A/N: Chapter six is now up! And to address something in the last chapter, the Arbiter's flawless victory was partly because every officer in the room was wearing metal, which as you all know, attracts lightning. So, don't worry, the Arbiter won't be some unstoppable god character.

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Chapter Six: New Friends

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Korra found refuge in Naruk's Seaweed Noodlery, which was amazingly still open at one in the morning. She couldn't bear to face the next day. What would the people of Republic City say once they found out that she couldn't prevent Councilman Ulva's untimely demise? He was loved by the people for his kind heart and jolly attitude, and his death would definitely cause massive unrest.

She thought back to how stupidly she had allowed the Arbiter to approach the councilman, under the disguise of a servant nonetheless! The ruse had been done to death, it was the oldest trick in the book, and yet she had completely fallen for it. And then she had underestimated him, trying to stop the Avatar with basic bending techniques. Next time she wouldn't be so naïve. Next time, she would show the Arbiter the true power of the avatar. But for now, all she could do was wait and prepare herself for the next confrontation. Councilman Yi Ming would not follow Ulva's fate, she was going to make sure of that.

"Isn't it a bit late for dinner?" she heard someone ask her as she moped around on her bar stool. Korra turned around and saw a young blonde woman had taken the seat next to her, and was enjoying a small glass of sake. "Or early," the woman continued, "depending on how you look at it."

"Oh, I'm sorry, are you all closed?" Korra apologized, a bit puzzled as to why the front door was unlocked.

The woman let out a small laugh, "Don't worry about it, sweetheart, as long as I'm here, this place is technically open. Although don't expect much in the food department, all the chefs have gone home."

Korra remembered what the waiter had told her a few days ago about the change in management. He had said that Naruk's daughter had taken over the business and was running things now. But this girl didn't look remotely water tribe, her hair wasn't brown and her skin wasn't a faint mocha color. "I'm sorry, but are you Naruk's daughter?" Korra asked curiously, anxious to figure out just who this mysterious woman was.

"I guess you could call me that," the woman answered cryptically, taking a sip of her drink after finishing her sentence, "But I'd much rather you call me Maya, Avatar Korra."

Korra chuckled bitterly, "I guess I can't go anywhere without people knowing my name now a days."

"Well you are the most powerful bender in the world, I'd be surprised if you weren't a bit of a celebrity," Maya pointed out, "Besides, isn't fame what everyone strives for?"

Korra's gaze dropped to the counter as she sighed dejectedly. "It's not as great as people make it out to be."

"Oh really, and why is that?"

"Because, people expect so much from you," Korra explained, "They see you as some sort of messiah, and believe that you can do anything. But the truth is I'm just one girl, I can't save everyone, no matter how hard I try."

Maya took a long sip from her glass, finishing off the sake. She then set the cup down gently, and replied, "mmm, I don't buy it."

Korra stared at her in disbelief. She had just poured her heart out to this random stranger, and then she has the audacity to go and say that her feelings are bogus? All the woman had to say was 'I don't buy it'. "What do you mean, you don't buy it?" Korra asked in an irritated tone of voice

"I mean what I said. I don't buy it." Maya repeated, unfazed by Korra's irate attitude.

"What don't you buy?"

Maya finally looked Korra in the eyes and told her, "I don't buy that you can't save everyone. You're the avatar; the spirits themselves gave you divine power. You have the ability to save everyone."

"Then why can't I?!" Korra demanded angrily

Then, much to Korra's annoyance, Maya nonchalantly shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not the avatar." She then gave Korra a reassuring smile that somehow eased the avatar's temper. "But I'm sure you'll figure it out. It takes lots of pressure to form a diamond, right?"

Korra laughed at Maya's simple proverb. "Where did you hear that one?"

"I have a friend who is fond of all sorts of sayings. He says that using them makes him sound more interesting."

"He sounds like an interesting man," Korra said, feeling a bit better after hearing Maya's words of wisdom.

Maya chuckled, "Oh, you don't know the half of it. I'm pretty sure you two have met."

"Really? Was he at the council election we held earlier this week?"

"Yeah, in a way."

Korra frowned, what was it with this woman and cryptic answers? Did she never give a straight response? Korra decided to change the subject, since it was obvious that Maya was just going to continue leaving her frustrated and confused. "So what's running the noodlery like? This is my favorite place, you know."

"It's pretty nice," Maya answered, "the pay is good and so is the food. But I don't think the chefs like me very much."

