The next morning, Kovu strides out of the den, clearly agitated. He looks guiltily over one shoulder, then paces to the edge of the promontory. "Okay, I have to tell her today. Oh, where do I start? "Kiara, Zira had a plot, and I was part of it, but I don't wanna be, because... It's because I love you." He sighs. "She'll never believe me." Kovu walks back toward the den. "But I gotta try." Kovu enters the den. "Kiara," Kiara approaches with a smile. "I need to talk to you." Kovu said. "Kiara!" (Y/n) shouted. Kovu and Kiara turn toward her. "I don't want you talking with him." She said firmly. Then she smiles. "I want to talk with him." She said. Kiara smiles, while Kovu looks concerned, and (Y/n) winks. Kovu and (Y/n) walk out of the den, and Kiara watches them go happily. The two approach a barren landscape of scorched ground and dead trees. Kovu and (Y/n) walk across the plain together. 

"Scar couldn't let go of her hate, and in the end, it destroyed her." (Y/n) said. "I've...never heard the story of Scar that way." Kovu and (Y/n) paused. "She truly was a killer." Kovu said. (Y/n) looks upon the charred landscape. "Fire is a killer. Sometimes, what's left behind can grow better than the generation before... " (Y/n) steps in the dirt, then draws her paw away, revealing a green shoot. Kovu and (Y/n) duck to look at the plant. "If given the chance." (Y/n) said softly. There's suddenly a cackle and the two lions look around. Kovu gasps. The Outsiders emerge from the shadows and stalk toward Kovu and (Y/n). (Y/n) looks to the side to see more Outsiders emerging and gasps. "Oh, no..." Kovu and (Y/n) look back and forth frantically. "No!" Kovu shouted. Zira emerges, flanked by Nuka and Vitani. "Hello, (Y/n)." She smirks, and (Y/n) glares at her. "Zira. What are you doing here?" (Y/n) demanded. "Don't ask me, ask him." Zira gestures to Kovu, and (Y/n) quickly turned around in his direction. "What? Kovu, what is she talking about?" (Y/n) asked, and he gulped nervously. "I... I uh..."

"Well done, Kovu. Just like we always planned." Zira smirked. "What?!" (Y/n) asked, looking back at him. "No!" Kovu said frantically. (Y/n) snarls at Zira and the other lions. Kovu looks around at the Outsiders desperately. "(Y/n), I promise! I didn't have anything to do with this!" Kovu looks imploringly at her and her eyes widened. "Attack!" Zira shouted. Nuka lunges at (Y/n) and snarls. She knocks Nuka away. "NO!" Kovu shouted. The Outsiders attack (Y/n). "Ah!" (Y/n) fights back as more Outsiders gang up on her. Kovu jumps into the fray. He knocks an Outsider aside. Vitani kicks Kovu, knocking him into a nearby rock. He falls unconscious. Meanwhile, the Outsiders swarm over (Y/n). Nuka leaps into the fight,

 knocking (Y/n) off a cliff. She falls into the gorge. Zira surveys her from the top of the gorge. "Yes!" The Outsiders slide down the side of the gorge toward (Y/n). "We've got her!" Zira said. Vitani pounces at (Y/n). "Rah!" Remember your training!" The Outsiders chase (Y/n) through the gorge. One jumps on her back, but falls. "As a unit!" Zira shouted. (Y/n) pauses at the bottom of a log pile. She looks up to see that it leads to the top of the gorge. (Y/n) pants and looks behind her to see the Outsiders charging toward her. She begins to climb the log pile. As (Y/n) climbs, she dislodges a log that falls toward the Outsiders. They back away in time to avoid getting hit. Zira and Vitani glare up at (Y/n). She looks over one shoulder at the Outsiders down below. (Y/n) then looks back up at the log pile. Meanwhile, Kovu stands at the top of the gorge, looking down on her worriedly. "(Y/N)!" He shouted. "Get her, Kovu! Get her!" Zira shouted. Kovu runs off. "Do it! Now!" Zira demanded.

