AN: The characters in this one-shot were introduced in "Fear Itself," and although the anthology is titled "The Life and Times of the Heroes of Europe," neither the setting nor the characters are actually European. This takes place at the Somali Miraculous Temple. It's a follow-up to "Fear Itself," but neither of the characters involved was a POV character in that story, so it didn't really fit there.
To Butterfly: Here's another adorable chapter – definitely necessary after "Fear Itself"! It's sad that a retired Guardian getting murdered in the Christmas Day chapter is "normal" for 2020… But don't "worry"; that one wasn't the "spooky" story. The next story up takes ends in the build-up to Halloween…
To StarDaPanda225: I mean, on the bright side most children that age wouldn't be able to say the transformation phrase correctly, right? Pounss is going to join the American Guardians for now, so the next time we'll probably see her is as part of the American Miraculous Team (possibly in the "Christmas Anthology").
Responses to Reviews of the last chapter of "Fear Itself":
To yellow 14: Kim definitely needed that after fighting the Popobawa! If you dare Kim to do anything, he will do it. I'm pretty sure it's a law.
To Rose Tiger: Unfortunately, Lila has a little more mayhem to cause… but at some point Chloe is definitely going to remove the miraculous from her! Lila's head and/or hair may or may not come with it…
To Butterfly: Kim's part in "Fear Itself" was intended as something of a "war story": soldier leaves home and goes off to war, and that conclusion was very much the "soldier returns home."
Nawal finished brushing her teeth and spat into the washbasin in her room before looking over at Minii, who was lounging on the counter. Minii yawned, covering her mouth with one paw.
"This has been a long day!" the Kwami observed, stretching her arms to either side.
"I'll say," agreed Nawal, trying to work the tension out of her neck. After rescuing the hostages from the camp, the others had rendezvoused with the refugees to return to the village. Mohamed had promised that they would be back in the morning to help with the repairs, though Nawal hadn't been there for that. Instead, she had been busy helping their newest residents get settled in their rooms. And now it was well after midnight and she was exhausted. She peeled off her sweat-stained shirt, tossed it into the pile on the far side of the room, and selected a new sleeping shirt. A knock came at the door as she was getting her shirt in place. She smiled eagerly and bounded over to the door, pulling it open with a cheerful, "Hey–" She froze and stared at the girl at the door. "Oh!" she squeaked in surprise. "Hi, Aisha!"
The younger girl stared at her with large round eyes. "I'm sorry to bother you," she began. "You were getting ready for sleep." She turned to leave.
Nawal put her hand out but didn't touch the younger girl. "I always have time for you," she told her, stepping to one side and waving her arm to invite her in. "I just wasn't expecting you right this moment. What's up?"
Aisha turned away, the tension evident in her shoulders. "I… It's nothing. It's personal."
"Hey, you can talk to me." Nawal frowned, unwilling to push but unsure how to set her at ease. "What's wrong?"
"It's just..." She hesitated, staring down into the floor. "I don't want to be alone – my room's too dark and quiet. Because of what Popo did."
Nawal gasped. "You poor thing!" she cooed soothingly. "Of course you can come in, ukti." ["my sister"]
"Thanks," Aisha whispered, throwing her arms around Nawal and burying her face in her shoulder. "I don't want to worry Abdi, on top of everything else – not when we just got away from them and he's so happy here already. Can–can I stay with you tonight?"
Nawal wrapped the girl up in a hug and kissed her forehead. Gently she steered her over to the bed. "Absolutely," she assured her, sitting down and patting the bed next to her. Aisha sat down next to her, back ramrod straight and her hands on her lap. "You're safe here," Nawal reminded her gently. "I promise: no one is going to hurt you here. No one will touch you without your permission."
Aisha pulled her feet up onto the bed and hugged her legs, resting her chin on her knees. "I haven't felt safe in over a year, since Popo–since he–" She swallowed, squeezing her eyes shut. "I haven't even really been alone since we were taken, but I've been so lonely. E–every night–" She choked back a sob. "I–I–"
Nawal hesitantly put a hand on her shoulder, and Aisha immediately leaned into her. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
Aisha nodded, letting go of her legs and hugging Nawal tightly around her chest. Nawal gently rubbed her back. "You're safe," she assured her, a soothing lilt to her voice.
Aisha sniffed back a shuddering sob. "I don't want to think about it anymore," she whispered. "I wish I never had to think about it again…"
Nawal glanced over at Minii, who had been watching from across the room, a sad expression on her face. "You know what always makes me feel better?" Nawal asked, smiling. "Sweets!"
"I'll see what's in the kitchen!" squeaked Minii eagerly, darting out of the room.
Aisha curled up against Nawal's side, her arms around her waist, and Nawal ran her fingers through the girl's hair. "It's been so long since I had a little sister."
Aisha hummed a question. "You have a sister?"
