Yuki stretched out her arms. There was a stiffness in her shoulders that was getting close to impossible to get rid of. Naminé sat off to the side drawing in her sketchbook like she usually did. Yuki leaned over her shoulder, trying to make out what the lines were forming into.
The sound of a dark corridor opening made Yuki look up, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. No one was supposed to know where they were. It would be too dangerous. She relaxed though, seeing the tall figure.
"Riku," Yuki greeted calmly standing straight and crossing her arms. "What brings you here?"
"I need a word with Naminé," Riku said. His voice still sounded wrong, which Yuki expected, but it was still unnerving to her. She glanced down at Naminé who had stopped drawing clutching her sketchbook to her chest.
"About what?" Yuki asked. She knew what the answer was going to be, at she had a good idea. DiZ had already taught Riku how he was supposed to see them.
"Yuki," Naminé said calmly. She stood up and looked at Riku calmly. "It's about Kairi, right?"
"Yes. She is your other," Riku said simply. Yuki clenched her fist and stepped forward.
"And you want Naminé to help you save her. At the cost of Naminé being her own person," Yuki said. She wanted him to argue with her. Say that wasn't what he wanted. But she already knew his answer before it left his mouth.
"It's her own choice. But, it's where she belongs, isn't it?" he asked. Yuki's jaw clenched, her eyes narrowing to slits.
"Do I belong as my other?" Yuki asked. Riku took a step back in surprise. Yuki stepped towards him, feeling the anger surging through her body. The same type of anger the smaller Heartless held. "Naminé has just as much rights as anyone else does."
"What do I have to do?" Naminé asked calmly stepping around Yuki.
"Nami!" Yuki said in shock.
"Yuki, I won't be gone. I'll be whole. And, one day I'll come back. Just trust me," Naminé looked at her calmly. Her blue eyes were firm, something that always seemed difficult for her to do. Yuki sighed heavily, looking down and nodding.
"Ok. Ok. I trust you," Yuki said. She sighed again and looked up at Riku. "What's the plan?"
"You'll help?" Riku asked.
"You guys are my friends too. So what do I do to help?" Yuki asked.
*<3*
X stumbled as the group entered the new world. It took him a moment to regain his balance and look around the world. And it took only a few seconds longer for him to realize he had four paws. He cursed under his breath trying to pull back his claws but failing.
Looking to Sora, Donald, and Goofy he couldn't even pretend to be surprised. Sora was a lion cub, dark brown fur with his mane shaped like his hair. His pendant hung around his neck. Goofy was a tortoise and Donald was a tropical bird. X took a moment to look over at himself. He was a light tan color with black spots. A cheetah then.
As he finished taking in the world, and getting used to the extra paws, Sora led the way through what looked like a dead savannah. They stopped encountering a group of three hyena's.
"Oh, it's you guys. Man, we were hoping you were a meal," the lead hyena, a female, said. She glared off to the side.
"Hiya!" Sora greeted cheerfully. X looked at him in shock. Did he miss the part where they were thinking about eating them?
"Don't gimme any of that 'hiya' stuff! Thanks to you clowns, we're back to scavenging scraps for a living," one of the other hyena's said. The last hyena laughed.
"C'mon, it's not that bad. I enjoyed that week-dead elephant we had yesterday," the female hyena said.
"Hey, how's Simba?" Sora asked. The female hyena laughed.
"We gotta laugh every time we hear that dude's name," the make hyena said chuckling.
"Ooh. Say it again!" the female hyena challenged.
"Simba!" the male hyena said.
"One more time!" the female hyena said through her laughter.
"Simba!" the male said. The female kept laughing. "Simba!" All three fell into laughter after the final pronouncement of the name. X wasn't sure who this Simba was, but it seemed like he was a huge joke in this world.
"That's enough!" Sora said, flicking his tail in annoyance.
"Go on then, see for yourself. Simba is one wishy-washy king," the female hyena said, letting her chuckle die out. She snorted as she and her companions turned their back on them.
"Yeah, I bet about now, even some of those high and mighty lionesses were wishin' they'd gotten themselves a different king," the male hyena said. They walked away, not giving the group further comment. X flicked his tail and flattened his ears, looking at Sora and the others.
"Gawrsh, whaddya think coulda happened?" Goofy asked.
"Well, let's go find Simba and see," Sora said. His eyes were focused on where the hyena's had disappeared.
