Swimsuit? Check.

Sunscreen? Check. The high SPF, UVA and UVB blocking, waterproof kind? Check.

Swim ring? Check. Just in case.

Sakura finished checking everything, then exhaled and flopped back onto her bed. She frowned up at the ceiling, then closed her eyes, thinking about what had happened yesterday.

Do you want to do something tomorrow?

Emily's beaming face appeared in her mind, eyes shining. Sakura, of course, had agreed to hang out, even though the prospect wasn't entirely appealing to her. But she couldn't have simply declined the person she had just decided to give a chance to and befriend, and who knows, maybe it would actually be fun.

Sakura sighed and rose. She pondered for a few seconds whether it was best to change at the beach or change at home, before remembering that changing rooms were disgusting and choosing the latter option.

She held her swimsuit up and stared at it. It was a simple beige pink one-piece and adorned with a few frills; and in good condition, as she had only used it a few times before. She was vaguely anxious about the amount of skin it covered; or rather, the amount of skin it didn't cover. Although she supposed that she was just being overly paranoid due to her sun sensitivity.

Sakura shook her head, as if to rid herself of her worries. Do not worry, she told herself. You have sunscreen. Having comforted herself, she then proceeded to begin changing.

"Sakura!" a voice yelled, and Sakura jumped, then turned and looked around, searching for the source of the sound.

She then spotted Emily effortlessly sprinting towards her at top speed, a feat that wasn't easy to achieve on sand, as she had discovered a few days prior while running away.

"Sakura!"

Uh oh. Sakura took in Emily's outstretched arms and broadly grinning face before realizing that she was on a collision course heading straight for her, and that it was probably a good idea to step out of the way.

POMF.

Sakura stifled a giggle. She ambled over and offered a hand to Emily, who had just tripped and was currently lying facedown in the sand.

"Urggh," she groaned, grabbing Sakura's hand and hauling herself up, almost yanking her to the floor in the process. She grumbled and began brushing herself off, her eyebrows furrowed.

But as soon as she saw Sakura standing there in a cute swimsuit the disgruntled expression melted off her face.

"You came!" she exclaimed, bouncing up and down. "I was worried you wouldn't!" She opened her arms as if about to give her a hug, but then remembered what Sakura had said yesterday and dropped them.

"We made an arrangement," she responded. "I have to come."

"Oh." Emily seemed vaguely surprised. She giggled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck. "I guess I wasn't expecting you to actually show up."

"Ah." Sakura was at a loss for words, unsure of what to say, but luckily Emily changed the subject.

"Forget about it. Let's continue our sandcastle competition!" Emily cheered and grabbed a couple of fallen buckets out of the sand.

"Those are yours?" Sakura asked, gesturing towards the buckets. She hadn't even noticed Emily was carrying them.

"Yeah!" Emily began scanning for an empty space on the beach. Her eyes landed on a choice spot near the shore and she brightened, before taking off, seemingly forgetting all about Sakura.

"W-wait!" Sakura called, chasing after her as she dashed and wound around groups of sunbathers enjoying the sun and children playing in the sand.

Emily didn't seem to hear her. Sakura scowled and furrowed her eyebrows in frustration, but refrained from calling out a second time.

Eventually, Emily slowed to a halt and finally seemed to notice Sakura wasn't with her.

"Sakura?" she yelled, whipping around and scanning the vicinity, biting her lip as she frowned in confusion. "Where'd you go?"

Sakura emerged from behind a large beach umbrella, running as fast as she could. She finally caught up to Emily and doubled over, struggling for breath.

"Please wait next time!" Sakura panted.

"Oh, sorry." Emily grinned sheepishly. She plopped down onto the sand and tossed Sakura a bucket, before starting work on her sandcastle. Sakura tried to recall the mental blueprints she had drawn out for her sandcastle the other day, before Emily had very rudely doused her with a bucket of water. She then made some modifications to her plans and headed towards the shore, carrying the bucket with her.

