~A-Sato~

I'm woken up to the sound of rapid knocking on my door. Even though I no longer see Korra laying beside me, I have no time to question her whereabouts. I quickly put on my robe and storm down the stairs.

The moment I open the door, Jr. rushes inside.

"Where's Korra?" He asks, frantic.

"Breathe, Baatar." Vira stresses.

I hardly have enough time to process whats going on, when Jr. rushes up the stairs.

"Is Korra not here?" Kuvira asks, frightened.

"She should be. What time is it?" I ask, trying to get out of my sleepy trance.

"It's 10am."

Shit! Korra and I were supposed to vote at 9am, how did I oversleep?

"She's not here!" He calls down, before returning.

"Can you calm down and tell me what's going on?" I ask.

Jr. sits on the couch and buries his head into his lap, rocking back and forth.

Since he's clearly not in a stable mind to answer, I look to his girlfriend for an explanation.

"Do you know where she could be?" Kuvira asks.

"Sometimes she goes for a jog in the morning, but she's usually back before I wake. I'm sure she'll be here soon." I answer.

"Her phone was off! She doesn't go for a run without her phone, especially when that's her only music source." Jr. defends.

"Okay? Well she's not here. And that still doesn't explain why you're looking for her."

"I need to tell her! She needs to know." Baatar says, between sobs.

"Needs to know what? Can someone please talk to me?"

"Tell her Vira! Tell her!" He shouts.

I never seen Kuvira nor Baatar look so hurt in my life, so I know it's something bad. If they're looking for Korra, this has to have something to do with her too. With this added to the equation, I start to get worried myself.

"What's wrong? Is Korra okay?" I ask, rushing over to my phone to call her.

And just like he said, I'm instantly sent to her voicemail.

"Hey, Love. Can you call me back or tell me where you're at? Thanks. Love you."

After I leave my voicemail, I look over at the two.

"I'm seconds away from calling Tonraq, if someone doesn't talk right now!"

"No! I'll tell you." Kuvira says.

She motions for me to sit, but I'm fine standing.

"After you two left dinner, Su left right after. She was clearly upset, so Baatar chased after her. When he finally caught up to her inside the parking lot, she broke down and told him the truth. She told him the truth about the accident."

"What accident?"

Vira is silent.

"KUVIRA TELL ME!"

She flinches at the sound of my voice, but I didn't mean to yell, I'm just worried.

"Did Korra tell you about her mother's death?" She asks.

I nod.

"We don't talk much about our mothers, but I know it was a hit and run. What does her passing have to do with this?" I ask.

" Apparently, Jr. knows who was behind the wheel."

I look over at the eldest Beifong and I can finally understand why he's acting this way. This is huge information to know. The accident is still a cold case, this new information can certainly give their family some closure.

"Who was it?" I ask.

Kuvira's face starts to turn sickly.

Then I realize why it may be difficult for her to disclose this information to me.

"Ohhh. You can't tell me because the case is still open."

"Asami."

"No. It's alright. I understand the law."

"Asami, please listen."

"No need to explain, I get it! I'm guessing Tonraq doesn't know. Or did he tell Suyin? How does she even know who was behind the wheel?"

" Because it was her! Suyin Beifong caused the accident."

This can't be true. Kuvira hates his mother, this is just another made up story of hers. Both ladies happened to be decent between one another, but that's because it's been so hectic around here. This is just a joke.

I wait for my friend to laugh, but I see no sign of a smile forming.

"That can't be possible! I see the way she treats Korra and Tonraq. They're all a family! Either that woman is a great actor, or this isn't true. How could you even imply that?"

Despite my protest, the state Jr.'s in, causes me doubts.

No one would be this worked up, without a valid reason.

"What evidence do you have? I don't mean to come across insensitive, but how do you know? What did she tell you exactly?" I ask.

Jr. is still too emotional to talk, so I bring my attention back onto my friend.

