Chapter Four of "Imaginary Playmate"
By Melinda-chan
"This is Mo-ku-ba's room," Mabel said to Bakura as she opened the room. "And this is Set-o and Mo-ku-ba." She pointed to the dolls on the floor. She picked them up and placed them sitting on the floor. "I made them into dolls." Bakura, or who she thought was Bakura, stepped forward and looked down at them.
"May I touch one of them?" he asked her.
"You can but don't take any of them from me," Mabel said. 'Bakura' chose to pick the Mokuba doll. He examined it.
"I do not see any seam or stitch," 'Bakura' said. "They are very well done." He then looked around the room. "Did you make them into dolls here?"
"I made Set-o into a doll in his room. I made Mo-ku-ba and Jo-no-u-chi into dolls here," Mabel explained.
'Hmm. I don't see any bodies around here' 'Bakura' thought. 'Perhaps she put them away.' He then saw her put the Jonouchi doll next to the Seto doll. Both the Jonouchi doll and the Seto doll fell away from each other. Mabel tried to put them together but they keep moving away. (Note: It should be apparent which Bakura it is now, hence the false quotation marks around Bakura's name).
"Hey! You're supposed to do as I say!" Mabel shouted to the dolls.
'Or maybe not,' 'Bakura' thought. "I don't think you are going to get them to cooperate. They were not friends in real life, you know" he spoke.
"I guess not," Mabel said. She put the Seto doll next to a tea cup and the Jonouchi doll next to another tea cup. "If they don't want to be together, I can't force them to." She looked at 'Bakura'. "I want Mo-ku-ba please." 'Bakura' handed her the Mokuba doll.
"You appear to made them into dolls, body and soul" 'Bakura' said. "Didn't you?"
"Yes" Mabel answered. "I made them into dolls with their bodies and souls. It is very easy to do, if you're me of course." 'Bakura' had to smile a little.
"And what exactly are you?" 'Bakura' asked her.
"I am a playmate!" Mabel responded. At first 'Bakura' looked stunned but he then lowered his eyes.
'She has such great power, yet her intellect is that of a child' 'Bakura' thought in disgust. 'Maybe that will be useful for me after all.' He then smiled back at her.
"Mabel, are you willing to do something for me?" 'Bakura' asked. Mabel looked suspiciously at him.
"Like what?" she did not sound happy. She did not like favours.
"Do you plan on making Yugi into a doll?" 'Bakura' asked.
"Maybe," Mabel answered.
"Then I want you to get the Millennium Puzzle for me. It is the pyramid-shaped golden pendant around his neck" 'Bakura' answered. "When you make Yugi into a doll, he would have no use for it."
"I didn't say I would turn him into a doll," Mabel said, sounding annoyed.
"What would you do if you are not making him into a doll?" 'Bakura' asked.
"He might be the ultimate playmate," Mabel answered. "I'll then play with him for ever and ever!" she proclaimed.
"I see" 'Bakura' said without emotion.
"Why do you want the Millennium Puzzle so bad?" Mabel asked.
"It is something that I just want" 'Bakura' simply said. "When you want something, do you try to get it?
"Well yeah" Mabel replied. "Do you collect other treasures too?"
"I got this!" 'Bakura' said. He unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the Millennium Ring. "This is the Millennium Ring. I am planning to gather all of the Millennium Items."
"It is pretty," Mabel said, seeing the golden pendant and diamond points. "I want it!"
"No" 'Bakura' said sternly, backing away from her. He was starting to regret his former action.
"But I want it!" Mabel yelled.
"And I said you can't have it!" 'Bakura' yelled back. She looked at him weirdly.
"You sure sound different now" Mabel said. "Are you sure you're Ba-kur-a?"
"You saw me with Honda, didn't you?" 'Bakura' said getting a little annoyed. He then shook his head. Would it really matter if he spoke the truth? It was not like she was a mortal.
"Actually I told you a half-truth. I am Bakura but I am not Bakura," he said. "I am like you but I need a body. So you can see why we should work together. I can get the Millennium Puzzle and increase my power, and you can get as many dolls as you want, including Yugi!" 'Bakura' hoped that he could appeal to Mabel's greed and succumb to his wishes. Mabel cocked her head in thought. Suddenly her face brightened.
"You are a playmate too!" she said very happy. 'Bakura' was taken aback.
"A playmate?" he managed to say. 'Does she really think that spirits only exists to play with mortals?' he thought. A bead of sweat came down his forehead.
"Yeah that's right," Mabel said. "You're like me but you need a body because you're not that powerful enough. Once you're like me you can go anywhere in this world and be anybody's playmate. It would be so much fun to have someone else like me around!"
