Love Beyond Reasons

A/N: Sorry for taking so long on this. I've been busy with a few other projects. And with some other things in my personal life. Now, there is that dreaded COVID-19 virus that practically has the entire world stopped. Well, I'm hoping and praying that this will all end soon.

Well, pushing all of that out of the way, let's get on with the long-awaited Chapter 16! Roll it!

Chapter 16

Hunting Lesson Fun

In the Lion Guard Lair, Fuli was still grumbling under her breath. "I still don't think that we can trust him." She muttered about the current situation.

"You said that six times already, Fuli." Kion snapped at her as he entered the Lair with Kovu. "Would you rather have him sleep in the same cave as my family?" The cheetah remained silent.

The golden lion sighed. "Look, let it go for now, Fuli. It's been a long day, and we now have something else to deal with besides patrol tomorrow."

"Yeah." Bunga piped up. "We have to act as both Kovu and Jasiri's bodyguards."

A gasp of surprise was heard as Jasiri laid eyes on Kovu. His green eyes briefly narrowed at her, wanting to announce her as a traitor to everyone, but Kion had already jumped towards the female hyena, while Fuli got in front of the teenage auburn lion, getting into a defensive position.

"It's okay, Jasiri." Kion assured her. "You see, Kovu saved Kiara's life today, and as such, we owe him. Until he can be proven trustworthy, he will be constantly watched by the Guard. And you won't have to put up with him for very long, since you'll be heading back home in about a few more days."

Jasiri looked over at the other lion in the cave, who was still narrowing his eyes at her. She briefly returned the glare before turning back to Kion. "I trust you, Kion." She said quietly. "But you must know this: Janja is working with the Outsiders."

Kion's eyes briefly widened. "Are you sure?" He asked. Jasiri nodded, her gaze firm. Her lion friend then nodded himself. "In that case, we'll keep an extra close eye on him. He says that he's a rogue, but we'll soon see who he really is."

"Asante, Kion." Jasiri said. She tried to stand up, but Kion softly pushed her back onto her stomach.

"Rest, Jasiri." Kion said. "While the Guard goes on patrol tomorrow, Bunga and I will be watching you and Kovu. Since Kovu volunteered to give Kiara hunting lessons, that's what we'll be doing tomorrow. So stay close to me and try not to overexert yourself."

"Okay, Kion." Jasiri said, giggling. "You always were a stick in the mud."

Kion rolled his eyes with a light scoff, but there was a little smile on his face. "Someone has to be the responsible one." He said to her. "Might as well be me."

Both of them laughed quietly at the little joke. Kovu watched them with interest. Looks like they were still pretty close, which means that it will get pretty hard to get close to her so that he can deal with her.

"Kion!" Simba's voice echoed from the den above them.

"Coming!" He answered back before turning back to Jasiri. "Sleep well." He said before he took his leave. Then, he walked towards Fuli, who lowered her stance as he whispered to her. "Keep guard around Jasiri. Make sure our other guest doesn't get any ideas."

Fuli nodded, and zipped over to Jasiri and curled herself up a couple of feet in front of her. Then the other members of the Guard took to their own sleeping arrangements. Kion then went to Kovu, who was on top of a nearby rock to sleep.

"See you in the morning." He said to him, smiling kindly before taking his leave and heading up to his family's den.

Kovu blinked at the prince's kindness towards him, even though he was still being cautious. But he brushed it aside as he rested his head and quickly fell asleep.

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Early the next morning, Kovu woke up and stretched his limbs. He quietly stalked out of the Lair to see if he could get Simba alone. And he was.

He soon saw Simba heading towards the watering hole and getting a little drink. He crouched down low, as if he was stalking prey. He took a tentative step forward, and he was about to pounce when something bright and golden appeared in front of him.

It was Kiara. He was surprised that she managed to sneak up on him this time.

"Good morning!" She greeted him cheerfully with a laugh and a spring in her step. "I'm ready for my first lesson. Surprised ya, huh?"

She happily bounced away, leading Kovu back to Pride Rock. The auburn lion looked back to where Simba was at the watering hole, but he was no longer there. He lowly growled under his breath, knowing that it shouldn't have been this easy.

