Lelani gazed out at the endless ocean as her fingers unconsciously softly caressed the petals of the heart-shaped herb. She was being surprisingly delicate since her entire life she was aggressive with everything that's what her mother always said. Lelani soft hazel eyes were entranced looking at the sea as she and Solay were flying closer to home.
Lelani's breath was steady as she stayed silent the only noise was Solay's frustrated grunts of pain as she leaned over her destroyed armor.
"Stupid. I'm so stupid I'll just redesign the wings and make their patterns more sporadic so that bitch doesn't know what hit her next time I come for her. Fucking Riri Williams that little..."
"Are you going to continue talking to yourself?" Lelani's gaze lazily drifted towards Solay as she watched her fuss incredulously
"Fuck off. You're one to talk seeing as you don't have a scratch on you," Solay bitterly stated as she continued to apply ointment on the cuts along her legs.
Lelani didn't entertain Solay with a response because why should she?
"I'm sorry Lani I'm just pissed off. I shouldn't have taken that out on you, I know it isn't your fault..."
"It's fine. I get it," Lelani knew where the conversation was going and she immediately wanted to steer it in another direction. She didn't feel like digging up the old bones of her past.
"Right. So... do you want to talk about what happened back in Wakanda?"
"What's there to talk about? The mission was successful we infiltrated and retrieved what we needed." Lelani knew she was being flippant with Solay by avoiding her actual question "Look Solay I'm good quit hovering,"
"You got it, no more hovering," Solay went back to struggling to wrap her bandages.
Lelani slowly walked over to her and grabbed to wrap her as she gently extended Solay's leg and carefully put pressure on the wounds and quickly wrapped Solay's leg with precision grace.
"Better?" Lelani asked
Solay tested the hold on her leg and smiled at her friend "It's alright I guess,"
Before Lelani could respond the pilot spoke loudly and said "There is an incoming call from the director I am going to be pushing her through,"
Fuck. Lelani lifted herself from the floor preparing for whatever tirade the director was going to start with.
A couple of moments later a screen came down and Director DeFontaine's face was shown the older woman's expression was stoic but Lelani could see the stress lines throughout her face. The director's streak of purple hair was starting to fade a bit. Her black suit that she was wearing was tailored beautifully but was also pressed so sharp that the suit alone could kill someone. Just like Director DeFontaine her presence was so sharp commanding an entire space effortlessly.
However, right now to Lelani, she was just filling the space unnecessarily, this woman's presence already feeling like a sharp thorn in her side that she couldn't reach.
"Well, are you going to say anything?" Director DeFontaine demanded
"I mean you called so you're more anxious to talk to us right?"
"Oh as always Lelani, giving me information that I didn't ask for keep it up and I swear..."
"You'll do what?" Lelani gave her a cold stare
The Director was just about to say something when Solay jumped in "Okay enough arguing please so the mission was a success,"
For the first time since Lelani has known the Director her face went up in shock as her eyebrows lifted in fascination. "Really? The princess is gone?"
"Well... not necessarily," Solay started
"What does not necessarily mean she's either dead or she isn't dead which is it?"
Lelani chuckled watching the delighted expression wipe away from the director's face
"There were complications. So no she isn't dead."
"Unbelievable, You two are supposed to be my best. You don't do complications. What the hell happened?"
Lelani stayed silent as she turned away from the screen. Neither women spoke
"Someone please say something for the love of God I need to know what happened?"
"Look we have the situation under control Director we retrieved a heart-shaped herb from Wakanda," Solay responded
The Director's face dropped as she looked towards the sky as she exhaled deeply "Are you kidding me? I sent you both to Wakanda to find any relevant research on vibranium and you come back with a fucking plant that we can't even use,"
Solay was about to respond but Lelani came into the conversation " Look Director there was no information on any breakthrough knowledge of vibranium that America doesn't have access to and it wouldn't matter because guess what. America doesn't have access to vibranium. So any new knowledge would be useless to us but with this heart-shaped herb I have a theory that may give us the edge we need against Wakanda."
"Oh so suddenly you're a chemist now? There is no way we can utilize the herb."
"I'll be the judge of that. Also, we couldn't stay in Wakanda after we failed to kill Princess Shuri and with Riri coming in and ambushing us we couldn't stay,"
"Fine. You two better have a plan to bring me results or this little operation you have is finished you have forty-eight hours from the time you touch down to bring me results or you won't like what comes after that for wasting my time."
The screen suddenly went dark as the Director disappeared from view. Lelani took a deep breath as she resumed her position by the window
'Lani, are you sure this is going to work?"
Lelani continued her steady breathing to relax her mind like she did when she was little
Don't worry baby he's going to come back for us. He wouldn't abandon us. He loves you Lelani today is the day that he is coming. A memory suddenly intruded her mind a vision of a smaller version of herself. Lelani quickly pushed down the memory as she noticed that her grip on the heart-shaped herb had tightened. She loosened her grip as she lightly massaged the soft petals again.
"Lani... I know why you're doing this I just don't want you to lose yourself in the process,"
Why didn't he come back for me? He promised. He never loved me.
Another painful memory resurfaced as Lelani continued to look at the early morning sun creeping over the Atlantic Ocean. Today was a beautiful day she was sucked into the vast sky as she watched the birds fly through the sky. Lelani turned to Solay as she said "From what we already know to be true about the herb then nothing should go wrong,"
Lelani then said softly "This is going to work. It's the only thing that I'm certain of,"
Solay nodded as she started to look at the damage from her suit.
