Change of Heart

Chapter 9:

Saya had called Shinobu to come pick them up and bring them to the Takagi Manor. Stepping out of the car, Takashi was once again amazed by the view of the Takagi Estate. The fountain and gardens surrounding it were lit up by various lights and gave it a beautiful ambiance in combination with the darkened sky.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Yuriko said, as she came walking out the front door and towards her daughter.

"It sure is," Takashi answered.

Yuriko was wearing a long dark blue evening dress with high heels. Although her mother usually wore this kind of attire, Saya wondered why she was wearing it this evening.

"Are you going somewhere, Mama?" Saya asked as she studied her mother, leaving Takashi in Neverland for the moment.

"Your father and I are going to have dinner with some old friends from out of town. We'll be home late, so you'll have the house to yourself," she said with a wink.

Saya got the feeling that her mother had more planned than just convincing her father into letting Takashi stay over. "Mama!" Saya responded, clearly embarrassed with Takashi standing just a few feet away. "It's nothing special, he's just staying over," she quickly added.

Her mother stepped forward, cupped her daughter's cheeks, and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "If there is anything you need, I've asked Usui and the girls to make sure you both are well attended," she said smiling while looking into her eyes.

"Thanks, Mama." Saya gave her mother a hug and turned to Takashi who seemed to be done sightseeing. "Shall we go inside?"

"Oh, uhh, yeah sure," Takashi answered as he walked towards Saya.

The front door of the mansion opened once more and a man dressed in a dark blue officer's uniform stepped forward. The man towered above all three of them, his jet black hair and his predatory gaze only added to the already intimidating aura.

Takashi felt slightly uncomfortable by the way the man watched and studied him. There was no doubt in his mind, this was Saya's father. Souichiro Takagi.

He walked past Yuriko and Saya and came to a stop in front of Takashi. His eyes stared into Takashi's like he was piercing his mind in search of something. Takashi kept his eyes on those of Souichiro's, not letting his gaze waver.

Saya spoke up as the staring contest continued. "Papa, this is Takashi Komuro. You know, the boy I met in kindergarten?"

Souichiro simply grunted as he folded his arms together. Takashi could feel the sweat drops pouring down the back of his neck.

"Komuro? I remember that name." Souichiro started. "You've been friends with my daughter for a long time."

"Yes, sir. Saya has been a dear friend of mine ever since we were five," Takashi responded, still unable to relax.

There was a moment of silence before Souichiro unfolded his arms and let his gaze soften. "You don't seem the kind that would break the trust given to you," he said as he looked between his wife and Takashi. "I will allow your stay at my home, but I do not grant you free reign to do so whenever you please."

"Yes, sir. I understand. And thank you for having me," Takashi said as he bowed his head in respect.

"Your parents have raised you well, Komuro. You are well-mannered, I admire that," Souichiro responded as he placed a hand on Takashi's shoulder. Takashi flinched upon contact.

Yuriko took a place next to her husband and linked her arm with his. "Come sweetheart, we'll be late if we linger much longer," Yuriko said smiling.

Souichiro released Takashi's shoulder and directed his attention to his daughter. "Saya, I expect you to behave like a member of the Takagi family."

"Yes, Papa. I will," Saya answered as she walked to her parents. She gave her mother another hug. "Have a fun night.'

"We will," Yuriko answered before Souichiro was able to.

Both Yuriko and Souichiro made their way to the second car that had arrived only a few minutes ago. Shinobu had already left to bring her Sedan to the garage for a weekly checkup. Just before Saya's parents got into the car, Saya could hear her father say something.

"How come they wanted to have dinner with us now? I don't recall to have anything planned this evening," Souichiro said.

"We didn't," Yuriko answered plainly. "I just want our daughter to have a nice evening. Just like we are going to have," she said as she pulled Souichiro closer.

The car drove off towards its destination. Most likely not to return for several hours. Saya felt a bit nervous. She never had a sleep over, let alone one that included a boy, who was also her best friend who she had feelings for.

"Let's go inside, Takashi."

"Lead the way," Takashi answered.

OoO

"Good evening, Milady, Mr Komuro," Usui greeted as Saya walked inside with Takashi beside her.

"Evening Usui," Saya greeted in response.

"Good evening," Takashi added.

"The quest room has been prepared as instructed and is ready for use," Usui continued. "Should you need anything else, please feel free to call upon me or the fellow staff."

"Thank you, Usui."

"Milady." Usui bowed his head and excused himself before making his way to the servant's quarters.

Takashi was amazed by the services of the Takagi household. "I can't imagine what it's like to have servants," he said while pondering the idea.

