Lili De Rochefort- La Vie En Rose

Chapter 5

It is funny that I am making Kyo slightly smarter than he is in canon xD.

"WHAT IN FRESH HELL IS THIS?!!"

The gang laughs at the scene playing out on their TV scene. Lili meanwhile hides her face. Everyone had gathered at Benimaru's house. They just discovered that Lili was once a famous child star and popstar in her home country Monaco. Benimaru notices how uncomfortable the girl was and gently places an arm around her shoulder, drawing her closer, making the girl to squawk in surprise.

"How unladylike of you." Benimaru teases her. Lili grabs a pillow and smacks his face with it. "No need to be embarrassed Lili. Besides, you do have some serious talent." says Yuki. Lili sighs, an unhappy expression on her face. "True but, I felt so unhappy and lonely in that world. Father isolated me from the rest of the world for years. He banned me from properly mixing with other kids my age."

There was stunned silence in the room. No one would have guessed that Lili of all people would be going through something like that. "No wonder you always snuck off to tournaments," says Kyo. Lili looks down, trying to fight back tears. "Not just that. Her relationship with Asuka Kazama." says Athena.

Benimaru immediately comforts her. "It's okay Lili. You do not need to worry because you've got us." The others all smile at her whilst Lili simply nods, not knowing what to say.

Once they were done, they head off their separate ways. Kyo kept on staring at Lili, whose head was down, a stark contrast with the confident, cocky bratty princess everyone knows well. Perhaps it was a false mask Lili constructed as a protection mechanism, or maybe she used to be a spoilt kid until this recent incident with Asuka humbled her somewhat. His mind flashes back to that one time he came looking for her as it was lunchtime but she slept off. He noticed some visible scars on her legs that he never noticed and also some on her arms.

That made him even more suspicious about Lili's family. Did she grow up in an abusive environment? He decides not to ask her any further question as he felt he was intruding in something private. Maybe she will give a proper explanation later. A lightbulb went off in his head.

He knows he was being nosy, but at the same time, if his hunch was right, he has to find out the truth about Lili.

"I hated Monaco so much. My father was a nightmare to live with. Yet I pretended to be happy. Deep down, I was hurting inside, waiting for death to come for me." Kyo felt saddened to hear this and gives Lili a big hug. "Don't worry Lili. You are safe with us."

As soon as they arrive home, Lili heads straight to her room to nap, much to Shizuka and Saisyu's surprise. Once Kyo was in his room, he quickly gets his phone and calls Heidern.

"Ah Kusanagi, what a surprise."

"I rarely do this but I have a question to ask."

"Which is?"

"What do you know about the Rocheforts?"

There was a brief pause and sigh before Heidern speaks, "What I know about them is that the patriarch of the family, Louis De Rochefort owns a series of oil fields in Monaco and most of Europe. Plus he has secret business ties with the Mishima Zaibatsu."

Kyo's eyes widened in shock. Who would have thought that the Rocheforts would be that close to the Mishimas somehow? "Wait...is Jin Kazama aware of this?"

"I believe so because from our research, Kazama targeted business partners of Heihachi Mishima during his reign of terror and one of those is Louis. His daughter Lili entered the tournament hoping to avenge her father. I doubt the girl knows the truth about her dad. Why do you ask?"

"I am asking because...Lili is in this house with me. Asuka Kazama kicked her out of her house weeks ago. She told us about her popstar past and mentioned that her father used to trap her in the house."

Heidern sighs. "I heard that that man had a violent behavior which worsens after he is drunk and he apparently beat up Lili's mother around the time she was pregnant with her."

"Shit..."

"If he could abuse his wife, then surely he must have been beating up his daughter behind the scenes, which explain her true intentions for entering the King of Iron Fist Tournament. She is not doing anything for him, but she desires to escape him."

"But she is famous over there, right? Surely there should be a way for her to buy some house somewhere."

"Unfortunately, that isn't the case. From what I gathered, her father has tight control over her career and life and as a result, all the money she earns is directly in her father's pocket."

Kyo nods, now fully understanding the situation. "I will get her out of that mess of a situation. Mark my words." With that, he hangs up and immediately calls up Benimaru. "Benimaru we have a bit of a situation."

"What do you mean?"

He then explains Lili's situation to him. "Her father definitely forced her to sign a contract that legally strips her of all her rights and wealth. The greedy bastard." Benimaru says with gritted teeth. "Are there lawyers that you think can help Lili out in this case?"

"I do know a couple of people. Will get back to you on that. Let me make some phone calls." Kyo grins and walks off to check on Lili. The girl was awake, writing in a diary, pieces of crumpled paper littered around "You okay?"

"I am trying to come up with a song, but nothing," she says with a sigh. Kyo heads back to his room, picks up his guitar, and plays a couple of tunes for her. Lili watches in awe as Kyo gives her a mini rock concert. Once he was done, Lili applauds his performance.

"C'est magnifique!! And why are you not a rockstar yet?!" she exclaims, earning a laugh from Kyo. "Oh, I don't know. As exciting as it is to rock out, I enjoy fighting more," he says. "As expected of KOF's resident hothead."

"You are one to talk Barbie." he teases. "Oh watch it, Ken." They both laugh. "Man, we are both idiots," she says.

"Sure." He then takes a seat next to her. "Listen, Heidern told me loads about your family and I want to know how much you know your dad."

"Well, I know he is always busy and all, or at least he, pretends to be busy. I remember this one time I tried hugging him when I was 3 and the old man slapped me hard across the face. All I ever wanted was to be loved by somebody."

Kyo clenches his fist in rage. "If I get my hands on that bastard, I will so fucking kill him!!" She looks away. "I...I learned about his relationship with Heihachi Mishima, which made me realize how evil that man is. I confronted him and he beat me up." She sobs once again. Kyo sighs and hugs her. He is terrible at comforting others. "Everything is going to be alright Lili. You've got us."

The girl sniffs and nods. Kyo lets go and place both of his hands on her shoulders. "Besides, you no longer have to live by your father's rules anymore. You can now start your life afresh and be you."

She sighs. "You think so? After everything that I have done?"

"No one is perfect Lili. We all fuck up at some point. It is how we learn from our mistakes and keep improving and forging ahead that counts."

She smiles. "Thanks Kyo." He grins and gently pats her head. "Youa re welcome Princess."