A/N: Guess it's been a while since I posted anything. Kataang, anyone? Ages ago, the lovely obbsessedturtle on tumblr requested kataang and meeting at a masquerade ball and getting back together after a break up, so this is based off of that prompt. Hope it's decent! Happy readings!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything (obviously)! ^_^

XXXIII. What Lies Beneath

"I'm going to die."

Sokka turned to look at his sister and quirked an eyebrow.

"Come again?"

Katara frowned, shifting from foot to foot.

"If I don't get out of here, I'm going to die."

Sokka glanced behind him and nodded. "Door's open. Go ahead. I'll cover for you."

Katara smiled gratefully and slipped out, into the courtyard.

Here, away from the stuffiness of the ballroom, she could relax. Casting a glance about to make sure no one was watching, she slipped out of her elegant shoes and wandered barefoot, deeper into the gardens.

Katara had never really cared for balls. She'd been to a grand total of three in her twenty four years and not one of them offered anything to captivate her or make her want to stay. Normally, there was something to keep her occupied until the ball ended, but tonight she couldn't seem to find anything that helped. And, to top it off, the stuffiness of the ballroom made her feel faint and uneasy. The last thing she wanted was to keel over because of the heat.

The courtyard outside the manor where the ball was being held was breathtakingly beautiful. A wide variety of flowers bloomed around several cobblestone pathways and large trees scattered throughout rustled softly in the gentle breeze that provided a welcome respite. Katara was hoping she could stay out here for the rest of the evening without anyone noticing. The ballroom was crowded enough that it'd be easy for her to avoid unwanted company. But, her luck was never that good. Within five minutes of leaving the ballroom, she ran into someone, quite literally. In her haste to put distance between herself and the ballroom, she nearly bowled over a figure emerging from elsewhere in the garden. If not for her reflexes and the stranger steadying her, she'd have probably fallen over and damaged her dress in the process.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized, righting herself and glancing at the stranger. He was tall and lean, but his silvery mask for the masquerade ball hid too much of his features for Katara to really get a good look at his face. The only thing she could ascertain was that he had a pleasant smile and rather pretty eyes.

"No worries," the stranger replied, genially. "I take it you're hiding from the dance too?"

Katara nodded. "I'm not much of a dancer. And it's really stuffy in there."

"I'll bet."

"And you? What's your reason for being out here?"

The stranger gave a soft laugh. It was more melancholy than cheerful.

"I'm hiding."

"From who?"

"My girlfriend. Well…ex-girlfriend."

"What for?" Katara demanded. She realized too late she shouldn't have asked. "Sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

The stranger just shrugged and smiled genially. "It's alright. We broke up when I was sixteen. I haven't seen her since. She'd be here, probably. I didn't want to meet her."

"It ended badly then?"

"Not really. It was something of a mutual agreement. We were both finding our way in the world and…well, she seemed really eager to go, so I agreed."

"But you didn't want to break up," Katara guessed.

"No," the stranger agreed. "I loved-love her. I thought maybe after some time, things would work out and we could return to being friends, maybe even rekindle what we had, but I haven't heard from her in the six years since we've broken up."

"You never tried writing to her or seeing her?"

"Well, at first I thought about it. But I was too much of a coward to actually do it."

"Why?"

The stranger shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I was just waiting for her to write first or something. She must have been too busy because I never got a letter."

"Maybe she didn't know what to say," Katara said.

"Maybe." The stranger acquiesced. "But it's okay. It's all in the past. She's probably much happier now. I don't want to ruin anything for her by showing up."

"How noble of you," Katara teased, grinning.

"I try," he said, winking, though his mask made it hard to see.

Katara sighed, smoothing out her dress and setting off on a leisurely stroll while her new acquaintance accompanied her.

"You're lucky," she commented, fiddling with her hair. "At least you know where your ex-girlfriend is. My ex-boyfriend vanished. I haven't seen or heard from him since we broke up."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Katara shrugged. "It's not your fault. We were young. We thought we knew what we were doing, but evidently we were wrong. I was wrong. Letting him go was the silliest thing I ever did. I've regretted it ever since."

"Well, he'll turn up some day, I'm sure. He'd be foolish not to."

"I've been waiting six years," Katara responded. "I think we're a little bit past that stage."

"Are you?"

"Pardon?"

"You said you were past that stage. Are you truly?"

"I've waited six years for something and still I've heard nothing, so I think I am."

"But you're still waiting."

