Love Beyond Reasons

A/N: Okay, I had this one written out for a long while, but this one was really easy to write, so don't blame me on that.

Anyway, let's get on with Chapter 11! Roll it!

Chapter 11

A Plan For True Peace

A couple of years had gone by quickly. It was a peaceful night in the Pride Lands. Rafiki was in his giant tree, along with his apprentice, a young female mandrill named Makini. The mjuzi was talking to Mufasa's spirit as he painted two lion figures on the tree trunk.

"Oh, Mufasa." He said. "Every day, Kiara grows more beautiful into a queen that will someday make us all very proud." He dipped his finger into the juicy paint and turned to the lion drawing next to the one that resembles Kiara.

"But this cub, Kovu, grows stronger, and Zira fills his heart with hate." He painted around the lion's head, signifying a mane.

Makini was with him, but she remained silent as he talked to the spirit of Mufasa. It wasn't easy keeping quiet, since she was an excitable young mandrill, but this was part of her training, and she has been getting better as the years went by.

Rafiki then turned towards a different painting, this one having a lion and a hyena painted side by side. "But you must be very proud of Kion." He continued, once more dipping his finger into the juice, and making Kion's mane tuft slightly longer onto the neck. "He grows strong and mighty, fitting for the leader of the Lion Guard, protector of the Pride Lands."

But when he turned to the hyena next to Kion, he frowned sadly. "But his hyena friend, Jasiri, I can sense that her heart and spirit are breaking from immense sorrow and guilt. She fears of losing his trust in her."

He placed a hand on his head. "I'm very worried, Mufasa. Things are not going well, no."

Makini looked down sadly. It seemed like this two-way war with the Outsiders and the hyenas will go on forever. Something must be done to end it once and for all.

Suddenly, the wind started picking up, rustling some nearby gourds. The mjuzi and his apprentice looked up at the moving gourds. "You have a plan?" Rafiki asked.

Two round gourds fell down from where they were hanging in their spot, and they both broke into neat halves, juice popping out. Rafiki and Makini looked up at where they fell.

"What?" Rafiki asked.

"Ooo-kay." Makini said hesitantly.

Both of them each picked up the halves of one gourd, wondering what to do with them. But then, their eyes shifted over to the paintings on the bark, the halves of the gourds symbolizing one of them.

"Kovu, Kiara, together?" Rafiki asked, slowly bringing the two halves of the gourd that symbolized Kiara and Kovu together into one whole.

"Uh, Rafiki?" Makini asked her teacher. "I'm kind of hoping I'm reading this wrong."

Rafiki went over to his apprentice and looked over at her halves of gourd and then at the other painting on the tree as she slowly brought them into one whole as well.

"Kion, Jasiri, together? This is the plan?" He wondered aloud as everything that happened in the past ten seconds came into play again.

"So Mufasa wants us to play matchmaker?" Makini asked, recapping all that happened. "For Kiara, who's a Pride Lander, and Kovu, who's an Outsider? And also for Kion, who's a lion, and Jasiri, who's a hyena?"

"Are you crazy?!" Rafiki shouted up into the sky. "This will never work! Also, you're planning on pairing up your grandson with a hyena?! Oh, Mufasa, you've been up there too long. Your head is in the clouds!"

The wind picked up again, but this time it was a little bit more harsh, wildly ruffling both Rafiki and Makini's fur. "Okay, okay, okay, okay, all right, okay!" Rafiki surrendered, and the wind stopped. "We don't think this is going to work, but I trust you."

"Me, too." Makini said, shrugging her shoulders. "So I guess we are going to play matchmaker."

Rafiki sighed. "I just hope you know what you are doing!" He called up to the sky. Makini only nodded in agreement as her concerned eyes followed the leaves and dust that spiralled into the air.

**********************

Meanwhile, in the Outlands, Zira was examining how much Kovu had grown in the past few years. She smiled evilly. "You are ready." She said as Kovu stood as still as a stone, his green eyes devoid of any emotion. He grew as tall as a young adolescent lion who had just entered the prime of his life, with a full mane around his head, which was now a slightly darker shade of brown.

"Nice. Very nice." She said, slinking around him. "You have the same blackness in your soul that Scar had." Then, she began to question him. "What is your destiny?"

"I will avenge Scar." Kovu replied, looking stoic and cold. "Take his place in the Pride Lands."

"Yes. What have I taught you?" She asked.

"Simba is the enemy." He answered.

"And, what must you do?"

"I must kill him!" The other Outsiders roared, knowing that Kovu will avenge them.

