Death whistled merrily as he walked through a field, killing all of the grass that came into contact with his paws. "This grass should consider itself lucky," he said. "The deaths awaiting the rest of these pathetic fools are going to be far more gruesome in tone. Like when I managed to get Sylvester to finally eat Tweety. Who knew there was so much juice in that small head of his? 'I tawt I taw a puddy tat.' Yes, you did, Tweety. And he bit down on your head and chewed it right off."
Death was ready to give the Pride Lands a big show tonight. His great takeover of the world, and soon enough, all of existence, wasn't going to go unnoticed, that was for sure. Everyone was going to know about this.
And the best part was that no one was going to be able to stop him.
His plan had worked brilliantly. Murdering Nala had completely distracted Simba and Haiba. They would be too overcome with grief in order to try and make any sort of attempt to halt his progress.
Not that he couldn't be stopped anyway, of course.
Nevertheless, those cubs would prove to be extremely irritating if they were still up and about while he was trying to spread darkness and chaos throughout the known universe.
Particularly Simba. There was something about this cub that struck Death as very peculiar. He spoke the truth in what he said: Simba was special. There was no doubt about that. As if You-Know-Who up in the clouds had personally picked this one cub to be the saviour of everything.
But that just sounded silly. Death hadn't heard of such a thing in two thousand years. There's something wrong with me, Death thought to himself. He's just a little, freakish cub . It's always the young ones who are special. I remember that Jim Hawkins kid. Needless to say, I'm glad I made Treasure Planet explode a little b it earlier than it should have done.
Death giggled. "Oh, I'm so evil!" he exclaimed, as he reached the top of a hill. Looking into the distance, he could see Pride Rock. "Well, what do you know?" Death said, as a smile began to form on his face. "If it isn't the national landmark of the Pride Lands. I must say, it's a bit more impressive than the flashy show-off nature of other places. I'd even say it beats Hawaii. Note to self: kill Stitch before he meets that stupid Lilo girl."
Death walked down the hill, towards Pride Rock. It was time to set things in motion. His plan was going to be put into action. "Soon everyone will die, and this whole kingdom will crumble into dust. No, not crumble – b urn. It's so much more impressive. I like it when things are on fire. Quasimodo had the right idea when he turned Notre Dame into a fiery blaze. Shame he wasn't a villain, otherwise I just might have let him dodge that sword attack by Frollo." He shrugged.
"Oh, well. Can't win 'em all."
Death narrowed his eyes, straining to see if there was anyone close to the famous rock structure. "Come on, you simpletons. Where are you?" he asked, as he got closer and closer. "There's no use hiding from your inevitable deaths. You cannot kill what is death itself." He smiled. "Ooh, that sounded quite philosophical! This is such an exciting day!"
Death reached Pride Rock, and that was when he stopped walking. A cruel smile spread across his bony face, and his red eyes seemed to glow, like lights in the darkness.
"Time to die, Pride Landers."
"Zazu, you had better explain yourself," Mufasa said to his royal advisor, frowning crossly at him. "Why have you brought us all the way out here?"
Zazu had just about managed to convince the pride to relocate away from Pride Rock, and now they were stuck in the middle of a field just on the outskirts of the kingdom. He doubted they believed his story, though.
"For your safety, sire," Zazu replied, frowning at the King. He'd had quite enough of everyone's incompetence.
He hated to admit it, but he agreed wholeheartedly with Simba. The cub was right. They had to warn the pride, and get them as far away from Death as possible. It was about time that he stood up for something. "There is an immortal, allpowerful demon on the loose, and I'd suggest that we get as far away from him as possible."
"Zazu, if someone – or something – is planning on attacking the kingdom, then the first thing we are going to do is not run away," Mufasa responded. "If we have to fight to survive, then so be it."
"I would not advise such a thing, sire," Zazu argued. "You cannot kill what is death itself. Sorry to get philosophical, but it's true. What I would advise is to—"
"Zazu, because of your misconduct, you are in no position whatsoever to advise any of us on what to do," Mufasa interrupted, staring at Zazu with a stern look in his eyes. "As far as I'm concerned, you are relieved from your duties."
