Blake and Sylvia's confrontation! How will Blake deal with the sweet little machinations of our manipulative ghost girl? I wonder...

As for the Best Girl nominations, still going strong. Anyone else left to add?

Currently Nominated: Sango, Cynthia, Elaina, Kate, Dakota, Ayame, Marion, Kitty, Serefina, Madison

Rosealine gold: I think you might be able to guess where Maddi might be going off to. You'll know it when you see it.

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: Well, uh… space-time continuum's in trouble, then.

Aakareo Kokokuhikari: Blake is Darkrai, Sylvia is Cinderace, Lukas is Togetic, and Olivia is Hatterene.

Tambry96bj: Tried to find fitting ones.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 197

"Oh, poo," Sylvia huffed, walking down the hall and trying the different rooms. "They're all locked! Now we won't get any privacy at all!"

Blake didn't have anything to say to her. He just kept walking straight behind the strange girl. If the glare he aimed at the back of her head had any effect on her, she didn't let it show in the slightest and just kept right on going with that smiling face of hers.

"Perhaps we should search for a closet of some sort?" Sylvia teased, glancing back at him. "Otherwise, we never know who might stumble in on us…"

To prove her point, the two walked past a couple of students in the hallway passionately making out, oblivious to everyone around them.

"Well, we could always join them, of course," Sylvia murmured. Blake narrowed his eyes even tighter. He clenched his hand tightly, and sighed. He pulled his arm into his sleeve, and began digging through his pocket.

"My, starting now?" Sylvia asked, her face turning red. "How forward, to do that sort of-"

"I'm finding my keys!" Blake hissed. Sylvia rolled her eyes. Blake withdrew his keys from his pocket, and stared at the key Ayame had entrusted him with. He was fairly certain that these circumstances were not what she had intended when she had given this to him that night…

Even remembering what went on that night was a little embarrassing. After all… that had been his first confession. He'd heard the words "I love you" before. The kind way his mother said it. The way his sister would say it, even though her sincerity was… questionable, at the very least. And the way Claire said it, of course, every other time they talked, because she was just that sort of girl and those words came out so easily. Ryoko as well… the love she gave to him was warm and comforting, but… in the way he'd always felt from his family, and not…

But Ayame…

She hadn't said it, not in those words, anyway. But even without saying it… the "I love you" she'd given him that night wasn't like those from his friends and family. It was the first time Blake had ever had someone confess to him before, and even though he couldn't reciprocate her feelings, the thought that someone trusted him… cared for him… even now it was something that came off as hard to accept.

"Uh… you okay? You've been staring at your keys with a really weird look on your face for a while now," Sylvia said, waving her hand in front of his face.

"Sorry, sorry, just… thinking about stuff," Blake sighed, walking past her. Sorry, Ayame… sorry about this and about a lot of other stuff, huh…

Blake let out another sigh, inserting Ayame's key in her door, and going inside. Sylvia followed after him, and one glance at her face let him know that this was a huge mistake.

Sylvia's eyes were shining and her face was practically glowing. She set down her handbag and looked around Ayame's room excitedly as Blake locked it.

"Well now, dirty boy! What are you doing with the key to a senior's room?" Sylvia purred. "I knew that you and Ayame Toujou were close, but oh my… quite the scandal, now isn't it?"

"We're friends," Blake calmly replied.

"Liar," Sylvia said, smirking. "I've heard all about your little… love story. The track team is full of chatty gossips, didn't you know?"

Sylvia studied Blake closely, but his reserved expression gave her pause. He looked… uncomfortable. That was a usual feeling Sylvia was quite common with seeing in those she interacted with, but Blake's discomfort wasn't related to her, at least not entirely. The way he hung back, standing on the edge of the room... could it be…?

"…This really is your first time, isn't it?" Sylvia smiled. "You haven't been in here before!"

Blake averted his gaze. It was true. This was the first time he'd been in Ayame's room, and…

"Oho? Thinking about something?" Sylvia narrowed her eyes and walked closer to him, running her fingers across his red collar.