(Y/n) continues to climb. Nuka clambers up the log pile after her. "I'll do it for you, Mother!" Nuka bounds gleefully up the logs. Nuka loses his balance. "Oh!" Nuka looks down at Zira as he climbs. "Mother, are ya watching? I'm doin' it for you, and I'm doin' it for me." Nuka said. (Y/n) loses her footing and she yelps. Nuka grabs onto one of (Y/n)'s back paws and she gasps. "This is my moment of glory!" The log Nuka is standing on breaks, causing him to fall. "What? No!" He shouted. "No!" Zira shouted. Nuka falls. Several logs land on top of him. "Ah!" (Y/n) climbs higher, kicking more logs down the pile. Nuka struggles to free himself. He looks up in fright as more logs fall toward him and he screams. (Y/n) climbs to safety. Meanwhile, more logs fall, raising dust. After a moment, the dust clears. Kovu bounds down to the bottom of the gorge and starts to pry the logs off Nuka. Zira shoves Kovu aside and reaches down for Nuka. Kovu backs away. Zira shoves a log aside with her head. Nuka is seen hopelessly buried in logs and he coughs. "Nuka..." Zira said. I'm sorry, M-Mother. I tried." 

Nuka said. Zira reaches down for Nuka. "Shhh." Nuka starts to speak but his yes shut, and his head falls limply in Zira's paw. She draws back slowly, leaving his head to rest on the logs, and stares down at him in devastation. Zira breathes heavily. Vitani approaches from behind Zira. "Nuka..." Vitani bows her head. (Y/n) limps through the grass. Kiara, Simba, Zazu, Timon, and Pumbaa appear on a nearby hill. Simba gasps and his widened as he runs over. "(Y/N)!" He shouted. "Mother! Mother!" Kiara looks at Zazu, who has alighted in a nearby tree. "Zazu, get help!" She shouted. "Oh, yes!" Zazu flies away. "Help! At once! Of course!" Kiara, Simba, Timon, and Pumbaa rush down the hill toward (Y/n). She pauses and looks up wearily at their arrival. "What on earth?! (Y/n) what happened?" 

Simba asked worriedly with concern. Kiara nuzzles (Y/n), then pulls away and watches her with concern and (Y/n) breathes heavily. Pumbaa skids to a halt in front of (Y/n). "(Y/n), talk to me!" Timon spreads his arms wide. "What happened?" He asked. "Kovu... Ambush..." (Y/n) collapses on her side and moans. "No..." Kiara said, and Simba growls furiously. "Those Outsiders have gone too far this time..." he growled. Simba puts (Y/n) on his back the best he could. "It's all right, buddy. We're here for ya." Timon said. Simba carries (Y/n) back to Pride Rock with Kiara, Timon and Pumbaa walk alongside him. "Scar, watch over my poor Nuka." Zira glares over one shoulder at Kovu. "Oh..." Zira lunges at Kovu. "You!"

Kovu looks up. Zira slashes him in the face. "Ah!" Kovu turns away and breathes heavily. Kovu looks back at Zira angrily, revealing a scar over his left eye, the same as Scar's, which caught Zira off guard. "What have you done?" Zira juts her head at Kovu. "I didn't... I-I didn't mean to. I... It wasn't my fault. I...  I did Nothing!" Kovu juts his head at Zira. "Exactly!" Zira paces around Kovu. "And in doing so, you betrayed your pride. Betrayed Scar!" Zira shouted. "I want nothing more to do with her!" Kovu shouted. "You cannot escape it." Zira strides toward Kovu, who backs away. Kovu slips on a rock and falls on his backside. "Nuka is dead because of you!" Zira shouted. "No." Kovu said softly. Zira and Vitani glower at Kovu. "You've killed your own brother!" Zira shouted. (I'm sorry, what was it that Scar did again?) "No!" Kovu runs away from the Outsiders. Zira holds up a paw to halt Vitani. "Let him go." Zira climbs a pillar of rock and stands overlooking the Outsiders "(Y/n) has hurt me for the last time." 

