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It was a rare day off for Asuka and Lili.
Classes had been suspended that Thursday due to a typhoon sweeping through Osaka. It was one of those uncommon days where they truly had nothing to do. No school. No martial arts lessons to teach. No neighborhood patrols. Everyone sensible was couped up indoors waiting out the storm.
Asuka rarely experienced days like this. Usually she was doing something. Training. Running errands. Jogging at the very least.
But even jogging wasn’t possible in weather like this.
So Lili, naturally, took it upon herself to plan their “lazy day.” which consisted of snuggling under blankets while watching French films, accompanied by tea and delicate biscuits.
“A cultural enrichment,” The monégasque had called it.
The mediator sipped her tea quietly, legs stretched out under a blanket while rain battered against the windows of the Kazama dojo. Lili was tucked comfortably against her side.
On screen, two characters sat across from each other in silence for what felt like five full minutes.
“…Are they mad at each other?” Asuka finally asked.
Lili gasped softly. “Non, they are longing.”
“They look constipated.”
Lili turned to her slowly. “You wound me. This is pure artistry, mon cher”
“I’m just saying. They haven’t done anything for ten minutes.”
“That,” The monégasque replied with dignity, “is tension. Do you not see the way they are looking at each other? Pas de mots, pourtant la passion est indéniable.”
(No words, yet the passion is undeniable)
Asuka squinted at the screen. “….I see nothing.”
Another dramatic exchange of intense eye contact passed. Then a cigarette. Then more staring.
The osakan lasted approximately three more minutes before sighing.
“…Can we watch something else?”
Lili blinked at her. “You are not enjoying this masterpiece?”
“I mean, it’s fine,” Asuka said diplomatically. “It’s pretty. The cinematography is great. But do you maybe have something with… I don’t know. Movement?”
The fighting heiress narrowed her eyes playfully. “What would you suggest, then, Miss Refined Taste?”
Asuka hesitated.
“…There’s this movie I used to love as a kid.”
“Oh?” Lili’s tone carried immediate suspicion. “What kind of film?”
“It’s not bad,” The osakan said quickly. “Okay, it’s a little bad. But in a good way.”
“That is not reassuring.”
“It’s about this guy who loses his memory after falling off a shrine roof trying to fight a demon—”
“A demon.”
“It’s symbolic.”
“Mm.”
“And then he trains under this old master and spends like fifteen years trying to remember the girl he loved before the accident.”
Lili stared at her.
“…You watched this as a child?”
“My dad likes it, okay? It was one of the only eight DVDs we owned”
Despite her skepticism, Lili allowed the switch.
The new movie started with dramatic music that was at least twice as loud as necessary. The acting was… enthusiastic. The fight choreography was questionable. At one point, a clearly rubber katana bent mid-swing during a combat scene.
The heiress rolled her eyes. “Ugh, Mon dieu.”
(My God)
“Shhh,” Asuka warned defensively, too immersed in the film. “Yoku natte kita.”
(It gets better)
“It must,” Lili muttered.
But she didn’t turn it off.
Rain continued to pour outside, thunder rumbling softly in the distance. Somehow, the ridiculous plot began to grow on Lili,
Mostly because Asuka kept explaining everything with embarrassing sincerity.
“Sore ga sono on'nanokoda!” Asuka said, pointing at the screen. “He doesn’t remember her, but she’s been waiting for him the whole time.”
(That’s the girl!)
“Ah,” Lili hummed. “Tragic devotion.”
“Exactly!”
Eventually, after an unnecessarily explosive final confrontation with the symbolic demon who actually just represented the dark side of the character, he regained his memories.
The reunion scene began.
The woman stood beneath falling cherry blossoms. The hero stumbled toward her, wounded but alive.
They stared at each other. Wind dramatically lifted her hair.
Lili leaned forward slightly now, intrigued despite herself.
The hero reached his lover.
He grabbed her shoulders.
They said each other’s names.
And then—
They leaned in.
And kissed.
…
Actually it was more of a peck.
…
And it barely lasted two seconds.
…
They pulled apart immediately, dramatic music playing. The camera zoomed out and the movie ends.
Asuka smiled, oddly satisfied. “Miru?! Worth it.”
(See?!)
There was a beat of silence.
Then Lili let out a delicate, almost scandalized exhale.
“In France,” she said lightly, “we would call that barely a greeting.”
Asuka turned to her. “What?”
“After fifteen years of longing? A near-death experience? A demon?” Lili gestured at the screen. “They give each other a peck? And then it ends? Pas de conversation ? Pas de confession à cœur ouvert ? Un baiser de deux secondes?.”
(No conversation? No heartfelt confession? A two-second kiss??)
