AN: We get to see Asami interact with her siblings more in this ch so this is the usual reminder, bold words are when they speak in another language (aka Japanese).

ALSO! If u go to my insta acc "korrasami_shipper" or go onto my ao3 acc, u'll get to see the fanart katydoodles made for me of Alexander! =3


Ch 10: Watch Your Back

Having been awake for who knows how long, Asami was laying on her bed as she held onto her chest. She took repeated breaths, feeling the pounding of her heartbeat over and over again. She blinks for the nth time this morning before shifting slightly. She then looks over to the side, staring at the yuan coin that was on her nightstand. After a moment of nothingness, she sits up before picking up the coin. She stares at it intently before smiling softly when she recalls her night out with Korra.

Fiddling with the coin, she starts rolling it between her fingers before flicking it upwards and catching it with her hand. She repeats this playful cycle a few more times before standing up and heading over to her makeshift workshop. Of course, the number of tools in that room was limited but was still sufficient enough for her to tinker around. She sets the coin down on a safe counter before digging through her cabinets for some tools. Shortly enough, she pulls out a drill followed by a drill bit set.

After she sets down her tools on the workbench, she turns around before searching for some sort of chain. She ends up tearing apart a few drawers before giving up and heading for her vanity. She opens her drawers and accessories boxes left and right before finding a few suitable options. Smiling to herself softly, she grabs a few of her jewel necklaces before heading back into her workroom. Once inside, she then lines up the necklaces against the yuan coin and eyes them carefully, deciding which chain would match it the best. Sure enough, she decides to go with one of the small golden chains and quickly undoes the link before taking off the ruby gem. She mindlessly tosses it aside somewhere on the table before grabbing the coin and heading towards her workbench.

It doesn't take her long to find the appropriate drill bit and sure enough, Asami clamps the coin down onto a block of wood before drilling a hole close to the edge. Once it pierces through the whole coin, she grabs it and quickly sands down the rough outline before polishing it the best she could. After she was satisfied with its state, she put it together with the gold chain before putting it over her neck. She fiddles with it on her collarbone before heading toward the nearest mirror. Once she took a good look at herself, she couldn't help but laugh at herself.

"It looks stupid…"

Even so, Asami still couldn't help but smile stupidly from the fawn memories. As she spaced out staring at her reflection, her phone eventually went off making her leave her thoughts and pick up the phone. It was her brother.

Ren nii-chan (09:23): yaaa~ Asami

Ren nii-chan (09:23): u free today?

Ren nii-chan (09:23): it's been a while since we've gone to the mall so why don't we go together?

Ren nii-chan (09:23): it'll be my treat~

"..."

Asami walks over to her window before looking out at Republic City. She ponders the many reasons why she didn't want to leave her humble abode before sighing in defeat. She knew she had to stop pushing away people and especially her family. Letting out a soft huff, she rubs her neck before texting a response.

Sure, pick me up?

It didn't take long for him to text back:

Ren nii-chan (09:24): I'll get changed and head over now!

She sighs softly before watching over her vanity. She sends back another response before getting changed. It didn't take her long to get herself ready before taking one last look at her reflection and grasping her necklace with a silly smile.

"What am I doing…"

With one last soft sigh, she grabs her purse before heading down to the parking garage.

xXx

"Yoo! Those two are so fucking hot!" A young lady pointed out, getting her friend's attention.

She immediately gasps as well. "Kyaaa! Is that Ren Sato?! And he's with his sister Asami too! Oh my spirit she is so freaking gorgeous! Spirits, why are the Satos freaking gorgeous!"

"I know! I've been wondering where Asami disappeared off to since it's been so long. We're so lucky to run into her here!"

Ignoring the slowly increasing crowd, Asami grabs onto Ren's forearm before leaning in to whisper into his ear. "Say… onii-chan, let's get some refreshments."

He spares her a slight glance before looking around for a cafe or tea shop. "Sure. How does the Flying Lemur sound?"

Asami looks in his general direction before agreeing. "Sounds good."

As they made their way over, Ren couldn't help but notice some of the bystanders taking pictures of them. His eyes narrow before he shields Asami with his arm and looks at her face. "You okay? It's been a while since you've left your condo so that's probably why people must be curious…"

Asami only shook her head dismissively. "There's nothing I can do about it. I did kind of just cut the world off so it makes sense. People must be curious where Republic City's number one bachelorette disappeared off to." She half mocks in a joking tone.

Her brother only sighs before opening the door for her. "Asami…"

She only turns to look him in the eye. "What?"

