Fuli stared after Kion as he ran, trying to catch her shaky breath. I did it. I finally told him. The secret's finally out.

She looked back at the others. Resting her gaze on Simba, fury built up inside her. "How could you say that to the lion you raised?" She growled.

"He is the son of my mother's murderer," Simba hissed, his strained voice thick with grief.

"Simba, don't you remember you once thought he was your son?" Nala walked up to him on shaky paws.

"His father killed my mother." His voice thickened with grief. "I can't live with that."

Nirmala walked closer to them. "Simba, King of the Pride Lands, Your Majesty." She bowed her head respectfully. "I am so sorry about what happened to Sarabi, but none of this was Kion's fault."

"Roho was easily broken, easily manipulated. This is the father of the cub I raised."

"D-daddy," a voice cut through their exchange. They turned to see Kiara trudging over to them, shaking. "Is Kion really not my brother?"

Simba looked at Kiara with an expression holding nothing but pain and regret. "He's not, daughter."

Everyone flinched back and said nothing until Simba realized his poor choice of words. "Oh, I didn't mean to-"

"How could you be so insensitive and clueness?!" Nala snapped.

"How could YOU indirectly cause ROHO TO LEAVE?!" Nirmala screamed, turning Nala and Simba's attention to her.

"YOU KNOW WHAT EVERYONE?!?!" Fuli screamed at the top of her lungs until everyone turned to her. "I think we all need to be alone," she finished, lowering her voice a lot compared to her previous screaming.

When she was just about to walk away without looking back, something caught her eye. Something utterly horrifying and sickening.

Rani's body was splayed out on the ground, motionless. Her eyes were glazed over and her neck was twisted in a direction it definitely shouldn't be. Everyone else followed her gaze and gasped.

Nala staggered back. "I.. I did that?" She looked down at her paws and her eyes widened in horror. Her claws were still unsheathed and covered in blood, also staining the fur on her paws.

Nirmala gasped and stared at her old friend in disbelief. "Nala... she was..."

"I.. I didn't mean to!" Nala said quickly. "Fuli told me Jua was possessing Rani... I only meant to attack Jua."

"SHE WAS MY NIECE IN LAW!" Nirmala screamed. 

Nala staggered back. "I.. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to!" She ran off Royal's Rock and in the direction of the Pass, not looking back.

Suddenly, something knocked into her, knocking the breath out of her. She looked up and a wave of shock shot through her at the cheetah she saw.

"Hello, daughter."

XXXX

Kion kept running, not bothering to brush away the tears that raced down his cheeks. Why did it have to be this way? Why... why was I abandoned? Didn't Nirmala want me? Did anyone want me... or was Nala adopting me just out of pity?

If Nala wasn't there.... would I have died?

A scream cut through his thoughts. Kion froze in his tracks. Fuli!

"KION RUN! THEY'RE AFTER US!" Fuli's shouts got louder.

What?! Who's after me?! Kion swerved around, trying to pin point where her voice was coming from.

"KION RUN!" 

He whipped around and saw Fuli being dragged across the ground. He barely had time to react before something pounced on him. He looked up and gasped. Shock pulsed through him at the sight of it. 

Mwepesi!

Suddenly, pain seared through his neck and all went dark.

He drifted between unconicous and barely concious, seeing light and sometimes not. Pain seared through him, though he didn't have the energy to move... not even flinch. He heard voices around him as he drifted.

"...no!"

"Fuli... for the best... waste of food and fur."

"Spare him... Do it for... daughter!"

"For now... spared. But over the.... suffer badly."

After what seemed like ages, suddenly a voice softly called him back to conciousness.

"Kion, wake up."

Kion forced himself to groggily blink open his eyes. He tried to lift himself up, but couldn't. Pain seared all throughout his neck, head, belly, and backside. He was in a small den, the moonlight giving it a subtle glow.

He saw a pretty cheetah next to him with emerald eyes, staring at him with a concerned expression.

"Fuli.. what happened..." He rasped, dizziness making his world spin.

"I don't think you even want to know," Fuli answered solemnly, resting her head on his side.

Suddenly, memories of earlier flooded through him. He looked up at Fuli. "Fuli.... why?"

"Why what?" She asked gently.

"Why was I adopted? Why didn't Nirmala want to keep me?"

Fuli's eyes glowed with pain and she shook her head. "I don't know, Kion. But it was for the best. Nirmala probably wasn't too emotionally stable back when you were born. It's good Nala took you in. If she didn't.. Nirmala might have put..." Fuli trailed off. She had realized her mistake too late and Kion had caught on to what she was going to say.

"You mean she would've..." Kion lowered his voice, "put me out of my misery?"

Fuli sighed sadly. "Maybe. It's good Nala took you in."

"But why did she lie to me?" Kion's voice was thick with pain and a feeling of betrayal. "Why did you lie to me?"

"I can't answer for Nala because I'm not her. But why I kept it from you..." The cheetah sighed. "You see, when we were about to leave for the Tree of Life, Nala pulled me aside..."

