Love Beyond Reasons

A/N: Sorry I took longer than usual on this chapter. I had a little bit of a problem of how to continue after what happened last chapter, but I think I got it all handled.

So now, let's get on with Chapter 13. Roll it!

Chapter 13

Safe For Now

Jasiri felt like her head was throbbing like crazy. She slightly stirred around, despite how sore she was feeling, and tried to open her eyes. Dusky sunlight was streaming down, making it hard to see for a few seconds.

"Jasiri?" A voice asked. Somehow, even though it had gotten deeper over the years, Jasiri recognized that voice anywhere. She blinked and turned to where the voice came from.

There, standing beside her, was Kion. He had grown into a very handsome teenage lion. He had gotten some more muscles in his forelegs and shoulders, looking nicely robust, but still pretty lithe. He had grown taller, maybe even an inch above her. His mane still hasn't grown out much, only down to his neck but had gotten larger on the top. But the pink scar on the left side of his face was still there.

"K-Kion?" Her voice was hoarse from not drinking anything all day because of Janja's clan on her tail.

The teenage lion smiled at his friend. "Phew. I was getting worried."

Jasiri lightly shook her head and began to try and stand up. But her legs weren't strong enough to haul herself up. "Wh-where am I?" She asked.

Kion gently nudged her, getting her to relax. "You're in the Lion Guard Lair." He explained. "I found you in pretty bad shape after tangling with Janja and his clan."

Jasiri's eyes widened. "So, I'm... in the Pride Lands?" She asked. When Kion nodded, she gulped nervously. "What about your family?" She questioned.

"My father is trying to be indifferent, since he allowed you to stay here while you recover." Kion explained. "My mother and sister were a little more willing to allow you here, though I think they're also kind of cautious."

"Well, I'll take that than your dad finishing me off." Jasiri said.

Kion glowered slightly. "Please don't joke about that." He said. "You gave me quite a scare."

Jasiri looked down at the ground, slightly biting the inside of her muzzle. "Sorry." She apologized.

Kion just smiled gently. "Well, I'm glad that you're okay." He then pushed a piece of antelope towards her. "Now, you get the honor of having the first bit of my first catch."

Jasiri's eyes widened again. "This is your first hunt?" She asked.

"And my first solo patrol." Kion added. "I could do my first hunt if I wanted to, so I went for it."

Jasiri looked at the piece of meat before her before looking past Kion and saw the fine antelope carcass behind him. "Nice job." She said. "But I can't. It's your catch."

Kion shook his head. "You can, and you will." He said. "After all, you need your strength back."

Jasiri eyed the piece of meat before her. It did look very appetizing, and it was likely that Kion wasn't going to stop until she ate. "Okay." She conceded. "But just so you can stop bugging me about it."

Kion playfully rolled his eyes with a smile on his face. "Whatever you say, Jasiri." He said.

Immediately, Jasiri dug into the antelope meat, eating vigorously. She must have been hungry. "So, why was Janja and his clan after you?" Kion asked.

Jasiri swallowed her bite, and was silent for a few seconds. She wasn't sure if she should Kion the truth that she was a member of his most hated enemy's clan, and that now, she is a rogue because she didn't want to lose his trust in her. And that she has some pretty valuable information about the Outsiders that can be useful. But is it worth Kion angrily lashing out at her for lying to him all this time, and that he probably won't even look at her anymore?

"I was spying on his clan." She said. Well, that kind of was the truth because she was considered a spy for the Outsiders back when they were younger.

"And Janja caught you?" Kion guessed the rest.

Jasiri nodded her head. The teenage lion sighed. "What did you learn from Janja?" The hyena was silent again for a couple of more seconds, but when she opened her mouth to speak, she was cut off by Fuli.

"Kion!" The teenage cheetah called to the leader of the Guard. "If you don't get this antelope out of here, or at least eat it, I'm going to dig into it myself! It's making me hungry!"

