"... That's what... I've been trying to do," he whined a little, "But I... Can't just suddenly change, Blaze."

---

"You're the better catch," he delivered smoothly.

"I get that," Blaze reassured him. "It's the effort that matters."

--

Yue tried to react as smoothly as James delivered, but it didn't quite work. She liked it too much to be able to cover it all up.

Kale was silent, letting that sink in before he slowly reached back, trying to find Blaze.

--

James laughed again, "Should we go snorkeling? It's getting kinda hot." He winked at her

Blaze hadn't moved since he closed his eyes.

--

Yue raised an eyebrow. She hadn't brought a swimsuit, but that was probably the point.

So Kale's hand found her leg and rested on it.

--

"c'mon!" James encouraged, grabbing snorkeling sets.

Blaze let him, but didn't say anything.

--

Yue sighed a little, still debating.

"Sorry for causing you distress yesterday," he whispered.

--

"The water's really warm," James tempted.

Blaze remained silent.

--

"That swordfish is in it and who knows what else..." Yue replied.

James raised an eyebrow, "You're tooscared?" he asked, amused.

After a long while, Blaze whispered, "... I don't know how to say this."

--

"So what if I am?" Yue snapped back.

"... Say?" Kale whispered back.

--

James chuckled, "You're not afraid of gunfights but the ocean terrifies you?" he clarified with a shake of his head.

Blaze waited a minute more before trying to explain. "... I was really upset after we talked.... And I thought you had dumped me... So..." She paused for a long moment.

--

"No one typically wants to make a meal of you in a gunfight," Yue noted.

Kale visibly tensed a little.

--

"it'll be fine, most of the sharks are peaceful around here."

That made Blaze hesitate a little longer. But then she sighed, it wasn't fair to leave Kale tense like this. It was what it was. "When we went to the island... I slept with someone," she confessed quietly.

--

Yue paused for another minute, debating whether or not to trust James.

Kale seemed to freeze.

--

"Oh seriously?" James demanded, "Even if you don't trust me that much, at least know I'm not going to feed you to a shark!"

Blaze sighed again, not saying anything more.

--

Yue gave James a sour look. "Maybe it's not the sharks on my mind," she replied.

Kale was silent for a long time. "Is... This how it's going to be?" he whispered.

--

James looked overly flabbergasted, "Me?!"

"... I thought the relationship was over," Blaze whispered back. "I thought..." She swallowed a little. "You had chosen sugar over me." Her voice broke a little, still pained by it. "... If I had known, the thought wouldn't have even crossed my mind."

--

Yue said nothing.

"Does your body mean so little to you?" he spat, "And you have the gale to lecture me!" he hissed.

--

"Just do it!" James repled.

Blaze frowned. "What the terra?" she asked. "A one night stand doesn't negate a thing. I do take care of my body. That had nothing to do with it. I just needed to feel like I was worth something more."

--

"Why?" Yue replied.

Kale slowly sat up, glaring a bit at Blaze, "Do you know how many diseases are passed through sleeping with others? And you pick up random guys from the bar when you're drunk and sleep with as many as you want? Is your self worth so damn low that you have to sleep with some sleezeball scum to feel like you're worth something?! What the terra is that?" he fumed, "You allow yourself to be used in the most intimate way imaginable by someone you don't know and who will forget about you the next day... to feel wanted?! What kind of stupid boulder are you?"

Blaze started blankly at Kale, remaining silent the entire time. After another moment or two a tear slowly rolled down her face before more started to join the first.

"... Don't judge what you don't understand," she spat quietly. "Wasn't that the lesson just learned?!"

Kale continued to stare at her sharply, "Purity is something that's important to me," he replied, "When I said I've never been in a relationship, I meant it. I'd never so much as kissed a girl before you. And that was only because I was serious about you. I wouldn't give myself away to someone I'd never see again. I'd only be hurting myself more." He continued to stare at her, "Is this how it's going to be?" he asked again, "Every time we fight you end up in someone else's bed?" He knew that wasn't fair. He knew she wouldn't do it. But deep anger and betrayal spoke instead rationality.

"STOP IT!" Blaze yelled at Kale before breaking out into sobs. "S-Stop it!" she repeated. "J-Just s-stop! S-Stop j-judging me! S-Stop insulting m-me! Stop m-making m-me f-f... f-feel like d-dirt!"

"You're treating yourself like dirt!" Kale nearly shouted back, "You're sitting here telling me that you need random guys' attention to make you feel loved! You are loved, Blaze! Crust! You stupid, stupid girl!" He suddenly reached out to hug her, "Y-You... stupid girl," he repeated, voice breaking a little.

--

"Seriously, it'll be a lot of fun!" James tried again.

"Stop!" Blaze yelled one more time through the sobs as she reached out her hands to stop Kale from coming any closer. But she was weaker than usual. A lot weaker.

--

Yue thought about it another moment before sighing.

Kale didn't stop, wrapping his arms around her in a very tight hug, "Sorry..." he whispered fiercely.

--

"Really!" James reassured her.

Blaze said nothing, still sobbing. She didn't hug him back as she shook a little.

--

"Whatever..." Yue replied.

Kale continued to hold Blaze, hiding his face in her neck, "Sorry..." he repeated, "... sorry."

--

James grinned as he threw her a mask and snorkel.

Blaze didn't move for a long time as she kept sobbing.

--

Yue caught them and began to clean them off.

Kale was silent now as he continued to hold her.

--

James took out a pair of fins as well, tossing them to Yue.

Blaze kept going for a good while before slowly starting to calm down.

--

So Yue slowly got ready to snorkel. It looked like she'd be keeping her shirt and pants on.

Kale was wearing out fast. By the time she was calming down, he was getting light headed again.

--

James stripped to his boxers of course; fixing his fins and mask before jumping into the water.

Blaze seemed a little light headed too. Blaze slowly reached a hand up and pointed to the bedside cabinet that was just out of her reach.

--

Yue took her time getting in the water, getting her feet used to it first before slowly dropping in.

Kale slowly leaned over and reached for the cabinet.

--

James of course splashed her a bit before diving away under the water. It looked like there was a sort of coral reef under them. James was exploring already.

Inside was Blaze's little black box of injections.

--

Yue took a few minutes to get used to the snorkel and fins before going deeper.

Kale blankly handed her the box.

--

James looked like a fish himself, coming up and swimming circles around Yue playfully before getting distracted by something else.

Blaze silently opened it and took out one of the vials. She slowly got it ready before glancing at Kale as if to warn him to look away if he didn't like needles.

--

Yue was less graceful under water. But eventually she began to get the hang of it.

Kale was still blankly staring at her.

--

James looked like a kid in a candy store, pointing tons of things out to Yue that she could see perfectly well on her own. Then a dolphin swam by and James got even more excited.

So Blaze put the needle in her arm. She took a deep breath as the liquid entered her blood stream and let it out as she took the needle out and leaned back. She looked a little nauseous.

--

Yue was a lot more cautious than James, watching from afar most of the time.