Thank you all for the reviews, here's the second chapter of "The Art Of Getting By". I'm also in the process of writing the next chapter of my other story "Between You and Me", check it out if you haven't yet. ;)

Enjoy!

It was a sunny yet cool Friday in October, Winter's arriving noticeably in the air and mood of Anzu Mazaki.

She has grown to become a very pretty brunette, first cheerleader and class representative with a passionate temper and a sense for justice. But still her past was nagging at her, restless nights due to nightmares that followed her through thirteen years, since that night when her parents were kidnapped, never to be seen again. Even though she had a new life now and a great school career, she never let anyone all too close and stayed away from parties. She made sure to take great care of keeping everything in control and never allowed things to slip out of her hands.

She was just sitting in history class with Mr. Greene and all students around her were close to fall asleep. He was the typical example of a failed teacher who used to wear big glasses and cotton shirts on which buttons were missing. Obviously he also was allergic to chalk since he was sneezing all the time whenever he stood in front of the blackboard. He had lost his students attention for a while now and thought the best idea to gain their interest back by organizing a project week.

"I have invited a former student who has been studying History in Egypt for three years now. He is the best man I know to convey such knowing to you. So I demand attention and politeness from you since he is thinking about becoming a teacher here as well, which would be so enriching not only for you students bur for us teachers as well."

With that said, Mr. Greene ended his lesson, but not without sneezing one last time, loud and wet and so suddenly that his students in the first row winced which he didn't seem to recognize at all.

Anzu, however, left all this unaffected, even though she knew best who this "enriching new teacher" was, after all she used lived under the same roof with him for about nine years.

She drew her attention away from the window and the events that occurred outside - a cloud passing by shielding the sun - and sighed. By this, her best friend, or so some would consider their relationship, turned around in her seat to face Anzu. "Uhh, a new teacher's assistant and we all know who that is" said she in a sing-song voice with a sparkle in her eyes. But Mihos obsession about boys, elder boys that is, made Anzu only frown. Miho was the only one who knew about Anzus past and that she used to know Atem well. Anzu had told her the story not so long ago when he had called to announce his return.

"I don't know what you want to say but-"

"Ah come on Anzu, aren't you at least a little bit exited over seeing your brother after almost four years?"

"He is not my brother exactly-" Anzu stated but was again interrupted by Miho.

"You are so glad, you know that?" Here Mihos face became a dreamy eypression " I still remember him being in Senior Class. So cool and sexy. He is like, the hottest guy this school ever had! All the girls were in love with him, even in our age group and you-"

"Miho, please."

-"and you live with him under the same roof, lucky you." She touched Anzus nose playfully.

Yeah, Anzu thought. What luck did she have to be torn out of her life by kidnappers in one night, losing her parents only to be placed under the same roof with"the hottest guy this school ever had".

She didn't even know if she considered Atem her brother, these days she felt like, more or less, they were strangers. Before he moved to Egypt, they used to be very close and share everything. But with him so far away, they soon were engulfed in their own business. When he called her foster parents, she told them to greet him while always being on her way out to the library or to Miho, who she now followed out of the building, still going on excitedly, but switched the topic to a party that would take place tonight and which she wouldn't miss for a thing! Except the "Welcome home party" for Atem, to which she wasn't invited, unfortunately.

"If he is going to be our TA, you can't flirt with him" Anzu told her since she let Miho in on the newest information that she got from a call of Atem a few weeks before, announcing his come back.

But Miho didn't seem to care about this.

Atem however, would move to his own apartment next month for "practical reasons" as he had put it, which Anzu thought were either private space and not having to live with one of his going-to-be student or just the shame of living with his foster parents at the age of 22.

Anzu parted from Miho at the T-crossed street a few blocks from the game shop. They said their goodbyes and Anzu went home alone. The shiny black car that looked so new she saw from afar and wondered to whom it belonged.

Anzu climbed the stairs that led to the living area above the game shop and opened the door to be greeted with the smell of potatoes and meat. As she stepped farther into the hallway she could hear voices and laughter coming from the living room. She took off her shoes, glancing curously into the direction the voices came from. The door was opened just enough for her to make out the oak shelf.

