A/N: This chapter will contain some drama and cursing. Please be ready.

AsukaEnergetic1: Asuka's feeling to develop huh? I guess it's on it's way pal! the ship is about to set sail!

AsuLili: I love your name! hehe, well if you ask me, I guess my only inspiration is this dream I have that AsuLili will have a fanfic long and adventurous dedicated to only their ship, since other ships already have tons.


7) A flag has been raised!


Three days into the two weeks of the tournament.

Asuka, Lili and the other partnering teams were training again in the gym area of the National Olympic Stadium.

It wasn't such a big gym at all; in fact it was just a medium sized box room. At the center of this square, a small white ring was standing. The right wall was all mirrors and scattered at the back part and left part was the workout machines.

If you're wondering, there is a time limit to how long a pair would be able to practice. After the said time limit, the pair can go back to their rooms and wait for the next day to train again. The tournament is strict in the bases that no one can practice outside.

Revers goal in its game is to create fighters who can maximize the moves of another player, not by total mastery but by a rough imitation only. Revers wants to see people who can fight in another style as if it was their own and not spend so many times to be able to do it, thus, the limited amount of time in learning.

The time given to Asuka and Lili are at eight in the morning until twelve in the afternoon. Five hours straight just like all others. The two of them were quiet happy that they didn't get the same time as that of Takahashi and his partner.

If progress is what we'll talk about, Lili and Asuka exchanged lists of their moves and showed a demonstration of each. They practiced in solo for today to be able to memorize all that was in the list. Asuka was again, doing well enough in the Emilie style but Lili was in a promising level now too.

In an effort to keep the blonde determined to continue her good progress, Asuka would constantly praise how nice she was doing in the Kazama style now. It always didn't fail to boost the blonde's confidence.

"Hey, I just saw you did a combo there! That's a big improvement" Asuka said as she landed from a high kick.

"Yes, I was practicing the swallow mallet to leg cutter. Is it just me or the Kazama style is completely dominated by turn kicks and punches?"

Asuka giggled, it seemed that she agreed with Lili but she wasn't going to voice it out. Instead she makes her own remark. "I know it's not just me when I say that your style is full of girlish movements."

Lili looked calm and was not at all offended by what Asuka said, she agreed to it mentally. "A person's style shows what personality one possesses. An edgy, superlative style like the Kazama explains how tough and brash you are. An elegant, contriving for dominance style like mine shows how I value grace more than anything."

"You know, sometimes I don't get why you tell me things that I'm just not gonna understand."

"You didn't understand that simple construction of metaphors? Asuka you want to make me cry."

Lili was shaking her head, not knowing the longevity of Asuka's somewhat lack of understanding things. The two of them went back to practicing in solo until their time limit ended.

"I want to eat something English for today" Lili out voiced while she and Asuka were getting to their hotel room.

Asuka opened the room and let Lili enter first. "What like burgers and fries?"

"No those foods are too greasy, yuck. I was going along with steaks or something like that."

"Psst, I love burger and fries and we don't have that much money for your steak."

Lili nodded at Asuka. "You're right; I forgot I was with a pauper."

Asuka lifted her eyebrow at Lili, she was clearly annoyed by being called a pauper but she didn't have to complain about it. Every now and then they will call each other names, so they had to be patience to take it without being peevish.

They went outside of the hotel and strolled at the area of Shinjuku. At first, they were both looking at cheap restaurants to have their lunch in but Asuka saw this small restaurant that offered steaks cheaper than the other's.

"Are you sure you're not going to take this back on me?" Lili asked the ebony while looking at the menu of the restaurant.

"The price is higher but at least it's not cheap noodles that taste like cardboard." Asuka answered, looking through the menu herself.

They were seating at two chair tables, facing one another. The restaurant was actually a western themed café that offered steak imitations for a low price.

Its ambiance was brown and jazzy with high ceilings and long suspended lights hanging in it. The tables were two or four seater, made of oak wood and the cushions colored in almond red.

When the steaks came, it wasn't a surprise for LIli how Asuka was naïve in the proper way of eating the English food. Lili took Asuka's plate and sliced the steak for the girl.

The restaurants steak wasn't so bad since the meat was soft and the sauce was perfectly brewed. The dark brown sauce was creamy, barbecue tasting and a bit spicy to the end of one's tongue. It wasn't long before Lili could spot the greases of the sauce scattered near Asuka's mouth. While biting through the meat she was eating, Lili took a tissue and damped it on the sauce at Asuka's face.

