So, to those of you who are new to this story, HI! I hope you enjoy the story. If you read the first chapter a while back, you may notice some changes...

So, originally this was a 'NSFW casual story', but as I began writing more I got super into the story and it has definitely changed pace. Expect it to be similar to my other stories (Sentimental, Heart of the Jungle, The Heartseekers for those of you who haven't read them [Check them out!]).

That out of the way, this chapter is still the same, so you are still up to date :)

PS: Since I haven't mentioned this in a while, I own absolutely nothing in any of my stories! Well, except my OCs I guess, but eh, they are in Riot's world so they can have them if they want! Likewise this title as inspired by the title of the movie 'Of Gods and Men', just to give them credit too.

Chapter 1

"You're an idiot." The words were probably a tad harsh, but the more he thought about it, the more Kennen felt them fitting. It wasn't often the Heart of the Tempest found himself in the company of friends outside of the Kinkou, and even less common for them to all be yordles. Yet here he sat, drink in hand, at the same little bar his parents once visited in the confines of Bandle city, sharing stories with his fellow miniature champions. The latest story had come courtesy of Rumble, the mech-rider sharing yet another tale about how he attempted to spite Heimerdinger. As soon as he started there had been a communal groan; they had heard similar stories a hundred times before. All of them except Kennen, who listened intently to the other yordle describe in full graphic detail, and with no small degree of onomatopoeia, how he had stormed a lab in 'Tristy', only to find out that it wasn't in fact Heimerdinger's, and then found himself running for dear life as Jayce chased him from Piltover all the way back to Bandle city.

"Pfft, like you have a better story to tell!" Kennen actually had numerous stories he could have told, from the stupid antics Akali and him got up to, to any of the missions and adventures Shen and himself had together. Then there was the Institute and his connections with them, so Rumble's words weren't really that hurtful. Kennen however just chose to shrug, taking another swig of his drink. He quite liked the taste of the sweet brew, very unique to Bandle city. Alcohol was not overly popular with the tiny race, their anatomy making them inherent light-weights, so they instead found pleasure in the mixture of different fruits and juices, which thanks to the impact of the Fey were in no short supply in the region. There were so many different varieties with different flavours that they eventually stopped naming them, now instead referring to them by whoever it was that farmed them. It had seemed very odd to Kennen at first, but he was now onto his fourth of the night, and was enjoying it immensely. He realised exactly how much he had forgotten about Bandle city in his time away.

Another particular aspect of Bandle city he had missed seemed to walk by every couple of seconds. In all his time in Ionia, Kennen had never seen another yordle, which in the case of Teemo or Rumble, wasn't such a bad thing. However, it also meant Kennen hadn't had a genuine girlfriend, or even so much as a fling, in his entire life. He would never admit it openly of course, the ridicule would be the end of him, but as he finally found himself in the company of his own kind, he couldn't help but ogle the occasional by-passer, he simply hoped he was subtle enough so as not to be noticed. A little more time passed, but Kennen soon began to feel the effect of his drinks catching up with him, and not too long after that he stood, saying his farewells as he made to leave.

"Hold up! I want to come with." Tristana stood up, making her way towards Kennen. A commotion behind her caught her attention, and turning around she saw both Rumble and Teemo stand up as though ready to follow, before turning on each other in anger. Trsitana just sighed.

"Boys, I'm going with Kennen, so sit down." The two males obediently resumed sitting, now refusing to make eye contact with each other. Kennen smiled, raising an eyebrow at Tristana who just shrugged.

"Boys." She muttered under her breath before leading the way out of the small bar. The streets of Bandle city were surprisingly quiet for the time, only the odd person making their way down the pathways, always smiling or whistling. Yordle society always seemed too positive in Kennen's opinion, as though they never truly respected the darkness in the world. However, he was also very aware he saw a lot more of that darkness than the average yordle. Tristana and him walked for some time in companionable silence, Kennen taking in the details he had forgotten during his time in Ionia, while Tristana seemed off in her own little world. Eventually she stopped, grabbing Kennen's wrist.

