A/N: Sorry this update took long, I was sick for the past days, but I'm better now. :)

CHAPTER IV

Lili

Calm down Lili. Calm down. I tell myself as I walk outside and search where Sebastian was. I saw him park the limousine at the back of the shop.

"Ms. Lili, I'm sorry if I interrupted anything." My old butler said with a bit of repentance.

"Sebastian, you should have interrupted everything." I retorted at him. He made a perplexed look at me.
"I was forced to stay here again."

"Did Asuka asked you to stay Miss?"

"Yes. She did, that's why I couldn't reject it. Well, I did at first, but she just grew persistent and I couldn't help it." I couldn't reject Asuka.

"Does that not make you happy Miss?"

I shook my head. "No, Sebastian. It makes me exultant."

My butler smiled at me. "I'm glad to hear your honest answer, Miss. Now, let us leave for your next battle."

He opened the door to my Limo and I quickly went in. A couple meters away, I saw Asuka come out of the shop through the cars side mirror. She looks like she's looking for someone. I want to be the one she's looking for.

*Sour Grape*

The Souq stage was one of my least favorite stages. It's so hot here and the Architecture of the stonewall building was just tasteless. Souq means mall in Arabic, but if this is what a mall looks like there…I might never visit it at all.

A part of me is still not in shape to go into this battle. The back of my waist still hurts and my mind. My mind is still thinking about her. Asuka Kazama, why did she have to be the one to talk with me? Although I'm pretty sure those voyeurs were the one who told her to. This is sick. I'm Emilie De Rochefort, I do not get orders from other people. I did not agree to stay because of your request Asuka Kazama, I'm here because I love to fight. Now where is that android enemy of mine?

I look around and found that Alisa, floating above me. She cautiously lands on the stage, facing me.

I positioned my hands on my hips and said "Being part of the voyeurism team that climbed my Limousine without permission. I won't show mercy on you."

"I do not want to hurt you." The pink android only stood straight, looking rather worried at me.

"Too bad we're not mutual." I took a close-range aim at her and gave her a side hand slap. Then I gave her another one at her other cheek. It was enough to shake her, and I got the opening to punch her up in the stomach and kick her in mid-air.

I pretty much took the lead in the first round. Winning it with close to no sweat. Alisa stood up again and readied for our next battle.

"Your body is stronger than your vitals. I shall now terminate you without holding back."

What is this cold metal body talking about?

I came close-range with her again, ready to jug her upward. She easily jumps and avoids my attack, her power wings open with a high blast of blue energy. She flies and lands her hands on my head, making me fall on my back. Again. My back waist seems to be having the worse of this day. However; I don't stay long on the ground, Alisa attempted to jump on me, but I moved and dodge her. I stand up, she tries to punch me, I dock then I kick her in the knee. She hardly reacts and starts to boost her power rocket wings, effectively kicking me from below the chin and flying me in the air. She doesn't let me fall, she kicks me in the stomach and I end up flying, hitting the stall props in front of the stone wall building.

I barely have time to stand up when she hovers above me again, she tried to give me a heavy punch but I rolled over and she ends up breaking the wooden makeshift stall. I use that chance to kick her, the heel of my boot hitting her shoulder.

She falls on her knees and I did another kick, this time on her head.

"Ah!" I yelled as her head flew distances. "That is disgusting," I tell her beheaded body.

My attention, being easily taken by the freak horror show I just saw made me lose the second battle. With my eyes focused on the incorporeal head, the androids body kicked me in the back. My face scratched the ground, and the K.O. bell rings.

I raise my head from the rocky pavement. Alisa's head, right in front of mine. "I am preparing some beverage for us. It is not a drug, so please stay calm." She said with a smile at the end.

"Uh," I exert. My head falls back to the ground.

*Sour Grape*

My back hurts even more and I lost another fight. Shoot that stay until the end.

"Did you say something, Miss?" My ever faithful butler asks me from the driver's seat.

