A/N: Worked hard to crank this one out! I hope you like it. Please leave a review!

Chapter 11: Agni Kai

.

.

.

"Get out of my way!" Korra yelled as she frantically pushed past the crowd surrounding the pro-bending arena, with Asami and Mai Lee close behind. The avatar got a couple annoyed and angry remarks from the people she shoved through, but it didn't bother her. She was getting into that arena no matter what.

At first, Korra hadn't quite understood the gravity of Mako's challenge. She knew what an Agni Kai was, but she figured that the Arbiter wouldn't show, for fear of being captured. But Asami had informed her the importance of Agni Kai to firebending culture. Even though it was illegal, the meaning behind it still stood.

If someone challenged you to Agni Kai, they were challenging your honor, something firebenders took very seriously. To opt out of an Agni Kai was to throw away one's reputation. If the Arbiter didn't show, the followers he had been amassing would see him as a coward and his movement against the council would lose steam within seconds. That meant he had no choice but to accept the duel.

For an a practice so illegal, there sure was a large turnout. Everyone wanted to see the masked man that had been terrorizing the officials of the city. Many didn't understand the real danger the Arbiter presented. Korra wouldn't have been surprised if the pro-bending association was supporting the Agni Kai, selling box seat tickets to the wealthy. It disgusted her that people were still excited to watch two fire benders kill each other over something as silly as honor.

But honor wasn't the problem this time. Mako wouldn't throw himself head first into danger for something like that. Korra knew that he probably blamed the Arbiter for she and Bolin's kiss, even if it was the one thing the psychopath had nothing to do with.

Korra knew that the Arbiter was not going to let Mako off easy, either. The monster was going to do what he did best, and that was kill. Mako was an experienced fire bender, probably one of the best the avatar had ever seen, but she knew deep down that he was no match for the Arbiter.

When the three finally arrived at the arena enterance, they saw two metal bending police standing guard. Korra marched straight up to them and demanded to be let in, not even bothering with manners. The two policemen simply looked at each other, and then asked Korra, "I'm sorry, mam, but we're under orders not to let anyone else in. It's bad enough that the bleachers are already filled."

"I am the avatar and you will let me in!" Korra shouted, looking as if she was about ready to punch holes through their chests. Asami put a hand on Korra's shoulder, quelling her temper, and said to the gaurds, "Please, we have to speak to Mako. The avatar is justifiably worried about her boyfriend, so please let us pass."

"Alright," they sighed at the same time. The two metal benders stepped aside and let Korra, Mai Lee, and Asami into the arena.

Korra gasped when she saw just how packed the arena was. It was as big of a turnout as the pro-bending championship! The stadium was filled with people sitting on the edge of their seats with baited breath, all watching the arena below. The pro-bending announcer was even present, gripping his microphone tightly as ever.

The three pushed past the many spectators and made their way towards the ring. Korra ignored the protests coming from the many people she shoved to the side. Please don't be here, Mako, she pleaded silently. She knew it was a hopeless wish; no crowd this large would come out for nothing.

And sure enough, stretching in the middle of the bending ring, was Mako, wearing full combat gear. "Mako!" Korra jumped over the rail and used airbending to levitate towards him.

Mako's eyes widened when he saw her flying towards him, her face contorted into a look of pure rage. "Korra?" She was astounded he looked so surprised to see her.

Korra landed and marched straight up to the fire bender, her glare not wavering. Once she was close enough, Korra slapped Mako across the face as hard as she could, making sure to make full contact. She huffed angrily as he recoiled, cradling his now tomato red cheek. "What the hell are you doing?!" he shouted, now returning Korra's angry look.

"What the hell am I doing?!" Korra felt like she needed to slap him again for good measure, "What the hell are you doing?! Are you INSANE?!"

Mako took a deep breath, collecting himself, and then answered, "No, I'm doing my duty to this city."

"Your duty to the city," Korra repeated back in disbelief. So your duty is to throw your life away in some idiotic duel? "Mako, I can't even count the reasons this is a terrible idea? I mean, what would your parent's think about this? What would your brother think about this?" Korra immediately regretted the words as soon as they came out of her mouth.

