Series: Deadly Daughter||Title: Cast a Reflection
Characters: Asuka, Selena, Ruri||Ship: Asuka x Selena/Selena x Asuka
Chapters: 9-10||Words: 500||Total: 4,500
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.
Ruri stared at her, expression blank and one hand near her deck. Asuka chose words as her only defense.
"Selena looks just like you. Only she has purple hair and green eyes." Asuka glanced for a moment. "Lighter purple than yours and it's shorter. But you look the same." Asuka waved one hand to indicate her features. So far Ruri hadn't said a word. "You have a bracelet like hers, too. Selena also works directly for the Professor, who arranged this invasion."
And there Ruri broke in, gentle eyes flaming in rage. "If she works for him, then she's nothing like me, whatever she looks like!"
Asuka couldn't argue that. She didn't even try. "I know. I want to get her away from him, but I can't do it right now. What I want to do is find you: you and the ones from the Synchro Dimension and from Standard. Once you're all together, you can talk to Selena and get her to see reason." Her gaze dropped back to the fire. "I'm not sure if she'd listen to me, especially not now."
The question seemed dragged out of Ruri, as if she didn't want to know and yet couldn't bring herself not to ask. "Why not now?"
"I have to go back there and report in person. When I do, I'm going to tell her that I'm leaving and not coming back. That I want nothing more to do with the Professor and his plans."
There were other things she knew she'd have to let Selena believe, at least for now. Selena didn't know she'd left her deck behind. She would tell Selena that she'd carded Fusion soldiers. Selena would believe her. Though the more she got to know these people of XYZ, the more Asuka suspected she would if necessary. Some of them genuinely deserved it.
Asuka raised her head to smile, but she didn't feel even close to being happy. "I wouldn't tell her where I'm going even if I knew. I won't tell her anything about anyone I've met or where the refugee camps are." She probably knew more about that than anyone else did, with how much she'd traveled between them.
They would – should – card her for that. To keep them all safe. If that was what they wanted, Asuka wouldn't protest. She suspected Shun would tear the card in half once he knew about her. She wasn't sure if she'd protest about that or not.
"Why are you trying to find us?" Ruri asked. She hadn't activated her duel disc yet but she looked ready to do so at any moment. "What do you want with us?"
"Like I said, I want to stop the Professor. What he wants – to shove the dimensions together – that's wrong. I don't know what finding you has to do with it. If I don't succeed, he'll send someone else." Asuka pulled in a breath. "Will you come to Synchro with me? So we can find the one there?"
To Be Continued
Notes: I could tell so many more stories about this part. What Ruri is thinking. What Shun and Yuuto will think when they hear about this. Maybe some day...