Gone, But Not Alone (A KionxRani AU)

The Beginning Of A Long Journey Home

The two began to walk the shoreline on what both lions hoped to be a short journey home. However, there was some awkward silence in the air. Neither lion knew whether the other lion noticed their blush. Little did they know, they had both blushed.

"Sooo..." Kion said trying to break the awkward silence, "what's life like at the Tree of Life? I think I may have heard of it, but I can't remember..."

"Oh, it's great there! We have so many different types of biomes! So many types of animals!" Rani beamed excitedly, which made Kion smile. However, a frown appeared on her face. "But it's not the environment that makes a home...it's the people there that do."

Kion could tell as Rani looked down sadly that she missed her family. Kion couldn't blame her, for he missed his family and friends too.

"Rani," Kion called out to the female next to him, but she didn't look back or respond to Kion. "Rani, look at me."

That got Rani's attention as she looked toward Kion. He gave Rani a reassuring smile before saying, "Don't worry, you'll be home soon."

Rani then replied, "I hope so..."

"Well I know so," Kion assured in a confident voice.

Rani then smiled at Kion. He's caring too.

So, the new friends made their way along the shore of the lake. Of course, they stopped to drink water, but nothing much happened...until...

"Tag, you're it!" Kion exclaimed as he started to run away from Rani. He then stopped, however, when he noticed Rani just stayed where she was with a confused look on her face.

"What does that mean?" She asked, but it was all part of her plan.

"You've never played tag before?" Kion asked in disbelief, making his way back toward Rani.

Kion made his way back to Rani before she answered, "Well, now that you've mentioned it...you're it!" She tagged Kion and began to run away.

"Oooo...you trickster! I'm gonna get you!" Kion cheered as he began to chase after Rani.

They were enjoying themselves. Not only were they going toward home, but they were also having fun doing so. Kion was it, then Rani was it, then Kion was it again! It kept on going back and forth like that until they both ran out of breath.

"That *pant* was fun," Kion said while panting, trying to regain his breath.

"Yes, it was," Rani grinned at Kion.

"I wonder how far we've gone," Kion thought out loud, trying to figure out how much they had left to go.

"Well, you can begin to see the other side of this lake, which we couldn't see before," Rani replied as she pointed over toward the other side.

"Looks like we have gotten decently far," Kion said as he looked up toward the sky. It was getting dark. "And it's getting pretty late; we should probably call it a night."

"I agree," Rani affirmed as she began to look around her. "There are two trees over there, we could sleep there."

The trees Rani was referring to were about 50 feet away from the lake, toward the grassy area. The two trees were about 10 feet apart from each other; it was perfect. One tree to sleep under for Rani and the other for Kion.

Kion looked over at the trees. "Seems good...let's check it out."

So, they walked over and looked around the trees. Everything seemed fine, so they both laid down under their respective tree. After all, it had been a long day for both of them. It had been hot and humid, so once both lions did lay down, they sighed in relaxation. The sigh came from both of them at the same time. They both looked at each other while chuckling and smiling.

"Goodnight, Rani."

"Goodnight, Kion."

As they both drifted off to sleep, they both thought of how their days went.

Rani was thinking: When I first woke up, I thought today was going to be hell, but it wasn't. When I first met Kion, I just wanted to get home immediately. I missed my family and I didn't trust Kion. However, once he helped me, I got to know him and trust him. Kion made me forget I was even away from home. When I was talking to him...playing with him, I didn't feel so lonely or afraid. Not only did I have fun, but I was also making progress toward going home. He helped me so much today. I got to see his funny side and his caring side...not to mention how cute he looks. Oh, God! Here I am, rambling on about Kion! Maybe I do have a little crush on him...

Meanwhile, Kion was also thinking: When I first met Rani, she seemed so anxious to get home. But once I helped her get out of the pit, we became friends. We were able to work together and get closer to our homes while having fun! I miss my family and friends, but having Rani with me made this day very enjoyable. She's very smart, playful...and pretty. Even though I just met her, maybe I do have a tiny crush on her...