The ebony was surprised but she let Lili continue to wipe sauce on her. When Lili stopped, she placed the tissue back to the table and smile at Asuka.

"What a messy eater you are, I couldn't continue eating unless I put off the sauce in your face. Here" Lili hands the tissue to Asuka's hand. "Wipe yourself next time Asuka"

She said as she went back to eating her steak.

After eating in that restaurant, Asuka and Lili went back to their hotel room. Lili was finally able to register her cellphone for roaming and talk with her dad for a long time. Asuka on the other hand, watched TV while lying lazily in the bed.

By night time, Asuka was back to helping Lili fall asleep. She spent a lesser time in brushing the blonde's hair in her hand for tonight, probably a good sign that Lili's jet lag was gradually fading.

Four days into the two weeks of the tournament.

After training again, the two girls ate lunch at a cheaper place now. At the food court of a nearby mall.

Asuka was able to persuade the blonde in trying out the food at a cheap food stall near the stadium. In their walk to get there, Lili was able to see the nearby mall from the next street. Asuka was dragged by Lili to check it out. For half an hour Lili kept doing window shopping until Asuka scolded her that she was hungry already.

"I always forget everything else when I'm shopping." Lili explained as she and Asuka decided to go down to the ground floor where the food court was.

"You didn't even buy anything; you were just puppy eye looking." Asuka told Lili while they were going down in the escalators. "Don't you ever get pissed off when those sales lady ask you as soon as you look at their merchandise? It's annoying, it's like they're saying that you can't look if you won't buy."

Asuka was walking first with Lili behind her when they got to the food court and looked around. "It's called product promoting Asuka. Those people's jobs are to get buyers, and I'm sure the annoyance between you and them is mutual. They're also hate thrifty customers."

"Please, I would never buy anything outrageously expensive even if someone choked me."

Asuka and Lili continued they're banters as they walked and checked the food's offered in the area. Asuka stopped after scanning half the area and asked Lili to just go back to the cheap food stall near the stadium.

"Wait, no." Lili suddenly stopped Asuka from pulling her wrist to come out of the mall.

"What is it this time?" Asuka keeps pulling Lili.

"I think I know what I want to eat here" Lili pulled her hand away from Asuka. The ebony sighed before she walked beside Lili.

"Where? It better not be expensive."

"There" Lili pointed her finger to a food space, third to the last in the row.

"Monaco Express?" Asuka tried to read the poster of the food space. Squinting her eyes and putting her hand above her eyebrows. "Oh, no" She said before Lili had achieved to pull her there.

It was a good thing that the Monaco Express was actually cheap, but Lili still enjoyed the taste they served. Asuka was a little hesitant, good thing Lili knew what specific dish the ebony could try without feeling foreign to the flavor.

At the afternoon, both of them watched TV in their own beds. At night time, Asuka was about to brush Lili's hair again when she noticed that the blonde was already asleep, making her way to embrace Asuka. It wasn't necessary anymore, but Asuka still brushed Lili's hair.

Five days into the two weeks of the tournament.

Asuka and Lili ate lunch at the Monaco Express again. This time though, Asuka now had an idea on what she wanted to eat there.

Let's be more distinctive to this. Lili's favorite Monaco dish is Socca, a pancake made with chickpea flour and Stocafi, dried cod in tomato sauce. Meanwhile, Asuka has grown to like Les Sardines Farcies aux Bletteset aux Moules which is a dish of sardines stuffed chards and mussels. Asuka isn't able to say the name correctly so she lets Lili order it for her, quite impress to hear the blonde speak in straight French.

By the time they went back to the hotel, Lili was scolding Asuka that she's run out of clothes now.

"Already? But I packed you clothes for seven days" Asuka couldn't believe it, she saw all Lili's clothes inside the laundry basket.

"That's why I told you I need many clothes."

Asuka checked the baskets content and saw the reason. Lili had been changing clothes at least two times a day.

"Why did you even need to change clothes so many times?" Asuka scanned the basket and separated some of the pants and jackets. "These ones are good for at least another wearing." She lifted the clothes in front of Lili.

"No, I don't want to wear clothes two times!" The blonde took the things that Asuka was holding and threw it back to the basket.

Asuka growled annoyingly. "Then wash them already, there's a laundry shop at the first floor."

Lili crossed her arms. "I told you I don't do laundry."

"And I told you that you can't be like that when you're with me. " Asuka took the laundry basket in her right hand and dragged Lili out of the room with her left hand.