'Bakura' put his hand on his face to cover his annoyance.
"Alright" he said after he partially uncovered his face. "You have an ability to be independent of your host, something that I cannot do for long. I'll give you that much. But I am not anybody's playmate. I have far greater ambitions than that. I am very sure you have an ultimate goal in your own life."
"Sure I do" Mabel said, though she sounded a little irritated. "I want to find the ultimate playmate."
'This is incredible! She has the power to turn people into dolls, unleash monsters from cards and be independent of her host- all of this outside the Shadow Realm and all she wants is to find a playmate! She has the intelligence of a four-year old kid!' he thought. 'She truly thinks she is just a playmate for kids! Unbelievable!'
"I get to play with lots of children, with their toys and games. I also get to deal with mean brothers and teachers and sometimes mean sisters and parents as well," Mabel said. "Most of the times it is fun but I do not stay with them too long. Either they get tired of me or they do something that makes me go. But I'll find the ultimate playmate and we'll play forever and ever and ever or until I get tired of her."
'Bakura' knew then that it was a mistake to make his host agree to Honda's plan. He was hoping that Mabel would be an excellent accomplice but it seems that all she cared about was playing with humans. It would have been better if he could convince Honda that he could find Yugi and Anzu- and he could as long as Yugi still had the Millennium Puzzle- and let things take over from there. But Mabel was not someone he could trust. He had to do this on his own.
"Where are you going?" Mabel asked as she saw him walking toward the door. "We are supposed to stay here until Yu-gi comes!"
"I can find him on my own," 'Bakura' said gruffly. He was going to grab the doorknob when he realized he could not move the right leg of his host. He looked down to find Mabel holding onto the leg. "What do you think you're doing?"
"You made a promise to Honda you'll stay with me," Mabel said. 'Bakura' smirked.
"Technically I did not promise Honda anything," 'Bakura' said. "That was my host." At that Mabel looked annoyed.
"You sure are rude," she said. "You and the real Ba-kur-a are partners. You have to go along with what he does."
"I don't recall signing a contract saying that" 'Bakura' retorted. "Now it is in my best interest to make sure nothing bad happens to this body and I do pay my 'rent' so to speak but my ungrateful host had betrayed me before and I seek greater power."
Mabel was about to open her mouth when she realized what he really said to her. "You don't want to be a partner or a playmate! You're a parasite!"
"I prefer to think myself as someone that has to steal bodies to achieve my goals," 'Bakura' said. Mabel now looked absolutely horrified.
"You're a meanie!" she told him. She held onto him tighter.
"Let me go!" 'Bakura' growled. "Or I'll-"
"You'll what?" Mabel said in a challenging manner. "Unlike you, I don't need a body to function in this world. All I need is a form." 'Bakura' did not reply but his face darkened. "I was going to do this anyway." She then pressed onto her fingers. "I am going to make BOTH of you into dolls!" And before 'Bakura' could respond, Mabel snapped her fingers twice. In a second, there were two Bakura dolls. The Millennium Ring fell on the floor.
"Yay! The necklace is mine!" Mabel picked up the Millennium Ring and put it around her neck. Of course because of her height the necklace reached her knees. "It is so pretty!" She then looked at her new dolls.
"Now which one is the meanie Ba-kur-a?" Mabel asked herself. She picked up both of them. She looked at the one in her left hand. "This one looks nice and his hair isn't very fluffy." She then looked at the one in her right hand. "This one doesn't look nice and his hair is very fluffy." She put them in her arms. "I wonder how the others are doing." She pulled out a card. "Man-Eater Bug appear!" The monster did so.
"Man-Eater Bug take me to Yu-gi! I want to see if he is the ultimate playmate," Mabel said. Still carrying the Bakura dolls, she opened the door and followed the Man-Easter Bug to her new destination.
In another part of the mansion, Yugi and Anzu burst into the kitchen, closed the door and moved a small table to prevent the door from being opened. Yugi let out a sigh of relief. Anzu put her hands on her knees. They both let out heavy breaths.
"I hope that- puff- would work" Yugi said. He wiped his brow.
"I can't believe we could move the table," Anzu noted.
"Well it's either that or becoming char-broiled" Yugi told her.
"More like ash," Anzu replied. "Or not even that."
"So what do we do now?" Yugi asked. Anzu looked around.
"It looks like we're in the kitchen," Anzu said. "It's quite big."
"This is a mansion," Yugi said. "I bet this not only feed Seto and Mokuba but everybody else that works here." Anzu went to the stove. She then put her right hand over a burner.