"..." It looked as if he had a lot to say but chose not to. "No, it's nothing. What do you want to eat? Their pastries look good…" he skims over the menu before glancing at his baby sister. "You want to share like the good old times? I know you love the cream-filled ones and they even have those fruit tarts you like."

Asami stares at the beautifully decorated desserts. As tasty as they looked, if she was being honest, she didn't particularly have an appetite but wanted some privacy from the crowd. Compared to the outside in the shopping outlet, a shop had a little more leeway. She brushes her hair off to the side before smiling warmly.

"Un, sounds good."

Ren smiles back. "I'll put in the order then. Why don't you find a seat for us? I don't know about you but I'm feeling like a table away from the window. The sun's a little bright today and I didn't bring my sunglasses."

Blinking from that strange yet natural add-on, Asami finally smiled for real. "Sure."

Ren winks at her before heading up to register. As he did so, Asami headed towards the back, choosing the furthest seat possible away from the crowd. Once she was seated, she crossed her legs before pulling out her phone. She faintly registered more people making a scene about them but ignores it by pretending she was busy. However, rather than scrolling through her various social media platforms as she did once before, she simply scrolls through her emails before adding some dates to her calendar. Soon enough, her brother comes back with some snacks and refreshments.

"Hai, here you go. You're favorite peach tea, cream hornet, and blueberry tart." He sets down Asami's snack first before his own.

Asami accepts it with a warm smile. "Thanks."

"Of course." After Ren is seated, they eat a good amount of their snacks before he finally looks up and notes the necklace she was wearing. "Hmm? That's…" he points to his own chest.

Acknowledging his gestures, she started fiddling with the rim of her drink. "Korra gave it to me."

He hums in interest before tapping his finger on the table. "How is she? Have you kept up with her?"

Asami's lips part before she pauses. I think I actually really, really like her. Heh, if I told Ren-nii that, how would he react? "She visited me the other day."

"Ho…?"

"Un and she brought me to the festival we used to always go to as kids."

"Aaa, the Spirit's festival down by Yue's Bay. I remember going there, it was always fun. You used to get scolded by mom for eating so many sweets."

"Hey, and you were the one who enabled me more snacks after she said no."

Ren grins at her with a big wink, "It's not my fault you look adorable eating snacks."

Asami immediately scrunches her face at the comment. "Ew, stop it Ren-nii, you're so gross…"

He playfully grabs his heart. "How cruel little sister! Here I was about to give you this small plush too." He pulls out a little plushie from his pocket and hands it to herself as if he was proposing to her. "Tadaaa~"

"Eh…" her lips part when she sees what it was. "That's…"

"You still love these series don't you?" He then readjusts the small plush by holding it under its armpits before speaking in a playful voice. "Asami has been a good girl these days so I am here to give you a reward!" He waves its little arm before pushing it towards her cheek. Within seconds the bear's lips touch Asami's skin as he vocals out a kissing noise. "Chu~ now you have the honor of keeping me and I'll be your guardian! When you ever feel sad or lonely and your brothers can't help you, I'll be here to protect you in their place! What do you say?" Ren then wiggles the plush around before grabbing its arms and bringing it together for a pleading action.

Asami couldn't suppress her poker face any longer. Her lips cracked in a smile and she giggled softly before covering her mouth. After a second, she pulls away her hand to accept the gift with a soft grin. "Thank you Ren nii-chan." She picks the little fellow up before playing with its arms. "What shall I name you?"

Ren crosses his legs before tilting his head slightly. "How about Alexander after Alexander the Great?"

"Eh? Why…"

He simply shrugs. "Cause it's cool."

Asami scoffs at that. "There's no way I'm naming him that."

He shrugs slightly, "Your loss then. Anyways…" he sits back before standing up. "Why don't we head out? I think the crowd following us has finally died down."

She glanced towards the window and just like he said, the crowd had dispersed. "Un okay, sounds good."

"I'll go grab a take-out box and toss the trash, why don't you wait for me outside?" He suggests before gathering the trash on the table.

"Okay, got it." Grabbing her purse off the chair, Asami starts heading out first before staring at the plush in her hand. She plays with its hands before smiling to herself. "Alexander huh? I'll be in your care." She taps its stubby hand with her pinky as if she made some sort of promise to him.

I'll do better.

xXx

"Yaa, Asami I'm here." Her brother announces before making himself at home in her condo. "What are you doing?"

Asami was currently upside on her couch as she fiddled around with Ren's gift and her legs were up high in the sky as she ignored the TV playing in the background. "Nothing at all Hide-nii…"

Once Hideyuki walks close enough to see her, he raises an eyebrow. "What's that? Aah, that's that plush you like right?" He looks around her living room in search of her collection. "You're not gonna add him to your collection?"

