Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Shuri was in shock, Nakia came to rescue herself and Riri Williams. In the process Nakia killed one of their guards, the handmaiden that was caring for the two young women held a knife to Shuri’s neck just moments before. Before Nakia shot the handmaiden through Shuri herself.

Now as Shuri lays there, she hopes that Nakia had already taken Riri away. The two pools of blood combining, a deep red and dark blue mixing. Namor emerges from the pool, staring at the scene.

He quickly moves to the handmaiden’s side, speaking in a hushed voice. Shuri didn’t blame him, she was not one of his people, one of his children. Shuri knew the love he had for his people, she had held a similar love for her people before her brother’s death.

Shuri was drawn out of her thoughts when Namor stood above her. “I know it was the Wakandans, for that you will pay a great price.”

Shuri’s eyes filled with tears. “I know, I would just like to speak for a moment.” Namor nodded his head, allowing her to speak. “I had no idea they were coming, I tried to stop them from killing her.” Shuri closed her eyes and in a hushed tone she begged, “Bast give me strength, let me fix what has happened.”

Namor knelt by her, “There is no way of fixing this now. A war between our nations will take place.”

Shuri sobbed, “I didn’t think Nakia would shoot through me, just to kill an innocent handmaiden. It is all my fault, please, forgive me K’uk’ulkan.”

Namor’s eyes softened, “You princess are forgiven, but Wakanda will never be forgiven.”

Shuri’s vision faded, “I pray that Bast gives your people the honor that has left my country.”

As Shrui’s vision faded she heard Namor’s voice, but she couldn’t make out the words. Little did she know that Namor was soon to follow her into a treacherous journey laid before them by their gods.

Chapter Text

“Awaken my child, there is much for you to do,” a soothing voice echoed through the air.

Shuri opened her eyes, only to be met with swirling purples and blues above her. She sat up in a panic. “What? Where -?” Shuri gasped out.

The feminine voice chuckled, “My child, you are to do great things, but your time had passed before you were able.”

Shuri quickly stood, readying herself to fight, “How did I get here?”

“You should have listened to your friend, intomba,” a panther dropped from the branches of the baobab tree. As it got closer it began to stand on its hind legs, morphing into a beautiful woman with dreadlocks laced with gold. If her beauty was described in words, the words would only capture a mere fraction of her beauty. “How is never as important as why.”

“Who are you?” Shuri was skeptical of this otherworldly being.

“Your brother told me that you would ask questions, I did not expect so many.” The woman smiled warmly at Shuri. “I am Bast, the panther goddess of your people.”

Shuri was stunned, taking a second to quiet her mind. “How and why am I here?”

The goddess rolled her eyes, “You are here because you have died, but you will not be staying here for too long. You will return to the land of the living. Form an alliance with the talokan before all is lost, you will only have this opportunity once. You have been blessed by the gods. You will be stronger and more agile than your black panther, that is all I can tell you. Good luck Princess Shuri.”

The ground beneath Shuri’s feet began to give way, dragging her down, away from the light. “Wait!” Shuri cried, reaching out her hand, trying to stop herself. The world around her went dark once again.

Shuri screamed, her vision coming into focus, she was in her lab in Wakanda. People were rushing to her, her clothes were scorched black. Shuri knew immediately where she was, or as those cheesy time travel movies her Baba watched would say, when she was.

Baba, Shuri thought, it had been so long since she had thought of him. She had to see him. Shuri quickly stood, she ran out of her lab and towards the throne room. She threw open the door with a slam, startling everyone within the room, even the dora.

“Shuri, what has happened?” her brother asked, moving towards her.

One of the scientists trying to follow her entered the room and spoke, “There was *huff* an accident *gasp* in the lab.”

Ramonda quickly moved forward, taking her daughter’s face in her hands, “Are you alright Shuri?”

Shuri moved out of her mother’s grasp and towards her father. “I had a vision from Bast.”

Gasps sounded throughout the room, never had they thought that the princess, who never believed in their gods, would receive a vision.

The king took a moment to recover from his shock, “What did you see?”

