Chapter Text
Riri couldn’t believe they landed themselves in an underwater cave after all that. When she woke up, Shuri knelt beside her, trying to get her to breathe. She would not have a panic attack in front of her. Shuri’s hand on hers helped calm her down.
“Just breathe.” She realized she was rambling about Black Panthers and how no one was coming to save them. “Calm down. We’ll get out of here.”
The blue people who she vaguely remembered traveling with when she was in and out of consciousness approached before she could say anything else. They spoke in a language foreign to her but Shuri looked like she maybe understood them. Riri was not convinced they were to be trusted. “Shuri, wait. This is some super villain shit. Think about it. We don’t know these people. You don’t know what they’ll do to you.”
Shuri only grabbed her hand again, reassuring her. “It’s okay.”
The blue woman waved to Shuri to follow her and Riri held on tighter. “Wait. You’re not leaving me here, are you?” Panic bubbled up inside of her. The princess was the only thing keeping her together.
“I’m coming back for you.” Shuri looked directly into her eyes and Riri took a deep breath. “I’m coming back.” She dropped her hand and squeezed Riri’s shoulder. “And even if I don’t, you’ll be okay. Someone will come for you. Just stay calm.”
Her words had the opposite effect. “Shuri, what-”
“Death is not the end, Ri. So there’s no reason to be afraid of it.” Shuri gave her one more look, like Riri should know what she was talking about before slipping away after the blue woman.
After a while, when Shuri returned, there was nothing but the feeling of relief. She paced the same spot, speaking of Namor and war and his plans and his history but Riri could only watch her, her exquisite side profile as she stalked back and forth, panther-like. Although she had only known this woman a short time, Riri could feel this sense of entanglement in her very being, indicating to her something deeper between them. She couldn’t put her finger on it, like a faded memory in the back of her brain but she felt she was right where she’s meant to be. Even if it was trapped in a cave with no plans of escape. Finally, Shuri came to rest on the hammock next to her. “I need to think.”
Riri wanted to let her, wanted to allow her the space to get them out of this but her departing words bounced around the forefront of her mind. She didn’t even think to judge Shuri and her beliefs, just addressed it as if it was known. “Do you believe in rebirth after death? Is that what you meant before?”
“Something like that, yes.”
That was interesting. She let Shuri think about a plan while she thought about the idea Shuri presented. “Are you always… you?”
Brown eyes met her own, relaxing after being creased from deep thought. A soft smile. “Yes.”
Rescue, in the form of Nakia, cut into her train of thought.
*****
They found themselves alone in Shuri’s lab again, working late into the night. Shuri found new hope that she could recreate the herb that would make one the Black Panther. Simultaneously, they tried to come up with ways to defeat Namor and work on a new suit for Riri. Little by little, she got to know more about Shuri and she shared things about herself in return. The rapport they developed came easy. Two gifted minds working in tandem.
Riri was sitting at Shuri’s desk, picking pieces of popcorn out of a warm bag, watching Shuri stare at her hologram of the suit design pensively. “Well?”
“It’s ingenious, as I knew it would be.”
“Good because I’m almost done with it.” Shuri shot her a look over her shoulder as she popped another piece in her mouth. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.” Shuri said, though she didn’t turn away from the design plans.
“You talk very plainly about death and being reborn.” She watched as Shuri froze in place. “Is that something that all Wakandans believe in?”
She wasn’t sure she was going to get an answer with how long Shuri took to respond. She finally gave up on the hologram and joined Riri at the desk. “You want to know the history of the Black Panther?”
“If that’s what this is about.” Riri wasn’t sure but she just wanted to know more.
Shuri cracked her knuckles and nodded. “After the Vibranium meteor strike, Bast led a warrior to the heart shaped herb to gain powers and help unite the tribes. The stories go as far back as that. After you take the herb, you go to the ancestral plane. It is a spirit realm where the previous Black Panthers are, to give guidance and wisdom to the next heir that will take on the mantle. I believe other ancestors would come too if they were called upon. There are many legends about it, blending in with the history of the Black Panther. Wakandans believe the spirits of the ancestors live on after death whether in the land of pastures or the ancestral plane.”