She stopped after a few steps and sat down. She then began shovelling wet sand into her bucket, making sure to pack it in properly so that there weren't any air pockets. She thought as she shoveled, quietly pondering all sorts of things, while behind her Emily was haphazardly dumping sand into her bucket.

After Sakura finished filling her bucket, she overturned it and placed it into the sand, patting it down firmly. She gingerly lifted the bucket and a perfectly formed sandcastle emerged, completely unblemished. Sakura cheered silently.

"Ooh!" Emily exclaimed, rushing over. "Looks cool! Is it done? Are you gonna leave it like that? Are you gonna add anything?" She knelt down and bombarded her with questions, hovering so close to the castle Sakura was afraid she was going to crash into it and destroy all her hard work.

"C-careful," she mumbled, quietly motioning for Emily to lean back. But she didn't seem to notice, and brought her face even closer to the castle, eyes wide in wonder.

It is only a sandcastle! Sakura thought frustratedly to herself. Stop obsessing over it!

But Emily was showing no signs of stopping any time soon, so the only thing Sakura could do was sigh and resign herself to the fact that it was just the kind of person Emily was, and hope that her sandcastle would survive her overenthusiastic scrutinizing.

"Okay!" Emily whipped back up, having finished evaluating the sandcastle. Sakura blinked, startled. She then exhaled, relieved that her castle was still intact.

Emily got up and brushed herself off. "It's pretty good," she commented flatly, turning away and crossing her arms. Judging from the delivery of her statement, you would have never been able to guess that just a few seconds prior she had been positively enamored with the tiny little sand structure. Her demeanor made Sakura almost want to laugh. But she couldn't.

She bowed her head. "It is nothing, but thank you." She glanced up to see Emily shaking her head slightly and smirking.

"Mine'll be better though. And I'll definitely win the competition!" She raised her chin and stuck her chest out and began to laugh, a loud, raucous laugh that made Sakura wince and glance around to see if it was disturbing anyone.

She stopped laughing as suddenly as she had started and flounced off, half skipping half dancing, back towards her own half filled bucket of sand.

Sakura sighed and shook her head, but she had to smile. She still wasn't quite sure what to make of Emily, of whether she was annoying, endearing or bewildering. It might've been a mixture of all three.

Two very different sandcastles stood near each other. One was expertly built, creative, and also very nicely decorated. The other could hardly be considered more than a pathetic mound of sand with a leaf on it.

Sakura looked at hers for a second, then swiveled to stare at the mound, completely silent. A good ten seconds passed, with Sakura standing stock still, a frown on her face while Emily shifted her weight from side to side, fidgeting nervously.

"So…" Emily started, bowing her head. "I-isn't it great?" She raised her head and tried to grin, putting on an air of confidence. "I mean, it's a masterpiece! It's awesome! Only a HERO like me could've made it!" She beamed, a strained smile that stretched too far across her face, and began to laugh.

Sakura blinked for a few seconds, then her mouth turned up at the corners and she started to giggle, her shoulders shaking slightly. Emily immediately stopped laughing and turned to gawk at Sakura, her eyes wide.

"Y-you're laughing!" She leapt up and pointed at Sakura, amazed.

Sakura quieted down and tilted her head to the side. "Yes," she answered after a brief moment of thought. "Was it wrong?"

"Nonono!" Emily hurriedly shook her head. "It's just… I've never seen you laugh before."

Sakura blinked. "I have only known you for a few days. It is not too strange."

"I guess, but it's still a little weird how you didn't laugh even once. Ehe, I guess it was mostly me doing the laughing."

"It was," Sakura agreed.

Emily nodded. "Oh yeah!" she exclaimed. "Our sandcastles!" They both turned to stare down at their creations. It was obvious who was the winner of their little contest, but neither of them wanted to say anything.

Finally, Emily broke the silence. "Man, mine is really bad."

