AN: Heyo! I'm glad you guys like it so far and be sure to leave a review to let me know how I'm doing!
Asami's leather boots continued to crunch down on the loose vegetation covering the small dirt path, as a light coating of sweat began to form across her forehead.
She picked the wrong day to go hiking in leather.
Then again it's not as though she had gotten a memo before she left the house that said 'your missing father ended up going through miles worth of dirt and leaves so dress appropriately.'
No fate was never that kind as to warn you ahead of time.
Sighing, the dark haired girl looked up at the placement of the setting moon and calculated that daybreak was only a few hours away. Meaning soon enough she wouldn't need her flashlight to guide the way. That is depending on just how long this little walk took her.
It had been nearly an hour now and the young girl was exhausted and frightened for her life. She had heard rumors growing up, that these woods outside of city limits were filled with viperwolves and platypusbears but so far she had been lucky enough not to encounter any.
The empty forrest though did nothing to ease her frazzled nerves. What if her father haven't been as fortunate as she, and ran into one of those beasts? What if the walk itself had been to much and he had collapsed further into the tree covered area?
All of those thoughts fell away when Asami heard what sounded like rushing water. Upon increasing her steps, it soon became apparent that there was also the outline of what looked like a large building coming into view.
Sprinting faster then she ever had, Asami broke through the last of the path's foliage and froze in her tracks when her hazel eyes took in the sight before her.
There laid a single platform of land where acres of earth broken apart from the rest of the world it seemed and became its own island of sorts. Only raised and connecting to its original homeland by the use of a large but seemingly unused stone bridge a few hundred feet away from a remarkable waterfall.
Fresh ocean currents crashed off of the side of a colossal hidden mountain edge and plummeted thousands of feet into the fog covered water below.
The sight alone was breathtaking, but what stood at the center of the off put earth is what stunned the heiress.
A castle. No literally it was a 100%, stone for stone, fairy tale castle. And it was huge.
In fact upon getting closer to the mass, it even made her whole house seem minuscule. The place itself had a center highest peak aiming dozens of stories skyward, along with four smaller but equally impressively sized base towers jutting out into the four directions of a compass. Showing off each corner of the monument.
Something of this magnitude could easily be seen from the city if it wasn't for the waterfall's mountain side.
It was also clear that no one had tended to the massive undergrowth of weeds along the edges in some time, but the black and white tinted slate helped the entire thing remain gorgeous in design, but still blend in easily to the forest.
The Sato girl could only imagine how magnificent the estate must look in the sun's morning or evening rays. It probably looked beautiful.
Too bad she was already on a mission, and would never get to admire it.
Rushing across the aged but practically untouched bridgeway, Asami slowed her footsteps and stood towards the massive steel looking double doors.
Letting out a low whistle at the impressive showmanship.
"Now that is quality..."
Using the left doors circular metal knockers, the young woman waited patiently as her single slam echoed through out the entire inside of the estate.
A moment passed.
No one answered.
She knocked again and called out.
Again nothing.
She didn't have time for this.
Raising a single eyebrow, Asami tried her luck at the doorway and sure enough, with a large groan, the aged metal gave way and opened up. Allowing the dark haired girl to step through on her own.
"Hello?"
Turning on her flashlight, the heiress slowly moved into the MASSIVE household and took in all of the oddly displayed bending tools and trinkets hanging upon the walls and tables. None of them had dust collecting on them so SOMEONE had to be in here. Even if it were only to clean.
"Hello?"
Asami would swear to the spirits she had heard the rustling of fabric behind her, but the second she spun around there was nothing. Only a mahogany staircase with a deep blue carpet lining down the center.
"Hello? Pardon me, I'm looking for my father?"
Suddenly she saw it, at the top corner of the stairway leading to the second floor there was a light. It was quick and it was immediately extinguished, but it was enough to tell her that there was someone with either a lantern or firebending up there.
Hell it was better then nothing.
"Wait! Please I don't mean to intrude!"
Rushing up the stairs, Asami once again saw the stranger ignite their hand and then burn it out. She followed in the direction being lead and soon understood the pattern they used to show trail but not their face. Correction faces, there was definitely two people there.
Their conflicting shadows were too different to be the same.
"If someone is there please, I'm just looking for my dad! He is very sick-"
Cutting herself off, the dark haired girl noticed that the strangers odd lighting had lead her to an open stairwell. This one was much more narrow then the one from downstairs and seemed to be completely made up of stone steps heading spirally upwards.
They must be heading into one of the towers she had seem outside.
As she moved to begin her decent up, the dark haired girl had completely missed one earthbender excitedly shake his anxious looking brother in the safety of the darkened castle hall.
"This is it man! This is the one we've been waiting for!"
"I just hope Korra doesn't kill that girl or us when she finds her up there."
Asami allowed her flashlight to guide her, as she rushed up the stairway and took note that the farther she got the colder it seemed to become
Finally reaching the final step, the heiress stepped into, what the dim lighting showed to be, a damp puddle covered dungeon floor. There were countless dripping pipe lines and uncovered window panes which explained the draft coming through. Along with the overbearing smell of wet hay, and despair, this place seemed to look like something out of a horror style mover.
Five cell doors that were all heavily armored by at least a foot thick of steel doors stood along the far wall of the tower. Besides the keyholes though there wasn't any other source of seeing who was on the other side other then a slot at the very bottom that the young girl assumed was to slide in food.
"Spirits...what is this place?"
"Asami?!"
From the second stall in, Hiroshi Sato's weak voice echoed off of his steel cage, as the dark haired girl ran forward. Shoving up the food slot so she could peer inside, puddles and dirt in her hair be damned.
