Familiar Soul[Kenichi, Saber]

In all honesty, Kenichi was on cloud nine as of late. Life was trending upward, and he was crossing paths with a fine array of people. Even met a new individual he considered a sister now. There was never a dull day to be had now, and Kenichi was quite pleased with each event he found himself swept into. He could've relaxed today, but he rarely rested on his laurels. Idle hours was something he could never vibe with, and as expected he spent his hours training away on the outskirts of the city somewhere in Japan.

There wasn't much to be had in the way of fighting anyone to test his skills today, and so he simply practiced stance routine and timing of his technique. His strength had improved remarkably, now capable of going hand and hand with his martial skill. He could strike as well as he could execute a technique! Force and grace were coming together nicely, but there was still a long road ahead. Path of endless pursuit, you know? Can't stop training until you drop. That was his approach, at least.

For now, he'd simply content himself with training, isolated from everyone else. Perhaps isolated wasn't entirely the most apt term, but Kenichi enjoyed training alone as much he did with someone else. It helped him focus, and enjoy the never-ending process of self-improvement. It was nice to simply listen to his own thoughts, practice his own routines, and simply let his mind make sense of all the good and bad in life. Thankfully, so far, life had only given him good. He hoped it stayed that way, but that was simply out of his control.

A familiar presence was approaching. His fierce and fluid movements came to a standstill as he momentarily paused, hazel eyes darting toward the source. It was familiar to an extent, but not nearly as much as it had been before. Saber. The hulking sabertooth that had been... an interesting source of activity in his life. Always harsh, always ridiculing him if he slipped up, and yet he didn't find that entirely disagreeable.

He welcomed being competitive, welcomed offering any attempt he could to show her how strong he developed. His conviction. Still, something was strange. She was usually so well concealed that noticing her so suddenly had never happened the last time they crossed paths. And then he heard that whisper of voice, eyes cast toward the enormous feline.

His eyes widened slightly, a clear look of surprise apparent in his firm features as he turned to observe her in full detail. Her appearance was a far cry from what he had commonly seen, and for a moment he simply remained speechless, though she filled the air with an inquiry of sorts, wondering about his wellbeing. Honestly, that shocked him more than the appearance. He was use to her arriving in the scene in search of his assistance in hollow hunting. Kenichi chuckled sheepishly, slowly stepping toward her to get a closer look.

Was this the result of that disturbance in spiritual pressure he felt the last time? Hollow physiology wasn't anywhere within his expertise, but he was more than aware of how they could evolve if given time. A mindless beast could become sentient over time once they consumed enough souls, and then the process could keep going.

"Not at all. If you had left me behind, you wouldn't have heard the end of it I assure," he quipped, flashing a wide grin.

"The last time our battle concluded with limewire... you escorted me home. By the end... I experienced a spiritual pressure I'd never felt from you before, and that was it. You... you look different now."

Kenichi didn't know what else to say so far. He hadn't expected her to inquire about his condition, though maybe that came attached with another mission. Had to ensure he was in full health, perhaps?

This is what happens when a hollow changes.

Those words lingered in his mind for a moment. He knew the natural progression at least. The more a hollow devours, the more likely they are to develop sentience, to transcend beyond the realm of mindless beasts. Of course, from the moment they first met, Saber had always possessed her own will. An opinion, a singular state of mind, and above all... it was always harsh, always ridiculing.

She threatened to eat him, to abandon him if he fell behind, never making it a secret that she would prioritize herself first. Even so, there were times were she did indeed stay behind, acknowledge his effort. She even left him with a parting lesson not to be so naïve and trusting of certain individuals. The most chilling admission in her words is that she was no longer singular - no longer the me. It was us.

What surprised him the most is that she was so thankful about the act. It was difficult to describe how that made him feel. Was she trying to simply butter him up before she asked the eventual question he had grown familiar with? The same song and dance.

"Someone's being awfully nice today. Well, at least I know you acknowledged my efforts."

Yet, somewhere deep in his mind, he knew he would find some way to find those terms acceptable. To save someone, to experience what it felt like to gamble with his life in combat. Some rhyme or reason to accept her request. Then, there it was. The request to eat, the request for help. Yet, there was no city on the agenda this time. A specific location. No, this was in an entirely different area altogether.

