Chapter Three of "Imaginary Playmate"

By Melinda-chan

I had to re-do my draft (I always write on paper first) when I accidentally ruined it. Fortunately, it was only water so I was able to write what I saw on the first paper with a few changes. I was quite upset and I hope everyone understands. This chapter would have been uploaded sooner.

Now that I am done with that, let the chapter begin!

Anzu ran to Domino High School. She normally had Yugi with her but she was late. What time was it? She wondered. She wished she had a watch. Anzu was glad that she was fit since most girls would be out of breath by now. Her face brightened when she saw her friends at the school's entrance.

"Hello Yugi! Jonouchi! Honda! I am so sorry! I was watching something on TV and forgot the time!" Anzu explained.

"I was so worried! I thought you might have been sick! I was going to call your home after I got home!" Yugi said.

"What was so important on TV that you almost missed school?" Honda asked as they went inside.

"It was a news special," Anzu told them. "Something happened at the Kaiba mansion."

"Oh? What is he up to?" Jonouchi asked in disdain.

"That's the problem," Anzu answered. "No one knows." This caused the boys to look more interested.

"What do you mean?" Yugi inquired. "Is something wrong with Kaiba?"

"According to the news special, Seto and Mokuba have not been seen the past two days. There is an investigation but so far no one knows what happened."

"Do you mean no one has a clue what happened to them?" Yugi asked her.

"No I don't think anyone does. Some people tried to get into the mansion but they say that something prevents them."

"Is that so?" a soft-spoken voice sounded, causing the four to look at the source of the voice.

"Hey Bakura! How are you doing?" Yugi questioned. The white-haired teen walked to them and smiled.

"I am doing fine thank you," Bakura answered. His face then turned serious. "I also heard that Seto Kaiba had disappeared in his mansion. When a search was made, they encountered a monster that looked like a gigantic bug that attacked them. Not even Kaiba's people have been able to search for them."

"A gigantic bug? Was it a real monster?" Yugi asked.

"It apparently is. And the creepiest thing is that the description of it matches the description of the Man-Eater Bug" Bakura said.

"You mean the monster from the Magic and Wizards card game?" Yugi asked. ("Magic and Wizards" is the original name for Duel Monsters.)

"Yes" Bakura nodded. "It sounds like something is very wrong."

"You don't think one of Kaiba's virtual game systems had gone amok?" Honda asked. "That could explain the monsters." Yugi imagined the sorts of monsters that may now be roaming inside the mansion.

"We have to find out what's wrong!" Yugi exclaimed. "Kaiba may be in great danger! He may need our help!"

"Yeah right! Like he is going to thank us!" Jonouchi retorted. "He'll probably just tell us to leave."

"Still we need to help him and Mokuba! They could be in great danger!" Yugi exclaimed. "We have to go there and save them!"

"Then why don't we go to the mansion and find out the problem and solve it before it gets worse?" Honda suggested.

"Alright" Jonouchi said. "I guess I'll go too."

"We better do it after school" Anzu told them. "The sooner we do it, the better!"

"Okay! We'll go to the mansion after school! I just hope it wouldn't take too long! I don't want Grandpa to get worried about me!" Yugi said. Jonouchi, Honda and Anzu all nodded.

"In any case we should go to class now," Anzu said.

"I wish you the best of luck," Bakura said. "We don't want any monsters to escape from the Kaiba mansion."

"You said it right, Bakura. Classes are going to start so we all should leave now," Yugi said.

"First, school, then the Kaiba mansion!" Jonouchi said, lifting his right fist up. "Let's go! I can't want to get started!" Everybody but Bakura started walking.

"I never thought you would be this excited for school!" Honda teased.

"I'm just excited at kicking monster butt!" Jonouchi exclaimed.

"Sure you are," Anzu laughed.

"What does that mean?" Jonouchi demanded. Now everybody laughed, including Bakura. The white-haired boy's expression then changed as the group pulled away from him.

"Hey Bakura! Class is going to start!" Yugi yelled.

"I am coming!" Bakura yelled back. He ran to catch up with them. There would be time to think later.