There was a tense moment of silence.
"Then that's fine by me," Zazu finally said, folding his wings. "Go ahead and fight. Go ahead and lose. Go ahead and get yourselves horribly killed. As far as I'm concerned, you can do whatever it is you please. Good day to you all."
With that, Zazu took to the skies. That was it. He'd tried and tried to explain to the pride that they were in serious danger, and that they should get away, but they weren't having any of it. They refused to listen, and now they would pay the price for it. They would suffer the consequences, and eventually they would die. Each and every single one of them. They would all perish horrifically, and Death would spread death and destruction wherever he wished.
That was what made Zazu stop flying.
He gasped as he crashed into a nearby bush. "Oh, no!" he cried, before emerging from the bush. "If Death kills thirteen members of the pride, then soon everything will die! I couldn't possibly b ear to live in such a world! I've… I've… I have to find Simba. He's the only one who stands a chance of doing anything." He rolled his eyes. "I never knew the King could be so incompetent."
Zazu flew off again, this time heading for the water hole. Chances were that was where Simba, Nala and Haiba would be. Those three cubs were the kingdom's only hope right now. Maybe – if they were the luckiest cubs in existence – they might just be able to kill Death itself.
"Oh, for crying out loud!" Death yelled, breathing a few licks of flame out of his mouth. "Empty! Completely empty!"
When Death walked into the den, he immediately realised that it was devoid of life. No lions. No lionesses. No ants. Nothing.
"Come on!" Death shouted, jumping up and down in anger. "Couldn't you just stay here and quietly await your fates? Everyone has to be so difficult! I'm Death, for Pete's sake! I've made Dumbo crash! I made that stupid fox hate the equally stupid hound! I've thrown that freaky aardvark with the glasses off a cliff! Why can't I kill this stupid pride? Why? Why? Why…?"
Death collapsed to the ground, a defeated look on his face. "What am I gonna do?" He stood up, wiping a paw over his face, struggling to think. "Oh, Huey, Dewey, Louie…"
His red eyes suddenly lit up – quite literally, actually. "Aha!" he exclaimed, a grin appearing on his face. "I know just what to do! Let's have a little search through my back catalogue!"
Death took a deep breath, and then exhaled, letting a thick cloud of black mist escape his throat.
It expanded in size, until it was more or less the same size as that of a large boulder. "Now, let's see…"
Death stuck his paw into the cloud. His entire foreleg disappeared inside of it, as if it were much bigger on the inside.
"Hmm…" He began to fish around the inside of the cloud, trying to search for something.
He then grabbed hold of something, and then pulled out a funny-looking snake. Death frowned apologetically at it. "Uh, sorry, Kaa, I'm looking for someone else. Don't mind me. But keep those eyes spinning. Does wonders for the kids."
He shoved the snake back inside the cloud, before continuing to search. "Come on, you must be in here somewhere…"
Death then grabbed hold of something else, and was surprised when he pulled out a pirate captain. "I say, what is the meaning of this?" the pirate captain roared.
"Captain Hook!" Death exclaimed, a cheery grin on his face. "I must say, it's been a while since I've seen you! How's that Peter Pan kid doing?"
Captain Hook looked back into the cloud. "Mr Smee, prepare the cannonballs!" he ordered.
"Yikes!" Death threw Captain Hook back into the cloud. He covered his face with his paws, as a sudden explosion shot out from the cloud, showering Death with smoke and debris. "Jeez, you'd think these people would be a little nicer to the guy who influenced them in the first placed." He sighed. "Oh, well…"
Reaching back into the cloud, Death pulled out another person. "Off with his head!" the person roared at the top of her voice.
"No." Death shoved the person back inside, before pulling out another.
"Get those puppies!"
"Nope."
"… Poor unfortunate souls!"
"I don't think so."
"Creeper!"
