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tallulahchanel · 1 year ago

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Disintegration (AU) [Part 2]

Fandom: Black Panther; Wakanda Forver; Avengers Infinity War

Characters: Nakia, Sizwe (River Tribe Elder), Unathi (oc), Queen Naomi (oc), and Queen Ramonda

Warnings: Angst, mentions of character death, grief

Words: 3.2k

Tags: @thekrazykeke @marieewrites @masterofhounds @post-woke @loloalin @i-drink-and-i-write-fics @lady-olive-oil @griot-of-wakanda

~~~

The image of Kya disintegrating into ash right in front of her still plagued Nakia's mind as she willed her legs to get her home. She and Okoye settled for walking back, neither of them having the energy to call Shuri for a jet, if she was even there to accept the call. They also needed time to process what had just happened and how it was going to affect everything around them.

As soon as Nakia walked into her mansion, she was met with the concerned faces of her father, stepmother Babalo, and great-aunt Rhikya. Since the fight wasn't near the River Tribe borders, there was no need for them to evacuate, so they waited at the mansion for the two sisters to return.

Just as Nakia was about to tell them what happened out there, her voice caught in her throat, unable to say the words. Instead, she collapsed to her knees and allowed tears to fall from her cheek and onto her father's sandals. She soon felt his arms wrap around her and she buried her face into his shoulder and sobbed into it. She could sense that he was fighting back his own tears from the pain of losing his youngest daughter, but at that moment, she could only think about her grief and distress.

Time seemed to blur as Nakia eventually got up from the floor and went to wash off the blood, sweat, and dirt from the battle. She didn't bother looking towards Kya's suite, knowing her sister wouldn't be there to greet her with her bright and warm smile.

After showering and changing into her nightgown, Nakia climbed into bed and pulled the covers over her head, begging for sleep to come. Babalo had come in to check on her, insisting that food would be good for her, but she shook her head and promised her stepmother she would eat in the morning.

Babalo could only nod and leave her alone to sit in her grief.

~~~

Wakanda was in a state of mourning, and the dark cloud that loomed over the skies for the next few days didn't help. Even the market that usually buzzed with gossip and half-truths was quiet enough for one to hear their sandals walking against the grasslands.

To honor the lives that were lost from either the battle or becoming ash, Queen Naomi organized a mass grieving ceremony in which the citizens would release lanterns in the air as a celebration of the lives lived and the memories preserved.

Nakia stood in the middle of the River province with her family as they released a lantern in remembrance of Kya. "Goodbye, my omncinci," she said as tears fell down her cheek as she remembered Kya's bright smile, warm presence, and funny personality.

That night, as Nakia lay in bed, she felt her mother's presence. It was rare for Unathi to visit from the ancestral plane, claiming that they rarely need her, but tonight was an exception. More tears flowed as Unathi twisted Nakia's tight coils around her finger.

"She's not there," she told Nakia, adding to her disappointment.

It relieved the War Dog that her baby sister wasn't dead in a traditional sense, but it left her wondering where her spirit was and how much she would give to see her omncinci again.

Unathi's actions eventually lulled her to sleep and gave her much-needed rest for the night. However, Nakia was ready to return to work the next morning. She needed to do something besides sitting in that mansion all day, thinking about Kya.

Fortunately for her, great-aunt Rhikya had an assignment in Liberia and could use the extra hands. "The time away might do you some good," she told Nakia while pouring herself a glass of iced tea Babalo mixed with some lemonade. "But it's only a temporary fix. You still have to do the work of healing yourself."

Nakia didn't say anything, just shoved a fork full of eggah in her mouth and nodded.

The work in Liberia only lasted for two months, and she intended on returning to Oakland to continue her work at the Outreach Center. That was until she received notice that Queen Naomi will eventually switch her to another program.

"My Queen!" Nakia addressed her after barging into her office uninvited, Ayo on her tail.

"I tried to stop her," the second-in-command informed her queen, who just waved her off.

"It's alright, Ayo. Return to your post."

Ayo gave Nakia a warning scowl before leaving out, but the War Dog kept her gaze fixed on Naomi.

"Why would you move my work to Haiti without consulting me first?"

Naomi adjusted the glasses over her eyes. She would've usually worn her contact lenses, but maybe she didn't feel like putting them on that day. Truthfully, the queen hadn't been seen in the glamorous light everyone knew her for. She once walked the palace with confident strides, adorned in a fine gown or custom-made bodysuit as her cocoa-brown skin glistened with perfumed oils. A grieved soul that didn't have the energy to do those things for herself replaced that woman. Today, she wore a simple and clean t-shirt with gray sweatpants that still showed off her curves, and flip-flops, even though the chipped polish on her toenails showed that they hadn't been painted in a while. Her black silk-pressed hair scattered on her shoulders as her bangs hid her eyes, along with her cat-eye glasses. Since there wasn't a council meeting that day, Nakia figured she chose to dress down for the pile of paperwork on her desk.

"Nakia," Naomi addressed her, "I'm building an Outreach Center there, and when it opens, I want you to direct it. You're the best person for the job, and you'll be closer to home, which means you can make more frequent visits to your family. I think this assignment would be good for you."

