No one noticed the intruder until they heard the gunshot.

Shuri had joined her brother on a trip across Europe. She joined him as not only his younger sister, but also his head of tech. This tour was all about Wakanda's plan to extend a lending hand to the rest of the world.

They were there to help people. How did it go this wrong?

The siblings last visit was in France. They were on a private airstrip owned by the French government. They had top notch security. The fact that someone managed to not only break in, but break in with a gun, puzzled everyone.

Everything happened so quickly. T'Challa heard the gunshot, and then he heard a yelp. T'Challa turned around, and Shuri was on the ground. The bullet had lodged itself in the left side of her chest. T'Challa heard ringing in his ears.

T'Challa fought against Okoye's hold as the other Doras went to find the gunman. T'Challa was by his sister in seconds. The look on her face was one of shock and fear. "Hurts," Shuri managed.

"Shuri, hey, I'm right here," T'Challa said. T'Challa was trying to keep his calm, but his mind kept returning to that day in 2016. The day of the bombing that claimed his father's life.

T'Challa pressed into her chest wound. Okoye was talking to someone over her intercom, probably a contact back in Wakanda; maybe T'Challa and Shuri's mother.

Shuri was coughing up blood. T'Challa tried to keep himself from crying. He couldn't let himself cry. He needed to focus on stopping the bleeding. There was no reason to cry. Shuri wasn't dead, right?

T'Challa checked for a pulse. It was there, but very weak. Please don't let this be the end. Don't die on me. Someone put their hands on T'Challa's shoulders. "We need to move her onto the stretcher," Okoye explained.

T'Challa got her situated on the stretcher. He kept pressing down on her wound. Her blood had stained his hands. There wasn't much they could do at this moment. Shuri needed surgery, but the only person here who could perform the surgery had a bullet in her heart.

"You're going to be okay," T'Challa whispered. He repeated that statement, as if he needed to so he could believe it.

They arrived back in Wakanda in a record time. T'Challa was still pressing into Shuri's chest when they got there. They were met by Queen Mother Ramona and a group of doctors. Shuri was quickly taken away by the doctors.

T'Challa pulled his mother in for a hug. For a while, they didn't say anything. Ramona was the one who broke the silence. "Do they know who did this?"

T'Challa released a sigh. "No," he said. "Some of the Doras stayed behind for the hunt. The plane is turning around to go back to France."

Ramonda nodded. "Your hands," Ramonda said.

"I'm fine," T'Challa said. The 'this isn't my blood' part goes unsaid.

"She will be okay," Ramonda said. T'Challa was saying it just as much for herself as she was for him. "She has the best doctors in the world taking care of her right now."

T'Challa nodded. Ramonda left, probably going somewhere closer so she can get updates on Shuri as soon as they come. T'Challa wanted to follow her, but his legs felt locked in place. He had a pit of guilt in his stomach. How did you let this happen? You're the fucking Black Panther.

Just another member of your family you let down.

T'Challa was snapped out of his thoughts when his phone vibrated. There was only one contact on this phone. When Nakia moved to Haiti, they decided to communicate exclusively through a phone. It was to keep her and their son safe.

As expected, Nakia was calling him. T'Challa answered the phone call. "How is she?" Nakia asked.

"How do you know?" T'Challa asked.

"Every news station in the world seems to be reporting on it," Nakia explained. A thousand thoughts raced through T'Challa's head. Who could've broke the news? He knew the shooter wouldn't be that stupid. The airstrip was supposed to have high security.

T'Challa made a mental note to investigate further into what went wrong. "T'Challa," Nakia said. He hadn't realized almost thirty seconds had passed. "How is she?"

"She was just taken into surgery," T'Challa said. "The bullet was lodged near her heart. It's not looking good."

"Say the word, and I'll be on a plane to Wakanda," Nakia said.

"Thanks, but I think it's better if you stay in Haiti," T'Challa said. "We still don't know the reason for the attack. It's safer for you to stay there with Toussaint."