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When they arrived back at the Lion Guard Lair, everyone was starting to get up and head out on patrol. Fuli narrowed her eyes at Kovu.

"Why did you leave without someone watching you?" She asked.

Kovu returned the glare at her, but then Kiara stepped in. "It's alright, Fuli." She assured the cheetah. "I was watching him the whole time."

Kovu was once again startled by her kindness towards him. But before he could speak, Kion came into the Lair, a bright smile on his face.

"Morning, everyone!" He greeted them with a smile. Kovu ignored the urge to roll his eyes. It seemed that both he and Kiara are happy early risers. "Everyone ready for patrol?" He asked the members of the Lion Guard.

"Ready when you are, Kion." Beshte said.

"Actually, it will just be you three today." Bunga came in. "Me and Kion will be joining Kiara in her hunting lesson."

"Hunting lesson?" Ono asked.

"Kovu offered to teach me." Kiara said, looking over at the lion in question. "And Kion wanted to see it for himself."

Fuli looked over at him, her brow raised in suspicion. "Really?" She asked. "I could give you some pointers, you know."

"Thanks, Fuli. But the Lion Guard needs every member it can spare to keep the Pride Lands safe." Kiara said.

"Besides, Kion and I can keep an eye on Kovu and Jasiri at the same time." Bunga added, looking over at the hyena in question when she perked up when her name was spoken.

She looked over at Kion, who had come over to her. "Are you sure, Kion?" She asked. "A lot of animals will panic if they see me out there."

"Leave them to me." Kion assured her. "Right now, I think some fresh air can do you some good if you want to get better."

Jasiri smiled at him. "Well, I was starting to get a bit of cave fever, staying in here all day for the past few days."

"You see what I mean?" Kion joked, and the two of them laughed.

Both Kiara and Kovu watched the interaction with curious eyes. Kiara wasn't entirely sure what to think of it. True, it seemed that Jasiri was no ordinary hyena if Kion trusts her so much. And she was the hyena who had helped him a few times, back when they were younger, and when Kion first formed the Lion Guard. But maybe she should get to know her on a personal level to see what was it that her brother sees in her. That would be a bit difficult since their father wouldn't allow her, and only allowed Kion because he was the one who offered to keep her under surveillance. Well, she'll think of something.

But Kovu was just plain puzzled to see a lion and a hyena act so friendly with one another. He knew that the two of them were friends back when he had first met them, but even back then, it was a bit odd. And she was now a traitor to the Outsiders' plan. If he ever saw her, then he was to kill her. But after seeing her so friendly, especially with the prince no less, it makes him wonder if he shouldn't, and just move on with the rest of the plan.

"Okay, you two." Fuli said, cutting in. "You guys have fun!" Then she turned to Beshte and Ono. "Let's go, guys!"

When the three of them left the Lair, Bunga turned over to Kion and Jasiri. "You two ready?" He asked.

Kion nodded and then looked over at Jasiri. "If it starts to be too much, let me know, and I'll take you back to the Lair so that you can rest."

Jasiri smiled fondly at him, though she did roll her eyes. "Don't worry too much about me, Kion." She said. "I can handle myself."

"I know you can, but still." Kion said as they both started to leave the Lair, with Bunga jumping over to the other side of his best friend. Kiara and Kovu followed them, both of them keeping their curious gazes on the odd pair in front of them.

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

A few minutes later, all five of them were out on the savannah, where Kovu was attempting to teach stealth to Kiara. He quietly sighed as he easily heard the barely audible noises of Kiara muttering in pain as she tried to stalk closer to him, while Bunga, Kion and Jasiri watched from the sidelines. As Kiara neared closer, Kovu rolled his eyes, not amused.

"Three...two...one..." He said.

"Gotcha!" Kiara suddenly exclaimed as she leaped over to him, but she missed as Kovu managed to duck and tumbled over on the ground, lying on her back. Both Kovu and Kion came to hover above her head, looking down at her.

"You two could hear me... huh?" She asked them, embarrassed.

"Only a lot." Kovu said as he moved away.

"A deaf rhino could hear you, sis." Kion added teasingly, making her narrow her eyes as she got back on her feet.

"How did you manage to do this?" She asked her brother.

