Chapter 2

Merely hours had passed since The Duke had ripped Toph's heart right out of her chest and tore it to pieces. The leftover bits were scattered on the floor, metaphorically of course. For the longest time, Toph sat alone in the dark, wondering what just happened.

He said he loved me. He said we'd be together forever. Why would he just let my father's words affect him so much?! Why did my father even have an affect on him!? Why did my father feel the need to stick his nose in my business anyways?! Did The Duke lie to me? What do I do now? she thought to herself.

There was only one thing to do now. She stood up from her isolated seat and went into the kitchen. She dug around in the wooden cabinets until she found it. She popped the cork on some Fire Sake. She tossed the liquid back and downed it. There was no way she could cope without her alcohol.

The Duke wandered the streets for hours with his head down and his hands shoved into his pockets. He felt a great amount of guilt, but an even greater amount of loss, as he repeatedly though of Toph's hurt expression. I'm the blind one, yet you're the one who can't see that I love you. Her words echoed inside of him with no end. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, because of his frustration. Frustrated not at her, but at himself. He balled up his fists and let his thoughts get to him. You're so pathetic! You can't protect her...not like she needs it. No, thats not it...You can't make her happy...you can't you're not a man. She'll find someone else. She'll find- The Duke stopped in his tracks and his frustration accumulated into anger. She doesn't need you. No she doesn't because she'll find someone else. She will. Knowing Toph she'll- Finally, he let all his anger out and slammed his fist into the nearest lamppost. A sharp pain ran up through his wrist and he pulled away with a hiss. He looked down at his hand and tried to move his fingers. With a huff of defeat, he decided to seek out some help.

The Duke arrived in front of Pipsqueak's apartment and with his good hand he knocked on the door hoping for someone to answer. The Duke heard heavy footsteps and soon the door opened slightly with someone looking through.

"The Duke?" Pipsqueak asked in confusion.

"Yeah...hey uh I need your help Pip," The Duke replied looking down on the ground.

The door shut for a moment, but soon re-opened. The Duke entered with his injured hand clutched to his chest. The Pipsqueak took instant notice. "What happened to you?" he asked as he shut the door. The Duke, unable to meet his best friend's eyes, continued to stare at the ground. He sat on a chair and sighed deeply. "I broke up with Toph," he replied barely audible.

The sun woke The Duke up. He sat up and looked around the living room. The couch he had slept on for the past two nights was starting to hurt his lower back. Groaning, he got up and folded his blanket. He made his way to the kitchen to start making some breakfast for himself and Pipsqueak, who was kind enough to let him stay with him until he could find himself another place and offered him medical help. He wrapped his hand for him, as well. Today he was due back at work. He, thankfully, had the past two days off, but now it was time for him to man up and face the decision he made. He just hoped that Toph would be mature about this.

Work was hell. She had to swallow all her emotions and continue on as if nothing had happened. What made things easier for her was the fact that The Duke had two days in a row off. However, now he was due back to work and she knew that everyone was about to find out what had happened. Toph decided she was just going to ignore The Duke and continue on.

When The Duke entered the building, all eyes were on him. He felt like the entire force was staring at him as if he had murdered someone. He took his seat at his desk and went through some of the report files, trying to occupy himself before his thoughts took a hold of his mind once again.

"So what exactly did you do?" Smellerbee asked as she sat on his desk.

He looked up at her and felt guilt rip through him. He didn't think Toph would have told anyone so soon, let alone Smellerbee, but he figured there was no getting around it now. With a sigh, he cleared his throat and spoke up. "I did what had to be done."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, looking down at him like he was crazy. "I mean your hand, idiot."

"Oh," he said softly, letting out a sigh of relief. So maybe Toph hadn't told anyone. "I, uh, had an accident."

"That's not what Pip told me," she taunted. "You're not fooling anyone, Duke. What happened?"

He shrugged. "You should probably get back to work before the Chief yells at you."

"The Chief? Uh, yeah, okay. Whatever you say." She hopped down off of his desk and went to talk with her partner, Longshot.

The Duke knew that if this was how the day was going to start, it was going to be a long, difficult day. So, he threw himself into his work immediately. It was the best kind of distraction… That was until Toph entered the room, reminding everyone about today's meeting. How could he forget? This had been planned for months!

Ah great. Just what I need. A painful meeting with everyone in one room. The worst part is, I have to sit next to her. Crap. he thought to himself as he looked for his memos for the meeting. What was the meeting even about again? Oh yeah! Fighting crime more efficiently and getting on the good side of the media. That proved to be more and more difficult with their current force. All the females weren't exactly the kindest, most cheerful people. Then the majority of the boys were quiet and reserved. The media viewed them all as bad, corrupt cops, despite the fact that their intentions were to keep the city safe.

The Duke rushed out of the meeting room. He had had enough of that. The meeting was painfully drawn out and no one spoke to anyone. It was almost like the entire force had a break up. Toph had briefed them on how to more effectively handcuff perpetrators without it looking too inhumane and as she spoke, she never once looked at The Duke. He felt ignored and isolated from everyone else.

He retreated back to his desk and went through his paperwork. After a couple hours, he felt overwhelmed with it. Standing up, he made his way to the employee's lounge for a break to help clear his mind. He glanced outside and was surprised by how late it was. At least the day was coming to an end. It was all smooth sailing from here, or so he thought.

A/N

Mako and Maho here! Thanks to all for being so supportive! (Shout out to Kai who questioned "Mako?" "Maho?" it will always be both. Until next time:)