" Back when Baatar and I 1st started dating , he used to have terrible nightmares. He would wake up in the middle of the night mortified. His dreams were so consistent, I knew it had to be some past trauma. And when he woke up in the morning, he wouldn't remember a thing.

So one day, I brought the nightmares to Suyin's attention. I described the dreams to her, and even went as far to asking if something similar happened in their life. I guess she didn't like the fact I was prying, and told me she would take care of it. Turns out, her way of taking care of it, was filling Jr.'s head with lies on how I was such a bad girlfriend. I was trying to help him, and she was ignoring it. That's why Suyin and I have problems!

Now hearing all of this... I can understand why she felt so attacked."

"Nightmares don't mean anything! No offense Baatar. But how can that justify what she did?"

"What more evidence do you need Asami? His mother admitted she did it! Why are you in denial?"

"Because it doesn't make sense! That woman has feelings! Only a psychopath can function normally with that on their conscious. This woman raised Korra, and she's running alongside her father right now! It doesn't add up."

"The newspaper." Jr. says lowly.

"What newspaper?" I ask.

Kuvira no longer being able to stand, sits beside her boyfriend.

"Jr. You're gonna have to explain the newspaper, because I don't even understand it. " She pleads.

He collects himself enough to nod.

"There is this old newspaper article that talked about a hit and run accident. You could barely see the article due to the Superbowl win, but it was there. Back then, there weren't any street cameras. The only thing people relied on, were eye witnesses. And even with those, they were sketchy. However, there was one testimony included in the panel. The one witness, saw the car take off, but not the accident itself.

He stops and Kuvira get him to continue.

"When I was a boy, we owned a green Jeep. We used to go to the beach in it. This was before Wing and Wei were born. When the witness described the vehicle, I knew exactly what car it was. It was our car." "

"There were a lot of Jeeps back then." I reassure.

He looks up at me with those red eyes of his.

"Those jeeps weren't in my dreams, Asami. No. Not dreams, but past. I remember being in the car when it happened. I remember going outside to check on the other car, and I remember seeing..."

His girlfriend starts rubbing small circles onto his back.

"I remember seeing the woman. She was...I tried to..She wouldn't .."

I no longer need to hear anything else, I got my confirmation.

I quickly squeeze my eyes shut, trying not to let this wave of emotion escape. But we all are affected by this this information.

"A little girl was inside the car too." He adds, causing a tear to finally escape my shield eyes.

Korra.

This past feeling of pain, turns into anger at this point.

How could she just leave them both inside like that? How could she drive off knowing what she done? How could I trust this woman? I actually believed she loved her and looked in her best interest. I felt sorry for her. Turns out we were all fooled.

"I wish it wasn't' true, but she did it. My mother didn't just keep this from me, but everyone. God! Just imagine how Korra's going to feel once I tell her."

My heart quickly jumps at the sound of this action.

"No! You can't tell her this." I protest, wiping my own eyes.

"Why not? She deserves to know! Everyone needs to know!" He defends.

Jr.'s right, she does need to know, but not like this. Not like how he was planning to tell her by storming into my home.

I'm glad Korra wasn't here for this confession, something like this needs to be told delicately. I don't know how anyone could inform her in such a way, but it shouldn't be like this. I'm not just thinking about her, but her father too. Today is the election and he's running along side a traitor.

I now find myself in a similar fate of confusion on what to do next. You can't just continue your normal day with all of this in mind. However, a recent memory pulls me out of my train of thought.

"Korra told me yesterday that Su was the reason behind her outbursts. Do you think what you're telling me now, is the reason?" I ask.

"I doubt it. She was the one that found the newspaper article under the bed, but she only read the headlines. And even if she did read the side panel. The details are only something I would know. So I highly doubt it."

I nod, accepting his explanation.

"I think she knows. If Jr. could remember the accident, maybe she can too. Also, yesterday wasn't the first time I caught tension between them."

"What do you mean, Kuvira?" I ask.

