A/N: This is sort of a filler chapter, but I wanted to show the growth in their relationship. Actually the first part of this chapter is basically a long rant about how I feel about EFD which I'm sure you're all sick of hearing about but bear with me! The drama is coming, I swear!
Disclaimer: Not Mine!
Intelligent. It had been almost three weeks tutoring her now and that was the best way he knew how to describe her. She was many other things but unfortunately he had little time to explore those since he was primarily her tutor and TA.
He wasn't hesitant to criticize her but he didn't withhold praise either. She accepted both with a confidence and grace that most high school girls lacked sorely. Her friend and once his though she truly seemed to buy that he was Yuugi's cousin now, Miho Nosaka, was very sweet and intuitive but not particularly intelligent.
Anzu on the contrary was not exactly sweet though she hadn't thought for a second that he was Yuugi's 'cousin'. Their little game of trying to make the other bring up his 'true identity' hadn't come up again since that meeting.
His curiosity and friendship towards her was distracting and he had regrettably promised to do his best to help her. And ok, maybe he was a little afraid of becoming too close to her. There was no rules prohibiting friendships or even relationships between TAs and students but he had spent years avoiding the people who knew him as the 'other Yuugi' and to confront that small fear now admittedly made him nervous.
But based solely off what he knew of her since meeting her again? She was confident yet humble; she liked to be in control and didn't like this 'stupidity' as she called her learning disorder which he frowned upon strongly whenever she brought it up.
She was extremely intelligent, she could carry a conversation and she was by no means immature. She wasn't necessarily 'smart' in the classical sense of the word, her grades were from what she told him, average, some higher than others and her math based ones were low.
She was far from stupid though. No one stupid could have held his attention for so long with one simple passing comment.
"I wasn't entirely truthful...Crimson is a beautiful color...but it's also a very rare eye color. An old friend of mine had eyes like that."
What did that mean? The thought would come and go, weaving in his thoughts at times barely there in the back of his mind, other times torturing him as he tried to figure it out. Was she taunting him? Was he supposed to figure out which of their old friends had crimson eyes?
She had never brought it up again and she seemed embarrassed but sad at the time. What was he supposed to make of that? Crimson was a color like violet and red mixed she had said. He wasn't certain exactly what that was supposed to look like and he considered asking Yuugi after some time of not being able to figure it out on his own, too proud to use something obvious like the internet for answers but he knew Yuugi would want to know why and that would be a disaster in and of itself.
So he was left to ponder...
...
Mysterious. She couldn't figure him out either of them at all and she found it frustrating yet at the same time alluring. One day Mutou-san was playing games with her, trying to get to know her while not admitting entirely to being that person then the next day he was cold and focused again.
Sometimes he loosened up a little, days when she did particularly well, and it was this unintentional reward system of his that kept her focused and passionate to do her absolute best. He wasn't afraid to criticize her that was for sure, and she always cringed when his frown was upon her.
Even though she knew he wasn't angry at her that fathomless bone chilling tone he used when he called her out in class or in private...it made her spine crawl. Maybe she was masochistic but the sensation was a strange mix of pleasant and frightening at the same time.
Even though she saw him every day now he was still just as hard to connect with as he had been back then. Thrilling was how she'd describe it. That exciting fear...very thrilling.
Less thrilling was the stress of dance right now. Projects and assignments during class and between class and her tutoring sessions was her private practice with Marik. She felt like he had set up an invisible box around himself that she couldn't penetrate no matter how much she wanted to.
Every time she tried to talk to him normally outside of practice the words died on her tongue when she saw the cold look on his face and during practice he was even stricter then she was. When it's time to dance, it's time to dance. Socializing can wait for a less important time; he said whenever she begged for a break.
He was an incredible dancer though it was little comfort since she felt strange dancing with him. He criticized her ruthlessly even if it wasn't meant to be cruel she was sure, and he was so good at self correcting that she had little to offer in return.
It was an unbalanced and painfully awkward partnership. How was it that she could have two 'teachers' both so hard to understand and mysterious at the same time? One going through confusing mood swings that jumbled her own emotions, the other so focused on dancing and blocking any emotional connection she knew nothing about him beyond his name.
Sometimes men were absolutely the most frustrating creatures on earth!
...
Again, Anzu-san, this time keep your spin tighter. She groaned aloud, racing through the hallway to the science wing which was conveniently situated on the other side of the school. Faster Anzu-san, she thought to herself mockingly, imagining Marik saying it as he stood beside her, arms crossed firmly.