"Yugi, this burner is still warm," Anzu said. "And there are bowls and cups in the sink." She went to the sink and picked up a bowl and a cup. "The bowls looked like they had ice cream in them and the cups looked like they had green tea in them."
"Oh?" Yugi said. He went to the sink. He managed to put his head over the sink (it was a tall sink) and saw that there was indeed a small pile of bowls and cups in the sink.
"Anzu, how long do you suppose they have been in there?" he asked her.
"I don't know but the stove hasn't been used for long. It is still warm," Anzu said. "I am scared, Yugi.
"Huh?" Yugi asked almost absent-mindedly.
"Seto and Mokuba has been absent for two days so why is the stove warm? And why is the sink filled with bowls and cups that had brown ice cream and green tea in them?" Anzu asked as she looked at him expectantly. Yugi noticed this.
'She wants me to protect her?" Yugi asked. He felt overjoyed. He then spoke out loud.
"Well, I am not exactly sure but I think it's the person that is responsible for the disappearance of Seto and Mokuba" Yugi said. "I mean, whoever is responsible for their disappearance. I am sure I can protect you in any case-"
"Who said you'll protect me? Your other self can do that!" Anzu exclaimed. Yugi felt a bit annoyed.
"I know I am not as powerful as my other self, but I can still-" Yugi started to say when all of a sudden a knock was hard on the door.
"What is that?" Anzu asked, looking straight at the door. The door then tried to open but because of the table, it could not move much.
'A monster that knocks on the door?' Yugi thought. Anzu took a rolling pin out of a drawer. She then handed him a large kitchen towel.
"When you move the table away, the door would probably open. I'll hit it with the rolling pin and you'll throw the towel at it" Anzu told him.
"I don't see how we can defeat a monster that way-" Yugi started to protest.
"We will just distract it" Anzu said. "Once you throw the towel, run." Yugi nodded nervously. He went to the table. "Push the table slowly. I want to position myself." She was at the right side of the table.
'Here it goes' Yugi thought as he pushed the table. It was a lot heavier than it was a few minutes ago- probably because his adrenaline wasn't as high and also Anzu wasn't helping him this time- but he managed to slide it away slowly. Just then the door opened-
"Got him!" Anzu yelled as she swung the rolling pin at the figure at the other side of the door. To her horror, she realized that it was not a monster but Honda, who now had his eyes wide open. Anzu pulled the rolling pin off his stomach, where she planted a heavy blow, allowing him to go to his knees.
"Ohhhhh….." he moaned as in great pain. He then went down on the floor, face-first. True to the plan, Yugi threw the kitchen towel at Honda's head as he did so. Honda did not move for a while.
"Are you okay, Honda? Did Anzu hurt you that much?" Yugi inquired as he went on his knees to remove the cloth and help Honda on his feet. Anzu assisted him.
"Yeah, like a good blow to the stomach is okay," Honda said still in pain. Anzu's cheeks reddened.
"I am sorry for that" Anzu apologized. When Honda was up, he wiped the front of his school uniform.
"We thought you were a monster!" Yugi tried to explain. Honda looked at him.
"Do I look like a monster to you?" Honda asked, looking straight at his petit friend. Yugi looked embarrassed. Anzu decided to change the subject.
"Honda, where is Jonouchi? He did escape too right?" Anzu asked.
At first Honda did not reply. He turned away from his friends, his head bending down. His fists shook. Tears dropped from his eyes onto the floor until they formed a small puddle. Yugi and Anzu went closer to him with obvious concern on their faces.
"Well?" Yugi asked, his tone echoing the expression on his face.
"She-she took him!" Honda sobbed. "She took my best friend!"
"Who is she and can you tell us what happened?" Anzu inquired. Honda tried to wipe the tears from his face. He then faced them.
"We were being chased by the bug monster when we had to stop. We thought we were done for. The monster then vanished without a trace. She then appeared. At first we thought it was Mokuba" Honda explained.
"You mean she looked like Mokuba?" Yugi asked him.
"Yeah. A smaller size but she definitely looks like him," Honda said. "She fooled us into thinking she was him. So she took us to the room where she said Seto was. She was right. But Mokuba was there as well."
"What did she do to them?" Anzu asked.
"She made them into dolls," Honda replied. This shocked Yugi and Anzu.
"Dolls? You mean-" Yugi started to say.
"You know, the stuffed dolls that you would see in a kids' room" Honda told them. "I am not talking about Barbie dolls. In any case, once we realized what happened, we wanted to get the hell out of there."
"So how come Jonouchi-" Yugi started to say but Honda once again interrupted him.