As Lelani turned again she couldn't find it in herself to reassure Solay that she wouldn't lose herself because after what she is going to do she doesn't know the person that she is going to become.
WAKANDA
Several hours passed and Shuri awoke to muffled voices outside of the massive hut that she was currently resting in. The throbbing headache was no longer there as she silently stared up at the inside of the hut she was in. Shuri's breathing quickened as the events of last night slowly started to flood back into memory. The fight, the ancestral plane, and Riri. Everything started to weigh on her chest again. Shuri squinted as the bright morning sun crept into the hut. Shuri softly arose from the hammock that she was in and was shocked to find that Riri was still by her side and she was fully awake. Riri must have been hyper-vigilant from hearing the bed dip because she immediately turned as saw Shuri awake and Riri's face instantly softened. Riri's eyes were still swollen from the events that happened a few hours ago and Shuri's heart felt like it had shattered.
"Hey, Princess how are you feeling?"
Riri's voice filled Shuri's ears and she immediately relaxed and softly nodded her head in response. Riri was then standing and even with Shuri sitting on the edge of the hammock the engineer was still shorter in stature. Riri's hands gently grazed Shuri's face as she intensely analyzed every detail.
"What are you doing?" Shuri giggled softly
Riri didn't return the happy gesture as she stated "Memorizing what your face looks, because for the past several hours I've been haunted by what you looked like after I pulled you from that fight Shuri and it was..."
Shuri immediately grabbed Riri's hand since she was shaking from nerves and softly squeezed "Riri, I'm so sorry, I'm right here with you, I'm okay now,"
"But you weren't," Riri's voice was neutral and flat as her eyes started to gloss over as the engineer began to avert her gaze from Shuri
Shuri never heard Riri speak to her this way and it was worrying. Riri sounded so distant and Shuri didn't like it.
"But I am now Riri look at me,"
When she didn't respond Shuri stood up and gently grabbed Riri's chin and turned her head so they were making direct eye contact "Riri, don't look over there. Look at me,"
Riri was starting to tear up again looking at Shuri "I almost lost you Shuri," her tone coming back to normal
Those words broke Shuri into a million pieces as she watched Riri unravel before her. She was watching Riri's hard exterior crumble as she tried to regain her composure "I know and I'm so sorry Riri, it's okay to let everything go, I'm right here,"
With that reassurance Riri let her tears fall again as Shuri embraced her tightly. Shuri's hands gently guided themselves along Riri's back as she let the smaller girl get all of her emotions out.
Shuri saw Okoye and Aneka walk into the tent as they watched the scene in front of them. Both women gave Shuri a sad expression as they watched Riri break down in her arms but neither of them would interrupt.
Once Riri stopped crying and realized there was an audience her face hardened again as she pulled out of Shuri's embrace quickly before saying "I know everyone needs to talk to you and I don't want to hold you up Shuri,"
Before Shuri could protest Riri exited the tent leaving Shuri with her Midnight Angels.
"Mnike ixesha Shuri (Give her some time Shuri),"
Okoye's words drifted over Shuri she almost didn't hear her.
"I agree Shuri, she almost watched you die in her arms the poor girl is probably traumatized," Aneka attested
Shuri eventually turned towards the two women in exhausted frustration as both her hands went behind her neck as she began to pace around the hut. Her mind was starting to race as she tried to come to terms with almost dying last night. Her last memory from that night was when Lelani completely knocked her out cold. She had no recollection of the events that happened until after she awoke in the ancestral plane. Aneka and Okoye patiently waited as Shuri eventually stopped pacing long enough for her to ask one question.
"I know whatever happened was bad. Just how bad was it?"
"Shuri you went to the ancestors to heal you. It was really bad..." Okoye took a moment to stop speaking as she caught her breath trying to steady it. "Princess siphantse saphulukana nawe (Princess, we almost lost you)"
Shuri's heart rate started to increase quickly listening to Okoye speak.
"And Riri was she hurt at all?"
Shuri couldn't help how her immediate thoughts tended to drift back to Riri. If Riri was hurt because Shuri couldn't protect her, her guilt wouldn't be enough for her to stomach. Shuri remembered the look on Riri's face when she came up from the dirt after being fully healed that still didn't change the tear-stained puffy-eyed look that Riri had. Shuri was so heartbroken seeing her like that that she clung to one of the border tribe shaman women until she was in her arms calming Riri down. This brought Shuri back to the present seeing the distant look in Riri's eyes and the exhausted tone of voice that she had. Shuri knew Riri hadn't slept at all she could tell in her demeanor and from her eyes the deep bags that rested underneath.
Shuri couldn't imagine what Riri experienced before the border shamans healed her completely but she was disgusted with herself that Riri had to experience it in the first place.
"From what we could gather from the examination that we did she just had some bruising from the fight that will heal right up in the lab," Aneka said genuinely happy
Shuri's breathing lightened up upon hearing the news "Thank Bast,"
"But what I can't seem to understand is why they stole a heart-shaped herb, it is completely useless to them," Aneka interjected again
"They probably didn't know what they were stealing," Okoye said angrily
Shuri thought for a moment trying to piece together a logical explanation about the attack and why it took place.