"Just mumbling, Sebastian."

We're on our way back to the hotel now. I was expecting to come home tonight so I already checked out this afternoon. Which means, I need to check in again. Putting the dull ride aside, no more suites were available in the hotel, and I had no choice but to take the Master's Room.

It was smaller, uglier. The carpet color red does not go well with the gray walls and white ceilings. The walls have no intricate moldings or cornice at all. It was just a plain gray, boring, and painting less wall. The only catch was the brilliant magenta and copper curtains. Don't dare open it, because the only view out there is The Tekken Center.

Sebastian came in late after me. He carried my suitcases, two at a time for at least three jaunts. You see, this is why I prefer Sebastian from all the other butler's I've had before. Sebastian is strong and hardworking, not like those boastful young men. They were always complaining about their work, and it's not just my imagination when I can feel them having perverse gazes at me. Plus, Sebastian doesn't mind about my sexual preference, unlike those mollycoddles who always say "You haven't found the right man yet" please, they just want me to like men so they'll have a chance with me.

Beep. Beep.

I heard my cell phone ring. I pull it out of my White Hermes Birkin Bag. My cell phone is an exclusive model of the Savelli Jardin Secret, it was a birthday gift from my Daddy last year. It's one of a kind, having an Ostrich, Iguana and Alligator leather as the case. Mine is cream colored that perfectly complements its 18K gold ceramic alloy lining with a drop of 75-baguette-cut diamonds. If you haven't heard, this baby's screen is made from sapphire crystals, making it one of the most indestructible phones in the world, and second to the most expensive, costing around $126,000.00. The perfect cell for any outgoing fighter. Like moi.

I click on the screen and the callers address comes up. It's daddy.

"Hello, Daddy" I say in my sweet daughterly voice.

"….I'm sorry Daddy, plans changed, I can't go home yet…" I shouldn't have told him that I'm going home tomorrow. "…I'm at A.C.'s in Venice …enjoying a romantic gondola ride."

"Yes, I'll be staying until the end of the month." I bite my lip, please believe me.

I exhaled a relief air when I heard his answer. "You will send me more money? Lucky me! I love you so much Daddy."

My Daddy replies likewise and then he hangs up the call. I throw my phone away, wherever it lands, I'll find out later.

*Sour Grape*

The next day, I was scheduled for one fight in the morning. At this moment, In the Arctic Snowfall stage, I'm facing one of the most cocky, brash people in the tournament.

"I always wondered why a rich girl like you was doing fighting here, guess now I know." The South Korean orange head speaks.

I scratch the top of my brow. "Isn't this supposed to be our intro quotes? Not stating the obvious conversation."

Hwoarang smirked. "Yeah, yeah" He pushed back some of his hair and then gestured me to make the first move.

Don't mind if I do. "Hah!" I hit him in the neck with the tip of my fingers. He gorges back and I kick him in the abdomen. He recovers fast and try to stand up but I don't give him the opportunity. I knock his feet with a down kick and he sets on the floor again. I do a tumbling up and land two consecutive hits on him. He curses, and stands quicker than earlier. He faces side ward and kicks me in the head. I get pushed back more than I intended. He came with another kick, and another kick and another kick, all coming from different directions. I fall down on my bottom and the first battle is his.

"Stand up Princess, you're pauper is watching." He teases me.

My pauper? I check the sidelines. Asuka was standing there. She looked like she hasn't sleep yet with the black bags visible under her eyes.

The next battle starts, and I try as hard as I can to focus. Knowing that she was there, watching me, I should show off, but I couldn't. I was perturbed. Her simple presence in the crowd bothers me.

The second battle finishes, and I was sitting in the ground again. Double shoot that stay until the end.

Outside of the stage, I look again at the sidelines and she wasn't there anymore. Why was she even there?

I was leaving for my car, when, "Here, you left this." Asuka suddenly appeared in front of me, pushing something into my breast.