Mako's eyes narrowed, "I don't know, Korra? What does my brother think?"

"Mako, you know that's not what I meant."

"Oh, I'm sure," Mako spat, "You know at first I didn't believe a word of it, but once I saw you and Bolin's reactions, I realized the truth. You and my brother have been getting together behind my back, haven't you?"

"No, Mako, we haven't been 'getting together' behind your back," Korra semi-lied. We kissed once, but that's not getting together, right?

"Sure," Mako sneered disbelievingly as he tightened his bending gloves again. "You know, I trusted you Korra. My own brother? Out of all people, you cheat on me with my own brother?"

"So you'll believe a masked killer, but not your own girlfriend?"

Mako gave her the scariest look she had ever seen and hissed, "we are NOT dating. Not anymore at least."

Korra felt her heart break on the spot as her now ex-boyfriend's words sunk into her. She couldn't believe it. He was breaking up with her. After all they had been through, he was breaking up with her. Korra knew that he would be upset, but she didn't think her actions would be completely unforgivable. "You don't mean that," begged quietly, hoping that Mako would take his words back.

But, just as she should have expected, Mako shook his head. "No Korra. You know, I gave up Asami for you because I thought you were different and unique. But now I see that was a mistake, and when I'm finished with this bastard I'm going to get on my hands and knees and beg her to take me back."

Korra felt like he had just driven another dagger through her heart. He thinks… that I… we… were a mistake? In just four days, she had lost her best friend and her boyfriend. She had never felt more depressed in her life.

"You foolish boy!"

Korra and Mako turned and saw chief Beifong walking towards them, with two metal bending police and Tenzin close behind. She looked even more furious than Korra was. "You know I could put you in jail for this? Agni Kai's have been illegal for over two decades! What makes you think I'll sit by and let this sort of anarchy happen in my city?"

"Because interfering would not only ruin the police's reputation among the common folk, but also anger the spirits. Agni Kai is a sacred ritual. Once a challenge is issued, it cannot be revoked," Mako answered coolly, not even flinching under Lin's scowl.

"He's right, unfortunately," Tenzin spoke up, "we cannot intervene at this stage. The Agni Kai has happen, whether we like it or not. This boy's life is in his own hands now."

"Thank you, Tenzin," Mako said

Tenzin shook his head at Mako disapprovingly. "Don't thank me. You've made a grave error, challenging this man. I just hope you know what you're doing."

"I've been practicing non-stop ever since Yi Ming's death, honing in on my fire bending, as well as my lightning bending. I won't let him win, not this time," Mako said confidently.

Tenzin sighed and motioned for chief Beifong to follow him. The two left the ring and took their seats with the other specators. Korra stood firmly, though, unwilling to move. She was not about to let Mako face the Arbiter on his own.

"Go back with them, Korra," Mako ordered her sternly

Korra shook her head, "I'm not leaving this ring, and nothing you say or do will make me."

"Fine!" he groaned, "Just don't intervene. This is between me and the Arbiter, no one else. Because you're water tribe, I don't expect you to understand our traditions, but fire benders take this very seriously. Attacking the Arbiter in the middle of an Agni Kai would practically sign my death warrant."

Korra gulped and nodded obediently, stepping to the sidelines of the ring. She watched as Mako continued his stretches and practiced a couple fire bending moves. Maybe he has really improved, she told herself; maybe he has what it takes to beat the Arbiter. Speaking of which…

The bustling crowd suddenly went silent as an eerie clap filled the stadium. Korra could hear it getting louder and louder, closer and closer. She looked nervously towards the opposite enterance to the ring, where the slow clap was coming from. The clapping then abruptly stopped, and out of the darkness Korra could see the white skull mask getting closer and closer. The Arbiter's other features became more apparent as he walked through the long tunnel, where the opposing team would come into the ring through.

He spoke not a word until he stepped foot in the arena and looked around at the large throng of men and women, who were all staring at him silently. Then, he turned to Mako and chuckled, amused. "Well you've got balls, kid, I'll give you that."