Sakura began to shake her head. "It is go-"

"Nah, it really isn't. Yours, on the other hand, is hella cool." She grinned and gave her a thumbs up.

Sakura smiled politely. "Thank you."

Emily nodded and beamed. She then stretched, extending her arms out over her head, and sighed.

"What do we do now?" she asked, kicking up some sand. Suddenly, her face lit up, and before Sakura could even open her mouth to give a suggestion, she cried, "Hey, let's go swimming!"

Sakura bit her lip. "Swimming?"

"Yeah!" Emily replied. "Why do you think I made you wear a swimsuit?" She snorted.

"Ah." Sakura stared towards the ground and shifted from side to side. "But I am not good at swimming."

"Whaaaat." Emily furrowed her eyebrows and cocked her head to the side. "But you're from Japan!"

"Yes, I-"

"But? It's an island? Surrounded by water?" Emily frowned furiously. "What?"

"Not everyone-" Sakura began to explain, but after she saw the utterly perplexed look on Emily's face, she decided it wasn't worth it to even try.

"It does not matter," she said, but it seemed she had taken too long to respond and Emily had already either lost interest or forgotten what they were talking about.

"Whatever, let's go!"

Emily motioned for Sakura to follow and began racing towards the ocean, laughing cheerfully.

"Come on!" she yelled, splashing around. "Hurry up!"

Sakura trod carefully into the water. The water felt deliciously cold, and it made her shiver in delight. The cool wind blew her hair across her face, which she then tucked behind her ear as she continued forward to join Emily.

"Dude, isn't it great?" Emily said, beaming. She started to splash Sakura, dousing her in water and catching her completely by surprise. Sakura blinked for a second, while Emily hooted and snickered, then retaliated. Soon it escalated into an all out no-holds-barred naval battle.

Suddenly Emily stopped splashing and straightened, staring off into the distance.

"What is it?" Sakura asked. "What are you doing?"

Emily paused for a second, before whipping back around and hitting Sakura with an armful of water. "Nothing!" she responded gleefully, cackling.

Sakura sighed and shook her head yet she had to smile.

"What do you wanna do now?" Emily said, but her eyes lit up immediately after she asked. "Let's have a race!"

Sakura paled, shrinking back. "I told you, I am not good at-"

"Pleeaase! Just for a bit!" Emily pleaded. She pointed out towards the sea. "We'll race to the buoy and then we'll just swim back. Then we can do whatever you want!"

"You are serious?"

Emily nodded vigorously, clasping her hands together.

Sakura exhaled and grimaced. Emily continued to stare beseechingly at her, not saying a word. Finally, Sakura nodded, a tiny movement that was barely discernable.

"WOOHOO!" Emily cheered. She began wading out into deeper water. "We'll get to where it's too deep to reach, then we'll start. Okay?"

"Yes," Sakura said, and rushed to join Emily.

After a bit of wading, they finally reached a suitable point.

"Alright!" Emily beamed, standing with her head comfortably above the waves while Sakura floundered around, head half submerged as she tried not to drown.

"Let's go!" And with that, she swam off.

"Wai-" Sakura started, but her plea was swallowed by an incoming wave. She coughed and spat out some seawater and was about to call again, but realized it was futile after seeing how far off Emily already was. There was nothing she could do but swim after her.

Sakura kicked helplessly and tried to swim forward, but the waves kept crashing over her. Sakura had barely managed to get by during normal swimming lessons, and she had never tried to swim with her head above water.

The buoy looked ridiculously far away, and it seemed to her that she wouldn't be able to even get close to it, let alone beat Emily in a race.

But I must not give up! A Japanese woman never gives up!

She started kicking more vigorously, but it was no use. She was forced again and again under the powerful waves, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't seem to keep her head above water for more than a few second.

She started to panic, and was unable to even manage a feeble cry for help. It was obvious she wasn't moving forward at all. But winning the race, or even completing it was the last thing on her mind. The only thing she could think about was air, there wasn't enough of it, she couldn't get enough of it and she was sinking, sinking, finally becoming submerged underwater.

