Guardians

by SquipyCheetah

Rating: mature
Tags: Random, Slice of Life, Dark, Alternate Universe, Romance, Drama
Length: 5215

Kion and Kiara deal with their feelings and those around them.

Kion, leader of the Lion Guard, finds himself in over his head upon realizing his conflicting feelings for his former enemy and his adopted brother. Good thing he has a great group of friends. Now if only his family was as accepting.

Meanwhile, Kiara struggles to prove her maturity and to get Zazu to open more up to her. However, her growing feelings for him don't seem to be helping her in any way at all. Good thing she has such understanding friends and brother. And her family, they are a totally different story.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2016-04-07 20:47:48 UTC

Trust Is The Key

'Kiara proves to Zazu just how much she loves him'

He had just been watching the horizon when he felt teeth clamp onto the feathers on the back of his neck. Before he could even begin to register it, he was being lifted up off the ground and whoever did so began to run off in an unforeseen direction.

The small stature and uneven pawsteps made him easily recognize his captor and he couldn't help but to narrow his eyes and glare up at her, her grip on him oddly strong enough to ensure he couldn't escape but not enough to actually hurt him. He couldn't see her face but just by the way her run shifted slightly, he knew she had glanced down at him.

Normally, he would have at least tried to get free but knowing Kiara, she wouldn't let up. Just like her father had been as a cub. Giving into her kidnapping of him, he closed his eyes and almost instantly felt the cub's speed pick up, her newfound Eternal speed being used to her aid. And just when he wasn't looking too.

Within a few minutes, Zazu felt the lion cub stop and gently drop him to the the ground of the African savannah. And within that second, felt a sense of magic being sprung around them. Opening his eyes, he looked up to see Kiara sitting in front of him, her ruby red eyes staring down at him with a fond smile adorning her face.

Zazu glanced around and noticed the familiar magic of a sound and sight proof spell, one he had not even attempted to master since becoming an Eternal. But Kiara had been trying to perfect it recently. Why though, he had not pressed her. But now, he couldn't help as to feel a slight sense of uncomfortable worry as he noticed just how perfect the spell was and just how close the princess was to him.

The hornbill snapped out of his thoughts when he felt the cub's tongue gently drag across the top of his feathery head, gradually moving to licking across his face. She had done this ever since that fateful day when he was sick and Kiara had stayed with him to keep him company. It was also when she had barely refused to let him out of her sights and when she had grown both protective and almost sisterly to him.

Kiara continued down to the base of Zazu's neck, licking the well-concealed scar from his past. He would've flinched had it been anyone else but the princess, but she knew what she was doing, knew how sensitive said scar was and just how much pressure to give the certain spot.

In the process of her affectionate actions, Kiara had slid down to her stomach, her front legs settling around the hornbill who simply shifted the slightest bit closer to her. She knew he didn't want her to notice him enjoying this so much, but she couldn't help it. Ceasing her licking briefly, she gently nuzzled the side of his little head.

Zazu groaned softly in embarrassment, trying but failing to hide the slight blush creeping onto his face. Kiara giggled softly, going back to licking the scar as she remembered just why she was doing this in the first place.

Kiara kept moving downwards, inching closer and closer to a level she was nervous to reach but knew she had to in order to show the hornbill just how much she felt about him. His eyes were still closed, a small, content smile on his face as he moved ever so closer to her, her paws wrapping further around his body, knowingly trapping him. He didn't even notice, too caught up in the lion cub's affections.

Nervousness grew inside Kiara's chest as she eyed the spot she was aiming for, the object of her affections completely oblivious of her advances, too content reveling in the nice feeling of being taken care of to notice.

The princess took a moment to reflect on just why she was doing this, just why she felt so strongly for her father's majordomo. But hopefully, he wouldn't be that anymore by the time she showed him just how much he meant to her.

That irritable but loyal air he had to him as well as his sarcastic comments that never failed to make her laugh. His need to please and selfless nature, that put everyone and everything before himself.