The Arbiter strode closer to the middle of the ring, shifting his gaze back to the people sitting around them. "An Agni Kai," he mused, as if baffled by the idea, "I gotta say, I really wasn't expecting this. A lot of people have tried to kill me before, but not one of them has actually challenged me to a duel." Korra could just tell he was smirking under that mask. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited."

"It's all a game to you, isn't it," Mako growled, standing tall to face his opponent.

The Arbiter shook his head, "No, no, this is in no way a game to me. Believe it or not, I don't want to kill you. In fact, I wish I didn't have to kill many of the people I have. But they were protecting a threat to the nation, and had to be dealt with accordingly."

"Look who's talking about threats," Mako retorted

The masked killer shrugged nonchalantly, "It's all a matter of perspective."

"Enough talking!" he barked, "I didn't bring you out here for the sake of small talk. I brought you out here to finish this."

"Yes, of course you did. Well, let's begin then."

Mako shook his head. He pointed towards the Arbiter's belt and said, "get rid of your weapons. Agni Kai is firebending only."

The Arbiter laughed, "Oho, that's right! Silly me." He pointed to one of the metal benders in the crowd and shouted, "Hey! Officer friendly! Mind holding on to this!" The officer looked to Lin for approval and got a solemn nod. He then jumped down in the ring next to the Arbiter and was handed his belt, katana and all. The officer then held his hand out, waiting for the Arbiter to hand him the giant sword on his back. "You might want me to take care of this one," the Arbiter said as he grabbed the hilt of the giant sword with his left hand. He drew the huge broadsword and stabbed it into the ring, leaving it lodged in the ground and off to the side.

Once the Arbiter had disposed of his arsenal, the two benders stepped to the middle of the ring. As was tradition, they both bowed to their opponent and then took their stances.

"Agni Kai to the death. If I win, I go free. If you win… well, I guess I won't be alive to find out what happens if you win. Sound fair?" the Arbiter asked.

Mako furrowed his brow. "Fine by me."

The Arbiter made the first move. He jumped forward and extended his right arm, letting loose a savage bolt of lightning. The spear of electricity seemed to tear through the air as it shot towards Mako, who bravely stood his ground.

Mako thrust his hand directly into the lightning right as it was about to hit him, absorbing the energy and then sending it back at the Arbiter, who quickly rolled to the side to avoid electricution. The young fire bender quickly followed up with two powerful streams of fire from each hand. Korra flinched as small embers shot into the air and showered down on the crowd, causing a couple pained yelps.

The Arbiter didn't seem to be fazed by Mako's advanced bending. He simply swept his leg through the flames, knocking it aside gracefully as static began to crackle around his fingertips. Mako was barely able to dodge as two bolts were sent screeching by him, exploding on the wall opposite from the masked killer. Three more streaks of lightning flew at him, followed by a shock wave of electricity.

Korra watched as Mako ducked under the three bolts and jumped over the last wave. She could already see that he was running out of energy and breathing heavily. The Arbiter, on the other hand, looked like he hadn't even broken a sweat. C'mon, Mako, please stay alive!

Mako roared out in anger as he jumped into the air, using a jet of flames to propel humself upward. With a graceful flip, he kicked downwards, sending a large column of fire down onto his foe. The Arbiter quickly shielded himself from the blast, and rolled to the left. On his knees, the masked bender clapped his hands together, sending a vertical line of lightning towards Mako. The young fire bender tried to sidestep, but was too late. The cold-hearted fire hit him with a bloodcurdling CRACK on the shoulder, sending him flying backwards to the edge of the ring.

"MAKO!" Korra screamed as she saw his decrepit body lying, smoldering, on the ground. The Arbiter let out a short cackle and walked over to his seemingly defeated opponent. Sparks flew from his fingertips as he got closer and closer to Mako, who still hadn't made any attempt to stand back up. Korra watched helplessly. Would the spirits really be angered if she interevened? She couldn't let him just die!"

