Time to see what Blake and Ayame have left to discuss before Blake goes off and gets married. Any final words towards her?

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

Blaze Productions: Thanks for the time spent on reading my story, hope you make it this far!

Just a Bad Writer for Fun: It will certainly be something of great importance, I can tell you that.

Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings

Chapter 210

"So, uh… why're you here?" Ayame asked, biting her lip as she rocked in place, shifting her balance from one bouncing foot to the other, her eagerness radiating out of her body. She could only think of one reason why Blake might be coming to see her today, after what had happened last night. She opened the door to let him into her room, trailing behind him.

If Blake really was planning to have them both run away together… kyaah! That would be the most romantic thing in the world! And would… would she really say yes? She… she couldn't just up and leave, right? That… that would practically be eloping!

Ayame held her breast, begging her heart to stop pounding. She was getting herself all worked up over what could possibly be nothing, but if it wasn't… if he really did want to elope with her… just the two of them, running away from his family… but it meant she might be abandoning her dreams to become a pokeathlon champion. And she just couldn't do that. But… if Olivia would help, then maybe… did she really need to graduate after all? Her team had been trained to perfection, and she was already well known in those circles… was a diploma from the Pokemon Academy necessary?

She'd do it. That was the conclusion her heart had arrived at. If he was coming here to ask her to run away… then she'd go. And the two of them would- wait, what was he doing?

Blake had walked to the corner, knelt down, and pulled out… her goban?

"Huh? What's that?" Ayame asked, confused.

"We still haven't had time for another game since last time," Blake said, setting the heavy wooden board down on the floor. He looked up at her. "Want to play?"

Ayame blinked, a broad smile crossing her face.

"Sure!" She chirped, sitting down across from him.

Blake placed the black stones in front of Ayame and took the white for himself.

"You can place 4 stones," Blake replied.

"That many, huh?" Ayame smirked. "You're really looking down on me, huh?"

"I just want a fun game," Blake explained. "After all, this might be the last game you and I ever play."

A sad expression crossed Ayame's face. Guess that meant that the elopement idea she'd dreamed up was just that: a fantasy. She sighed, and began placing her handicap stones.

Blake noted how disappointed Ayame was, so he decided to give her some motivation.

"You know, we never really set a concrete bet on her first game. So how about… if you win, I'll listen to any one of your requests. And if I win, you do the same, sound good?"

Ayame blinked, her mouth falling open. There was only one thing she wanted from Blake at the moment. To stay here, and not get married. This… this was her chance. Or hell… she could go a step further, and demand that Blake marry her, instead.

Wait, no. Date. Date her. She wasn't ready for marriage yet, that… that was just silly! But it would be nice…

Ayame shook her head, clearing her thoughts. Yes, if she won, she'd make Blake stay.

"What… what do you want, then?" Ayame inquired. She tried to seem subtle about it, but subconsciously brushed the locks of hair that framed her face aside, telegraphing her nervousness.

Blake smiled.

"I guess we'll see, if I win," he murmured. Once the stones were in place, Blake made the first move.

It was clearly apparent that Ayame's handicap was warranted. Even with the large advantage of four points, she was on the defensive to Blake's skill. As they played, Blake was giving her pointers, helping her game improve. They were only talking casually as well, the topic of Blake's coming departure and engagement not being raised even once. At about 40 minutes in, Blake finally switched to an important topic, and the reason he had come here in the first place. It wasn't just to spend time with his friend.

"Ayame, can I ask you something important?"

"Of course," Ayame said, glancing up from the board. "What is it?"

She could tell from Blake's face that this really was something important. His brow was furrowed, and his eyes were very focused. She began feeling a little nervous. What… what was important? What did he need from her? She… she'd do almost anything for him. So what…

"Can you tell me… why you like me so much?"

Ayame blinked. That wasn't the question she was expecting. It was so shocking that she wasn't sure how to respond for a moment.

"What… what do you mean? Why? I don't understand," Ayame said, shaking her head. "You want to know… why I like you?"

Blake's expression was so serious, Ayame felt something well up in her gut. Until now… Blake hadn't shown any sign of lacking self-esteem. Was this… was this why he hadn't reciprocated her feelings?

"Do you… do you not think you're worthy of me liking you?" Ayame whispered, a black stone falling from her fingers into the container with a clatter. She reached out and placed her hand over Blake's, desperately searching his eyes for something, anything to try and understand why he would think this way.

