(A/N: before anyone says anything, I started writing this BEFORE the second half of season 3 was released)

As the sun was nearing its setting position, the sky casting the rocky terrain they walked through in a yellowish orange light, the Lion Guard continued their journey in search of the Tree of Life. It had started back in the Pride Lands, after an attempt to defeat Scar once and for all had ended in success, with Kion's forgiveness of the former tyrant being Scar's demise. However, it did not come without a price- Kion was bitten by Ushari, filling his body with poison that clouded his judgment and control of the Roar Of the Elders, while leaving a Scar over his eye. At the same time, by saving Bunga, Ono's vision became damaged. The only cure for both of them was to find the legendary Tree of Life, which led them on their journey- the Guard, including Anga as the new keenest of sight, whilst Ono became the smartest instead, and with Makini being there to help guide them on their way.

Their journey had already led them far throughout Africa, encountering a variety of different territories and terrains, and meeting a number of animals whose species were rare or non-existent in the Pride Lands- some friendly, some not so much. Though they had faced a number of different trials and tasks, and had faced their fair share of obstacles and then some, the seven of them stuck together and had made it this far, knowing that they would eventually reach the destination of legend, and cure both Kion's poison and Ono's visual affliction.

As they continued walking, Bunga stretched his arms, letting out a loud yawn. "Man, what time is it? I'm getting tired," he complained.

"Really, Bunga?" Fuli asked with mild irritation. "That's all you can think about right now?"

"Actually, Fuli," Beshte spoke up, letting out a small yawn of his own, "I'm pretty beat too."

Makini nodded, letting out a yawn into her hand before saying, "yeah, it's been a long day."

"I feel it too," Ono added, prompting her to look up at the sky.

'Hmm… it is getting late,' she pondered, then turned to her leader and moved up to walk next to him. "What do you think, Kion?"

"We should keep going… but I guess we should see if there's somewhere we can rest for the night," he resigned, looking down at his paws. This concerned the cheetah to an extent.

"You okay?"

He nodded. "Just hope we reach the Tree of Life soon."

"I know you do, and I do too. I can't even imagine how tough this is for you."

He cracked a small smile and looked at her. "Thanks, Fuli." She gave a comforting smile back, before Kion turned his head to look at the new keenest of sight flying above. "Anga! Can you see anywhere we could stop for the night?"

"Give me a second," the purple and white eagle responded, then began to look ahead in search of a suitable resting spot. "Let's see…" After a few seconds, her eyes lit up as she spotted a cave in the distance, which seemed to only have one entrance and would allow them to see if any danger would approach. "I think I've found somewhere!" She flew down so she could face Kion, who stopped moving as she did so. "There's a cave up ahead. It's not far, and we should be safe, as long as there is no one currently in there."

"Well, it's as good a place as any. Thanks, Anga." She nodded, then he turned to the others. "Just a little further, and we'll make a stop for the night." After this was met with positive reactions from the others, Kion turned around and said, "the sooner we get there, the sooner we can stop. Let's go."

With that, they continued walking, with Beshte allowing Bunga to climb on his back for the remainder of the way there. While everyone was quiet, Fuli fell back a little and took the opportunity to study Kion for a moment, having become more worried about him as this journey had progressed. She had known for some time that Kion had a near impeccable ability to hide his emotions within himself when he desired to, not letting his posture or his facial expression show any signs of weakness. Ever since the incident in the Outlands, however, Kion had not been prioritising this as much, so there would be moments where Fuli could see- either in his eyes or in his smile (or lack thereof)- that something was bothering him.

In this instance, she saw it in his gaze, which was diverted ahead of him but slightly downwards. There was a certain softness to them that gave away his concerns- she wasn't a mind reader, so she couldn't simply tell what it was, but if it bothered him, then it bothered her. She'd be lying if she said that she didn't think her and Kion were close. He was her first real friend back in the Pride Lands, and had he not chosen her for the Lion Guard, she didn't think that she would be as confident or as friendly as she was today. Much like how she had grown, she had seen Kion grow as well, and she admired how compassionate he could be, among other things.

That's why this journey had hurt her- seeing Kion be broken down in the way that he had made her worry for her friend more than she had ever worried for herself, in spite of living alone all her life.

"You're worried about him, aren't you?" She heard Anga say by her ear, causing the cheetah to be startled a little.

"How did you-"

"I've seen how you've looked at him," she pointed out, ignoring the other female's question. "It's his scar, isn't it?"

Fuli shook her head. "Not the scar, no," she replied. "It's what it's doing to him that worries me."

