A/N: Hey all you freedom fighters out there, I'm hippie Ellie and I hope you like my story. You can also read my other fics The Waterbender Peasant and Dorky Drabbles! ENJOY! Oh yeah and the Ұ that is used a few times in the story is yen, Japanese money. Just in case you didn't know already. Oh sorry and one more thing. See if you can guess where I got the name Mahema. I'll give you a hint: It's almost the same name as a character from the movie that I mixed this fanfic with.

DISCLAIMER: WHAT? DO YOU REALLY THINK I OWN AVATAR?

Prologue

Blinking several times, the child strenuously managed to open her eyes. Her vision was blurry but she could hear every word that the man and woman hovering over her were saying.

"Ұ6000," the man peered down at the girl.

"No, no," the woman shook her head, "That wont do. Mrs. Tatsumi would never pay so much for a peasant's daughter…"

"The lowest I'm offering is… Ұ1000… but I do think she is worth more," the man shifted his weight to his other leg. He brought the candle he was holding to her face to get a better look of her, and she squinted at him.

"Look at her eyes! Blue! I couldn't possibly take her in!"

"Perhaps her customers would find it attractive-" he was cut off by the woman's shrill voice.

"Absolutely not!" she threw her arms in the air, "The girl will never become a successful geisha," the man sighed.

"Well I think it's quite a ridiculous reason not to make her a geisha… She has such a beautiful face… in any case, I can't take her to any other okiya and both of her parents are dead. You will be doing her a favor if you just bought her," at the mention of her parents, the five year old burst into tears.

"It's alright, dear-" the woman looked at the palm of the girl's hand, "No!"

"What ever is wrong?" the man asked

"This child is a water bender!"

"Are you sure?" the woman the girl's hand to him and he as well scrutinized it. He let out a jagged breath, "You're indeed correct. I'm afraid she will become nothing more than a maid…"

Chapter 1

"Hurry, girls!" the young maids scurried around, "Prince Kuro will be here any minute!" Mizu was sure that the prince would be arrogant. She was fourteen and mature enough to know that this guy was going to be stepping all over she and her friends. Every time a man, usually rich or royal, came as a customer for the finest geisha is their okiya, he treated the maids like dirt. He stepped all over them as if they were doormats. It wasn't fair, and Mahema knew better than to stand up to them. Scrubbing the floor, Mizu felt a slap on the back of her head. She looked up at Mahema.

"Scrub faster, Mizu-chan!" Mizu groaned and continued to wash the floor with more speed. When Mahema reentered the room she said:

"Take the pail and Sponge and get out! He's here!" Mizu stumbled to her feet and ran out with the pail and sponge. Some of the water in the pail splashed out as she ran out of the room and Mahema sighed, burying her face in her hands at the girl's clumsiness. She opened the door and the prince stepped in. Mizu turned the corner and ran right into the head geisha of the okiya they lived in. Mizu fell the ground. Her kimono dripping wet with dirty floor water, the geisha glared down at Mizu with gritted teeth as if a tiger had cornered its prey. She knelt down to the young girl's level and her frown turned into a sweet smile.

"Do you know how much this kimono cost me?" she said in a motherly voice. Mizu shook her head. The geisha's smile returned to a frown, "Ұ2500! You stupid girl!" she slapped Mizu and stormed off. Mizu whimpered and clutched her cheek when she heard her name.

"Mizu-chan!" it was Mahema, "Come here!" she rushed out to the front room to Mahema and knelt down in front of her.

"Don't be such a fool! Bow to your guest, not me!" Mizu let her gaze drift upward to the prince. Shockingly he was only probably a year older than her. No one so young would come for a geisha. He has somewhat short, messy brown hair and startling green eyes. No doubt an earthbender. Mizu furrowed her brow at him in confusion until she felt another slap on the back of her head. She yelped and bowed deeply, dipping her head as low as possible trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Mizu," she stood up quickly and turned to Mahema.

"Hai!"

"Please take Prince Kuro's bags to his room,"

"Hai!"

"And don't drop anything this time,"

"HAI!" she grabbed his bags and headed to the stairs.

"Mizu will show you to your room," Mizu froze and turned around.

"Hai…" The last thing she wanted to do was show some rich guy to his room. Was he incapable of showing himself to it? When they reached the room Kuro thanked Mizu and she bowed. She rose to leave when he stopped her.

"Wait," she stopped and faced him but did not look him in the eye, for it was rude, "What is your name again?"

"Mizu, your highness," and she left. When she got back downstairs, a furious Mahema greeted her.

"You fool! Never have you shown such disrespect for a guest!" She forced Mizu to the ground, "get on your knees!"

"Please, Mahema! I was only shocked by his age! No one so young would come for a geisha!"

"You thought he came as a customer!" a maid hander her a bamboo stick, "He is staying here to visit a relative!" Mizu winced and whimpered as the stick fell hard on her back. Thankfully this was one of her lighter beatings. When Mahema was finished, she yanked Mizu up and ordered her to clean up the water she spilled. Mizu got a town and dried the floor, sniffing occasionally.

"Are you okay, Mizu?" her friend knelt beside her.

"I'm fine. Thanks, Nami," Nami grabbed another towel and helped Mizu dry the floor.

"I wonder why the prince wanted to stay at the okiya…" Nami said

"I didn't even know anyone could stay at an okiya at all," Mizu replied. Mahema stood at the doorway.

"Usually no one does," both girls looked up at her, "But I am well acquainted with the King and he thought it best that Kuro stayed here until he himself could make it into town. Ba Sing Sei is a favorite vacation spot of the King. Now, I want you two to cater to Prince Kuro. Give him whatever he needs," The girls looked at each other and groaned, "You're lucky he doesn't ask of much. Oh and Kuro will be going out tonight. Mizu, it's your turn to stay up." It was a custom in an okiya that if a geisha went out, a maid had to stay awake and sit at the door until they returned, most of the time after midnight. The same applied to Prince Kuro. So when he left at about nine, Mizu slumped down against a pillar by the door and awaited a very long night.

At about three in the morning, a rickshaw dropped Kuro off at the okiya and he silently crept in. He looked around in the darkness and saw Mizu asleep against the pillar. Mahema walked into the room and Kuro jumped back, startled.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you,"

"It's okay," they both looked down at Mizu, "That's why I stayed up," she sighed, "The girl can never stay awake." She grabbed a stick off the wall, "I'll wake her up."

"No, wait," Kuro stopped her, "I hate waking people. I can just take her upstairs."

"Oh, please don't, Kuro! She doesn't deserve your kindness!"

"Really, it's not a problem," he picked up the sleeping girl and carried her up the steps. He laid her down on her futon in the maids' quarters and examined her features. She was truly a beautiful girl, but she had a smudge of dirt on her cheek and her hair was in a rather messy braid. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around in confusion. At seeing her state of shock of her environment he said:

"I hope you don't mind. I didn't want to wake you," she sat up quickly.

"I fell asleep!" she covered her mouth and looked at him in horror, "Mahema will kill me!" He simply pushed her shoulders back onto her bed.

"Calm down! I already talked to her. She said it was fine," he stood up, "now go back to sleep." He left and she fell back to sleep.