XX

It was early April and the sun was shining bright through the curtains of the Iwatodai dorm; waking the inhabitants of the school owned building. Summer break was over, and it was time for the students of Gekkoukan High to return to their busy school lives.

Minato Arisato, a young man beginning his senior year in high school, awoke to the sound of his friend knocking at his door.

"Minato-kun? Are you awake?" she asked softly.

Minato pushed his covers to the side as he dragged himself out of bed and onto his feet. "Coming, Yukari." he said in a sleepy tone. He walked to the door, unlocked it, and opened it to see Yukari Takeba, a beautiful young woman dressed in her school uniform with a pink sweater pulled around her, ready for the first day of school. "You're up early." he yawned.

A light blush graced Yukari's cheeks when she realized that Minato was in nothing more than his boxers and a white t-shirt.

Minato noticed this gesture and quickly tried to recover. "Uppss! Why don't you come back in about ten minutes Yukari?" He closed the door and rushed to put his school uniform on.

Yukari, still standing in-front of Minato's door, started giggling. "Geez, Minato-kun. I didn't know you were so shy!" She could hear him hurrying into his clothes, so she decided to stay and talk through the door. "Hey…" she said, leaning back against his door. "I won't be having archery practice for awhile. So I was thinking maybe we could go somewhere after school." The thought of being alone with Minato made her blush intensify. "What do you think?" She stepped away from his door, waiting for a reply.

The doorknob began to rattle, and the door swung open, revealing a fully clothed Minato. His dark blue hair fell in the usual way, everything falling to the front, covering half of his face. His clothing was the traditional Gekkoukan High attire. A black jacket with a senior pin on the lapel, a white long sleeve, button down shirt, a black ribbon tie, and black slacks.

"Sure. I'd love to take you out on a date." he said with a charming smile as he adjusted the tie around his neck.

Yukari turned bright red. "I didn't mean it like that!"

Minato continued smiling as he turned to walk back into his room. It was a spacious dorm room. Complete with a sink and mirror, a large study desk, full size wardrobe and bed, a window that looked out to the east, and a television set at the foot of the bed. He walked to the desk, and grabbed his MP3 player sitting next to his laptop and books. Then he walked out of the room; shutting the door behind him.

"Come on, let's go. Today's the first day of our senior year, and we don't want to be late for orientation!" Grabbing Yukari's hand, he began to lead her gently down the hallway.

"W-wait a minute!" she sputtered as she came to a stop.

"Geez, Yukari. I didn't know you were so shy!" he said with a laugh. He released her hand and waited for her to respond, but she stood still, trying to find a way out of her awkward situation. Minato could tell she was embarrassed, so he tried to lighten the mood.

"Fuuka probably has breakfast ready by now! We should hurry before Junpei inhales everything."

"Yeah…" she said with a half-hearted smile.

Minato returned her smile with a soft smile of his own, and then turned to walk down the hall; Yukari trailing behind him.

XX

A sigh of relief swept across the classroom as the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Minato stretched lazily; then looked at Yukari sitting in-front of him. She had been quiet all day. Junpei, the class clown sitting next to Minato, let out a groan.

"I can't believe school has started already!"

Minato look at him and smiled "At least this is our last year."

Junpei shook his head in agreement; then gave Yukari a questioning look. "You okay Yuka-tan?"

Yukari turned around in her seat to look at Minato and Junpei. "Yeah, I'm fine" she said with a smile.

Minato could tell Yukari was hiding something, but he decided to let it go for now.

"Are you two going back to the dorm yet?" Junpei asked.

"I have plans, sorry Junpei" said Yukari.

"Aww, man" he sighed. "Well, I'm gonna get goin'. See ya back at the dorm." He sauntered away, leaving Minato and Yukari in the classroom with a few other students.

"Are you ready to go, Minato-kun?" asked Yukari with a hint of color to her cheeks.

"You're not mad at me?" said Minato in a surprised voice.

"Why would I be mad at you Minato-kun? If you're talking about this morning when you held my hand, then no, I'm not mad. I was just…surprised." She started blushing "I actually wanted to talk to you about that. Is that okay?"

"Sure." Minato said with a smile.

"Then let's go to the rooftop! Most of the students are already gone, so we should be alone." Yukari seemed excited and nervous at the same time.

Minato was relieved that Yukari wasn't mad. He always had a crush on her, but because she was so popular; he thought he wouldn't stand a chance of being with her. She could have any guy she wanted. She was definitely beautiful enough. The thought of being alone with Yukari made him blush. "Ok, let's go." Minato walked to the door and opened it for Yukari. They left the classroom together, and headed towards the stairs that would lead them to the rooftop.

When they reached the rooftop, they were greeted by a cold gust of wind. It chilled Yukari, making her wrap her sweater around her.

"Do you want my jacket?" asked Minato.

Yukari started blushing "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I don't want you to catch a cold." Minato started blushing, and it made him nervous. He took off his jacket and gracefully draped it over Yukari's shoulders.

Yukari smiled and wrapped it around her. "Thank you." It was still warm, and it smelled like Minato.

They walked in silence to the railing that bordered the roof. Yukari looked off into the distance, lost in thought. Minato watched her, waiting for her to speak.

"Minato-kun, I…" Yukari paused. "I have something I want to tell you." She sighed; then continued "Do you like me, Minato-kun?"

Minato was at a loss for words. He didn't know how to express his feelings for Yukari. If he told her how he really felt, would she return those feelings? Not knowing what to say he blurted out the first sentence that came to mind. "Of course I like you, Yukari!" Realizing what he had said; he turned bright red.

Yukari had an astonished look on her face. She was also having a hard time finding the right words to say. "I like you too, Minato." Yukari smiled at him and blushed. "Minato, I want you to look at me, the way I look at you. When I look at you, I see someone I want to be with."

Minato melted. This was something that could only happen in a dream. Now that it was real, he didn't know how to react. "Yukari..."

"Let me finish" she interrupted. "I'm only going to say this once. Minato-kun, I love you."

Minato could feel his heart fluttering. "I love you too!"

Yukari looked at Minato with a wide smile, and sighed "That's a relief!" She walked closer to Minato. "Thanks."

Minato returned the smile. He moved closer; then wrapped his arms around her. Yukari didn't resist. She wanted him to. Since they first met, she knew there was something about him. Something that made her heart ache for him. Now, he was hers, and she was his.

Yukari leaned in, and he did the same. His hands went up to touch her cheek while her heart throbbed faster and faster. Minato quickly closed the distance between him and Yukari, his lips capturing hers. The kiss was long and passionate and yet it was gentle and loving. Yukari's arms were wrapped around his neck and he still had his hand on her cheek, caressing her.

End

RnR please.