Riri processed this, waiting for Shuri to continue, sensing more. Wakanda would not be the first nation to believe in an afterlife. But that wasn’t what she thought Shuri was referring to.
“Within the ancestral plane, there are stories of rebirth. The same spirit is reborn again and again to take on the mantle of protector. This is why it is passed down through the generations of my family, through our bloodline. We continue the cycle of protectors through the same souls, the same consciousnesses. Our spirits are needed here.”
“So… reincarnation?”
Shuri bobbed her head. “More or less.”
Riri looked her in the eyes and she didn’t waver, her expression resolute. The questions mounted in her head. “You believe you’re born to be the Black Panther? Destined even?”
“My spirit found where it was needed. I don’t think it would have known anywhere else to go.” She spoke softly as she kept looking at Riri, searching her eyes. Riri hadn’t heard that tenderness in her voice before. Her hand flexed on its own, reaching for Shuri’s but realizing it, she changed course at the last moment, hand going back into the bag of popcorn.
“You sound sure of it.”
“I am.”
They sat in silence and despite the mountain of questions she had, only one made it out of her mouth. “Is it lonely?”
A sad smile graced Shuri’s lips and Riri forced herself not to look at them too long. “It can be.” Shuri got off the stool and headed back to the hologram. She folded her arms across her chest.
Riri studied the back of her, focusing on the black ink creeping up her neck from her back. She wondered not for the first time where it led. She jumped up and joined her in front of her designs and nudged her shoulder playfully. “Alright, give me your notes. I know you’re dying to.”
*****
Shuri stood on her balcony, looking out over her home. The slight coolness of the night air was refreshing after a long day, giving her temporary goosebumps on her bare arms. The Wakandan skyline was breathtaking all the time but in the dusk, right after the sun had set, was her favorite. The glow of the sky illuminating the bright lights of the buildings all around her was grounding. And she needed the grounding now more than ever. She was leading a mission in the morning that they needed to come out victorious in to protect Wakanda. She owed it to her people after what Namor did to their city.
In the quiet of her own room, she finally let loose the tears that threatened her all day. It wasn’t often that she let her emotions get the best of her. The surge of vengeance that she was trying to hold off filled her every being. Namor would pay for what he took from her. She would fight tomorrow for all of Wakanda but selfishly, she would seek her revenge on her mother’s killer. She let the hot tears full of grief and anger flow freely down her cheeks. A small voice in the back of her head spoke to her in her mother’s tone telling her that vengeance would only cloud her judgment. She knew she was right. She pushed it away as a knock came at her door. She welcomed the reprieve from her feelings.
She wiped the remnants of grief from her face as she crossed her room to the door. After a deep breath, she opened it slowly, surprised at who stood on the other side.
“Riri? Is everything okay?”
Riri shuffled her feet and didn’t look at her eyes. She was in one of Shuri’s track suits that was long on her, cuffed at the bottom. “Yeah.”
When she didn’t say anything else, Shuri opened the door wider. “What’s up?”
Their eyes finally met and Riri softened, looking shy. “I didn’t want to be alone.”
“Come in.” She moved to the side so Riri could walk over the threshold. Shuri watched her as she took in her bedroom, closing the door behind them. “I was just out on the balcony. Join me.” She led the way out onto the terrace, forgoing the chairs to sit down on the edge of the railing, letting her feet dangle off the side. Riri hesitated next to her. “You won’t fall.” Shuri patted the space next to her.
“Not exactly the safest thing to do.” Riri sounded reluctant but sat beside her, curling her arm around one of the bars for support. “But I guess nothing we have planned is either.”
Shuri tried to ignore the press of Riri’s leg against hers as she sat down but failed. She stared at their knees pressed together, her legs swinging slightly and Riri’s still. She was sure Riri felt similar to her, looking for something to keep her present and steady with the unknown that was waiting for them. Shuri allowed herself a moment of happiness being in Riri’s presence. “The plan is solid. It’ll work.” She tried to reassure her.
