The Lion Guard: Friends to the End AU {HALLOWEEN SPECIAL🎃}

Chapter 5: Separated

"Kion, wait! Come back!" Beshte called out to Kion, but Kion ignored him. 

"Don't worry, Beshte. He'll be back," Bunga said, sniffling. "But if you ask me, I hope he doesn't..."

"Bunga!" Beshte cried, staring at the honey badger with disbelief. "How can you say that?"

"Look around you!" Bunga shouted. "Fuli's dead because of him! We would all be dead if he stayed!"

"But..." Beshte's voice dropped to a whisper. "But, he didn't mean to..."

Fuli then suddenly jerked and she coughed up water. Everyone around her stood back, their eyes wide.

"Fuli?" Makini gasped. The cheetah burst into another coughing fit, then groaned as she winced in pain. 

"Your alive!" Anga cried out with joy. 

"Zuka zama!" Bunga cheered, hugging Fuli. "We thought you were dead!"

"I knew it!" Makini said, "I could've sworn that I could feel your spirit. It was there, just clinging onto your body, preparing to return!"

"You can feel spirits?" Fuli panted.

"It's how Majuzi's can tell if an animal is truly dead or not," Makini confirmed. 

"Sorry we didn't believe you," Beshte apologized, he looked genuinely ashamed.

"Never mind that now. Fuli, tell me. Where does it hurt?" Makini demanded.

"Everywhere..." Fuli groaned, gently brushing Bunga off of her. She gritted her teeth as she winced, Sweet Starlight... Everything hurts...

Makini then turned around and ran off. Fuli then pushed herself up and looked around. Where's Kion?

"Fuli, hold still!" Makini ordered, approaching Fuli, her arms full of horsetail, marigold, burdock roots, and cobwebs. She then began bandaging up the scratches with cobwebs, then placed some of the herbs near Beshte's feet. "Beshte, can you crush these into a pulp please?

"You got it," Beshte agreed, and he began to gently stomp on the herbs, crushing them to a pulp.

"Okay, this is going to sting a little," Makini warned, scooping a hand full of the pulp. Fuli tried not to wince and she gritted her teeth as the pulp stung her wounds. She had been stung by a swarm of bees once, this is exactly how it felt now.

Once Makini was done, she handed out a few leaves to Fuli. "Here, eat these."

"What's that?" Fuli asked, wrinkling her muzzle.

"It's thyme and watermint," Makini explained. "They'll help keep your strength up and calm you down from shock."

Fuli sniffed the herbs cautiously before lapping them up. She screwed up her face as she tried not to gag and spit them out. I guess this is how Kion feels when having to eat Tuliza everyday, Fuli thought as she reluctantly forced the herbs down her throat. Suddenly, she stiffened. Kion!

"Guys? Where's Kion?" Fuli demanded.

"What? Why would you want to see him?" Bunga asked with disbelief. "He tried to kill you, remember? I knew he was turning evil!" 

"Kion's not evil!" Fuli growled. "He didn't mean to attack me. Now where is he?"

Bunga let out a "humph" and crossed his arms. Everyone else shifted uncomfortably.

"He ran off," Beshte finally sighed.

"What!?" Fuli gasped. "Which way did he went?"

"That way, but-" Makini said.

"Anga! See if you can spot him!" Fuli commanded, ignoring the stinging and throbbing pain from her wounds as she rose to her paws. "Everyone, follow me!"

"Fuli, wait!" Makini cried after Fuli as the cheetah limped away. Anga eventually took off and flew after her, scanning the area for Kion. The rest of the Guard followed them. Fuli tried to run as fast as she could, but with her current state, it wasn't that fast. He must've felt guilty about attacking me... I need to tell him that it wasn't his fault.

"Fuli!" Anga's voice rang from above. "I see him! He's by some tunnels!" Fuli squinted and sure enough, she saw Kion near an entrance to a tunnel. He was muttering angrily to himself and furiously slashing at the tunnel's entrance.

"You mousebrain!" he roared to himself. "You stupid, stupid, stupid mousebrain! Why did you kill her? Why!?" He punched another side of the tunnel's entrance, chipping a claw in the process, but Kion didn't care. He was too mad at himself. "She was trying to help you, and you killed her! Why!?"

 Fuli rushed forward, If Kion doesn't stop, he'll probably hurt himself!  "Kion! Stop!" she shouted, stepping out to the open. Kion paused and turned to face Fuli, his eyes widened.

"Fuli?" he whispered. She's alive!? But how? I thought she was dead! I thought... Unless... Fear crept inside of him. Her spirit... She's coming to punish me for killing her!

"Go away!" Kion cried, backing away from Fuli.

"Kion, please!" Fuli pleaded. The rest of the Guard had finally caught up to her and they all stood still, watching tensely as Fuli padded slowly towards Kion. "Listen to me."

"No! Fuli, please don't hurt me!" Kion sobbed, cowering back into the tunnel. "I'm sorry I killed you! Please don't hurt me!"

"What?" Fuli murmured. She then stiffened, He really thinks I'm dead and that he's talking to my spirit! "Kion, no! Wait! I'm not dead!" 

"Go away!" Kion shouted again, tears rolled down his cheek. "I know you won't forgive me for killing you, and I'm really sorry I did!"

"I know you didn't mean to," Fuli said gently. "Please, understand that!" Suddenly, Kion felt his foot slip and the rocks below him broke off. Kion yelped as he felt himself being dragged downward, then he collapsed onto the floor. He shook his head and looked up, his eyes widened when he saw that the large rocks he had hit earlier were crumbling, the entrance was collapsing!

"Kion!" Fuli cried, she leapt forward and tried to go into the tunnels, but then she felt someone tug her tail, pulling her back.

"Fuli, no!" Bunga cried, pulling Fuli back. The cheetah tried to break free from the honey badger, but by then it was already too late. All she could do was watch with horror as the tunnel's entrance collapsed from outside, Kion's screech could be heard from inside as the rocks covered the entry way to the tunnel. Then all went still.

"NO!" Fuli cried, shoving Bunga out of the way. She ran towards the entrance and began to claw at the rocks, ignoring the searing pain she felt when her pads scraped against them. "No, no, no, no, no! KION!"

The rest of the Guard approached her slowly. Fuli turned to them.

"Guys! Come on!" she said. "We have to get him out of there!"

"Fuli... It's no use," Beshte whispered.

"Come on!" Fuli shouted, tears streamed down her face. "Beshte, help me push these rocks away! We have to get him out and take him to the Tree of Life! I promised Simba we would get him back home safely after we did! I promised...!" Fuli eventually gave up, she slumped onto the ground and buried her face into her paws, her friends pressed closer to her as the cheetah continued sobbing freely. I promised...