Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Yoshimitsu came running by, a fish in his hands. He shouted something as he spun his head fast, flying away. 

Lili continued on her path. 

She was somewhere that felt familiar, but it was not familiar enough for her to place quite where it was. 

In the distance, she could see Paul Phoenix, his body merged with Bryan Fury’s as they took turns hitting each other. Paul swung his fist and hit Bryan, his face melting into Kuma’s. Lili shrugged.

 It was weird, she was walking, yet it felt like she was standing in the same spot. Lili looked around, off to the side she could see an eagle with Shaheen’s face picking up Marshall Law as if he were a fish. Next to that was Heihachi, dead.

 Lili giggled as she kept “walking.”

 She looked forward again, stopping at the sight she saw. 

In front of her was Asuka Kazama, storming towards her wearing her outfit. 

Lili smiled, letting out a giggle as Asuka got up close and personal. 

“!uoY” 

Lili smiled, “!eM”

 Asuka snarled, “?ton ro drawer ym teg I od ,egnellahc eht did I” 

“!ruomA noM ,esruoc fO” Lili exclaimed. 

The world around them melted into stars as Asuka wrapped her arms around Lili, “!emit nmad tuobA”

 Asuka brought Lili closer, their lips mere inches apart…

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

“Oi Airhead! Get up!” Asuka yelled as she jumped up from the cot. 

She not so softly kicked Lili in the side. 

Lili groaned, “It’s Sunday!” 

“Yeah, and I have to show you how to keep the dojo clean, so c’mon!” Asuka yanked Lili's blankets off, leaving the Monegasque exposed to the cold air.

 She jumped up and grabbed the blankets, covering herself with it. 

Asuka blushed, “I, uh, I forgot you sleep like that.” 

“Why, you like what you see?” Lili said in jest. 

What she wasn’t prepared for was Asuka turning an even darker red, “I gotta go.” 

She rushed out of the room, leaving Lili alone. “Huh, I wonder what that was about.” 

Lili shrugged it off, quickly throwing on a spare shirt. She looked around, making sure Asuka hadn’t snuck back in. The coast was clear. Good. She walked over to the closet and pulled out a lockbox. She pulled a key out from one of her dresses nearby and opened it up. Filling the lockbox up were pictures, neatly stacked next to her Polaroid camera and a dream journal. Lili had two stacks, one of her adventures, and then one with all of the pictures of Asuka she had taken. The ones of Asuka greatly outnumbered the ones of her by herself. She smiled as she looked at the top, it was of Asuka, quietly meditating. She had invited Lili to meditate along with her, and Lili spent the whole time studying her face. Oh how she loved it when Asuka was calm, but she outright adored it when that girl was mad. 

There was also Asuka’s smile, something almost no one got to see but Lili. 

To everyone else, Asuka was wearing a mask, hiding her feelings, as if they were some sort of weakness. But Asuka seemed to have loosened up big time to the Monegasque, allowing herself to smile around the girl.

Lili pulled out her dream journal and jotted down the one that happened last night. This was the 30th dream in a row that ended just before she managed to kiss her Asuka. Lili sighed, even in her realm of fantasy, Asuka was so out of reach. 

Lili put the journal back in the box.

 Hiding it once more, she thought about the other night. 

The two stayed up later, watching some bland American movie about cars and family. Mr. Kazama went to bed roughly 20 minutes before…the incident. 

Lili was bored, sitting there playing with the TV remote, idly just twisting it in her hand. She had completely spaced out, imagining herself as a princess being saved by her dashing princess. “Ugh, I can’t take anymore!” Asuka shouted, shooting her hand back to grab the remote from Lili’s hand. Lili, startled by Asuka’s outburst, dropped the remote right as Asuka reached for it.

Slap

The sound of their hands colliding echoed between them as both just stared. 

Asuka’s hand awkwardly sat on top of Lili’s, “Uh, I’m-I’m sorry.” 

Asuka went to pull away, but as she did, something surged through Lili, prompting her to grab Asuka’s hand. 

Lili interlaced Asuka’s fingers in hers, her arms feeling like they were about to burn from the touch. Trembling, she brought her gaze to Asuka, expecting some form of anger or disgust. What she found, however, was perplexing.

 Asuka’s eyes were nervous, her face beat red. She stared at their hands as if they were some mysterious entity, completely detached from her.

