Series: Kamen Rider Wizard

Characters: Haruto Souma/Koyomi Fueki

Notes: Wizard AU where Haruto goes down Fueki's path. I've started two other HaruKoyo fics before writing this and I like to think finishing this in such a timely manner isn't indicative of what I'm into ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The last thing Koyomi remembered was laying in Haruto's arms, trying to comfort him in her final moments. Despite her fears, passing away wasn't so bad. If anything, she thought that this would be what the old Koyomi - the Koyomi that had lived a real life - would have wanted. Maybe, she thought, she could finally rest in peace.

But maybe that was wishful thinking.

Suddenly she opened her eyes. Blinking, she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. First at the sudden change in scenery, as this certainly wasn't the place where she died; second at that she was, in fact, alive.

Jolting up, she hastily tried to get a sense of her surroundings. Though she died near the lake, her senses remembered being in that place in between life and death where Haruto took the Philosopher's Stone from Gremlin. But this was neither location, and the feeling of peace she felt in the afterlife was replaced with panic. Her already confused state was no help as she finally realized where she was - the center of Tokyo, where Fueki...no, her father, tried to bring her back to life.

"Koyomi?"

A voice far too familiar broke her out of her thoughts and her head snapped towards its source. Her heart leapt - out of joy or out of fear, she wasn't sure - as she saw who it was. She hadn't realized she had been sitting in the centerpiece of the altar for the revival ritual, but it was made more apparent as Haruto walked over to her and crouched down to meet her at eye level.

He looked exactly as she remembered him. No... No, that was wrong. He still had the same reddish-brown hair and lean physique, but the hopeful, dark brown eyes she remembered were replaced with a sort of crazed, desperate look and were sunken in as if he hadn't had proper sleep in days. His overall appearance was disheveled as if he hadn't taken care of himself lately - a sight she was familiar with when he was dealing with a Gate, but something about the reaons behind it seemed more selfish rather than selfless. No, this wasn't the Haruto she remembered. She wasn't sure if it was Haruto at all.

Taking her hand, he smiled at her and rested his other hand on top of her head. For a moment, his smile reminded her of his usual, gentle one but there was something unsettling about this one. She remained limp in his touch and all she could do was stare at him.

"Koyomi..." he repeated, more to himself than to her. "Are you okay?"

She didn't know whether her vocal chords just couldn't function properly or she truly couldn't speak, but when she opened her mouth, she found it difficult to bring words out of it. Yes, she wanted to say, but it would be a lie. No, she wasn't okay, but saying otherwise didn't look like a wise choice to her. Instead, she settled for dumbly nodding her head, her gaze never leaving his.

At her response, Haruto's smile only grew wider like the uneasiness in her stomach. He began stroking her hair and pulled her into an embrace. In a different situation, she would've returned it but she was too shocked to properly respond. For now, she let him hug her and simply rested her head on his chest, listening to his erratic heart beats.

"I'm glad." Though his voice carried a lighthearted tone to it, it was eerily devoid of the care and gentleness it once had. Even though every part of her was yelling in the inside, she couldn't bring herself to speak out loud. He didn't seem to mind her silence thankfully, and merely continued to stroke her hair, his grip on her getting stronger as he began to softly rock them back and forth.

"I thought for a moment the ritual wouldn't work since your body was gone..." He let out a sigh. A tired sigh. An annoyed sign. Annoyed didn't suit Haruto. "But I didn't give up hope."

Koyomi shivered at his last statement. It was a phrase she heard time and time again, but this time it brought no comfort to her.

Silence fell over and for a moment it was just him holding her, something she would have enjoyed in a different place, at a different time. Finally, she found her voice and hesitantly shifted her head to take a better look at him.

"Haruto." A pause. Now that she had an idea of what was happening, she couldn't help but notice the sickening gray color of the once blue skies and the withered and dying grass surrounding them as her eyes surveyed the area past Haruto. "...you did this?"

"Of course," he said without missing a beat. The confidence in his voice made her wince. He knew what the ritual entailed and what was involved. Even if he were in despair, he wouldn't do something like that. At least, that was what she wanted to believe.

Another silence came over them and Koyomi couldn't help notice that it was too quiet. In the time she spent with Haruto and the others, she would usually relish in these moments, but this silence was too stifling. Surely Haruto wouldn't have accomplished this on his own... Right?

"...Where's Rinko?" She asked. "And Shunpei?" Now she was just racking through the names of those that they knew, for someone familiar in this surreal situation. "Nitou? Mayu?" With each name listed off, the panic in her voice became more and more evident.

Sensing her distress, Haruto softly shushed her. It worked in the sense that it got her to stop speaking, but she was still uncomfortable. She wasn't even aware she was shaking until he started rubbing her back.

"They got in the way," he said once she finally calmed down. However, the casual tone of his voice did nothing to ease her fears. "So I got rid of them."

Her breathing hitched. It was such a simple sentence but it said so much. She couldn't believe it. She wouldn't believe it. But he wouldn't lie to her. Especially not over something like that.

Her voice seemed to die after that. She didn't want to continue this conversation - it was just too confusing and tiring for her. All she had wanted back when she had no clue to her identity was to live a simple life with Haruto. But if being alive meant being with this man who looked and behaved so much like the one she came to respect and love but wasn't him at the same time, she wasn't sure if it was worth it. Still, as much as seeing and hearing him like this pained her, she wanted answers.

"...Haruto." She swallowed hard before continuing. "Why?"

Suddenly everything stopped - the rocking, the stroking, the embrace - and Haruto pulled back from her. He cupped her face with his hands, forcing her to look directly at him. He placed a kiss on her forehead and rested his on her's before responding.

"Because I needed to save you."

At his words, Koyomi cried.