This story contains words in the Korean and Japanese laguages. If you need help translating, please don't hesitate to ask.
Forward
She woke one moring to find herself alone. In the middle of the forest, in the heart of the earth kingdom. She feverntly whisked her head around to look for any signs of her compainions. The fire was out, Appa was gone, the only thing that was left was her sleeping roll and satchel of clothes. Fear and terror over came her as she stood, looking for her brother and best friend. They where gone. No sign of them.
She slowly got to her feet, gathered her things and headed south. To a village she had known for quite some time now. Mabey they where
there, gathering supplies and restocking. She set of toward the village where her old friend Haru lived. She walked until she came to the villiage,
it had grown in beauty since her last visit, 2 years ago. There was now elegant housing for all residents, a taoist and buddhist temples, even a
new pavillion for trading. She walked through the village, all of the occupents where drapped in hues of greens and browns, she was dressed
in shabby robes that faded years ago. The brilliant blue now replaced with a dingy bluish-grew; tattered and torn, her obi knot was loose, she
looked as if she was homless.
Her hair in shambles, eye liner askew, she walked up to the house of her dear friend, Haru, a fellow bender. She placed her hand on the bronze door knocker, attempting to knock, but stopped herself. She took a deep breath, and wrapped the metal peice so hard aganist the door that the woman inside became annoyed. "Hold on, hold on." She old shrill voice called from the house. She opened the teak door to find a young woman in rags. But despite her apperance, the woman knew her identity immediately. "Katara! Is that you, my dear!" The old woman gasped at her apperence. "Yes, my dear Mrs. Yoto. It is me."
The woman flung her arms around Katara's neck, bringing her into a bone-breaking hug. "Mrs. Yoto, I can't breathe." Mrs. Yoto let go of Katara. "Oh, my dear. What has happened to the young brilliant girl that was standing before me two years ago?" Yoto-san asked as she took Katara's hand and lked her into the house. "That girl you just descibe, she was left behind by her comrades. People she thought she could trust with her life." Yoto-san was putting a tea kettle on the fire when she heard this. The kettle slipped from her hands, and plumeted to the ground below her; smashing into several pieces. "The Avatar and your brother left you behind?" Yoto-san asked as she turned to face Katara.
"Yes. Mabey they thought I was too weak. After all, I am "just a girl"..." Katara said as tears welled in her eyes. "My, my..." Yoto-san sighed
as she picked up the broken peices of pottery and cast them aside in a waste bin. "My dear child, "just a girl"? Why would you say that?
You have such eloqence my son still talks about you, you have such charm he has fallen for you, you have such power that you saved this
village from destruction. And just look at the riches you have brough us. We have things now that I would never thought to have ever seen. We
know have geisha that perform at our will. My dear, you are not "just a girl", you are a great women." Yoto-san was looking at Katara with such
a smile that it inspired Katara at that moment.
"Yoto-san, thank you." Katara said as she stood and bowed. "But I must leave now." Katara said as she made way for her things. "Dear girl, do
you even have a place of residence?" Yoto-san asked Katara, a glint of mischife in her eye. "Yoto-san, I have no place to stay. I only have my
sleeping role and satchel of clothing. I have no money, I am but a poor beggar now." Katara said as she headed for the door. Yoto-san looked
at Katara, slowly walked up to her, circled her a few times, taking note every few seconds. Yoto-san finally stopped, she looked at Katara's face.
"Let me see those eyes." She said as she took Katara's chin in her boney fingers. Yoto-san noted that Katara had the most brilliant blue eyes
she had ever seen.
"My dear, you may stay with my family. But for payment..." Yoto-san trailed as she turned. "I - I will... Get a job! I can work in the pavillion!" Katara
suggested. Yoto-san mumbled "no" under her breath. "Dear child, the pavillion is a place for clerks to sell curios, meats, and fruits. It is not fit
for a girl like you." She stroked her chin, as if to help her think. She cricled her table a few times, she then suddenly looked to Katara. "There is
an opening at the Geisha house for a nursemaid to take care of young training Maiko. I will get you that job, but of every gold piece you make,
2 bronze pieces come to this family for your rent." Yoto-san looked to Katara; for she had a huge grin on her face. "Oh, thank you Yoto-san! Thank
You!" Katara said as she hugged the woman.
