Title: Big City Dreams
Pairing: Korra & Asami
Rated: M
Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Korra and its characters. All rights belong to their respectable owners Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino.
Author's Note: This is an AU highly influenced by the Movie 8 Mile. Just like the movie there will be Rap Battles. With that being said there will be terms used that are offensive. As a writer please know that what is said does not reflect on my views personally. It's just me telling a story and Korra's transition through it all. So if you are easily offended I suggest you not read this story. Real life is offensive. Hip Hop (Rap) expresses raw emotions through storytelling and this is the story that I want to tell and it will hit close to home not only for the readers but for me as well. So again I would like to apologize ahead of time if terms that are said and used offend anyone.
Credit | Inspirations: A few songs I heard inspired me to actually write this story. One in particular is J. Cole's song A Tale of 2 Citiez. Another was T$RL by The Neighbourhood. I always wanted to write something based off music and this was the best possible thing because it fit together so smoothly. Not only did 8 mile influence me the show Empire did as well. So if you see any similarities that's where it came from. Also I want to thank ChongTheNomad on Tumblr. She really helped me by explaining what she does and what I should look up in order to gain the information I would need for this story as well for Asami's part in it. So thank you so very much I really appreciate you taking the time out to help me with that and for allowing me to use your name in it. So again thanks for that.
PS: All lyrics, rhymes, lines are mine unless said otherwise. Hope you all enjoy this chapter. See you later, Gladiators.
Korra was sitting on her bed listening to her music. She finished packing an hour ago and took this time to jot down a few things on her mind. She had been waiting for this opportunity since she graduated high school. Now that it was here she was feeling a bit nervous about the situation. This would be her first time away from home, to a big city no less and yet that wasn't her cause for concern. It was the lie behind it that would get her there.
Trying to get her mind off it, she replayed the song she was listening to and jotted down some words on her notepad. Getting the hell outta dodge. Ripping off this camouflage. I'm being myself, your ego I can no longer massage. Pressed pause on my life for you. Too many times it's true. No longer backing down this is something I gotta do. For me... A knock at the door broke her from her thoughts.
"Come in.." Korra said taking one of her ear buds out.
Tonraq peeked his head in the room before stepping in completely. "We're leaving in ten. You almost ready?"
Korra moved her notepad to her side and nodded her head. "Yeah I will be," she answered.
"Alright," Tonraq replied with a half a smile. He left the room and closed the door shut.
Korra felt bad for lying to her parents but this was something she had to do. It had been a year since she graduated from high school so fabricating a scholarship to the Republic College of The Arts for Audio engineering wasn't so far fetched to believe. She knew they wouldn't let her go to Republic City without a good reason. Her parents were proud of her fake accomplishment and made arrangements for Korra to stay with her Aunt Kya.
Despite coming close to her goal, Korra wanted to puke from the thought of it. Wondering if she would get caught or worse her parents changing their minds. She snapped out of it when Naga woke up. She felt the canine nudge her at the knee. "Its really happening girl," Korra said running her fingertips through Naga's fur.
"I'm a be gone til December," she sang with a chuckle. Naga looked at her with a sorrowful look. "I'll be back though. So don't get use to me being gone," she said with a brighter smile. Naga's mood perked up when her owners did. Korra knew it would be difficult to leave for multiple reasons. Naga was one of them. The main reason was another.
Korra was saying goodbye to her mother while her father put her bags into the trunk of their car. "Later mom," Korra said giving her a hug.
"Goodbye my sweet precious baby girl," Senna said holding on to Korra for dear life.
"Okay mom," Korra said unable to break free from her death grip. "I can't breathe.."
Senna let go and placed her hands to the sides of Korra's cheeks. "Call me."
Korra gave her a nod and said, "I will."
"Everyday," Senna continued.
"I will," Korra repeated.
"Every hour on the hour," Senna said teary eyed.
Korra looked at her confused. "What?" she said thinking she misheard.
Tonraq came up behind Korra and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Hon," he said to Senna. "We gotta go."
Senna understood and pulled Korra back into another tight mamma bear hug before letting go.
Once Korra was free, she leaned down and petted her canine companion on the head. "Take care of her girl," Korra said with a smile. Naga barked and licked Korra's palm in response.
Korra stood up and fixed the strap of her book bag on her shoulder. She looked up to the window on the left side of the house and nodded. She walked to the passenger side of the car and got in.
During the car ride to the docks, Korra drifted off into thought. She wasn't sure if this was the right move or not. Doubt was setting in until her father broke her train of thought.
