Halali
While Kim and Shani were having a quite tense time at Pride Rock, Kiara and Kovu were having the time of their lives somewhere far away.
"How are you, my love?" Kovu smiled and licked Kiara awake. She smiled and yawned. "Perfect. Just perfect." "And the baby?" Kovu nuzzled her tummy carefully. "Fine too," Kiara smiled. "But you know what?" "Well?" "I think he - or she - wants to meet Daddy soon." Kovu looked at her in awe. He didn't get what she meant. "I think the baby is going to born soon," Kiara said clearly and grinned.
Kovu's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "W-wh-wha-- y-you really mean that?!" He looked both surprised and excited. Kiara giggled. "Of course I do. I can feel it." Kovu looked at her tummy and leaned against it. Kiara laughed. Kovu listened for a while, then lifted his head up and giggled like a cub: "I can hear him! I can really hear him!" "Or her, don't forget that option," Kiara grinned.
Kovu listened a while again, and suddenly said: "I think he just said "Daddy"." Kiara laughed. "He can't talk yet, silly!" "But I heard it, I swear!" Kovu giggled. Kiara looked at him lovingly. "You know, I don't think I've had this much fun since we had Kim and Maliki."
She smiled, then sighed heavily. Kovu looked at her, walked to her and licked her softly. "I know how much it hurts to have another cub so soon after...well, you know." He didn't want to say it out loud, they had gone over it so many times before this. "But we'll love this cub as much as we loved Mali, you know that as much as I do. And I don't want you feeling guilty about it."
Kiara lifted her head a little and sighed again. "But what about Kim?" Now it was Kovu's turn to sigh. "Kovu, you know how Mom feels about this, she's positive Kim wants to harm the baby." "Come on, do you really believe that?" Kiara bowed her head. "I don't know..." "Do you really believe Kim would do something like that? OUR little Kim?!" "But what if he's not our Kim?!" Kiara yelled suddenly, her voice trembling.
Kovu looked at her in disbelief. "What do you mean?" "I've...I've seen the way he looks at me, Kovu. I've seen it too, not just Mom. He...he looks like he hates me, or-or he hates the baby, I don't know, but he really HATES one of us. Not to talk about the eyes..." she felt cold chills in her back. "Look, he's just a kid!" Kiara got up. "But he's not the same anymore! Not after Maliki's death! He used to be a little shy, playful, curious, innocent..." "Innocent? What do you mean, he's not anymore?!" Kovu asked, but Kiara continued ignoring him. "...just like we when we were his age. It's normal! HE used to be normal!"
Kiara burst into tears and collapsed sobbing to the ground. She had finally said it. She knew there had been something wrong with Kim for a long time, but she never had the guts to admit to herself that she hated her own child. She just couldn't stand this.
Kovu had been a little angry at her just a moment ago, now he felt bad for her. "Kiara, I...I'm just trying to..."
Suddenly Kiara roared in pain. Kovu gasped and leaped backwards. "K-Kiara? What is it?!" "T-the ba-by, K-Kovu...The baby..." S-something wrong again?" Kovu said voice shaking. "No, it-it's coming...I think it's gonna come out." "WHAT?!?!?!" "The baby is gonna born, Kovu!" " WHAT?! N-NOW?!" "Yes, NOW!" Kiara shouted in pain.
Kovu suddenly felt everything spinning in his eyes. "Ohh, great...I-I feel dizzy, Kiara, I think I'm gonna..." Kiara looked at him and saw him walking like he had eaten too many passion fruits. "Oh no you won't, not this time!" she yelled. "Kovu, concentrate! We have a baby coming up to meet the world soon!" "I know, that's why I don't feel so good." "You're not going to faint this time, you hear me! KOVU! WAKE UP!" "Okay, okay, I'm up! W-what do I have to do? What do I have to do?!"
"First, stop panicking." "It's panic that keeps me awake. What do I have to do?!" Kiara sighed frustrated. "YOU don't need to do anything but keep ME awake, I'm doing all of the hard work. You have to replace Nala and the others, they helped me last time. So all you...Aaahh!!!" Kiara shouted in pain again and Kovu jumped two feet off the ground. "...a-all you need to do, is...to, keep, keep me awake and give me strength u-until it's over. Got it?!" "Oh boy, is that all...?" Kovu moaned.
He stepped forward and Kiara shouted out loud. She could feel the baby was on his way. Kovu was so taken by the moment he forgot his dizzyness. "You can do it, Kiara, you can do it!"
Kiara pushed as hard as she could. The head was already out. "You can do it!" "I can't!" "You can, I'm right here, Kiara! Think of Mali! Think of Mali and Kim, how proud they would be to have a new brother! Or sister!" Kovu continued fast. Kiara gave one last try, she gave everything she had and finally - a new life was born.
"Kovu," she smiled tired. "You did it." Kovu's legs were shaking as he saw the small, wet form in Kiara's arms. He had no idea what had happened during the last five minutes but he knew he didn't faint this time. "I did it. I really did it, alright! I did it this time, didn't I! Oh boy, did I do it! Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'm gonna go and throw up over there." Kovu felt he had to be quick and he ran fast behind some bushes.
Kiara laughed. "Hello, sleepy head, welcome to the world," she whispered to the little baby in her arms.
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