Shuri still couldn't believe her brother had told Mr. Stark about the Nexus Protocol. Ana and her father must have had a devastating fight, because afterward, she told Shuri that they could no longer stay in the tower. They went to the mansion on Long Island. It was one of their few properties that weren't run by JARVIS, and for some reason, Ana didn't want her father to know what she would do next.

But Shuri wasn't worried about them. Mr. Stark was just confused and hurt. Once he processed the truth, they would be fine. What really scared Shuri was the reason why T'Challa might have done such a thing. He wouldn't have betrayed Ana's trust if he were 100% sure that he could handle this Erik Stevens.

Erik Stevens was a mercenary. An American black-ops soldier. His cruelty had earned him the nickname, "Killmonger," but there was nothing that could prove that he was Wakandan, and more importantly, Uncle N'Jobu's son, like her mother had said. And if he were really their cousin, how could Wakanda possibly not know of his existence, with all that surveillance tech they had? No, if Uncle N'Jobu had had a son, he would have told his brother, and they would have brought the child home after Uncle N'Jobu's death. Wakandans would never abandon their own.

When T'Challa called her, she thought whatever this was, it was over. That they would no longer have to worry about Erik Killmonger again.

"So, what happened?"

"Shuri… I'm so sorry, little sister."

"Why?" she demanded, her relief vanishing as quickly as it had come.

"I think you know why."

"No, I don't," she said stubbornly, but he was right. She did.

"Baba is dead. I'm sorry I couldn't save him."

No, she wanted to scream. No, no, no… But when she opened her mouth, only a whimpering sound came out, like she was choking. She felt like she was choking, indeed.

"We flew as fast as possible, but he was already dead by the time we made it to Wakanda. He had accepted the challenge."

"W—what?"

He nodded.

"W—why? Didn't he know…" Their father was a great man, yes, but he was still just a man. Years had taken a toll on him. He was no longer the great warrior Shuri had heard so much about. He should have known that. Why had he accepted the challenge? "And what about the others? How did the Border Tribe let the Killmonger in in the first place?"

"W'Kabi betrayed us."

"W'Kabi? Why?"

"Erik gave him Klaue. But that was not all. W'Kabi, he… didn't approve of our new direction. He didn't like it when I joined the Avengers. He thinks the enemy will just go away if we bury our heads in the sand. There were others who agreed with him."

This only made the pain worse. "It is because of me, then. I am the reason you lost your friend. I am the reason Father died."

"W'Kabi and I were never friends, Shuri. I see that now. As for Father, he was haunted by guilt."

"Guilt?"

"He knew, Shuri. Baba knew about the boy."

"The boy? You mean, Erik Killmonger? Is he really Uncle N'Jobu's son?"

"Yes. Uncle N'Jobu was obsessed with the idea of Wakandan supremacy. He knew Baba would never support that madness. He betrayed Wakanda. He helped Klaue steal our vibranium. Baba killed him to save Zuri's life."

"Zuri?"

"He was a War Dog, too, in his youth. He was sent to America to observe Uncle N'Jobu. Hard to believe, isn't it?"

"Did he tell you this?"

"Zuri is dead, too. He died trying to protect Baba during the ritual combat."

"Did you kill that monster?"

"N'Jadaka, you mean? Yes."

"Did he suffer?"

"I think so."

"Good."

"Don't be so cruel to N'Jadaka."

Shuri looked at him, taken aback, and realized he didn't share her hatred. "How can you say that? Baba might have lied to us, but he was still our father! How can you forgive his murderer?"

"Because even Baba and Uncle N'Jobu were able to forgive each other. I saw them in the Ancestral Plane."

"Y—you did?" she asked, trying to understand if he was serious, or just trying to console her.

"Baba is still with us, Shuri. I am telling you the truth. You were right. The Ancestral Plane, it is another dimension, indeed."

Under different circumstances, Shuri would be boasting about how her theory about the Ancestral Plane was right, but right now, she was too devastated to care.

