AN: HELLO MY LOVELIES! SO… UH… YEAH… IT'S BEEN A WHILE. I'VE JUST HAD A LOT GOING ON INCLUDING BEING AN ESSENTIAL WORKER, BEING BACK IN PARALEGAL SCHOOL TO GET OUT OF BEING AN ESSENTIAL WORKER… AND NOW I HAVE A KITTEN…
AND OH YEAH I MAYBE… PROBALY… DEFINITELY ACCIDENTLY THROWN OUT THE NOTE BOOK I WAS WRITING THE SSTORY IN.
SO THERE'S THAT.
THANK GOD I TYPED A GOOD CHUNK OF THIS CHAPTER BECAUSE I SWEAR TO GOD….
ANYWAY…
BUT SINCE WHEN HAVE I LET MINOR STUFF LIKE THAT STOP ME?
WITHOUT FURTHER OR DUE I GIVE YOU CHAPTER ONE! PLEASE ENJOY AND PRETTY PLEASE REVIEW!
DISCLAIMER: LISTEN YOU GUYS… I DON'T OWN AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER OR LEGOND OF KORRA. I CAN'T DRAW IF MY LIFE DEPENDED ON IT AND I WAS ONLY 10 WHEN THE SHOW CAME OUT SSSOO :P ALSO I DON'T OWN THE SONG I GOT THE INSPIRATION FOR THE STORY TITLE- "HEART OF STONE"-IT'S FROM THE FABULOUS MUSICAL SIX. I DON'T OWN THE SONG TITLE I USED FOR THIS CHAPTER TITLE-LIGHT WEIGHT-BUT AS A GAME YOU'LL HAVE TO GEUSS WHO THE SONG IS BY.
~CHAPTER ONE~
~LIGHTWEIGHT~
"What is the status on the Huang gang?" Toph barked, sitting tall and erect behind her large wooden desk. The young, embarrassingly green cadet put a valiant effort into mimicking her stoic stance. No amount of effort could hide his racing blood and his pounding heart. Toph could sense it all. Had she been closer to him she could have even sensed the heat radiating from his cheeks. She could hear his clumsy fingers crinkling a piece of paper as his breath hitched.
It took every ounce of self-control for Toph not to smirk or let out a horrendous snort.
"Poor kid must be quaking in his boots." She silently mused as she cleared her throat. Her fingers curled around themselves and rested under her chin. Her milky eyes bore him down, and she could only imagine his squirming figure growing tighter as the seconds ticked.
"I'm waiting Officer Chen." She drawled. The young officer jumped, papers fumbling in his clammy fingers.
"Yes Chief my apologies Chief." Chen paused, clearing his throat and straightening the papers in his hands.
"They've either been very quiet or have gone way underground. We've been keeping an eye on them, even having plain clothed officers scout their usual stomping grounds. There's been a suspicious drop in activity… an alarming drop."
Toph leaned back in her chair and nodded. She brought her pale, surprisingly dainty fingers to her lips, letting the information settle in her head.
The Huang Gang had, once upon a time, started as a group of misfit benders. They were down on their luck and had resorted to menacing the public to survive. Such activities including robbing, mugging… the usual illegal tom foolery. There was a disturbing darkness to their malice though. It was all tinged with the taste of hatred and vengeance. Even in their early disjointed early days their favorite targets had been fire benders and above all, non benders.
Toph felt her stomach drop. It seemed no matter how hard she, Aang, Zuko or anyone tried the rift between benders and non-benders refused to give way. Toph mercifully had bene able to contain the band of unhinged troublemakers, even as they grew and ever more coordinated.
How she had managed to underestimate them to such an alarming degree Toph would never know. Right under her nose the Huang's ballooned into the largest, most systematic crime organization in Republic City. Their childish days of malice and menacing had dissented into terrorizing. The horror they inspired reach far and wide, stitching their way into the fabric of every citizens life. They lurked in the shadows, struck with no mercy and vanished with the wind back into the darkness.
Toph could only sigh and marvel at how much of a pain in her ass the Huang's had become.
"Alarming is right." Toph conceited, her pretty features screwing with aggravation. "It could mean nothing, but I don't trust them for one second. They're up to something and up to something big. Continue to send plain clothed officers under cover. We have to figure out what they're doing and stop them before they can do it-understood?"
"Yes chief!" Chen barked with a click of his heels and a stiff salute.
"Good. Now one more thing-what time is it?" There was a pause as Chen's black eyes glanced to the lonely clock hanging on the wall.