"Who gave you the authority on what's good for me?"

With a heavy and exasperated sigh, Naomi got up from her desk and walked around to get eye level with Nakia. "I'm trying to be as empathetic as I can with everything that's going on, but I'm not gonna deal with your attitude right now."

Nakia tried to reprimand the queen for speaking to her in that manner, but Naomi continued.

"I'm sorry about Kya, and I miss her too, but you're not the only one here who has lost someone. Queen Mother lost both of her children. M'Baku lost his wife. And not only did I lose my king, I lost the father of my child, my best friend, and the love of my life." Naomi paused to wipe the tear that fell from her eye. "The point is, we're all doing what we can to keep Wakanda running smoothly. All I'm asking is for you to do the same."

Before Nakia could say anything in her defense, the office door opened to reveal N'Kusa, the Dora of Prince Javon, cradling the toddler in her arms.

"My queen. He's awake from his nap and wanted to see you."

"Come here, my baby." Naomi took her son from the Dora and hugged him close.

Prince Javon was a spitting image of his father. Deep-ebony skin, baby doe eyes, and tight, black coils. When he did smile, it was big and bright, just like T'Challa's. The smile that warmed the hearts of everyone that came in contact with him.

Nakia hung her head in shame. Seeing the two of them together only emphasized the queen's words. She did only lose her sister, but everyone in Wakanda has lost someone as well, especially their beloved king.

"Your people need you now more than ever," Naomi's voice grabbed her attention, but she didn't respond. Felt too ashamed to say anything.

Nakia just cleared her throat to rid it of the forming lump and left without a formal dismissal from her queen.

With that day's revelation, Nakia made a point to check on her father. She hadn't really asked him how he felt, but she assumed it would be like the time their family lost her brother, Isipho. A bouncing baby boy that died from SIDS a year prior to Kya's conception. The circumstances were different, but it was still a loss.

"I can't help thinking it's all my fault," she told him while looking out the window of his study, a tear streaking down her cheek. "If I hadn't-"

"Shhhh," Sizwe cut her off with a gentle pat on her shoulder. "Kya had her mother's stubborn determination. There was nothing you could do to stop her. Nor could you have stopped what happened to anyone else."

Nakia wiped her tears away, but more came. "I'm sorry baba. I came in here to check on you."

"I'm taking it one day at a time. It's all one can do."

She didn't say anything, not that there was much to say. Except something she had been thinking about for a while, but she wasn't sure how her father would accept it. After a few minutes of silence, she finally looked away from the window to lock eyes with him. "I saw umama a few weeks ago. Something she said had stuck with me, and I can't seem to let it go."

"What is it?"

Nakia released a sigh. "She said that Kya wasn't there."

That made Sizwe's eyes grow like saucers. "But she's gone. How is that possible?"

"I don't know," she answered with a shrug.

"Can you excuse me for a bit?"

With a nod, Nakia got up from the window cushion and left his office.

In the morning, she got word of an emergency council meeting to discuss what she shared with her father the night before, but she didn't bother to attend. She wasn't in the mood to sit in a semi-circle to talk about the possibility of bringing back their loved ones, not when the reality of everyone's disappearance was right in front of them. This wasn't the time for fantasies and false hopes, just the real world grounding them all with a sense of purpose. The only way Nakia would get that was in Oakland, where she will work until the Outreach Center in Haiti was complete.

~~~

Haiti, Outreach Center – 2025

Years passed, and things changed.

Looking in the mirror, Nakia's hands brushed the auburn locs off her shoulders to scoop them into a ponytail. She wasn't always one for commitment, but the decision to loc her hair came a couple of years prior when she learned that a mother of one of her students was a loctician. She had thought about it for years in Wakanda, but she took that as a sign from Bast to finally do it. Things were already different for her then, and the new hairstyle was her way of opening up to the change. Embracing it so to speak. And finally, it was something on her own terms.

Nakia secured the ponytail with a hair tie and sighed at what she was about to do. She hadn't contacted home in a while, not since her father called two years ago to tell her that Kya and the others returned by some miracle. Work that day had been stressful, so the only thing she was in the mood for was a cup of ramen and Abbot Elementary reruns. He relayed the news via a voice message she didn't hear till the next morning. He even put Kya on the message so she could hear her voice, but denial clouded her judgment, and she deleted the message, angry at her father for playing a cruel trick on her. That's why she hadn't returned either of the several calls from him or her sister over the years.

The last call Nakia received from her sister was a week after T'Challa's passing made the news. He had been sick for a while, meaning there would be no miraculous return from him. He was gone for good this time. After two days of locking herself in her home to mourn the loss of the man she never fell out of love with, she buried herself in work to keep a sense of normalcy in her life. She didn't even make an effort to attend his funeral.

As Nakia twirled a loc that strayed from her ponytail around her finger, she waited patiently for Shuri to answer the call, wanting to know how she was doing and how things were back home. However, she was asked to leave a message, much like the other calls to the young genius. She took the silence in stride and pressed on her beads again to contact her father. When he didn't answer, she figured he was busy in the office or pretending to like the Border Tribe Elder enough to play golf against him. The only person she could think to call was her sister, but she doubted there would be an answer, as she still didn't believe Kya would be on the other end. Closing her eyes, she said a quick prayer to Bast and took the plunge. Her call was immediately ignored and sent to voicemail, which made her sigh again, this time in defeat.

They were angry at her and there weren't enough apologies in the world to make up for not returning home, especially for T'Challa's funeral.