“Oh, I have no doubt it’ll work. I’ve just never done anything like this before.”
“The suit will protect you.” She turned to see Riri worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. “And I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She watched as she took a deep but shaky breath. “I just keep thinking about if I did something wrong with the suit, or if I made some error that I'm overlooking. What if I drop in the middle of the ocean and sink? What if the thing falls apart when one of Namor’s warriors tries to spear me? What if I can’t get to you when I need to? What if I-“
Shuri grabbed one of her fidgeting hands to quiet her. “The suit is perfect. Everything’s going to be fine.”
“But how do you know?” She could hear the fear in her voice even though she almost whispered it. It wasn’t like she didn’t have concerns of her own. Her brain was working overtime all day trying to create solutions to problems that didn’t even exist yet. But hearing Riri voice her fears gave her the strength she always possessed to take hold. She wasn’t alone. She had the person whose brain worked exactly like hers by her side.
“Because you made it. You’re brilliant and the suit is brilliant. Everything else we just have to take as it comes.” Finally, she got a small smile out of her. “I’m afraid too. The risk of battle is not one I take lightly. Everyone I have left in this world will be out there tomorrow, fighting. It is an impossible task to lead and keep everyone safe.”
Riri gripped her hand tight as Shuri realized she hadn’t let go yet. “You’re doing the best you can in an insane situation.” More soft smiles shared between them. Shuri let their hands rest on her lap. “I know you’ll do everything in your power to keep us all alive but don’t forget to keep yourself safe in the process. We need you.”
“We?”
Riri rolled her eyes. “Yes, we. That includes me. You scared me when you took the herb. I didn’t know if you were gonna wake up and you didn’t even seem bothered.”
“I knew what the risks were. I watched my brother take it once.” Shuri swallowed hard at the memory of T’Challa. “I thought I might see him on the ancestral plane.” She said this more to herself than to Riri. In her rare moments alone, she thought a lot about her deceased family and where their spirits were now. It stung for a moment that none of them greeted her when she took the herb but she tried not to dwell on it.
“What happened? You said they abandoned you.” Riri was speaking softly, no doubt because of the way Shuri acted in the lab after waking. “You said no one came.”
“No, they didn’t.” She looked out over the horizon. She could tell Riri who she saw. She just didn’t need her to tell her that avenging her mother’s death was not a good idea because she would not change her mind.
Riri must have sensed her hesitation. “You can tell me, we got time. I don’t think either of us will get much sleep tonight anyways.” Riri relaxed farther into Shuri and lightly traced her thumb over Shuri’s hand, over the ink embedded there. It was such a small gesture but Shuri felt her chest tighten. “If you want.”
She didn’t want to lie to her so she took the out Riri afforded her. “I can’t question where their spirits go, the same way I don’t question where mine ends up.” She found Riri’s eyes and willed her to see her, to feel something in those words. A breeze came through and ruffled the curls falling down onto her forehead and Riri broke their eye contact to push them out of her face. Shuri closed her eyes at her touch.
“Did you know you would succeed with recreating the herb? I mean, if you’re supposed to be or destined to be the Black Panther...”
Shuri could hear where her train of thought was going. “I was sure of my capabilities. Everything clicked into place when I retrieved the fibers grown from the Vibranium soil.” She could almost hear the wheels turning in Riri’s head. “Nothing is predetermined though. Failure was a possibility.” She answered honestly.
“How does it feel? To wear the suit like T’Challa?” That was the last thing she thought she would ask. She assumed she was thinking of all the scientific ways that everything she told her was unlikely, not about how it makes her feel.
Shuri touched the necklace at her throat, fingering the gold where a suit her brother never wore was hidden. “I miss him.”
She shivered a bit as the temperature dropped. Riri dropped her hand to run her own up and down Shuri’s arm once, twice and then stood. “Come on.” She held out her hand and Shuri let her pull her up off the balcony. Riri led her back into her bedroom and sat down on the edge of her king sized bed. “Maybe you don’t have to be lonely tonight.” Riri looked up at her, waiting for permission. How could Shuri deny her?