"Oh, come on, you're just a guy in a mask. Gimme something better."
"I'll get you next time, Gadget!"
"Smithers, release the hounds…"
"Prepare for trouble!"
"And make it double!"
Death couldn't take anymore. "That's it!" he roared, breathing so much fire out of his mouth that the cloud was instantly eradicated. "If there aren't any useful villains around, then I'm going to make one of my own! Now, let's see…"
Death breathed a small ball of black mist into his paw. "We'll have a pawful of Rasputin…" He breathed more mist into his other paw. "A dash of Gaston…" He formed the two balls of mist into one big ball. "And just a hint of Scar."
Death clapped his paws together. The large ball of mist exploded, and Death stumbled backwards, crashing against the wall of the den
There was a thick cloud of acrid smoke in the middle of the den. It hissed with pure evil.
Death stood up, and watched as it cleared away, to reveal his new creation.
A large, bulky, tall lion stood proud in the centre of the den. Its muscles bulged from its chest, and its red eyes darted left and right. If anyone saw this thing walking towards them, then they would run a mile.
Death smiled. "There we go," he said. "Magic, strength and a psychopathic mind. A recipe for disaster. And a good disaster, too. I think I'll name you… Chaos. Goes well with my name. Like a sort of… companion. Yeah, that's it. What do you think?"
The lion snapped its neck in Death's direction. "I like the sound of that," he said, in a rather intelligent voice. "What is your command, my master?"
"Master?" Death chuckled. "Please, call me Death. It sounds so much more interesting. Technically, you should call me Dad, but I'm not the parenting type. Let's just take this one step at a time, huh?"
"Then what would you like me to do… Death?" Chaos asked, his breathing loud and heavy. His big chest slowly expanded inwards and outwards. He looked as if he had been composed of pure strength. Death had created something that would be truly unstoppable.
Not unlike himself.
"Okay, this is what I'd like you to do," Death began to explain, taking a step towards his evil creation. "I've already given you a certain input on the problems I'm facing right now, so you should be familiar with Simba. Am I right?"
Chaos stared straight ahead, and began to rattle off information at an extremely quick pace. "Simba – Prince of the Pride Lands – betrothed to Princess Nala – golden-brown fur – auburn eyes – enjoys dangerous adventures – prone to hypnosis – ticklish behind the left ear—"
Death raised a paw for him to stop. "Good, I get it," he interrupted. "Now, here's what you're going to do: you're going to keep Simba away from the rest of the pride, and pound his tiny little body into the ground. Understand?"
"Yes, Death." Chaos saluted him. "I will destroy Prince Simba, and his bones shall be crushed into dust."
Death shook his head, smiling. "No, no, no, no, you didn't hear me correctly. I don't want you to destroy him. Oh, no, no, no. I want you to hurt him. Rough him up. Injure him. That means he'll be weak. That means you can bring him to me, and then I will kill him. Now am I making myself clear?"
"Perfectly, Death," Chaos replied. "I will hurt him sufficiently enough, and then he shall be brought to you. I will take care of it. Don't you worry a single bit."
"Good." Death then walked out of the den, only to be provided with another question from Chaos.
"Um, Death, what will you be doing?" he asked.
Death turned around. "The same thing I do every night, Chaos: try to take over the world."
And just like that, he was gone.
"Simba!" Zazu almost crashed into the ground because of how relieved he was to find him. "I have the most dreadful thing to—"
He stopped midsentence when he saw Simba hunched over the motionless body on the ground. Good grief, Zazu thought. That's not… No, it can't be…
As Zazu walked across the ground, he was horrified to find that the lifeless body belonged to Nala. "Oh, no…" he whispered under his breath, his head hanging low.
Simba kept sobbing into the fur of his dead girlfriend. His heart was broken.
No. It was more than that. His heart had been torn apart. His one true love had been cruelly stolen from him by his mortal enemy.
Death.
He was the worst of them all. Every single villainous creature in existence had been influenced by his horrible ways.