"Nevermind," Blake said, pushing Sylvia back and walking further into the room. Ayame's room was as clean as he'd expected from someone like her. She had a large shelf filled with trophies from various track events, a bookshelf filled with manga, and even an old Goban in the corner, that seemed like it had seen a decent amount of play. Clearly, she'd been practicing.

From Ayame's surface appearance, someone looking at the cutesy, girly décor of her room would think it belonged to someone else. But the big pink pillows on the floor with the mountain of stuffed pokemon dolls built up on them, and the fluffy sky-blue sheets with cute little Wooloo clouds screamed Ayame so loudly that he couldn't imagine it belonging to anyone other than her.

"Mmm," Sylvia pushed past him and kicked her cleats off, flopping down on the made bed.

"Sylvia?! What are you doing?!" Blake asked.

"Oh, don't mind me~" Sylvia purred, rolling around in the sheets. "I just wanted to wrap myself in the scent of someone in love with you, is all!"

Blake was perturbed to say the least. He opened his mouth to say something, but his phone began ringing before he could speak a world. Blake fished it out of his pocket and glanced at his screen, his mouth opening in surprise.

Ayame?

Was she psychic or something? Is that why she was calling him? Blake pressed the button on his phone, holding his finger up to shush Sylvia, and held his phone to his ear.

"Ayame? What's up?"

"Hey Blake!" Ayame chirped from the other end of the line. "How's it going?"

"Oh, uh, you know," Blake said, not exactly in the best of circumstances. "Shouldn't you be getting to sleep? It's pretty late, you know…"

"Not really? It's day time over here."

Ah. Right. Time zones. He hadn't called Ayame to ask for permission to use her room, because he thought she needed her rest. Now he felt like an idiot.

"Why'd you call?" Blake asked.

"Oh, just wanted to let you know that I'm packing up and coming home a few days from now!" Ayame exclaimed. "I'm not in top condition yet, but I'm okay to come back. I just need to take it easy for a while to come!"

"That's great!" Blake said, smiling.

"So, when I get back, we can hang out and get lunch or something, yeah?" Ayame asked. Blake swallowed.

"Uh, actually…" Blake said, glancing back at Sylvia, not thrilled to tell her what was going on, but not so skeevy as to keep it a secret. "There's something I need to tell you about."

"What is it?" Ayame asked, concerned by the uncomfortable silence Blake was engulfed in. "And what's that loud music in the background?"

"Actually, I'm at Olivia's Pokemon Day party," Blake sighed. "She roped me in because you're… occupied."

"Whoa, no way! Really?" Ayame asked, busting out laughing. "How are you finding it? I always hate the boss's fucking parties, they can be such a drag sometimes!"

"It's my first one," Blake sighed. "And it's really stressful. I like people, but…"

"But it's hard to be around that many, right? You feel a little lost in the crowd?"

"Exactly, you totally get it," Blake said, nodding. "Plus, I don't know anyone here, you know?"

"Nah, unlike you, I'm a social butterfly," Ayame teased. "Don't be such a fucking shyboy, shyboy!"

"Hey!" Blake frowned.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," Ayame laughed. "The fact that you feel so uncomfortable in a party makes you adorable, you know. Honestly, whenever I'm at one of her parties, after a while I feel the need to just go and lock myself up in my room, you know? Just to get some peace and quiet."

Blake winced at that statement.

"Well, uh, funny you should mention that," Blake said. Ayame frowned.

"Funny as in 'ha ha, that's hilarious', or funny as in 'I did something that may result in Ayame's foot being shoved up my ass'?" She coldly asked.

Blake gulped.

"…The latter," Blake quietly admitted. "See, um… I'm sorry in advance about this, but… I'm in your room right now."

Ayame took a few seconds to process this news.

"WHAAAAAAT?!" Ayame shouted, Blake holding the phone away from his ear. "Y-y-y-y-you're in my room?!"

"…Yeah," Blake admitted. "I am so, so sorry. See, the thing is…"

"Blake, honey, come back to bed~" Sylvia called out to him. Blake's blood went cold.

"…Interesting." Ayame's voice was a tone of coldness Blake hadn't heard from her in a very long time.

