A/N: For cwazzy-gyal123, who had requested a LilixJin story, a few months ago (so sorry for the delay! I can't say that enough). I honestly couldn't think of how to turn this into a multi-chapter story, so I'm afraid this is only a two-shot. Though I did try to make it as long as I could (not sure if I succeeded at that, though). I also tried to keep them all in character, but I'm sure I majorly failed at that. Sometimes, this story had its own will. This will also be my last Tekken story for a looong while. Hope you enjoy! :)
~ It wouldn't be the first time that the brunette young woman had put her in trouble with her overly weird habits. ~
Today was exceptionally warm and sunny. Warm enough to wear tank tops and eat loads of ice cream. But it was only a matter of time before the highly pleasant post summer day would change into a harsh autumn. Everyone knew that. Still, that didn't stop Lili and Asuka, two best friends, to go to the park near their campus and chat. Due to their very busy lives now that they both attended a different university, they hadn't seen each other for an entire week, so the women had a lot to catch up on. The two decided to sit down on their favorite bench that was located under a flowering cherry tree. Thanks to a gentle breeze, the tree's delicious smell had no problem reaching them.
After a while, though, the conversation went to its usual direction: ranting at everything that was so unfair. This time, however, it was Lili who seemed to be angry.
"I mean, I know that a nineteen-year old should be able to take care of the rent, but I just can't keep up with those stupid bills anymore!" Lili de Rochefort explained, feeling more frustrated than she let on. She played with her honey-blonde locks, as she continued. "I simply can't believe that Father just refuses to lend me any money! How else am I supposed to pay for may stay in that mansion!? He's probably still mad at me, because I lied to him about that tournament... It's not like I had a choice, since he would totally freak out if he found out the truth... And he did. Don't you have the same problem?"
Asuka Kazama eyed her ridiculously rich friend for a while, amused at the fact that she had to deal with this kind of stuff only now, whereas most people had to deal with such problems all the friggin' time. The blonde didn't seem to realize yet how lucky she actually was, seeing that she'd never had to worry about money before. No, little Miss Perfect led a highly luxurious life; she would be brought everywhere in a shiny black limo and she wore the best clothes. Her handbag alone probably cost a few hundred thousand yen...at the very least. Very few people of her age could say the same.
"I did, until I got a job, so I suggest you just do the same and stop your constant nagging. It's annoying," Asuka replied truthfully.
Lili rolled her eyes and let out a deep sigh, as she let go of her glossy locks that jumped back in its place again. "First of all, I'm not nagging. Secondly, that's easier said than done, you know."
"Not when you know the right people," her brunette friend replied with a small smirk, which earned her a quizzical look.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Asuka seemed to enjoy the situation, which was easy to see by how she acted. She took her sweet time explaining, taking another small sip of her soda, before replying, "Ever thought of working for Jin, a relative of mine?"
"Jin Kazama? The same "relative" who is head of the Mishima Zaibatsu?" When her dark-haired friend nodded, Lili let out a rather uncharacteristic snort. "Yeah, right. Like he's going to employ me. I don't know anything about weapons, which is all that Mishima Zaibatsu is about. Unless they suddenly got interested into make-up products, clothing lines and other things that have to do with fashion, I won't be of much help there."
The brunette's dark eyes twinkled mischievously, which only made Lili's suspicion rise. "What?"
"...He already did."
Two finely arched eyebrows shot up at that piece of information. Lili's voice sounded an octave higher when she said, "Excuse me?"
"I took care of it the other day," the dark-haired beauty proudly announced and she ran a hand through her chocolate-like locks.
Lili's mouth fell open. "Mishima Zaibatsu's making make up products now? When the hell did that happen? And it didn't even come on the news!"
Asuka slapped her friend's arm at her slowness. "Ugh, of course not! I meant that you have a job now, Lili. Congratulations."
Lili, however, seemed to be far less pleased with that. Quickly, but gracefully, she got up from the bench, startling her friend. The former clenched her hands into angry fists and had to take a few deep (very deep, even) breaths in order to stay calm and not start a fight. Asuka's smug look was making it really tempting for her, though.
"What!? Without even telling me? Asuka!"
"What? Aren't you supposed to thank me now? I just solved your problem for you, for free! The only thing you have to do is say yes, give an interview and show them your CV. It's all settled."
"Oh, and I suppose I don't have anything to say about the matter, even though I'm the one who's getting the job?" the blonde spat sarcastically.