"Do you think we can enter?" Anzu asked. She, Yugi, Jonouchi and Honda were at the front of the Kaiba mansion. They were still in their school uniforms.

"What makes you think we can't?" Jonouchi questioned.

"I don't know. I suppose the yellow tape that reads 'Do Not Trespass' does not mean anything" Anzu said. This did not faze Jonouchi.

"We'll just climb the gate," Jonouchi said. He grabbed hold of the gate and started to climb on it.

"Jonouchi! We can't do that! We might get caught!" Yugi yelled out. As much as he wanted to help Kaiba, he didn't want to explain to his Grandpa why he was calling from the police station.

"No one here is watching us, Yugi" Jonouchi said. He was now halfway up the gate. "Don't be a scaredy-cat! I am doing fine!"

"I guess it would be alright," Yugi said. He turned to Anzu. "Anzu, why don't you go up before me and Honda?" Anzu clutched her skirt.

"So you can look up my skirt? No way!" Anzu exclaimed. Yugi went red in embarrassment. "I can't believe you would suggest that! You and Honda go up first then I will go!"

"Um, okay. Why don't you go up only when Honda and I are over the gate then?" Yugi asked.

"I guess so" Anzu answered. "I'll be staying on the ground until you go down, okay?"

"Okay, Anzu," Yugi said. So he and Honda went up the gate. Yugi kept his head upward so he would not look down.

"Be careful Anzu!" Yugi shouted when he and Honda were on the other side. Anzu gripped the bars of the gate and used her feet to balance herself while she went up.

"Okay here I go!" Anzu went up the gate. She then went over it. She looked at the boys. "You guys better not be below my skirt! I am going down!" She then dropped down. She landed on her feet but she lost her balance and fell butt first on the ground. The boys gathered around her.

"Are you alright Anzu?" Yugi asked, concerned. Jonouchi and Honda were about to help her when she got up by herself and wiped the back of her skirt.

"I am fine. At least we are at the other side of the gate" Anzu replied. They now all looked at the mansion.

"This is it" Yugi said, taking a deep breath.

"Let's found out what happened to Kaiba," Jonouchi said. They all nodded. They then ran toward the mansion.

They did not know but Mabel was watching from a window. She saw them run to the mansion. She was happy.

"Oh boy! More playmates for me! And they even brought a girl!" Mabel exclaimed. She then looked at the Seto and Mokuba dolls. "I better take you back to the bedroom." She then took them to Mokuba's bedroom. There were teacups and bowls all over the floor. "I think all the tea has gone cold. I should make more tea." She then drank the remaining tea from the cups. "Yummy! I'll empty my kettle for you two." She then refilled two cups. "I'll make some more now. My new playmates might want some. I better put these bowls in the sink. I'll clean them later." She then gathered the bowls and put the kettle atop of them. "I am going back to the kitchen. I wouldn't be there for long okay?" The dolls did not respond. "I really wish that you two could talk." They still didn't say anything. She then left the room. The Seto doll then fell head-first into the tea cup.

Meanwhile, in another part of the mansion, Yugi, Jonouchi, Anzu and Honda were inside the mansion.

"I can't believe we got in so easily!" Yugi exclaimed.

"Yeah. You expect guards to be here or something," Jonouchi said.

"So what do we do now?" Honda asked.

Yugi looked all around. White walls stared back at him. He heard nothing strange. It was like the mansion was abandoned. He looked at his friends. They looked back at him in return.

"We know that this place is big. We could be here all night. I think we should split up. That way we could cover more ground," Yugi suggested.

"Remember what Bakura said about monsters roaming around," Jonouchi reminded him. "They're probably not real but that might not mean anything."

"I almost forgot that!" Yugi gasped. "What are we going to do?"

"Beats me. I mean we're not in a virtual game system so they might be harmless" Honda told them.

"In that case, the police and Kaiba's employees wouldn't have a problem with them," Anzu said. "I know this may sound crazy but I don't think whoever is responsible for this is normal."