~~~

Nakia spent most of the next day completing paperwork in her office. She was a workaholic, a fact she knew all too well, but never got help for. If she had continued her regular therapy sessions, Dr. Idowu would say she needed a proper work-life balance, like a hobby or hanging out with friends. Problem is, Nakia hadn't developed much of either. There was her frenemy Juleka, but she was only useful for nights at the club or bar or the occasional movie or dinner if Nakia didn't want to go alone.

Nakia took a break from the paperwork for a few minutes to close her eyes and soak up the sounds of the children playing outside, her nerves instantly relaxing at their joy. She hadn't thought much about having children, especially since the accident that left her with scarred fallopian tubes, but she enjoyed the sounds of their laughter and playing.

"I bet I can do it and you'll owe me a snack cake when I do," a familiar voice caught Nakia's attention, and she sat up in her chair to look outside her window. Sure enough, eleven-year-old Juna Yves was swinging on the monkey bars, ready to climb them to impress her classmates.

Storming out of her office, Nakia made a beeline toward the playground to stop Juna from hurting herself. As soon as she walked outside, she found the eleven-year-old with her foot on the second bar, preparing to put it on the top bar. "Juna!" She scolded the young girl with her hands on her hips. "Get down from there, now!"

The little girl narrowed her eyes at Nakia, but backed down when the headmistress folded her arms. "You know, Miss Nakia, you should really learn to lighten up," she said while climbing off the monkey bars.

Nakia rolled her eyes, but a smile twitched at the corner of her lips. "I'll lighten up when you learn to stay out of trouble."

"I am no trouble at all." Juna stuck her nose in the air, her words and demeanor reminding Nakia of when Kya would do the same thing when she told her to stay out of trouble.

Nakia shook the thought out of her mind before smirking at the little girl. "Why don't you come with me to check on the plants?"

That got Juna to smile, meaning she wasn't thinking about climbing the monkey bars for now. "I don't mind. Besides, I have to teach you everything."

Nakia let Juna walk in front of her, so the child wouldn't see her rolling her eyes, then followed her to the area where they grow the indoor plants. "This is beautiful," she complimented the garden croton Juna had been growing for months. "I might let you keep it in your room."

Before Juna could answer, a voice Nakia hadn't heard in years, greeted her in Haitian Creole. "Bonjour."

She jumped in startlement and turned to lock eyes with the tall, chestnut-skinned woman, who smiled back at her.

Nakia turned back to Juna and patted her shoulder. "Ale lave. Li preske tan pou repa aswè (Go wash up. It's almost time for the evening meal)."

"Wi madam (yes ma'am)," Juna replied with a sweet smile, and walked off, making sure to greet the woman that just approached them.

As soon as Juna disappeared, Nakia gazed at the woman in front of her, keeping her tears at bay. "Queen Mother."

The pair walked the halls while she explained how she was able to use the resources to provide better education as well as food for the children. The conversation was going well until Ramonda abruptly changed it to a heavier topic.

"You were missed at T'Challa's funeral."

Nakia sighed, knowing that was coming. She walked over to the nearby railing and gripped it while hiding her incoming tears away from Ramonda.

"It's been six years since you left us. We thought you would at least come back for the ceremony. If not for him, for your sister. She misses you."

Nakia turned to her as her bottom lip trembled. "I miss her too."

That made Ramonda raise an eyebrow. "You speak as if she's still gone."

Nakia didn't say anything because in her heart, Kya was. Even if she has heard her sister's voice via the messages sent from her, it wasn't enough to make her go home. She wanted to believe that her omncinci was back there waiting for her to return, but she worried that she'd go there and find that Kya hadn't returned and her mind had been playing tricks on her. It didn't help that the voice messages have stopped.

"I was afraid," was all Nakia could say before returning her gaze to Ramonda. "I thought if I went back there and she wasn't there…I couldn't handle it. And now that T'Challa's gone…" her voice trailed off as more tears threatened to fall.

"Nakia," Ramonda affectionately addressed her, placing a hand on her cheek. "No matter where you go, you will always be Wakandan. You know death isn't the end. It wasn't for her, and it isn't for T'Challa."

Nakia sniffled and sucked up her remaining tears. "How is she?"

"She is well, but that's not the reason I came."

Nakia wiped at her eyes, so Queen Mother would know that she was fully listening.

"Shuri has been taken."

This made Nakia furrow her brows. "What?"

"You have infiltrated different nations before."

Nakia immediately shook her head, knowing what Ramonda was asking her. "Oko kwakukudala (that was a long time ago). I was a different person then."

"I need someone who could find where she's being held and rescue her without being seen."

Nakia nodded in understanding, seeing the desperation in Ramonda's eyes. "Yes, Queen Mother. But who on earth would risk war with Wakanda?"

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