Tilting her head left and right, she enjoys the plush's handsome features before rolling around when her brother takes a seat next to her. She sits upright before setting down Alexander on the table in a seated position. "Not this one. He's my protective charm."

Hideyuki hums in acknowledgment before setting the take-out bag he brought along onto the table. "Well, I hope you weren't waiting too long for me." He starts opening the package and hands a container to Asami. Asami then scooches in closer to him before accepting the chopsticks he hands over.

The two of them then start eating their late dinner while mindlessly watching some drama that was playing on the TV. Once they were about a good ten minutes in, Hideyuki was the first to reach in and munch on some of the crunchy fried pork skins. Asami shortly follows in his steps and they end up finishing that whole appetizer completely, leaving behind only their main course. When the episode ends, Hideyuki grabs the remote and flips through the streaming services.

"You wanna binge Harry Potter?"

Asami gives him a funny look. "That's so long though."

"True." He clicks around more before asking again, "How about the Alien series?"

The look on her face doesn't change. "That's long too…" she sighs before accepting her fate and standing up. "Well whatever, that's fine I guess. Let me go grab a hugging buddy though."

"Okay." He then starts the first movie before getting up and walking toward the kitchen. After a second of rifling through her cabinets, he speaks up with a question. "You want butter or kettle corn?"

"Kettle!" She shouts back from her room before quickly adding, "And butter too because why not."

"Got it."

Hideyuki had already pulled out both flavors and was in the middle of putting the kettle packet into the microwave. He starts the cooking time before turning around to grab a bowl from the cabinet. Once he grabs one, he sets it on the counter before quickly grabbing two glasses and filling them with ice. Shortly after, he opens the fridge and pulls out some tea and cola.

After Asami comes back with her huge plushie, she sets it down on the couch and heads back into the kitchen to help her brother. Once she was there, Hideyuki hands her the freshly popped corn before putting it in the second bag.

Asami pours the hot, steaming packet of popcorn into the bowl before tossing out the trash and taking the bowl to the living room table. She then quickly heads back into the kitchen and grabs the two drinks before setting them down on the table as well and taking a seat. She sinks into the cushions before grabbing her snuggle buddy and puts the bowl of popcorn to the side, munching away.

When the second batch is finally done, Hideyuki quickly follows in her steps before sitting down next to her with a buttery bowl of popcorn. He starts munching away as well before taking a sip of his drink first. By the time the first graphic scene with the alien pops up, Hideyuki grabs some of the kettle corn before asking:

"Say…"

Scrunching her face slightly, Asami squeezes her plush before mindlessly stuffing her face with butter popcorn. "Un?"

"You alright?"

"With?"

He turns to face her slightly. "With you know… everything?"

Asami grabs another bite of popcorn, this time the kettle corn. "If you're talking about dad, say no more, and if you're talking about my love life? It's goinggg swimmingly." She jokes in a sarcastic tone before jumping slightly at the jump scare. She watches as the alien rips apart that guy in a violent way, dying in a screaming manner.

Her brother tilts her head at that. "Eh? But I thought everything was going well with Korra?"

She sighs before grabbing her cola and taking a sip. "I wish. She's just too good for me." She slurps her drink again before practically slamming it down on the table. "We had a moment, you know."

Hideyuki raises an eyebrow at that. "Yeah?"

Asami smiles sadly before continuing. "Yeah… she actually took me out to the Spirit's Festival the other day you see and well…" she fiddles with her fingers before expanding bashfully. "We went around the festival eating snacks and having fun. Eventually, we went out by the bay, and then the fireworks were going off. I don't know… she looked at me and something felt right. I think she was feeling the same too and we both started leaning towards each other but then… some kid's scream brought us back to reality and she pulled back."

"And then?"

"That's it."

"Eh? That's it?"

"Un, that's right."

Humming in slight disappointment, Hideyuki turns back to the TV screen. "I see."

They go back into a comfortable silence, munching away on snacks. The rest of their night went along similarly and by the time Hideyuki had to leave, Asami was left rolling around on her bed with Alexander by her side. She sighs before calling it a night and pulling the blanket over her head.

"Good night Alexander."

xXx

Asami was in the middle of running on her treadmill. She was dressed in a sports bra and jogging shorts which were soaked with sweat thanks to how long she has been running. Her hair was also in a high ponytail and her face was glistening with a sheen of sweat. She was running at a decent pace and it wasn't until her phone started going off that she slowed down to a brisk walk. Without looking at the caller ID, she answered the phone.

"Hello, this is Asami."

