Man. This is one -late- chapter. o_o;;; I'm really sorry, everybody...I don't know why, I just fell into this awful slump. Might have been because I was going through my last month of school.

Not happy with that excuse? Well, fine. Let's go to the other one. I'm extremely lazy.

But, I think we knew that ^^; Anyway, I'll try and make it so this chapter has a quick follow up. Don't worry -- I'll make sure it has romance. XD I'll try very hard,anyway.

Enjoy! (Pleeaase...*begins to pray*)

Daybreak

Chapter 5 -- Interesting

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It was the second day of the Midwinter Festival, and a fresh blanket of frost was spread over New Hope. A few children played in the thin layer of snow, somehow managing to find enough to make a decent snowball. Meanwhile, adults roamed the streets with a more purposeful air, most off doing errands of some sort. Nealan of Queenscove gazed down at the peaceful scene from his office window that afternoon, a moody glint in his dark green eyes.

He brooded. He brooded over his job, over the town, over the war, and several other less-than-perfect things in his life. Steadily his mood worsened. Soon he found himself looking around for something he could kick, that he wouldn't regret damaging later - his eyes swept over his desk, messy as usual, and then stopped, slowly coming to rest upon a flat wooden box that was sitting among the scattered papers.

Neal's expression softened. On a sudden impulse, he slipped down from the windowsill he was perched upon, and walked over to his desk. He reached out and fingered the box's lid for a moment, running a hand over the smooth, polished wood. Flicking open the metal clasp that locked it, he raised the lid, eyes misting over as he gazed down at the object lying before him. It was a large folded fan, the shukusen that Yuki had given to him after his Ordeal...Neal picked it up and held it in his hand, wary of its razor-sharp edges as he unfolded it.

Staring at the intricate designs printed onto the fan's front, Neal's mind wandered back to the day of his ordeal. He remembered the things he had gone through inside of those stone walls, nightmarish, horrible things...He remembered emerging at last, scared witless, completely exhausted...And then he saw Yuki, watching him from across the room...Yuki, shyly looking down as she gave him her shukusen...Neal leaned against his desk, closing his eyes and away into his own little world...

Only to be thrown out of it just a few seconds later. A series of loud knocks at the door broke through his daydreams, and he jumped slightly, before turning to fix a death glare on the tall slab of wood. This did not seem to perturb it very much, though the next few knocks, more insistent this time, caused it to tremble slightly. He walked over to it briskly, muttering to himself and swinging it open to face none other than Dom, who looked unconvincingly cheery for some reason. Neal scowled, giving his cousin the same vicious glare that had been directed at the door; his moodiness had returned with a vengeance. If that idiot even tried calling him--

"Hey there, Meathead!" Dom held his hand up in a sort of wave. "How's my favorite cousin?" he asked, a bright smile plastered onto his face.

Neal eyed him warily for a moment. "What do you want, Dom?"

The smile was quickly dropped, and Dom strode into the office before Neal could stop him. "Well, actually..." he began, sitting down in a nearby chair. Neal raised a brow suspiciously, detecting a nervous tone in his voice. Aha. So he did want something.

"...I...need your advice." Dom said slowly. He looked down at his shoes, which were apparently very interesting to him at the moment. Though the words had been strained, and spoken very quietly, Neal had still been able to hear them sitting a few feet away. He stared at Dom for a while, his eyes widening slighty. That was not what he had been expecting. At all.

"...Come again?" he asked after a while, feigning a shocked expression. There was a smug undertone in his voice. This was one of the only times Dom had ever come to his 'Meathead' cousin for help, and Neal planned to take full advantage of the occasion.

Dom glared at him. "Shut up, Neal, I'm not going to say it again." He snapped, and Neal was surprised to note that he had actually been called by his name. He put his smugness aside. Whatever Dom had come for, it had to be important...

There as a long pause, and Dom fidgeted slightly, opening his mouth once or twice and failing to say anything, before finally starting in a feeble way, "So...It's about...um..."

Neal craned his neck slightly, waiting. Dom looked away, sheepish, and the rest of the words came streaming out of his mouth in what was barely above a mumble. "I don't know what to get Kel for Midwinter."

Neal blinked.

"...Is that all?"

Dom glanced up at him, and blinked back. "...Yes..." he said, looking uneasy.

Neal arched an eyebrow, puzzled. "So...why exactly are you coming to me?"

Dom fixed him with an odd look, his brow creasing. "Well, come on, Neal, you've known her years longer than I have!" He made a vague sweeping gesture with his hand to punctuate his words. "You must know of something she would like!"

Neal sighed and got up to walk over to his cousin, looking thoughtful as he leaned back against the nearest wall. It was an odd request, really, and...now that he thought about it... "Well...I can't remember anything that she really liked...I was never good with this sort of thing anyway," he admitted after a while, his tone slow and slightly reluctant. Dom clearly wasn't happy with this answer, and he sighed quietly, leaning forward on the edge of his chair and pushing his hands back through his hair. Studying Dom's grave expression, Neal found himself starting to feel sorry for him: he was obviously under a lot of stress, for one reason or another. Trying to concentrate once again, Neal raked his mind for answers, until a very obvious solution took shape there.

"But..." Neal said, pausing for effect. "I'll bet Yuki would know."

Dom's eyes widened slightly, and he considered this, looking a bit more hopeful. "...Not a bad idea..."

Suddenly he was on his feet. "Do you know where she is?" he asked. Neal thought about this for second, nodded, and directed him to try headquarters; the man was already out the door by the time Neal had finished speaking, and he closed it behind him with an unsettlingly loud slam.

