Chapter 9: Tough, Love, Princess
Week 1. Friday. 4.30 pm.
"Thank you!" she exclaimed with forced enthusiasm as she handed out the last flyer.
Finally, it was over. With a flip of her hand she checked the timepiece on the underside of her wrist. 3 hours. She'd been there for 3 hours. Hoping to save as much of the 1800 Euros the university had allocated to her, the Monegasque had forgone hiring people to hand out the flyers for her.
The soles of her feet were beginning to regret that decision.
But with all 400 flyers now gone, the advertisement campaign was a success in her eyes, no matter how minor as it was.
Seeing an unoccupied taxi approaching, the blonde raised her arm to hail it. When it stopped in front of her she got in and gave the driver her instructions to the driver, before sighing in relief as she sank into the worn leather seat. Public transport would have been cheaper of course. But the station was too far away and she was too tired. Taking the taxi saved her from having to put up with the stares people gave her when she did take the trains; her height and blonde hair made her stick out like a sore thumb. And besides, using her own money was permitted, so long as it didn't directly affect the Kazama business.
As the taxi quietly made its way through the busy inner city streets, her mind began to recount the events that happened the previous day.
Week 1. Thursday. 11.47 am.
Lili frowned as she watched the scene in front of her.
"Didn't I tell ya to fix that form?! Punch it properly unless you want fifty pushups!"
The brunette watched in scrutiny as the young man drew his hand back towards his waist. Anyone could tell that he was exhausted, he was breathing heavily and his hair was drenched with sweat. And yet Asuka still seemed determined to push him further.
After a moment he held his breath, before accelerating his fist into the heavy bag, hitting it with a loud "Thwack!".
He turned to his instructor, hoping he had satisfied her.
"Better, but still incorrect. Fifty push ups. Go."
He dropped to the floor in defeat.
Lili couldn't watch anymore. The poor guy was on the verge of collapse. She had to do something.
"Why don't you just show him?" the Monegasque said as she rose from her seat by the entrance.
"What?" Asuka asked with a growl.
Unfazed by her aggression Lili continued. "Instead of giving him push ups, why don't you show him the proper form so he can remember?"
Murmurs and whispers were heard amongst the five other students. A simple glance from Asuka was all it took to silence them.
"He knows the technique already. The push ups are to make him remember." the Osakan answered mercilessly.
"But this is a self defence class, not a boot camp. Your students are here to learn how to defend themselves; not be ordered to do push ups and squats until they faint from exhaustion."
"Listen Blondie, I'm the one runnin' this class not you. This is the way I teach, and I've been doin' it this way for two years without any problems. Nothin' you do or say is gonna make me change, so why don't ya just sit back and observe like you're meant to."
"No problems huh? So you call running your parents' business into the ground 'no problems'?"
"What the hell are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying that it's you that's responsible for the fact that the dojo can't hold onto its members. You're the reason the dojo is failing."
An uneasy silence fell on the room.
Lili regret what she said the moment the words came out of her mouth. It wasn't true. Yes, Asuka's brutish methods may have been a factor, but as far as she could tell, it wasn't the main reason. But words could not be taken back. The only thing left was to push forward. Change needed to happen.
The silence continued, until Asuka hissed. "Get out."
Glowing orbs of amber gazed at her in contained fury. It was like staring into the eyes of a wolf. But Lili refused to back down.
"Or wha-"
"GET. OUT." Her command echoed throughout the dojo for what seemed like minutes.
For a while they just glared at each other unblinking, in a silent war between fiery amber and electric blue.
Eventually Lili's rationality kicked in. Nothing positive could be gained from this situation. And it wasn't really an appropriate topic to be discussing in front of other people. But she wasn't going to let Asuka have the last word.
"Fine," Lili finally said. She went over to where she had been seated and grabbed her things. Instead of immediately heading towards the exit however she walked over towards Asuka.
"Take this," she said as she pulled out a dossier from her purse. When Asuka refused to take it she decided to provoke her.
"Oh what, the buffoon can't read? I expected as much." she said snidely.