Kion briefly chuckled at the mental image of Fuli almost salivating at the sight of his first kill. "Take a piece if you're hungry!" He called back to her. "I'll soon share it with my family."

"Thanks!" Fuli answered before she went to grab a piece of the carcass. Both Kion and Jasiri bit back their chuckles as Fuli tore away a piece and went to her side of the Lair to eat in peace. Then, the lion turned back to his friend.

"I convinced my family to let you stay here until you're fully back on your paws." He explained. "But only under constant surveillance. You can't go anywhere unless you have me and the Guard with you. Sorry."

Jasiri smiled. "It's all right, Kion." She said. "You did what you had to do. Besides, I don't think I'll be going anywhere for a while."

Just then, Rafiki came inside the Lair, along with Makini, who was holding a large gourd full of water. "Kion. How is the patient?" The old mjuzi asked the lion prince.

"She seems a little better." Kion reported before turning back to Jasiri to give the introductions. "Jasiri, this is Rafiki, my family's royal mjuzi. And that's Makini, his apprentice."

"Hi there." Makini said cheerfully. "So you're the friendly hyena that Kion would mention from time to time."

Both Jasiri and Kion shared a worried and slightly bashful glance between each other. "How did you know that?" He asked.

"Oh, Rafiki told me about her once, when you went to help her in the Outlands." Makini explained.

Rafiki laughed heartily. "You can't hide anything from old Rafiki." He chortled, ruffling Kion's mane.

Sometimes, it can be a little scary. He thought to himself. "Well, I'm grateful that you didn't tell my parents about it." He said.

"That was your place to say of your friendship with your hyena friend." Rafiki said. Kion turned towards Jasiri and smiled at her warmly. She returned it just as warm, though there was a strange heat building up in her face.

Just then, Makini saw that the sky was getting darker. As much as this little moment these two were sharing was sweet, she knew that now was not the best time.

"Uh, Kion?" She asked, getting the lion's attention. "It's getting dark. And I think your family wants to celebrate your successful hunt and patrol."

Kion nodded. "Yeah, you're right." He said. But then, he turned back to Jasiri. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay, Kion." She said.

Kion smiled again, and then headed towards the entrance, grabbing his antelope on the way. But before he left, he turned towards his Lion Guard, letting go of his kill. "Remember the routine." He said. "Until Jasiri is completely recovered, you guys will sleep in here every night to provide extra protection."

"I don't get why Simba is still so on edge." Bunga said. "I mean, you explained that you owed Jasiri a couple of times, and that she was the same hyena that helped you escape the Outlands when you were little."

"That doesn't mean he has to like it." Ono added.

"Keeping a constant watch on Jasiri was the only way that Kion could convince his dad to let her stay." Beshte said.

"At least we trust her." Fuli said. "And who knows? Maybe Simba will eventually open up to her, once he knows what she's really like."

"I wouldn't push it too far." Kion said. "My dad is pretty stubborn, but I hope that he at least gives her a chance. I already know that Kiara would."

"Well, that's good." Bunga said. "Kiara will always stand with you."

Kion smiled, remembering the times since The Trail to Udugu up to now, as their bond as siblings strengthened between them. He knows that he can trust her with anything, and that she can trust in him as well.

"Good night, guys." He said before grabbing his antelope again and heading out of the Lair. The other members of the Guard bade him goodnight as he left. But then, he stopped once more to glance back at Jasiri. She smiled at him gratefully before curling up to sleep while Rafiki and Makini look over her injuries. Finally, Kion left the Lair.

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

As he pulled his kill out of the Lair and up on the rocks towards the caves on Pride Rock, he didn't know that a few hundred meters away, he was being watched. By an Outsider lioness.

She had stormy gray fur with a lighter underbelly and slightly darker spots on her face, bright turquoise eyes, and a healthy pink nose despite the rough conditions she lived in. Her build was pretty slim but strong. Her eyes flashed aqua in the near darkness of twilight as she caught sight of Kion.