Every time something bad happened, it was always because of him.
He was a murderer.
He was a maniac.
He was a monster.
And he vowed, as he cried into Nala's body, that Death would pay for his actions. Tonight.
Simba would have his revenge. He would do what everyone else wouldn't – couldn't – do. He would avenge Nala, and he would save the whole world. He would save everything and everyone.
Tonight, he would do the impossible.
He was going to kill Death.
"Simba…"
Zazu didn't know what to say. Just seeing Nala's dead body lying on the ground gave him this horrible sense of dread in the pit of his stomach. Just like when his father had been murdered. Maybe Death gave everyone the same feeling, when someone close to them had been killed by him.
"I…"
"You don't need to say anything," Simba said coldly, rising to his paws, a determined look on his face. He'd never been angrier. He'd never been more upset. He'd never been more determined in his life. "I know what I have to do."
He turned around to face Haiba and Zazu. "I'm going to kill Death."
"Simba…" Haiba didn't really know where to begin. "Don't you think that killing Death is…" He let out a long sigh.
"Impossible?"
"Nothing's impossible," Simba stated. "It's just very unlikely. And if we die, then fine, we die. But if Nala taught me one thing – just one thing – then it was to never ever give up. She'd want us to keep trying."
Haiba opened his mouth to argue, but then was struck with a sudden realisation.
So what?
Simba was talking complete and utter sense. They might as well try. If they didn't, then they were dead anyway. If they were going to go down, then they were going to go down fighting. Nothing really mattered right now. He would fight. Fight for Nala. Fight for his mother. Fight for everyone.
"Okay," Haiba finally said, sharing Simba's determined look. "I'm with you – to the end. So… what's the plan?"
"Simple: find Death, and kill him," Simba replied.
Zazu raised a wing. "Uh, excuse me, young master, but how do you propose that we do such a thing?"
"Well, in the olden days you'd use a wooden stake to kill a vampire," said Haiba. "And they weren't technically alive. Think the same trick would work with Death?"
"I was thinking of something else," Simba told them both. He looked lost in thought. "But I've gotta do this on my own."
"Then just what are we supposed to do?" Haiba asked.
"Dying woul good start!"
The three of them turned their heads, and found themselves staring at a huge, bulky lion, muscles bulging with sheer power and strength. "Hi, kids," he said. "I'm Chaos."
He grinned at them, revealing a row of extremely sharp teeth. They looked just perfect for crushing the heads of innocent cubs – or hornbills.
"Why do I think that Death is behind this?" Haiba asked, taking a cautious step backwards. "I mean, the bulging muscles – which look great, by the way – just kind of give it away, don't you think so?"
Chaos snarled, grabbing Haiba with one of his huge paws and holding him up to his face. Haiba made a squeaky, terrified noise.
"Mommy."
Chaos chuckled, and began to crush Haiba in his tightening grasp. Simba and Zazu could have sworn they heard the sound of his bones cracking.
"Help… me…" Haiba said, his whole body feeling like it was about to be compressed into total nothingness.
"Let him go!" Simba demanded, taking a brave step towards the hulking creature. "It's me you want!"
Chaos just smiled. "With pleasure," he said, before throwing Haiba into the water hole – which had since been replaced with blood.
Splash! Haiba landed in the blood, and immediately gagged as some of it entered his mouth. Oh, no…
Emerging from the blood, he coughed and spluttered, swimming over to the edge. "That is the most disgusting thing ever."
"Simba," Chaos said, his smile widening. "You've caused a lot of trouble for Death. But that doesn't matter, because now I'm around to take care of things. Prepare to be squashed!"
Chaos raised one of his humongous paws, and brought it crashing down on top of Simba.
Simba cried out in pain, instantly collapsing to the ground. His whole body shook with immense force, and it felt like he had been pelted with a thousand stones. This was truly the strongest lion he'd ever seen in his life.
But that wouldn't stop him from fighting.
Far from it.
