The Tale of Asami

The engine of her customized Satomobile purred like a kitten as she finished the final adjustments. Although she was covered in sweat, engine oil and grime, she slammed the hood of her car with a great feeling of satisfaction. After all those long hours of shadowing the mechanics as well as absorbing every detail and nook and cranny of these machines, she was making progress.

It got to the point where she spent all day in the factories, personally overseeing the assembly of the newest generation of racing sato mobiles that would hit the market. It became a passion that she threw all of her waking hours into, perhaps the closest she would ever get in balancing her life's hobby with her father's work. More importantly, working on an engine seemed to put her mind at peace. It made her forget everything that went wrong around her, the pressures of running Future Industries as well as the millions of Yuans lost in repairs and lawsuits that followed her father's downfall.

Hanyu, the Vice President of Future Industries and Asami's right hand man, cleared his throat as he approached her, a pile of notes in his hand. Although she respected him as a mentor and busines partner, she was beginning to grow apprehensive everytime the man brought news. It usually wasn't good.

"Good morning Miss Sato." The businessman bowed politely to her.

"What's the disaster report today?" She said, instantly regretting her choice of words, but Hanyu seemed to take it in stride. Indeed, he even smiled.

"Well Ma'am, I want you to know that your delivery to Omashu went as planned. Our client in the Earth Kingdom is very impressed with the quality of our latest air planes, and they may place orders for more."

"You're forgetting the bad news." Asami sighed, knowing that there was more to report. There always was.

Hanyu handed her a copy of the newspaper.

"It seems your little adventures with the Avatar are picking up quite the following, and not in the good way." The businessman said sternly.

Asami took a moment to scan the contents of the headline, and she let out a groan. In the front page, right next to Avatar Korra, was Asami and her electro glove in hand, taking on a bunch of the new Sovereign triad members. Granted, she thought she looked amazing in her patented fighting stance, but the paper said otherwise.

Is Asami Sato recklessly risking her life to atone for father's crimes? Will it be enough?

More importantly, is she playing with fire and risking not just her own life, but the lives of all her employees for a frivolous past time?

She crumbled the paper with ease as she scanned it. She didn't pay much attention to what they wrote, but at the same time, the constant bombardment of newspapers was taking their toll, and in her deepest thoughts she couldn't help but wonder if they were right. Even so, it was infuriating, what would it take to restore the honor in her family's good name?

She sighed, already strapping on her driving goggles and heading towards her car.

"I'm going for a drive, I need to clear my head. Please hold my messages Hanyu."

"As you wish Miss Sato." Hanyu bowed in reply, before withdrawing.

"I don't get it mom! Why can't I drive the satomobile? I'm grown up now!"

Mrs Sato smiled at her little daughter of ten. "True, but not quite big enough yet. Patience, my daughter, learn patience, and life will be easier. Your time will come."

The shops and buildings of the financial district were closed due to a holiday, which made perfect space for a customized Sato mobile roaring down the road. Asami couldn't resist a smile as she felt the wind whipping through her hair. It was as though all the problems and issues that had clung to her in the past few weeks slipped away, unable to hold on at the breathtaking speed her car was racing at.

The thrill of the ride was exhilarating, and it revitalized her, in both mind, body and spirit.

Eventually, after over an hour of driving, she found herself stopping at a park within the Dragon Flats Burough. Since Amon's revolution, the borough was undergoing repairs, with many benders and non-benders working together to rebuild the war torn residential houses and apartment complexes were sprouting up, and Asami was secretly delighted that the war had not touched the small central park of the area, which contained a beautiful rose garden and pond.

The park held a special place in her memory, since the her Mother would often go on picnics here with her. She would remember the stories her mother had told, how her dad had secretly planned all his walks to coincide with her mother's while he was wooing her. That small thought brought a smile to her face, reminding her of the better days. It was one of the few places in the city where she could just sit and relax, without having to worry about the present.

A sudden horn blast knocked her out of her reverie, and Asami turned to see another customized race car pull up to the park, this one colored in the blue scheme of the water tribes. Apparently Asami was not the only one made uneasy by the sudden appearance of the car, many of the citizens were starting to disperse, as if they had an idea of what was coming.

Behind the sporty race car, were two more trucks filled with a dozen Earthbending Construction workers in hard hats.

