What will Ayame have to say about what's going on here? What will Blake decide to do? Will he be able to find a way to move forward that won't hurt anyone? Will Ayame be able to provide him the comfort that he needs?

KedharS: Sadly, this is the difficulty about their relationship. Blake wants to help his sister, but… Gwen isn't an easy girl to help.

Aquahaze675: Now hopefully he'll be able to move forward.

Hellraiserphoenix: Way more difficult, sadly. Hopefully he'll be able to move forward.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 459

"So, is there something that you want to tell me?" Ayame said dryly, raising her eyebrow and tilting her head towards the two girls. She knew full well that Sango and Cynthia both had serious crushes on Blake. And while she trusted all three of them not to try anything (well, two of them and Cynthia, anyway) it was still an odd position to find her boyfriend in, in the arms of two crying girls that had serious crushes on him.

Blake was not exactly speaking to his own defense, either. Already in a frazzled emotional state, seeing Ayame in front of him caused his voice to shut down temporarily. Especially when he saw what she was wearing. Normally, Ayame was gorgeous. But right now, she was dressed in a stylish suit, and she looked so handsome that she could have easily been mistaken as a hot man. And meeting her eyes had taken the words out of Blake's mouth.

"Nothing to say?" Ayame asked, resisting the urge to smirk. Seeing him so flustered was really quite amusing. She didn't want to let the Meowth out of the bag, she could see that she caught him with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar. But before started laughing, she noticed that there was something wrong, actually wrong, and a frown crossed her face. "…Hey, is something wrong? What's going on, guys?"

Blake appreciated that Ayame didn't think for a moment that he was actually cheating. When she saw the pain that must have been on his face, she dropped her arms and relaxed, her entire posture turning on its head and shifting into a sympathetic air. She walked over to them, reaching out and touching the side of his face, her hand tender on his cheek.

"Blake?"

Blake trembled. The look in her eyes, the concern and love he saw there, it was too much. Cynthia and Sango read the atmosphere between the two of them and let go of Blake, stepping back to give the two of them some space.

Blake felt the strength in his body leave him and he stumbled forward, nearly falling in Ayame's arms. Ayame wrapped him into a hug, not sure what was going on, but it wasn't necessary to know what the problem was in order to comfort him about it. She hugged him tightly, patting him on the back as he cried into her shoulder.

"Shh, shh, it's okay, Blake," Ayame assured him. She had gone through a really uncomfortable time tonight with Olivia and Alcea herself, and actually had sought out Blake in the hope of receiving some comfort from him. But whatever it was that he was going through, to bring the three of them to tears like that, to the point where they were hugging each other, it made the discomfort from her own dinner seem miniscule in comparison.

"There, there, just let it all out, I'm here for you."

Ayame had invited the three of them into one of the coffee shops to get out of the cold, so she could hear the specifics of what was happening. She held Blake's hand tightly all the way through as Cynthia and Sango explained the full story to the two of them, and she was right. It wasn't a happy state to be in. No wonder Blake was in such bad shape after what his sister had done. This must be so rough on him, she couldn't even imagine.

"Blake…" Ayame turned to look at the sad face of her boyfriend, sitting beside her in the booth, staring down at his lap. His eyes were hollow and she could see guilt all over his face, and her heart went out to him. What must he be going through? To know his sister did all these things, and to fear that he would hurt one of his friends? Would hurt her?

"Aya…" Blake croaked out. He couldn't bring himself to look at her. "I-I'm so sorry… but… but if Gwen… if she would-"

"If she would what?" Ayame demanded sharply, startling Blake, who finally raised his head to look at her, his eyes wide with surprise.

"I-I was just saying…" Blake stuttered, glancing at Sango and Cynthia and then back to Ayame. "I just meant that… you know, I don't want Gwen to hurt you-"

"Are you going to break up with me?" Ayame demanded. She could smell it on him. He was going to break up with her for Gwen's sake. Because that's the kind of person he was. He would break her heart for the sake of protecting her from getting killed by his little sister. Break her heart to save her, she could see it on his face.

"Wait, what?" Sango gasped.