"With a bit of help from my friend, who is also an expert hunter." Kion said with a smug smirk, making her playfully nudge him with her paw. "And I always was the star student."

"Ha, ha." Kiara laughed sarcastically while rolling her eyes teasingly. "Don't let it go to your head now, little bro." She said.

Then Kovu got her attention back on the lesson. "You're still breathing too hard." He said to Kiara. "Relax... feel the earth under your paws... so it doesn't shift and make noise."

Kiara follows his example, feeling the ground beneath her, loosening her muscles. A flock of birds then interrupted them, alighting beyond a nearby hill. Kovu then smirked at the opportunity.

"Ssshh. Watch the master... and learn." He said.

The auburn lion then began to run silently down into a gully, then up on the other side. Leaping over the ridgetop, he pounced with claws fully extended.... right down on top of Timon, who is foraging for bugs there, making him scream.

"Aaaahhhh!"

Kovu immediately froze in the position in which he hit the ground, with his mouth agape, and he skidded to a halt with Timon between his forelegs.

"Don't eat me! Please!" Timon begged. "I...I...I never really met your tyrant. I mean, uh- Scar. Scar. Oh, heck of a guy. A little moody, but I..."

Just then, Kiara and Kion came over to him, with Bunga and Jasiri following close behind. "Timon! What are you doing here?" The golden princess asked the meerkat.

"Kiara! Kion! Thank goodness!" Timon exclaimed, relieved to see the royal siblings. "Ohh! Hey... for once, we're not following either of ya. This just happens to be the best smorgasbord in the Pride Lands. Bugs everywhere!"

He showed them the field of bugs behind them, with the flock of birds they saw earlier eating contentedly away. "But, you don't call for a reservation, and- yeesh!"

He then marched down the hill and tried to get the birds to leave, waving his arms around at them. "Get outta here, ya scavengers. Go on! Shoo! Shoo!" But the birds didn't pay him very much mind. One unconcerned bird even pecked his nose, making it throb in pain.

Bunga then decided to jump in. "Hey, this is my uncles' feeding ground, you flock of flying pests!" He shouted at them, making some of them fly away, but they only moved over to a different spot to continue eating. Bunga huffed and tried again.

Pumbaa was rushing up and down the hill yelling, making some other birds scatter around, but then they came back to land right where they were. Kiara, Kion and Jasiri watched the scene with amusement, while Kovu was bewildered.

Eventually, Pumbaa stopped running to take a break, with a dozen or so birds sitting on his back. "Ohh... Timon, I'm getting tired." He said. "I gotta lose some pounds!"

Timon then got on his friend's back and began scattering the birds away. "Shoo! Go on! Shoo! Shoo!"

The three lions, along with Jasiri, then trotted down the hill, with Kiara, Kion and Jasiri laughing at the funny scene as Bunga came over to his adoptive uncles. But then, Timon caught sight of the female hyena.

"Hy-hy-hy-hyhyhyhyhyhyhyhyhyhyhyhyhy...!" He stammered, quivering with fright.

But Jasiri found the act sort of endearing. "Hi to you too, little meerkat!" She giggled. There was something about her laugh that sounded kind of... adorable, and the thought of it was making Kion blush a little bit, but not enough to be noticed.

"HYENA!" Timon finally screamed.

Immediately, Pumbaa was alert, looking around in a panic. "Hyena, where?" He then finally looked at Jasiri, who was smiling cheekily. "HYENA!"

"SCURRY! SNIFF! FLINCH!" Timon continued to yell. They then proceeded to run around like their heads were cut off, screaming out gibberish as the three lions, one honey badger, and one spotted hyena looked on. The girls were giggling at the sight, Kovu still looked confused at what was happening, and Kion and Bunga were not amused.

Finally, the golden teenage lion had enough. "HEY!" He shouted. Immediately, both Timon and Pumbaa stopped screaming and running, and then turned to look at the teenage prince. "Jasiri isn't like that. She's a different kind of hyena."

"KID, ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Timon exclaimed in utter disbelief. "Different or not, she's still a HYENA! They kill for sport and leave nothing behind!"

Jasiri was a little offended by his accusation. "Really? Is that what all of you think?" She asked him. "Not all hyenas are mangy, stupid, revolting scavenging poachers. I'm a living example of that."

