Story: Trick of Fate
By: Minuiko
Summary: During the ten day celebration in Corus, Yuki decides to break with Neal, and Dom with Kel (Pretend that they were together, alright?). So Neal and Kel decide to pretend they're in love to win back their original partners. But what if they accidentally fall for each other? K/N
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimers: I am not the almighty Tamora Pierce . . . as you know . . . --
Chapter One: Heartbreak
Nealan of Queenscove brushed his light brown hair out of his eyes as his horse trotted alongside his best friend's. He was feeling extremely lighthearted, especially for him. He was saying under his breath in a sing- song voice, "I'm gonna see Yuki, I'm gonna see Yuki . . ."
Keladry of Mindelan, Protector of the Small and Lady Knight, looked at him, somewhat amused. She reminded him, "We still have nearly a day's ride to Corus, you know."
Neal glared at her, sniffing, "Ruin my good mood, will you?"
He resumed singing, "I'm gonna see Yuki, I'm gonna see Yuki . . ."
This continued for about fifteen minutes, until Merric (of Hollyrose) finally snapped what was, by then, on everyone's minds. "Shut it, Neal! Do you realize how annoying it is being next to you?"
Neal huffed. "Don't you know what it feels like to be in love? Oh, yeah . . ." he just realized that Merric was never involved in romance (or anything relatively close to canoodling, the poor, innocent kid) before, "You don't. Well, either way, that's what friends are for, aren't they? To annoy the hell out of each other?"
Kel snorted, raising her eyebrows. Neal added quickly, "And to help each other out of sticky situations?"
Kel muttered, "That's better, Meathead. You know you would've failed mathematics without me."
Neal grinned, ignoring his horrid family nickname (which Kel, no doubt, adopted from his sergeant of a cousin), and resumed his round of "I'm gonna see Yuki," while everyone else around them, including Tobe, groaned. Neal stopped once to retort, "My singing isn't that bad!" before continuing the torture once again.
They arrived at Corus. A fairly large crowd greeted them, to Kel's surprise (she still hadn't acknowledged how famous she was, the modest girl). Neal ignored the familiar faces, scanning the area for Yuki. Where could she be?
His Gift led him to a nearly empty mess hall. Yuki and a young Yamani male were the only ones there, deep in conversation. Neal's presence didn't seem to bother them at all, not until he said, apprehensively, "Yuki?"
She turned around wildly, as if surprised, instead of gracefully as she would have done in the past. She was still as pretty as he had remembered. Recognizing the fake calm and composed mask that Kel wore sometimes, he wondered what there could be to hide about.
Yuki managed an acknowledging smile. "Neal."
Neal's green eyes were wide, flicking occasionally to the other man. Yuki explained awkwardly, "T-this is Kanou. Kanoushi Urushige."
Neal didn't even want to look at the other man after that. He had a sense of dread at what Yuki was planning to — or not planning to — tell him. He told her in a soft voice, "You have on the same face Kel does when she tries to hide her emotions. What happened, love?"
Yuki took a deep breath. She said slowly, in her lightly accented Common, "Let us go to your room to discuss it, Neal."
Neal wondered, 'Why not here?' He shook his head and led them to his room. Yuki inhaled again, and blurt out, "We must cancel the wedding."
Neal had expected it: sort of. But not so bluntly. It was as if she had been thinking of telling him for a long time. He realized why Yuki wanted to tell him privately: to save him from breaking down in front of Kanoushi. He gritted his teeth. Well, he wasn't about to break down! To his agitation, his voice came out croaky as he asked quietly, "You're not joking, are you . . . why?"
Yuki was trying to explain without hurting his feelings, he could tell. "It's not — well I — I decided that we . . . were not meant to be."
Neal smiled bitterly. There was no point in yelling, as he would have done in another situation. "I see."
He left the room, silently commanding himself not to break down.
Only an hour or so after her arrival in Corus, Kel felt like crying. 'Why, Dom?'
Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle had admitted his feelings to her around a year ago. He had always made her laugh with his teasing, and he always supported her. They had gone as far as kissing, though nothing beyond that. Even so, she felt as though she had everything in the world. Then he told her that they needed time apart.
Kel felt empty. She had on her Yamani mask, though it was bound to break soon. She had loved Dom. LOVED. She had loved him even more than Cleon. She grimaced as silent tears poured down her face. Why was she being weak? She should've just acknowledged the break and accepted it. Why was she getting so upset?!
Angry at herself, she began throwing herself against the wall violently. She knew that it was childish, and she didn't care. Not anymore. Her hands sported blood, but she didn't stop, at least, not until a strong hand gripped her wrists, stopping her from injuring herself further.
Neal looked like he had just broken down and accepted a great tragedy. His hair was a mess; his normally bright emerald eyes looked haunted, but he was discreetly calm. He looked pale: she was surprised that he was still strong enough to restrain her. "Kel, what happened?"
Kel eyed his beaten up state, ignoring the question for the moment. "You look like shit . . ."
Neal managed to grin. "So do you."
"Not as much as you."
"I wasn't the one trying to kill herself."
"Hn."
Neal looked at her, one eyebrow raised. "What, no retort? I expected something like 'you tried to kill yourself too, Meathead.'"
Kel looked away at the nickname that Dom used on Neal frequently. Her face contorted as she tried to hold back tears. She couldn't. She broke into sobs, trying in vain to stop. Deciding not to persist in asking her what had happened to her, Neal lent her his shoulder to cry on. When her wails softened a bit, he told her quietly, "Yuki cancelled the wedding."
That got her attention. "What?"
He sighed. Kel, who normally understood how he felt about being questioned in a bad mood, pressed him, temporarily forgetting her own problem. "Why? Doesn't she love you?"
Neal explained how Yuki didn't feel they were 'meant to be.' Kel sighed, wiping her eyes. "Dom broke with me, too."
Neal's next reply caught her by surprise; his tone was one of surprise rather than frustration or anger. "Since when were you t-together with-with Dom?!!"
She giggled. "Oh, yeah, you didn't know, did you? It was more of a private relationship."
Neal's eyes narrowed. "He didn't do anything to you, did he?"
Kel blinked at him, trying to make sense of the question. It finally dawned on her. "Neal, you pervert!"
Neal exclaimed, "What?! It was a best friend's concern, that's all!"
Kel snorted. "Right. So you go and ask your best friend, who happens to be a GIRL, whether or not her boyfriend DID ANYTHING TO HER OR NOT!"
Neal grinned innocently, his face no longer so pale. "But it was a perfectly good, clean question. If YOU weren't so perverted, you wouldn't have thought of it that way."
Kel sighed in exasperation, choosing to forgive him for that comment. She said, "So we're both single now?"
Neal agreed half-heartedly. "Seems like it. If only there was some way to make them come back to us . . ."
Kel thought desperately, 'I would give anything to have Dom back. And I'm pretty sure Neal feels the same about Yuki.' She blurt out, "You want to try going out with me?"
Neal yelped, shocked, "What?!"
Kel covered her mouth. The words came out wrong! She rapidly explained to him that if they made Yuki and Dom jealous, there may be a chance of getting them back. "I know you're like a brother to me, and it would be wrong, but . . . just try. Please?"
Neal remarked, "This is the daftest idea you've ever come up with. I think I'm rubbing off on you."
Kel waited for an answer. Neal rested his hand on hers; green magic flowed over them, healing her cuts. She glared at him. "Haven't you learned to leave my wounds alone when they're not serious?"
He grinned. "I'm Meathead, remember? And yes, I'll try your idea, crazy as it may be."
She smiled. "Good. And by the way, Neal . . . fix your hair before anyone sees you. We don't want them to see the almighty drama queen fall from his pedestal, do we?
Neal retorted, "Better a drama queen than the Protector of the Small, isn't it?"
"Don't call me that. I think the Chamber was high when it gave me that stupid title."
"Protector of the — OW!"
How was it? I think they're a tad too cheerful for people who just had their hearts broken . . .
Review!
