(A/N: the following story was requested by BlazerPlex, to whom I apologise for this taking so long. There will be some Kion and Fuli moments in this, but it will not be explicitly romantic and will focus more on their friendship this time. I might make it a bit more of a KiFu fic later, but it might also stay purely platonic. I'll leave it up to interpretation for now.

With that out of the way, please enjoy!)

It was another typical day for the Lion Guard, as they raced across the plains of the Pride Lands in an attempt to prevent Janja and his hyenas from hunting the zebra herd. "What's the plan, Kion?" Bunga called out.

"We need to get them away from the border to the Outlands," Kion responded. "If the hyenas lure them that way, we won't be able to protect all of them." He glanced out of the corner of his eye to the cheetah member of the Guard, otherwise known as Fuli the Fastest. "Fuli, you catch up to the herd and try to redirect them." He turned his head slightly to look at Ono, the keenest of sight. "Ono, fly ahead with her and let her know how far off the border is."

"You got it, Kion!" Fuli confidently replied to her leader. "Huwezi!"

She then picked up speed and ran ahead at a much faster pace, while the egret simply saluted with his wing to the lion cub and flew on ahead. Kion looked at the hippo and honey badger that were still with him and instructed them by saying, "you two are with me. We're going to try and cut them off and take out the hyenas."

"You got it, Kion!" Beshte and Bunga both replied, following after him.

Further up ahead, Janja and his hyenas are heard cackling as they chase the poor, frightened and confused zebra closer and closer to the border, biting at their heels to keep them moving together. "Almost there, boys!" He barked, a wicked grin on his muzzle. "Once we get them back to the Outlands, we'll be having a feast!"

"Sorry, but your reservation has been cancelled!" Fuli shouted as she caught up. Before Janja knew it, he had been rammed by the cheetah, knocking him away from the herd. She proceeded to do this with the other five hyenas that were chasing the equine herd, before looking to the sky, where Ono flew close by. "Which way do we need to move the herd, Ono?"

"You need to redirect them rightward!" He explained, his keen sight set on the border up ahead. "And you need to do it quickly- the border is really close now!"

She smirked. "Don't forget who you're talking to!" She picked up speed once more and caught up to the front of the heard, running close to their left side. "The hyenas are gone now, but you need to go right, or you'll head straight into the Outlands!"

"Are you sure?" She heard the leader, a female named Muhimu, ask uncertainly.

"Positive! Now, move!"

"You heard the cheetah! Everyone turn right!"

Whilst Janja and his clan tried to catch up, he growled angrily as he saw Fuli and Ono redirect the herd in the opposite direction of the destination he had intended. "They're getting away! After them!"

The second he said this, however, he felt himself being forced into the ground with a grunt. "I don't think so, Janja!" Kion argued as the lion cub pinned him down. "It's time you and your cronies went back where you came from.

"I don't think so!" He tilted his head so he could look at the other hyenas. "Get em, furbrains!"

The hyenas stopped chasing after the wildebeest and turned around, beginning to charge towards the Prince of the Pride Lands. Kion simply smirked, thinking to himself, 'perfect'. "Now!" Before any of the hyenas could comprehend what had happened, their eyes went wide as they heard a cry.

"TWINDE KIBOKO!" Beshte came charging through, crashing right into the hyenas, sending them flying left and right. The strongest of the Guard looked behind him when he came to a stop and saw three more hyenas preparing to attack him, but he simply smirked. "You ready back there?"

The hyenas looked at each other, confused by the hippo's words, until they heard a voice shout, "you betcha, Big B! ZUKA ZAMA!" Before they even realised it, they felt the honey badger jump on their heads one by one, forcing them into the ground. When the first one tried to get up and tackle him, Bunga ducked, causing the hyena to crash into his ally, before they both crashed into their other ally. "Let's send 'em home, Kion!"

"My thoughts exactly, Bunga!" Kion yelled back, before grabbing Janja and throwing him to the others. Digging his claws into the ground, his eyes narrowed as he took in a deep breath, summoning all his power, then unleashing it with an almighty Roar of the Elders. None of the hyenas could even hope to resist it as they were sent flying toward the Outlands, their cries fading as they disappeared from sight. Kion eventually relaxed, his lungs still breathing deeply as they did after he used the Roar. "That should be enough from them for the day."

"Why can't they just take the hint and give up?!" Bunga complained, throwing his arms up. "We always win and they always lose! That's never going to change!"

"You've gotta admire their persistence, at least," Beshte suggested.

"Not when they use it like that," Kion retorted.

"I guess you're right. Well, since we've dealt with them, should we go see how Fuli and Ono are getting on?"

"Good thinking, Beshte. Lead the way."

As was typically the case, the landing for the hyenas was not a gentle one, their bodies careening into the ground with a thud as they landed, one atop of the other. Janja grumbled as he lifted himself out from the pile of his comrades, shaking his hind leg gingerly. "Scar's not going to be happy about this," he muttered.

"You're not wrong there, Janja!" He heard a male voice boast. Turning around, he saw two skinks, one yellowy-orange with darker stripes and a blue tongue sticking out, and the other dark red with a deep purple underbelly. "You know, I've lost count of how many times you've failed now! How many is it?"

"Zip it, Njano!" the hyena barked back. "You gotta lotta mouth for someone who's only good at being a sneak!"

"At least we're good for something, Janja," the red skink retorted, narrowing her eyes as her words dripped with venom. "You, on the other hand, can never seem to do your job right."

