Scar had always been jealous of his older brother, and it grew to a point where he became so filled with darkness that he wanted to destroy him, but that all changed when he first laid eyes on his newborn nephew.

I own nothing. The Lion King and all its content belong to Disney. I do not own the cover image either.

Night had fallen across the Pridelands. Stars twinkled in the night sky, appearing like diamonds against the deep blue velvety sky. A soft breeze blew over the Pridelands, soothing its inhabitants with a blanket as soft as a mother bird's down. Yet from out over to the west, right over the horizon, a ray of light shone, brushing over the indigo sky and turning it to cobalt.

Day was appearing in place of the night. Those who were nocturnal knew it was time to retire from the darkness and head into shadows to rest. As the light stretched further, the sky split into many different, bright hues. Grey clouds over the direction of the sun's rising changed their drab colors into shades of gold, orange and pink.

The lower part of the sky was transformed into a brilliant shade of orange, rising up to pale yellow and then to the blue that would turn to a brilliant and clear sky once the sun completely rose. A few of the early risers of the Pridelands took the time to enjoy and bask in this time of fleeting darkness and ethereal light. Almost every animal up took in its beauty and knew that it was the start of a good day.

Almost being the key word.

"Another sunrise, another day of my miserable existence while my dear big brother rules on high for all the world to see," Scar thought miserably to himself as he rolled over and stretched. It was still dark outside so he would not be waking up until the sun was completely over the horizon. And possibly till it was well in the sky.

It had not been a good night for him. Scar, the high king's younger brother, his shadow being a good description for him. Second son of the late king Ahadi and queen Uru, he was the next in line for the throne, a place he wanted so desperately. He had planning and trying to find a way to gain the position, only to be put way behind when he discovered Sarabi, his older brother's mate and queen, was pregnant.

"Once that little hairball is born, my chances of becoming king after my insufferable brother go down to zero." A sudden scream of pain distracted him from his thoughts. He got up from the spot he was laying down at the bottom of Pride Rock and walked out into the night air. There he heard it again, another agonizing scream, appearing to be coming from the den at the middle of the two overlapping stones creating the majestic peak.

"Oh goodie. Sarabi must finally be having her and my brother's cub. Joy to the world, all except me." Scar decided to go back to his bed and rest until the sun was completely up, yet sleep would not come to him. Every time his eyelids came down, they would shoot back up again with every scream and yelp he heard. He tried to cover his ears, yet the sound pierced them and struck into his brain, causing it the vibrate painfully.

Giving up on sleep entirely, he got up and stretched with a groan and stormed out of his cave, turning and making his way up the stone steps leading up to the main den. To his shock, every lioness in the pride and his brother were outside the cave entrance. The lionesses were just waiting about, either sitting and waiting patiently or else they were getting back to sleep. His brother was pacing left and right near the entrance.

Deciding to get to the bottom of things, he went straight to the king's majordomo, the African hornbill Zazu, to make sense of the situation.

"Zazu. Who dares to wake me up at this inappropriate hour at night," he snarled at the sapphire and sky blue hornbill. Zazu turned and grimaced.

"Well Scar, first of all you are not the only one to be woken up at this time of night, thank you very much. Second, I suggest you be on your best behavior. Your sister-in-law is giving birth to your brother's child, and so you better behave properly in front of your niece or nephew," Zazu replied.

Scar snorted and rolled his eyes. He noticed his brother pacing about, his speed seeming to grow quicker with each stride. Scar finally walked over to him and stuck out his front leg, hitting him in the chest as he turned and started to move forward.

"If you continue walking like that, I expect there to be a rut in no time," he teased. Mufasa glared at him for a second before sighing.

"Well if you've ever have kids, you'll know how it feels to be anxious about their arrival," Mufasa replied. He finally sat down. "Scar. Brother, I just don't know what to do" he admitted.

"Well how should I know either. I've never had a mate, much less one giving birth. Plus you have the entire Pridelands to give to him when he takes your place as king. It must be so exhausting, being adored and praised every day. You're just the sun that shines over everything and over everyone every day," Scar said, remembering his misery.

He then flinched as he felt a paw touch his shoulder blades. He turned to see Mufasa leaning over and placing his paw right on his back. Scar growled and knocked the paw off, turning away from his brother. He heard Mufasa sigh.

