Zuko had to think up another plan to become friends with the Avatar.

"He is just one little boy, how hard do you think it'll be to talk to him." Zuko said. Iroh pointed out he had the finest room and accommodations in the city, and security would be hard to breach.

"But I guess you have before, for, well, you know," he smiled "other reasons…" and he laughed and walked away. Zuko sighed and rubbed his forehead. A couple of minutes later, Zuko was still rubbing his forehead, but thinking about 'other things' , Iroh walked up to him and sat down.

"Nephew, think."

"I am, Uncle!"

"No. Think about what you can use around you. Don't think about things you can change. Think about the things you cannot change."

Zuko looked up at him. He was crazy!

"Uncle, I have no idea-"

His Uncle handed him a small slip of paper that had lots of drawings of masks. Zuko turned it over, suddenly interested.

"Join the celebrations for the Festival of Masks…" Zuko read out loud.

Iroh nodded, very pleased with himself.
"So, my young nephew, what are you doing tonight?"

"Well," Zuko said, smiling, "I was thinking about going to this festival…"

….

….

….

….

Katara had to buy a mask before the festival started. She loathed crowds now, and they gave her headaches. She reluctantly grabbed her pouch of money. She wore her hair down. She was too tired to put it up. She told a maid that she was going to town.

"I bet there won't be a single mask out for sale," Katara mumbled. She got to the bottom of the stairs and passed the recreation area.

"Hey Katara!" Aang called. She raised her hand and hurried out the door.

"What's her problem?" Sokka said, munching on an apple.

Aang glared at him.

"Where have you been for the past four days?" Aang asked.

….

Katara looked around and blinked. Everything was blurry. She shaded her eyes and she looked around. She hadn't been outside in days. She saw a nearby shop selling masks. There was also a sale on hats. She didn't have a hat. She needed a hat. So she bought a hat. It was pretty on her. A sales-woman picked it out for her.

"Oh, dear, you look lovely in that! It matches your dark hair."

"Thank you," Katara said, adjusting it. It was just straw color and it had a blue ribbon that went around the edge. It's brim was big, but these hats were in fashion. She bought it and wondered aloud what it looked like.

"I think you look nice in everything you wear," someone pointed out. Katara turned around and gasped.

"What are you doing here?"

"Happy to see you too," Zuko said, setting down the earth kingdom hat he was looking at.

"Why are you here?" Katara demanded again.

"I need to buy a mask for the festival tonight."

Katara gaped at him. She recovered slightly.

"Well, seems you already have one, and it also seems it's very popular with the earth kingdom government," she whispered. He looked at her sharply.

"I don't like that one," he said defensively.

"You seemed to like it a couple days ago," she argued.

"You've changed. You seem, unhappy," he couldn't stop a smile from escaping.

"What can I say? You ruined my happiness. I'll get over it," she said, and started wandering over to the store next to the first one. He followed her. Her heart skipped.

"Do you think," Zuko said, starting to get serious, "that if I hadn't told you, you would've been happier now?" He winced as she looked up at his reward poster.

"Why do you ask?" she said turning around to look him in the eye.

"Because, I think, that I would've been. And we seem to be pretty similar," he whispered. He was inching closer.

"I am nothing like you," Katara said and turned to walk away.

"Katara, you never answered my question," he said, reaching blindly for some way to stop her.

"I think I did," she said.

"No, you didn't."

She stopped and walked back to him.

"Zuko, do you even realize what you are even risking by being here?" she whispered. She gestured around them and he caught her hand.

He kissed her hand. She almost melted. He was so sly.

"How do I know you aren't using me to get to Aang?" she said, her voice wavering slightly. He noticed how nervous she was. She was scared of him still. Whether it was from being the son of the firelord or that he had kissed her, he didn't know.

"Katara, please," he whispered, "Trust me."

….

….

….

….

She shivered in her bed.

"Katara, please," Zuko had said. She couldn't suppress another shiver. That was exactly what Jet had said. He wanted to meet her in a couple of hours at the festival. She wanted to too. She rolled over and looked at her door. He was Prince Zuko! He was son of the firelord, and he was out to get her best friend. He could have very well lied to her. He was quick and smart, and she had to hand it to him, he made the adrenaline in her veins quicken its pace. She really liked the Blue Spirit, but he and Prince Zuko were the same people. But the thought of his kiss wandered into her mind. She wanted that feeling again. She wanted it from someone who truly cared for her though.

"I will go and meet him, but I will tell him I can't be with him, again," she vowed in the darkness. Someone knocked on her door.

"Um, Miss Katara, the Festival will start in a half an hour," a maid said through the door.

"Thank you!" Katara mumbled.

They were complete opposites, they couldn't be together…

….

….

….

….

Zuko couldn't help himself, he wanted alone time with her. He knew he kept putting the avatar off, but he wanted to talk to her, and make up for all the time that he couldn't talk to her. He had never wished more that he was a different person.

"That is a foolish thing to say, my nephew. You cannot wish yourself to be a different person; you must become a different person." His Uncle was always right.

But he still wanted to talk to her. So he decided to ask her to meet him somewhere. He purposely chose a place that would be remote and people wouldn't see them, particularly her brother and the Avatar. After she had hurried away, amazed that he had asked her to meet him in private, he decided he should just get it over with and buy a mask. He looked around. He grabbed a red mask and went to pay for it. It looked sort of similar to his own, but it covered only half of his face, but more importantly, it covered his scar. He paid, then let his feet take him back to he camp, while his thoughts were somewhere with a certain girl.

….

Katara put on her usual blue dress, and grabbed the mask she had worn right before they had met The Deserter. In her haste to get away from Zuko, she hadn't bought a mask, so she decided that she could do with that one. She slipped it on and snuck to her door. She listened for anything outside. She had to meet Zuko, and then she would find Aang and Sokka. It wouldn't be that hard. Just go to the biggest place that had free food and look for the water-tribe boy stuffing his face. She listened harder, but she heard no one. She stepped out and turned to close the door as quietly as she could.

"Hey Katara!" a little boy said, bouncing up and down. He also was wearing his old mask. She pulled it up, hoping it was a maid.

Aang's grinning face grinned up at her.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yes, I guess I am. Where's Sokka?" she asked looking down the hallway.

"Oh, he left. He'll be by the food."

She nodded her agreement. They walked down the hallway to the stairs, and then as they descended, Aang jumped behind her, obviously excited about the Festival.

"Are you excited? I am really excited Katara! I haven't been to a celebration in ages! What do you think will happen? Who do you think will be there? I hope we see someone we know, like Haru! Do you remember him? That was that earth bender we met, I think you two were friends! You were great there! I remember it, I remember lots of things, like that one time I tried that chi-enhancing tea? Remember? Remember that Katara?"

She sighed and nodded.
"Hey Aang, to save time, because we have a lot of fun things to do tonight, why don't we split up and look for Sokka that way?"

There was silence, she held her breath.

She could see the bottom of the stairs. If he would just say yes…

"Katara I don't think-"

"Great! Thanks, Aang I knew you'd understand! I am just so excited!" she bolted for the door.
"Well, okay, but be careful!" Aang called out.

"I will!" she called back. Aang watched her as she rushed down the street. He didn't notice she was going the wrong way.

A/N: Heh, sorry people. I have no excuse for what I did, and I am thoroughly sorry to MOST people, but there are a few I am so mad at that I am shaking as I write this, for reasons I probably shouldn't, but I don't care. Point is, I am sorry, and here, hopefully, is the real chapter 10. Thanks to the reviewers who were actually nice about it and weren't ticked off because someone made one tiny little mistake in the world! Mmmm, I am going to go meditate now…