Chapter 1: The Story Begins

Night had fallen over the busy city. Cars sped down the street and lights seemed to bring the city to life. Gaggles of girls walked together down the sidewalk and men catcalled. The scene was a typical Friday night outside Kala's apartment. Not that she ever paid much attention to the bustling city below. She was far too busy for that.

Kala, a twenty-something woman, paced her apartment anxiously as she checked her phone nearly every minute for a notification. He was late. Her brother was late. T'Challa had contacted her and told her that he would be at her place by eight o'clock. It was currently going on 8:07. Even though it was only a few minutes, he was still late.

She checked her phone once again. Nothing. Nadda. Sometimes brothers could be quite frustrating. Although to be honest, she was worried that T'Challa was going to go back on his word. While she hadn't known him to do that, it was always something that plagued her mind. Especially given their situation.

With a sigh, she glanced near the door toward her floral-print luggage. This was the first opportunity she had to use it since she purchased it. Kala was finally cashing in on all the paid time-off she had accrued over the years at work and she was going home. She was going home for the first time in nearly a decade. She was now finally allowed home for the first time in nearly a decade. Home. Wakanda. The most beautiful place on Earth. God, she missed the place. She missed the serenity...the beauty...but most of all, she missed the people and the relationships she had formed. While she had figured out how to maneuver her life outside of Wakanda, it always felt like a piece of her was left behind...that a piece of her was missing and always would be until she could one day return.

She was nervous that she wouldn't even recognize T'Challa. It had been quite some time, years since she had seen him. He hadn't been allowed to see her. Although, he had been forbidden to keep contact with her, he had broken that on multiple occasions. As did Shuri, her sister. But their father was quite strict when it came to them having contact with her.

Their father. Those words stung at her heart. After all these years, they still hurt, they still stung her heart. King T'Chaka had once been her father and she loved him as such, completely unaware and oblivious of the truth. Then again, until a decade ago, the only one who knew the truth of her true lineage had been her mother. The mother she shared with T'Challa and Shuri. The mother whose infidelity had caused their family so much grief and pain. The mother she had also been forbidden to see inside the confines of Wakanda.

In order to save face and to protect his family and its image, King T'Chaka had banished Kala from Wakanda one he learned that he was not her father. She had only been a teenager and at the time, she didn't understand why the only father she had ever known would do such a thing. But T'Chaka couldn't bear to look at Kala and be constantly reminded of his wife's infidelity. So, he had strategically sent her away and chalked it up to the fact that she was helping to improve Wakanda's ties with the outside world. That was a load of crap and those closest to her knew it.

While the people of Wakanda were never made aware of the truth. Kala, T'Challa, T'Chaka, and Ramonda, were the only ones to harbor that secret. Even Shuri hadn't been made aware, although Kala had a feeling that by now she had figured it out. Shuri was a gifted girl and she wouldn't put it past her.

But the last few weeks had been a whirlwind. T'Chaka had been killed and T'Challa would now ascend to the throne. Her brother had asked that she be there for that. He had also promised that the banishment imposed by his father was now null and no longer in effect. So, now she had a choice to make She could return back to Wakanda for good or remain in the outside world continuing her work. But Kala had a feeling she was going to be a stranger in either world. She just needed to figure out where she would feel like less of one.

Kala plopped onto her sectional sofa and scrolled through her phone messages. She wanted to make sure that she had read the message correctly. Had she misread something and gotten the date wrong? The time wrong? Or perhaps he hadn't actually said he was coming for her. Although she had read the message at least a dozen times before, she checked once more for good measure.

Just then the doorbell chimed. Without missing a beat, Kala jumped up and practically ran to the door. When she was only a few feet away, she slowed herself down and attempted to calm herself. She glanced in the mirror on the wall and made sure her appearance was acceptable. She just didn't want to look like the dorky teenager who had left Wakanda and yet at the same time, she hoped he recognized her.

She exhaled a nervous breath before she opened the door. T'Challa stood there smiling. "You wouldn't happen to know my sister, Kala, would you? She's about this high," he said motioning with his hand before continuing. "Wild hair with a smile that lasts for miles."

"T'Challa," Kala chuckled.

"Do I have the wrong place?" he teased.

"Get over here." Kala enveloped her big brother in a hug. He laughed as he hugged her back tightly. She felt tears beginning to well in her eyes as he held onto her and told her that he missed her. It had been so long since she had been able to hug her brother. She had always been closer to T'Challa than Shuri. Shuri was very young when she left. Kala had known T'Challa her entire life.

Kala pulled away and wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. She laughed at herself. "Don't worry, they're happy tears."

"It is good to see you, sister."

"You too."

T'Challa glanced behind her into her apartment and softly smiled. "Are you not going to invite me in?" He gestured inside.