The Outsiders gather below Zira, grinning. "Now, she has corrupted Kovu! Listen to me. (Y/n) is injured and weak." Zira lifts a fist. "Now is the time to" Zira slams her fist into the ground. "Attack! We will take her entire kingdom...by force!" She shouted. The Outsiders rear onto their hind legs and roar, and Zira cackles triumphantly. Now it's Pride Rock at sunset, Kiara and Simba tend to (Y/n), who is lying on Pride Rock. "Guys, it can't be true." Kiara said to her parents. Simba seemed pretty convinced now that it was, and that (Y/n) was right. "It's Kovu." Multiple Pride Landers said. Several cheetahs, who are standing at the base of Pride Rock, turn around. Kiara, Simba, and (Y/n) look up. Several giraffes turn their necks. "It's Kovu." Many Pride Landers are seen gathered below Pride Rock. Kovu walks hesitantly through them, and they part to let him pass. "Kovu!" Kiara runs to intercept Kovu. Simba lunges in front of Kiara, halting her in her tracks and roars, which shocks Kiara. "Dad...?" She asked. Simba strides to the edge of Pride Rock's promontory. Kovu looks hesitantly from left to right as he walks through the Pride Landers. Timon stands on Pumbaa's head.

"Ugh!" Timon marches to the end of Pumbaa's nose. "Why, I oughta..." Timon jumps to the ground and swings his fists. "Let me at 'im! Let me at 'im!" Timon holds up his tail for Pumbaa. "Here, hold me back." Pumbaa grabs Timon's tail. "Okay." He said. Timon runs in place, held back by Pumbaa. "Let me at 'im! Let me at 'im!" Pumbaa lets go of Timon's tail. "Okay!" Timon holds up his tail pointedly. "I think you're missing the basic point here." He said. "Oh." Pumbaa said. Kovu draws nearer to Pride Rock. The Pride Landers watch him distrustfully. "What's he doing?" "Look at that scar on his face." Kovu stops in front of Pride Rock. Simba glares down at him from the promontory. "Why have you come back?" Simba demanded. "Simba... I had nothing to do with–" Kovu begged. "You don't belong here." Simba said. "Please. I ask your forgiveness." Kovu said. Kiara stands with the lionesses behind Simba. "Daddy, please. Listen to him." She begged. Simba looks over one shoulder at Kiara. 

"Silence!" Simba turns back to face Kovu. "When you first came here, you asked for judgment. And I pass it now!" Kiara looks on worriedly. "We don't want you!" "Judgment! Put him on trial!" "Judgment day is here!" "Yes! Judgment! Judgment!" Animals shouted. "Exile!" Simba shouted rather harshly. "No!" Kiara shouted. Kovu gapes up at Simba, then looks around him at the incited Pride Landers. An elephant stamps its feet while monkeys pound their fists. Many Pride Landers, who are gathered in rows, begin to stamp. "No!" Kiara shouted. Kiara runs toward Kovu. Two lionesses block her path and growl. "Kovu!" Kiara shouted. Simba glares down at Kovu. He stares back in horror before looking behind him at the throngs of angry Pride Landers. Two oryx advance on Kovu, heads bowed and horns pointed forward. "Deception." Kovu backs away slowly. "Disgrace." The oryx back Kovu to the edge of a cliff until he is forced to turn tail and flee. "Evil as plain as the scar on his face." "Deception. An outrage! Disgrace." Several giraffes lift their chins haughtily. "For shame!" Kovu bounds down from Pride Rock. A hippopotamus watches from a ledge as he dodges past several attacking snakes. "He asked for trouble the moment he came." Kovu lands in front of several zebras, who rear onto their hind legs.

