(A/N: Okay, before we start things off here people, I just want to say thanks. Even though ffn's being a little irritating right now and not showing me my reviews, my friend has told me about all your positive support. Thank you! Okay, I know that was cheesy. Thanks anyway.)

(P.S. I really, really hope this story isn't going to turn out too fluffy…anyway. Have fun. .-)

DISCLAIMER: Gee, I wish I were Tamora Pierce. Then I could have a cool name…write all these great stories…be completely in control of who Kel falls in love with…have Neal…oooh…::delightful shiver:: Unfortunately, I'm not and I don't. ::dejected sigh::

Neal rode through the wooded forest, the sounds of the battle behind him clanging through the trees. Despite his worry, the warm weight of Kel slumping against his back was slightly comforting, though he hated to admit it. After judging that they were safely out of harm's way (or at least for the time being), he dismounted, gently pulling Kel along with him. As he began to lay her down on the hard ground, he quickly thought better of it and whipped off his cloak for her to lie on. ::No sense in her getting dirt in her wounds::, he thought.

As he laid her down gently on the time-worn cloth, he winced at the sight of her injuries. Kel bled from numerous scratches, but the ones that most worried him were the shoulder and side wounds. He could heal cuts, but these were deep. He hoped to Mithros that he could save her.

It wasn't wise to try a complete healing here, but the least he could do would be to stop the bleeding. He hesitated for a second, then lifted up the bottom of Kel's shirt. She murmured in her unconsciousness, and Neal lifted a cool hand to stroke her forehead for a moment. Continuing to roll up the hem of the shirt, he grimaced at the sight of her mangled ribs. He lay a green-glowing hand gently on her side and immediately took a sharp intake of breath. The wound was much deeper than it looked, and it took all of his will not to cry out in surprise and dismay. It was amazing that she had lasted this long already without a healing.

Stopping the bleeding took much more energy than he had expected, and by the time he had finished, his face was white and forehead streaked with sweat. He shook his dark hair out of his eyes as he contemplated the arrow puncture, which had to be at least as deep as the one in her side. "Stupid, Kel," he muttered. "Very stupid." Why couldn't she have stayed at home and commanded from there? Then she wouldn't be in this mess, and he wouldn't have to be worried sick for her. He sighed and shook his head at his own folly. Kel would never stay out of danger when her people were at risk, and this time was no exception, whether her best friend willed it or not.

He stopped for a moment to take a second look at the gash caused by the arrow. By all rights, it should have been fatal—the puncture extended from the muscles in her shoulder to down past her collarbone. But that was Kel for you—never die when everyone else expects you to. Neal really should have expected no less from her, getting fatally wounded in two places and then living.

Unfortunately for Kel, if this shoulder wound didn't get healed—or at least bandaged—soon, they were both sure to be found and exterminated by stragglers from the fight in the nearby clearing. Neal was caught, dreadfully so, between his best friend before him and the ever-nearing battle sounds behind. It would be plain idiotic to heal her now, with Scanrans getting closer and closer—it would be wiser to save his strength. ::Well, who said I was wise?:: Neal thought, and extended both hands toward the wound in Kel's shoulder.

He was so drawn into his healing that he didn't hear the crackle of leaves before him, and was jerked out of his trance only when a twig snapped not twenty yards away. Neal looked up, startled, and saw he was facing down three leering Scanrans, all ready to take down the unsuspecting healer.

Cursing his stupidity and emotions, Neal immediately grabbed the closest weapon at hand, which happened to be the dagger hidden in his boot top. Unfortunately, he saw immediately that this would not do against the bloodstained steel monstrosities of the enemies at hand, and quickly pulled his sword out of his sheath. Stepping protectively over the slumped body of Kel, he braced himself.

The Scanrans didn't keep him waiting. They were on him in a flash; luckily, they hadn't stopped to think of how they might work together to kill him. Instead, each tried his own methods, so that Neal was free to spar with one and not be slaughtered by another sneaking up behind him. He quickly sliced a vermilion line across the torso of the nearest; the fighter went down, fast, clutching at his chest. ::One down, two to go,:: Neal thought grimly.

The second and third were a bit more intelligent than the first, who had simply charged in like a madman. They kept him on his toes, jabbing towards him and pulling away, trying to spear him by chance. Finally, Neal gashed one in the side as his enemy tried to pull away; the Scanran fell, but not before giving him a cut across the bicep.

Neal grimaced, but the wound was shallow, and in his left arm; he could still fight. He had to fight, for Kel and for himself. Truth be told, he wasn't used to being responsible for someone else, and he rather liked the feeling. All the more reason not to throw it away.

He faced down the last blond-haired demon, who was grinning like a lunatic. He charged Neal down, but the Tortallan was too quick for him. At the last second, he stepped aside, and the Scanran went down. He was immediately speared by Neal's sword.

Neal wiped his sword on the ground and resheathed it, breathing hard. He spied Kel, still lying on the ground, and made a face at her. "I hope you're happy," he told his unconscious best friend. "I just faced down three Scanrans for you, but do I get any thanks? No. Typical." He sighed, ever the victim (even when playing to an inattentive audience in the form of the fainted Kel), and gently hoisted her up onto his horse. As Neal himself mounted Magewhisper, he suddenly realized how fatigued he was. The major healing had worn him out; they both needed to get out of the danger zone, and quickly, because he wasn't sure he could stave off another skirmish.

He briefly contemplated tying Kel to the saddle, but decided against it: if she slid, she could hang herself, given the history of Neal's knots. No, better to just keep a firm hold on her. As he looked back, he shuddered at the sight of her pale face and still-bleeding (albeit sluggishly) shoulder; she almost looked – No. He wouldn't allow himself to think it. Still, the thought niggled at the back of his mind, repeating that Kel needed a real healing, not some half-done job on a forest floor. All the more reason to get back to New Hope as soon as possible, thought Neal, and grasped a firmer hold on her before cantering through the woods.

(A/N: Okay, I know that was another short one, but that seemed like a perfect time to cut off the chapter. I had a better ending written, but my idiotic computer deleted it. ::fumes:: Hope you guys liked it! Review and I will love you. Probably.

Adios!)