Title: Romance of the Pridelands 1: Secrets

Series: The Lion Guard

Pairing: Kion/Jasiri
Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Africa, Interspecies relationships, Episode: s01e08 "Never Judge a Hyena by its Spots", Episode: s01e20 "Lions of the Outlands", hyenas, lions, Roar of the Elders

Summary: Kion can't keep his relationship with Jasiri a secret forever.

Notes: Set almost a year after Kion's first meeting with Jasiri. Kion and his sister would almost be considered adults by this point.

BETA: TheSupernova

Fuli rolled around on the grass next to Kion, pausing momentarily to stare at him.

"What?" Kion asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Hmm…" Fuli muttered mysteriously.

"What?" Kion asked again.

"You know, you aren't going to be able to keep her a secret forever."

"Her? You mean, Jasiri?"

"Who else could I be talking about?" Fuli said with a laugh. "Word is getting around that Kion is letting a mysterious hyena have free reign in the Pride Lands."

"Ridiculous," Kion responded with a huff. Before he could further refute Fuli with evidence of just why the cheetah was wrong, two gazelles ran past them in a panic.

"Jasiri in the Pride Lands! Jasiri in the Pride Lands!"

As they watch the gazelle run off, Fuli fell onto her back, rolling around in laughter. Kion flopped to the ground in embarrassment, placing his paws over his eyes and groaning.

When Fuli finally managed to catch her breath, she looked over at Kion.

"Sooo," she said, drawing the word out. "What are you going to tell your father when he finds out you're dating a hyena?"

Kion groaned again. "I don't want to think about it."

Kion met Jasiri at the watering hole the next day.

"My parents used to come here when they were cubs," Kion said. "It's not much, but its deep enough to swim around in without the danger of drowning."

Jasiri laughed when she saw Kion shrug sheepishly.

"Well, its fine," Jasiri said with a grin, as she began to circle around behind him. "I'm not a big fan of drowning either."

"Jasiri?" Kion asked, watching her carefully.

"So, it's a good thing we can't, can we?" Jasiri said.

She suddenly kicked Kion with her back paws, sending him flying straight into the middle of the pond with a loud splash.

Kion quickly came up gasping for air, shooting the hyena a glare. Jasiri only laughed some more, before backing up.

"Ready or not, here I come!" she declared loudly, and took off in a running dive after Kion.

"Woah!" Kion exclaimed, barely swimming out of the way of the hyena-shaped cannon ball.

When she came up for air, Kion just shook his head in exasperation, a smile creeping up on his face. He could never stay mad at her for long.

With the hot sun beating down overhead, they swam and splashed around in the water until Jasiri and Kion finally managed to drag themselves out.

Jasiri panted heavily as she laid down on the shore.

"That was fun," Jasiri said between breaths.

Kion shook out his fur before walking up to her side, watching her heaving chest and sleek body stretched out before him. Jasiri locked eyes with him, blinking when the sun caught in her eyes. Kion smiled.

"Beautiful," Kion said, as he curled himself around Jasiri, pulling her wet body close. She giggled softly, turning in Kion's paws so she could nuzzle up against Kion's neck.

"I love you, Kion." Jasiri's voice came out muffled, and Kion couldn't help but let out a short laugh.

"I love you too, Jasiri." Kion leaned his head on the top of Jasiri's.

Fuli's earlier comment echoed around in his mind.

"You know, you aren't going to be able to keep her a secret forever."

Kion held Jasiri tightly, afraid that she would one day slip away; afraid of what his family would think, and of the king.

"Ack!" Jasiri yipped. "You don't have to hold me so tightly, I'm not going anywhere."

"Huh? Oh, sorry," Kion said, relaxing his hold. "It's just… they're going to find out eventually."

"You mean your family?" Jasiri asked curiously.

Kion nodded.

"Well, just think about what my family will think of me! A hyena, dating a lion! Unbelievable. They'd think I'd have lost my mind."

Jasiri slowly closed her eyes, basking in Kion's warmth. "You're warmer than the sun, did you know?"

"Yeah." Kion ran his paw through Jasiri's fur, watching her breathing slowly even out until the hyena was snoring softly beside him.

A sudden chill ran thought the air, and Kion shivered. They were safe for now, but Kion knew it was only a matter of time. There was a sense of foreboding growing in the wind.

Kion shook off his worries. His mission right now was to guard his beloved as she slept, so that's exactly what he was going to do.

It had been a few days since Kion had last met up with Jasiri at the watering hole and he was beginning to worry. Jasiri always made sure to visit Kion every day, even if it was only for a few minutes. This long stretch of silence was unlike her.

