I decided to do a little rewrite of this story and slightly change the focus. I hope you like it and I'll make sure to update when I can. I own nothing.

Republic City was probably the most advanced city in the world in just about every area one can think of, from culture to technology and everything in-between.

It also happened to be advanced in crime rates as well. From an outsider-looking-in perspective, Republic City seemed to be as perfect as a city could get. People from all over the world poured in every day in hopes of starting a new life. However, those that had been in the city for many years saw what Republic City really was.

Robberies, turf wars, murders, and all manners of grotesque crimes beyond what the healthy human mind can imagine. The dark underbelly of the city.

"The Real Republic City." I read out-loud from the newspaper. It seemed that the press was desperate for more revenue and had decided to expand on a fact that practically everyone had knowledge of, whether it be first-hand experience or second-hand accounts.

"Don't remind me. I know what everyone's saying. And honestly, I can't blame them."

Even the most hardened crime-fighters needed to relax once in a while. Plenty of cops had been where Toph was determined not to go. Drugs and booze, the deadly duo that ended the careers of many an aspiring policeman.

"It's been like, twenty minutes, Toph. Can't you just slow down?" She needed to slow down. She was already nearly done with her Soju.

"Fuck off." She retorted as she downed the remaining alcohol in the glass.

Well, at least she stayed away from drugs.

"Don't you have to work tomorrow?"

"Trust me, I'll be fine. We both know this isn't gonna be the most I've put away in a single night. You remember when we finally got the whole gang together last month?"

I suppressed a groan and I could see her expression change. It didn't take her long to realize she fucked up by talking about it. I guess alcohol really does loosen the tongue.

But why did that have to come up? "Not really, but look at it this way; neither did anyone else."

What I did remember though, was being alone with Toph near the end of the night, both drunk out of our minds and our clothes had somehow disappeared into thin air. If one had somehow gained knowledge of the little incident and pressed the matter, they'd hear a story about how I fell on top of Toph and "accidentally" landed inside her in all entrances that were humanly possible.

Which to be fair, wouldn't be a false account.

"Look, meathead. It was just a one-off."

Of course she knew where my mind was. "Wait, what? I didn't say anything!"

"You were thinking it, though."

Oh my Spirits, not this shit again."No, I wasn't!" I snapped back.

Toph simply tapped her feet in response. "Human lie detector, remember?"

Son of a bitch. Sokka, you fucking idiot."Alright, so I do think about it. So what, Toph? Don't tell me you haven't thought about it too. I'm no human lie detector, but you can't fool me!" This seemed to shut her up for a moment. That's not something a lot of guys can brag about. "It's been a month. Can't we just forget it ever happened?"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!"

Fucking women… There's just no way to win in this situation. Might as well accept it. I got up from the chair and started towards her door. "It's late, and we both have to work tomorrow. Let's just forget this conversation happened and call it a night, Toph."

She let out an all-too-audible sigh as she waved me out. "Fine. Sounds good. See you later, Meathead."

Neither of us were going to be able to just forget that conversation, just like we wouldn't be able to forget the fact that we fucked, despite at the time being filled with a magical elixir called alcohol that supposedly makes you forget things.

By the way, you want to know what I love about long walks home? Solace. You get to look up and see Republic City's bright lights all around you as you're walking down the city sidewalks, and when you get far enough away from all that and into the park, you can look up to the stars now that they have no competition from the lights of the city. It's probably my favorite place to go to when I want to remove myself from everything for a little while. You know what I hate about sitting on a park bench at midnight while looking up at the moon and stars? Your mind has no choice but to wander. Of course, the first thing it wandered to was my little failed fling with Suki. Like always when I sat there alone, the sounds of the city started to fade into the background.

Oh, Suki. I thought you were the one. I really, really did. But I guess saving the world together and busting you out of the Boiling Rock just wasn't enough of a bonding experience now, was it? No, you had to go and fuck some random lowlife and when I walked in; he pulled out of you, and you pulled out the same excuse you always did.

"You never paid any attention to me! You're always consumed by your work! Why can't you slow down so we can start a family?"

The worst part is that she was one hundred percent right. I did neglect her and our relationship, and we were growing apart for a very long time. I just wasn't being the man I was supposed to be.

But damn, it sure hurt seeing her with another man in my bed. You could've at least just taken him back to your place. I guess my bed was just more comfortable than hers. I did pay good money for that whole setup, after all. Money that was wasted when I decided to get rid of it after that whole ordeal.

Don't worry, I went out and got a much more comfortable bed. One that I'm sure she'd really wish she could fuck another man in. Take that, Suki.