It was exactly why he insisted to continue going when he had grown almost too sick to move. He had been terrified of being replaced. She had always tried to tell him he wasn't useless when not doing his duties. He had said he understood but she could tell he was lying. And it hurt her more than she cared to admit.

When he had been sick, Kiara had stayed by his side, Zazu having told her time and time again to go play and to leave him alone. She had refused and afterwards, she had grown more and more fond of the hornbill, to the point where she would notice him staying closer to her than before.

He had trusted her enough later to tell her what that monster Scar had done to him, why what she was planning to do now was so important. The last and only time he had been in such a situation had been so emotionally and physically painful, he had half hated himself for even still being alive. It was why every time he came even close to something happening, he would come up with an excuse and fly away.

Although she hated to trap him like this, it was the only way to ensure he couldn't avoid this anymore. She loved him too much to allow him to wallow in his own shame and fear for that much longer.

A sudden air of courage coursing through her, Kiara dragged her tongue down and flicked it in between his legs, catching her target with a slight touch. She almost hoped he didn't feel it. But the hitched breath and the way Zazu hopped backwards, or at least tried to, made her pull back and stare back down at him. The sight literally broke her heart.

He stared up at her with wide, terrified eyes, breaths coming in jagged and uneven amounts. The hornbill started to shake slightly, almost unnoticeable but Kiara had grown to notice such little movements in him.

She attempted to nuzzle the side of his head, but he flinched. He hoped it was just an accident but the look on the lion cub's face showed him just what he was fearing. She knew what she was doing and she had planned this.

It was clear he was about to panic, for he knew he was trapped with someone he cared about but was terrified of history repeating itself. The scar on his neck was the lasting reminder of his ordeal and only this cub knew of what happened and knew of the scar hidden beneath his feathers.

But Kiara was not going to let him lose it. And she was not going to use her magic either. She was not going to restrain him. Tilting her head, she pulled the hornbill closer to her, and nuzzled him, ignoring the startled flinch from him. He was frozen to the spot and no amount of gentle coaxing was going to get him to positively react.

Sighing softly, Kiara spoke, still holding him closer to her, noticing with worry that Zazu's tail was dragging along the ground. "I know. I know. You're afraid I'll hurt you and I promise I won't do anything to hurt you on purpose. I've already told you that. But you don't believe me"

She felt him begin to open his beak slightly, as if about to say something but Kiara quickly continued. "You don't. And you also don't believe me when I say you're not useless when you're not doing something important. You don't want to be replaced and you don't want to be hurt like that... fucker, Scar did to you. He never liked you Zazu, and you've been hurt by so many that you thought cared for you. Yes, even my father"

She paused upon feeling the hornbill unfurl his wings and hug her back gently, his feathers wrapping over her fur and the sickening sound of the shaking of breath as he breathed deeply in an attempt to control the tears threatening his deep green eyes. Kiara felt bad for making him cry, but at least he trusted her enough to hug her back.

"None of them understand what you've been through. None of them know what you've been through. But I thank you for trusting me enough to tell me all of that" Kiara paused, feeling tears leak onto her shoulders' fur and the grip around her tightened slightly. She continued, "And yes, I did plan this and I'm sorry I hid it from you but I need to show you how much I trust and... love you. I need you to know how much you mean to me"

By this point, Zazu had finally let himself go, tears falling easily from his eyes. In the midst of having reduced him to tears, Kiara couldn't help but to allow small tears of her own to spill down her face. She wrapped her paws further around the object of her affections, one paw moving up to gently pet the back of his head, feeling the just sheer relief of someone finally showing him that he was understood and he was truly loved.

He was trying so hard to hide the fact that he had completely lost it. He was known for keeping his composure but now... Now, he couldn't help it. To know that someone he had grown to care about more than anyone else actually loved him was already enough to reduce him to a crying mess. And the way she just held him to her with no intention to push him away and hurt him further... It was when he simply couldn't hold himself together anymore.