"One of us had to stay behind. She found out that you and Anzu were here as well. So Jonouchi offered to keep her company while I searched for you two" Honda said. "Now this is the interesting part. I was trying to find you guys when I ran into Bakura."
"Bakura is here?" Anzu asked.
"He apparently followed us here" Honda told her. "I told him what happened. She then showed up, holding Jonouchi in her arms. She had turned him into a doll. My best friend is now a doll!" He cried again.
"We will stop her. Tell us where is Bakura?" Yugi asked him.
"He went with her until I could find you two" Honda said. "That is why I want to find you both as fast as possible! I don't know what may happen between her and Bakura."
'I hope Bakura is okay,' Yugi thought. He then saw something behind him. "Watch out, Honda!" The taller teen looked behind.
"It's the Man-Eater Bug!" Honda shouted.
"I thought you said the monster disappeared!" Anzu yelled. The rolling pin trembled in her hand.
"I did! Mabel must be behind this! Where are you, Mabel?" Honda demanded at the monster.
"You don't need to shout!" a girl's voice exclaimed. "Man-Eater Bug, return!" The Man-Eater Bug then disappeared. Yugi and Anzu saw for the first time the source of the voice.
"It's a mini-Mokuba!" Anzu exclaimed.
"I am Mabel," the "girl" said. She then looked up at her. "You're the girl. Where is Yu-gi?"
"This is Yugi" Anzu replied, looking at him. Mabel looked at him too.
"Are you Yu-gi?" Mabel asked him.
"Yes" he replied, not knowing what she'll do next.
"Wow! I didn't know a high-school student could be so short!" Mabel exclaimed in wonder. Yugi decided to ignore this.
"What did you do to Jonouchi? Honda said you turned him into a doll" Yugi asked her.
"I did" Mabel said. She then looked down into her arms. "And I turned both of the Ba-kur-as into dolls too!" Everybody widened their eyes in horror as they saw the white and blue dolls.
"Two Bakuras!" Honda exclaimed.
'But I thought the other Bakura was gone!' Yugi thought. 'Even so, how did she made him into a doll as well?'
'Be careful, Aibou' he then heard his other self say in his mind. 'I sense a great dark power in this being. I do not know whether this being realizes it or not but do be careful.'
'My other self, what should I do?' Yugi thought.
'Do whatever she says' his other self told him. 'If anything happens, I can take care of it.'
'But look what she did to Bakura's other half' Yugi thought.
'Yes, but I am in a better position to do something than you would be' his other half replied back in his mind. 'You must trust me, Aibou.'
'All right,' Yugi thought. He then looked at Mabel. "Tell me, why are you doing this, and what do you want from us?" he demanded out loud.
"I made one of the Ba-kur-as into a doll because he was being a big meanie to me and his playmate," Mabel said. She looked at her dolls. "I think this is the one!" She showed them the doll in her right hand.
"But why did you turn the innocent one into a doll too?" Honda asked.
"Why not?" Mabel said. "I am trying to find the ultimate playmate so I want to get as many dolls and toys as possible so we can play forever and ever and ever!" All of the humans then sweatdropped.
"Wait a minute! You're looking for a playmate? What are you?" Anzu asked.
"Most of the kids call me an imaginary playmate but I am real like you," Mabel explained.
"Wait a minute! I had an imaginary playmate when I was little and I never saw you!" Honda said.
"I didn't say I was one," Mabel told him. "You probably got a real one."
"How can I get a real imaginary one?" Honda asked. Yugi decided to change the subject.
"What do you plan on doing with the rest of us?" Yugi demanded.
"You don't have to take that tone with me," Mabel said. "At first when I saw you guys coming, I only wanted to play with the girl." Anzu looked surprised. "But then Jo-no-u-chi told me that Yu-gi is the best game player in the world. And then the mean Ba-kur-a told me about your Millennium Puzzle." Yugi went aback when he heard those words.
"My Millennium Puzzle? Why do you want it?" Yugi questioned.
"Because it's pretty," Mabel responded, looking at it. "And I love jewelry."
"Wait a minute!" Honda yelled. "Just because you want it, it does not mean you can have it!"
"Well I am going to have it anyway because I decided that Yu-gi is the ultimate playmate!" Mabel declared. "If he is the best game player in the world and the Millennium Puzzle is a very powerful object, then he must know how to make fun toys and games! We can play forever and ever and ever!"
"What about me and Anzu?" Honda asked. Mabel looked at him.
"I don't need you anymore," Mabel said. "I know what you can be!" SNAP! As soon as Mabel snapped her fingers, Honda turned into a doll with a green tunic and tights and a hat with a feather sticking out of it. On his right hip was a quiver filled with arrows.
