Author's Note: Well, that chapter took longer than expected. Apologies to those who had to wait an extra month for it . I thank you for your patience. ^^' Anyway, here's the latest chapter, which may or may not contain a bit of fanservice. It's the Valentine's Day chapter at last. I'd like to thank Josh, Cycla, Duon, Raj, jasonturnerdragonmaster, and Anonymous(Guest) for their awesome reviews and encouragement. :)

I will definitely keep updating this story as promised and I hope all of you enjoy this latest installment of Yamato and Miki's story. Thanks for the reviews, I always love reading any feedback I get. It lets me know whether or not I'm keeping everyone in character and that you all still find it entertaining.

So, cheers and see you on the next update. ;)

"Miki! Miyamoto!"

Yamato looked up and saw a girl with long dark hair standing on the second floor balcony looking down at them. He walked beside Miki and Miyamoto up a short lightly paved walk that circled around to the side of the house. According to Miki the house was owned by Aikawa family and Etsuko Aikawa had been a friend of Miki's since her first year in middle school. Miyamoto also confirmed that many of his middle school track team mates would be in attendance. The girl above them had a medium build with a set of very firmly broad shoulders. She was probably some type of athlete too. Yamato found himself digging his hands into his pockets, the right one skimming over his room key. For some reason the metal teeth seemed easier to concentrate on than finding a cure for his nerves as he tried to convince himself to act casual. He didn't want to embarrass himself in front of everyone. Not when his teammate and Hashiba had been nice enough to invite him alone to this little get together between friends.

"Hey Etsuko! It's good to see you!" Miki replied as she held up a hand to wave at her friend. "Akitsuki this is Aikawa Etsuko, she was the best girls softball player in our year."

"It's nice to meet you" Yamato said slightly nervous. He wasn't sure how he'd actually look to all of these new people as opposed to Miki and Miyamoto who had apparently been track stars at their old school.

"Call me Aikawa! I'll be down in a minute Miki, just let me get Rina. I need to stop her from trying to raid my closet for something better to wear."

Miyamoto shook his head.

"She was always like that" he said, chuckling. "Hizuki complains that they always end up being late to because she can't figure out what to wear. Or what people want her to wear. He doesn't realize that she does it all for him."

"Hisa is the same way, you know" Miki added jokingly "and you never complained about those traditional kimonos she used to wear for New Years."

Yamato was surprised to see Miyamoto blush slightly at Miki's intimation. Did Miyamoto have a girlfriend at another school?

Miki giggled slightly before turning to Yamato.

"Hisa is Miyamoto's girlfriend from the back home in Yokohama. She's currently a third year at Kyoto Gaidai Nishi High School in Kyoto." She explained. "Hisa wants to be a doctor some day."

"Oh I see, that's why she's going to a fancy private high school" Yamato answered thoughtfully "that's such a big goal."

"Isn't it? She was always the one with her head in a book. The only time she wasn't studying was when she'd go out with us or watch the track team practices."

"She's actually Kazuki Tsuda's cousin" Miyamoto added quietly "we didn't end up going out until my second year. Tsuda used to hang out with us sometimes. It took her awhile to get over his death."

Yamato nodded. Suddenly his mouth felt very dry at the mention of the boy who had looked similar to him. He wondered if Miyamoto sometimes looked at him and saw the other boy.

"Don't worry, Hisa will be here, but she won't freak out or anything" Miki said comfortingly when she noticed Yamato's chilled expression. "She's a very sensible person. Besides, Suzuka won't be here, so you don't have to worry about it."

"That's right, you all went to the same middle school."

Miyamoto nodded as he turned to knock on the Aikawa's door.

"We share some of the same friends, but Suzuka doesn't really go to any of the parties" Miki said casually "she didn't really get to know either of us until our third year at Misuo Junior High. So she didn't really get to know any of the people that we hung out with."

"It was a big school" Miyamoto reasoned. "I knew her because of my brother Kenji and track practice. Otherwise, we didn't really talk at all until third year."

"That's strange, I was always under the impression that you were all really close friends" Yamato said with mild surprise.

Miki shook her head.

"Like I said, Misuo was a big school."

"Uh Hashiba-"

"Miki-chan!"

A girl with jet black hair bound in a tight ponytail dressed in dark blue skirt with a sky blue summer shirt, rushed over to Miki and Miyamoto. She launched herself off the ground to give each of them a sweeping hug in turn, which was quite a fete considering she was at least five inches shorter both of them.

"Hisa! This is great, I haven't seen you in forever" Miki answered with a smile. "This is Yamato Akitsuki."

Hisa blinked and put a hand over her mouth to stifle a gasp.

"That really is a remarkable resemblance" she said lightly. "I wasn't sure what to make of it when you told me, Miki-chan, but it's true. He looks just like Kazuki."