The lead driver was a shady looking firebender, while the leader in the passenger side was a rich waterbender, from the looks of his suit, tailored and dyed in the blue of the southern water tribe. His own suit jacket seemed to resemble a thin parka. He had the look of a cultured and educated man, even sporting a thin, twirled moustache on his face.

The moustached man in question quickly took out a mega phone to announce his presence.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" The businessman shouted, his voice blasting across the park.

"I am obligated to announce that, as of this moment, this park is private property! So please kindly evacuate. You have twenty minutes before my earthbending crews start work. That is all."

The citizens, not wanting to get involved with the man who even went as far as to hire a gang of firebending thugs to stand by, quietly obeyed, even as more convoys of trucks pulled in.

"Wait a minute! You can't do this, this is public property!" Asami stepped forward to protest, ignoring the implied threat. This was one of her most cherished childhood spots, and she wouldn't stand around and see it go without a fight.

The water tribe business man was just about to outright ignore the protest until he recognized the person confronting him.

"Why, if it isn't the famous Asami Sato." the man greeted her formally with a sweeping bow. "I didn't expect to find you so far away from your neighbourhood. This isn't exactly your side of town. So to speak." The man's voice was tinged with a smug politeness.

"And just who do you think you are?"

The moustached business man smirked. "Verick is the name, and industry is my game. Of course, you would know that all too well Miss Sato."

The name sparked instant recognition with Asami, especially from the various business meetings that she had managed to sit in with her father back when he was trying to show her the company. Verick was a famous Southern Water Tribe Businessman, owner of new and fast growing Tui-la Industries. Tui-la Industries was a newly found company from the Southern Water Tribe, specializing in shipping and industrial parts. Just last year, they had grown to expand to several locations within the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation. Verick himself had a reputation of being a bold, daring, and persuasive business leader, who had a talent for manipulating the public spotlight.

Feeling pleased at the look of recognition on his rival's face, Verick continued on. "And this park was public property, but my associates and I have purchased the deed to this lot fair and square." He produced a sheaf of official city documents, the deed to this plot of land.

"We'll be demolishing this plot, and starting construction today." He gestured towards the working crews of Earthbenders that he hired on the scene.

Asami was torn. On one hand, the man was perfectly correct, the document appeared legal and binding, although why the city would even sell a plot of their land to this jerk was another question, but she didn't want to see the one place that reminded her of her mother torn apart so basely. She had to act, she had to do something.

"Not on my watch. Future Industries is buying this lot." Asami said sternly.

"Is that so?" Verick inquired curiously. "I'm not sure Future Industries can even afford my asking price, not with all your fancy restoration projects and your customers dropping like flies."

The words stung Asami, even though most of the company's problems were out of her control, she still felt the weight of the burden.

"But don't worry, I'll save you the trouble of counting your pocketbooks. I ain't selling." Verick replied with relish. "This is prime real estate location, and I'm not in the business of selling my rivals any good land. Unless...of course, you can offer me something good in return?"

Asami was at a loss for words, but she suddenly drew inspiration from the race car that Verick had ridden in on the way to the park.

"Tui-la industries is looking to release a new line of race cars is it not?" Asami inquired.

Verick raised an eyebrow, subtly impressed by the girl's information. "What if it is?" He looked over at his own customized race car, which had a smaller and more compact feel to it than Asami's monster of a Satomobile.

"I propose a challenge. If my car can best yours in a race, then I get the deed to this plot." Asami announced confidently.

Verick seemed to consider the offer, torn between outright rejecting it and crushing his competitor's hopes or accepting it and thus making use of this opportunity to dictate the terms of his end of the agreement.

He chuckled, it wasn't really a tough decision to make.

"Very well Miss Sato. I will pit my racer prototype against your Satomobile." Verick declared. "BUT. If I win, you give me the blueprints to one of Future Industries' inventions. Of my choice."

The taunting smile on the man's face was infuriating, she knew that she was being baited, but it didn't matter to her. No one was going to say that Asami Sato backed down from a challenge.

"Deal."

Verick simply smiled as they shook hands on the agreement.

Both race cars were lined up at the beginning of a long stretch of road at the Dragon Flats Burough, Verick had his men clear the long strip of road ahead for a few miles, while a mass of civilians gathered at the edges to witness the spectacle. Two modified and upgraded race cars were already revving their engines up, the reputation of their respective companies on the line.