"Shuri kufuneka sikhathazeke? (Shuri should we be concerned?)" Aneka's voice filled with worry
"Honestly Aneka I'm not sure because I have no idea what they are planning to do with the herb. My initial response is no because they can not alter the herb and bend it to their will the Americans know this. Unfortunately, I am in no position to say there is no concern because I am completely in the dark about what the Americans could want with the herb,"
Shuri had no energy to be falsely positive she could only be realistic in her approach to the situation. Her midnight angels nodded in agreement
"What I do know is that we probably should go back to the lab and see if there is any evidence that we can gather," Shuri instructed as she watched Okoye and Aneka cross their arms obeying her command
"Yes, Panther,"
As the three women exited the hut the bright morning sun penetrated Shuri's eyes as her vision adjusted to seeing the border rhinos being fed by members of the village as they happily sang tribal songs as the rhinos ate their breakfast. Shuri's eyes found Riri as she was sitting on the grass next to the border river watching some rhinos drink.
"You two can go ahead to the palace we will meet you there," Shuri instructed
Aneka and Okoye nodded their understanding of the command and started to walk toward the palace in the Golden City
The closer Shuri was to Riri she noticed that the engineer was eerily quiet which was unlike her. Riri's entire frame came into view as she saw the younger girl sitting with her knees to her chest as she stared absentmindedly towards the water listening to the silence of nature around her. Shuri listened to the way wind would rock the water softly creating a melody with the rustling of the grass and the distant sounds of the animals along the plains.
Riri hadn't noticed Shuri approaching her so Shuri quietly nudged her way towards Riri not wanting to disrupt her peace. But Shuri couldn't stay away from Riri too long it was as if they had a magnetic pull toward one another also Shuri needed to know that Riri was alright.
Once Shuri was close enough Riri glanced her way for a moment before turning her attention back to the river.
"Man I'm kind of wishing I was as interesting as the river you keep staring at," Shuri joked gauging Riri's reaction
Riri's stoic facial expression didn't falter.
"Yikes, tough crowd I mean my face can't be that ugly that you keep avoiding it. Unless there's something you want to tell me?" Shuri continued to tease Riri hoping that she would get a reaction from her
"Shuri what are you doing?" Riri's eyes shifted to Shuri she wasn't smiling or reciprocating the jokes
"I'm trying to make you smile,"
"Well I'm not in a smiling mood right now Shuri I just want to be left alone for a bit," Riri's tone was distant and cold again
"I didn't mean to be intrusive Riri I'm sorry I just miss your smile it seems like at this present moment with everything that's going on seeing you here is bringing a lot of things into perspective for me," Shuri spoke honestly "I don't know I just know that after our conversation I'm going to fail a lot of things but I want to accomplish one thing and that's making you smile I'll know that I did something right after all the things I got wrong,"
Riri's eyes widened a bit listening to Shuri's words.
And just like that Riri lightly scoffed as her hands went to her face. Shuri thought that she made her cry she was about to scold herself until she saw Riri remove her hands and there it was.
Riri was smiling it was soft and unguarded as she tried to hide it by biting her lip. The sight alone had her stomach doing flips. Shuri wasn't too good at handling big emotions like these but she would try for Riri because, at the root of it all, she was willing to do so much for Riri and Shuri needed the engineer to know it.
"You're such an idiot," Riri looked at the grass as her flushed cheeks were on full display, especially in the bright morning sun Riri was doing her best to hide her face but it was to no avail. All of Riri's emotions were on display for Shuri. And she was beautiful.
"I would agree with you on the idiot part if I wasn't a scientific prodigy," Shuri smiled at Riri
"A cocky ass as well,"
"All part of my charm Riri,"
There was a silence that surrounded the women again as they made direct eye contact as the wind was softly blowing.
"Look Riri I'll leave you alone I was just coming to check on you I know that everyone has been fussing over me, but my worry has been on you since I woke up but when you're ready to talk and let me heal up from any injuries that you sustained during the fight I'll be right there to look after you," Shuri started to stand from the grass "Well, I'm going to head back to the palace you come back whenever you're ready alright,"
As she was turning to leave she felt soft callused hands grab her as she looked back at Riri "Please stay Shuri,"
Shuri hoped Riri couldn't feel how hard her heart was pounding.
"Of course, I'll stay Riri whatever you want,"
Riri's eyes softened as Shuri sat back down closer to her "I have a tendency to push everyone away when I have too many emotions," Riri started to open up
"I know what you mean, I'm guilty of it myself,"
Riri turned to Shuri as she gave her a smile that didn't reach her eyes "Yeah, my solution was either to bury myself in a new invention or completely isolate from the world as if it never existed in the first place,"
Shuri was silent as she continued to let Riri talk
"You know it started when my stepdad died I didn't know how to process what happened even at that young of an age,"
Shuri stilled as she realized how open Riri was being with her at this moment. Shuri tested the waters and sat closer to Riri so that their knees were touching. When Riri didn't move away or show hesitation Shuri encouraged her to continue to speak.
"You know I was there when it happened. The paramedics were doing compressions on him for what felt like two minutes and they gave up and he was gone before they even reached the hospital," Riri paused as the memory seemed to come back to her "They just gave up on him Shuri."
Riri paused again her breath shaky as she continued to speak. Shuri's hand instinctively went to Riri's thigh to show a sign of comfort for her.
"So last night when you were lying lifeless in my arms Shuri I was there for fifteen minutes doing those chest compressions I wasn't giving up on you. I didn't want the same thing to happen to you that happened to my dad. I couldn't..." Riri looked back at the river Shuri could see Riri's body slightly shaking.