"What do you mean? Am I the only person who sees the inner hunter inside Korra's eyes whenever she looks at Suyin? I mean? If looks could kill, right? Even back when your mother and I would argue, I never looked at her like that. It would be the perfect explanation for her behavior. What do you think, Asami? You're the one who's always with her. "

I do remember such looks given. This realization, make me dig a little deeper into our past. But her change in behavior always pinpoints to after the ball.

"She was great!" I explain.

"She was enjoying the leadership position with the club, challenging herself, and facing her fears by going to the range with me."

"WHAT?" The couple both say in shock.

"Why are you both looking at me like that?" I ask.

"You didn't think to inform us that she went to a gun range?" Jr. states.

"Why would I? She's the one who suggested to go."

"Korra hates guns! I remember my father had a decoy one, and she nearly broke down and cried. My mother made my him get rid of it that very same day. I find it unbelievable she requested to do that. What was she like?"

"She was fine." I begin to explain.

Flashback #1

I extend my arms out and start firing, knocking target, after target down.

Once I'm satisfied with my performance I unload my weapon and set it onto the counter

"Wow. You're like a Lara Croft." She tells me, as I take off my headphones.

"Thank You." I reply, in my best British accent.

" Now. You went through training, watched me have fun, and gave me a compliment. Are you ready now?"

She leans against the wall, still unsure.

"Hey. It's perfectly normal to get the jitters. If you changed your mind about the whole thing or want to comeback another day, I'm cool with it." I reassure.

"I really don't have a choice not to." She teases.

"What? There is no law that makes it mandatory to fire a gun. You don't have to do this, everything is your choice."

"Can I at least hold it?" She asks.

"Sure!" I reply, handing it over.

I watch as she examines the object, and I can't be more proud. I'm not expecting her to be some cowgirl or anything. I just want her to feel comfortable. Especially when she's going to be staying over hopefully alot.

"How do you feel when you fire this?" She asks.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you feel powerful, like they say?"

"It's a scary thing, really. No one wants to ever hold this. It's almost like a last resort, in my opinion. But, Yes. There are some people who feel powerful holding a gun. But most of the time, people feel disgusted by it. Like how you felt at first. Both feelings are normal, but how I see it is. It's better to feel something, than nothing. " I explain while placing my hand over her's and guiding the weapon towards the target.

"Because when you feel nothing, you have no understanding of control." I continue, placing our fingers onto the trigger.

" And with no understanding of control, how can you feel powerful?" I finish, pulling it.

The sound of the gun cocking isn't the only sound I hear. Due to the closeness of our body, I can feel her heartbeat. And that's a good thing. Because I know she felt something.

End of Flashback

"Did she ever fire the weapon?" Kuvira asks, pulling me out of my memory.

"Yes! I told you."

"Let me clarify. Did she ever fire your gun with actual bullets inside?" Jr. asks.

"NO! We went to lunch right after. That's not the point! Bullets or not. Firing a gun has a similar effect. The point she even took that step, is more important."

"And I'm happy she took it. But don't you think, taking in fact all of what we know now. It's a bit strange that she wanted to magically go to the range? Especially when she found the newspaper with Baatar prior?"

I don't like what they're implying. Korra's the victim in all of this, how can they turn her into the bad guy?

"No. It's not weird! She found my gun on my nightstand. Which brought up the discussion of security."

"So.. she knows where you keep it?" Vira asks, ignoring my speech.

This is ridiculous.

"I'm no child. There is no need to ask indirect questions. I doubt my very 'sensitive' girlfriend took my weapon for revenge. Especially for something we doubt she even knows . Better yet, I'm going to prove it to you. "

"Asami. It's not..."

"No! Save it!" I tell Jr. as I head up the stairs.

Once I enter the room, I see a note on the nightstand.

Good Morning, Sweetheart.

You were sleeping peacefully and I didn't want to wake you. I'll meet you at the convention center .

Love, Korra.

I grab the note and my lockbox from the closet and head back down.

"I would like an apology." I state, handing each of them an item.