"You know Scar, I'm not sure what happened to us, growing distant growing up, but there's one thing I know that you don't," Mufasa said.

"Hmph," Scar replied. "And what might that be?"

He then cringed as he felt the warm breath of his brother come over him as he leaned in and whispered into his ear, "I've always been a bit jealous of you."

Scar spun his head around to stare his brother in his crimson eyes with his own electric green ones. "What," he hissed in shock and surprise.

Mufasa remained unafraid from his brother's face, and he even allowed to a smile to grace his face as he nodded. "Mmm hmm. You've always been carefree and without responsibility. You've always had time to rest and lounge about, while I'm constantly out about everyday, negotiating matters with creatures and patrolling the border in the blazing, hot sun, while you've never had to lift a paw from your napping place in the shade."

Mufasa gave a small chuckle before continuing, "I sometimes wonder what might it had been like if father had chosen you to be king instead of me. I bet our lives would be so much different."

Scar turned away from him again and dipped his head sullenly.

"Maybe so," he whispered.

Mufasa was about to say something else, when a scream pierced the air from inside the cave. It was much louder than the previous ones. Mufasa immediately leapt to his feet, prepared to charge inn and check on Sarabi, but Scar acted quicker and grasped his hind leg, causing him to fall to the stone ground. A few lionesses ran in to check on Sarabi while another two stood near the cave entrance, ready to block Mufasa if he tried to make another break for it. But for now Scar's quick reflexes kept him down.

"Hold on a second, brother. Like mom used to say, 'All things come to those who wait'. So calm yourself and just wait," Scar teased. Mufasa looked at him and glared. He then tried clawing the ground, pulling himself to the den entrance and pulling Scar with him. He grunted and groaned as his brother's grip grew tighter with each inch he gained.

He the stopped as soon as a pair of peachy-cream colored paws stepped in front of him. Both lions looked up to a pair of mint-green eyes. Sarafina. A lioness from the pride that was also pregnant. Sarafina had come from another pride that had died out from mysterious circumstances. For all she knew, she was sole survivor of the pride. The Pridelanders had welcomed her in with welcome arms and they were excited to discover that there would be another cub in the pride along with Mufasa's and Sarabi's.

Sarafina bent down and said, "Your majesty, I wish to congratulate you. You are now the father of a healthy, young prince. You may see him and Sarabi if you like." She moved out of the way and extended a paw towards the den. Mufasa's maw fell open as he stared into the darkness of the cave. He heard the labored breaths of his wife in there, along with the tiny mewling of... his cub.

He immediately scrambled to his feet, Scar letting go of his foot in the process. He hurried into the cave at quick walk, trying to not make so much noise to scare his newborn child, but to get to him quicker. He made out a milkweed brown lioness in the back of the cave, her back turned and her stomach rising with each breath she took. He quickly slowed down his pace to very light steps as he grew close to her.

Sarabi's ear twitched and she turned her head back a bit to see her husband tip-toeing quietly towards he. She gave a weak smile and motioned him to her limply with her paw. The birthing process had really worn her out. Mufasa moved to a crawl and got up close to her head. He stuck out his tongue and licked her head, brushing her sweat-soaked fur. Sarabi purred and leaned into his affectionate gesture. She then turned her head up a bit to look at him, her red eyes matching his similarly colored ones

"W-would you like to see our s-son," she said in a weak and raspy voice. Mufasa sharply inhaled and gave a small nod. He dare not speak, fearing he might wake up his newborn son.

Sarabi smiled and gently reached down to her belly where a little golden cub was snuggled up to. She gently picked him up and moved him to her chest, placing both of her paws protectively around him he whimpered and snuggled into his mother's fur, soothed by the beats of her heart.

Mufasa was enchanted.

He gently extended one of his front toes out and lightly petted the fur on his cub. The cub mewled at first, before purring at the soothing gesture. Mufasa released the breath he had been holding in.

"He's wonderful," he whispered to his wife. Sarabi nodded and leaned in to rub her head against his. Mufasa suddenly then had a thought, and he abruptly stopped nuzzling against his wife. Sarabi looked at him with concern.

"What is it," she asked.