So that's why Fuli suddenly went to the back of Pride Rock with my mom before we left!

"...and she started crying and venting about her feelings. I guess she needed someone to talk to about it, but didn't have that someone. She was so sad about you leaving and she told me about another cub she once had, Kopa."

Kion didn't know how to react. "Another secret kept from me?" The lion looked down and scowled.

Fuli nodded and reached out a paw to stroke his cheek gently. He pulled away and she flinched back. A few silent, grief filled and emotional moments passed before Fuli continued. "And then she said; 'I can't lose another son, Fuli. Adopted or not.' It was clear that part just slipped out unintentionally in the emotion, but then I somehow convinced her to tell me. When she did..."

Mom- I mean Nala... she was worried about me that bad?

"...I didn't know what to think. At first I was furious and I was going to tell you, but in front of all those Pride Landers, I knew it wasn't the time. As the journey went on, I saw you suffering so much. I still wanted to tell you.. but something kept me from doing so. The more I saw you suffer, the more I told myself 'don't tell him now, you'll only make it worse.'"

So... she did want to tell me?

"...Eventually it got to the point where I became so paranoid about it, it affected my everyday life. That's why I ran away from you sometimes whenever you accidentally mentioned something that reminded me of the secret."

So that's why she always ran away!

"...And Janna kept appearing to me, even before we met her..."

What?! She did?!

"...She appeared to me in dreams. I heard her voice in the wind, even in the flames of fire. She kept telling me this; 'When water and flames meet, scars and secrets will bleed, and the trees will blaze with fire.'"

Kion's eyes widened.

"And I was just so stressed and eventually..." She just sighed. "I'm so sorry, Kion." The cheetah bent her head down in shame. "I hope you can forgive me."

Kion looked at her thoughtfully. "Like I said, I'm not mad, Fuli."

Fuli took a moment to stare at him in disbelief. "But you're..." She didn't finish, though Kion knew what she was about to say.

"I'm not mad. I know you meant the best and were always trying to protect me, even at your own expense.. and like I said before, I am grateful for you doing that for me. But that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt." He sniffled and ducked his head away to sob.

Fuli awkwardly laid down next to him. "Is it okay with you if I stay or...?"

Kion sniffled once more and shrugged. "Don't got a problem with it.

"Okay." She stroked her tail against his back in a comforting manner as he sobbed in her forepaws. 

"I want my mom and my dad..." Kion murmured. "No, not my dad, he hates me now..."

"He doesn't hate you. He's just in shock and he's grieving."

"Then why did he say all those things?" Kion sniffled.

"He's grieving, sweetie."

Kion blinked in surprise when he heard the last word. He decided to change the topic. "Where are we anyway?"

"We're trapped in a cave on the farther edge of the Tree of Life's lands... Mwepesi's taken over the Tree of Life."

"He what?!" Kion paused and coughed. "He can't have."

"He has. And we gotta get outta here." Fuli got to her paws and nudged Kion. "C'mon, you gotta get up."

Kion tried and pain seared through him. He immediately dropped to the ground once more. "I can't."

Fuli gently grabbed his scruff in her teeth and tried to lift him back up, but dropped him back to the ground when he let out a yelp of pain. "It won't work Fuli. It isn't gonna work... I don't have the energy left in me anymore."

"We will make things work. We always do," Fuli said desperately, her voice strained. Kion shook his head. She then turned away and gave a frustrated scowl. "You know what? If you're always going to be like that, I can make it without you."

"Go ahead." Kion sighed and laid his head down. "I don't want to slow you down."

Fuli sighed and dug her claws into the ground. "Ugh. Just pick yourself up for once. At least I'm still going after all that's happened to me."

Kion looked at her, both shame and pain burning his pelt. That was the difference between him and Fuli. No matter what happened to her, Fuli always kept on going.

Kion looked away in shame - he however just... gave up until she practically forced him to keep going.

He swallowed, blinking thoughtfully. "I don't have a reason to."

"Does it look like I do either?" Fuli snapped, then sighed tiredly. "I want to give up just as much as you," she admitted. "I'm tired, hurt, sad, and angry. My muscles ache and my head hurts. But the reason I keep going is because of you."

"Me?"

"Yes. I keep going because I want to see the smile on your face every day. I want to see you happy. That's what makes me happy too." Fuli looked down with a pained expression. "I thought you'd do the same."

I'm sorry. I'm not as strong as you Fuli, though I wish I was...

But the pained look in her eyes before she began to walk away pierced through his soul enough to set a fire ablaze inside his heart.

Fuli turned back around when she heard grunting behind her. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Kion getting to his paws.

"Let's get out of here," he said, forcing a smile. He began to take a step forward, but an immense pain seared through his gut and he froze, taking deep breaths. Fuli rushed to support him, encouraging deep breaths while she sobbed as well, Kion murmuring comfort to her. When the pain subsided, they took another step. "Now let's go."

"And I'm so sorry if that seemed like a guilt trip or-"

Kion cut her off. "It's fine Fuli. What matters now is that we get out of here."

"And we'll do it together."