Sora led the way through the savannah. X found it annoying how hard it was to keep pace with them. Not because Sora was particularly fast. But because X easily outpaced all of them. He would get ahead, stop for a moment to let them catch up then try to match their pace, only to quickly outpace them again. It didn't take long for them to reach a large rock. Darkness was filling the air, hanging heavy on their fur. X raised his hackles, as the image of a lion appeared before them. The lion was thin with a black mane and darker fur.
"Scar!?" Sora said in shock. He ran toward the lion, only for it to disappear as he reached it. "Huh?"
"A ghost?" Donald asked.
"We better tell Simba about this. Wonder if he's up there," Goofy said, looking up toward the rock formation.
Sora led the way up to the rock formation. X followed behind warily, carefully putting one paw in front of the other. The air was filled with resentment. So strong X almost felt the emotion well up inside him. What was going on in this pride?
"Have you come to see Simba?"
X jumped hearing the unfamiliar voice. His hackles were raised as he turned to see a lioness standing in front of them. He relaxed, willing his fur to lie flat. He was not a fan of this world much either. The tail was still annoying.
"We saw Scar's ghost!" Sora said. The lioness nodded.
"An omen like that could only be foretelling the end of our pride. Yet, King Simba won't do a thing. I guess just being the son of the great King Mufasa doesn't necessarily mean he's ready to rule the kingdom himself," she said. X blinked in surprise. Did they assume that was how it worked around here?
"Trust me, Simba will think of something," Sora said firmly.
"The time for thinking is past. We need him to take action-- as his father would have done. He ruled with courage and pride. I remember it like it was yesterday. The mighty Mufasa," the lioness said, looking up as she reminisced. X suspected that she would criticize Simba regardless. It was rare for followers to accept new ways of doing things.
"Simba'll do all that, too. You'll see," Sora said, still standing firm with his belief. The lioness looked away.
"I'm not so sure," she said.
"Wait here. I want to talk to Simba," Sora said. He ran past the lioness, going into a den up the rock. X followed with Donald and Goofy, looking out over the savannah. It looked dead, long dead. It was a wonder the pride was surviving.
Entering the den X was greeted with his first glimpse of Simba. He looked just as one would expect any lion to look. A tan muscled cat, with a full red mane. Nothing special. Why did they think he was fit to be king?
"You came back," Simba said, looking up at them. His eyes landed on X for a moment, but moved on to Sora quickly. He didn't look like he could be bothered to question the new member of the group.
"Are you ok?" Donald asked.
"You don't look so good," Goofy commented. He was right. He looked weak and defeated. Like he could just lay in the den all day and do nothing.
"Hey, Simba. Why don't we team up and do something about that Scar ghost? Seems like everybody's worried about it. So, now's your big chance to show 'wm what you're really made of!" SOra said cheerfully. X flattened his ears. Sora really needed to learn tact.
"That doesn't concern you!" Simba snapped, his teeth bared in a snarl. X mimicked the move without thinking, snarling as he stepped in front of the others who were too shocked to move. Simba quickly backed down, his eyes widening before he looked away. "Sorry..."
"It's ok," Sora said. He glanced to X, who stepped back. He kept his eyes focused on Simba. Something was wrong with this king.
"I just wish I knew what my father would do," Simba said laying his head down again.
"But he's not here, Simba. It's all up to you now. And that means the important thing is what you're gonna do being the king. Not what your father woulda done," Goofy said. Simba slowly looked up at them.
"So you're saying...it's all up to me," Simba said. X frowned. That shouldn't have ever been a question. Simba's heart was far too confused to be given such an important position. It would only lead to chaos as it already had.
"See, there ya go!" Sora said.
"Exactly!"
X glanced over his shoulder to see the two new arrivals. A meerkat and warthog. X supposed it was a miracle they hadn't been eaten yet.
"We know your dad was a great king, and all. But now it's your turn. Remember what I taught ya. 'You gotta put the past behind you.' It's time to go out there and show everybody things are gonna be just fine!" the meerkat said, motioning broadly with its paws.
"Yeah, you can do it!" Sora said.
"You gotta live for today!" the meerkat said.
"And find your own path!" the warthog added.
"Live for today. And find my own path, not my father's," Simba echoed.
"That's it!" Sora said happily. X couldn't share in the happiness though. He might be saying those things, but he didn't believe them yet.
"I'm glad to hear you say that, Simba."
X had look again for the new voice. This time it was a lioness, who was a more sandy color than the last one they had met and seemed younger too.