"Who's talking about breaking up?" Cynthia asked, looking back and forth frantically between boyfriend and girlfriend. "Blake, you're not actually thinking of breaking up with Ayame, right? That's just crazy talk!"

"Of course he isn't," Sango insisted, shaking her head. She glanced at the troubled look on his face, though, and suddenly became less sure. "…Right?"

"Aya…"

Ayame reached out and placed her hands over his. It stung to have to consider that he would actually dump her, even for her own sake, but she wasn't going to condemn him for it. She could see in his eyes how much pain he was going through.

"I'm not… I don't want to break up with you," Blake assured her, Ayame relaxing. Cynthia and Sango both sighed in relief, sinking back into their seats.

"…Wait, what am I happy about?" Cynthia exclaimed, straightening up. "Damn! This could have been my opportunity to get Blake to go out with me! What kind of an idiot am I?!"

Blake and Ayame ignored her, while Sango smiled in spite of herself. For all the redhead's talk and flirting, she hadn't thought for an instant that Blake dumping Ayame was a good thing, even if it would have given her a shot.

"Then what…" Ayame searched his eyes for some sort of answer, because she knew that the dilemma was there. While Cynthia and Sango had been talking, and when Blake explained how hard this was weighing on him, she had hardened her heart and expected the worst. But now that the worst hadn't come, well…

She was more confused than anything.

"I… the thought occurred to me," Blake admitted, guilt returning to his face. "I thought… I thought that, if Gwen was going to hurt you because of me, if she killed you out of some desire to be with me, then I don't… I don't know what I would do. So part of me… part of me thought that it was the right idea to break things off with you, to keep you safe."

He glanced up at her, his eyes wet and pleading with her.

"I'm sorry, I just-"

Ayame lifted her hand from his and placed it hand on his shoulder, rubbing it gently.

"It's okay," she reassured him again. "I know that you were only thinking of me. But… you didn't…?"

"I couldn't," Blake admitted. "Even though I knew you might get hurt, right now, sitting here… I don't want to lose you, Ayame. I can't imagine not being with you, I can't lose you, not to my sister… but not… not to me, either. So I don't… I don't know what I should do now."

So that's what it was. That's why he felt so guilty. It wasn't just because he was afraid of what his sister would do, that she might hurt her, or that he felt guilty because he was going to break her heart to keep that from happening.

Blake was feeling guilty because he knew that the right thing to do was to break her heart to protect her, and he couldn't bring himself to do that. He felt bad… because he couldn't protect her the way he needed to? Was he being serious right now?

Ayame shook her head slowly. Fuck, she couldn't help it, how could he keep doing this? Every time Ayame thought it wasn't possible to love him any more than she already did, he would say or do something that would just pump her heart even harder! It was infuriating, he was actually feeling guilty for NOT wanting to break up with her?

Fuck, she wanted to jump him so badly and just start kissing him that made her so hot, but this was absolutely not the right time.

"You don't have to feel guilty about something like that," she said, shaking her head. She lifted her hand from his shoulder and ran her finger over his cheek, wiping away his tears. "Just knowing you're worried about me, and not only that, that you can't bring yourself to hurt me because you love me so much? Because you can't bear to be without me that much? Did you think I would be mad about something like that?"

"But… but shouldn't I-"

"Protect me?" Ayame snorted. She flicked him on the forehead. "Fucking hell, you want to protect me? Because I'm so fucking helpless?"

"Aya-"

Ayame moved her finger down to his lips to shush him, shaking her head.

"I'm touched that you want to protect me, Blake," Ayame said. "But I don't want you to break up with me for my sake. I don't want you to break up with me at all, ever, if you want to be fucking real. Do you feel guilty, Blake? That your sister might hurt me?"

"You know I do," he said, nodding.

"Well, you don't need to worry about that," Ayame said, shaking her head, giving him a confident smile to reassure him. "I won't let her hurt me, not a chance."

"Aya, you can't just-"

"If she hurts me, if I die, then you'll be sad," Ayame explained, wiping the tears from the other side of his face. "And you know I would never want to do anything that would hurt you, you understand? So don't worry. I won't let her."