"Ok sparky, what's the story? I don't think a single female yordle walked past without catching your eye, myself included." Kennen blushed at having been caught, and he could have sworn Tristana blushed a little as well, yet she continued.

"While I am flattered that I seem to have caught your eye, a yordle's eye should roam above the waist sometimes." Kennen was glad Tristana was a close enough friend to be nice about it, working her way around the simple truth; he had been caught staring at her ass. Kennen sighed, resting up against the wall and throwing his head back onto the brickwork. It wasn't hard, and no pain followed, but it was enough to clear his mind a little. He needed to fix his romantic life, and what better place to start than with the truth?

"I haven't spent any casual time with yordles in, hell, I can't even remember how long! I got carried away I guess, sorry." Tristana smiled weakly, coming over and standing next to Kennen. Tilting his head, she gave him a quick kiss.

"You are a very attractive yordle Kennen, and maybe if you weren't always in Ionia I'd give you a shot. However, you are, and I have more than enough men in my life to deal with. Why don't you just try, I don't know, talking to them rather than staring them up?" Kennen chuckled, and even Tristana let a warm smile out.

"They'll all say the same thing you said; I come from Ionia." Tristana looked pensive for a moment.

"What about Poppy? She's in Demacia, surely she'd be more understanding of your position." Kennen just shuddered at the thought, causing Tristana to giggle.

"Poppy? There is no way that'd work. Sure, she's cute and everything, but someone who can spend their whole life looking for something that is right under their nose doesn't sound like the kind of person for me."

"Well, not Poppy then, I'm sure I have more friends that you could consider." The two continued their walk, Tristana listing off her available friends while Kennen continually turned all of them down. Eventually they reached Trsistana's house, and she sighed in defeat.

"I don't know Kennen, I really just want you to have a normal relationship." Kennen just laughed.

"Trist, nothing in our life is normal. I'll be fine once I'm back in Ionia." They hugged it out, Tristana offering him another small kiss before making her way into her home.

The walk back to where Kennen was staying was a quiet one. What he had assumed was to be a peaceful night with friends had quickly turned into one of overcoming life's hurdles, which seemed to put unnecessary stress on the poor yordle. He simply wanted to return home, back to the routine that he knew, where he didn't have to worry about girls or any of the other troubles stewing over in his mind. Once finally inside the small room he was renting, he threw himself onto his bed and closed his eyes. While the plan was to sleep, his body seemed to have different plans, and he simply couldn't bring his mind to stop wandering. Conceding, he resolved to go for a walk, hoping the cool night air could return him to his senses. There was no light in this area of Bandle city, most of the residents fast asleep at this time. It didn't really bother Kennen, he had learnt to operate under the cover of darkness many times amongst the Kinkou, but it did give the usually vibrant city a melancholy feel. He spent his time admiring his surroundings, the shops, parks and houses that characterised the city. He would press his nose up to the window of the candy stores, like many a young yordle would do on a daily basis. He took time to wander through the parks, the incredible flora bringing a serene smile to his face. It was so foreign to him now, and he found it hard to believe this and Ionia could exist so close together.

It was for this reason that he was incredibly surprised to stumble upon something very Ionian; a temple. Yordle's were not particularly religious. They had the Fey, of course, but that wasn't something they took time out of their lives to worship. The closest the yordle's had to a devotee would have been Lulu, and nobody was quite able to understand what her teachings were. His curiosity piqued, Kennen made his way into temple, surprised to find it still open at this hour. The hall itself seemed completely empty, so Kennen made his way towards the front of the temple, taking a knee before the altar. He had no idea who this temple was dedicated to, but Ionian tradition had instilled in him long ago one must always make a prayer to the deity of a temple, so as to appease them. So, acting on a whim, Kennen spoke a few soft words, the same words he used in most Ionian temples. He was used to the feeling of fulfilment one received upon praying in the Ionian temples, but this was different. He actually felt something brushing over him, as though a breeze had picked up within the temple. Then came the voices, simple whispers but with an evident, excited edge. Taken aback by the reaction to his words, he stood quickly and made to leave the temple, voices still whispering in the back of his mind. He stepped out of the door, back into the cold night, and the voices ceased. Confused and curious, Kennen returned to his room, determined to sleep off his time at the temple.

