-WAKANDA 2018-

Ajani

Ajani stared out the Wakandan skies as she stroked her baby panther cub. Who was soft to the touch Zakari was a sweet cub, affectionate and docile like a kitten. She looked up at her with her sparkling green eyes. "It's so odd being back here." She said honestly to the cub. She returned to Wakanda 19 years after she was woken up in Tibet. She didn't even realize she could go home until now. She was curious if she even wanted to. Ajani had grown into a beautiful woman with honey brown skin, golden eyes, and black wavy hair on the right side and white haired on the other. It was an odd look, but Stephen said that she should embrace the weird. After all she was a princess at one time and that is already weird to him.

She smiled as she thought fondly of her past nineteen years. Sixteen spent with the ancient one. She cried when she had died and read the letter of her father's letter repeatedly to get her through. She and Stephen had begun to train together as the Ancient one had ordered. She said that the thought of him having someone who had admired him. Which is true Ajani was fascinated by his brain. The way his mind worked like a rubix cube with so many different combinations. She listened to his ideals and she listened to the beautiful stories of his life as the once best surgeon of all times. He was arrogant and moody. He reminded her of a more defined higher-class Tony Stark. She never graced his presence and wasn't sure that she wanted to. She stroked Zakari in a daze thinking about him. She didn't want to, but she did and got lost.

She was so deeply in thought she didn't hear the door opened, and she froze when she heard steps. She took a deep breath she had been here for a week unnoticed, who would? It would be easier if they didn't know about it at all. She took another deep breath and waited.

"I want this room opened. Let some air in… Who knows maybe she will come back this year."

"Now Mother you told us to give up that silly dream years ago."

"And that's because you all were children and you didn't need to sit by a door that we do not know how long it'll be sealed but with T'chakka gone… I want her spirit to be with him in the after life and it's only right if we opened the doors to everyone." She said and touched her daughters' shoulder.
Then walked to the balcony. "Your father… He asked for this to be on her room so that when he fed her she could hear all the music in Wakanda. He asked for T'challa to be in the center so that the gods could bless his pure heart and the Panther goddess could give him unlimited strength. He asked for you to be put near the library and under the science lab. So your knowledge could grow." She said and looked at the chair where Ajani sat. She stared at her daughter and her panther.

She stared through them, as if she couldn't quite believe that this was what she was seeing. She walked toward them.

"Mother what are you doing?" Shuri asked walking behind her. "Who…. Oh my god!" She exclaimed seeing the two sitting there returning their stare of excitement and fear. Fear that if they touched them, if they even took a breath they'd blow away. "Mother are they real?"

Ramonda looked at Shuri as if she had asked her some sort of question in a language she didn't understand. She looked back and reached her hand out and touched her daughters beautiful face. She felt her skin warm from the toasting sun and felt down her shoulder and felt the welted scars from so long ago, they still hadn't gone away. She cried against her daughter. She cried as if she had been resurrected. She kissed her forehead and he cheeks. She gripped her and loved her for every moment of nineteen years. Her heart soared with the necessary love that any mother who had missed out on so much of her mother would.

"All of my life they told me you'd come back… I didn't believe them." Shuri said "We could have fixed you so many times, but father he never knew."

She looked at her and then smiled. She kissed her once more. Then looked at Shuri. "Your father knew where she was. He wasn't sad when she left. He shed the tears and then he was fine. It's not like he mourned when it mattered you know? When we asked to throw a funeral, he offered a festival of your life and for nineteen years we celebrated like you were celebrating with us. As a matter of fact, the festival is today! Did you know?"

"I've only been back to Wakanda a few times. Sur's graduation, T'challa graduations, the wedding, and when there was a supposed war on Wakanda. But you all didn't need me… So, I went back. I worked hard, and I became a doctor. I'm a neonatal surgeon and I'm the best mother. I made you proud even though you never seen it! You would be so proud of me." She hugged her daughter.

"Oh, honey I would never be as proud as I am now." She kissed her daughters head "I am beyond proud of the woman you have become and Wakanda needs you now more than ever."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you are our sister and you need to be here with us. With our family." Shuri said looking at her. "Wakanda is in a moment of peace and understanding and we need you." She took her sisters hand "I need you."

"Sister we all need each other, and you know this as much as I do." She said remembering the younger moments where they were apart. How the Ancient one was working so hard to give her a family when all she wanted was her own, not that the one she had in Tibet wasn't one she didn't love. She sighed finding herself thinking of him. She looked up "I'm just glad to be here now before there are any children born so they'll know me."

"They'll need you miss baby doctor."

"Best of the best." Her mother squeezed her shoulders. "Like all of my children. Best of the best because of who you are. Best of the blood I have running through my veins and the veins of my children."

"Mother, Sister, what are you…." T'challas voice faded as he seen his sister sitting there looking at him. Welling in his eyes were deep and rich tears. He stared at her as if he had seen a ghost. As if she wasn't there, not really, not to him. He stood there looking as though he was afraid to touch her, because if she was truly there it would be too much for him to take. "Ajani?" Was the one thing he knew could come out of his mouth. Her name.

"Brother." She stood.

"Is this real?" He looked at his mother.

"Same question I asked brother." Shuri laughed with a small hitch. She ran to him and cried on his shoulder. "She's real."

"I'm real." She said walking down to her younger sister rubbing her back. Princess Shuri had been through so much. With her father and everything else that had happened. Opening Wakanda up to the spotlight. Ajani kept up with it all and she was so beyond hurt. She wished she could have been here more, but how could she? How could she go against her fathers wishes?

"I am so relieved you will be here for my Ceremony as a king…. Not that you have to attend if you don't feel up to it."

"Are you kidding?" She smiled "I wouldn't miss it for the world I want to be here for you all in anyway I can."

They all went on catching up telling each other of everything that happened. Including the passing of their father and the murderer who should have suffered so much more than what they did. He looked at her when she rubbed his shoulder and told him how proud she was that he still did all of this and still had time to fall in love with Orroro. He was such a wonderful king and the country should be lucky.

Ajani listened to Shuri tell her how exciting the tech had become. How many different gadgets and gizmos she could make to allow her sister to run her own pediatric top of the line hospital for Wakanda and other countries with ailing children. She loved her sisters ideas and told her that they were all so good and she couldn't wait to get started. She was more excited for just spending time with her family.

She looked at them and smiled "I've never been happier to hear you all talk about things that you're excited about. I'm so proud of how all of you have grown and flourished, and my brother is a king! I still can't believe I'm saying this. My brother the king…. I'm just sad I didn't have more time with father, but I'm glad you all had your time with him he seemed happy before he went. I visited a few times and told him how much I loved him. He told me that he loved me too and he hoped one day you'd all understand why he had to do it all."

"I don't." Shuri said "But I'm glad that you're alright. That's all that matters to me-to us- isn't that right big bro?"

"Yes that is very right we are very happy." T'Challa said and stood. "I'm going to tell your sister in law that you are here and that we shall make the Wakanda glow with joy of your return!"