"Do you remember how he would always tell us that lies weaken the family?"

"Yes, Shuri, I do. He wasn't perfect. But like you said, he was our father. And one day, we will be reunited with him. I saw King Bashenga, too."

"Really?"

"Yes. He gave us his blessing… Now, do you want me to come and take you home?"

"No, you stay with Mother. Is she alright?"

"She is strong. Are you still in the tower?"

"No, but we're still in New York."

"Right… I am truly sorry about that as well, sister. But I couldn't have taken any chances. What happened?"

"They had a fight. Mr. Stark thinks he needs a lobotomy, and Ana has been on a kind of hunger strike since we left the tower, but they will be fine. I'll see you soon, brother."

"Safe travels, little sister."

She decided to find Ana. She was going to have to tell her that her father had died. She didn't like the idea. For some reason, she felt like his death would become much more real once she started spreading the word. But it needed to be done. Besides, she really needed a friend right now.

Ana had to be in one of the bedrooms. The door was closed, but Shuri could hear her talking to someone on the phone.

"Damn it, Fury!" she hissed angrily. "You're the spy, you figure something out!"

Shuri knocked on the door. "I gotta go now," Ana said, and a second later, Shuri heard the door being unlocked.

"What's wrong?" she asked the moment she saw Shuri's face.

"My father is dead." Saying it out loud had indeed made it more painful. She started crying, and Ana pulled her into a hug.

"Oh, Shuri, I'm so sorry."

"I must return home at once."

"Yeah, of course… You can borrow one of the quinjets if you want."

"I already summoned my Royal Talon. It will be here in a few hours. In the meantime, I'm going to pack my things."

"Let me help you."

Shuri had brought America two giant suitcases. One was for her clothes and other personal stuff, the second for her tech. Ana brought her the new vibranium case that contained the Mind Stone and the dismantled scepter. Shuri had thought extracting the stone from the scepter would make it easier to study, but it hadn't helped much. Discovering an element based on an Infinity Stone was a true challenge.

"I think you should have these."

"Are you sure?"

"Your resources are much more advanced than mine. Besides, one of us should focus on locating the other stones. That way, we can get it done faster."

"Is that what you and Fury were talking about?"

"Yes. He can help me find the stones."

"Come with me," she suddenly offered.

"What?"

"I just don't want to be alone right now. Stay in Wakanda, at least for a couple of days."

"But going to Wakanda with you… Are you sure it's a good idea? Especially now. Your people won't like it."

"If they were willing to put an outsider on the throne, I'm sure they can tolerate your presence as well." She gritted her teeth angrily when she recalled how they had betrayed her father because they were afraid of change.

"This Erik Killmonger… Was he not really your cousin?"

"He was, unfortunately."

"Then he wasn't exactly an outsider. You know that."

"I'm not using you to punish them, I swear. I just need a friend. And I really want you to see Wakanda."

She thought for a moment. "Well, I guess I could use a vacation."

…

"Hey, come over here! Trust me, you don't want to miss this," Shuri said as they approached the protective dome. Ana was busy sulking in a corner, hugging her knees.

"I know about your holographic dome. It won't really be a surprise."

She rolled her eyes. "Just come here."

With a disappointing lack of enthusiasm, she obeyed.

"Ready?" Shuri asked, and before Ana could answer, they flew through the dome.

"Wow. That was… much more realistic than I'd expected."

"I told you you wouldn't want to miss it."

She gave her a half-hearted smile. "Thanks, Shuri."

"Hey, I'm the one who is supposed to be in mourning!"

"I know. Sorry. But at least you know you'll see him again."

"Yes. I miss him so much already, but it's good to know that we'll be reunited one day. It helps."

"Once one of us dies, I'll never see Dad again. It will be game over."

So, it was what had been bothering her so much. "You can't know that for sure."

"I can, unless someone proves me wrong. With scientific evidence. As far as I'm concerned, this is the only life we have, and Thanos has already ruined it."

I can say the same about my life, she thought.

