Zuka Zama Part II: The Scourge of Kopa | The Lion Guard

36. Undeserved Love

Nuka stayed just where he was left. He watched his mother and sister leave without him. The words his own mother said to him still repeated in his head. The cuts along his face still stung, but he didn't ignore the pain. He began to consider the possibility that he might deserve it. Maybe he was a failure and a disappointment to the rest of his family. He looked out to the battlefield and saw all the conflict that was happening below. He saw Zira and Vitani attempting to fight off the Pridelanders and he saw that they were in trouble, but he did nothing to help. He figured that they would be better off if he just stayed out of it. 

His ear flicked, hearing someone approaching. He turned around to see it was none other than Kovu. 

"Oh, it's you", Nuka growled scornfully, once again forced to look at the beloved lion. "What do you want? You got something to say, too?"

Kovu made an audible noise of confusion, but continued towards his brother. "I just wanted to..."

"To what!?", Nuka bared his fangs at the further advancing lion. What does he want now? Doesn't he have everything now? Some pretty little lioness and becoming all buddy-buddy with the king? What, did he come here to rub it all in?, the manged lion thought scornfully. 

Kovu flinched at Nuka's quick movement, fearing that he would be attacked. He looked at Nuka's face up close. "Nuka.... Your face...", Kovu said with a caring tone that made Nuka flinch as well. He turned away from Kovu and mumbled out the first thing he could think of. "It's nothing..". 

"Nuka, I...", Kovu started. 

"I don't wanna hear it!", Nuka interrupted. "What are you even doing here, anyway? Don't you have to some other lion to turn your back on?"

"But, I never turned my back on you", Kovu shook his head and tried to walk around Nuka, attempting to talk with him face-to-face. But Nuka continued to turn away from him and Kovu just gave a sigh and stood where he was. 

"Yes you did. You turned your back on mother, Vitani and me", Nuka argued. 

"I found Kiara and I had to make a choice between her and...", Kovu tried to explain. 

"And you chose her. You chose some pretty little princess over your own family. Everything we... Everything mother's done for you and you just turned your back on it all", Nuka scowled. 

"Mother raised me and the rest of us to fight. To kill. I've come to realize that. And I don't have to do that, and you don't either", Kovu offered. Nuka's ear flicked in frustration and his tail flailed from side to side. 

"You just don't get it do you!?", Nuka roared at Kovu, now facing him with full fury on his face. "It's just not fair! It's not fair that you can just leave and live some kind of happily ever after!" 

Kovu had nothing to stay, still stunned from the sudden burst of anger from the other lion. 

"I just don't get it! All my life I did what ever mother wanted me to! But no matter what I do, it was never good enough! But then you came along. Suddenly you were some kind of chosen one. It didn't matter what you did. Even if you messed it up everyone praised your name like you were some kind of hero! After that it didn't matter what I did. Mother began to compare you to me! I'm the oldest, but none of that even matters anymore. No matter what I do, I'll always be some kind of shadow! I could bring Mother the king myself and she would still find a way to fawn over you, even after you betrayed her!", Nuka ended his rant in a panting fit.

"Nuka, I.... I never tried or wanted to be better than you. In fact, I still think of you as my older brother. I always looked up to you", Kovu said earnestly. "I don't know if it'll mean anything, but I'm sorry."

"You're right. It doesn't mean anything", Nuka sighed. He continued to face Kovu; and Kovu got to take another look at the wounds slashed into Nuka's face. 

"She did that didn't she?", Kovu said with sympathy that made Nuka's blood boil. 

"Shut up!", Nuka snarled swiping his claws at Kovu. Kovu jumped back out of the way. The two actions were repeated for a while. For every time Nuka tried to attack Kovu would simply hop out of the way. 

"Stop jumping around! Fight like a real lion, ya little termite!", Nuka taunted. Kovu shook his head and continued dodging hits. 

"Nuka, please. I didn't come here to fight you!", Kovu pleaded. 

"If you didn't come to fight then what? You came here to gloat? Make me feel even worse?! Why else would you even come all the way up here?!", Nuka demanded. 

"Because you're my brother and I love you!", Kovu stopped jumping out of the way and stood in the way of Nuka's claws. Upon hearing those words Nuka was thrown off, tripping on his own paws and skidding in the dirt. 

"Nuka. Are you alright?", Kovu asked, standing over his brother. He half expected Nuka to try and attack him once again. But he didn't, he just continued to lay there in the dirt. Kovu leaned in closer and began to hear faint sounds. Within a few seconds the sounds registered in his mind. They were the sounds of grumbles and faint murmurs.

"Nuka?", Kopa asked once again. The older lion looked back at Kovu with eyes that were a bit misty. He slowly stood up and looked away from Kovu. 

"Why...?", Nuka sniffled once again. 

"Why what?", Kovu asked. 

"Why are you acting all...?", he asked with bitterness in his voice. "What's even the point anymore?" 

Kovu walked alongside Nuka and placed his paw on his brother's shoulder. "Nuka, I came up here to see. I just wanted to say that... You should be able to do whatever you want to."

Nuka looked up at Kovu with a conflicted look. "Kovu... I can't just leave them. But..". He looked away once again. He really had no idea what he should do. He couldn't just up and leave the other Outland lions but, with him still feeling the pain from his injuries, he would not side with his mother anymore. 

"Just think about it, okay?", Kovu sighed and turned to leave. He left Kiara alone on the battlefield, he knew that she would be okay, and he knew she would have something to say about it. 

That left Nuka alone with a mind full of questions as to what he should do now. He had no answers to any of them so there he stayed, sitting there as he had before.