Disclaimer – Everything Yu-Gi-Oh!, even unworthy crackfic such as this, is based upon Mr. Takahashi's awesome work. I do not claim any ownership to his property, merely an increasing affection for his world and characters.

Summary – Mana's spell goes horribly awry and mass chaos ensues. Underneath all the fun fur, stuffing, felt, and fluff Yugi discovers how deeply connected to his duel monsters he really is. A Mahaad's Magic Box story. Warning – lots and lots of hugs!

Plushi-Oh!

"Well, this is just... What's that word you use? 'Peachy'?" Yugi blinked sleep from his eyes. The voice grumbling next to his ear was only half-familiar in tone. Something completely unfamiliar and unexpected touched his ear.

"Gah!" Yugi flailed up off the bed and would have crashed to the floor but for an enormous purple pillow that suddenly appeared to catch his fall.

"Young one, what is the next level of awful beyond 'peachy'?"

Yugi blinked, and blinked, and blinked again. It didn't help. Floating a mere foot away from him was the Dark Magician plushie that Mana had crafted for his soul room. It made sense that it was here, as Yugi had fallen 'asleep' in his soul room while Yami enjoyed a few hours of relaxation and freedom using Yugi's body. What did not make sense was for the toy to be moving about on its own, casting magic, and being grumbly. Unless...

"Ma-Mahaad?!"

"As much as it pains me to admit it – yes," the toy replied.

Disconcerted with how the plushie was floating in the air, Yugi reached out and grabbed it. "What happened?"

"I was endeavoring to teach Mana how to use a minor confusion spell. Not wishing to subject any one else to the unpleasant effect, I lowered my resistance to magic so that we would know when Mana had perfected her use of the spell. Unfortunately, my pupil hadn't apply herself diligently enough to her studies, so not only did she mispronounce one of the key syllables in the spell, but also used the wrong mystic gesture-glyph at the exact same wrong moment. As near as I can fathom, instead of a simple confusion spell, Mana cast a Mass Chaos spell. This is the result."

"Can't you undo it? I mean, you are so much more powerful..."

Mahaad shook his plushie head. "All of my magic seems to be related to all things dealing with plush toys, now, instead of spirit sorcery or Dark Magic as it's supposed to. It is most..." Abruptly Mahaad dropped his face into his hand in the classic 'face-palm' gesture of extreme stress and pathos. Unfortunately, the effect was a far more comic 'face-plush' and Yugi couldn't help a tiny snicker.

"What am I going to do?!" Mahaad wailed.

Yugi sobered and snuggled the plushie tight against his chest in a non-verbal attempt to comfort. The situation was very humorous from his point of view, but it didn't take much empathy to realize it was not at all funny from Mahaad's perspective. "Don't worry. Yami and I..."

"No! Yami can't see me – like this." Mahaad struggled free from Yugi's arms to float in the air again. "I am worthless this way. It would be more than I could bear for my pharaoh to see..."

"Yugi?" Entirely familiar tones sounded in the hallway between soul rooms. "Who are you talking to?"

Mahaad stopped floating, fell to the ground, and lifelessly rolled over onto his front. Yami stopped and stood framed in the doorway.

"Uhm..." Yugi started.

"Something is wrong." Yami narrowed his eyes. "Very wrong. I can sense it. Aibou! What is happening?"

"Uhm..."

Before Yugi could formulate a reply, or do anything to stop him, Yami strode into the room and picked up the Dark Magician plush toy. Cradling it between his hands, he fixed his most searching and daunting gaze on the toy's lifelessly impassive face. "Stop pretending to be just a toy," he growled. "I can tell that you are Mahaad."

The plushie's shoulders slumped at that. Mumbled sounds of protest rumbled, too.

"What did you say?" Yami demanded harshly.

"I said you are too perceptive by half!" Mahaad yelled. Yugi only then realized that Mahaad's plushie voice was higher-toned than his usual one.

"This is a bit elaborate for a game of hide-and-seek, don't you think, Mahaad?"

"That is...! It's not...! Oooh!" Mahaad reached his arm back and whacked Yami in the nose with his plushie Dark Magic staff as hard as he could. Yami blinked at him.

"Uhm–? Ouch?"

"You...! That...!" Mahaad seemed incapable of completing a sentence in English. A string of gibberish followed that Yugi couldn't understand, but that made Yami narrow his eyes dangerously and tighten his grip.

"Yami! Uhm, let me." Yugi retrieved the Dark Magician from his partner's murderous fingers. "Obviously something has happened. Mahaad didn't do this on purpose, Mana messed up some spell or another and that's how he wound up here, and in this state. Why don't we go and find out what's happening in the Magic Box?"

Yami closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and visibly calmed down. Imperiously, he gestured for Yugi to return Mahaad to him. After a moment, he absently started to stroke a finger across the velvety texture of the plushie spaulders of Dark Magician's armor. "Of course. But, there's something I have to tell you." At Yugi's questioning look, he continued. "While I was out I ran into Kaiba."

Yugi wondered how his heart could sink and elate at the same time, but that was Kaiba for you. He closed his eyes. Some day, they were going to have that re-match both of them craved, at a time when mitigating circumstances didn't render it meaningless for one or the other of them.

"That's why I returned early. He wants to duel."

Yugi groaned. "Not now. We've..."

Yami shook his head cutting Yugi off. "Yes, now. If we don't, he'll say we forfeit to him..."

"You can't let that, that – duelist –" Mahaad seemed unwilling, if not unable, to give Kaiba the benefit of his name. "win! Who knows? Playing my card in a duel might be just the trick to undo the Mass Chaos spell and straighten out this mess, too."

"There's a thought!" Yami agreed. "Let's do it!" Without thinking, he tossed the plushie in his hands over to Yugi to place back on the bed, as he'd done dozens of times before. Of course, when he'd done this before, said plushie was just a plushie, and not one of his best friends. Mahaad squawked at the indignity of it all and refused to face Yami while he tried to apologize.

"Motou?" Kaiba's unmistakable voice boomed through the soul rooms. "Stop zoning out and get your cards. That is, unless you are too frightened to duel me?"

"Dammit!" Yami cursed. "I'll deal with you, later!" He tossed the last comment over his shoulder at his highly-offended duel monster.

– – – – –
Author's note –

Eeee! I've been wanting to write this bit of silliness for the longest time. Now that The Remedy is finished, I can finally focus my attention on writing something light, frivolous, and fun. Expect some out-of-character moments, short chapters, and the most absurd, flyweight plot. It's time to play!

Next chapter teaser – Who Let The Fluff Out?