Scar took a deep breath as he beheld the endless savannah which stretched out before him. All over the Pridelands tufts of green grass were once again sprouting from the earth as the first flowers bloomed. It was astonishing to think how much verdant life had been hidden within those withered plants and blackened trees. It was becoming harder and harder to remember how bleak everything had looked, back then.

"Are you sure about this, uncle Scar? I could probably convince mum to give you another chance. I mean, she's still pretty angry with you, but I don't think she'd say no to me if I really asked her."

Scar turned and gave his nephew a wry smile. Every day the lad seemed to grow another of those long red hairs, though they were still a far cry from a true mane. The look in his eyes had aged as well, for all that the boy had forgotten their fight back then. Perhaps it was the scars that did it. The angry red lines had been burned into his flesh that day, and were still painful to look at even now, as his own scar ached in sympathy.

"Yeah," he said, still staring at the strangely familiar sight. "I think it's better to make myself scarce for a while. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and all that." He tugged at the ring of dried gourds which hang around his neck. "Besides, somebody has to take over Rafiki's job. The old mandrill might have been neglectful of his duties and obsessed with me to the point of lunacy, but he was still the Pridelands' spiritual advisor. Since I'm the one who killed him, I imagine it's my responsibility to assume the role."

Simba gave them a thoughtful frown. "You really think it's possible to make animals immortal with those red fruits? I mean, I've seen what they could do back in the cave, but I dunno, uncle Scar. It seems to me that getting all the animals in the Pridelands to gain enlightenment is a pretty tall order."

"It's certainly more effort than just declaring everyone to be king for a day." He sighed and turned his gaze back to the endless savannah. "Still, I'm the one that promised them all immortality, and if I'm going to hold on to any part of my wounded pride I'll just have to see it through. Perhaps if I start by training a select group of acolytes, and then have them train others in turn…"

"Right," said Simba, still looking doubtful. "Uncle Scar... do you really think I'll do all right as king? I know I talked about it all the time as a kid, but I kind of liked being able to just help out and follow your lead on things." He stared down at his paws and the tiny prints they had made in the earth. "There's so much stuff I don't know yet, and I'm worried I'll end up making the same mistakes that caused all of this stuff in the first place, just like dad and grandpa did. Or, well, like you."

Scar smiled ruefully as he ruffled Simba's hair, causing the crimson strands to fall in front of the boy's eyes. "Kid, I wouldn't worry about being anything like me. If anything you've only got my good traits, like my supreme cleverness and roguish good looks." Simba huffed as he pulled away from his paw, but Scar noticed the small smile that flitted across the boy's face. "Look after the others for me while I'm gone, will you? I'd give you some parting advice on how to rule, but everything I've done has only ever made things worse. I rather suspect that the Pridelands will be better off with you than me."

"Truer words have never been spoken, Sire," a voice said behind him. "At least, not by you."

Scar jumped as he noticed the hornbill perched atop a withered tree, from which small green buds had begun to sprout along the branches. "Zazu. How long have you been sitting there?"

Zazu sighed theatrically. "One of these days I'll explain the concept of aerial flight to you, Sire. For now, suffice it to say that the queen mother has instructed me to see you off. All to make sure that you really are leaving and this is not some trick, no doubt."

"No doubt," Scar said, not quite able to hide the amusement in his voice. "Well, I suppose we'd better oblige our fair queen, then." He hesitated, turning to Simba once more. "Remember to keep practicing your meditations, Simba. You'll need the training if Ahadi ever tries to possess you again. And try and see if you can talk to your father again, for real this time. If you do… tell him I'm sorry."

A pair of stalwart brown eyes stared back at him. "Do it yourself."

"Right," said Scar, rubbing his brow with one paw. "I guess that's fair." He paused when he realized he could feel a spiritual connection, and for a second he imagined it was his brother, but then a gust of wind blew a tiny glowing ember along in its wake. It hovered in front of Scar for just a moment, examining him, and then resigned itself to circling around his head once more.