Clinging onto Kiara, he openly let his emotions go, letting her protectively wrap herself around him, shielding him further from the outside world. The more he felt her fur connect with his feathers, the more Zazu felt safer and the warmth radiating from both her body and her aura comforted him beyond anything else.

His wracking sobs broke Kiara's heart. In a way, she felt terrible for making her love cry but in another, more stronger way, she knew it was necessary. She just couldn't let him wallow in his state of internal pain anymore. She knew how this situation could go wrong in so many ways but she still did it anyways. And having Zazu in her arms, hugging her, crying his eyes out, and the smallest hint of a smile on his face was enough for her.

Respect Thy Enemy

'Janja heals a hurt Ono and reveals a well-kept secret'

Overprotective Brother

'Kion resorts to drastic measures to ensure Ono's safety'

A bird's defense against oncoming danger that couldn't be flown away from was the lifting of one or both wings and shielding oneself.  It was what Ono did rarely, never feeling in such danger to do so. But just a few seconds before, he had pulled a wing up to shield himself from an oncoming stone, thrown by a pair of playing serval cubs. Ono knew they didn't mean for the rock to hurl towards him but the fact that it did was not something to be proved wrong.

He had prepared to defend himself one second and the next, he heard the low growl of a clearly angry feline. Half-fearing it was the serval cubs, he attempted to peek an eye open, only to have his view shrouded by the source of the sound. His adoptive brother, Kion had growled, something he never did and had used one unsheathed paw to gently shove Ono underneath him, the egret's frills brushing against the lion cub's underbelly fur.

Stunned silent by the sudden aggressive nature of the normally composed leader of the Lion Guard, Ono lost his ability to think clearly. He knowingly lowered his wing to his side, yet unknowingly holding his beak open, his aqua eyes blinking repeatedly in his trying to understand the current situation.

He could barely think clearly and so simply focused on the body language of his adoptive brother. His fur was on end, his claws unsheathed and dug into the ground, and his tail was lashing wildly behind him. A sickening growl echoed out of Kion's throat, startling Ono into ducking his head and taking the smallest of steps back.

Fear overtaking a part of his mind, Ono attempted to speak, the fact that he stuttered only added to his growing fear. "K-Kion, what's wr-wrong?" His voice was soft and he half hoped Kion wouldn't hear him but he did. Of course he did.

"Be quiet Ono" Kion had answered, his voice an almost snarl, though Ono noted that the clear anger in his voice wasn't directed at him. Or rather, not at what he had said.

The emphasis on the word quiet made the egret shut his beak and for him to duck his head down further, his eyes falling to the ground as he struggled to concentrate on why Kion flat out refused to answer his question. Kion never did that either.

"Mr Kion, we're so, so sorry!" The sound of one of the serval cubs snapped Ono out of his thoughts, his aqua blue eyes lifting up to glance at the two beginning to bound over to them, or rather, Kion.

The moment they started approaching them, Ono felt Kion tense, a growl shakingly escaping his throat as he crouched lower to ground. But Ono noticed how he inched his back legs closer to the bird below him, as if protecting him from the outside world. And the more Ono thought about that, the more sense it made to him.

And yet before any thought could process, his mind was cut short when the moment the two cubs were in reach of them, Kion lashed a paw out, swiping the female cub against the head, claws unsheathed and everything. The claws raked against her head, causing her to cry out and fall ruggedly to the floor. Her brother cried out and raced towards her but they were both enveloped by a powerful magical forcefield.

Ono was helpless to stop it as he stared at the scene, stepping back unconsciously to the protective presence of his adoptive brother. The small step back caused Kion to paush in his assault but only for a split second before he continued on.

Eyes narrowed in determined rage, the lion cub magically hurled the two cubs into the ground. They cried out in pain before it was silenced by the immediate continuation of their suffering. They were thrown to the ground so many times that they slowly died, but not without a waterfall of blood showering their attacker.

Only when the cubs cries ceased and their guts and brains spewed out into the ground did Kion stop. He panted raggedly before freezing completely, horror and fear of himself overtaking him.