There I go again. Got to remember my breathing exercises. Ten deep breaths, and her memory started to fade. Works like a charm every time. Until my mind drifted to the woman whose house I was just at.

I don't know how all that happened. I guess you could say there always was something between us. I remember her little childhood crush on me years ago. Those were good times. Only it seems it didn't just fade into the years that came like it normally does. That, and it took alcohol for anything to really happen. You know what they say, a drunk person's words and actions are a sober person's thoughts, and I don't recall her voicing any opposition to what we were doing.

I know that the best thing to do is forget about it and move on, but I think we both knew in our hearts that just wasn't going to happen.

Let's just say that if in some make-believe world I was under oath with a truth-seer right there, and Suki's life depended on whether or not I told the absolute truth, I would say that I had completely forgotten about the whole ordeal and that I didn't wish I was sober and could remember every little detail about that night.

I looked down at my watch and saw that I had been just sitting there for almost an hour. Funny how time flies when you're sitting on a park bench alone recounting your life.

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There's no better way to start your morning than listening to some idiot grandstand about inequality between benders and nonbenders. Why did Councilman Hoshi think it was a good idea to let random citizens just come in and bring their ideas to the council? Why was I dumb enough to agree to it? Why couldn't we just go back to reviewing letters from the people like we used to? Sometimes they brought in legitimate ideas, but most times it gave complete morons a platform to voice their thoughts. But I guess when you only have maybe five thoughts a week, you might as well let everyone know what they are. It's days like this that really make me want to start bringing in a flask to work.

"Why aren't you doing anything about the inequality between benders and nonbenders?" The man said indignantly. "My son couldn't get a job at the powerplant just because he couldn't shoot lightning from his fingertips! This is unacceptable!"

I feel you, buddy. If I could shoot lighting from my fingertips, I know exactly who my first target would be right now. Your son didn't get turned down because they hate nonbenders, he got turned down because he should've applied for another job someplace else that didn't literally require the ability to generate lightning. It even said right on the application that you need that ability. It's kind of useful at a job like that.

In all honesty I felt his pain. My sister, Katara is able to move water with her mind. You know what I was doing while she was shooting icicles at people during the War? I was trying to beat them with a club. You want to know how I compensated for that? I became the greatest swordsman who ever lived. Well, there was Zuko, I guess. But he was across the ocean probably sitting through the exact same kinds of mind-numbing meetings I was.

"You benders have been privileged for far too long!"

This was just getting to be too much. Time to put on my Head Councilman hat and speak to him like I actually gave two shits about what he was saying. "With all due respect, sir, all of us on this council are nonbenders. Myself included. In this city, in this world, we have benders and non-benders. Some jobs are better-suited for benders, and others are better suited for nonbenders."

"What jobs are better suited for nonbenders that a bender can't do?"

It took me everything I had to not fly across the room and go for his neck. Did he even know what he was asking? What are we supposed to do, take their bending away? We've got a better chance of getting rid of the entire class system that has existed since the beginning of society.

"What would you like me to do?" I said to him. "You've spent an hour telling us your concerns. What solution would you propose to help us solve this problem?"

Jackpot. He looked like he had been punched in the gut, and I didn't even have to get out of my chair to actually do it. "Well—I mean, I don't know. Isn't that your job…?"

On second thought, I might just have to let my chair get cold for a while. "You know what? You're right. I'll get together with my council members and we'll figure something out. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. This meeting is now adjourned." I said as I banged my gavel. How I wish that gavel could be banged against something else right now.

I was not in the mood to speak to any of the other council members, I was not in the mood to do anything except maybe kill Hoshi for convincing me to just give anyone in Republic City an audience at City Hall.

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When I finally got home I collapsed on the couch. That was all I did the entire day was waste time listening to people say the same things over and over again. But on the bright side, it was Friday night and I didn't have to work the next day. Normally that meant I would go to Toph's house and we'd get drunk together, but after what had happened the night before I decided to take a raincheck on that.

Alone once again. It was a beautiful summer evening with not a cloud to be seen. Despite all the crime and everything else, Republic City always looked nice this time of year. Plenty of people would be dating and fucking and everything else in between. But not me tonight. I had more important things to pursue in my time off.

I opened my liquor cabinet and as always, it was fully stocked. I had the house to myself and no one to bother me. I'd be able to completely forget about Toph and Suki and everyone and everything else.

But I can't help but wonder what Toph is doing now. If I know her, probably the exact same thing I'm about to do.

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There's plenty of things to complain about when it comes to getting older. One thing that really stuck out then was the fact that I started getting hangovers.

I woke up on my couch alone, just like the night before, with a pounding headache. Nothing really seemed out of place other than a few bottles strewn about. Oh, and I really, really wanted to die that morning.