 Lili cleared her throat, “I-You-” Unable to find the words, Lili brought her other arm up and pulled Asuka in for a hug. Lili was crossing a line, she just knew it. Asuka was going to kick her ass and kick her out of the house for sure. To her surprise though, there was no resistance. Asuka wrapped her arms around Lili, pulling her closer. 

“Lili…” Asuka sighed, burying her face in Lili’s shoulder, “...We need to go to bed.”

 Lili nodded, trying desperately to hide her disappointment. 

Lili shook her head at the memory. Their lives seem to have returned to normal since then, they sparred, they bickered, and they spent time together. They had been as they always were, inseparable. But there was an ere to their time together now, an unspoken feeling between both girls that needed to be said, but neither had the guts to do so. About a week ago, Mr. Kazama revealed that he and Asuka would be making a trip for a family reunion of sorts. Lili immediately volunteered to watch the dojo. This earned her a skeptical look from Asuka, though Mr. Kazama made her promise to spend all of their Sunday showing Lili how to maintain its current status. 

And that’s what today is! Lili pulled herself out of her reminiscing, got herself dressed in her least fancy outfit (it is still way too fancy), and marched right downstairs.

If Lili wasn’t smitten with Asuka, she may have killed her. These chores were brutal as hell, and Asuka did not bother to teach how to clean nearly as half as well as she taught how to fight. 

“Broom. Dustpan. Sweep up this floor.” 

Asuka said, throwing both items to the Monegasque. So, here she was, the heiress to one of the most lucrative businesses on earth, sweeping up the floor after the little brats Asuka taught. 

“Hey, Lili! Maybe if you do this well enough, you’ll learn Karate!” Asuka yelled from across the room, followed by the loudest howl of laughter Lili had ever heard the gang mediator emit.

 It was…beautiful.

 Lili donned a false scowl, “Shut up! As if I would need such a fighting style. My Rochefort style has seen me plenty of victories!” 

Asuka looked over at her, “Yet not one against me.”

 “Please. If we were to fight right now, I would be mopping this floor with you,” Lili retorted. Asuka looked at her, a devilish gleam in her eye. Lili knew that look all too well. “Alright princess, why don’t we have a little spar right now?”

 “Fine, but try not to get any blood on these floors. I did spend a lot of time sweeping them up after all,” Lili snarked. 

Asuka grimaced, “Lili, these floors are still nasty.”

 “I’m trying!” 

They had been sparring for roughly 7 minutes. Lili leaped at Asuka, aiming a kick to her opponent’s face. Asuka dodged it, returning the attempt with a fist into Lili’s side. Lili fell with a yelp, before sweeping Asuka to the ground. 

Asuka fell with a thud, “Ow.”

 Lili climbed on top of her, pinning her to the floor. With one hand on Asuka’s stomach, she got ready to complete the pin. 

Except…she doesn’t.

 She makes the mistake of looking into Asuka’s eyes, and everything fades from around her. There she was, in that moment ever so present in her dreams. The only thing that made sense in those damn dreams.

 Asuka let out a laugh, “You’ve got me, Lili.”

 Lili’s breath hitched, and her eyes widened as this all became just too real. She had pinned Asuka hundreds of times, why was this time so different? 

“Well,” Asuka smiled, that damn smile that caused Lili’s heart to nearly leap from her chest every time she sees it. 

Asuka raised her head, “Aren’t you going to finish it?”

 After hesitation, Lili adjusted herself, bringing her nose to barely brush against Asuka’s. Hesitation again, as Asuka’s eyes looked into hers. Lili searched them for comfort, for consent, for understanding. It was as if looking into a crystal ball, searching for any sign of what was to come. Asuka brought her hand up to Lili’s side as if to reassure her. Lili let out a sigh, closing her eyes as she made the move. Asuka wrapped her arms fully around Lili as their lips gently inched closer, grazing as if testing the waters. 

“Asuka?!?!”

Chapter Text

“Asuka?!?!”

Lili jumped off Asuka, ran to the broom, and continued sweeping.

Asuka huffed out a laugh, masking her disappointment.

She looked to the owner of the voice, “Hello Jin.”

Jin stood there, awkwardly looking between the two girls. Lili refused to meet his gaze. “Um, hello. I am here to bring you and your father to the…uh…retreat. I wasn’t interrupting anything, was I?”

“You were supposed to be here tomorrow, though,” Asuka said, refusing to acknowledge the second part of his statement.

She looked at Lili, who awkwardly waved at her. Asuka winked, before looking back at her cousin.