"So I've heard," Korra laughed

Maya rummaged through her bag and pulled out a long cigarette holder with one stuck in at the end. She held it out to Korra, and asked, "Do you mind?"

Korra gave her a curious look. "Huh?"

Maya laughed at the avatars naivety, "Do you mind lighting this for me? You can fire bend, correct?"

"Oh, yeah!" Korra quickly scrambled to light her cigarette, a bit embarrassed that she hadn't caught on earlier. Maya nodded in thanks and took a long drag, and then exhaled, letting out a steady stream of smoke. "So what are you going to do now?" Maya inquired

Korra thought for a bit, and then answered, "I don't know. He was strong, so I guess I'll just have to be stronger."

"Korra!"

Maya and Korra turned around towards the source of the voice and saw Bolin bent over by the entrance, huffing and puffing, trying to catch his breath. "Bolin, how did you find me?" Korra asked, genuinely surprised that the earth bender had managed to track her down.

Bolin grinned proudly, "I guess I just know you!"

Both Korra and Maya put their hands on their hips, waiting impatiently for the real answer. Bolin chuckled guiltily, rubbing the back of his neck, "I, uh, saw Naga outside."

"Maybe you should get a more subtle mount," Maya jokingly suggested, giving Korra a friendly poke.

Bolin looked back and forth between the two with a puzzled look. He then pointed at Maya and asked, "Uh, Korra, who is she?"

"This is Maya, the new owner of Narook's Noodlery," Korra introduced.

Maya gave a small polite bow and walked over to Bolin. She extended her hand to him and said, "Nice to meet you Bolin. I've listened to a couple of your pro bending games on the radio. You're quite the earthbender."

Bolin blushed sheepishly, "Thank you mam, but I don't know if I'm that good…"

Korra cleared her throat, trying to keep Bolin on track. "Bolin, why did you track me down?" she asked.

"Oh, right!" Bolin exclaimed, finally remembering why he had come, "I wanted to check up on you and tell you what's going on."

"So, what's happening?"

"Chief Bei fong woke up just a little while ago and Mako told her what had happened. Korra, she's contacting the Kyoshi guard to help us defend councilman Yi Ming!"

"The Kyoshi guard?!"

Apparently the council was putting their foot down. The Kyoshi guard was an elite team of warriors inspired by avatar Kyoshi. They were among the best fighters in the entire United Republic of Nations, and could only be described as the best of the best when it came to security. The Arbiter would definitely have a much harder time getting to Yi Ming with them around.

"The Kyoshi guard?" Maya repeated in disbelief, "That's… that's incredible!"

Korra smiled weakly, "With their help, we might be able to actually stop him this time…"

"Also," Bolin reported, "Asami wanted to meet us all in the Soto library, apparently she's got some information on the Arbiter."

"She does?" Maya gasped once again

"Well, c'mon Korra! Time's a wasting!" Bolin said excitedly. Before Korra could protest, the earth bender grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her out of the restaurant, leaving Maya alone in the deserted place. As soon as she heard the door slam behind the two, Maya clenched her fists so tightly, her cigarette holder snapped in half.

"Well this may present a problem."

The Arbiter knew that he would have to stay in hiding during most of his time in Republic City, but after weeks cooped up in that single dark room planning and waiting, he couldn't take it anymore. He had to get out and see the sun again, something that, even as a fire bender, he didn't get enough on. The Arbiter had learned how to be a formidable bender without the suns rays, so he found himself staying inside most of the time.

Another thing he missed was watching human interaction, just people going about their normal everyday lives. Sure, Maya would come and visit occasionally, and he loved it each time. His kitten, or so he called her, was good conversation, something that was a lost art these days. It seemed as if everyone had somewhere to be these days. The more and more he thought of the city outside, the more and more the walls of his tiny room began to close in.

"I can't take this anymore," the Arbiter muttered to himself as he grabbed a sheet of paper and a pen from his desk, "I need to get out." On the sheet of paper he wrote a note telling Maya that he would be out scouting for a little while. He chuckled to himself as he thought of what her reaction might be if he didn't leave some kind of notice. Maya was the worrisome type, and she would definitely have a panic attack if he had disappeared on her.

After he finished the note and signed his title elegantly on the bottom, the Arbiter grabbed his katana, strapped it to his belt, and headed outside.