This lack of movement gave Ono the time to process just how much had just happened in only a few seconds. Stunned silence led to confusion of the situation and the strong scent of blood on the air nearly drove him to listening to his bird instincts and flying away. But he had betrayed his own kind many times before. He lived with lions and magical creatures for the gods' sakes.

But the fact he felt no fear towards his best friend confused him to no end. But so did the reason Kion had acted so aggressively towards the two. Ono had no idea he was even here before the two serval cubs had accidentally hurled that rock towards him. Where had he come from? And why had he-

The egret paused his thoughts, gathering them together before taking the smallest steps forward, his frills brushing against Kion's belly fur.  Gulping, he searched for his voice, trying his hardest to keep it steady as he spoke.

"K-Kion? Are you al-alright?" Of course he wasn't. But he just needed to ask.

His voice seemed to snap Kion out of his trance for he almost instantly gasped and jumped backwards. Blood dripped from his fur, the irony scent clinging to him and one blink of the keenest of sight and the cub's aura read guilt. So much guilt.

Worry etched itself into Ono's face as he tried to step back towards his best friend, who had hopped away from him. The movement caused Kion to screw his eyes shut and almost instantly collapse to a heap on the floor. He buried his face in his blood soaked paws, tears flowing down his face in guilty, self-hating sobs.

The sight broke Ono's heart. Kion was in the wrong but he was so guilty. He regretted it so much but it was already done and honestly, Ono would prefer Kion to be there than those two cubs. Dead or alive.

Knowing his words would only make things worse, the egret stepped lightly to Kion's side to where the quiet sobs could be heard. There goes the rest of Ono's heart. Unfurling one wing, he gently touched Kion's paw to which the lion cub flinched. To his flinch, Ono did the same but he allowed himself to go to the floor as well, bringing his wing back to his side and nuzzling his head against Kion's.

Kion attempted to pull away but the gentle touch of his friend comforted him, causing him to inch closer to the bird. The fact that Ono was now getting drenched in the blood on Kion's fur didn't matter to him. All he cared about at the moment was Kion.

After what felt like an eternity, Kion slowly peeked his eyes open to the blurry form of his best friend. Turning on his aura vision, his guilt grew as he saw the worried aura encasing the egret.

To Please Your Brother

'When Ono is in heat, he ignores it. That is, until Kion decides to fix that little problem'

Kion was no fool. He could smell the strong scent of heat rising from his adopted brother. The eagret sat a few feet away from him, too busy messing with his feathers to notice the lion cub's eyes on him. And had he known, he might've been frightened.

Or should've. Kion had a feeling that Ono would probably just look at him with those aqua blue eyes with nothing but worry. Ever since the... incident, that was what Kion feared the most. He was terrified of scaring the keenest of sight.

But this, scent on him was driving Kion crazy. Janja had already helped him with his own heat but Ono was resisting it. Probably either ignoring it or waiting for the right moment to slip off and relieve himself with another bird of his kind.

But that would never happen. The other egrets were terrified of the smart bird who had always preferred to hang out with predators and even going so far as to get adopted by one. No, no other bird would dare to go near him.

But the fact that maybe he could caused the smallest of growls to build up in his throat. Biting his tongue, Kion shook his head, trying to force such dark thoughts from his mind as he pictured himself crushing his teeth into the neck of another bird even being in the same place as his brother.

Blood, so much blood. And the worry on Ono's face would be replaced with fear. So much fear...

Screwing his eyes shut, Kion tried to force the images from his mind all while trying to ignore the scent of the egret's heat. He couldn't help but to dig his claws into the ground, his body adopting a small shake of limited self control.

Maybe he was like that for a few seconds or a few hours but he was suddenly snapped back to reality by the gentle brush of a feathered wing across his paw. Snapping his eyes open, Kion met the worried eyes of said bird, his head tilted slightly to the side with confusion. Adorable.

"Are you alright, Kion?" It was a simple question but one that held so much meaning. He would always ask that calmly and steadily, never with any negative emotion. It was one of the many things he loved about his adopted brother.