"Ayame, it's not what you think," Blake insisted. "I swear, she-"

"Didn't you say that Ayame's room wasn't being used, so it was the perfect place to sneak away and get some private time without any interruptions?" Sylvia pressed. "Come on, get off the phone already, let's get back to what we started~"

"Ayame, I promise, this isn't-"

"Blake," Ayame said, her calm tone belying the turmoil in her chest. "It's not like we're going out. You don't have to explain anything to me. But even so… in my bed? Just because you couldn't find somewhere else? And then to call me and tell me… I… I can't believe you can do something so cruel."

"Ayame, I wouldn't," Blake said. "That wasn't why I-"

"So I'm not going to believe it," Ayame interrupted him. "I'm going to believe in you."

"Wh-what?"

"Tell me that nothing is going to happen," Ayame replied. "If you tell me that, then I'll believe you. So tell me."

"Nothing is going to happen," Blake told her. "I promise, I'm not going to break your trust or violate your privacy."

"R-really?" Ayame sighed in relief. "That's good."

"This is all just a ploy by Sylvia to mess with you, I promise," Blake said.

"Sylvia Driscoll?" Ayame asked. Her tone was cold again. That manipulative bitch! Ayame had heard a lot about Sylvia Driscoll and her wily ways. And now she was sinking her claws into Blake? That woman was dead, first thing Ayame did when she came home.

Trying to seduce the guy I like, are you? Well let's see how you like my shoes shoved so far down your-

"Yeah, but don't worry," Blake quickly continued. "I brought her to your room in order to have a private conversation with her about something important. Something… well…"

He really didn't know how to explain what was going on. He knew that Ayame probably wouldn't judge him… but even so, to tell her just felt… after what he had gone through today, he'd managed to keep his cover from being blown. But he wasn't sure he was ready for anyone else to see that side of him yet, especially someone who had so much faith in him. It really made him realize just how much advantage he was really taking of Ayame and her kindness.

Ayame smiled, but Blake couldn't see it. So she told him instead.

"You don't need to tell me," she reassured him.

"Oh?"

"I already told you I trust you, remember?" Ayame laughed. "It's okay. You don't need to tell me anything you aren't ready to yet. Until you feel like you can tell me, it can just be a part of you that I don't need to see yet, okay?"

Blake didn't have anything to say to that, so he responded with a noncommittal "I guess".

"Good," Ayame said. "Don't worry, have you talk. Clear the air. And you can use my room if you want to, you know, get away from it all, you know?"

"Thanks," Blake said, smiling. "Oh, and I saw you have a Goban in here. When you get back, maybe we can play a game or something?"

"…Sure!" Ayame said, Blake feeling a tinge of relief at her excited tone. To him, he hoped that meant she really was happy and not just putting on a fake smile for his sake.

"Oh, I almost forgot, one more thing!" Ayame hastily continued. "Um, you can use my room, but… stay out of my closet! And absolutely absolutely absolutely do NOT go digging through my underwear drawer! S-stay away from my dresser entirely, okay!?"

Blake and Ayame's faces both went red.

"I wouldn't do something like that anyway!" Blake exclaimed.

"What, so my clothes aren't good enough for you?!" Ayame laughed. "Anyway, just stay away, got it? I don't want-"

Ayame's eyes widened in realization as she thought of something else she absolutely didn't want Blake setting his eyes on.

"OH! And the top drawer of my desk! ABSOLUTELY DO NOT OPEN IT, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"

Blake blinked.

"The top drawer of your desk?"

"Absolutely! STAY. AWAY."

"…Yeah, if that's what you want, of course I will," Blake agreed. "Thanks for letting me know. See you soon, Ayame."

"…Yeah," Ayame sighed, a smile on her face. "See you soon, too, Blake. Have fun at the party. And good luck… with your talk."

"Have a good night, Ayame," Blake replied.

"Dummy, it's daytime over here, I already told you!" Ayame laughed. "You have one too. Bye."