So many repetitions today! She felt bad to keep Mutou-san waiting, but hopefully he'd understand...
"I'm here!" She announced, all but collapsing through the doorway, her heart thumping and her legs still screaming from the hour of hard work. He raised an eyebrow at her impromptu entry, obviously unimpressed as he looked at the clock above her head in clear warning.
She swallowed hard, feeling heat rise to her face as she walked meekly across the room, sitting down on her side of the desk. Great, her hair was awful, she must smell horrible and to top it off she was late! She was never late! Still, she'd just have to explain.
"I'm sorry Mutou-san," She said gluing her eyes to the desk as she bowed her head respectfully, hair that escaped from her ponytail falling in her face.
"Why are you so late?" He asked, ignoring the apology as though he could sense it wasn't whole hearted. Raising her head with a small sigh she resisted the urge to fan her overheated face with her hand.
It wasn't just embarrassment; dancing and running across the school had really taken it out of her! He observed her flushed face fathomlessly, noticing her harsh breathing she was struggling to control and the way her hair was tossed back in a messy ponytail.
He had never seen it like that before, it was always carefully combed down to her shoulders. To complete the image she was wearing a tank top and sweatpants that rode low around her hips, a weary look on her exhausted face.
He was pretty sure showing the skin between her low slung waist band and the hemline of her top which fell short by several inches was against school rules but then again the bell had already rung and he felt a little awkward pointing that out.
Besides she was very attractive.
"I'm in the dance program, and I practice after school every day. I'll try my best not to be late again but dance come before everything else," She told him faithfully despite the tired look on her face, a fierce passion burning there as though expecting him to contradict her. To be fair most teachers wouldn't like to hear that their class was less important than another but his curiosity won out in this case.
"I think you mentioned dancing once before...is it something you're interested in for the future?" He asked casually and she blinked twice, looking innocently surprised.
"Well, it's always been a dream of mine," She replied, not as boldly as before but with the same sure confidence in her words.
"I've loved dancing since I was a child when my mother signed me up for ballet lessons. Ever since then I always swore I would study it professionally. I'm still studying it in school and out of school," She continued, happiness glowing in her proud words and he couldn't help a small smile.
"I hope you never give up that dream then, I'm sure you'd do well in any field you chose whether it is as a solo artist or a teacher," He said smoothly and was quietly pleased by the way her cheeks changed from their overheated red to a delicate pink blush under his praise.
Being a professional dancer wasn't easy, she probably didn't often get much praise no matter whether she deserved it or not but from the exhaustion he'd been noticing in her lately which probably came from stretching herself between friends, school and dance he could tell she was serious about it.
"I can't help but admire someone with so much passion," He continued and her smile glowed in a way he hadn't seen in a long time.
"Not many people think it's a good thing," She admitted with a small laugh though she didn't seem self-conscious. Everyone was bound to hate people who had more than them whether it was beauty, brains or raw talent and she accepted that while vowing never to give up.
It only fuelled her passion to be the best. It was what kept her going with Marik-kun even when he frustrated her, because in the end he was only helping her along the way with his criticism even if it hurt to get there.
"I would like to see you dance sometime," He said musingly before guiding his gaze back to her face and wondered if he had overstepped some sort of line by the genuinely surprised look on her face. Her mouth opened then closed as though she didn't know what to say and he winced remembering the delicate grey zone he had been avoiding.
"Well like I said...I practice every day after school before I come here in studio three. It's not illegal to come and watch," She said sounding almost shy despite her confidence in her abilities and the invitation grabbed his interest.
Not that he planned to actually come, that would probably be considered inappropriate but he accepted it graciously all the same, wondering what it would be like to see her dance. She seemed so passionate about it, and she worked so hard, he had no doubt she was amazing.
They returned to the science and he pushed the thoughts about, deciding not to think about them until a better time.
A/N: Will Yami go watch her dance? Maybe eventually but not necessarily soon...you'll just have to read and find out! ;) Please leave a review with constructive criticism or compliments they help so much with the writing process!
Here's a preview of the next chapter:
"Really Mazaki-chan," He said cheerfully, walking towards her from his position by the door to where she stood in the centre of the room, "I knew you would be a good dancer, but I didn't know you were quite so...phenomenal." She froze, anger cooling and abruptly fading away.
"Ph-phenomenal?" She stammered, and he wondered if she was blushing the way she had before beneath the overheated red of her cheeks from dancing.
So maybe he will go see her dance ;)