Eshe, who was on a nearby hill, was observing her son ad Sherise with a conflicted expression. She looked up at the stars as she began to speak. "Father, I am lost. Sherise is one of them. How can I accept her?"

"Eshe?" Mheetu's soft voice prompted her to turn to see her mate approaching.

"I was seeking advice from the Great Kings," Eshe said softly as the tawny lion sat beside her.

"And did they help, my love?"

Eshe sighed. "Silent as stars. My father would never—"

Mheetu cut the light brown lioness off by gently nuzzling her. "Oh, love. You want so much to walk the path expected of you." the Prince-Consort looked down at the nuzzling lions in front of them. "Perhaps Sherise does not."

Eshe's green eyes widened as she looked at her mate. "How did you–"

"It's obvious what's been on your mind." Mheetu chuckled. "You'll never know her true intentions unless you spend some time with her," he added as he returned his gaze to their son and Sherise. "I suggest that you get to know her. Not as the Outsider. Not as Mufasa's daughter. But as Sherise." Mheetu nuzzled his mate once more before turning around and returning to Pride Rock.

After a brief moment, Eshe turned around and followed him.

~TLK~

Jashua and Sherise were still nuzzling down below when Sherise abruptly pulled away and cleared her throat.

"What's wrong?" Jashua asked as the brownish lioness walked away from him.

"Nothing," she murmured as she sat a short distance away from him.

"Sherise…" She sighed at Jashua's soft plea.

Sherise stood up and faced him, saying, "It's just that, my entire life, I've been trained to-" She cut herself off. "It doesn't matter." She started to move away. "I gotta go."

"Sherise…wait." Jashua's soft words caused her to stop. When she looked back at him, his pleading expression struck a chord with her.

But it wasn't enough. She shook her head and continued walking, only to be stopped by a hand emerging from the grass. It poked her in the nose, causing her to grunt unhappily.

"And where are you going?" An unfamiliar voice asked.

"Nowhere, not that it's any of your business," Sherise scowled. She couldn't help but jump as Rafiki popped out of the grass.

"Ha! Dat's what you think!" The mandrill said as he pointed at her. He dove back into the grass, laughing as he raced away.

Jashua watched as Sherise bent down to look for him. She turned to face the pale cream lion. "Who was the crazy monkey?!"

Jashua chuckled apologetically as he came to Sherise's side. "Uh…he's a friend of the family."

They turned around when they heard humming. Rafiki was relaxing on Sherise's back and playing with her tail, much to their surprise.

Rafiki hopped off her back, ignoring her growl. "Come on!" He gave her tail a few sharp tugs. "You follow ol' Rafiki! He knows de way!" He dashed away, laughing. He either didn't notice or didn't care that she was growling and raising a paw with her claws extended.

Jashua felt a surge of panic as he quickly stopped her. "Wait! That's Rafiki," he explained quickly as she turned to look at him, her eyes flashing. "He's the mjuzi of the Pride Lands. He's known for being a little...strange."

"Strange does not even begin to cover it," Sherise growled. "And what exactly is he talking about? Way to where?"

At the sound of laughter, they turned to see Rafiki standing on a tall cliff above them, clutching a vine. "You follow! You see!" The two exchanged mystified glances as Rafiki swung away. "Hurry, now!"

Jashua grinned as he ran after him. "Sherise, come on!"

Sherise gave the pale cream lion a puzzled look but followed him.

Rafiki laughed as he continued to swing overhead. The two lions followed him for a short distance before they skidded to a stop.

"Princey, where is he taking us?" Sherise asked looking at Jashua.

He shrugged as the two stared at the jungle-like area before them in confusion.

"Oh, to a special place in your heart," Rafiki called out, causing them to look around, "called 'Upendi'!"

They were startled when Rafiki appeared above them. Before either of them could move, he placed his hands on their heads and angled them toward each other. He nudged Jashua's and Sherise's noses together. Neither of them drew back, smiling as they briefly closed their eyes.

As they opened their eyes, they heard Rafiki cackle once more. To their surprise, they found themselves on a leaf floating down a river toward a waterfall. Overhead, a crescent moon shone in a twilight-colored sky. Despite this, the colors around them were as vivid as if it were daytime.

Rafiki stood above them, motioning to the moon as he began to sing.

"There's a place where the crazy moon makes the monkeys sing and the baboons swoon!"

As Rafiki sang, the sound of monkeys singing along filled the trees. A pair of nearby baboons kissed before hanging from a vine by their tails. One of them picked a blue-Violet flower and handed it to Rafiki as the leaf passed by.

"And the sultry scent of the blooms will carry you away!"

The mandrill grinned as he handed it to Jashua.

Jashua smiled as he held the bloom up for Sherise to sniff. She did so with caution before raising an eyebrow in question at him. He smiled as he placed the flower behind one of her ears.

Sherise blinked before touching it with her paw. Flowers and greenery were foreign to her due to growing up in the dry, barren Outlands. The thought of wearing them never occurred to her. However, Jashua's smile persuaded her to leave it be. And, though she'd never admit it aloud, after catching a glimpse of herself in the river, she had to admit that the blue-Violet flower looked nice against her fur.

Rafiki continued his song as he indicated a group of hippos swinging.

"Where the hippos swing from the jungle vines and the rhinos rumba in a conga line!"

Sherise raised an eyebrow at the rhinos, who were dancing in a conga line. A group of flamingos stood in front of the rhinos, forming hearts with their necks.