"Who would have thought my little girl would be accepted into one of the most prestigious schools in the United Republic. And for Audio engineering no less," Tonraq said flashing a smile at his daughter.
"Yeah..." Korra mumbled under her breath.
Tonraq noticed the change in her tone again. "You ready for the big city?" he asked glancing back over at her from the road.
Korra shrugged her shoulders, "as ready as I'll ever be," she said wanting to get off the subject.
When they arrived at the port, Tonraq helped Korra bring her bags on to the ship. "Thanks dad," Korra said with a soft smile.
Tonraq mimicked her smile and pulled her into a hug. "Be careful."
Korra held her father tighter with her head pressed against his shoulder. "I will," she said pulling back.
"Remember to visit us during the winter solstice," he said wagging his index finger at her.
Korra chuckled with a nod. "How could I miss it?" she said knowing it was a tradition.
Tonraq gave her a look, "you better not," he said hearing the honk of the ship. He took a deep breath knowing it was time. "I'm so proud of you. I wish..." he said unable to finish his sentence for some reason. "I wish.."
"I know..." Korra said cutting him off. "I love you dad."
"I love you too," he said giving her one last hug.
Tonraq got off the ship and waited as they set sail. He waved when the ship started to move.
Korra waved back trying not to cry. She knew this was it. It was no going back from here only forward.
Around 3pm, an emergency meeting was being held at Sato Records. One of their biggest artist was arrested for possession of an illegal substance. Hiroshi was livid. "What are we gonna do about this?" he asked wanting answers.
News reports of the scandal played behind him on the flat screen. It was on every major news station across the United Republic. What made matters worse was everyone's silence. One in particular his daughters.
Asami felt her father's eyes on her. She had nothing to say since she didn't want to be there in the first place. She wanted to speak with him before the meeting started but Hiroshi brushed her off as usual.
"Deez is on his second offense. I say we cut our losses before it gets any worse," Tarrlok answered. He was the CFO of Sato Records. A smug son of a ruthless thug that Asami couldn't stand.
Hiroshi appreciated his opinion more than most but knew he had no musical bone in his body. "You may be right but Dezmin is one of our most successful artists on this label. I want a way around this. Get the attention off of him," he said pointing at the screen.
"How do we do that?" asked a low level employee. Hiroshi shot him a death glare which made him shrink down into his seat.
Before Hiroshi threaten to fire the poor bastard, Tarrlok spoke up. "We replace him with a new artist."
Noatak shifted in his seat now interested in the conversation. "That's not a bad idea," he said getting everyone's attention. "We can set up a competition around it. An old fashion rap battle. Find someone with real drive that won't do... this," he said gesturing to the screen with the police chase Dezmin caused. "Who ever wins. We sign. I guarantee all this will all blow over by that time," he said so sure of himself. He was the one who brought Dezmin 'Deez Nuts' Nattsu to the label so it was only right he'd be the one to replace him.
Hiroshi heard Noatak's suggestion and loved it. "Then we will promote this as soon as possible," he gestured to their publicist.
"Don't worry," Noatak said standing up from his seat. "I'll handle the details."
After the meeting in the board room, Asami when straight to her father's office. "Dad," she said soon as he took a seat in his chair.
"Yes sweetheart?" Hiroshi answered looking up from his phone at her.
"I need to talk to you about my next album," Asami said hearing a groan. She wanted to take it into a different direction than the last two. It was something very important to her and the way he was reacting made her think it wasn't worth it. "I have big plans for it. I wanted to know if you listen to the tracks I sent you last week?" she asked knowing he did since the email said read.
Hiroshi gave his daughter a look of disappointment. "I did and I don't think the board would approve on the direction your music is taking," he said as if he didn't have an actual say in what goes.
Asami knew what he was saying was bullshit. It had nothing to do with the board. It had all to do with his ego. "The direction I'm taking is apart of me. If you can't accept that then you don't accept me," she said feeling a bit hurt behind it. She took a second to gather her words before continuing. "And if that's the case I'll join another company that would," she said knowing he'd take it as a threat. It wasn't. It was a promise to herself not to settle for anything but the best.
"I love you dearly but the last thing this company needs is another scandal. You saw what happen to Deez," Hiroshi said pointing to his office door. "We need to stay clear from that chaos and start fresh."
"My next album is a way to start fresh. All you need to do is give me the okay," she practically begged. Asami didn't like putting her music on hold this long but this was important. This was her future as an artist. She wanted to be herself and show that through her music instead of holding back.
Hiroshi saw the look on his daughter's face and knew she wasn't going to let this go. "You really want this?" he asked as if he didn't know the answer.
Asami's eyes lit up quickly. "Yes I do." Was he actually considering it?
