Kuroha & Ayano Tateyama

The Moment

"You disgust me…"

The dark haired male snickered in response. "The feeling is mutual," he hissed as his bright eyes met the red ones of his only companion in the blindingly red world that surrounded them.

"I would've rather died then have to be stuck in this never-ending hell hole with you," she spat again.

"Hmmm, you say that a lot," he muttered, walking closer to where she sat. The world around them seemed to bend completely to his will, and she glared daggers at him as he conjured up something to lean against. His arrogant air made her want to puke.

"Go die." A phrase she repeated so often, it only amused the dark figure the more she said it. She hated him. For years and years on end she would be trapped in this scarlet hell, watching her friends get murdered at this hands over and over again. If she could, she would kill him with her own hands, but even she wasn't so disillusioned by her burning rage to actually think that was possible. Witnessing from a distance the murder of her family and friends proved that all too well. This man was nothing but a monster in human form. There was nothing realistic about his power, and there was nothing not terrifying about his murderous mindset. Though she hated him with all her heart and would gladly kill him as viciously as possible, if she could, in all honesty, she was scared of him.

"You say that a lot, too" he laughed, reaching over to mess with a strand of her long hair that hung over her scarf. She instantly shifted, moving out of his reach.

"Don't touch me." He laughed again. She wanted to strangle him. She hated his voice. She hated his face. She hated everything about him. His very presence made her sick to her stomach.

"You're so cruel, Ayano," a familiar voice that sounded much unlike the dark figure's whined. Ayano felt a chill shoot down her spine as she looked up where her the other male stood. Instead of that face she despised so much, it was a face that nearly brought tears to her eyes.

"H-Haruka…?" She couldn't believe her eyes. The figure that looked very much like Haruka moved to sit by her. "Are you r-really…?" she could barely find her voice.

"Mhmm," he hummed, reaching for a stray piece of her hair that covered her face and brushing it out of the way mindlessly. Ayano felt a slight blush hit her cheeks, and her hand busily brushed away any other pieces before he could. She wasn't stupid. This was another one of his tricks, and yet… it was Haruka.

"I… I hate you…" she mumbled, looking away from those all too familiar eyes.

"Haha, such harsh words," Haruka whispered hoarsely, leaning against Ayano's shoulder and placing his head against hers. "Isn't this good enough? I am here," he stated in a singsong manner.

"Y-you're not really him… No matter how much you look like him or adapt to his personality, you're not him… Haruka is dead…"

"Close," the stranger with Haruka's voice muttered plainly. Ayano went silent, still looking away.

"Close…" Her voice sounded dead and melancholy. She had learned after quite a few loops that it was true. The person she hated so much was what was left of Haruka, but she didn't want to acknowledge it. She didn't ever want to think about it.

"Close," he repeated, pressing his cheek against her hair and casually playing with it again. Despite Ayano's refusal to fall for the dark figure's trick, she still allowed the fake Haruka to do such things. To get so close.

"I hate you…" she mumbled again, this time with less fire and more like a simple reminder. She placed her head against his shoulder, trying to push the thought that he wasn't the real Haruka out of her mind. She just needed this moment. She need some good moment after her years of going through hell with the one she hated more than anything.

"You say that a lot," Haruka giggled quietly, still running bits of her hair between his fingertips.