"Dad!"
"Asami, oh thank Aang it's you!"
Using her flashlight to see inside, the Sato girl noticed that that there was nothing more then a single window covered in jail style bars and a large corner covered in damp hay that she supposed was meant to be a bed in her dads room. She could feel the chilled air making her shudder in discomfort.
Hearing her father cough deeply and hit his chest caused Asami's heart rate to pick up.
"Dad? Dad! Who did this too you? Have you taken any of your medication? Don't worry I'm gonna get yo outta this-"
Grabbing onto his daughter's hand through the thin slot of his cell, Hiroshi stopped the young girl from standing and pressed his face down onto the wet ground. Trying to meet her gaze or at least make eye contact so she could see the seriousness of their situation.
"Asami you can't be here! It isn't safe!"
"I can see that it isn't safe here! You're in a cage dad!"
"That's not what I mean! There is a monster here-"
Feeling herself being jerked onto her feet by someone grabbing her arm, Asami instinctively moved to roundhouse kick her assailant in the head. Her foot met nothing.
Suddenly feeling a presence behind her, the dark haired girl got a single right hook in before the stranger stepped back. Avoiding another hit.
They hadn't moved empty handed though, for the flashlight that HAD been on the ground was in the dark figures hand for only a second before being shattered and plunging the entire room into darkness. Save for the barely there morning light coming through the open windows.
The figure moved backwards out of the panes lining and stayed in the shadows, only allowing the Sato girl to see a single set of striking cerulean eyes. She might have even said they were stunning if it wasn't for the fact that they were glaring into the depths of her soul.
Asami remained in a fighting stance, ignoring her father's pleas to run for her life.
"Who are you?"
"Who am I?! Who are you?!"
The voice was female, that much was certain. She sounded a little younger then Asami herself and even may have seemed a tad bit frightened, if wasn't for the completely hostile tone of voice she was using to cover.
"You are in no position to question me after blatantly attacking me!"
"You're in my home and talking to what is rightfully mine."
Faltering slightly, the heiress stood to her full height and move to stand in front of her father's cell door. The lights coning in from the just awakening outside world were allowing her to get an outline on her opponent, but only slightly. All she knew is she had a few inches on this unknown girl.
"Rightfully yours?! He is a person!"
"He is my prisoner. He was on my property without my consent!"
"You have no right to keep him here! He could die!"
The smaller girl scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"I have every right! Now get out of my house, and if you ever come back you're father is as good as dead anyway."
Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, as Asami tried in vain to think of anything. If she came back with the police and Lin, this girl may kill her dad before they could stop her, and if her dad's heart gave out before then without his medication...
"W-wait!"
Turning to walk out of the room, the strange girl ignored the girls please and went to look for someone else to remove the newest pest in her estate.
"I'll trade with him!"
"What?!"
"WHAT?!"
The stranger and Hiroshi chorused at the same time, but while her father looked like he was on the edge of a nervous breakdown, the blue eyed girl seemed to ponder her deal.
She had turned in a complete 180 and made eye contact with the heiress.
"You...would be willing to take his place?"
"If I did, would you let him go?! And promise that he'd make it back to the city safely?"
There was a tense minute of deliberation. The shadowed girl contemplated in silence for what felt like an eternity.
Before nodding her head.
"Yes I can have my staff repair his car and ensure he arrives back home in one piece. But!"
Asami watched as the girl stepped forward into the weak daybreak light shinning through the windows and allowed her entire being to become visible but completely hidden beneath the veil of her hooded cloak.
"If I agree you are to live here forever, and he is never to return. Can YOU promise me that?"
Live here for her entire life? What about the company? What about exploring the world? What about her dad? Who would care for him?
True he had his physicians and doctors, but they were all back home...home. She'd never see it again.
A single tear ran down her pale face.
Her future may be over...But if it meant her father could live she'd do it.
"...I swear on my life."
"Fine."
One thing, nagged at the back of the dark haired girl's head. Something that told her to initiate one final request before agreeing to this stranger's terms.
"Only if! If... you show me your face."
The girl took a step back as if struck by an unseen force. She then silently contemplated her choices once again, before stepping closer into the new day light, and removing her hood.
Asami had to physically cover her mouth with her hand to prevent the scream threatening to push past her lungs.
This girl had a complete stripe of what looked like an intense burn scarring diagonally across her entire face. Not one spot showed an inch of unburned tan skin.
There was a particularly harsh zig zag of pure red cutting through the burn's center, and from there out it continued to grow slightly pinker but still just as devastating. Her entire left half of once full lips, was nearly gone and the very edge of her white teeth showed though the harmed and missing mouth area.
Below there on the burns seem to continue further down into the fur top of the cloak's buttoned up center.
Her eyes and nose somehow remained intact but the scarring still haunted their surfaces greatly.
Besides where hair had obviously had to have grown in, the tan girl had two even parts of her side hair being held in light blue tube like ringlets, and the rest of her light brown hair was pulled back in a wolftail.
At least it all had regrown over the entire scaring of the back of her head it seemed. But she still looked horrifying, and Asami couldn't help but wonder how this poor girl was still alive.
Swallowing the fear rippled through her being, Asami gave a weak smile.
"Y-you have a deal."
"NO ASAMI!"
Hiroshi called out for his daughter to reconsider, as the last of the girl's energy gave in and she fell down at his cell door side clutching onto the man's hand like a life line.
All the while, the tan girl moved to exit the room and summon someone to fetch the old prisoner's car.
Resetting her hood, Korra allowed a single tear to fall from her eye as she left the dungeon tower.
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