TBC — Minuiko
By: Minuiko
Summary: During the ten day celebration in Corus, Yuki decides to break with Neal, and Dom with Kel (Pretend that they were together, alright?). So Neal and Kel decide to pretend they're in love to win back their original partners. But what if they accidentally fall for each other? K/N
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimers: I am not the almighty Tamora Pierce . . . as you know . . . --
Chapter One: Heartbreak
Nealan of Queenscove brushed his light brown hair out of his eyes as his horse trotted alongside his best friend's. He was feeling extremely lighthearted, especially for him. He was saying under his breath in a sing- song voice, "I'm gonna see Yuki, I'm gonna see Yuki . . ."
Keladry of Mindelan, Protector of the Small and Lady Knight, looked at him, somewhat amused. She reminded him, "We still have nearly a day's ride to Corus, you know."
Neal glared at her, sniffing, "Ruin my good mood, will you?"
He resumed singing, "I'm gonna see Yuki, I'm gonna see Yuki . . ."
This continued for about fifteen minutes, until Merric (of Hollyrose) finally snapped what was, by then, on everyone's minds. "Shut it, Neal! Do you realize how annoying it is being next to you?"
Neal huffed. "Don't you know what it feels like to be in love? Oh, yeah . . ." he just realized that Merric was never involved in romance (or anything relatively close to canoodling, the poor, innocent kid) before, "You don't. Well, either way, that's what friends are for, aren't they? To annoy the hell out of each other?"
Kel snorted, raising her eyebrows. Neal added quickly, "And to help each other out of sticky situations?"
Kel muttered, "That's better, Meathead. You know you would've failed mathematics without me."
Neal grinned, ignoring his horrid family nickname (which Kel, no doubt, adopted from his sergeant of a cousin), and resumed his round of "I'm gonna see Yuki," while everyone else around them, including Tobe, groaned. Neal stopped once to retort, "My singing isn't that bad!" before continuing the torture once again.
They arrived at Corus. A fairly large crowd greeted them, to Kel's surprise (she still hadn't acknowledged how famous she was, the modest girl). Neal ignored the familiar faces, scanning the area for Yuki. Where could she be?
His Gift led him to a nearly empty mess hall. Yuki and a young Yamani male were the only ones there, deep in conversation. Neal's presence didn't seem to bother them at all, not until he said, apprehensively, "Yuki?"
She turned around wildly, as if surprised, instead of gracefully as she would have done in the past. She was still as pretty as he had remembered. Recognizing the fake calm and composed mask that Kel wore sometimes, he wondered what there could be to hide about.
Yuki managed an acknowledging smile. "Neal."
Neal's green eyes were wide, flicking occasionally to the other man. Yuki explained awkwardly, "T-this is Kanou. Kanoushi Urushige."
Neal didn't even want to look at the other man after that. He had a sense of dread at what Yuki was planning to — or not planning to — tell him. He told her in a soft voice, "You have on the same face Kel does when she tries to hide her emotions. What happened, love?"
Yuki took a deep breath. She said slowly, in her lightly accented Common, "Let us go to your room to discuss it, Neal."
Neal wondered, 'Why not here?' He shook his head and led them to his room. Yuki inhaled again, and blurt out, "We must cancel the wedding."
Neal had expected it: sort of. But not so bluntly. It was as if she had been thinking of telling him for a long time. He realized why Yuki wanted to tell him privately: to save him from breaking down in front of Kanoushi. He gritted his teeth. Well, he wasn't about to break down! To his agitation, his voice came out croaky as he asked quietly, "You're not joking, are you . . . why?"
Yuki was trying to explain without hurting his feelings, he could tell. "It's not — well I — I decided that we . . . were not meant to be."
Neal smiled bitterly. There was no point in yelling, as he would have done in another situation. "I see."
He left the room, silently commanding himself not to break down.
Only an hour or so after her arrival in Corus, Kel felt like crying. 'Why, Dom?'
Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle had admitted his feelings to her around a year ago. He had always made her laugh with his teasing, and he always supported her. They had gone as far as kissing, though nothing beyond that. Even so, she felt as though she had everything in the world. Then he told her that they needed time apart.
