I heard that you loved me
But only for two weeks
To be hopeless or not to be,
I'm weak with indecision

Could we begin again
On a terrible date
It would be greatly appreciated by me

--

I have a massive softspot for this rarepair. Calling back to one of my oldest art posts on Lulu, I mentioned that Rani and Kion fall out of love and divorce, leading Kion to be willingly dethroned. I also mentioned that Rani never remarried, giving the implication that she never finds love again, and well...that's not exactly true.

Back then, I was on the Rani hate bandwagon and for whatever reason, was determined to make her miserable. But that was kind of a dumb idea in the first place and I've rethought some things.

Though Kion stays in the area, he and Rani agree to take some space and so he retreats to live in the surrounding forest. His "Guard", still present at the Tree of Life to serve as they had as teens (to be expanded on later), were there to pick up the pieces. Rani fell into a deep and devastating depression, doubting her life choices and feeling the weight of her small kingdom shifting. Beshte and Bunga were there to entertain and dote on little Lulu, Ono and Anga to keep a keen eye, and Fuli...well, Fuli was the one who took care of Rani. Checked in on her when she could, listened when she needed to vent, and made sure she ate and drank.

She felt for the Queen. She had been apprehensive when Kion and Rani had been jumping for joy at the prospect of marriage before Kion had even grown his mane fully out. She was the one who voiced her concern to Kion, worried that maybe he was rushing into things with his new girlfriend, but she was politely brushed off. After all, maybe that's just a thing that royals do, jumping into relationships. She's a cheetah after all. What does she know about settling down, about romance? The entire situation made her internally wrought with worry over the stability of their marriage, but she held her tongue.

Fuli didn't want to say she told anyone so -- she's not the brash, prideful, tactless cub she once was -- least of all Rani, who had always been so kind and respectful to her.

So she simply stayed with Rani, more than she can admit was needed. It surprised even her. She used to spend her days edging away for space from her dear friends out of sheer habit, and now she's sticking close to someone? Something about Rani's deep sadness compelled Fuli to sit and stay, instead of bolting at the first sign of vulnerability. She'd always been afraid of that -- truly knowing someone, their flaws, the depths of their trauma.

As time went on, they grew closer and closer, seeking comfort in one another. Rani was grateful for the support and was slowly able to pick herself back up again.

Without Kion by her side, the responsibilities of governing the Tree of Life fell completely on her once again, as it had when she was a teenager. It was just as panic began to arise that Fuli stepped up as Rani's right hand. Unbeknownst to Fuli or Rani, the increased contact would cause the previously budding feelings they held for one another to grow. It rapidly became clear that they needed one another, their love formed from unfortunate circumstances, imperfect but pure.

Fuli had made Rani feel valued in a way she never had before, and Rani had somehow, someway taught Fuli how to slow down, sit for hours on end, listening dutifully.

Rani did not wish to remarry. She couldn't stand the idea of making another mistake, no matter how sure she was that she loved Fuli. She couldn't stand the idea of making any part of their relationship known in a royally official capacity, and Fuli wasn't so keen on being presented as the Queen's beau either. Not to mention, they were sure the kingdom would be in an uproar if it were ruled by cheetah from a distant land.

So instead, Fuli remains Rani's lover and they're both happy with that. It's not so much a secret as it is a private affair. It's like they're teenagers again, getting to try things out. The terms are loose, and they've discussed the idea of being non-exclusive if it comes down to it, but truth be told, they don't want anyone but each other.

--

I'm SUPER into the idea of characters' romantic history being flawed and marred with mistakes; I think it's very human (so to speak lol). No matter how I thought of how things would end up for them in my fanon, something less defined than a regular relationship fit the most. Rani's a queen, and Fuli's a cheetah from another land. I realize I could make the folks at the Tree of Life all-accepting and stuff but the world is full of obstacles, and I find pure perfection in fiction disinteresting to write.

Featuring my Fuli redesign! I always hated her canon design for how overly feminine it is. Putting a heart-shaped design motif on her is just... -_- Heavy, heavy referencing pics of king cheetahs because she also doesn't look enough like one.

I'm probably gonna come back a edit the story because it's late lol.

DO NOT REPOST, TRACE, OR EDIT!