"Asami? It's me."

Her eyes practically snapped open as she jumped at the same time. She scrambled to shut off the treadmill before clearing her throat and starting again. "Hello, Naofumi nii-sama?"

"Un, good morning Asami."

"G-Good morning!" She unconsciously stands upright while fixing her attire as if he could see her through the phone.

Naofumi hums before continuing. "Well, I'll be straightforward. I'm sorry but is it possible you can cover one of my meetings at Future Industries today? I thought I could make it back in time but I have my hands tied with Suoh Corp. Kaede needs a hand while dealing with one of the suppliers who are notorious for running off his mouth."

"A meeting?" She starts wiping her sweat in a hurry with a baby blue towel as she quickly walked toward her dresser. "Sure, is it at the headquarters or the factory?"

"The factory. I'll email you the details but it shouldn't be too much of a headache."

"Okay I got it. I'll be right over after I get ready then."

"Alright I'm counting on you."

"Yeah, leave it to me nii-sama!"

"..."

"..."

"And Asami."

"Yes nii-sama?"

"It's a little chilly in there so wear a jacket okay?"

"Okay, I will, thank you nii-sama."

"Un, I'll talk to you later then."

"Okay, bye nii-sama."

"Alright, bye."

Once Asami hangs up, she lets out a breath before setting down her phone. She looks at her messy reflection in the mirror before tucking the loose strand of damp hair out of her face. Soon enough, she starts grabbing her undergarments for a shower.

"This should be fun…"

xXx

Following Naofumi's advice, she decided to wear a fashionable red blouse accompanied by a black jacket. Likewise, she wore the same shade of black pencil skirt and appropriate leggings and boots to go with it. Her hair was neatly parted to one side and she was wearing a minimal amount of makeup, enough to show her maturity and features. She represented the Sato name and her authority was clear as day as she walked into the factory.

"Good morning Miss Asami!"

Asami looks to her right before smiling warmly. "Good morning Joe."

The rest of the employees started sounding out the greetings shortly after as she walked through the factory.

"Good morning Miss Asami!"

"Morning Miss Asami!"

"Morning Miss!"

"Good morning Miss!"

Giving them all a friendly smile, Asami nodded her head at them. "Good morning Shang, Lee, Anderson, Shelly." She greeted the rest of the team just as so and it wasn't until she made it over to the office that business finally carried on. Reaching for the door handle, she hovers for a second before twisting it. Once inside, she greets the team captain first.

"Masato, it's a pleasure as always."

Blinking at the voice, Masato turns to see her. He immediately bows before greeting her. "Asami, we've prepared everything for you after hearing from Naofumi." He then walks over and hands her a clipboard containing her schedule.

She smiles sadly at her incoming busy day. "Thank you." She starts skimming the pages before concluding, "Shall we get started then? It seems there are a lot of adjustments that we have to address today."

He nods in agreement. "Yes, we should start our rounds to confirm and check the quality and quantity of the materials from our suppliers. After that, we should check in on the product lines going in order before circling back around to the shipping department."

She nods at his suggestion, "I agree." She turns on her boots before heading for the door, "In the meantime, fill me in on the state of our factory's conditions and also the domestic and international affairs. Has there been any dissatisfaction or concerns these past few months or any delays that need to be corrected?"

"Yes." He nods before listing off, "First off, concerns for our factory are at a minimum. From what has reached my ears, some workers are bothered by the uncleanliness conditions thanks to the recent expansion we have constructed. The cleaning staff has voiced their dissatisfaction in that department as well thanks to the extra."

Asami looks off to the side in thought. "I see, in that case, please put out a notice for hire. Whether it is part-time or full-time, make sure the flexibility extends to potential hires and the current staff as well. Ideally, I would love for teams to operate around the clock but as of now, have the custodians work in the more populated break and work areas."

"Understood." He marks a note in his planner before continuing, "As for our domestic affairs, our homeland contracts are as per usual. Profits have actually been up to fifteen percent of our quota this month and are still rising. The most popular product of the line is, of course, our most recent SatoMobile design but there has been a problem with ordering material for the leather seats."

"I see, in that case, please contact Varrick for the south's skins. Rather than using solely layers of leather for the cushions, we can use the skins for the base coating with a leather finish. In addition, please contact the local bakery and restaurants to host and cater a celebration for our teams as a reward for their hard work."

"Consider it done. Now, as for our international affairs, the contracts with Zaofu and the Southern Water Tribe have been going swimmingly, however, there has been an issue with delivering our products to their respective locations. Although, it shouldn't be a major problem as long as we're able to keep up with their orders with no backlogs."

