Change of Heart

Summary: Saya won't stand for seeing her old childhood friend abused by those he held most dear to his heart. She'll do her best to remind him that there is life after Rei. Summer is coming fast. Could the rekindling of an old friendship lead to something unexpected?

That damned summer day…

Deep down, he should have seen this coming. The way she always complained to him and kept him in the dark at the same time. Every time it came down to him not understanding her situation, or at least that is what she told him. Had he really been so blind to all of this? He rubbed his temples, gathering his thoughts. Everything made sense now.

It didn't make him feel any better though. Perhaps his hesitant attitude towards the matter had a part in all this, but it still hit him like a freight train. For him it wasn't even a question whether he loved her or not, there was no doubt about it. The childhood promise they made so long ago was something he held dear to his heart. Should he not have taken the promise of marriage for granted even if they were just kids when they made that pinky swear? It never occurred to him that she might have wanted to hear him confess his love for her some time around. To him, it was something that didn't needed to be uttered.

To her, obviously, it hadn't been enough.

OoO

After another heated argument earlier that week, she hadn't talked to him in two days. It was Thursday and she asked him to come see her after their last class. He was happy that she wanted to see him again and it was obviously displayed on his face. While he had Hisashi and Morita to spend his time with these past two days, he couldn't ignore the fact that he missed her. And so after his last class he quickly made his way to the place they'd usually meet. The roof of the administration building, out of sight and earshot of many.

What he encountered however, abruptly changed his happy state of mind.

As he came closer to the walkway leading up the roof, he noticed two figures standing on the fourth floor walkway. From what he could see it was Hisashi and another, a girl from what he could make out from afar. They were hugging each other close and seemed intimate. As Hisashi turned his body away slightly he could now see who the girl was and… it was Rei.

A wave of confusion crashed down on him. His pace slowed downed until him came to a stop. He was staring down at the ground beneath him as if unable to look up again. 'What is the meaning of this?' he thought to himself while clenching his fists as his feelings of confusion became mixed with those of anger. 'No. Hisashi is my best friend. I must be imagining things.' Shaking his head left and right he continued his path to the roof of the administration building.

When he reached the staircase leading up to the roof he saw Hisashi coming down the first floor. His face wore a frown and he was unable to turn it into a smile as his best friend came face to face with him. Hisashi seemed somewhat surprised by his presence from what he could tell from his facial expression. However, it didn't seem to faze him as he turned his expression into a smile and greeted his pal with great spirit.

"Hey Takashi! I thought you were already on your way to the dorms. What brings you here?"

Still unable to smile he looked his friend straight in the eyes with an intense look. "I can ask you the very same thing, Hisashi. I was on my way to see Rei." For some reason, Takashi felt every muscle in his body tense up when Hisashi's smile turned to a more serious expression.

"Ah, I see. That explains why Rei wanted to talk to me again." As the words spilled from Hisashi's mouth, Takashi couldn't help getting even more tensed up by the word 'again'. As his right hand slowly curled up into a fist Takashi did everything he could to restrain himself from relieving Hisashi of some of his teeth.

Sighing, Hisashi placed his left hand on Takashi's right shoulder and lowered his gaze for a moment before returning it to face Takashi. "I think it's best that you go talk to Rei." With those words he averted his gaze and walked past him. His face showed a regretful expression, and after a few steps he came to a stop. "Listen to her, Takashi. It is all I ask for." With that he continued towards the dorms leaving Takashi behind to calm his angered mind.

Takashi took several deep breaths before he started his ascent towards the roof. Every step seemed to increase in difficulty as he climbed the staircase. He opened the door that lead to the roof and saw Rei standing near the railing looking into the distance. She had a calm expression on her face as she stood there with her hands on her back. Slowly she turned her head towards Takashi and sighed. With his hands in his pockets he tried to keep his facial expression neutral.

"We need to talk, Takashi." Rei said. She fully turned to him and placed her arms across her chest. Her eyes looked heavy as she stared at him.

Clearing his mind of what he had seen earlier he responded with a small smile. "Fine, what do you want to talk about?"

As she turned her head away and frowned, she answered. "I've decided to date Hisashi."