Shuri knew that Riri was revisiting a memory she just wasn't sure if it was her stepdad or Shuri that was haunting her.
Listening to Riri as she told the story of her stepdad sparked the traumatic memory of watching Okoye give chest compressions to her mother as she watched the kimoyo beads turn red as her mother lie lifeless on the ground. Shuri's entire world shattered that day as she remember how her voice was hoarse from the screams that she wailed calling out for her mother. She wasn't strong enough to protect her mother and even now as she watched Riri break down the fact that she was the one to keep her alive before the shamans even knew she was out there. Even now as the Black Panther, she couldn't protect the people that she loved.
Shuri instantly felt disgusted with herself that she was the cause of Riri having to unknowingly relive such a traumatic event in her life because she was too weak to protect herself from danger.
Why was she so weak?
You're noble ass couldn't kill that girl huh? Her cousin's voice came into her mind and as much as she wanted to push down his words and ignore them. As much as she wanted to hate him for everything. Deep down Shuri knew that he was right. This girl wasn't Namor she didn't command a massive army trying to protect her people. This was one girl and whatever her reasoning was did not justify what she did and the invasion that she participated in Wakanda.
This was just one damn girl that caught her off guard. Shuri was replaying the fight in her mind as much as she could recall. Was she holding back?
Shuri couldn't stop herself from moving in front of Riri's crying figure. Riri was surprised to see Shuri so close to her but their eyes met again as they stared at each other in silence. Shuri saw herself in Riri's eyes and her heart rate was becoming erratic. Shuri then placed her hand on Riri's cheek softly as she pushed aside her tears. Shuri opened her mouth but words were failing her as she got lost in Riri's eyes.
"Have I finally left you speechless,"
Riri sadly giggled through her tears as she leaned into Shuri's palm.
"It wouldn't be the first time you've left me speechless Riri," Shuri replied in a daze
"Oh yeah? Wanna tell me about the other times?" Riri's voice challenged
Shuri smiled and gave her a wide smile because Riri is finally starting to flirt with her outright again. Which meant that she was slowly starting to feel better.
"Maybe another time,"
"You're no fun. Come on stroke my ego a bit I did save your life after all,"
Shuri stayed silent not giving Riri what she wanted and Riri removed her cheek from Shuri's hand giving her a disgruntled expression. Once Riri realized that Shuri wasn't budging she exhaled and averted her gaze looking back at the river.
"I want to save that conversation for later because I want to tell you how sorry I am. Last night was extremely traumatic for you but I want you to know that I won't let that happen again Riri I promise. You will never have to worry about trying to revive me like that ever again." Shuri's tone suddenly darkened a bit intensifying the shift in conversation.
Riri's breathing hitched from Shuri's tone. The engineer's eyes showcased confusion deciphering Shuri's words so that she could properly respond.
Shuri knew Riri didn't understand why she would say this. But seeing Riri this vulnerable because of the selfish actions of one person had completely set Shuri's anger ablaze. She never wanted to see Riri cry like this over something Shuri could have handled. Shuri's disgust ran deep within herself as well as the people who were plotting against Wakanda.
Shuri could feel her anger slowly bubbling towards the surface like it did when she first became the Black Panther. The slow determined descent towards revenge.
"Are you gonna be noble like your brother or take care of business like me?"
His words were echoing in her head so loud that she almost didn't hear Riri say "What are you going to do when you find her?"
Without hesitation this time Shuri simply said "I'm going to be the one that kills her,"
Riri's expression told Shuri everything she needed to know she was shocked by the response "Shuri, I get you but, do you think that you'll be able to..." Shuri leaned into Riri a bit which surprised them both.
"Yes, I can, because I never want to see that look on your face again the one that she caused. So to answer your question again. Yes, I can. And I will." While Shuri said this she gently grabbed Riri's chin and slightly tilted it up so she was looking directly into her eyes. "Sorry if I'm a bit close but I need you to understand and I need you to trust that I can do this,"
"You're fine Shuri. But if you're needing my permission you can touch me. And Shuri I already trust you with my life Shuri,"
Shuri could have passed out hearing those words coming from Riri. This was also the closest that they had been to each other. Shuri could feel Riri's elevated heart rate. She could hear the way Riri's breathing quickened. But out of everything she caught how her eyes were looking at her lips. Riri was so close. Her lips were so close all Shuri needed to do was slightly lean in and break the tension that the two have had for over a year.
The sound of Shuri's kimoyo beads brought the two out of the daze that they were both in.
"Panther yonke into ilungile? (Panther is everything alright?)" Okoye's voice filled the silence around the two women as they recollected themselves
"Yes Okoye everything is fine we were just on our way back to the Palace now," Shuri breathed deeply her gaze never leaving Riri. The poor engineer's cheeks were ablaze with a bright red tint that she couldn't hide even if she tried.
"Ah very good we will meet you two in the lab," the kimoyo beads chimed again and Okoye's voice disappeared
The two women smiled at each other as Shuri stood up from the grass and extended her hand to Riri. The younger girl took Shuri's hand and allowed her to pull her up and their bodies clumsily collided with each other causing sparks to fly. "So...shall we head back," Shuri awkwardly said
"Yeah that sounds like a plan," Riri smiled as Shuri escorted them to the Royal Talon Fighter
~ ~
The Royal Talon Fighter was spacious as the giant aircraft smoothly flew through the sky. The massive area was big enough to intensify the fact that both women hadn't said a word to each other since they got on the aircraft. Shuri didn't know what to say to Riri because not too long ago her only thought a couple minutes ago was wanting to kiss her. Plus the added tension between them wasn't helping her nerves. Riri was sitting on the opposite side of the aircraft looking out the window and focusing on the inner city of Wakanda.