The pit in Africa. Kenichi was no fool. He knew wholeheartedly what she was referring to. He knew little beyond what the public information had told him, but he was nevertheless aware of it. Aware of the destruction, aware of the lives that were likely uprooted in the blink of an eye. That was a tall order, an undertaking of overwhelming proportion. Crossing his arms, he would gaze at the sky as he paced back and forth.

"By pit, I'm assuming you mean what's happening in Africa, right? I'm aware, you know. People dying left and right. Abnormal hollows. Sheesh, you'd think I'd want to turn you down by now. Saying I'm not strong enough... hpmh. Still..." He groaned softly, turning his face toward her.

"Before I even consider it... Just now, you said us. Not just me, but us. Are you... still you? is Saber still in there? "
An odd question, to be certain, but part of him simply didn't feel right leaving his curiosity to marinate. What was so important there in the pit? What did she want to find? These questions bothered him.

"I see..."

I certainly hope so... that was all the confirmation Kenichi felt he'd able to draw out of her. He had no intention of working for a relative stranger, or someone that now occupied whatever form of conscious Saber use to have. She still seemed to retain some nature about her that resemble saber, but he was no expert on the matter. He simply acknowledged that comment, stroking his chin quietly in response to her intentions. Abnormal hollows. Quincy. Shinigami. The Vandenreich and The Gotei. By all accounts, this was a tall order. A risky undertaking if there ever was.

Yet he was precisely the type of man who would offer assistance there simply by merit of his inability to watch others suffer. He found himself ruminating on the matter. He rarely asked for anything in return, but this would truly be a height of naivete since he stood to compromise his reputation if he was caught, unless he pretended he was a civilian wandering around every now and again.

A martial artist who ended up wandering about, and stayed behind. Lost someone during the incident. He could technically come up with any number of lies if he got caught, but Saber was a hollow boasting a size of several meters now. Her once-deceptive watery cloak no longer held the same efficiency it had before. Ugh...

"You're really asking a lot this time, Saber. Its a warzone over there. Obviously, you've always been the brains, and I've been the brawn. What would I even stand to gain from that type of risk? Do you have a plan? More than that..."

He trailed off, gazing up at the hollow. Thinking. Wondering. What would happen if she consumed one of those hollows in Africa? Would she turn into a monster he had a hand in creating? Would she still be the same? Or not at all? His conscious was already wearing on him that he sort of---no, absolutely had some degree of an influence in her evolution. Yet, part of him wondered what would come next.

"Even if we somehow managed to add abnormal hollows to your buffet, what would you do then? Move on? Evolve? Why do you want to go there of all places versus somewhere else?"

Her blunt statement cut through any further questions like a blade. Indeed, there was no reward. There was nothing to offer in return, and in the past, at any particular point in time, she would have offered some measure of deception to draw him in, play to one of his sensibilities. Up until now, he never demanded much of her in return. There was nothing to return. She was a hollow with no possessions to her name. She was, in no uncertain terms, a hulking creature with sentience. She had ridiculed him. Threatened him. Challenged him. Most would have stepped away after the first time they crossed paths.

Even so, he still helped whenever she called. Even if he was given nothing in return. Even if it went against his better judgment. If he was being honest, personal gain never mattered in the past, so why did it matter now? He observed her in silence, that soft giggle leaving him with a strong sense of unease. He didn't understand the need to go to a place where she would die.

Part of him, in all good conscious, knew he had a hand in leading her to this point. Maybe she had convinced others for smaller threats, but he had always been there to assist with the more intricate creatures. The wise man would easily tell him it was alright to leave her as she was.

Common sense, right? She was a hollow, after all. He could simply walk away from here, let her go to that pit in Africa, and let her fate be decided there - but part of him simply couldn't do that. Whatever this was---whatever she was, he felt himself responsible to see this through, but Vastime? How did one even begin to fathom a plan to go there?

"If you know we're going to die, then why go through with it? Why did you ask me for help in the first place? Are you listening to yourself right now? The Saber I knew never drew up a plan without thinking things through, and now you're ready to risk it all for what? Death? What was the entire point, then? I..." He trailed off, groaning softly as he kept his composure. Gazing at her in silence. As if he had were staring at someone he didn't recognize anymore.

"Of all people, you know I'm the least likely to decline, is that it? What... am I to you, exactly?"