Shuri took a second, no one would believe her if she told them the truth, “I need to go to the Yucatan peninsula. There I will see another vision, but that is all I have received.”

Ramonda smiled brightly, “We must go to the gardens immediately. This is the first vision Bast has sent since Bashenga, Shuri will need her blessing.”

T’Chaka nodded his head in agreement, hugging his daughter, pride ever present on his face, “Yes, we must go.” The king and queen led the elders out of the throne room, leaving T’Challa and Shuri alone.

“What did you really see?” T’Challa demanded, worried for his little sister.

Shuri turned to him, “You will never believe me, I barely believe it myself.” It took all of Shuri’s strength to not break down into tears at the sight of her brother.

T’Challa raised an eyebrow, “The look on your face shows great, unimaginable, pain. I will believe whatever you say.”

Shuri took a deep breath, as she was about to tell her brother that she couldn’t tell him a panther emerged from the shadows. “Tell him, tell him about your father, leave out your cousin and the Talokan.” T’Challa looked to where Shuri was staring, finding nothing his concern for his sister grew.

“Father is going to die at a UN meeting later this year, there will be a bomb, a man will be framed and it will tear apart the avengers. You will try to get revenge for father's death, but you will come to the realization that revenge is not what father would have wanted for you.

Then, just a year later, barely a week after you become king, an outsider will cause a civil war, weakening Wakanda. You will open our borders, telling the world about our vibranium. Soon after aliens will attack earth led by the mad titan Thanos, in search of the infinity stones. This will wipe out half of all living beings in the universe, you and I included.

After five years, barely five seconds to those lost, we will return and battle the mad titan, winning at a great cost. The world will know a small amount of peace, during which an illness will overtake you, leaving me the last heir of Wakanda’s throne. Mother does her best, until, until…” Shuri trails off, knowing that she could not tell T’Challa.

“Until what?” T’Challa is near tears, knowing that their family would be torn and broken with grief for years to come.

“I cannot tell you.”

“Why? Why can you not tell me,” T’Challa gripped Shuri's shoulders.

Shuri stared into his eyes, “I can see Bast, she comes as a panther, but she speaks to me. She told me to not tell you a few events and details. I must respect her wishes.”

T’Challa pulls Shuri into an embrace, “It will be ok, I will do everything in my power to save our father.”

Shuri shakes her head, “No, it won’t be enough.” She pushes T’Challa away and leaves the throne room, heading towards where the council is waiting to go to the gardens. T’Challa followed after her.

“Shuri, you have no idea how proud of you we are,” Ramonda took Shuri into her arms. “You will make a fine queen one day.”

Shuri immediately pushed her mother away, “I will not be queen, T’Challa has worked his entire life to become king and black panther.”

“It is tradition,” one of the council elders started.

“No, the only black panther to receive a vision was Bashenga, that is not tradition, that is the beginning of our nation,” Shuri interrupted. “If anything, this is a sign to change our traditions with the times, the other nations have closed the gap between our technology and theirs at a rapid pace. If we are to stay ahead of them, things need to change.”

T’Chaka interjected before anything else could be said, “We will speak of this later, first Shuri will be given the heart shaped herb.” T’Chaka could see that Shuri was about to interject, “Do not worry, T’Challa will still be the black panther for now since you are leaving for who knows how long.”

The plane landed and the group, led by T’Chaka, entered the gardens. Zuri was there to meet with them. “I have heard that Princess Shuri has received a vision from Bast, is this true my king?”

“Yes, it is,” T’Chaka nodded his head. “She will be leaving soon, we need to give her the heart shaped herb before she leaves.”

“Of course, follow me,” Zuri leads the group through the gardens. Shuri notices the place where Nakia once snuck in to steal one of the herbs when N’Jdaka burned everything. She then decided that she would steal a few before she leaves, in case she cannot stop what is to come.

Shuri is led to the small room, red sand covering the ground. She lays down with her arms crossed as instructed, she is given the herb and buried beneath the sand.

Shuri sits up, greeted by the familiar purple sky. She stands, there are no panthers to greet her this time, no voices. Instead of the savanna that had been there last, there was an ocean. Namor appeared next to her, she quickly backed away.