She nodded and Riri toed off her shoes, crawling into the middle of the bed. Shuri grabbed a blanket off of the small loveseat on the other side of the room then joined her. She threw the blanket over Riri who immediately opened it up for Shuri to share. Riri laid on her side, facing her as Shuri lay on her back, eyes on the ceiling.
“So when this is all over…” Her voice trailed off and Shuri’s jaw tightened on its own at the reminder of what was to come. “Would you want to have dinner with me or something?”
Shuri’s head whipped in her direction. She kept surprising her. She almost laughed at the abrupt change of subject. “What?”
“I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow or when this is all over but I know I want to spend more time with you, Shuri.”
“Riri, I-” She didn’t know what to say at the moment. Her vulnerability was on full display.
“Don’t say no. Not right now. Just think about it.”
“I wasn’t going to say no.” She reassured her and paused, debating on which way to handle this. She definitely didn’t want Riri to take the invitation back. “I just haven’t been on a date… in a while.” That was an understatement.
“Really?” The tone of surprise in Riri’s voice almost made her giggle. “Why not?”
She sighed, turning to face her and give her her full attention. “There is only one meant for me.” Even in the dim lighting in her room, she could see Riri’s puzzled expression. She tried to explain. “Similar to the reborn spirit of the Black Panther. My spirit chooses another being and so does hers.”
“Hers?”
“The one who knows my soul in every life. My twin flame. My other half.” Riri looked at her with wide eyes. She hadn’t dismissed her yet and that was a good thing but she knew she was pushing it. She grew quiet and waited, deciding to let Riri lead the conversation instead.
“She’s with you in every life?” Her voice was only above a whisper.
“There are lifetimes where we miss each other. Sometimes she’s born too early or I am. Sometimes we don’t meet at all.”
It was Riri’s turn to lay on her back now, eyes trained on the dark ceiling. “Have you ever loved anyone else?”
Shuri’s heart rate picked up. She decided to stick with the truth. “Yes, a few times. Just because we are soulmates, doesn’t mean we always got our happy ending. The opposite, in fact.”
As if comforted by that, Riri moved closer to her.”You deserve that, though. A happy ending.”
“Not always, trust me.” Shuri chuckled as she felt Riri’s hand in hers.
They were quiet long enough that she thought Riri drifted off to sleep until she spoke again. “Did she love others? Your partner?”
“Often. She always has so much love to give. If the circumstances did not allow us to be together, I wouldn’t have expected her to keep it all to herself. I wouldn’t want her to live an unfulfilled life because of me, that much I’ve always been sure of.”
“Wow. This is a lot to take in, I’m not gonna lie.” Riri chuckled and Shuri only nodded, knowing she could feel her movement.
“Rest now, tomorrow will be here soon.”
*****
Riri only left Shuri’s side the next morning to change her clothes and load the suit onto one of the jets. She found her at the hangar, watching as Nakia walked away from her to lead the soldiers to their positions. Shuri was in her suit already, everything but the mask. For not the first time since being in Wakanda, she felt a pull to their leader. She allowed it to move her feet for her to stand next to her. Shuri looked like she wanted to reach for her but didn’t. “Good morning.”
“Ready?” Shuri nodded, overseeing what was happening on the ship from afar. “Did you get any sleep? You were gone before I woke up.” She tried to hide the hurt she knew was unwarranted. They had a battle to prepare for.
“I feel refreshed.” Shuri gave another sweeping gaze over the movement of the warriors ahead of them before finally giving her a smile. “Thank you.”
“For…?”
“Being with me.” Shuri squinted out past the large ship waiting for them and over the water.
Riri noted her restlessness in her subtle movements. A twitch in her jaw, a sway of her hips, the raise of her calves as she pushed forward on her toes. “Those new powers got you amped up?”
“A true warrior is always prepared for a fight.” She watched as Shuri stretched her neck and rolled her shoulders. “The herb only enhances what is already inside you.”
“Now you’re sounding like a superhero.” Riri snorted when Shuri gave her a side eye.
