Kion and Fuli: Until the Pride Lands End (Completed)

Part 2-Chapter 3: Revelations Pt. 2

When Kion opens his eyes, he's in a long cave with bright white, almost reflective walls. He begins walking  through the cave not sure if he's actually moving or not. The whole thing felt surreal, like it wasn't happening but at the same time...it was. A flash of lights to his right caught his attention as he looked over at it he realized it's moving, replaying an event over and over again. He sees himself in the image, as well as Bunga, Beshte, Ono, and Fuli. He recognizes the image as the day he formed the Lion Guard with all his friends. He can even hear everyone's voices, like it was fresh in his head. He turned around to see another image, the day they saved Fuli from Mizingo and his vultures after she tired herself out from running all day.

It finally dawned on him that he was seeing his memories, they were being played back to him. 'Why' he thought to himself. He kept walking down the white cave, and he did, and more of his memories found their way on the walls. As he walked, her could hear all of the conversations coming from each memory. He was some how able to listen and register every single word and sentence as they enetered his head. But he kept hearing a specific phrase over and over again, one he didn't think he remembered every hearing or saying.

"Remember who you are," the deep voice said, echoing of the walls every so often. Finally he made it to the end, where the cave opened up to a small clearing with a tree in the middle. The sun was currently at sunset, illuminating the night sky a mixture of orange and purple. Next to the tree, a familiar figure was waiting for him, though he stood in the entrance of the cave.

"Grandfather Mufasa?" Kion said in complete disbelief.

"Yes Kion, it's is me," he said with a smile.

"Where am I?"

"Here, you are here," he said, smiling once again.

"Well yea, but where is this place?"

"All will be revealed soon Kion, but can I ask you why you haven't spoken to me in so long? I've missed you and I've always been here for you."

"I'm sorry grandfather, it's just...everything happened so fast. My scar, the venom, Ukali's power, the Outlanders. It all came at me so fast, I was just so  overwhelmed. And when I hurt Kiara and had those visceral nightmares...I had to leave."

"You have nothing to admit to me Kion, but you do have something to admit to yourself."

"What do you mean Grandfather?"

"I don't know, but you do Kion. Why did you run away from the Pride Lands? The place you swore to protect, the animals you swore to protect."

"I..left to protect them, keep them safe from me."

"You left them...to protect them?"

"Yea, I bet they are doing just fine without me." Mufasa gives Kion an unsure look as he walks over and taps the side of the cave causing an image to appear on it. Confused, he looked over the image. He quickly recognized the area as the border between the Back Lands and the Pride Lands, the exact place that he last saw Fuli and Kiara. But he then sees two animals show up and sit down, looking out to the horizon. He quickly realizes the two animals to be Fuli and Kiara.

"Almost every day, those two travel to the last place they saw you, and look out over the Back Lands in hopes that you return one day," explains Mufasa.

"No..." Kion whispered. He didn't want to believe that they waited for him everyday. He had hoped that both of them had moved on, and forgotten about him.

"They miss you Kion, they all do, the entire Pride Lands."

"No, it's better like this," Kion said looking away.