A/N: Hey, readers. I'm back with another chapter. I've put a lot of effort in this so I'll leave the judging to you. I also changed the spot of Lars on the team's list on Chapter 5, because I needed Lars for this chapter and so on. I'm sorry for the hundredth time for the very late update. I've been twisted in school these days and my schedule is on a tight level already. Pretty sweet for a 1st semester, huh? Enough of this. Anyway, I won't jabber 'cause I might spoil the story. Ta-da, here's the 6th Chapter of No Air!
Disclaimer: I do not own Tekken and its characters. All rights reserved to Namco.
Summary: It all stared out as a simple bet. Little did he know that the more he tries to revert Lili Rochefort's acts, the more Hwoarang controls the urge to fall for her. (Summary changed)
Chapter Six: Day Two: Party! Part One
The constant ring of syncing songs in her ear was going to drive her insane.
She never thought patience had to be this irritating.
Too bad she wasn't allowed to scream in a penetrating manner, though, as it would explode everyone's eardrums.
Hwoarang drew up an earbud to her vision. "Wanna escape this nightmare?"
"Was that supposed to be a song?" Lili beamed. She took the bud and carefully stuck it inside her ear as the pleasant yet loud music entered her eardrums. She decided to give the outing a shot; not because she felt bad for Hwoarang and the others, but she was practically pushed into it ("Join the trip or I'll dislocate every part of you!" Asuka taunted, pulling her hands from the back). 'If only she wasn't leading this day trip, I'd bust her ass for doing that.' She pouted, resting her elbow on the window of the bus limo. They were currently cruising their way to the said resort, "Kazama Cove". The multiple voices she heard before were still pealing despite the earbud lodged inside her left ear. Hwoarang was also dead beat about the blast the others gave: Steve was banging his head to the upbeat rhythm his humungous headphones sent off while mouthing some lyrics; Xiaoyu was acting like a frilly, jolly 5-year-old scatting 'la-la-la's matched with that high-pitched voice of hers; Leo pretended to bang on a set of drums, which probably meant the song she was listening to was on a drum solo; Alisa remained silent; Asuka sang all the lyrics throughout the entire song as she filed her nails. Jin was the quietest one, for his eyes were covered with a sleeping mask and earbuds implanted inside his ears.
Hwoarang chuckled as he rested his arms behind his head. He uttered, "You know, even with this kind of atmosphere it's all cool. This doesn't happen on a daily basis ever since you came." Lili glimpsed at the redhead and smiled. "Then I must be lucky," His mouth let out a mere laugh. "I didn't think Asuka would be the one to convince me in a surprise attack when I got back to the table."
"Conversely, it wasn't all that entertaining to watch. But the look on your face was the funny part. My battery died so I didn't get a chance to capture the moment. Priceless, I thought." As he clicked his tongue in gloom at his last, Lili shoved him with a great amount of force, which earned him a groan of pain. "Hey, I was joking!"
Lili slumped with her arms crossed above her chest. "I just hope I can convene my memories in one hole and patch 'em up so they wouldn't flee; that I don't convey any necessary emotions…" With that, she was in a deep state again. She flashbacked about the experience at the said topic. All she could do was cover her eyes and sigh. 'I don't want to ruin this trip. Forget it… for now, Lili.' Stricken by a sudden thought, she turned back to her usual self and went back to her previous posture.
Noticing her body language, Hwoarang slanted his head a bit and a cluster of questions cascaded down his brain. Lili looked at him. "What's the matter?"
"Huh? U-uh nothing, nothing." He hid his blush as soon as he noticed the blonde was looking at him. But she could definitely tell he was worried again. 'Silly Hwoarang.' she admired, giggling.
A few minutes later, they finally reached the resort. Everyone, except the cousins, sparkled in amazement as they entered the front gate. "Oh sweet! This'll be one hell of a trip, you guys!" Steve called out, sticking his face firmly on the glass as he gazed outside. The rest agreed, which made Asuka more proud (even prouder than the owner himself).