Mufasa smiled at her. "Nothing," he said. "I just thought maybe someone else out there might want to see our new son."

Sarabi tipped her head to the side, before nodding. "Yes, the other lionesses must be growing very anxious to see our new son. Shall we let them in now," she asked.

Mufasa nodded, but said, "Actually, I was referring to my brother, since he is our cub's uncle too. But let's let him come in first before the others do, shall we?"

A look of shock came over her face. Let Scar see their cub first? Not that she had any problem with Scar, being he brother-in-law and all that, but he was... moody. And self-absorbed. And he didn't like anyone coming to him and bothering him. Not exactly a model pride member.

A sigh escaped her lips as she stared up at him. "Do you really thinks its a good idea to let him see our son?" Mufasa gave a reassuring smile and nod. She sighed.

"Very well then. You go fetch him," she ordered.

Scar had stayed outside, even when his brother left to go check on his mate and new son or daughter. He was very deep in thought, what his brother had admitted to him had left him lost.

"I've always been a bit jealous of you."

You've always been carefree and without responsibility. You've always had time to rest and lounge about, while I'm constantly out about everyday, negotiating matters with creatures and patrolling the border in the blazing, hot sun, while you've never had to lift a paw from your napping place in the shade."

"I sometimes wonder what might it had been like if father had chosen you to be king instead of me. I bet our lives would be so much different."

His words echoed through the corners of his brain. He clamped his paws over his ears, trying to remove the sound from his head. It almost was torment for him. He finally slammed his paws on the ground and breathed deeply.

"Scar," a voice from behind his close eyelids asked.

He quickly opened them up to see his brother, standing over him. He narrowed his eyes.

"What now, your majesty," he said in a mocking tone. Mufasa started narrowing his eyes as well, but then stopped and became calm.

"I was wondering if you would like to see my new son first." Scar's heart sank and his words stuck in his throat. He began to stutter. "I-I-I-"

Mufasa smiled warmly at him and motioned him to follow int the den. Scar got up stiff-legged and walked straight behind his brother. The darkness seemed to meld around them as they pushed on deeper into the den. For a second, Scar could almost feel the rock walls of the cave pushing in around him, but after shaking his head a few time, he knew it was just all in his head.

He saw his sister-in-law, Sarabi, coming into view, a medium brown against the shadows. He could see her red eyes glint in the little light the den provided. Mufasa went up ahead and circled near his mate's head before laying down next to her.

Scar slowed his pace and got on his belly to a crawl and stared at Sarabi. Their two eyes met, he could see the worry in her eyes. He saw her blink and both of them turned their heads to Mufasa who had started stroking her paw for incentive. He heard her sigh and lift up one of her paw that was covering her chest.

He leaned forward and saw that it wasn't just her chest she was covering, but a pure gold cub, nestled deep in the warmth and comfort of their mother. Scar quickly glanced up to Mufasa, then to Sarabi, then to the cub again.

"It's a boy" Mufasa whispered. Scar nodded and peered in closer to take a better look at his newborn nephew. He had a slightly lighter gold coloring than his father, lighter colored paws, and black ear rims like his mother. His eyes were closed and chances are they would be red, just like both of his parents' irises. The only thing that was different from either of his parents was a bright pink nose, though chances were that it would darken over time.

No matter how the cub looked, Scar couldn't take his eyes off him. He was the cutest and brightest thing he had ever seen. The sun was not yet up, yet Scar noticed something in the cub, a spark perhaps? Yes, a spark. And over time, this spark through care and nurture would become a flame, and a flame to a fire.

Scar carefully extended a paw towards his nephew, folding back his other toes so that only one pointed out. He glanced quickly up at his brother, then at his mate. Both were shocked, but neither objected to this movement. He slowly reached over to his nephew, and stroke the hair on the top of his head, that later would become his mane.

He quickly retracted his paw as soon as the cub sneezed. Mufasa flinched and looked over his cub for any signs of sickness appearing over, but the cub just brushed his nose with his paw and snuggled deeper into the warm fur cushioning his small and frail body.

Something kindled inside his heart. He felt something rush over the blackened and stony vital organ, something he had not felt for a long time. Pure, absolute, undying joy.

Scar was enchanted.

He stared at his nephew for a few more moments before looking back up at Mufasa.

