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
Kissing
Kel froze as Neal's lips touched hers. Using all her will power, she didn't break away and gingerly kissed him back. All she could think of then was, 'Gods, this is wrong.' A few seconds — the longest few seconds she'd ever had to endure — passed. Neal pulled away, looking at his cousin, a sneer playing across his features. As they walked to the mess hall, Kel snuck a look at Dom. He was blinking slowly, as though he couldn't believe what he'd just witnessed.
Kel let out the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. She could still taste Neal's lips on hers, not that it was bad or anything, just . . . strange. She stated, "That . . . was . . ."
"Gross," Neal finished. "I know. But that bastard was smirking at you with his court bitch. I had to do something."
Kel muttered bitterly, "I guess his 'court bitch' was the reason for breaking with me. I don't blame him. I mean, I'm not pretty, or anything. I'm too big, I have too many muscles, and all I am is just—"
Neal drawled, "The Protector of the Small, sole Lady Knight and savior of the realm of Tortall, a good friend of Prince Roald and Princess Shinkokami, need I list more to get it through to you that you're NOT undesirable or useless?"
She sniffed. "REALLY."
Neal eyed her warily. "Yes, really. I know a ton of people who would kill for eyes like yours, and they're just the right colors too. Your hair's a nice, warm color, and personally, I think it's good that you're not a midget."
Kel gave a small smile, then stiffened. "Oh gods, I'm actually feeling sorry for myself. I think you're really rubbing off on me. I can't even imagine myself as a stone anymore."
Neal eyed her, baffled. "A stone?"
Kel giggled. "It's something we did in the Yamani Islands. I imagined myself as an emotionless rock and I would calm down."
Neal remarked dryly, "This is wonderful. You survived all those insults to your honor by imagining yourself as a STONE."
She shrugged. "I imagined myself as a lake, too."
"A LAKE?!"
The mess hall was crowded. Old and new faces were present. Lord Raoul and Commander Buri were seated together, as well as other couples. Neal moaned, "Not that Kanoushi guy . . ."
Kel turned slowly to Yuki. She was chattering in Yamani with a young man with long black hair tied loosely with string. "Kanoushi?"
Neal replied tiredly, "The MAN that Yuki left me for . . . I think. She's always so happy with him. Maybe I shouldn't try to win her back, she's already in love . . ."
Kel reminded him, "She was in love with you, too. I think you still have her shukusen."
"Drat."
They sat down with their food, Kel sitting across from Neal. Kel remarked, "I have a good view of Yuki here. She's . . . oh, no, she's sitting right behind you."
Neal wasn't listening. He was staring right past Kel's shoulder. Kel was confused. What could it be? She caught sight of dark hair. That beautiful smile. Those deep blue eyes. She turned to Neal, her hazel eyes wide. She hissed, "Why didn't you tell me Dom was right behind me?!"
Neal shrugged. He smiled, though it didn't completely reach his emerald eyes. "Hey, Yuki's right behind ME, so we're square."
Kel grumbled, and spooned porridge into her mouth. Neal did the same. Somewhere not far off, they could hear Merric yelling at some girl to get off him, that he was single, and that he wanted to stay that way. Kel smiled, looking suggestively at Neal, who was watching mouth open. "Well, not all of our lives revolve around canoodling, you know."
"Mine isn't! I'll have you know that I'm a man of honor. I don't—"
Kel elbowed him. She retorted, "I'll bet you've had at least ONE relationship where you got carried away, 'man of honor.'"
Neal looked embarrassed. "Actually, I was more busy enjoying the feeling of being in relationships, and in love, than in actually . . . you know, the sex?"
Kel looked at him. "You mean, you're a virgin? I don't believe it."
Neal said hotly, "Believe what you like, I AM a man of honor."
"Then how do you know so much about it?!"
He was suddenly quiet. After a while, he replied shortly, "Dom."
"Oh."
Kel returned to her porridge. She knew Dom did have experience — a lot of experience — and she hadn't realized how much she had underestimated her own best friend. Suddenly she asked him, "So why were you so shocked about Merric?"
He shrugged. "A guy has to be either very determined or very strange to yell at a hot girl like that to get off him. I always thought he would be, like, the first of us all to get into a relationship. You know?"
"I see."
Neal was squinting past her. Suddenly his eyes got round and his voice came out in all strangled. "Eh — um, Kel . . . you . . . you won't . . . like this . . ."
"WHAT?" She asked impatiently.
He mumbled, "Dom-and-Rita-are-making-out-on-the-table."
"Dom and Rita are doing WHAT?!!"