“I am no stranger to battle. It is who I am.”
“How many lives have you lived?”
“More than I can remember.”
A chill went through Riri despite the warm morning air. “What do you remember?” She knew she was pushing it, given the circumstances. They should be focusing on what was ahead, not the past. She still had a million questions floating around her head and wasn’t sure she would ever be able to ask all of them.
“Bits and pieces. Some things are more clear than others. Sometimes memories can be triggered by certain objects or moments. It can be hard to focus and surface the memories. I try not to dwell on things that have already happened. The best way is usually forward.”
She noticed Shuri didn’t get into specifics but she supposed it wasn’t the time. And yet in that moment, she could see with clarity the things Shuri was saying and what she believed in. It wasn’t just superstition and religion, she was so much more than the person standing in front of her. Shuri transcended this life and Riri believed her. That itch in the back of her brain returned immediately following her realization.
“What about… her?”
Shuri looked at her feet, crossing her arms over her chest. Her biceps flexed in the suit as she fidgeted. “I always remember her. She is my anchor in this universe. I love her in every life. Again and again.” Riri thought she saw a shimmer in dark eyes but it was gone in an instant. “She doesn’t always remember me. Not anymore. So many things changed over the years, the centuries. We fought together, we fought each other.” Shuri sniffled. “There were times we never met and times we met and didn’t fit together. I thought time had caused a rupture between us.” She twisted her fingers together in the way that she did when she was trying to understand something. When she spoke again, it was in a soft voice, like Riri wasn’t supposed to hear her. “But it’s my fault. I know that now. I’m sorry.”
Before she could question her about fault and blame and apologies, she was interrupted by one of the Dora shouting for their leader. Shuri straightened and gave her one last fleeting look. Her fingers grazed the underside of Riri’s chin as she tilted her head to look up at her. “Yes, to dinner. I never gave you an answer.” With a brush of her fingertips, she was gone, moving towards the action.
Riri attempted to quell the butterflies in her stomach as she followed after her, joining the fray of warriors and soldiers, ready for battle. As they all stood, their attention on Shuri, Riri caught up to where the rest of Wakanda’s leaders stood at the front. While they waited for everyone to settle down, Shuri caught her eye and waved her over. She averted her eyes from the elders as she walked past them down the line. Shuri waited for her to reach her before gesturing to her side. “With me.” Riri was aware of the many eyes on her so instead of panicking, she did as she was told and faced the army that would fight for her and for Shuri and for Wakanda. M’Baku raised his eyebrows when she looked at him on the other side of Shuri but said nothing of her position by the Black Panther’s side.
“The enemy came to our door and attacked without mercy. They destroyed our city and murdered our Queen. Today, Wakanda will end this war before it starts. Will you follow me?”
The roar of assent across the hundreds of warriors is deafening. They shout in Xhosa so Riri didn’t know exactly what they were saying but the message was clear. They were ready.
“And you?” Shuri asks her, only loud enough for her. “Will you follow me?”
“Until it kills me.” Riri spoke with conviction and without much thought and knew the sentiment came from deep within her.
A wistful look crossed Shuri’s face in a flash that was quickly replaced with one of pain. “It always does.”
Ordered chaos as the ship and planes filled didn’t allow her to even question what she meant. Even if somewhere deep inside, she knew.
*****
Riri boarded the jet with Okoye and Aneka. Their instructions were to drop Riri off before retreating out of the fight to wait to be called on by Shuri. Okoye didn’t seem like she was happy about it but after being removed from her position as General to the Dora, she respected Ayo and would let her lead the warriors without strife. Riri was putting on her suit as they flew across the open water and Aneka was helping her while Okoye drove.
“Can I ask you something?” She didn’t speak too loud. She didn’t want Okoye to overhear and shut the conversation down before it started. Aneka nodded as she helped her step into the suit. “Do all Wakandans believe in the ancestral plane? In rebirth?”
“Most. It is in our history so it is hard to deny.”
“What do you mean?”