I was stunned, but I managed to get it. It was a €100.

"Where did I leave this? I don't remember." I honestly didn't.

Asuka looked like she was going to blast. "At the freakin' jolly shop yesterday! I had to pay for your order because they didn't accept your Euro there." Sleepy and crabby, how true of Asuka.

"Oh, I thought I left a dollar."

"You thought."

"Alright, grumpy pants." I snap my fingers and call Sebastian. He comes close and does a slight bow.

"Yes, Miss?"

"Hand me some money…how much was it again?" I turn to Asuka.

"$25."

"$25? That only costs $10."

"What?" Asuka sounded irater. "I knew it that waitress was hiking me!"

I made a faint laugh, with my hand up in front of my mouth. "No. She was saying the truth."

Asuka gave me an annoyed look. "…grrrr…just pay me already." She opened her palm at me.

I sighed, finding her amusing and irksome at the same time. "Sebastian, you heard the amount."

My butler took the amount from my personal purse and gave it to me. I waved him to leave.

"Here" I offer a $100.

"I said 25, not a 100" She frowned at me.

"I don't have petty cash Asuka. Take it or leave it."

"I'm leaving it. I'm not a money-holic anyways." She said head high.

My mouth slants on one side. "We can break this down by the restaurant nearby. Come on Asuka, have brunch with me."

The brown head looked hesitant. "I've already had breakfast."

"So what? It's called brunch because if you've already had breakfast then it's lunch."

"I'm not sure that's the right meaning" Asuka begun to scratch the side of her head.

"It's just brunch Asuka. I'm never going on a date in a cheap place like that." I reassured her.

"Ok. Fine, whatever…I do need to say something to you. But it's not a date, we're just-

"Two people going to the same place together. I've heard that already." I smiled at Asuka. She gave me a grin.

*Sour Grape*

The nearby restaurant was an Italian fine dining destination. The outside was mostly white, covered in sculptures and moldings of foliage in the walls. The interior is exquisite for the choice of large marble red tiles, oat-textured brick walls, giant gold chandeliers and tables of bleached cloth with lustrous silverware. Inside the restaurant, the attendant pulls out the chairs for a table of two.

"Grazie" I tell the woman attendant once I sat down, feeling the cushion of black velvet.

"Prego Signorina. A waitress will come here to take your orders in a minute. You can have this time to look through the menu." She hands each of us a giant plastic covered menu.

"Ok, si può dire loro di fare molto tempo?" I handed the attendant an early $20 tip, prodding her to happily agree. Simply translated, I ordered her to keep the waitress from coming.

"Wow, I didn't know you can speak their language." Asuka said after the attendant left. She sounded so venerated of me. I will happily speak Italian for my whole life if that makes you admire me.

"I had to learn it because my father's company is in tight partnership with some of Italy's most influential families. The same reason I studied Japanese because my father is tied up with the powerful Mishima Zaibatsu."

"…Ok." Asuka looked anxious. She scanned the same page of the menu for multiple times. I could see how her eyes would escalate down, and up again. She saw me, and placed the menu down.

"I'm full, I guess I'll just order some drinks." She changed the page to the last one. "What is up with this names? Can't they just type orange juice or mango shake?"

"It's a part of their culture to pamper the names."

"Wait, this restaurant's expensive…a bottle of water for $13?" Asuka looked straight at me. "A 25 bucks slurpee and now a cheap restaurant. Does everything need to be upper class for you to like it?"

"No." I firmly stated. She waited for an explanation. Let's give her one. "You're not upper class but I like you."

Asuka's eyes started to go elsewhere, the teeming chandelier above us was a getaway to her cheeks that we're starting to blush. That's right, I'm going to make you feel as uncomfortable as you do to me.

"….so…you told me that you're going to stay right?...I heard you lost to Alisa yesterday, and just a while ago to Hwoarang. Did you just say that to shut me up?"

