A/N: Just a short second chapter. Once again in this one all you need to know is that no one except Anzu and Yuugi (and in this story Ryou) ever really figured out that Yami wasn't actually a part of Yuugi but a whole other person. Anzu never got a chance to really talk to Yami though she used to have a crush on him.
Disclaimer: Not Mine! (Nor is 'The Shack' though it is a very cool book)
She raised her fist to the door then dropped it again, biting her lip. She wasn't sure why she was so nervous, just that she couldn't seem to make herself enter the room. On the other side of the door was Mutou-san, he could be smoking or watching pornography for all she knew and here she was, a silly girl with a messed up brain and too many questions to even know where to start.
Why hadn't she just come in with Miho yesterday? Because she didn't want to be publically humiliated of course, especially with all these questions about herself and about who exactly this 'Mutou-san' was. Right now she'd take that over this torture any day.
It had been a week since his offer and this was the second time she made it to the door before turning around again. She caught Yuugi glancing between her and his cousin a couple times with curiosity and she wondered who had told the other first.
The way Yuugi talked they seemed fairly close despite the two year age difference and widely differing personalities so she assumed either Yuugi had told him about her test results or he had told Yuugi about their very short conversation.
It was one of the many things she was afraid to ask about since their closeness only confirmed what she already suspected. That it was him. Still, it only helped convince her that she had to go in and meet with him, because Yuugi would surely know if she didn't.
Steeling herself with another deep breath she imagined she was about to walk out on stage to perform her newest dance and calmness filled her, putting her hand to the cool silver handle. With a small twist and pull it was open and she was walking gracefully through the doorway, books in hand.
Her illusion came shattering to an end as she saw him, not smoking or watching pornography but...reading a book?
He looked up in surprise at the sound of someone entering and saw the person he had been waiting for all week, Anzu Mazaki, frozen in the doorway.
"Yo," He said casually and she relaxed despite the small shiver along her spine that his voice gave her, walking over and hesitating at the desk. He noted to his surprise that she was no longer wearing her school uniform but shook the distracting thought from his head.
"Sit," He said, pointing to the seat on the other side of the small desk as he shut his book.
"What're you reading?" She asked suddenly and then flushed a little, clamping her mouth shut. What was wrong with her nerves around this guy? He was just a tutor for crying out loud! And perhaps the man from her past but...okay so she had good reason to be nervous.
"It's called 'The Shack'," He said in his aloof way, setting it aside with no further explanation. She stopped herself from commenting again, focusing her eyes on the desk instead. It was simply too overwhelming to try and figure out who he was while trying to solve the puzzle this new disorder presented in her life.
"You seem nervous," He commented after a moment and she bit her lip slightly, still avoiding his gaze. Reaching across the desk he gently separated her fingers which were twisted together so tightly they were turning white. She finally looked up, seeming surprised at the action.
"You know?" She finally asked in a quiet voice, barely beyond a whisper, than grimaced at her own tone. He caught his breath, wondering and allowing himself to hope for a minute before reminding himself that that was not what this meeting was about nor would it ever be.
"About your condition?" He asked and she nodded slightly, shame crossing her face so clearly it could have stopped traffic. He couldn't help frowning this time, irked by the emotion. She was far too confident for something so ridiculous to get in her way.
"You shouldn't be ashamed of it," He said and she found her eyes drawn to his harsh gaze. His words were reprimanding but also encouraging at the same time, those crimson eyes that were much sharper then Yugi's round innocent shape staring boldly at her with an intensity she couldn't match.
"I know," She said with a small sigh. "It's not like I'm the only one who's ever suffered from it, it doesn't make me all that different just not as gifted as some people. I've always known I was bad with math but this makes it much more real."
The words came out of her mouth easily to her own disbelief. That look he gave her made her want to talk for some reason. Perhaps because it was a look that was judging her by her emotional state, not just because of the disorder.