"That sounds good but look into how and why that is happening and if there is anything we can do to fix it. Perhaps we can send more of our products through the air rather than train."

Masato nods and makes a note before continuing. "Secondly, the contract in the Fire Nation is up for discussion once again. Their higher-ups are dissatisfied with certain proposals and price concerns. They wish to receive our machinery for twenty-five percent less than our suggested price."

Asami frowns at that. "Less than twenty-five percent? That's concerning, please fax me the details later. For now, request an extension and look into the best-suited time for flying there. Without further details, I can't act hastily."

"Yes, I understand. As for the machine maintenance…"

Again and again, Asami commented on and came up with solutions situation after situation. Her whole day had been taken over by this job and it wasn't until after the sun had set that she was almost done with today's checklist. Most of her day had minimal concerns to address but of course, just when she thought today was going to be successful, a problem arose when she was in the office.

"Miss Asami! There's an urgent issue down at section five."

Asami turns at the voice before putting down a clipboard. "What's the matter Hana?"

She straightens up before continuing, "There was a mishap with the order of treads for the mobile machines we were supposed to receive. That shipment was meant for the Southern Water Tribe but by the time we'll receive the next, we won't be able to fulfill their order. If we don't get it done by the end of this month, the shipment will be back up for another two or three months until the next cruiser can travel down south."

That's troublesome. Humming softly, Asami grabbed her chin in deep thought. She took a moment to process the information. If I recall correctly then… "Masato, can I see the reports for the seventh sector?"

"Yes, one moment." He opens a filing cabinet before grabbing and flipping through a few pages and handing over a clipboard to Asami.

Asami accepts it before skimming through a few pages. After a moment of processing, she suggests a solution. "Contact team seven's leader and tell them to pause productions and send their treads over to the fifth department. We'll prioritize the fifth's order and once the next shipment of treads comes in, team five will help team seven if they are behind if necessary."

"Understood! Thank you miss!" Just like that, Hana ran back to her section leaving Asami alone with Masato once again.

A few moments of silence passed until Masato asked a question, "Will you be wrapping it up soon?"

Asami glances up from her pile of documents. She gives him a soft smile, "I'll wrap up when you do."

This time, he smiled. "I can't possibly leave when you're still working, you always overwork yourself."

Her smile fell slightly. "It's the least I can do, I'm not my brother."

He shakes his head. "You underestimate yourself, Miss Asami, you are just as capable and as valuable as they are. The company wouldn't be the same without you."

She scoffed sadly at herself. "Surely you jest. Father has always wanted me to attend banquets rather than meetings. He thinks I'm more suited for propaganda, the only time I get to participate in any meeting is when my brothers pass the baton when they're busy."

Giving her a pitiful look, Masato smiles before speaking up softly. "Well… just between you and me…" he steps in closer into her space. "Young Master Naofumi chooses purposely not to come from time to time."

This time, Asami gives him a weird face. "What do you mean by…?"

He gives her that look and Asami's lips parted slightly once she realized what he meant. "I…"

Masato then steps back before looking back at some files. "You should give yourself more credit. With all due respect, Master Hiroshi would be a fool to waste your talent. I know that he may think otherwise however I know with certainty that our staff respects and relies on you more than you think, myself included of course. It has been and will always be a pleasure working with you."

"Masato…"

Asami didn't know how to react. Even if she opened her mouth, words would come out. That's why… in the end, the only thing she could do was smile the way she was taught before uttering a single phrase.

"Thank you."

"Of course… now then, where were we…"

"Right…" She picked up her papers again. "About the reconstruction zone by Fifth Street… I think it would be best if we…"

As Asami diligently carried about her tasks, little did she know about her father's plan conspiring against her. He had lost reason and was mad with insanity. Somewhere in a warehouse deep, deep in the rural of the Spirit Wilds surrounding Republic City, he had hired a group to carry out his vices. With their plan going underway, Hiroshi was one step away from 're-educating' Asami to how he saw fit.

"Everything is going underway, Mister Hiroshi. We will hand over your daughter within a week's worth as soon as we find the opportunity."

He almost snarled at them. "I want her unscathed you hear! For whatever reason, if you hurt even a single strand on her hair then you can say good riddance to your pay."

"Don't worry Mister Sato…" he drummed his fingers along the brim of a hefty suitcase. "We will show you exactly why our reward rate is so high. We have a hundred percent guarantee policy for the right price you see…" the man brags cunningly before playing with the wads of money in a suitcase.

"Very well, I expect to see results."

He simply smirks yet again. "I'll look forward to seeing the other half."

"Don't worry… she won't ever know what'll hit her."