Everything emitted in radiance. The fountain centered within the lobby was an exquisite touch since it emanated almost everything superb. The view itself made them eager to go out already. The sea itself (that was only to be seen a tad from the car) glimmered and glistened with radiance. The sun's resplendence bounced on the floor tiles. Everyone was indeed excited.
"Alright, do whatever delights you. But after 20 minutes, head back to the lobby. Is that clear?" Asuka announced, facing their backs, still staring at the view.
No answer.
She placed an index finger and thumb on the corners of her mouth and whistled to get everyone's attention. "Did you hear me just now?"
They nodded.
"Good. Now, get out there!"
As soon as they abandoned the bus limo, they immediately scurried and scattered towards different parts of the place. As they were the only guests on the entire area, they had no care how goofy they looked. Especially Xiaoyu, since she was so occupied with happiness at the moment, she didn't dare to halt running around the beach (no matter how many times she almost tripped on the way).
"I've got to say, you cousins have made great progress. I mean... a resort? Really?" Steve turned to Asuka, only to be surprised by a glare a moment later. "So? Is that supposed to be bad or what?"
"I didn't say it was… In fact, I told you you guys have made great progress. Great progress. GREEAAAA—"
"I get the friggin' idea, buttwipe! Tch…" Asuka averted her gaze away from him as she hid a small smile. Even though she knew he mixed that compliment with sarcasm, Mr. Buttwipe managed to make that mouth of hers curve a bit. The blonde lad sighed in relief and scratched the back of his head. "Oh well… If I were both you and Jin, which would probably be bizarre if it was at the same time, I'd maintain this," He advised with a chuckle, pointing around the resort. "A'ight! See you later!" He bade goodbye and rushed off with Leo and the others. The brunette called his attention before he left. "Oy!"
"What?" he replied.
"When you guys get back, I have someone for you to meet. Tell the others too!"
"Will do, devil woman!"
Numerous veins appeared as her face turned red. 'You asshole.'
Waves that kept gushing on the surface of the sea gloriously did their job to make the scenery perfect and pleasant to look at. It was half past 'till lunch time then, so hints of the morning atmosphere were about to fade one by one starting with the sky. From one shade of blue, it'll turn into bright yellow. But the sea breeze can't fade, they reckoned.
Xiaoyu skipped merrily as the other 3 (Hwoarang, Steve & Leo, to be specific) trailed behind her. "Yippee! It's so nice to be in a beach at this hour! Try twirling around, guys! You'll feel the cooling sea air!" she cheerfully said, demonstrating the movement she offered. They can't help but chuckle. "Xiao-Xiao, lessen up a bit. You might injure yourself." Leo said, placing her arms in front of her in case she might fall.
"But it's fun, y'know!" her lips pointed outward into a pout. She still continued to twirl around until she did get dizzy and gripped her head.
She chuckled. "See what I meant? You're gonna have a concussion from that." "Hmph! Whatever…"
Steve looked over his shoulder only to come across a half-tranquil, half-absent-minded princess. He also knew something suspended her usual self. "Ey mate, your princess over there seems to be a bit miserable. Why don't you go check 'er out?"
"Why do all of you keep implying Lili's my princess?"
"Because you like her and it's evident. I told you, dude. You're transparent as a window."
"Proof?"
Steve tapped his chin. Clearly he was thinking deeply. "You were the one who escorted her to the Nurse's Office when she was brutally hit by a ball. An act of a gentleman!" he goofily commented.
Leo also interjected the conversation, as well as Xiaoyu. "You somehow begged her to come with us on this trip—"
"And you didn't reject Lili's offer when she picked you to be the school buddy!" The jet-black haired teen added. He was this close to blushing, only to be tailed by another… Hwoarang couldn't help but feel warm inside. All proof pointed to him. He certainly can't defend the facts, he reflected at first; it was all true. But even he didn't know if he liked Lili or not. He thought they were all just a sign of his respect for Lili. The girl's impressive at her age. Most girls he dated were never liked that. Of course, he didn't like any girls he dated either. Being the school's playboy, he did those for publicity (which only made them want more). And even if they knew he did like her, what would they do about it?