Now one might think wearing his full Arbiter attire in broad daylight was a bad idea, seeing as he was the most wanted criminal in the United Republic of Nations at the moment. But the Arbiter had tactfully chosen the site for his hideout in a part of the city that would sooner die then snitch on their fellow criminal. Downtown Republic City was a cesspool, a haven for thieves, con artists, gangsters, and murderers alike. The police didn't dare run constant patrols of the area, since one too many officers had gone missing or found dead after their shifts. There wasn't a single person in the downtown that wasn't guilty of something.

The Arbiter strolled down the dirty streets with his head down, listening in on different conversations as he walked on by. So far, no one had been able to see through his disguise, most likely do to the shadow his hood cast over his face. He smiled under his mask at how easily people allowed a wanted killer to walk among them.

On the sidewalks he saw dirty orphans run around, shaking down pedestrians, trying to filch just enough cash to buy their next meal. No doubt, many were left for the dead when Amon and his troops rolled through. The Arbiter didn't even need to see the orphanage to know that it was underfunded and filthy. He felt a couple hands grab at his belt as a few orphans ran towards him, trying desperately to pickpocket. The Arbiter chuckled lightly and turned to the kids, revealing his skull shaped mask. "You know there's a saying about stealing. It goes, 'don't try and steal from and armed man'. Perhaps you could learn from that."

The three little boys gasped in horror when they saw his mask and sprinted off in the other direction, too afraid to even look back. The Arbiter shook his head, still chuckling softly, "Ah, kids these days. Be it the parents or some other poor chump, they're always leeching off of someone's wallet."

"Now that's not a very nice way to look at it." he heard a voice say from behind

The Arbiter turned around and saw Maya with her arms crossed and a perturbed look on her face. He simply smiled and put his arm around her playfully, "Maya, imagine running into you here. I had left you a note back at the hideout, but now I can tell you in person that I'm going for a little stroll."

Maya rolled her eyes and responded sarcastically, "I can see that."

"Come, kitten, walk with me," he invited her, "will paint the town red! But not with blood, cause I already did that last night."

The two began to make their way down the sidewalk together.

"You know you should really be watching your back more carefully," Maya scolded him, her eyes darting back and forth nervously, "the council is really taking your capture seriously. They even commissioned the Kyoshi guard to help take you down."

"The Kyoshi guard?" The Arbiter had heard of their fighting skills and was now very interested. "They hired the most elite team of fighters just to hunt down lil' old me? I'm flattered."

"Sir, the kyoshi are much better trained then the average officer. Maybe we should take this into consideration? After all, they won't be stupid enough to cover all the officers in metal again."

The Arbiter clucked mockingly, "Now, now, Maya, what have I said about calling me sir?"

Maya rolled her eyes, "What am I supposed to call you? You've never told me your real name."

"Just call me what everyone else calls me."

"That's not your name."

"Oh really?" the Arbiter was having too much fun with her, "If it's what I've told people to call me, and it's what everyone DOES, call me, wouldn't that make it may name?"

"Take this seriously! These warriors are not to be trifled with," Maya hissed a little too loudly, catching the attention of some of the bystanders.

The Arbiter leaned in and whispered to her, "Let's take this conversation somewhere a little more private, alright? Then we can talk about a plan."

Maya blushed a bit in embarrassment and nodded compliantly. The Arbiter looked around as they walked, trying to find a good find to hide where they could get away from the crowd. Finally, he spotted a small and dark ally way next to an old run down restaurant. He grabbed Maya by the wrist and pulled her aside into the ally and far enough from the main stream of people so that no one could hear them talk.

"Alright, now tell me what's up," the Arbiter said, leaning comfortably against the side of one of the buildings. But Maya wouldn't talk; rather she began nodding her head towards something urgently. The Arbiter couldn't quite figure out what she was motioning at until he heard someone say, "No… not an Equalist, just… odd. Maybe..."

The Arbiter turned to the right and saw a homeless bum sitting near a trashcan. The man was dirty and shaggy looking, as if he hadn't taken a bath in ages. His black hair and beard were grimy and chaotic. He had an amateur bandage, wrapped over his right eye and left ear, as if he couldn't afford to go to a real doctor. Judging by the tan color of his skin, he was from one of the water tribes.

Maya noticed that the Arbiter was glaring intensely at the man, as if the homeless man was going to pull a knife on them at any moment. She couldn't figure out why he looked at the man with such suspicion, but she figured it would be a good idea to shoo the bum off before anything happened. "Um, sir," she said, in her most professional voice possible, "Do you mind leaving us for a bit?"

The bum completely ignored her, and addressed her masked friend. "So, you're the Arbiter, huh?"

