Summary: Do you see it? Do you feel it? It began with Korra then Asami in the midst of Asami exploring her father's letters. The whole United Republic feels it creeping on their shoulders. Citizens across the United Republic are disappearing and demanding answers and justice from the police, the leaders, and the Avatar. There's no denying the new threat that awaits in the shadows. Mentions of Turf Wars and Ruins of the Empire events.
Rated M for future violence and usage of language. A warning will be provided at the beginning of the more graphic chapters, but that will not be for a while. No smut, but plenty of moments between our favorite couple.
Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Korra nor any of the LoK characters. I merely enjoy spending too much time developing adventures for them when I should be doing school work.
"No matter how far we come, our parents are always in us."
― Brad Meltzer
Chapter 1 – The Beginnings
A young child sat up in her bed, admiring the woman speaking about old fables and folklores of their native land and current home. How she described the times of war and segregation between nations made it seem almost like reality, a stark contrast to what reality really was. Though the elder of the two had not been alive during those times, her mother was a teenager experiencing the scrutiny of being from the Fire Nation.
She wanted her daughter to know of her native nation's roots so she would not make the same mistakes her ancestors had. While there had been no major war in the world such as the Hundred Year War, she knew peace could never last. Things would once again fall out of balance in some capacity. Whether the balance would dissipate during her time or her daughter's was unknown, but it was better to be proactive.
"My mother faced scrutiny from other nations whenever she traveled outside of the Fire Nation shortly after the war ended. Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko declared the war over and made strides towards peace, but it can be difficult to break old habits. There were holdouts who still believed Fire Lord Ozai's ploy to control all four nations, but in a few years times, they too were subdued."
Her daughter never faced the scrutiny of being a descendant of the Fire Nation. Being born over half a century subsequent after the war was a helpful factor, but she believed there was another reason. The reason being the sparkling green eyes gazing at her. It wasn't a matter of possibility, but certainty that those lovely eyes would captivate and enthrall anyone who gazed into them long enough.
She feared even those eyes wouldn't be able to save her someday though. There were rumbles of nonbenders rebelling against benders in Republic City. She feared her daughter would grow up and be seen as the enemy. Neither she nor her husband were benders. She predicted the same fate for her daughter.
"And that's why we live in Republic City! A place where nobody can be judged for any part of their character and individuality! It's a safe haven for all." The little girl bounced on her bed and clapped her hands excitedly with a wide smile.
"Yes, Asami, that's what Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko sought to achieve here." She smiled proudly at her daughter, wishing she would stop growing up. Time went by so quickly. "But if anyone tries to threaten you, they'll have to get through me and your father." She reached down and tickled her sides, making both of them giggle out in joy. "Bedtime, missy. Your father's taken the day off tomorrow, and we're all going to the zoo."
People always saw her as the daughter of Hiroshi Sato, CEO of Future Industries, and one day, his successor. Despite her young age, she already showed an interest in her father's work, but she was also a normal kid. Her mother made sure of that.
When Asami was finally laying down and all tucked in, she leaned down and kissed her forehead and cheeks. "I love you, Asami, my beautiful green-eyed princess. We'll always protect you." Her fingers tucked a stray piece of her black hair behind her ears and received a wide grin.
"I love you too, Mom."
Yasuko moved to walk out of her daughter's room, pausing in the doorway. Asami had finally closed her eyes, letting her mind rest and recharge. Yasuko never imagined her life could be like this: married to one of the wealthiest individuals in Republic City, perhaps the world and a young, beautiful daughter that was showing signs of being brilliant yet humble.
With a soft click of the light, Yasuko closed Asami's door and headed towards her room.
The next day, Asami and her parents visited the zoo. Animals from all parts of the world were showcased in magnificent habitats. Asami was jovial, skipping from one exhibit to another with a big red balloon tied to her wrist as her parents followed closely behind arm and arm.
One minute, Asami was viewing the rabaroos hop around their exhibit, the next, a loud slap rung in her ear. Asami turned around in horror as the world around her shattered and transformed into a nightmare. She tried to run to her parents, but an invisible field prevented her from reaching them. She desperately clawed at it, but she couldn't pierce it. The balloon tied to her wrist popped loudly, making the string tied to her wrist useless. She was helpless as she watched her parents in two different dimensions and timelines.
