Change of Heart

It was the fall night when everything went wrong. Natsuno started to wheel home his bicycle from his investigation, when a man named Tatsumi introduced him to someone he didn't exactly want to see. Megumi Shimizu, now a shiki, creeped towards Natsuno Yuuki.

"Please understand, Yuuki-kun... It's better to do it to someone I know..." Megumi's fangs glared, and Natsuno tried to step back. Without interruption, Megumi grabbed onto his arm and hugged him tight.

"Shimizu...?"

"Now! Run!" She pushed him ahead and ran alongside him.

"Like I'd let you!" Tatsumi shot a burst of blue energy through his palm and it hit Megumi's heart. She began to bleed.

"Aaaah!" She cried, suffocating.

"Shimizu!" Natsuno lugged her onto his back and continued running.

"Che. They got away." Tatsumi clicked his tongue. "Oh well. Megumi's going to die soon anyway."

Back at Natsuno's house, his parents were already asleep. Natsuno with Megumi on his back, placed the dying girl on a blanket, not caring that her red blood was staining the linens or his shirt.

"Megumi! Why the crap did you do that?" Natsuno barked at her, desperate for an answer. Her eyes, now returned to normal, looked up at Natsuno and smiled weakly.

"I... Was so selfish... All I wanted was to see you again... So I became a Shiki, and started the epidemic..."

"Everyone has a want to live. If you had died then, then someone else would have-"

"No... It was my fault... Because of my greed, so many people..." Tears dripped from her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Yuuki-kun... I killed Tohru..."

"...It's OK. I think that being a creature of the night makes your feelings of hate crazy." Natsuno tried to tie a bandage around her torso, trying to ignore her body which used to be very beautiful as a human.

"That won't work... He purged me... I'm going to die either way..."

"I still have to try." He tried to soak up the blood that dripped from her broken heart.

"Yuuki-kun... Why are you trying so hard for me...?"

"What?"

"You ignored me... Didn't attend my funeral... Ripped up my letter... Dug up my grave..." She listed off the cruel things that he had done to her. "Why...?"

"...I ignored you because I didn't want to get close to anyone. I didn't attend because we weren't close. I ripped up your letter to try and forget you, because you weren't coming back. I dug up your grave to try and see if you had become a vampire." He whispered into the night air, not proud of his actions.

"Oh..." She said weakly. "I see..."

"Shimizu, I could ask you the same thing." He tied the bandage to finish the first aid. "Why did you save me, after all I did to you?"

"...You know why. Because... I love you, Yuuki-kun." Her eyes filled with more tears as she tried to speak these words with all her breath.

"...Stupid." He held his head in his hand and gritted his teeth.

Natsuno Yuuki has a great decision to make. He can let this girl die, which is the outcome that Megumi herself has expected. His other choice is to try and rehabilitate Megumi. But Megumi has died once before... It might be all in vain. Also, she might lead the other shiki right to him, and invite them into his household. Now... Natsuno Yuuki... What will you choose?

A) Be an asshole and kick her out

B) Be with Megumi in her last moments

Take the risk and try to cure Megumi.

If you've chosen A, please change to Ending A for Asshole. If you've chosen B, flip the page to Ending B for Beloved. If you've chosen C, please go to Ending C for Cure.

I've always wanted to do a multiple-ending story. When I saw the new Shiki episode, instead of getting mad at Natsuno for once, I got mad at Megumi for the first time. So I was thinking... Maybe she didn't want to kill him. Maybe she was intending to... And that's when the idea for this story came up. Honestly, I hate horror. I'm surprised I've kept up more with this than some other anime that's going on this season... Like Asobi ni Iku Yo! ...OK, no big-boobed alien chicks for me. I had enough of that when I read Dears. So anyway, I really wanted to write my interpretation of the novel. This will never come true, because I can tell you right now, Megumi is going to be killed off (again). Also, I have no idea, but for some reason, I have more of an attraction to Dr. Ozaki than Natsuno (SHOCKER). Natsuno's just an insensitive jerk, there's no depth to him (UGH, MY PARENTS NEVER GOT MARRIED. AND THEY LIVE TOGETHER. HAPPILY. WITH ME. I'M SO UNFORTUNATE. Oh my God, shut up!). Ozaki has ACTUAL REASONS for his slightly dark demeanor. Still it's weird... I don't like facial hair, older men, or smokers. WHY DO I LIKE HIM? Maybe it's his voice...