He was awoken the next morning by the sound of knocking. Dragging himself out of bed, Kennen managed to find his way to the door, opening it. Tristana let herself in, pushing past the yordle and making her way towards the small couch in the room he was renting. She casually flung her legs up onto the coffee table, eyeing him up and down.

"You always sleep in so little?" Kennen took the chance to look at himself, now embarrassed that he had answered the door in his underwear. As he changed he quietly thanked the gods that it had only been Tristana and not some other yordle, which reminded him of the night before.

"Hey Trist, what is that temple on the far side of town?" Tristana popped her head into Kennen's room, causing him to quickly cover himself from her gaze.

"That old place? I don't even think you can go inside there anymore, too run down. Why you asking?" Kennen finished putting on the last of his clothes before answering.

"I made my way there after our walk last night. I prayed a little, and something weird happened." Tristana laughed.

"Yeah, something weird did happen, you started praying in a temple in Bandle city. Honestly, you need to spend more time outside of Ionia." Kennen laughed, although he wasn't entirely satisfied with her answer. He knew there had to be more to that temple, but he couldn't put his finger on what it could be. His thoughts were cut short by another knock on his door. Tristana turned her head to the noise.

"Ooh, you expecting some company sweetie." Kennen brushed past her, pinching the tip of her ear in a playful gesture before opening the door.

To say everything exploded would be a slight over-reaction, but there certainly were fireworks. A hundred purple sparkles came flying into the room, ricocheting of tables and chairs while making strange whizzing noises. Following this was a loud crash as a ball of yordle came flying into the room, all but ruining the poor little coffee table. Lulu stood up and fixed her hat, offering a place on the brim for Pix to sit. Kennen and Tristana just stood staring for a moment, too dumbstruck for words.

"Pix, you said you knew where you were going! You haven't been eating the yellow turnips again have you?" There was a mixture of peculiar buzzing and whistling noises as Pix communicated in his incomprehensible language. Lulu just nodded.

"Sure, I totally believe that, why are we with Kenken and Tristy then?" Kennen winced at his nickname, not even sure where it came from. It wasn't even shorter than his actual name! Tristana on the other hand seemed to recover from her daze, rushing over and slamming the door before turning to the yordle mage, clamping a hand over her mouth.

"Lulu, are you mad! You aren't supposed to be inside the city." Lulu muttered something into Tristana's palm, causing the latter to pull the appendage back, flicking it to remove the saliva that was all over it. This allowed Lulu to keep talking, not bothering to clarify what she had said into Tristana's hand.

"And then Pix was like 'but it could be important', which he never says, because he thinks everything a joke. So I decided to see if it was going to be purple or not, because if it's purple anything goes, and…" Tristana clamped her hand back over Lulu's mouth, silencing her.

"You know, I suddenly really don't care. I'm getting you out of here." Tristana turned to Kennen, offering a sorry smile.

"When do you leave for Ionia?" Kennen screwed his brow up at first before realisation dawned on him. He was supposed to be leaving for home today. Rushing over to check the clock, he almost fainted at the sight.

"Shit, I'm leaving in an hour!" He didn't waste any more time, flying around the room at the speed of sound as he packed and cleaned. Tristana laughed at his mess.

"Well, I'm going to get this one out of here, so I guess I'll see you around." Tristana made to leave only to be cut off by Kennen dashing up and giving her a kiss. Tristana was a little taken aback, her hands dropping to her sides, which sadly triggered Lulu's ability to speak again.

"Pix, they're drooling all over each other! That's disgusting!" The mood convincingly ruined, Kennen pulled away, rushing back to his tasks. Tristana smiled to herself, exiting the room, Lulu in tow.

