Beach Buddies! (Emi)

[Emi Hitokata]

Emi sat up when he mentioned boxing. She started kickboxing three years and loved the sport. Although kickboxing and boxing are two entirely different things, she still felt that they had something in common. She wondered if he also sparred.

"I've been learning kickboxing for the past three years. I also do Japanese calligraphy."

Come to think of it, she wasn't that bad at calligraphy. In middle school, she won a shodo contest, and her classmates always came to her for help if they needed something painted. At home, she also has some of her artwork. Too bad she never took the time to hone her art talent. She would have been able to boast about being a good drawer.

She ran a hand through her short hair and frowned when she felt sand. What she needed was a dip in the water to wash her hair. That was what she had home to the beach for in the first place.

Getting to her feet, she looked at Nick and asked,"Wanna race to the water?"

[Nicolas Constantine]

Well they did have more in common than she probably thought. She knew a martial art and a creative art, just like him.

"That's neat! You've got to show me that sometime!"

He really meant it, especially if she was so enthusiastic about watching him do his talent.

She then brushed a handful of sand through her hair and her face sank at her realization. She got up and looked down at him.

"Wanna race to the water?"[/b]

Nick jumped to his feet, ready to beat her. She really had no idea how fast he was...

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you." he smirked at her.

"On your mark, love."

[Emi Hitokata]

"Get set. Go!"

Emi tore down the beach before the last word even left her mouth. Running was one of her favorite things. When there was something that she needed to think over, she would often throw on a pair of sweats and jog down the neighborhood to clear her mind. Running somehow made her feel relaxed and improved her ability to make wise decisions. She was relaxed enough to let out her playful side, which she would have never been able to do minutes earlier with Nick around.

Just as she did during the football game, she jumped over sunbathers and pretty much any other obstacle in her way. Her head turned quickly to see how Nick was doing and couldn't help but laugh at how much fun she was having.

"I should have warned you that I'm not as slow as I look."

Her voice showed no signs of exhaustion. Years of doing track and soccer pretty much built up enough strength to run in a fast pace without tiring easily. Already, they were halfway to the water.

[Nicolas Constantine]

"Get set. Go!"[/b]

Emi took off with speed Nick didn't think she had. He, however, wasn't that far behind her and knew that once they were clear of the many obstacles that plagued the upper area of the beach, he could pull ahead and win.

"I should have warned you that I'm not as slow as I look."[/b]

Nick chuckled as he continued to run. She was a lot faster than he anticipated, but she still underestimated him. Little did she know, once they were almost to the water, he would activate his Qi, allowing him to pull ahead with ease and win their little race. He normally didn't use his Qi too often outside of fights, but he could make an exception every so often...

[Emi Hitokata]

The water was only a few feet away, and Emi was confident about her victory. However, Nick was behind her one second and ahead another. She blinked and stopped as soon as she stepped into the mushy, wet sand. How did that happen?

She pouted at losing the race, but her face turned back to normal as she accepted the defeat. As she was unfamiliar with Qi, she did not suspect that Nick used any of his powers to win the race. The only explanation she thought of was that he was just... fast.

Emi bent over and scooped up a handful of water, which she then sent at Nick.

"Okay, you're fast, but are you as good in the water as you are on land?" She laughed and walked forward, only stopping when the water reached her knees.

[Nicolas Constantine]

Emi stopped running when she noticed how far ahead he was. Good thing there was water to slow him down. He turned around after his Qi stopped working and saw her pouting face which was only there for a second.

As she approached him, she splashed him with some water.

"Hey!" he giggled.

"Okay, you're fast, but are you as good in the water as you are on land?"

"Not to my knowledge. You're pretty fast, you know that?"

He didn't know if his Qi would work in the water, but he wasn't ready to race again, just yet.

[Emi Hitokata]

"Really? Well, I did do track for a few years."

Emi turned her gaze towards him and blushed. She loved getting compliments about her speed and strength. Especially from someone she liked.

She could no longer this to herself: she had a crush on Nick. At first, she couldn't understand why she blushed and felt shy around him when she always acted normal around other males her age. Was it even possible for her to like a guy when she was dating Ryuu, who she also had feelings for?

Immediately, she felt guilty. Just liking another guy made her feel as if she was cheating on Ryuu. If she wanted to save her relationship, then she would have to avoid Nick and stop herself from falling for him even more. But how could she? She wanted to hang out with him so badly.

She laughed and continued to make her way through the water. When she ocean reached to her waist, she ducked and kept herself underwater. Five seconds later, her head broke the surface, and her hands reached up to push her dripping bangs off her forehead.