'Someone with the power to create monsters and put them in the real world. I don't think my other self could do that' Yugi thought.

"In any case, what are we going to do about the monsters?" Jonouchi asked. "We can't just scare them away." It was then when Anzu saw something coming at Jonouchi and Honda.

"Maybe we should run," Anzu said, looking worried as the giant bug got closer and closer to her tall friends.

"Why should we do that Anzu?" Jonouchi asked, puzzled. It was then that Yugi looked up and saw the monster.

"Right behind you, Jonouchi and Honda! It's the Man-Eater Bug!" Yugi yelled. Jonouchi and Honda immediately turned around.

"Oh my God! It's huge!" Jonouchi exclaimed. "Yugi, what can it do?"

"It's not a powerful monster but it can automatically destroy any monster on the field, no matter how powerful it is" Yugi explained.

"So in other words, it can eat one of us whole" Jonouchi said.

"Yeah that's about it" Yugi replied.

"There is only one thing to do then," Honda said. He then saw the monster opened its mouth, revealing its sharp teeth. "Run!" They all turned around and headed for the hallway. "Yugi! Anzu! Go in one direction! Jonouchi and I will go in another! It can't follow all of us that way!"

"Okay!" Anzu yelled. "Yugi, follow me!" At first Yugi was hesitant but when he saw her go to the right side of the hallway, he followed her. They ran as fast as they could. After a few minutes, Anzu looked back and then stopped. Yugi did too.

"Why did you stop?" Yugi asked her.

"It's not chasing us" Anzu answered.

"You mean the Man-Eater Bug went after Jonouchi and Honda?!" Yugi said. "We need to go after it!"

"We don't even know where it went" Anzu reasoned. "I know it sounds cruel but we have to leave them behind-"

"No we can't! Jonouchi and Honda might be in trouble!" Yugi yelled at her. Anzu could see that he was getting very upset.

"Calm down Yugi! I am sure that they got away safely," Anzu said. 'I hope' she thought. She was about to say something else when she saw something behind him. "Um, Yugi, we got a worse problem of our own." Yugi looked back to see a Blue Eyes White Dragon monster standing behind them, preventing them from going back down the hallway. It roared.

"The Blue Eyes White Dragon! It is the most powerful monster in Magic and Wizards! We better get out of here!" Yugi yelled. Anzu did not object. Instead, she took him by the left hand and ran around the corner. Just as they did, the Blue Eyes White Dragon let out a blast. It created a hole on the other side of the wall.

"Did you heat that, Yugi? That monster is real!" Anzu exclaimed. Yugi nodded as he saw it over his right shoulder.

'Jonouchi, Honda, I hope you both are okay,' Yugi thought. He had no choice but to escape with Anzu from the great blue-white dragon. He only hoped that his friends escaped the Man-Eater Bug.

In the meantime Jonouchi and Honda were still running from the monster. Both boys were breathing hard as they ran hallway after hallway. The Man-Eater Bug effortlessly chased them.

"Man, what can we do to outrun it?" Jonouchi asked Honda.

"I don't need to outrun it" Honda replied. Jonouchi looked surprised. "All I need is to outrun you."

"Yeah-hey!" Jonouchi yelled. He was about to say more when he tripped. As an attempt to hold onto something, he grabbed onto the back of Honda's school uniform causing both of them to fall down. The Man-Eater Bug looked down at them with a seemingly hungry expression on its face.

"This is the end Honda," Jonouchi said, clutching his friend's shoulders as he cried. "I will always remember you, Honda! You were my very best friend, Honda!"

"So were you, Jonouchi!" Honda said, crying as well. They hugged each other and cried as the Man-Eater Bug watched on. They waited for the monster to open its mouth and seal their doom.

Only it didn't come.

"That's enough! Man-Eater Bug, return!" a voice sounded. The monster then disappeared. Honda and Jonouchi looked at the direction of the voice.

"Hey it's Mokuba!" Honda exclaimed. He and Jonouchi then looked at each other as if they realized that they were still holding each other so they separated their arms and they landed on the floor. The two teens stood up and looked down at 'Mokuba'.