"You know, the existence of the Ancestral Plane isn't scientifically proven either. But we know it exists."

"Speaking of, how can a plant take someone to another dimension?"

"I don't think it takes you to the Ancestral Plane. It's not like it opens an inter-dimensional portal or anything. I mean, your body stays where it is when you consume the Heart-Shaped Herb. I think it temporarily lets you perceive the unique wavelengths of the Ancestral Plane, which overlaps with our dimension."

"The Herb enhances perception, the same way it enhances stamina and reflexes… It's a plausible theory," she murmured, but she was too busy admiring the scene before them. Shuri grinned. She knew Ana would love it here.

"Is this the Golden City?"

"Yep."

Ana seemed a bit nervous as they landed. T'Challa and their mother were waiting for Shuri on the tarmac. They had no idea she had brought Ana along. It would be a surprise.

"Relax, my brother and Nakia like you. And Mother will like you, too. Come on, let's go."

They emerged from the jet. Her mother frowned when she saw Ana.

"Don't blame her. It was my idea," Shuri said quickly.

"Hi," Ana said timidly. "I know this is a bad time, and I'm so sorry about King T'Chaka's death, but Shuri insisted."

Shuri's mother smiled. "Thank you, child. And don't worry, you are a welcome guest here. Shuri always speaks so highly of you."

Shuri held her mother's hands. "How are you feeling?"

"Proud. I'm glad you're home. Soon, your brother will have a proper ceremony."

She then went to hug T'Challa. She knew they both had been waiting for this moment since they had found out their father was dead. She held him as tightly as she could, and he did the same. Without hurting her, of course. When he let her go, he turned to Ana. "Welcome to Wakanda, Ana. I'm glad you're here. I would like to apologize to you in person, for what I had to do in Sokovia."

"I don't blame you. I was keeping too many secrets from my father. It was only a matter of time."

"You only wanted to protect him. But he had to know."

"Well, I'm sure he'll be willing to work with you now."

"To tell the truth, I'm very disappointed in him."

Ana frowned. "Why?"

"You don't know? He decided to retire from the Avengers. He is planning to move the team to another facility in Upstate New York, but he will stay in the tower."

"It's probably just a safety precaution. He doesn't want to put the entire Manhattan at risk."

"That's not all, though. As I said, he retired. Ms. Potts said he barely eats, sleeps, or speaks. She was surprised when he agreed to speak with me."

Ana let out a troubled sighed.

"Talk to him, Ana. He needs you right now."

"No, he doesn't. He doesn't want to see me anymore."

"I also told the rest of the team the truth. Your father left me no other choice. They need to be prepared for Thanos."

"Of course. I understand."

"It is good to see you again, Ana," Nakia broke in. "Come on, let me show you around."

Gods, Nakia was just awesome. Shuri hadn't said a word, but Nakia had understood that Shuri needed to have a moment with her family in private, but she didn't want to leave Ana by herself after dragging her here like this either. Ana must have understood, too, because she nodded quickly, and followed Nakia. It didn't escape Shuri's notice that Ana and Okoye exchanged smiles. Shuri had never thought Okoye could get along well with an outsider, but they had been warming up to each other after Okoye had pushed Ana—while she was wearing one of her father's suits, of course—off the roof of the Avengers Tower. It was an unusual way of starting a friendship, but it had helped Ana overcome her fear of heights. Now she could be the heiress to the Iron Man mantle as well.

Shuri, T'Challa, and their mother looked at each other. They had so much to discuss.

…

The first dinner without Baba felt… wrong. Every time Shuri looked at his usual seat, a part of her hoped that he would appear out of thin air and dine with them, like nothing had happened. She had to keep reminding herself that death wasn't an end. But while it might be true for the dead, it was certainly an end for those who had stayed behind.

She was also touched that they had waited for her to come home to bury their father and Zuri. Shuri had always imagined Zuri to be the shaman to present T'Challa as their new king. People were singing the traditional dirges as their bodies were being taken from the Citadel to the catacombs. Their spirits had found peace in the Ancestral Land; now Zuri's body would rest with the previous shamans, and King T'Chaka's the previous kings and queens of Wakanda.

