Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh.

Sorry guys, I thought I had already posted this chapter (heheh).

Summary: AU. Anzu is just trying to fit in, but everyone thinks she’s weird. Everyone, that is, until Ryou moves in next door. The friendship they develop is strong, even when they’re apart.

Ryou x Anzu

Smile

By: Chi Yagami

I smile and tell Paul thank you before getting out of the limo. Paul is my shoffer driver. He is very nice and always gets me to school on time. School, something I never want to see again.

“Hey, weirdo, gimmie your cash!”

I look up to see Yami and Marik walking over to me. They have evil smiles on their faces, and I know they’re gonna beat me up or something.

“I don’t got any cash,” I reply, frowning.

“Then give us whats you gots,” Marik demands. He yanks my lunch out of my hands and runs away with Yami.

I don’t have any friends. Everybody hates me because my mommy married Mr. Kaiba. They think I’m spoiled and rich, and they hate Mokuba too. But he’s lucky; he goes to the kindergarten school, miles away from here. I take all the bullying. Sometimes I fight back, but Marik always beats me up. I let them have my lunch today, because Mrs. Mullins, the kitchen lady packed a tuna casserole sandwich. I hate tuna casserole.

Inside the classroom, I don’t know where to sit. I wanna sit up front, so that Mr. Dartz will notice me, but Miho and Vivien are sitting there. I don’t want to sit next to them for an entire year. I also don’t wanna sit in front of Yami, because then he will throw spitballs at me. So I sit in the very back. I glance around the room and see many friends saying hi. I wish I had a friend. Marik’s twin, Malik, said hi to me once, but then Marik punched him. He doesn’t talk to me anymore.

Oh my! The girly boy from next door just walked in!

“Ryou!” I call, waving at him. “Ryou, over here!”

Yami and Miho stand up. Miho prances over to my desk and looks me in the eye.

“Is that your friend?”

I open my mouth but she slaps me. I stumble back and fall down; all the kids laugh at me. Yami is talking to Ryou, telling him that just because he is new, that doesn’t mean he is cool.

“I mean, look at your hair,” he is saying. “You look like a girl with white hair! Hahahaha!”

I stand up, march to him, and tap him on the shoulder. “You leave him alone!”

Yami shoves me into a desk.

“Get it through your head, Anzu,” Miho tells me, “that everybody hates you! Even your Mommy and Daddy and brother! They all hate you!”

I can feel tears running down my cheeks. I run back to my desk and bury my head in my hands. I don’t think I am crying because Miho said mean things. I am crying because what she said was kind of true.

At lunch, I sit on the front steps. My stomach is growling. I wish I had money to buy a hot lunch from the school, but I don’t. I hear footsteps behind me, so I whip around, ready to beat the pants off Yami or Miho.

“Hi,” Ryou says quietly. He sets his lunch kit down

“Hi,” I say back. “What are you doing here?” He sits down next to me, sitting on his hands.

“I thought you looked lonely. Those guys shouldn’t have said those things. It was mean.”

“But they were right…”

“I don’t think so,” Ryou says, standing up. “I don’t hate you.”

I look up. This kid is just blinking at me. Is he serious?

“You don’t?”

“Of course not.”

“But I called you a girl!”

He shrugs. “A lot of people think I’m a girl. It’s no big deal.”

“Really?”

“Sure. Can I eat with you?”

I smile and nod. “Ryou?”

“Hmm?”

“Are we friends?”

“I guess, yeah… yeah we are.”

I give him a large hug, and then I ask for a part of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

“Now, contrary to popular belief, math is not at all that bad…”

Well, not when you teach it, Mr. Dartz… He’s so dreamy. I’m interested in anything he teaches. Miho and Vivien are drooling too. I want to marry him…

“Anzu,” Ryou whispers, “why do you think Mr. Dartz is so great?”

“Because he’s handsome. And he knows everything,” I answer, sitting up as the Godman walks by.

“Oh,” is Ryou’s reply.

“Well then,” Mr. Dartz sontinues, “for your first homework assignment, I would like you all to write a paragraph about what you did over the summer.”