Simba stumbled to his paws, staring Chaos in the eyes. "You're gonna have to do a lot better than that if you want to kill me."
"I don't plan on killing you," Chaos informed him. "I just want to hurt you enough so that you won't be able to stop Death from taking your soul."
Simba smiled. "Thank you for that helpful information," he said, before turning around and walking away. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to die."
"Get back here, you little brat!" Chaos roared, picking Simba up with one of his paws. "Let's see how you handle this!"
He began to crush Simba, in the same way as he did with Haiba. "I'm gonna crush all of your bones!" Chaos told him.
"So that you won't even be able to think!"
Simba struggled to break free, but Chaos had an extremely firm grip on his tiny body. He was slowly being squeezed, and it felt like his eyes were going to pop out any second now.
"Let… me… go…"
Chaos just chuckled. "I don't think so, kid," he responded. "I only listen to Death. He's the big boss around here."
Simba groaned and grunted, as his body was squeezed harder and harder. The pain was unbearable. He didn't know how much more he could take…
Chaos then felt a tap on his back. "Huh?"
He turned around to see a set of claws swiping him in the face.
Crying out in pain, Chaos dropped Simba to the ground, releasing him from his lethal grip. "What the hell was…?"
"Tojo, slash him again."
Chaos was met with another slash to the face. His head flopped backwards, and his eyes snapped shut, unconscious.
Tojo turned around to face Tama, a smile on his face. "What do you know? These underdeveloped claws aren't so bad after all!"
Tama patted Tojo on the shoulder. "Good boy." She smiled at Simba. "Bet you're glad to see us, huh?"
Simba was a little surprised to see Tama and Tojo. "What?" He rubbed his eyes, to see if they were really there or not.
"Tama? Tojo? How did… How did you get here?"
"It didn't take Tojo too long to figure it out," Tama replied. "I mean, the day suddenly turning into night? There's only one logical explanation for that."
Tama and Tojo both spoke at the same time. "There's something happening at the Pride Lands."
"So, you see, I thought that we should take a look," Tojo explained. "And, of course, there was a big scary monster trying to crush you. If we didn't show up, then I don't know what he would have done to you."
"Hey, look, it's Tiny Tojo," Haiba joked, joining Simba by his side.
"You can talk, Prince Cheesy," Tojo retorted. "I just saved your life." He looked at Simba. "So, where's Nala?"
Simba's expression was cold and heartless. "She's dead."
Tama and Tojo watched, shocked, as Simba turned around and walked away.
"What?" Tojo exclaimed, eyes wide.
"Wait, where are you going?" Tama asked, confused.
"I've got a date with Death," he replied. "Just wait there. Make sure that big guy doesn't get back up or anything."
"Simba, wait," Haiba said, running after Simba. "What are you going to do? Do you even have a plan?"
"Of course I have a plan," Simba assured him, not even stopping. "Just do as I say and wait here."
Zazu watched Simba walk away, and smiled. "Good luck, young master!" he called after the brave cub, meaning every word that he said.
Now we know who the real King is around here…
King Mufasa and the rest of the pride were making their way back towards Pride Rock, ready to fight whoever was trying to take over the kingdom. They weren't just going to give up. They'd faced fights before. Surely one lion couldn't be that much of a—
"Hello, Pride Landers!"
Everyone was surprised when Death suddenly appeared in front of them. His fore paws were raised in the air, and he had a maniacal grin on his face, as if he were already victorious.
"Bet you're surprised to see me! I mean, it's not every day an all-powerful lion appears right in front of you, is it? Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Death, how ya doing?"
He stuck out his paw for the King to shake.
King Mufasa didn't move.
Death rolled his eyes. "Okay, I had a feeling you wouldn't fall for that trick." He shrugged. "Not that it matters, because I can just do this!"
He poked Mufasa in the chest with one of his claws. In just a matter of seconds, the King of the Pride Lands was on the ground, eyes snapped shut.
He was dead.
Everyone gasped in horror, backing away from this horrifying creature.
