Simba's Brother Apollo: Lion King

Upendi

Yue's POV

Ray and I are lay on a cliff edge looking up at the stars. "Remember the stars I showed you?" he asks me.

"Of course I do, there's the rabbit" I say gesturing to it with my paw. "Do you remember the one I pointed out?" I ask him.

"The snake" he says looking up at it.

"Then over there are the two lions fighting" I state.

"Maybe we can come up with some new images?" he suggests.

"Sure" I say with a smile. We look at the stars in silence trying to find new patterns. "Look, a bird" I state nodding to it.

"It has a long neck, maybe a crane" he suggests. I smile nodding. "Look, a scorpion" he says pointing at a new image with his paw. We continue to star gaze until we hear someone laughing. We look up and duck as Rafiki swings past. Kiara and Kovu round a corner, they nearly run into us. "What are you two doing here?" Ray asks as we get to our feet.

"We were following Rafiki" Kaira states.

"Then lets go, he went this way" I tell them. Curious by what Rafiki wanted to show them. We take off running after the still laughing Rafiki. We come to a halt when we see a jungle with a waterfall.

"Where's he taking us?" Kovu asks confused.

"Go to a special place in your heart" Rafiki says from above. He hangs down and angles Kovu's and Kiara's heads toward one another. "Called, Upendi" he says as he makes their noses touch. I catch Ray's eyes and look away bashfully.

I don't know how, but we suddenly ended up on giant leaves floating down a stream. Ray and I on one, Kiara on the other with Kovu. Rafiki is on their leaf steering it. I see a crescent moon out tonight and smile. It always makes the sky look like it's smiling.

"There's a place where the crazy moon makes the monkeys sing and the baboons swoon. And the sultry scent of the lotus bloom will carry you away" Rafiki sings. As he has us each smell  a flower. Kovu sneezes when he smells it, sending the petals everywhere. Kiara, Ray and I laugh.

Rafiki then points to several hippos, who are hanging from jungle vines. I wonder how they support the hippos weight? "While the hippos swing from the jungle vines and the rhinos rumba in a conga line" he sings as I notice the conga line knock into a flock of flamingos. Stars appear over their heads as they lay on the ground.

"As the stars come out to play, poof!" Rafiki says. Grabbing the stars and tossing them into the sky. As I notice couples dancing on an open area by the water. "In Upendi!" he sings with the other animals. Rafiki catches two fruits in hand as two head my and Ray's way. We catch one each and eat them happily.

"Where the passion fruit grows sweet" he sings offering Kiara one. She eats it happily. Rafiki offers the other fruit to Kovu, who holds up a paw in refusal. "And it's so divine that you lose your mind as it sweeps you off your feet" he sings tossing the fruit away. "In Upendi" he sings with the animals again. We slide down a small waterfall and Ray gets splashed. I lick the moisture off of his cheek. He smiles at me and I lean into his side sighing in content as Rafiki continues to sing.

"Without a worry or a care. It just takes two to make it true. Your heart will lead you there" he sings.

"Where is it?" Kiara and I ask him.

"No place you don't take with you" he tells us and we laugh. Suddenly the leaves we're on fall over a waterfall, leading us to free fall.

"You better watch your step 'cause the path is steep. Better hold your breath 'cause the water's deep. It's a long way down over lovers' leap, but falling's half the fun!" he sings as we land safely on our leaves again. We're all laughing. "In Upendi" he sings with the animals. Fruits begin to fall around us.

I notice Kovu chocking on one. Until Kiara licked his cheek and he swallowed it. He smiles and I giggle, he is clearly smitten with my cousin. And her him. But what about Ray and I? I tune back into Rafiki's singing as butterflies fly over us.

"Without a worry or a care. It just takes two to make it true" Rafiki sings. Suddenly my nose and touching Ray's. I look away bashfully as Rafiki leapt away. Cheeky monkey. "Your heart will take you there" he sings as he joins a conga line.

"You can beat the bush like there's no tomorrow, from Tanganyika to Kilimanjaro, but you'll find Upendi wherever you are. Oh, underneath the sun" Rafiki sings.

"Upendi. It means love, doesn't it?" Kiara asks us.

"I think so" Ray says and nuzzles me. I smile surprised, but rest my head on his mane. As we all continue down stream on our leaves.

"Welcome to Upendi!" Rafiki sings. A waterspout lifts both our leaves into the air. Below us, several animals dance by in a conga line. "In Upendi" he sings with the animals. He continues to sing as he hands couples a fruit each. Before they jump in the river letting the current take them away.

"You with me?" I ask Ray.

"I'll follow you anywhere" he tells me. I smile and jump into the water below. I swim to sure and join the conga line with him. I see Kiara and Kovu join behind him.

"Without a worry or a care.It just takes two to make it true. Your heart will take you there" Rafiki sings. As Ray and I go over a cliff at the end of the small river, but a heart-shaped parachute sprouts from our backs. Causing us to float safely to the ground below.

(Time skip)

We're all walking back to pride rock laughing. "In Upendi" Kovu sings. As we start to ascend pride rock.

"In Upendi" Ray sings. We reach the den entrance. Ray and I go inside. Leaving Kiara to say goodnight to Kovu alone. Ray and I find a spot away from the prides. We lay side by side and he licks my forehead and nuzzles me purring. "Good night, Yue" he says. Before resting his head on his front paws.

"Sweet dreams, Ray" I say and use his mane as a pillow. I soon fall into a dreamless sleep. As Kiara enters the den and joins her mother. The last thing I see is Uncle Simba invite Kovu into the den to sleep.

A/N

Video above of Upendi.