"Anzu, are you there? Come here and join us, dinner's almost ready." She heard her foster dad, Mr Mouto, Salomon exactly, call her from the living room. Anzu sighed and dropped her bag which hung heavily around her neck to her feet as she stepped into the half open door to the living room where she was greeted with not only three familiar faces, but five. Obviously Katsyua Jonouchi and Hiroto Honda had joined the party as well. They went to school with Atem. Everyone was gathered around the small coffee table with photos spread around them but all eyes were gazing up at her.

"Hi." was Anzus shy greeting. She felt nervous being looked at so intently from people she didn't see in years.

"Wow, is that little Anzu? Haven't seen you around for a while." Jonouchi said, open-minded the same old guy she knew from her childhood. "You've grown a lot." Anzu smiled slightly then stepped farther into the room, still feeling kind of awkward. "Come sit down, you have to see those beautiful pictures Atem made of Egypt. Truly fascinating." Beatrice, her foster mum enthused about the pictures, tapping Atems knee lightly, glad to have her 'son' back. Beatrice was always fond of her foster children. Anzu suddenly noticed Atem smiling up at her, and, sitting down in the armchair opposite, she smiled back, shyly, taking a stack of photos in her hand. Beatrice leaned in close over the table between her and Anzu, pointing out all the beauty she held in her hands.

It was a nice party after all. Anzu had finally gotten her shower, exhausted and fed up form dinner and hearing stories about life in Egypt. She stepped out from the bathroom dressed in only a towel and only a few steps and a narrow hallway away from her bed when she ran a hand over her face, then bumping into something hard. "Ah, I'm sorry." Atem said, holding her by her upper arms and she apologized herself. She looked up into his face, noticing how handsome it was and how tan his skin became and his eyes so deep in colour. Then she flushed, her skin burnt where his hands touched her arms and she suddenly realized how awfully underdressed she was. "I-uhm" she stuttered then excused herself again and stepping aside to make room so they could both walk the hallway without bumping into each other again.

"No Problem" Atem smiled kindly then headed toward his own room which was next to the bathroom. Before he disappeared inside, he turned around again, calling out to Anzu. "Hey, want to see something?" Anzu, who still hadn't moved from her spot, too perplexed of how it felt to be so close to him again after all this time, suddenly did move, facing him. "What is it?"

"Get dressed and I show you in a minute." He smiled at her, his eyes not leaving her face.

'Get dressed' he said and Anzu felt her face becoming hot with embarrassment. He had noticed her only wearing a towel, not even a very big one, and she flushed more. So that must be a sign, she thought, that they really were strangers like she assumed.

Atem, however, wasn't embarrased, only excited over what he was going to show her, the ultimate snapshot he took in Egypt, saved on his Laptop and not printed on photo paper, only for elected eyes to see. He was sure Anzu would be just as amazed as he had been when she shot the picture. A minute later, like he said, Anzu knocked on his door and entered in her pyjama which consisted of shorts and a white tank top that stretched around her flat stomach.

"So what is it you want to show me?" she entered carefully, only taking small steps, glancing around in his old room, taking in all the familiar things that were yet new to her. Like she was the stranger and not him, he noticed. She never dared enter his room since he left so everything remained untouched by her, only sometimes would Beatrice come in to clean.

Atem who was busy unpacking, now opened his laptop that stood on his desk and gestured for her to come closer. So Anzu stood next to Atem, closer than she might have wanted to be, but he didn't seem to care. In front of her on the screen, a picture show opened, pictures of dark rooms. Anzu leaned in closer, studying them carefully. "What are these?" she asked as she searched for anything to make out.

"These pictures were taken underground, in an old tomb." He explained. Hearing this she looked up at his proud face. "A tomb?" she asked, then she stared at the screen again, the picture changing to show another, this one of a wall with hieroglyphs.

"It was an empty tomb, robbed by thieves, and we were allowed to visit it, you know, get to see what we have been reading about the whole time in history books." He pointed at the craving in the wall, "Do you see that? It's a curse."

"A curse?" Anzu suddenly repeated, shocked.

Atem chuckled. "It was meant to scare thieves off."

"Oh." Anzu paused, then added. "Didn't work, eh?" she joked, bumping her elbow lightly into his side.

