Mokuba's First Love

Chapter 16: Silver Stained Red

"So… how will this work?" Anzu asked, glancing at the pale Goddess on the bed.

"Simply." She replied flatly.

"What are you going to do?" Shizuka asked, fearful. She turned her dull gaze to rest on the female.

"Kill myself." Everyone winced.

"How much time does he have?" Mai asked. Naomi looked back down at her hands.

"59 minutes and 23 seconds." Her tone was bland. Everyone fidgeted, trying not to send the Goddess pity stares. Her lips were swollen from the constant rubbing and her eyes red from crying. Her skin was unnaturally pale and she looked unusually skinny.

"Did you look like this yesterday?" Otogi asked. Naomi didn't move.

"Of course not. I sucked the nourishment from my body, so that when I slit my wrists with razors the blood will be less and I'll die quicker." She said this in such a casual manner, that everyone paled.

"What makes you so sure that Mokuba won't make it in time?" Seto asked the Goddess. Naomi looked up at him, her eyes haunting. He had trouble containing the fear in his posture. Fear not from the horrible state of her appearance, but rather the depth of misery in her eyes.

"I never said he wouldn't." She whispered quietly. "But this is the 30,000th time; I'm merely trying to make my rebirth less painful."

"Where does your soul go after your death?" Jounouchi asked. Naomi looked back down at her now frail and sickly white hands.

"To my inner heart." Uzume's tears trickled down her cheeks ever silently as she hugged the Goddess.

"The most sacred part of any creature. The place where she will go as she waits for her body to be repaired by the threads of time. But, her body only repairs once her soul starts to." Uzume choked.

"It won't be so hard. I've done it so many times." Naomi whispered. Her cheeks were dry, her eyes showing no hint of salty tears. She looked at the clock.

"55 minutes."

Mokuba crossed his legs on the large rock, glaring at nothing in particular. Amaterasu still stood on the pond some meters away, watching him with inquisitive eyes.

"Mokuba, would you like some input, to help you come to a solution?" Amaterasu asked the small boy. She took pity on him, and Takato's rules never said anything about not being able to help and drop hints. Mokuba looked up from his gaze on the grassy floor.

"Sure." He replied. Amaterasu smiled, walking towards him and kneeling to be eye-level.

"What do you think of the story?" She asked him. Mokuba sighed.

"I don't see it as relevant to the fact that Takato and Naomi kissed each other." Mokuba said. Amaterasu shook her head, sighing.

"Then you find the story as just something to distract you from the important matter at hand?" She asked. Mokuba shrugged.

"Well no. If you're telling me this story, then it has to be important somehow, I just don't see how it's relevant to my life." He answered truthfully. Amaterasu smiled.

"There may be hope for you yet, Mokuba." She said, ruffling his hair. He pouted at that. She smiled. "Think upon the kissing scene in my story. Does it in any way sound similar to your life?" She asked. Mokuba nodded.

"Yeah. I saw Takato and Naomi kissing, just like the boy who saw his girlfriend being kissed by the other boy. But Naomi wasn't trying to resist his efforts. She just… let him kiss her." He replied. Amaterasu smiled.

"Very good Mokuba. But do take this into consideration. Naomi is under a curse. A love curse." And she promptly walked away, leaving Mokuba more puzzled then ever.

"How does being under a curse have anything to do with allowing a guy to kiss you?" He muttered. Scowling at nothing in particular, Mokuba went back to contemplating the current situation.

Amaterasu stood on the pond, watching him ponder.

"Mokuba?" His head turned to her.

"Yeah?"

"You have 50 minutes left." She told him. He nodded; then went back to looking at nothing in particular.

"I can't take this anymore! Someone, laugh, be happy, anyone!!" Uzume screamed, shooting up from her spot on the couch.

"How are we supposed to be happy? Naomi might die." Yugi told her. Uzume glared at them all, before sniffling and pacing anxiously, clawing at her hair.

"Why is she like that?" Yami asked. Naomi looked up to see Uzume pacing, before she smiled slightly.