"So Mokuba, what happned? You and Seto haven't been seen for two days!" Jonouchi said. 'Mokuba' did not respond. "So where is Seto? Not that I really care."

"I can show you Set-o if you want me to" 'Mokuba' said quietly.

"Why not? The worst thing Seto could do is ask us to leave" Honda said to Jonouchi. "And we can find Yugi and Anzu and tell them that Seto and Mokuba are okay and get out of here." Jonouchi nodded.

"Alright" Jonouchi replied. He then turned to 'Mokuba'. "Lead us to Seto."

'Mokuba' nodded and took them to a door. 'He' opened it.

"This is where Seto is," 'Mokuba' said. Jonouchi and Honda looked inside.

"Where is he?" Jonouchi asked.

"He's on the floor" 'Mokuba answered. The two teens looked down and was astonished to see a brown-haired doll with the likeness of Seto Kaiba with its head partially in a teacup. They then saw a black-haired doll with the likeness of Mokuba next to a filled teacup. "Here he is." 'Mokuba' then picked up the Seto doll and handed it to Jonouchi. "And this is Mo-ku-ba." 'He' then picked up the Mokuba doll and handed it to Honda. They examined them.

"I knew that Seto made toys but I didn't think he would make dolls, especially of him and Mokuba" Honda said. "They are perfect replicas of them." 'Mokuba' looked pleased.

"And they look so cute too," Jonouchi said. He then looked at 'Mokuba'. "These are nice but we were looking for the real Seto."

"They are the real Set-o and Mo-ku-ba" 'Mokuba' replied.

"Woah!" Jonouchi exclaimed. He then accidentally dropped the Seto doll onto the floor. "Oops! Sorry there, Seto!"

"You mean you're not Mokuba?" Honda questioned, still holding the Mokuba doll.

"I am Mabel," she replied. "Set-o was not being a good big brother so I made him into a doll. Mo-ku-ba got upset with me. I was afraid he might not want me anymore so I made him into a doll and now we can be together forever or until I don't want him anymore." Jonouchi and Honda's eyes went wide in horror.

"You mean you're the one that made them into dolls?" Jonouchi asked her. He then saw the Man-Eater Bug card in her hands. "And you're the one that made that card come alive!"

"Yes" Mabel responded. Jonouchi turned to Honda.

"One of us got to find Yugi and Anzu and get them here," Jonouchi said to Honda in a low voice.

"I'll do it. I thought something strange was going on," Honda replied. "I thought this Mokuba was a little too small."

"I'll keep this fake Mokuba busy until you get Yugi and Anzu here" Jonouchi said. Honda nodded. He then handed the Mokuba doll to him.

"Take care of Seto and Mokuba. And do be careful, Jonouchi. We don't know what other tricks this fake Mokuba can do," Honda said. Jonouchi nodded. They then turned to Mabel.

"My friend Honda is going to find our other friends Yugi and Anzu while I stay with you. Is that okay?" Jonouchi asked Mabel. She nodded.

"Okay. I don't mind having more playmates," she answered.

"Honda, try to get them here as fast as you can!" Jonouchi told him.

"I will! See you later, Jonouchi! And good luck!" Honda said as he went to the door. He was then gone.

"So what do you like to play?" Mabel asked.

"Do you know how to play Magic and Wizards?" Jonouchi asked. Mabel scowled.

"I already know how to play it" Mabel answered. "Mo-ku-ba taught me. Is the game that popular?"

"You bet" Jonouchi answered. "There are tournaments that players can go and win prizes. My friend Yugi is a great player. He even beat Pegasus Crawford, the creator, and Seto Kaiba, the world champion."

"Is he really that great?" Mabel asked.

"If you don't believe me, then wait until Honda gets him and see for yourself" Jonouchi nodded.

'He might be the playmate I am looking for' Mabel thought. She then looked at Jonouchi. "In that case, I do not need you anymore. You can become one of my dolls." And before Jonouchi could say anything in reply, Mabel snapped her fingers.