"Nala!" Donald greeted.
"Promise me you'll help Simba any way you can," Nala said.
"As long as Sora handles the dangerous parts!" the meerkat said. Sora nodded without a thought, making X sigh.
"I'm counting on you Simba, and so is our baby," Nala said, brushing up against Simba. X blinked a few times and shook his head. With Simba as he was now, a child probably wasn't a good idea. He was too at war with himself to be any use as a parent. Though if he remembered correctly female lions did all the child-rearing.
"Great! Now we're going to have to babysit!" the meerkat complained. His outburst caused the group to laugh, easing the tense mood that hung around them.
"Let's go see Rafiki first. I'm sure he'll be able to tell us something about that ghost," Simba said. The group nodded following his lead through the savannah.
X once again found himself ahead of the group without trying. Instead of trying to pace himself he full-on sprinted, running circles around the group because he could. He heard a conversation in the group, Sora and Simba chuckling about something. But he ignored for the sake of running. It wasn't long until they were at a stone hollow, meeting with a monkey of some kind. Maybe. X wasn't sure what it was.
"Oh ho ho! The king--- he is ready to be king?" the monkey asked, looking closely at Simba.
"I think so," Simba replied. X frowned at the response. Not a very good one.
"Can you tell us about Scar's ghost?" Sora asked.
"Oh, yes, the ghost. A being with no body. It is created when the evil heart of Scar meets the hesitating heart of Simba," Rafiki explained, looking down sadly. X nodded in understanding. Though he wasn't sure how this ghost came to be, it seemed he was right about Simba's hesitation.
"Hesitating?" Simba asked.
"Ohhhh. You thought you were not?" Rafiki asked.
"Gwarsh, that ghost sounds just like a Heartless," Goofy said worriedly. X flicked his tail. He was reminded more of a different dark creature. One no one had seen in years.
"Something like that," X agreed.
"Hmm, I don't know," Sora said.
"You're right, you don't," Rafiki said. X was surprised by that bit of blunt honesty and looked at the monkey with wide eyes. "But you do know it is upsetting. And it is upsetting the hearts of everybody in the Pride Lands. You may not know what it is, but it still IS. This world, it is full of many such things. And these things, a king must face. It is the test that has been set for you, Simba."
X was greatly impressed by Rafiki's words of wisdom. It seemed he was the only one in this world that had any common sense.
"That's all? Come on. You have to tell us more about the ghost," Simba said.
"No, not today! But the hyenas in the elephant graveyard may know more. Does not matter, though. There is little the Simba of late can do," Rafiki said turning his back on the group.
"Aw, don't say that! Not when he's ready to try!" Sora said, jumping a little on his paws.
"In his head, perhaps, but what about his heart?" Rafiki asked.
"Forget it, Sora. Let's head for the elephant graveyard," Simba said turning his back on Rafiki. The rest of the group followed him, X the slowest. This didn't seem like a good idea. Rafiki was right. Simba's heart was too chaotic. It could lead to quite the problem.
He seemed to be the only one with that worry as they cornered the hyena's in the elephant graveyard.
"Whoa!" Sora called as they skidded to a stop in front of the hyena's.
"Hey, you!" Donald said.
"Aw, c'mon, can't you guys just leave us alone?" the male hyena asked in annoyance.
"Do you three know anything about Scar's ghost?" Simba asked.
"Huh? Scar's ghost?" the female hyena asked, looking around as if she was trying to recall what Simba was talking about. X had a feeling she very well knew what was going on. The third hyena laughed, which had been the only thing X had heard out of him yet.
"Maaaybe," the male hyena said, mimicking the motion from his female companion.
"You do know," Sora said, crouching forward on his paws, preparing to spring. The hyena's shared a look before they turned tail and ran into the elephant skeletons.
Chasing down the hyena's was a nightmare. X darted after one, he thought it was the female but he wasn't sure. Luckily his speed was vastly greater than hers, he easily caught up to her, swiping her feet out from under her. She collapsed to the ground, and X stood with a paw on her shoulder and his dagger, held in his mouth, pointed at her throat.
He glanced up to see the others working on catching the other two. It looked like they would have them with only a few moments. Sure enough, he watched as Sora took down the male hyena and Simba take down the third.
They were gathered in a group, the three hyena's looking up at the odd group of lions, cheetah, bird, and tortoise.
"Oh no, I guess you caught us all," the male hyena said sarcastically.
