Chapter 1 - Letterhead | 157 A.G.
Dear Korra,
My name is Asami Sato. I am 5 years old and I was born in Republic City in the year 152 A.G. I live with my mom and dad in the city. My dad makes satomobiles.
My mom's helping me write this letter. She told me you live in the Southern Water Tribe and that you're a waterbender. That's really cool. I've never met anyone from there. What's it like? Does it snow everyday? Do you like it there?
She told me you've never been to Republic City so I want to tell you about it. Republic City is the capital of the United Republic of Nations, it was originally a Fire Nation colony before Avatar Aang turned it into its own nation. The city grew exponentially (that means really fast) in size and population to become what it is today. I have a big book all about it, you should read it, it's called 'Yu Dao to Republic City: The Making of a Nation'. It has lots of pictures in it but I hope you get to see it in person one day. I can see Kyoshi Bridge and the bay from my bedroom and when it's lit up at night it's the prettiest thing in the world.
Write to me soon, okay?
Yours Truly,
Asami Sato
"Your daughter needs friends, Hiroshi."
Yasuko peeked out the curtain, where outside, her daughter played amongst the newly planted fire lilies in the garden, alone save for the resident turtleducks bobbing in the pond. Her husband muttered something in defense from his desk. She pulled up a chair and joined him, brushing blueprints off the tabletop. "You might be ready to spend the rest of your life with only us and your machines, but Asami most certainly isn't."
Hiroshi gathered himself up, already knowing this debate. "We can bring her friends here. And she's free to go wherever she wants, I just want her to be taught close to us. There's nothing wrong with being homeschooled."
"Hiroshi."
"They'll be the best tutors in the world! She'll be the brightest mind in the city!"
"Hiroshi," and here Yasuko gathered her husband's hands in hers, "Asami will be the brightest she is no matter where they teach her. That girl's got your mind and then some, if you haven't noticed. That's not what I'm worried about. What I'm worried about is that she's never spent time with kids her age and she's not about to find any in this neighbourhood. She needs to find friends. In her own time. In her own way. People who she can trust and go on adventures with. Friends that can teach her things, and be there for her once we can't."
She rubbed soothing circles across his palm. Neither of them liked to think of a future where they were both gone from Asami's side, but it was a day that would inevitably come to pass - Yasuko refused to think otherwise. There was nothing she could do to stop the day from coming, but she would do whatever it took to make sure her daughter had someone by her side that would love her as much as she did.
Hiroshi sighed, defeated. He understood, but that didn't mean he liked what it meant.
Yasuko continued to reason with him. "She needs people that can challenge her and change her. Like how you changed me."
"No. Like how you changed me, Yasuko."
"And we certainly didn't meet on some pre-arranged playdate, did we?"
"No, we didn't," he chuckled. "But a private school, at least? You know we have the money to send her to the best."
"I know. But I've been to enough of your business dinners, dear, and those schools are filled with too many people like that. Kids who've never had to want for anything in their lives and parents who're the same. I know not all them are like that, but I don't want our daughter to grow up not knowing how the other half lives. Just try it for awhile and see how she likes it. If it doesn't work out, we have our other options. You know I just want the best for her."
"So do I. You've just always been better at knowing what to do about these kinds of things than I am."
"You're a wonderful father, dear."
He smiled at that. "I never said otherwise."
"But you were thinking it."
And of course he had been, because Yasuko was never wrong about those kinds of things.
"Did you get any word from your friend in the Southern Water Tribe?" he asked, once again turning to his blueprints.
"Oh, yes. She said she had a friend who had a daughter around Asami's age. Waterbender, apparently, and full of energy. She said the girl jumped at the chance to talk to someone outside her city."
"Name?"
Yasuko thought for a moment. "Korra, I think it was. I might bring Asami in after this and write up a letter together. Hopefully this'll lead to something good for the both of them."
Dear Asami Sato,
My name is Korra and I'm five and a half years old. I live with my mom and dad and I'm going to start school in a month and I can't wait. Oh, and I'm an awesome waterbender.
Republic City sounds so cool, I want to go there someday! My mom and dad, they're writing this letter for me (hello Asami!), they says I can go visit when I'm older but they say that about everything and they never tell me how old 'older' is.
The Southern Water Tribe is big and cold and boring. It snows a lot but not everyday. I like it here most of the time but sometimes I wish I lived in the Fire Nation where I could meet a dragon and it's not so cold. Or Ba Sing Se so I can climb the walls. Or Republic City with you!
It's really nice to meet you even though we've never really met but you sound really cool and I hope you write me another letter soon.
Your Penpal,
Korra
AN: Guess who rewatched Korra and fell hard.
So is there any interest in this? Because there's like a 20 chapter potential here, and I'm debating whether or not to throw my soul into that abyss. (I probably will in the end. I have no self control)
A beta would be nice too, if anyone's willing.