The Arbiter stopped when he reached Mako's body and bent down on one knee, examining the body. "You look pretty finished, kid," the Arbiter taunted as he drew one hand back, readying himself for the final strike, "Shame, you had such potential." Korra's breath nearly stopped as the Arbiter drove two fingers forward, about to shoot a single bolt straight through Mako's heart. But, at the last second, Mako whirled around and grabbed the Arbiter's hand, soaking up the electricity through contact. Before the Arbiter could react, Mako pointed his free hand forward and redirected the shot strait into the masked man's chest.

The lightning easily found its mark and flung the Arbiter across the ring like a ragdoll. Mako stood up and watched proudly as his opponent hit the floor with a loud crash. Korra found herself cheering, pumping her fist up in the air gleefully. He got him! By the spirits, Mako actually killed the son of a bitch!

The crowd roared loudly as Mako waved back to them, smiling wider then ever. Korra turned around and saw both Tenzin and Lin staring, mouths agape, absolutely stunned by Mako's victory.

"MAKO! MAKO! MAKO!" the spectators began chanting. Korra even joined in. "MAKO! MAKO! MAKO! MAK-"

The joyous shouts were suddenly cut short by the sound of maniacal laughter. No… it can't be! Korra whirled around to where the Arbiter lay, partially enveloped in smoke, hoping and praying that he wasn't still breathing. His hand reached out from the billowing smoke and grabbed the skull mask that lay on the ground next to him, pulling it back into the black cloud as he continued laughing.

Mako's victorious smile quickly turned into a frustrated frown. He clenched his fists and turned back to his opponent, who was slowly getting back on his feet. Korra watched as the smoke began to clear, revealing the charred armor where Mako had hit him. The Arbiter's attire was no longer completely in tact. His chestplate was slightly dented and his hood had been completely burned off, revealing a full head of unkempt, snow-white hair.

Korra stared at the masked man's white mane. She honestly had been expecting him to be bald under that hood, and to see his hair made her wonder what was hidden behind that mask.

"Well, that was quite the trick," the Arbiter taunted, brushing the soot off of his shoulder, "I am impressed. If you had mastered real lightning, I might not be alive right now."

"It was real enough for you," Mako retorted

The Arbiter simply shook his head, as if amused by Mako's comeback. "No, true lightning is a skill that your born with, and even then it takes years of training to hone. Your lightning is clouded with emotion, hindered and unable to reach its full potential."

Mako watched carefully as the Arbiter spread his stance and swept one hand up to the sky, blue sparks collecting around his two extended fingers as he did. Once his hand was pointed straight upwards, he shouted, "THIS IS TRUE LIGHTNING!"

The entire colosseum shook as the sky reacted with a deafening BOOM! A magnificent bolt of lightning shot down through the glass roof and struck the Arbiter's fingertips. Korra had to partially shield her eyes as energy coursed through the Arbiters body, crackling with power. The masked bender brought his hand down in one smooth motion and stomped forward, driving both hands down towards the ground. A huge pulse of electricity exploded from his fingertips and towards Mako, who could only shield himself as the blue upsurge shot towards him.

The young fire bender was flung backwards and ricocheted off the wall, back into the ring. Korra watched in horrer as the burned and beatin Mako tried to stand as the Arbiter walked towards him, most likely not intending the same mistake again.

When the masked man saw Mako lift his face, he sneered, "Don't you get tired of fighting the inevitable?" Time seemed to slow for Korra as the Arbiter stepped forward and shot a thin, precise bolt of lightning towards Mako's head. She screamed, tears pouring from her eyes, as the blue streak struck her beloved fire bender in the eye.

Mako shuddered as electricity surged through his body, directly to his brain. He had to make a split second decision, or he would surely die. With one last bit of energy, he extended two fingers forward and released a small fizzle of lightning, releasing just enough energy to stay alive. With that, he fainted and fell forward.

The Arbiter laughed in disbelief when he saw the sparks fly from Mako's fingertips. "With your face!" he shouted as he took a couple steps backwards, preparing for the finishing blow, "You redirected it with your face! It is a true shame to deprive the world of such a talented bender. But, unfortunately, the time for games is over. I've played with you for far to long."