Shuri quietly grumbled in frustration her emotions were all over the place and she needed to get a grip because she needed to focus on Wakanda. Her country is now at civil unrest and she was in the middle of it. She had no idea what state her lab was in or what could have been infiltrated. She almost died so why are her only thoughts keep drifting to the engineer sitting across from her?
"Panther we are descending into the palace," The automated Griot announced breaking Shuri from her thoughts.
"Thank you, Griot,"
Once the aircraft landed at the steps of the palace Shuri waited for Riri. The engineer walked to Shuri's side as she unexpectedly grabbed Shuri's hand walking towards the palace. As the two ascended the stairs a voice caught them both off guard.
Ronnie's figure appeared as she ran towards Riri and engulfed her daughter in a tight embrace. Riri slowly reciprocated as she realized she was in her mother's arms. She eventually relaxed into the hug and closed her eyes as she tightly gripped her mother's clothes.
"Oh my God Riri when you told me what happened I was panicking I didn't know what to do,"
"I'm alright Mom I promise,"
When Ronnie was sure that her daughter was completely safe she turned to Shuri.
Shuri is prepared to be scolded by Ronnie for endangering her daughter's life. She however didn't expect the tight embrace that she felt as Ronnie hugged her. "I know I may be disrespecting some kind of royal code or whatever but I don't care I'm so glad you're safe honey,"
Shuri felt warm being in Ronnie's arms her hugs were almost identical to her mother's. Shuri almost cried as she eased into the embrace feeling the love from Ronnie pour out into her. Ronnie eventually touched both of the women's cheeks as she checked them for damage.
"Ronnie there is nothing broken I can assure you,"
"Sorry, that's just the nurse in me," Ronnie hesitantly stopped her examination
"I just have some bruises but those will heal up in no time Mom,"
Ronnie gave her a reluctant expression but she nodded and calmed down enough to let Shuri and Riri escort her back into the palace.
"Where are you two going?"
"To the lab..." Riri started to say
"Oh absolutely not Riri you looked like you haven't slept all night," Ronnie exclaimed
Shuri was also worried about Riri pushing through as well "Ronnie's right Riri, maybe you should get some rest and I can meet you in the lab,"
Shuri knew the answer before Riri even spoke due to Riri giving her a passive-aggressive expression silently telling her to 'shut the hell up'.
"Nah, I'm good Mom seriously I'll rest later,"
Ronnie wasn't satisfied with the response but she just hugged Riri again whispering something that Shuri couldn't comprehend. Ronnie cupped Riri's cheeks and gave her a small smile.
Once Ronnie made her way back to her room Riri exhaled deeply as she gave Shuri a weak smile as they made their way to the lab.
Making their way to the lab Shuri was determined more than ever to see what became of her space after the attack. The colorful graffiti on the walls welcomed her as she remained expressionless entering the doors of the lab.
Shuri was met with several lab assistants rearranging desks that were either out of place or completely throwing aside broken furniture. There were laser marks around the floor and on the walls courtesy of Solay's suit. Papers filled with data and research were in disarray as some assistants were trying to pair the correct research together. The graffiti pillar in the middle of the space had evident cracks in the exterior destroying the artwork. Some people were watching Shuri's reaction as they continued to clean.
Shuri was heartbroken seeing her lab in shambles like this, seeing the lab that her brother helped her build be destroyed.
~ ~
Twelve-year-old Shuri raced through the space that T'Challa said would be her new lab since her love for technological advancements was no longer a hobby since Shuri was making scientific marvels with vibranium no one could have anticipated.
Shuri had a paper out as she marked down ideas that she had for the interior design of her future lab.
"Nope,"
T'Challa's voice suddenly surrounded her as he leaned over looking at the design plans Shuri was sketching.
"Come on brother, it's going to be so cool I'll even hire Wakandan artists from the art district to liven the place up. The space is too white,"
T'Challed chuckled listening to his sister
"Also, I'm going to spend a lot of time here so it should be in a space that I like to look at right? You know being the new scientific movement for Wakanda and all,"
"Alright, my little sister, but nothing vulgar or I'll leave all the scolding for you when Mother finds out,"
Shuri smiled brightly as they did their handshake she hugged him tightly
"You wouldn't leave to face mother alone,"
T'Challa smiled lovingly as he reciprocated the hug
"I know Shuri I would never leave you,"
~ ~
The bubbling in her stomach started again. The anger was rising again.
"Griot, were you able to track down the intruders with your surveillance that was taken?" Shuri distracted herself
"I was unable to track down exactly who the intruders were Panther I am still running a search, if I had a DNA sample from either of the intruders I can find a match quicker,"
"And have you done the scan yet Griot?"
"Negative"
"Alright run the DNA scan and see if there is anything we can use,"
"Initiating scan,"
After a couple minutes Griot found no unknown new DNA from last night. So Shuri would have to wait for the facial recognition search which would take a couple of hours to complete. During the DNA scan, Shuri called Professor Omari and asked that he send over any documents regarding the two women.