“Mother wanted you both to come a day sooner. Said something about Uncle K showing her his old recipe,” Jin stated. He turned, “Your dad has already been put into the helicopter. I’d recommend bringing at least a yukata.”

He walked out of the room.

Asuka rolled her eyes, “still such a douche.”

She heard a giggle, turning her attention to the Heiress.

Lili was still sweeping the same spot she had started when she separated herself from Asuka earlier, and it was still somehow dirty. Asuka was impressed with how bad she was at cleaning, could have been a superpower honestly.

“So…where were we?” Asuka mumbled, trying to sound suave.

Lili smiled, “I believe I was finally making the first move.”

“Uh uh, Princess, I wrapped my arm around you first.” Asuka got herself up, walking over to Lili.

“So, should we?” Asuka asked, placing her hand on Lili’s shoulder.

Lili’s smile softened, “Non.”

“Huh?”

Lili took Asuka’s hand in hers, “We need to talk before we can do anything further, Asuka Kazama. About what we are, about where we go.”

Asuka’s eyes widened, “Huh, you have changed a lot since I first met you, haven’t you? I don’t think you would have had this much restraint if you had a crush on me back then.”

Lili’s face went straight, her eyes staring deeply into Asuka’s, “I did have a crush on you back then. I have had feelings for you since the first day we met. I am not going to mess this up.”

“Ah,” Asuka stated, “I wish I had known. Probably seems like I-”

Lili pressed a kiss to Asuka’s cheek.

The Gang Mediator's face flashed bright red, “Oh.”

“We can talk about it when you get back, My Love,” Lili smiled, sending Asuka off. 

A short helicopter trip later, Asuka found herself in a forest. She wheeled her father along a pathway.

“I can handle myself, Asuka.” Her father stated.

Asuka just rolled her eyes at that. She hadn’t talked much since they took off, just the occasional yeah and nod.

Her mind was too preoccupied, thinking about the girl waiting for her back home.

Asuka only became aware of her feelings rather recently, but they were so strong, it was almost like she had been hiding them from everyone, including herself.

Asuka never really had time for dating, nor was she interested in it.

All the boys who came to her only wanted one thing, and Asuka would promptly beat the hell out of them for even popping the question.

Not that she even had an interest in boys, there was a clear lack of interest on her end.

Though to be fair, she never really had feelings for a girl either.

Xiaoyu was too obsessed with her cousin and Miharu was just too vapid.

She kind of had turned off that angle of her emotions, until Lili she guessed. She had always found herself drawn to the heiress, which is why she would always play along with Lili's games. But she figured it was anger, annoyance, or anything but love. But that was until…

A gang member thought it would be funny to shove a pipe into the wheel of her bike as she rode, trying to take her out of business. Thankfully, she caught herself but totaled the bike.

Beat the man and his gang into oblivion.

She walked the bike back to her house and complained to both her father and Lili about how much this was going to set her back.

“I’ll have to work overtime,” Asuka cried.

Lili just kept looking between her and the bike. 

The time was 2:30 am, and Asuka found herself missing her bed partner.

Lili hadn’t gone to bed, saying she had some homework she needed to finish.

“Looks like tonight, I’ll finally get some rest then,” Asuka snarked.

Oh how she was wrong, she found herself missing the sound of Lili’s breathing, her entire presence. Asuka looked at the clock, 2:35.

“Maybe, I should go check on her,” Asuka muttered, getting up from her bed to go find the Heiress.

Lili wasn’t at the table, but her homework was still there.

Asuka looked around a bit, trying to find where that girl could have gone.

That’s when she noticed the light was on in the garage. There was no way in hell Lili was….

She was in there.

She had her back turned to the door, and was tampering with Asuka’s bike.

“What are you doing?”

Lili jumped, turning to Asuka. “Oh, Asuka! I…um…”

“What are you doing with my bike?” Lili’s face turned bright red, “I was…fixing it.”

“Fixing it?” Asuka asked, walking over to her bike. She noticed that the damage was gone, completely fixed. Was it jury-rigged? “Why?”

Lili looked away, “Because it is important to you.”

“Where did you learn how to fix a bike?” Asuka asked.

Lili giggled, “Sebastian, of course.”

Asuka stood up, “I'm not sure I trust your work," Lili pouted, but Asuka continued, " So, let’s test it out tomorrow then. We need to get to bed.”

“I’m not tired,” Lili stated. Asuka raised her eyebrow, “Lili, I’m tired just looking at you. Let’s go.” Lili huffed but ultimately relinquished. And Asuka could get some sleep with Lili back in her cot.

