Author's Note: Hi there. I realize it's been ages since I last updated. Sorry about that. I've had school and work on my mind. Not to mention the endless complications of standardized testing. XD Anyway, I've finally gotten around to finishing my writing and editing of this latest chapter, so here it is for your reading enjoyment.
I'd also like to thank flareose, 0553140, triviatrap1982, Grey Wolf4, Guest, sharingan prodigy, Stormchaser17, and COBRASTEVE for reviewing. I love getting feedback on all of this. It helps me know what I'm doing right. ;)
"I have a date on White Day" Miki said closing her locker and turning to look directly at Suzuka.
"It must be nice" Suzuka replied giving her a passive smile. "You haven't gone on one since we left Yokohama. I'm glad you found someone."
"I've liked him for a while now" Miki admitted "but I didn't say anything because things were different up until a few months ago. I'm telling you this because I want all of us to remain friends."
Suzuka stared at her with a confused expression on her face. She tried to decipher the meaning behind what Miki was telling her, but to little avail.
"I'm afraid I don't understand what you're saying" Suzuka told her. "How could you going out with a boy be a problem for me? I mean we'll still get to hang out once in a while even if you get serious with this boy. Unless you're thinking of transferring to another school for him?"
"He's goes here with the rest of us" Miki explained. "The two of you know each other."
A look of realization dawned on Suzuka's face.
"You don't mean you're going out with Hattori? I thought you said you disapprove of how he treated his other girlfriends?" she said pointedly. "Why would you agree to out with him now all of a sudden?"
Miki's face took on an expression of chagrin. She really was going to have to spell it out for her. Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself for the onslaught.
"It's Yamato" Miki said and Suzuka dropped the umbrella she'd been holding. A look of shock and horror appeared on her friend's face.
"You can't be serious."
Miki nodded.
"I am. We've been hanging out for months and he asked me on Valentine's day" she said, ready to stand her ground on the issue. "Akitsuki's managed to turn his life around in the last few months now that he and Honoka sorted out their issues. For a long time I thought the two of you had feelings for one another and he told me the truth when I asked about what went on this summer. He told me to give him time to sort a few things out and I've done that. We're meeting somewhere on White Day to discuss how we're going to move forward. I intend to tell him yes if he still wants to start a relationship."
"How could you? You knew that I-how I felt?!" Suzuka said as tears began to run down her cheeks. "You knew!"
"Of course I knew" Miki snapped at her for the first time in her life. "I watched for months as you pretended he was someone else."
Suzuka flinched and backed off.
"Akitsuki isn't Tsuda" Miki continued as she gripped the schoolbag in her hands. "You confused the hell out of him and I had to hear about it, all while he was dating Honoka. I'm convinced he moved on the day he agreed to go out with her. Honoka may not have been the most outspoken person, but she deserved a chance to work things out with him. I still feel terrible about what happened between the two of them, but they've moved on. There's nothing I can say."
"I know he's not Tsuda!" Suzuka shouted. "But that doesn't excuse some of the things he said. Yamato's been acting foolishly ever since we started school here. You've seen how he is. Why would you agree to go out with him? You know you're just setting yourself up for him to leave you when he finds someone else!"
Miki sighed.
"He thought he had a chance with you when you kept inviting him on shopping dates" she said quietly. "I can't say I blame him for it, since that's how Ayoji and I started going out. He may have misunderstood you, but that doesn't mean you couldn't have explained yourself a little more. Yamato isn't the type of guy to go snooping into someone's past without invitation. He had no way of knowing about what happened in Yokohama and you shouldn't have expected him to. I'm going out with him, because I believe he likes me for who I am. I don't want it to interfere with our friendship, which is why I'm telling you now."
"What if you get serious with him, what then?" Suzuka demanded. "How am I supposed to..."
"We'll do what we've always done" Miki said. "If Yamato and I decide to stay together after high school or even one term together, then I'll do what I can to make sure the two of you don't have to see each other. My personal relationships and my friendships are to be discussed separately with those involved. I need to know that you understand that, Suzuka."
"Just-just give me some time" Suzuka said wiping the tears from her face. "I didn't expect this and I definitely don't approve, but it's your life. I've never allowed anyone here to make my decisions for me, so I can't really judge you for doing the same thing. Just...don't tell him I cried."
Miki nodded and pulled her friend into a hug. Suzuka accepted it, albeit reluctantly. Then Suzuka mutedly grabbed her things and walked out without looking back.
"I really am alone now" Suzuka whispered once she'd cleared the school gates. She looked up at the clear blue sky and then at the bustling students crowding the sidewalk. "Maybe coming here was a mistake."
Miki left school that day with a sense of relief and a sense of foreboding. She still had a date with Yamato to prepare for. They were going to have serious discussion about whether they should move forward with their tentative relationship.
