They both were coughing uncontrollably as the clouds of dust cleared and settled. Panic followed.
Katara looked around wildly. " Sokka? Sokka!? No! Sokka!!!" She tried to get up, only to find out her ankle was twisted. She pushed away the debris and panted.
Aang watched her. He hated seeing her like that. She looked so worried. Eyes full of concern, he sighed. " Katara. Um, Katara."
She ignored him, only thinking of her brother and his sarcastic smile, throwing his boomerang. She didn't even think about the earthquake that knocked her down a few minutes ago. She thought of Sokka and Sokka only.
Aang firmly put his hand on Katara's shoulder and said," Katara." She looked at him and he mouthed ' No'. She cried and fell into his arms.
I want to be her shoulder to cry on, he thought, but not like this. He tried to think that Sokka wasn't really… gone. " Katara, I don't think he's… you know. If we're still alive, Sokka must be. He's strong, and he dove under a table before the roof collapsed." He forced a weak smile to convince her.
Katara's face filled with hope. " You… really think so?"
Aang smiled, almost convincing himself. " I know so." Aang tried to get up but a beam from the roof was on his legs. " I guess we'll be here a while." He looked around the trashed room. Aang's sight wasn't working very well, but he could hear ambulance sirens in the distance. At least they didn't have it as bad as some people. I bet someone broke their leg! He thought. "Maybe an ambulance would come eventually. Maybe a fire truck will come and drag us out. Maybe-" Aang was cut off.
" Maybe we can get ourselves out. A few neighbors could pull the beam off your legs and help me out. But I still don't know about Toph." Katara stared at the ground like she was thinking of a brilliant plan to get out of there, then figuring out something wouldn't work in the plan.
It had been about thirty minutes since the earthquake when Aang realized this might actually be a good time to talk to Katara. Whatever didn't kill Aang made him stronger. He worked up the nerve to say how he felt about Katara, even though she rejected the hints he was throwing at her. He would say something like," You look amazing today." at school. She would walk past him saying 'Thanks' but she was just being polite. He wasn't just trying to be polite.
" Katara, I like you." He looked at her but couldn't meet her eyes for more than three seconds.
Katara took it like another one of his hints. " I like you too Aang."
He rolled his eyes, then realized she was watching him. " But I mean, I like you more than normal. I like you more than friends."
She looked surprised, after all they were waitig to be rescued in a pile of rock and furniture. " Oh, I… see. I don't really know what to say."
" Say you feel the same! Say you want to be with me too."
" This is all so sudden! Why are you telling me now? I guess I feel the same… I don't know, OK?" Katara said it loudly and quickly, just to get it out of the way.
Aang backed off a little. " Well, sorry. I've been hinting that I like you and I ask you out all the time! You act like it's nothing, just a friendly gesture."
Katara hated all this pressure to like Aang back. She knew he wouldn't stop until he had an answer. " I feel the same. I'm sorry that I haven't recognized that you like me." She looked around nervously for a while, they both did. Finally, Katara leaned over and kissed Aang on the cheek.. He blushed, again unable to meet her gaze. At least it was a start. Now he knew she liked him.