The brunette took the bait, snatching it out of her hands with a snarl.
"Be sure to read over it carefully," Lili continued in a more serious tone, "It'll help put things into perspective for you."
And with that, she walked out of the dojo.
Week 1. Friday. 5.42 pm.
Lili could sense that something was different the moment she stepped out from the cab. The ambience had changed, but how?
She listened intently for a few moments until she finally recognized the muffled sound of laughter in the distance. High pitched giggles could be heard in the direction of the dojo.
Children?
Curious, the blonde made her way around the house towards the dojo. She slowed as she approached the entrance, taking her heeled boots off as quietly as she could before tip-toeing up the stairs. When she reached the top, she stealthily peeked around the corner.
Lili's heart warmed at what she saw.
"Asuka-sensei! Are you going to teach us the secret technique now?" the young girl with the ponytail asked in anticipation.
Having just turned eight last month, young Akane was the eldest of the five, automatically making her the ring leader of the group. Asuka smiled. Akane reminded her a lot of how she had been when she was little.
"Oh yeah sensei! You promised teach us once we learned the kata!" the boy with the glasses shouted with excitement.
Takumi, more commonly known as "Specs" because of his thick glasses, was next in line. The seven year old just narrowly missed out on the ringleader title, with his birthday coming up in just two weeks. But he seemed quite content playing Akane's second in command.
"Hmmmm. I dunno. Learnin' the kata is one thing. Masterin' it is another," the young woman teased with a raised brow.
"Aww whaaat. But you promised!" the twin girls pouted in unison.
Aoi and Sora; their mother had apparently named them so because of how clear and blue the sky had been when they were born. But as pretty as their names were, the two were mischief incarnate. Swapping clothes and hairstyles was their favorite prank. The six year olds wouldn't be turning seven until the following year.
"Hmmmm," Asuka teased again, almost giggling when she saw the hopeful look on little Hiro's face.
The youngest of the bunch Hiro, was still only five. He was shy little guy, the most timid of the five, but also the most precious. His mother had sadly passed away from leukemia just over a year ago. But with the help of his friends and family loss the tiny trooper had marched on. The kid had become Asuka's own beacon of resilience in the face of loss. Nowadays, whenever life kicked her to the curb, she always thought of Hiro.
Asuka knelt down so she was level to Hiro.
"What about we go through the Kata once more, without me helpin' this time, before I teach you the secret technique? How's that sound Hiro?"
The five year old's eyes gleamed in excitement before he quietly nodded. She nodded back at him with a smile.
"Alright guys, line up!"
Like an well rehearsed dance troupe, her little students ran to the tatami mats in the middle of the dojo, and arranged themselves in a diagonal line from youngest to oldest, facing the back wall.
Once they were all in position Asuka announced, "Begin."
Slowly the five children went through the series of punches, kicks, twists and turns that made up the kata. Asuka circled them, her eyes noting their mistakes.
Aoi was half a beat too quick, while Sora half a beat slow. Akane and Takumi both had good timing, but there were times where they forgot about their form. Hiro had both perfect timing and form throughout, but he lacked power with his strikes.
They were all mistakes that could be corrected easily, but she would save that for next class. Asuka wasn't going to disappoint them by not teaching them the "secret technique". A deal was a deal.
As the kata came to an end she gave a them a thumbs up before motioning for them to gather around her.
"Alright guys, I'm gonna show ya the secret technique now. But ya gotta understand that this is super ultra secret stuff okay? You're not allowed to tell anyone" she exaggerated.
The five nodded in agreement.
"Okay, well to do the secret technique, what ya do is-"
"Hey look everybody! A Princess!" Akane suddenly shouted.
Asuka frowned. She knew Akane had a creative imagination, but a princess?
"Akane, what earth are you talking about?"
Akane just pointed at something behind her. Slowly the other four also began looking towards the entrance.
Asuka spun around...
Lili was standing in the doorway of the dojo, smiling stupidly. At her. In a way that wasn't fake or condescending.
Oh right.
It really was a Princess.
Author Notes:
Yes the kids will be making more appearances in future chapters.