Kel felt empty. She had on her Yamani mask, though it was bound to break soon. She had loved Dom. LOVED. She had loved him even more than Cleon. She grimaced as silent tears poured down her face. Why was she being weak? She should've just acknowledged the break and accepted it. Why was she getting so upset?!
Angry at herself, she began throwing herself against the wall violently. She knew that it was childish, and she didn't care. Not anymore. Her hands sported blood, but she didn't stop, at least, not until a strong hand gripped her wrists, stopping her from injuring herself further.
Neal looked like he had just broken down and accepted a great tragedy. His hair was a mess; his normally bright emerald eyes looked haunted, but he was discreetly calm. He looked pale: she was surprised that he was still strong enough to restrain her. "Kel, what happened?"
Kel eyed his beaten up state, ignoring the question for the moment. "You look like shit . . ."
Neal managed to grin. "So do you."
"Not as much as you."
"I wasn't the one trying to kill herself."
"Hn."
Neal looked at her, one eyebrow raised. "What, no retort? I expected something like 'you tried to kill yourself too, Meathead.'"
Kel looked away at the nickname that Dom used on Neal frequently. Her face contorted as she tried to hold back tears. She couldn't. She broke into sobs, trying in vain to stop. Deciding not to persist in asking her what had happened to her, Neal lent her his shoulder to cry on. When her wails softened a bit, he told her quietly, "Yuki cancelled the wedding."
That got her attention. "What?"
He sighed. Kel, who normally understood how he felt about being questioned in a bad mood, pressed him, temporarily forgetting her own problem. "Why? Doesn't she love you?"
Neal explained how Yuki didn't feel they were 'meant to be.' Kel sighed, wiping her eyes. "Dom broke with me, too."
Neal's next reply caught her by surprise; his tone was one of surprise rather than frustration or anger. "Since when were you t-together with-with Dom?!!"
She giggled. "Oh, yeah, you didn't know, did you? It was more of a private relationship."
Neal's eyes narrowed. "He didn't do anything to you, did he?"
Kel blinked at him, trying to make sense of the question. It finally dawned on her. "Neal, you pervert!"
Neal exclaimed, "What?! It was a best friend's concern, that's all!"
Kel snorted. "Right. So you go and ask your best friend, who happens to be a GIRL, whether or not her boyfriend DID ANYTHING TO HER OR NOT!"
Neal grinned innocently, his face no longer so pale. "But it was a perfectly good, clean question. If YOU weren't so perverted, you wouldn't have thought of it that way."
Kel sighed in exasperation, choosing to forgive him for that comment. She said, "So we're both single now?"
Neal agreed half-heartedly. "Seems like it. If only there was some way to make them come back to us . . ."
Kel thought desperately, 'I would give anything to have Dom back. And I'm pretty sure Neal feels the same about Yuki.' She blurt out, "You want to try going out with me?"
Neal yelped, shocked, "What?!"
Kel covered her mouth. The words came out wrong! She rapidly explained to him that if they made Yuki and Dom jealous, there may be a chance of getting them back. "I know you're like a brother to me, and it would be wrong, but . . . just try. Please?"
Neal remarked, "This is the daftest idea you've ever come up with. I think I'm rubbing off on you."
Kel waited for an answer. Neal rested his hand on hers; green magic flowed over them, healing her cuts. She glared at him. "Haven't you learned to leave my wounds alone when they're not serious?"
He grinned. "I'm Meathead, remember? And yes, I'll try your idea, crazy as it may be."
She smiled. "Good. And by the way, Neal . . . fix your hair before anyone sees you. We don't want them to see the almighty drama queen fall from his pedestal, do we?
Neal retorted, "Better a drama queen than the Protector of the Small, isn't it?"
"Don't call me that. I think the Chamber was high when it gave me that stupid title."
"Protector of the — OW!"
How was it? I think they're a tad too cheerful for people who just had their hearts broken . . .
Review!
TBC — Minuiko