Jr. Frowns.

"We're sorry, Asami. This is all just too much for me. I love Korra and I'm angry with my mother. I just know if I were her I would…."

"No you wouldn't Jr. This is all very new. Is that the only one you own?" Vira asks.

Flashback #2

"What happened? Did you get lost? I tease, walking into my room where I see Korra holding the Aleve bottle and looking down into my night stand.

"Why do you have this?" She asks.

I walk towards her to see what's she referring to, and it's my revolver.

"I know drunk Kuvira is annoying, but she's not that bad." I tease.

As I move toward the door to exit, I notice she's not following me.

"Aren't you coming? The popcorn is ready?" I ask.

"You're telling me you had a gun this whole time?"

Now fully picking up on the uneasiness of her body language, I walk back over to her.

"Yes. I do."

"Why do you need this? This is gigantic!"

That was just my Smith & Wesson model. Thank goodness she didn't find my semi automatic.

End

"I have automatic in my car, but she doesn't know about that one." I reply.

The look I receive, makes me roll my eyes.

"You all should be ashamed of yourself." I reply, grabbing my car keys to prove them wrong once again.

I unlock my trunk and push aside the pointless junk.

" I'm sorry about all of this." Kuvira says, joining me.

"What are you sorry for exactly? You come to my home with this information. And now you're implying obscene things about my girlfriend. Am I the only one who see's her growth? How dare you apologize to me. You should be apolozing to her!"

Now I can understand how Korra feels. They all see her as a problem child.

"This is hard on all of us! Korra sort of grew on me too. I'm trying to talk Jr. out of telling the others, just untill we get everything figured out, but it's rather difficult. This affects him too, since he was there."

"What about Korra, huh? How can anyone bounce back from this? She was finally getting at a good place, she was finally at a good place."

I have to stop my search, Just so I can collect my thoughts.

"You're right. Let me help you. What does it look like?" She asks.

"Like a tool box, but slim like a suitcase." I describe.

"I found it!"

"The code is 45933. Take a look and tell your boyfriend he's safe." I reply, annoyed.

"Umm...nothing is inside."

"You have to open the box, Kuvira! "

"I did! And there is nothing here but the outline."

I quickly walk over to her side of the car, and take a look.

"Maybe it fell out. Where did you find the box?" I ask, searching through the interior of my vehicle.

"Under the seat. Asami relax. Breathe"

I can't! No one knows the code except..

. .Korra.

Flashback #3

" It's not trash, your perception of it is. This sketch right here, is going to make history. Your design will be remembered by all walks of life. This is your baby, and I'm honored to be one of the few people to help bring it into this world."

Why does she have to be such a dork?

"You're too sweet. I just want to help you accomplish your goals. That's why I'm being hard on myself. I want to give you my very best and I haven't been doing that lately. For example, the other day back when you found my.."

"It's alright, Asami. No need to explain." She says cutting me off.

"But you were right, I was acting cold towards you. I didn't know how to explain the fact I would rather take a bullet for you, despite your wishes. And for that, I apologize."

I know Korra and I, agreed to 'agree to disagree' on most things, but when it came to her own life, I shouldn't had accepted her response. It's good to communicate and learn from your mistakes, but I feel like I haven't been doing that a lot lately. Sometimes it feels like the most ethical things to do, aren't the best decisions in every situation.

"Asami. I understand all that now."

"You do?" I ask.

"Yes. When you care for someone, you want to do everything in your power to protect them. Especially from people that seek harm to them. That's why I was wondering if you could teach me how to shoot."

I back away from her in disbelief. Before, she wanted nothing to do with guns and now she's pro it? I don't know how I feel about this new information.

I look at her closely to see if this is some sort of trick, but she looks genuine, almost determined even.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" I ask.

"I don't like being afraid of things. Maybe having a feel of things will help get rid of the jitters in my system. If you aren't comfortable taking me, I can always go to some local range myself."

