A/N: Please please PLEASE stop flaming me for killing off Neal. Sorry, guys. Also, I am not planning to write more if more people don't review! I'm getting much more hits than reviews. Help me become a better writer, and review, please. TY! And now, on with .... Dum dum dum! "Cleon"



*He took the arrow meant for me* thought Kel. *Oh Neal, why were you so stupid! You gave those Scanrans your life in exchange for me.* But wouldn't you do the same thing for him? asked the little voice in her head. "Of course I would!" Said Kel out loud. Without warning, she burst into tears, pounding her pillow out of sheer emotion. There was a soft knock at the door. Kel wiped her eyes, and put on her best Yamani face. "Who is it?" she called, her voice shaky.

"Cleon," came the reply.

"Come in, it's open," Kel said.

Cleon opened the door, stepped inside, then gently closed it. "I hope the Stump doesn't still have that silly rule about your door being open all the time, becau-"

"I don't know if he does or not, and I really don't care. Sit down."

Cleon walked over and sat down next to Kel on her bed. "Kel, I just wanted to make sure you were all right. You haven't talked to anyone for months after the funeral. We're all really worried about you." Absentmindedly, he picked up a beautiful dark green shukusen lying on the bed. He studied it intently. "Where did you get this?" he inquired. "It's beautiful" Kel glanced over at him to see what he was looking at. Unable to control herself, she shrieked and burst into tears. *Mithros, she's lost it* thought Cleon. *I ask an innocent question, and she totally flips.*

"You don't understand, Cleon," choked out Kel in between sobs. "Neal-" She stopped and took a deep breath. "Neal gave that to me right before he...he...you know...Cleon, you know what I mean, damn it!" She wept uncontrollably now. A sudden rush of understanding flooded over Cleon. *It must be so horrible, to have someone close to you die like that. But you can't lose control like this. I've got to help her.*

"Kel," Cleon began, "Please listen to me. Even if you think this is stupid, I feel that it's my duty as a friend to tell you something." Kel stopped weeping and looked at him, her helpless gaze seemed to go through him.

"Everyone has someone that is a part of them, someone that they're not willing to let go. I like to think of that person as an arm, or a leg maybe. You would not willingly give up your arm, would you?" Kel shook her head. "But, what if that arm was lost in battle? There's nothing that you can do about it. You have to learn to live with that loss, to go on with your life.

"Please think about what I said, Kel. I know that if you can live with your loss, we will all be much happier." With that, Cleon looked around, gave Kel a tight squeeze and walked out of the door.

******************A Year Later*******************

Kel finally learned to cope with Neal's death, with the help of Cleon. But now, life was going to throw another curveball at her. Being a lady Knight was not easy.


The war with Scanra was over, though it had cost the realm many great knights. Kel was just finishing up polishing Griffin when Cleon burst through the door, slamming it behind him. "Kel, It's about the heiress..."

Kel looked up at Cleon and set her sword aside. She remembered that Cleon had never liked the heiress that he married, though she had brought great wealth for Kennan. "What's wrong, Cleon?"

"She's dead. The heat took her...it was too much for her, with those skirts on. She got dehydrated, and suffered from heatstroke. They found her dead in her room."

"Cleon...I'm..so sorry," started Kel. She didn't know what to say, having never met the heiress but envying her all the time.

"Don't be," replied Cleon. "You didn't do anything. Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm kind of happy she died. I always hated her, even though I knew I had to marry her for the good of Kennan. Anyways, in her will, all her money passed to Kennan. And now, that she's dead, I can finally do this again." In one swift movement he pulled Kel closer to him and kissed her passionately like old times. Too stunned to do anything else, Kel kissed back. Cleon pulled away. Red faced, he sputtered, "Kel, I'm really sorry."

"It's okay, Cleon. I need someone else in my life." She leaned in for another kiss.
*****
Cleon was just returning to his chambers. *Wow* he thought, * I can't believe Kel went along with that! I thought for sure that she'd back away or something* Cleon was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the ghostly figure behind him. The figure jumped out in front of him and tackled him onto the bed.

"Who are you? What the hell are you doing to me?" he screamed. (I know they don't have a hell, but oh well. It's my fic.)

The figure emitted a dark green light. The light seemed to be magic, as it held Cleon's feet and hands as if they were chained to the bed. Cleon fought against the bonds but was unsuccessful. He relaxed onto the bed, accepting defeat. Though the ghostly man's back was still towards him, something about his hair, the way he held himself...it seemed so familiar! Cleon kept his eyes on the-the *creature*

Slowly the creature turned around. Cleon's eyes grew wide. He stifled a gasp of surprise and horror, and slipped into a dead faint as he realized who it was.