"Oh, yes, the past can hurt. But, the way I see it, you can other run from it, or learn from it." ~Rafiki (Lion King)
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
We arrived back at Pride Lands. It was still the deserted wasteland like the last time we were here, which was understandable, seeing how it was only recently Simba overthrew Scar and took over as the new king. I wasn't expecting any major progress in the restoration to be made immediately. We kept on walking until three hyenas were running towards us. "What?" Donald cried as we stopped, taking a defensive position and getting ready to fight.

The hyenas stopped once they saw it was us. "Aw, it's you guys," the female hyena groaned. "Man, we were hoping you were a meal."

"Hiya!" Sora grinned cheerfully, not catching onto the mood.

"Don't gimme any of that 'hiya' stuff!!" The male growled. "Thanks to you clowns, we're back to scavenging scraps for a living."

The laughing hyena gave out a weak laugh, sounding like he was wheezing. "C'mon, it's not that bad," the female hyena turned around, preparing to leave. "I enjoyed that week-dead elephant we had yesterday."

"Hey, how's Simba?" Sora asked.

The female hyena burst out laughing. "We gotta laugh every time we hear that dude's name," the male hyena explained.

"Ooh, say it again!" The female hyena grinned.

"Simba!" The male heyna repeated.

"Ahaha! One more time!"

"Simba! Simba!"

The three collapsed in their own laughter, rolling around on the ground. "Are you done mocking our friend?" I rolled my eyes.

"Go on then, see for yourself," the female hyena replied. "Simba is one wishy-washy king."

"Yeah, I bet about now, even some of those high and might lionesses were wishin' they'd gotten themselves a different king," the male hyena added as the trio left.

"Gawrsh, whaddaya think coulda happened?" Goofy asked.

"Well, let's find Simba and see," Sora stated.

As we headed up Pride Rock, we saw some shadows collect together, forming into the shape of Scar. "Scar?" Sora sputtered as he sprinted and tackled it. It disappeared right before Sora was able to touch it. "Huh?" He asked.

"A ghost?" Donald suggested.

"We better tell Simba about this," Goofy said. "Wonder if he's up there?"

As we continued upwards, we ran into a lioness. "Have you come to see Simba?" She asked.

Sora yelled, "We saw Scar's ghost!"

"An omen like that could only be the foretelling the end of our pride." She muttered. "Yet...King Simba won't do a thing. I guess just being the son of the great King Mufasa doesn't necessarily mean he's ready rule the kingdom himself."

"Trust me, Simba will think of something," Sora reassured her.

"The time for thinking is past," the lioness replied, "We need him to take action as his father would have done. He ruled with courage and pride. I remember it liker it was yesterday...the mighty Mufasa..."

"Simba'll do all that, too," Sora nodded. "You'll see!"

"I'm not so sure," she sighed.

"Wait here," Sora instructed us. "I want to talk with Simba."

Sora marched into the king's den but Donald and Goofy ignored his instructions and followed him in. Me, not wanting to be left behind, followed the duo as well. Simba laid on a rock bed, brooding. Hearing us, he perked up and gave us a weak smile, "You came back..."

"Are you okay?" Donald asked.

"You don't look so good," Goofy examined.

"Hey, Simba,'' Sora said. "Why don't we team up and so something about that Scar ghost? Seems like everybody's worried about it. So, now's your big chance to show 'em what you're really made of!"

"That doesn't concern you!" Simba growled, getting up from his rock bed. Sora took a step back. Realizing how harsh and cold it came out, Simba took a deep breath to regain composure. "Sorry..." He mumbled.

"It's okay," Sora smiled.

"I just wish I knew what my father would do," Simba sighed.

"But he's not here. Simba," Goofy stated. "It's all up to you now. And that means the important thing is what you're gonna do being the king. Not what your father woulda done."

"So you're saying...it's all up to me..." Simba said.

"See, there you go!" Sora smiled.

"Exactly!" Voices cheered.

We turned to see Timon and Pumbaa. "We know your dad was a great king and all," Timon approached Simba. "But now it's your turn. Remember what I taught ya. 'You gotta put the past behind you'. It's time to go out there and show everybody things are gonna be just fine!"

"Yeah, you can do it!" Sora encouraged.

"You gotta live for today!" Timon added.

"And find your own path!" Pumbaa finished.

"Live for today..." Simba trailed. "And find my own path...not my father's..."

"That's it!" Sora jumped.

