A/N: This story is fun to write, but unfortunately, my other story takes up most of my writing time ^^'' Oh, and I might have to rise the rating on this because there are some direct references to some things on here, heh heh. Well hey, they ARE all adults now - married adults, might I add. Hope you enjoy! It only takes a minute or so out of your time to jot down your thoughts, and it's really wonderful for me to see that somebody is reading and liking what I'm writing. Keep the comments coming, people, I love them :]

Toph awoke the next morning alone. She didn't need to see to know that. She lay still in bed, imagining that she was staring up at the canopy, but only seeing blackness. Oro never stuck around to bid her a good morning. He never stuck around to wish her any kind of anything. Unless he wanted some pointless sex - Oro hated children - an opportunity to show her off or score some pity points for his poor, blind wife from higher-up city officials, he generally wanted nothing to do with her.

Oro was the kind of guy that insisted that any wife of his would never work. Not because he believed that women shouldn't have to work - he just didn't want other people to think that his wife had to work. Toph hated this; she loved her job before, and Oro practically forced her to quit. She had been constantly rubbing elbows with the highest-ups in the Earth Kingdom, going out for tea with the King himself, having so much gold she could literally swim in it if she saw fit. And the power - people had known who she was, glorified her when she walked down the streets, shook her hand, gave her things. She loved the adoration. Playing such a large part in ending the Hundred Year War definitely had had its perks - perks that Oro frowned upon. People still loved her, recognized her, and willed her to go back into office, of course. But that only happened when Oro wasn't home - he didn't like his wife wandering about town without supervision. She was blind, after all. That and, she knew that Oro hated how much more important she was than him. He was still high up in the ranks, but she had been one step below the King. That in itself may have been one reason he made her quit.

She thought back to her conversation with Aang yesterday, and sighed. She'd been so free with him, back in the old days. Now she was like a caged messenger hawk - used to ruling the skies but now confined to nearly nothing in comparison. Toph sat up, and swung her long legs over the side of the bed, reaching for the floor. She made contact, and saw the room at last. She was alone, so she proceeded to try to get dressed. Her clothes now were elegant, unlike the simple clothes she used to wear. She never needed help dressing before moving in with Oro, and now if she dressed herself she knew half the things would be backwards, inside-out or the designs completely sideways. She whistled for assistance, and a maid came in, and helped her. Every time she needed a servant to help her get dressed, eat, or for god sakes use the bathroom, she died a little bit more inside.

Toph didn't see Aang that night, nor the night after that. She sat at the impossibly long and fancy dinner table across from her husband, thinking because she wasn't allowed to do anything else. She knew that not seeking Aang out was the right thing to do, according the to vows she exchanged with Oro, but she didn't feel like it was the right thing to do by her. She knew she wasn't happy with this life - this life that forced her to wear shoes with bottoms, where she couldn't Bend because the house was too fancy, where there was an endless expanse of walls and rules and secrets and lies designed to keep her confined to the role of housewife. She didn't feel like Toph anymore, now she was housewife. She wasn't the world's most accomplished Earth Bender anymore, she was once again the poor little blind girl. She wasn't Aang's anymore...she was Oro's. She remembered what Aang had said to her that night, before she'd admitted to still loving him; "...you know you'd be happier with me than you ever would be with that...that...". She knew he was right. She'd known that before she even saw him on that balcony, she'd known that from the day the flowers started arriving on her doorstep from Oro, from the first day he started 'courting' her.

Suddenly, something inside of Toph broke. Enough!, a voice she recognized as the old her shouted out from the back of her head. She hadn't heard that voice in a very long time, having completely banished it to what she thought was the blackest depth of her head. But here it was, screaming at her. Angry. Loud. Uncouth. Rude. Dominant. Beautiful. She slammed her silver fork down, and looked up in what she thought was Oro's face. She kicked off her stupid fancy shoes - finally! - and started to speak.

"Oro!" she exclaimed in her glorious old rebellious voice. From the slight start of his heart, she knew that Oro was surprised to hear her like this; hell. She was surprised to hear her old, beloved tone again.

"Y-yes, my dear?"

"How much do you love me?"

There was a slight pause, in which Toph felt Oro's heart rate spike again. Surprise or panic?

"You shouldn't have to ask my love. You know how I feel for you" he scolded. Yes, definitely panic.

"Then you won't have a problem with my wanting a job"

"You know my view on that, dear. The answer is no"

"Kids?"