The trip back to Ionia was a slow one, but Kennen was glad to have Bandle city behind him. As much as he enjoyed the change, especially being able to spend so much time with other yordles, he was glad to be free of his worries. The air of Ionia had always done his soul well; at least that was how Akali had put it. Ever since his first steps in the foreign land, he had felt a hundred tonnes lighter. He could run faster, jump further and fight longer than he could anywhere else in Valoran. Most importantly however, he never felt happier than when he was amongst the ancient cities and dense forests that marked his home. He arrived in a small port town on the morn of his third day after leaving Bandle city, and that evening he found himself entering the temple that the Kinkou order now called home. It wasn't the most spectacular of temples, but it was the most practical, with plenty of areas for training as well as enough spare rooms to accommodate a large number of soldiers. Kennen took a deep breath; he was finally home. He made his way towards his living quarters, earning himself a series of respectful bows from those he passed. He tested the handle to his door to find it open.

Strange, I could have sworn I locked it. This was the only thought that ran through his head before being swept off his feet by a very enthusiastic ninja.

"You're finally back! You know I've been worried sick about you?" Kennen blushed a little trying desperately to pull free from Akali's grip.

"Geeze, you treat me like a child, I'm fine! Please put me down." Akali pouted and set Kennen down on the floor, after which she gave him a normal, less excited hug.

"I'm just glad you're home." Kennen smiled.

"As am I."

The next few days past by quickly without much actually happening. Shen returned to the Kinkou from the Institute two days after Kennen's return, glad that the three of them were finally together again.

"The balance of Ionia has been restored." Was the way he had put it, and although they weren't sure they quite deserved such a title, Kennen and Akali were happy to take it as a compliment. They returned to their operations like normal, enforcing the law when they could while negotiating with the order of shadows, who at least had chosen not to fight them anymore. Zed was mostly at fault for this, suddenly seeking peace with his old friends. How quickly times can change. Kennen however, not being one for negotiation, found himself quite bored over the following month. He spent most of his down time talking with Akali, partly about benign topics and partly about what Tristana had said on his trip.

"Kennen, don't worry yourself on such trivial matters. If there is a girl out there for you, then you two will meet. Fate will make sure of that." Kennen had always known Akali to be significantly more religious than himself, so while he did not necessarily trust fate to make his love life better, he at least could appreciate her sentiment and what she was trying to say. Come the end of the season Kennen found himself returning to the Institute as a representative for Ionia, although he made sure to aid Bandle city when he got the chance. He liked the opportunity to see his fellow yordles once more, making sure to spend more time with them than normal, Tristana especially. The latter likewise seemed to make a point of spending time around him, even suggesting that they try and work on some bot-lane synergy, which although they weren't the best pairing, at least they had a good amount of enthusiasm as they tried it. After three weeks of competition all champions were given a break and allowed to return to their home state. Most champions jumped on this opportunity, but Shen and Akali had different plans.

"We're going to travel to Demacia over the break." Kennen had raised an eyebrow initially as Akali stated their intention.

"Why? Is there any official business?" Akali blushed a little.

"No, Shen and I just wanted to try some travelling together. When we are in Ionia we are so formal, we were just hoping to spend some time with each other." Kennen nodded his head in agreement, but inside he knew their true incentive. If they were to return to Ionia, he would be there too and therefore they'd feel obliged to do stuff with him and the Kinkou, which meant less time with each other doing things Kennen really did not want to think about.

So, come the start of his minor holiday, Kennen found himself faced with a decision; return to Ionia alone, or find some other place to go. Thus, on the last evening before he planned on leaving, he found himself standing outside Tristana's room, deciding whether or not it would be too awkward to ask her to spend the holiday with him. She was the closest thing he'd had to a crush in, well, his entire life. The idea of spending the holiday with her was somewhat exciting. You can imagine how far his spirits fell when the door was opened by Rumble.

"Hey there Kennen, what's up?" Kennen put on his smile, trying not to let himself seem down.

"I was just hoping to talk to Trist before the holiday. Are you two…" Rumble beamed, puffing out his chest proudly.