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Simba," Nala smiled, entering the den.

"Nala!" Donald greeted the lioness.

Nala stood next to Simba. "Promise me you'll help Simba any way you can," She said.

"As long Sora and Sakura handles the dangerous parts!" Timon interrupted.

I rolled my eyes but nodded along with Sora. "I'm counting on you, Simba...and so is our baby."

My jaw dropped. Exactly how much time had passed since our last visit? We weren't gone that long, but come on, not long enough that Nala is now expecting! As I ran calculations in my head, everyone gave Simba a nod of encouragement.

"Great!" Timon groaned. "Now we're going to have to babysit!" We all burst out laughing at the statement.

"Let's go see Rafiki first," Simba suggested. "I'm sure he'll be able to tell us something about that ghost.

Simba got up, and lead us to Stone Hallow-Rafiki's cave. Despite the savanna being so desolate and gloomy, Rafiki's cave was well-lit by the sunlight streaming in. He turned around once he heard us. Simba explained the situation to him. "Oh ho ho! The king-he is ready to be king?" He asked.

"I think so," Simba replied.

"Can you tell us about Scar's ghost?" Sora asked.

"Oh, yes...the ghost," Rafiki nodded. A being with no body. It is created when the evil heart of Scar meet the hesitating of Simba."

"Hesitating?" Simba said.

"Ohhhh...you thought you were not?" Rafiki questioned.

"Gawrsh, that ghost sounds just like a Heartless," Goofy commented.

"Hmm, I don't know," Sora disagreed.

"You're right, you don't," Rafiki nodded. "But you do know it is upsetting. And it is upsetting the hearts of everybody in the Pride Lands. You may not know what it is, but it still IS. This world, it is full of many such things. And these things, a king must face. It is a test that has been set for you, Simba."

"That's all?" Simba said. "Come on. You have to tell us more about the ghost..."

"No, not today!" Rafiki shook his head. "But the hyenas in the elephant graveyard may know more. Does not matter, though. There is little the Simba of late can do."

"Aw, don't say that!" Sora said. "Not when he's ready to try!"

"In his head, perhaps, but what about his heart?" Rafiki questioned.

"Forget it, Sora," Simba sighed. "Let's head for the elephant graveyard."

Following Simba's lead, he lead us into the elephant graveyard, which is what the name is. A large, dim area with the scattered bones of thousands of elephants that met their end here. We saw the hyena trio stand right in front of us. "Hey you!" Donald yelled.

"Aw, c'mon, can't you guys just leave us along?" The male hyena whined.

"Do you three know anything about Scar's ghost?" Simba asked.

"Huh?" The female hyena looked confused, although it might of been an act. "Scar's ghost?" The laughing hyena burst out into giggles.

"Maaaybe," The male hyena took off.

"So you DO know!" Sora shouted as the female hyena ran off, followed by the laughing hyena.

Wasting no time, we split up into chasing the hyena through the graveyard. I was on my own, while Sora went with Simba and Donald and Goofy took together. I caught a glimpse of one of the hyenas and slowed to a crawl, making sure they couldn't hear my footsteps. The hyena in front of me had stopped, resting from the chase. I crouched and pounced, tackling the hyena into the ground and tumbling until I pinned it to the ground, victorious. "Caught you!" I yelled.

"Nope!" It spoke, revealing to be the female hyena as she pushed me off, but not before I summoned my Keyblade and pointed it at its neck. "Oh no you don't!" I glared. "You're going to follow me."

"Aw man, what am I, your hostage?" She rolled her eyes.

"You are," I replied.

I lead her back where we started and Simba, Sora, Donald and Goofy were already there with their hyenas. I lead her to her friends and went back over to my friends. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting," I said to Sora.

"Not at all," he shook his head.

"Oh no...I guess you caught us ALL," the male hyena sighed in a mocking tone.

"What're we gonna do?" The female hyena asked, mocking us as well. Even the laughing hyena's laugh had a mocking tone to it as well. They weren't even taking us or the situation seriously!

"Tell me about Scar's ghost!" Simba demanded, exasperated.

"Sorrrrry," the male hyena shrugged. "We don't know nothin'."

"Ooh, wait!" The female hyena said. "It's coming back to me! That's the one that only hangs out around fraidy cats. Right, Banzai?"

"Enough!" Simba yelled.

