A/N: Hello, everybody! I'd like to start off by thanking everyone for their patience. It's been a hectic week for me and I just got around to uploading this chapter. As always, this one's for you guys!

Chapter Six: Dead End

Update 2013-08-17: Some age discrepancy errors have been corrected. As of this chapter, Asami is 16, Korra is 12, Mako is 13, and Bolin is 11.

When Asami finished reading the last letter in the pile, she learned just two things: one was that the letters were either written by an over imaginative child or in a code; and two, she had no idea what any of it meant. For the better part of two days, Asami sat in her corner beside Bolin who was still resting, the letters spread out over the floor. All the letters were similar, written in brief sentences. The last one read:

Sato's been taken to the white cottage on top of the hill.

The red ghosts are still watching through candlelight.

Beware the purple dogs.

Keep the silver safe.

Thankfully, no one disturbed her work as Korra only checked on Bolin once in the morning and in the evening, then spent the rest of her time with Naga who was kept tethered outside in a deserted field or Loc to whom Asami had not yet said a single word. However, the frustration of the cryptic messages was getting on her nerves, keeping her from sleep as she stayed up all night wondering what they could possibly mean.

It was not for a lack of trying. She'd tried all manner of interpretations. According to the letter, her father had been taken to some sort of white house on top of a hill. But there were thousands of hills not just surrounding Republic City, but the entire Earth Kingdom. On the other hand, if "Sato" meant her mother, "the white cottage" would refer to Madoka's grave. But Asami knew for a fact that her mother was buried at the Sacred Memorial Cemetry which was not on any type of hill. Similarly, she had no idea what "ghosts" or "candlelight" referred to and was equally baffled by the warning about "purple dogs". As for the bit about the "silver", it could have been anything – perhaps the silver revolver that Ty Rhan had been carrying or Asami herself.

Sometimes, the frustration dissolved into self-pity or melancholy. Part of the reason Asami obsessed over the letters and finding her father was to forget about Dai or Ty Rhan or whoever he was. He was dead, gone, burned to a crisp and yet he was still here, hovering over her every waking moment. She loathed herself when her thoughts turned to Dai, remembering the times he'd taught her how to hunt, pick locks, and even cheat at Pai Sho. Her memories of her mother's soft laughter or the precise shade of her father's eyes were hazy at best, and yet she could recall the tone of Dai's voice perfectly, how the pitch rose when he told a joke. She hated the fact that he was Dai in her memories no matter how many times she reminded herself that he was a liar, a killer, an Agni Kai.

This continued for a few days, Asami struggling to decipher the letters by daytime while trying to think of anyone other than Dai – and failing – by night.

About a week into this pattern of self-deprecation and frustration, she finally decided to get outside and possibly sniff out a lead to her father's whereabouts using more conventional methods. As Bolin was still recuperating from his injuries as he drifted in and out of consciousness under Korra's care, Asami did not disturb him. Instead, she placed her letters in a small toolbox, and headed over to the warehouse office. She knocked before entering.

The space was tiny and cramped so Asami stood just outside the door, peering inside. Korra was sitting on the floor while Loc was lying in bed, his leg still bandaged. He raised a hand in greeting when he saw Asami but she ignored him.

"Korra, I'm leaving for a bit, could you look after Bolin while I'm gone?"

"Where're you going?" Korra asked.

"I've still got some money left from when we, uh, mugged Mako so I thought I could go grocery shopping."

The lie worked. Korra immediately rattled off a list of things they needed including bandages and food for Naga. Asami nodded but hardly listened. When Korra stopped talking, Asami faked a cheerful grin, and told her she'd be back before nightfall.

.

Because the warehouse site was on the outskirts of the city, Asami walked for an hour or so before hitchhiking on the back of a truck which was piled high with cages stuffed with plump Chicken Lizards. The feathery poultry squawked incessantly, waving their scaly tails every time the truck hit a slight bump in the road. Asami was relieved when the ride was over and she thanked the driver politely when he dropped her off at the Market District.

Even though it had been five long years since Asami had last seen Republic City, she quickly found her way around. Her first stop was at the Republic City Public Library, an impressive red brick building that stood opposite a large park.

"Excuse me," Asami said to the librarian who looked up over the reading glasses perched on her nose. "I'm working on a school project and I was wondering where I might I find the newspaper archives?"

"They're down that hall to your right," the librarian replied. "Good luck on your homework, dear."

For the next several hours, Asami sat alone at a long table, surrounded by stacks of five-year-old newspapers which were divided by publication date. It didn't take too long to find her family name splashed across headlines that screamed "SATO MANOR ATTACKED", "SATO, AGNI KAI SUPPORTER" and "ASAMI SATO, MISSING?".

While on the run, Ty Rhan had forbid her from reading any newspapers, claiming that the articles about her father would upset her. Now that Asami knew the real reason behind it, she felt a savage urge to peruse any and all news as though that would make up for all she'd been deceptively deprived of. However, she quickly realized that Ty Rhan had not been entirely dishonest as the articles actually did upset her in ways she could not have foreseen.