In the meantime, Honda was running through the hallways and opening any unlocked doors. Once in a while, he would stop and shout Yugi and Anzu's names.

"Yugi! Anzu!" he shouted. 'Damn' he thought. 'How am I supposed to find Yugi and Anzu in this mansion? This is going to take me days, if not weeks to go through everything." He was so focused that he didn't realize that someone was running in the opposite direction.

The inevitable collision occurred.

Honda fell straight to the floor. After what seemed to be a long time had passed, he raised his head and rubbed it.

"Shit, what happened? I felt I collided with a train!" he spoke. He then looked at the person he collided with. "Bakura?" He got up. "It is Bakura! Are you okay?" At the mention of his name, the white-haired teen raised his head and rubbed it. Honda helped him get up.

"I am all right now, thanks," Bakura replied. He then looked at Honda. "Where is Yugi and the others?"

"They are somewhere inside this mansion" Honda answered. "How did you end up here?"

"The same way you end up here I guess" Bakura answered. Honda thought about it.

"Listen, Bakura, I know that you want to help us but this is dangerous. Jonouchi and I have found the source of the monsters. She calls herself Mabel. She turned Seto and Mokuba into dolls and can turn the monsters from cards into real monsters."

"Oh my," Bakura said, astonished. "I wonder how that is possible."

"I don't know but we need to find Yugi and Anzu right away! I got Jonouchi with Mabel but I want to get Yugi and Anzu with her as quickly as possible before she does something to Jonouchi," Honda said. Bakura then glanced over Honda's shoulder.

"I think it's too late for Jonouchi" Bakura said.

"How do you know?" Honda asked. He then looked behind. He saw Mabel standing there, holding a doll version of Jonouchi. "Jonouchi! What on earth did you do to him?" Honda demanded Mabel.

"I turned him into a doll" Mabel explained. She then saw Bakura. "Who are you?"

"You can call me Bakura" the white-haired teen replied.

"Ba-ku-ra? Ba-kur-a?" the girl tried to say his name. "You sure have a weird name." Bakura smiled slightly.

"I really need to find Yugi and Anzu now. Bakura, go with Mabel and do whatever you want with her. Try to keep her occupied until I can find Yugi and Anzu and get them where Mabel is" Honda said. He then turned to Mabel. "You do want to play with Bakura, do you?"

"Sure. I want to play with Yu-gi but I can play with him until you come back" Mabel answered. "And bring the girl too!"

"Yeah sure" Honda said, sounding uncomfortable. He then looked at the Jonouchi doll. He could not believe that his best friend was now a plaything. He whispered to Bakura.

"I want you to talk to the Mokuba look-alike. I want to know what we're dealing with when I find Yugi and Anzu and then find you guys," Honda said in his right ear. Bakura nodded.

"I do have a few questions myself," Bakura whispered back. "You should go down the hallway to the north. It might lead you to them". He pointed to the direction.

"I owe you a big favour, Bakura" Honda said. He then turned to Mabel. "I am going to get my friends now. Stay with Bakura, will you?"

"I will be at Mo-ku-ba's room with your friend here. When you get your friends, I'll come after you. My monsters will tell me where you are so I could come after you," Mabel told him. (Note: Line error.)

"Thanks I think," Honda said. He then looked at Bakura. "You're sure you're okay with this? You have seen what she did to Jonouchi."

"Oh I am sure it would not be a problem," Bakura said. "Now get Yugi and Anzu." He then turned around, his expression totally changed.

"Well see you later Bakura!" Honda said. "Do take care!" He then went down the hallway and out of sight.

"Let's go to Mo-ku-ba's room. I got to show you the rest of my dolls and then we can play" Mabel said. Bakura nodded and they walked off. Mabel didn't know what Bakura had in plan, but then again, Bakura didn't know what Mabel had in plan either.

End of Chapter Three

Just two more chapters before the epilogue. I am happy to see new people reading and reviewing my work. I just want to mention that I'll be only going to answer questions at the end of the story but do keep them coming. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. Yu-Gi-Oh was created by Kazuki Takahashi. Do not forget to review!