"What have you done?" Sarabi cried, looking down at her fallen mate.
"The same thing I'm going to do to you," Death replied, before poking Sarabi in the chest. "And you." He poked Sarafina in the chest. "And you." He poked a lioness. "And you!" He poked another. "And you!"
Death continued poking the remaining lionesses in the chest, until they had all fallen down, dead. "That makes twelve," he realised, smiling.
All that remained of the pride were a dozen terrified cubs. Death grinned, and then screamed at the top of his voice.
The cubs all yelled in terror, running away as fast as they possibly could.
"That's right!" Death called after them. "Run! Just like Sonic the Hedgehog! But that didn't help him!"
He giggled to himself. "I love terrorising young people. It's what gets me up in the morning."
"Death!"
Death instantly whipped round upon hearing that voice.
"Ah, Simba…" he said, smiling at the brave Prince of the Pride Lands. "Just the cub I wanted to see. The only one worthy of becoming my thirteenth victim."
Simba walked towards Death, ready for the final showdown. This was it. This one encounter would decide whether he would live, or whether he would die.
It would probably be the latter.
"Do you like my work?" Death asked him, gesturing to the bodies that were littered across the ground.
Simba stared at all the bodies. All the lionesses of the pride had been killed. So had Sarafina, Nala's mother. And so had his parents…
They just lay there. Their lives had been stolen.
"Oh, yeah," Simba replied sarcastically. "I just love the fact that you've killed everyone I know and love."
Death chuckled. "I thought you'd be a little sadder, if I'm honest. Come on, just a few tears? Please? Do I at least get the chance to say 'boo hoo'?"
"It doesn't matter anymore," Simba told him. "Whatever happens, I'll probably end up dead."
Death shrugged. "Fair point. So you're saying that you give up?"
Simba shrugged, in the same manner as Death had. "That's what I'm saying," he lied. "You've stolen everything from me. My friends. My family. Nala. I've got nothing else to live for. So, go on. Kill me."
Death frowned, staring into Simba's auburn eyes. Trying to figure out whether this was some kind of trick or not.
But it couldn't be – could it? He was Death! No one could stop him! He was invincible! The most powerful being in the world!
"Hmm…" Death raised a claw, still mulling over the possibly consequences in his brain.
"Come on!" Simba demanded, anger blazing in his eyes. "Kill me! Do it! Kill me!"
This couldn't be a trick. The kid had just lost his mind. He'd gone insane. He actually wanted to die!
Death grinned evilly, knowing that victory was finally his. "You've made me a very happy guy, Simba! Allow me to grant your wish!"
He poked Simba in the chest with one of his long claws.
What happened next shocked Death to the inner core of his being.
Both Simba and Death experienced what it felt like to die. Simba felt like his soul was being torn out of his body, while Death felt like his whole existence was being burned up from the inside out.
Simba screamed, and so did Death. They were feeling the exact same amount of pain.
And it seemed like it was never going to end.
Death opened his mouth wide, and breathed out a torrent of fire, his eyes glowing a furious red. He screamed and screamed, as the pain intensified. His whole body was being torn apart. Everything he was…
It was burning.
Simba screamed, as his soul itself was ripped apart. Everything he was, and everything he would be was being destroyed.
His whole life.
The screams of pain and utter torment continued, until—the two of them were sent flying backwards, landing on opposite edges of the field.
Death's eyes snapped open, and his eyes widened in horror at what he saw.
His body was on fire. Starting from the legs, the flames began to work their way up his body, until they were covering his face.
"No! You can't do this to me! I can't die! I'm Death! You cannot kill what is Death itself! I'm invincible! Death is for ever! Death is everlasting! Death cannot b e killed! I cannot die!"
Death screamed.
A scream of pure terror, as the flames burned his body into absolute nothingness.
And, just like that, Death was dead.
Simba lay on the ground, motionless.
Just like Death, he had been killed, too. His soul had been torn apart, and it wouldn't be long before he passed on into whatever lay ahead from him afterwards. He didn't know what would happen to him.
