[PRIVATE] A Rogue's Light

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga looked at Imani as she spoke, and he was stunned as he took in her words. She had misunderstood...gravely. And then she ran off again, leaving Tanga to realise just how things were turning out. Imani believed he saw nothing but his dead sister in her, and that it was the source of his nervousness, and a reason why he couldn't love her...at least in her eyes.

"Imani!" he called, chasing after her, praying she would stop soon. He had to explain, had to stop the misunderstand...even if she didn't love him back the same way. She seemed okay with being just friends, no matter which way the feelings went, so Tanga held on to that hope as he chased her down, knowing that she only ran when she was upset, despite how well she had hidden it just then.

When Imani finally did stop, Tanga held off from approaching her, thinking over his situation first. He loved Imani, and Imani's actions here and now suggested that she loved him back. But Tanga's sense of doubt still held out on him, makig him nervous. No! he boomed internally. No, I have to do this...I have to tell her!

Steeling himself, he took a deep, shaky breath, coming a little closer to Imani as she walked off, wandering aimlessly. "Imani," he said, speaking softly, but loud that she would be able to hear him easily over the short distance that seperated them. "I know what you said back there, and I know you probably want to be alone for a little bit, but let me say something first."

"When Ra told us all to run from Mufalfa yesterday, when we first met, she made me promise her several things. She wanted me to watch over you, and protect you, in her place. I have done my best to do so, but now I have to protect you from yourself. You see, several times since I met you, I've just wanted to run away...leave you and Auni behind and never look back."

"But I never did, I always came back. At first, I thought it was my promise to Ra forcing me to stay behind, but I quickly realised that my promise to her alone was not enough...I kept coming back because I cared about you and Auni too much to leave you behind. I could not bear to have anything happen to my only friends...ever."

"But now, even that is no longer true. That time where you went to get Ra back, just before we fought Neru last night, I actually did not follow you. Despite my promise...and despite my friendship, I was ready to give up, to turn around, walk away, and remain a lonely, miserable coward who had killed his parents for the rest of his life."

"Auni helped me see the truth about my parents, and I thought that had brought me back to fight Neru...but again, now I can see I was wrong again. And my sister, Uhuru...she does look quite a bit like you, as all, and I do see a lot of both of you in each other."

Tanga sighed, steeling himself. This was the moment...this was make-or-break for his feelings. once he said what he had to say next, there would be no turning back. His nervousness returned in full force, but Tanga calmly swatted it back. Imani was beating herself up because Tanga had danced around the issue for far too long...she deserved the truth, even if it broke his heart.

"i'm telling you all this, Imani, so you can understand. I had been completely alone for a year...my time with that pride does not count, because they never accepted me. Because of this, I tend to live in the past...and it's the first thing I think about."

"But I can see that, this past day, the past has been irrelevant. My parents...my sister...even my promise to Ra...they are all irrelevant now. I miss them, and I see my sister in you to a certain extent..."

He took another deep breath. "But if you think about it a certain way, I've known you, Imani, for longer tha I've known my sister. Therefore, the reverse applies. I actually see a lot of you in my sister. When I accidentally lead you to Neru's body before, I felt so guilty because I knew it would happen, and I was the one who made you panic."

"But in that moment, afterwards, I saw everything, and nothing, at the same time. What you said just before suggests that you believe my feelings for you are purely because of my sister...but in that moment, by the waterhole...I forgot my sister...I forgot Auni, Ra and Mufalfa...I forgot Mufalfa...I even forgot my parents."

Tanga hung his waited, and said what was now bursting to be free from his mind. "It was all you, Imani. For me, I think it has always been you...not because of my promise to your sister...not because of my sister. It has just been you...because of you, Imani...and no-one else."

"But I...I've been alone for my whole life, and I don't know what I'm supposed to do...I just thought you should know the truth."

[oXButterflyKissesXo]

Imani stared at Tanga, listening and rewinding the words in her head to be re-played over, and over again. Something inside her took over, and she didn't know how it happened.

"I love you, Tanga".

She didn't flinch, inch away, look to another direction-- she stared into his eyes.

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga looked up at Imani, waiting for her response to what was possibly his longest speech of all time...his nervousness returning in full force. Situation and scenarios flicked through his head at a blinding pace, leaving him almost feeling dizzy.