"Listen, I don't know you guys as well as you know each other, so this might be a little out of line, but I've got to ask- has Kion ever… snapped at others like he sometimes does? On this journey, I mean."

"Not normally, no." She redirected her gaze to the lion cub in question, making sure he didn't turn back and look at them. "Kion might be the fiercest, but he's not usually angry. Unless someone's attacking the Pride Lands, he tends to be quite docile. The only time I an think of is…"

Not receiving an answer, Anga turned to the cheetah and saw the conflicted expression on her face. "What is it?"

Fuli looked at Anga, then back at Kion, and then back at Anga before answering. "Kion… used to have nightmares. Sometimes, they weren't so bad, but others… they hurt him. Mentally, physically- they scared me, seeing him like that. The worst one was a couple of months before we beat Scar. I don't know what his nightmare was, but… he woke up in such a panic, he unintentionally attacked his sister, Kiara." Though she didn't gasp, Anga was no less surprised, her eyes widening to show it. "After that, he just… ran. He bumped into me in the night and just kept running. Me and Simba eventually found him passed out in the Outlands, so we took him to Rafiki. He woke up the next morning, and…" She had to gulp back the sadness rising in her throat so that she didn't lose her nerve. "He was just so… ashamed. He pushed me away before I could help him, and that was just the beginning. He joined us on patrol as before, but outside of that, he didn't really talk to us. He no longer slept in the same cave as his family, he just… he lost a part of himself for a while."

"Wow… that sounds…"

"Horrible?"

"I was gonna say rough, but… yeah, that is horrible."

Fuli could only nod, not liking to dwell on the memory. "It took about a week before he started talking to us like he used to, but that one week, he just… shut himself away."

"Wow… I can't even imagine that, to be honest."

Fuli gave a small scoff. "You're lucky, then."

Anga frowned a little. "Hey, he got through that, right? Then he'll get through this, too."

She gave a small smile, appreciative of the effort the typically stoic eagle made. "Thanks, Anga."

"Guys!" They heard Kion call out. "I see the cave!" Putting the conversation behind her, Fuli sped up so she could walk alongside the others while Anga flew ahead, as they reached the cave in question. Kion was the first to approach the entrance, taking a sniff at the ground. "I can't find any scents," he pointed out. "I don't think anyone lives here."

"Same here," Fuli added as she did the same. "Hasn't been anyone here for a while."

"No signs of any tracks or anything going to or from the cave," Anga also noticed, scanning the area. "In other words, we're safe here for the night."

"Well, Lion Guard," Kion spoke aloud, "guess we're setting up camp here."

"Phew," Beshte sighed, as he and everyone else sat down in the cave. "It feels good to get off my feet."

"I know what you mean, Big B," Bunga remarked, sliding off of the hippo's back. "At least now, we can kick back and relax."

"Alright, guys," Kion addressed his friends. "I know this journey has been long so far, but you're all doing really well. As long as we keep pushing forward, we can make it. We just have to-"

Before he could finish, though, he squinted in pain as he placed a paw over his scar. "It's bothering you again, isn't it?" Fuli asked, gently approaching him.

"It's fine, I… I'll be fine." She didn't like how quick he was to respond, but he spoke again before she could respond. "I just need some sleep and I'll be fine."

"Don't worry, Kion! Here, I'll just get some Tuliza from my gourd," Makini suggested, taking the lid off of her staff's gourd. Looking in, however, she frowned. "Oh no, we're all out."

"What?!" The others were surprised by the volume of Kion's yell. "What do you mean, we're out?! I thought you filled up!"

"I did, I swear! We must have used it all!"

"Great!"

Fuli could see how agitated he was becoming, so she was quick to act. "Kion, it's okay," she told him, making her voice as soothing as possible. "She didn't mean to run out, it just happened. We'll find some first thing in the morning."

Though he was still agitated, he could see from the look in her eyes that she was just looking out for him. Taking a deep breath, he sighed, looking remorseful. "Sorry… you're right, we'll… find some in the morning." He then stood up and made his way to the cave exit. "I'll be back in a moment."

"Kion…"

Fuli shook her head as he walked away, wishing she could help him more than she had. For now, though, she knew that all she could do was let him go for the moment, and hope he'll be alright.

"Well, I… guess we should get some rest," Ono suggested.

"Yeah, I second it," Bunga agreed, laying down on his back in the cave. "Night, you guys."

After Ono, Beshte and Makini all did the same as the honey badger, Anga turned to Fuli. "I'm gonna go see if I can find some Tuliza nearby," she told the king cheetah. "Might help Kion get through the night."

