HUNTER ARMY AIRFIELD,

GEORGIA, U.S.

"Captain Ahmad Abdullah Danbatta!"

"Yes Sir!"

The General handed the letter in his hand over to the soldier in front of him after glancing at it one last time. The soldier dropped his hands to his side and collected the letter from him. "As a result of your success in your recent mission, you're being granted a month off work. You may go to anywhere you want provided you take your teammates with you. Understand?"

"Yes Sir!"

"Dismissed"

The soldier saluted the general one last time before he marched out of the man's office. The minute he stepped out, a couple of soldiers passing by saluted him to which he nodded before he walked out. His strides were confident as he held his head up while his lips were set into a straight line.

He made his way over where the other members of his team were training the new recruits. His lips tilted upwards into a ghost smile which disappeared as soon as it came when his gaze met that of the recruits.

They all stood up straight in attention before they saluted the Captain, "Sir!" they chorused as the first Lieutenant in charge of them ordered them to stop their training.

He saluted back, "Continue" his voice came out low before his gaze moved to his team mates who did what the others did. "Get ready, we're going back to Nigeria"

This made them furrow their brows.

"Why Nigeria?" The one training the recruits groaned, jokingly narrowing his eyes at Zayn. He knew it wasn't a mission, the US hardly get involved in issues regarding Nigeria in such aspects. So, there must be another reason for them to be heading there.

"Because the Captain said so, go pack up Jack" The other one standing beside Jack said, the same one that was on the phone with his wife before they went on the mission he recently succeeded.

Jack narrowed his eyes at his teammate and friend, "Shaheed, I was talking to the Captain and not you"

Shaheed rolled his eyes, not bothering to reply to his friend.

"Seriously though" The last teammate of theirs, one who hardly talk just like the Captain voiced out, making them all look up at him. He moved his eyes away from jack and Shaheed, "Why are we going to Nigeria?" It was no secret that Zayn was a Nigerian before he moved to the US and got a citizenship there. However, one thing that remained a mystery to everyone was why he left Nigeria and never stepped foot in it for 10 whole years.

Zayn was never one to speak about his personal life. He mostly kept to himself and minds his own business except when its work related, they knew that about him.

"I have an unfinished work there" He replied simply, "Go and pack up, we leave in three days"

~*~

Abuja, Nigeria.

The flight from America to Nigeria landed at exactly 4:19pm. However, the commuters didn't finish everything required of them till minutes afterwards.

The team of four walked out, each dragging their suitcase along with them. On cue, with no words exchanged, all of them went their separate ways once they passed the security as agreed. Each has a plan on what to spend their one month in Nigeria doing, so they agreed to meet only when extremely important.

Zayn made his way over to the crowd of people that stood a couple of feet away from him, some holding placards with names of the person they're waiting for scribbled on it. He walked past them, eyes moving amongst the crowd as he looked for the one person that knew about his return back to Nigeria.

His brows drew in confusion when he didn't spot the person. Eventually, he did, and so, he made his way towards him.

Dark shades covered his eyes as his lips were set into a tight line. His face was stoic, not giving an impression about what he's thinking about-as usual.

The guy he spotted grinned once the he was within earshot. The guy walked towards him and gave him a bro hug, patting his back in the process. Zayn didn't hug him back but he did pat his back too. The guy is literally his only friend, the one person that knows all about everything he went through.

"My guy!" The man exclaimed pulling back to look at him, giving him a once over. The grin that was on his face earlier still etched making Zayn want to roll his eyes under his shades. The guy might be incredibly smart but that didn't change the fact that he's a goofball.

Zayn shook his head, his lips still not tilting up into any form of smile or whatnot. "Kamal. You'll never change" He said. He took off his shades to stare at Kamal. His voice came out strong, nothing like how he sounded when his friend knew him before.

In fact, he didn't look anything like how Kamal remembered him. He now has a five o'clock shadow that made him look manlier, and more mature. His eyes though were cold, and his whole demeanor...aloof.

Kamal didn't dwell on that though knowing what he's been through.

Kamal shook his head as he made the tsk sound, "See you" He scoffed, "Oh sorry, I tend to forget that you are a big guy now" he stood up straighter, and mock saluted him, "Captain Ahmad Abdullah Danbatta, sir!"

Zayn shook his head again, pushing Kamal aside, he started walking out leaving him standing there, "If I didn't know you and your job, you would've frog jumped for mocking me" He said once Kamal caught up to him, the two walking side by side.

He was kidding though there was no smile on his face, and Kamal knew that.

Kamal chuckled, "Guy the only difference between us is that you wear uniform and I don't"

"I'm a soldier, you're a secret agent. There's a difference" Zayn stated as a matter of fact. At times he wonders how that goofball became a secret agent, one that could do his job well. Kamal is one of the agents requested when there are big cases, and he solves almost each and every one he had been on.

"You are a special force soldier, that's basically the same thing as secret agents in the army" Kamal retaliated.

"It's not" Zayn deadpanned, hoping Kamal would get the hint and end the conversation there. He knew Kamal, if he paid much attention to the guy then they would argue over the issue over and over again.

Kamal laughed lightly but didn't say anything to Zayn again. They walked to the parking lot where Kamal parked his car and the Zayn's.

"You brought my car?" Zayn asked, glancing at his car which he bought but somehow never used. Maybe because it's his first time stepping foot in Nigeria after 10 years.

