[Private] Love Will Tear Us Apart

[YFWE]

Ari was surprised that Hiroshi seemed to actually be okay with telling her such a poignant detail of his past... to the point where she almost regretted even asking. And yet she was curious, and of course she had never known Hiroshi's mother (or father for that matter); she wondered what she had been like, if she had been a lot like Hiroshi was now. She wanted to be able to understand Hiroshi, most of all. She wanted to always be there for her friends. She had had a long conversation before with Kweli concerning his past, and was thankful for it, for she felt closer to him because of it. If she ever wanted to be truly close to Hiroshi, she would have to know eventually. She trusted him enough that he would give her the truth.

She took a side beside Hiroshi as he requested, laying her paw atop his for support as she willed him to continue. She listened intently as Hiroshi told the story of his mother, her gaze not leaving his countenance.

Ari felt her heart breaking as she listened to Hiroshi's story. He had been so innocent, just doing what he was told to do... Ari could not imagine what he had been through.

Hiroshi had paused and had looked away from Ari. In turn, Ari tightened her grip on Hiroshi's paw. "It's okay," she breathed, nudging him under his neck. "It's okay."

She listened to Hiroshi continue and kept her head against his neck. The details became more gruesome and internally Ari was questioning whether she could handle this... but she would have to eventually, wouldn't she?

Ari found herself on the verge of tears by the time Hiroshi had finished, but nothing could compare, she felt, to what Hiroshi must have been feeling by that time. His silence was crushing, and yet she had no idea as to what to say in response.

Finally she leaned even closer to Hiroshi and spoke softly, "I'm... sorry, Hiro. I truly am. I shouldn't have asked."

---------------

Kweli felt consciousness returning to him slowly, though at first he thought that, perhaps, his impact with whatever was clogging the tunnel had rendered him blind, for he could still see nothing. Then he recalled that he had been unable to see anything before, blinked once or twice, and tried to stand up. He could not tell how long he had been out. It could have been hours... though it had probably only been a few minutes at best. "Kito owes me so much for this, I swear," he groaned, rubbing his head. There was a wet spot near the top of his head and on one side of his face--probably blood.

At least the pelts were still on his back. Kweli struggled to all fours and prodded the wall in front of him. It was rocky on the bottom--probably the part he had collided with--but the further up he drew his paw against the surface, the more dirt-like the surface became. He could probably claw his way through.

And so he began, the pain in his head stinging and throbbing as he clawed through the dirt, rising up slightly on his hind legs in order to get a better position.

Finally he felt one paw emerge on the other side of the clod, grasping at the cool air there. Kweli emitted a great sigh of relief as sunlight shined through the break in the wall. He continued to claw through the surface until finally there was a space large enough to climb out of. Peering through to be sure no one was around, Kweli crawled through the space, one leg keeping the pelts on his back, before rolling out onto his back. Kito was nowhere to be found. "Fantastic" he growled. He began to work on refilling the hole as the blood on his face began to seep down into his eyesight. "I should just leave one here," he said, speaking of the pelts. "If I wasn't nicer. Kito'd kill me, though. Not that I'd kill him first," he added, continuing to blow off steam.

[KiarasMate]

While it had been difficult for Hiroshi to reveal so much to Ari, even though he had left out quite a few crucial details of his past, once he had finished speaking, it did feel a little better to have at least confided in someone, especially seeing as Ari herself seemed genuinely sympathetic to his situation. Feeling her loving touch and hearing her reassuring words, Hiroshi felt strangely at peace with what had happened. Turning back to face his golden furred friend, not realizing that she had moved in a bit closer, Hiroshi’s muzzle lightly bumped into Ari’s, causing the two feline’s muzzle lips to lightly connect for a split second before Hiroshi pulled back and looked slightly apologetic as he stated in an embarrassed tone.

”Oops, sorry about that Ari. Didn’t know you were, erm, that close. Thank you for the support though and if I learned anything from my mom that I try to always follow, it’s not to keep your feelings locked away. She always told me that it’s better to share what’s on your mind with those who you trust, because if you simply bottle your emotions away forever, they will get the better of you in the end.”

Looking down at his fore paw now, smiling softly as he turned his paw over so that he could curl his paw toes in between Ari’s, holding her paw gently as he returned his gaze back up to her. Just sitting there for a second, enjoying the moment as he met with her gaze once again, Hiroshi finally spoke up to break the silence as he inquired curiously.

”So I was talking with Kweli last night when you and Kito went off to speak with your mothers and he seemed sort of odd, like he was hiding something. Do you know anything about why that might be Ari?”

==========

After a few minutes of sprinting around the near by area, Kito started to give up as there was no sign of Kweli. Figuring that he would take one last look back around Pride Rock, the lone male turned around and started to make his way back towards the back end of the majestic structure. As he approached, his eyes caught sight of movement there, prompting Kito to pause as he squinted to make out just who was there. A relieved smile worked its way upon his muzzle as he saw that it was none other than Kweli. Not wasting a second now, as time was still of the essence, Kito darted forward and called out to the smaller male once he was within a few paws length of his friend, keeping his voice low.