“It was romantic!”
“It was shallow.”
“It was appropriate!”
“It was embarrassingly timid,” Lili corrected, a teasing smile curving her lips.
Asuka didn’t know if the girl was just rage baiting her again at this point.
“What were they supposed to do? Start devouring each other?” She huffs out.
Lili tilted her head thoughtfully. Instead of arguing, she smirked.
“…Well.”
Asuka’s ears immediately began to warm.
“Don’t start.”
“I am merely saying,” Lili continued smoothly, leaning a little closer, “that a proper reunion kiss should convey passion. Relief. Desire.”
Asuka swallowed. “They were being respectful.”
“They were being shy.”
“We are not all dramatic like you French people.”
Lili’s eyes sparkled.
“Oh, cherie,” she said softly, voice dipping just enough to make Asuka’s pulse stutter. “You have no idea.”
Asuka narrowed her eyes. “About what?”
Lili’s smile turned faintly mischievous.
“About how a proper kiss should be.”
Asuka scoffed, though the warmth in her ears betrayed her. “A kiss is just a kiss.”
“Mm.” Lili hummed thoughtfully. “Est-ce?”
(Is it?)
Asuka shifted under her gaze. The rain outside seemed louder suddenly. The room felt smaller.
Lili reached over, brushing an imaginary crumb from the corner of Asuka’s mouth. Her thumb lingered a second too long.
The mediator froze.
“Nanishiteruno?”
(What are you doing)
“Observing,” Lili replied calmly.
“Stop observing!”
Lili laughed softly. “Do you know what a proper kiss is? Mon amour?”
“W-what?”
“A French kiss.”
Asuka blinked. “A what?”
“A French kiss.”
“…Y-you’re just making stuff up now.”
Lili’s expression shifted into something dangerously delighted.
“Oh no, this will not do.” She leaned closer, voice lowering playfully. “Are you telling me you don’t know what that is? My poor, sheltered country girl…”
“I am not a country girl!” Asuka shot back, crossing her arms defensively. “And I know what kissing is. I’ve kissed you before!”
“Mm, yes yes,” Lili agreed. “You close your eyes too tightly and stop breathing.”
“I do not!”
“You did the first few times.”
Lili leaned in slightly. Not enough to touch. Just enough to make Asuka acutely aware of the space between them.
“A French kiss,” Lili continued gently, “is when you don’t hide from the moment.”
Asuka’s throat felt dry. “I-I don’t hide from the moment when I kiss you!”
Lili said, voice softening, “Hm, but you don’t let yourself feel it. Get lost in it.
Asuka refused to look away. “That’s vague.”
Lili tilted her head. “Would you like a demonstration?”
There it was.
The challenge.
Asuka’s pride flared instantly.
“…You’re acting like I cant handle it.”
Lili smiled innocently, though the glint in her eyes said otherwise. “I said nothing of the sort.”
“You implied it.”
“I simply asked.”
Asuka leaned forward before she could overthink it. “Fine! Then show me.”
The confidence lasted exactly two seconds.
Because now Lili was very close.
Very, very close.
And suddenly, the storm outside didn’t feel nearly as loud as the sound of her own heartbeat.
For all her teasing, Lili was nervous too.
There was the faintest tremble in her fingers where they rested against Asuka’s knee.
As much as Lili liked to act composed, they were both new to this. She was simply better at pretending otherwise.
Slowly, Lili lifted her hand, brushing her fingers along Asuka’s jaw.
“Relax, mon cher,” she murmured, her voice low and velvety enough to make Asuka’s palms grow warm.
“I am relaxed.”
“You look like you’re preparing to spar with me.”
“…Urusai.”
(Shut up)
Lili smiled, soft this time, less smug and more sincere.
She leaned in first.
Their lips met gently. Soft. Familiar. Safe. The kind of shy, careful kisses they’d shared before. Sweet and almost innocent.
Asuka felt some of the tension drain from her shoulders.
See? Normal. She could handle this French kiss busine—
“Mmh—!”
The shift was subtle but unmistakable.
Lili took the opportunity when she gasped, her tongue brushing softly against Asuka’s lower lip, a gentle request for entrance. Asuka lets her, and Lili deepened the kiss carefully, tentatively, her tongue slipping past her lover’s parted lips in a slow, exploratory manner.
Asuka felt it before she understood it. The difference. The way the air seemed thinner. The way her thoughts blurred at the edges.
But before she could melt into it though Lili paused and pulled away, their foreheads still touching.
“Trop?” she whispered, though the softness in her voice carried a restrained longing.
(Too much?)
“I-Ie,” Asuka managed.
(N-no)
Her heart was pounding so loudly she was certain it could rival the storm outside. Heat flooded her face, down her neck, everywhere their skin touched.