"And here I thought I was just another face," the Arbiter replied in a snarky tone

The man chuckled at this. "You're making waves right now. I'm shocked everyone out there didn't immediately recognize you."

"Maybe they just didn't want to recognize me," he said with distain

Again, the man laughed throatily, coughing occasionally in between. "Good point, Arbiter. You know, I'm all for your cause, avenging those who were forgotten in the battle against the Equalists."

It was now the Arbiter's turn to laugh, catching the homeless man off guard. "You think that's what this is all about? If so, you both still have much to learn."

The man's eyes widened and he sputtered, "H-how, did you, no I'm not going kill him, shut up."

Maya was officially confused. 'Both of you'? There was only one crazy bum talking to himself. Was there someone else hidden somewhere. She whispered to the Arbiter, "What are you talking about?", but he ignored her.

"You think you're the only one whose been tainted by the spirit world? These eyes see everything, including one's soul," The Arbiter leaned in closer to the man, showing him his pitch black eyes and his blood red irises. "Revenge has nothing to do with my goal."

"Stop, shut up about the sword!" the man hissed at himself. He then turned to the Arbiter and said, "Well I wish you good luck. And, I gotta say, it's much nicer knowing that you're not the only one out there who's sold their soul."

The bum stood up and walked away, seemingly taking some of the darkness as he left. As the man disappeared into the shadows, Maya asked the Arbiter, "Who was that man?"

"Someone who's met a terrible fate," the Arbiter responded, "But don't trouble yourself with him. Let's focus on the task at hand."

"Right," Maya agreed, "So I was thinking we should-"

She was cut off by a sudden, loud cough from the Arbiter. "Are you alright?" she asked in a concerned tone of voice.

The Arbiter coughed out, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just give me a second." He reached into one of the pouches on his belt and pulled out a small green pill. With one swift movement, he pushed his mask up slightly, just enough to reveal his mouth, and popped it in. After another pained cough, he slid his mask back into place.

Maya looked at the Arbiter suspiciously, she had never seen him suddenly break out coughing before. But she trusted him when he had told her it was nothing, and thought nothing of it. But, just to make sure, she asked again, "Are you sure you're alright? I mean, we can do this later."

"I'm fine, Maya," he rasped, but in an uncharacteristically weak voice. He straightened back up slowly and seemingly painfully, letting out pained grunts as he did. "But there is something I need you to do for me."

"And that is?"

The Arbiter handed her a tightly sealed envelope with a strange looking seal on it. "Sometime soon, I need you to take this to the hospital. Give it to the woman at the front desk and she'll give you a bottle. Bring the bottle back to me, but do not look at its contents."

"Alright..." Maya said, a bit annoyed by the Arbiter's cryptic request. She did as he said and pocketed the note, figuring it was a request for some sort of poison he was going to use on his next target.

"There are some other things I need you to get as well," he told her, pulling out yet another list and handing it to her, "These are some of the supplies we're going to need if we're going to get past the Kyoshi warriors."

Maya skimmed through the murderous grocery list and saw that it was incredibly well detailed. Too well detailed for someone who hadn't known about the Kyoshi guard's arrival in advance. "So you knew they were coming this whole time?" she asked him as she folded the list neatly and put it in her pocket next to the envelope.

"Of course I knew, the police are as subtle as a Komodo rhino when it comes to keeping secrets. It's not even three hours since the request was sent out, and I bet the newspapers already have a story on it," the Arbiter laughed.

Maya sulked jokingly and gave the Arbiter a poke in the chest. "Remind me again why I bought that stupid restaurant."

The Arbiter shrugged, "That was your idea, not mine. But don't worry, it still has potential. Go back and keep an eye on the avatar for me. Just don't forget to get those things I asked for."

"No problem boss," Maya told him with a playful salute.

The Arbiter smiled under his mask and gave her a pat on the back. "Now get back out there kitten, it won't be long before shit hits the fan and we need to be ready when it does."

Maya nodded and split off, heading back towards her restaurant. As she walked away, she thought about what the Arbiter had told her. "Shit hits the fan, huh," she muttered to herself, "Well if what's going on right now isn't shit hitting the fan to him, I don't want to know what is." But, again, she trusted the Arbiter. Whatever he was doing, no matter how evil it seemed, was necessary. The world needed a wake up call, and sometimes the best way to do that is a harsh, fast slap across the face.

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A/N: I hope you all liked this chapter! That's right, Maya's going undercover. Please leave a review!