Sighing softly, the tension dripping out of Kion's body. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I was just..." He paused, thinking quickly to come up with an excuse that wasn't the truth. "I was just thinking about the... incident"

Well, that wasn't a lie. He had been thinking about that. But not entirely. Forcing a small smile, Kion watched almost nervously as Ono flickered from non-believing to accepting in the matter of seconds.

"Oh, is my presence causing that?" He asked, looking to the ground. But before Kion could answer, Ono had hopped backwards and began to walk himself away from him, all the while murmuring, "Maybe I should just leave you alone while I go take care of somethi-"

He didn't get to finish before he was silenced by the lightning quick reflexes of Kion's paw coming out and pinning his tail to the ground, claws digging in and all. Ono did not flinch, but he did look back at Kion, confusion swimming in his vision.

"Kion, what-" Ono tried again but he was once again cut off when a magical force enveloped his body and nearly yanked him off of the floor. He was deposited next to Kion where the lion cub had since stood up. His eyes were narrowed determinedly as he took one look at Ono and hooked his teeth onto his tail.

Flung upside down, Ono was helpless to help himself as he was once more stunned into silence. He tried to look upwards at Kion but the moment he tried to, his adopted brother began to walk stubbornly to the back of the lair, a sound and sight proof barrier beginning to form around them.

Unfurling his wings, Ono didn't attempt to get free, just extending them to help him attempt to meet Kion's gaze. It didn't work and he simply fell back to dangling from the jaws of his best friend.

Any other egret would be panicking now, believing that they were being brought somewhere to become this lion's next meal but Ono wasn't afraid. Just confused and a little bit worried. He knew Kion wouldn't try to hurt him, no, never. But then, what was the problem?

His thoughts were cut short once they were in a secluded part of the lair, and the barrier around them would ensure they wouldn't be disturbed. Kion dropped him, using his magic to momentarily rotate him to his feet.

Steadying himself, Ono looked up at Kion, his blue eyes narrowing in focused confusion. "Kion, now I know something is bothering you. There is no reason why you would put up that barrier as well as bring me back here yourself if there wasn't something wrong. So please, just tell me what is making you act so oddly. I want to help you but I can't if you don't tell me"

To add emphasis, Ono stamped one foot lightly on the ground, shifting his body closer to Kion, unknowingly causing the scent of his heat to intensify.

Kion froze, the scent sparking an instinct inside of him. He swallowed hard before he spoke, his voice struggling to remain steady.

"Please don't hate me for this but... You're in heat, Ono and you haven't taken care of it. I know Janja already helped me with mine but..." A growl shook the lion cub's body as he continued. "But the thought of you being relieved by someone not in the guard, someone that isn't, well, me, it just... It just makes me fear the safety of whoever would try to get close to you. I think you can understand why I'm afraid of my instincts"

Ono knew why but the fact that this was all because of his own heat, the same one he had been ignoring for a few days now. He should've known Kion's heightened senses would've picked up on his smell.

Thinking quietly to himself, he started to put what he was said to cause this situation and where they were now. Looking back up from the floor, Ono quietly questioned his mind, "So when I was saying I had to go take care of something, you thought...?"

Kion nodded solemnly, leaning downwards in order to nuzzle into the side of Ono's head apologetically. Ono returned the kind gesture, shutting his eyes contently.

But considering the situation, Ono should have seen the signs. He shouldn't have put his guard down. Almost the second he closed his eyes, he felt himself get teleported onto his back and when he snapped his eyes open, he was shocked to find Kion crouching above him, a genuine smile on his face as he gazed down at the exposed underside of his best friend.

"Ki-Kion, what are you doing?" Ono nervously asked, unfurling his wings in a failed attempt to shield himself. Kion laughed softly to himself seeing Ono not try and pull away but instead trying to hide the fact that he was blushing madly underneath his adopted brother.

"What does it look like?" Kion asked playfully, placing a paw on Ono's tail and pulling it down, further exposing the glistening heat of the egret. The bird let out a surprised sound, pulling his wings further in front of him, colour rushing to his creamy white face feathers. "I'm going to relieve your suffering"

"S-Suffering? I'm not suffering..." Ono stuttered quietly, watching through a crack in his feathers as Kion inched closer and closer to him.