Blake hung up, staring at his phone with a look of guilt. Ayame really was a good person. As for him…

I've been content to enjoy her company… because I really do like her quite a bit, and because it was nice to be around someone who had feelings for me. But even then… as good for my self-esteem as it is to have Ayame pursuing me… it isn't right to keep her hanging like this. Even now… I'm just taking advantage of her kindness.

"But you said 'right now' before."

Blake sighed, putting his phone away.

Ayame still believes in that "right now". But… it isn't just right now. I have no intention of dating her seriously. And to let her think otherwise… I can't do something that cruel. I need to honestly explain everything to her, maybe then…

Blake raised his head and looked at the bed. Only Sylvia wasn't there anymore. He jerked his gaze across the room, seeing Sylvia scuffling around in front of Ayame's desk.

"What are you doing?!" Blake demanded.

"Top drawer, right?" Sylvia purred, glancing back over her shoulder. She held up Ayame's diary for him to see.

"Give me that!" Blake ran over to her and snatched the journal from her hands. Sylvia threw back her head and laughed, Blake slamming the diary down into the drawer and shutting it.

"Just a little bit of fun," Sylvia laughed, dancing back to the bed. "You won't play with me, so I had to entertain myself, you see? As for you…"

Sylvia smiled as she looked at the shadows crossing Blake's face.

"What's with you? You seem to be conflicted… what's the matter, Blake?"

"I'm not going to tell you," Blake replied.

"I thought you'd be happy, getting off the phone with your girlfriend," Sylvia purred. The way he flinched when she said that… it had to be. "…So she isn't!"

"Of course not," Blake replied. "She's just a friend."

"But she wants more, doesn't she? And you… what do you want?" Sylvia asked. She got out of bed, and walked over to the door, where her bag was sitting.

"I wore this because I wanted to be alluring for you, but luckily I prepared something as backup…" Sylvia smiled, leaning over and digging through her bag. She stood up and turned to him.

"A black wig and a blue ribbon…" Sylvia stepped closer to him, pushing Blake onto the bed and climbing on top of him. She removed her bunny ears and white wig, sliding the black one into place. She tied her hair up into a bunny ribbon like the one Ayame always wore. "What do you think? Suitable?"

Blake winced at the sight. She didn't look a thing like Ayame, her face more traditionally beautiful than Ayame's handsome, boyish appearance, but the ribbon and the hair were exactly hers, and the costume she wore was the sort of thing Ayame would wear. It made him feel even worse.

"Cut it out," Blake snarled, pushing her off of him.

"You really are conflicted, aren't you?" Sylvia said, narrowing her eyes. "Is it because you have a fiancé? Or… do you really only think of her as a friend?"

"I'm not discussing this with you," Blake coldly replied.

"No, I'm sure you don't want to," Sylvia agreed. "But… you will, won't you? Because there's so much you want to discuss with me about, isn't there? My dear little demon child…"

Blake glared at her. Sylvia smiled and rose to her feet, staring down at him with a predatory sneer.

"Quid pro quo, Blake. You want to know what I know? I want something as well. I'm being nice, Blake. All I'm asking in return is for you to let me help you!"

Blake frowned. He sat upright, Sylvia planting her food down on the bed beside his leg and leaning over him, staring into his eyes.

"Ayame?"

Blake frowned.

"I already know she likes you, everyone does. She confessed to you, right? And you turned her down? Why?"

"I'm not ready to date anyone."

"So when you're ready, you'll go out with her?"

"That's not what I said."

"No, but it's what I'm asking you."

…

"Do you like her?" Sylvia asked.

"She's my friend."

"Anything more?"

"No."

Sylvia studied his face. His "no" was quite certain. From what she could tell, he really didn't feel romantically about Ayame.

As far as he knew, anyway.

Maybe he does like her deep down, and doesn't realize it yet. But from what I can see on that cute little face of his…

"Do you like anyone?" Sylvia asked. "Romantically, I mean."

"…No, I don't," Blake said. Sylvia tapped her finger against her lip, stepping back. She turned away from him, considering his words.

"Well, then let me ask you another question. Who was your first love, Blake?"

Sylvia glanced at his face. Nothing. Her eyes widened.