"Believe me, you'll get used to the idea in no time," Saya answered while directing Takashi further into the house.

"What do you want to do now?" Takashi asked. He wasn't home, so his gaming console was out of the question. And since Saya was neither a guy nor his girlfriend, he didn't really know how to spend the time.

"I'd like to freshen up a bit," Saya answered as she lead him to the living room. "We have a large screen here if you want to watch something on television." She turned to the hallway again where she saw Nerine doing some house cleaning. "Nerine, could you come here for a moment?"

"Yes, Milady?" Nerine asked after she entered the room.

"Could you get Takashi something to drink?" Saya turned to Takashi who had taken a seat on the large sofa. "What would you like?""

"Oh, uhmm, tea is good," Takashi answered.

"Bring him something to eat as well," Saya added as she send Nerine off to the kitchen. "I'll be back shortly, Takashi," she said smiling as she walked out of the room and headed upstairs.

'I think I better change to my pajama's right away. We won't be leaving the house anymore anyway,' Saya thought as she entered her room. She walked to her closet and grabbed a white tank top, a pink and white stippled pajama pants and fresh panties. After entering her bathroom, Saya removed her clothing and placed them in the laundry basket. "Just a quick shower should be enough," Saya said to herself as she turned the shower knob and waited for the water to be at a comfortable temperature.

'What are we going to do when I've finished showering?' Saya thought to herself. They could watch a movie on the sofa, but they already came from that. She hadn't thought about what to do aside from studying. 'Why didn't I think about this before I asked him to stay over!'

A good ten minutes past and Saya was still trying to think of a way to spend the time. While drying her hair, she thought about various things to do, but all of those things required the both of them to leave the estate. Something she didn't want to do.

After Saya dressed herself in her sleepwear, she removed her contact lenses and replaced them with her glasses. Not bothering with ribbons or anything of that kind, Saya let her hair hang loose. "This should do," Saya thought aloud as she inspected herself in the mirror. She exited her room and headed downstairs again.

Takashi was still in the living room. He couldn't find anything good to watch, so he was still flipping through the channels, in the hopes to find something interesting to follow. Nerine had brought him his tea shortly after Saya went upstairs. It was still untouched.

The moment Saya entered the living room, Takashi turned in her direction. His eyes widened a bit when he noticed that she wasn't wearing her contacts, but instead had put on her glasses. In his view it gave her something extra and it suited her nicely. She didn't wear her glasses very often at school. Another noticeable fact was her hair. From the first day they met she always had her hair in pigtails. Now that it was loose, Takashi could really see the true length of her gorgeous, pink hair.

'When did I start to think that way about her?' he wondered has he further studied Saya.

"I'm done!" Saya said as she plopped down on the sofa beside him. "I hope you didn't mind that I already changed," she said with a small, innocent smile.

"Oh of course not. It's your home after all," Takashi answered with a laugh.

Saya laughed along with him. "It must have slipped my mind."

Their laughter died out into a somewhat awkward silence. After a minute or so, Takashi decided to break it. "So… What shall we do now?"

"I couldn't think of anything," Saya answered, slightly ashamed. "Unless…"

"Unless?" Takashi repeated, curious to what would follow.

She rubbed her left lower arm as she avoided eye contact with Takashi. "Unless you wouldn't mind watching another movie again? Here, with me?" Saya said, slightly anxious about Takashi's possible answer.

"I don't mind watching another movie," Takashi answered, slightly confused by Saya's attitude.

Her face lit up the moment Takashi agreed with her. "Great! I know a really good anime movie we can watch," she responded as she jumped up. "The Recollections of a Certain Pilot, you have got to see that one."

Takashi was surprised by the sudden change, one moment it seemed like she was too scared to ask him something and the next she's as energetic as ever. "What's it about?"

"About a pilot of course!" Saya instantly responded.

"I could have guessed that, but I mean what's the story about?"

"Oh, let's see, there are two countries that are at war with one another and this pilot gets the mission to bring the next queen-to-be from one country to another country safely." Saya explained very enthusiastically.

"Sounds good."

"Great! I'll go get it!" Saya turned around and rushed out of the room.

Soon after, Misaki walked in the room with a confused expression. "Is there something wrong? I thought I saw the mistress running by just a moment ago," Misaki said.

"No no! She is just getting something she wanted us both to watch," Takashi answered.

"Oh, I see. Well, as always, if either of you need anything, please feel free to call on us. It's what we are here for," Misaki said with a polite smile. She left the room to most likely continue her other duties.