"And she isn't the only one." Kion added. "Her entire clan are friendly hyenas who respect the Circle of Life."

"Besides, if Kion trusts her so much, then she's a friend of mine too." Bunga added, coming up beside Kion and Jasiri.

"Well, if she won't eat us up, she's okay in my book." Pumbaa said, knowing that Bunga and Kion are both good judges of character. His friend, on the other hand, looked at him gobsmacked. But the younger mammals smiled at the warthog.

Just then, Pumbaa had an idea. "Hey, Timon! Maybe they can help!" He suggested, gesturing over to Kovu and Jasiri.

"HA! Yeah, there's an idea!" Timon scoffed. "Let the vicious Outsider and the dastardly hyena-!" Just then, he thought about it. "Hey! Wait! I have an idea!" He jumped off Pumbaa and gestured over to them just as his friend did a few seconds ago. "What if they help?"

Pumbaa nodded before realizing what the meerkat had said. "What?" He asked.

But Timon ignored him as he turned over to Kovu. "You wanna lend a voice?" He asked. "Huh?" Upon seeing that he wasn't getting through to him, he tried to imitate a lion. "Grrr. Guh... Roar! Work with me!"

But Kovu still couldn't understand what he was trying to imply. So then, Kiara clarified for him. "Like this." She said, and then let out a loud roar. After hearing it, some of the birds immediately began to scatter.

"Impressive, sis." Kion said.

"Thanks!" Kiara beamed at her brother.

"Whoo-hoo!" Timon cheered as he got back on Pumbaa's back as they started to chase the rest of the lingering birds. "C'mon, do it again! Do it again!"

This time, Kovu roared, riling up even more birds and sending them up into the air. "Yee-haw!" Timon cheered again, while sending a raspberry to some fleeing birds. "Kion, show 'em how it's done!" He called over to the golden teenage lion.

Kion rolled his eyes with a smile, before letting out a roar of his own. It wasn't the Roar of the Elders, but it was still pretty powerful and loud for a lion of his age. Even more birds immediately took off to the skies at the loud sound.

Meanwhile Jasiri subtly walked up to the same bird that pecked Timon's nose and cleared her throat to get its attention. Upon turning around, the bird came face to face with the hyena.

"Boo." She said simply. Upon seeing the one animal that everyone in the Pride Lands feared greatly, the bird squawked in a panic, and quickly flew off, making her laugh.

Soon, everyone was running down the hill, laughing and chasing birds. Jasiri was sticking close to Kion, while Bunga was riding on his back, with Kiara on the other side of him, while Kovu was on her left. The auburn lion was pretty clueless as to what was going on.

"Why are we doing this?" He asked. "What's the point of this training?"

Kiara laughed at that. "Training? This is just for fun!" She then squealed as more birds flew out of the way, feeling the wind in her fur.

But to Kovu, the word sounded foreign to him. "Fun?"

Just then, they catched up to Timon and Pumbaa, and Bunga jumped off Kion's back onto Pumbaa's as Timon grabbed onto a bird's leg and began flying through the air.

"Yeesh, kid. Ya gotta get out more often." Timon said to Kovu. "Fun! Yeehaw!"

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

As the group continued their chase, Kovu eventually got into it, whooping out loud and laughing with the others. Timon landed back on Pumbaa and Bunga leaped through the air, landing back onto Kion.

Everyone kept on running as they entered a chasm of rocks, having the time of their lives. That is, until they came to a screeching halt as they encountered a group of rhinos, the birds blowing their own raspberries at them.

"Uh-oh." Kiara muttered as she and the other Pride Landers recognized this particular crash of rhinos.

"Well well well, look at what we got 'ere, fellas!" The leader of the herd sneered at them, having a bit of an accent. "A couple of putty tats, a pig, two rodents, and a mangy, stupid poacher! What d'ya say we's do to dem?"

"GORE DEM!" One of the rhinos exclaimed.

"TRAMPLE DEM!" Another shouted.

Then, one of the birds spoke up. "I say, gore them first, and then trample on their corpses!"

"Love it!" The leader exclaimed. "RHINOS, KILL!"

"Shall we all run for our lives?" Bunga suggested meekly as they all began to back away.

