Senki's adventures in Hisui

Chapter 7: Nightmare & Mom Cyllene

"Mommy Daddy! Guess what day is it today?" Senki watched a young girl sprint into the entrance hall. The girl had jet black hair and eyes, awfully resembling her. The girl was petite, not even barely reaching her teenage years yet. In her arms was an Abra plushie. She glanced around. The entrance hall was painted a gorgeous white, the walls lined up with a whole gallery of extravagant artworks. Senki leaned against the sides of the pristine white stairwell.

"Today is the day we will be leaving for New York for work, Senki." The woman replied, not looking up from her phone, black luggage leaning against her legs.

"Huh? But we agreed..." The girl looked at her mother, then father, then again. Neither of them returned her glance.

The man in the suit held his hand up, towards the girl, his phone to his ears.

"Our trip has been extended to a whole month? Noted." The man muttered into the phone He opened the door, letting his wife exit first.

"But... today is..." The girl tugged at the man's blazer in a frantic manner, wrinkling the smoothly-ironed suit.

"We can talk after we come back from work." The man detached the girl's tiny hand from his suit, swiftly closing the doo after that.

"But...today is my birthday..." From afar, Senki watched the young girl sobbing loudly in front of the closed door, making audible sniffles as she buried her small head into her Abra plush.

Senki could feel acids welling up in her stomach. A pang of deja vu hit her in the face. Why does this feel so familiar? Who's that couple? And why does that girl look like her? And she is called Senki too?

Senki opened her eyes wide open. She was panting heavier than usual. What was that about?

She tried to move her limbs, though it was as if she was frozen to her bed. Her muscles were stiff as a rock. They were heavy. She stared up at the ceiling, eyes haunted with fear. Her whole body was covered with cold sweat. After a brief moment, her muscles started to relax. She sat up and saw a blue figure sitting down a few meters away from her. The figure turned to look at her.

"I see that you're awake. I hope you don't mind me entering your house without your permission...Are you alright, Senki?" Cyllene asked. In her hands was a paper bag full of crumpled-up tissues. Abra was sitting beside her, probably sleeping.

"I..am.alright...? Why do you ask?" She croaked, choking on her words.

"You are crying." Cyllene walked up to her with a deadpan face.

"Huh?" Senki touched her eyes. There were tears trickling down her cheeks.

"Oh." She didn't know that.

Cyllene caressed her cheek with her palm and dapped the tears delicately with her sleeves.

She could feel her throat closing up. Tears started to well up in her eyes. She tried to blink back the tears, though, with trembling lips, tears started to roll down her cheeks shamelessly.

"Senki?"

Emotions overtook her as if they had been pent up for a long time. Senki buried her head into Cyllene's shoulders, tears were bursting from her eyes like a waterfall, staining the captain's uniform. Cyllene's shoulder was bony and hard, though the survey corps' uniform provided her shoulder with a comfy platform to lean on. The Captain smelled of wood and paper, clearly from spending too much time surrounded by stacks of paperwork.

"There, there, my child..." Cyllene patted her on the head, her usually deep and commanding voice was softer than usual, like a breeze in Spring.

She cried and cried, till there's no more left. The tears washed away her inner clutter.

Her eyes were dried up like a pond in drought season. They were puffy and red, and stinging like crazy.

She pulled herself away from the captain. She stared at Cyllene, who had remained silent.

"Sorry..." Senki murmured an apology, her cheeks flaring up. She called the Captain 'Mom', now this?

A wave of realisation then washed over her.

Did the Captain just call her her 'Child'?

"Don't worry about it," Cyllene replied, her face muscles were clearly less tense than before.

"Did you just call me you child?" She slapped her mouth in an instant.

Why on earth did she ask that?

The Captain darted her eyes away from Senki, the word "uncomfortable" written all over her face.

Cyllene cleared her throat.

"Yes. I did. The professor called you that. Pardon me for not asking you first-"

"Does that mean I can call you Mom now?" She gripped Cyllene's hand. Her hand was lean and slim, and her palm was hard and calloused like finely-gritted sandpaper.

Senki tried to give the captain the best Shinx's eyes she could.

"...Sure." A flash of pink appeared on the Captain's cheeks.

"Mom?"

"...Yes?"

"Mom?"

Cyllene heaved out an audible sigh.

"Yes?"

"Heeheehee." Senki giggled. It was as if a hoard of Combees was in her, buzzing with happiness.

"Mom!" She wrapped her arms around the captain, her head buried in her chest. Warmth was radiating throughout her, and her muscles loosen in an instant.

"Alright, now. Beni should be finished cooking your breakfast any time soon now. I am going to go-"

"Nooooo. Few more minutes." Senki pouted, her voice muffled.

"...Fine."