Would he just get darkness for all eternity? Would he be reunited with Nala? Would he get anything? He didn't know.
Until the most shocking possibility of all happened.
Simba opened his eyes to find himself in some kind of white void. He looked around, b ut couldn't see anything, or anyone.
"Where… where am I?" he wondered, looking down. He could see his b ody. It was still intact. He hadn't b een injured one bit. Everything was… okay.
"You know, I don't usually do this very often."
Simba looked up upon hearing the voice.
He watched with the greatest of curiosity, as a lion stepped in from out of nowhere.
He seemed to shine with golden light. His fur was the most golden Simb a had ever seen. His aub urn eyes twinkled with brightness. His red mane stood out like nothing else Simb a had ever seen before.
"I'm not sure if this form would appease you or not," the lion said. "I b ased it on you, of course. Haven't you spotted the resemblance?"
Simba stared at the lion. "Who… who are you?"
"I have many names," the lion replied. "But for now, let's just call me You-Know-Who. I think that would be most suitable."
Simba liked You-Know-Who, whoever he was. He spoke with the kindest of tones, and Simb a likened him to that of his own father. He was very… loveable.
You-Know-Who smiled at Simba. "You look very troubled, Simba," he said. "I'd go so far as to say that you've looked Death in the face – if you know what I mean."
"Am I dead?" Simb a suddenly asked, taking a step towards You-Know-Who.
"Yes, Simba," You-Know-Who said simply. "You have passed in into what I like to call… Peace. The kind of… world in the middle of life and the afterlife. The stuff in between."
"And what am I… doing here?" Simba asked, taking another step towards You-Know-Who.
You-Know-Who stared at Simba with kind eyes. "Simba, there are lots of people in the world. A world that I created. There are good people, and there are bad people. And believe me when I say that there is much more good in it than bad. You've exemplified that greatly by what you did."
Simba felt a little confused. His memory was still a little fuzzy. He had trouble remembering what had happened in the last few moments of his life.
"What… did happen?"
"You defeated Death," You-Know-Who told him. "And to do such a thing requires a great amount of skill, intelligence, and courage. And, of course, the most important thing of all."
"What's that?"
You-Know-Who poked Simba gently in the chest. "Love, Simba. Good, honest, true love. Love will always find a way. It's the only way. And you did it. Not because you wanted revenge, or because you were angry, or scared, but…"
His smile widened even more. "Because you loved. You're something special, Simba. Even my b rother could see that – despite his immense evil. And believe me when I say that if there weren't people like you in the world, then it wouldn't exist at all."
Simba had tears in his eyes. With the exception of Nala, no one had ever spoken to him like this b efore. Nala and this… You-Know-Who were the only two people who seemed to realise what he really was inside.
A good, honest, true soul.
"Now, it would b e very rude of me not to present you with a choice," You-Know-Who said. "You can come with me, and you can be happy for all of eternity. Or… I can send you b ack to your brilliant kingdom. It's not as big as mine, of course, but it's still very brilliant. All of the poor souls who died will be b rought b ack to life, and you can carry on as normal."
Tears streamed down Simba's cheeks, as a smile formed on his face. "I want to go b ack," he told You-Know-Who, his voice getting choked up. Words could not sum up the happiness he was feeling at being presented with this choice.
You-Know-Who grinned. "Very well, Simb a," he said. "If that is what you wish, then I will happily return you to life."
A sob escaped Simb a's throat. "Thank you."
"And remember, Simba. Don't ever stop loving. It's love that defines who we are. Never forget that."
Simba smiled, and wrapped his paws around You-Know-Who, emb racing him in a hug. "Thank you so much…"
You-Know-Who chuckled. "It's my pleasure, Simb a." He then hugged Simb a b ack. "I'm always happy to help."
Simba backed away, still smiling.
He watched as You-Know-Who b egan to fade away, along with the white void. "I'll see you again someday, Simba," he told the cub . "I can promise you that."
