A/N: Basically wish fufillment. What I wished had happened in Ao Haru Ride. I may go and write short one-shots relating to the scenes mentioned below. Depends on how life goes :)

O

A Change of Heart

"Everything in life sits on that pivotal moment, the one where you stand between what could be, and what is."

O

It was the separate class outing. Futaba had seen him heading towards the exit and she'd followed him out of pure instinct. She didn't know why, but a small part of her felt as if something big was going to happen. The turning point between what could be and what is.

She simply didn't know how right she was.

No matter how much she chased him, no matter how much she ran away, he always had a hold on her. She was drowning in him. Suffocating. His hand wrapped around her wrist and pulled her along behind him. Out, away from their friends. Away from safety. Was this what she wanted?

The sunshine was missing, grey clouds hovering over the city of Nagasaki. Where was he going? He's just running away. Kou walked through the gates, the grip on her wrist loosening as she pulled back.

"No." She whispered. Her voice was shaky, but the determination in it was very present. Kou paused and looked back at Futaba.

"What?" He asked. His eyes were empty. Why? Why is he so, cold? Futaba took a deep breath and reached a hand up to grip her little charm pendant.

"I said no. I'm sorry, Kou, but I promised to meet Kikuchi-kun later today. I-" She smiled softly. Ba-dump. "I promised to meet my boyfriend." She said softly. When she meet his eyes they looked disappointed almost, but Futaba internally shook her head. Now was not the time to be worrying about a boy who didn't feel anything for her. Maybe it's time to really move on. No more running, no more moments like this.

"Okay then."

He swept away, dark hair ruffled easily by the passing breeze. It sure was cold, in Nagasaki. For a moment she felt like she should go after him, stop him or follow behind. Futaba turned and chided herself. Stop thinking about him like that. Touma is your boyfriend now, not him, remember? Her resolve strengthened and Futaba hurried back into the building. For some reason it felt as if a small weight had been lifted from her chest.

She endured through the rest of the outing and found that with Shuuko and Yuuri with her it was almost easy to forget about Kou. Laughing with them, talking with them, not once did he cross her mind. She had spent so long obsessing over him, wondering if he would ever really love her. Now she could get through a few hours without sparing him a thought.

And it was…

Freeing.

Touma had smiled so brightly, so widely when she had arrived after the outing. For a moment it took her breath away and she found for the first time that she hadn't needed to compare his smile to Kou's. It was strictly Touma's, and she was okay with that. When she hugged him straight away his face shone bright red, and he'd been at a loss as to why she had done so.

"You know, I don't know why you hate tomatoes, since you look like one so often!" Futaba laughed, cheek still happily pressed to his chest. He stammered out a few indignant words, but she laughed again anyways, know that he was only saving face. They untangled from one another and walked along, hands still wrapped around one another's.

"What's gotten you in such a good mood today?" He asked later, when they had sat down for a little while near the water. Futaba gripped his hand a little tighter and leaned on his shouder.

"I guess, well, I guess I finally realised what a great guy you were." She said. Touma stiffened.

"Wh-what?" He asked. Futaba sighed and lifted her head but kept her hand snug in his larger one.

"I can't say that I love you yet, Touma. But I like you, I really really like you and," She paused to look at him. His eyes were firmly fixed on her and his usual blush dusted his cheeks. She smiled, "and I think that that's enough. For now. Every love starts somewhere, right?"

From that day forward something changed. Something fundamental. Futaba found that she preferred how it was now. Touma seemed happier, she certainly felt happier and overall? Breathing was so much easier when her chest wasn't constantly aching.

The rest of the trip passed in an undefined blur. She was back into the school routine so quickly that it left her head spinning, but somehow she managed to pull through. Touma never failed to meet her during breaks, and the pendant with his name on it never left her neck. Kou barely talked to her nowadays, and it hurt her to know that it was because she had made up her mind. But there was nothing she could do about it. Not now, she didn't think. Maybe not ever.

It all fell into place. She and Touma studied together in the library. She had gotten bored and tried to balance a pen on her nose and failed. Touma had caught the pen and told her he thought she looked adorable when frustrated. The librarian had thrown them out for public displays of affection. Futaba didn't mind too much. After all, she had gotten to kiss her boyfriend and cuddle for a bit.

They did couple-y things, going out to lunch, waiting together at the train station, just talking. One day she'd decided to make him a bento. It had been a little embarrassing giving it to him at first, but his smile of appreciation had been more than worth it, in the end. He was, to her surprise, messy with rice, and she often found herself wiping away the occasional grain from his chin. His cheeks never failed to heat up when her fingers brushed against his skin.

Their shared kisses became more frequent, her hand felt almost empty without his entwined inside it. Every time she saw him waiting for her at the end of the corridor a little smile filtered onto her face.

One day she had walked into class. Kou had been sitting there already. Something made her pause as she greeted him, and suddenly she was laughing. It was funny, when she had tried her hardest to forget her feelings they had just stuck to her and made her feel awful. As soon as she had stopped trying, they had faded away.

Kou didn't make her heart go ba-dump anymore.

When she saw Touma at the end of the hallway, Futaba's legs carried her forward in a rush. Touma caught her in his arms, hers wrapping nealty around his neck and his around her waist.

"Hey! Why're you so excited?" He asked, face bright red and cheerful. Futaba grinned.

"I love you, Touma." She whispered. His own laugh started up, full of mirth and affection and something a little more potent.

"I love you too, Futaba."

As they walked hand in hand towards the train station, Futaba felt her heart go ba-dump.

And she smiled.

O

fin~