Author's note: Hey everyone! I was recently inspired to write a Lili/Asuka romance story, involving anticipation and attraction. This story will paint Lili and Asuka slightly out of character to play to the emotional theme of the story, but I think everyone will like it. It's scheduled to be a short series, around three chapters, unless I'm inspired to write more or asked to write additional chapters. Feel free to review, comment via PM, and favorite it.

Thanks and enjoy!

Lili Rochefort walks on the beach alone, purposely. Its Spring break but there's more to enjoy than getting a tan while lying down in her gold colored bikini or swimming in the cool water and getting her blonde hair wet. She looks a few feet away as a few young women are playing with water guns, getting their bikinis wet and shrieking like little girls.

Amongst them is Asuka Kazama, wearing a plain blue bikini. She's armed with a large water gun, spraying the girls more than getting sprayed on. Lili smiles, wishing she has a better relationship with Asuka, but fate had other plans. When they first met each other by accidently bumping each other in public, she couldn't help but smile at Asuka. But Asuka took it personally, thinking that she was mocking her and started a fight, to which Lili gave up in the end; she couldn't hurt Asuka.

Afterwards, Lili was shocked that the news of the fight spread throughout school in a day and she was forced her into a bad girl role that she had to maintain for appearances. But for the following months Lili wondered about her attraction to Asuka. At first she thought it was because of Asuka's beautiful and gentle face. Or it was because of her nice amber hair, her flawless brown eyes, and athletic body. But then she found that Asuka's true glamour is her self-confidence and spirit. It's been driving her crazy that Asuka still doesn't know exactly how she feels.

Because of which, Lili has been trying to spend a lot of time with Asuka more than any other girl at school. But the cost of playing the bad girl was worse than she thought, as it pushed Asuka away but not out of her mind. Lili feels trapped.

"What are you staring at Blondie?"

Suddenly Lili is awake from her dream state as a stream of water is sprayed on her face and chest. She stops in place and wipes the water from her face. After the shock wears off, she looks up and sees Asuka grinning in front of her, still pointing her water gun at her. Asuka sprays another stream of water on her face as the girls behind Asuka laugh at her.

"It isn't fair," Lili mutters. "I wasn't bothering you."

Lili is so tired of the fighting, the odd looks, and the disrespect. Lili covers her face as she breaks down and cries, not caring if they make fun of her anymore.

"Hey Lili…"

Lili uncovers her watery eyes and sees Asuka has traded her water gun with a white beach towel, the other girls had moved on to play in the distance.

"Hey," Lili says simply.

Asuka extends the towel to her. "You're so strange."

Lili takes the towel. "Thank you."

As Lili dries her face, she feels like testing the boundaries as she notices some guilt on Asuka's face. Lili slowly dots her neck and then her chest. Lili causally watches as Asuka's eyes briefly following the towel's movements before awkwardly looking away.

"Ok…so, sorry."

"Hey Asuka…do you want to go to a concert with me? The Bluegrass group is playing this weekend…"

"Whaaatttt?"

Lili calms herself when as she obtains Asuka's full attention. "Yeah…my father was going to go, but he has business plans now and I don't go with a guard." Lili hopes she sounds sad and pathetic enough to play on Asuka's heart strings.

"The Bluegrass group…seriously?"

Lili giggles briefly; of course Asuka is more interested in the group. "It's on my father's account, so we have travel, fifth row seats, and hotel costs covered. Come on, it'd be fun." Lili gives Asuka an encouraging elbow, followed by a friendly smile.

"This isn't a joke Lili? You're not going to leave me stranded in the middle of nowhere?"

Lili's smile lessens. "Because of responses like that I want you to come with me. I want you to think more of me. Ok?"

Asuka takes a moment. "Ok."

"We'll talk about the details later, cool?"

"Sure," Asuka says as she turns around and walks away.

"Oh Asuka…don't you want your towel back?"

Asuka turns around and smiles at her. "You can keep it, besides your perfume will drive me crazy."

"It's lotion silly."

"Sure, sure…same thing," Asuka says before she turns back around, walks to her beach chair, picks up her water gun, and runs back into the water gun fight.

Lili tells herself, "You did good Lili…you didn't rush into admitting how you feel towards her." Lili turns around and walks away. "Just take your time Lili, the seed has been planted. Sooner or later, you'll get her…or a punch in the face."