[Nicolas Constantine]

Hm, well that explained why she was so fast. Still, Nick was prideful about his speed, and that was his strength after all. She looked at him and quickly turned away, blushing. She seemed to do it a lot around him. Maybe she liked him? She was cute, but he still saw her as a friend, which was really odd for Nick. Perhaps the relationship between them would be the reverse of how he normally met girls.

That wouldn't be a bad change

She then dunked her head underwater, and came up a few seconds later, now obviously wet. When she came up above the surface, Nick's eyes widened. She was beautiful... he shook his head. He didn't think he should be thinking about her that way, especially if this were to be an opposite relationship.

He went underwater and resurfaced a few seconds later like she did, so that his body would become accustomed to the water before going in further.

[Emi Hitokata]

"What now?"

She asked him that after his head came back to the surface. There were so many games that could be played in the water, but there was only two people, which wasn't that fun. If only she had a surfboard. She had been meaning to learn the sport. However, she realized that the waves weren't that high today, which was still a shame.

Something pulled her further away from the beach. It was pretty much her love of the water since it had been months since she had gone swimming. When it was deep enough for her feet to barely touch the bottom, she floated on her back, enjoying the gentle bobbing underneath her.

"Mmmmmmm."

Her eyes closed and a contented look appeared on her face.

"This feels good."

[Nicolas Constantine]

Nick laughed.

"I don't know! What is there to do, other than swim and talk?"

Emi then began to float on her back, as Nick then realized they were far enough out for her to have a difficult time standing, as she was short than he was. The slight under toe must have pulled them out a little without them noticing. He, on the other hand, could stand just fine on the sea floor.

She had her eyes closed and seemed so serene. He mimicked her, floating along on the waves. It did feel good, it was really soothing. He lay like this for a while, his eyes eventually closing, until he floated into to something. He opened his eyes and it had been Emi who he bumped into. Nick regained his footing on the ground.

"Oh! Sorry about that, Emi..."

[Emi Hitokata]

She lost track of the minutes she spent on her back. If she had all day, she would have stayed in that position since it was so peaceful. It was only now that she realized how tired she was from school and homework. The salt water and hot sun somehow melted all the stress and worries away.

However, her peace was interrupted when Nick bumped into her. She opened her eyes in surprise, and after that she remembered her head going underwater. Water entered her nose, and her mouth stung, but she came back to the surface five seconds later.

"It's okay," she said after a violent coughing fit. Her throat felt sore, but she didn't blame Nick for making her go under the water; it was her fault for not paying attention to where she was floating.

"Yuck! Now I remember why ocean water tastes so bad."

She laughed and used her right hand to splash water on Nick's face.

[Nicolas Constantine]

Emi was startled at him bumping into her, and she quickly submersed. Nick looked around for her, but he couldn't see her in the water. Thankfully she came back up, even though she was coughing and sputtering up water.

"Emi, are you alright!?" he asked, sounding concerned.

"It's okay. Yuck! Now I remember why ocean water tastes so bad."[/b] he coughed and made a face.

Nick laughed with her, as she splashed some water in his face.

"It's not funny, I was worried!" he was still laughing even though he was serious.

He splashed her back, even after she just recovered.

[Emi Hitokata]

"You don't have to worry about me," she laughed and waved her hand in front of her face. Honestly, going under water wasn't a big deal to her. She had swallowed more water in the past but still had the ability to get up and continue playing with her friends on the beach.

"Does this mean war?" she asked, a smirk forming on her face. Well, what she could call a smirk; it was hard for her to look mischievous like Nick could. The expression on her face looked more like the right side of her lip was just turned up.

"Swallowing water is just normal. Wanna see?"

She giggled and splashed him again.

[Nicolas Constantine]

The truth was he did have to worry about her. It was just in his nature that he felt he needed to be protective over his friends, especially if they were girls. They still were playing in the water like children, however...

"You bet this means war!" he chuckled.

She smirked and he smirked right back. She splashed him again after her sly comment, and he splashed back. They were laughing and giggling and getting each others faces full of salt water. After a little bit of this, Nick dove at her, tackling her in the water. He grabbed her sides playfully and started to tickle her. Children they were indeed...

[Emi Hitokata]

Emi let out a playful scream when he splashed her back. Some of the salt water entered her nose and mouth, and she coughed a little, but that didn't stop her from having fun. Who cared if they were too old to be acting like little kids?

"Ahhhh!"

Nick seemed to be letting the fun take over him. He tackled her in the water, and water filled her nostrils. His tickling only made everything worse. Her mouth opened, letting in even more water, while her arms flailed. Finally, she grabbed his hands, and her head broke the surface. For a few seconds she coughed, still keeping a tight grip on his hands. Meanwhile, her head found itself on Nick's chest.

"Take it easy. You almost drowned me," she said quietly. A small laugh escaped her lips, hopefully to prevent him from feeling bad.