"And the pink flamingos are intertwined,"

Rafiki sang as Sherise winced, watching as the rhinos caused the flamingos to collapse into a pile. She blinked as stars appeared above the flamingos' heads.

"As the stars come out to play, ooh!"

As Rafiki gathered the stars in his arms and tossed them into the sky, she gave up trying to make sense of it all.

The other animals joined Rafiki in singing, their voices echoing across the land.

"In Upendi! Where the passion fruit grows sweet!"

Rafiki caught two fruits as animals of all kinds danced together on a grassy plain. He offered one to Jashua, who accepted it.

"And it's so divine that you lose your mind as it sweeps you off your feet!"

Rafiki offered the other fruit to Sherise, but she glared at him and held up a paw in refusal.

As Rafiki noticed a bush with heart-shaped leaves, he grinned and threw the unfinished fruit away.

"In Upendi!"

The leaf floated down the river, passing more animals along the way. Rafiki reached for a nearby stick, which he used to guide the leaf down the river.

"Without a worry or a care!"

Rafiki guided the leaf toward a small waterfall, where it fell, surprising Jashua and Sherise.

"It just takes two to make it true!"

Rafiki tossed the stick before grabbing one of the heart-shaped leaves. Framing his face with it for a moment, he forced it over Sherise's head. Jashua burst out laughing at the sight.

"Your heart will lead you there! In Upendi! In Upendi!"

Sherise glared at the offending leaf for a moment before shredding it with her claws. "What is this crazy monkey doing?!" she grumbled to Jashua as the leaf fragments fell away.

"You get used to it!" He laughed.

Jashua's laughter was cut short as the leaf fell over a waterfall, throwing the two lions free.

"You better watch your step 'cause the path is steep!"

Rafiki sang as he leaped away from them as they fell. The couple landed on a rocky outcropping filled with water. Rafiki pulled a vine, releasing Jashua and Sherise, who fell in a shower of water.

"Better hold your breath, cause the water's deep!"

As they fell, Rafiki floated down on a leaf with an arrow in his hand, tossing them aside as he sang,

"It's a long way down over Lovers' Leap, but falling's half the fun!"

The animals joined Rafiki's song once more as Jashua and Sherise laughed, excitement rushing through them as they fell back onto the leaf.

"In Upendi! Where the passion fruit grows sweet!"

Jashua grinned up at Rafiki, who was standing on the leaf's back. His orange eyes widened, though, as fruits began to fall around them. The two lions dove down, covering their heads.

"And it's so divine that you lose your mind as it sweeps you off your feet!"

When the hail of fruit ceased, Jashua took the opportunity to kiss Sherise's cheek as they straightened up again. She was stunned, her cheeks flushing. As Jashua drew away, she smiled and averted her gaze, slightly embarrassed.

Jashua laughed as they returned their attention to Rafiki, who was balancing several fruits on his fingers and nose as he sang,

"In Upendi! Without a worry or a care!"

Rafiki kicked one of the fruits he was balancing into a field of butterflies, causing them to fly into the air. A conga line of various animals danced behind them. He then nudged Jashua's and Sherise's noses together, causing them to smile.

"It just takes two to make it true! Your heart will take you there!"

As they pulled apart, Jashua and Sherise turned to see Rafiki leading a conga line of animals, each of them carrying a pair of miniature bushes. Neither of them questioned how he'd managed to arrange that so quickly.

"You can beat the bush like there's no tomorrow,"

Rafiki sang as they all threw their bushes down and put their forelegs to their eyes as if looking at something in the distance.

"From Tanganyika to Kilimanjaro! But you'll find Upendi wherever you are! Oh, underneath the sun!"

They didn't even blink when Mount Kilimanjaro appeared or when Rafiki opened the peak to release a shower of pink butterflies.

"Upendi," Jashua said while laughing. "It means love, doesn't it?"

Sherise couldn't help but smile at the lion besides her as Rafiki spread his arms wide. Behind him, hearts pulsed from the setting sun.

"Welcome to Upendi!"

A waterspout lifted Jashua and Sherise's leaf as he and the other animals began to sing.

"In Upendi! Where the passion fruit grows sweet!"

Once more, animals danced in a conga line beneath them. Rafiki sat in a tree, throwing fruit into the mouths of different animal couples. Each couple ate the fruits before jumping into the nearby river.

"And it's so divine that you lose your mind as it sweeps you off your feet!"

Jashua and Sherise exchanged playful grins before they leapt from the waterspout into the pool below, theflower falling from behind Sherise's ear as they did so.

"In Upendi! Without a worry or a care!"

They joined the back of the conga line, eating the fruits Rafiki tossed their way, before jumping into the river.

"It just takes two to make it true! Your heart will take you there! Upendi…"

Jashua and Sherise floated down the river on their backs. They were about to fall off a cliff when a heart-shaped parachute sprouted from their backs.

As they drifted together, they exchanged smiles. Jashua drew Sherise close as they watched Rafiki float by on a cloud. Other animal couples floated around them as well, but they only had eyes for each other.

The chorus of the song echoed around them as the animal couples, Jashua and Sherise, and Rafiki, began to float toward one another, forming a star-like pattern in the sky. They closed their eyes, content with their closeness to each other.

"Down in Upendi…

Way down,

In Upendi…"

"Down in Upendi…

Way down,

In Upendi…"

"Down in Upendi…

Way down,

In Upendi…"