Blake knew that Ayame was just trying to reassure him, and that her words were just puffed up consolations. But just hearing it from her was enough to ease the pain in his heart, and he reached up to take her hand, leaning in and kissing her, surprising not only her, but Sango and Cynthia as well, both girls' jaws dropping at the sudden display of affection.

"Er… um… I'm glad you're feeling better?" Ayame stuttered when Blake pulled back from her, her cheeks red and her eyes wide, her mouth curling into a shaky smile.

"Thanks, Aya," Blake said, smiling back at her. "I almost forgot what was most important. You made me feel better, Aya, thank you."

Ayame blushed and lowered her head, reaching up and playing with her bangs, smiling bashfully up at her boyfriend.

"…Okay, well, this is nice and all, and I'm glad that things are all hunky-dory between you and your girlfriend, Blake," Cynthia said, crossing her arms and leaning back in her seat, an indignant scowl on her face. "Sure, she's happy and says she'll protect herself and not let Gwen hurt her, but I'm less than enthused about the fact that she might still be targeting me. …And Sango, too."

"Thanks for your concern," Sango said sarcastically. "…But she's right, though. I'm glad you don't have to worry about Ayame, Blake, but she's not the only one you have to worry about. We're all worried, if Gwen hurts anyone, then…"

"I know," Blake said, nodding, the smile on his face slipping away. He glanced at Ayame, and the hopeful look on her face, and tried to stay strong and tough, not wanting to make her feel bad about what was going on.

No such luck, of course.

Ayame frowned, shifting in the booth to face Sango and Cynthia.

"Guys, I agree with you," Ayame said. "I understand that if Gwen… if she hurts someone, then that's going to be bad. Blake… you feel the same way, right? You want to help her? Keep her from doing anything bad, but… what are we going to do?"

"…I don't know," Blake admitted, shaking her head. He looked at each of them in turn. "I don't… I don't know what to do."

Blake hung his head. Ayame frowned, reached up, and placed her hand on his cheek again.

"It's getting late," she said, looking back to the girls. "We should turn in for the night, don't you think? Right now, we're emotional, and I don't know if there's even a solution we can get to right now, don't you think?"

"Yeah, you're right," Sango agreed, nodding. Cynthia was less enthusiastic about that, but she understood, and nodded. They all agreed to turn in for the night. Everyone moved to leave, Ayame and Blake rising from their seats..

"…You guys can go first," Cynthia said, grabbing Sango's wrist as she moved to get up. Cynthia forced a coy smile onto her face, even when smiling was the last thing she felt like doing right now. "We'll give you lovebirds some privacy."

Sango glanced at Cynthia, and saw that this wasn't some tease. She nodded in agreement, waving goodbye to the two of them.

Blake and Ayame left the coffee shop as it began to close, Cynthia sighing. She sunk down into her seat, reaching up and rubbing her temples, shaking her head.

"It's rough," Sango said, understanding exactly what her friend was thinking.

"What do we do?" Cynthia asked. "What… what can we do? I want to help Blake, I don't… I don't want to hurt him, but… I'm scared, Sango."

"I'm scared, too," Sango said, nodding.

"If Gwen… if that crazy-!"

"Cynthia!" Sango snapped, Cynthia flinching. She looked down, shame burning across her face as she knew she'd crossed a line.

"…Sorry," Cynthia said, shaking her head. "That… that was the wrong thing to say, I didn't… I didn't mean that, but…"

"She's not crazy," Sango said. "She's just… different."

"Well, from where I was standing a few weeks ago, I didn't see much of a difference," Cynthia bitterly replied. "I know… I know I shouldn't call her crazy, but… I'm just so scared, Sango. If she hurts someone, if she hurts one of us, then Blake… Blake is going to feel even worse! You saw how he was tonight, at just the IDEA of her hurting someone! If she really does, then…"

Sango nodded. She felt the same way.

"I don't know what we can do, but we have to do something," Cynthia bitterly sighed, rising up out of her booth. They'd given Blake and Ayame enough of a head start. Sango stood up as well, Silver floating beside her, the two girls walking out into the night.

"Brr, it's cold!" Sango shivered, wrapping her coat tighter around her. The temperature had dropped significantly since they had entered the coffee shop, perhaps a reflection of the chill they felt about the road ahead.