He coughed as he spoke: "Steve, anyone hardly knows Lili rather than the 'hot' blonde transferee from Monaco. You couldn't expect Coach Wilcox to bring her there by himself; Leo, you and the others will also be bummed if she didn't go. So it's a majority matter; Xiaoyu, I was the only person she knew from that time. I was also the one to introduce her to you guys, remember? Exactly. That's the role of being school buddy. Any more reasons?"
They walked in silence, embarrassed obviously.
'I thought so…' he mentally smirked. His fingers scraped some hanging bangs away from his face as he looked at Lili, saying: "I should go talk to her, though. She looks pale…"
Steve smiled in an evil manner. "You might change your mind. I could go fill the 'comforter' role for you this time. She might as well appreciate me more than you!"
A fist attacked from the back of his head, or rather, Hwoarang's. "Dude, I was joshing on you. Jeez… Go to her, now."
The tacit girl walked along the edge of the shore with hands chained together at the back. As the others proceeded to stroll behind him, Hwoarang paused a while to catch up with her. She looked up from her feet. "Hm?"
A shook of his head.
He proceeded to walk along with her, carefully trying to match her footsteps. "I figured… you needed a little company." He grinned, shoving his hands inside his pockets. She lightly smiled at his words, fighting the urge to blush and managed to do so. What did she do to deserve this kind of treatment from him?
"You were thinking again, huh? It's making me insecure already. Why won't you tell me what's up?" he asked, looking away not meeting her gaze. She was hesitating to tell him, the fact that he might change the way he looks at her. She was always confident, but conscious about her words and actions. Definitely a remarkable trait for a girl spoiled as her. People see her as a perfect, street-fighting French princess. If one small mistake accidentally attacks without warning, it can surely taint that image. Talk about torture.
But she knew well she can count on Hwoarang. He wasn't the type of person to laugh at someone's mistakes, or even look down on them. He was just… himself. She was trying to gather all the possible courage to say the reason in front of his face. As she was about to open her mouth, a shriek was heard from afar.
Both of them looked at the direction of the sound, and they saw Xiaoyu who seemed to have laid flat on the sand as she was now kissing it face down. The two ran towards her to see if she was fine and apparently, she said was. "She stumbled on a conch shell. Seriously, you should turn on your attention span to max, Xiao-Xiao." Leo proudly said with arms crossed above her chest. Steve guided Xiaoyu to stand up and dusted the remaining sand residue off of her face. She then picked up the thing she tripped on and drew it to her ear. "You can hear the sea echoing, guys! Wee!" she giddily said, hopping around in a circle.
Leo and the rest sweatdropped. 'She doesn't stop acting like a kid… but that's what makes her Xiaoyu. In her own way… She's unique.' Lili thought, covering her mouth as she let out a soft giggle. The jet black-pigtailed girl skipped merrily away, still holding the little object.
'So much for knowing the secret.' Hwoarang movingly said, tagging along with the others.
The five made their way back to the lobby ("We better head back. Ms. Gremlin might summon her… sinister voice." Steve articulated). As they went inside, the claimed "Ms. Gremlin" was right there standing middle of the lobby with an unfamiliar face whom they've never seen before. He was similar to Jin in some way, the others thought in unison. Just then, Alisa came out from a random room and was just as dumbstruck as the rest when she eyed the stranger.
"Guys, I'd like you to meet our uncle, Lars." Asuka introduced, drawing him near to them. He seemed to have a same demeanor as Jin, such as the structure of his hair. Maybe he uses hair gel too? Probably not. "Is he Japanese, Asuka?" Xiaoyu asked, light beaming in her eyes. Asuka lightly patted the small of Lars' back as he answered, "I'm Swedish, but I grew up in Japan."
"He's our foster uncle." The brunette added.
Lili made the first move to shake his hand, only to be returned by the same gesture as well. 'His appearance says Jin, but he's plainly himself. Maybe he's not like him in …' she thought, still shaking his hand as she said: "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lars."
"My last name is Alexandersson, but I don't mind. It's nice to meet you too." He replied, trying his best to form a small smile on his face. Anyone can tell he's not fond of the action.
And after that motion, everyone clenched their hands with him and vice versa. All except one…
"What's the matter, Alisa?"