Kel turned sharply, and sure enough, Dom and his – his new WOMAN, were kissing each other passionately on their own table. The onlookers were doing one of the three: cheering, looking amused, or looking disgusted. Kel felt a surge of jealousy and anger. Glaring at Neal, she snapped, "We can beat them at this."
Neal gulped. He stammered, "I d-don't like that look on your face, Kel . . ."
She grinned viciously. "Look at Yuki."
Yuki and Kanoushi were touching each other in suggestive places; they were giggling madly and acting very unlike proper Yamanis. The color in Neal's face drained; he looked furious. Neal muttered, "On three, right? One, two, three—"
She kissed him fiercely, not caring that most of the hooters were doing so because of them. Her face was burning with embarrassment: she'd never kissed anyone like this before. Not on her own. And especially not in front of a crowd like this. She gasped as Neal thrust his tongue into her mouth, but didn't stop.
She felt smug, noting with satisfaction that Dom and his lady were now looking at them, their mouths apart and wide open with shock. Somehow, she didn't care that much about his opinion of her anymore, not at the moment. She was concentrating more on spiting Dom for breaking her heart, toying with HER, and — especially — replacing her with some noble slut.
When they broke apart, gasping for air, the crowd applauded wildly. She felt shaky but curiously self-satisfied. Saying with a grin, "Perverted people these days," she grabbed Neal's hand and dragged him to the garden.
He looked at her wryly. "I can't say that was pleasant, but where'd you learn to kiss like that?"
She said simply, "Dom."
"Thought so. He taught me that thing with the tongue, too—"
She grinned, crying with mock horror, "He KISSED YOU?!"
He raised his head to the heavens, as if the say, 'What did I do to deserve such a clueless best friend?' and retorted, "No, the Lioness fell in love with the King."
A familiar, dry voice remarked, "Actually, I did, once. And what was that scene about, my former squire?"
Kel's heart seemed to be lodged in her throat. The Lioness.
Muahahahaha! I'll leave it at that. Does it count as PG-13?? Oh yeah, I hope I established that Kel feels shitty and hates Dom, and she wants to make him jealous by recklessly doing (cough) stuff with Neal. The last Neal line was sarcastic, obviously.
The next one will be Neal's POV, since most of it so far is how Kel thinks of Dom, and not how Neal thinks of Yuki . . .
So sorry about the cliffie (again)! It's a habit, and encourages people to review! You must hate me right now. Well, review, and I'll (maybe) update!
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
Kissing
Kel froze as Neal's lips touched hers. Using all her will power, she didn't break away and gingerly kissed him back. All she could think of then was, 'Gods, this is wrong.' A few seconds — the longest few seconds she'd ever had to endure — passed. Neal pulled away, looking at his cousin, a sneer playing across his features. As they walked to the mess hall, Kel snuck a look at Dom. He was blinking slowly, as though he couldn't believe what he'd just witnessed.
Kel let out the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. She could still taste Neal's lips on hers, not that it was bad or anything, just . . . strange. She stated, "That . . . was . . ."
"Gross," Neal finished. "I know. But that bastard was smirking at you with his court bitch. I had to do something."
Kel muttered bitterly, "I guess his 'court bitch' was the reason for breaking with me. I don't blame him. I mean, I'm not pretty, or anything. I'm too big, I have too many muscles, and all I am is just—"
Neal drawled, "The Protector of the Small, sole Lady Knight and savior of the realm of Tortall, a good friend of Prince Roald and Princess Shinkokami, need I list more to get it through to you that you're NOT undesirable or useless?"
She sniffed. "REALLY."
Neal eyed her warily. "Yes, really. I know a ton of people who would kill for eyes like yours, and they're just the right colors too. Your hair's a nice, warm color, and personally, I think it's good that you're not a midget."
Kel gave a small smile, then stiffened. "Oh gods, I'm actually feeling sorry for myself. I think you're really rubbing off on me. I can't even imagine myself as a stone anymore."
Neal eyed her, baffled. "A stone?"
Kel giggled. "It's something we did in the Yamani Islands. I imagined myself as an emotionless rock and I would calm down."
Neal remarked dryly, "This is wonderful. You survived all those insults to your honor by imagining yourself as a STONE."
She shrugged. "I imagined myself as a lake, too."
"A LAKE?!"
The mess hall was crowded. Old and new faces were present. Lord Raoul and Commander Buri were seated together, as well as other couples. Neal moaned, "Not that Kanoushi guy . . ."
Kel turned slowly to Yuki. She was chattering in Yamani with a young man with long black hair tied loosely with string. "Kanoushi?"
Neal replied tiredly, "The MAN that Yuki left me for . . . I think. She's always so happy with him. Maybe I shouldn't try to win her back, she's already in love . . ."
