Title: Noobie

Pairing: Manipulashipping/AnzuxMalik

Season Six. Round Three.

Don't own anything!

Malik grumbled as he struggled to put on the headset over his poofy platinum blonde hair so that he could communicate with the other backstage personal for cues and if any emergency occurred. Once he had it on, he muttered dark things under his breath as to why there weren't any low lights to help him see.

At least while living underground, they had multiple sources of light. This was ridiculous!

Dressed in a black outfit, Malik crossed his arms, walking toward the stage so that he was between two large curtains painted black as well. He sighed as he watched the other backstage crew members scramble about making sure everything was set.

"Dress rehearsal will start in approximately ten minutes! Make sure you are in your place and don't touch the curtains!" he heard one of the elderly directors shout from the stage to the cast who were sitting in the audience's seats

In the few seconds that followed, Malik was pressed up uncomfortably in the small area known as backstage as the whole cast decided ominously to flutter to stage right. Students dressed in brightly colored, poofy and scratchy outfits crowded in, many 'shhes' being passed along as they all scurried to get in their place.

Finally able to get his lower back out of the corner of the table loaded with junk from previous recitals and plays, Malik once again adjusted his headpiece, hearing a few murmurs from the others who were handling the lights above.

Making his way over to where the large ropes that enabled the different curtains to open and close were, he took his place, looking over his shoulder occasionally to make sure his book of marked cues was near.

This was absurd, and a waste of his time. Being part of the backstage crew was something he had been forced into doing as a favor. His friend Ryou usually volunteered for this crap, but had to call in sick, saying that he'd find a friend that would replace him. Unfortunately for Malik, he was one of Ryou's two main friends. The other being his brother, Bakura, who would've thrown a horrible fit if asked to do such a mundane job for three hours.

So here he was, standing absolutely bored out of his mind, inexperienced in what exactly he was doing, sure that he'd fall asleep and accidentally pull one of the ropes and ruin the whole rehearsal.

Suddenly, the lights dimmed in the audience and stage area. The orchestra in the pit started up and Malik stared at his book to see when he would pull the opening curtain to reveal the students behind it.

He heard the pitch go up and he immediately tugged on the rope, opening the curtains, watching as bright lights quickly illuminated the dozen of people on stage.

Malik's eyes widened. He was kind of hoping for a play so that he could at least follow a story line. But he was way off. What he saw was finally revealed to him.

Morons in tutus, leotards and tights. A ballet.

"Kill me."

It was about an hour into the ballet, and Malik had to occasionally wipe the drool from the corner of his mouth, wishing that he'd have some kind of curtain cue.

Sighing, lavender eyes blinked sleepily, checking his cue book every couple seconds in hopes of being able to do something. Like the other hundreds of looks, nothing came up, and Malik leaned against the wall, getting a full view of the brightly lit up stage.

Currently, the orchestra below was playing at a slow pace, almost to the point that it seemed like it would stop while a boy and girl gracefully danced on stage, Malik suddenly noticing how tight those tights and leotard on the guy were, and he thanked the gods he didn't have an interest in dance.

The girl, however, seemed rather comfortable, her body moving like water across the stage, dressed in a blue leotard, white tights and a lighter blue with sparkles tutu. Her feet although, seemed to be stuffed forcefully into those tiny dance shoes, especially whenever she balanced on her toes.

Was that...?

Watching with some interest, Malik watched as the girl was lifted up the by the boy, her legs spreading into a split, all the while her shoulder length brown hair bounced beautifully with every move she made, seemingly never being messed up.

She looks so familiar...but who...?

Malik suddenly became so mesmerized he didn't even realize he missed his curtain cue the moment the pair exited the stage with graceful leaps, the lights dying down and the orchestra slowing down it seemed like death was gripping it.

But it wasn't until a loud screech penetrated his hearing.

"What the hell are you doing noobie? Close the curtain! Close it, close it, close it! My god, I hate noobies! Close it already!"

Malik jumped at the shrill voice killing his eardrums, his hands turning frantic as he tried to find the rope just less than a foot in front of him to close the main curtain.

Once the deed was done and the annoying voice was gone, Malik let go of his iron grip on the rope, leaning back against the wall to catch his breath he didn't even know he lost.

The name of that mystery girl finally hit him.

Anzu Mazaki.

Although he had finally identified the ballet dancer as Anzu, Malik was saddened to find out that there was another two hours of the rehearsal, and it was intermission time. But on the upside, since he had been an idiot and missed his cue, he was forced out of the backstage area until intermission was over.

So now he had to deal with the sights of the dancers who were changing from one ridiculous tight outfit, to an even more ridiculous and tighter outfit. It was sickening. Especially whenever a boy would pass by. Malik vowed to never do Ryou a favor ever again after this.

