"Korra where are you hiding?!" Asami called loudly as she searched the bushes along side the house. She and Korra had gotten up early that morning and had been playing hide and seek in the garden all day. Korra was very good at hiding, and Asami was very good at seeking; but now Asami was getting hungry and she didn't want to play anymore.
"Asami who are you yelling for?" Her father asked poking his head out the window unhappily. Asami looked up at her father with a bright smile, not really acknowledging that her father was not in the best of moods.
"I'm looking for Korra daddy, she's my new friend." Asami said and then sprang into a bush where she proceeded to giggle and whisper.
"Asami Sato come out of the bush right now, and bring you're little friend as well!" Her father said getting even angrier.
Asami's head appeared, this time she noticed the way her father spoke. She pulled herself out of the bush and acted as those she was tugging someone after her. "Don't be shy Korra meet my father. Daddy this is Korra, she's a star." Asami said pushing some invisible being forward.
Hiroshi Sato was not one to be given over to the fancy of flight. He didn't like things that weren't tangible, things he couldn't fix with his tools and his brains; his daughter was one of those things he couldn't seem to fix. He knew she'd been hurting, that she was lonely and needed someone; but all the tools in his garage couldn't fix the broken heart her mother's death had created. But this was too much, he couldn't let his daughter move into a realm of fantasy.
"Asami there is no one there, and there never will be. Learn to grow up Asami, it's better that way." He said and closed the window. Hiroshi's wife's death had created a black spot in his heart, one that he couldn't seem to get out of. He'd always been a friendly man, full of life and joy; but that had crashed down around him when his soul mate had died.
He didn't want to see his daughter waste her time imagining some person who wasn't real, she needed to learn now before someone hurt her; like his wife had hurt him. Hiroshi closed the window, his eyes momentarily caught on the shadow of pain that crossed his daughters face, but he convinced himself he was doing what was right; he just wanted to protect her.
"Korra why didn't he see you?" Asami asked as she and her tan friend made their way over to the shade of a tree. Korra plopped down and smiled at Asami.
"Because I'm you're star. See I fell from up there and I'm only a little thing now. But one day I'll be big and strong!" Korra said jumping up and flexing her arms, making small muscles appear. Asami sat down and listened wide eyed as she Korr continued. "But till I get bigger and stronger only you and other people your age can see me. But one day you're dad will see me too! And I'll tell him that you and me are going to be together forever!" Korra said sitting down and tackling Asami with a hug.
Asami fell over into the ground with a laugh and the girls wrestled for a few minutes before Asami's nurse maid called her in for lunch. "Should I not tell grown up about you then?" Asami asked as she stood up and dusted herself off.
"Nope don't tell them, I'll share everything with you instead! It'll be like we're keeping a big secret, just you and me." Korra whispered as Asami passed her a piece of her sandwich. Asami nodded with a smile and they sat in silence and ate.
For the next few weeks things stayed the same, every morning Korra and Asami would wake up and start playing some game; Hiroshi would hear them and tell Asami to grow up, and each night Asami would cry as she listened to her mother's music box.
A month passed before anything really happened, and the incident shook Asami to her core. Hiroshi was coming out of his study when he heard his daughter laughing in the library. He peeked in with a smile, thinking she was reading some book and enjoying her leisure time. What he found was Asami standing in the middle of a giant fort hugging a girl….that wasn't really there.
Hiroshi could see the reflection of the girl in a mirror, but when he looked at his daughter he saw nothing. "Asami!" Hiroshi yelled walking in. "What did I tell you! Grow up! You can't live in a dream world, its time to stop playing this childish game and learn to be mature. Clean up this mess and go to your room, you're grounded." Hiroshi yelled and walked out.
Asami watched her father go with a horrified look. "He's never yelled like that before." She said softly as her eyes began to water. Korra put an arm around her and Asami turned and wrapped her arms around her completely. "Why is he so mad? I don't understand all I did was play with you." Asami sobbed.
Korra patted her back soothingly, there wasn't anything else she could do. "I think he's sad too." Korra said softly once Asami had calmed down some.
"What? You mean he's sad like me? Why doesn't he make a wish on his star?" Asami asked pulling away and wiping at her nose. Korra looked thoughtful as she started to clean up the mess they'd made wit the fort.
"Well see big people don't make wishes on stars anymore, and if stars are found on earth bad things can happen. Bad people will take us and make us fight for them. Grown up people don't see things like you Asami. You're very special." Korra said giving her friend a smile.
"I'm special?" She asked as she started cleaning as well. "Why am I special? What makes me more special than any other kid like me?" She asked as she folded a blanket. Korra paused and looked at her.
"Well I only know a little bit, you're going to invent something very important. I don't know what it is but you are very important to the future, which is why I came. I want you to have the best, and to do all the things the grown up stars said you could. But your heart was getting sad, and if it had gotten sadder you might not have fulfilled your destiny." Korra said and they finished and walked out of the room.
"Oh….well then you're extra special because you're my special star!" Asami said taking Korra's hand as they walked down the hall to her room. Korra beamed and puffed up her chest.
"I'll be your super-star-best-friend-protector-of all time!" She said going and jumping onto the bed as they came into Asami's room. Asami laughed and nodded before jumping onto the bed as well.
"Yeah! And I'll be super-inventor-best-friend-of all time! And if anyone messes with us we can HEYA! Them!" Asami said jumping up and making a kicking motion. The girls broke into a fit of giggles before laying down and talking about their super futures and falling asleep. Asami's sleep was not peaceful though. She had nightmares of a man in a mask coming and taking Korra away from her, and when she woke in the middle of the night she reached out and took Korra's hand for reassurance.