Would Shuri ever get to meet her nephew? When T'Challa and Nakia found out they were expecting a baby, it was decided she'd raise the baby away from Wakanda to protect him from the pressure of the crown. T'Challa still made sure to be there for his son, and wanted to bring Ramonda and Shuri to meet him soon.

"Okay," Nakia said. "Keep me posted."

"I will," T'Challa said. "I love you."

"I love you too," Nakia responded. The phone call then ended, leaving T'Challa alone on the landing pad with his thoughts.

About twenty-four hours after the attack, T'Challa was staring out a window. He had gotten updates on Shuri's condition through his mother. She was out of surgery, and they were able to successfully remove the bullet, but she was still unconscious. Shuri was finally stable.

Okoye was the one to find him. "They found him," Okoye said. "The shooter, I mean. He's in a holding cell."

"Good," T'Challa said. "Do we have a motivate?"

"It was an assassin from that organization that brainwashed Barnes," Okoye said. "They must've realized she was the one who undid his brainwashing."

T'Challa was the one who brought Bucky to Wakanda. He was the one who set Shuri up to deprogram his brain. It's your fault that she was even on their radar.

"Your hands," Okoye said. T'Challa's hands were still stained with blood. He hadn't even sat down since they got back to Wakanda. The only thing keeping the King from collapsing was his powers.

"I'll go wash off," T'Challa said.

"Have you gone to see her?" Okoye asked.

"I've been busy," T'Challa said.

"My king, they think she'll wake up in a few hours," Okoye said. "I'm sure whatever obligations you have can wait."

The image of Shuri's bleeding body returned to T'Challa's mind. They returned with the image of King T'Chaka's body. He lost his father when T'Challa was so close, and now he almost lost his sister.

"I should've pushed her out of the way," T'Challa explained. "I could've been fast enough. My reflexes are fast enough. It was just like-"

T'Challa couldn't finish that sentence. However, Okoye knew what he was getting at. She placed her hand on his shoulder. "It was my fault she was even on their radar," T'Challa said. "I was the one who brought Barnes to her."

"You know she won't blame you, and she won't regret helping him," T'Challa said. "You should go be with her."

T'Challa knew his commander and old friend was correct. However, then T'Challa remembered the blood on his hands. He remembered what he almost lost. He couldn't bring himself to face her.

"I will," T'Challa said. "Eventually."

Shuri's recovery was quick due to Wakanda's advanced technology. About a day and a half after Shuri was shot, she was allowed out of the royal hospital. Though, she was given the orders to take it easy for the next few weeks.

Shuri rejected the wheelchair when it was offered to her. Ramona moved to push her daughter into the chair. "I'll be fine, mother," Shuri said. Shuri slowly pulled herself to her feet. A car was waiting to take her back to the castle. When they arrived back at the castle, Shuri went to find her brother. It didn't take her long to find him.

T'Challa was in the hallway that connected to the royal family's bedrooms. He was staring out into the mountains where the Jabari tribe was. "Are you going to tell me why you've been ignoring me?" Shuri asked. That appeared to snap her brother out of his thoughts.

"You're up," T'Challa said.

"Of course I am," Shuri said. "I invented the technology they used."

T'Challa let out a short chuckle. "Back to my question," Shuri said.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you," T'Challa said.

"No one saw the gunman until it was too late," Shuri said.

"Yeah, but I could've so easily tackled you out of the way if I was quicker," T'Challa said. "I wasn't quick enough to protect you, or dad."

"You can't blame yourself for every unpredicted attack," Shuri said.

"You were shot because I got you to help Bucky Barnes," T'Challa said. "What if they come back to finish the job?"

"Then I'll just take my blasters everywhere with me," Shuri said.

"You're surprisingly calm about this," T'Challa said.

"I might still be a little high from the painkillers," Shuri said. T'Challa pulled his sister in for a hug, and Shuri returned the gesture. T'Challa calmed down, happy that they were both alive.