”Hey, what happened to you Kweli? You should have been back at our den by now. It’s not smart to hang around here with those pelts like that you know.”

Taking notice of the crimson streaks that coursed down Kweli’s face, Kito frowned as he sighted the small wound near the top of Kweli’s head. Looking a bit puzzled from this, yet still trying to come off as being concerned, Kito asked in a caring fashion.

”Jeez, what happened to your head Kweli? Did one of those pelts come back alive and bite you or something?”

[YFWE]

Ari glanced off into the horizon, belittling herself for having even thought of asking about Hiroshi's mother. Things actually had kind of been looking up again before she had asked the question, to the point where they probably could have had a nice conversation about more splendid, less emotional things, such as the weather or about how she had totally annihilated Kito from an argumentative standpoint as of late. True, she had not completely dashed any hope of ever having those conversations in the future, but Ari was not a lioness who enjoyed crying and who enjoyed watching others suffer, especially when she was indirectly the cause.

After a few moments, Hiroshi turned to face her and, for a brief moment, their lips touched. It was not a long occurrence and certainly not all too fulfilling, and even though Hiroshi broke away rather quickly and was looking apologetic for what had happened, Ari could not help but be completely okay with what had happened, even though it had caught her by surprise. She met Hiroshi's gaze with a slight smirk, listening intently to his apology and subsequent thanks. Before he began speaking again, she managed to respond quickly, "Don't worry about it. And you're welcome. I've found bottling your emotions up isn't really all that great in the end as well." And there was truth to her statement. She was finding it increasingly difficult to suppress her emotions and her longing for Hiroshi when she was around him.

She felt his paw toes curl between her own and sighed happily. There was silence again, though she honestly did not mind it this time around. Curiously, Hiroshi broke the silence with a new question, and she listened closely to his query.

Instantly her thoughts darted to her talks with Kweli concerning her feelings for Hiroshi. She was not sure whether it was that talk that had led Kweli to act... odd around Hiroshi--he could have his own problems for all she knew--but her best guess harbored that response.

"I dunno," Ari said. "I'm not Kweli's keeper, I'm not quite sure what's been going on inside his head as of late. I mean, yeah, we've been talking a lot lately, but I... I dunno." She blushed at the thought of Hiroshi finding out what they had been talking about. Truth be told, she wanted to tell him. And yet she could not bring herself to. And yet again, the moment seemed so right...

"I've just been doing a lot of thinking lately is all. And I've been blowing off a lot of that steam to Kweli. That's all I know. Why do you ask?"

--------

Continuing to curse his situation, Kweli had covered up the passageway completely just as Kito reached him. He decided to ignore the first comment the lion made, still turned away from Kito as he prodded the wall to be sure the manufactured wall was concrete enough to stay intact. It was not until Kito's second comment that he finally turned around to face him.

"Had a teeeeeensy little problem with the passageway, my dear Kito!" snapped Kweli. "It just so happened--and perhaps you knew this, though I would certainly HOPE you didn't--that the hole had closed itself back up by the time I came back through. Frankly, I'm not quite sure how long I was knocked out and I don't even wanna LOOK at my reflection at the moment, but I would much sooner forget about what happened and head on back to the den before I do something reeeeally stupid like tear up the pelts in a fit of uncharacteristic rage."

He grabbed two of the pelts in his jaws and flung them to Kito. "Here. Got 'em." He started off toward the den. "Let's go before someone sees us. Where were you, anyway? You didn't think it might be a good idea to make sure I made it out alive? Did Scar hold you up or something?"

[KiarasMate]

Listening closely to everything Ari told him, Hiroshi tilted his head in a peculiar manner as he heard her making mention about blowing off steam. Having nothing else to base his assumption off of, Hiroshi waited for his golden furred friend to pause in her speech before he spoke up in response to what she had stated, his paw still lightly grasping Ari’s as he began.

”Oh? Something bothering you then Ari? You know you can always tell me about it too. If it concerns Kito, you know I could always talk to him. He can get a bit carried away with himself at times and I understand if that’s the reason for you being upset.”

Taking in the last of what Ari had to say, Hiroshi couldn’t help but to look even more curious than he previously had. The events from last night still replaying themselves in his mind and the way Kweli had acted, Hiroshi needed a moment to formulate an answer to what the golden furred lioness had asked of him. Figuring that there would be no harm in telling her why he thought Kweli was acting oddly, Hiroshi piped up once more in a thoughtful tone.

”Well, when we were talking last night and you got brought into the conversation, that’s when he started acting funny. He told me that if I ever wanted him to back off from spending time with you Ari, he would. That just confused me to no end and made me think that he maybe was beginning to have feelings towards you? I honestly don’t know though. I don’t really know Kweli as well as you do so maybe I’m just reading between the lines here but that’s what it seemed like to me is all.”