Those eyes widened when she saw the strong, handsome teenage lion dragging a most succulent antelope carcass by the neck and into his family's den. The way his coppery eyes gleamed with ferocity yet also with gentleness, his muscles taut as he pulled his kill along behind him, and his bright red mane putting the last flashes of sunset to shame with how bold the color was. She stayed put where she was, even when Kion had long left her line of vision, her heart thumping.

But when she saw that the sun had already gone underneath the horizon, she quickly but quietly stalked away, headed back towards the Outlands. When she reached the border across Flat Ridge Rock, she was met with the rest of her team, led by a grown-up Vitani.

Vitani's peach fur had lost its gleam when she was a cub, but she was always more of a fighter than to look pretty. She had gained freckles on her muzzle, and she still had that tuft of fur on her head, leading down into bangs hovering above her violet eyes. She was also the fiercest lioness in the Outsider clan, even rivalling her brother, Kovu.

Next to her was Shabaha, who had a knack of doing some pretty crazy things so fearlessly. It was like she wasn't afraid of anything, except crocodiles. She also had stormy gray fur with her paws and stomach lighter, but her eyes were a deep blue color. She had a thick dark stripe on her head, along with a tiny tuft, freckles on her muzzle, and her nose was a dark crimson color.

Then, there was Kasi, the swiftest lioness the Outsiders have in their pride. She had dull tan fur with a light gray underbelly, and she was unbelievably lithe and lanky for a lion. Her eyes were a deeper violet than Vitani's, and her nose was a dark pink. She also had three darker spots on her sides, along with speckles on her back legs.

Finally, there was Imara, the strongest member of the team. She had gray fur, with her stomach a lighter shade, with darker stripes on her ankles and under her eyes. Her nose was brown, her eyes were blue, and her form was much more muscular and stocky than the other lionesses.

"What do you have to report, Tazama?" Vitani asked.

Tazama gulped as she tried to push all thoughts of the sight of Kion from her mind. "Well, that female hyena who betrayed Janja, she's resting inside of the Lion Guard Lair, with the Guard constantly watching over her. No way we can get close enough to her without getting spotted by one of them."

"What else?" Vitani asked.

"I saw Kion dragging his first hunt back to his den after he left the Lair." Tazama said. "He caught himself a really tasty-looking antelope."

The other four lionesses perked up at his name, and they came closer to Tazama. "Was he as cute as we were told?" Kasi asked her.

"Cute?" Shabaha questioned as if the word was an understatement. "More like hot."

"Seriously, girls?" Vitani asked them. "This is a recon mission, not a discussion about cute lions."

"Oh, so you admit that Kion is attractive?" Imara asked their leader with a smirk on her face.

Vitani froze at her words, and then turned away, hiding the blush that was threatening to appear on her face. "Shut up." She muttered.

She did remember admitting to her friends back when they were cubs that she thought that Kion seemed kind of handsome back when she first met him. And although she was mostly glaring at Jasiri because of the fact that she is a hyena, she was also glaring at her because of how close she seemed with the prince of the Pride Lands.

Besides, she supposed that it was okay for them to talk about males, because they are females, and apparently, her brothers are the only male lions in their pride. They all thought that Nuka was ugly, while Kovu seemed more appealing. But he was her younger brother, so no.

Vitani shook her head. "Anyway, it seems that everything seems good." She said. "Let's head back and report to my mother. We move forward with the plan."

The other four lionesses nodded, and then all five of them headed west back to their home to give their report to Zira. In just a matter of days, the Pride Landers wouldn't know what hit them until it was too late. And not even Kion and his Lion Guard will be able to stop them.

A/N: I know that this chapter was shorter than the last one, but not much was happening. But I do have to thank a friend of mine on fanfiction.net for giving me lots of ideas for this story, including introducing Vitani's Lioness Guard.

Anyway, in the next chapter, we'll finally get to Kiara's first hunt. Until then, I'll see y'all! Please leave a comment about what you think.

Got to fly! ;)