To her left, Kuvira's mecha arm smashed the hummingbird mecha suit, leaving behind the crumbling remains of the suit and her father as she floated safely to the ground.
And to her right, her parent's bedroom was a disaster, the window broken in, and her mother's appearance a strew with her raven hair a wild mess. Panting heavily, an intruder slowly loomed towards her. Cornered, weaponless, and alone, all she had was her fists. The intruder jumped and geared up a blistering fire fist. The vision became nothing but a blistering of red, hot flames and pain-stricken screams.
The visions kept replaying over and over with no end in sight. The young girl wept and fell to the black floor, curled into a ball, in the suspended space, wishing it was all a dream.
Asami jolted awake with a light sheen of sweat on her forehead and panting as if she just ran a marathon. It was all a dream based on real events.
Her mother loved to tell her late-night stories when her father had to work late. She could make even the most boring stories and events captivating, connecting with the audience. It made her think that if she and Varrick worked together to produce a mover, making her lightly laugh thinking of how her mother would set him straight. And her father sacrificed himself for Republic City.
Swinging her legs off the bed, she headed towards the bathroom. She twisted the faucet on and splashed cool water against her heated face. Looking in the mirror, she thought about everything that happened the last few years. By just observing her face, no one would guess all the international conflicts she'd been engaged in. It was funny to think that if she never hit Mako, she might've never been as involved as she was.
During the day, she felt completely fine and her usual self. Future Industries was doing great, the world was peaceful for the most part, and she and Korra were as strong as ever. However, as night fell, her parents dominated her dreams and unconscious. Perhaps it was a slight bug from Bataar Jr's reversal of her brainwashing. Then again, she never properly grieved her father's death between being kidnapped and the holdouts of Kurvira's army then getting swept up in work and spending all her free time with Korra.
She returned to bed, trying to clear her mind, but the rest of the night, she tossed and turned trying to get sleep that was futile. By the time six rolled around, she gave up and got ready for the day.
It was the weekend so she was free all day barring any issues at work. The plan was to meet up with Korra on Air Temple Island, but with an additional task to be settled now.
For several minutes, Asami sat on the edge of her bed with her hands in her clasped together in her lap, trying to find the confidence she needed to do this. The only sound she could hear was the frantic beating of her chest. A deep sigh escaped her ruby lips before she leaned down to the bottom drawer of her nightstand.
There laid her father's unopened letters and his personal family portrait he always had.
Through all the destruction and chaos in Republic City, the jail stood loud and proud, not a metal column out of place. Lin was very much aware of Hiroshi's sacrifice. Upon cleaning out his cell, she stumbled upon the letters. They were no use to her and usually they'd be tossed in the garbage, but after everything she and the others had gone through, ultimately gave Asami the final decision on the fate of the letters.
With everything going on, the letters were the last thing on her mind. The estate had plenty of old family portraits, but knowing this was the one her dad always carried on his person made it sentimental to her. They had their differences, but there was a significant difference between knowing your father was in jail for treacherous crimes and him being killed right in front of you.
The weight and feel of the letters in her hands felt like the entire world. Those letters contained the final words of him, words she never read. All she knew for certain was that first letter arrived sometime around time the Bolin's mover was released.
Looking out her front door, if she squinted hard enough, a tiny blip in the distance was Air Temple Island. Korra split her time between her mansion and Air Temple Island. Though they'd been together for a little over a year now, Korra had yet to officially move into her mansion despite the fact that for all intents and purposes, it was basically her home even if she didn't sleep there every night.
With the letters tucked safely in her purse, she headed towards Air Temple Island to visit her girlfriend and begin a new journey.
Posted: October 7, 2020
FYI, I am not going to be posting more until I have the rest of this hectic journey written. I have most of it written already, but I'm rewriting some points. My hope is to start officially posting sometime next month, but it'll depend how cooperative the characters are.
I haven't personally read a fic that has much background on Asami's parents so I figured why not explore that a bit with another conflict for our friends. Obviously, the main conflict isn't introduced here, but I hope some of you join them when I start posting. When I get around to it, this will be cross posted on AO3 under my alternative pseudonym MyskY so if you prefer that platform be on the lookout for that pseudonym there and rest assured, it is not plagiarism.
As an ending note, let me guys know what you think! Anything at all, release whatever you're holding in. Stay safe and see everyone soon!