At that very moment he felt his heart being torn apart. Words could not describe the pain he felt flowing from his chest to every part of his body. Mixed feelings of confusion, anger and sadness washed over him. 'Why?' Was the sole question that raced through his mind. With a look of utter defeat on his face he looked at her. He raised his hands and placed them on her shoulders.

"Why?" was all that left his lips. She then turned her head back to look Takashi in the eyes and swatted his hands away from her.

"Because Hisashi understands me!" she nearly yelled. "Hisashi is there for me when I need him!"

Takashi was struck back at what just transpired. He looked at his now shaking hands. "But…"

"We are done." Rei interrupted. She marched past Takashi and towards the door leading to the staircase. Without another word she opened the door and headed down leaving Takashi alone and abandoned on the roof. He felt his world came crashing down on him as his knees buckled sending him to the ground.

OoO

Friday morning arrived and Saya surveyed the classroom in search for Takashi. She found it odd that Hisashi, Morita and Imamura were all present yet Takashi was not. Normally he would arrive with either of those three, but now he was nowhere in sight. While it wasn't uncommon for him to arrive alone, it was however rather suspicious that both Morita and Imamura were in class before he was. Annoyed due to his absence, Saya turned her attention to Hisashi, who seemed to be deep in thought. 'Something isn't right here, but I can't figure out what.' she thought to herself. Morita and Imamura didn't seem any different from any other morning. 'Come on! You're a genius! You should be able to figure this out!' Yet, nothing came to mind.

Class was well underway and Takashi remained absent. Saya couldn't concentrate on the teacher's explanations and once more turned her attention to others in class. From what she could tell, even Morita seemed to wonder why Takashi wasn't around. Imamura on the other hand didn't seem to care at all about who was or wasn't in attendance. Hisashi however, still seemed to be deep in thought about something other than the class lecture. That much was certain. Every now and then he would look out the window and sigh as if trying to solve a puzzle. 'Perhaps something happened between Takashi and Hisashi,' Saya thought to herself. 'But then again, why would Takashi avoid class just because of that. He doesn't sit next to him and he still has his other friends if that were to be the case.' She let out a sigh herself. "Where is that idiot?"

When the bell signaled the end of class Saya was still trying to figure out why Takashi hadn't shown himself today yet. She berated herself for not being able to come up with an answer, she was after all a total genius. There was the possibility that Takashi was ill, but since he seemed in such high spirit the day before she wrote that off her imaginary list. Perhaps the idiot overslept and didn't dare to show his face. 'Yes! That must be it! That idiot probably spend all night playing games and doing perverted stuff!' Saya's face turned slightly red when thinking about that last part.

She shook her head violently as if trying to shake away her thoughts and stood up from her desk rather rashly. Several of her fellow classmates were slightly startled at her sudden reaction. Yet they quickly resumed their chatter when realizing it was most likely Saya having a bad mood. Which, according to many, she had plenty and especially when Takashi wasn't around. He was after all her only real friend around campus. She knew Rei and Hisashi, since they were both heavily associated with him, but simply didn't bother to make any other friends. Often creating the image of a mean, arrogant, self-centered girl. It didn't stop the guys from going after her though, but that was most likely due to her looks or the fact that she came from a rather influential family. She didn't give any of them even a second glance when they once again attempted to confess to her or tried to ask her on a date. They were idiots, all of them. She grabbed her study material and stashed it in her bag. With firm steps she left the classroom and made her way to the school courtyard.

It was lunch break and Saya decided that instead of worrying about Takashi's whereabouts, she would find a quiet spot to eat her meal before her moment of peace would be disturbed. If Takashi wasn't in the next class she could always go and find him herself. It's not that she needed to listen to what the teachers had to say about their respective classes. With all her self-studies, and of course her brilliant mind, she was simply being an example student. She looked across the courtyard and found an empty bench on the far side. As she walked towards her destination she passed several small groups gossiping about various subjects and topics. Things like the latest fashions seemed to reach her ears, but she paid little attention to such matters. Hearing which boy had the cutest face or the firmest butt didn't interest her one bit. There was one name that seemed to spike her interest.

