Goodbye to You Chapter One

Neal watched as the docks disappeared, and with them, his best friend, the woman he loved. He hadn't known what to do when the war was over. Finally, he had decided that his duty was to Yuki, because not only had he loved her first, she was his fiancee. He could not turn his back on that, no matter how much he loved Kel. He had tried to force his love for her aside, but it hadn't worked. He was still very much in love with his best friend. Yet here he was, going to marry another woman.

Yuki came up and placed a hand on his shoulder, and he gave her a small smile. She smiled back before turning to watch the sea.

He knew that Yuki was worried about him. But he couldn't help it. It just didn't feel right. He had loved Kel, but he would stay here, with Yuki, because he thought it was right.

Of course, Neal still loved Yuki. But it was the way a friend loves a friend. The way he had loved Kel. But then...well, then the war had happened, and he had fallen in love with his best friend. He hadn't meant for it to happen. It just had.

When he had explained things to Kel, he could tell she was hurt. He tried to make her understand, but all she had done was pull on her Yamani mask and tell him she needed to practice. It had killed him. He needed her to understand that he still loved her, but he still had a duty to Yuki. But she didn't say anything, just nodded her head. He had written her a letter, but she hadn't made any implication that she had even gotten it. He tried to comfort himself by saying that they would always be best friends, but it wasn't true. Of course they wouldn't. As much as she tried to pretend she wasn't, he knew she was hurt from what he had done.

They wouldn't be close like they had been. A wall had been built between them, and Neal was afraid he was never going to be able to scale it. Their friendship was dead, as dead as all the soldiers that had lay motionless on the battlefield.

Kel, surrounded by people, had never felt more alone in her life. There was no denying it-she missed Neal. She needed him, more than she could imagine. More than she had ever realized. She didn't just need him as a lover; she needed him as a friend. She needed him there to cheer her up, to whisper sarcastic comments in her ear during a meeting, to just sit around and talk to.

She was startled out of her thoughts when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned towards the person, and was surprised to find Dom there.

"Kel, do you want to dance?" She nodded her head, and the two walked towards the dance floor.

After several minutes of silence, Dom said quietly, "I know what happened between you and Neal."

Her eyes snapped to him. "How?"

"He told me. He talked about you all the time in his letters." He smiled at her blush. They danced in silence for a few moments, not knowing what to say.

"So?" She finally asked, voice hard. She didn't want to talk about Neal. In fact, she didn't really feel like talking at all right now.

"I know you are upset by what happened before he left. But, if he doesn't realize how much you loved each other, and thought that it was more important to do his duty to Yuki, than he doesn't deserve you." He told her softly.

Tears gathered in her eyes, but she held them back. No one would see her cry, even if it was one of her closest friends. "Dom, can we please talk about something else?"

Any fool could tell that she was upset. He turned the conversation to something much less personal. "Did I mention that you look lovely tonight, lady knight?"

Kel was wearing a dark green dress with gold embroidered leaves in the bottom portion. It was quite tight, and very low cut, but looked extremely beautiful. Her light brown hair, made almost blonde by the sun, she wore down. She had never bothered to have it cut during the last year, so it reached her lower back.

"Thank you." She whispered, wishing it was Neal she was here with, Neal telling her how nice she looked. They continued the dance in silence.

When the music stopped, he reached over and kissed her on the forehead. "If you ever need anything, you know where to find me." He told her quietly before she went back to her friends. She turned and gave him a small smile, and he returned it.

(five days after docking)

They sat before the fire, neither saying a word. This was how it had been since they had set sail. They rarely talked, just sat, each thinking their own thoughts.

Finally, Yuki spoke, her voice low and even. "I know you love her."

Neal's eyes snapped open in surprise. How could she know? "Who?"

"Kel." She answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

No denial rose to his lips. She gave him a bittersweet smile. "You thought I wouldn't know, but it was obvious. You were, after all, with her at war for over three years. I knew it would happen, but foolishly pushed the matter inside."

He still said nothing. He was unable to deny it, as much as he wanted to. It was true, and he couldn't say it wasn't. He loved Yuki very much, and he couldn't lie to her because of that. She continued. "I knew something was wrong since before you came back. You hardly ever wrote me, and when you did, they where all short, brief letters. Then, Kel was hardly around when the war ended and you returned to the castle. When she was around, she was quiet, more than usual, and wouldn't look at anybody."

She had begun pacing in front of him, but when she finished her speech, she sat on her knees right in front of him, looking deep into his green eyes. Gently, she reached up and brushed a lock of hair out of his face before continuing in a whisper, "I could tell when I looked in your eyes that you still loved her."

The room was dead silent for several minutes, until she let out a sigh. "You need to go back, Neal. You need her. And I think Kel needs you, too."

"But what about us?" He gestured to the two of them. Gently, she took his hand. When she released it, the ring that he had given her sat in his palm, glinting up at him.

"Are-" His voice cracked. He started again. "Are you sure?" He prayed to the gods she was. "Of course." She kissed his cheek.

"I still love you, Yuki. Just, well, in a different way."

"I know, and I'm fine with that. Besides, I think Kel needs you more than I do. Or you need Kel more than you need me."

"No, that's not-" He began, only to have her cut him off.

"Of course it is. Who else is going to make sure that you eat all of your vegetables, Meathead?" Yuki asked teasingly.

He let out a groan. "What is it with everyone and that bloody name?"

"We all know you love it, Neal." She patted his shoulder and stood up.

"Now, I am going to go to bed. You had better, too. Your ship leaves at dawn." She headed towards the door, only to be stopped by Neal's voice.

"My what?!" he asked, shocked. She wouldn't have-she couldn't have-

"I booked you a passage on a ship for your return to Tortall. I knew you would want to get back as soon as you could."

He didn't know what to say. A mere 'thank you' wasn't enough. He said it anyway.

"I will never be able to thank you enough." He told her quietly before kissing her lightly on the cheek.

She gave him a sad smile. "Yes, you will. Just make her happy, and never stop loving her."

The end of another chapter. I hope you liked it! By the way, I believe this is the longest chapter I have ever written! A total of 1386 words, not including all the review things or anything else. I amaze myself sometimes. J/k.

Pinky-Thank you for the compliment. I understand perfectly. I like how someone writes a lot, I just don't like what they wrote. Well, if you read this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it more than the last. And I hope you understand why Neal did what he did.

PsychoLioness13-I know, I feel sorry for her. Thank you. I love that song, and it was just so fitting. Hope you liked the story.

Lilliana-Rose-I know, sad endings are the worst! Like in Harry Potter. Damn J.K. Rowling!! Sorry, I just can't get over that. Anyway, I couldn't just leave it like that. It would be cruel! Besides, Kel needs a happy ending!!!

Oceanspike-Good, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Hope you liked this chapter!!

Nolee of Stone Mountain-Ah, I'm sorry. I am not the only one to cry in song fics!! Yay! Well, I hope this chapter made you feel somewhat better. Hey, think of it this way-he will (hopefully) soon be back with Kel!!! While I really like Yuki, it will be good to get her out of the picture- no one steals Neal away from Kel!!!

Also, I wanted to ask for some advice. I really have several different ideas for the next chapter, so if you could tell me which one you like better, I would be grateful.

A: Neal is captured by pirates while sailing back to Tortall.

B: He gets back to Tortall, but Kel doesn't want him. (He will, of course, try to change her mind)

C: He persuades Kel to forgive him (I really don't like that one)

D: The chapter is just about sailing back and what he is thinking while doing so (rather boring)

E: It switches to Kel's POV

Or, if you don't like any of these, you can give me your ideas. Thank you for the help!