Taking this time to now gently release Ari’s fore paw, Hiroshi rose to all fours again and gave his adolescent frame a long and satisfying stretch before he looked back over at Ari with a playful gleam in his eye. Seeing how the pair were alone in the grasslands and despite the unpleasant start to their little adventure together, being able to spend this much quality time alone with Ari really lifted Hiroshi’s spirits and brought his more playful nature to the surface as he let out a lighthearted growl and pounced upon Ari, lightly bowling her over into the grass below as he spoke down to her in a carefree voice.

”Maybe I should try and get to know Kweli a bit better tomorrow, but that would mean you would be stuck with Kito for the day Ari. What do you think about that? Would that be too mean of me to leave you with Kito?”

Leaning down, Hiroshi gave Ari’s ears a few playful nips before his fore paw alighted lightly atop her nosepad. Grinning innocently down at his golden furred friend, Hiroshi couldn’t help but to laugh openly as his fore paw moved off of her face and rested gently against her side. Their playful banter was nothing out of the ordinary although it was becoming less frequent with each passing season. Still, it was moments like these that seemed to really strengthen the bond between himself and Ari, as well as all his friends whenever they engaged in such recreational behaviors.

==========

Feeling rather guilty at this point, even though he had no idea that someone would have closed off the secret entranceway to The Main Den, Kito refrained from mentioning that Scar hadn’t actually been present, instead, opting to make up yet another excuse for his actions. Keeping a concerned expression upon his face, Kito replied in a sincere voice as he easily maneuvered the two stolen pelts that Kweli had thrown to him atop his back before speaking.

”Erm, sort of. I just had to make sure that his majesty didn’t go into the den before you had made your escape is all Kweli. It’s not easy to avert his attention after all, and the reason why I didn’t come back to check on you was I thought you would have been able to get away safely. I wasn’t expecting you to get into a fight with the wall. You did say you weren’t new to this sort of activities, so what was I supposed to do?”

Clearly noting the distain and frustration laced within Kweli’s voice, Kito figured that it was best to drop the subject as quickly as possible. Trying his best to shift the conversation in a new direction, Kito did what came naturally as he began to praise Kweli for a job well done, hoping that his flattery would at least calm his friend down a bit.

”I have to admit though Kweli, aside from head butting the wall, you did a fantastic job and might I also say, very nice choice of pelts. Very classy picks.” Kito stated, giving the top pelt over his back a light caress with his paw, enjoying how soft and delicate it felt under his light ministration.

Staying mute for the rest of the trip back to their den, Kito managed to suppress his guilty conscience as he entered the den and flopped the two sleeping pelts he was carrying, onto the cave floor before turning back to Kweli and addressing his friend in a polite manner, already beginning to sprawl out the comfy looking pelts as he did so.

”I’m sorry about your injury Kweli. I honestly didn’t want to see you get hurt today. I know I’m going to get my ear chewed off by Ari today when she sees you like this. She really cares about you I think, well, a lot more than she cares about me that is.”

Managing a halfhearted smile, Kito moved in and gently took hold of the two pelts that Kweli had brought in, trying to appear as being helpful as he nodded towards the entrance of the cave and spoke up once more.

”Why don’t you go wash yourself up Kweli. I’ll take care of the pelts. I really did enjoy our little exhibition today though and again, sorry for what happened to you. You really came through though and I couldn’t have done this without your help. Hiro and Ari should be quite pleased with the new look of the den once they get back.”

[YFWE]

Though she could tell her attempt at diverting the topic at hand away from the truth was only confusing Hiroshi even more, Ari kept with it, not wanting to say or do anything she could perhaps regret--especially if Hiroshi did not feel the same way about her and all this was just an extremely close friendship.

After listening to Hiroshi's response to her, Ari had to force herself to suppress a giggle. It appeared as if he still did not suspect anything of her--on the contrary, he suspected Kito and Kweli of things that (she did not think) were true. Though she could not help but jerk a bit when Hiroshi mentioned Kweli's comment about "backing off." She most certainly knew why he had said it, and wished he had not, though luckily Hiroshi seemed to have taken the comment in the totally opposite manner than Kweli had meant it. Quickly, she formulated a response.

"Well, I told Kweli some interesting stuff, so perhaps the thought of me reminded him of them," shrugged Ari innocently. "And no, it's definitely not about Kito. I can stand him just fine if I must." She decided, for the time being, to withhold her comment on Kweli's "backing off" comment. Truth be told, she was not sure just yet how to respond.

All of a sudden, Hiroshi had pounced upon Ari, catching her utterly off guard. He had not done this in a while; such interactions between the two had dwindled over time, giving way to more "grown-up," as Ari put it in her head, interactions. They rolled over onto the ground, Hiroshi atop her, Ari giggling wildly as she tried to no avail to push him off. They paused for a moment as Hiroshi spoke again before he began to mess with her even more. Ari, too, laughed as Hiroshi's paw fell from her muzzle, and she took this as an opportunity to catch him unawares, leaping into his chest and forcing him down onto the ground roughly. Ari, trying to suppress an amused grin, let out a pronounced yawn and collapsed atop Hiroshi, resting her head atop her paws, which were in turn spread across his muzzle.

