Kingdom Hearts II: Home Sweet Sanctuary

Chapter 59: The Ghost

I was sitting on one of the seats of the controls, silent as stars. That got me thinking about that Rikupelica. All he wanted was his own identity and not more... I could even remember how there wasn't even a drop of blood that leaked out of the wound. Scary stuff... could I have made it different for him if I didn't let him kill himself?

"Hey, you okay?" Sora asked and I looked up at him.

"I... I guess I miss Riku..." I half lied. "What if the organization..."

"It's going to be fine. We'll see him again. Worrying about him is like saying you don't believe in him." I gasped; that's what Mickey said when Riku went off to defeat Ansem!

"No one can defeat Riku!" Goofy reminded us.

"Yeah, he can handle them!" Donald said I stood up.

"But he still needs us! His darkness is still trying to take over! Last time I seen him, he was in the form of Ansem but he was still in control of his actions."

"We need to find him!" Sora said.

~

We arrived back in the Pride Lands. I looked at my mane and saw it was shorter. I saw the hyenas running toward us. Simba had said their names were Shenzi, Banzai and Ed. They stopped and looked disappointed.

"Oh, it's you guys. Man, we were hoping you were a meal." Shenzi said.

"Hiya!" Sora greeted. Why was Sora being friendly to these guys?

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

"C'mon, it's not that bad. I enjoyed that week-dead elephant we had yesterday." Shenzi said.

"Uh... How's Simba doing?" I asked, trying to change the subject and not to throw up. That's when all 3 of them burst into laughter.

"We gotta laugh every time we hear that dude's name." Banzai chuckled. They had a laughing moment and it was ticking me off.

"That's enough!" Sora snapped.

"Go on then, and see for yourself. Simba is one wishy-washy king." Shenzi said.

"Yeah. I bet about now, even some of those high and mighty lionesses were wishin' they'd gotten themselves a different king." Banzai said.

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

"I don't know, but let's find out." I said. We headed to Pride Rock and went into the king's den. Some of the lioness told us that Scar's ghost was causing Simba to cowardly. We saw Simba lying there.

"You came back..." Simba said.

"Are you okay?" Donald asked.

"You don't look so good." Goofy said.

"Hey, Simba. Why don't we team up and do something about that Scar's ghost?" Sora asked.

"Everyone's really worried about it. You're the king! You need to protect your pride from any threat." I said. Simba's expression turned from depressed to angry.

"That doesn't concern you!" Simba snapped. All of us stepped back, slightly scared. Simba apologized and wondered what his father would have done. We told him that he had to rule the way he would, not how his father ruled. Nala, Timon and Pumbaa all encouraged Simba to do the same. Simba realized it and decided to go after Scar's ghost.

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Simba. I'm counting on you... and so is our baby." Nala said. Our faces lit up at the news that Simba and Nala were going to be parents. Simba advised to talk to Rafiki about the ghost. Rafiki told us that the ghost was haunting Simba because he was afraid. If Simba could get rid of his faer, the ghost would leave. We decided to pay a visit to the hyenas. It didn't take long to find them.

"Aw, c'mon, can't you guys just leave us alone?" Banzai whined.

"What do you 3 know about Scar's ghost?" Simba asked.

"Huh? Scar's ghost?" Shenzi asked.

"Maaaybe." Banzai teased. The 3 took off. It took awhile, but we caught them.

"Now, answer. What do you know about Scar's ghost?" I asked.

"Ooh, wait! It's coming back to me! That's the one that hangs out around fraidy cats. Right, Banzai?" Shenzi said. A whoosh sound came from behind and there was Scar's ghost. it taunted Simba and Simba actually ran away. We went back to Pride Rock, but he wasn't there. Timon suggested going to the oasis where they lived. We headed there and saw Simba being cornered by the ghost. We scared it off just as Simba was backed against a cliff.

"It's no use. I'll never be the king my father was." Simba said.

"That's kind of the point. You're suppose to be you, not your dad." I said.

"Yeah. That's not what you're suppose to be. Everyone believes in you as a king. They just want to see what you'll do." Sora said.

"And if they say they liked your dad better, it just means you need to try harder." I said.

"Stop moping and DO something!" Sora said.

"I can't!" Simba exclaimed.

"Let's go, guys." Donald said.

"Yeah. No point in helping if he won't even try." I said. We walked away, but Goofy didn't move.

"C'mon Goofy!" Sora called. We hid from sight and used my darkness to create an illusion of Scar's ghost. "A hesitant king will one day lose all his friends."

"King Simba the doubtful..." Donald said.

"Worried by a silly ol' ghost..." Goofy said.

"Simba, the do-nothing king..." I said in a low voice. Simba attacked the illusion and it disappeared. "Alright, Simba!"

"You conquered your doubt! Now it's time to take on the real thing." Sora said.

"You know... I'm really lucky to have friends who will stand by me, and help me see clearly. My father... wasn't so fortunate. Everyone in the Pride Lands wants me to succeed. Sora, Piri, Donald, Goofy, Timon, Pumbaa, Rafiki... Nala. You all want what's best for me. But my father always had Scar lurking behind his back, trying to cut him down. I've got to make the most of my blessing, and rebuild this kingdom." Simba said.

"There's a huge gap between saying it and doing it." I said.

"Which are you gonna do?" Sora asked.

"Wait and see." Simba said. That's when Timon came running to us, saying the ghost was at Pride Rock. We hurried back and saw the ghost backing Nala and Pumbaa toward the cliff.

"Nala, we're here!" I yelled.

"Where's Simba?" Nala asked. Simba began walking toward the ghost and the 4 of us bowed our heads. The ghost walked up to Simba.

"Get out!" Simba snapped. The ghost vanished in an instant. That's when many streams of light and darkness began mashing together in the plains. "Are you with me?"

"Now and forever, your Majesty!" Sora said. We hurried to the plains and saw that a giant Heartless had been created. This Heartless was very strong and crafty, but with the use of agility and skill, we defeated the Heartless and it disappeared. Simba had finally taken his place as the king and now, hopefully, the Pride Lands would return to their original splendor.