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Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of the Abyss or any of its awesome characters =(

However, I do own this story! Here's the Baticul group as little kids! =D

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Imagine a world in which Asch had been able to return home- if Van was a wanted criminal and he and his replica had been forced to live under the same roof. AU- Asch would have had to have a little less pride in order to accept this situation… bear with me. I think that it's for the best, anyway... squee-wise. heheh *insert evil laugh here*

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One-Sided Rivalry

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"Mom said not to!" Asch was getting pissed. That replica was honestly so stupid… it was like he didn't have a brain at all.

"Cookie… Luke want cookie!" He was reaching up toward a giant plate of chocolate chip cookies that the maids had baked that morning- it was sitting on the counter, and you could tell just by looking that they were really fresh. They smelled so good… and they looked like they were still warm, too. But they were for when Natalia came over, later. They were for sharing!

"Get away from there, replica!" Asch grabbed that kid roughly by the shoulder, forcing him to turn around.

The copy looked up at him with curiosity, and tilted his head slightly. That was the nice thing about having a stupid brother- he didn't understand when you tried to tell him something, and he didn't understand when you tried to curse him either. Everything was the same to him, so it didn't even matter.

"You can't have any, you dreck! Those cookies are for Natalia and me!"

"Luke… can't?"

"That's what I said! Get it through your stupid brain! Now go outside, or something!"

"No… brother, Luke want cookie. To share…" He looked on the verge of tears, that stupid kid with his face. A fon Fabre would never cry! He hated seeing the weak little monster cry, it was embarrassing! And it was a disgrace in ways that only he could feel… nobody else knew what it was like to be confused with that little dreck.

Asch slapped the kid, hard. His replica started crying, and he dragged him by the hand into the corridor where some maids saw them, and came running over.

"What happened?" They pretended to worry, he knew. He was the only real Luke around here… even though he had taken the name Asch to avoid confusing the twerp. It had been a couple years before he had been able to return home… it felt weird still, seeing that little creep trying to take his place. Asch knew that now he was back, nobody cared about that stupid copy anymore. He made sure everyone knew that he was the real one here.

"He tripped over there. Make sure he's not hurt." Asch surrendered his replica's hand, but the kid didn't want to let go. He was still holding on, and sobbing like there was no tomorrow. It was disgusting.

Asch ripped his hand away, and stormed off. He went to their bedroom, and climbed up to his bunk on the top. He hated having to share his room, and his friends… he hated the cretin almost as much as he hated that sword teacher, Van, for causing this whole mess in the first place. As much as everyone told him that the replica couldn't help being dumb, he just couldn't find it in himself to care. If they shared the same face, shouldn't they share the same intelligence? That replica had to have been a failed one, because how could it be taking so long for him to learn how to speak properly, even? The more he thought about the kid named Luke, the more he hated his existence.

"Lu-I mean, Asch. You're brooding." He would recognize that voice anywhere… his best friend, Guy.

"How did you know I was in here?" The red-haired teen looked down over the edge of his mattress toward the doorway, making eye contact with the blonde-haired swordsman.

"I saw the whole thing, you know. I was trying to catch your attention through the window."

"Sorry. I didn't see you."

"I know. But you really shouldn't be so hard on the little guy. One day he might not just sit and take it." Guy said it as a piece of advice, but Asch couldn't stand being told what to do. He couldn't stand other people's pity. But he knew Guy hadn't meant it that way, so he tried to just let it go.

"As if that would ever happen. You know how weak he is, crying all the time about everything. If he hated me too at least I could respect him for it."

"You have a strange way of looking at things, Luke." The blonde-haired boy leaned against the door frame, arms crossed casually.

"Don't call me by that name! It's not… it's not mine anymore." Asch was so angry that he felt his eyes growing hotter… there was no way he was going to cry, though. Especially not in front of someone. He slumped down and tried to hide it by nestling his head on his arm.

"Ah… sorry! Sorry, Asch. I know it's been hard for you, but it's not the little guy's fault, you know? That he was created…"

"Nobody chooses to be created, Guy. It's how you live your life and how you take what's given to you. And that little dreck just takes whatever he can get, he doesn't follow rules and he doesn't even think for himself. He just asks for things in that stupid baby voice and expects to get them… I am not like him! He's worse than a dog…"

"You need to cheer up, Asch. It's not as bad as you think… he's only three years old right now. If you think about it that way…"

"You're not the one with a replica. Don't even try to pretend you know what I feel, Guy."

"Sorry. You're right." They looked across at each other, and it seemed clear there was nothing else to say. The young Fabre was in a foul mood, as usual… it was so hard to talk to him, anymore. "I… I'll go back to work. See you."

"Don't be so easy on him, or he'll never learn anything!" Asch yelled as his best friend closed the door behind himself.

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A/N: So what do you think? Let me know =3