The laughing hyena cackled and the sound someone appearing. We turned to see Scar's ghost forming from the shadows like before. "And there it is!" The female hyena grinned. "Must be a fraidy cat around here somewhere!"

"Simba!" Sora cried. "Do something!"

"How does it feel to be king, hmm?" Scar's ghost asked. "Why, you must be a truly inspiring ruler by now. After all, you ARE the son of the great Mufasa."

Simba backed away before bolting off. "Where are you going?" Sora yelled.

"Ah, Simba...running away as always," Scar's ghost taunted.

"Simba!" Sora shouted as Scar faded away into the dark shadows it formed from as the hyenas left laughing.

"Gwarsh, Rafiki was right," Goofy said.

"You mean, Simba's still unsure?" Sora asked.

"Seems like," Goofy remarked. "Do ya think there's some way we can help?"

"Hmm...we should start by talking to Simba some more," Sora suggested. "Let's head back to the Pride Lands."

We went back to Pride Rock, meeting up with Timon and Pumbaa along the way. Once we arrived, Nala and Rafiki were already there but no sign of Simba. "Where's Simba?" Nala asked with concern.

"Well, uh..." Sora stammered.

"Oh ho ho! He ran away!" Rafiki said. "I knew it would not be easy for him. To face his fears, he must go somewhere where the only thing to think of is what to do, not what others think of him."

"Why didn't you tell us that before?" I groaned.

"But where's Simba now?" Donald wondered.

"Hey, I know!" Timon cried. "He's at the oasis! It's our favorite hangout!"

"Got it!" Sora nodded. "Let's check it out."

"I'll lead the way!" Pumbaa offered.

"Oh, no you won't!" Timon shook his head. "Simba'll smell you coming a mile away. And if he's smart, he'll run for the hills!"

"Oh...right," Pumbaa nodded.

On our own now, Simba, Donald, Goofy, and I went straight to the oasis, taking out a few Heartless groups here and there. Once we arrived, Simba was facing off with Scar's ghost again. The ghost backed Simba up to the edge of the cliff, just like what the real Scar did last time.

"Simba!" Sora cried as we ran right towards Simba before he fell. The ghost disappeared before we even came close to Simba. He sighed, "It's no use. I'll never be the king my father was."

"But Simba...that's not what you're supposed to be," Sora said. "You can't be Mufasa. You can only be you. Everybody believes in you as a king. They just want to see what you'll do. And if anyone's saying they liked your father better, it's because you haven't done much yet. That's all."

"I know that," Simba replied.

"Then stop moping and DO something!" Sora cried.

"I can't!" Simba yelled before looking away.

What little hope Simba put in us at the beginning was starting to fade. "...Fine," Sora sighed reluctantly, not wanting to lose the argument.

"Let's go, Sora," Donald insisted.

"Yeah," Sora nodded as he turned around to leave. "Why stick around with someone if he's not going to try?"

Donald and Sora left. Goofy and I stayed behind and looked at Simba with pity. Even if there was little hope left, I still hoped Simba would make the change if Sora lost faith in him. "C'mon Goofy, Saki!" Sora yelled.

We turned and reluctantly followed Sora, who didn't go far. We hid behind a log and we followed suit, though I was confused and a little happy at what Sora did. This was only to give the image that Sora had left so that Simba could make the change right now. Scar's ghost appeared as soon as Simba turned back around.

"The hesitant king will one day lose all his friends," Sora spoke in the fake spooky voice. I snorted to hold back my laughter.

"King Simba the doubtful..." Doinald continued.

"Worried by a sill ol' ghost..." Goofy finished.

"Ooh, Simba, the do nothing king..." Sora taunted.

"Guys, is this your idea of helping?" I giggled.

"Well, you got a better idea?" Sora asked.

"Touché," I shrugged.

"Give it a go," Sora offered.

I rolled my eyes, "He was born to tarnish the future kings of Pride Lands."

Simba growled, "No!"

"Try and stop me!" Donald yelled as Simba pounced on Scar's ghost destroying it. He gasped, realizing what he had done.

"You did it!" Sora cheered. "The ghost is gone!"

"We knew you could do it!" Donald grinned.

"Hooray for Simba!" Goofy smiled.

"Congratulations," I nodded with a smile.

"You know, I'm really lucky to have friends who'll stand by me...and help me see clearly" Simba smiled. "My father...wasn't so fortunate."

"There you go again," Sora sighed.