Asami tried hard to push the butterflies in her stomach away as she did the final checks on her car. She put her driver's jacket and racing goggles on while she kept a harsh eye on her opponent. The racer was a fire bender, who was dressed in the garb of the Agni Kai's. Verick himself had a reputation for not-so-honest business practices, and whatever fair play Asami assumed would happen today may most likely be thrown out the window, so she did her best to keep on guard.

"Miss Sato?" A familar voice from the not too distant past rang in her ears, and Asami took a brief moment to look out of her car and see the figure who approached her.

He was a dashing young man in his mid twenties, but he wore the face of a more mature veteran. His fire nation uniform was already decorated with the medals and braid of a General, and at once Asami recognized this as the man who had helped her take down her father so many months ago.

"General Iroh?" The heiress replied in surprise, this was definitely the last person she expected to see.

"A pleasure seeing you here." General Iroh smiled politely, giving her a curt bow.

"You too..." Asami replied, caught off guard "I didn't expect to see the general of the United Forces walking his way to the Dragon Boroughs."

The General shrugged. "I take my time to explore the ports my fleet visits whenever I can, I find these excursions most educational."

Iroh raised an eyebrow. "Although I must admit I am rather surprised to see you here too. If you don't mind me asking, why are you here?"

"Trying to perform a civic duty." Asami figured it was half the truth, the other half being she wanted to beat the smile out of that Verick's face when he saw her win.

The General coughed nervously as he observed the festivities. "Look, I don't mean to be intrusive Miss Sato, but street racing is illegal where I'm from."

"We've made the necessary preparations." Asami gestured at the cleared roadway ahead, where several streets were cordoned off by Verick's crews.

" So I see." Iroh observed.

"Don't try and stop me." Asami spoke clearly as she strapped on her driving goggles.

"I don't intend to, however that man you are racing doesn't seem like the honest sort. I will stand by just in case."

Asami gave the General a brief nod, before settling back to her vehicle.

"You think you can beat me in a race? Cutie pie?" The firebender roared in mock laughter as he gave her a wave.

"I know it." She said in dogged determination. She wished more than ever now that her mother could see how far she had come now, but she pushed that thought aside, above all else, Mrs Sato raised her daughter to be strong, to lead by example

"Are you ready?" Verick gave a final smug check before

"Then on your marks..." the water tribe man raised a white flag

"get set..."

Asami revved up her engines, the roar matched only by the water tribe colored race car next to her.

"GO!"

Asami instantly slammed on the foot pedal, and both vehicles threw up large clouds of dust in their wake as they sped past Verick down the street.

The crowd cheered as the two race cars sped down the straightaway, engines revving loud enough to scare all the birds and lizard crows away. Flags, laundry clothes lines, and discarded newspapers were all sent flying by the wind as both cars passed down the street at breath taking speeds.

The Fire Bender racer gave Asami a sly smirk, already gunning his engine and making a move to box her to the side.

Rather than risk a collison, Asami quickly shifted gears, falling back into second but at the same time maintaining the outside edge. The man was good, but he obviously didn't know who he was dealing with. She quickly turned aggressively to the left, manuvering back in the centre and scratching the rear of her opponents car, sending sparks and smoke rising above the track. The crowd gasped, although Asami managed to escape the man's attempt to box her in, she was firmly in second place.

Asami however, was firmly in control, having been in this situation more times than she could count on her father's race track. She preferred to stay second until the last possible second, using her opponent's slipstream to carry her forward before accelerating at the last second, and that was what she did.

Narrowing her eyes at the precise moment, she quickly shfited the gears and adjusted her footing on the pedals of the car, giving the engine more power as the entire Sato Mobile came to life. Within seconds, Asami soon found herself scraping against the side of the blue race car, more sparks flying, but slowly and surely, she was overtaking him at the final stretch.

Cursing, the firebender soon found his car off balance, and thrown into a spin as it crossed the finish line.

In second place.

The crowd, which held its breath in anticipation, quickly burst into applause, and already several photographers present had already snapped their cameras for the photo finish, as a tribute to a fantastic event.

"Heh, who's the sucker now." Asami said smugly as she lifted up her race goggles, taking a moment to admire her work.