The bike worked like new. Asuka felt like she was going faster, faster than she had ever gone before.

She could also tell by how tightly Lili held her that she needed to slow down.

But her heart was racing like crazy…from the speed of the bike, of course. Asuka slowed the bike down, coming to a halt right before a ledge overlooking the river bank.

Lili got off the back, “So unsafe.”

“Eh, you get used to it,” Asuka laughed, “Just be glad I didn’t take you down a building today.”

Lili’s eyes widened, “Why do you do this to yourself?”

“Cause it’s fun.” Asuka walked down to the ledge and sat, her legs dangling over the river.

Lili sat beside her, pulling out a little pillow to keep any dirt off her dress.

Asuka raised her eyebrow, “Where were you even keeping that?”

“A lady must keep her secrets, Asuka Kazama,” Lili teased.

Asuka furrowed her brow, “I’m a lady too!”

“That remains to be seen,” Lili snickered, prompting Asuka to grumble.

Lili turned to look at the sight in front of her, but Asuka never turned her head.

No, because what she saw could not compare to anything out there.

Now Asuka was no idiot, and she was well aware of how beautiful Lili was.

But when the light from the sunrise her her that morning, it demonstrated just how beautiful she was. The way the light lit up her eyes, combed through her hair, illuminated her face.

Asuka’s breath stopped, and her heart beat fast, the last thought she had there was

“ Oh ”

That was about a year ago, then a couple of hours ago she made a move (After thinking about it, following seeing Lili's body.) and nearly got herself kissed by the one her heart had desired.

Then her idiot cousin just had to interrupt them, of all the times for her luck to be terrible.

Asuka sighed, right as someone patted her shoulder.

“We’re here,” Jin stated. Asuka looked ahead, seeing her aunt.

She waved at the incoming trio, “Welcome, to Yakushima.”

Lili was making herself something to eat. “And they say spoiled people can’t cook.”

She giggled, taking a bite of her concoction.

She immediately spit it out, “Ugh, they were right.”

Maybe she should just order something instead. She got up, heading to the phone.

Right as she reached for it though, it rang.

How odd.

Lili picked up the phone, “Hello, you have reached the Kazama residence!”

“Hello, Emilie.”

Lili grimaced, her heart sinking in her chest,

“Hello, Mother.”

Chapter Text

"Hello, Mother."

Jun greeted her brother, bringing him into the kitchen. Asuka let out a huff—she really should be present. She looked around the gathering. There were aunts and uncles she barely knew, and a cousin or two.

Asuka sighed, “This is going to be a long gathering.”

Lili stood, her hand tightened around the phone as if it were about to try to bite her hand off.

She could hear the faint sounds of the De Rochefort staff in the back of the call, always working at all hours.

Lili put on a show of enthusiasm, “How are you, Mother?”

“Dreadful. Just dreadful. Every day I wake up, I remember that my sole heir is currently doing peasant work in Japan!” Angelique barked, never one to mince her words.

Lili sighed, “This is going to be a long call.”

“Asuka, why don’t you have a boyfriend?” An aunt asked.

Another uncle would approach and go, “I used to change your diaper.”

Asuka wanted to slam her head against a wall. Why did she leave Lili alone for this? 

“I do hope you haven’t put on any weight, that Asian food can be so fatty. You’ll never attract a man if you are too fat.” Angelique babbled on, talking about the ways Lili could disappoint her, she was wasting her time in Japan.

Lili was banging her head against the wall.

Asuka walked away from the rest of her family, finding a quiet room. She sat down on a bed, rubbing her temples.

Try as she might, her mind kept wandering back to Lili. The memory bounced between their first meet, that bike ride, the movie night, and that almost kiss.

Asuka buried her face in her hands, “Why is it all so…”

“Complicated?” Asuka jumped up, seeing her aunt Jun.

“Ah, sorry Auntie! I didn't know this was your roo-”

Jun raised her hand, “Calm down, Asuka,” the older Kazama sat down next to her, “You seem troubled. Would you like to talk about it?”

Asuka looked at her aunt, thinking for a moment…

Angelique let out a cough, clearly she had been smoking again. Lili hadn’t said one word, just listening to her mother complain and complain.

“Honestly, with all that fighting you do, how could you ever even hope to find a man? You know men don’t like a woman who likes to defend themself.”