Blake's eyes widened and he shook his head. "No, no, that's not what I meant, it's not… it's not like that. I was talking about, you know…"

Ayame felt relieved that he didn't think he was unworthy of being loved, because she couldn't imagine someone so broken. She wouldn't even know how to help them. But now… now she was just confused at what he was getting at.

"I've never… really loved anyone," Blake explained. "At least… not in the way that you say you care about me. I love my friends, of course, but when it comes to romance… I love Cynthia, my foster mother, because of how she accepted me into her family with open arms, in spite of all the pain that I went through. I love my sister, because for her, she just needed me, she wanted me around. Just being with her, spending time with her, it filled me with happiness. But it wasn't… it wasn't romance, I don't think, I never felt 'I want to be with her' not in… that way. Because she's my sister, you know? I just wanted to be at her side and see her smile. And… I don't think that's the kind of love that you mean. Ayame, do… do you love me? Or is it just… a fleeting thing?"

Ayame blinked.

"I love you." She stated it plain and simple. She wasn't letting him have any room for doubt. "I know it might seem a little hasty. But we don't have much time. So I'm not going to dance around. I'm not going to hesitate, or pretend that I'm not sure of how I feel. I love you, Blake. So that's why… don't say anything like 'why do you like me', don't doubt my feelings for you at all. It might seem sudden, it might seem fast… but it's REAL, Blake."

Blake nodded.

"I… Ayame, I… I can't feel the same." Blake said, pulling his hand away from hers. "I… I do love you, but… I don't think it's that kind of love that you're talking about. I can't… I can't say if it's any different from how I feel about any of my other friends. So I want you… to tell me what the difference is. Reiner and Nick, they both have girlfriends, so I could ask them… but I still wanted… to talk to you about it."

"You want to know what it's like to fall in love with someone?" Ayame asked. "To be in love with someone?"

The "why" never passed her lips, she left it hanging in the air between them as she stared deeply into his eyes.

"I'm getting married to Alcea," Blake stated. His voice was quiet, but the defeated tone spoke volumes. It wasn't that he wanted to do it. But he clearly felt like he had to. It was a subject-ending tone. "But I don't want… to be a bad husband. I've never fallen in love before… but I need to learn how to love her."

The pain in his voice was plain. Asking something of this, from Ayame… it was cruel. Unbelievably cruel, and Ayame could see how much his cruelty hurt him. But she could also see how lost he was, and that he went to the person who he thought could help him the most. She moved her hand to once again rest as his.

"It's okay, Blake," Ayame reassured him, her lips curling up into a smile. "What's most important to me… is that you find happiness. So even if it hurts me, even if I have to help you learn to love someone else… I'll still help you, Blake, just the same way that you helped me."

Blake nodded, feeling less guilty but not much better.

"So to be a good husband for Alcea… you want to know how to fall in love with someone?" Ayame clarified. "So you want to know what it is about you that I fell in love with. And more than that… I don't think it's just about learning to love Alcea, is it?"

Blake flinched.

"You really don't know what it's like to fall in love with someone, do you?" Ayame giggled a comforting giggle. "If you did, you wouldn't ask a stupid question like that."

"Huh?" Blake looked at her in confusion.

"There isn't a reason that I fell for you, you fucking idiot!" Ayame laughed, batting him lightly on the head. "Before I knew it, I was already head over heels! You were the center of my attention, the dummy I was thinking about, the fucking pain in my ass that made my heart pound no matter how much I wanted otherwise! It wasn't just that you helped me. It was how you helped me, the sound of your laugh, that distant look in your eyes, the smile on your face, your love for your friends, how hard you try to help people, every time I think about you… there's so many things about you that I love that I couldn't even begin to start! So there isn't a reason, dummy! I fell in love with you because I love you, isn't that enough?"

Ayame's passionate admission had shaken Blake quite a bit. He was planning on completely rejecting her, cutting her off completely. It was something that needed to be done, but at the same time… even when she heard that he didn't know how to love someone, that he couldn't understand love, that he'd never fall for her, that he was getting married to someone else…

And she still looked at him with those eyes that refused to dim, that sharp gaze that would rebuke him when he messed up, and comfort him at the same time. It was really, really hard to break the heart reflected in those eyes. Especially considering how many hits he'd inflicted on her.

"…Thanks, Ayame," he finally said. "I don't… I don't know how to love someone, but… I haven't loved someone like that before. So I… I'm going to keep doing my best. I'll try to find something like that for Alcea… thank you."

