She squirmed beneath the weight of his body. His callused hands scratched the soft flesh of her neck as they closed in tighter and tighter. Breathing became a struggle and all she could muster was a wheezy gasp.

"Tifa, defend yourself!"

Saliva caught in her eyelashes. Sweat dripped from his brow. His voice boomed at her in a dizzying rage. He was a mess of frustration and rage. They had been working on this lock for weeks. She should have mastered it by now. And she had. But she was trying to have a little fun.

She gave him the doe eyes and he slackened for a second. Maybe he was losing his edge or maybe he was just giving her a change to reset, but she was waiting for it. Tifa took her opening. Thrusting her hips, she knocked him forward and slide his knee aside. After that it was a matter of rolling over and lacing her arms between his to lock him down.

"Gotcha, sensei," she laughed so pleased with her clever trick. It took her a little while to let go and when she did, hell had no fury like Zangan. He shoved her aside and stood over her sprawled shape on the mat.

"You may go." His voice was stern, quiet. He stood like a statues marbled like a god and cold as stone.

"But, master—"

"I have no time for children. If you want to play games, why don't you try spending time with those boys you used to pass your days with."

This hurt her. Since Cloud left, she had lost interest in the other boys. Everything they did seemed so trivial. She loved them dearly. They were her friends. But she needed to be stronger.

"I'm not a child." She stared into him, those doe eyes boring through.

Truth be told, he was more upset that he fell for it than with the actual trick. Zangan's soft spot for Tifa Lockheart made her a rather challenging student to discipline.

It was more than a soft spot. He loved her. Her innocence. Her fury. The woman she was quickly growing into. He shifted uncomfortably to hide the expression of his heart's desire.

"Sensei, forgive me," she said sweetly in a submissive bow. He watched a bead of sweat trickle down her brow. When she raised her head once again he noticed the marks around her neck. The ones he left and he felt something swell within him.

He stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let's try that again, shall we?"