A strange piece of décor for a blind woman, he noted.
"It's 3:30."
"Oh man!" Toph cried, leaping out of her chair. "I need to go." Officer Chen hurdled towards the wall, his face twisted with incredulity.
"If I may be permitted, why are you leaving so early?" He asked, gawking at her as she bustled towards the door. "It's not like you."
"I promised Avatar Aang and Katara I would come meet their new baby." She said, whisking past him to reach the doorknob.
"Don't forget to tell Sargent Suzuki my orders-or else."
"Punishment?" Chen gulped.
"Big time." She dead panned, swinging the door open. "Have a good day." Toph cried in an eerily high, sing-song voice that sent a chill down the young officer's spine. She left Chen frozen in the office, pale faced and gaping.
"I don't get paid enough for this…"
Top marched her way through the familiar halls of headquarters. Though she was demure in stature, she cut a striking figure as she strode towards the exit. Her strong, petite frame was covered in a heavy suit. It shined and gleamed in spite of the garish indoor lighting. She kept her coal colored mane twisted in a large, moon shaped bun. Jagged bangs framed her elegant alabaster features. Those features were always hard and stubborn, much like the Earth she wielded with such deadly force.
Combined with her rank, it was no surprise she was given a wide berth. Every soul he passed would greet her with a bow of the head and a curt, "Chief Beifong."
Toph would return the deference with a short nod, ignoring the pit in her stomach.
It never mattered to how many years she had the lofty position, or how many years she would continue to serve. It never mattered that she had chosen this life-or that she reveled in the simplicity of being known as chief. The extreme deference made Toph's skin crawl. It was so grand secret that her lives greatest passion was ordering others around and commanding respect. In fact, if Toph had been completely honest with herself, nothing on Earth gave her such a thrill and joy.
And yet….
It was one thing to bark drills at a bunch of children her own age.
It was thing to be called "Sifu Toph".
"Chief" was another monster entirely.
Had she known she was signing up to a life of distance and cold formality she would have slapped Aang and Zuko upside the head for even suggesting she be Chief Toph Beifong.
They were desperate and she…
No matter. Toph huffed as she reconciled with the notion of another conversation explaining the difference between respect and kow towing.
Two of her closest friends had brought new life into this world, and Toph would be damned if she didn't get to meet him.
"Leaving already Chief Beifong?" A small voice chirped. Toph moved her head to the sound of the mousey voice. She flashed a grin at the timid girl who manned the receptionist desk.
"Yup. I'm heading over to Air Temple Island."
"Ooohhh!" The woman squealed. Toph could hear the ear-splitting smile in her voice. She bit her bottom lips, stifling a snicker of her own.
"Are you going to meet the new baby?" She asked.
"I am." Toph exclaimed, her face splitting into a beam. The secretary sighed a dreamy, doe eyed sigh. Toph could easily imagine her eyes fluttering and a far off look on her face as she imagined a baby of her own.
"I'm so happy for them. Babies are just the most wonderful thing, aren't they?"
Toph stiffened, her hands clasping behind her back. She twisted and fiddled with them, attempting to ignore her racing heart and the hole in her chest. She prayed her blazing cheeks hadn't turned a beat red.
"Ah…. Yeah sure. Kids are pretty great." Toph nodded. She could feel those soft, childish eyes bearing down on her, waiting for her to say something, anything.
"She must be new… great." Toph groaned, beginning to rock on her heels. The air grew heavy as the secretary continued to beam and Toph rocked on her heels, her milky eyes darting all around the open lobby.
"Do you ever"
"Well would you look at the time! I gotta go home and change before I miss the ferry. I'll see you tomorrow… uuuhhh….. uhhhh….
"Sakura…"
"Oh right Sakura! Sorry about that hun." Toph spun on the palm of her feet and dashed out the door into the sunlight. She left another soul gawking, blinking and utterly baffled in her wake.
"What just happened?"
Toph's air of authority refused to melt, even in the bright late May sun. Her shoulders remained erect, her head held high and her steps measured. It didn't matter that the smooth sidewalk threatened to char her bare feet, or that the sun seemed hell bent on boiling her alive in her metal uniform. While she was on the streets the people would know who she was, and that she was always there.
Still… her esteemed position and respect she commanded didn't mean Toph couldn't enjoy herself.
Toph released her twirling fingers and hung her arms lose by her side. Her skilled hands naturally went to her hips. Her posture slowly withered as the sun warmed her face. She sucked a deep breath, letting the sweet air fill her lungs.