It didn't take long for Saya to return with a DVD in hand. She immediately went to work on getting it on the screen. It was a very different sight for Takashi to see Saya in such a joyous state. She was almost bouncing through the room and humming some kind of melody. He couldn't really distinguish what it was, but it sounded very pleasant. After setting everything up, Saya dimmed the lights, grabbed the remote and plopped down on the sofa next to Takashi again.

"Are you ready?" she asked as she scooted just a bit closer to him.

Takashi simply nodded as he got in a more comfortable position. He was slightly hanging backwards, feet stretched out in front of him.

Saya started the movie and got into a comfortable position as well. She had her legs curled up on the sofa and was now sitting only an inch away from Takashi.

After about fifteen minutes into the movie, Saya shifted a bit and Takashi suddenly noticed that her sleepwear didn't include a bra. Not that she was uncovered, but this distraction caused Takashi to miss a certain part of the movie. It wasn't easy NOT to notice Saya's physical attributes and situations like these only added to that. Saya was too far into the movie to realize that fact. He decided to try and keep his attention at the screen, which turned out to be increasingly harder every time he looked at her.

Another eight to ten minutes passed by when Saya slowly started to lean against his shoulder. Takashi watched her from the corner of his eye as she continued to lean more and more against him. He slowly started to relax as he let his thoughts calmly figure it all out.

'It's not a big deal, right? I mean… we've known each other for so long now…' he thought.

Her skin was warm and soft.

It felt nice.

Takashi started to wonder why something like this, that felt so natural, was something that he never really experienced with Rei. One who he assumed to be his girlfriend. His mind now started to generate questions. Questions like, what if Saya were…

Slightly shaking his head left and right, Takashi decided to discard them for now. He moved his arm out of the way to allow Saya to rest more comfortably, which she did. He placed his arm behind her and rested it on her shoulders.

Saya only noticed what she was doing the moment that Takashi placed his arm around her. She hadn't planned on getting so close to him and neither would she have thought that Takashi would go along with it, considering. Saya was afraid that it would turn into an awkward silence, but instead it turned out to be quite the opposite. She felt perfectly safe and very, very cozy.

OoO

By the time the movie came to an end, Saya had her legs on the sofa and her head resting on Takashi's chest. It didn't bother him, it actually felt quite nice.

The ending of the movie was something Takashi hadn't expected at all. The story nearly screamed how it was going to end, or so he thought. The surprise was clearly visible on his face and Saya loved it.

"It's a great story isn't it?" Saya said, giving Takashi a big smile as she got back to her original position on the sofa.

"It sure is. I totally expected them to…" Takashi started, but was interrupted by Saya.

"Yes, I know, right?! And it's such an exciting story!" Saya nearly shouted. "Plus the technology used in that universe is actually credible."

Takashi smiled at that last comment. 'Only Saya would notice something like that.'

"And that Charles character is so dashing!" She continued as she stood up and hopped towards the DVD player. "Just like you."

The moment those words had left her lips her eyes went wide at the sudden realization. And Takashi's ears perked up upon hearing them. She turned her head slightly in his direction and saw him watching her, as if waiting for her to continue.

"Uhmm, I mean, you know," she started. Her cheeks flushed slightly red as she started to mumble on.

"I know?" Takashi asked, both curious and out for a tease. He'd never seen Saya act like this before.

"Don't be an idiot! You know what I mean!" Saya answered, irritated by his obvious attempt to tease her.

"Okay…"

"You saved me from… what's-his-name, yesterday in the mall," she continued, a little less agitated. "I thought that to be very courageous and well..." Takashi's inability to seize the moment and say something in response really ruined the mood for Saya. "Never mind," she said, as the earlier happy expression had turned into a frown.

A silence followed, Takashi was still sitting on the sofa, be it in a more upright position, and Saya was busy getting the movie out of the player and back in its cover.

'Why did I have to say something like that, it was going great so far. Then again, that idiot could at least take a hint,' Saya thought. Her eyes fell upon the antique clock standing against the wall to Takashi's right where she noticed the time of day.

After such a fun day, it would be regrettable to end it on a somewhat sour note. Or at least, that was the thought that was currently going through Takashi's head when noticing Saya's expression.

"Saya, I-," he began before she interrupted him.

"Oh, look at the time. I think it's best if we get some sleep, seeing as we will be continuing our study again tomorrow."

He felt conflicted, on one side he wanted to say what he was thinking, but on the other he was too afraid that Saya would take it the wrong way. She was easily annoyed and you would not want to be the target of her venting. And since he was the sole occupant in the room, besides her of course, it would be a matter of math. By chance also a subject Saya was undefeated in.

