changed?" Lion-O turned his head towards the glistening river as well. It should probably have bothered him more, having drowned the night before, but he looked forward to getting to swim in it later.

"One day, he involved Leopara." Cheetara looked back over her shoulder at her. Sitting next to Snowmeow, Leopara was fiddling with the flowers. "You would have to ask her what happened. Neither she nor Jaga have ever spoken of it- just that when Jaga learned of it, he excommunicated and banished Uncio."

Lion-O continued watching Leopara, wondering what could Uncio have done to earn such a harsh punishment? Given her flippant response when he tried to ask about Uncio, he didn't think she was in the mood to tell.

"Thank you, Cheetara." he said.

"Of course, Lion-O. I was hoping to speak with you anyway."

Lion-O turned his attention away from Leopara. He could worry about her later. "What's on your mind, Cheetara?"

"I wanted to apologise."

Lion-O shook his head. "I forgive you, Cheetara. I owe you an apology as well." Cheetara blinked at him in surprise for a brief moment, but he continued, "I haven't been fair to you or Tygra. I'm happy for you both, truly, and I couldn't be more glad to have both of you by my side."

Another blink, then her pink lips curved into a smile. "You've changed."

"I hope so." he chuckled. As an afterthought, he added, "For the better."

"So far."

"Heh, thanks. Any advice?"

Cheetara turned to look at Leopara. Lion-O could see now that she had made a flower crown out of the bouquet, and was gently placing it on Snowmeow's head. If his eyes were right, Snarf also had a little one.

Well, it wasn't like they actually had a vase or anything for her to put a whole bouquet in. Maybe he went a little overboard with how many flowers he picked for her.

"She took it very hard when you died."

He nodded. "WilyKit and WilyKat told me about it…" He hated Leopara had been put in a collar; he was just grateful it was a shock collar, and not one that took her head off. He didn't know what he'd have done if he came back and she was killed like that. "She said she wants some space, so I'm giving her some, but… I feel like I really messed up before that."

"I think you've made the right choice. We all needed a break." She looked at him and smiled again. "Go have fun, enjoy yourself. Making the best of our rest is the best any of us can do right now."

Lion-O watched Leopara, grinning and clapping as she admired Snowmeow with his flower crown. The tight knot in his chest loosened a little. Cheetara was right- having fun was the best choice right now. He'd spent long enough brooding, even if he was worried now. He had to be more mindful of his emotions and thoughts now. For Leopara's sake.

"Thanks, Cheetara."

Cheetara nodded.

"Lion-O?" WilyKit's voice spoke up.

He blinked, looking down at her and her brother. They were drenched in water, so it came as a surprise to him that he didn't notice their approach. "What's up, Kit?"

"Are you gonna join us or not?" WilyKat asked, making a beckoning motion.

"You shouldn't keep your subjects waiting." Cheetara teased him.

Lion-O chuckled at the two. "Yeah, yeah. I'm coming."

The water was cool and soothing. In this bend of the river, it was sluggish and fairly shallow, only two feet deep in some places and at most four feet deep. There weren't many fish, something Lion-O attributed to WilyKit and WilyKat playing around, splashing and jumping into the water.

Lion-O sighed and leaned back against the rock, enjoying its warmth and that of the sun as it beamed down onto his fur.

Quiet footsteps approached.

When he cracked open an eye to look, he was a little surprised to see Leopara instead of Cheetara. There were little flowers tucked into her braid, but she wasn't wearing her dress. Like everyone else, she had dressed down to get into the river, and wore a simple, dark blue halter and brief¹ that revealed a surprising amount of rosettes. They were on her sides, her hips, and her calves, not just her shoulders and face.

Lion-O gawked at her for a moment, feeling his face growing hotter.

"Mind if I join you?" Leopara asked.

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Lion-O scooted a few inches to make room for her beside him.

She smiled and took a moment to tie her braid into a knot to keep it out of the water, and slipped into the water next to him with a soft sigh.