"What're we gonna do?" the female hyena said, just as sarcastically. The third hyena laughed, looking between his two companions.
"Tell me about Scar's ghost!" Simba demanded.
"Sorrrry. We don't know nothin'," the male hyena said.
"Ooh, wait! It's coming back to me! That's the one who only hangs around fraidy cats. Right, Banzai?" the female hyena asked, turning to look at the male hyena. Simba growled stepping forward, slamming his paw on the ground.
"Enough!" Simba roared. The third hyena began to laugh, as X felt the fur on the back of his neck stand up more than it already was.
"And there it is," Banzai said mockingly. The group turned quickly, facing the ghostly lion that was slowly stalking toward Simba.
"Must be a fraidy cat around here somewhere!" the female hyena said, laughing to herself.
"Simba! Do something!" Sora yelled. Simba only took a few steps back, his tail dropping to the ground.
"How does it feel to be king, hmm? Why, you must be a truly inspiring ruler by now," Scar's ghost said, slowly prowling toward Simba. Simba backed away, horror spreading across his face. "After all, you are the son of the great Mufasa."
Simba turned tail and ran. Sora stopped watching him with a dropped jaw.
"Where are you going?" Sora called.
"Ah, Simba, running away as always," Scar's ghost said before vanishing where it stood. Almost as if it had been caused by Simba's presence.
"Simba!" Sora called. The three hyena's laughed and left themselves, disappearing behind the skeletons.
"Gawrsh, Rafiki was right," Goofy said worriedly.
"You mean, Simba's still unsure?" Sora asked, looking to his friends.
"His heart is a storm," X said softly. He had rarely seen a heart in such conflict, and when he had, well they weren't pleasant memories.
"Do ya think there's some way we can help?" Goofy asked.
"Hmm. We should start by talking to Simba some more. Let's head back to the Pride Lands," Sora decided. X nodded in agreement. There was nothing that could be done without Simba around.
Sora led them to the den they had first met Simba at. There they found Nala and Rafiki, along with the meerkat and warthog X hadn't yet learned the names of. But Simba was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Simba?" Nala asked, taking a step forward.
"Well, uh..." Sora began but soon trailed off. He didn't want to explain it. And X couldn't blame him.
"Oh ho ho! He ran away! I knew it would not be easy for him. To face his fears, he must go somewhere where the only thing to think of is what to do, not what others think of him," Rafiki said, seeming unsurprised by the turn of events.
"Why didn't you just say so?" Sora asked in annoyance.
"But where's Simba now?" Donald asked.
"Hey, I know! He's at the oasis. It's our favorite hangout!" the meerkat offered up.
"Got it! Let's check it out," Sora said.
"I'll lead the way!" the warthog said, standing proudly. The meerkat jumped in front of him waving his arms.
"Oh, no you won't! Simba'll smell you coming a mile away. And if he's smart, he'll run for the hills!" he said, putting his hands on his hips.
"Oh, right," the warthog said.
Sora was once again in the lead, taking them past the savannah to the jungle. X kept pace staying at an easy walk for him. It seemed the others were rushing, so he tried his best not to show off and beat them there.
Reaching the jungle they found Simba at the edge of a cliff, Scar's ghost slowly prowling toward him, pushing him further and further back. Before long Simba would fall, and X doubted he would survive it.
"Simba!" Sora yelled, jumping forward to chase off the ghost. The ghost vanished as soon as Sora landed. Simba didn't look relieved, instead, he turned away from Sora.
"It's no use. I'll never be the king my father was," Simba said. X gave a heavy sigh staying back. It seemed Simba would never learn.
"But Simba, that's not what you're supposed to be," Sora said calmly. "You can't be Mufasa. You can only be you. Everybody believes in you as a king. They just want to see what you'll do. And if anyone's saying they liked your father better, it's because you haven't done much yet. That's all."
"I know that," Simba said.
"Then stop moping and do something!" Sora insisted.
"I can't!" Simba snapped. Sora looked at him with shock. After a moment he looked away with a frown.
"Fine," Sora said.
"Let's go, Sora," Donald said, turning away.
"Yeah. Why stick around if he's not even gonna try?" Sora asked. He and Donald wandered off. X frowned, looking between Simba and where Sora had been. He really didn't know how hard it was for Sora to give up on his friends. But Simba must have pushed him past that limit. X slowly followed, leaving only Goofy behind. "C'mon Goofy!" Sora called. Goofy followed, meeting the others behind a log where they were waiting.