"I totally think you should hang with Kweli tomorrow. That would be fun for the both of you," she said. "As for Kito, I can handle him. We'll find something productive to do, I'm sure. Or maybe I'll just push him off a cliff. You know, good fun for the whole family and all that."

She reclined atop Hiroshi for a few moments, looking off into the distance thoughtfully before, finally, she returned to his earlier question.

"Kweli doesn't like me, Hiro. Not in the way you're thinking. We're just really good friends. Trust me, once you gain the trust of him, he's as loyal as they come. I've told plenty of little secrets to him over the years and as far as I've known, he's never let me down by sharing any of them with anyone else." She paused. "He really is something. I'm glad he found us."

Ari moved her paws off Hiroshi's muzzle and looked down into his eyes for a moment, before resting her paws on his chest and, laying her head down upon them, stared off into the distance. "To be honest, I think Kweli only said that because he didn't want to get in the way. In case... you know, maybe you had some feelings toward me or something." Ari's voice was small. "I know he'd never want to get in the way. So I'm sure that's what that was about. You know... just in case."

The young lioness sighed deeply as she laid there for what seemed like ages. Finally, a thought entering her mind sporadically, she looked down at Hiroshi. "Hey... my mom mentioned something about Scar's tastes changing last night and told me to watch myself. I... shouldn't have anything to worry about, right. Can't I choose who I want my mate to be?"

-------

As they made their way back to their den, Kweli's emotions had subsided noticeably, to the point where his only source of frustration was from the pain resonating from his face. At the very least, as easy as it was, there was no need to take out anger on Kito. He had had to deal with the King, after all.

"Don't worry about it," said Kweli softly. "It's done and over with. At least we got what we needed."

Kweli took Kito's compliment on the pelts kindly, and glanced over his own back at them. They were nice. Fit for a king. They would sleep well.

They found their way back to the den and deposited the pelts on the cold cave ground. Kweli flopped down onto the ground in exhaustion as Kito spoke to him. He rolled onto his back, glancing at Kito from an upside-down angle. "Ari probably would have given you a hard time even if I hadn't gotten hurt. I'll play it off as nothing as much as I can. It's really just a few scratches anyway. I think."

He allowed Kito to take the other two pelts and nodded at Kito's suggestion. "You're quite welcome and yeah, I probably should get cleaned up. Wouldn't want to let these things get worse and then end up looking like our dear King." Kweli nodded to Kito and set off toward the waterhole, intent on taking a quick dive into its waters. As he reached the oasis of water, he stared down timidly at his reflection and grimaced. His wounds were certainly noticeable, but luckily nothing too deep. As long as he cleaned everything out now, he would be more than fine in a few days' time. Kweli leaped into the water, his wounds stinging momentarily as they touched the surface.

Kweli lifted his head out of the water and shook it a few times, so as to flip off the lingering droplets of water. Passingly, he thought of Hiroshi and Ari, and hoped their day had gone well--at least, better than his. He half expected for the two to return betrothed and laughed at what sort of reaction Kito might have to such a thing. He expected for it to happen sooner or later regardless; it was becoming more and more apparent each day that there was something there. And as long as it did not interfere with their friendships, Kweli was happy for them. Though, he thought, that would mean I'll be spending a bit more time with Kito.

"As long as I don't run into a wall everyday, I think I can handle that," Kweli said to himself.

[KiarasMate]

Looking quite proud of himself as he hovered atop Ari, still sporting a wide grin from his previous actions, Hiroshi barely had time to blink before the tables had suddenly been turned and he found himself with his back pressed against the cool grass below. Looking up in awe at his golden furred friend’s performance, feeling her fore paws covering his muzzle, Hiroshi let out a muffled laugh in between Ari’s paws as he gave them a rather sloppy lick and light bite so she would move them off of his mouth so he could speak, which he immediately did once he was able to.

”Jeez Ari, maybe Kito’s right. You are too strong for being a lioness. Either that or I really need to start training more to build up a bit more muscle.”

Upon feeling Ari laying down atop him, Hiroshi had to keep from shivering as being as close to the golden furred lioness as he was, almost made his natural instincts to kick in. Resisting the urge to lean up and kiss her however, Hiroshi listened to what Ari was saying in regards to Kito, prompting another fit of laughter to leave his mouth as he smiled broadly and threw in his own two cents in regards to the prospects of Ari disposing of Kito.

”That would truly make The Pride Lands very quiet indeed Ari. As tempting of an offer as that is though, I think things would just be a bit TOO peaceful without having Kit around.” Grinning deviously, Hiroshi added in. ”That always gets his goat whenever I call him Kit. I remember the first time I did that when we were cubs, he didn’t talk to me for three whole moons.”