"He's a bit more modest sometimes" Miyamoto put in with a small smirk that was out of character for him.

Yamato supposed it had something to do with his friend being able to relax a bit around his girlfriend. Hisa seemed like a cheerful person and aside from her reaction to his looking like her dead cousin, which was better than it could have been, she seemed relatively normal.

"Ah, well, Kazuki did like to brag when he won something" Hisa said smiling wistfully "though he didn't ever look down on those who lost to him."

"If anything he wanted them to try harder for the next year's competition" Miyamoto agreed. "It's something I miss about him. He even gave us younger students the drive to move forward and do our best, even when it seemed like we'd had it."

"You know, I think Yamato could used some of that drive" Miki joked.

"Haha. I haven't skipped track practice in weeks" Yamato put in. "And I'm getting better at running the relay."

"I've been practicing with him outside of school" Miki explained. "It seems to be working for now."

"You must train really hard" Hisa said looking to Yamato. "I mean, you made the track team your freshman year."

"It was more difficult keeping him in afterwards" Miyamoto commented.

"Oh well, I hope it's gotten a bit easier for you" Hisa replied.

Yamato eyed her carefully. He was pretty sure she'd been told about his situation with Suzuka prior to coming here. Luckily Hisa went to a different school and wasn't particularly great friends with his former crush. Still, he was going to have to get used to being around people who knew Suzuka and didn't share the same neutral feelings toward her. He'd get used to it eventually, if given time.

"I'm glad you're able to do what my cousin couldn't" Hisa told him somberly, shaking Yamato from his thoughts. "Kazuki would be glad to know that someone was taking his place and working hard to compete for regional's."

Yamato put a hand behind his head and smile awkwardly.

"I'll try" he said. "Though I doubt I'll be able to make it past the local competitions just yet."

"We'll have to work on that" Miki said putting a hand around his shoulder. "You have free afternoons, don't you Akitsuki?"

"Not that I have much of a life anymore as it is" Yamato grumbled as the other three laughed at him.

"Don't overwork him Hashiba, we need him for next year" Miyamoto said in an amused tone.

"It'll be good for him" Miki replied with grin. "Hattori agrees with me."

"Hattori will do anything if it means getting to talk to a pretty girl" Yamato said shaking his head. Hattori had a one-track mind about those types of things.

"You think I'm pretty Akitsuki, I'm flattered" Miki said "but that won't save you from extra training."

"It was worth a shot" the teen replied. "So are we actually going to go inside?"

"I suppose we should" Hisa commented. "I can't wait to see Aikawa again, it's been so long."

Yamato and Miyamoto quickly found themselves ushered inside after Hisa knocked on the door. They were let in by a couple of former track team members from Misuo Junior High who recognized Miyamoto almost immediately. Miki was greeted enthusiastically by Aiwaka Etsuko and another girl who was introduced as Rina Kasuoshi. After a few more meetings and greetings Yamato found himself caught up in several different forms of entertainment, which included a bit of impromptu movie watching, trying out some potluck chocolates several off the girls had made while at Etsuko's house two days before. The chocolates were different flavors and not all of them candy related, so it turned out to be an interesting game. Fortunately Yamato only got to taste a strawberry flavored chocolate and one that was later revealed to be grape flavored, though it seemed a bit more like lime to him. Miyamoto got one flavored with tapioca and the other with powdered green tea kimchi. Hisa had certainly seemed amused at the face he made after tasting that last one. Miki had Yamato's luck and only got caramel and pear flavored candy. Yamato was also introduced to different members of the track team Miyamoto had been on in middle school. Miyamoto's friends seem to let Yamato into the fold a little bit as they conversed about their shared experiences and mistakes, while commenting on how different high school sports were from what they had expected.

Eventually, after watching Rina and Aikawa remember, recite, and completely forget the lyrics to Yu Yu Hakusho's first opening theme, it was time to leave. There were a few people staying over, though Miki and Miyamoto had already declined an offer to do so as well. They couldn't afford to lose sleep or time to complete their homework before enduring Monday classes and track practice. Yamato and his friends walked Hisa to her aunt's house before separating. Though Yamato insisted on having Miki come back to the dorm with him briefly.

"What's up Akitsuki? You've never invited me to your place before" Miki said feeling a bit confused. "You aren't afraid of running into Suzuka right now, are you? You live with her, so you're going to have to sooner or later."

"No, that's not what this is about, Hashiba" Yamato assured her as they walked up to his room. It was lucky that his aunt had gone out for the night, he was pretty sure Miyo was still around though. "We do need to be quiet though, my cousin might still be home. I don't want her asking me where I was tonight."

"Does it matter?"

"No, but she'll think I was on a date or something like that."

Miki shook her head.

"I'm sure she's smarter than that Akitsuki and you did say the two of you were close" she reminded him.