"Did you hear what happened to Komuro?" One of the girls close to where Saya was walking said to her friends.

"You mean their argument last Tuesday?" A girl opposite of her replied.

"No, no," the girl answered while waving her hands in front of her. "I mean what happened yesterday after school." Saya slowly came to a stop to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"Well? What happened?" The third girl asked looking at her friend with raised eyebrows.

"I heard Komuro got dumped by Miyamoto," as Saya's ears received the information her eyes went wide open.

The other girls faces lit up "So that means Komuro is single now! Do you think he would want to go to the movies with me!" Listening to their banter about whether Takashi would or wouldn't want to go anywhere with either of them really brought out the worst in Saya.

"Shesh! Would it be so bad as to show some pity for him," Saya whispered to herself. Though deep down she too felt slightly glad. It would mean that Takashi would spend less time with Miyamoto, something she was envious of since elementary. They had been together since they were kids and even though Miyamoto was a year older she always seemed to get his attention. It was something that annoyed her to no end.

"What happened?" That question brought her back from her inner thoughts.

"They say Miyamoto was making out with Igou near the administration building." Saya's jaw dropped when hearing this. She knew Miyamoto for a long time, but she would never have expected her to cheat on Takashi. Even if they weren't officially dating, their relation was obviously more than just close friends.

Saya closed her eyes and clenched her fists in anger. 'I shouldn't believe the rumors spreading across the academy.' She then thought back on earlier that very morning 'Yet, it could explain why Takashi wasn't in class and why Hisashi was so absent minded. Did Takashi see them making out?' She placed her hand on her chest as she felt a slight sting.

"No way! Igou is Komuro's best friend! He wouldn't do that to him, right?" The gossip continued.

Without so much as a second thought Saya changed her course and headed to where she had last seen Hisashi Igou. She was determined to find out the truth behind those rumors. She couldn't rely on what she heard just now without confirming it at the source.

As Saya made her way back towards the place she had last seen Hisashi she couldn't help but notice that Takashi and Rei's breakup seemed to be the biggest topic around. Furiously she marched past the bothersome males who most likely intended to make another confession to her. Slapping away their hands as she continued her path "I'm not interested!"

The boy caressed his slapped hand and said, "She's so hot when she's all mad!"

"You're just a masochist, aren't you?" His friend next to him said while laughing at him.

"I can't help myself,"

"Idiots!" Was all that Saya could say as she left them far behind her looking for her prey.

Arriving at the academy's cafeteria, she couldn't find the grey-haired student anywhere. She was certain to have spotted Hisashi heading towards the cafeteria. Though that was already ten minutes ago, by now Hisashi could be everywhere. "Where would Hisashi most likely go during lunch break? Normally he would hang out with Takashi, but without him around that is obviously out of the question. And then there's the possibility that the rumors about him and Rei could be true." Moving her hand through one of her ponytails, she gently stroked her hair while continuing her train of thought. "Of course! Rei! He would go to Rei without a doubt. If the gossip were to be false, he would surely seek her out to clear the misunderstandings circling the academy. And if not…" Saya criticized herself for not thinking about such a simple matter. She had seen several of the girls from Rei's class before entering the cafeteria.

After asking several of Rei's classmates she finally got a lead as to where Rei had gone off too. With renewed vigor she made her way towards the gymnasium. She didn't have much time left before lunch break was over and so she increased her step just a bit more. As she turned the corner of the building blocking the view to the gymnasium she was stunned by what she saw. In front of her, next to the gymnasium, two individuals were embracing each other firmly. Saya couldn't believe her eyes as she looked at Rei and Hisashi. They were too into the moment to notice her looking at them both. Anger rose within her as she kept her eyes on the couple.

"How could you do this to him?!" She demanded as she clenched her fists.

A/N: This idea for a story has been in my head for nearly a year now and I've finally started to write it down. The story begins before any of the events in the manga/anime and will most likely take its own course. I hope the lot of you will enjoy reading it.

Special thanks to BelleDayNight for assisting me as my Beta. She's a fantastic writer and I would definitely recommend to read her 'Resolve of the Undead' HotD story!