The android fiddled with her sleeve as she tried her best to be honest about her motion. "I am shy… Lars and I actually met way before you all did. S-so…" she stuttered, looking down on her feet so as not to meet the gaze of the questioning blonde.
Her head tilted a bit. "Oh, really? But if you and him are already acquaintances, why still haven't you greeted him at least?" she commented, smiling in a nervous way. Alisa's lips curved as traces of blush crept her cheeks. Dr. Bosconovitch really made her well; even the emotion chip worked perfectly and complete.
"I am afraid I do not know how. Tell me, Miss Lili… How did you make Hwoarang close to your heart?"
Her heart started pumping loud and fast, almost catching her off-balance. The question didn't seem that hard, but it had a basket-full of meanings for her (or just only two). 'Easy there, Emilie. She was asking how you two became close friends, that's all' she told herself. Lili tapped her chin and came up with an answer. "Let's see… I was pretty much harsh and rude to him when we first met. Not to mention if I weren't in distress, he would've passed by me and ignored me, so pretty much the origin of that friendship was all because of Asuka." A smile escaped her lips.
Alisa nodded her head. "Have you ever had an experience loving someone as more than a friend, even when they treat you lower?"
Her sudden reply of a question caught her off guard once again. Alisa sure does pick such questions, she thought. She's a gynoid, for goodness sake. Alisa's AI increases. What could be doubtful about that?
Lili shook his head, so the other spoke. "It hurts, Miss Lili. And I know I should not feel this way, considering the fact he will not like like a weird robot like me."
"Does it mean you should give up? Some certain opposites attract each other like magnets, you know. The impossibilities your intellect tells you can have answers hidden right behind your hypothalamus." She proudly said, noting her with a long and meaningful advice. Alisa tilted her head down still as Lili's answer reserved in her memory.
The blonde arched her arms around her in a comforting way so that she will ease up. "You know courage right? Gather it up and you'll make that move. Every person has the ability to be courageous," she faced Alisa and pointed on her chest with her index finger. "It's in here, Alisa. You're human and we both know that."
Feeling security and compassion, she kept hugging as she thanked Lili. The one being hugged also returned the token action.
Just then, they realized it was 12:00 already, so they offered themselves lunch by leaving their spots and proceeding to the restaurant of the resort.
•••
"Let's have some beach fun!" Steve shouted, stretching his trunks as a sign of enthusiasm. The gang can tell he was really eager to go have that certain "fun".
"Lying down on the white sand sure eases the stress. If I were stressed, that is." Hwoarang commented as he adjusted the level of the sun reflector in his hands. 'I hope this won't tan me too much. It wouldn't hurt to try this little thingy though, can it?'
Lili sat on the edge of the reclining chair as she eyed the auburn-haired lad. "Doubt you are. But I support that… Being away from school seems like our whole entire school life stopped."
"Hm? What do you mean by that exactly?"
"Like… Walls are besieged around us in this resort. You noticed that, right?"
"It's not precisely how I put it, because this place is well-guarded with high-techy stuff and crap, it should have walls."
"I'm hypothetically making this in understandable, don't think so low!" Lili groaned, massaging her temples. "All I'm trying to say is that we are bound in these walls… And while it lasts, the more this feels like a haven, away from school & business… Like my own bedroom."
"A bedroom with an umbrella and suntan lotion?"
She smacked his face with the sun reflector he was holding. "Ouch! That hurt, Lili." He moaned as he rubbed his now-red nose. The blonde smirked as she responded, "I told you not to think so low, you stupid."
He kept rubbing his swollen nose as he chuckled with her. He wasn't the type of person to get pissed by what she did, especially when he made the mistake. But she knew all along he was just messing about.
Suddenly, a volleyball caught Hwoarang's grip. Asuka approached him and placed her hands on her hips. "Stop being such a sweet lollipop couple and come join us."
Lili sweatdropped as she rubbed the back of her neck. They both nodded and advanced to the sandy field for a game of volleyball.
"If this becomes déjà vu again, I swear…" Hwoarang said in muted voice. Unfortunately for him, the short-haired brunette happened to overhear the mutter of the said lad. She said, "You swear you'd take Lili to the resort's clinic this time? Hwoarang, Hwoarang, Hwoarang… You are so gullible."