Kel reminded him, "She was in love with you, too. I think you still have her shukusen."
"Drat."
They sat down with their food, Kel sitting across from Neal. Kel remarked, "I have a good view of Yuki here. She's . . . oh, no, she's sitting right behind you."
Neal wasn't listening. He was staring right past Kel's shoulder. Kel was confused. What could it be? She caught sight of dark hair. That beautiful smile. Those deep blue eyes. She turned to Neal, her hazel eyes wide. She hissed, "Why didn't you tell me Dom was right behind me?!"
Neal shrugged. He smiled, though it didn't completely reach his emerald eyes. "Hey, Yuki's right behind ME, so we're square."
Kel grumbled, and spooned porridge into her mouth. Neal did the same. Somewhere not far off, they could hear Merric yelling at some girl to get off him, that he was single, and that he wanted to stay that way. Kel smiled, looking suggestively at Neal, who was watching mouth open. "Well, not all of our lives revolve around canoodling, you know."
"Mine isn't! I'll have you know that I'm a man of honor. I don't—"
Kel elbowed him. She retorted, "I'll bet you've had at least ONE relationship where you got carried away, 'man of honor.'"
Neal looked embarrassed. "Actually, I was more busy enjoying the feeling of being in relationships, and in love, than in actually . . . you know, the sex?"
Kel looked at him. "You mean, you're a virgin? I don't believe it."
Neal said hotly, "Believe what you like, I AM a man of honor."
"Then how do you know so much about it?!"
He was suddenly quiet. After a while, he replied shortly, "Dom."
"Oh."
Kel returned to her porridge. She knew Dom did have experience — a lot of experience — and she hadn't realized how much she had underestimated her own best friend. Suddenly she asked him, "So why were you so shocked about Merric?"
He shrugged. "A guy has to be either very determined or very strange to yell at a hot girl like that to get off him. I always thought he would be, like, the first of us all to get into a relationship. You know?"
"I see."
Neal was squinting past her. Suddenly his eyes got round and his voice came out in all strangled. "Eh — um, Kel . . . you . . . you won't . . . like this . . ."
"WHAT?" She asked impatiently.
He mumbled, "Dom-and-Rita-are-making-out-on-the-table."
"Dom and Rita are doing WHAT?!!"
Kel turned sharply, and sure enough, Dom and his – his new WOMAN, were kissing each other passionately on their own table. The onlookers were doing one of the three: cheering, looking amused, or looking disgusted. Kel felt a surge of jealousy and anger. Glaring at Neal, she snapped, "We can beat them at this."
Neal gulped. He stammered, "I d-don't like that look on your face, Kel . . ."
She grinned viciously. "Look at Yuki."
Yuki and Kanoushi were touching each other in suggestive places; they were giggling madly and acting very unlike proper Yamanis. The color in Neal's face drained; he looked furious. Neal muttered, "On three, right? One, two, three—"
She kissed him fiercely, not caring that most of the hooters were doing so because of them. Her face was burning with embarrassment: she'd never kissed anyone like this before. Not on her own. And especially not in front of a crowd like this. She gasped as Neal thrust his tongue into her mouth, but didn't stop.
She felt smug, noting with satisfaction that Dom and his lady were now looking at them, their mouths apart and wide open with shock. Somehow, she didn't care that much about his opinion of her anymore, not at the moment. She was concentrating more on spiting Dom for breaking her heart, toying with HER, and — especially — replacing her with some noble slut.
When they broke apart, gasping for air, the crowd applauded wildly. She felt shaky but curiously self-satisfied. Saying with a grin, "Perverted people these days," she grabbed Neal's hand and dragged him to the garden.
He looked at her wryly. "I can't say that was pleasant, but where'd you learn to kiss like that?"
She said simply, "Dom."
"Thought so. He taught me that thing with the tongue, too—"
She grinned, crying with mock horror, "He KISSED YOU?!"
He raised his head to the heavens, as if the say, 'What did I do to deserve such a clueless best friend?' and retorted, "No, the Lioness fell in love with the King."
A familiar, dry voice remarked, "Actually, I did, once. And what was that scene about, my former squire?"
Kel's heart seemed to be lodged in her throat. The Lioness.
Muahahahaha! I'll leave it at that. Does it count as PG-13?? Oh yeah, I hope I established that Kel feels shitty and hates Dom, and she wants to make him jealous by recklessly doing (cough) stuff with Neal. The last Neal line was sarcastic, obviously.
The next one will be Neal's POV, since most of it so far is how Kel thinks of Dom, and not how Neal thinks of Yuki . . .
So sorry about the cliffie (again)! It's a habit, and encourages people to review! You must hate me right now. Well, review, and I'll (maybe) update!