Pain grew in his eyes, “Why does in reina fear me?” Shuri’s face mirrored the confusion she felt. “The bracelet, you were to be my yatan, my wife, but when your people invaded and killed my people I felt betrayed.”

“I didn’t know,” Shuri whispered, lowering her gaze.

Namor knelt before her, grabbing onto her arms as if they were the only thing keeping him afloat. “Come find me, we can fix everything this time. My gods visited, taking me back with you. I promise I will not let anyone or anything harm you again.”

Shuri dropped to her knees, embracing Namor, “If I leave with you, I would betray my country. My country is very dear to me.”

“Dearer than I,” Namor’s voice filled with pain.

Shuri buried her face into his shoulder, voice faint, “No… No, not dearer than you.”

Shuri broke through the red sand, face streaked with tears, sobbing. “No come back,” Shuri’s voice was barely loud enough for T’Challa to hear.

T’Challa knelt on the sand, holding her hands, “Who did you see Shuri?”

Shuri looked up at him, the broken look on her face almost bringing him to tears himself. “I cannot tell you, for your safety and the safety of Wakanda.”

“You must tell us,” Ramonda demanded. She had to help her daughter, her daughter who was broken from the vision she had just received.

Shuri shook her head, “I cannot, Bast will not allow me to tell anyone until the time is right.”

Chapter Text

Shuri had spent the entire time after the gardens until she knew there would be no one but a few dora patrolling the halls of the palace working on a new suit for herself and her brother. She decided that it would be faster to just rebuild the nanotechnology suits she made for her brother, leaving them there with instructions for him. She designed one for herself that would allow her to move underwater and become invisible for a few minutes, but was otherwise the same.

Once she had finished the suits she put her suit on and packed her bag, grabbing only a few articles of clothing. She quickly left her rooms, moving silently within the halls, towards a stairwell that she knew led to a path outside of the palace grounds. She had quickly made it to the gardens, moving around to find where Nakia had entered before.

Once she had found it she dove straight into the window, activating her invisibility as she went. Grabbing onto one of the pillars she slowly let her feet touch the ground, trying to to disturb the plants too much. She quickly grabbed three of the plants and gently placed them in her bag.

She then ran out of the gardens and towards the tarmac, she had readied one of the planes before she had left to her lab earlier that day. As she boarded the plane she noticed T’Challa, wearing the new suit she had designed.

“You know little sister, you could work on being more discreet” T’Challa chuckled. “I knew you would go to the gardens before you left. The look on your face told me everything I needed to know about your plan.”

Shuri rolled her eyes, the mask of her suit retreating as she did so. “You can’t stop me brother, I know what I need to do.”

T’Challa smiled warmly, “I know, and I am not here to stop you.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Mama and Baba will ask where you are, the plane will be missing and someone will notice the plants are gone.”

“What do you suggest I do? If my plan fails I must protect the plants and I cannot cross an entire ocean without a plane yet.” Shuri takes a deep breath and admits, “I just cannot bring myself to say goodbye to Mama and Baba.”

“I will fly the plane back to Wakanda, you will contact me when you need to be picked up. I will say that you had a new vision from Bast that told you to take the plants and leave immediately. This should hold Mama and Baba for a while, but you will need to contact us if you intend to stay for over a week.”

Shuri groaned in frustration, “Fine, but no one, not even you, can come after me, this is a matter of Wakanda’s safety.” T’Challa agreed to his sister’s request and sat down in one of the passenger seats as Shuri piloted the ship.

Just an hour into the flight T’Challa spoke, “Who was it that you saw? You don’t have to give me a name or anything, just who are they to you?”

“It’s complicated brother. They are many things to me, but I know they can help me and Wakanda.”

T’Challa smirked, “I know that look, you’re in love.”

Shuri glared at her brother, “I am not.”

“You most definitely are, who are they? Who is it that melted my little sister’s mechanical heart?” Shuri huffed and stared out the window, not answering her brother. “Oh come on, give me a hint. Tell me about them, what are they like? Do they treat you well?”

