A/N: My friend said 'write an Avatar fic with a masquerade ball!' so here it is! It's placed four years after the finale.

Disclaimer: Bryke's.

Charade

"Aang, couldn't you act a bit more dignified?" Katara asked in an exasperated voice. "You are the Avatar, you know."

Aang had grown. He was now taller than the girl beside him, but still bald. He grinned down at her, the butterfly mask held up to his face no disguise whatsoever. After all, everyone could still see his arrow tattoo. His clothes matched the mask: a simple cream-colored Earth Kingdom-style outfit. "How can I be dignified? Zuko decided to throw a party, for once! It's a great step for him," he added with a chuckle. Katara smiled wanly, holding the lemur mask up closer to her face as the two walked up the steps to the entrance of the castle.

"Yes, well, we must never miss a moment of Zuko," she muttered dryly, but Aang was already bounding through the front doors, not bothering to wait for her at the entrance which was bordered by two Fire Kingdom servants. She frowned moodily. "Some boyfriend."

The hall of the Fire Nation Castle was brilliantly decorated: there were candles lining the walls, the stairs, the floor. The lights were dim to help hide identities, and the warm orange tinge of the room made the atmosphere feel like a strange mixture between drowsiness and excitement. Food was in the corner, the band in the other, and in the center of the room was a group of people performing a traditional Fire Nation dance in couples. Katara watched for a moment, a smile creeping up onto her face. It couldn't have been Zuko who planned it all. After all, he was about as creative as a piece of seaweed.

Katara felt a bit too underdressed for the obviously fancy occasion. She was dressed in a simple black and white dress to match her lemur mask. They had bought each other the masks they were going to wear: Katara had picked a butterfly (as stupid as it sounded, they reminded her of Aang), and Aang had picked… well, Momo.

Great.

Katara took a deep breath and stepped further into the room. She was going to enjoy the night. It didn't matter that she hadn't seen Zuko in almost a year, and she'd only talked with Toph once or twice in that period. It didn't matter that Sokka was going to be there with his newlywed wife, Suki, and that somehow Katara felt pushed out of her brother's life because of her.

They were silly thoughts, random fears with no real frame to them, but Katara still felt anxiety gnawing at her stomach.

The party was a good idea though, despite all the gloomy moments Katara foresaw for herself. It was held for all the officials of each nation, but the point of the masquerade was to blend in and all feel as one nation, not wearing the colors of ones country or anything like that. So far, it seemed to be working. After all, Katara clearly saw the white hair of a certain Jeong-Jeong dancing with a familiar black-haired attendant from the Earth Kingdom… one of the many Judis.

She turned to go to the food table when she felt a stab of horror in her back. She knew it was Toph standing there. The girl was taller now, but still stout in body. After all, she was sixteen now… so much older. Her hair was chopped short now, so she didn't have to worry about it in the mornings, Katara reasoned. Even though she was holding the mask of a badger mole up to her face, Katara could still see the white eyes beneath it. And then she thought, badger mole? What kind of choice was that? Wasn't exactly pretty, but then again, neither was a Momo plastered up to her face.

A strong woman brushed past Katara at that moment, her mask a horn-rimmed design with deep red jewels on them. Her hair was long and black and matched her black gown, and Katara somehow knew that it was Mai. Seeing her didn't fill her with any particular joy, especially when the supposed Mai went over to the supposed Toph and began chatting with her. Katara frowned. So what, Mai spoke with Toph more than Katara did? How was that even fair? It was true the Fire Nation was closer than the Southern Water Tribe to Toph, but still… it hurt the littlest bit.

"Why, you look familiar." A warm arm wrapped itself over her shoulders. Katara jumped and looked to the side, where her brother's unmistakeable blue eyes watched her from behind a simple white mask that framed his eyes. It wasn't as if Katara didn't see Sokka. They'd both been at the Southern Water Tribe for the last three years or so, but the last six months Sokka had travelled to Kyoshi Island with Suki. Katara grinned and hugged Sokka tightly.

"I'm so happy you're here," she cried in a relieved tone. Sokka giggled and stepped back, hands on her shoulders, surveying her.

"Your hair is longer."

"Yes, hair does that thing called growing," Katara replied sarcastically, but her smile ruined the words.

"You're paler."

"I've been living in the Southern Pole again, remember? You were there for some of the time."

A pause. "How is it with Aang? I haven't gotten a letter from you in awhile."

Katara shrugged. "Aang is fine. Travelling all the time, of course, but at least he's got Appa so it makes it easier to see him. I went with him up to the Northern Water Tribe for a while a few months ago," Katara began excitedly. "It was cool, because—"

"Sokka, there you are!" a familiar voice said loudly with a laugh in it. Suki magically appeared beside Sokka. For her mask she wore only Kyoshi Warrior face paint. She almost looked like she had four years ago, but now she was taller and leaner.

"Katara, hi!" she greeted enthusiastically. Katara gave her a weak wave.

"Hey, Suki." She saw the two of them link hands and she felt more out of place. "Uh, look, I'm gonna look for Aang…"

"Good luck finding him here," Sokka warned her. She followed his gaze and saw the hall had gotten more crowded with people who all looked like everything they really weren't. It was hotter, too.

"God, can't they blow out a few candles or something? I'm burning," Katara muttered, and with a quick good-bye to her brother and Suki, stalked off to the side of the room. Not the one with Toph and Mai, who, she still noticed, were happily talking away. Probably about Toph's newfound fashion sense, she noticed with a pang. Toph had somehow acquired the skill of having the perfect jewellery and the perfect brown dress that seemed elegant and slimming and faultless all at the same time. Katara, on the other hand, looked like… well… a lemur.