Eventually, he found himself once more in the company of Fuli. She was not only friends with Jasiri, but was also a surprisingly excellent source of relationship advice. So surprising, in fact, that he still had trouble believing it some days.

"You don't seem like the relationship-advice-giving sort," Kion said to Fuli.

"Yeah well, it's less about relationships and more the fact that you're a male who's completely clueless about the female species." Fuli shot back.

Kion couldn't really deny it. It was one thing to interact with his mother and sister, even other lionesses of the pride, because they were all family. But Jasiri was different.

"Because you're a bit dense." Fuli said, snapping Kion out of his thoughts.

"Huh? What? Who's dense?" Kion asked, affronted.

Fuli rolled her eyes. "Guess," she said.

Kion stared at her for a few seconds, before shrugging his shoulders.

"Whatever," he replied.

Kion's growing anxiety about Jasiri came to a head the following day.

A large storm thundered throughout the Pride Lands, blacking out the sky with thunder and large torrents of wind and rain. It covered the land as far as the eye could see.

Kion's vantage point from the mouth of the den was somewhat limited, but he could see the trees bending over from the harsh winds, and what few animals were left in the open were clearly fighting to make their way through the storm to safety. Though, Kion wasn't sure anywhere would be truly safe. He just hoped Jasiri wasn't stuck out in this storm.

"You look worried," Kiara said, as she sat next to her brother.

"Yeah, well…" Kion still hadn't told his sister about his relationship with Jasiri, or about his initial meeting with the hyena in the outlands. It's not that Kion didn't trust his sister with his secret, but every time the opportunity arose, the words refused to come out.

After a few minutes, Kiara sighed. "I didn't want to say it, but I'm worried about you. Even mom has noticed you haven't been acting yourself lately. Whatever is bothering you, you know you can talk to me. I won't judge you."

Before Kion could replay, a soaking wet cheetah speed to a stop before them. Fuli fell flat on the ground, out of breath. Both of the lion cubs immediately went out to meet her.

"Fuli, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Kion asked somewhat forcefully. Kiara tilted her head, watching them curiously.

"Jasiri… Pride Lands… stampede… hurt…" Fuli barely managed to force out the words as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Whose Jasiri?" Kiara asked, confused.

"She's my—" Kion hesitated. He was about to say "friend" but that wasn't the whole truth.

Fuli sat up, watching Kion closely, as if searching for something. Eventually, a smile spread across her face. Kion nodded.

That's right, Fuli was on his side. As far as Fuli was concerned, hyena or no, as long as Kion and Jasiri loved each other, that's all that really mattered. Taking a deep breath, he turned to Kiara.

"Jasiri is my lover." Kion admitted, and before he could add anything further, a flash of rain blew towards them on the wind. If they weren't completely soaked before, they were now.

It reminded Kion that there was no time to waste. Explanations could wait. Jasiri was in trouble. Kion needed to focus.

"Show me where she is," Kion shouted, a low, rumbling growl slipping into his voice. "Now."

The storm was growing worse, and the wind continued to howl in anger.

Fuli simply nodded, before turning back the way she had come.

Fuli said that Jasiri was in the Pride Lands, but they were nearing the borders of the kingdom and Fuli showed no signs of stopping. Despite the limited field of view provided by the torrential rain, Kion was positive there wasn't anyone else crossing the vast, empty plains.

"I thought you said Jasiri was in the Pride Lands?" Kion shouted at Fuli. They were running into the wind, and Kion had to yell three times before Fuli heard him.

"She is," Fuli said. She didn't elaborate.

"We're nearing the edges of the Pride Lands." Kion looked around them. "We actually just passed them."

"Huh?" Fuli said, surprised. "Really? Sorry, I thought she was. I was— Jasiri is— I wasn't paying attention. I'm sorry."

Kion shook his head, thought he knew Fuli didn't see it. She hadn't looked back once. "It doesn't matter."

Kiara, who had been running behind them, quickened her pace to catch up. "How much farther?"

"Not long," Fuli answered.

Jasiri's fur was matted with blood and various bits of grass and twigs. She hadn't opened her eyes, despite all of Kion's begging. Out of ideas, Kion began grooming around her face, licking her softly, the way his mother had done to him as a cub whenever he was hurt or needed comforting.

Although they were sheltered under a large tree, the wind still roared around them, the rain crashing through the branches. Fuli was talking to him, shouting, anxious, but Kion wasn't listening. She could wait. Everything else could wait.

"Wake up, Jasiri," Kion begged. "Please don't leave me like this, please."