Nawal sighed heavily. She had hardly thought about Muna since arriving at the Temple. "I… had a little sister," she explained sadly. "She was killed. When the soldiers raided our village. She would have been about your age." She fell silent and closed her eyes, her sister's face as clear in her mind as the last time she'd seen her. "I was alone for so long, but then a couple years ago Guardian Said found me and brought me here and gave me a new family. And now that includes you and Abdi."
"I'm sorry," Aisha whispered, squeezing her waist.
"It was a long time ago," replied Nawal, waving her other hand dismissively. She resumed running her fingers through Aisha's hair and started humming quietly. The younger girl's breathing started to even out, her racing heartbeat slowing. Nawal pushed thoughts of Muna to the back of her mind.
It was some time later when Minii returned with a plate of gashaato balanced over her head. Aisha sat up on seeing her, and the Kwami placed the dish on the bed between Aisha and Nawal. Aisha looked at the white squares in some confusion.
"Have you ever tried this before?" asked Nawal, picking out the biggest piece for herself and breaking off a corner for Minii.
Aisha shook her head. "Never."
"I'd never had it before coming to the Temple, either," Nawal admitted, "but it's one of Hussain's specialties, so we have it all the time. I hope you like coconut!"
Aisha picked out a piece of gashaato and eyed it suspiciously before taking a small bite. Her eyes lit up and she moaned in pleasure. "This is so good," she enthused, shoving the rest of it into her mouth. "I don't remember the last time I got anything sweet! My mom never could afford sugar and Popo–" She froze, her face falling.
Nawal put another piece of the confection in Aisha's hand and took one for herself. She rested her hand on Aisha's knee. "Well, here you can have whatever sweets you want, whenever you want them," she assured her. "But you'll have to fight Minii for them!" she added, laughing.
Minii giggled shrilly. "I could eat a whole batch of this every day!" She swallowed an entire piece in a single bite.
Aisha blinked in confusion. "Where do they put it all?" she wondered. "If Abdi ever had it to spare, Growll would eat an entire roast gazelle – and all without getting any bigger!"
Nawal snorted. "If you ever figure that out, be sure to let me know, because Minii won't tell!"
"Ask me no secrets and I'll tell you no lies…" the Kwami intoned, smirking. She fluttered over to sit on Aisha's shoulder. "I'll be sure to leave some gashaato for you," she promised, nuzzling up against her chin.
Aisha froze.
Minii stopped instantly and flitted away. Nawal stared at the girl, at a loss of what to do. "Ukti? Aisha?"
With a blink, Aisha met her worried gaze. "I'm sorry! I–" Her hand unconsciously drifted up to her neck where Minii had touched. "It just–"
"You don't have to explain," Nawal interrupted her gently, squeezing her hand. Plying her with another piece of gashaato, Nawal reached into her nightstand and pulled out a wooden board and cup of smooth pebbles. "How about a game?" she suggested. "Mancala?"
Aisha nodded, and Nawal started setting up the board. "Why are there only three rows?" Aisha asked, cocking her head in confusion.
"This is Maaza's old board," explained Nawal, counting the pebbles. "She kept beating me, so she finally gave me this one so I could practice. It does take some getting used to," she admitted. She picked her first pit, emptied it, and counted out the pebbles.
The two played quietly for almost an hour, the plate of gashaato steadily disappearing, before Aisha couldn't quite hide her yawn. "I'm sorry," she apologized, glancing over at the clock on Nawal's nightstand. "Oh! It's late!"
"Don't worry about it," Nawal assured her, smiling. "Are you ready to go to sleep?"
Aisha looked down at the bed, worry evident in her face. "I… I don't want to leave."
"You don't have to." Nawal set the game board on the nightstand and slid down so her back was against the wall, waving for Aisha to join her. Aisha lay down on her side, resting her head in Nawal's lap, and Minii curled up on her cheek. Nawal slowly combed out the girl's hair with her fingers. Aisha sighed in contentment. "I used to do this for my sister," Nawal explained.
"Thank you," whispered Aisha, her breathing beginning to even out.
Nawal nodded tenderly and turned out the light before she leaned her head back against the wall. It was late, and she would be up early for training, but this was worth it. She had been powerless to protect Muna, but now things were different. She could help this girl.
AN: In case it wasn't clear before, Nawal is about 16; Aisha and Abdi are about 13.
I… don't know half as much about Africa as I wish, so a lot of this came from research and may be inaccurate. As just one note, Maaza (the Wildebeest Miraculous holder) is Ethiopian, and there's a different variation of mancala played there than other parts of Africa (there are a lot of variations of mancala in Africa, with 2, 3, or 4 rows on the board).
Nawal is going to get a chapter in the "Christmas Anthology"… which won't get published until maybe February, given that it's only October in-universe.
Aisha will show up again in the "Group Therapy" story set after "The Darkest Nights." – I'm pretty sure the girl needs some serious therapy…