Letting his laughter die down now, Hiroshi found himself unconsciously wrapping his fore legs around Ari, keeping her close to him, more for security as to make sure she wouldn’t roll off of him but also to feel her warmth against his chest and belly. Perking up his ears from what his golden furred friend stated next however, Hiroshi’s curious looking expression returned upon his face as he could feel his cheeks beginning to flush from what she had stated. Truly caught off guard by just how innocent and sincere Ari’s voice had shifted to and the way she looked at him now, Hiroshi found himself tripping over his own words as he desperately searched for a suitable answer that wouldn’t give away the feelings he knew he had towards Ari, as he himself was quite uncertain still if she would even reciprocate his feelings towards her. Finally managing to speak up in a hesitant tone, Hiroshi addressed Ari softly.

”Well…erm, I do like you Ari as a friend and you mean so much to me like I’ve told you. Lately my feelings, erm, for you have…well…they’re a little confusing to me. I mean, I sometimes think…um, well, I don’t know. I don’t want to say something that’s going to make me look totally stupid in front of you and the day just seemed to be turning out better for us so I don’t want to ruin it by saying something that would make us both feel really awkward, so can we leave it at that please?”

Feeling quite nervous at this point, as he knew that if Ari were to press the matter further, he himself would probably cave and spill his feelings for her with no regrets but the prospects of rejection from her wasn’t something he was willing to deal with at the moment so Hiroshi prayed that his friend would feel the same way that this matter would be better suited left unspoken at the moment. Feeling his heart pounding in his chest with every passing second that Ari was on top of him, Hiroshi was happy when Ari herself, changed the topic as she told him about something her mother had stated to her the former night. Still not being able to think as clearly as he might have, due to the previous subject matter, Hiroshi replied without giving too much thought to Ari’s statement, more in the hopes to give her reassurance more than anything.

”I don’t think you have anything to worry about Ari. Of course you can choose your own mate. No one should ever be forced into being with someone they don’t want to be with. That’s not the way love should be. We should pick who we want to spend our lives with and especially those we love.”

Gently moving one of his fore paws over to Ari’s face, Hiroshi gave her cheek a light caress as if to try and give her a small clue to what he was indicating from his last words without actually saying anything. Staring up into her alluring amber eyes, Hiroshi was once more, entranced by his friend’s gorgeous looks and familiar scent, invoking a low but audible purr to leave his throat as he laid there, his fore legs still holding Ari close to him as he waited for her to speak again, wondering what thoughts were going through her mind as he did so.

==========

Watching as Kweli took his leave from the cave, Kito set about the task of organizing the sleeping pelts so that they covered a good majority of the back end of the den, as this would be the most ideal spot for the four friends to sleep at, as it was far enough away from the cave entrance to shield them away from any wind chill and far enough out of sight that any passers by would have to actually enter the homely abode in order to even notice the stolen pelts. Picking out the best looking pelt for himself, Kito took hold of one of the other pelts that lay beside him, spotting a small crimson stain atop it, most likely from Kweli’s injury, prompting the male to wrinkle his nose as he hastily flipped it over to hide the unsightly marking, muttering under his breath while he worked.

”Yuck! That one is SO Ari’s!”

Taking his time to make sure that everything was in order, Kito took a few steps back to admire his handy work. Circling a few times around the precisely placed pelts, Kito looked pleased with his efforts as he ran his fore paw across the soft and inviting surface of the pelt next to him before turning and making his way over to the entrance of the den where he took a seat and waited silently for Kweli’s return.

[YFWE]

Ari yawned again as she lay listening to Hiroshi's replies, her head cocked to one side. She grinned when he mentioned Kito's nickname, and promised herself internally that she would be calling Kito that as soon as she got the chance.

She glanced over at Hiroshi when he began to respond to her comment concerning Kweli's possible motives for saying what he did and was surprised to see Hiroshi becoming slightly... what was the word... flustered. She could not help but show a small smile at this. At the very least, his reaction had affirmed to her that perhaps there was something between them, which in turn set her devious side into motion. She had always had had a lot of fun torturing Kito, though from a totally different perspective than this. She wondered if there was anything she could do to mess with Hiroshi because, as evidenced by the low purr emanating from the young lion, she had a feeling he was rather enjoyed himself.

"I understand," she started. "I think. But you know," she gave Hiroshi a light nudge to the side of his head, traveling from his neck to his ear, giving him a quick nip on the ear upon reaching it, "you can tell me anything. I'm as good a secret keeper as Kweli."

Ari laid back down, her head resting against Hiroshi's chest, a soft purr escaping from within her as well. "I hope you're right about the King, though. I'm sure you're right, in fact." She glanced at Hiroshi. "And if not, just let him try and take me. If I can keep a lion like you pinned down like this, I can take Scar. He doesn't seem that tough."