Most that never imbibe have a completely wrong idea of what happens when you get drunk alone. They picture some fat slob destroying himself and whatever environment he happens to be in, and then leaving a big mess in the morning to clean up when he finally comes to his senses. It's not like that at all, at least not for the functional ones. To be honest it's pretty uneventful. However, it didn't exactly do much to quiet the thoughts that helped drive me to drink in the first place.

Thoughts of Toph Beifong. A natural beauty, both inside and out…

It wasn't until I started thinking of her when I realized I felt strangely…drained. Not mentally, but physically and in a specific part of my body.

My eyes then drifted to a large stain on the floor that definitely wasn't piss. Then they drifted to a small pile of paper towels not too far away that never got used for some strange reason. Great. I felt like a teenager all over again. So much for not leaving a big mess. I purged all thoughts of Toph out of my mind at that moment. Time to start my day. Oh, joy.

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Now what? Should I call her?

No, you idiot. What if she's asleep? She's mad at you as it is, you want to make it worse?

Stop being a pussy. Call her. Find a way to make things right.

I was there at the phone for ten minutes debating in my head whether or not to call her. And every good reason I found to call, I managed to come up with two or three reasons as to why I shouldn't. It's funny how certain people can make you feel like a pubescent little kid all over again, even if they're not physically anywhere near you. And to think it was all because of one night

Fuck it. I picked up the phone, dialed her number, held the phone to my ear and it rang. It just kept ringing. Right as I was about to give up I heard her voice on the other line.

"Hello?" she said in what was most definitely her hungover voice. Trust me, I've seen her hungover enough times to know what it sounds like. She was doing the same thing as me, after all.

"Hey, Toph. It's me."

"What the hell do you think you're doing calling me this early?"

"Early? It's ten in the morning, Toph."

"I don't give two shits. You woke me up. You know I don't like getting woken up."

I decided to test the waters even more. "You've been drinking, haven't you?"

"It was a Friday night. What the fuck do you think, Sokka?"

"Since when do you call me 'Sokka?'"

"For fuck's sake, my head is screaming right now. What do you want?"

"It just so happens that my head's screaming now too, but you don't hear me bitching about it."

Silence. I got her to shut up once again. I'm getting pretty good at this. But then I remembered that was the exact opposite of the reason I even called. After a few seconds, I broke the silence with another leap of faith. Since when did I have to start calling these leaps of faith? "What do you want to do today, Toph?"

Silence again. Spirits be damned, all I did was ask you a question. But this time, she broke the silence. "I don't know yet. Definitely not go out for drinks."

"It's ten in the morning. Who in their right mind goes out drinking at this time?"

"I do, sometimes."

There's the Toph I know.

"Of course you do."

"Look, just come over in an hour or so. I need to get rid of this hangover."

"You and me both."

I hung up the phone. At least it was back to what you might call semi-normal. I looked over at my liquor cabinet. None of this would've been happening if I had just listened to Aang that night and paced myself. I wonder if he knew what was going to happen if Toph and I got drunk together. I'd like to think that we both knew what we were getting ourselves into. So why were we treating it like it was some big mistake and that we should just sweep it under the rug?

More importantly, was our lifelong friendship going to be at risk all because of one night that neither one of us could completely remember? Life's confusing.

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Every once in a while, I'll think back to when we were all traveling the world during the War all those years ago. Back then things were so simple; just us against the world. We all had a common enemy and that's what united all of us in the very beginning. Now that was all behind us, everyone went their separate ways. Toph was the only one from the old Gang that was still in Republic City. The only actual friend I had among a city of politicians, thieves, and murderers.

Yes, we did go out for drinks after all. They say that some hard liquor chases away a hangover. And by "they", I mean "Toph." I made sure I wasn't the one buying.

"Will you slow down? You're supposed to be curing a hangover, not creating another one." I said to her.

"I'm fine, Meathead. You haven't even touched your drink." She retorted. I looked down at my full glass of whisky and still didn't really feel any desire to even touch it.

"Where did you even hear that doing this would cure a hangover?"

"What difference does it make? It works for me just fine."

"Oh, that's reassuring."

"Will you fuck off already?"

I couldn't help but smile. Maybe things were starting to go back to normal. As long as the subject of our extracurricular activity together didn't come up, we'd be fine. Then I remembered that the first and last time it was brought up, we were both drinking at her house.

I knew going out for drinks was a bad idea. Maybe I should just stop drinking altogether. But then my thoughts were interrupted when I noticed my old friend was looking pretty agitated. "What is it?" I said to her. I prayed that it didn't have anything to do with what I thought it did.

