Lion King one-shot; Nothing

Genre/s: Angst, Drama

Rating: PG-13/Teen/12+

Warnings: References to violence & death, Dark.

Disclaimer: I do not own the lion king or its characters

Kiara wandered through her homelands, just thinking about her past and everything that had happened between Zira's demise and the present day, four years on. Granted, not all of her memories were fond ones; she had lost so much in the past year, she was beginning to question whether or not the great kings of the past wanted her to be miserable for the rest of life. Whether they meant for her to have to put up with as much as she was currently doing. Of course she knew she was being selfish- her father had lost a lot as well, and even more in his younger years, but she couldn't help but feel bitter about the whole thing. It made her angry- furious even- whenever she heard the name of the one lion that had caused her all her pain. Kopa. Her long-lost brother once thought dead. He'd caused all of this. Well, he's dead to me, thinking of him made her sick inside. He was the king, but not out of the kingdom's choice, or even heritage, as the position of heir to the throne had been passed down to Kiara after his supposed "death".

He had overthrown the king of the time, his own father, and now ruled with an iron fist and a stone heart. That had been almost two years ago. Her father had put up a fight for as long as he could, but it was not every day one got challenged by his own son whom the kingdom had thought dead for longer than anyone cared to count for, and in the end he couldn't bring himself to kill the lion he and his mate had spent many a night awake and crying over. That was when Kiara's misery had begun.

Her mate, the true heir to the throne, had tried to stop the tyrant when the line was drawn at trying to kill Simba in his sleep, he himself meeting his bitter end. That had broken Kiara, and not even all the comfort her parents and pride had to offer to her could mend her shattered heart. It had slowly healed over time, but not fully. Never fully. Her father had blamed himself; he had had the upper hand in the duel that is customary between the current king and the lion who wishes to take over before his predecessor hands the throne to him. If only he had killed the dark lion there and then, Kovu, his daughter's mate, would still be alive. Perhaps Kiara had blamed him too for a while, but not anymore. Her father was the only family she had left. Even her children had left. She had told them to do so for their own good, but she still missed them dearly. That was the second thing that had fuelled her sadness.

The third was the deaths of her mother and her Grandmother Sarafina. Murdered by Kopa in cold blood, just because of one unsuccessful hunt. It wasn't anything they could've helped; it had been the middle of the winter, and the herds had long fled to warmer areas. As hunt leader, Sarafina had been struck down by her grandson's furious paw, and Nala had stood up for her mother, claiming she wished Kopa had never returned. That the hunters had succeeded in killing him on that fateful evening five years ago. It had been a low blow even considering the circumstances at the time, but Nala had claimed she meant every word of it. Kopa had killed her instantly, striking at her throat. Sarafina had then attempted to kill him, but her old age and his youth had clashed, and she too had ended up dead. She had however, managed to inflict some damage, scarring her savage grandson's face and in her last words, had made it clear that she was thoroughly proud of having done so.

Now, Kiara swore that she would get her revenge if it was the last thing she did, and her rapidly aging father, though not one for violence, had requested that he dealt his tyrannical son the fatal blow when the time came around. Even if he was to die the next morning, he wanted to avenge the deaths of the innocent as much as his daughter did. Kiara had spoken to Rafiki about the matter, and even the ancient shaman had granted her permission, "If you 'ave de motives and de evidence, noding should stop you," he had said. That was enough for Kiara.

She had all the motives. The evidence was branded in the memories of the entire kingdom. Nothing would stop her from getting her own back on the lion she would've perhaps once called her brother. She would do it when the time was right. As soon as possible, and nothing, absolutely nothing would stop her. Nothing.