"Congratulation's brother," he whispered. Mufasa smiled warmly and mouthed a sincere 'thank you'. Scar smiled back and looked back at his nephew. He extended a toe again and brushed the cub's head, eliciting a purr from the newborn.

"What's his name," Scar whispered, this time turning to his sister-in-law. Sarabi smiled and replied quietly, "Mufasa and I had decided to name him Simba, if we had a son."

Scar grinned and looked back at the sleeping cub. "Simba," he whispered, letting it flow of the tongue. Lion in their native language. Simple, yet strong. Perfect for a future king.

"It's perfect," he whispered to them. Mufasa nuzzled Sarabi and they began purring, but Scat didn't care or even notice for that matter. He could only focus on his nephew. He felt a deep connection blossom for him, and right then and there he swore to be there for him. He felt is heart, that had long been heavy and dull in his chest, feel lighter. He felt something else streaming in and out of it, he already knew what it was.

Love.

He was distracted from his thoughts when he heard mumbled and whispered talk coming from outside the cave. Apparently the rest of the pride was growing impatient on their new ruler's birth. Mufasa and Sarabi also noticed the quiet noise from the den's entrance. Sarabi sighed before nodding at Mufasa. He repeated the gesture back and started to get up. No reason why the ladies of the pride shouldn't see their future king as well. Scar got up and walked after him from behind.

The girls of the pride stared at the high king and his brother. During the birthing process, they were allowed to help her, but after the cub was born, they would have to patiently wait their turn to see the newborn. They stared at Mufasa with anxious eyes. He smiled ad bowed his head. They squealed silently and started to move past him and Scar to see Sarabi.

"Careful. Careful. Quietly. If you wake the cub up, I'm coming over there," Scar threatened as they moved past him as well. Mufasa's face bore a shock expression, seeing his usually mean and moody younger brother acting so... concerned and protective over his nephew.

Soon, a few 'awws' and coos filled the den's inner atmosphere as the lionesses looked upon Simba for the first time. Scar looked back and smiled at the attention he saw his nephew was receiving. With it still plastered on his face, he turned his head back to the outside and started moving out. He planned to get in a few more hours or minutes of sleep in, with the sun rising up or not. He started to move towards the rock steps down to his cave at the bottom, when a voice stopped him.

"Taka! Wait," he heard Mufasa call. He turned his head around to look at Mufasa one last time this night.

"What," Scar asked. Mufasa stood right on the rock platform, just feet above him. He looked down sheepishly at him.

"Um, thanks for being there for Simba's birth and for the chat we had earlier," he half-spoke, half-mumbled. Scar let another rare smile grace his face.

"You're welcome... brother," he said, a little quietly. He turned back towards his path and stepped down a few stones before realizing something.

"Hey," he said, turning himself around to completely face Mufasa, who was already starting to head back into the cave. "Did you just called me Taka?"

Mufasa turned and looked at him. He didn't say a word, but smiled and nodded once. Scar opened his mouth to say something in retaliation to that name, but then he stopped. He thought about it for a moment. He thought about all the times as cubs they had together, back then before he was called Scar, before Boma the Cape buffalo. Back when he was still called Taka. How long had it been since he had abandoned that name?

"Taka," he whispered, letting his old name roll off his tongue and into the chill morning air. "It's been awhile since I've heard that name."

He looked up at Mufasa. "Thank you," he said, just plainly, but it affected him more than he thought. Mufasa gave a faint smile his way.

"Your welcome, younger brother," Mufasa said before turning back and heading into the cave.

Scar finished walking down all the steps and towards the cave at the base of Pride Rock. He settled down into the deeper part of the concave nice of the stone and turned onto his side on the stone floor. He settled his head down into his paws and contemplated all he had experienced minutes ago.

"Perhaps today won't be so miserable after all," he thought, before shutting his eyes and going back into slumber.

Short story, but I personally like this one out of all my the one-shot/what if's. I know I've been doing a lot of Simba as a cub, Mufasa and other adults thoughts and POV during the movie type fics, but I just have so many that I wish to get done. I also decided to add Scar's original name, just to add a bit more sweetness to the story.

Hope you all enjoyed reading this. Please review and tell me how I did. Sincerely, v.t.7