Simba raced down the path to find his best friend, Nala. At the end of the path, there was a small outcropping of rocks where most of the lionesses spent their time. Simba knew that it was Nala's bath day, and was eager to get back with her to the rest of the cubs. He skidded to a halt infront of Nala and her mother, Sarafina.
"Hey Nala, let's go! Tojo, Chumvi, Tama, Malka, and Kula are waiting for us! We're going to play by the waterhole!" He was jumping up and down with excitement.
"Great! I'm right behind you!" She looked up at Sarafina. "Can I go, Mom?" Sarafina smiled, and nudged her cub towards her friend, as if to say 'Go ahead, have fun.' Simba smiled, and took off back up the path, Nala racing behind him.
Sarafina and Sarabi, Simba's mother, looked on as the two cubs ran off to play. Sarafina gave Sarabi a little smile.
"They remind me of you and Mufasa as cubs." Sarabi laughed at this.
"I don't think Simba thinks of Nala in that light, but I agree." She paused, and looked over at her childhood friend. "When I see them together, I imagine them as you and Taka…" Sarafina's eyes grew wide, and filled with tears. She stared at Sarabi through blurry eyes.
"Why did you have to say that?"
Scar was heading to the elephant graveyard to come up with another plan. Every plot to eradicate the prince had failed miserably. How could such a small cub cause such big problems? He needed a new idea, and sometimes the hyenas had good ones… on a very rare occasion. As he walked, her heard the sound of a lioness weeping. He usually couldn't care less, but the sound disturbed him. He knew all to well who the woeful sounds were coming from. Sarafina. He peeked over a large boulder to find the lioness crying into the queen's shoulder. It appeared that she was trying to comfort her, but to no avail. He listened to their conversation closely.
"You need to forget him! Every time I or another one of the lionesses even mentions him, you burst into tears! It's time to move on." Sarabi exclaimed. Scar rolled his eyes. He should have known that Sarafina would be crying over something so trivial and pointless. He had work to attend to… but some unknown force kept him rooted to the spot.
"He was the only love I ever had! I belonged to him, and he belonged to me! He said he would never leave me…" Sarafina's usually bright, happy face was now shadowed with sorrow. Scar's indifferent expression turned to concern, an emotion he hadn't experienced in years. He didn't know why he felt this way.
At this point, Sarafina couldn't control herself. She stated the one thing she vowed never to admit. "I still love him! I still love Taka!" She collapsed into a sobbing fit.
Her words hit Scar like a ton of rocks. 'Taka' was a name he had tried to forget. That name only brought him pain, and now that pain had resurfaced. A vacant look entered his eyes, and he was transported back to another time. He pictured an adolescent lion with reddish-brown fur and a lanky build. Over his left eye, was an ugly scar. Sitting next to the him was a beautiful young lioness with deep, sea green eyes. They stared at each other with a look only that of someone deeply in love knows. The young male took the lioness's paw in his own.
"I will always love you." The memory of those words made Scar's eyes sting like they were shedding acid. This was his past, and the young lion, the one called Taka, was him. And the lioness… was Sarafina.
His memory fast-forwarded several years. In his mind's eye, he saw what he so badly had wanted to forget. He saw himself as he was now; a grown lion. He was heading to the elephant graveyard, just as he had been that very morning. By now, his feelings of hatred towards his brother, Mufasa, were stronger than they ever were. Sarafina came running up beside him, and slowed to a walk.
"Taka! Where have you been? I haven't seen or talked to you in days!" Sarafina said breathlessly. His younger self glared at her.
"I told you, Sarafina, my name is Scar. What do you want? I'm very busy." Sarafina frowned.
"I thought that we could spend the afternoon together... like when we were young…" She smiled hopefully, but Scar scowled.
"Why would I want to do that? I have much more important things to do than play your cubbish games." Sarafina stopped, tears welling in her eyes.
"I… I thought you loved me?" She said, her joyous tone gone from her voice.
"Me? Love you? That's rich! Why would I want anything to do with you? You're nothing special. Just some desperate lioness who has nothing better to do than chase after former princes. I honestly don't know why I ever said those things to you! It's not like I actually meant them!" He snarled. He gave a low, menacing growl, and continued on his way, leaving a heart broken Sarafina in his wake.
An ear splitting roar broke Scar out of his trance.
"SARABI!" It was his brother calling to his mate. He looked back over the boulder to watch Sarabi leave a still sobbing Sarafina by herself. Scar's heart began to pound. He wanted so badly to leave, to go to the elephant graveyard to make his plans,
but instead, he stepped out from behind the boulder.
"Do you really feel that way?" He felt like he had no control over his words or actions. He was being controlled by a much greater force – that of love. Sarafina looked up at the scarred lion, a mixture of horror and confusion filling her blue-green eyes.
"Sc… Scar… I…" She stammered. But Scar didn't flinch. He stared into her eyes with a look of longing and desire. He slowly approached her, trying not to scare her away. He bent down so their noses met.
"Because I still love you."
Sarafina couldn't believe what she had just been told. The lion that had broken her heart so many years ago still loved her, and she still loved him. She didn't care if he was Taka or Scar, good or bad. She was his, and he was hers. Her heart filled with the same love that she had longed to have back. Then Scar spoke again.
"I used to think power was more important to me than the ones I loved… but I was wrong… so wrong. The time I spent with you was the only points in my life when I was truly happy. Sarafina, you are my everything, and I will love you until the end of time. Every time I'm near you I become breathless due to your beauty. I know I no longer deserve you, but I beg you Sarafina, take me back."
It was her turn to speak.
"You always knew how to make me feel loved, but the past years have been a nightmare that I couldn't escape. Everyday you became darker and more distant… I didn't understand why… I thought I had done something wrong."
"No! Never! I was the one that was wrong! I love you Sarafina! I always will, I just forgot for a while…" He licked her cheek. "You are perfect in every way."
"Scar… May I call you… Taka…?" For the first time, the name didn't give him a headache.
"Of course, my love…"
Suddenly, all Scar's evil thoughts vanished. He no longer wanted his brother's place as king and the prince dead. All he wanted was to be with Sarafina.
"My only wish was to be with you again." Sarafina sighed happily." Scar smiled, and pulled her close.
"It seems as if your wish has been granted."