"A-Alright," Takashi replied.

"Come, I'll show you the guestroom," Saya said as she pulled him off the couch and pushed him towards the stairs.

"Ahhh, eeehh!" Takashi suddenly moaned as he started limping.

"What's wrong?" Saya asked with a sincere worried look on her face.

"My left foot, it's asleep," he answered as he stopped at the exit of the living room, grabbing hold on one of the pillars.

She swatted him on the shoulder. "You jerk! You had me worried there."

"What?! I didn't expect you to rush me off the sofa like that," he replied in defense.

"Hmmph!" It was all that left her mouth, after having to agree with him even though she didn't want to. She walked past him and made her way towards the second floor. Turning around as she placed her first step on the stairs. "Are you coming or not?"

"Yes, hold on! I'm coming," he said while awkwardly limping towards her.

Finally arriving at the top of the stairs, his left foot finally began to agree with him again. And perhaps, Saya as well, from the looks of it. Her expression had softened and the lack of death stare was also a nice touch.

"I made it!" Takashi said, while giving her a big smile.

It managed to bring a small smile on her lips. He did always like the sight of Saya smiling, mostly because the event was quite rare. At school she would be annoyed, angry, or exhausted by what she would call, lesser company. In a way, he couldn't blame her, there were plenty of guys bothering her about dates and the like.

The lights throughout the mansion were dimmed and most of the window curtains were half closed to limit the amount of moonlight entering. Much like the hallway downstairs, this one was filled with additional art. Not as much paintings, but there were several vases and antique items displayed on small tables along the length of it.

Saya stopped at the second door left of the stairs. "If you need to go to the bathroom, this is the place to do it," she said while pointing towards the door. "You can also take a shower if you want to. There are several guest towels available, along with the bath necessities."

"That's good to know," Takashi said as they walked on.

They passed the third door and stopped at the fourth. She turned around to face him. "This is your room, Takashi."

"What about the room we just passed?" he asked, interrupting Saya from entering his.

"That's my room," she answered with a shy smile. "I asked if the room next to mine could be prepared for you. You know, to make you feel comfortable in a large and unfamiliar home."

"Thanks, Saya. I had a good time today."

She started grinning. "Of course, what did you expect?"

"Uh-uh… exactly this."

The room itself, like everything else in the Manor, was quite big. It had a king-sized bed, several closets, a window with a view towards the park beyond the estate. It didn't have its own bathroom, but it was rather luxurious.

"Wow. I've never slept on a bed so big before," Takashi said as he sat down on the bed and felt the material. "Not to mention, so soft."

Saya laughed at his reaction. She wondered what it would be like to sleep over at his place. While she had been at his home, she'd never stayed over. Perhaps in the coming future, she thought.

"Do you need anything?"

He took look around the room and found it more than satisfactory. "Nope, I'm good."

"Alright, then I'm going as well. Good night, Takashi."

"Good night, Saya," he said while covering himself with the large sheets and almost drowning in the pillows.

She walked out of the room, flicked off the lights and closed the door behind her. Leaning forward, she pressed her hand against the door. "Sweet dreams," she whispered, her hand lingering for a moment longer.

OoO

Something stirred Takashi from his slumber. He could've sworn he heard the door close, and there was a light tap on the floor that ended close to the bed's end. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and tried to focus on the room he was in. There were no lights on, but there was the small amount of moonlight that passed through the window that allowed for partial vision. Among the shapes he'd seen before he fell asleep, there was now a new one standing at the end of the bed. It was a female shape with curves in all the right places.

Still not fully awake, Takashi noticed a few distinct colors. There was what appeared to be red, black and the color, pink. "Saya? Is that you?" he asked, confusion well upon mind.

Now standing fully into the light of night, he could clearly make out Saya in what seemed like very enticing clothing. She wore a red negligee with black outlining that reached just below her butt. The fabric was see-through around her waist, covering only her most intimate parts.

Takashi felt sweat drops rolling down the back of his neck as he took another good look. He swallowed deep, his breath heavily increasing from what his eyes beheld. He could feel his heartbeat rising, along with "other" things.

"Wha-What are y-you doing?"

She didn't give a verbal response, instead she moved even closer to him. She placed her hands on the bed and lifted her knee upon it, followed slowly by the other. With her hands placed in between her legs, it only added to her already stunning cleavage.