"Deception! An outrage! He can't change his stripes!" Kovu flees "Disgrace! For shame!" Kovu runs through two rows of oryx, who butt their heads as he passes. "You know these Outsider types!" Kovu runs past several ostriches, who peck him. "Evil as plain as the scar on his face. See you later, agitator!" Monkeys throw rocks at Kovu. "Just leave us alone! Deception! An outrage!" Kovu dodges the rocks. "Disgrace!" Kovu flees down several ledges. "For shame! Traitor, go back with your own! He asked for trouble the moment he came. See you later, agitator!" Simba watches as Kovu runs away. He turns his head as a flock of birds descends on Kovu from the air. "Born in grief, raised in hate," Kovu looks up frantically at the birds. 

They periodically descend on and peck him. "Helpless to defy his fate." Kovu flees into a grove of trees "Let him run. Let him live. But do not forget what we cannot forgive!" Kovu splashes into a shallow pool and looks back at Pride Rock sorrowfully. Simba glares back, his mane blowing in the wind. "And he is not one of us." Below Pride Rock, the Pride Landers watch Kovu depart. "He has never been one of us." Kiara dodges around the two lionesses, only to be blocked by two more. She looks over their heads desperately. "He is not one of us." The Pride Landers shake their heads. "Not our kind." Kovu blinks sadly. "Someone once lied to us." Kovu looks down in the water, and his reflection ripples into Scar. "Now, we're not so blind." Kovu splashes through his reflection. He races to the other end of the pool. "For we knew he would do what he's done." Kovu clambers onto shore, his head drooped. "And we know that he'll never be one of" Kovu looks over one shoulder at Pride Rock.

"Us." Simba glares at Kovu. The Pride Landers shake their heads. "He is not one of us." Kovu turns and strides away sadly. "Deception. Disgrace." Kiara watches Kovu go. She bows her head. "Deception. Disgrace." Simba turns away from Kovu. "Deception." Kovu runs off. From afar, Rafiki watches him go. Rafiki puts a hand to his forehead and shakes his head sadly. "Oh..." Simba stands on the promontory beside (Y/n) who is sleeping. "Father, please," Kiara approaches Simba. "Reconsider." She begged. "You will not go anywhere without an escort from now on." He said. "No, that's not–" she said. Simba looks back at Kiara. "He used you to get to (Y/n)! And he almost killed her!" He growled. "No! He loves me...for me! And he would never do something like that!" She shouted. "Of course he would! He just did!" Simba growled, glaring at his daughter. "Are you really so in love with him that you're this blind?!" Simba shouted. "Blind?!" Kiara shouted. "No, please, father, this has to be a misunderstanding!"

She shouted, and Simba growled. "The only thing I understand is that he almost killed (Y/n)!" He shouted. "Why are you so damn protective over her?!" Kiara shouted. Simba turned around furiously. "Because I love her, Kiara! Something you clearly don't understand!" Simba snapped. Kiara reeled back in surprise. "And I'm not going to let anything bad happen to her ever again! She's been through enough as it is! And she certainly doesn't need you making things worse for her because of some stupid fake love!" Simba growled. Kiara was stunned. She stared at him in disbelief. "You are just so frustrating!" Kiara shouted. But those words didn't really have much effect on him. However, what she said next did have an effect on him. "I hate you!" Simba gasped and his eyes widened in horror. He quickly turned around but Kiara turns tail and flees toward the den. The lionesses watch her go sadly. She collapses in the cave and sobs. Kiara looks up at a shaft of light. Her expression turns bold. Rocks shift outside Pride Rock, falling away to reveal a hidden exit. Kiara emerges and races off into the savanna. She searches the pool where Kovu had been earlier. "Kovu?" Kiara climbs a nearby rock. "Kovu..." Kiara jumps into the pool. She looks into the water to see that half of her reflection is missing. She runs on. She searches the crevice where she, Kovu, Timon, and Pumbaa had hidden from the rhinoceros stampede. "Kovu..." Kiara huddles outside the crevice and cries softly.