"How are you feeling?" he asked. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach and his mouth felt suddenly dry. He'd never felt this nervous so close to Leopara before.

But he had also never seen so much of her fur or her rosettes. They were so bold and pretty and- she was so pretty.

"I feel better, thank you."

"N-no problem."

"…are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I… wasn't expecting you to join us." he lied. Well… kind of. He wasn't expecting her to join them.

Leopara shrugged, glancing away. He gawked at the rosettes and small, blocky stripes he could spy on her back, between her shoulders. In that moment, he felt rather like Leo did after Panthera kissed him on the cheek, his brain absolutely shutting down while alarms go off somewhere in the back of his mind.

"The flowers helped. I forgot how fun making flower crowns is." Leopara explained with a dazzling grin.

Holy whiskers, I think Cheetara was right. The thought came to him unbidden, in complete shock.

"So… thank you, Lion-O. You're a good friend."

Lion-O blinked a couple times at her, still processing his shock, before he remembered to smile at her. It was a genuine smile, filled with relief. "I'm certainly trying to be." he remarked.

How did I never notice before? I must really have been blind.

Leopara took a deep breath and sighed, sinking deeper in the water. "This is nice. It's nice to spend time with you like this."

He smiled even more, lips so stretched his muscles ached- but he didn't care. "Yeah. Yeah, it is."

They relaxed like that for a few minutes, listening to the sound of birdcalls, WilyKit and WilyKat splashing around and giggling, the crackling of the fire by the tank, a snya! here and there, and the water's rippling around them.

It was tranquil.

And then, a discordant sound disrupted it.

A sniffle.

His eyes snapped open and his head whipped to look at Leopara. She gasped for an unsteady breath and raised a hand to wipe at her cheek.

"Sorry…" she said in a quiet voice.

It was rather like a knife being stabbed into his chest and twisting, hurting just as much as the burn of water in his lungs had.

With no hesitation, Lion-O slid his arm around her shoulders and tugged her close. She twisted and scooted up, throwing her arms around his neck and clinging tightly.

If Leopara's rosettes took him off-guard earlier, than her cries caught him even more by surprise. Nonetheless, he hugged her. "Leopara?"

"I'm sorry…" she whined into his neck. "I didn't save you- I… I…"

She burst into a louder sob.

"Shh," Lion-O consoled her with a spike of panic- he had no experience soothing anyone else. For a lack of having any other idea of what to do, he began rubbing her back.

"It… it won't happen again. I won't let you die again, I promise!" she vowed between hiccups and sniffles. Her entire body shook from her sobs.

The proverbial knife twisted in his chest. She blamed herself?

…he was starting to see the big picture.

"It's not your fault." Lion-O said. "None of it is your fault." He pushed her back so he could cup her face. Her cheeks were soft and a little squishy in his hands. Her golden eyes were watery with tears and slightly reddened. "I would give my life to try and save anyone of you again, and it still wouldn't be your fault- it was my choice." he told her firmly.

"But- I-"

"It was my choice to try, Leopara." he said more softly. "For the lizards we convinced to desert and for all of you. No one could have anticipated what happened, and I don't regret any of it."

Leopara sniffled and leaned her cheek more fully into her hand. After a couple moments, she croaked out, "It's not just you. I didn't save your father either…" Her voice was little more than a whimper when she finished speaking. Fresh, fat tears rolled down her cheeks, staining her pale brown fur.

Lion-O paused. He tried not to play the scene over in his head anymore- he'd done so already so many times, and it never took him anywhere he wanted to go.

But he couldn't help but think about it again now.

He had never thought of how hard, how hoarsely she had screamed.

"Move!" Leopara screamed. He turned- but it was too late. Mumm-Ra's blade plunged into his chest.

"Lay him down! I- I can heal him!" Leopara fell to her knees next to his father, hands shaking on his chest. Blood gushed from the wound in an eb and flow that matched his heavy, slow heartbeat.

"Leopara… it was my father's decision to try and save his friend. It's not your fault- Mumm-Ra tricked him."