Shuri started moving debris out of the way helping some of the lab assistants that were sweeping the floor.
"Princess, Aneka, and Okoye wanted us to inform you that they needed to speak to you on the training grounds," one of the botany lab assistants said
Shuri nodded as she looked around the chaos surrounding her lab and she was glad to be leaving for a bit. Shuri walked down the stairs to see Riri helping some lab assistants move a heavy piece of machinery that broke off. Shuri quietly came behind her and softly placed a hand on her back, Riri was shocked to feel someone touching her to immediately relax when she saw it was Shuri.
"Come with me Aneka and Okoye want to speak to me and I kinda don't want to be alone right now after seeing everything here in the lab," Shuri whispered so the engineer could only hear
"Yeah of course," Riri responded immediately
Shuri was silent as they walked down the corridor and into an elevator that brought them up six floors.
The elevator opened as Shuri led the way to the training court. The court was where eligible Dora Milaje who passed their basic training would refine their skills for combat. It was an enormous open terrace above the palace with a cross-knitted wood paneling roof covered with local flora and greenery giving the court shade from the sun. From the terrace, the entire downtown city could be seen. As much as Shuri loved the area she caught a glimpse of Okoye's face and knew they needed to talk.
"Okoye what did you need to discuss with me,"
Okoye's face was unchanged and despondent as Aneka stood next to her both the warriors' stances strong.
"We need to talk about why you froze Shuri, why could you not take down the Super Soldier?"
"I was weak,"
Shuri's mood darkened as the sinking feeling of inadequacy being the Black Panther started to resurface. Suddenly the same feeling she felt two years ago when her brother passed because she failed to recreate the herb.
Your brother is with the ancestors.
That day was the spiraling event that started her list of failures being the Black Panther. She failed to protect her mother from the invasion of the Talkons and she failed to protect her people and now Riri. Shuri was familiar with the failure of scientific outcomes but that was in the comfort of being able to try again with fear of hurting anyone. In the past two years, she has failed more times than she could have ever imagined and these failures haunted her. All because she was weak.
"Princess, being weak is not an insult." Aneka retorted sympathetically
Shuri stayed silent as she scoffed while looking at the floor. Her disgust in herself was resurfacing "I'm not my brother I'm not skilled in combat like he was,"
"No one is asking you to be your brother Shuri, what we want is for you to be yourself, learn how to balance being the Black Panther as well as being a scientist. Just being you have superhuman strength does not stop you from being overwhelmed you received first-hand experience of that. Now my question to you Shuri do you want to become stronger?" Okoye asked
"Yes," Shuri answered without hesitation
"Then we will start your training now. I must ask you to remove your suit, Princess. When you train with Aneka and me you are never permitted to wear your suit,"
Shuri's face morphed into confusion as she was going to protest
"Before you say anything Shuri, the reason is that the suit is an extension of your abilities it should not be the only reason that you can fight someone off you need to be resilient without the suit,"
Shuri reluctantly nodded as Aneka smiled
"Be ready Princess you're going to have a lot of bruises during this training," Aneka chimed in with a warming voice
"I understand just give me a moment and I will go change," Shuri stated as she began to walk back into the palace.
Shuri was so focused she almost passed by Riri. Shuri stopped and smiled brightly at Riri as she said "You know you should get some rest now Riri,"
Nah, I'm good Shuri-"
"Riri, I wasn't asking you need rest I'll most likely still be out here when you wake up," Shuri interjected Riri's protest.
Shuri smirked at Riri knowing that she more than likely wanted to fight with her but she heard the engineer exhale aggressively and said "Yeah alright... Fine."
Shuri chuckled sweetly as she followed Riri down the elevator before they went in separate directions to their respective chambers
"I'll see you in a couple of hours the Princess," Riri yelled down the hall
"I look forward to it,"
~ ~
Riri awoke from a dreamless sleep as she felt a headache suddenly appear. Riri looked around her bedroom seeing the evening sun penetrating the window.
"Griot can you darken the windows please,"
'Of course Miss. Williams,'
Suddenly the windows instantly darkened giving Riri slight relief from the light. Riri was still on high alert since the attack. The way that a chill would creep along her spine hearing the kimoyo chimes or even Griot's automated voice
'The princess' heart rate is low please perform emergency cardiac compressions,'
The chilling memory of reviving Shuri was still haunting Riri at random. She knew that she needed to calm down so she decided to take a shower and change her clothes.
Once she had stripped out of her clothes she turn the water on to the hottest temperature it would allow. As soon as the water hit her body her muscles instantly relaxed, and as she reached for the body wash Riri noticed that she had dried blood on her palms.
Shuri please, I need you to stay with me, please don't do this
Riri's heart began to race as her eyes were fixated on the blood.
Help him, please! Please help my dad I know he's still breathing he has to wake up!
The memories were starting to blur together as she felt herself spiraling. Riri was still holding onto the soap as she started to violently scrub the blood from her palms. Shuri's and her father's lifeless bodies started to plague her thoughts. Riri suddenly fell onto the shower floor as her breathing started to become too difficult to do normally. Her chest started to feel heavy as she felt her heart pounding violently in her throat. The more that Riri tried to breathe the harder her chest tightened. Riri started to hyperventilate as she crawled into the corner with her knees against her chest she pushed her head down trying to control her breathing as her tears mixed with the steaming water.
