Some heavy stuff ahead. Just warning you.

XXX

Shuri just stared at his face. Of course this is the famed brat-turned-beast-turned-back-to-a-not-bad-looking-man. His bio picture is different though. He had a haircut now. A serious haircut.

The actual story of him turning to a monster was quite a conundrum to her. In fact the whole story confused her a lot more than it should simply because there wasn't really a straight story. Some sources said that he was nine years old when he answered his own door to a scary stranger, and tried to follower the "don't talk to strangers" rule. Others said that he didn't age a single year. She was about to ask, but decided against it. He seemed too…jumpy to answer a simple question.

Adam awkwardly put his hand away and cleared his throat. "Well, anyway. I wish to talk to you about…"

"Belle, right…?" Shuri cut him off as she plopped on her bed. "You know, she is going to kill if she finds out you are discussing her health with me." It was not exactly a stab in the dark; there wasn't really any other reason that he would have come to her.

"Um," he rubbed the back of his neck, his face heating up, "well…"

"Look, Adam," Shuri sighed as she cut him off again, "I have a hell of a lot of work to get around to. I have to move all of my stuff to the lab," she gesticulated to the piles of bags cluttering her room, "so if you want to talk, there is a lot of things to shift down to the basement. If not, you are welcome to use that beautiful door on the left. You can't miss it."

Shuri pushed herself off the bed to the first bag in the corner of the room and picked it up. The technology itself was relatively light, but the materials to make them weighed about a million tons.

The dumbstruck look on Adam's face changed into a moment of realisation. He moved to Shuri and took the heavy bag out of her hands. Shuri smiled as she took a smaller bag next to her feet.

"Well let's get go then."

XXX

The two worked in silence only taking two trips down to the basement. After the last piece of equipment was linked up, Shuri realised that two hours had past. Belle would have been asleep by now, but not that that matters now, Adam was there with her, and from the contorted look on his face said that he was willing to divulge more information that Belle was ever going to. She wasn't even hungry anymore; curiosity overtook her mind.

"So, Adam," Shuri lifted herself onto the nearest table, "tell me everything. And don't think about skipping out on the grim stuff."

Adam sat on the table next to her. "Well it started at the beginning of last year. Belle and I had been living together happily for eight years. We had no qualms with anyone, and no one had anything against us. We both agreed it was about time to start a family.

"So we tried for a few months, but we came to no avail. So we spoke to our doctor, and…and she said…" a tear formed in his eye as he looked down to his twiddling thumbs.

"She said what." Shuri asked even though she knew exactly what he was about to say.

He took a deep breath in. "She said that Belle was not able to bear children. You could imagine how distraught we both felt, except it took a bit more out of her more than me. She closed herself off from everyone, even me and her father. I tried to speak to her, but it was like she blocked me out of her life. Over time her health weakened, her immune system was barely functioning.

"One night I woke up to a loud hacking cough from our bathroom. I rushed out of bed to find Belle bent over the toilet bowl, blood smeared around her mouth and almost unconscious. So I rushed her over to the hospital as quickly as I could. They told me that it was lung cancer, something that was difficult to treat. For the past months we had tried everything we could to get her healthy, but…well nothing is doing it. We have given hope." His tear finally fell down his cheek. He just rubbed it off without a second thought and continued.

"That was until you came into our lives. Is it true what Belle said, that you could actual heal her in Wakanda?"

Shuri nodded. "Yeah, I suppose, but it is a very delicate surgery, especially since this has gone for months. And we also have to get consent from the patient."

"I know," He said solemnly. "And she would have to be transported out without bringing any attention to ourselves."

"But why? That is what I don't get? Why do you make it such a big secret, even from your own friends? I mean, do they even know that she is unable to have children? And how do they even see that this is not the work of flu?"

Adam sighed getting off the table. "Something like this is dangerous to get out. You know that I said we were living in peace at the beginning of last year?"

"Yeah?" Shuri said as she sprung onto her feet and followed to Adam to the elevator.

"Well before that we were at war, per say, with a neighbouring kingdom, the dark and deadly Oliver clan. The only reason that they were sedated was because Belle scared the absolute heck out of them. She used a few tricks, a little illusion here and there, to make her look like she was actual a powerful enchantress. The only reason that they haven't attacked our region is that they believe that my wife is a strong immortal witch who could kill half of them in a click of her fingers. So if word got out that she was a human…"

"They would slaughter everyone in their way." Shuri ended his sentence as realisation hit her. No wonder she was so scared to even betray her emotion to Anna, or to any other of their friends. Even if she trusted them, a single word could be overheard by one of the maids. Or a spy for that matter.

"Exactly. Now with this business with the Jewels, and my own emotional state, I don't think we could fend off a whole bigger and more powerful kingdom."

They got to the elevator and pressed the button for the dormitories. They both were silent as they allowed the information to churn through their heads. Shuri understood Belle now. Why she was teaching those abandoned girls as if they were from her own family. Shuri knew for a fact that she could heal Belle, but on the matter on her being barren is a different matter altogether. If she could contact her best surgeons and see if they could go into research in reversing the problem. She should at least see if they could do something.

The lights on the elevator flashed one by one as they went up each level until they reached their floor. Doors slid open to the now familiar hallway. Adam walked to his room. Before he opened the door he turned to Shuri.

"Please do not tell anyone about this chat, even your scary warrior women." Shuri allowed a smile to tug at her lips. Okoye would be happy to hear that compliment. "Not even Belle. I will find the best time to convince that she should do it, but for now, I just helped you with your equipment. Ok?"

"Ok." She agreed as she turned on her heel to finally get some rest.