Aneka watched as the suit came together to strap her in, leaving only her head exposed. “The royal family has resided over Wakanda since its introduction to the world. Bast chose the first Black Panther and we honor that. The lineage is clear. So clear that the elders speak of the similarities in the succession.”
Riri mulled this over. “In their appearance?”
“Yes.” Aneka nodded. “Some of the elders did not worry when T’Challa fell ill, premature and heartbreaking as it was. They knew Shuri would come into the mantle. It was already written in the ancestors that came before them.”
Okoye spoke from the cockpit. “Aneka, you’re not telling Wakandan secrets to the American, are you?”
*****
It pained her to leave the Wakandans on the ship without her as she catapulted into the Royal Talon Fighter. Riri gave the word that she captured Namor and Shuri didn’t waste any time. She breathed a small sigh of relief to know that he hadn’t gotten the best of Riri. A quick check on her vitals reassured her that Riri was okay.
Namor remained cocky as she trapped him in the antechamber and dried him out. She paced in front of him, waiting for the moment she could enact her retribution. She needed this, needed this fight. This is where she excelled the most. This is where she could help the most people, do things that others may not have the courage to do. She would eliminate the threat.
“Need a glass of water?” She asked Namor as he continued to dry out. She folded her arms and waited. In her comms, she heard M’Baku and Nakia telling everyone to retreat. What she wasn’t prepared for was a few minutes later to get word that the ship lost power and they were experiencing casualties.
She watched Namor as he panted. She would not panic yet. “Okoye.”
“Panther.”
“Phambili.”
Okoye would be fine. She would help those left on the ship overcome Namor’s people. The plan was to get Namor back to Wakanda weakened but she knew this was a long shot from the beginning. That was why she agreed to capture Namor instead of killing him on sight. She knew he wouldn’t go down without a fight. She just needed him weak enough to defeat. Almost as if on cue, Namor started stabbing the jet with his spear. Shuri could tell the damage he was doing was significant and told Griot to redirect them to the desert, not far ahead. She’d have to improvise. She liked it that way.
Namor was relentless with his spear so she had no choice but to drop the shields of the antechamber and try to hold him off until they could reach land. As she landed a few blows, she noticed his strength was not what it had been the last time they met. The chamber worked. Not that she ever doubted Riri or herself. They did great things together. She hoped she was staying out of the fighting but knew that was a long shot. Riri would never sit on the sidelines when people were getting hurt.
Distractedly, she took a blow to the gut from Namor, knocking her backwards. He used the split second to pick up his spear and aimed it right at the jet’s power source.
Ideally, they would have made it farther inland but she didn’t have much of a choice as she tumbled from the blown up aircraft. One second she was airborne and the next she was facedown in hot sand. She gave herself a quick onceover. The suit took the brunt of the fall. She barely had any time to assess for suit damage before Namor was on her. He was strong but not as quick and agile as her. Within minutes of fighting, she clipped one of his wings and gashed the hell out of his face.
Shuri was keeping up with him as he was gaining strength and momentum, digging her claws into his back and drawing blood, until she heard Riri scream in her ear. A moment’s hesitation, a split second of fear for her, allowed Namor to get the upper hand. Blow after blow knocked her back into the sand dune until she heard Riri yell, “get off me!” and allowed the built up energy in her suit to explode, sending Namor flying away from her and into the ground, hard.
An anger surged through her as she pounced on Namor and engaged him once again, this time with her having the advantage. Finally, he stayed down for longer, scrambling half-heartedly away from her. She took a deep breath, intending on a fatal blow to end this, when sharp, searing pain ignited in her gut.
Namor drove his spear deeper into her, penetrating the suit and coming out the other side. She gasped, recognizing she was impaled and at his mercy. Trying to blink the pain away, she watched as he finally fell backwards, both of them panting for air. He spoke to her but she couldn’t hear anything over the blood pumping in her ears loudly. Namor crawled back towards the shore.
She wouldn’t go out like this. Not without taking him with her. Laboring, she used her claws to hack the spear in half, close to her abdomen. Fighting through the pain, she lifted herself off of the spear, the sharp end wedged into a rock. The pain was agonizing and she cried out, willing the suit to mend itself to keep her in one piece while she finished the job.