Katara gathered all her things, and followed Yoto-san down a long hall. "This is your Apartment. Please, keep it clean, and no animals. There is
a private bath down the hall to the left. And my dear, please watch out for Haru, he does not know you are back. He is very interested in you"
Yoto-san said with a wink as she left. After Yoto-san left, Katara let out a gagging noise at the thought of Haru thouching her. Or even loving her for
that matter. Sure, she had feelings for the guy at one point, but it was nothing more than a school girl crush. She had the one she loved, locked
away in her heart. Her one and only, her airbender.
Act 1
Katara woke early, before the sun even rises, before the rooster's crys can be heard through out the village. She was always joyfull. Her job was not the best, but atleast she had some way of income and a way to keep a roof over her head. She dressed in a simple gray work kimono, nothin fancey. She tied her hair into a simple bun and slipped her geta clogs onto her feet. Today she wore no make-up, for it was another day of hard work. Looking after selfish young girls who where traing to become geisha.
She ate her meal by herself, cleaned her mess by herself, and left to work. She quitly opended the teak doors that led to the outside world, but
was soon stopped by a male voice. "Katara? Is that you?" Haru called as he felt his way down the hall. He had just woken, his long brown
hair in tangles and knots, he only wore trousers. "Haru, please, go back to bed." She whispered, almost in panic. She was going to be late,
and if she was, her boss would give her a talking too. "Katara, it is too early for you to leave. Please stay with me." He begged as he made
his way towards her.
"I can't!" She yelled as she quickly slipped out the door and ran to the geisha house. Her sandles pounded aganist the pavement below her.
It was now sunrise, she was late for work. She ran through the wrough-iron gates, raced through the rice-paper doors to find her boss waiting
for her in the sitting room. "Miss, you are late. Muzan, An'yo, and So'on are complaining that they have no breakfest or any one to do there hair.
What are we going to do to stop thier whinning?" Lady Pu-dan said as she held her fan curtly in her hands. "Forgive me. I met with some
trouble on the way here." Katara said in appology.
"if it happens again, you will find yourself cleaning the muck out of our clogs." Lady Pu-dan said curtly as she walked out of the room. Katara
mumbled curses under her breath as she walked out of the room and to the quaters of the three arogant brats she was taking car of. Katara
entered the room, and was instantly giving commands by it's three occupents. "Chamber maid, clean my clogs!" Muzan said with distaste.
"You, with the bun, get my kimono ready, I have practice today. Oh, and I will also be needing my hair and make-up, you will be doing it
of course." An'yo said as she sat up in her bed.
Katara's rage boiled as she did as each child had told her. She cleaned the mud out of Muzan's clogs, and readied An'yo's kimono and helped her dress. When her tyrants where dressed and ready for lessons, she finally had time to herself. Except it was not private time to rest. She was assigned to clean all the lady's clogs of muck and dung. She sat, the shoe's surrouned her in a circle. She had been srubbing away at them for about two hours now. She hummed a tune from her home, the water tribes. It was a ballad about a maiden, and how her lover had gone off to war. It told of how the maiden waited at the cliff where she saw his boat leave. She waited thiere for the rest of her days. Never moving. The song said the maiden turned to stone. And her ghost haunts lovers.
As she sang the sickly sweet melody, Lady Ko-Saeng, head of the geisha house, walked past the room where Katara was slaving away at the
clogs. Lady Ko-Saeng was a water tribe girl to, and this song reminded her much of her home land. Lady entered the room, and sat next to
Katara. "My dear, what is your name?" Ko-Saeng asked her with a kind tone. Katara looked up from her work in astonishment. The mistress
of the Geisha house was talking to her. "My- my name is Katara." She said with a shaky voice. "Dear Katara, you have such a wonderful voice,
why are you cleaning these clogs?" Ko-Saeng asked sweetly.
"My lady, I am but a nursemaid. I tend to the training Maiko of this house. I am nothing more than a sevant." Katara said as she went back to her cleaning. Ko-Saeng watched as Katara continued to sing her ballad. "But dear child, my good friend Ikuko Yoto told me of a girl that stayed in her back apartments. A girl with a voice as beautiful as a canery, and eyes so striking that they would stop any man in his path." Ko-Saeng said as she helped Katara to her feet. "My lady, I am the girl. What can I help you with?" Katara asked as she bowed. "There is no need to bow, you are going to school. You are my new protege. You are to become geisha."
TO BE CONTINUED...