********************

But deep within the canyons, the hyenas were waiting in their den until they can carry out the next part of the plan. Jasiri was lying down on a ledge, looking out towards the Pride Lands. She was now an adolescent as well, her wild purple-gray mane having grown down to her back, and was now the size of an adolescent lioness, which was as tall as she was ever going to get.

She was staring at the brightening dawn of the horizon with sorrowful violet eyes. It had been so long since she had seen Kion, since he had 'helped' her with the Outsiders, which was almost two long years ago. She guessed that he might have forgotten about her by now.

No. She thought to herself, shaking her head. He couldn't have. He didn't back when we were younger. How could he now?

But then her thoughts went to all of the experiences that they had. He trusted her, and she trusted him. And yet, all this time, it was all part of a sick plan to take over the Pride Lands. She was inadvertently betraying him. Betraying his trust and his friendship with her. The many times she thought of this, she could feel the guilt eating her up from the inside.

Jasiri had once thought that maybe Kovu could help her stop this diabolical plan so that they could end this conflict once and for all, and that they could see both Kiara and Kion more often. But as time went by, and during the very few times that the hyenas and the Outsiders would meet together to discuss the plan, she saw that he was getting more and more involved in the scheme. Now, all of the innocence was gone and his mind was completely set on accomplishing what was thought to be his destiny.

But this time, the guilt that was churning inside of her turned into something else. Rage. She had enough. No longer was she going to be a pawn in someone else's twisted game. If she has to stand alone to do the right thing for once, then so be it.

"Jasiri!" Janja called out to her, making her face him with disdain in her violet eyes.

"Mzingo just told me of the Outsiders' next move." He informed her. "They're gonna wait until the princess has her first hunt. But Kion is planning on doing a solo patrol a couple of days before that happens, which starts in the morning. Do whatever you must, but you gotta convince him to let you stay in the Pride Lands for a little while."

The female hyena tensed up when she heard that. They were nearing the final couple of phases of the plan. Soon, not only will the Pride Lands fall to the Outsiders forever, but Kion will realize her betrayal for all this time. He would think that she had been playing with him all along. The image of his angry and hurt look on his face would be too much for her to bear.

But even if she can't stop the harsh and cruel members of her clan and the evil Outsiders completely on her own, she can still fight against them, maybe even warn Kion of what they're plotting. No more secrets, no more lies. No more being submissive.

"No." She finally growled at him, her purple eyes narrowing.

Janja blinked. "No?" He repeated, his body beginning to turn tense because of her words.

"I don't want to be a part of this anymore." Jasiri growled again, taking a fighting position. "I never did! But then you threatened the lives of my family, so that you would make me think that I have no other choice! But I do! I always had!"

"You're seriously going to turn your back on them?" Janja demanded.

"Never!" Jasiri retorted back with a snarl. "But I will not betray Kion anymore! He put his trust in me, and I'm not going to let that go!"

Janja growled. "You're sounding like you actually have a soft spot for that relentless little prince!"

"He's not just a prince!" Jasiri snapped. "And he's not just the leader of the Lion Guard! He's my friend, and I will not take advantage of his faith in me anymore!"

Janja had enough, so he pounced on her. "No one double-crosses me and gets away with it!" He shouted angrily.

But Jasiri managed to headbutt him hard in the stomach, sending him flying off of her and then skidding across the hard ground. "Don't you think that?" She asked, getting back onto her paws. "I get the feeling that once the Outsiders get what they want, they'll have no need for you anymore."

Then, with those bitter words she spat at him, she turned tail and quickly raced out of the many caves and into the canyons. Janja winced as he slowly got back onto his paws. "Find her!" He ordered his crew who had gathered around after seeing Jasiri fight back against him. "And teach her a lesson about what happens to someone who double-crosses us."

The four hyenas began growling and barking as they raced after the rogue female. Janja growled in anger at her traitorous actions. Jasiri had betrayed her clan, and all because she couldn't bear the thought of betraying that annoying Kion anymore. Zira wasn't going to like this.

But then again, maybe she could still be of use, even though she said that she was no longer part of the plot. With her on the run, he knew that Kion's heart would bleed for her and that he would make sure that no one will hurt her, not even his own father. Maybe the plan was going to continue well after all.

However, Jasiri's bitter parting words to him began echoing in his head, giving him a headache as he shook his fur and began to follow his crew in chasing after the rogue female.

"I get the feeling that once the Outsiders get what they want, they'll have no need for you anymore."

She thinks that they're expendable to the Outsiders? No way, not after these past years that they've been plotting together. They'll get their land, and they get all the food they can grab. Everyone wins. Right?

A/N: The next chapter will take some time, because I'm still in the process of writing it. But I do know that it's going to be much longer than this one, I could tell. Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! I'll see y'all in the next chapter! Please leave a comment about what you think.

Got to fly! ;)