The pain barely subsided as the suit became whole once more. She had Namor right where she wanted him though. Weak and with his guard down. She crept as stealthily as she could behind him as he wobbled to the ocean, no doubt hoping the water would heal or strengthen him.
He would never get the chance. Shuri unleashed the claws from her suit and using her enhanced speed and might, dragged two of them deep across Namor’s throat before he even knew she was there. She watched him fall to his knees, gulping for air, hands trying to stop the blood from free flowing out of his neck. “For my mother.” She watched the color drain from his shocked face. He tried to speak but nothing came out. “Wakanda forever.”
Within a minute, he went head first into the blood stained sand, unmoving. An anticlimactic end for such a storied man. Shuri knew it all too well. All men, no matter how powerful, fall eventually.
As her adrenaline weaned, the pain in her stomach came back in full force. She stumbled backwards, resting on the edge of a boulder to stay upright.
“Griot?” She could taste blood in the back of her throat as she slid down the rock to sit.
“I have alerted Ms. Williams.”
A half a beat later, Riri’s voice filled her ears. “Shuri! I’m coming!”
She closed her eyes and waited. She heard her land, the suit clanking as she peeled herself out of it. When she reopened her eyes, Riri was the only thing in her line of vision.
“What happened?” Shuri could only smile at her softly, her hand at her wound. The sun shining behind Riri gave her a heavenly glow. She was so beautiful. “Griot? Tell me something.”
“The damage is critical.” Her AI sounded remorseful, if a computer could emote. “There’s nothing I can do.”
Shuri knew the feeling. She probably knew when the spear pierced her. It never got easier though. She reached out for Riri who was bent before her, hand cupping her cheek. “If this is my last life, I am glad to have known you.”
She held her gaze, watched as Riri’s eyes widened as flashes of lifetimes flew by as memories. Epic battles, heartbreak, stolen moments, death and so much love. A second of a far away look and then Riri’s was gripping her wrist, blinking rapidly. “My love?” Shuri only nodded, dropping a tear as the weight off her chest was lifted. Finally.
“No. No, no, no.” Riri’s eyes welled up immediately. “No, I only just found you.” Her hands found the wound Shuri was trying to cover, applying pressure though she knew it was futile. “I remember, my love, I remember. I’m here.”
Shuri couldn’t tell if it was relief or blood spreading over her but she couldn’t take her eyes off of Riri. “I knew you would. It is taking you longer and longer to recognize me though, Ri. That’s my fault.” Now that Riri knew, she was feeling so tired. Her breaths were becoming more shallow.
“I’m sorry I left you alone for so long.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time. I haven’t been the easiest to deal with.” Riri only shook her head and leaned forward to kiss her forehead before resting her own there. “Look after my people, please. You can trust M’Baku and Okoye. Wakanda will need their strength when news of Namor’s death spreads.”
“Of course, Shuri.” Riri was looking at her in that familiar way now, not as a young scientist but as her partner, the person she has lived lifetimes with. Her heart ached with the realization that they could have had each other in this one. Fate had other ideas. Or was this one on her? “They will know of your bravery and your sacrifice.”
“I failed you again.” Riri pursed her lips together but didn’t speak. “I would do anything for you Riri. I would take down nations and empires. I would do anything to bring you back to me, slay anyone and everyone in my path. I would build you more suits than you could ever want. I’d build you a home, if you’d stay.”
Riri didn’t have to answer for her to know what she would say. It was enough that she didn’t say it. “Shh. It’s okay.” Riri moved to sit beside her. She laced her fingers with her own, kissing her knuckles. “You can yield now. I’m here and now I know where you are.”
Shuri used the last of her strength to turn her head towards Riri. She forced her eyes to stay open as long as she could, drinking in the sight of her with the shoreline in the background. “May we meet again.”
The darkness closed in slowly and the last thing she felt was the weight of Riri’s hand in hers. It wasn’t the first time and it wouldn’t be the last.