Black Panther: Rise of the Princess (COMPLETE)

Chapter 20: Shuri

"Allow the Heart-Shaped Herb to give the powers of the Black Panther, and take you to the Ancestral Plane. T'Chaka, I call on you, come here, to your daughter."

I saw the day I was born, with my brother holding me in my mother's lap.

I saw Father training T'Challa and I, looking on as we completed a sequence of movements.

I saw the day I earned my first PhD, and Mother standing proudly in the background. I ran up to hug her as soon as I was allowed to.

I saw the day Father's body was brought home, broken and bloody from the explosion.

I saw the day Thanos came to Wakanda and killed our people, and the disappearance of half of the world.

It was then that I rose slowly from the sand, but I didn't recognize the place I was in. The sky was a mix of purples and blues. I didn't know something so beautiful could exist.

I rose to my feet, and then realized that I was wearing something different than I remembered putting on. It was a long, flowing dress, with ancient tunes sewn into the hem. Wishing I owned something like that in real life, I tried to focus on what I was actually there for.

In front of me was a tree, with panthers sitting in the branches. Black Panthers. The one of the lowest branch leapt down towards me, and I walked closer, hoping it was who I thought it was.

It was. The Panther turned into Father, and I could only stare at him at first. Compared to how I remembered him coming back from the bomb, he looked so...full of life. He was as welcoming as he had ever been, though, and I ran to lean on him one more time.

He picked me up like he used to as I wrapped my arms around his neck and let my tears fall on his shoulder. His warm hand supported my back, and for the first time in a long time, and the last time, I hugged my father.

"Intomba," he said quietly, "it's all right. I'm here, kukhanya."

"I missed you, Baba," I whispered, barely able to speak the words. The sound of his voice was so soothing, so calm. Hearing him call me the names he called me as a girl, it made me feel like...like I was home.

He pulled me back and cradled my face in one hand. I covered it with one of mine and closed my eyes, not wanting to forget what it felt like.

"Look at you, Shuri," he spoke softly, and I opened my eyes to stare at his. "You're as radiant as the day I first saw you."

I couldn't help but smile. Mother always said one of the reasons she fell in love with Father was because of the way he spoke.

I stared at him, tryin mg to think of something to say. "Did you know?" I asked him finally. "Did you know I would come here, one day?"

"No," he answered, "but I knew that you could."

I nodded. "Any member of royal blood can become the Black Panther, not just the firstborn."

Father shook his head and smiled. "No. I knew because you have the heart of gold, intomba." He took both of my hands in his. "Soft, for the people you love. Beautiful, as you always have been. Valuable, for the genius in your head."

I laughed softly. Father never quite understood how I had learned so much so quickly, but he loved to praise me for it.

"Radiant, with the joy of a thousand lives. Malleable, able to change and grow, but more importantly, and more so than gold, you are needed."

I looked down at my hands, unable to meet his stare.

"Do you remember what I told you?"

I nodded.

"The Black Panther is a warrior, a mantle, for anyone of royal blood who might be brave enough to accept it. You may be younger than your brother, but he will need your passion and your light, even as a King. He will always need you, by his side, and ready to help him."

"How?" I asked. "How do I help him?"

"Not just him, kukhanya. He needs your love, just as everyone does. Not everyone may want to be ruled, but all want to be loved."

Closing my eyes, I tried to understand what he was saying.

"Not ever hero wears one of your suits, Shuri," he whispered , pulling me so my forehead touched his. "Give them a home to come back to."

I nodded, then stopped, without looking up. "Them?"

"Stay strong, intomba. This will not be your last fight," he told me, kissing my forehead. "Never forget that I love you."

"I love you, Baba." I whispered, and for a moment, I was at peace.

Then I snapped back to the real world, and that peace fled. I coughed on sand at I sprang up, but T'Challa was at my side in an instant.

"Shuri," he said, and for a second, I thought he was still Father. "Shuri, are you all right?"

I reached out to lean on him, and even though I didn't explain, my brother knew that I just needed him. He was enough. We were enough.