"Yeah, let's." Kion quickly agreed. Then, they all started to scream as they began to run again, with the bloodthirsty rhino herd chasing after them.

"Hey rhino!" Timon said to them as Pumbaa sharply turned by using the edge of a small overhang. The rhinos were starting to get closer as they chanted, "Rhinos," over and over.

"Is there any reason why they're chasing us!?" Jasiri worriedly asked Kion.

"Well, not all rhinos are friendly in the Pride Lands." Kion quickly explained to her. "That particular crash is a prime example of that.

"By that, Kion means those rhinos are bullies who don't like anybody or anything and are eager to kill anybody just for the sake of it." Kiara added.

"Oh, that explains a lot." Jasiri said, rolling her eyes at the idiocy of the rhinos' idea of fun.

"LESS YAKKING, MORE PACKING!" Timon shouted at them as they continued to run at full speed away from the rhinos.

Just then, Kion stopped in his tracks, making everyone else stop in bewilderment. "Wait, I have an idea!" The lion prince said.

"Whatever it is, MAKE IT GOOD!" Timon shouted as the teenage golden lion turned about face.

"Get behind me and hide!" Kion ordered. No one argued with him as they turned to hide in a nearby crevice as the rhinos thankfully stopped their charging and were amused at the young teenage lion narrowing his copper eyes at them.

"Aw, look at dat, boys." The rhino leader taunted. "The putty tat's coming to face us? You's gonna come at us?" He challenged the lion prince.

Kion just snarled at him. "I'm about to do more than that!" He shouted at him.

His eyes gleamed with ferocity as he felt the ever-familiar power begin to course through his veins. Then, he unleashed the Roar of the Elders, the power not meant to send the entire herd flying, but to show that he was more than capable of fighting them. The sight of the roaring lions in the clouds suddenly made the rhinos lose their bravado and arrogance.

Kion soon stopped roaring and once again narrowed his eyes at the shaken up herd. "So, you still want me to 'come at you'?"He asked, mocking the previous words spoken to him.

The leader of the herd gulped nervously. "Uh... LET'S GET OUTTA HERE!" He shouted.

Immediately, the entire rhino herd turned around and began running away from the all-powerful leader of the Lion Guard. After they had left, Kion turned to his friends and they all started to laugh at the sight of the rhinos running scared.

"What a blast!" Kovu exclaimed, having not had that much fun in years.

But Pumbaa seemed to have misinterpreted his words. "Oh... sorry." He apologized, making everyone else laugh again.

Timon then climbed onto Kovu's head and gave him a little noogie. "You're okay, kid. You're okay." he said to him.

"Hey!" Kovu playfully chided at the meerkat.

Timon then turned over to look at Jasiri. "And you know, I don't think you're that bad after all." He said to the female hyena.

"Thank you. You're aren't so bad, yourself." She said to him before lightly cackling as he got back on Pumbaa's back and they and Bunga headed out of the crevice, moving past Kion on the way. Then she turned over to Kiara.

"A little more practice and I think you'll be ready to hunt with the other lionesses." She said to the young lioness before nudging her good heartedly. Because of this, Kiara's muzzle briefly brushed up against Kovu's.

They both blushed in embarrassment at the little action. Both Kion and Jasiri noticed it and lightly chuckled at the sight of them, keeping as quiet as they could, pretending that they never noticed.

"Um... s-sorr- uh..." Kiara stammered nervously, while Kovu cleared his throat multiple times to try and speak.

"Hey! Are you guys comin' or what?" Timon called out to the four from his spot ahead with Pumbaa and Bunga. The three lions and the one hyena moved out of the crevice and started to walk side by side, laughing lightly as they followed the other three ahead of them.

A/N: I did have a lot of fun writing this, since this is one of my favorite scenes in the movie. Next, we'll have an original chapter since we'll be having some more time pass by before the famous "Upendi" date. I'm thinking, about two or three days.

Once again, I have my friend on fanfiction.net to thank for helping me with this chapter. Thank you, my friend.

Well, until the next chapter (whenever that may be since I'm making no more promises as to when), I'll see y'all! Please leave a comment about what you think. And I wish everyone good health to fight against this virus.

Got to fly! ;)