Simba laughed, startling him. "Friend of yours?"

Scar looked at him in surprise. "You can see her?"

"The firefly? Sure." The boy cocked his head quizzically. "She really seems to like you, huh?"

"She has a terrible taste in men," Scar quipped. As if in response, there was the faintest whisper on the wind, like the hiss of a dying ember. He did not need to hear the words to know what she intended.

It seems we're stuck together, just like you said we would be. But the question is: Are you haunting me, or am I haunting you?

"Yes, well," said Zazu, "as fascinating as all this talk of lost fireflies is, we really must be off." He puffed up his feathers. "Don't you worry, Sire: The queen and I will advise the young king to the best of our abilities, and together we'll ensure that his boyish antics don't reduce the Pridelands to a barren wasteland while you're gone. Unlike some other kings I could mention."

"Hilarious." Simba rolled his eyes. "Feel free to accompany him all the way to the border, Zazu. No need to hurry back."

"Oh no, I wouldn't dare risk dereliction of my duties, young Sire." He hummed thoughtfully. "Addressing you as such might take some getting used to, I must say." He shot into the air with a beat of his wings, pausing mid-flight to turn and look at Scar as he hovered in place. "Are you coming, Sire?"

"Just a second." He turned to face Simba one last time. "Will you ask Nala and Sarabi for my forgiveness at least? For their sake, if not mine – I know what such feelings of resentment can do if left to simmer for too long." He hesitated. "I already tried apologizing to your mother's still-living spirit during one of my fume-induced visions, but I think that might have been Zira instead. They're really quite similar in disposition, when you think about it – at least when it comes to wanting to murder me in my sleep."

Simba stared at him. "Uncle Scar, you are so weird."

He grinned at the boy. "You have no idea."

With those words he turned at last to follow Zazu, who was already flapping ahead impatiently. After a while the hornbill swooped down to his level, and the two of them carried on in agreeable silence. The recent rain had made the soil soft again, and the fresh greenery was an encouraging sight. Even the grazing antelopes and giraffes seemed livelier than they had been before, though Scar had no idea how aware they really were of everything that had happened at Pride Rock.

After a while Zazu coughed politely. "Sire, where are we going? Pardon me, but I rather imagined we would be heading through the desert and towards the oasis where the previous mjuzi had set up."

"We'll go there later," said Scar. "First, I have to fulfil some promises to the hyenas and do what I can to prevent another conflict from breaking out in the future. I have a rather long list of past misdeeds for which I must make amends, I'm afraid."

Zazu sighed. "I suppose I should be glad that you're able to acknowledge the fact, at least." It was silent for a moment longer as the two companions travelled through the sprawling savannah. After a while Zazu spoke up again. "Say, Sire, do you think you could explain to me how one goes about attaining enlightenment? Not that I'm buying into any of that immortality business, mind you; it's just that I've set my eyes on dying last, and I would hate for you to beat my perfect record."

Scar smiled, and thought a moment before speaking. "Why, it's quite simple in essence, really. It's all about being honest with your feelings and finding out what it is you truly desire. From there, it's just a matter of considering the probable consequences of your actions and making sure to always act with your true goals in mind – something which I had to learn the hard way, let me tell you."

As they talked, the peak of Pride Rock slowly disappeared from view behind them.

A/N: And here we are at last. It's been one heck of a ride, and I can't tell you how glad I am that I didn't just stick to writing one chapter. This is actually the first multi-chapter story that I've completed and shown to anyone, so I'm feeling pretty great right now. If you enjoyed the story, please leave a review to let me know what you thought of it! And if you're in the mood for more rationality, check out my other story The Need to Become Stronger, visit r/rational on reddit, or go to Less Wrong for the internet's greatest compendium of rational learning material (also known as the sequences). Zira knows that the world needs it right now…

Thanks for reading, everyone!