My Destiny addiction struck again
A lot of you are really going to hate me for this this chapter
The name of Asami's mother is taken from the new family tree posted on the official website

Talking To A Stranger

"...and this one if of you, your mother, Yasuko and I, taken when you were six." Hiroshi sat next to his daughters bed, a large box of photographs on his lap, "It's the last photo ever taken of the three of us together."

"What happened to her?" Asami asked, the people in the sepia-coloured photo strangers to her, as hard as she tried to remember.

"She died." Her father admitted with an even tone, finally having reached the point where he could talk about it without anger boiling up inside him "Some men from the Agni Kai Triad broke into our house, we never found out why, and your mother... she was heading to the kitchen to get some fresh water for some flowers I have bought her the day before. The police think she startled them, and one of them, a firebender, struck out at her. The doctors told me that she died almost instantly. After that, they ran off into the night; you slept through it, thank the spirits."

"I'm sorry, but I don't remember any of that." Asami admitted.

"It'll come back, in time." Hiroshi assured her as he pulled out another photo at random, "Here's a happier one; you, Korra at Opal and Bolin's wedding in Zaofu." He handed it over, "Bolin is Mako's younger brother, and Opal is Lin Beifong's niece. They run one of the Air Temples, otherwise I'm sure they would have visited."

"Their airbenders?" Asami asked.

"Opal is, yes, but Bolin is as earthbender. In fact, he's one of only a few known lavabenders." Hiroshi did his best to add what he could remember of his daughters friends and family, "They have a daughter, Poppy, and Opal is expecting twins."

"You don't really know all that much about my life, do you?" It was more of a statement than a question, "What exactly happened between us? I don't try and fob me off this time; I need some strait answers for a change."

"I was... very angry after your mothers death, but for various reasons, I chose to bottle it all up inside, where is festered. Years passed, and I did nothing to try and deal with that anger is any constructive ways, and then I met a man who went by the name of Amon. He... well, he wasn't a very good or honest man, but he saw that anger inside me and realised just where it had came from. He knew just what to say to turn that anger at a single bender against all benders, and then he used that anger to use me, and the company I had created, for his own ends. At the time, I believed everything he told me, because I thought it made sense of everything that had ever happened. But the true is, aside from that one man, that cowardly criminal who took your mother from us, I had never suffered even a single injustice at the hands of a bender. But Amon, he had a way of turning the facts inside-out until black was white and up was down and it all seemed so clear to you. I was a fool to be taken in by him so totally, but I was an angry fool, and I say that not as an excuse, but by way of explanation. Under Amon's control, I used my company, the company you have taken to even greater heights then I ever thought possible, to create weapons that could be used against the government. I created the first Mechatanks and airplanes, among other advances, and Amon's followers used them to take over the city. But you, you knew better than to fall for his lies, and you sided with Korra against me. Looking back, I can see that you were only doing what your conscience was telling you was the right thing to do, but at the time I saw it as the worst imaginable betrayal, worse even than the fact that you were involved with Mako at the time. Later, after you were captured in an attempt to stop us, I tried to talk you round to my... to Amon's side. But you still refused, and then when you escaped..."

Hiroshi turned and looked out the window, unable to meet his daughters gaze.

"I... I tried to kill you."

"On!" Asami blinked, confused as to how she was supposed to feel. Despite everyone's best efforts, she still felt no real connection to the man beside her beyond the fact that he was one of her regular visitors. She had accepted, on an intellectual level, that he was her father, but there was still no bond between them, at least not from her side. It was clear that he felt a deep if somewhat strained connection to her, but she felt... nothing.

"I don't know if this means anything, coming from someone who can't remember anything," She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, "but I forgive you."

"I thank you, but I think I'll wait until you can remember my transgressions before I accept your forgiveness." Hiroshi managed a weak smile before pulling out another photograph, "Ah, now this is a good one."

He handed it over, and Asami saw herself, younger than she looked in the mirror, standing hugging Korra. They were both dressed in thick coats and standing before a sail boat of some kind, with ice-filled water in the background. There was a strange mark in the shape of a horizontal arc on her forehead, while Korra had a similar mark, all be it with a dot below the arc.

"Korra told me of this one day long after I was released from prison." her father explained, "It was your first trim to the South Pole as a married couple, and you decided that you wanted to prove yourself worthy of being her wife, so Tonraq took you Ice-Dodging, a traditional rite of passage in the Water Tribe. Apparently you did remarkably well, and earned yourself the Mark of the Trusted, and shortly there after you became an honorary member of their Tribe."

"We look so happy." Asami tried to conjure up the same emotion, but failed.