I must not die like this! It would be too shameful! And I still have not played that new visual novel…

She had just inhaled a mouthful of water when two arms encircled her, and began to tow her back to shore.

...Emily? she thought drowsily, but no, the arms weren't as freckled, or chubby enough.

A lifeguard then, she concluded, and briefly wondered where Emily was before closing her eyes.

Sakura was sitting perched under a beach umbrella, shivering and wrapped in a towel. Emily lounged next to her, a frown on her face and water dripping from her hair. A chill breeze blew past. It was cooler now, and the sun wasn't so high in the sky. The beach wasn't as crowded either, but they were still surrounded by the shouts and yelps of kids playing on the beach. Both were staring out towards the horizon, not saying a word.

Finally, Emily sat up and crossed her legs and turned to face Sakura. She opened her mouth, uncharacteristically hesitant.

"Why didn't you tell me you couldn't swim?"

"I did tell you, but-"

"Then why'd you agree to race?" Emily wailed. She turned away huffily.

Sakura blinked, shocked and unsure of what to say.

"I am sor-"

Emily cut her off. "Don't apologize." She sighed and swivelled back around. "It's my fault and I'm being stupid and if I didn't make you race me then this wouldn't have happened and I'm sorry!"

Her face crumpled and she burst into tears, bawling loudly and throwing her arms around Sakura.

Sakura immediately stiffened, but did her best to comfort Emily. "It is fine, see, I am unhurt."

Emily released her, sensing her stiffness. "Really?"

"Yes," Sakura said. "I was underwater for a short period only, I did not drink much water, I am okay. Do not worry!" She attempted a reassuring smile.

Emily sniffed and nodded. "Okay," she said.

Sakura sighed, relieved that Emily wasn't crying anymore.

Why was I the one who had to comfort the other? she thought to herself. It was me who almost drowned!

But she wasn't surprised. Not much of what Emily did surprised her anymore. Even though she hadn't known her for very long, she had realized that the best course of action was just to let yourself get dragged along. All in all, Emily was just like a big overexcitable child, stupid but ultimately nonmalicious.

Just as she was about to suggest clearing up, she noticed Emily was frowning again. She forced back a groan.

"W-what is it now?" she asked, chewing her lip.

Emily looked down, scowling. "I wanted to save you," she muttered.

Sakura tilted her head to the side and gazed at Emily. "What-"

"I wanted to be the one who got to save you! I wanted to be the hero!" Emily whined. "But that lifeguard had to butt in!"

Sakura stared for a second, eyes wide, before she began to laugh. "If you had tried to save me, you would have drowned also."

Emily pouted. "I'm a good swimmer! I could definitely have saved you!"

Sakura just laughed and shook her head.

"Well I'll prove it you someday!" She leapt to her feet. "Next time you need saving, I'll be there to save you!"

"No thank you."

"YES THANK YOU." Emily flopped back down. "Now that that matter's resolved, you have to teach me how to make sandcastles."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, both confused and amused. She realized that there wasn't much of a point in arguing with her, and that it was better to just go along with her demands.

"Yes. I will be counting on you then." Sakura leaned over and picked up a bucket. "Now, sandcastles."

And so they spent the rest of their time building, or attempting to build in Emily's case, until the sun descended into the horizon.

Sakura lay in bed, hugging a stuffed animal to her chest and reflecting on the day's events. She was exhausted, probably from, you know, almost drowning; but she was happy.

I made a new friend today, she thought, and smiled, a light feeling blooming in her chest.

A/N: hello! is annoying to use, but the hetalia fandom is bigger than it is on ao3, so here i am. anyway, (i never know what to say for these) thank you for reading my fic! i recommend that you don't take it too seriously, as it's really just a way for me to practice writing. don't expect anything resembling regular updates. suggestions for improvement are greatly appreciated!