Chapter three: The Projects Part II
~Yoruichi POV~
"Ugh, we are getting nowhere! You just don't get it!" I moaned in frustration after Itachi had stepped on my foot once again for the nth time!
"Why don't you just demonstrate the steps to me since you know this somuch better than I do?" he ground out, his own frustration clear in his tone.
"Gladly." He sat in a chair and crossed his arms over his chest in an expectant manner. I sighed and held my arms up in position. "It's step, back, step, back, cross cross, 180 spin, spin, out in, out in, 540 out, back in. Finish with a lift, fancy stunt, and boom. Done."
"How do you make it look so simple? We have been working at this for an hour now," he asked with a crease between his eyebrows.
"Kimiko and I love to dance. Now get up; let's try this again." He got up and pulled me into his arms. "Alright. Step, back, step, back, cross cross…."
"Excuse me." We turned and saw Mikoto standing at the edge of the open space. "I was wondering, what your project is about?"
"We are demonstrating two different European dances, the waltz and salsa, with an audio playing that will explain the influences European culture and history has on the dance. It was my idea to actually dance." I smirked at Itachi, who was glaring at me.
"Why don't you wear a different dress for each dance? I could make them."
"That's a great idea! If you don't mind too terribly, I would love if you could do that for me, Mikoto-san." The woman smiled at me.
"I can take your measurements now."
"Hai. Itachi, practice your steps. Try not to practice stepping forward too far. That would mess you up when I re-join you." I smiled sweetly at him as he once again glared at me and followed his mother to another section of the library.
"It's amazing how you have made Itachi open up to you." I stood straight as she measured my height.
"What do you mean?"
"My son is very off. He doesn't talk to many people, and he almost never lets his mask fall away while around other people not within his immediate family. Only Sasuke can get any kind of facial and verbal reaction out of him."
"Hm, we sit next to each other in class." I raised my arms so that she could measure my waist. "He called me annoying and violent."
"And how did you respond?"
"I pulled his hair until he took it back. Of course, the teacher didn't see, otherwise I doubt I would be here right now. And I know I was being a tad bit childish, but…." I shrugged as she measured my chest area. "Who cares? He needs to lighten up some."
"What did he do in response to you pulling his hair?"
"He reached to pull my hair back! Can you believe it?!" She laughed at my indignant tone. "Though…."
"Though?" I tapped my chin with a finger.
"A particular look flashed across his face. It was as if he remembered who he was being playful with. Then he shut back down and faced forward."
"That is understandable. His mind must have gone to his times with Sasuke." I relaxed as she finished the measurements. "But try not to let him. It's refreshing to see him getting along so well with another student."
"I'll see what I can do." I started to turn around with a wave to walk away, but as an afterthought, I hugged her. She tensed in surprise and then hugged me back, relaxing. "You are so wonderful, Mikoto-san. I don't know what I've done to deserve your kindness, but I'm glad I did it."
"Do not allow him to let you go." She pulled back enough to tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear. "You're perfect for him." I smiled softly.
"I'll see what I can do." She patted my shoulder, and I walked back to where Itachi was practicing. Just as he was starting over, I joined him and smiled as we danced.
"You're getting better. You're not trodding on my feet," I stated as we finished going through the basics. "The only problem is you're too stiff." I poked his tense abs. "The salsa is a loose, Shun dance, you ninny."
"I am not too stiff."
"You won't even let me close during the spins. How am I supposed to teach you the waltz if you won't even let me class now?"
"How close are you supposed to be?" He blushed slightly as I pulled my body flush against his own.
"Here for the waltz." I backed an inch and turned around to press my back into his chest. "Here with most of the turns." I stood three inches from him. "Here for everything else."
"How will this work with the fast steps?"
"Easy. Stay still." I held his hands above my hand and quickly demonstrated the two fastest steps of the steps.
"Ok, I see your point." I chuckled at the frustrated look in his eyes. "I'm just not used to holding girls that close to me."
"Then you shouldn't have chosen ballroom dancing for our project. Now, let's try this again."
"Hai." He pulled me slightly closer.
As we danced, I had to keep stopping him each time I felt him too tense. It took him an hour to relax as much as he could. And after that, I had to get him to move his body (mostly his hips) correctly.
"For such a prodigy, you sure do suck at dancing." He stopped looking at his feet to glare into my eyes. "What? It's true. We've been working on this forthree hours, and we're only just now ready to move on." He mumbled something under his breather, and I raised an eyebrow at him. "Repeat that please. I didn't quite catch it."
"I said I never learned because I never believed it would be this fun," he said loudly.
I blinked in surprise before softly smiling at his hair (he had lowered his head down when he repeated his statement). After turning the music on to some slow music, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed into him. He instantly wrapped his arms around my waist.
"Let's get used to each other's body movements. It will help." I began swaying side to side, and he was soon swaying with me. I sighed softly and rested my head on his shoulder.
"What is it about you that makes me drop all of my defenses?" he muttered in my ear.
"Not quite all of them." I pulled the red tie out of his hair and ran my fingers through the silky strands. "Just this once, Itachi-kun. Just let go of everything that makes you so stiff. Only I will see." I felt him tense briefly at my request before relaxing into me slightly as my fingers ran across his scalp. His hands raised slowly on my back to pull me impossibly closer. "Will you, Itachi-kun? For this one moment, just let go?"
"Hai."