Kion smirked slightly, nosing the feathers protecting Ono's heat and flicking his tongue once against it. The results from one little touch set the lion cub's fur on end.

Ono let out a strangled moan, his wings tucking even closer to his face, mortified of the noise that had just escaped him. Kion moved closer to him though, trying to get a better angle to which Ono lifted his legs up to his body, unconsciously giving Kion more room to work. The leader of the lion guard almost wanted to praise him for his willingness but he held it back. Maybe later.

But that didn't mean that he wouldn't tease him. "If you weren't suffering, you wouldn't have made that perfect sound" Ono blushed harder at his words but Kion couldn't physically see it yet, not when Ono was trying so hard to hide himself. "Oh come on buddy, put your wings down and let me see how much you want this, how much you need this" Kion knew he was being cruel but not doing so would've been worse of his own part. No, he needed to see Ono's reaction to this. He just had to.

After a brief moment of nothing from his adopted brother's part, Ono shakingly lowered his wings to his sides, leaving them unfurled but on end. They weren't like that because of fear, Kion knew, but because of arousal. And the sight of a flustered Ono beneath the prince sent his heart into a frenzy. Thoughts of his and Janja's conversation echoed in his mind as he leaned forwards, swiping his tongue down the side of Ono's small head in a comforting gesture.

"There you go. Now, just look at you, look at how much you're loving this already. And this is your first time no less" To that, Ono froze, his eyes widening and his heart beating out of his chest.

"I-I-" He tried to explain himself but Kion hushed him silent. He didn't need to explain himself.

"Ono, whether you did this hundred times, I wouldn't care. You were neglecting your own body and you expected me not to take care of it?" Kion questioned playfully with a lash of his tail. "Besides, after talking to my sister about a bird's heat, it's not like I was going to put that knowledge to no use"

Ono gaped at Kion as his words processed. He-He talked to Kiara about a bird's heat and just so happened to have put them in this situation? No, he had planned this. Tilting his head back so that his frills brushed against the cushioned ground, Ono sighed. "By the gods'. You-You planned this. You knew what you were getting into..."

The trail off caused Kion to begin to worry. Laying down on his stomach, he pushed his paws underneath Ono's wings, cushioning them from the ground. The lion cub pressed his nose against the rising heat of his best friend, speaking softly so as to not breath onto said heat.

"Is that alright with you?"

Ono hesitated before lifting his head to look back up at Kion, his aqua blue eyes lidded with pleasure and gratitude, a small smile adorning his face. "Well, considering all the instincts I have resisted already in my life, I am perfectly fine with this" The egret kicked the air lazily as he allowed his head to tilt back to the ground. "Ple-Please, proceed" he breathed out, his voice an almost plea.

Kion smiled to himself, understanding what Ono was asking of him, and just what that meant for them. Ono was craving his and only his touch and only he could relieve him of his tension. He had resisted every instinct of an egret and had been hurt badly because of it but it was all worth it in the end in order to have what he had now.

Feeling a part of his heart and mind open up, he looked down at his adopted brother's form beneath him and knew instantly what Ono's plea and submission was saying. He belonged to Kion and no one else. His body, mind, heart, and soul had chosen him and no one else to belong to. This thought warmed Kion up enough to make him first real move.

With an almost devious smirk, he slithered his tongue into Ono's heat, the taste flooding his mouth and the delicious moans of his second mate filling his heart.

Chosen Family

'After Simba nearly kills him, Ono warns Kion and the rest of the Guard about Simba's madness and Janja's danger. When confronted, Kion has to choose his blood family or those he loves the most'

Not Without Love

'Kiara reards Zazu after he finally says that he loves her'

Three Are Better Than Two

After agreeing to a three-way relationship with Kion and Janja, Ono finds himself once more on his back with a should be predator above him. Except this time, it's Janja.