"…Hey, Sango," Cynthia said quietly. Sango stopped, realizing that Cynthia was no longer walking beside her. She turned back to her friend, blinking.

"Yeah, Cynthia? What's up?" Sango asked.

"Have you ever… been in love?" Cynthia asked.

Sango's mouth opened, about to instantaneously deny her feelings, the way she always did when the issue arose. But something told her that wasn't the right thing to do.

It was the look in Cynthia's eye. Where the energetic redhead was usually so full of life, her blue eyes sparkling with energy and excitement, right now they looked empty and hollow. Even in the night Sango could see that she had a haunted look on her face, staring hopelessly back at the blonde, the only emotions Sango could see being desperation and resignation.

Sango didn't want to lie to that face. It was the face of a scared little girl.

"Yeah, I have," she replied. She saw a twinge on Cynthia's face, the first flicker of life, the redhead clearly surprised by her answer.

"…Well, that's news," Cynthia said, her mouth twisting into a hollow smile. "Do you still love him?"

"…I do," Sango said, nodding. She wasn't sure how far she was willing to take this. If Cynthia asked who it was, right now, under the night sky, she wasn't even sure if she could deny that it was Blake.

Luckily, Cynthia didn't ask that. Either it hadn't occurred to her, or she didn't need to know. She just gave a dull laugh.

"…You never told me," she said. "You always do play things privately."

"It… it's embarrassing."

"Does he know?" Cynthia asked. "…Or she?"

"He doesn't," Sango said, shaking her head. And with any luck, he never will.

"…Darn," Cynthia said, giving another laugh. It was painful to hear a laugh from Cynthia that was so devoid of her usual vivaciousness. "I was hoping you were hiding some secret boyfriend away from the rest of us, but I guess not."

If Cynthia guessed that the boy in question was Blake, she made no indication of that. Instead, she took a few steps closer to Sango, staring at her with those dull eyes. Her face was illuminated by the street light, but there was nothing bright about it.

"Hey, lover girl, can you answer something?" Cynthia finally asked. She looked up into Sango's eyes, the light completely out in her own. "Is love… is love supposed to hurt this badly?"

"Wh-what?" Sango asked, startled by her question.

Cynthia smiled bitterly, placing her hand over her chest, clutching her breast so tightly it looked like she was trying to gouge out her own heart.

"As a kid, I had crushes and stuff, boys, girls, lots of them. I liked them, and wanted to be with them, but it wasn't… it wasn't anything serious. And when they all said no, for various reasons, it hurt, but… it didn't hurt like this." Cynthia sounded like she was going to cry.

She pushed past Sango and stared out at the frozen river, letting out a long sigh. She glanced up into the sky, it was a clear night out, the stars were glistening over their heads.

Cynthia turned back to Sango, her face lit brightly by the street lamps. The tears in her eyes were sparkling.

"Love is supposed to be something beautiful, right? So why does it keep hurting?" Cynthia asked. "The thought of Blake getting hurt, emotionally, physically, it's tearing me apart! I don't… I don't want to keep feeling this way! I don't want to see Blake getting destroyed by what his sister is doing! I feel so bad about this, I just can't…"

Cynthia was trembling, and she nearly fell over. Sango silently walked over to her, Silver remaining under the lamp, letting his partner be by her side. He understood that this was something private for the humans.

Sango wrapped her arms around Cynthia and held her as she cried.

"I hate that I feel this way," Cynthia blubbered. "When I'm around Blake I feel so warm and fuzzy, even when I know he won't be with me that way… I just love being close to him, and yet… times like these… I feel so dirty when I'm not happy, Sango… I don't get why love has to be this painful. If that's all it is, then I don't want it!"

"I know, it hurts," Sango said, running her fingers through Cynthia's fiery hair as she held the girl's head against her chest. "It's okay, Cynthia… it's going to be okay…"

Her words rang hollow even to herself. They were cold comfort on an even colder night, and the two girls only had each other to keep themselves warm.

Well, the first day back has been rough. Classes start tomorrow, hopefully that day will go a little better.