Shuri rolled her eyes, but ultimately agreed to her brother’s request. “He is amazing, he cares for his people as if they were his own children. He treated me with respect and did not talk down to me due to my youth. He encouraged me to invent, to find new solutions.”

T’Challa smiled, “He sounds like a great leader.”

Shuri smiled, “He is.” Her smile dropped, realizing she never told her brother that she was sent back in time and that he believed everything she had been saying was part of a vision from Bast.

“I must tell you something very important that you cannot tell anyone else no matter what happens.” T’Challa glanced at her, face full of confusion. “I have twisted the truth about my vision from Bast. While I did have the vision, it was of another life that I had lived through. Birth to death, but when I went to the ancestral plane. I was sent by Bast to a different reality, one where you and Baba were alive. I was given instructions to change the future and create an alliance with a hidden nation. I have no idea if I will be able to save Baba, it caused you to become a truly wonderful King.”

T’Challa stared at Shuri as if she would disappear. “Shuri, if we can prevent it, we cannot just let our father die!”

‘He might not have to die, but there is no telling what that may cause. You go into a fit of rage, seeking revenge, but unlike our father you show mercy. You learn that killing someone will not bring our father back. This instance is what makes you a great king, a great black panther.”

“What are you talking about? Our father-”

“-killed his own brother, leaving our cousin to become a psychopathic murderer!” Shuri yelled. With a glance at T’Challa’s face, she realizes her mistake. “You forget what I have said.”

“I cannot forget this Shuri, you’re telling me that we have a cousin that was left in the United States”

“I said forget it, I am handling the situation the best that I can, but this may be another thing that I cannot prevent. This is why I have taken the herbs”

The two do not talk for the rest of the journey. Once they land on a beach that is similar to the one Shuri met Namor on in the ancestral plane, Shuri turns to her brother. “You have to trust me, I am not as young and naive as you remember. Do not let this new knowledge cloud your judgment.”

T’Challa glares at Shuri and looks away, not answering. “I get it you’re angry with me, but please, I am leaving for a mission that will take who knows how long. I just lost you a year ago in my time. Please, don’t make me leave without a proper goodbye.”

T’Challa sighs, “I am frustrated, I know you mean well, but it is a lot to process in a short amount of time. I love you, call me in a week to update me.”

“I will ubhuti.” T’Challa stood, arms outstretched. Shuri immediately ran into his arms, she broke the embrace after a few minutes. “I have to go now, don’t worry, I can take care of everything.”

“I know you can, but you don’t have to. I’m here to help you when you need me to.”

Shuri stepped out of the plane, bag in hand. She made her way to the ocean, almost tripping on a conch shell. She knew that he was waiting nearby, waiting for her response. She blew into the shell as T’Challa flew away.

It was just moments later that Namor had flown from the ocean. Shuri beamed at the sight of him, happy to know that he was ok and remembered her.

“Shuri,” Namor hesitantly stepped towards her.

Shuri tackled him in an embrace, falling onto the sand. “I am so glad that I am not alone here, someone else knows what has happened.”

Namor chuckled, “Come in reina, our people are waiting for us.” Picking Shuri up he flew into the waves. Namor reemerged in the caves that Shuri was held in before.

Shuri followed Namor into his home, “Who have you told, and what have you told them.”

Namor turned to face her, his hands holding the bracelet. “I have told Namora and Attuma that I received a vision from Ixchel of the queen, so they do not question your being here in Talokan, that is all. ”

Shuri nodded her head in understanding, “I have done a similar thing with my parents and the tribal council, saying I had a vision from Bast. Which isn’t false, but it’s more of an ongoing vision. I keep seeing her in the shadows as a panther, giving me advice. I did tell my brother as much of the truth as I could, he can help us in his position more than I can”

Namor nodded his head, “I have a similar relationship with the true K’uk’ulkan, he appears as a serpent to give advice, but he hasn’t in some time.”

“What is your name if it isn’t K’uk’ulkan?”