But when Imani said four words...his mind ground to a complete and utter halt. Time stopped, and the world lost focus around Tanga. All he could see was Imani, and the sincere look she had as he stared into her eyes. For a brief moment, Tanga almost could not believe it...it seemed too good to be true. But there was no mistaking the words, and Imani's look...Tanga had no doubt in his mind now.

And, as time seemed to return to normal again, he openly grinned as a giddy euphoria settled in. All his fears, all his worries, had all been for nothing. Acting on pure instinct, Tanga stepped slowly forward, hoping Imani would accept his next move...before he leaned forward, and softly gave her a lick across her cheek.

He pulled back, staring into her eyes as he smiled once more. "I love you, too, Imani," he whispered, his tone giving no doubts as he sat there, waiting for her to say or do something. He may be completely happy, but this was completely new to him...he had no idea what to do.

[oXButterflyKissesXo]

The lioness closed her eyes as she felt his tongue slowly swipe across her cheek and she opened them back up to look at him. At his words, she sighed out a little and smiled with closed eyes once more before she looked at him and walked over slowly to place her own tongue across his cheek and put her head under his chin.

Her body curled her tail around, and she sat down enjoying the feel of his mane and fur against her neck.

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga sighed as Imani licked him back...before the sigh turned into a deep, rumbling purr as she settled her head against his chin. He was struggling to believe it, but the happy, completely content feeling he was experiencing out-did any other feeling he had experienced during his cub-hood...with parents. right here, in Imani's embrace, was where he felt he belonged. He got the oddest feeling that, if he could turn back time...bring his parents back to life, and decide his life all over again, that now...with what he had gained, he would be hard-pressed to change anything...and he knew that his parents, and Uhuru, would understand that.

Thinking of his parents reminded Tanga of the reason he had come out of the den, and he looked up looking around. Coincidentally, Imani's run had brought them fairly close to the place where his parents had been killed...and Tanga knew it was time to face his past, and let his parents and go. If he had thought about this not too long ago, he would not have been able to do it...would not have been able to face the site where he had lost what had been his entire life at the time. but now, with Imani, he knew he could do it.

"Imani..." he said softly. "Could you come with me? It's time I did what I should have done a year ago...I need to say goodbye to my parents...and my sister."

He looked off towards a small collection of rocks in the near distance...a landmark he remembered all too well. It was where Mufalfa had ambushed him, and where his parents had made their last stand to protect their son. "If you don't want to, then you can go back to Auni. But I have to put them to rest...and I could use your help."

[oXButterflyKissesXo]

She nodded her head and got to her feet to follow him.

She was aware it was something that was hard for him to do, but he must have had a spur of the moment kind of courage to do that he needed to do and he was going to let her see, maybe. Imani was proud of him.

[AustralianChaos]

Tanga slowly made his way towards the rock where his parents had met their end hen Imani nodded, occasionally nuzzling her to show his appreciation, gaining courage and support from the soft feel of her creamy brown fur. As they walked, he took a moment to take in her appearance, reminding himself of how beautiful she was in his eyes, despite the fact would consider her looks strange or different.

When they reached the collection of rocks, Tanga could see a hint of white amongst them...and knew immediately what they were. Keeping his place beside Imani, he slowly walked into the maze, climbing up on one of the rocks, looking down at a patch of grass between the stone...where the remains of three lions lay.

Time and scavengers...and Neru, most likely as well, had reduced them to skeletons, which were already in the process of being buried under the dirt and sut of the plains. But even so, Tanga could distinguish the shapes of two large bodies, and even noticed the small skeleton of his infant sister resting just next to his mother's ribcage.

"Mum...dad...sister..." as he spoke, he felt his eyes welling up with tears, and his body shaking with the grief and loss he had suppressed for over a year. But here, standing before the remains of his family, he knew that it was time. As the first tear fell, he buried his head into Imani's shoulder, sobbing softly into her fur as he finally allowed himself to, at long last, grieve for his parents...and his unborn sister.

He did not try to hold anything back, just clung to Imani like his life depended on it as he released all of his pent-up emotion, feeling the weight of his past ease away with ear shed tear, and each heaving sob.