"One more thing," said Simba.
"Yes?"
"Are you who I think you are?"
You-Know-Who chuckled, looking downwards. "Well… I'll let you be the judge of that."
And then You-Know-Who was gone.
Simba's smile widened, as everything began to fade. He closed his eyes, and he felt himself floating away…
He was returning to life.
Simba's eyes snapped open, and he gasped loudly, sitting up instantly.
"Whoa, whoa!" Haiba cried, holding Simba down as he tried to get up. "Take it easy, Simba!"
Simba breathed heavily, and found Haiba, Tama and Tojo staring down at him. He looked up at the sky. It was a bright, sunny morning. Birds were tweeting and the sun was shining.
"You're… you're all here," Simba finally said.
"Uh… yeah," Haiba replied. "Once that giant lion guy faded away, we thought we might as well try and help you."
Tama whispered in his ear. "He was dead."
"Yes, thank you, Tama, I was going to break that to him gently. Thanks for ruining my plan," Haiba replied. He then smiled down at Simba. "Yeah. We thought you were dead. You looked… I mean, you looked completely dead, I've gotta admit."
Simba put a paw to his temple. "I think I was…" he said, slowly realising that whatever had happened to him, it must have been real. "But anyway, I'm back now. I'm fine."
Tojo raised an eyebrow. "You sure?" he asked. "According to my calculations, people never come back from the dead."
"Yeah, well, it's one of those days," Simba replied. He looked around the field. "Where's everyone else?"
"There wasn't anyone else," Haiba replied, looking at Simba confusedly.
"Last night," said Simba. "Last night Death killed everyone. Nala's mother, my parents, everyone."
"Last time I checked, they were all still at the den. I think Zazu's begging for his job back." Haiba told him. "And I think you've gone a little crazy."
They're all alive, Simba realised. They must have b een b rought b ack b y the time that big lion guy disappeared.
Simba's eyes then widened. "Nala," he said, before jumping to his paws and sprinting away.
Haiba, Tama and Tojo all stared at Simba ran out of the field.
"Pretty spry for a dead cub," Haiba remarked, a smile on his face.
Simba ran as fast as he could to the water hole, desperate to find out whether Nala was alive or not.
Arriving there, he stopped dead at what he saw.
Nala still lay on the ground, totally motionless.
She was still dead.
His heart sinking into his stomach, Simba slowly walked over to Nala's body, sitting down beside her.
"Nala?"
No response.
Simba sighed, his head hanging low. "No…"
He nuzzled her fur, inhaling her familiar scent. She still smelled of fresh flowers. The freshest flowers in the world.
He sobbed. "Please… please come back… I can't live without you…"
He sat up, staring at her.
There was no mistaking it.
Nala had well and truly passed on.
She wasn't coming back.
Tears welled up in Simba's eyes, as he lowered his head to Nala's cheek, kissing her softly on it.
He then slowly got up, turned around, and walked away.
Into what, he didn't know. His future was uncertain. All he knew was that he would heading on in the journey of life without Nala.
The most important person in his life.
"Simba?"
Simba stopped upon hearing the voice.
He didn't care if her voice sounded weak and frail.
Simba smiled.
Because Nala was alive.
Turning around, Simba practically dived to Nala's side. By the time he stared into her beautiful teal eyes, he was already crying.
"Nala… you're alive!" he cried, hugging her tightly. "You're alive!"
Nala smiled, not really understanding. "Of course I'm alive," she said. "Simba… why are you crying?"
Simba sniffled. "It's not because I'm sad. It's because I'm… so… happy."
He kissed her on the muzzle. Even though she still didn't get it, she kissed him back, not really caring why.
Releasing her from the kiss, Simba laughed. "I love you," he told her. "I love you so much."
Nala smiled back at him. "I love you, too, Simba."
And together, the two cubs sat there in the field, staring into each other's eyes.
They loved each other with all their hearts.
Because You-Know-Who had turned out to be very, very right.
Love always found a way, in…