No matter how much Toph would have wanted to, she could never take in her beloved Republic City. She could never see the buildings creeping towards the sky. She could never witness the people bustling around her, creating new lives for themselves. She couldn't even view the streets beneath her bare feet or the sapphire sky above her.
Yet the Chief of Police couldn't help but grin. She may not have been able to see the fruits of her labor; but they were all around her as she moved through the streets she knew so well.
She could hear the voices swirling around her, many of them filled with laughter and airy join despite what hid in the shadows. She could hear horses and carriages clacking down the road, the beasts scent wafting in her nose. She heard the merchants bellowing and children screeching with delight. The sweet scent of flowers and late spring air trickled her nose.
Toph's lips curled into a triumphant, cocky smirk. The signs of a well fought, well-earned peace was all around her. It didn't matter she couldn't see the results of her tireless efforts. She could smell it, she could hear it and she could feel it in the earth beneath her feet.
It was enough to make Toph puff out her chest. The Huang's be damned. She had help forge a new era of love and peace with her own two hands and no one would take that from her. She let out a contented sigh as she rounded the corner to her apartment. Her heart began to flutter as she opened the door, her stomach flipping and twisting. She felt her cheeks flush as she weaved through the halls, her fingers tingled with anticipation.
"I hope he's home." She thought, curling her fingers around the smooth doorknob and twisting it open.
"Hello?" Toph cried, stepping into the doorway. There was beat of silence, making Toph's chest tight. She held her breath, waiting for the sound she so desperately longed to hear.
"I'm in the bedroom!" A melodic tenor cried. Toph's heart exploded with sheer bliss, her lips twisting in an ear to ear grin. She dashed towards the bedroom and let the door slam behind her. She could feel her cheeks flushing as her feet pounded on the hard floor.
Toph bounded into the door frame. She slammed her foot hard on the floor, allowing her to take in the outline of the sparse, open bedroom. Her lips curled when she saw a thin figure sitting crossed legged in the middle of a large bed. His shoulders were hunched over what she could only assume was a well-loved sketch book.
"Whatcha doing there Kanto?" She asked. Kanto's thin lips curled at the corners, his eyes twinkling with satisfaction.
"Drawing. What else would I be doing?"
"Oh I don't know." Toph mused, slinking towards the bed. She took her spot next to him, snaking her arm around his shoulder and pulling him in close. She ran her fingers through his silky, ebony waves. Kanto chuckled, placing his lips against her temple.
"Okay what's going on? You're home early and you're being oddly affectionate."
"What are you talking about? I'm always loving and affectionate!" Toph retorted, kissing his high cheek bone.
"Uh huh you keep telling yourself that. Now spill-what's gotten into you?" Kanto questioned.
"There's nothing to spill Mr. Fancy Pants. It's a beautiful day, and I finally get to go meet Aang and Katara's baby."
Kanto groaned, twisting his frame out of Toph's arms. His hazel eyes turned back to his sketch, his face twisting with disgust. Toph leaned back, her blood turning cold at his hateful moan.
"Good lord how many does that make-20?!" He exclaimed, rolling his eyes.
"Three. They have three!" Toph snapped. She rose her hand and smacked the back of his head. "Don't be such a smart ass about it."
"They're trying to rebuild and entire culture you jack ass" The words staid firmly in her thoughts, though the burned hotter than any flame.
"Yeah well you don't need to be so violent!" He moaned, holding his smarting skull. Besides three kids is three kids too many if you ask me." Kanto claimed as he smoothed the back of his head. Toph stood, crossing her arms as she made her way to her closet. With a flick of her wrist and outstretched arms her metal armor flung off, clashing into place. She was left with her black pants and a plain snowy white tank top that clung to her figure.
Despite the thick, moist air Toph was chilled to the bone. The bliss she felt had vanished, being replaced with hallow numbness and a bitter taste in her mouth.
"I guess that's one way you could look at it." Toph muttered.
"It's the only way to look at it!" Kanto cried, throwing his pencil to the bed. "They can and all… I guess but they're loud and annoying and just plain disgusting. They ruin lives. I don't understand how they can have so many."
Toph froze, her finger hovering over her favorite emerald top. Her heart thudded and sputtered. A hard lump formed in her throat. She swallowed that lump along with the shock and awe tearing at her.
"I didn't realize you felt so strongly about kids Kanto." Toph's thin fingers encased the soft fabric, whipping it off the hanger and slinging it on to her shoulders.
