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In Voy: Warlord, Kes breaks up with Neelix. However, it is very quickly established that Kes is possessed by the consciousness of the recently deceased Tieran, since she attacks Voyager's crew and escapes with the other two Ilari.

Kes was late for her lunch date with Neelix because she had been spending time with the two rescued Ilari. Obviously she had planned the escape with the other two Ilari, so it was therefore Tieran, not Kes who broke up with Neelix. Since Kes was fully aware of Tieran, if she had regained control of her body she would have warned the crew, not taken time out to break up with Neelix over lunch!

When Tieran's consciousness was destroyed and Kes' mind was fully restored, why didn't she explain to Neelix that it wasn't her who broke up with him? Or did they get back together and she broke up with him herself before the next episode?

It can't have been Neelix who broke up with Kes because he was smitten with her, as evinced in Voy: Fury when he is visibly still in love with her.

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    I think the bigger question is, what took her so long? Maybe Tieran just achieved what she'd been looking for a way to do all along.
    – Wolfie Inu
    Oct 28, 2015 at 4:41
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    To be brutally honest, I always found their relationship fundamentally creepy. He seemed far more worldly than she did and her extremely young age and naivety was a real worry. He also struck me as obsessional/possessive rather than loving/caring.
    – Valorum
    Oct 28, 2015 at 8:55
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    + those sideburns. shudder
    – user46509
    Oct 28, 2015 at 9:12
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    Can we stop being mean to the ugly fuzz-face now?
    – CJ Dennis
    Oct 28, 2015 at 22:50
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    Plus, she was only like 2 years old. Creepy
    – BBlake
    Oct 30, 2015 at 14:09

2 Answers 2

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The very short answer is that her experiences in Voy: Warlord (and the mental violation that went along with it) appear to have forced her to fundamentally reconsider her relationships with several of the crew, particularly her relationship with Neelix.

KES: Everything seems so different now. My thoughts and perceptions, even my relationships with my closest friends. You, the Doctor, Neelix. How can I go back to my normal life as if nothing ever happened?

Voy: Warlord

Given that Kes has a maximum of two lines in the next 9(!) episodes it's quite hard to pinpoint exactly what happened between Kes and Neelix off-camera after the events of Warlord. The next time we gain any insight into either of their thoughts is in Voy: Darkling where we learn that Kes is planning to embark on a sexual relationship with an alien she met a few days ago.

KES: You know I've been spending time with Zahir.

JANEWAY: Yes. He seems like a very interesting young man.

KES: He is. I want to spend more time with him. A lot more time.

JANEWAY: I see.

KES: He wants to explore the Sylleran Rift. His ship travels at high warp. We could rendezvous with Voyager afterwards, before you're too far away.

JANEWAY: That would certainly give you a chance to get to know him better.

KES: It's more than that. Captain, I've lived almost a third of my life now. I've been asking myself if I want to spend the rest of it on Voyager.

JANEWAY: That's certainly a legitimate question.

KES: Everyone here has been so good to me. I don't want you to think I'm ungrateful. I've just been thinking that maybe there's more. I don't know what that means, but I know I'm changing, and I know that there are things that I'm not satisfied with. I want complication in my life.

The show's writers did plan to have them discuss their breakup in Voy: Fair Trade but then cut the scene (which was scripted, but evidently not filmed) for reasons of time.

There are extensive interview quotes on Memory Alpha and the scene itself is reproduced below, courtesy of the Voyager: Companion

KES: Hello, Neelix...

Neelix: Kes...I wanted to clear the air between us. It’s very apparent that our relationship has been changing ... that we aren't close in the way we once were...

KES: I know. We seem to have ... drifted apart.

Neelix: Maybe it’s for the best. But I want you to know... you've been the finest friend anyone could have, I’ll always cherish that.

Kes: Neelix... you sound as though you're saying goodbye ... we’ll always be friends, won’t we?

Neelix: Of course. Always.

[Kes moves to him and gives him a quick kiss on the cheek — friendship only, nothing sensual. Neelix stands like a rock and then smiles sadly at her and EXITS. Kes looks after him, a bit puzzled.]

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    I'm surprised you used that formatting for show and episode and didn't fix it in the question too.
    – ThePopMachine
    Oct 31, 2015 at 2:24
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    @ThePopMachine - Next on my list 'o things to do. Making the world a better place, one edit at a time
    – Valorum
    Oct 31, 2015 at 8:11
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It isn't explicitly explained, in my opinion, but it does seem that her Warlord experience did bring to the forefront questions she already had about her place in the universe, her ability to accumulate experiences in her 9 years of life, etc.

As for the opinion that her relationship with Neelix was always "creepy" because she was only "two years old," etc., you have to think like an Ocampan. Or even like the other species who knew them. No one thought it was out of line because being two has a completely different meaning in the lifespan of an Ocampan.

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