Getting a drink from a nearby water fountain, he straightened and looked to his right, his gaze landing on a group of girls, all chattering about their thoughts on the performance so far. He could care less, but as he looked deeper into the circle of girls, he found that one of them was Anzu.

Bending back down so he didn't seem to be listening to their conversation and instead taking a really long drink of water, he swerved his eyes over to the group, blushing slightly when he saw what Anzu was wearing.

It was even more elegant than the last outfit. This time, she was dressed in a swirl of pink and purple, her white tutu still speckled with sparkles. Her shoulders showed as the top was made like a tube top, except jewels were plastered everywhere, making her shine even more. Her brown hair was now put up into a tight bun, showing off her makeup more than before, a couple of gems clipped to her hair.

"You're so awesome, Anzu!"

"I wish I could have your skills!"

"That top makes your face more noticeable than before!"

Malik listened as the girls chanted their praises to Anzu, watching closely as Anzu looked flustered for a moment at the nice comments before thanking each one of them.

He turned his attention back to the water running against his lips as the crowd of girls left with squeals, prancing by him excitedly. Glancing to his side again, he noticed that Anzu was currently bent over, tying her dance shoe's ribbons.

Quickly making up his mind, Malik approached her, clearing his throat to gain her attention. "You did really well, Anzu," he said, unsure if she knew him. He was a fairly new student, only being a part of Domino's school system for a year and a half.

Blue eyes blinked, looking up. A smile rose on the dancer's face, and she looked down again, hastily tying her shoe up so that she could thank Malik properly. Once the task was done, she straightened, a bright smile still stuck to her lips.

"Thank you...Malik, right?" Anzu said, eyeing his black clad form up and down. "My guess is that you're part of backstage, right?"

Malik nodded. "Yeah, I'm just filling in for a friend though. I'm not any good at it. Forgot a cue."

Anzu giggled a little at the comment, her eyes softening. "Were you able to watch the rehearsal? Or were you too busy?"

The male shrugged, lying through his teeth a little. "Near the end. When you and who ever that guy..."

"Johnny."

"Who?"

"Johnny Step."

"Oh. Well, you were really good. Better than all of the rest. And I've seen a lot of ballets in my lifetime. Even professional ones," Malik continued, watching as the girl blushed brightly, a hand going to her mouth to hide her growing smile. So what, he lied, but she was simply worth it.

"T-thank you, Malik. I really appreciate that," Anzu thanked, desperately trying to slam her blush down to the ground. It took her a couple of moments to recompose herself, but she continued. "Especially when I have to dance with Johnny. He's so full of himself and really rude."

"Really?" Malik said, trying to sound a little more interested in the new topic than he really was.

Anzu nodded, starting again. "Yeah, he keeps grabbing me in all the wrong places on purpose and thinks that I'm an amateur. It's childish."

Now his interest peaked. "Is he, like, assaulting you?"

Anzu crossed sparkle covered her arms, looking over her shoulder to make sure the intermission wasn't over. "I think so. A couple times he's asked me out, and every time I've said no. In general, he's a major creep."

"Why don't you tell one of the directors?" Malik asked, his brows rising up.

The dancer sighed. "One, I'd rather not get many people involved. And two, I think that if I do tell someone, he'd act all innocent and act up more afterward." She smiled, shrugging a little as if she was unsure about it all herself.

Malik had nothing to say, but the urge to say something comforting and reassuring surfaced, but he couldn't figure out the words he'd have to say. "Well...um...I..."

Anzu meanwhile was looking over her shoulder, her smile dropping a little. "Intermission is over, Malik. I gotta go, and you too...right?" Her smile perked up when he nodded.

She didn't say another word, but Malik followed her to the backstage area, watching as she went to the other side to take her place as he did him by the ropes that controlled the curtain and his cue book.

This time he'd watch the ballet with more interest than ever.

Lavender eyes blinked into painful awareness as the backstage lights finally illuminated, nearly blinding him as he had been sitting in the dark for two hours straight. He managed to close the closing curtain on time this time around, a sarcastic comment coming through on his headset.

Tossing the headset into a box where they belonged, Malik shook his head, freeing his patted down hair so that it took back its normal shape again. He received a message just before he had taken the headset off that he'd have to stay an extra half hour to help set everything back up for tomorrow's rehearsal.

Grumbling at the unexpected delay as he thought he would leave by ten o'clock p.m., Malik did as ordered and helped set up what was needed to be set up for the next day.

Heaving a sigh, Malik finally managed to make it outside into the fresh, crisp air. It had eventually gotten uncomfortably hot in there, and the smell of sweat was starting to fill his senses more than he would've liked.

But now, he needed to go home and call Ryou and rant about how he'd never do a favor for him ever again. Maybe even threaten their friendship if the albino protested. Smirking to himself, he started off the theater's grounds.