Korra turned away as she heard lightning forming around the Arbiter's fingertips. She couldn't do it, she couldn't watch. Tears stung her eyes as she sobbed for her soon to be dead ex-boyfriend. Mako, oh Yue, I'm so sorry! For one of the first times in her life, Korra felt truly helpless. "Goodbye, friend," she whispered, waiting to hear the fiery explosion of Mako's demise.

But the explosion never came. Instead, what she heard was a gagging sound, followed by a couple loud, painful sounding, coughs. She turned back around and saw the Arbiter on his hands and knees, wheezing and gasping for air. What the hell?

"Damnit," he hissed through forced breaths, "Damnit, not now!"

The crowd murmered in confusion as the Arbiter shakily stood up. As soon as he was up straight, he doubled over, pulling up his mask slightly and throwing up on the ground. Korra looked at the bile, slightly disgusted, and saw that it was red. The Arbiter had just thrown up blood.

"You!" the Arbiter coughed angrily, pointing to the officer holding his gear as he stumbled towards him. "Give me my belt!"

The officer replied with a tinge of satisfaction, "Sorry, but I can't give you this until the Agni Kai is over."

Korra could see the Arbiter's pupils contract, and smiled smugly. She didn't know what was happening with the Arbiter, but whatever it was, it was killing him for Mako. If the Arbiter collapsed, then Mako would win, unconscious or not! She watched as the Arbiter was thrown into another such a coughing fit, he almost fell over.

Blood began to drip from under the Arbiter's mask as he glared at the officer. "Give me my belt RIGHT NOW!"

"You know, you killed three of my friends," the officer told him heroically as the crowd began to cheer wildly, "I'd say this is karma finally catching up to you."

"No." In one swift movement, he grabbed the sword he had driven in the ground and pulled it out. Before the officer could defend himself, the Arbiter swung the blade for a fatal blow.

Korra gasped as she saw the blade swung straight through the officer without cutting him in the slightest, or even drawing a bit of blood. It was as if the sword were made of air. The avatar didn't quite know what was going on until she heard the officer shriek out in pain. In a terrifying display, his whole body began to shrivil up, his eyes growing black and his teeth falling out, as if he had aged a thousand years in a mere second. Then it struck her. That sword, it doesn't attack the body, it attacks the soul!

The Arbiter didn't waste anytime dropping down and grabbing a small bottle from his pocket. He fumbled with the glass container as he dropped a single pill in his hand and quickly swallowed it.

Suddenly, metal cords shot from all angles and entrapped the Arbiter in a cacoon of steel. Dozens of policemen, including chief Beifong jumped down from the bleachers and into the ring, surrounding bound the Arbiter.

"What is this!" the Arbiter demanded as he tried to struggle out of his metal bindings, "This is a direct violation of the Agni Kai code!"

Lin smiled triumphantly as she gave the Arbiter a solid kick to the gut. "Think again, scum," she glowered, "You drew a weapon while your dual was still going on, therefore automatically forefitting the match."

The Arbiter stopped struggling when he realized that Beifong was right, he had been beaten.

"Well played," he snarled, allowing the officers to heave him up and carry him out. She couldn't believe it. They got him. They actually got him. The crowd stood from their seats and roared happily as the Arbiter was dragged off. Before he could be thrown in a police car and taken back to the precinct, he looked Korra in the eyes and shouted, "At what price, avatar? At what price?"

Korra looked over to Mako's unconscious body as a team of medics surrounded him and realized what he meant. They had won, but it was a hollow victory. Mako had suffered extreme burns, possibly brain damage, and there was a high chance that he wouldn't even live through the night. And the officer, what of him? He had his soul forcibly ripped from his body, a fate that no one, not even the Arbiter himself, deserved. At what price? She asked herself, the Arbiter's words ringing through her mind, at what price…

.

A/N: They got him! But at what price? I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and please leave a review. It really helps the creative process. Thanks!