She was suddenly hyper aware of everything.
The warmth of Lili’s hand at her nape.
The other resting at her waist.
Their knees brushing beneath the blanket.
The closeness.
All of it.
And it was overwhelming in the most dangerous and thrilling way possible.
They gazed at each other for a long moment, eyes locked, breaths mingling. Suddenly, all those lingering stares in the French film made sense.
Lili tried again.
Slower this time.
It wasn’t polished. It wasn’t practiced.
It was raw.
Passionate.
Perfect.
As they kissed, Lili’s tongue slipped in again gently, and Asuka instinctively tensed, bracing herself for the rush of sensation she felt earlier.
Noticing, Lili pulled back just enough to murmur against her lips,
“Breathe.”
Asuka obeyed.
Her Instinct took over after that. A subtle tilt of her head, a hesitant lean closer. The Osakan’s hand, almost of its own accord, slid from her lap to Lili’s waist.
And when Lili let out the softest, breathiest moan, Asuka’s heart fluttered violently.
Her confidence swelled. She kissed her deeper, matching Lili’s movements, letting her tongue explore in careful counterpoints, savoring the closeness, the warmth, trying to take the lead from Lili.
This made the heiress’s composure crack.
Her face flared.
Not a delicate blush.
But bright, and violently red.
The elegant, poised, Lili Rochefort was reduced to a flustered school girl.
She pulled away slightly “Cherie—” she breathed, voice suddenly not nearly as steady as before.
“Nani?” Asuka replied softly, equally flush.
“Mmh…assez audacieux…” Lili murmured, a rush of excitement flooding her. Her confidence returned with a jolt as Asuka kissed her back, subtly challenging her for control.
(Quite bold)
Unable to resist Asuka’s defiance, Lili shifted, sitting up slightly on her calves and guiding Asuka back onto the bed with a gentle hand at her waist, keeping the kiss alive. Their breaths mingled, soft gasps filling the quiet room.
Her hand traveled carefully along Asuka’s torso, teasing, exploring… until—
As soon as Lili’s fingers brushed her chest, Asuka’s brain short-circuited.
Eyes flew wide open, and she jerked upright, their foreheads bumping with a soft thunk.
“Ite—!”
“Aïe—!”
Lili, slightly dazed, cheeks aflame, still perched on her calves, stared at Asuka with wide, confused eyes.
”qu'est-ce qui ne va pas?”
(What’s wrong?)
Meanwhile, the 8th Iron Fist champion’s face was burning hotter than any dojo sauna.
“You—!” she sputtered, covering half her face with her hands in a mix of embarrassment and flustered indignation.
“Kore wa… anata no seidesu yo!”
(This… this is your fault!)
“My fault?” Lili echoed, still breathless, licking her lips just to get a taste of Asuka again.
“Sō! Anata to anata no Furansu no nansensu!”
(Yes! You and your French nonsense!)
Lili stared at her, lips slightly swollen, hair a little messy from Asuka’s hands.
“I merely provided cultural education,” she said, feigning innocence.
“You escalated it!”
“Well… you did reciprocate,” Lili countered, voice low and teasing.
Asuka groaned, collapsing back onto the bed, covering her face with both hands in full-blown gay panic, heart racing, brain short-circuiting, and every ounce of composure gone.
Lili, cheeks still red but slowly reclaiming her smugness, hovered over her slightly.
“…It seems,” she murmured, softer now, “that I underestimated you. You do know it…know it quite well, may I add.”
Asuka peeked through her fingers. “Urusai, bakana kankōkyaku!”
(Shut up, idiot tourist)
“So,” Lili ignored her continued, leaning a little closer, voice gentle now, “did you…like it?”
Silence. Rain pattered against the windows. Thunder rolled lazily in the distance.
Asuka slowly lowered her hands, hesitating. “…O-of course I did.”
Lili’s smile softened, warm and victorious.
“Then perhaps,” she said quietly, “we continue the lesson…another time.”
Asuka immediately pointed a finger at her. “You are a bad influence.”
Lili laughed softly.
“Is that a no, darling?”
Asuka huffed, then pulled her down into a hug, holding the mischievous heiress close to her chest.
“No…”
“No to another lesson?”
“No—! No, I mean…yes—I mean….” Asuka stumbled over her words, flustered and breathless. “Yes. I-I want to do that again.”
The way Lili’s smile deepened at her confession sent Asuka’s heart rate skyrocketing.
The Monégasque leaned in, brushing her lips softly against Asuka’s in a gentle, chaste kiss.
Barely a greeting.
Asuka flushed all over again.
“Don’t start.”
Lili merely laughed.