“My mother gave me the name Ch’ac Toh Almehen, but I was told by K’uk’ulkan to have my people refer to me by his name.”

“Should I do the same?” Shuri questioned. “I have been blessed by Bast, but I do not hold the title of the black panther, that is still my brother’s title.”

“I believe that your goddess will tell you what to do, but for now I suggest that you present yourself as Princess Shuri of Wakanda. Enough of this talk of gods and goddesses, come, I want to show you Talokan.” Namor took Shuri’s hand and led her into the water.

Chapter Text

Shuri had modified her Black Panther suit to be able to withstand the pressure of the ocean and to provide her with oxygen. She had not had the chance to do the same for T’Challa’s suit.

Now Shuri was following after Namor, they had quickly made their way to Talokan. Shuri gasped, the beauty of the city was just as she remembered it, however it seemed brighter than before.

Namor smiled warmly at Shuri, “Come, there is a place that I was not able to show you last time.” Namor took her hand, leading her through the city towards the temple under the vibranium sun.

“I do not remember the sun being so bright last time I was here.”

Namor frowned, “The surface nations attacked without the knowledge of our existence. They poisoned our homes, my people. Before Thanos, my people were dying, the population dwindling. The sun dimmed as my people did.”

“Pollution has been killing your people and the energy of the sun,” Shuri’s eyes filled with tears, devastated by the knowledge that pollution was slowly killing the Talokanil. “Wakanda can help, I can help you. I will create a barrier to keep Talokan safe, Riri’s machine will not be able to detect your vibranium. The barrier could clean the waters around Talokan.”

Namor held Shuri’s hands, halting her rambling, “I know that you can help my people, but first we must be sure that you will remain alive to help them. Come, the temple holds my mother’s bracelet and many other artifacts that you will find interesting.”

Namor led Shuri into the temple, the walls shining from the light of the vibranium sun. Murals of great battles and hunts decorated the temple, each with a trophy from the hunt. At the end of the hall was a pedestal holding the bracelet that Shuri had worn for a brief moment, the wall behind it was painted to show how Talokan came to be.

Namor grabbed the bracelet, Shuri was expecting him to tie it into her wrist just as he had before, but he tied the bracelet onto his own wrist instead. She opened her mouth to ask him why, but Namor interrupted her. “Come, we must return to the cenote, away from prying eyes.”

The two made their way out of the temple and through the bustling market. Being stopped by the children on multiple occasions, their excited voices penetrating the water. Namor smiled and responded to each of them, never turning them away.

Once they eventually made it back to the cenote Shuri retracted her suit back into the necklace. Namor led her into his hut, as they both sat down he took off the bracelet and explained, “The last time you were here and I gave you my mother’s bracelet I assumed that you understood what exactly I was offering you. Now I know that you didn’t know the entirety of what you agreed to, so now I will ask you again. Will you be an ally to myself and Talokan? Will you rule beside me as queen of Talokan, in reina do you accept becoming my wife and my equal?”

“K’uk’ulkan, Ch’ac, I may not have understood the gravity of the bracelet last time, but no matter how many times our gods send us back to fix the mistakes of our people I will always accept you. Nothing will ever change my mind,” Shuri took Namor’s hands in her own, staring lovingly into his eyes.

Suddenly a bright flash and bang encompassed the hut, startling the two. Two new beings covered head to toe in gold and jewels. “Finally, it has been so long since I have been on the mortal plane,” the woman beamed, quickly turning to Namor and Shuri. “Oh my goodness, Bast was not lying, the two of you are adorable. Shuri, it is soooooo good to meet you!! I am Ix Chel, the mayan goddess of the moon, medicine and childbirth to name a few, you are my new avatar. Bast was so sad that she wasn’t able to have two avatars, but since we have similar areas of expertise she asked me to help you.”

“Wait, hold on,” Shuri blinked, attempting to process what the goddess told her. “So you are of goddess Ix Chel, but I am not mayan. That shouldn’t work if the way you choose avatars is similar to how Bast chooses avatars.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Ix Chel waved her hand as if brushing aside the thought itself. “While yes, the power of my avatars are more powerful when they are of my lineage, that is no concern of yours. Once you accepted Ch’ac’s proposal you became a part of the Talokan nation. Also this works out a little better because you will now be able to live above and below the sea just as Ch’ac does.”