After several minutes the anxiety attack subsided as the water started to run cold. Riri quickly washed her body and exited the shower. Riri walked toward the closet as she picked out a white t-shirt blue jeans and sneakers she put on her clothes and turned towards the floor-length mirror and she was shocked by her ashen face from the previous episode that she experienced.
Riri didn't want to spend any more time dwelling on her emotional state so she left her room and headed back to the training court where Shuri should still be training.
When she opened the door to the massive shaded terrace she spotted Shuri in the non-shaded part of the court sparring with Aneka as she barked orders at Shuri while she was attacking. From Riri's perspective, Aneka was throwing offensive and defensive moves throwing Shuri off. Riri chuckled to herself watching Shuri trip over herself trying to keep up with Aneka.
Aneka was about to land a blow to Shuri's temple with her hand-held vibranium knives but she expertly stopped her momentum.
"Again Shuri!" Aneka yelled
Riri watched from the shaded area as her eyes glanced at the way Shuri's body moved her entire body was sweating and her toned arms would flex with every planned attack or dodge she landed. Shuri was right she wasn't as skilled in hand-to-hand combat without the help of her suit but Riri knew if Shuri continued to train like this she would be unstoppable. Shuri noticed Riri's presence as she smiled sweetly in her direction. Riri responded by waving in her direction as she returned the smile. Suddenly Shuri's body folded as she fell to the ground in pain due to Okoye striking her stomach with the back of her spear.
"As sweet as that was Princess your eyes need to be focused on the battle in front of you at all times,"
Shuri was still on the floor from the impact of the hit as mumbled something to the warriors and gave them a thumbs up. Both Okoye and Aneka nodded their heads in agreement as Shuri got up from the ground walking toward Riri.
Riri's skin suddenly felt hot as Shuri was getting closer to her
Get it together Riri.
"Hey! They let me take a break,"
Riri turned to the older scientist and she could tell Shuri was exhausted from the training. Though she looked rejuvenated her eyes seemed brighter and her flushed skin was an indication. She was enjoying the training.
But damn her heart was beating quickly every time Shuri was around her. And Riri suspects Shuri has caught on to the fact. It was as if the prior events didn't happen. Though they were still in the back of her mind.
Shit. Shuri is talking to me.
"How did you sleep?"
Riri smiled genuinely at how much Shuri was worried for her "It was... good,"
Shuri's eyes were analyzing her and the older scientist' smile slightly fell. Riri could only speculate that she noticed the way that she responded and she didn't believe her, or she noticed her ashen face. Either way, she didn't comment on it
"I'll try not to overanalyze you don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Shuri softly grabbed Riri's wrist and slightly squeezed her for reassurance. The older scientist looked into her eyes telling her that she would be there if she needed to talk. "But anyway Griot still hasn't completed his scan yet we're hoping that we can have something in the next couple of hours,"
"Have you spoken to Agent Ross? He may know some information as well,"
"He came out here a while ago he says he may have an idea of who they both are but he wants to see what Griot pulls up in the profile search to see if his suspicions are correct,"
Riri nodded as her eyes subconsciously started to wander Shuri's frame. Seeing the way that the sweat was dripping down Shuri's neck and along her arms. Shuri's body had always been toned before she became the Black Panther. But it was different now seeing her training. The way her toned muscles were flexing from the workout and the way that the slightly loose-fitting grey muscle shirt was showcasing every curve and flexing muscle gave Riri a view that she may not have been ready to witness. Her eyes went back up the Shuri's beautiful smooth melanated face that was glistening in the evening sun the way that her features in her face, her sharp jawline and soft brown eyes. How Shuri would smile around her. Those same soft eyes landed on her suddenly as her perfect lips moved to say.
"Did you hear a word of what I just said?" Shuri asked in amusement
Shit.
Riri had been so caught up focusing on every detail of the Princess she didn't even realize Shuri was still talking to her.
"Of course, I heard,"
"Really? I'm shocked what did I say?"
Riri's silence made Shuri laugh unexpectedly before she said said "I'm glad you were at least able to focus on me but I would appreciate it if you could also focus on what I'm saying as well,"
"Maybe I was focusing on something more important than your words," Riri teased
"Oh... Would you like to elaborate?"
"I can if you want me to," Riri's voice dropped an octave as she smirked and looked directly into Shuri's eyes making the older woman blush fiercely. Riri knew when it came down to it Shuri had immense charm but she struggled to flirt outright that's where Riri had a one-up on the older scientist.
"That's what I thought," Riri chuckled as she walked over to Okoye and Aneka leaving the blushing scientist under the shade. The two warriors gave her a small smile more than likely watching the exchange from a couple of moments ago.
"How is she doing?" Riri asked
"Better though she needs a lot more practice, if you would like Riri you can assist in her training as well it would be very beneficial for her training having the Princess fight against your suit,"
"Yeah absolutely," Riri agreed as she looked back at Shuri as she was gulping down a massive amount of water. Their eyes connected and Riri could tell the Princess was blushing as she quickly averted her gaze. Riri watched Shuri with adoration as her gaze went back to the two warriors
"That's a good idea. Though I hope she can keep her focus on her training," Aneka gave Riri a playful wink making the engineer blush in embarrassment.
" YEKA! (STOP!), We have no time for this our Princess almost lost her life yesterday we need to be taking this more seriously!" Okoye scolded the two in frustration
Riri's mood instantly deflated "You're right Okoye I'm sorry," she felt disgusted in herself as the memory quickly flashed in her thoughts again.