"Uzume always does this. As the Goddess of Joy and Happiness, Uzume must be surrounded in joy and happiness, or else she'll go crazy. But she always stays with me year after year when it comes to this time. I'm really grateful, even though I know she suffers too." Naomi explained. Uzume stopped pacing to sit back down and hug her.

"When you suffer, I suffer. That's been my rule ever since I met you all those years ago." Uzume said. Naomi smiled sadly and hugged her back.

"Arigatou, Uzume-chan."

There was silence of some moments.

"45 minutes."

Mokuba was confused. His rational and logical side was telling him to think upon the story so he could come to a solution, but his more emotional side told him to act upon rage and find Takato to punch his face out. The poor boy was torn between leaving and staying.

'Damn it! Why is this so hard! Everything will be fixed, all we have to do is eliminate Takato and Naomi will be ours! But what if Naomi really loves Takato, and she'll hate me if I hurt him? I love Naomi, and I'll do anything to make her happy. The only thing that will make her happy is to be with me! But I don't know that!' Mokuba growled, grabbing his head as his emotional and logical side contradicted each other.

Amaterasu watched from afar, sighing. Something popped up in her head, and she smiled. Maybe this would help.

"Silver stained red." Mokuba's head shot up.

"Huh?"

"Silver stained red." Amaterasu repeated. "In exactly 40 minutes, silver will be stained red." Mokuba looked at her strangely.

"Amaterasu, what are you talking about? You aren't making any sense." Mokuba said. Amaterasu grinned.

"I'm making perfect sense. Silver will be stained red in 40 minutes." She said. "The metallic glint of silver will be stained with a coppery red." Amaterasu was speaking in riddles. "Once the time runs out, silver will be stained red, and the first test will end." Mokuba's eyes widened.

"You mean this one of the tests?!" Amaterasu merely smiled at him. "Well how am I supposed to overcome this? Amaterasu!"

"35 minutes left, and silver will be stained red. One life will perish, only to be reborn. And then starts a whole new cycle of crystals and red." Mokuba sat back down, his head in his hands as she contemplated the riddles.

He pondered for a long while.

"20 minutes." Naomi said, looking at the clock blankly. She stood, walking out of the room as everyone ran through the door to catch up.

"Naomi! Where are you going?!" They all screamed. Uzume was at the front, walking behind her fellow Goddess. Naomi turned sharply into an open washroom and abruptly shut the door. Everyone tried to open it, only Uzume was standing in their way.

"You may not pass." She said; her eyes ablaze. They knew what was going to happen, and stepped back.

"Mokuba. Please hurry." Uzume whispered.

"5 minutes Mokuba." Amaterasu whispered. "Silver will be stained red in 5 minutes."

Mokuba didn't hear her from his spot.

'Silver stained red. The metallic glint of silver. Metallic… what is metallic… a knife! A knife is metallic! Stained red… blood is red! The first test will end… One life will perish, only to be reborn, and then starts a new cycle of crystals and red. If I fail to get to Naomi, I'll fail my first test. Her life will perish, and she'll have to be reborn! Then she'll have to go through this torture, starting a new cycle of blood and… and… tears! Tears like crystals! Of course!'

"Mokuba. 2 minutes." He shot up from his seat, eyes wide.

"What?! Take me to her!" Mokuba cried. Amaterasu's eyes widened.

"Mokuba. Tell me what the purpose of the story is." Amaterasu asked. "This is the only way I'll take you to Naomi." Mokuba growled.

"I have no time! Naomi's gonna kill herself if I don't get to her soon!" Mokuba growled. Amaterasu glared at him.

"I won't take you to her unless you tell me the purpose of the story." She said. Mokuba glared.

"Fine! The purpose of the damn story was to help me realize Naomi is gonna kill herself and that I'm an idiot to think Naomi liked Takato! He damn well controlled her when they kissed because of the stupid curse! Now take me to her!" Mokuba said. Amaterasu smiled in relief, before waved her arms about, creating strange wave patterns that drifted through the clearing.

"Well done Mokuba. The second test will come soon." She said, before he disappeared.

A/N Merry Christmas everyone! This is my Christmas present to you, the newest chapter of Mokuba's First Love! Happy holidays!!