She rose again, her paw brushing against Hiroshi's cheek idly as she climbed off him. "Let's play a little game, shall we?" she said with a smirk, her gaze interlocking with his. "Surely you've heard of it. It's a little game called... TAG!" Ari laughed in delight as she took off right as her paw left Hiroshi's cheek. "Let's see if you're as fast as they say!" she called back as she ran in the direction of the waterhole, laughing to herself as she ran. It had become a rather fun day after all, and at that moment, Ari cared for nothing else in the world.

----------------

His wounds still stung, but Kweli expected that. At the very least, judging by his reflection, he had cleaned up pretty well. His wounds were still slightly noticeable, but at least they had stopped bleeding. And above all else, he was pretty much as calm as could be by that point; his bad mood and frustration had finally subsided completely.

Kweli began a slow pace back to the den; he wanted to waste some time so that he would not have to spend any more alone time with Kito. That said, he actually had kind of enjoyed himself with Kito that day, for once. Kweli still did not feel nearly as close with him as he did with Hiroshi and especially Ari, but after seeing Kito's apparent disparagement and guilt after learning of his injuries, Kweli felt that there was at least some sympathetic bone in Kito's body, and for that he was grateful.

The waterhole was almost completely in the distance when he heard the sound of laughing behind him. Kweli turned to see Ari running, full blast, toward the waterhole, giggling wildly, with Hiroshi in tow. He grinned. It looked as if they were having a fantastic time together.

Not wanting to be seen nor to interrupt anything, Kweli loped a bit more quickly out of the picture, back to the den, all the while with a slight grin upon his muzzle. He reached the den finally, entering into the cool shade of the place to find Kito already reclining lazily on the pelts, the other pelts placed methodically around him. Kweli gave him a small nod in acknowledgment. "Do I look alright?" he asked. "Or, better at least?"

He sauntered over to the pelt he presumed to be his own, on the opposite side of the arrangement from Kito. He plopped down heavily, slightly exhausted from his run back. "So," he said when he had finally caught his breath. "Saw Ari and Hiro on the way back. Looked like they were having a good time together."

[KiarasMate]

His purrs becoming gradually louder as he felt Ari gently nuzzling against his cheek and making her way up to one of his ears, which she took into her mouth and nibbled on momentarily, Hiroshi was right about to speak up and tell her how he felt, when Ari’s voice cut in, making the enraptured male glance up at her with a wondrous stare. Rolling onto his side as he heard Ari’s proposition, Hiroshi spoke up questioningly as his hazel eyes followed his golden furred friend’s every movement.

”Oh? And what game would that….” Hiroshi halted in mid sentence as he felt Ari’s light nudge to his cheek and watched the beautiful lioness darting off towards the distant waterhole. Quickly scrambling to his paws, letting out a lighthearted chuckle, Hiroshi called back after her as he gave chase. ”Ari, you cheater! I’m going to get you good!”

Laughing openly as he bounded after his golden furred friend, Hiroshi’s slender body build came in handy as he slowly closed the gap between the two of them, although Ari’s speed was quite difficult to match, even for someone like himself. Eventually catching up to Ari and being in close enough proximity to actually tag her back, Hiroshi gingerly reached out a fore paw and gave Ari’s rear a light tap, as it was the only part of her body he could reach from where he was and barely being able to keep his balance while running on just three legs, Hiroshi settled for whatever he could reach, not really thinking of the implications his actions could have. Noticing Ari’s attention being drawn to him now, Hiroshi slammed on the breaks as he quickly changed directions, choosing to take the path that circled around the perimeter of the waterhole and would eventually lead them back to their den as he called over his shoulder in a playful voice.

”Gotcha Ari! You’re it! See, I don’t need a head start to win in this game.”

Keeping up a blistering fast pace just to try and stay one step ahead of Ari, who seemed to be coming up from behind him at a breakneck pace, Hiroshi knew that it would only be a matter of time before she caught up with him. Thinking quickly, the sneaky male figured that there was only one way to ensure that Ari wouldn’t get the tag in, although it would take precise timing on his part. Keeping one eye focused ahead of him and one upon the golden blur of movement behind him, Hiroshi gradually inched his strides closer to the edge of the water hole, waiting for just the right moment. Spotting Ari now, who was just about to catch up to where he was, Hiroshi grinned mischievously as he suddenly veered off course, taking a powerful leap off the ground, his hind legs acting like springs as they propelled him into the air and directly over the waterhole. Seemingly weightless for a split second, Hiroshi’s body came crashing down into the cool waters with a tremendous splash, sending jets of water every which way as his head broke the surface of the pristine pool. Glancing over to where he was expecting Ari to be, Hiroshi still sported his devious looking grin as he called over to her while paddling his legs to stay afloat.

”Haha! Come on, tag me now Ari!”

