Show Me ↝ Black Panther

17

As the sun began its slow descent in the horizon, saturated shades of orange and pink painted the sky as if it were a canvas. N'Deke drew in a deep breath, sat on top of his favorite rock. He'd missed home terribly. 

As he hid away, T'Challa and Erik were currently battling for the throne. He'd chosen not to watch. He felt like he'd seen enough fighting and bloodshed as it was. He'd yet to return home too. It was too soon to face M'Bao, especially after what had happened in the Throne Room. But more than that he dreaded Jeniba's reaction. For now, the peace and quiet of the training grounds was all he needed. 

The soft crunch of dried leaves alerted him to somebody's presence. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was. "If you're here to taunt me, please don't."

Akina sat besides him. Her spear fell to the ground. "That's not why I'm here."

N'Deke turned to face her, and he was met with a sight he never once thought he'd get to witness. Her mask had crumbled completely, revealing her more vulnerable than he ever remembered seeing her. Her eyes shone with still-to-be-shed tears, and her cheeks were streaked by the remnants of the ones that had already been shed. 

"Akina..." He hesitantly put a hand against her shoulder. She didn't pull away. Instead, a sob tore its way out her throat. No longer hesitant he pulled her against him. 

"I was so worried, N'Deke," she hiccuped. "But I was so proud when Okoye told us how brave you'd been, and especially when I saw you standing up to him earlier."

He rubbed her back comfortingly. It was all he could manage in the moment. If someone had told him weeks ago that he'd see Akina cry, or hear those words come out of her mouth, he wouldn't have believed them. This must have been what Mekate meant when they'd been sparring that day. 

When Akina pulled back, she wiped at her cheeks. "I don't usually lose my composure like this." 

"It's okay. At least now I know you're not heartless."

"Shut up." She playfully shoved him. The corners of his lips stretched into a smile. "There's something important I came here to tell you. N'Deke, I think it's time for you to know the truth. The whole truth."

He frowned. "The truth about M'Bao? I've already figured that out."

"There's so much more to the story."

He nodded at her. "I'm all ears."

She crossed her hands in her lap and twirled her fingers. "I'm not from the Sound Tribe. I never was. Your mother and father adopted me."

N'Deke stared at her unblinkingly. "I already had my suspicions. It isn't uncommon for Sound Tribe members to fail their first initiation, but no one ever fails the second one. I mean, that's as rare as— Okay, okay!" He put his arms up to shield himself from her hits. 

"Will you let me finish?" She shook her head fondly and halted her assault on him. 

"All right." He grinned. "Where are you from then?"

"I'm from the Jabari."

N'Deke's grin dropped, and his jaw went slack. 

"My parents—my real ones—they didn't want me to live the secluded life the Jabari had chosen. They went through a great deal of trouble to get me past Jabari territory. Their plan was to leave me in the care of the Sound Tribe. They knew that out of all the tribes, they'd be the most willing. Your mother happened to be the first person they stumbled upon. At the time, she was pregnant with you. They begged her to take me with her, and the rest is history."

He tilted his head. "Have they ever stopped by to visit you?"

"No. That was the last of them I saw. I barely remember what they look like anymore, and it doesn't help that I have nothing to remember them by." Akina looked up, perhaps in another desperate attempt to conjure up their faces. "At first, it was convened that my origins would remain a secret to the rest of the tribesmen. Word traveled fast and soon everyone knew that your parents had an older child, but they didn't know where this older child came from and it remained that way. They were all welcoming at first, as would be expected of a tribe like yours. All except for M'Bao, and I suspect the only reason he made me go through those initiations was because he knew I'd fail and become a target."

"So he's always been that way. How come I never noticed sooner?" N'Deke ran a hand over his head. "Has he ever even loved me?"

"Yes, at some point he did. Maybe deep down, he still does," she said. He tensed. "I would watch him feed you, tell you stories, and laugh with you. There's no way a love that deep could simply vanish. But when your grandfather died and M'Bao had to take on the mantle of tribe leader, he changed. He became a completely different man, and there was nothing anyone, not even Jeniba could do. And so I promised myself that I wouldn't let you turn into him. I had to make sure that you became tough and strong, so that the day you saw behind his lies and half-truths, you'd be ready. You may be the only one who can deal with him now."

"And here I thought that for some reason or another, you hated me." N'Deke felt a huge weight being lifted from his shoulders. 

"I don't. I never did." She took his hands in hers. "Granted, I have a lot of anger in me but it was never for you. I acted the way I did because I thought it was the best way to get you where you are right now. But today, I see that it didn't matter what I did, you were never going to turn out like him. You have such a good heart. Even after everything I put you through, you never stopped caring for me." 

A single tear slid down her cheek. He reached up to wipe it and shook his head. "Blood-related or not, you're still my sister. I will never stop caring for you." 

Her lower lip trembled, but she swallowed the urge to cry down. "You've always been a sentimental fool, mfowethu."

He grinned. "I guess you're no different usisi."

They both turned around when they heard someone running their way. Mekate appeared. She seemed panicked. Akina hurriedly got to her feet. "What's going on?"

"Zuri and King T'Challa are dead." N'Deke's heart sunk. Dead. No, it couldn't be. "Usually it is a Dora Milaje's duty to stay loyal to the throne no matter who seats on it, but Akina you and N'Deke need to leave this place. Right now."

"I can't just leave you."

"I'll be fine. I'm not the one M'Bao's after right now."

N'Deke stood up too. "What do you mean?"

"It's a long story and we not have time for it." Mekate inhaled deeply. "I held him back for a while. Grab whatever you need and leave now. Nakia will show you the way."

As they made their way past the Dora Milaje, Akina reached out and squeezed her hand. "Thank you."

"Thank me after you've gotten to safety."

She nodded and led N'Deke away from the training grounds.