The formalities of the bargain were quickly dispensed with, as Asami had no desire to continuing dealing with Verick. She was quite surprised that he didn't attempt to pull any stunt to throw her off course, but then again, the presence of General Iroh must have dissuaded him from attempting any foul play. Either way, she had won, and a smiling Asami stood to receive her prize. General Iroh, much impressed by her display of driving, gave Asami a friendly nod as he joined her in her moment of triumph.

"As agreed," Verick declared. "The deed to the park. Although I must admit, you've disappointed a lot of kids today."

That last remark took Asami off guard.

"What do you mean, kids?"

Now it was Verick's turn to smile. "One of Tui-la Industries' humanitarian efforts was the construction of an orphanage for at-risk youths within the Dragon Flats. It's a shame that Future Industries has decided to pre-empt that just so the President could have a stroll in the park. Or at least, that is what the press will say when they interview me about this."

Almost at once Asami caught the media trap that Verick had placed for her, but before she could even reply, General Iroh stepped in.

"To call it an orphanage is disingenuous at best Mr Verick. I've heard enough of your operations in the Fire Nation, and how you have been accused of employing Agni Kai's." The General said softly.

"The Triads would use the orphanages as a recruiting tool. To bolster their ranks with underprivileged youth." General Iroh remarked. "Don't attempt to think anything you do is honorable. And if you go to the papers with that false accusation against Miss Sato, you will find she can reply in kind."

Asami was at a loss for words as Iroh stepped to her defense, but the general took no notice of her surprise, instead he merely glared at Verick, the implied threat made all too clear.

"My dear general, you astound me with that accusation. And with no proof." Verick said in feigned outrage, but deciding that perhaps now was not the best time to butt heads with the famed Iron Dragon, he conceded.

"But a deal's a deal." Verick said as he produced the document.

Asami took the piece of paper which represented to her the memories of a past life. The afternoon strolls and picnics in the peaceful central park of the Dragon Boroughs with her mother and father. As valuable as it was to her however, she knew that she had to let it go, the memories would always be there, in her heart, and it would go against everything her mother and father had worked for if she decided to step in the way of progress for her own selfish reasons.

"There will still be an orphanage." Asami declared, to the surprise of both Verick and Iroh. "But it will be to help the vulnerable. And it will be fully funded and run by Future Industries."

A flicker of a smile flashed on Verick's face, but it quickly disappeared behind his usual calm business-like visage.

"Enjoy your park Miss Sato." Verick congratulated heh, handing the deed over to Asami. "May you have better luck with it than I did."

Verick nodded towards his work crews and firebending thugs, and the men grumbled as they were led back onto the trucks, feeling cheated out of a day's worth of work and pay.

Asami watched quietly as Verick left the scene, boarding his luxurious blue sports car.

She had won, but why was she feeling so uneasy about it?

Either way, that wasn't important now, she turned gratefully to General Iroh.

"Thank you. For helping me back there. I knew I could beat that snake at his race, but he obviously planned for something more." Asami was still mad that she fell into his trap so easily.

"A belief in yourself is the most important asset one can possess, it is the sign of a strong and noble spirit." Iroh replied earnestly, then softened his gaze at Asami.

"But a little help from others can also go a long way."

"Why, that's awfully profound for such a young and handsome general." She teased him.

To her surprise, Iroh gave a small blush. "I learned it from a wise man. My Grandfather."

"Maybe you can tell me more about him, and your family. Say, over dinner?" Asami smirked.

The general chuckled, completely impressed by Asami's audacity, he smiled in turn, "Yes, I would be glad to, Miss Sato."

Next up: Tale of Pabu and Bolin and Possibly Mako

Note: Verick is a savvy looking 'captain of industry' supposedly a friend of Bolin's who will get introduced in season 2. What will he do? Well, he has a role in the plot ;) look forward to seeing him soon.

Kudos to OhioGuy for providing me with the inspiration for this tale!\

Jokermask18: Thanks, yes Korra is quite the badass vigilante isn't she? :)

Pabulover123: Thanks Pabulover! The blue spirit was one of my fave minor characters in ATLA, so i'm hoping that he does make a cameo in season 2, who knows?

Ninja-curry-girl: thanks for the review! :) I sent you a PM on how you want to receive the beta reads as i've never had a beta reader before, but yes, i definitely could use some help with my grammar haha :s I've got a lot more planned for later eps so hope you stick along and enjoy :)