Flinching at the noise, Neal slipped into the chair Dom had been sitting in, shaking his head slowly. What had all that been about? Dom had never been a holiday nut before, at least, not that he could remember...

Reflecting on his cousin's strange behavior, his thoughts were soon interrupted once again by the sound of knocking. Throwing up his hands, he got to his feet and strode over to the door once again. 'My, I'm certainly popular today', he thought wryly, throwing the door open. Kel almost rapped on his nose then, and he jerked back, startled. He cupped a hand protectively over his face. "Clumsy brute!" he accused, fixing her with a terrified, goggle-eyed stare.

Kel hid a grin. "Sorry, Neal."

"You should be." Neal replied haughtily, lowering his hand and showing her inside. "You almost damaged my beautiful face."

Kel rolled her eyes and walked over to the window. She leaned in, arms crossing over the windowsill, green-hazel eyes taking in the view of the town - looking straight ahead rather than down. Though Kel had gotten over her fear of heights years ago, she would never like them.

It was a while before she spoke. "...Neal, I was wondering if you could help me out with something."

Neal, who was sitting again by now, looked at her curiously. "What is it?"

Kel turned to face him, hands bracing her against the sill. "What sort of present should I get Dom for Midwinter?"

Neal stared at her. His expression went slack. "...Dom?"

Kel nodded, not seeming to notice his surprise. "Yes, Dom. I've already gotten gifts for everyone else, see, but I can't think of anything for him. So..."

Neal no longer looked shocked. Instead, he had become the picture of skepticism, one winged brow furrowed, the other raised quizzically. "So...You want me to help you."

Kel blinked at him, puzzled. "Well, yes. What's the matter?"

"What makes you think I'd have any more ideas than you?" he asked.

Kel shrugged. "I don't know, you're his cousin, I thought maybe you'd know something!"

About to reply, Neal paused, and blinked in surprise. Hadn't he just had this conversation?

He heard a sigh. Looking over at Kel, Neal saw that her face had gone Yamani-smooth, a clear sign that she was annoyed. "You could at least try to help." She said, sounding testy.

Neal raised his eyebrows at her. Casting his eyes to the side, he let out his breath in a huff. "Oh, alright." He said. The two of them fell silent, each concentrating on their own thoughts. A minute passed.

"...I've got nothing." Neal announced, stretching out in his seat like a cat.

Kel groaned quietly and muttered a foreign curse word under her breath. "Wonderful." She told him, more loudly.

Neal glanced over at her, surprised; it was rare for her to be so openly aggravated. 'She's really serious about this', he realized.

Suddenly he felt guilty. "I mean, I guess you could give him armor, or equipment or something..." he offered quickly, hoping it might help. Kel blinked at him. Unfortunately, Neal finished the thought aloud as well. "Though, it'd be hard to get anything too great out here...And it's not like you could travel anywhere in this weather, at least, not very quickly..."

Kel wasn't listening to him anymore, though. Arms crossed, she gazed down at the floor, apparently lost in thought. Suddenly she grinned, and her eyes lit up as she looked up at Neal.

"...I think I've got it." She said slowly, looking eager. Neal blinked at her, and gave a relieved smile. "Well, there you go!" he said, leaning back in his chair. "Problem solved. So what's the plan?"

But Kel just shook her head. "You'll see." She said, still smiling broadly. She made for the door. "I'm gonna go now," she said quickly. "See you later."

"Er, okay...Bye." Neal called. Kel waved and left, shutting the door behind her. Neal stared at it, his head tilting to one side.

He sat. He thought.

So far today, he had been approached by two people. Each of these people had wanted advice, which was odd enough in itself, considering he wasn't exactly the type one would usually go to for advice. No, Neal was more the type one would approach for literary information, perhaps a philosophical discussion - though nobody had ever asked for the latter in years. He was also the type one would come to if they happened to have a broken limb, or a persistent lice problem, maybe a simple flesh wound...

Anyway, the point was, it was quite strange. Stranger yet, they had each asked for the exact same advice, except concerning the other person. Never mind what a baffling coincidence this was. What Neal wanted to know, was why in the world they would be so concerned about what to get each other. So concerned, in fact, that they would come to him for help.

It was a very troubling matter.

He sat. He thought.

He raised his eyebrows.

'Unless...'

"No..." Neal whispered, staring out at the wall thoughtfully. But that had to be it, didn't it? It was really almost painfully obvious, he didn't know how those two...

As he thought these things, his mouth was slowly curving into a rather demonic-looking grin.

"...Interesting..."

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A/N: Ah, Neal. XD Always the first to realize these things.

This was a fun chapter to write, really (even if it went VERY SLOWLY). Neal's character...n_n Gotta love it. Hope no one was too OOC... But remember, holiday stress can do pitiful things to one's mental state. ^^ Anyway, I hope you all liked this. I really do.

Really.

...And you know, it's terrible to leave me in suspense like this. It really is. Now, do you how you can ease my poor, deranged mind?!

You can review! O_O That's right. Click the button, write a little, click the other button...It's that simple. Wow.

...More to come, of course. I love you all! XD

~Pheep

(P.S.: Special announcement! Okay, this is about the whole "Raoul drinking" thing in chapter 2. O.o I know that was a plot hole, and chapter 3 had a fairly good excuse for it, but Pheep is a perfectionist. So. Chapters 2 and 3 are now REVISED! You can go back and reread them, or you can just read the summary of them here:

~They have the party in Raoul's room. Raoul doesn't get drunk, but everyone else does and they trash his stuff :D Hence, Raoul still has a reason to get revenge on Dom and his squad. Voila.~)

Okay,good. And remember: REVIEWS!