Divert topic. I'm not going to talk about how I tried my best and lost in both those battles. Oh, wait, there is one answer. You. Asuka Kazama, if I weren't so invested in trying to get away from you, I wouldn't have had my back aching at my fight with that android. And, if you didn't watch my fight this morning, I still could have won that battle. It's always you. Everything leads to you.

"What did you want to tell me Asuka Kazama?" I asked her, slapping my menu down on the table.

She felt the drop and went back to looking at me. She hadn't move on from the first topic yet.

"The waitress is going to come soon. Say it already or were never going to leave this restaurant." I eye the attendant to keep the waitress near to alert Asuka.

She looked unsure. I needed to keep the waitress coming closer.

Then I saw her mouth open.

"…I don't know how to say this…mildly…but, I don't like you back. I'm not like that." She breaks it with every down turning word.

And my heart just breaks a pulse every letter that she voices out, that by the end of her sentence, it feels like only powder was left at my chest, between my lungs. I saw that coming, but it still hurt.

"I expected that much, Kazama." I could only answer. It took all my power to not let out the emotions that we're stitched behind those words.

"That's it? That's your reaction?" She asked, looking doubtful at me.

"I'm not really a fan of crying and cursing the whole world when my crush doesn't return my feelings. I'm sorry if I disappointed you with my response." I'm not going to give you that satisfaction.

"You can tell me the truth…" She said. Was my despair so visible for her to ask?

"Hey!" A sudden scream came. The image before me slowly started to fade.

There was this tugging at my hand. "Are you listening?" I heard someone ask. I looked around and then the tug came again. I looked ahead of me, Asuka sat there her arm stretched to my side, pulling the sleeve of my dress. I looked at her hand, immobile.

That was just my imagination.

"Don't look at my hand, look at me." Asuka commanded.

I did what she said. But my eyes travelled, I saw the waitress still at a different table.

"Did you hear me a while ago?" Asuka asked me. Her hand is still grasping my sleeve.

I tried to get back to the situation. "Something about putting it mildly?" I half asked and half said.

"At least you did hear something….so what do you say?"

What do I say? What did you say? "….I'm not really a fan of crying and cursing the whole world when my crush doesn't return my feelings…?"

"Really? You should've told me that before I gave you you're chance."

"Chance?"

"You weren't listening at all, were you?...ugh, I told you I was only going to say it once." Asuka vehemently scratched her head with both hands. "Ok. I'll say it again, but this is the last time. I said Xiaoyu told me to reject you…."

Same thing, different words.

"And I've been thinking about it since yesterday...ya know, a year ago, a dude confessed to me and I honestly didn't like him, but I gave him a chance simply because he's a single dude and I'm a single girl. And it wasn't bad to try it."

Try it….

Try it...

Try it..

Try it.

My eyebrow quirked all of a sudden. "You want to try it with me?" I said without meaning to let it out of my mind.

Asuka seemed off-handed. "Look, I believe in justice control." She waved her hand in the air. "And if I gave the dude a chance just because he was single dude and I'm single girl, then you deserve it too. Single girl and single girl….you are single right?" She started to look anxious.

I would break up with anyone if you're the other choice. "Yes." I said. I do my hardest in subduing the excitement I was feeling. "But wait…so we're really going to…." What word? What word?

"It's just a try…we're not crossing the proverbial line yet. Ya' know how they say that there's a line between love and whatever's on the other side…just imagine it as us, standing closest to the end of that line."

I bite my lower lip. "That's a…very complicated relationship." And I hate complexities.

Asuka gestures a shoulder shrug. "It's called an open relationship. And it exists."

While I stayed silent for a moment. Asuka began to notice something. "Is it just me or are the waitresses here just so slow? No one's come to take our orders yet."

I look for the attendant in the room and spot her near the paying area. I give her a nod, prompting her to scurry for a waitress, whisper to it, and point the direction of our table.

"She's on her way." I said, and right on time, the waitress appears.

