Love Beyond Reasons

A/N: I'm actually surprised that I finished this so soon, after such a big and long chapter last time. Well, the reason why is probably because I hardly have anything better to do than just write for the past couple of weeks. Not that I'm really complaining.

So, let's get on with Chapter 8. Roll it!

Chapter 8

A Brief Reunion

Part One

It had already been a couple of weeks since the Lion Guard was reinstated. Simba and Kiara had apologized to Kion for their lack of faith in him and for not understanding his judgement when it came to his choices, and he accepted them. And he also apologized to them for losing his cool. Everything had been pretty good since.

Until Janja and the hyenas decided to return to the Pride Lands to cause trouble. But the Lion Guard managed to once again chase them back to the Outlands, but Kion had fallen into the river that was at the border. The young cub soon managed to get out of the rapids, but he had landed in the Outlands, and his right front paw was a little sore from being tossed around.

Since he couldn't cross the wild river to get back to the Pride Lands, he ordered the Guard to meet him at Flat Ridge Rock, which was further upriver, and he can cross over easier. They reluctantly obeyed his command, not sure if they can handle being without their leader for who knows how long. Well, everyone except Bunga, who was confident enough to try and lead everyone there.

Soon, Kion was wandering through the Outlands, carefully watching his back and minding his bad paw as he walked limply. It was slightly painful to walk, but he had to keep going, or else he was done for if someone who lived here knew that he was here by himself. But what he didn't know was that someone was following him.

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"Didn't expect to come back here so soon." He said to himself, keeping as quiet as he could, even with an injured paw.

Memories of his experience in the Outlands as a younger cub came back to him. He really hoped that he wouldn't run into any jackals this time, or worse, Janja's clan. He can't fight anyone off in his current condition. And if his father found out that he was in the Outlands again, even though he was now the leader of the Lion Guard, he was going to get in so much trouble.

Suddenly, small chips of rocks came down from the canyon wall, surprising him. He sniffed them cautiously, trying to see if there was any scent on them. There was a scent on them, but for some reason, it smelled faintly familiar.

"Hello!" A chipper and mischievous voice greeted him from above. Kion looked up and saw that someone was jumping down the ledges closer to him. "Surprise!"

Kion quickly got into defense. A hyena. A female hyena.

The hyena laughed. "Didn't know I was up here, did ya?" She teased him.

"No!" Kion said. "I, I knew you were the whole time. Hyena." He snarled.

But then, both of them stopped as they were hit by a sense of déjà vu. This interaction was very familiar.

Each of them took a good long look at the other. Kion recognized those purple eyes. She looked a little older than the last time he saw her. Her mane had grown a bit longer to the back of her shoulders, and she was about his height. Her form was now sleek and slender. And the hyena remembered those light amber eyes and the pink scar that was on the left side of his face. His red mane tuft had grown slightly, and his build was now a bit more stocky and muscular.

"Kion?" She asked.

"Jasiri?" He asked back.

She carefully leaped off the ledge. "You, you remember me?" She questioned, surprised that he even remembered her when they were little. She honestly thought he'd forgotten about her.

"Of course." Kion said. "How could I forget about the friendly hyena who helped me when I was little?"

Jasiri laughed. "That's true." She said. "And I couldn't forget about the lion cub that jumped in the way of the claws of a jackal to save me." She then eyed the scar again. "Speaking of which, how is it?" She gestured to it.

"It's fine." Kion assured her. "It was just a bad scratch. No infection."

"That's good." Jasiri said with relief. "But, what are you doing here? I thought your father said that you can't come here."

"He... doesn't know I'm here." Kion said. "A mission gone a little awry."

"Mission?" Jasiri asked.

"Yeah." Kion said. "I'm the leader of the new Lion Guard." He proudly showed her the mark on his left shoulder.

"Huh." Jasiri said. "I guess I didn't see it the first time. Otherwise, I might have known about you being the leader of the Guard."

"Do you know about the Guard?" Kion asked.

"Just by what others have said." Jasiri explained. "Word does spread quickly around here."

"So, I take it you know Janja?" Kion asked her.

Jasiri rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know that waste of fur." She muttered with disdain. "So, I assume that you're heading to Flat Ridge Rock to head back to the Pride Lands."

"Yeah." Kion said. "I thought I remembered how to get there from the first time, but it seems that I don't."

Jasiri laughed. "That's for sure." She said. "You've been heading the wrong way when I saw you."

Kion just chuckled lightly as he tried to walk. But his paw was still in a bit of pain. He grunted from the pressure.

"You okay?" Jasiri asked.

"I'm fine." Kion said. "Just a little sore from being tossed around in the rapids."

"Okay, tell you what." She said to him. "Since you're practically in my territory, and you're a sitting duck out there by yourself, I'll take you to Flat Ridge Rock."

"Really?" Kion asked.

Jasiri nodded. "Besides, I doubt you can fight off anyone with a sore paw." She gestured to Kion's injured paw.

Kion rolled his eyes, but there was a faint smile on his face. "Yeah, I guess so."

Jasiri laughed. "Come on." She said. "Follow me." She then began leading Kion down a narrow trail between the canyons.

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As they walked along, they spent most of the time talking. "How's Madoa?" Kion asked.

