Title: home away from home
Rating: G
Fandom: Tokyo Xanadu
Relationship: Hiiragi Asuka/Kurashiki Shiori
Wordcount: 373
Short summary: Asuka is in the US for training but gets a surprise visitor.
Asuka checks her phone. It’s September 3. It means she’s been away from home for 3 months already. And once again she’ll miss being home for Shiori’s birthday.
Asuka sighs. The distance from LA to Tokyo isn’t uncrossable, but it isn’t a distance that can be crossed at any time. With barely a day off between the training new recruits and her own training, Asuka barely has energy for extended video chats, usually cutting them short with a loud yawn. Late night seems to be the best time to catch Shiori, but only on Friday or Saturday nights, since it’s the middle of the day in Tokyo when it’s midnight in LA.
If only it could be easier to live like this… It’s not like they haven’t been separated for months before. 6 months is pretty long, though, and with each day Asuka can really feel the distance between them. She misses the feel of Shiori’s arms around her when she wakes up, the morning tea, the cute welcome greeting when she returns from work, the warm dinner on the table…
Lunchtime is the only significant break in Asuka’s workday, but it’s a terrible time to message Shiori, since it would be in the middle of the night…wait a second…
“Miss Kurashiki? Yes, your wife is in the lunchroom currently. If you want I can…”
“Shiori?” Asuka has already leapt out of her chair and dashed to the reception area. It really is…it really is Shiori here! But how? Why?
“Asuka!” Shiori exclaims as Asuka captures her in a tight embrace.
“I missed you,” Asuka murmurs as she buries her face in Shiori’s neck. “Shiori…”
Shiori laughs. “I missed you too. Home wasn’t the same without you.”
Later Asuka learns that Shiori has taken vacation days to spend a whole week here in LA. She’ll do some sightseeing on her own, unfortunately, since Asuka can’t leave her work, but if Shiori still feels the trip is worth it, Asuka won’t disagree. After all, when Asuka returns to her rental apartment at the end of a long day, to have Shiori’s smile waiting for her there…
Well, this may not be their real home, but with Shiori here, it is more than close enough.