She was just watching the crowd of dancers, who were all now in a circle, clapping along to the fast pace of the music as a woman danced seductively in the middle, flitting her fan around and grinning at the people with a flip of her braid. Ty Lee, obviously. The pink mask didn't hide that coy grin of hers from anybody.

Katara shuffled deeper into the darkness of the side of the hall. What was her problem? She'd never been a social leper before, or anything. But the overwhelming thought of everyone having their own lives, different lives without her made her panicked and sick all at the same time. Katara didn't want that. She wanted them all back together, living together, travelling on Appa and eating dried meat and fruit and telling stories of their homes late into the night. She wanted that back. This was all too formal, too bizarre, and what a stupid theme anyway.

Her bitter thoughts swamped her; washing out the few positive words she had told herself over and over earlier in the night. Now she was just mad. And she still hadn't found Aang.

"You look like you're enjoying yourself." The husky voice was the same, but deeper now. Katara knew who it was without looking.

"Your party stinks," she muttered.

"Really?" he sounded genuinely surprised. "I thought it was going relatively well. Ty Lee is always the perfect entertainment for the guests."

Katara let a smile pass her lips. "I'm sure."

The two watched the dancing quietly. "You're not enjoying it either, are you?"

"No, not really," Zuko replied in a shockingly easy tone. No anger, no harshness, no snide remarks. "The mask covers my scar, which is always nice." Wow, no angsting over the scar, either. Katara turned her face to finally look over at him. He wore a mask similar to Mai's, but no rubies on it. Just red. His hair was pulled up in the familiar hair knot worn by Fire Nation men, and he wore clothes that looked more uncomfortable and stuff than even his Fire Lord outfit.

"You don't look happy," she said. "Even with the covered scar and all."

Zuko sighed. "It's just so hot."

Katara laughed, surprised. "But you're a Firebender!"

"My body is still human," he muttered, wiping a hand across his forehead. "I think I invited too many people."

"No, you had to, or else some people would be insulted. None of that in our time of peace," she warned him seriously. Zuko's lips pulled up in his familiar smirk of a smile.

"But of course."

The two fell quiet again. Katara fanned herself slowly with a hand. "It's been awhile since I've talked to you," she finally told him. She didn't add on the, 'I missed it' that was running frantically through her head.

Zuko shrugged. "We've had letters."

Katara nodded. "Of course. Letters."

"Several."

"Right."

"Still not enough."

Zuko's words made Katara smile. "Nope." A pause. "And I can't even write to Toph, because she's blind, and I don't know, I'd feel weird if anyone read my letters to her, and Sokka is always busy loving Suki, and Aang is busy saving the world and you're busy right along with him, and I feel like I'm left behind in the stupid cold that is the Southern Water Tribe—it is so cold! And all I do anymore is wash clothes and knit and baby-sit kids and maybe entertain them with making ice dolls or something, but I don't get to do anything anymore and it's driving me insane, and this stupid party of yours is only reminding me of that!" Katara said all in one harsh, angry breath. She crossed her arms in front of her, knowing she'd just sounded like a whining ten-year-old, but it had helped the tiniest bit to unload all the thoughts that had been on her mind.

Zuko blinked underneath his mask. "Sorry." His word held a hint of sarcasm. "If you wanted I could've just burned your invite, if that had made things easier for you."

Katara sighed heavily. "No, that's not what I meant, it just… the best time of my life is gone now, and it feels like it won't come back. Everyone is moving on with bigger and better things, and I'm… not."

The crowd clapped as Ty Lee finished her dance, and the music smoothly transitioned into an old-time dance. Couples filtered out onto the floor, flirting, smiling, some of them whipping off their masks for a second and giggling with their partner afterward. Zuko and Katara didn't move.

"Then don't let yourself fall behind," Zuko ordered in a tone just as angry as hers. "I got myself up to where I belong: so did Sokka, and Toph, and obviously Aang. What makes you think you can't do the same?"

Katara frowned at his tone. "But the laundry, and—"

"Then leave the tribe!" Zuko said, exasperated. She could see it in the pucker of his mouth and the wrinkle of his nose. She stared at him.

"Oh, I can't just up and leave…"

"You did it once, didn't you?" Zuko reminded her, and a smile finally passed through his face. "And look how much that helped the world."

Katara thought over his words, but laughed quickly, acting as if she dismissed his words. "Always the funny one," she muttered darkly, but her mind was whirling.

"Oh," Zuko suddenly said, and touched Katara's arm lightly. "I see Aang." Katara looked in the direction Zuko's head was turned—behind her—and she saw Aang walking toward her with a spring in her step.

"Katara, what're you doing here?" he asked enthusiastically. "The party's finally happening! Why are you hiding in the dark alone?"

Katara smiled at him. "Aang, are you crazy?" she asked jokingly. "I'm here with—" she turned back around, but Zuko was gone, out to mill with the crowd or maybe dance with someone. She was never too sure with Zuko. "—with… my thoughts," she ended stupidly. She ran forward and grabbed Aang's hand. "Come on, let's go dance," she ordered him, and Aang was delighted.

Katara did all she was supposed to at that ball, but when she stepped out she flung the lemur mask off and threw it into the river bubbling beneath the stone bridge, and she felt that a lonely part of her life had washed itself away, just like the mask floating downstream.