"…Yeah," Ayame nodded. There was pain reflected in those golden-hazel eyes of hers, a pain that stung Blake's heart. Then, the look in her eyes sharpened, like she'd come to a decision of some sort. She flashed him a hard, resolute stare. "Should we… keep going?"

Blake nodded. They resumed the game. Blake played his hardest, and Ayame fought him every step of the way. She had something behind her that he didn't, and that was a drive to win. There was something she needed Blake to do for her. He promised her anything. And she would get that anything. She needed it.

The game came to a close soon after. They divied up the sections of the board, and counted up the points. Then, Ayame counted them again, just to be sure. She gasped in disbelief. Against all odds, she had managed to pull ahead, by a mere 3 points. She had won.

"Yes!" Ayame cheered, pumping her fist into the air in victory. "I won!"

"Wow," Blake said, shocked. "I'm… wow. You won, way to go." He'd been shaken by their discussion, but he still felt that he'd played his best. Ayame had really improved during their game, and she'd simply wanted to win the game more than he did.

"That's right," Ayame said, leaning back on her hands and sighing in relief. "I managed to win. Wheew…"

Ayame's lips curled into a smile, and she leaned forward to help Blake clean up.

"Now then, Blake. I believe we had a little wager, for the winner?" Ayame smirked. "So tell me, what did I get if I won, again?"

Blake smiled back at her, and shrugged his shoulders.

"A bet's a bet," Blake admitted. "You did win. I'll do anything you want, as long as I can."

"That's good then," Ayame smiled. She stood up and walked around the goban, kneeling next to him. "I do want something important, Blake. You might not want to do it, but you made the bet, and now you have to deal with it. And you know exactly what I want, don't you, Blake?"

Blake turned his head to meet her gaze. He had a fairly good guess what it was that she wanted. He'd made a deal, and he intended to honor it, if he could. Although he wasn't sure he could stay here, if that's what she wanted from him. He'd have to try his best, but it had to be something he could do. As for anything else… he supposed that would have to be fair game. It was just a matter of what she would want from him. He felt a bead of sweat pass his brow.

Ayame's lips curled up into a smile.

"I can't ask you to love me," Ayame quietly told him. "That's not something that's in your power to do, after all. And even if you could… I wouldn't want your love to come from some bet. We both know that wouldn't really be love."

She sighed, the look in her eyes was sad in spite of her smile. She leaned in brushed Blake's bangs to the side, placing a light kiss on his forehead.

"Please find your own happiness, Blake," Ayame asked him. "Even if you won't be with me, even if you can't ever feel for me the same way that I feel about you… as long as you can be happy with the path you're going down, then I'll be supporting you with a smile. So you smile, too."

"Ayame…" Blake had to blink the tears out of his eyes. He didn't… he really wasn't sure what he should say in reply to that.

"I… I can't do that," Blake quietly replied.

Ayame frowned.

"Why the fuck not?!" She demanded.

"Because you know as well as I do that this… this isn't what I want!" Blake exclaimed. "I don't… I don't want to go! I don't want to marry Alcea, I want to stay here, with my friends! That… that's what I want, to be happy. Not… not doing what Richard Harker wants me to do, don't you understand?"

Ayame's expression hardened, and her eyes narrowed into a glare.

"Are you kidding me? Of course I understand," she frowned. "I just wanted to hear you say it."

"What?"

Ayame rose to her feet and looked down at Blake.

"I wanted to hear you tell me that you didn't want to go. That you wanted to stay here. If you honestly wanted to go and get married, then I'd see you off with a smile. I'd be happy for you, even though it would hurt. But I… I won't support a future where you'll be living a life of fucking misery, Blake!"

"I don't have a choice!" Blake said, gritting his teeth and standing up. "I… I have to! This is what Richard wants me to do, and-"

"Then why won't you fight?" Ayame demanded, tears searing her cheeks. "Ignore him and fight! Tell him what it is you want, do the things you want to do, because you want them, not someone else!"

She leaned forward and forcefully pressed her lips against Blake's, pushing him back until he stumbled onto the bed, Blake finding himself in a similar position to one he had experienced with Sylvia not too long ago. Ayame was holding him down on the bed, tears falling onto his face. She pulled back, and looked at him.

"This… is what I want. I've been trying my hardest to get you to look at me, Blake, but you won't. Why… why can't you fight for what you want?"

