Series: Deadly Daughter||Title: Cast a Reflection
Characters: Asuka, Selena, Ruri||Ship: Asuka x Selena/Selena x Asuka
Chapters: 8-10||Words: 500||Total: 4,000
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.
The second night after leaving the refugee area, Asuka and Ruri sat in front of an extremely tiny fire, one that gave more warmth than light. They'd hidden in the ruins of an abandoned home, where by some great good luck the fireplace survived. It took some effort to clean it out and they didn't let the fire burn until after nightfall, in order to keep their location hidden.
Asuka nibbled on a strip of meat as she tried to decide how to broach the subject. This was the best time to do it; they were far away from everyone else, and she hoped she could calm Ruri down if she grew angry over Asuka's origins. The fact that Ruri was armed – deck and duel disc with the ability to card someone – would hopefully work in her favor.
All right. Let's do it. Asuka refused to let the words spill out carelessly. She thought again before she started.
"Have you ever thought about visiting any of the other dimensions?" Asuka asked, her focus more on the flames that flickered between them than anything else. Ruri tilted her head a bit.
"Why would I go? I've got all I can do trying to get rid of the Fusion people in this one."
Asuka nodded, picking up a long stick she'd scavenged to start poking into the fire. "But if you had the chance? Just to visit? After the war?" Or to stop the war itself?
Ruri didn't answer that, staring down into the flames herself. "I don't know," she said at last. "It could be interesting to see what those worlds are like."
Over the last few weeks, information leaked through the resistance about the different dimensions based on the summoning methods: at least the four major ones. Asuka always wondered why there wasn't a Ritual dimension. A tiny part of her wondered if the Professor knew something about that.
Asuka nodded quietly. "Everything would be different in those." Oh, how well she knew that More words slipped out of her. "But some things are the same."
Only a breath passed before Ruri looked at her, eyes narrowed. "Like what?" Too much sharpness in her words. Too much wariness. Asuka considered her options and decided they weren't nearly as many as she'd hoped. She needed to tell Ruri and Ruri had decisions to make.
"Some people are the same." Her fingers twitched a fraction. "Like… like you."
Silence fell in between the two of them, a silence heavy with emotions that Asuka didn't dare to admit to. Ruri demanded more with her silence and her stare and Asuka could not deny her.
"Four dimensions. Four girls who look just like each other except for the hair and eyes… and their summoning method." Asuka thought her lips moved, but it wasn't a smile at all. "I want to meet them all. I've already met two." She glanced at Ruri, who still didn't move. "I've met you. And I've met Selena – from Fusion."
To Be Continued
Notes: Nearing the end here! Or the beginning. Call it what you will.