Fuli nodded. "Be careful, Anga," she urged. The eagle nodded, before leaving the cave and taking flight. Fuli, deciding that there was nothing else she could do, walked out of the cave. She found Kion laid next to the cave wall, fast asleep. While she felt glad to see him getting some rest, she still couldn't help but feel that there was something she could do to help him. Sighing, she realised that she wouldn't figure it out tonight, so she laid down and closed her eyes, hoping for sleep to envelope her mind.

'Wait a second,' she thought. 'What did she say?' As she replayed what Anga said in her mind, her eyes shot open. 'Of course. Kion always had Tuliza before he went to sleep- this is the first time since we left the Pride Lands that he hasn't. What if…' Her gaze drifted over to the sleeping lion, concern gripping her heart. '… what if it happens again?'

Kion found himself stood alongside the Guard once again, making their way along a dry canyon. "Anga," he called up again. "Any sign of the Moja Kwa Moja Stone?"

"It's at the other end of the canyon," she called back. "It's a bit further ahead, but shouldn't take too much longer."

"Alright. Everyone, keep an eye out- you never know who or what might be lying ahead."

"Ah, relax, Kion," Bunga said with his usual cockiness. "This canyon's been as quiet as Anga!"

"Wish you'd be that quiet," Fuli muttered.

"It doesn't hurt to be careful, Lil B," Beshte reminded the honey badger.

"Yeah, I'd rather be certain that we're safe," Makini suggested, her gaze going from side to side. "This place doesn't seem very safe."

"Well, it is possible for a rockslide to happen," Ono pointed out. "Still, if I could see, I'd be able to tell if that could occur naturally or not."

"Don't think so, Ono," Anga replied. "Walls look pretty sturdy- would probably need something to cause it."

"Ah, you two are worrying over nothing!" Bunga refuted. "I'm telling ya- we'll be out of this canyon, and on our way before you know it!" Unfortunately, Bunga's confidence proved to be misplaced, as only a couple of seconds later, he heard a rumbling. "Geez, Big B, when was the last time you ate?!"

"That wasn't me, Bunga," he responded, now fully alert.

Ono perked his head up. "That sounds like…"

"ROCKSLIDE!" The eagle's cry caused them all to look behind them, seeing rocks begin to fall from either side of the canyon, and it was heading their way. "RUN!"

They didn't need telling twice, their paws working automatically to get them away from the oncoming danger. The rumbling behind them was loud, letting them know that it was close, but it didn't seem to be getting closer as they ran. "We can make it!" Kion called out. "Just keep running and don't look back!"

"You heard him! Move it!" Fuli encouraged, not that they needed it. They kept moving, fast as they could, to ensure they weren't hit by any of the falling rocks behind them. In doing so, however, most of them missed something.

As he ran, Kion looked up and noticed that if they kept running, they would get hit by another set of falling rocks just ahead of them. Knowing that if he tried to alert them, it would be too late and they would get crushed, he did the one thing he could- he threw himself to the side, crashing into Fuli so that they went to the side and blocked the paths of Beshte, Makini and Bunga. They were going to say something, but they saw the rocks falling ahead and realised they were trapped. Beshte turned around, seeing that the rockslides were drawing ever nearer. "Get behind me!" He shouted, prompting Bunga and Makini to hide behind the hippo whilst Kion covered Fuli, as the rocks fell down around them and a cloud of dust filled the canyon.

A few moments later, the dust settled, and Kion opened his eyes, seeing that apart from a few scratches, he was fine. He got off of Fuli as best he could, allowing her to open her eyes and look around as well. "Kion? Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay," he replied. "Are you?"

She nodded. "Thanks for… Well, doing that."

"Don't worry about it. I know you'd do it for me." He then looked around, seeing just how much damage had been done. "Hevi Kabisa… how do we get out of here now?" He turned around to call to Beshte, but gasped when he saw that the hippo was currently struggling to keep a large boulder off of Bunga and Makini, both looking slightly worse for wear than the two felines. "Beshte!"

Fuli got up and walked over with Kion to the hippo. "Bunga! Makini! You two okay?" Fuli asked.

"I think so," Makini replied.

"Guys… I don't think I can hold this much longer!" Beshte groaned, sweat dripping down his face as he did his best to hold up the boulder.

"Hang on, Beshte!" Kion urged, before turning to Fuli. "You grab Makini, and I'll grab Bunga." She nodded, before they both used their teeth to grab hold of their friends and pull them out from under the hippo's head towards safety, allowing Beshte to toss the boulder aside before collapsing from the strain. "You okay, Beshte?"