“I don’t want a man,” Lili grumbled, trying to keep it under her breath.

“What did you say?” Angelique snapped, “If you have something to say, you better say it. So, do you have something to say?”

Lili shrunk, thinking for a moment… 

“Yes,” Asuka muttered

“Yes,” Lili stated, angrily.

Asuka stared off into the wall, refusing to make eye contact with her aunt.

Jun softly rubbed her back, “Asuka, you can tell me anything. I will not judge.”

Nodding, Asuka pondered what to say.

Does she start at the beginning? When she first met Lili? The other night? Literally when they almost kissed? 

“Tell her about how I caught you swapping spit with your rival,” Jin said, walking passed the door, a big bowl of Peas in his hand.

“The peas are for tomorrow Jin! You put them back right now!” Jun yelled, “That boy has so much of his father in him.”

Asuka's face burned bright red, it wasn’t exactly a secret who her rival was.

Jun continued rubbing her back, “Did I ever tell you how I met my husband?”

“No,” Asuka said, “If I am being honest, I don’t quite get how someone as nice as you ended up with… him.”

Jun laughed, “Believe it or not, there was a time when he was nice.”

“I don’t believe you,” Asuke bluntly put.

“That’s fair because I was lying,” Jun joked, “I met my Kazuya back during my days of being an officer. My job was to arrest him, as he was a danger to everyone.”

“Not surprising,” Asuka whispered, earning her an elbow nudge from her aunt.

Jun continued, “But when I met him, I realized there was so much more to him. I got to know him, understand where he came from, and that he wasn’t entirely evil. One thing led to another, and I ended up marrying him.”

Jun stood up, picking up a photo on the nightstand next to her, “Many people tried to stop me from marrying him, saying he was evil, he would not be able to care for me or Jin. They may have been right,” Jun wiped a tear from her eye, “but I never regretted marrying that man. Nor the foundation it built. Nor my Jin.”

Asuka nodded, “I see.”

“Asuka, you are a Kazama. You use all your emotions with your whole heart,” Jun put her hand on Asuka’s shoulder, prompting the gang mediator to finally look at her, “If your heart desires Lili, then you need to listen to it.”

"But she is so...perfect. And I'm...me." Asuka stated.

Jun shrugged, "Is she perfect?"

Asuka laughed, "No. But I...I think I love her."

" Then, you need to tell her," Jun’s face got serious, “Like, you need to tell her right now.”

“What? But the reunion!” Asuka asked, shooting up.

Jun waved it away, “Please, we’ll do it again next year. You won't have fun if you are just left thinking about her. You need to go to her.”

Jun turned to the door, “Jin!”

“Helicopter’s already prepped to go,” Jin said, an empty bowl in his hand.

Jun exhaled, “Trust me Asuka, you do not want to be here for what I am about to do to your cousin.”

“I met someone, mother. Someone who I plan very much to spend the rest of my life with,” Lili stated, the inside of her body feeling like it was on fire.

“Is he rich?” Angelique asked, with no hesitation.

Lili ground her teeth, “No, Mother. She is not rich. She has never been rich. But she doesn’t need to be. She’s perfect the way she is. She isn’t fake or in it for anything, she’s just her. And I love her. She makes me happy.”

Silence. Lili could hear the outburst coming.

Lili sighed, “Mother, I love you. I want you to be in my life. But if you can’t accept me-”

“Accept what, exactly?” Angelique snapped, “You’ve always been this way, a disobedient little brat. I tell you one thing, you do the opposite. Do you think you love this girl? Love doesn’t exist, Emilie. Love is nothing more than a drive for more power. She won't want you anymore when she finds out you have nothing. You’ll come crawling back.”

“Have nothing?” Lili asked, her heart sinking.

“I’m going to be talking to your father about removing you as heiress. We’ll see how much of a brat you are when you have nothing. You ruined my life, and this is the thanks I get?” Angelique coldly asked.

“I don’t need your or your money! Goodbye, Angelique!” Lili slammed the phone onto the receiver, crushing it.

She felt dizzy as if the ground would open up and eat her.

“I…I have nothing,” Lili cried, tears falling onto her dress. She collapsed in on herself, holding her knees to her chest as she fell to the floor. “I wish Asuka was here.”

Asuka entered her home, immediately noticing the damaged receiver.

“Lili…”Asuka muttered, making her way upstairs.