"So far, all the evidence we have indicates that it was a genuine accident." Lin placed a thick file down on the conference table before her, "Our people, as well as a team from Future Industries and some specialists brought in by the White Lotus Society have taken the truck apart, all the way down to the last nut, bolt and washer, and found no mechanical faults or indications of sabotage. I've spoken to the driver myself, and I am satisfied that he's telling the truth when he says he simply fell sleep at the wheel. We've gone over his entire life and family with a fine-toothed comb and found nothing that indicates he had an reason to with Asami Sato any harm, and despite what some of the more... imaginative tabloids might be claiming, he has no links to any surviving remnants of the Red Lotus. Nor do we believe it was a deliberate act by Cabbage Corp, even if it was one of their lorries and the drive an employee. If anything, the old saying seems to hold true; Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

"Meaning?" President Raiko asked, well aware of just how important the accident that had almost claimed he life of one of his nations prominent citizens was becoming in the election.

"It seems that Cabbage Corp have been playing it a little fast and loose with the regulations concerning relief drivers and the amount of time one of their drivers can go between breaks in a bid to cut overheads." Tenzin pinched the bridge of his nose, "I've spoken to Lau Gan-Lan, and to say that he's terrified would be an understatement. Cabbage Corp has always been second fiddle to Future Industries, so to have one of their trucks almost kill the head of their main rival is a public relations nightmare, and that's not even counting the backlash the accident has created in general."

"So, it actually was just an accident?" Raiko leaned back in his chair, a somewhat surprised expression on his face, "I'd almost forgotten what those looked like."

"It was an accident, but one that could have been avoided." Lin frowned, "I have people looking into just what charges can be levelled, and against who, but I'd recommend against taking any action against the driver; he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the doctors treating him say that he's almost suicidal with grief as is."

"I'll take that under advisement." Raiko nodded, "Thank you for keeping me up to date, and please, give Korra and Asami my best. I'd visit them myself, but something tells me they have enough on their plates as it is."

Kuvira stood at the window of her apartment, looking out over Republic City.

When she had first arrived from Zaofu, she had found the city too big, to noisy and too full of people. But now, years later, it was home in a way Zaofu had never really felt. Before she had always been slightly cold, distant, keeping herself apart from others. Oh, she had worked as a team in the city guard and her dance troop, but she had never allowed anyone to get too close. But Republic City had been a fresh start where very few people knew who she was, and she'd taken the opportunity to reinvent herself. Yes, she'd kept the cold, professional exterior that had let he rise so high in the Metal Clan at a relatively young age, and she still loved to dance, but she had allowed herself to actually grow close to another human for the first time since her parents had died.

Her relationship with Mako, a somewhat uncharacteristic move on her part, had never been intended to go as far as it had, but she wouldn't change it for the world. She loved Mako and San, and couldn't imagine her life without them, which was why what was happening with Asami had affected her as much as it had. The idea that, in the blink of an eye, the new life and family she had built for herself could be taken from her was not something she had allowed herself to contemplate. Now she found herself forced to face it in a very real way, and it had shaken her to her core, but also given her the impetus to make a very important decision.

"Hey you." Mako came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, "Yuan for you thoughts?"

"Just thinking about how small this apartment is getting." Kuvira allowed herself to relax into his embrace, "You know I love having Senna, Yin and Aang over, so does San, but this is still a two bedroom apartment..."

"I know things have been a bit... hectic of late, but Korra's parents should be arriving today." Her partner assured her, "I'm sure they'd be more than willing to look after them."

"That's not what I meant." Kuvira carefully turn around so as not to break their embrace and put her arms around Mako's neck, "I've come to a decision. Two decisions, in fact."

"Oh?" He looked at her with an amused glint in his eyes, "Something I need to know about?"

"Maybe a little." Kuvira smiled, "First off, I think it's about time I made an honest man out of you..."

Mako interrupted her with a passionate kiss that she was more than happy to return.

"I'm sorry," He smiled sheepishly once they were done, "you were saying?"

"As I was saying," She returned his smile, "I like having the girls and Aang around, and I know San feels a little lonely when they're not here... so maybe we could think about trying for another child of our own? Maybe a daughter this time?"

Mako lifted her up in his arms and spun her around, grinning like a fool.

"Calm down there, stud!" Kuvira managed to regain her footing and placed a finger on his lips to stop him from kissing her again, "Before you get all carried away trying to get started on that right here and now, I want to make one thing clear; I'm not going to become some stay-at-home housewife. Lin has been hinting that she wants me to transfer over to the Seventh Precinct for a while now; I think she wants me to be in position to take over when Yang retires next year. It'll mean I'll be stuck behind a desk rather than out on the street most of the time, but it also means more money and regular hours. That in turn means we can afford a bigger place and daycare. Not that I want to leave the raising of my children to strangers, but if Asami and Korra have managed to run a multi-national business empire and being the Avatar while raising three kids, I think we should be okay."

"You... I..." Mako sort to find the right words, "I don't know what I've done to deserve you."

"You always sell yourself too short." Kuvria kissed him on the nose, "You're a good man, Mako, and a good father. Now let's see if you can add 'good husband' to that list."

To Be Continued...

(Yes, I deliberately avoided addressing the cliffhanger from last time.
You may commence hating me now)