"Just about, Kion." He looked up as he saw Ono and Anga fly down. "What happened?"

"I don't know," the eagle replied with a confused look. "I didn't see anyone."

"It didn't seem like an earthquake or tremor," Ono added. "So, how did it happen?"

Anga wanted to say something, but something else caught her eye. "Uh, guys? There's something else!"

"What is it?" Bunga asked. "Animals?"

"No! Fire!"

They all quickly whipped their heads in the direction Anga was looking and saw that flames were rising behind the fallen rocks. Turning the other way, they were met with the same sight. "We're trapped!" Makini cried.

"What do we do, Kion?" Bunga asked his leader, who was looking uncertain.

"I… I…"

"Oh, but there's nothing you can do!" Kion's blood turned cold as he and the Guard and Makini watched as the flames morphed, taking a form they thought they would never see again. "What's wrong, Kion? Surprised to see your great uncle Scar?"

"No… you are not real!" Kion shouted, feeling his anger rising at the sight. "We defeated you!"

The former king simply laughed maniacally. "Did you really think FORGIVENESS would end me? I thought you were better than that!"

"I'm better than you, Scar!" Scar simply laughed more, making Kion realise there was only one way that they were getting out of there, so he tensed his muscles and dug his claws into the ground. "Everyone! Get behind me!" When they didn't respond and he didn't hear any of them move, he looked around, and to his shock, they were gone. "Guys?! Where are you?!"

"My, my, Kion… What happened to your little friends?" Scar toyingly asked, once again grasping his great nephew's attention. "It appears that they've all left you."

"No… no, they wouldn't leave me like that!"

"You wish that were true, don't you, Kion? Sadly, it seems that they have indeed, and I can't say I blame them. Your so called 'friends' have grown wise to what you are- what you REALLY are- and they've left you! They know that they aren't safe with you! THEY KNOW YOU CAN'T BE TRUSTED!"

"ENOUGH!" Kion roared back, sick of hearing the deceased king's words, and without even thinking about it or willing to do so, he unleashed the almighty Roar of the Elders, the four lions in the sky taking form as they produced a gale force wind that blew from behind the lion cub, directed at his foe. Scar merely laughed louder and louder as his form grew larger and larger, before unleashing a roar stronger than Kion could even fathom and sent it right at the poor cub. 'No… NO…' As his claws were unearthed and his Roar died down, Kion could only cry out as he was launched through the flames and far away.

"Kion?"

"Kion!"

"KION!"

Kion practically leapt to his feet with an audible gasp, his heart pounding a mile a minute. His vision was blurred by tears, his hearing disrupted by the pounding in his head, as he tried desperately to figure out where he was. He jumped again when he felt a paw gingerly tap his shoulder, turning and landing in a fighting stance, teddy to defend himself. Instead, he relaxed slightly when he saw Fuli stood before him, her face etched with worry.

"Fuli?" He asked, his chest rapidly rising and falling. "What's… what's going on?"

"It's okay, Kion," she said softly. "You were having a nightmare, that's all."

'A nightmare…' Now that his mind was starting to settle, he became more aware of his surroundings- he was back where he had been before he tried to get to sleep, a short distance from where the rest of the Guard were resting. He winced as he felt his scar hurting, raising a paw to it. 'I can't even catch a break when I'm asleep.'

"Kion?" He heard Fuli ask, gaining his attention again. "Are you okay?"

Shaking away the pain, he simply told her, "I'll be fine."

"No, you're not. Your scar's hurting again."

"I'll be fine," he stressed, a slight bit of anger behind his words. "I just need to distract myself."

"Kion." Her voice was firmer this time, but still tender. "As much as I hate saying this, the pain won't just go away if you don't think about it."

"Well, what do you think I should-" He caught himself upon realising he was raising his voice, letting out a heavy sigh as he looked down at his paws. "Go back to the cave with the others. I'm gonna stay out here in case anyone we don't know comes by."

"Kion, we both know that we're safe here. No one's going to come here while we're asleep." She took a couple of steps toward him, tilting her head to try and catch his. "And you need to rest."

"What's the point?" He walked past her and looked over at the cave entrance. "All I'm gonna do is cause more trouble."

"You don't mean that."

"Yes, I do!" He turned sharply to face her again, anguish in his expression. "Look at what's happened since we defeated Scar! All I've done is bring you far from home, lead you on this stupid journey, and I'm just getting angrier the further we go. Who knows if this stupid tree can even help me?!"

"Kion, I know you don't believe that! That's the pain talking, not you!"

"Yeah, well, it's true! Who knows how long it'll be before I end up hurting one of you?! I can't control my Roar anymore, Fuli!"