She entered her room. Lili was asleep, though it was obvious she had been crying. The way she clutched Asuka’s pillow and still had her clothes on made it clear that it had been a bad argument. Asuka had seen Lili’s phone calls with her mother, they never ended pretty. When Lili revealed she wanted to permanently stay in Osaka, Angelique took the news so badly that Sebastian had to personally replace the phone himself.

Asuka sighed, before softly rubbing Lili. Lili’s eyes softly fluttered open, and she immediately turned to see who had awoken her.

“Asuka? How long was I out?”

Asuka smiled, “Not too long.”

“You aren’t speaking backward, so this must be real,” Lili giggled, prompting Asuka to raise her eyebrow.

Lili rubbed her eyes before sitting up. She looked at Asuka, a faint smile graced her tear-soaked face.

“Hey…”

“...Hey.”

Chapter Text

“...Hey.”

Lili’s smile faltered a bit, but she held it up. It… hurt Asuka to see her this way. She was usually so boisterous, bragging and cackling to herself, teasing the gang mediator. She had calmed down as of late, but she still never really let herself display such a sensitive side. 

“Lili, what happened?” Asuka asked, reaching up to hold Lili’s arm. Lili shrunk away from her touch as if the comfort would hurt her worse than the pain. Asuka sighed, “I saw the phone.”

Lili’s smile fell, any sign of composure going with it. Falling back onto the cot, her tears returned. Asuka put her hand on Lili, noting how she winced at the contact. The Heiress sat back up, climbing into Asuka’s hold. She cried into Asuka’s shirt as the Osakan Native brushed her fingers through her hair. 

“I am out of my father’s will,” Lili finally said, after about 3 minutes of Asuka rocking her. Asuka raised her eyebrow, “What?”

“I told my mom. I told her about…some of the stuff I have been doing here,” Lili chuckled, rubbing her eyes, “She said she was going to talk to my father about removing me from the will.”

Asuka took Lili’s hand in hers, “What else did she say?”

“She called me a brat. Said everything I ever did was to spite her,” Lili sighed, “Said I’ll come crawling back once…” Lili stopped. 

Asuka shifted a bit. A silent moment shifted between the two.

“Why are you home, Asuka Kazama?” Lili asked. Asuka scoffed, “This is my home.” Lili let out a laugh, a genuine laugh. 

“I…had a conversation with Jun. Helped me put some things in a better perspective. Made me realize what I wanted,” Asuka said, her chin resting atop Lili’s head. 

“And what’s that?”

Asuka sat silent for a moment, swallowing a bit of spit. “Lili, was the call…about me?”

Lili hesitated, “It was. I told her about you, about how you make me happy. Accused me of just liking you to get back at her. That’s when she told me she was cutting me out and all that.” 

Lili shifted herself so Asuka could see her face. Asuka's breath hitched, the moonlight hit those purple eyes so perfectly that Asuka was taken aback. 

“She wants me to settle down with some rich man, so the De Rochefort lineage can continue with my kids. But everyone is just so dull,” Lili brushed a strand of hair from her mouth, “Especially compared to you.” 

Asuka’s mouth shifted upward, “Well, my life hasn’t exactly been the same since you came into it, airhead. The things I thought I wanted, the things I thought I’d never need. All of it changed so fast when you came here.”

“Is that bad?” Lili asked, fear written on her face. Asuka brought her lips down, pressing a kiss on Lili’s forehead. 

“No.”

Lili's eyes fluttered open. She looked around, not remembering falling asleep the previous night. Asuka also wasn’t in the cot. Lili sighed, “Every time. Right before the kiss.”

Lili took a sniff, was something…burning? 

“Goddammit!” 

Lili burst out laughing, “Guess that wasn’t just a dream.”

Lili made her way downstairs, immediately noting the brunette fighter at the stove, a pillar of smoke in front of her. 

“Having troubles, Asuka Kazama?” 

Asuka huffed, turning to Lili with an annoyed look. “Good morning to you as well, airhead.” 

“Eggs?” Lili asked.

“Eggs.” Asuka confirmed, “I wanted to make you breakfast in bed, especially with how your night was. Couldn’t even do that though.”

“Oh, Asuka Kazama. Can take down a big metal man, but can’t even cook a tiny pre-birth chicken.” Lili teased.

The other girl scrunched her face, “that is the creepiest way I think anyone has ever described an egg.” 

Both girls burst out laughing, their bodies inching ever closer. They took a moment to look into each other’s eyes, both clear in what they desired. Asuka leaned a bit closer, “So…”

Barring!