There is no way she's firing a weapon without me in attendance. It's a serious thing even when you're just testing the water. There are procedures you must follow to avoid injuring yourself and others. If she's going to do it, she's going to do it right.

"I would actually feel more comfortable with me there with you. We can even use the gun upstairs. it's the perfect choice for a newbie. You don't need anything fancy. You aren't trying to be me, are you?"

"If I were trying to be you, I would compliment my girlfriend everyday."

"Haha, I do that enough." I reply, kissing her forehead.

"I don't do this enough." She replies, pulling me into another hug.

"Aren't you very loving today, Darling." I tease.

"You're the only one I know, who's genuinely real. " She replies, holding me tighter.

"The bones that you're currently cracking are real too." I stress.

"You don't know your true strength until you hit your breaking point." She replies.

End of flashback

I look up at my friend horrified.

" I have to change real quick, then I'm heading to the convention center. Don't tell Jr. about any of this. If Korra shows up here, call me asap."

"Traffic will be hectic. Let me drive you." Kuvira offers, understanding.

"No! Jr. can't be with me. Can you call, Max?" I ask.

"Your old driver, what's his number?"

"Just search for Maxwell in my phone." I reply, rushing back inside.

She was telling me the truth this whole time and I missed the hints.

Why didn't I see it?

~S-Beifong

I'm supposed to be at the convention center right now, but Aiwei informed me there was a break in at the office. If I'm no longer going to be in charge of this company, Aiwei should be able to handle things like this.

"Do you want me to go check on the office?" Aiwei asks over the phone, just when I exit my car.

"No. I'm already here." I reply.

The security system I have installed, informs us on the tiny bit of changes going on after hours. A fallen leaf could have easily triggered the alert, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

As I look around, the building doesn't look tampered with, so I'm sure a sheet of paper might have been the caused.

"Are you inside?" Aiwei asks.

"Yes! No one is here like I suspected. I'm going upstairs to get one of my pins."

"Okay. Do you want me to stay on the phone with you?"

I roll my eyes.

"I think I can manage. See you at the convention center."

"Sounds good. Good luck today!"

"Thank You."

With him offline, I lean my head against the metal walls of the elevator, contemplating my life. In all honesty, this election means nothing to me. It never has.

However, when Tonraq asked me to be his running mate, I couldn't back down. I took so much from him, It was the least I could do. His forgiveness was a reward enough, but he continues to offer me gifts. His daughter was one of them. Yet, I ruined that, just like my sobriety.

I exit out of the doors and walk down the halls to where it all started.

And to think I came in one day with my life together, and the next, have it compeltly gone.

Ironically I design homes, but I could never build my own. Just like natural disasters, somethings are just out of your control.

I unlock the metal door of my office, and once I enter, I nearly have a heart attack.

"Korra!?" I ask, clenching my chest.

Not getting a reply, I move closer to see if she's alright.

Once I approach the motionless body, I realize she's asleep.

From her attire, she doesn't look like she plans to go anywhere but bed, let alone the convention center. Not wanting to wake her, I head over to the couch and grab one of my fleece blankets.

Just when I'm about to place the fabric over her body, the sight of what's in her lap, causes me to back into the bookshelf, startled.

I quickly cover my mouth, thankful, my thoughts can't be heard.

The girl doesn't wake, but she mumbles something in her sleep.

Relieved she didn't hear anything, I slowly turn around to make a quick exit.

Just when about to exit through the door, the sound of metal sliding across my desk, raises the hairs on the back of my neck.

"You didn't just ruin my sleep, but your bookshelf too." She says, rubbing her eyes.

I try to keep my composure.

"Why aren't you dress for the convention center? I'm sure your father is expecting you there... He's actually expecting us both." I state, confidently.

"Yet. Here we are! At the place where it all started. This whole time, I thought I was leaving you hints. Turns out you were doing the same, way before I knew it was apart of your game. I don't want to play anymore, and we aren't going to. I think it's time for us to talk. Don't you think?"

Yes. But this isn't talking...