"She's doing pretty well. Just mostly stays back at the cave, watching over the rest of the clan." Jasiri said. "What about your sister?"

Kion rolled his eyes. "It was thanks to her crazy idea of exploring the Outlands in the first place." He reminded her. "And then, our dad grounded us for a whole week."

Jasiri laughed. "That must have been brutal." She said. "Staying under cave arrest for a whole week."

"You bet it was." Kion said.

Just then, they saw a chameleon catch a nearby beetle. That got Kion thinking about something that puzzled him for a long time.

"Hey, Jasiri." He called to her. "I know this may sound offensive, so don't get mad at me for asking. Do you really know the Circle of Life?"

Jasiri was a little surprised by his question. "Doesn't everyone?" She asked, but then she realized why. "Oh, I see." She said.

"It's obvious that Janja and his clan don't care about it." Kion said. "So I was just curious why you and Madoa are different."

"Believe it or not, Kion, they are some of us who do know our role." Jasiri said. "And we're perfectly fine with it. We sometimes hunt, but mostly, we are scavengers, eating what's left behind by predators like yourself."

"Geez, I guess Janja can take some pointers from you." Kion said.

Jasiri scoffed. "Yeah, like he would even listen nor care." She said.

"Why not?" Kion asked. "I had that problem at first back when we first met. I thought that you and Madoa were going to eat me. But you didn't. And everyone back home says that I'm just as stubborn as my dad."

Jasiri laughed again at his comparison. "Yeah, I can see where you get that from." She said. "But I don't know. You were willing to give us a chance. I'm not sure if Janja does."

"Don't get me wrong." Kion said. "I don't mind kicking his tail every once in a while, but deep down, I really do think that everyone deserves a chance. And because of our first meeting, I learned that you can't judge a hyena by their spots."

Jasiri giggled. "I suppose so." She said. "I guess we're more alike than we think. Sisi ni sawa."

Kion's brow lifted up. "We're the same?" He asked, translating the phrase she used.

He looked down at a nearby puddle, looking at his reflection in it with confusion. Then, he looked back up at his friend. "Huh. I guess I never really thought of that."

Jasiri just giggled. "I wouldn't be surprised." She said. "Considering that almost all encounters between our kind are bad."

"Except ours." Kion added cheekily, making her giggle again.

"Yeah, except ours." She agreed.

She then led Kion into a catchy little song that explained more about "sisi ni sawa." Despite all of their physical and behavioral differences, at the end of the day, they were like water and rain; basically the same deep down.

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Soon, they were nearing the area, and Kion's paw started to feel better. He even pressed down on the ground with it to test it. There was hardly any pain now.

"Hey, I think I'm okay now." He said as he started to pounce and romp around. Seeing him act like such a kitten made Jasiri laugh.

"Okay, kitty cat." She teased. "It's best to still take it easy. Don't want to accidentally make it worse."

Suddenly, she started sniffing the air. "What's wrong?" Kion asked.

"We're in Janja's territory now." She said. "And I think you already know that we don't get along." She chuckled.

Kion chuckled as well. "Yeah, I took a guess by when you called him a waste of fur." He said, repeating her words from earlier.

Jasiri snickered, and then looked up towards a ledge. "Well, Flat Ridge Rock is just over there." She said. "I think you're strong enough to make it there on your own."

"Asante, Jasiri." Kion thanked her. "Thanks for your help. Again."

The hyena smiled. "Sure." She said.

But before Kion could take a jump onto a higher ledge, he stopped. "You know, I really missed you." He admitted.

Jasiri was surprised. "You did?"

"Yeah." Kion said. "I really hoped that I would see you or Madoa again sometime. I thought we could've been friends."

Jasiri laughed. "A lion, friends with a hyena?" She asked. "That's a good one. But, I have to agree. I thought that maybe we could have been friends as well."

Kion smiled. "Will I see you again?" He asked. "I'm still up for those games we talked about."

"You remembered." Jasiri said, recalling that little interaction they had at Flat Ridge Rock when they were younger, before his overprotective daddy jumped in.

"Well, we'll see." She said. "Maybe I might swing by and say hi. But I don't know about how your father might react, seeing a hyena near his precious little prince."

Kion rolled his eyes with a mischievous smile. "I can handle my dad." He said. "And besides, what he doesn't know can't hurt him."

Jasiri laughed. "Since when did you become the rebellious one?" She asked. "From what I recall, you were the one who was against coming into the Outlands the first time."

"Well, ever since my sister became a prissy stick in the mud after that, I'm usually the one who scares my family and drives them crazy sometimes." Kion said, a cheeky smile on his face, making her laugh again.

"Well then. I'll see what I can do." She said, her smile turning softer. Kion returned it, and he started to climb up the canyon. "Bye, Kion!" She called up to him.

As she turned to walk away, Kion called to her. "Hey, Jasiri. If you ever need my help, let me know."

Jasiri just laughed. "Me, needing help from a lion?" She asked him. "You can be really funny sometimes, Kion." With that, she walked away. Kion just rolled his eyes, a fond smile on his face, and continued his ascent.

A/N: Pretty cute. At least that's what I think. Part Two will be coming up soon.