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Kensei finds he likes the cool and dark depths of underground.
It is quiet, and the Earth does not crush and crumble as readily under his touch as things on the surface. In fact, the last time he saw sunlight, he’d started to grow sluggish and stiff, his mask becoming a barrier to breathing. It took everything in him to call for Hirako, but the King had appeared, along with bhā that would have sent ripples of unease through Kensei if his being weren’t in the process of growing frozen from his toes upward.
Hirako hadn’t wasted time, using his sharp weapon he carried to shatter the stone encasing him. Though it rankled after the fact, Kensei was thankful the other One placed a hat on his head.
“To shield you from the Light,” It’d said, smiling serenely, as if It were the one that ruled UnSeelie.
“You might find something more like Before more habitable,” Hirako had intoned, almost speaking over the Other. “Though, too much water might not be a good thing either.”
Kensei, back to his faculties, had nodded and then stalked away, wanting to both stay and defend Hirako yet also be as far away as he could be from the Other One. (Later, he’ll see this moment as the beginning of his failings).
The next time Kensei ventures above ground, it’s because the Earth ruptures and splits open. It’s the result of the first clash between the UnSeelie and Seelie. It’s something he’d felt rumbling through the ether since he initially parted ways from Hirako all those moons ago.
Fighting comes naturally to Kensei.
He’s able to brute force his way through dozens of Seelie fighters, though he’s surprised that there seem to be so many of them. Things calm overnight however, and he finds himself with with boundless energy and no living Seelie to fight. Kensei considers using the power he feels pulsing through him to finally approach the One that acts like he is an extension of their King.
Before he can firmly decide a course of action, he hears the guttural growl of a bear crazed from UnSeelie food. He thinks nothing of it at first; wild animals mistakenly eat their herbs often. He only realizes something is off when he hears something high-pitched and whiny in response to the bear's growls. It's not a sound he's heard before, but it reminds him of the sensation that runs rampant through him each time that Aizen Sousuke approaches an UnSeelie court member. His armor breaks down and crumbles until all that's left is his Mask. In this form, he's less likely to damage the Nature around him and he can move quickly, yet still retain enough strength to handle any crazed bear or Other threat.
Finding the bear is a simple matter of noticing the disturbance in the lower foliage and following it to where a trail of imprints in the dirt start. The clearing is a sizable one, but that's not what draws Kensei's attention.
Due to Kensei's preference for living under the Earth, he's encountered limited beings of the Earth. The being moments away from falling prey to the crazed bear is a new one that Kensei's never seen before. Instinct tell him it's a fragile, young thing that shouldn't be in this clearing. Kensei's never claimed to be the champion sort; he's fighting in this battle with the Seelie because Hirako all but asked. If left to his own devices, he'd dwell underground indefinitely, amassing souvenirs of the lost souls that get stuck in the Earth. Yet, he finds his feet moving toward the crazed bear, armor reforming to protect his vital points as he lands a solid blow to the animal.
It yowls and rears back enough for Kensei to swoop in and grab the small, fragile thing that was to be the bear's pray, and then he's rushing them toward where he's set up his things for the duration of his time above. It doesn't take long to reach his temporary hearth.
He places the shivering being in front of the hearth and makes quick work of getting a fire going. It's only once he's sure the flames are a stable blaze that Kensei gives the being he just saved a good look.
Knowledge has always been harder for Kensei to grasp. Sometimes, the Knowing of something is as easy as breathing and other times it takes Hirako or Rose to enlighten him. Looking at the small thing, now making those high-pitched sounds again, Kensei realizes this might be one of those times where he needs the other two to explain.
"Why are you making those noises?" Kensei asks loudly to be heard over them.
Rather than answer him, the little thing starts making the noises even louder, eyes like molten silver. He's come across the precious ore often and has since learned that touching it burns.
"Stop whining!"
The noises stop immediately, choked off in reaction to Kensei's shouted demand. In the absence of the noise, Kensei can finally make sense of the images and and words bombarding him about the Human in front of him. What's more, the Human is a child. A little man, Kensei's somehow sure.
"What are you called?"
The little human's small lips quiver before opening. "Shuuhei… Shuuhei Hisagi."
"You should not be here ff you are not prepared to fight and die."
Again, the little human starts whining again and Kensei sighs before removing his Mask. Much like before, the whines abruptly cut off, but likely due to surprise this time. Being gentle is not in Kensei's nature– hells, everything above the Earth disintegrate at his accidental touches. He's aware that the little human in front of him needs gentle, and he tries to recall the ability how to be so.
"W-What are the m-m-markings are your chest?"
The quiet question interrupts Kensei's thoughts and redirects them to an earlier period in his existence. "They are a promise and reminder."
Something about his words transforms the little human's demeanor. He scrambles to sit up straighter and his eyes shine more like newly born stars than the poisonous metal of before. "For what?"
Kensei considers not answering. Instinct tells him that the little human will be better off with as little Knowledge about him and the UnSeelie. "It is a promise and reminder to be strong enough to protect not just myself, but others."
The little human stares at Kensei as if he is the one that wrangles the sun from its path from rise to set. It stirs something inside the Gnome and he suddenly has the desire to covet this little human.
"Can you teach me?"
Kensei's armor ripples throughout his being as he tries to fight the overwhelming desire to take. The little human shrinks back but then seems to fight that response, sitting straighter once more and looking into Kensei's eyes.
"Why?" His voice ripples with his power and he swallows thickly to try and reign it back.
"So that I can protect you like you protected me."
Kensei's suddenly struck with the Thought that he could chain this little human to him by offering him anything he makes with Their herbs, or bringing him to a revelry. His head screams from the influx of thoughts and information, so he misses the little human move closer to him.
When small hands touch his bare torso, Kensei jolts and a warmth he's never known rushes through him eagerly. He grips the little human's hand before he knows he's conscious he moved. The little human whimpers .
"Apologies, little Hisagi," Kensei says, snatching his hand back and removing himself from arms' reach. Keeping this little human will be bothersome. "I shall take you home."
Before Hisagi can finish his complaint, Kensei has returned the little Hisagi to the nearby village and he buries himself back under the Earth, determined to remain there where there's no eyes like stars.
Written by a human in Ellipsus.