"I mean...everyone here, and in the Pride Lands, wants me to succeed," Simba explained. 'Sora, Donald, Goofy and Sakura. Pumbaa, Timon, Rafiki, Nala. You all want what's best for me. But my father always had Scar lurking behind his back, trying to cut him diown. I've got to make the most of my blessings, and rebuild this kingdom."

"Are you gonna say it, or do it?' Sora raised a brow.

"Wait and see," Simba replied.

"Simba!" A voice cried. Timon bolted out from the jungle. "Simba! Come quick! There's a bazillion ghosts of Scar haunting the Pirde Lands! Everyone but Nala high-tailed it outta there. And now she needs your help."

At the mention of Nala, Simba sprinted back to the Pirde Lands. Timon relaxed at seeing how quickly he reacted once he heard his recovering kingdom was in peril. "Our little Simba...all grown up and finding his place in the world..." he sighed. 'You're coming, too!"

*~*~*~*~*~

Nala was growling at the Scar ghost and Pumba was trying his best to fend him off and protect Nala, even though he was visibly shaking. "We're here!' Sora yelled as we arrived, trying to assure them both.

"Where's Simba?" Nala asked.

We all parted and bowed as Simba calmly walked across the ledge, approaching the ghost without any fear. Na;a smiled at Simba's return. "I've come back, Nala," he said. The ghost slowly approached Simba until their faces were almost touching. We stood in anticipation of what was going to happen next. "Get out!" Simba sneered as the ghost disappears.

"Way to go Simba!" Sora cheered as he and Nala bumped heads and circled around one another, reuniting with one another as Pumbaa ran past the couple. Before we could celebrate, tendrils of darkness that were Scar ghosts zoomed around the Pride Lands. Is Simba going to have to scare all of them off? The shadows began to collect, forming something. Simba turned back around to face us, "Are you with me?"

"No and forever, Your Majesty!" Sora replied as we bowed.

We headed down to the Savannah as we got a closer look at how large the dark mass was. The shadows parted, revealing some sort of elephant-like Heartless. that were here all collected into one HUGE Heartless. I gulped. "Come on!" Sora shouted.

It began to stomp around, leaving shock waves with each step. Simba, Sora and I dodged to evade the shock waves. The Heartless used its head to make a giant sweep, which Simba and Sora jumped to dodge but I wasn't so lucky to evade. As the head struck me, I was sent flying back. As I regained my footing, it continued to jump around.

Once it finally stopped jumping around, we climbed up its legs and onto its back where the giant torso of a lion-like Heartless sat. We attacked with our our Keyblades and claws (in Simba's case). The lion-like Heartless turned invisible to move around in order to evade our attacks, but we always caught up to it. It began to shoot lasers at us and we jumped off, seeing that there was no way to dodge the attacks. Once we were on the ground again, we chased after the jumping Heartless, this time attacking its head once we got close since it was another weak spot on it.

The Heartless horns were set ablaze as it leapt around, this time leaving wake with each and every step. We treated the fire just like the shock waves and jumped around to avoid it as well. Once it was done rampaging about, we climbed back onto its back and finished off the Heartless from there by slaying the lion-like Heartless on its back. The giant Heartless collapsed as the lion-like Heartless collapsed, crumbling away in order to release the heart it contained.

*~*~*~*~*~

Simba and Nala stood on Pride Rock, looking over the Pride Lands as Sora, Donald, Goofy, Timon, Pumbaa, Rafiki and I stood in the back, watching as the king now stood with confidence instead of hiding in his den. "Simba seems fine now," Sora smiled.

"Ha! The king has returned!" Rafiki yelled. "The Pride Lands will not forget King Simba's courage. Or the courage of those who fought beside him."

Simba approached us. "Do you think you're quest will ever be over?" He asked.

"I don't know...but I think, as long as the Keyblade stays with me and Saki...we'll have to keep fighting," Sora replied as I nodded in agreement

"Ahhh...the struggle never ends," Rafiki sighed. "That is the great Circle of Life."

"Never ever?" Sora groaned.

The secret to victory...is a strong heart," Raiki advised. Go on, go on-go, then! Go on, get out! Yes, yes! It is time! Your fight continues..."

"Till we meet again, Your Majesty," Sora bid Simba and Nala farewell.

"I hope that's soon," Simba replied.

"It will be!" Sora nodded as he turned around. "So long!" Timon and Pumbaa nodded, giving us a silent farewell as Sora, Donald, Goofy and I headed off to our Gummi Ship.