"What the… did I ask your opinion?" he backfired, crossing his arms above his chest. Apparently, he wasn't happy being pried on. No sir.
Asuka clicked his tongue. "It's written on your Korean face, you have an infatuation for Miss Lili Rochefort. That bastard of a friend of yours might not buy it, but I'm definitely seeing the action you enforce on her. I'm not that dense as him, you know."
"What makes you so sure? And don't you call my best friend a bastard. You're the bitchy one. In fact, you two are perfect for each other!"
It can be easily seen her face turned to red. Once again, she shook her head in negation and pointed a finger in front of the auburn-haired lad's face. "Don't go changing the subject! I know you do! And I'll make sure you confess your dirty little a—Hey, where are you going?"
And so he left the tantrum-filled brunette behind.
It seemed like they were having fun, as seen from the smiles plastered on their faces. No doubt it wasn't.
"Mine!" Lili shouted as she made a stance above the descending ball, which she managed to hit with her right wrist making an immense impact to the opposing team. At that time, Steve and the rest (namely Asuka, Leo & Lars) tried their best to thrash the living anguish Lili asserted.
The ball bounced back and forth from each team, precisely striking it whilst maintaining the streak. It was apparent how competitive they were, inside and outside the tournament. Asuka strafed in both directions as she manned the incoming shots. Mostly, it was her, but a little generosity dominated some parts to give some turns for the other teammates.
Hwoarang did a spike, which directly aimed at his best man's back palm as an act of repulse. The ball was short away from the other turf, too bad he hit it with wee force and was about to touch the net. The brunette was not going to concede, so she shoved the guy, and before they knew it, the ball was straightly knocked to the other side. How, you ask? Her impressive jump, of course.
They had to act fast, they thought in unison. Xiaoyu, who was near the edge, caught the ball and drove it to Lili once more. 'What the…?'
In a blink of an eye, the ball was ahead with great might (thanks to her fast reflexes). Ill-fatedly, the said ball crashed into Asuka's nose that instantaneously bled. "Aaaaack! M-my n-nose! A-agh!" she whimpered in injure, covering her bleeding nose. Everyone gathered around and assisted her.
Her nose was like a waterfall with that kind of state. Not that it crashed the bridge of her nose thank goodness, but it did one heck of a scene.
Asuka had an imprecise vision that time, so was her hearing. The pain seemed to block all the rest of her senses, but she can hear mutters of the people that crowded her. "Keep you head up! It'll prevent it from bleeding any further. I'll pinch your nose," advised Steve, pressing her nostrils. Asuka's thoughts dragged along with what Steve (blurrily) uttered. 'Was this… Steve? Or is he just pinching my nose just to insult me?'
He continued to pinch it until Xiaoyu came back with a first aid kit. His hand directed to one piece of cotton ball and tore it in two as he stuck them into her nostrils.
The brunette cannot believe what his worst enemy was doing to her.
As for the blonde, she eyed Asuka and the rest of the commotion. 'Maybe now's a great time to break away and go back to Monaco.' She considered preparing for the rage she could possibly capture from the wounded being. Knowing her, her strong forte can set melancholic results to Lili.
Like wishing herself away from the terror the Asuka Kazama can bestow on her later on…
To be continued…
A/N: Another chapter done in a month (sorry again!). I failed to do this long since, well, like I said I'm kinda cramming. Sorry sorry sorry! But still, even though this story had a small number of reviews, I appreciate the effort of some just to give me credit and despite the fact I have a tight sched. Thank you, you guys! I really liked this chapter, too. Out of the 5 I did, this one has the most fluff moments I plunked on. I'm still confused about Lars & Alisa's, though. My apologies… Anyway, noticed how I added the 'Part One' heading for the title? I'll divide it while they're in the resort. Say, three maybe? It depends on how writing can fit into my schedule; I might even make the next even longer. XD
Alright, so to close this, I 'might' make a Steve & Asuka one-shot. Watch out, fans! ;) Please review and minimize the flaming, please!