"Yep, she's coming with me to Piltover. That ought to show that stupid Teemo." Kennen laughed, hoping it sounded less forced than it felt. He was somewhat relieved to see Tristana walk around the corner, smiling widely as she saw Kennen.

"Kennen! I thought you would have left already. What's up?"

"Just wanted to see what you were planning on doing for the break, thought if you had no other plans you and I could do something, but I hear you are heading to Piltover." Kennen could have sworn Tristana's smile faltered for a heartbeat, as though in regret, but with a shake of her head her smile returned,

"Yeah, Rumble here had been wearing me down for a while so I decided I should go. Sorry to hear you don't have any plans." Kennen just waved off the comment.

"Nah, don't worry about me, I'll be fine. You have fun." With that he made his leave, not wanting to have to hang around Rumble and Tristana anymore.

Two days later he was once again in his room with the Kinkou order, now feeling completely and utterly alone. He technically didn't even have the authority to organise missions, so he was stuck training and wasting time around the temple. Needless to say, it was not the best way to spend your break. That evening he found himself lying on his bed staring out of the window at the stars, wondering what all of his friends were up to. He could imagine Shen and Akali heading out for dinner at some up-market Demacian restaurant, enjoying their time as a couple. He couldn't imagine Rumble to be an overly good romantic, but neither could he imagine Tristana as being into that sort of thing, so who knew what they were up to.

"Help." Kennen shot up in his bed, instantly looking around the room. The noise had been eerily quiet, lower a whisper. He looked around his room for any possible intruders. Standing up and walking to the door, he spared a glance outside, but everything was business as usual, the night patrol making their regular rounds. He was about to close the door when he heard it again.

"Help." This time Kennen was convinced he wasn't hearing things. He quickly pulled on the nearest clothes he could find, which thankfully weren't his purple robes (He had never quite got used to the colour). He rushed out the door and locked it behind him, turning his ear to the sky in an attempt to her something. Hearing nothing, he did the next thing that came to mind and started to head towards the guard station to get some people out to search.

"No time, hurry." Kennen instantly turned around, swearing the voice was right behind him, the voice coming just behind his ears, but as he turned there was nothing there. This was all becoming a little confusing for Kennen, who now had no idea what to do next.

"Please, hurry!" The voice was urgent but still quiet. This time though Kennen had an inkling of a thought, an idea foreign and unnatural that seemed to form existence from nothingness. Before he could stop himself, he started running, letting the strange thought and his instincts take him through the forest. The whispers had stopped but the idea only grew as he ran, and now he could picture it, two heavily armed men in a clearing that he somehow knew was up ahead. The thought would usually have made him stop and reconsider, but he was full of too much adrenaline to stop at the moment. He burst out from the trees, letting his blades move of their own free will. The first soldier fell within a heartbeat, Kennen's blade playing across his neck in one swift motion. The other soldier turned from whatever his attention had been on previously to the small yordle, drawing his sword as he did so. He went to yell something, but was silenced in a matter of seconds.

Kennen looked at his handiwork, frowning. They weren't of any official Ionian clan, and they hardly had the skill to be considered true warriors. More likely they were mercenaries, so why had he been called out here? A slight scuffling behind him caught his attention and he turned on the stranger, blades drawn just in case. The small figure cowered back at the sight, but Kennen could not hold his stance, dropping his blades. Before him stood the first yordle he had ever seen in Ionia. Putting his hands out defensively, Kennen made to approach the cowering yordle.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, are you alright?" The yordle looked up, large blue eyes filled with the starting of tears, but the yordle did not look sad.

"You killed them…" It was then Kennen realised something that he probably should have realised at the start; the yordle was female. As he took the time to look at her he was disappointed in himself for not seeing it sooner, her light purple skin and relatively furless body pointing to her as far more likely to be female. Kennen took another step forward, and she took another step back.

"Who are you?" Her question was honest enough, and Kennen was more than happy to answer.