Tears streamed down his face. Jasiri couldn't leave him, not like this and so soon. The day he spent with Jasiri at the watering hole felt like a lifetime ago, and he regretted not looking for her sooner. She meant everything to him. Kion's family, the Pride Lands, the Lion Guard—he would give it all up if only Jasiri would open her eyes.

"Kion…" Kiara said, worried. "You've been speaking out loud, did you know?"

Sort of, but he didn't care. He laid down next to her, curling around her body protectively, Kion's head pressed against Jasiri's. If Kion hadn't been so close to Jasiri's head, he wouldn't have heard her gentle voice interrupt his thoughts.

"You came," she said, a smile appearing on her face. "I knew you would."

"You were in trouble. How could I not chase after you?" Kion said. "I love you, Jasiri."

"My savior." Jasiri said. She coughed up some blood a moment later.

Kion nuzzled Jasiri's muzzle. "Just hang in there, Jasiri, it'll be okay, I promise. We're here to help you."

Jasiri smiled, but shook her head. "It's too late, Kion.

We're all part of the great circle of life. It's my time now," Jasiri said. She gave him a small kiss on his cheek before lying her head back down.

No! No, no, no! Kion wouldn't let it end like this. He finally gave into his sorrow, tears pouring down harder than the rain around them. Without thinking, he roared up into the sky, letting out his grief, causing the storm to grow darker to reflect Kion's mood. He didn't stop, wouldn't, until Jasiri was well again, alive and warm in his arms.

His roar was deafening, more powerful than it had ever been, but just as uncontrolled. His friends were yelling at him, and thunder crashed around them, striking the nearby trees and alighting them on fire. More, more! This wasn't nearly enough to satisfy him.

The last thing he remembered was hearing Rafiki's voice call out to him before a sharp crack against the back of his skull knocked him to the ground, next to his beloved.

Kion awoke with a start. He was back in the den at Pride Rock. His head still hurt, and all he wanted to do was go back to sleep, but Jasiri had been injured. Where was she?

He began to get up, but was forcefully pushed back down. He saw his mother smile at him lovingly.

"She's right here." Nala said, indicating a spot just to his right.

Kion looked over and found Jasiri sleeping soundly. Although her fur was clean of blood and debris, it was coated in a strange, thick substance, and covered with leaves.

"Kiara alerted Rafiki that you might need his help," his mother said. "He made it just in time to save her."

After a moment, she raised her eyebrow. "And apparently knocked out a certain son of mine, who was busy wreaking havoc with his roar."

"Sorry," Kion apologized, giving her a cheesy grin under her stern gaze.

Nala just shook her head in exasperation. "Now go back to sleep. You're both safe now."

Kion nodded in response, his eyes slowly closing of their own volition. He turned over, gently wrapping Jasiri in his arms. She was slightly sticky, and smelled horrible, but Kion didn't care. He wasn't going to let go of her again.

This time when Kion woke up, he heard Fuli's voice talking in the background. When she noticed he was awake, she turned to her friend and nudged him softly.

"How do you feel?" Fuli asked, sitting down next to him.

"Better," Kion responded.

"And before you panic," Fuli said quickly, "Jasiri is all right. She's just out getting some fresh air and stretching her legs."

It took a moment for Kion's brain to catch up. The storm, his mother taking to him, Jasiri's body wrapped up in his arms. His family knew. He frantically looked around, but the only ones in the den were a few sleeping lionesses at the far end of the cave.

"Did you tell them?" Kion asked.

"About you and Jasiri?" Fuli said. When Kion nodded, Fuli said she had. "I told them everything."

Fuli shrugged. "It was the only way I could think of to allow her to sleep in the den with your pride. I thought that you would want to be next to her when you woke up. Not that you were."

Kion snorted when Fuli smiled at him.

Fuli's eyes finally roamed down Kion's body. "You might, however, want to wash up first."

Kion looked down, and saw his fur matted with a thick, orange goo.

"Rafiki said it stains, though I'm not sure if he was being serious or not…"

"And you have some explaining to do," Simba said, causing Kion to freeze up.

Kion looked over to find his parents standing in the entrance to the cave. Before Kion could think up a response, Jasiri's head peaked around from behind Simba, and she came bounding over to him.

They immediately nuzzled each other lovingly, and Jasiri laid down, curling up within Kion's arms. She was asleep the moment her head touched the ground.

Nala sat down across from Kion, patiently waiting for him to speak. Kion couldn't read his father's face, but Fuli was sitting right beside him, and he had a feeling that his mother understood Kion's feelings without having to ask.

With Jasiri safe in his arms, and his best friend and mother by his side, Kion met his father's eyes, and began to speak.