"You just pour 20 mgs. of the powder detergent into water while it twirls your clothes." Asuka gave a little cup measurer to Lili filled with the amount of detergent needed.

The laundry shop in the first floor was pretty large. There were washing machines sticked to the walls and standing alone washing machines at the middle. Asuka and Lili used the stand alone one, since it was easier to learn for the blonde.

"Ok, now you turn the knob of the spin timer to 10 minutes" Lili did exactly what Asuka told her, and together, they watched her clothes spin inside.

"Dow, it's those shit lesbo's again" Asuka and Lili both raised their heads and saw Takahashi enter the shop with his partner.

Takahashi's partner was his sister, a black haired girl who sported a bob cut. She wore leather black clothes and looked like the ultimate slut in the streets. Her name was Urushi, and her style of fighting is karate and kempo.

"You keep denying your lesbians when you're always together. I've never seen the two of you separated." Takahashii continued to talk in a loud voice. The other customers who were waiting for their clothes begun to look at Asuka and Lili.

Asuka seemed so pissed but she tried to control her anger. "Ignore him" she told Lili.

They didn't talk anymore and even when Takahashii kept insulting them, Asuka and Lili just kept quiet until they left the shop.

Lili carried the laundry basket, and tried to keep up with Asuka who was walking so fast.
"Kazama, wait for me" Lili stopped walking, and panted while putting the laundry basket down.

Asuka looked back and saw Lili, she rolled her eyes before going to Lili and taking the laundry basket. "Come on, hurry up." She said, directing her head to the elevators.

That night, Asuka didn't sleep in Lili's bed anymore.

Six days into the two weeks of the tournament.

Asuka and Lili had started training by pairs now. They practiced new moves where they could combine each other's style and created combo's together.

They made the Rafflesia special throw combo. A combo trick where Asuka will perform Rafflesia, a move where one take's the head of the opponent and twitches it as she twirls up in the air. Lili will then uppercut the opponent, and jab him in the air. They will then continue to attack simultaneously in hits of combo.

When lunch time came, Lili decided to follow Asuka's request from days ago. They ate at the nearby cheap food stall. But her attempt to make Asuka feel better still didn't work, the girl was still a bit away from her. Normally, Lili would find it good if Asuka wouldn't care a world about her, but this time it made her sad.

It made her sad where she just wants to get angry at herself. She isn't supposed to rely on Asuka, heck she isn't even required to act good to Asuka if she wanted. But she just wants too. And she can't even explain why.

Seven days into the two weeks of the tournament.

Half of the two weeks training have come, and the game dealers have decided to make a match off for the official partners who will enter the tournament next week.

It was in Asuka's great providence that the pair she and Lili were assigned to fight with was the Tato siblings, Takahashi and Urushi.

As soon as both pairs entered the rings, an atmosphere of hostility took over the whole gym. Takahashi collected his saliva deep in his mouth, creating a scratching sound in his throat before he spitted sideward in the ring.

Asuka punched her hand on her palm. "I'll show you bastard" She stretched her fist which was slapped away by Lili.

The blonde took her place in front of Asuka and imitated the Kazama stance before engaging to battle. "Let's pummel them" She says per usual.

Urushi tried attacking first, using the gangster style she exchange with her brother, she slided body flat in the floor and took Lili's wrists, attempting to make the blonde fall down. To her failure though, Asuka took Lili in the waist and pulled the blonde to her back, making Urushi slided nonstop until she slips off the ring and falls on the floor.

Takahashi watched as his sister broke her hip and was taken out in a stretcher. When his head was still busy looking at his sister leaving, he felt a tap in his shoulder. Together, Lili and Asuka performed the Rafflesia special throw combo on him.

He lands on his chin at the floor of the ring, making Asuka and Lili the victor.

Asuka and Lili celebrated as the Tato siblings have not been qualified to enter the tournament. They went outside the stadium to see the siblings leave.

Asuka used her pinky to pull the lower eyelid of her eyes and sticked out her tongue to Takahashi. It was a gesture of mocking standard in Japan. The pink haired guy hissed at Asuka but his sister slapped him in the arm to stop it already since they were just embarrassing their selves more.

Lili took out her white handkerchief and waved it in the air. "Au revoir, Perdants" She exclaimed as the bus service for the unqualified pairs leave.

Eight days into the two weeks of the tournament.

Lili thought that things would get better again with Asuka, but it seems like it won't. This morning as they finished training, a guy suddenly came up to Asuka.

