Intlungu (Pain)

Prologue: Disintegration (Part 2)

The image of Kya disintegrating into ash right in front of her still plagued Nakia's mind as she willed her legs to get her home. She and Okoye settled for walking back, neither of them having the energy to call Shuri for a jet, if she was even there to accept the call. They also needed time to process what had just happened and how it was going to affect everything around them.

As soon as Nakia walked into her mansion, she was met with the concerned faces of her father, stepmother Babalo, and great-aunt Rhikya. Since the fight wasn't near the River Tribe borders, there was no need for them to evacuate, so they waited at the mansion for the two sisters to return.

Just as Nakia was about to tell them what happened out there, her voice caught in her throat, unable to say the words. Instead, she collapsed to her knees and allowed tears to fall from her cheek and onto her father's sandals. She soon felt his arms wrap around her and she buried her face into his shoulder and sobbed into it. She could sense that he was fighting back his own tears from the pain of losing his youngest daughter, but at that moment, she could only think about her grief and distress.

Time seemed to blur as Nakia eventually got up from the floor and went to wash off the blood, sweat, and dirt from the battle. She didn't bother looking towards Kya's suite, knowing her sister wouldn't be there to greet her with her bright and warm smile.

After showering and changing into her nightgown, Nakia climbed into bed and pulled the covers over her head, begging for sleep to come. Babalo had come in to check on her, insisting that food would be good for her, but she shook her head and promised her stepmother she would eat in the morning.

Babalo could only nod and leave her alone to sit in her grief.

~~~

Wakanda was in a state of mourning, and the dark cloud that loomed over the skies for the next few days didn't help. Even the market that usually buzzed with gossip and half-truths was quiet enough for one to hear their sandals walking against the grasslands.

To honor the lives that were lost from either the battle or becoming ash, Queen Naomi organized a mass grieving ceremony in which the citizens would release lanterns in the air as a celebration of the lives lived and the memories preserved.

Nakia stood in the middle of the River province with her family as they released a lantern in remembrance of Kya. "Goodbye, my omncinci," she said as tears fell down her cheek as she remembered Kya's bright smile, warm presence, and funny personality.

That night, as Nakia lay in bed, she felt her mother's presence. It was rare for Unathi to visit from the ancestral plane, claiming that they rarely need her, but tonight was an exception. More tears flowed as Unathi twisted Nakia's tight coils around her finger.

"She's not there," she told Nakia, adding to her disappointment.

It relieved the War Dog that her baby sister wasn't dead in a traditional sense, but it left her wondering where her spirit was and how much she would give to see her omncinci again.

Unathi's actions eventually lulled her to sleep and gave her much-needed rest for the night. However, Nakia was ready to return to work the next morning. She needed to do something besides sitting in that mansion all day, thinking about Kya.

Fortunately for her, great-aunt Rhikya had an assignment in Liberia and could use the extra hands. "The time away might do you some good," she told Nakia while pouring herself a glass of iced tea Babalo mixed with some lemonade. "But it's only a temporary fix. You still have to do the work of healing yourself."

Nakia didn't say anything, just shoved a fork full of eggah in her mouth and nodded.

The work in Liberia only lasted for two months, and she intended on returning to Oakland to continue her work at the Outreach Center. That was until she received notice that Queen Naomi will eventually switch her to another program.