Katara nodded. "I'm still waiting."

"Why?"

"Same reason you're hiding from your girlfriend: you love her. I loved him then and I love him now, so I'll wait as long as I have to."

"You don't think you'd find better luck with someone else?"

Katara shrugged. "I might, but it wouldn't be the same. You'd know; the way you talk about your girlfriend, you understand. If it was as easy as that, you wouldn't be out here talking to me. You'd be indoors dancing the night away with a horde of eligible young ladies vying for your attention."

"Thankfully, I'm talking to someone a lot brighter and someone who offers better company."

Katara laughed.

The stranger grinned and plucked a panda lily, bowing low before presenting it to her.

"For you, my lady."

Katara returned the gesture. "Why, thank you."

The both descended into a fit of laughter.

"It's been a long time since I've gotten one of these," Katara admitted, at length. "I used to get them nearly every day and then…"

She trailed off and blinked, cursing the stray tear that fell. Muttering an apology, she set the flower down on a nearby bench and undid her delicate, blue mask, to wipe the traitorous thing away. The stranger gave a sharp intake of breath and quickened his pace so he was a few steps in front of her as they resumed walking again.

"If you did meet your boyfriend again, what would you say to him?" The stranger wondered.

Katara shrugged. "I don't know. I was going to cross that bridge when we came to it."

"You wouldn't chew him out for leaving?"

"I don't think so. Why?"

"Maybe," the stranger said, a little sadly, "maybe this boyfriend of yours was scared of what he would find after returning home after so long."

"Why should he be?"

"Maybe he was worried he'd find you happier with someone else. Maybe that's why he didn't write or come see you."

"If that's the actual reason, then we've both been fools," Katara said, glumly. "I never wrote to him for much the same reasons. But what's the use? It'll be some time yet before I see him and I'm able to tell him."

"Maybe not," the stranger said, pensively.

"What do you mean?"

The stranger opened his mouth to speak, but the crowd in the ballroom erupted into applause.

"Looks like it's wrapping up in there," Katara said. "I should really go. Thank you for keeping my company." She turned to go, but only made it a few paces before the stranger stopped her.

"Katara, wait!"

"Yes?" She asked, turning around. Suddenly, she frowned. "I never told you my name. How do you know who I am?"

"It's hard to forget the people you love," the stranger said, hesitantly slipping off his mask.

Katara could only gape. "Aang?"

He smiled sheepishly.

For a moment, she wavered between chewing him out or hugging him, but try as she might, she couldn't be angry. She closed the distance between them and threw her arms around him.

"I missed you," she said, her voice muffled by the fabric of his robes. "I didn't think I'd see you again. How did you recognize me?"

Aang was hesitant to tell her that her face had haunted his dreams for many a night, so instead, he settled for a simple shrug.

"Like I said, it's hard to forget the people you care about most."

Katara blushed.

"I'm sorry for staying away so long," Aang said, smiling sadly. "And I'm sorry for never coming to see you."

"I'm sorry too," Katara replied. "I should have written or something. But after that first year…well, I thought maybe you didn't want to hear from me again."

"I'd never want that."

Katara smiled and laced her fingers with his.

"Are you staying here?"

"Depends," Aang replied, grinning. "If I have a reason to stay, I will."

"And do you?"

Aang shrugged.

"I think I can give you a reason," Katara said, closing the distance between them and kissing him. Aang responded in kind, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her back.

"Will you come home with me?" Katara asked, once they'd pulled away. "Sokka would be thrilled to see you and my dad would too."

"Sure," Aang replied, grateful for the offer. After that kiss, he really didn't feel like letting Katara out of his sight again for fear she'd disappear.

"And will you be my boyfriend again?"

Aang feigned annoyance. "Aren't I the one supposed to be asking you to be my girlfriend again?"

Katara laughed, but was cut off when Aang stole another kiss from her.

"What do you think?" He asked softly, smiling brightly at her.

Katara smiled, trying to contain her happiness. She failed. Aang was pleased to note that he was the cause of the sparkle in her eyes and the brightness of her smile. He couldn't help himself and kissed her again.

They had much to catch up on and much to talk about, but for now, they were content. They were together and that was all that really mattered. And even though the sun was setting and dusk was creeping upon them, the world never looked brighter.

A/N: As always, thank you all so much for the support! I know I haven't been super active lately, and I've been terrible about updating this on a regular basis, but it means a lot that some of you still like this well enough to read it! Thanks a bunch!

~ Cassidy