Takashi couldn't resist the seductive look Saya was giving him. She slowly crawled towards him, licking her upper lip and gazing at him intently. He now had Saya's legs on either side of his own. Her… "private" area now resting upon his, with only a few pieces of thin fabric between them. He was still wearing his boxers and a shirt, but her hands were already crawling over his chest. She grabbed the edges of his shirt and started pulling it upward. Takashi didn't struggle in the act. With only his boxers left as his last defense, he kept a close eye on her hands. Moving from his belly, to his chest and back down again until they reached the edges of his last piece of clothing. There, she stopped.

Her eyes met his, and again, that seductive grin appeared. She took his hands and placed them on her thighs. She gasped heavily, after which she raised her arms and placed them crossways on her chest with her hands resting on her shoulders. Slowly turning her head to the right and to the left as her fingers slipped under the straps of her negligee. Even slower, she began to slide them down her shoulders, lowering the piece of clothing more, and more. Saya's voluptuous breasts were almost fully uncovered.

"Wait, Saya!" Takashi reached up in an attempt to grab Saya's arms to stop her.

And then… nothing.

He looked around the room, there was no one else there except him. He still wore his shirt, unlike a few moments ago. And the absence of Saya was also something that got him thinking.

Then it hit him.

A dream.

"Wow," he whispered to himself. "That was one… strange dream."

As he was about to lay down again he could feel the need to pee swell up. A frown presented itself. "Damn it," he sighed. "I really don't want to leave the bed. But… I better go now or I'll risk waking in an hour still having to go."

He shuffled to the side of the bed and sat up. His mind wandered to the dream, and Saya's presence in it. He rested his head in his right hand as he thought about it some more. Never had he looked at Saya that way before, let alone dreamt. Heck, not even Rei had managed to enter his dreams so provocatively, and not too long ago she was the sole visitor of them. He took a deep breath and slowly breathed out again.

"Saya would kill me if she'd hear about it," he said as he stood up and inched his way towards the door. "I should've paid attention when Saya turned off the lights."

He managed to reach the door safely without accident. Opening the door, he noticed that the lights in the hallway were no longer on as well. He could make out the raw shapes of the objects along the length of hallway, along with the doors leading to various rooms.

Still not fully awake, he kept to the center to avoid knocking over something on his way to the bathroom. 'This would be so much easier if I knew where the light switch was,' he thought to himself.

Luckily, the light switch in the bathroom was easily located. He didn't want to guess where the toilet would be in the pitch dark. Think of the mess it could have created.

After having finished his business, he washed his hands and left the room. Sleep had still heavily encroached his mental state. He arrived at his room and opened the door, ready to get back into bed. He sat down and placed his hands on the bed. His left hand however, lay considerably higher than his right one, and the surface was softer as well. Takashi was confused by this. He hadn't left his pillow there, right?

He moved his left hand along the soft surface until the fabric he was feeling was replaced by something else. He gave it a small squeeze and to his surprise, he heard a feminine moan. Now he recognized what he was feeling, and who he just felt! This was Saya's room!

His hand was still resting on Saya's side. The moment he lifted it, Saya stirred and turned on her back, revealing a large portion of her cleavage. Takashi slowly removed himself from the bed until he saw Saya's form moving again. Panic gripped him as he nearly jumped to the ground in front of the bed.

"MMmm…" Saya murmured as she slowly awoke.

In the meanwhile, Takashi curled up in front of the bed, out of her sight, hoping she would not notice his presence.

'Please go back to sleep! Please go back to sleep! Please go back to sleep!' He kept repeating in his mind. He couldn't see her without giving away the fact that he was in her room, in the middle of night, whilst she was asleep! He could hear her though. The shuffling of the bed sheets, and the feet being placed on the floor. 'If she finds me, I'm dead!'

As he heard the footsteps moving away from the bed, he was startled when the lights went on. Closing his eyes, he hoped for a miracle. And it seemed to work. He heard a door being opened and the footsteps getting softer. As he opened his eyes, he peeked over the bed and saw the room empty with the door to her own bathroom open.

'This is my chance!' He thought as he quickly made his way out of the room. Slowly closing the door behind him, he let out a big sigh. 'That could have gone horribly wrong. Now, to get back to the bed.'

As Takashi walked to his room, there was an individual standing near the top of the stairs. Eyes following him until he was out of sight. "Interesting."

A/N: Working overtime has really cut my time to spend in other hobbies, with writing being one of them. I will continue to write new chapters for this story, but it will most likely be at the slower pace it is now.

Thankfully, I have BelleDayNight to keep reminding me to get that next chapter out there!

I had expected this chapter to be done in a week or perhaps two after the previous one, but the content was simple not enough in my own opinion.

Again, my thanks to all my readers!