Asuka sighed, “I should…I should probably get that.”

“I’ll clean up your mess,” Lili said, smiling brightly. 

“Just clean it better than the dojo, okay?” teased Asuka. Lili simply gave her a thumbs down as both girls turned to their respective tasks. 

Asuka picked up the phone, surprised it was even working after an Angelique call, “Hello, you have reached the Kazama residence. This is Asuka speaking.”

“Asuka Kazama,” A gruff voice spoke, “This is Gabriel de Rochefort. A pleasure to be speaking with you. Is Emilie there?” 

“Uh, yes she is. Here I’ll get-”

“Hold on there. I was wondering if I may ask you something before you give the phone to her.”

Asuka stiffened, “Go right ahead, sir.”

“My daughter speaks very fondly of you. Every time she comes home, she is always talking about her little friend who lives in Japan. She has a radiant smile because of you,” there is a pause, “Emilie was a lonely child. Probably wasn’t helped by my lack of attendance and her mother. Good old Sebastian tried his best to fulfill both roles. I wish I was there for her more though.”

“I see,” Asuka muttered.

“But she met you though. And it all just…seemed to fulfill her so much. So I need to ask you, do you love my daughter?” 

“Yes, I do. I don’t think I have ever felt this way about anyone or anything ever before, and I never want to know a life without her in it.” Asuka answered, not a single ounce of hesitation. She looked at Lili, who was humming away.

“That’s good,” Gabriel replied, “Can you please put Emilie on?”

“It’s for you,” Asuka called out. Lili turned around, an eyebrow raised. She took the phone, “Hello? Hi daddy!”

Asuka chuckled, motioning that she would go pick them up some food.

Food in hand, Asuka walked her way back over to her house. She admittedly only had one person on her mind.

And, dear reader, if I told you who it was, you may not have been paying attention.

Asuka entered the door, seeing Lili sitting at her table. She looked up, smiling warmly at the gang mediator. 

“Hey.”

“Hey.” 

Asuka knew better than to ask Lili about the call, she would tell her in her own time. And so the two girls sat and ate.

“So…Should we maybe talk about…that?” Lili asked.

Asuka nodded, “I think we should.”

“So, I just…” Lili started. 

“I think…” Asuka began.

Both girls stopped, “Oh… sorry”

Silence again.

Asuka coughed, “Well, last time we talked about this, you brought up your feelings so why don’t you begin?”

Blushing, Lili hid her face, “Oh you are so kind.”

“Shaddup and talk, airhead.” 

“Sorry, sorry,” Lili laughed, “Asuka Kazama. I’ve…I’m…” 

Lili stuttered a bit, and Asuka found it adorable. 

Asuka put her hand on Lili’s. She moved in close, bringing her face to level with Lili’s. 

“Y’know, words aren’t the only way we can get our point across,” Lili replied, face bright red.

Asuka smugly smiled, “Yeah, I know.”

They searched each other’s faces for consent, for understanding, for reassurance. They inched closer, Asuka put her hand on the table to keep herself balanced. They brought their noses together, gently brushing them. Their lips were mere inches apart, all they had to do was close the remaining gap. Lili let out a breath and-

The front door swung open, and Sebastian the butler came barreling in, “Madame Lili, I have returned from my…Oh, I’m sorry, I seem to be interrupting something.” 

Both girls sighed, turning to look at the old man. Sebastian winced, “Um, I’ll…I’m going to go to the casino.” 

“Bye, Sebastian.” Lili waved. Asuka sighed, another moment, gone. 

“Damn,” Asuka muttered. 

But before she could properly express her frustrations, Lili grabbed Asuka’s hand and dragged her back up to the room. She slammed the door and promptly locked it. She then pushed Asuka onto the cot and sat across from her. 

“I’m not letting a single other thing interrupt this,” She stated. She took a deep breath and stared at Asuka. Bewildered, Asuka smiled, before moving herself a bit closer. That’s when she noticed something, Lili was shaking. 

Asuka had never seen the girl this nervous, this was the same girl who had fought the likes of a Jack unit, a literal bear, and Bryan Fury without even dropping a sweat. Asuka looked for a second, then smiled, very smugly. She climbed onto Lili’s lap, wrapping her legs around Lili’s waist. Lili’s face turned even more red, “um…”

“What’s wrong?” Asuka teased, “Do I make you nervous?”

Lili nodded. 

Asuka had to move fast, she was doing everything to keep her blush down. Lili kept shaking in her arms though, prompting Asuka to finally ask, “Have you ever kissed anyone before, Lili?”