The sound of Shuri's kimoyo beads could be heard from her position with Okoye and Aneka. One of Shuri's lab assistants came into view on her bracelet. The conversation was hard to hear so the three women approached Shuri as she continued to focus on the information. By the time the women were in earshot of the conversation the lab assistant disappeared as Shuri looked at them.
"Griot was able to finish his scan I'm needed me back at the lab immediately,"
"We will accompany you, Princess," Aneka stated as Okoye stood stoic
Shuri glanced in Riri's direction and she gave her another sweet smile as the warriors walked ahead of them. Riri noticed that Shuri slightly extended her hand, without hesitation Riri intertwined their hands as Shuri led them back to the lab.
Riri knew that the information that Griot found would be vital in a couple of minutes. The way that Shuri was squeezing her hand slightly Riri could tell Shuri was nervous about the same.
There was commotion in the lab as two full holographic projections of both Solay and Lelani were shown and Riri's blood boiled as the memory of the fight started to replay in her mind.
"Panther, please come quickly Griot finished the profile review," one of the lab assistants urged the four women closer to the projections.
Towards the front of the projections, the figures of Everett Ross frantically looked through some documents while King M'Baku stood over him as they were talking amongst themselves.
Once they were closer to the front Shuri disconnected their hands as she walked to Agent Ross and the look on his face gave Riri a gut-sickening feeling. Something isn't right.
"Correct her name is Lelani Frasier. She's a special operative agent for the CIA as one of our elite soldiers because she is an undercover super soldier. Now Solay Jefferson from what I remember was brought on a couple of months ago on the technical side her impressive GPA in engineering earned her a spot in our special ops core," Agent Ross explained
Shuri was listening intently as Griot was able to pull up video files of Lelani in battle as well as Solay. M'Baku was watching the video alongside Riri.
"These people were able to invade Wakanda under our radar?" M'Baku
"They just seemed like regular Outreach students M'Baku there was no way we could have known," Shuri replied
Riri was watching Agent Ross as his eyes met her own and the look on his face again.
"What is it, Ross?" Riri asked him concerningly
Agent Ross breathed out deeply as he brought up the full profile of Lelani again
"Princess Shuri there is something that you need to know about Lelani,"
Shuri's expression remained stoic continuing to take in all the information "Go on Agent Ross what have you discovered?"
"Well from what I know Lelani Frasier was created by the American government under not-so-natural causes but from her records she took her mother's name when she enlisted in the military. Shuri from the records has a different maiden name. Your majesty I don't know to tell you this but Lelani's real name is Lelani Stevens and she is the daughter of Erik Stevens your cousin Killmonger,"
Riri could barely breathe as the entire room went silent. All eyes landed on Shuri as she was silently hunched over a lab table looking at the records that Agent Ross was getting the information from.
Suddenly Okoye's voice broke the silence "Everett Ross are you certain of this?"
Everett Ross sadly nodded his head as he replied "Yes, Griot even found public records of her birth parents and he is her biological father meaning she-"
"Is a direct descendant of Bashenga, so she could take the herb and harness the power of the Black Panther," Shuri interjected matter-of-factly not making eye contact with anyone in the room.
Riri couldn't believe this so she walked to the table and looked at the documents that Shuri was holding and clear as day it was true Lelani is Shuri's blood relative.
Riri looked at Shuri; her expression was unchanged as she continued to look over all the documents silently. Riri was trying to gauge her reaction and she remembered the last time she was this quiet and expressionless was after the passing of the Queen. Shuri's reaction was putting the entire room on edge as they were waiting for her to speak.
Everyone except for Riri this silence was similar but not the same. Riri could tell that Shuri was not cold when speaking like she was a year ago she was retaining everything before she spoke
"Agent Ross I need you to tell me as much as you can about the Super Soldier serum that Lelani was subjected to,"
Agent Ross nodded as he started working on a holographic screen as he started writing.
"Griot I need you to pull up as much research from our studies with the synthetic heart-shaped herb,"
'Yes, Princess,'
Shuri then sat at the lab table and put her head in her hands. Riri came behind her and softly put her hand on her shoulder and she felt Shuri loosen the tension in her muscles. And almost instantly Riri felt the older scientist put her hand over Riri's.
"Shuri everything is going to be okay,"
Shuri finally met Riri's gaze and she still couldn't decipher the Princess' emotion that she saw.
"I wish I could believe that Riri, but I'm not too sure. Because right now we might be facing something that we have never seen in this lifetime. If Lelani takes the herb I have no idea what she would even become let alone how to stop her," Shuri's tone was dark as her eyes gazed back at Lelani's birth records.
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Hey Lovelies,
I first want to say I am so sorry that this update took way longer than I intended! I have actually been recovering from being in the ER last month. I am still not feeling well but it was as if writing was the only thing that made me feel better during this extremely hard time. I really appreciate everyone's kind words and well wishes during my healing! 💕
Now since I am still healing it may take me a bit longer to upload but not as long as it took for this chapter to come out!
But as always I really hope that y'all are enjoying the progression of the story and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
I always look forward to hearing your commentary as well as seeing your reactions! I appreciate all the love and votes and reads ya'll have given my story I knew expected this story to reach 13k views thats insane to me truly you all are absolutely amazing I can't thank you enough for the support!
I will see you all in the next update!
Bye for now! 🙋🏽♀️🌸