"You little-"

"Ah, ah, ah!" The female skink's eyes seemed to flicker with menacing glee. "Hold that thought, Janja. Scar's waiting for you- better not keep him waiting."

As the skinks scuttled away, Janja snarled to himself. 'They're lucky Scar likes having them around,' he thought to himself, before turning to the other hyenas. "Take five, boys. This won't take long… hopefully."

Janja walked away, heading into a nearby cave. The heat was high due to the lava below. Looking on the walls, Janja spotted the two skinks from before, alongside a number of other skinks of varying colours, staring smugly as he trudged his way towards the centre. As he did so, a huge series of flames shot out of the lava, letting off an almost evil roar as they flickered. This didn't last long, as they quickly took the form of the head of a lion, dark brownish-red flames creating a mane while bright, glowing yellow eyes stared at the hyena, an unamused look on its face.

"Janja, the skinks inform me that you have failed me… AGAIN," the giant head of Scar boomed.

"Did they now," Janja grumbled.

"Is that true?"

The glare Janja received was harsher than the heat of the lava below. "Well, you see-"

"WHY HAVE YOU FAILED ME AGAIN?!" Scar roared in anger, causing Janja to back up as the flames roared more heavily, flickering dangerously close to the hyena's flesh.

"I-it wasn't our fault!" Janja attempted to plead. "We got the wildebeest right to the border, but that stupid cheetah knocked us aside and lured them away. We tried to stop her, but we don't have that kind of speed. I'm sorry!"

Scar scoffed, showing no pity for the scavenger. "Sorry is just ONE of the words I would use to describe you." Janja ducked his head in shame. "Now, get out of my sight!"

Janja didn't need telling twice and scampered away with his tail between his legs. The skinks scuttled toward the fiery lion, with Shupavu, the red skink, standing in front. "How many more chances will that idiot get?"

"I will admit, my patience with him is thinning," Scar sighed. "Still, it was thanks to his clan and you skinks that my revival has become a possibility." As he thought back to the hyena's words, a small, sly smirk began to appear. "And yet, even in his failure, he has provided something useful."

The skinks looked at each other, uncertain what he meant, before Njano asked, "which is?"

"Simple, dear skinks. He has shown me what our next course of action should be. If we are to take over the Pride Lands, we need to stop the Lion Guard from stopping us. In order to do that, we need to counter their strengths, and if today has proven anything, then their biggest strength is…"

"Fuli!" Kion called out as he, Bunga and Beshte approached the zebras' grazing grounds. The cheetah lifted her head and smiled as she saw them, her and Ono making their way towards them. "Everything okay here?"

"As if you even have to ask," she smugly replied, smirking at the lion cub who rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we're all good on our end. Right, Ono?"

"Yep!" The egret answered. "All zebras are presented and accounted for, with no injuries and no stragglers."

"Glad to hear it," Kion commended. "Good work, you two."

"Kion!" He heard a voice call as Muhimu, the leader of the zebra herd, approached the team. "Lion Guard, thank you once again for saving my herd!"

"No problem, Muhimu!" Bunga gladly replied, cockily crossing his arms and grinning. "It's what we do best!"

"You do so much for the Pride Lands. I wish there was a way we could repay you."

"Well, actually-"

Beshte cut off the honey badger, pushing him back with a paw. "We're simply playing our part in the Circle of Life. You don't need to repay us."

Muhimu gave a nod. "Well, if there is ever anything me or my herd can do for you, don't hesitate to let me know."

"We'll be sure to remember that. Keep safe." Whilst Muhimu returned to her herd, Kion turned to the rest of the Guard. "Okay, everyone. That's all for today's patrol, so rest up and we'll meet back at the lair tomorrow morning."

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Bunga said, turning and beginning to sprint away. "See you later guys!"

The rest showed a mixture of amusement and irritation at the honey badger, with Fuli rolling her eyes, being the only one not chuckling. After Ono and Beshte said their goodbyes and went on their way, the two felines were left to themselves. "So, Kion, guess I'll see you in the morning?"

"Guess so, unless you don't mind me walking with you for a bit?"

She smiled. "Sure, why not?" He smiled back, before the two began to walk away. "So, Kion, any particular reason why you're walking with me today? Usually, you'd head back to Pride Rock and I'd just head wherever I'm sleeping for the night."

"I don't know, really. I guess I just wanted to… talk."

Fuli turned her head towards him, noticing a conflicted expression on his face. "You okay?"

He didn't answer straight away, looking at the ground while they walked, but before she could ask him again, he spoke. "It feels like things are changing, and not in a good way." She didn't know what to make of this, so she allowed him to continue. "I don't know what or how or when, but… I just have a bad feeling that something's going to happen, and I'm worried about what it could be."

It hurt to hear him sound quite so lost, so confused, so… vulnerable. Fuli took a deep breath as she processed this, then stopped walking. "Kion, look at me," she told him. He didn't hesitate to obey, his eyes meeting hers. "I don't know what that feeling is, or if something like that will happen… but the one thing I can say is that, no matter what happens, we will face it together, and we will stop it. Because we're the Lion Guard, and that's what we do." She stepped towards him, showing a gentle smile. "I'll stand by your side, just like the others, and as long as we do, we will be okay."

He could see the care in her eyes, as well as that ever present determination she always carried with her, and it made him feel more at ease. "Thanks, Fuli."

"Anytime, Kion."