The guy was tall, black headed and white. He wore white jogging pants and a sleeveless white shirt, showing off his muscles.

"Hey, there, the name's Saito. I saw your fight yesterday and I really thought you were cool." The guy was only talking to Asuka. "I'm a coach here in Aikido arts." He lended his hand to share a handshake with Asuka.

Lili was standing right of Asuka, she stred at the guy annoyingly. Her body twitched when she saw how Asuka took the handshake and seemed focus at the guy.

"I'm Asuka Kazama, thanks for calling me cool." Asuka said looking shyly at the guy.

Lili shaked her head, not liking this at all. She poked her head between the two and faced the guy. "Ah huh, yeah. Nice to meet you too but we're going now." She took Asuka's hand and tried to pull the girl but Asuka looked back to the guy when he said something.

"I was wondering if you'd like to have lunch together."

"No, we don't" Lili immediately expelled.

"I only meant Asuka" The guy cleared out. Lili didn't let this stop her from pulling Asuka away but the ebony tried her best to get away from Lili.

Lili was surprised when she was almost pushed off. Asuka looked guilty but she averted her eyes and went back to the guy. "Yeah, I'd love to." She told Saito before facing back to Lili. "You can eat anywhere you want; you have your own money right?"

Lili didn't answer Asuka, she huffed aggravated air while stomping out of the gym.

Asuka went back to the hotel room after presumably eating at the stadium cafeteria with the guy, but she found Lili nowhere. It wasn't until dark time that the blonde went back to the room.

"Why were you stopping me this morning to eat with Saito" Asuka asked, sitting at the headboard of the bed.

"Oh, so now you call him by his first name too. I wasn't mad. I just didn't like him. He's ugly." Lili said in a passionate voice of annoyance. She was taking off her jacket in a forceful way.

"That's a rude thing to say, I can just imagine how many hot guys you've flirted with that's why you think he's ugly. I don't care about your standards for good looks; at least he's a better company than you. He's not a brat who always yaps and complains and doesn't know how to do anything-

Lili slapped Asuka across the face, piercing, loud and agile. The ebony's head was shifted to the side, the surface of the hit glowed rapidly in red.

"I don't care about your standard for company too. It's very obvious that its as crude as you are." Lili said with her snarkiest tone ever heard by Asuka yet. Her face didn't show the sadness or the sting in her heart. Her face had the expression of cold indifference. A blank emotionless face but eyes that were sharply looking through Asuka.

That night, they slept with their bodies fully turned backwards at one another.

Nine days into the two weeks of the tournament.

Asuka and the coach guy were always hanging out now, leaving Lili to her own devices. The blonde leaves as soon as they're training are done. She decided to go to Monaco Express today, feeling that her homelands taste will make her feel better.

She clenches a fist when she saw that Asuka actually brought the guy there. The two girls caught each sight of each other. Asuka was already on the line while Lili was just getting there. The ebony had a flash of sadness in her face, she was about to say something but Lili flashily left. Who knows where she ate or if she still did ate.

The blonde had no appetite at all, even her favorite sweets like marble cakes and rocky road ice cream wasn't able to tempt her to eat.

She went back to the hotel room and glared at Asuka's bed. "Dumb Asuka" She said to the empty room and hid under the covers of her bed.

Ten days into the two weeks of the tournament.

Asuka and Lili were fighting in their training. The blonde was clumsy in her moves and wasn't doing the Kazama style in the right way again. They stopped the training and Asuka left her in the gym.

Lili saw her later on with the coach at the stadium, doing some fistfight. Lili had that same stinging feeling again.

It was burning in her chest, every time she saw the guy her angry level will just turn high. And every time she saw Asuka alone with him, something more than anger goes high. It wasn't a feeling she's used to. What feeling has she ever not been used to?

Lili thought, trying to figure out the reason why she flips every single time at the sight of the two together.

Eleven days into the two weeks of the tournament.

An impromptu freshen up clash was announced by the game dealers. The teams that will win this clash will have ten points advance by the start of the tournament.

"We should do our best here, we need all the points we can get to win." Asuka told Lili while tightening her signature blue and black gloves.

Lili didn't answer her and just looked straight at their opponents.

The other pair was two vertically challenged guys wearing army pants and a green t-shirt, with a red army hat.

Asuka started up with the Femme Fatale making the first guy sleep on the floor, Lili on the other hand, attacked the other guy with heel kicks and jabs. When the other guy was capable of out throwing Lili's attacks with his Muay Thai movements, Asuka ordered Lili to do the Rafflesia special throw combo.