“Awe,” all the boys groan. All us girls just coo.

“Class dismissed,” Mr. Dartz says just as the bell rang.

“Ryou, would you like to play?” I ask, as we get our stuff from our cubbies. His is next to mine.

“Oh boy! I sure would!”

“Well then come on! We’ll stop by your house on the way.”

I skip down the steps and see my limo. Ryou’s mouth drops and I giggle. We slide into the car and I know that he is amazed.

“Paul, to the house next to ours,” I say properly. “We need to ask Ryou’s parents if he can come over and play.”

“Ryou?” Paul asks, turning around. I nod. “My friend.” I know Paul is happy that I finally had a friend. I have never brought anyone home before.

“So, do you think your parents will let you?”

Ryou shrugs. “My dad will probably be fine with it.”

“And your mom?”

“I… She… I don’t have a mom…”

…Oh. I give him a monster hug. I know exactly how he feels; I don’t have a dad.

“I’m sorry. I know what it’s like. I lost my original daddy,” I tell him sadly.

Ryou looks a little better, but we both feel a little sad. We finally get to Ryou’s house. We hop out of the car and race up the porch.

Ryou’s daddy is real nice! He treats me like his own kid, and he gives us cookies. Ryou’s brother comes in later and annoys us.

“Hey babies, eating your cookies and milk? Hahaha,” he teases.

“Shut up, Bakura.”

“Bakura?” I ask. Isn’t that their last name?

“My brother doesn’t like his real name—”

“Yeah,” Bakura interrupts, “and I’ll beat your guts out if you tell her.”

“—so he goes by just a last name.”

“I wonder what people would say if I went by my last name…”

“Wouldn’t they say Mazaki?” Ryou asks. Nevermind…

We spent like thirty minutes at Ryou’s house and then went back to the limo. We’re finally at my house! Yay!

Ryou and I go through the front door. I take off my shoes and drop my backpack by the coat rack. I notice Ryou looking nervous. I smile and tell him not to worry. Before we go upstairs, we’re going to get snacks, yum!

“Ryou, what to you want to eat? We have everything!” I say, opening the kitchen door. The chefs are busy preparing food for tonight’s dinner. Mrs. Mullins tells me that she cant fix any snacks because the entire kitchen is busy cooking for Mr. Seto’s company feast.

“I can fix my own snacks,” I tell her.

“Anzu Mazaki, you will not, I repeat not, touch anything in this kitchen!”

I sigh; that lady just does not understand me. Ryou follows me into the pantry. I glance around and decide on Chocolate Puffs Cereal and Marshmallows. I take the box and we leave the kitchen. We go up the stairs. I wave to Mokuba when we pass his room. He is playing video games. Mr. Kaiba buys him all the video games he wants; but Mokuba is a good kid. He’s not spoiled.

When me and Ryou reach my room at last, I tell him: “Everything in this room Mr. Kaiba bought for me. It don’t reflect my true uhh innerness in some way.” He is looking at me like Sparks the frog looked at me before he died. I didn’t do it, the frog just ate too many flies. And then died.

“Gots it?” I ask him. I wanna make sure he understands that most of the stuff in my room is only here because Mr. Kaiba put it there to impress Mommy. If Mommy weren’t around, I’m sure my room would be empty.

He nods. I don’t think he knows but oh well. I’ll take his worm for it. Which doesn’t make much sense, since Ryou probably doesn't have a worm. But grownups use that phrase all the time.

We get inside my bedroom, and I close the door. Toys are everywhere, so I see that the maid hasn’t been here yet. Ryou pokes the rocking horse and stares.

“I know, it’s cheap.”

“Why do you call your dad Mr. Kaiba?”

“Because he told me to. He doesn’t like me very much.”

“Oh. Does your mom know?”

“No.”

“Oh.”

He sure says that a lot.

“Maybe you should tell her…”

I grab him by the collar real hard and shake my other fist in his face.

“If you EVER tell my mommy about that, I’ll beat your guts out!” He nods really fast. We sit on my bed and eat our snacks. I like having a friend.

yay. next chapter to be posted soon...