Asuka seemed to have gone from our situation to explaining her order to the waitress. I said I'd have whatever she was having. I just wanted the waitress out of the way.

"So what exactly are the mechanics of an open relationship?" I ask the ebony across me. Asuka went into some minutes of deep thought, her hand stroking her chin. "First we come up with rules." She said, the same time our orders arrived.

It was only a glass of juice. I sipped on the straw, it was lemoncello. "Where do you pick up such rules for a disparaging relationship?"

"You make it sound like a crime…anyways, we can make the rules in the relationship, but there are criteria's to follow."

I set my juice aside and place my elbows on the table, my hands up with the tip of my fingers pressing together. "What kind of criteria's?" I ask slyly.

Asuka drinks anxiously, and answers. "Well, first rule's first, we can go out and actually call it a date."

"Number one is always my favorite." I smile, Asuka looks more anxious.

"Rule no. 2, we can still see other people."

"A polyamory relationship."

Asuka shakes her head left to right. "Not exactly, it only depends if you will see someone else. The thing is, in an open relationship there is no commitment to one another. You just agree to try and be with each other, and see if it works…"

"Which begs the question -are you even into girls, Asuka Kazama?"

Asuka looked up, her hand on cheek. "Na' I've never really liked like any girl."

"Well then, what are you offering me?" I felt a shade of her making fun of me.

"Oh, c'mon. I always thought I'd fall in love with a person, not a gender." She said so casually.

God, I love her. I cough. "What are the conditions in seeing other people?"

"I don't know, just don't tell it each other? Or you can, but you can't ask about the other person because that will be a whole new private thing between them."

I'm not really into that kind of complicated stuff, but you get what is offered Emilie. And right now, you don't have the choice to have a choice. Giving this chance to you, is already a big sacrifice for Asuka. But, are you going to accept this? Are you really going to cut and drag yourself and Asuka into this heated mess? Where there are chances both of you will come out burned. It's a heavy personal decision. It's not fair, she had all night to think about this, while I need to decide everything in a minute or less. If I don't agree at this very while, who knows if she'll still keep the offer? No, don't even back out Emilie. This is your one and only chance. Asuka has shoot the arrow, now catch it.

I tilted my head with agreement. Asuka continued, "Rule No.3…flirting is allowed."

"Flirting?"

"You can flirt with me and I can flirt with you." She said pointblank. Asuka flirting me? I wonder how that would go.

"Rule no.4, we are not together. If people ask, we just say we're friends or acquaintances or anything less."

"No entitlement to clear it up."

"Yeah, it seems like you're actually getting it now."

"How about the good stuff? The intimate part of a relationship." I wiggle my eyebrows at Asuka, giving her a hint of what I mean.

"…whoa…well, holding hands, hugs and kisses are technically allowed…even with the other person you're seeing. But you always have to ask for permission."

"Ask permission? That would be awkward." I am totally not going to accept that. "Why not just keep it. If you see other people, whatever you do with them, is your secret." Just the idea of having to permit Asuka do those things with people, other than me, is enough to break me. I know I don't have the right to be, but I've done everything to control it, and nothing ever worked.

"Ok, yeah, that works better." Asuka agreed quickly. "Which leads us to Rule no. 6, we don't have to tell each other everything. If you ask something I don't like, I have the right to not answer it."

"Sounds genuine." I do have a lot of things I don't intend you to know about. I took my drink again, and sipped it. It's become warm. "Any more rules?"

"That's all we need." Asuka had finished her juice after a few more nips. She plants the glass on the table and exhaled a refreshed air.

"Has this ever worked out for you before?"

"Duh, I got my first boyfriend with this process, but we didn't end up. He started getting too clingy and like you said entitled."

Hmm, I have to be careful about being too clingy and entitled. Well, the latter I can manage, but the former…I'll have to work on that.