When Asuka was about to perform the Rafflesia, Lili was telling her not to because she saw that the guy could cunter attack her with his neck bend technique, a move that Muay Thai users are very good at. Asuka doesn't get this and still attacks, so Lili had to run behind the guy and pull his hands to the back, making Asuka do the Rafflesia but Lili gets hit too. The guy uses the hit Lili to his advantage. He attacks Lili with chi points distraction causing her body to numb and be unable to move.

Asuka who was going to attack the guy again was too late; the guy threw her Lili's body making her fall to the floor. The ebony gently placed Lili at the end of the ring, not wanting for the girl's body to get in danger, but the guy uses this time to kick Asuka in the back, causing her to fall on Lili. The bell rings and the two guys become victors.

Lili's body came back to normal, she shook Asuka who was able to stand up instantly and jump off the ring. Lili followed her.

"I'm sorry I know it was my fault" Lili said. The blonde blamed herself for making Asuka take care of her that's why they lost.

"You're just so cluttered these past days." Asuka started to talk in a mad tone. "Just leave me alone." The ebony added before going out of the gym.

Lili's hard feeling for herself was getting bigger by the moment and she felt more wreck than she already is. She the other exit of the gym at the back, and to her surprise, just before getting to the door, she heard a familiar voice.

It was Takahashi. Lili saw the pink haired guy outside, talking with none other than the coach guy. Lili did her best to eavesdrop on the two, behind a bunch of garbage bins at the wall. She covered her nose and averted her eyes from the trash, focusing all her hearing to what Takahashi and the coach guy were talking about.

"I don't think they are together, I mean the short haired chick was so fast in throwing the blonde away." The coach guy said to Takahashi while waving his hand that had a cigarette.

"Who cares if they are or not, the important thing is to break them apart. They've already lost the match today; just continue hogging the other until they completely lose the competition."

The coach guy nodded and threw his cigarette away. "I know, it was all because the blonde was obviously jealous of me. The hot bitch may really be a lesbian after all."

Takahashi and the coach guy laughed and pounded their backs.

Lili couldn't hear anymore, she quietly run back to the gym and breathed air again. She took her palm to her forehead and shaked left and right.

They're wrong…I'm not jealous…I'm not gay…

She was convincing herself while closing her eyes. Letting her words sink it. When her palpitation had calmed down, Lili ran to the hotel room to tell Asuka what she heard. She was excited to finally rid of the coach guy, who might also be a faux coach.

Twelve days into the two weeks of the tournament.

Asuka didn't believe what Lili told her, making the blonde mad. First of all, she said that Saito didn't smoke but Lili said otherwise, the next thing is that, she thinks Lili just wants to get even with her after she stormed on her.

But deep inside, Asuka thought that there was a big possibility for this. She went to see Saito this day and asked him to have lunch. While outside the stadium, Asuka cornered the guy in an alley and pinned him in the wall, her hand chocking him in the neck.

"Tell me the truth, are you with Takahashi?" Asuka asked, her hand tightening on the guy's neck. "Tell me" She said louder.

The guy's face was turning blue now, and his hands struggled to tell Asuka that he'll say it. Asuka quickly let him fall to the wet floor.

His white jogging pants were soaked in muddy water now. Asuka took his hair and lifted his face. "So?"

"It's true. I was paid by Takahashi to separate you two." The guy's face was filled with fear as Asuka's fist was already directed in his face.

The ebony stroked him in the nose; the guy placed his hands on it and saw the blood that came out of his nostrils. He wailed in pain while trying to control the dizziness of Asuka's heavy punch.

Asuka threw his face on the puddle and rolled his body to face her. "I was only hanging out with you because people kept teasing me and Lili. But really, I realize that's a complete bullshit! You were nothing but a boring obnoxious piece of worthless body muscle without strength! Lili is highly more fathomable to be with!"

Asuka gave one last kick to Saito's stomach, making his body jerked up from the dirty ground. "That's for Lili, and tell that Takahashi that me and Lili aren't going to lose…we may not be what he thinks but we sure are special to each other. We have a relationship where even if we throw the largest insults in the world we still work it out and care damn much for each other!"

Asuka left the beat up body of Saito in the alley and quickly sprinted back to the hotel.

When she entered the room, Lili was doing her best to ignore her. Asuka couldn't blame the blonde.

She knows that it'll take a lot of apologizing for Lili to forgive her.

But Asuka's determined to get it. She knows now that the blonde really cares about her. And she cares about her too.