"No"

"Fine, then I want to start Bending regularly again"

"Toph, I'm surprised at you! Such uncouth behavior, out of nowhere. Next thing you know you'll be wanting to go out by yourself! Ha ha, oh no, my dear, bending is so dirty and improper for a lady of your standing, I absolutely forbid it! Spirits only know why the High Palace let you get away with it"

"Because I'm good at it! I helped Aang end the war! Don't you tell me about what is and what isn't proper for me! That's not your decision!"

"I believe it is, dear. Now sit back down. You're making a scene"

Toph hadn't realized she had stood up.

"A scene?! A scene for WHO? It's just us two, Oro, like it will ALWAYS BE! I'm - so - TIRED of this!" she yelled, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, she raised a line of jagged rock to cut Oro's precious table in half long-ways. The dished crashed to the floor and broke, the table keened and fell on its sides, and Oro's gasp of fear and shock made it all worth it. She ran out of the dinner hall, half crying, half exhilarated.

She ran to their room and locked the door behind her. She rummaged in a closet and pulled out a very old backpack. She reveled at its feel. She rubbed its rough fabric against her face, remembering all the times she used to use it as a pillow. She began stuffing her most simple clothes inside, and a few precious things, like the space-rock bracelet Sokka had given her and the long-since-used hairband she used to wear constantly. She was halfway done before she stopped. The little voice, her old voice, was quieter now. What was she doing?

Was she leaving Oro? Was she going after Aang? What was she doing? She threw down the rucksack in a sudden panic. Her heart was hammering. Had she really just been packing? Was she really getting ready to leave? Where would she go? There was nowhere to go. Maybe to Aang, but she couldn't...besides, Oro would find her. He would just send the Dai Li or some other agent to recapture her and then her life would be worse - she would only be more suppressed here. She didn't want that...she should just stay here. She didn't want to do this, did she?

But what did she want, then?! Even if she left, things couldn't get much worse! The only privilege she had was going into town, but even then it was horribly restricted! She had to have two body guards and two maids on hand with her at all times. She could only go into certain shops, buy certain things (she wasn't to carry any money lest they "get robbed"), she couldn't go past certain points in town, and it wasn't like she had any friends to visit, Katara and Zuko being in the Fire Nation and Suki and Sokka in the South Pole, and up until now, Aang only Spirits-knew-where. The only women she was allowed to see were Oro's friends' wives, who were all dull as hell. They were all long-used to this life-style, and loved it. They didn't understand Toph. The only thing Oro could do to her would be to take away these weekly visits to town - and it's not like she couldn't live without.

Making a split-second decision, Toph picked the rucksack back up, and continued filling it. Screw this life. She couldn't live here; she never said a word about it aloud, but she was screaming inside. She couldn't take it anymore. Suddenly, she felt Oro coming up the flight of stairs, toward their room. She knew the door was locked, so she just packed faster. He knocked softly on the door.

"Toph?"

She didn't answer.

"I've given it some thought, and I suppose I've been a tad...hard-headed. I suppose, if you really wish it, you can train with a trainer once every few weeks"

"Which trainer?" she asked, as if it really mattered.

"Master Pong, my dear"

"Master...Pong?" she asked incredulously. He couldn't really think...

"Why yes, darling, he's supposed to be the best"

"FOR FIVE YEAR OLDS!" she shrieked at him through the door. How dare he!? After she had proved that she had power beyond anything that this Master Pong could even dream of...he thought...oh, she was pissed.

"But he's supposed to be safe!"

Toph was done packing. She hoisted the pack on her shoulder, and went to wretch open the door.

"That's - because - he - teaches - children!" she said through her teeth. She blew past him, towards the exit.

"Toph! Where are you going?"

"Away!"

"You can't!"

"Why the hell not?!"

"You're just a girl! You'll never make it out there on your own!"

"And who the hell is going to try to stop this girl from blowing this ice-sicle stand, old man?" she shouted up at him. She was now all the way down the stairs, while surprise may have rendered him immobile. She turned and headed for the nearest exit.

"What's gotten into you?" she heard him her ask loudly.

"ME!" Toph shouted, in the foyer already. She marched to the door, and slammed the door shut behind her so hard that it nearly came right off its hinges.

She didn't know where she was going, but she knew that it somehow included Aang. She smiled at that thought, and bounced off down the street with a new spring in her step.