He was about to cross the road to get to the other sidewalk when Malik was suddenly stopped by a protesting noise, some shouts and slaps.

Turning around, Malik caught sight of the edge of the building, and two shadowy figures, obviously one trying to get away from the other. Inching closer, Malik immediately recognized the one trying to get away to be Anzu, and the other...that dancer, what was his name?

Oh yeah, Johnny Step.

Dressed in loose fitting sweats and a tight T-shirt, Anzu yanked her arm out of Johnny's grasp, hitting him over the shoulder with her duffel bag. "Get away from me! I'm not interested you loser!"

But Johnny persisted, and took the bag's blow and grabbed the girl dancer around the waist. "C'mon, you're an amateur, and if you come with me, I can show you some...moves..."

"Ew, you jerk! Let go of me!" Anzu protested louder this time, unsuccessful trying to get out of the male dancer's strong hook.

Malik watched, rage building up. No one had the right to handle and speak to Anzu like that! He moved forward again, glad that he was wearing all black...well, until he realized he wasn't wearing a mask to hide his blonde hair and face.

"Hey!" Johnny shouted, his gaze suddenly fixated on Malik. "Get outta here! No need to see any of this."

"Malik!"

"You know this freak?" Johnny asked incredulously, not noticing how Anzu pushed herself out of his grasp.

Malik moved more into view, lavender eyes directed angrily toward Johnny. "What are you doing? Don't you get that Anzu doesn't like you?"

"Of course my little dancer does. She adores me," Johnny retorted, placing a hand to his chest in reference. "Now come back and I'll show you some real moves, Anzu."

Anzu stood by Malik now, a scowl of disgust and anger on her face. "Get a life, Johnny. You have mirrors to adore yourself with."

"You little..."

"Stop, Johnny," Malik warned.

"Or else what? You're too scrawny and pathetic to save yourself from a kitten," Johnny sneered, not taking a liking to the new comer.

Malik rolled his eyes at the cruel comment, brushing it away. "You don't want to know what I'm capable of, Johnny." From behind his back, he drew his millennium rod that was fixated to his hip.

He was told numerous times by his friends that he was ridiculously stupid for carrying around the golden item, but ever since it was given to him, he felt immediately safe wherever he was. Besides, it looked good strapped to his hip.

"Oh what's that? Oversized jewelry for your stupid piercings?" Johnny insulted harshly, rolling his own eyes, getting bored from the situation.

A click was heard, and a small smirk grew on Malik's lips as the millennium item split into two parts. In his dominant hand, he quickly held out the deadly dagger that was hidden within.

"I've been trained, you know. Trained to kill," Malik said, smirk growing look maniacal.

"You're bluffing," the male dancer said, sounding a little nervous once he got a full glance at the weapon and the crazy grin.

"You might want to think again," Malik said seriously, and Johnny shivered at the sudden chill. "So I suggest you get out of here, but first promise that you'll never in your pathetic life bother Anzu again. Am I clear?"

Johnny seemed to be panicking at his words, and he shivered again, nodding finally after a few moments of silence. "Right, then," he said, turning on his heel, running off into the night.

Once he was out of sight, Malik put away the weapon, and placed the millennium item back on his hip securely, turning around to see a sweetly smiling Anzu.

A blush was evidently creeping up onto her face. "Thank you, Malik. Thank you so much." She enveloped him into a hug, her blush becoming apparently worse at this action the moment she pulled back, blue eyes shining in the dark. "Why did you do that?"

"Y'know, just wanted to help you in a time of need," Malik said awkwardly.

Anzu shook her head slightly. "No, really, why?"

Malik looked down at his feet, trying to find the right words. "You're just...you're beautiful, Anzu. Even more so on stage. I never knew you were that good at what you loved, and seeing him do that to you...you don't deserve that kind of treatment. You deserve better than that."

Anzu seemed to be at a loss of words at the moment. She blushed some more and dropped her duffel bag to the cold ground. Inching closer, she rubbed her own arm and without hesitation, connected their lips together in an innocent kiss.

It was so sweet; Malik couldn't believe it was over. Looking at Anzu now, she was blushing more than a person should blush, smiling embarrassedly.

"I always did think you were cute in school," she said softly, and Malik chuckled, taking her hand in his own, bending down to pick up her discarded bag.

"Mind if I walk you home?" he offered, squeezing her hand a little, pleased to find her squeezing back.

Anzu nodded, and they started walking, talking about a couple things and how Malik obtained a secret weapon and such all the way to her house a couple blocks down from the theater.

Lightly pecking her on the cheek as they stood on her brightly orange lit porch, Malik said his goodbyes as did Anzu, and once the dancer was safely inside, Malik walked away, humming.

He'd probably have to beg Ryou to fake being sick for the rest of the week now.