Something I wrote a long time ago... I think this becomes a little rushed at the end, so I might do some editing someday. Also, before anyone gets their hopes too high, this doesn't have much dialogue in it; mostly description and imagery. ;)

Evening had already begun to claim the endless sky around her, a faint orange gently pressing against the horizon. Although the warming glow started to spread across the seemingly infinite stretch of water in front of her, the ocean was still vividly blue as she watched the waves lapping at the sand in front of her. In and out, in and out… The gentle, white swells seemed to hypnotize her, calling to her…

The sound of a stray seagull's screech, having flown directly over her head, snapped her back to earth, and her cobalt-blue eyes suddenly blinked alert. By the time she looked up, the bird was flying into the distance, its waning cry barely heard by her keen ears. In a sudden drop into reality, she became conscious now, tentatively taking in her surroundings.

It was all too odd to her: to both her body and her mind. There was scarcely anyone else around on the warm beach, but still she felt out of place, ever clad in her long dress and stockings. It wasn't her fault that she had found herself landed in the far west of the United States; it was Alfred's turn for hosting this month's World Summit meeting and he of course had insisted on holding it in California.

Despite this, she didn't have the heart to blame him.

Alfred. Why was it that his name was continuously stuck in her head, even when she had no reason to be thinking about him? She tried to scowl, but found the attempt futile. Her eyes wandered back to the expanse of water in front of her. The ocean was so blue—true-blue—just like the eyes of a certain blonde-haired boy…

A silent sigh escaped her. It was amazing how different the same color could be. Her eyes were blue, too, but so different from his. His eyes were ocean-blue, sky-blue, the blue of everything good and right in the world. They were always so honest and bright, holding a light that came straight from the heart. It was a light that Alfred simply emitted, a light that drew people to him and touched people's hearts.

Her eyes, however, were a dull sort of blue. It was the blue of groggy morning weather and unyeilding steel. They were hard and cold, everything that chased people away with fear. And maybe, just maybe, if you looked hard enough, you would be able to glimpse the buried sadness and turmoil tucked away at the core. It was blue just the same, but so different in every way…

If one knew Natalia well enough (which many did not), maybe they could see the barest hint of forlorn and longing in the depths of her cold eyes. She knew she didn't belong here, that she could never belong in this place of love and warmth. She could never fit in with the few people that were still around her: sun-kissed skin, carefree grins, holding in their hearts something that she could never have. What place could an ice princess have in such a world? Belarus: with her snow-white skin, pale-blonde hair, and icy facade. She didn't belong in this world. She didn't belong in this perfect world of his.

As she pondered these thoughts, she looked back out into the steadily swaying sea, turned back to the ocean that reminded her so much of…

"Hey, Natalia! How come you're still out here?"

She could recognize that voice anywhere. The voice was above her, that much she could sense, and when she turned her head skyward, she was indeed met with a view full of Alfred. Curse his height, she had thought, but any bit of venom she had tried to put into the notion was lost at the sight of a pair of pure blue eyes. A light pink had sprung up on her pale cheeks, and she quickly looked downwards, flustered. How was it that he could get so close to her without her noticing?

"I could ask you the same question," she retorted half-heartedly. Dammit! Why did he have to be standing so close? She could feel the warmth of his body, his chest pressing lightly against the small of her back, being something very mentally distracting. The rush of heat igniting through her body didn't help any, much less the abrupt change in tempo that her heart had—without her consent—decided upon. Why did she always feel this way whenever he was around?

He only laughed. Looking towards the horizon with a hand shielding his face from the strong evening sun, he eventually plopped down onto the soft, golden sand. Grasping her pale, thin fingers, he gently urged her to sit down next to him. With less reluctance than what she was showing on the outside, she complied.

The orange-red glow of the sky blanketed them, bathing them with warmth. For a moment, all was silent, and there was nothing but the sunset and the presence next to her. As she felt her heartbeat gradually wind down, something inside her fell at ease and, unknowingly, she dropped her defenses. She didn't belong in this world...

But, she conceded, maybe she didn't mind all that much.