Devil: Well, this is my first attempt writing a Yu-gi-oh fanfic and I don't really like Anzu very much. But while I was on the bus, this idea just buried itself into my brain and I wanted to try and write it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh.
People always wondered why Anzu Mazaki was always able to keep a positive, bright outlook on life. Even in her childhood years, the young girl was never seen shedding a tear. Every day, she arrived at school with a bright smile; she was prim, proper and never got into any trouble.
This was because when Anzu scraped her knee one day at her grandmother's house, she had told her this:
"Smile through the tears, Anzu-chan. The world is going to give you many challenges to face and you have two choices; adapt to them and conquer them, or you can cry and accomplish nothing".
Crying simply wouldn't help in certain situations. Whenever the boys in her class tried to get on her nerves by pulling her hair or calling her names, she never cried. Her smile never faded. It puzzled people; every little girl cried at least once. But, nobody ever saw Anzu show any emotion other than happiness.
Even when her parents got divorced, Anzu kept a straight face and showed no signs of losing ground. Her smile never faded, she saw this as a challenge and adapted to it. It was a chance for her mother to find someone new and better for her; now, she had another father. She would still see her old dad on weekends, this just meant another man was coming and he would love her just the same, just like he loved her mom.
When the elementary school had a small obstacle course and the boys had told her she couldn't be good at sports, she proved them wrong. They said that girls couldn't be good at sports, like judo, kendo and kyudo. She beat them all. Even when they called her names like "bitch" and "dumb girl", she didn't take their words to heart.
When she finally met her mom's new boyfriend, she was slightly taken aback by the scent of alcohol that harbored him. But, she took this as a chance to adapt. When he slapped her mother in front of her, she tried her hardest to not let her fear gnaw at her.
Soon after that, a new boy joined her class; Yuugi Mutou. He was immediately unpopular, for he didn't want to spend most of his time playing his other children; he preferred to play in the corner alone with his games. She was the only one who joined him. She kissed him on the lips one day and he blushed.
When the other boys made fun of him, she had to fight her hardest not to cry. Instead, she risked time out and told them where they could go in very polite terms. She was a lady and didn't cuss often, but her method of smiling through the tears was beginning to wither.
Not much sooner after that, her grandmother was diagnosed with cancer. She had to fight her hardest not to shed a tear, she didn't want to disappoint her grandmother. Every time she would visit her, her grandmother would tell her:
"Smile through the tears, Anzu-chan. I am old and weak, my challenges have all been conquered. I have not cried in over twenty years, not since I became a widow. I want you to remember me as how I lived, not how I died old and sick".
Her grandmother died not much longer, the cancer had spread very quickly and she simply refused to take the treatments. She had simply accepted the time had come for her to pass on. Anzu didn't cry.
10 Years Later
It had been a long time since she had visited the grave one last time, she bent down over the tombstone and read the inscription:
Mayumi Mazaki
1938-1998
Her smile lit up the hearts of many.
Anzu remembered the advice she had told her many times:
"Smile through the tears" she muttered.
She shed a tear, then one more. Finally, she let it all out and cried. After she finished, she wiped them all away and walked away, with her usual smile.