Shuri nods her head, her expression a bit dazed, then she looks over to the man that appeared with Ix Chel, “Who’s that?”

“Oh that is K’uk’ulkan, he’s here to give you the gift of immortality. Well it’s not exactly immortality, but you will age just as Ch’ac does. And you have gained some new physical features, courtesy of me.”

“What!” Shuri bolted to the water to see a reflection of a woman with sharp canine teeth. She reached out her hand to touch the water but stopped when she saw her fingernails. Well fingernails wouldn’t be the word she would use, more like claws. She quickly pulled her hand back, watching as the claws retracted into her fingers.

As Shuri sat there cradling her hands she heard the flutter of Namor’s wings. “Everything will turn out fine, you don’t have to worry about facing your family if you don’t want to. I can tell them that you won’t be returning if you so choose.”

Shuri quickly shook her head, “No! If you do that it will be worse than last time, my father does not show mercy to anyone that stands against Wakanda, and if you show up there without me he will assume that you have kidnapped me.”

“Then what will you have me do in reina?” Namor knelt beside her, his hand laid on her shoulder.

Shui took a deep breath. “I will return to Wakanda in a few days, and explain that I must leave for a longer period of time than what I had originally told them. While I am there I will create a small portable lab so that I can create the shield for Talokan.”

“How will you explain the mutations that you have gained?” Namor questioned. “The claws can be hidden by gloves, but the teeth and eyes will be more difficult to hide, especially from your family.”

“What do you mean by my eyes?” Shuri lurched towards the water to get a better look. Her reflection stares right back at her with cat-like eyes. Her pupils were too large, there was no white surrounding her iris. “Ch’ac! I can’t go back like this, my family will never let me leave Wakanda again!”

Namor pulled Shuri into his arms. “It will be okay, you will find a way to hide the mutations. Or if you wanted you could just show them the mutations and break out of Wakanda if they decide to keep you there indefinitely. You are the smartest person I have ever met, no one can hold you back, not even myself.”

The two deities made their way over, K’uk’ulkan spoke, “You won’t even have to try to break out of Wakanda. Ix Chel is a warrior goddess so you will be able to fight, no mortal will be able to equal you in strength even with enhancements.”

“Also, you will be able to communicate with Ch’ac, no matter the distance between the two of you. So if you do need help you will be able to talk with Ch’ac.” Ix Chel informed Shuri, resting her hands on Shuri’s shoulders.

“See in reina, everything will be fine. If you want me to, I will accompany you to Wakanda.”

Shuri shook her head, “My family will not be able to meet you yet, they will believe that you are manipulating me into leaving Wakanda.”

“You can work through all the details throughout the week, but right now is not the time to dwell,” K’uk’ulkan huffed a few feet away from the group.

“Get a heart K’uk’ulkan!” Ix Chel shot a glare towards the other god.

K’uk’ulkan snarled, “We are here for a reason, let’s get to it Ix Chel.”

“You’re right,” Ix Chel stood. “Shuri, Bast does not have the power she once did. She is unable to have two avatars, so to keep Wakanda safe she will remain with your brother. You will continue on your quest that she gave you, changing the wrongs of the past, but you will also help strengthen and protect Talokan for myself and the other talokanil gods.”

“Will I still be able to go back to Wakanda though? I am still the head scientist for all of Wakanda.”

“You will remain within Talokan as the citizens of Talokan are your people now,” K’uk’ulkan spoke, leaving no room for argument.

Ix Chel snapped at the other deity, “That is not for you to decide K’uk’ulkan. She is my avatar, I will decide if she can return to Wakanda or not.” Ix Chel turned towards Shuri, “Unfortunately he is correct, you will have to spend the majority of your time here in Talokan, but do not worry you will be able to visit from time to time.”

Namor held Shuri tighter. “Once I am sure that I can trust them, I will allow your family to visit you in the cenote.”