"Well it's not like I've tried to hide it. I just think they're not worth it. Besides I'm not really the paternal type." He paused, turning his attention back to Toph. He eyed her with growing suspicion as she wrapped the emerald shirt around her frame.
"And since when do you care? You're not exactly the maternal type Toph."
Toph felt her heart fall straight to her stomach. That horrid, cold numbness enveloped her once more.
"I could be…. If I tried"
"No I'm not." Toph consented, sniching a belt at her waist. "But Aang and Katara are my best friends and I promised I would meet him."
There was also another, silent reason why she was going. There was a soul who needed her to keep his pieces together and keep him moving forward.
"Yeah yeah I get it. Just don't get any ideas when you're over there." Kanto quipped, his lips grinning and his eyes laughing. "The last thing we need is a screaming gremlin, right?"
Toph's shoulders went rigid and the air escaped her lungs. She stood motionless; her eyes glued to the closet. Her fingers balled into fist as the wheels in her head began to turn.
Much as she hated to admit it Kanto was right.
He was not the parental type. For all of his kindness, grand gestures and dazzling words he was far from stable. He was as free as the wind, flitting and floating to his next grand adventure with only his sketch book in hand. On the one hand Toph never minded. She was thrilled by the unending collection of stories he brought back with him. She loved the rush of anticipation of his return, or how he would take her hand and trace her fingers against his drawings. This always led to him kissing each knuckle, then her arm, then her neck and lips…
Needless to say, his returns were joyful in more ways than one.
Yet Toph despised Kanto for always flying away. No matter how she shoved her need indepence down his or any mortals throat, no matter how much the idea of a lifelong commitment resembled a ball and chains she still loathed it. She loathed how cold her bed was. She longed for his arms around hers, to feel his heartbeat against her back and his breath against her neck. She despised how he left her with nothing but her thoughts and utter silence. Kanto would never buckle down in one place and find a job that required actual talent or effort. He would never be the kind of man to change diapers in the dead of night or cuddle a wailing child back to sleep. Sleep, he claimed, was vital to the creative process and heaven help anyone who would disrupt his creative process. He would never want to have a child on his lap or a story in his hands.
More to the point, Kanto would never be the kind of man Aang or Zuko were. For all their flaws-and there were many-they had proven to be beautiful and loving fathers.
Though it was hard to admit, Kanto was also right in his assessment of her character. Toph was not the kind of woman to cuddle or sing lullabies. She was never a loving or nurturing person like Katara. Toph was loud, Toph was crude and she was all hard earth and rocky edges. She never had that ache or longing to have a tiny soul of her own to care for. The idea strangled her like a noose her neck. She could never give up her hard-fought independence and freedom-not until she drew her very last gasp of air. Then there was the unavoidable fact her job could steal her life at any moment.
What kind of life would that be for a child-a father was never around and never cared, and a mother who could be taken away at any time, and with a soul too hard to truly love?
No. Children had never been and would never be in the picture for her. Toph would be content with being the fun-loving Aunt who spoiled the children, wreaked havoc, filled their blood with all their sugar their hearts desired and vanish.
And yet… with each passing child her friends had a hole grew in her heart and only got bigger and bigger. It was dark, empty and dead. The only way that vast, frozen hole could begin to heal was if she was holding her friends' children or heard them laugh. Only then would she feel a spark deep within her soul, something that made her want to never let go of the warmth in her arms. She wanted to be surrounded by that ecstatic, heartwarming laughter. She craved those little hands pawing at her face or their warm weight against her chest.
Toph was only 31, and Kanto was 32. There was still a chance….
Toph shook those thoughts out of her head and buried them deep in the depths of her soul. She mindlessly pulled down the hem of her shirt before turning to face Kanto. Her lips were parted in a tight, waxy smile.
"You got that right fancy pants!" Toph chirped. Kanto beamed back at her, oblivious to the war raging in her head. Toph strode forward slowly, her hips swishing in the sunlight. She took his thin, soft face in her cores. They stared deep into each other's eyes; one pair a sunny hazel and one pair a clouded emerald. He snaked his arms around her waist and tugged her close to his chest.
"You're all I ever need Toph." Kanto breathed, sliding his hands up and down the dip of her waist and her hips. Despite her screaming thoughts and the ever-growing hole in her heart, Toph dug her nails into her hair and pressed his lips against hers. She refused to move until her lungs were weeping for air, praying that he would be enough to fill that ugly hole.
It only felt colder and painfully bitter as Toph went back into the sunlight.