Nala froze. Staring at Haiba. She'd heard him say stuff like that before, but this… this was… different. It just didn't seem right. Out of all the things she'd be freaked out by Haiba saying, this would have been relatively low on the list. Yet she had a feeling that something wasn't right…

Haiba just continued to stare at her with a wide smile and wide, wide eyes. That was probably what scared Nala the most. She'd never seen eyes that big before. It looked like he was possessed! Was he possessed? She just didn't know.

"Haiba, um, that's very sweet, but, uh…" Nala stammered, unable to take her eyes off Haiba's. She was afraid that if she looked away for more than a second, then he might gobble her up or something. "I've actually, um, already… got a…boyfriend."

She felt a pang of disappointment in her stomach at the thought of Simba. Only five minutes ago had he let it slip that he'd beaten Haiba to a bloody pulp. Maybe Haiba's new… b ehaviour was something to do with that?

"So, you see, Haiba, that's why, um, I have to say that saying I'm beautiful is very flattering, but I can't exactly form a relationship with you," she tenderly tried to explain, just about managing to keep eye contact with him. That was a challenge in itself.

"Nala…" Haiba frowned, and it looked like his heart had been wrenched right out from his chest. Tears began to well up in his eyes, and he began to cry what looked like a waterfall. "You've b roken my heart! Why do you always have to b e so mean?"

Nala backed away instinctively. Oh, dear. She watched with horror as Haiba cried out copious amounts of tears. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen before. Just what the heck had gotten into him? "Uh, Haiba—no, don't cry—it's not like that—oh, please stop crying."

"I don't want to speak to you!" Haiba raged. "I don't like you anymore—yet I still love you at the same time! Just go away and leave me alone! For ever!" He continued to sob overdramatically.

This isn't right! Nala thought with wide eyes of her own. "Haiba, calm down. I really do still like you!"

The tears instantly stopped, and Haiba pounced at Nala with such force that she found herself pinned to the ground; surprising, considering normally that pinning animals down was normally her job.

"Oh, Nala!" Haiba cried with joy, a massive grin on his face. "I could kiss you! In fact, I think I will!" He began to kiss her on both cheeks, again and again and again.

Nala felt sick. "Get off me, Haiba!" she cried, pushing him away from her. "There's a time and place for bodily contact— and it's not now!"

"But I thought you really liked me?" She could see the tears forming in his eyes once more.

Not again, she thought worriedly, thinking of how ferocious Haiba's sadness had been before when she'd rejected him.

"Haiba, I do like you, but me and you—together—just isn't going to work out."

"But why?" Haiba inched ever closer to Nala, his bulging eyes almost touching hers. "We could be so good together, Nala! I love you! Ever since I woke up this morning, I've felt a changed cub! My heart explodes with passion! Your voice is music to my ears. Your voice is angelic. And you look… well, you look like a goddess. Can you honestly deny me my love?"

Nala gulped nervously. "Well… Haiba, it's just that… I only think of you as a friend. A brother. You and me…" she shook her head gently, "it's just not going to work out."

Haiba frowned. "So you don't love me." He started to walk away slowly. "I might as well just kill myself right now…"

"No, no, no!" Nala raced over to him. Her mind was completely drained of ideas. There was nothing she could do to stop these intense feelings Haiba was experiencing. She couldn't explain it. Had something happened to Haiba? Had Simba pounded him so much that his mind had become warped? Then again, his mind was warped before that, so…

"What?" Haiba turned around, still staring at Nala with those horrific wide eyes. "What could you possibly say that'll prevent me from ending my miserable existence?"

"Um… well, uh…" Nala struggled to find an answer. There was only one thing she could think of—but it was such a betrayal of her actual feelings that she was conflicted over whether to say it or not.

"All right… I'll be your girlfriend," Nala gave in, with a sigh, her shoulders sagging.

Haiba's eyes seemed to glow with happiness. "Brilliant!" He pulled her into his chest. "We shall be married by tonight!"

"Married?" Nala exclaimed, trying to wrestle away from his grip. "Hey, hey—I said nothing about marriage. I'm kind of saving that for later on, you know?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Nala," Haiba said with a smile. "It's clear that we're meant to be. Together for ever, isn't that right?"

She didn't know why, but that last line sounded like a threat. Just to be on the safe side, she would be careful not to anger Haiba. "Oh, yes, together for ever… darling, but isn't getting married by tonight just a little bit too quick?"

"Nonsense!" proclaimed Haiba. "I'd want to be tethered to you as soon as possible! We can live out the rest of our lives in eternal bliss!"

This was nothing like the Haiba she knew. Something horrible—maybe even something evil—had happened to him.

Sadly, she knew that it was her job to figure out what was going on. That is, if Haiba would even let her go for more than five seconds.

Sadly, she also knew that she had no other choice but to agree to marry him. "Okay, Haiba—we shall be married by the end of today." She let out another big sigh. Screwing up her relationships really wasn't what she'd expected today.

"I just knew you would agree!" Haiba exclaimed ecstatically, smiling as his soon-to-be mate. "After all, we are soul mates."

Excuse me while I throw up, Nala thought. Could he be any cheesier? This was turning into a fairy tale! "Whatever you say, dear."

"Can you imagine it?" Shocker asked with a happy smile, as he paced back and forth around his jungle home. "They're probably lying there right now, screaming and crying for help!" He laughed evilly. "And no one will be around to help them! They will die! Die now and die for ever!"

"Crude, kid," said the Interceptor. "Very crude."

"I hope you hid the evidence in a safe place," Shocker told him. "We can't have anyone finding out what we've been up to. This cannot be traced back to us—at all. Understood?"

"Don't worry—I hid it at the bottom of a gorge," the Interceptor explained.

Shocker stood rigid, his eyes wide with… shock. "Where did you hide it?" he asked in a quiet voice—something surprising for him.

"I hid it in some gorge," the Interceptor told him again. "Why? No one's ever gonna think to look down there."

"You… idiot!" Shocker's paws crackled with electricity. "The gorge is right in the middle of the Pride Lands!"

"Well, actually, it's more to the left—"

"Shut up! Anyone could find it there! Some sneaky idiot with a nose for trouble could pick it right up and discover everything that we've been doing!" Shocker ranted and raged. "We have to get it back—before it's too late."

"Get it back?" the Interceptor said. "But you said to stay away!"

"That was b efore you had the bright idea to hide the evidence in the place we committed the crime!" Shocker yelled. "The next time I tell you to hide something, then hide it somewhere where no one will actually find it!"

"Well, just do it yourself next time," the Interceptor mumbled.

Shocker stared at him. "Don't make me kill you," he said, before walking off.

"I'd like to see you try," the Interceptor whispered under his breath.