After the funeral, she went to her lab. Shuri and T'Challa had agreed not to test the Elders' patience by bringing Ana to the funeral, so Shuri had taken her to Mount Bashenga. At least she wouldn't get bored until Shuri returned.

Shuri found Ana in her private lab, with a bottle of Scotch in her hand. She didn't even want to know where she had found that bottle.

"Hey! No drinking in my lab!"

"My father disowned me, give me a break."

Shuri rolled her eyes. Ana was drunk already. "Don't be such a drama queen, he didn't disown you. And I didn't bring you all the way to Wakanda so you can lock yourself up in my lab and drink your sorrows."

"I'm not drinking my sorrows, I'm admiring your Sonic Stabilizers," she said, looking out the window.

"Don't get jealous now."

"Come on, we both know that's exactly why you brought me here."

"I like impressing people with my genius. But only the people I like. So, count yourself lucky." She chuckled, snatched the bottle from her hand, put it in a cupboard and locked it.

"Hey, you didn't have to do that. I'm not an alcoholic."

"Well, then you're going to have to prove it."

"I'm sorry," she apologized. Suddenly, she was on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry I can't be the friend you need right now. I just feel awful."

"You know, your dad is only one phone call away. He loves you."

"I don't deserve that love. Not after what I did to him. You know, for some reason, Dad despises liars with a passion. He had to learn to work with them in the end, of course. After all, SHIELD was a spy organization, but his opinions on liars never changed. He never stopped mocking Romanoff about being a triple impostor, for example. Everyone thought he was joking around as usual, but I knew it truly bothered him. Then he found out his own daughter was something even worse than a triple impostor."

"Look, Ana… Baba lied to us as well. All our lives, he looked us in the eye and told that our Uncle N'Jobu was killed by Americans, and his body was never found. Both T'Challa and I agree that it was wrong on so many levels. But we never doubt his love for us. He thought he was protecting us, just like you thought you were protecting your dad."

"It's not just Thanos. After the boarding school, I was so cruel to him all the time. I lost count of how many times I broke his heart. Only when he was kidnapped in Afghanistan, I realized I'd been taking everything for granted."

"You were hurt. And now, so is he. Don't repeat the same mistakes. Call him."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

She shrugged.

Shuri sighed. She was never going to understand how these two could make everything so complicated while they loved each other so much. She decided to try a different strategy, and keep her distracted for the time being.

"Hey, there's something I've been meaning to show you. I want to know what you'll think." She showed her the Berserker Staff scans. "Nakia and T'Challa found this in Ireland while searching for Asgardians.

That seemed to have piqued her interest. "When?"

"Oh, that was long before I met you."

"Interesting. Where's the original staff now?"

"A paganist hate group found all the three pieces, but then SHIELD confiscated it. In fact, according to our resources, your favorite SHIELD agent was involved."

"Coulson?"

Phil Coulson was a SHIELD agent who had been killed by Loki, and then mysteriously brought back from the dead. Ana had figured out that he was alive during her time at the Academy, and told the Avengers the truth. Coulson's prodigy, Skye, was very angry with Ana because of that. Shuri had never met that girl, but she knew Skye had hacked the SI servers once, as a Rising Tide hacker, at least until Ana had locked her out, but then she had somehow joined SHIELD. She and Ana had met at the Academy once, while Coulson's team was there for an investigation. They had made a good first impression on one another, and Ana had promised to keep Coulson's secret. But when SHIELD had collapsed, and Ana had broken her promise, Skye's opinion on her had changed completely.

These days, Coulson and his inner circle were trying to rebuild SHIELD.

"Yes. But if SHIELD had it..."

"Then HYDRA might have got their hands on it… What does it do, exactly?"

"I'm not sure. It definitely interacts with the human nervous system. The hippocampus, to be specific. I think it triggers certain memories."