Lili shook her head, “No. I’ve never really wanted to kiss anyone before you.”

“Aw,” Asuka involuntarily replied, quickly clapping her hand over her mouth. 

Lili’s eyes widened, her shaking finally stopping, “Was that-”

“It was nothing,” Asuka interrupted, her blush finally spreading in full force to her face. 

“What about you?” Lili asked.

Asuka shook her head, “You kidding? Everyone around here is dull,” her voice smoothed out, like silk, “Guess I was just waiting on you to mature.”

Lili blushed, giggling like a fool, before reaching up and cupping Asuka’s cheek. She leaned in, bringing the girl closer. Their noses brushed each other’s again, the feel of Asuka’s breath on her lips. Asuka looked into Lili’s eyes again. But Lili wasn’t going to wait for that this time. She had the consent, she had the understanding, and she had the assurance. 

She pushed forward, lips clashing with Asuka’s. Asuka gasped a bit, clearly feeling Lili’s teeth against hers. It was a bit awkward, but she wasn’t going to say anything. She pushed back, leveling their lips out.

Lili was on cloud 9, her mind was completely blank, just only focusing on the feel of the other girl’s lips. Her heart beating a mile a minute, Asuka pulled back a bit, rubbing her thumb along the Heiress’s chin. 

Lili huffed a bit, before puffing and blowing Asuka down. She pushed the Osakan native back onto the cot, her eyes trained heavily on the object of her desire. Asuka didn’t protest, she just smiled as Lili placed her on the cot. Her lavender eyes glistened in the light, staring at Asuka like she was a feast, and Lili was starving. Lili climbed on top of Asuka, keeping her body weight from crushing her, but just enough to pin her down. Asuka was Lili’s rival, and Lili knew her body to a t. Lili pressed another kiss on Asuka, their lips clashing.

Asuka smirked, opening her mouth and pressing her tongue to Lili’s lips. Lili gasped, giving Asuka the entrance she wanted. She explored Lili’s mouth a bit, dancing along her teeth and greeting her tongue. They danced, twirling and holding each other, occasionally breaking apart to get some air. Asuka raised her hand, gripping the back of Lili’s head as if to prevent some escape, though Lili did not intend it. The other gently glided across her back, rubbing it.

Lili gripped Asuka’s shirt, almost tearing it. 

Asuka pushed back a bit. Lili smiled brightly as if she had won some reward. Asuka laughed a bit, “You’re cute.”

“Not as cute as you,” Lili giggled, resting her chin on her hand. 

Asuka laughed, bringing Lili in closer. She latched her lips onto Lili's neck.

Blushing, Lili covered her face, "What...what are you doing?"

Leaning from Lili, Asuka beamed, "I'm giving you a hickey," Asuka said, "I want the whole town to know you are mine."

Lili's smile crinkled as she looked away, embarrassed.

Asuka pulled away, rubbing some saliva from her mouth, "I hope I did that right. I only ever saw it in a TV show." 

The Heiress fell back, completely overwhelmed by it all. Asuka poked her, "You okay?"

Lili's face turned serious, she turned to Asuka, "I get to give you one now!"

"What? No way! I have no way to cover it!" The Gang Mediator blushed.

Lili growled, "Too bad!"

She jumped up and tackled Asuka, who tried to jump out of her way, to no avail. Lili placed her lips on the back of Asuka's neck, earning a slight shudder from the girl. After she was done, Asuka reacted fast, catching the Monegasque girl and giving her another. This went on for quite some time, with a lot of laughing, bickering, and even a full-blown fight.

The sun had set as the two lay in their cot, Asuka lying comfortably in Lili’s arms. Lili had fallen asleep, and Asuka was busy taking in every single detail of Lili's face

She never thought she’d be here, let alone with Lili.

She’d always figured she’d die some lonely old virgin (they haven't done anything yet. She is just anticipating some things), maybe have a hundred cats or so, but that all changed so, so quickly since Lili had entered the picture.  She reached up, gently caressing her chin.

“I love you,” She sighed, “And you have changed my life so much.”

Lili shifted a bit, causing Asuka’s heart to stop. The Heiress pulled The Gang Mediator in close, “I’ve secured …my victory against…Asuka,” she snored.

Asuka smiled, pressing a kiss to Lili’s lips. She adjusted herself once more, letting out a soft “airhead.” before falling into a deep sleep…