Asuka could almost swear that she saw steam coming out of her friend's ears, a sign that she should be extremely careful with her words. That was why she chose a more gentle approach, by saying, "You could at least give it a try, Lils. You've got nothing to lose, right? If you end up not liking it, just quit. It's not like they can force you to stay and do something you loathe."
Lili sighed deeply, realizing that there really was no way out this time. Damn Asuka and her "helpfulness." Some day it would just become her death. It wouldn't be the first time that the brunette young woman had put her in trouble with her overly weird habits. There was no doubt that this was going to end like all those previous moments.
"Alright. Might as well, then."
"That's the spirit. You have an appointment tomorrow, at ten o'clock sharp," Asuka said, allowing herself to smile for the first time.
Lili narrowed her eyes dangerouly. "Okay. But I'm still mad at you!"
"Yeah, yeah. You can thank me when you're vice president, Lili."
As if that was ever going to happen. Whatever. She was stuck with it now, anyways, so she figured that she should try to make the best out of it...no matter how hard that was. Asuka would pay for this. Lili didn't know how or when, but she would think of something.
"Goof," the blonde muttered.
"Idiot."
As far as Lili knew, she'd never had to endure such a long, absolutely nerve-wracking silence before. Not even when her father was angry at her. All she could hear was the annoying ticking of a clock and the fiddling of papers. The silence was as palpable as a thick curtain of smoke. To be honest, she felt as though her whole future was depending on this moment. Why, she wasn't sure, but this little voice in her head said that the blonde would lose a big opportunity if she screwed this up.
She felt so uneasy; it was as though her white blouse and black skirt were too small for her and she was probably sweating, too. Drat, had she even put on some perfume this morning? God, this was hell!
"May I see your CV, please?" the stranger that sat on the other side of the desk asked in a deep, almost hypnotizing voice.
"Sure."
Lili groaned inwardly when her voice quivered lightly. She fervently hoped that she was the only one who had heard that...
Their fingertips brushed lightly when she gave him the piece of paper he asked for and her heart seemed to make a faint jump, but she ignored it. It was merely the nerves, after all, nothing special. Those darn nerves, never leaving her alone from the moment she stepped into this building until now. And the fact that Jin Kazama was so unbelievably handsome that it should be a crime wasn't exactly making matters any easier for her. Midnight-colored hair that spiked at the back of his head, fringes that framed his chiseled face beautifully, thick eyebrows that added character, a straight nose and flawless skin... There was also no doubt that he was very muscular underneath that buttondown shirt. Why hadn't Asuka ever mentioned that when she had told her about this relative of hers? Or was she simply too blind to notice? Because at least that way, Lili could have prepared herself for it.
Jin ran a hand through his thick, glossy, ink black hair (probably not realizing what effects he had on her. Or maybe he knew exactly what it did to her and he was doing it on purpose, testing her), before his eyes travelled back to her, staring right through her soul it seemed. Lili tried to stare right back at him without averting her gaze, no matter how hard it was. The man had really beautiful eyes.
Focus, Lili! Daydreaming won't do you any good, she thought, admonishing herself.
Eventually, Jin looked up from the papers and said, "Give me one good reason as to why I should accept you in our team."
"Because... I'm exactly what you need."
Oh, how wrong did that sound if you put it in an entirely different context.
Apparently, he was fully aware of that, too; his eyebrow shot up, but since he didn't interrupt her, Lili took it as a sign to continue. "I'm young, energetic, a quick learner, and I always get what I want."
He was silent for a long moment (and she took this moment to study his handsome face on any signs of disappointment), probably thinking things through, before making a final decision. He was filthy rich, but he still didn't want to take any risks at losing money. The blonde young woman could hear her heart beat and was afraid that even Jin could hear it.
Let's hope not...
Eventually, he said, "I see. Well, then. I'm not saying that I believe you yet, so I'm afraid I have no other choice but to give you a trial of one month. One mistake, no matter how small, and you're fired. You'd better not disappoint me, Miss de Rochefort, all right?"
Her heart leaped at those words and she simply couldn't believe her luck. Lady Fortune was on her side today, that much was clear.
She smiled. "Deal. You won't regret it, I promise."
This earned her an amused half-smirk. Next, Jin explained her some of their routines and what exactly he was expecting from her. After that, the man let her sign a contract. When everything was put on paper, they shook hands again and Lili was free to go. She would start tomorrow, at half past eight sharp...
A/N: Thanks for reading! I'm not going to write down what the full request was about yet yet, otherwise you'll know how it's going to end... So how did I do so far? What are your thoughts on this? A review would be nice (especially because the next chapter is going to be so much more fun!). :)