==========

Having had enough time to get over his guilty conscience by the time Kweli returned, Kito seemed back to his normal, sarcastic self as he flopped himself down upon his chosen sleeping pelt and glanced over at the smaller male with a lackluster expression. Hearing Kweli’s inquiry, Kito merely shrugged as he replied in a apathetic voice.

”No worse than you normally look Kweli.”

Rolling onto his side, Kito began to relax when he heard Kweli’s comment about spotting both Ari and Hiroshi, prompting the lazy male to sit up as he looked over to where Kweli had situated himself atop the far sleeping pelt. Continuing to play it casual, Kito shrugged as he responded in a nonchalant tone, his facial features showing very little interest in the topic at paw.

”So? Tell me something I don’t know. Lately, that’s all they ever do. It’s nothing new after all. With all the time they spend together, it’s a wonder how they manage to get anything else done.”

Trying not to come off as sounding jealous, even if he was since Hiroshi’s attention had been mainly focused upon Ari for the past few moons, resulting in him and his best friend spending less time together, Kito wasn’t about to give off any hint that this bothered him, especially not to Kweli. Glancing outside the den entrance, noticing that the sky was beginning to fill with the first signs of dusk, Kito chimed in again as he stated in a leisurely manner.

”Looks like it’s almost time to head out to our spot Kweli. What do you think?”

[YFWE]

Ari was not one to brag (unless it was to Kito), but she thought herself a rather quick lioness by most's standards. That said, Hiroshi had always been a quick one as well, and seemed to have no problem with catching up to her. Before long, she felt a light tap on her rear and, throwing her paws out in front of her, skidded to a halt as she threw her head back. Hiroshi had already taken off in another direction, calling wildly at her from over his shoulder.

"Neither do I, as you'll soon find out!" yelled Ari in response as she took off, more determined than ever before to catch him. She laughed wildly as she ran. She was having more fun then than she had in a long time--whoever thought it would come from a cub's game?

They were nearing the waterhole, and Ari was quickly catching up, sprinting along as fast as she could ever remember running. She was gonna catch him, alright. Maybe pin him down again, give him a couple more little suggestive nips on the ear to mess with his mind a little.

Unexpectedly, Hiroshi leaped into the waterhole before her eyes, and Ari jumped back momentarily to avoid the splash of water that lapped onto the ground. As she watched him submerge and then resurface, she climbed up onto an overlooking rock, peering down at him as he called up his taunt to her. Ari attempted to look as dejected as she possibly could, turning and jumping off the rock and beginning to walk away from the waterhole. She then paused, turned back around, and began to run, leaping onto the rock and, much to Hiroshi's surprise, took a running jump into the waterhole herself. She aimed her jump so that she would fly directly over Hiroshi, narrowly missing him as she landed in the water.

While submerged, Ari opened her eyes slightly, squinting to see Hiroshi's paddling form in the water. She reached out a paw and lightly touched his chest, slowly moving it up his body as she resurfaced, tracing it all the way to his muzzle. "Tag," she whispered, resting her paw there and smirking, "I believe you're it."

---------

Kweli could not decide whether he was glad to find Kito back to normal or not; he had actually somewhat grown fond of the lion when he had acted halfway decent. Now that he was back to his sarcastic, condescending self, Kweli knew the abuse would be trickling in once more, but on one paw, he was alright with it. Kito made things interesting the way he usually was.

He was not the least bit surprised at Kito's response to his comment concerning Ari and Hiroshi. He had done it partially for conversational purposes but also due to him wanting to get Kito riled up a bit. He could actually be quite funny when he was angry... except for when he was angry at Kweli, of course. Kweli was much less of a fan of that.

"Just making conversation," muttered Kweli, laying his head on his paws. "Don't think you're not the only one affected, anyway. I rarely see either of them anymore either. Well, Hiroshi at least. Ari'll still talk to me on occasion about stuff. Hiroshi's always busy, it seems, when he's not with Ari, though." Kweli was merely adding fuel to the fire. He did not really care. He knew something was amiss with Kito, though, and hoped that if the lion could tell that the two had the same thoughts about the two lions spending more and more time together, perhaps Kito would let slip to Kweli what exactly his problem was. He assumed it to be the fact that Hiroshi was spending less time with Kito nowadays even though they were supposedly best friends, but Kweli did not want to take assumptions as fact. And so he would wait until he heard it straight from Kito--if that ever happened.

Kweli glanced up at the sky as Kito made his comment about heading to their spot. He had almost forgotten their evening ritual, what with how filled the day had been with action, adventure and head injuries. He nodded to Kito as he rose to all fours. "Yep, looks like it is that time. I suppose they'll want to know how our mission went, eh?" He stretched, yawned and walked outside. Evening had begun to set in, and a cool breeze rustled through the trees. It was promising to be another serene night. He walked off toward the grasslands, pausing once to make sure Kito was behind him.