So they did talk. He allowed her to worry and he offered words that were not necessarily comforting in the classical sense of assuring her that everything would be all right, but made her feel better because they were absolute honesty.
He didn't beat around the bush or make any claims for the future –he only referred to the present and how things would affect her right now. She felt like she was doing most of the talking but when he did talk there was such confidence in his voice she could feel her own returning.
The meeting may only have been half an hour but it did her a lifetime of good. Standing up at the end she felt like she could smile again for her friends.
"Thank you Mutou-san, you explained things much more clearly then the people at the centre," She said respectfully, keeping her emotions in check. He had been helpful but not kind, and she knew it was important to recognize the difference.
It was his job to help her, not to be her friend. It hadn't always been that way but from the aloof attitude he had used when he spoke to her she was certain that this either was not that person, or he had chosen to make resurrecting that past between them a difficult mission.
"I'm happy to help. You're a confident girl Mazaki-san, I know you can overcome such obstacles easily," He said, chilling voice seemingly devoid of emotions but a small smile found her face as she averted her eyes, just glancing out of the corner to look at him slyly.
Such a mistake could only be made by someone who didn't know the game had already begun.
"How could you know I'm confident? All I've shown so far is weakness," Her smile grew slightly as his foreign eyes narrowed burning with a whole new level of intensity against the blank backdrop of his face.
"Intuition," He replied, posture still relaxed as he sat in the chair but his expression was full of competition. Was she challenging him? Certainly, her tone confirmed it, but if they were going to play this game they were going to play it her way. After all, if there was one thing she knew about that person for sure, it was that he loved games. He had never lost before.
"Well then I'm sure you'll be an excellent teacher someday," She said cheerfully, glad to have caught him off guard with her sudden change of attitude as she gathered her books and all but skipped out of the room.
Success! If he was that person which she dearly wanted to believe he was as impossible as that seemed, she would definitely find out without making Yuugi or anyone else uncomfortable. She knew if he wanted her to find out that she would.
"Oh, Mutou-san?" She called as she hesitated in the doorway. He looked up at her from his position where he still sat at the desk seeming deep in thought, the tiniest hints of a smile playing about his fathomless expression.
"Tell Yuugi-kun thank you, and if you don't mind...I would like to come back for another tutoring session sometime..." She trailed off uncertainly, reminding herself once again that he was still her TA.
"I would be happy for you to come in again. I'm not the most patient teacher but I will do my best to help you with this course," He told her honestly and she bowed again from the doorway in respect for that honesty and in way of goodbye.
"Thank you," She said shortly then left with no more backwards glances. That was the Anzu he knew, full of confidence yet still humble and unafraid. He was proud of her ability to shake off her worries for this disorder and slightly pleased that she had committed to coming back again.
On the matter of her challenge...it made his stomach twist in a near unpleasant way even though Yuugi had warned him that she was already suspicious. Not that it could be avoided, he was her TA, it was his responsibility to help her whether he wanted to or not, personal emotions aside.
She didn't seem unhappy to meet who she seemed to suspect to be the 'other Yuugi' nor did she jump right out and great him that way...and that pleased him more than anything else. In many ways they were strangers who just met...
But in so many other ways she had been a part of his heart for much, much longer.
A/N: Well obviously certain people have some unresolved emotional baggage, eh? ;) Please review, I would really appreciate it, constructive criticism and compliments help so much in writing process!
Here's a preview of the next chapter:
It was true for the final examination performance which would be graded in front of a live audience she had boldly asked Marik to be her dance partner and he had agreed, causing much jealousy among the other dancers in their grade.
She didn't know him as they'd never had a class together before but reputation or not, it didn't matter to her. Dance was her passion and her dream, it was the most important thing to her and she knew she was the best female dancer in the twelfth grade.
So whether he was a jerk or not didn't matter, she was the best and so was he, and she didn't settle for second place when it came to dance.
Yay character introduction! Except that's not going to be all smooth sailing...