"Really? Never?"

"Love isn't something I've ever had the luxury of contemplating," Blake replied. "Since I was young, I've been living for the sake of my family. I haven't ever even had an opportunity to think about… that. So to hear that someone likes me, I don't… I don't even know how that makes me feel."

"…To be honest…" Sylvia said quietly, sitting down beside of him. "Love has always been a mystery for me, as well."

"I'm not surprised," Blake replied dryly. Sylvia rolled her eyes. She wasn't expecting him to be sympathetic, but that was a little cold.

"And here I thought we could have a moment," she sighed, rising to her feet and turning back to him. "See, I wasn't always like this, you know. Once upon a time, I was a dreadfully ordinary, plain little girl. But even then… understanding how people feel, it's not the same as feeling as they do. You can understand the love of others. But you can't feel it for yourself."

Sylvia leaned close, her voice ice on his ear.

"Don't you see? You're just like me. A demon incapable of loving others."

"I'm nothing like you," Blake said, scooting away from her. "I may not have fallen in love before, but at least I don't see people as tools for my own amusement."

Sylvia shrugged.

"What can I say? All I meant, was that don't feel bad you haven't fallen in love. Lots of us never have." Sylvia smiled. "Besides… you had quite a bit on your plate, didn't you? After all… your whole life after being adopted was spent looking after that dear sister of yours. Of course with you under her thumb you wouldn't eve-"

Sylvia began coughing, her lips curling in a shaky smile. Blake's hand wrapped around her throat. She struggled for breath, but even so her blue eyes were shining victoriously as she looked at him.

"Stop talking," Blake hissed. "I am DONE hearing from you, understand me?"

"You've only lived for others…" she choked out, her smile growing wider. "But in the end… I know why… you… *hack* act the way you do."

"Stop it!"

"Stop me," she hissed. "Harder, Blake! Oh man, you're squeezing me just the right-"

Blake pulled his hand away, panting, Sylvia collapsing to the ground, her wig falling aside. She coughed roughly, holding her slightly bruising neck.

"Sorry, I just-"

"Oh, I know," Sylvia purred, giving him bedroom eyes that made her flushed face seem rather… erotic. "I know all about your sick attachment to your family."

"I told you I'm here to help you, Blake," Sylvia smiled. "You don't know what you want? You've never fallen in love? You want to know the truth? Or do you know already? Because I know, Blake. I know all too well."

"Sylvia…"

Sylvia ignored the warning tone in his voice. She stepped closer to him, Blake taking a step back. After losing his temper, his hand was shaking. He didn't want to hurt her, not really, he'd just…

"It not that you don't understand… you're just afraid," Sylvia replied. "You're a demon child. Because you know what you are… You're too afraid to love, aren't you? After all… you know what happened to the last person who you loved, isn't that right?"

Blake winced, refusing to acknowledge the truth of her words.

"I knew it! I can see it in your eyes! You don't know how you feel? You aren't ready for a relationship? Those are just the lies you tell yourself because deep down, you know as well as I do that anything you bring yourself to care for… will break in your hands. You've seen the curse of your existence, the survivor from the Village of Demons… what happened to your family Blake? All because of you. Because of your weakness. Because you're a monster. That's why you won't bring yourself to love anyone. Not Ayame, not that girl Caelia, or Elaina Bishop, not anyone else. Because if you got close to them…"

Her venom stung.

"You're just a scared little boy, Blake Harker, unwilling to even take the chance at loving another person because you're afraid you'll break her if you get too close."

"That's…"

"But you don't have to worry," Sylvia said, pushing him down onto the bed. She removed the hair-net from her head, shaking her blonde hair free so it tumbled wildly down over her face and shoulders as she pinned him down.

"I'm already broken, you see. I don't mind breaking a little more. So fall for me, Blake. Fall for me however you like. And when the inevitability of your curse drives me to ruin… oh, I can't wait for what an exciting experience that will be!"

So what's Blake going to do? Someone who can't love another person… solace in the arms of someone equally damaged, someone who couldn't be redeemed, maybe that's the only real hope for him.