"We are, I just don't want her pestering me right now. It's late" Yamato explained. "She'll wake up the others by yelling at me, if she thinks I've done something stupid."

"Fine" Miki said reluctantly. "Just don't make people worry unnecessarily. Your aunt and cousin do seem to care a lot about you. Even Suzuka said that."

"I know and that's why trying not to get them up here right now" Yamato said. Once they reached his door he took out a key and turned to her. "Can you wait here for a minute?"

"Sure, just don't take too long" she said "I still have to be home by a certain time."

Yamato quickly opened his door and hurriedly went inside. He grabbed the small brown box that had been sitting on the small green table in the middle of the room since the day before. After the events of the past few months, he was still leery about doing anything even remotely close to romantic like this. So giving someone a Valentine's Day gift with no strings attached was a big step for him. Miki was someone he liked and respected, and above all else he wanted to thank her for all she'd done for him the past year. It had taken him awhile to realized that despite being pretty, normal, and a good friend to all, Miki didn't have anyone paying her the kind of attention Suzuka got on a daily basis. Even if Suzuka did reject most of her suitors on the spot, something Yamato understood all too well, as most of the individuals in question did so without actually knowing her. Most people assumed that because Suzuka was a track star who held an incredibly hard to beat record in the high jump, that she was perfectly willing to do anything to heighten her own popularity. This included having a fairly lively social life and dating. Yamato still couldn't believe there were people foolish enough to assume such a thing, but it happened quite frequently and as a result Miki's own image was almost overshadowed by that of her best friend. Suzuka cut quite a dashing figure on the field and despite Miki's own skills no nonsense attitude when it came to athletics, the brunette always seemed to come in second when it came to their audience.

He wanted to change that. Miki may not be interested in any kind of relationship with him and Yamato knew he still needed to let his bitterness about Suzuka fade before he even attempted to explore that avenue. There was still a great chance that Miki didn't seem him that way, but he had to try. Maybe in a another month or so, if she said yes, they could even go out somewhere for the day. Anywhere.

So with a heavy heard and his ever present nerves nipping at his heals, Yamato grabbed the box, which held a silver tinted bracelet and a set of earrings, all of which had track shoes on them, and went back out the door.

"I wanted to thank you for everything you've done" Yamato said as he handed Miki the box "you're a great friend Hashiba and a good trainer."

Miki froze. It took her a moment to realize that Yamato, despite not knowing about her own feelings of attraction toward him, had done of a semi romantic nature just for her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd gotten a Valentine's Day gift from someone other than a relative or female friend. It wasn't as if she'd never gone out with anyone before, because there had been someone interested back in Yokohama. That relationship had ended shortly before she entered her third year of middle school though, so it didn't matter all that much. She and Anju were still friends now, even after the break up, but she hadn't dated anyone since. So it came as a complete shock that someone would actually do this for her. Miki had gotten so used to Suzuka being at the center of a love triangle and hearing her friend's thoughts on the matter that she hadn't really thought about her own love life in quite a while.

"I-are you sure about this, Akitsuki?" Miki said eyeing the box Yamato continued to hold to her. "What exactly does this mean?"

"It means I've been doing a lot thinking for once" Yamato said smiling, despite a slight wince that had been visible on his face. "I've made a lot of mistake this year. The first one was not understanding how those around were feeling. I'm trying to be better at it and in doing so appreciate what they mean to me. You mean a lot to me, Hashiba."

"You mean a lot to me too, Akitsuki. I'd be lying if I said I'd never thought about you that way" Miki said awkwardly as she turned her head to the side and closed her eyes. She only continued to speak after catching her breath. "Do you mean this only as a gesture of friendship or something else?"

"The second one" Yamato replied earnestly. "I...don't ever want to confuse anyone about how I feel ever again. I like you and I want to see where this could go."

"We'd have to take it slow" Miki mused out loud "there are too many complications to just come out with it. I can't just tell Suzuka something like that without working this out between us first."

"You want to get her to come to terms with it first" Yamato said understandingly. "Wait, does this mean you will?"

Miki turned to look at him and smiled. She lifted the box from his hand and held it snug within her grip.

"Yes. I've liked you for long time" she said "but I'd never get between you and Suzuka. I knew how you both felt and I'd never do anything to make a friend unhappy. Though I suppose this might still cause a stir."

"We both need time" Yamato reasoned. "I still have to work a few things out for myself."

"What about White Day?" Miki asked. "We could go somewhere then and talk."

"Like a date?" Yamato questioned. "We could take the train to the beach or something. It might be a nice break before final exams."

"I think that could work" Miki said. "I never pictured I'd be buying a White Day gift instead. My mother will never believe me."

Yamato chuckled lightly and they both started laughing at the reversal of Japanese tradition.

"I can't wait" he said.

Things were finally starting to look up.

The next chapter will be about White Day. Just so you know. ;)