"Right. Oh my god. Totally forgot about that. Uh, yeah. Come in." Kala put her back against the door and motioned for him to step inside. T'Challa nodded his head and smiled before he crossed the threshold.

He walked to the middle of the room and said nothing. He took in everything he could. He noticed the lack of personal effects in the home. There was only one picture on a table in the corner of T'Challa, Kala, and Shuri. He thought there would have been more. The rest of the apartment was decorated with paintings and cheesy signs. One of them read girls just wanna have fun. It wasn't a terrible place to live, but it wasn't quite what he had expected from the sister he remembered.

Kala stood there nervously biting her fingernails. T'Challa knew his sister was looking for his approval. She always was.

"You've done well for yourself, sister. I mean, considering the circumstances," T'Challa commented as he glanced around the apartment.

"It isn't Wakanda," Kala offered.

"There is only one Wakanda."

Kala nodded her head. She then shook her head at her lack of manners once again. She rarely got visitors and it seemed like she had forgotten how to treat them. "Please have a seat," she offered as she gestured toward the sectional. T'Challa sat down. "Can I get you anything? I have water and….water."

"Water is fine," T'Challa chuckled. "We don't have long, sister. I would like for us to be headed back toward Wakanda within the hour."

She chuckled nervously. "I almost thought you were going to tell me that you had changed your mind about me coming back."

T'Challa frowned. "I would never do that. Not to you."

Kala said nothing. She just nodded her head and walked to grab a bottle of water from the fridge. Once she had the water in hand, she walked back toward T'Challa and handed it to him. He thanked her and took a drink before he said. "I never agreed with his decision to banish you."

"I know," Kala said quietly.

"It was out of my hands."

"I know."

"I wish to make things right, Kala. I can't make you forget, but I hope one day I can lead you to forgive."

"Forgive?" Kala scoffed.

"It is a lesson I just learned for myself. You can't let hate or resentment rule your life. Revenge is a dangerous motivation. You must learn to forgive, otherwise, that hatred and revenge will consume you and you won't recognize the person looking back at you in the mirror." T'Challa looked at his sister, hopeful yet with great concern. But even after all the years that had passed, she wasn't ready for his words.

She folded her arms defensively across her chest. "Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but I don't need a fortune cookie right now."

Wisely, T'Challa said nothing more on the subject. She wasn't ready. But he would be there for her when she was. He just hoped that day was sooner, rather than later.

"I suppose we should go," T'Challa said, standing up. "We still have another stop to make and Okoye is probably growing restless waiting."

"Some things never change, I guess," Kala chuckled, remembering Okoye's impatience from nearly a decade ago. Kala was glad to be seeing her again though. She and Okoye had always seemed to get along. Although, she had a seed of nervousness that Okoye had forgotten about her over the years.

But T'Challa seemed to sense her worry. "Growing restless waiting to see you again. So, we shouldn't keep her waiting."

Kala nodded her head and moved to grab her luggage. T'Challa stopped her as Kala reached for her suitcase. "Allow me, sister," he said.

"What will the people of Wakanda think, seeing their king carrying luggage?" Kala questioned, teasingly.

But T'Challa's answer was of a more serious nature. "First of all, the people of Wakanda won't be seeing this. Second, they'd see a brother trying to do right by his sister." T'Challa rested his hand on his sister's shoulder. He looked her right in the eye. It seemed like his gaze could bore a hole into her very soul. He understood.

Kala sighed and nodded her head. "I've missed you," she barely squeaked out.

"And I you," T'Challa said. "We'd best hurry or Mother and Shuri will also likely have my hide for keeping you for so long." He smiled at her and she smiled back, wondering if his words didn't have a sense of truth to them.

With the luggage in tow, the pair headed up to the roof of the apartment building where an invisible aircraft was waiting for them. T'Challa seemed to know where he was headed and Kala followed as a set of stairs suddenly appeared. They boarded the aircraft and Okoye greeted Kala with a quick hug before she returned to the pilot's seat. It had been quite unexpected and while now wasn't the time, Kala looked forward to resuming her friendship with Okoye.

Kala sat down beside her brother. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing as the aircraft took flight. It felt like her heart might beat out of her chest. She was nervous and excited at the same time and the feeling was overwhelming. But when she opened her eyes and found T'Challa watching her and she felt an odd sense of calm. A calm that it had been years since she had experienced. Kala smiled at her brother.

T'Challa smiled back and said, "Welcome back, sister."

And Kala knew he meant it.

Author's Note: Oops. This wasn't supposed to exist. Now it does. Sorry, not sorry. Thanks to everyone who supported this plot bunny on Tumblr. :) You now have Kala. haha.