"Something's wrong." She said to me.

"It's Republic City." I said flatly. "When is anything ever right?"

"No, I mean wrong wrong." She said as she got up and started walking out. I groaned and left a tip for our waitress before following Toph outside. "Toph, what are you even going on—" I was stopped dead in my tracks by what I saw in front of me.

I saw a child laying facedown in the grass probably less than 50 feet from where we were, surrounded by a crowd of people. I couldn't help but fear the worst. As we moved closer, I saw that she didn't seem to be moving at all. Almost as if he had been… paralyzed. There didn't seem to be any blood anywhere. Surrounding the child were three officers of the Metalbending Police Force. Toph broke through the crowd and was instantly recognized by her officers.

"Chief Beifong!" One of them said as they all straightened up.

"What the hell happened?" She asked. "I can feel her heartbeat. She's alive and breathing, but she isn't moving."

"Well, witnesses are saying that she was just minding her own business, when she was jumped by two adults."

"And they somehow paralyzed her?"

"Well… yes." He said. "They're saying that they used chi-blocking."

The gears in Toph's head were turning just as hard as they were in mind. Why did I get the feeling that this wasn't just a coincidence? Why did I get the feeling that there was a real motive attached to all of this?

"She was only doing a little firebending all by herself. Nothing really harmful at all, just pretty much shooting smoke from her fingertips. Then she was jumped." One of her officers said.

I thought back to yesterday's conversation with that idiot at City Hall. "You benders have been privileged for far too long!" It sounded ridiculous to draw a parallel like that, but I had seen stranger things happen in the past. I could see Toph's shoulders slump and could hear an audible sigh escape from her lips. "Alright, call for an ambulance and round up any witnesses. I want these sacks of shit found."

Even though Toph was going to have to work, that didn't mean I had to. I felt a little bad for thinking that, but it wasn't exactly my fight at the moment. She wasn't going to find them anyway. I turned around and started to walk home

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Turns out, they actually did attack the poor child just for firebending. When have my instincts ever been wrong?

She was just minding her own business, when a couple people with particular anti-bending sentiment apparently didn't approve of the fact that she was born with an ability that they weren't. So what did they decide to do? Go on about their day like anyone else would? Try and do their best to better their corner of the world in some other way?

Why no! Instead, they come to the logical conclusion that she needed to be taught a lesson for an ability that she couldn't help being born with, and chi-block her to hell.

It wouldn't have been such a big deal if it wasn't for the whole "chi-blocking" thing. That by itself raised a major red flag. Chi-blocking isn't exactly a widely taught martial art, and even fewer people have mastery over it to the point where they can completely paralyze someone. They could've stopped her breathing and killed her. That's why they regulated the martial art in the first place. So why exactly, did these two masters of chi-blocking decide to target some random firebender girl? It just didn't make any sense.

Were they trying to kill her and then messed up? Or was it their intentions to just completely paralyze her save for her breathing?

What kind of message were they trying to send? It was obvious that they hated benders, but why attack a little girl in broad daylight? To make her afraid of her bending? To make her realize that she's powerless without it? The wondering was killing me.

I most certainly will do something about this, just not as Head Councilman Sokka.

The sun was beginning to set, and Republic City was winding down. But I knew that the city was just starting to wake up. Perfect.

I walked over to my bedroom closet, took out my space sword, and inspected it carefully. Never hurts to be careful. It had been so long since I had actually used it in battle. Hopefully, things would go quietly enough to where I would have to. Then I took out a bottle of sleeping agent and a rag. I would most definitely need this. Finally, I pulled out a black mask. I would need this more than anything else.

I've always been and always will be a man of action, first and foremost. It's always been hard for me to wait for all the legal processes to convict a criminal that everyone knows is guilty. It's even harder for me to watch as they go free because of their lawyers, free to harm other innocent people like that little girl. Due Process, everyone says. Sometimes it keeps innocent people from getting convicted, sometimes it rightfully convicts the criminal, and other times it lets the wicked walk free.

Being Head Councilman has its perks, one of them being that I have access to everyone's criminal records and their mental health records, just like our esteemed Chief of Police. I had one suspect in mind.

Tanaka Pyralis. The very same person that was grandstanding about how benders were too privileged just the day before, and he lived just a few streets over. He didn't necessarily seem malicious, but I've been surprised by much more seemingly docile people. He was annoying as hell anyway, so I wouldn't feel too bad about trying to get something out of him.

You know the old saying, birds of a feather flock together. My instincts told me that he knew something. I was going to find out what it was.

I slung my sword on my back, and tucked the rest of my equipment neatly into a satchel. Time to do some digging.