"Yup. Had someone drive it over" Kamal nodded, "I have a hearing to attend so we're not going together" He tossed Zayn his car keys as he made his way over to his car he had someone drive there for him, "We'll catch up later, I promise. Anyways, it's nice to have you back in Nigeria Zayn!" He waved at the guy before he entered his car leaving Zayn alone there.

Zayn stood in the parking lot and watched as Kamal drove off to Allah knows which court the hearing is taking place. He sighed, shaking his head for the umpteenth time since he stepped foot in Nigeria. He unlocked the car trunk, and placed his suitcase in it before he made his way over to the driver's seat where he got in, and revved the car to life.

It might've been long since he's been in Nigeria but it didn't change the fact that he grew up in the place so he knew his way around it. He didn't any GPS to drive to where he'd been staying. It has been years since he'd been there but it didn't change the fact that it's itched in his head despite the renovations and the new buildings in the area.

Due to the traffic, it took him over an hour and a half to reach the place. He turned the car off, and got his suitcase from the trunk. He took off his shade that he put back on earlier and stared at the place, gulping slightly before he walked in--dragging the suitcase along with him.

Tapping the pin on the door lock with hesitant fingers, it opened with a beep after a few seconds. He took the doorknob in his hand and twisted it open, hesitating to step foot in the place when the door opened. He thought about walking away, far from the place but he couldn't chicken out in the last minute.

Closing his eyes shut tightly and shaking his head, he walked right in slowly. Hand reaching out to his side looking for the light switch, his fingers landed on it so he flicked it and the lights came on slowly-due to lack of usage in a long time.

He moved his eyes around the apartment that was just as he remembered. His eyes held the emotion that his face hid. The face might lie but the eyes don't-no matter how much you try to make them do so.

Everything was exactly in the same position as it was before and that only made the strings in his heart tug when he remembered his first time there.

"What are we doing here?" Zayn groaned as he followed Kulsum up the staircase that leads to the studio apartment. He rolled his eyes when she chuckled at his behavior, not finding her humor funny in any way.

What's comical about a fourteen-year-old being made to skip a football match by his twenty-year-old sister to drag him off to Allah knows where?

"You'll see" Kulsum replied, that smiled still etched on her face. Her face radiated with a certain glow that he had always seen on it before she married Aasim. Before then, he had never seen a frown on her face, it might've just be his young self that thought such way, but he really did believe that she had no problems all her life till that point.

That she is the happiest and most carefree person on earth.

The sound of her tapping something on the keypad had him peeking over her shoulders on his tippy toes to see. She might be older, but if he stands on his toes, he's just the same height as her. His lips were set into a small pout out of confusion as he noticed what she tapped, "That's my birthday" he muttered but she heard him.

Instead of replying, she smiled. As always.

When the door beeped open, she turned to him, "Alright champ, close your eyes now" She said making him furrow his brows in confusion.

"Why?" He asked.

"Because this is a surprise" She chuckled seeing the annoying look plastered on his small chubby face. Amongst the siblings, he's the only one that was chubby as a child. He didn't look anything like the two sisters and everyone believed it's because he's a male. The only male child in the Danbatta family.

Yet, that didn't stop the kids from picking on him for being chubby.

At first, it bothered him to the extent that he comes to Kulsum crying. Eventually, he learned to fight back much to Kulsum's displeasure but in his defense, he was defending himself by slapping the boys with his shoes or putting lizards in their school bags-mostly for the girls.

That helped because in no time, they stopped messing with him.

Zayn rolled his eyes again but nevertheless, closed his face with his hands, peeking slightly through the gap between his fingers.

"No peeking Zayn" Kulsum's voice came, a bit stern but they both knew she couldn't be angry at him. Even if she did, it's always for a couple of minutes.

Zayn covered his eyes properly as she placed her handson his shoulder, guiding him inside the apartment careful not to let him bump into something. Once they were in, she reached her hand out and flicked the lights on, asking him to open his eyes at the instant.

He did just in time the lights came on, letting him take in the view of the studio apartment. His lips tilted into a small smile when he noticed the positions everything is kept, "What's this?"

She leaned down close to his ear, "Happy birthday Zayn"

He stilled, he didn't think she remembered not that she ever forgets, that's the rest of his family. She however, never forgets. "You remember" he muttered, turning around to look at her.

She chuckled, "Of course I did. Did you think I'll ever forget?" Her lips turned into a grin when she saw the wide cheeky smile on his face, "I bought this place for you. Figured you'd want your own free space when you grow up"

"I can live here?" His eyes lit up at the thought of the things he'd do living alone in the place, mostly filling it up with Marvel stickers and everything Avengers related.

"Not until you turn 18. Afterwards, this place is yours"

Zayn blinked, pushing those thoughts away. Shortly after gifting him the apartment, Kulsum got married to Aasim and months after they had their first child. And that was when everything went South. Since that day he came with Kulsum, he had never stepped foot in the apartment again.

Till now.

~*~

Ladies and Gentlemen, with this we start the journey of Zayn. Don't worry, this time around, this book will not be taken down.

Anyways, y'all know my love for soldiers, right? I had to make most of my characters that.

Zayn is finally returning home? What awaits him there?

Find out in the next chapter.

Love, Jannah.