"Probably not." He smiled. The picture show went on, showing the tomb from the outside. Anzu leaned up to stand straight again and yawned. "That's really interesting, but, you know, I'm really tired now as you must also be since you were on a plane the whole night, so sleep well." With that she smiled one last time for the day , then left.

"Goodnight."

When she lay in bed she heard Atem rummaging around in his room for a little while longer. She listened to the sounds he made, so strange to hear sounds coming from his room after it had been empty for years. She memorized all the times they played together and running around the house even though it was already bedtime for her. She couldn't yet believe that he was finally back and how much she really missed him.

When Anzu woke up the next day, she felt light headed and dizzy, staying a moment longer in bed than usual before finally getting up and dressed. She made her way to the kitchen to find Atem standing by the sink, pouring himself a glass of water. Anzu paused in the door frame before entering, first taking in the picture of him standing so casually in the kitchen as if he been there all along, never gone in the first place.

"Good morning" she greeted him then took her seat at the table, grabbing a toast and butter.

"Good morning" he said eyeing her carefully. "Any plans for today?"

Anzu looked up at him, confused. "No, actually not. It's my free day." she replied.

"Free day?" he cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I work at Burger World."

"Oh." he looked at her surprised and she began to feel really uncomfortable under his gaze. He rememberd how he often used to hang around with Joey and Tristan there. After a moment she checked again if she was being looked at, but he seemed lost in thought, staring at the floor, the glass of water still in his hands. So she dedicated her concentration to her toast "You work? Since when? Are you even old enough?" he suddenly ask when both looked up at the same time.

This time Anzu couldn't help but grin. She pushed back her chair and took a bite of her toast then said: "Actually I am. I'm seventeen. I started working last summer."

He considered this. "Seventeen, really?" he mumbled, but loud enough for her to hear. She scoffed.

"How old do you think I am? You don't actually believe that you can disappear for four years and not expect me to grow. I mean, you aged, too." She smiled at him, triumphantly, before adding: "You're old. You are truly a grown up now." With this she was hinting on their discussion they often had when they were children. They imagined what it would be like to be grown up but all they could think of was disgusting stuff like marrying and make kids and how boring grown up stuff was. It was all terrible things for the rest of your life from the day on you stopped being a child. Back then none of them knew when they would cross that line. But it seemed that they knew now.

"Mh, well, I can assure you, the life of a grown up isn't as bad as we always imagined." Atem grinned back, then poured down the rest of his water.

"I know" Anzu sighed when Atem went upstairs again, out of earshot. He didn't know that she crossed that line, too, a long time ago and already had much more to deal with than a child should ever have to do.

The weekend passed quickly and though it felt strange for the last two days to wake up and find Atem already in the kitchen, in a good mood and in for a talk, she felt happier than she had in a long time, feeling that things got back to normal, so easy.

But it was awkward on Monday morning when they woke up at the same time and she walked in on him in the bathroom, just stepping out of the shower.

"Ahhh, I'm sorry." She shrieked and as quickly and surprising to him as she came in, as quickly she shut the door, or slammed it, all flushed and embarrassed. She hadn't seen anything to be embarrassed of, though, but it was enough for both of them to avoid each other for the rest of the morning. She ate breakfast first and by the time he finished showering, she was up for it and he was down for breakfast.

Now she walked up to her car, an old blue Ford owned by her foster parents with which she was allowed to drive to school, keys in hand to open up the car as Atem appeared next to her, also key in hand, for his shiny new Mercedes, which really belonged to him or so she found out the other day, and they both stopped when noticing what they were doing.

"I'll drive" they said at the same time. A pause, then: "No, it's fine, I always drive to school, you just came back and don't remember the way, anyway." She declined, turning the key in the hole.

"You think I don't remember the way? That's a joke. By the way, my car needs an insertion, I've only driven it once yet and it's way nicer than yours." he responded but Anzu felt slightly offended by his last comment.

"No, you really don't have to. I don't care in what car I drive, just that I'm getting somewhere." She stared hard at him but he wasn't about to give in.