White Day came in the midst of academic deadlines and sports activities. Miki was glad it was on a Saturday this year, so she wouldn't have to use it entirely for finishing up the week's homework. She knew Miyamoto was busy revising the track team's practice timetable to allow for study time during their new exam schedule. It would be just her and Yamato going out for the day.
Yamato met her outside the girl's dormitory where he lived. They'd decided on using it as a meeting place, because it was closer to one of the local bus stops. The two of them had planned to get up early and take a bus into Shinjuku, one of the busiest sections of downtown Tokyo. Before high school neither of them had gotten much chance to visit Tokyo as the trip from Hiroshima or Yokohama was too far to make both ways in a single day. So the Yamato had suggested they take the opportunity to do a bit of sight-seeing, while making sure to check the bus and train schedules ahead of time. He didn't want to get stranded like the time he and Suzuka had a few months before. Not that Miki would have minded meeting his family at some point if things worked out between them, but she knew that being introduced under those circumstances would have been far from ideal.
"Hey Hashiba! You made it" Yamato greeted her, waving, as she approached the curb where he stood.
"Of course. I always make it a point to be on time when I'm going somewhere fun" Miki replied with a friendly smile. "I've been hoping to get a peak at downtown Tokyo for a while now."
"Same here. My family aren't much on traveling" Yamato explained. "My father wasn't exactly thrilled that time he had to pick me up in our own prefecture a few months back."
"I remember that. I hear Hiroshima is quieter than here, kind of like Yokohama."
"I don't think anywhere else could really compare to Tokyo" Yamato said with a light chuckle. "It's just so big and undefined."
"Undefined" Miki mused. "That's a good way to describe it. Like there's no real end to it. I'll bet people look at New York and London the same way."
Yamato nodded in agreement. Then he gestured toward the bus making its way toward them.
"Well, shall we get going then?"
The bus took them as far as the Ikebukuro train station, where they caught a ride to Shinjuku. The urban sprawl that surrounded them once they got off the train and exited the station at Shinjuku was awe inspiring. Downtown Tokyo was as crowded as ever. Eventually, after reviewing a few map listings, they decided to check out a few of the local sporting good stores first. Both them, being sprinters, could appreciate a decent set of track spikes. Although, sadly, neither could afford the expensively stylish venue the shops seemed to provide. They did some more window shopping, while discussing little things like their educational ambition after high school and whether or not Miyamoto might be scouted by Seio for a scholarship.
"I think I'll try for Tokyo U" Yamato said. "Even if I can't run track for them, I still want to go there."
Miki nodded.
"Same here. Though I'm pretty sure I told you before, it's been my dream to get into Tokyo U." she replied. "I've been thinking about taking practice exams next year to see if I need more time in prep school."
"Your grades good" Yamato protested. "Hattori and I are the ones who need help. You'll probably make it in just fine."
"Hattori would balk at your doubting his mental capacity" Miki said with a laugh. "Though you're probably right. He spends way too much time watching the girls instead of studying."
"Try telling him that" Yamato grumbled.
"Hey Akitsuki, let's get lunch at that Ramen shop" Miki suggested pointing toward the small restaurant twenty feet in front of them. "I've never tried any of those specialty dishes before."
"That sounds nice, I hope they have mochi" Yamato answered.
Yamato found his thoughts drifting a bit as they ordered their food. He found he was comfortable doing these things with Miki. She didn't make him feel awkward or incompetent when they spent time together like Suzuka had. He also didn't feel the sense of uncertainty he'd felt when he and Honoka had dated. In fact, despite his growing attraction for Miki, he also enjoyed the fact that they had a working friendship to fall back on when they were unsure of how to act or react to a new development. It was something he hadn't had with the other women in his life and the difference was considerable.
After they finished dinner and a helping of strawberry mochi, the two of them decided to check out one of the local parks before it was time to leave. It was there that Miki decided to give Yamato his White Day gift.
"Here" she said, handing him a small red box. "It's White Day after all."
Yamato smiled and took the box. When he opened it he found a single silver origami crane, that had been solidified, many smaller drawings and sketchings of cranes littered the outer covering.
"There are supposed to be one thousand drawings on it" Miki told him. "It's for good luck, Akitsuki."
"I like it" Yamato said hesitating a moment before grasping her hand. Feeling relieved when she didn't pull away. "Thank you, Miki. Somehow you seem to make everything work out without even trying."
"You're welcome." Miki replied, blushing slightly. "So, do you think we can give it a try?"
"Most definitely" Yamato agreed. "Why don't we see if we want to change things after high school's over, provided we decide it's what we want."
Miki nodded.
"I'm not sure what I want yet either" she admitted. "College seems so close yet it's still so far away. In the meantime we'll take it slow and work out how we feel about different things."
"So we're dating and still talking" Yamato said.
"And everything most people do, with a few noted exceptions" Miki answered.
Yamato simply smiled in response. His time as a high school student had just gotten even more interesting, though he noted, in a far more welcome way than they had before.