Hiroshi gave her a nod and said, "alright. I'll let you do whatever you want on your next album without a hassle," he said seeing her cheerful expression. "If you can find a replacement for Deez," he said with a smile of his own.
Asami's smile faded. She knew there had to be a catch. There always was. "That's A&R's job not mines," she said folding her arms. She was upset with the mind games he was starting to play. It was always something with him. A no would be better than this crap.
"Yes but if you want this as badly as you claim... you'll do it," Hiroshi said still smiling brightly at his only child. He knew he backed her into a corner and didn't care. As long as it would prolong another conversation like this in the future. He was content. "If you can do that. We have a deal which means no more threats about leaving the company," he said pointing at her. "Deal?" he asked holding his hand out to her.
Asami narrowed her eyes at her father but then flashed her own smile. "Deal," she said taking his hand and shaking it.
Asami was in her office looking at YouTube videos on her laptop. She knew a lot of people posted videos covering songs but for rap she wasn't sure. How was she suppose to determine the talent of a person in a genre she didn't know anything about. Sure she listen to it here and there but it wasn't the same thing. Her phone rang before she could stress on the subject. "Hey where are you?" she asked seeing the picture of her best friend on the screen.
"Stuck at work since one of our dancers dropped out last minute," Opal answered while doing a bit of stretching on the floor. "You speak to your dad yet?"
"Kind of... he didn't completely shut me down this time so that's a start," Asami stated as her eyes skimmed the computer screen.
Opal glanced at herself in the mirror as she stretched her right leg into her inner left thigh. "What he say exactly?"
Asami thought on how to phase his words in a less condescending manner. "Basically if I wanted to put my music out like I wanted to I had to find someone to replace Dezmin," she said knowing it would have to be a rapper no exceptions. It would be a hell of a lot easier if it were another singer or pop star but that offer wasn't on the table.
"I heard about it earlier. Deez is stupid," Opal said switching the position of her legs.
"I know plus Noatak sent out a tweet a few minutes ago about the competition he'll be setting up to find 'the next big thing'," Asami said knowing it would be harder to pull in an artist because of this competition. It was perfect for Noatak since he use to be one of the hottest rappers in the game. Now he was the president of Equalist Entertainment, a music label apart of Sato Records. More artists would be drawn to him instead of her.
Opal was looking through her twitter account and saw Amon's tweet. "Sounds like your dad is setting you up for failure. Do you know anything about rap music?" Opal asked knowing Asami was all about the classics as well as pop and r&b.
Asami was looking up other artists who were currently in between labels, "nope but I'll find out," she said knowing this would take some time. "R&B isn't that off from Rap itself," she said hearing a knock at her door. "I'll see you tonight right?" she asked hearing Opal question it at the other end. Asami knew a way to convince her, "I'll pick up some of that famous pie you love so much..." she said hearing a squeal. "See you later," she said hanging up soon after. "Come in."
Noatak walked into her office with a smug smirk on his face. "Heard about your father's offer," he said cutting to the chase. He made his way to the side of her desk and leaned on it. "You should leave the talent search up to me."
"You may have found. 'Deez Nuts!'" Asami said gesturing to her pants quoting the now arrested rapper. "But look how that turned out," she said with a smug smirk of her own.
Noatak chuckled at her antics, "he's just a weed head that's all," he simply put. "What we need now is to go back to basics. Find a real artist with that raw untapped talent that's been missing for a while now," he said eyeing her like he usually did. "You can't do it alone."
Asami rolled her eyes as she looked back at her computer screen. "What makes you think I need your help?"
"You'll need all the help you can get at this point," he said standing up straight again. Noatak walked back and stopped by the doorway, "if you want it... you know where to find me," he said with a wink before closing the door behind him.
"Ugh..." Asami said knowing this was gonna be a nightmare.
Korra finally arrived in Republic City. Getting off the ship, she saw the bright lights of the buildings in the distance. It was nothing like the south. The air here was a lot thicker with a more smoke like smell and not the cookout kind. "We made it," she said to herself with a small smile.
"Korra!" a woman shouted in a sea of people.
Korra looked around to see who called her out. She had been on the boat for hours and was trying to adjust to something other than the swaying of the boat in the ocean.
Before long, Korra spotted her Auntie Kya waving her hands around like crazy person standing up in the car of her blue mini yak coop. "Korra!" she yelled again.
"Hey!" Korra shouted walking her way. She dropped her bags and gave her aunt a hug.