She hiccuped in his hands. "He didn't trick me." she said weakly. "I should have stopped him… made your father listen…"

"He was a very stubborn cat, Leopara. Once he set his mind on something, no one could stop him."

A knot that held itself in his heart, tight and painful, relaxed with his own words. It was the truth- his father was impossibly stubborn. Even if they knew… even though Leopara knew, there wasn't anything anyone else could have done to stop his father from falling for Mumm-Ra's trap. Only his father could have changed what happened, but… it was painful to admit, his father was set in his ways like a groove into stone. Maybe his father could have changed, given time. Maybe he wouldn't have.

It wasn't their fault.

"It's not our fault." he repeated quietly.

Leopara sniffled again with fresh tears spilling down again. They rolled from her cheek to his palm, and down his wrist. Lion-O pulled her in for a hug again, and held her gently.

This time, Leopara just rested against him, quietly sniffling as she processed her emotions.

It was almost a shock to him when her quiet sniffles transitioned into soft, breathy snores. Lion-O just leaned his head back against the stone, kept and arm looped around her waist, and accepted his fate as a living pillow.

"Have a nice nap?" Tygra's voice teased her.

Leopara shot him a dirty look while she wrung out her braid. It was embarrassing to have fallen asleep on Lion-O, but… it was the best sleep she'd had in weeks. Not days, weeks.

"You smell like fish guts." she replied, scrunching up her nose.

"Well, I caught a bunch of fish, you see." Tygra replied in a tone that implied, "real mature, Leopara." She could sense from his emotions that it didn't really bother him, though. This weird, antagonist banter was starting to become a staple between them.

She tossed her braid over her shoulder and sat down on one of the rocks near the campfire. Snowmeow approached, gently headbutting into her waiting hands. She carefully pet his head, not wanting to disturb his flower crown.

"I did, in fact, have a good nap." she answered. "Lion-O didn't smell like fish guts."

"I'm sure he smelled like a meadow of flowers." Tygra quipped.

Leopara paused, hand coming to a stand still in Snowmeow's blue fur. She thought about it with a cock of her head. "Actually… he did smell like flowers." Or maybe that was my hair.

Tygra snorted. "Well, he spent so long picking so many of them."

"I think it was sweet." Cheetara added, walking past them with their camping supplies. Behind her trailed the twins, carrying a couple bedrolls each. Their cargo bulged in their small arms, and she couldn't see either of their faces behind them.

"Are we sleeping outside of the Thundertank tonight?"

"Lion-O thought the fresh air and space would be good for everyone." Cheetara said. "I think he's right."

Leopara nodded a little. When Tygra deigned to offer her a trout cooked over the flames of the fire, she took a grateful bite. It tasted smoky and rather bland, but with how little they had to eat in the prior days, it was fit for a feast in her opinion.

Lion-O finally joined them, mostly dry but, just like her, still in his swim clothes. She averted her eyes from his bare chest, which she had just spent a couple hours sleeping on, and focused instead on her fish.

"Tomorrow, we'll head out. We're low on supplies and information, so I consulted the Book of Omens earlier to locate a city. We'll be heading towards those mountains and searching for a safe pass through." Lion-O gestured. Silhouetted by the dusky sky was a row of even darker mountains. She could tell they had snow on them, or else they would have been even darker. Instead, they were kind of a pale sort-of dark.

Tygra smiled. "Sounds like a good plan, Lion-O."

"Better than wandering around without a clue." Panthro added, bringing with him a wall of stench.

"You two really need a bath." Leopara wheezed, trying her best not to gag.

"Hmph." he grunted at her.

"As King, I order you to go bathe." Lion-O said firmly, pointing back at the river.

Panthro guffawed at him. "You can't be serious."

"I am."

They stared at each other, Lion-O unwavering and Panthro stricken. Finally, Panthro sighed. Resignation weighed his thick shoulders down. "As Your Majesty commands." He began trudging towards the river with a look of apprehension. Leopara snickered lightly.

"You too, Tygra." Lion-O added.