Close sources indicate that Madoka Sato turned a blind eye to her husband's secret dealings with the Agni Kai to keep up with appearances…

… say that the Satos' marriage was clearly a money scam…

… daughter Asami (age 11) confirmed missing… rumors of a private orphanage in Ba Sing Se…

It went on and on, rumors piling on top of rumors, page after page of ludicrous speculation based on little to no evidence. By the time she finished the last issue of Republic City Today, Asami was on the verge of breaking something – a lamp, a window, the silence. Even worse was the fact that the newspapers yielded very little in terms of actual information on Hiroshi's whereabouts. All that was said was that her father had pleaded insanity, narrowly evading a trial, and had been assigned to a mental institution. Additionally, the judge had issued a gag-order on the media to prevent the location of the asylum being printed due of the overwhelming amount of death threats that Hiroshi Sato received during the pre-trial stage.

When the librarian finally sidled in to tell her that the library was closing, Asami was exhausted and – worst of all – empty-handed. She thanked the librarian who graciously helped her put the many stacks of newspapers back in their place.

"You take it easy with your homework assignment, dear," the librarian told Asami. "I'm sure your teacher will recognize your hard work."

Asami smiled weakly. She left the library pretending to be an honor student but knew that she'd failed the test. With no leads, she was back to square one.

.

Raji's Joint was a medium-sized pub in the eastern area of Republic City. Raji was a mountainous man who still worked as bartender, cashier, and the occasional cook when he felt like serving hot food which was not very often at all. He enjoyed being the captain and crew of his own little ship, and he thought he'd seen it all, all manner of drunks: rich, poor, married, widowed, young and old. They were all the same when it came to the bottle.

It was on a typical afternoon, the bar filled with regulars and drunks as they called for more alcohol than their protruding guts could handle, when the doorbell chimed. Raji didn't bother looking up until he realized that the entire room had gone quite silent. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when he saw who had entered.

Heads swiveled, even the women, and some actually stood up, craning their necks to get a better look at the girl. The girl was young, though that had never stopped Raji from serving anyone before. There was an aura around her that was rare to the dim atmosphere of the bar. She was a beautiful thing, slender but undoubtedly strong-willed judging by the way she held herself. Her silky black hair spilled down her back and her almond-shaped eyes were the color of sea-glass. Even with her rather unflattering old jacket and worn slacks, she was easily the prettiest thing to have ventured inside the pub in years. She took a seat directly in front of where Raji stood, still wiping the same glass that was now shining.

"I need something strong," the girl said, her eyes meeting Raji's dead on. Though she was the youngest person in the bar, her expression was one that spoke of an arduous life.

"How 'bout a glass of Soju?" Raji held up a bottle of clear liquid.

The girl didn't even glance at it. Instead she pointed at the shelf behind his back. "I'll take that stuff."

Raji almost laughed aloud when he saw where she was pointing. The topmost shelf held an ornate glass bottle in the shape of a dragon coiled around a mountain peak. The bottle had been around even before Raji had taken over the bar from his father. The stuff was so strong that it was only ever served in very rare occasions, and only in small qualities. The last time Raji had seen anyone sip the liquor was when Avatar Aang had passed away.

"Sorry, no can do," Raji said, turning back to the girl. "You don't even know what that is."

"Dragon whiskey," the girl replied without missing a beat. Raji looked taken aback. "Nothing I can't handle." She slid something shiny across the counter.

"What's this?" Raji asked suspiciously, picking up the sapphire-encrusted hair ornament.

"Payment," the girl answered, her green flashing dangerously as though daring him to suggest it was stolen. "The dragon whiskey. Please."

..

Swatches of dark red painted the horizon as the sun set in the distance. Asami stumbled out of the bar, her face flushed a similar shade of red. Her clothes and hair reeked of alcohol but she barely noticed. Her whole body felt blissfully numb, her mind a cloudy haze.

Asami walked along the deserted street, her legs moving as though they had something against straight lines. More than once, she stopped to lean against a wall or lamppost, trying to ignore the fact that her insides were churning, burning hot with whiskey. She couldn't remember how many shots she'd taken.

"Hey, girl, you have fun tonight?"

A man was standing near the mouth of an alley, watching Asami with an upturned predatory smirk. Even while she was intoxicated, Asami recognized trouble when she saw it, and quickly edged away. But not fast enough.

"Gerrof me," Asami said when the man grabbed her arm.

"Don't be like that, sweetheart," the man chided. "We're just gonna have a little –"

Asami's fist connected with the man's nose. Something cracked, and a short high-pitched shriek rang out as blood dripped everywhere. Asami fell backwards, landing on her side. The world seemed to flip upside down and she retched, feeling a scorching burn along her throat.

"You little bitch!" The man screamed, dragging Asami up by the hair.

She tried to kick him but he whipped her around, holding her in a headlock. Asami's head pounded, her limbs waving wildly as she was dragged towards the alley. The street was disappearing before her eyes, and she felt sick, dirty, and utterly alone.

To be continued...

A/N: Although Asami is 16, there are currently no minimum drinking age laws in Republic City. This may not apply to other nations. As a side note, the legal drinking age starts from 18 in South Korea and varies from country to country.

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