A/N- ok so I hope you liked the last chapter. Fill, fill. Now, if Dom is a little OOC sometimes it could be because he reminds me a lot of someone I know, so instead of basing it on Dom I could be thinking of that someone. Lol!

Domitan of Masbolle strode into the mess hall for breakfast. He scanned the tables for his friends, namely Kel, Neal and Yuki. Spotting Neal and Yuki, he inclined his head in greeting to them and went to line up for food.

As he waited, he thought. He had barely seen Kel since arriving back in Corus. He had watched her joust against Lord Raoul a few times, but that was about it. After, he had waited round to talk to her but she had been distant and unfriendly towards him. She hadn't been at meals and he hadn't seen her in the stables at all. It was like she didn't exist anymore. Dom frowned, puzzled as to why she could be avoiding everyone.

He reached the food, piled his plate high and began heading towards Neal.

"Hello, Sir Meathead," he greeted his cousin, Nealan of Queenscove, sitting down beside him. Neal scowled.

"Why am I so misunderstood?" he moaned, rolling his eyes to the roof dramatically. Yukimi, his wife, smacked him with her shukusen. He winced.

"Ow."

Dom began stuffing food in his mouth. As he ate, he noticed that Neal had carefully swept his vegetables on his plate to the edge and hadn't eaten any.

"Hey, Meathead," he prodded his cousin in the ribs. "If Kel was here, she'd tell you to eat those."

Neal glared.

"Well, she isn't. And speaking of Kel, anyway, when did you last see her?"

Dom chewed, returning to his earlier thoughts.

"Maybe... three weeks ago? When she jousted with Lord Raoul and didn't fall off once?"

"And did you talk to her?" Neal questioned.

"I tried," Dom answered, slightly defensive. "When did you last talk to her?"

"About two weeks ago," Neal confessed.

They both looked at Yuki.

"A week and a half ago," she answered their unspoken question softly.

"What is with her?" Neal ran his fingers through his already unruly hair. "It's like she's avoiding us. I mean, I know she was upset over New Hope and everything, but..."

"Maybe she is avoiding us," Dom agreed.

A worried frown creased Yuki's forehead. "I'm going to go talk to her, now. She might be in her rooms." She stood, picking up her plate.

"I'll take that." Neal grabbed her plate from her. "Go talk to Kel. And report back!" He called as she walked gracefully away.

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Kel stepped out of her bath and grabbed her towel. She dried herself and wondered idly where Lalasa was. She had insisted on being Kel's maid at anytime when Kel was at the palace. Kel had firmly told Lalasa that she would pay her and that Lalasa should still keep her shop open.

Glancing at the sun outside her window, Kel realised that she had been pattern dancing, and in the bath, for a lot longer than usual. Lalasa had probably already gone to open up shop. The knights and soldiers in the mess hall had probably already finished breakfast. Dom had probably already eaten.

She shook her head at her thoughts and dressed for the day, pulling on underclothes, training breeches, a shirt and her boots.

Just as she finished lacing her second boot, a soft knock came on the door. Kel tensed. Who would be breaking her soliditarity? ((sp?))

Not wanting to talk to anyone, she stealthily began creeping towards her dressing room. Unfortunately, the grey and orange cat she had found on her Scanran adventures, Hope, weaved in between her legs, asking for a pat. Kel, not expecting this, tripped. She grabbed a chair to try and stop her fall but both she and the chair crashed onto the floor.

"Kel!" Yuki's voice came from outside the door. "I know you're in there."

Kel groaned softly. She would have to talk to Yuki now, and no doubt Yuki would ask why she had been avoiding them for the past few weeks. She would have to make up a good story, there was no question of telling the truth.

The door flung open and Yuki stormed in, eyes blazing, ready to force Kel to talk to her. She took in Kel, lying on the floor with a chair next to her and a puzzled look came into her eyes. She began giggling uncontrollably.

"What happened to you?" she demanded. Months of living with the Tortallans had made her lose her Yamani ways of hiding her emotions. Whenever she met another Yamani, though, she went back to her Yamani ways.

Kel frowned up at her. "Not funny."

Yuki laughed harder, and then remembered the reason why she had come.

"I want to talk to you, Kel," she told her friend, becoming serious.

Kel raised an eyebrow and stood up, standing the chair back up.

"Talk away," she said reluctantly, wishing she could escape.

"Kel..." Yuki began carefully. "It's almost like you've been avoiding us for the past few weeks."

Kel thought quickly. Which would better suit her, to tell Yuki she was just trying to train or to tell her that she was having personal problems? The first, she decided. If she told Yuki the second, well, Yuki would probably make her spill it all.

"I've just been trying to train, Yuki," Kel put her Yamani mask on. "I've been busy, practising jousting, fighting, riding..."

Yuki snorted disbelievingly. "Kel. You're one of my best friends and I want you to tell me what's wrong. For instance, why do you never come down for meals anymore?"

Kel inwardly cringed. She hadn't prepared for that question, although she should have.

"I... Glaive practise goes into breakfast time, I'd be late, I've been getting the palace maids to bring up my meals." She gestured at the untouched breakfast tray.

"Kel," Yuki said with exaggerated patience. "Everyone is late to breakfast. And what about midmeal, supper? I know something's wrong."

Kel, annoyed at her friend's perceptiveness, decided to fall back on her second plan- which was basically the truth...

"Yuki," she said softly, sitting down on her bed. "I just need time to... sort out my feelings over New Hope. I need time to-"

Yuki interrupted, her earlier temper returning.

"Don't you think we might try to help? And that can't be all, Kel. There must be more. This isn't like you."

Kel groaned aloud.

"Why does there have to be more? And anyway, when are my dress fittings?" she changed the subject abruptly.

"Since when do you ASK when your dress fittings are?" Yuki demanded hopelessly. "You've been shunning everyone. Me, Neal, Dom..."

Kel flinched at the unexpected mention of Dom's name.

"Dom..." Yuki repeated thoughtfully. "That's it, isn't it?"

Kel placed her Yamani mask on. "Dom? What about Dom?" she tried to say innocently.

"Dom. That's the problem, isn't it?" Yuki nodded her head, pleased to understand.

"What? No... Why would there be a problem with Dom?" Kel's voice sounded weak and unconvincing, even to herself.

"You like him." Yuki acknowledged smugly. "You-"

"No, no, no!" Kel was on her feet now, panicking. "I don't... I don't... I swear I don't, Yuki."

Yuki rolled her eyes. "Sure. I won't tell."

Kel groaned. "Why do you think I like him? You're seeing romance everywhere, since you got together with Neal." I am a lake, she thought frantically. A calm, serene lake.

"Only where there is, Kel," Yuki headed towards the door. She'd found the problem, now to fix it. "Oh... And Kel, your dress fitting is an hour from now. Meet me in my rooms. And stop avoiding everyone. We're not going to laugh. I'm going to help." Yuki walked out, dress swishing.

Kel slid onto her bed, her face a mask of horror. She made several incoherent noises and then burst out:

"Damned Yamanis! I don't want help!"

Hope sprung onto her lap and began purring soothingly.

A/N: Okay, Yuki is very OOC, I think. But hey. it's fanfic!!!