Series: Deadly Daughter||Title: Cast a Reflection
Characters: Asuka, Selena, Ruri||Ship: Asuka x Selena/Selena x Asuka
Chapters: 4-10||Words: 500||Total: 2,000
Genre: Angst, Friendship||Rated: PG
Prompt: Arc-V Angst Week Day #4, Separation
Notes: This takes place in the same universe as my earlier fic Good-bye. For those who haven't read that, then the Professor chose to use Selena to find the other bracelet girls, and Asuka is her partner/girlfriend (much as Yuuri and Dennis work together in canon, only deeper).
Summary: To find one's target means going deep undeercover, concealing one's allegiance, and witnessing horrors undreamed of first hand. Asuka never suspected to find a friend with the face of her beloved, let alone have to choose between the truth of her life and truths she's just begun to learn.

Emotions Asuka couldn't name, that Academia training did its best to close off from her, choked in her throat. Tingles of rage and fear swept through her from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. She'd known, sort of. She'd known they attacked and she'd seen the damage laid out in this city. She couldn't have missed it.

But she saw now what that did to the people and her heart skipped and stuttered.

It's for the best. It's bad now, but it's going to get better when the Professor's project is complete. She told herself that. It was the same line of thinking that she'd told herself from the first time she'd seen a battlefield. Of course it was horrible now. It was war; war was always horrible. But what came after the war would be better. These people just – just didn't -

"I know," Rio's voice interrupted her scattered thoughts and Asuka jerked her head towards her, eyes wide. Rio stared down into the refugee camp, no doubts at all on her face. "There are a lot more people in other places, too. A lot of us have survived, no matter what those Fusion monsters have done." She glanced towards Asuka. "This isn't our only camp, you know."

"I know." Asuka managed to squeak the words out. She did; every Fusion soldier knew that while so many had already been defeated and carded, many others survived. "I didn't know..." She tried to find more words to say after that but she kept staring at the spill of tents, people walking around on guard duty, others scattered here and there doing who knew what…

She hefted the blankets in her arms. "Where do we go?" She was on a mission. She wanted to find Kurosaki Ruri and she couldn't do that just by standing there.

"This way." Rio guided her into the camp. Asuka took care to watch everything around her, part of her wondering if she would see anyone that she knew. It wasn't likely; there were stories about defectors, but to find them in a refugee camp wasn't what she expected.

What she did see were people she could have known. Ordinary people, of every age and type, huddled together, some tending wounds, some trying to eat meals that didn't look very filling or satisfying.

Every word she'd ever heard about the XYZ people tumbled through her head. They were nothing. They were useless. Their lives would be improved by this war. It would be better, no matter what.

But it's horrible now. What does being better mean when you go through hell to get it?

Especially a hell they hadn't chosen for themselves, a hell forced on them by other people.

"Rio! Rio! You're back!"

Asuka glanced at the cry to see a little girl charging towards them. Slender arms wrapped around Rio and the duel warrior embraced the child. Asuka's heart clenched even harder.

Children. We've made children live like this.

To Be Continued

Notes: Who can guess who the kid is? It shouldn't be that hard. I am doing many more Zexal cameos, after all.