[KiarasMate]

Doing his best to keep himself buoyant within the waterhole as he kept a keen eye on Ari, knowing that she was never the type to give up easily, Hiroshi was a bit disappointed to see her beginning to make her way off of the rock she had perched herself atop moments ago. Beginning to paddle his way towards the shore however, Hiroshi was taken aback once more as he sighted Ari’s alluring figure flying directly overhead, landing next to him with a noisy splash, causing the startled male to paddle around to face where she had alighted at. Seeing no sign of her, Hiroshi was right about to duck his head under the surface of the clear pool, when he felt something touching him from underneath the water. Shivering from the touch, Hiroshi watched closely as Ari’s saturated body came into focus as she breeched the surface. Hearing her words, Hiroshi couldn’t resist to let out an amused chuckle as his eyes locked upon her adorable face. The way she bobbed in the water and the way the clear beads of water clung to the tips of her whiskers, Hiroshi quickly found himself getting lost in her presence as he managed to squeak out in a low voice.

”That I am Ari.”

Staying glued to her features for a moment, it wasn’t until Hiroshi noticed the bright orange and reddish hues that streaked across the sky above, indicating that dusk was already settling in. Knowing that they now had somewhere they needed to be, Hiroshi reluctantly let his thoughts about Ari diminish for the time being as he gave his head a shake to remove some unwanted water from his ears before stating in a soft tone.

”Well, I had a wonderful day with you today Ari and even though things didn’t go quite as perfectly as I would have hoped, I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to a day spent with my favorite lioness. We should probably head out though, since I bet Kweli and Kito are waiting for us at our spot, that is, if Kweli hasn’t killed Kito by now.”

Chuckling once more, Hiroshi turned around and prepared himself to paddle towards the bank of the waterhole, suddenly feeling one last playful urge that coursed through his body, resulting in him turning around and lightly placing one of his fore paws atop Ari’s head as he gently pushed her under the water in a harmless fashion before swimming off and giving her a few departing splashes as he called back to her in a triumphant voice.

”Oh, and tag, you’re it again Ari!”

Pulling his body out from the waterhole, his fur being weighed down by the sheer volume of water that was trapped in it, Hiroshi tried his best to bound off after giving his soaked pelt a heavy shake. It proved to be quite difficult however as his wet paws didn’t find the traction they needed, causing the unbalanced male to skid along rather awkwardly. Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to outrun Ari in this state, Hiroshi slowed his pace to ensure he wouldn’t perform an unsavory face plant into the grass, glancing back over his shoulder as he grinned widely while waiting for Ari to catch up.

==========

Listening to what Kweli had stated, Kito knew that he wasn’t the only one who had noticed the change between their two friends however, seeing how late it already had become, he figured that himself and Kweli should get a move on, opting to continue the conversation along the way. Rising to his paws, Kito trailed after Kweli and caught up to him a few paces outside the den. Keeping a leisurely pace, Kito melded over what Kweli had stated previously before he spoke up in a thoughtful tone, making sure not to sound too interested in what was really going on.

”Yeah, I guess even you’ve noticed too, huh Kweli? Well, don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great that Hiro and Ari finally grew this close together. I always teased Hiro about liking her when we were cubs and it seems like my prediction is slowly coming true. He’s really stubborn though and probably won’t tell her that he likes her. It’s blatantly clear though, isn’t it?”

Recalling what Kweli had stated about Hiroshi and Ari wanting to know about their little adventure today, Kito couldn’t help but to cringe slightly. There were a few details that he had either failed to mention to Kweli or that he had purposefully stretched the truth of, one being the fact that the so called secret entrance to Pride Rock wasn’t exactly a secret. It was well known amongst the pride lionesses and had even been crafted by them as a means of escape. Now that he thought more deeply into this matter, it probably had been one of the pride lionesses who had closed off the entrance, resulting in Kweli’s little run in with the wall. Even Ari herself might already know about the entrance even though Kito had stated that only himself and Hiroshi knew about it, but this was just to make things more interesting and perhaps, to make himself look a bit more knowledgeable than he actually was. Either way, Kito had a feeling that the truth would eventually come out and not being the type to admit openly to his faults, Kito decided to try and sway Kweli’s decision on revealing the entire days events, addressing his friend once again in a seemingly innocent voice.

”You know, if Ari and Hiro do ask about our little undertaking today, how about we just play it cool and act as though it was no big deal. You know the greatest minds never give away their secrets after all and they really don’t need to know the little details about how we got the pelts, since Hiro already could probably guess that and Ari, well she probably won’t give a damn either way, since she’ll probably get all motherly on us for stealing, and how it’s wrong, and how we might get caught, and yada yada yada. What do you think Kweli?”

By this point, both Kweli and Kito had reached the four friends usual spot and not a moment too soon as the last specs of dusk were beginning to transform into a beautiful looking night sky. Finding a comfortable spot, Kito rolled onto his back, gazing up at the sky above as he waited for a response from Kweli, all the while, his mind focused solely on Hiroshi and Ari, wondering just what they had done today and why he wasn’t allowed to tag along like he normally was.