"I agree." Cheetara said. She leaned down to kiss him on the cheek. "You smell awful." Somehow, she managed to say this sweetly, even sultry.

Tygra definitely took notice with a flare of excitement. "Okay, okay. I'll go." He stood up, tossing his scraps into the fire, and began walking away.

Leopara waited for the pang of discomfort and twisting insides that often accompanied these displays.

To her dismay, it didn't come.

Lion-O instead sat down in his brother's place and plucked a fish from the fire. She felt a little guilty, realising he was awake and could probably smell food the whole time, but didn't move so he didn't wake her.

Her cheeks quickly flushed with heat again at the memory. The sound of his heartbeat, strong and slow, and the feel of his chest rising and falling against hers. The feeling of his arm around her waist, how calm and resolved his emotions had been…

And they still were.

"I'll stay up for first watch." Leopara said. "Since I had a nap…"

"Me too." Lion-O admitted. A swirl of warm and embarrassed emotions fluttered in him like butterflies. "I'll stay up with you."

"Good night, you two." Cheetara bid them with a smile.

"Good night, Cheetara." Lion-O said. His emotions stayed calm… well, as calm as they were, while she walked away.

Leopara studied him with a little confusion. "Did… something else happen during your trials?"

"Hm?" Lion-O hummed, looking up with a mouthful of food. He swallowed with a noticable bob of his apple. "Why do you ask?"

She suddenly felt embarrassed bringing it up. "Well, it's just… you didn't react to Tygra and Cheetara…"

Lion-O lowered his fish. "Cheetara isn't in love with me, and that's fine." Lion-O stated. She waited for any hint of sadness or pain. "I forgive her for the confusion it caused. Holding onto my anger about it blinded me to what I had around me- all of you. And you all depend on me to keep a clear mind and lead you."

The pang she waited for still didn't come.

Leopara blinked a couple times. "Oh… wow." she breathed in surprise. "You really did change."

He rubbed the back of his head, just like he always did when feeling a bit sheepish. "It's a good change… right?"

"Yeah… yeah, of course. I'm just… surprised."

He dropped his hand. "I'm still me," he quickly said, as if to reassure her, "I just figured some things out."

Leopara smiled at him. "I know you're still you, silly."

He snorted. "Thanks."

Leopara tossed her scraps into the fire to fuel it. The wood crackled in the night. She glanced over at the others. The Wilytwins were already asleep under their tarp, cuddled in a pile. Panthro was drying off, grumbling to himself as he approached the tents. Tygra and Cheetara lingered a distance away, by the river. They were far enough she couldn't feel their emotions without expanding her senses, and she was glad; it seemed intimate.

Then, she glanced up at the sky.

While night was certainly dimmer than day, it was rare for it to be truly light-less. The largest of the moons dominated the horizon, while the two smaller moons steadily climbed higher. Swathes of stars filled the rest of the black skies with a dazzling array of constellations.

To think, her ancestors had once traveled amongst those fiery balls of light. It was a little awe-inspiring, even if the circumstances had been… horrible.

But she couldn't imagine leaving Third Earth. It was her home.

"I think I can see the Great Cat." Lion-O murmured. "Up, over there."

She followed his finger to where he pointed. A large cat with a bestial head and two shining eyes, brandishing a sword, if you were creative enough to see that amongst the stars and empty, negative space that filled in around them.

"Looks like he's watching us." Leopara murmured.

"I sure hope so." Lion-O agreed more solemnly.

Leopara looked over at him. "Hey… we're going to win this. I know we are."

He turned his eyes down to meet hers. Slowly, he smiled. "Thanks, Leopara."

Thank you for reading! A special thank you to Hestia28 (I take your review as the highest form of compliment! I too wish to shut these two in a room and make them smooch! But the build up for their relationship is too fun to write XD and absolutely, excitement and frustration are very similar emotions), The Night Whisperer, Heart of the Demons, and Frankannestein! I hope you all have a lovely Valentine's Day, whether you're chilling out with some sweets at home or out on a date!