"Anzu." he spoke her name as a warning, and when she noticed he wouldn't give in, she just got into her car, all stubborn. Atem stood a moment longer, unnerved, but decided to just follow suit and got in the passenger seat, accepting his defeat with a low growl inside his throat.

Later on, however, Anzu wished that just this time, she would have been the one giving in, feeling nervous how he watched her driving, her still a newcomer on the street and him having years of experience already. When she stopped at a red light a moment too late, she heard him exhaling sharply and lost it. "What's your problem?" she freaked, turning to face him.

"Nothing" he answered perplexed. She just flinched then turned her attention backon the street. When she wanted to drive on, he did say something in the end. "You're just not really concentrating, you know? That scares me, to be honest." she felt him stare at her hands, which grabbed the steering wheel, hard.

"Then maybe you should stop making me nervous."

"I make you nervous?" he heaved an eyebrow at her which made her much more furious.

"Yes! you're exactly like Beatrice. She freaked when I drove her to the Grocery store for the first time, telling me to be careful the whole time. I am careful so stop complaining about my driving skills. That doesn't make it better."

He was silent then, but the grin on his face didn't vanish, much to Anzu's anger which made her drive even more badly. So much for keeping everything in control. Inside, she was ashamed of not having better driving skills, but she just didn't have much practise. Her foster parents were too much involved in the Game Shop.

However, after they drove a while in silence, she turned left too early for his notice so he pointed out:"You told me I didn't know the way to school anymore, but you're the one who just took the wrong way."

"I don't take the wrong way, I'm picking up Miho."

"Miho? Like, that crazy purple haired girl from sixth grade?"

"She is not sixth grade anymore . We're the same age." She pulled the car to a stop in front of a yellow house, waiting for Miho to come out, who was late most mornings. Which meant another long minute with Atem in her car. "You're still friends?" he asked, seeming surprised.

"Of course." she told him matter of factly and he didn't say more, just staring ahead and finally, Miho appeared, running toward the car for the passengers seat, but then stopped when she noticed it was already taken.

"Oh, hello." she said, obviously surprised at seeing Atem.

Anzu explained this. "I had to take him with me, he has a meeting with Mr. Greene about the project starting next week."

"Had to? You insisted on driving." Atem pointed out and Miho felt the tense in the car immediately.

When she and Anzu later entered the class room, she asked about what was wrong. But Anzu shrugged, saying it was nothing, just that they had a little argument about her driving skills.

"Aww, you're fighting just like brother and sister" Miho commented.

"We're not-"

"I know, I know. You're not siblings. Say, is it possible that you say that all the time because you have feelings for him?" Miho winked expectantly at her friend, but Anzu only furrowed her brows. Before she could rectify her relationship with Atem again, Miho continued:

"I know, I know. You hardly know him anymore."

It was lunch time when she saw Atem again, sitting at the teachers table next to Mr Greene, who had three buttons missing on his shirt today- a new record, and was sneezing constantly now, his pills against his allergy obviously not helping much. Anzu threw a disgusted glance in their direction, which Mr Greene didn't notice, but Atem did. She made her way through the crowd along with Miho while balancing her tray of food, ahead to their table by the window, until oh so suddenly, Sophie Reynolds got in their way. "Uh, look who there is" she said in a faked friendly tone to two bloneds standing off to each side of her. They were flipping their hair and looked down disapprovingly at Anzu and Miho.

"Let it go already, Sophie" Anzu groaned and tried to get pass them, but Sophie only grunted.

"Yeah, accept already that Anzu became first cheerleader and not you." Miho spat, with the intention to help her freind, but she earned angry looks both from Sophie and Anzu.

"What" Sophie started to become really furious now "did you just say?"

Anzu and Miho exchanged a quick look, then Anzu grabbed the arm of the purple haired girl, now frightened and hurried straight through while mumbling "Nothing, forget it.", under her breath and disappeared, but Sophie was angry and quick enough to grab a plate filled with Spaghetti and threw it at Anzus head.

XxX

"Tzk, tzk, tzk." Anzu heard as she sat in front of the principals office who wanted to hear her part of the story and how she found herself in the middle of a food fight. She, who was always so commendable and nice. After Sophie threw the food at her, Anzu fired her glass of Water back at her which made Sophie shriek because her hair was a mess now. Anzu wished she never had become first cheerleader, it would have spared her a lot of trouble. Sophie had been angry with her ever since that day of the Tryouts for the Cheerleader Team and made sure to always ruin Anzus day.