Though, really, what is the purpose of doing this? Are you really going to give it a chance to like me back? Are you just doing this because it's part of your justice control freak nature? Are you serious? Are you just playing with me? How long do we need to do this?

I wanted to ask. So badly.

But I was afraid to.

I was afraid to know the answers.

*Sour Grape*

Asuka and I eventually left the restaurant. The simple brunch I asked her to, in the end became our first date. What a perfect waste of a first time. We didn't even enjoy eating anything, but those lemoncello's. I'm still confused; does this make me love Italy (or love it more, because I already love It.) or hate it? I'll know it when the time comes.

As part of the secrecy of our open relationship, no one can know that we have it.

"Sebastian, Asuka Kazama just asked me to enter in an open relationship with her." That's not going to stop me from telling it to my faithful butler.

"I assumed you agreed with it, Miss Lili. I can see your affectionate smile from the mirror."

"I have nothing to say but to admit that I am a desperate woman." I looked out of the window. Asuka was walking the opposite way. I saw her look back, and I'm not sure if she was looking at my car, or something else. But she just stood there. Looking.

"No, Miss, You are just in love."

I was still looking at Asuka, and she found my eyes on her. She turned away and left after that. Indeed I am.

Hours later into the night, I laid on my bedspread, fully awake. It was a good thing though, because soon my phone rang and I had to answer it.

"Hello?" I heard my daddy's voice come in.

"Daddy, it must be dawn there at Monaco right now. Why are you calling in such an early hour?"

I didn't like what he said next.

"Again? Hasn't it only been a month?"

"Oui. Je comprends." Like I have a choice with my daddy. What he wants is my command.

After my daddy disconnected, I knew I wouldn't be sleeping for this night. I changed out of my pink night clothes and back to a new pair of my white fighting attire. I woke up Sebastian from the other room and he drove me quickly to the office of the Mishima Zaibatsu inside the Tekken Complex.

At the front door, I knocked three times, the lights in the second floor open. Jin pulled his curtains aside and saw me standing at the side of his office patio.

I gestured him to come down with a wave. He looked unwilling but he did come.

"What is it?" He asked, as soon as he opens his front door.

"We have a problem."

"The same one I guess?" He asked, posing with his arms crossed over his robed chest.

"We do it like last time."

"No. We'll do it different this time." He pronounced.

sneeringflame: Thanks for appreciating the story so far, and for expecting good things for it :) Haha, well, I don't know, maybe development will still make it serious, but for now, it's just light-heartedness ^^ Thank you, I'll always try to be.

Romak1997: haha, Asuka or Xiaoyu getting a beating huh? Well, one way or the other...Thanks, I try my best to keep the story interesting, and I do like this story that's why I decided to keep it long. Acceptance can always start from denial ;)

Nutellaholic: *falls down and starts crying in tears of joy* haha, thank you for the wonderful praise, you have to stop doing that, there is so little ways I can thank you everytime XD. Haha, Asuka-senpai will come terms with her bad, assholishness soon XD Lili is too proud and confident to deny anything, even her preference or crush to a certain senpai, that's just how awesome the girl is! Haha, we'll get better background on how Xiaoyu ended up becoming like that, and Jin, thanks, he is one of the hardest to write here! Leo is perfect to write here because her personality just fits the theme of the story. Forrest is going to get more screentime in other chapters, I like him in the games :D, Glad Alisa worked fine now than the first chaps. Haha, yes, I'll try to incorporate more characters in the story and frequently give everyone some screen time. Nothing makes the heart beat than a good detailed love story :D

Mhuki: Yeah, the story is light-hearted but what Lili is going through...hell. And Asuka, in some degree as well. Well, let's see what Asuka has in mind. Thanks :)

AsukaEnergetic1: Haha, thank you, wouldn't want one of my AsuLili shippers hating on me :D Haha, I agree, I'd go lez for Lili even if I was straight if she told me she had a crush on me. But Love stories need Drama XD
Jerk Asuka is going to get there soon. The magic is starting XD