"Honda!" Yugi shouted, looking down at the Honda doll. "What did he turn into?"
"Honda is now Robin Hood" Mabel answered. She then looked at Anzu. Anzu looked frightened. Yugi went in front of her and spread his arms.
"I don't know what you are going to her but spare her!" Yugi pleaded. "Take me instead!"
"What are you doing, Yugi?" Anzu asked, looking down at him. "If I want protection, I would want your other self to do that!"
"Hey!" Yugi exclaimed not sounding pleased.
"Yugi has an other self?" Mabel asked. "Is he a parasite?"
"Yugi's other self is not bad" Anzu replied. "He is brave, charming and a great game player."
"Is he better than Yugi at games?" Mabel asked. Anzu and Yugi looked at each other.
"Oh yes," Anzu said nodding. Yugi nodded as well. "He is like a partner to Yugi. And he is so charming." Yugi's cheeks turned red.
"He's in my body!" Yugi tried to counter.
'I got to see him!' Mabel thought. She then spoke out loud. "Can you separate yourselves from each other?" she asked Yugi.
'Tell her yes' Yugi heard his other self say in his mind. 'I believe she will make you into a doll but I promise I'll save you all.'
'I really got no choice,' Yugi thought. He then nodded. 'Other me, I agree. I don't know what Mabel might do but I believe in you.'
'I will do my best' Yugi's other self said in a solemn tone. Yugi opened his eyes to look at Mabel.
"I have talked with my partner. He accepts" Yugi said. Mabel looked overjoyed.
"I am so happy!" Mabel exclaimed. She then looked at Anzu for a period of time. "I know what to turn you into!" She snapped her fingers. Anzu turned into a doll with a deep red 19th century American gown on. She had a deep red fan made with the same material in her right hand. "Now An-zu is Scarlett O'Hara." Yugi was shocked. (Note: Scarlett O'Hara, of course, is the heroine of the "Gone With The Wind" novel and movie).
"Anzu!" Yugi yelled. Anzu of course couldn't respond. He looked back at Mabel. "Why you-!"
"Let me think what I should turn you into" Mabel said. She looked at him for a period of time. "I know what I can turn you into. Tell your partner to separate himself from you!"
'Here it goes' Yugi thought. "Are you ready, my other self?'
'Yes Aibou' his other self thought back.
'All right,' Yugi thought. 'I hope she turns me into something I like.' He then spoke out loud. "We are going to separate now!"
"Then do it!" Mabel ordered. All of a sudden Mabel saw two forms of Yugi, one of them however was in a ghost form.
'That must be the other Yugi coming out!' Mabel thought. 'I can use my powers on the one in the body!' She then snapped her fingers. A ball of light came out of Yugi's body and changed into a wooden doll with a long nose. He was dressed in traditional boys' clothes and white gloves.
"Now you're Pinocchio!" Mabel said. She heard a few footsteps and looked at the source of them. "You went back to his body, I see."
"Yes" Yugi-or rather Dark Yugi-said.
"Your voice is deeper than your partner" Mabel observed. "You must be like the mean Ba-kur-a. You do not have a body of your own."
"And you do not?" Dark Yugi asked her.
"I am not like you" Mabel responded. She then picked up all of the dolls. "I got more dolls in Mo-ku-ba's room. We'll go there and play. But first-" she snapped her fingers. A red toy chest appeared.
"I'll put Honda, An-zu and the other Yu-gi in the chest" Mabel said. Dark Yugi watched her do so. "I got to prepare the two Ba-kur-as and your other friends. We are going to have so much fun!" She then noticed that there was no reply. "Are you at least going to follow me?"
"I have no choice now, do I?" Dark Yugi asked.
"Don't take that tone with me! I only asked you a question!" Mabel told him apparently annoyed. She then snapped her fingers. The toy chest disappeared. "Let's go now. I can't wait to play with you!"
"So do I" Dark Yugi said. He then walked after the Mokuba look-alike. 'No matter what game we play, I'll beat you. I'll release my friends from your control and send you back to where you came from. I swear on Aibou's name I'll do it.' Of course Dark Yugi had no idea what she will do or who would really be the hero.
End of Chapter Four
I am really looking forward to writing the next chapter. It would be fun to read too. I'll leave my readers to figure out what I am planning. The next chapter will have the final climax. The next chapter after that will be the epilogue, with author notes, answers to questions, credits and my original recommendations of similar fics. If you have any questions and comments please do it before the final chapter. Yu-Gi-Oh was created by Kazuki Takahashi. Please do not forget to review!