In the end though, it was always Anzu to blame. Just like the food fight. She didn't start it and the glass of water wasn't nearly as bad as the spaghetti had been, but Sophie started crying, of course, and would tell the whole story differently so that it seemed as if it was Anzus fault.

No matter how Anzu would put it, it was always her fault.

Always hers.

XxX

"My first day in school since four years and I had to witness little Anzu interfered in a food fight." Atem leaned casually in a door frame, that stupid grin he had since that morning still on his face. Though he acted as if he was dissapointed, she knew he made fun of her again. They hadn't seen each other after school since Atem headed off to Joey right after it.

Anzu sat, arms crossed, at the dining table and pouted. "Go away." she mumbled, not going to discuss this with him.

"And if not? Are you going to throw that at me?" he nodded at her plate, joking.

However, she stood suddenly, appearently furious or so it seemed when she pushed her chair back abruplty.

"It wasn't my fault!" she claimed a little too loud, then knowing she couldn't direct her anger at Atem because he just didn't know better, she explained "It's just this thing going on for a while now. Sophie wanted to be the first cheerleader, but you know, it was me to become it." Atem was surprised at this and became distracted from the original topic. Since when was Anzu interested in Cheerleading? When he was still a student, he thought the Cheerleaders were all sluts and stupid girls and now Anzu was one of them? She was so very different.

"Anyway, one day I sat in the library doing homework and some of her friends were there, too, talking about her break up with Johnathan, which was new to me by then. But she thought I told everybody about it, which I didn't, you know, I just overheard it, but it wasn't me who told the ugly things, like her being together with her boss from walmart. It was her so called friend" She sighed. "Just one day, people came up to me telling me that Sophie was mad at me for spreading rumours about her and I readied myself for a confrontation, but she never came up to me to clarify this. So I thought it was over." She sighed again. "But it wasn't. She threw a ball in my face in P.E. And then it started. I guess she just wanted to be mad at me, for becoming first cheerleader. She hates me forever."

Atem listened to her story, feeling sorry for her being treated that way, all wrong. And today the principals just sent Sophie away without punishment and Anzu with the order to behave better.

"You know, when I'm your teacher next week, I won't let her get away with this. If she is rude, I'll call her out."

Anzu smiled. "Thanks. That's nice of you. But you will just be consumed by her charms like every other teacher before you. They are all hopeless."

He wached her putting the plate into the sink. "Then I'll be pleased to prove you wrong."

xXx

In the evening Anzu was called yet again into Atem's room, still pausing before entering. It was still weird that someone lived here again, actually. Atem even put up some pictures, unpacked his suitcase fully even though he would move out at the end of the week anyway. He sat at his laptop, making preperations for the project next week, his attention on the screen. Anzu walked past his shelf, where she looked at some pictures with pyramids in them, yellow sand and blue water. There was also a photo from Highschool, with Joey and Tristan and some girls at the sea. And then, she noticed a picture with him in the blue water of the ocean, the clear blue Egyptian sky behind him and a tan skin girl in his arms with brown hair and eyes that were almost black. Both laughed widely into the camera, entangled like a couple. Before Anzu could ask who she was- his girlfriend obviously, he waved her over to sit down next to him. Anzu looked over a video report he had made as an exposition, asking for her opinion, if it was understandable or way too boring. Anzu decided it was okay, but boring for her now that she already knew it.

But when Atem said he'd add more stuff to it, she promised not to fall asleep then.

It was already past midnight when Anzu told Atem good night, apologizing for keeping him awake so long, even though neither of them seemed tired.

It was then that she remember all those nights they spend together, camping in the garden or him wachting over her when she had nightmares. Glancing again at the picture with the girl in his arms, she thought that he probably shared his nights with other people since then. She wondered if she should ask him now, who she was or if it wasn't obvious. Then again, he would have told her long ago, wouldn't he? She really began to wonder who that man was. Was he her brother, achildhood friend, her teacher, or just a stranger?

All she knew was, that he seemed to enchant her.