"I know, but-"

"And now, I can't even sleep safely because of it! If I go in there, and I have another nightmare, who knows what could happen! All I'm gonna end up doing is hurting one of-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Fuli yelled, leaping at her friend to pin him to the ground. He looked up at her with surprise, seeing that she was angry, but also that her eyes were becoming teary. "I'm not going to stand here and let you talk so LOWLY about yourself!"

"Fuli-"

"No, Kion! You listen to me!" The tears were beginning to fall down her face, but she carried on. "You did not drag us along on some stupid journey- we CHOSE to come with you, because you are our friend, and we hate seeing you hurt! I hate seeing you hurt!"

"But, I don't want to hurt you!"

"LIKE IT OR NOT, YOU ARE!" Her breathing was becoming heavier, the tears rolling down her cheeks and landing on his fur more numerous. "It hurts to see you this way… and it hurts even more to hear you talk so… so horribly about yourself. You are more than your Roar, you are MORE than your scar! You, Kion, are so much more than you give yourself credit for."

He frowned, his half lidded eyes averting her gaze. "I wish I could believe you, Fuli… but I don't know anymore."

"Well, I do." Her voice, now breaking under the anguish she felt from seeing her friend this way, got him to look back up at her. "A couple of months ago, you pushed us away when you were hurting, to try and protect us. You may have protected me physically, but not emotionally. It hurt more to see you push me away than you ever could hurt me, with your claws, your teeth or your Roar."

His heart felt heavier upon knowing this. "I… I don't know what to say. I'm sorry."

"No, Kion… I'm sorry. I know that you're hurting right now, and I wish I could take that pain away… but I'm not going to let you push me away this time. You mean too much to me." He stared back up at her, unsure what to say. He didn't know if he agreed with her, but… she sounded so confident about what she was saying. It was one of the reasons that he was thankful she joined the Guard- because whenever he didn't feel like he was capable, she always did. "I know you're afraid of hurting us, and I know you too well to think that you ever would in the way you think that… that you-"

She was cut off as she felt his muzzle press against hers, catching her by complete surprise. Her eyes initially shot open as she wondered what was happening, but as she realised that he was kissing her, her eyes shut and a smile formed on her lips before she returned the gesture, feeling a sensation she had never felt before. It felt both shocking and natural, gentle yet passionate, and she loved it. They held it for a few seconds until eventually Kion lowered his head back down, both opening their eyes and panting quietly, their gazes meeting instantly.

"Thank you, Fuli," he told her, his smile making her blush. "I'm glad you're by my side."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," she told him, stepping off to allow him to get to his paws.

"Fuli? Do you remember, some time ago, when I had a nightmare? I remember it starting that way, but then things got better, and when I woke up, you were next to me."

"Yeah… I remember that. It was just after we'd found out the hyenas were working with the jackals."

"Well… I don't know if you remember this, or if you even heard this, but…" His cheeks started heating up. "Just after my nightmare stopped being a nightmare, I remember… saying something."

She thought for a second, then gave a small gasp. "I remember… you said… you love me."

He nodded, his blush growing stronger. "Well… I don't know if that was the dream making me say that back then, but now… there's no question." He gave her a smile and slowly said to her, making sure not to mince his words, "I love you, Fuli."

Her smile grew as she stepped forward and nuzzled him, saying, "I love you too, Kion."

"Ahem," they heard a moment later, turning quickly to see that Anga was stood just a few feet away from them, placing a couple of branches of Tuliza on the ground. "Thought you might like some of this… though, I'm wondering how much you need this now." The two felines blushed, quickly stammering out their words, making the eagle roll her eyes before she interrupted them. "Guys. Keenest of Sight. Remember?"

Kion cleared his throat. "Th-thank you, Anga," he replied, stepping forward to eat some of the remedial flower. "Mmm… that should help me sleep."

"I'm gonna go give the rest to Makini. And, hey. Don't worry. I won't say anything."

She offered them a wink, before grabbing the remaining flowers and flying off to the cave, leaving the two cubs to stand and nervously look at each other.

"So… you think we should… head in as well?" She asked him.

"Uh… yeah, that… that's probably a good idea." The two then started walking, but after only a few steps, she said, "wait a second." He turned and looked at her, only to feel her steal a quick kiss, then say, "now we'll go in."

He gave a small chuckle, before they continued towards the cave. Once there, Kion laid down first, with Fuli immediately lying next to him, the two felines giving a quite chuckle. They looked at each other, nuzzled together as they said their goodnights, before allowing sleep to overcome them.

THE END