"Hey Tui Wolf. It's so good to see you," Kya greeted Korra with her old nickname. She gave her a big squeeze before letting her go. "Welcome to Republic City," she gestured to the buildings behind her. "You must be starving! Come on let's get you something to eat," she said taking Korra's bags and loading them into the trunk of her car.
Kya drove Korra back to the diner she owned. It was a small but decent space. Bringing Korra inside, Kya gave her the rundown on the place. "A lot college students come in here because of the partial wifi signal we get from next door," Kya said gesturing to the wall. "Other than that it's old farts with good taste," she said with a smirk.
Korra eyed the place and the few customers that were in it. "Its nice."
Kya smiled at that and placed her hands on Korra's shoulders getting her attention. "I'm really glad you're here and willing to give me a hand. Thank you," she said letting go of her niece's shoulders.
"In exchange for free room and board with a bit of cash on the side. I'm the one that should be thanking you," Korra said with a bright smile.
Kya laughed and put her arm around her niece's shoulders. "Come on, let me show you where you'll be resting that pretty little head of yours," she said letting her go and leading her up the stairs. Kya opened the door to the upstairs apartment above the diner. She walked inside and walked down the hall and opened up the sliding door. "This is the guest room where you'll be staying," she said gesturing to the small room inside. "It isn't much but it can be home for the time being."
Korra looked inside and saw how small it was. She walked in and placed her bags by the side of the bed. Looking around, Korra nodded to herself and settled her eyes back to her aunt. "Thank you," she said with a smile of her own.
"You're welcome. I'll let you get settled. Come downstairs whenever you're ready to eat dinner," Kya said before leaving the room and sliding the door back.
Korra turned around to the window behind her. She opened it a crack and saw a nice view of the city. She also saw a fire escape by her window and looked down seeing the sidewalk. It was another exit point if she wanted to get downstairs or to the roof.
Closing the window back, Korra flopped down on the bed and laid back on it to stretch. "Home sweet home..." she mumbled to herself.
After a good 20 minutes, Korra came downstairs and sat in a booth.
"There she is," Kya said bringing Korra her plate. "Your favorite."
Korra smiled at the spread. "Fish and Chips. Nice," she said grabbing a fork. Kya placed a bottle of tartar sauce and told her to eat up. "I will thank you," Korra said with a smile. Kya nodded and headed back into the kitchen.
While eating her food, Korra looked around and observed people in the diner. She caught a glimpse of a woman picking up her food and leaving her jacket behind in a seat she was waiting at.
Korra wiped her mouth and got up from the booth. She walked over to the seat and picked up the dark leather jacket. She looked out the window and then around the diner. "Shit..." she said to herself before exiting the cafe. She spotted the woman up the street power walking to her car. Not wanting to spook her, Korra jogged lightly and stopped a few feet away. "Excuse me Miss!" she said projecting her voice.
Asami got the door to her car, opened it, and placed her bag of food in the passenger seat. She froze when someone shouted at her from behind. Grabbing the mace out of her purse, Asami turned around slowly ready to use it only to see a young woman in a blue hoodie. "Yes?" she question thinking it was a fan of hers.
"You forgot this," Korra said holding up the woman's jacket.
Asami was upset for leaving her jacket behind and took it once it was handed to her. She looked through both pockets surprised her belongings was still there. Realizing how it must have looked, Asami looked back at the woman and smiled. "You must be new to the city."
Korra gave her a confused look then a nod. "Yeah?"
"It's just... a lot of people wouldn't take the time to do such a nice thing," she said placing her jacket on. Fixing her collar, Asami gave her a look wondering if she knew who she was. "Thank you," she said in a genuinely surprise voice.
"Your welcome," Korra said placing her hands in the pockets of her hoodie. She then turned around and headed back to the cafe.
Asami raised a brow when the woman turned around with another word. Thinking she should do the same, Asami got inside of her car taking her keys out of her purse again.
Korra stopped and turned around to see the woman one last time. She saw her in the driver's seat starting up her car. When their eyes locked, Korra spoke up. "My names Korra by the way," she said introducing herself.
Asami stuck her head out of the drivers side window. "I'm Asami."
"It was nice meeting you," Korra said holding her hand up. "Hope you have a goodnight."
"You do the same. Goodnight," Asami said before pulling her vehicle out onto the street and driving away.
Korra smiled brightly and walked back down the block by herself. She walked passed a wall with a bunch of fliers on it. She stopped and walked back seeing one that got her attention. It was for a rap battle at a place called the Underground. Korra took it off the wall and read the upcoming dates and times. One was tomorrow night and open to all newcomers. "I think I just found our break," she said to herself. She folded up the flier and placed it into her pocket while walking back to the diner.