In moments a ghost of Scar appeared, facing down Simba again.
"The hesitant king will one day lose all his friends," Sora said, attempting a spooky voice. X looked at him in confusion.
"King Simba the doubtful," Donald added, mimicking Sora's attempt.
"Worried by a silly ol' ghost," Goofy said.
"Ooh, Simba the do-nothing king," Sora said.
"Are you trying to help him or destroy him?" X asked in a whisper. Sora only smirked glancing back at Simba.
"No!" Simba yelled.
"Try and stop me!" Donald mocked.
Simba lept forward, taking out in the ghost easily. Sora jumped over the log running over to Simba, Donald, Goofy, and X following him.
"You all are so lucky that worked!" X said as they stopped.
"You did it! The ghost is gone!" Sora said happily, ignoring X's objections and disbelief.
"We knew you could do it!" Donald said.
"Hooray for Simba!" Goofy said.
"You know, I'm really lucky to have friends who'll stand by me and help me see clearly. My father wasn't so fortunate," Simba said looking down. X could see in his eyes, his mind and heart were coming together.
"There you go again," Sora said with a pout.
"I mean, everyone here, and in the Pride Lands, wants me to succeed. Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Pumbaa, Timon, 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 best of my blessings, and rebuild this kingdom," Simba said, nodding to himself.
"Are you gonna say it, or do it?" Sora asked, leaning forward so he looked like a kitten about to pounce on a toy.
"Wait and see," Simba said with a smirk.
"Simba!"
The group turned quickly to see the meerkat running into the jungle, somehow managing to look pale in the face even with all his fur.
"Simba! Come quick! There's a bazillion ghosts of Scar haunting the Pride Lads! Everybody but Nala high-tailed it out of there. And now she needs your help," he said quickly. Simba gasped and took off running. "Our little Simba, all grown up and finding his place in the world."
"Nice try. You're coming too!" Simba yelled, spurring the group into motion.
They reached the den to find the warthog protecting Nala. As promised they were the only two left.
"We're here!" Sora announced as they entered the area, taking out as many ghosts of Scar as they could on the way.
"Where's Simba?" Nala asked nervously.
The group stepped to the side and bowed as Simba entered with his head held high.
"I've come back, Nala," Simba said. Scar's ghost turned toward. Simba growled, stepping toward the ghost. "Get out!" he roared, the ghost disappearing.
"Way to go, Simba!" Sora cheered.
X frowned looking over his shoulder toward the savannah, he could feel a mass of darkness converging behind them.
"We have trouble," X announced. The group turned and looked as the darkness formed into a ball where it was. X suspected a giant Heartless.
"Are you with me?" Simba asked.
"Now and forever, Your Majesty!" Sora said with a bow.
They went to the savannah confronting the giant Heartless. It was a little more difficult than it might have been in any other world. Their small size made it difficult to jump up onto it back where they needed to be to cause any damage. X took the task of running underneath its feet and keeping it distracted while the others dealt damage. He was grateful for the speed boost he got from this world.
After beating the Heartless they returned to the den once again.
"Simba seems fine now," Sora said, watching Simba interact with Nala.
"The storm has calmed," X confirmed calmly.
"Ha! The king has returned! The Pride Lands will not forget King Simba's courage. Or the courage of those who fought beside him," Rafiki said.
"Do you think your quest will ever be over?" Simba asked, looking down at Sora.
"I don't know," Sora admitted. "But I think, as long as the Keybalde stays with me, I'll have to keep fighting."
"Ahh, the struggle never ends. That is the great Circle of Life," Rafiki said solemnly.
"Never ever?" Sora asked.
"The secret to victory, is a strong heart," Rafiki said.
"Good thing we have that covered," X said looking over at Sora. Rafiki laughed and pointed up to the sky.
"Go on, go on, go-- go then! Go on, get out! Yes, yes! It is time! Your fight continues," he said.
"Till we meet again, Your Majesty," Sora said bowing to Simba once more.
"I hope that's soon," Simba said.
"It will be! So long!" Sora said, smiling brightly.
~~~~~*<3*~~~~~
A/N: I think it should just be noted these last two chapters have been so fun to write. When writing X in general I think of him like a cat when he's fighting. It takes a lot of effort not to use every cat reference I can think of when writing for him. And in these last two chapters, I've been able to use all the cat ideas. X is just a cat in a human body, and the last two chapters finally showed it.