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Chapter 7: Checks

@@@I walked down the hall, fingering the check Kiaba had given me, turning it over and over again in my pocket. I had just checked on Mokuba, but he seemed contented to just wait outside Kiaba's room. I gave him my cell phone number and home number, in case he needed help, though he would be going to Kimi's apartment for the night. I was going to drive home in Seto's car but I planed to drop it off at his home and walk back to mine. I looked over and saw Kimi arguing with the nurse at the front desk again.

"Look, I'll be there!" Kimi sighed.

"Ma'am, It's not that we don't trust you but he is depressed."

"No shit!" Kimi groaned. "That's why I'm gonna be there. How can a person possibly start to feel better about them self when the doctors won't let anything sharper than a plastic knife near them?"

"Mrs. Kiaba," The nurse pleaded.

"Excuse me? It's still Miss Noriko. Look, if you don't trust me with my fiancé, just say it! I can take it. It's not like I'm even going to be letting him do the shaving." Kimi muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Alright. You may help your fiancé shave as long as you use the razor we give you, keep the door open and give the razor back to us when you are done. It's not that we don't trust you; it's just that depressed people can act strangely."

"We'll see." Kimi muttered, taking the razor from the nurse. Kimi went past me and I stopped her.

"Kimi." I nodded.

"Yugi." She said, forcing a smile.

"If you're on your way back to Kiaba's room, would you please give him back this check?"

"Give him back?"

"He wanted to pay me for watching Mokuba, and to making him stop pressing me to take the money he was offering, I randomly threw out the number two hundred. I didn't really want it and it struck me that you might be able to give it back to him."

"I'll try." Kimi shrugged, taking the check from my outstretched hand. "But he might not take it. He hates owing people things. Moneys just the easiest method to pay people back with."

"I understand." I told her. She smiled again and continued down the hall. @@@

Kimi eased the door open and slipped into Seto's room. He was lying down and seemed to be crying. Kimi sighed and nudged him gently. He opened his eyes but didn't smile.

"Look, I'm sorry I got mad." Kimi sighed.

"It's fine. I really shouldn't have called you a bitch. I was kind of stressed." Seto said blushing.

"Hey, It's okay, just don't let it happen again." Kimi joked. She looked at the floor and kicked the pills under his bed, planning to clean them up later. "I want to apologize."

"Great." Seto said without feeling. "Why don't we go out to dinner and I can eat with my plastic knife?"

"Seto, you know it's for your own good." Kimi tried to reason.

"My own good, huh? How do you know what's for my own good?" Seto asked, turning on his side so he wouldn't have to face her. Kimi rolled her eyes and turned so that she sat next to him, her back touching his.

"Alright then." Kimi sighed, exasperatedly. "For Mokuba's good and mine."

'Little does she know.' Kiaba laughed to himself. 'I did all this for Mokuba, only I failed him. I will not fail him again. Next time I will succeed.'

"Well?" Kimi asked. "Don't you want to know what I brought you to apologize?"

Seto shrugged and Kimi sighed, taking the razor out of her pocket.

"I though you might be feeling disgusting so I managed to let the staff allow me a razor. We have to keep the door open and your going to have to let me shave for you. Is this alright?" Kimi asked.

"Fine," Kiaba shrugged, sitting up. 'I'll just steal it.' He told himself.

"Alright." Kimi smiled. She pulled out a bit of shaving cream and began to put it on Kiaba's face. "Hold still."

"I know, I know." Kiaba complained as Kimi brought the razor down. Seto, suddenly, reached up and grabbed her hand with the razor clenched in it.

"Seto!" Kimi screamed, as he pulled the razor from her hand. "What are you doing?"

He did answer but only brought the razor down to meet his right arm. Her eyes widened and she tried to block the cut.

"OW!" she screamed. He looked down and saw the razor embedded in the back of her hand, blood running down it.

"Oh my G-d." He whispered trying to pull the bed sheets up to cover the wound. "Kimi."

"Don't touch me!" Kim screamed, pulling away, pulling the razor out of her hand and flinging it across the room. She grabbed her coat and wrapped it around her hand to catch the blood. She looked back at him clutching her hand to her chest, her eyes betraying her sense of bewilderment. "You hurt me Seto? Why?"

"Kimi, I didn't mean to." Seto started.

"No, but you wanted to hurt yourself? Who are you? I don't seem to know you any more. This isn't like you!" Kimi insisted. "What happened? I don't understand. I don't want to!"

"I'm so sorry!" Kiaba pleaded, trying to reach out and help her. She pulled away even further.

"So am I!" Kimi whispered, tears forming in her eyes. "Seto, the wedding is off. I'm taking Mokuba and you won't see him again until I see the old Seto back. You need help. Please Seto, I am begging you. Get some."

"Kimi, please!" Seto implored. She ignored him and made her way across the room. Suddenly she turned and faced him. He looked at her eyes and saw the deep hurt, confusion, and pain he was causing her.

"Yugi wanted me to give you your check back. He didn't want any money, Seto. He just wanted to help. I want to help to Seto, but I'm too afraid to. I don't want to be afraid." Kimi whispered, dropping the check on the floor. Seto watched her go and let the horror wash over him.

'I hurt them. I hurt Mokuba. I hurt Kimi. How could I? But Kimi, afraid? She isn't afraid of anything. But me. Oh G-d! I scare Kimi! I scare her! I'm such a monster! And Yugi. He just wanted to help. They all do. How could I be so stupid?' Kiaba asked himself, ignoring the nurses and doctor who were swarming in the room and grabbing the razor and other sharp objects in the room.

"I'm so sorry, Kimi." Seto whispered, lying back down on his bed, surrounded by his own thoughts. "So very sorry."