"…If I told you to give up, would you?" Blake asked quietly.

"If… if that was what you wanted, then… I would," Ayame agreed, nodding.

"Then please… for your own happiness, give up on me," Blake said, shaking his head. "If you keep on like this… then you'll only have more pain and disappointment in the future, Ayame. And I… I don't want that for you."

Ayame grit her teeth, getting up off the bed.

"If you go down this road, then you'll only have more pain and disappointment in the future," she spat his words back at him. "And I don't want that for you."

"You say that I should fight, then?" Blake asked, sitting up. "If I resisted this… then I would really lose everything. I would be giving up the only home I know, what family I had… without my home and my sister… there wouldn't be anything left for me."

Blake's voice was empty. He wanted to fight, but he'd clearly lost any hope for victory. It stung Ayame's heart to hear, but it pissed her off more than anything. She hated it when someone just gave up like that.

"I don't know anything about your drama, or your family life, or anything like that," Ayame said, shaking her head. "You don't want to tell me, and I'm pretty sure you never will. But all I know is that if the road you're walking won't lead to happiness… if you can't smile when you face your future… then I'm not going to let you go down that path. Even if I have to pull you off by force… even if it means you would end up hating me… I'm not going to sit back and watch the man I love tear himself apart like this, do you understand me?"

Ayame took a deep breath, her screed nearly costing her all of her air.

"You helped me before. When I was lost, and so caught up in my own problems that I couldn't find the right path, you helped me run again, you forced me to see where I had made my mistake. All I want to do is help you the same way, but… why is it okay for you to help me when I'm protesting it, but not okay for me to do the same?! Just… please, anything I can do! Any way I can help you smile, just tell me! Please! Tell me what you want from me, Blake, and I'll do it!"

Blake didn't answer her desperate pleas. He got off of her bed, and looked her in the eyes. She desperately searched for something, anything, some sign that she could latch onto. But there was nothing there but emptiness. Her shoulders drooped in defeat. It was over.

"Ayame…"

"Get out," Ayame snarled. Blake winced. The look in her eyes… he'd never seen that anger before, not even when she'd been so antagonistic towards him, back when they'd first met.

"Ayame!"

"Get. Out." Ayame grabbed him by the collar, grinding her teeth. "Get out, get out, get the fuck out!"

Ayame shoved him towards the door, before a sharp, stabbing pain in her side caused her to fall to her knees. Blake, standing in the doorway, turned a worried look towards her, but she cut him off with a glare that tried oh, so hard to be hateful. But the tears in her eyes were tears of pain and sorrow, not hate not real anger. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't do it.

"Please…" Ayame sobbed. "Just… get out…"

She held her injured ribs and coughed, finding it difficult to catch her breath. Blake tried to move closer to her, but she wouldn't let him.

Blake hung his head, reluctantly turning away from Ayame. He reached into his pocket and took the key she'd given him out, setting it down on the dresser next to the door. He did as she asked, turned, and walked out the door, leaving Ayame to her own devices.

"Blake? What are you doing here?" Olivia asked, running into him as he left Ayame's room.

"Nothing…" Blake muttered. Olivia could see the regret and grief on his face. "It doesn't matter anymore."

Olivia glanced after him as he walked past her, then turned her attention away and knocked on Ayame's door, entering.

"Aya!" Olivia gasped, running over to Ayame's side. "What… what happened?! Are you okay?"

"Blake, he…" Ayame wheezed.

"Blake?! I'll kill him, I swear to god-"

"No, no, not that," Ayame coughed, struggling to get her breathing under control. "Please, just… no, it's not like that."

"Aya, what…"

"Boss… about what you talked about this morning… your plan to interfere with Blake's marriage… I'm in."

"Really?" Olivia asked.

"Blake… the Blake that I love… is fading away right before my eyes." Ayame ignored the pain in her chest and rose to her feet, pressing her hand against the wall to brace herself. "If he keeps going like this, there won't be anything left of him. So even if he won't ever forgive me, even if he won't ever love me… I won't let him throw away the things that mean the world to him."

"…If that's what you want, Aya, then let's do it," Olivia said, nodding. The look in Ayame's eyes had a resolve that made Olivia feel a sense of relief. It seems that Ayame was really seeing the path ahead of her clearly. And Olivia would help her no matter what, because that's what friends were for.

So what could this plan be? How will the marriage meeting go? We'll have to find out!