[oXButterflyKissesXo]

Imani walked with him, trying to keep a light feel to the situation that Tanga was in desperate need of. But she knew there was nothing much that she could do to ease his anxieties or anxious nature of this task at paw. That being said, she kept her body and stomach calm, her paws gripping the ground as she walked but she was still light at foot.

When they reached the site, her eyes instantly fell onto the white remains erupting from the ground. It sent chills down her spine to see this in front of her, but she advanced on; if Tanga could be strong then she could too. After all, she had to have some strength in her after admitting she loved Tanga, so this had to have been a piece of cake for her.

She let him go forward to say his final good-byes, but when she felt like he was going to choke up, she was at his side almost instantly and let him cry into her fur. Seeing him do this, it brought tears to her eyes and she burried her own face into his mane, trying to keep as quiet as she could so she wouldn't let him hear her. They were bother blubbering messes by the site of the deaths of Tanga's parents.

[AustralianChaos]

After what felt like a long, long time...Tanga finally felt his sobs easing, and the tears slowly stopping. He could feel Imani's head in his mane, and knew that she was saddened by the sight of his parents as well. But her presence was helping, and as he recovered, slowly calming himself down, he gave her a quick, gentle nuzzle on her shoulder, accompanied by a whispered, "Thank you," letting her know that her presence meant everything to him.

With that, he took a shudderring breath, laying his eyes once more on the remains of his family. He felt the need to say something, and did not hold back. "Kali...Busara," he said softly, not bothering to hide his words from Imani as he spoke one, final time to his parents. "You...you were wonderful parents...you taught me everything I know, and made me who I am now. I could not ask for anything more than what you have given me."

"And Uhuru...all of you, I just wish you could be here now. My sister, you would have loved to meet my new friends, I'm sure of it...and I'm certain hat they would have loved you, too. Mum, dad...I wish you could meet them all as well. But I have Imani here with me, and I'm sure you would approve of my love for her. She's a wonderful lioness, and I'm so happy to have her in my life now."

He climbed down off the rock, and gave each of the three skulls lying in the sheltered patch of grass a soft nudge, letting a couple more tears fall. He then looked up to the sky, to the rolling clouds, and the stars, hidden up there somewhere. "I know you are all up there, watching over me...and I hope that, now I've finally visited you, that you are all at peace."

With that, he clambered back up onto the rock where Imani still sat, returning to her side as he decide on one last tribute to his parents...one he thought his mother in particular would have loved, as he raised his head to the heavens once more, and sang softly, directing his words as much at Imani as his family;

"Here I am...this is me,
There's nowhere else on earth I'd rather be,
Here I am...it's just me and you,
Tonight we make our dreams come true...
It's a new world...it's a new start,
It's alive with the beating of young hearts,
It's a new day...in a new land,
And it's waiting for you...here I am."

He sang softly, but he poured his heart and soul into the talent his mother seemed to have passed down to him, as he sang one of Kali's favourite songs from her extensive list. While it was a reminder to his late family that he was moving on...it was also a soft-spoken tale to Imani of how he was right where he wanted to be...and no matter where they went or what they did, they would be fine, as long as they had each other.

He gave Imani a meek smile, nervous as to how she would take this latest facet of his being. He had never sang in front of anyone else before, and as far as he was aware, Kali was the only lioness to ever do it. But he looked back at his family's remains one more time. He felt a small ache of sadness and longing, but he knew that confronting their remains had done the job...he was, at long last, moving on...ready to live the rest of his life free from the immense burden of his past.

[oXButterflyKissesXo]

Imani watched Tanga as he started to sing the words to a song she had never heard before in her life. She figured it must have been something sacred to him to sing it in front of her, but he seemed to be very confident in the words. Suddenly, she felt a wind whip past her and something whispered into her ears.

"Here we are - we've just begun
And after all this time - our time has come
Here we are - still goin' strong
Right here in the place where we belong

It's a new world - it's a new start
It's alive with the beating of young hearts
It's a new day - it's a new plan
I've been waiting for you
Here I am"

The song just came out of her throat like she knew it back and forth, when she was just repeating what she heard in the wind. Her sister and her were god singers, thanks to their father, but of course she was never too afraid to sing in front of anything and anyone. Music was something she loved and it should be shared with the world, in her opinion.

Imani looked over at Tanga and smiled, "you have a nice voice".