"I am Kennen, agent of the Kinkou order. Did you not call for my aid?" The yordle shook her head furiously, clearly surprised to find somebody had heard her silent pleas. Kennen's heart sank, fear gripping him.

"You mean, these men weren't…" The she yordle jumped up, shaking her head even more.

"No! They ambushed me and threatened to…" She shivered, but continued.

"I am glad you came, I just wasn't prepared for it."

"So you definitely didn't call for help?" The yordle shook her head again, Kennen now getting really confused.

The she-yordle wiped her eyes clean before she started to fidgeted a little. She looked over her shoulder and took a small step back.

"Anyway, I am very thankful for your help, but I must be going." This shook Kennen from his musings, instantly jumping to a response.

"What? You were just ambushed, and you are leaving already?" The she-yordle nodded, slowly taking steps back.

"I am very glad for your help, but I have to go." She turned to leave but Kennen called after her.

"Wait! I didn't even get your name!" The she-yordle stopped and turned, although she clearly was trying to get away as fast as possible.

"Trust me, you don't want to go down that path." This caught Kennen a little of guard. What was she implying? He sped up to meet her so that they didn't have to yell through the trees.

"What do you mean? I told you my name, it's only fair you tell me yours." The she-yordle shifted uncomfortably.

"I can't tell you that, sorry, now I really should be going."

"How long have you been in Ionia?" The she-yordle glared at Kennen.

"Are you actually listening to anything I'm saying?" Kennen smiled.

"Yes, and I'm not accepting it. You are the first yordle I've ever seen in Ionia, myself excepted. Now I saved your life, the least you could do is let me buy you a drink and tell me something about yourself." The she-yordle's cheeks started to glow red and her jaw practically hit the ground, even Kennen blushed a little at his sudden confidence.

"Please believe me when I say I would if I could, but I genuinely can't."

"Have you chosen a mate?"

"What? No!"

"Do you have someone in mind?"

"Please stop asking so many questions!"

"Then I see no reason why I can't treat you to one drink." The she-yordle sighed in resignation, realising there was no reasoning with the persistent ninja.

"I can't believe I am saying this, but fine, one drink, but after that I'm gone." Kennen smiled, figuring that at least gave him one more chance to convince her to give him a chance.

"Done, you free tomorrow?" The she-yordle raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you think that seems a little desperate?"

"I was thinking more excited." She shook her head and allowed herself a small laugh.

"Tomorrow should be fine, you have any preference on place?" Kennen gave her the address of a small bar in a nearby village, a particular favourite amongst the Kinkou.

"I'll see you tomorrow then." And with that she took off, not allowing the curious yordle to delay her anymore.

Kennen stood their smiling for some time before he began to come back to his senses. The adrenaline that had been pumping from the fight slowly dissipated and he began to realise what he had done. He had asked somebody out, but not just anybody, a female yordle from Ionia. It seemed so farfetched Kennen had to pinch himself to remind him this wasn't a dream, and what he though happened had actually transpired. As he calmed down even more, he began to have second thoughts. If the yordle hadn't called for help, who had he heard? What kind of magic had led him through the forest to find her? Why had she been so desperate to leave after he had just saved her? Kennen rubbed his temple, he was tired, and such thoughts could wait for another time. He slowly made the walk back to the temple, trying to remember the path he had taken to get there. Once back he threw himself onto his bed, trying to shut his mind away from the events of that evening.

"Thank you." There it was again, that same whisper in the back of his mind, causing him to sit up suddenly. He shook his head free of the thoughts. If he wanted to know what was happening, he'd just have to wait until tomorrow.

Yeah, I know, I'm writing with another OC, sorry if that doesn't float you boat. I assure you there will be plenty of non-OC action later as well.

I originally said I'd take recommendations for things, yeaaaaaah, well not for this story. If you have a recommendation let me know though, I'll happily write it (Sentimental was born out of a recommendation!)

Please RFF, or pop me a PM if you want to talk about the story. Also, please check out my other stories if you liked this, you won't be disappointed!

Looking forward to hearing from you,

BJ