Ana's face wrinkled in disgust. "Mind control?"

"Probably. But after all this time, we still haven't been able to reverse engineer it."

"It kind of reminds of Thor's hammer. The atomic structure, I mean. Dad and I have never been able to reverse engineer it either. It's way too complex. Dad thinks the hammer's 'enchantment' is some kind of security protocol. Like, being 'worthy' actually means having Thor's fingerprint. But he hasn't been able to prove that theory either."

"You tried, didn't you? To lift the hammer?"

"Of course I did. But nope, it didn't even move."

"And what does Thor himself say about his hammer?"

She chuckled. "That it was forged in the heart of a dying star by dwarves."

"Pfft."

"But not all alien stuff is so sophisticated. I mean, reverse engineering the Chitauri tech is a piece of cake."

Ana had invented an anti-alien bullet using the Chitauri scrap metal she had found around after the Battle of New York, just to be able to threaten Loki.

"Do you still experiment with the Chitauri tech?"

"Sometimes… What about those?" Ana asked, pointing at Shuri's gauntlets.

"Vibranium gauntlets, obviously."

"Yes, but are they just-in-case-I-get-into-a-fight gauntlets, or I'm-gonna-give-Thanos-hell gauntlets?"

"Both," she said, though she wasn't sure if sonic energy blasts would be enough to give Thanos hell. But then, even if sonic blasts couldn't hurt him, what else could? "Speaking of, now that you're no longer scared of flying, when am I going to see your I'm-gonna-give-Thanos-hell suit?"

"Oh, I'm planning to start with something less ambitious. Like a stealth suit."

Stealth. Of course. Ana was ever the sneaky type. "What do you have in mind?"

"Retro-reflective panels for cloaking, OLEDs for active camouflage… Don't worry about it. Right now, we need to focus on the element."

"Right. Let's get to work."

…

That was how they spent the days until T'Challa's coronation. Working on the Mind Stone element. Again, Ana hid in the lab during the coronation. Everything went well. M'Baku challenged T'Challa for the throne, but that was expected. M'Baku lost the challenge, and T'Challa convinced him to yield. After the ceremony, they went to the herb garden and T'Challa retook his powers.

"Tell your friend to get ready," he told Shuri afterward. "I am taking you girls to California."

"California? Why?"

"You will see why," he said, and refused to tell Shuri anything else, no matter how hard she pressed.

Shuri had expected a more fun destination, but no. T'Challa had taken them to Oakland instead. They were standing in the middle of a basketball court. There was no one else around except for a bunch of kids playing.

"You know, when you said you would take us to California, I thought you meant Coachella. Or Disneyland," Shuri complained. "Why here?"

"This is where our father killed our uncle."

Yes. Their father had done such a thing. And they were going to have to live the rest of their lives with that knowledge. "They're tearing it down," she said, looking at the warning sign on the building. "Good."

"They are not tearing it down. I bought this building. And that building. And that one over there. This will be the first Wakandan International Outreach Center. Nakia will oversee the social outreach. And you will be responsible for the science and information exchange."

Shuri laughed. She thought she knew her brother so well, yet she seriously hadn't seen that one coming. "You're kidding?"

"Yeah?" He deactivated the cloaking mode of the Royal Talon that had been hovering above them to prove his point. The kids had stopped playing and were now gaping at the aircraft.

T'Challa turned to Ana this time. "I was going to ask for your help as well. I might be a new king, but I am not naive. When the world finds out what we have, some will be scared. Seeing us working with a familiar face might help them feel less threatened. You will be given an office, as the representative of Stark Industries. What do you say?"

"As long as you don't need me to go back to New York, I'm game… Uhm, I think you guys should talk to those kids, or your jet is going to end up in a junkyard."

Yes, the kids were talking about breaking it apart and selling it. Shuri ran up to them, while Ana and T'Challa were busy discussing the details of the collaboration.

So, Wakanda was no longer going to hide in the shadows. This was going to be awesome.