The Senkensha: Part 4

Read Part 3 of The Senkensha

The Senkensha: Part 3  (E) Isleen gets adjusted to normal life #1509970 by Charamer

Chapter 7: Haru

“I don’t know anything about you,” Kanon told me, and I blinked, a blush blowing across my face.

“What are you talking about? I tell you everything.”

“About other things. Not yourself. I don’t know where you come from, or who you speak with. Or what you’re doing here in… a hotel,” she managed, remembering the word.

I sighed, glancing at the window briefly as if hoping something would interrupt. “Alright. I’ll tell you.” She leaned forward, leaning her head on her propped up arms, listening attentively. “I don’t remember much about my birth. I remember it being very bright and very noisy and then everything went silent and dark. I’d been an orphan through most of my childhood, and I made friends with the humans that lived in the area. I used to stay in a forest. A place with a lot of trees and ponds and grass. Not a lot of humans like those kinds of areas. The people that did live there helped me get along. They gave me clothes and food, so I never exactly grew up wild. I just spent most of my time walking around the forest and sleeping.

“When I was around six years old, they kind of captured me.”

“Like they capture fireflies?” she asked honestly, and my face twisted into a grin.

“If you want to put it that way, except they didn’t use jars. I didn’t struggle when they took me away from the forest, but they certainly had a difficult time taking me away. The vehicle that they used often busted down on the way, and we made stops because it would constantly leak oil. But finally we got away from the rural area. They put me in something called an orphanage, where children without parents lived, waiting for someone to adopt them, and become part of the family.

“I hated that place with all my heart. The other kids made fun of me often because I don’t look like a normal human. My eyes are different. Even though I could see perfectly well, they claimed I was blind because of my light eyes. Fortunately I didn’t stay there long.”

Kanon interrupted, “What’s wrong with your eyes?”

I blinked, rubbing the back of my neck. “They’re kind of different, Kanon,” I explained, but she didn’t seem to understand.

“All the creatures are different from one another, but they don’t taunt each other for that,” she objected.

“It’s a human thing,” I stated, and she said nothing more. I took a breath, glancing at my watch once again. “As I was saying. I was adopted three months after I got in by a wealthy family who was looking for the perfect adopted child to boost their reputation. I had people taking my picture constantly and I was always in the spotlight. I grew to hate it. I hated noise more than ever.

“Of course, being there wasn’t entirely bad. I made my share of friends, none of who I could exactly call close, but they were pleasant. I learned a lot from the teachers that they assigned me. They hardly cared what I did, so was pretty free to stroll around as I pleased. So I left when I was fifteen. Of course, I still call on them occasionally from money for a flight, and if they deny it, I find other ways to travel. You can pretty much say that I’m a spoiled rich kid.”

“…Why do you travel?”

I stared at her eyes for a dazed moment and shook my head. “No one wants to be in the same place for too long. The noise is deafening.” At that last comment, her eyes went wide.
“The noise…” she echoed. She looked unbelievably out of it, and the urge was strong again. I moaned, getting to my feet. How could I possibly tell her everything? How could I tell her about my secret, when I had no idea what it was myself?


Ever since I was young, there was a strong feeling I got in my chest in sudden moments. They were sharp and tight and they took a lot of energy out of me. I never let those urges get out of control because I wasn’t sure what I would do. Once when I was in the forest, I had a very strong urge; it was probably one of the strongest urges I’d ever experienced. I heard a wail, and without controlling myself, I picked up a branch and smashed it hard against the bush where the sound had come from.

I hadn’t checked exactly what I had hit because the wail came again, strangled and painful. Blood seeped through the bush, and I was frozen, horrified. I had dropped the branch and ran as far as my legs would take me. I never gave into another urge. I never ventured back to that area of the forest either because the urges would get stronger.

When I was taken away from the forest, the urges stopped coming entirely. When they did come, they were easy to shake off. I hadn’t worried much about them anymore… until I got here. Until I saw her.

And it was the first time in years that the urges got the best of me. They rolled out of control, slipping through my fingers and I found myself saying the strangest things. Why had I called her Lady Kanon, when it was the first time that I’d ever seen her? Why did I follow her knowing full well that the urges would just be stronger? Why is she making them stronger? And the one that I wonder about most is why I told her to call me Haru. I’d never heard the name in my life and everyone I knew called me Sebastian.

I’m certain of one thing though… I don’t want to leave her alone.



“Where are we going?” Kanon asked, as I led her through the street, hoping that she doesn’t look as blind as she usually does.

“It’s a secret,” I told her and she gave me a curious look. “I promise you’ll like it.”

“It’s very quiet,” she whispered, and my chest tightened again, as I flinched. It was the exact opposite of what I was thinking. In a way I envied her for being able to drown out all of the voices. She would never stare around at all the people, terrified, and feeling small like I did.

“Does that mean that there are no creatures around?” I asked.

“There are some, but they aren’t very loud. You’re the only thing that I can hear.” She didn’t say much else until we reached our destination. “Or…Orphanage?” She looked at me. “Your orphanage?”

I smiled, putting a hand on her head. “Yes. That’s why I came here, to this town, in the first place. To visit, and I want you to come with me.”


“It’s such an honor to see you again, Mr. Heath,” the director of the orphanage said, shaking my hand furiously, as I blushed.

“Sebastian, please,” I murmured, feeling very uncomfortable by the formalities.

“It’s been such a long while,” he continued, his eyes sparkling, and I couldn’t help wondering if he was happier to see me here because I was part of a rich family or because I had previously been here at the orphanage. “How is the family?”

“Busy,” I explained shortly. “I’ve come by myself to see how things are holding up.”

He gave a sigh. “The usual. But we are happy to see you back. Always happy to see how the kids are doing without us.”
I found myself giving an honestly warm smile. I had some good memories about this place, mostly centered about the treatment I received here by the adults. “And I’m sure they’ve all come back every once in a while.”

“But they’ve never brought a guest,” he said, as we looked over or shoulder at Kanon, who was looking around the room curiously. “Is she blind, by the way?”

I blinked, pondering the thought for a moment. “I suppose she is.” And at the comment, she turned to look at me. She gave a smile, making me blush.

“She’s quite a pretty girl… Such a shame.”

“Would you like to meet her?” I asked, and before he could respond, I held my hand out to her. Without hesitation, she walked over, grabbing it. “Kanon, this is Mr. Joiner. Introduce yourself.”

She lingered a moment, and said, unsure of where to look, “My name is Isleen. I am glad to… meet you, Mr. Joiner.”

He laughed, pleased at her humble aura of confusion. “Pleased to meet you also, Isleen.” He turned back to me. “Now you were requesting something?”

“Yes,” I said, and Kanon glimpsed at my face, curiously. “Just wondering if we could play a while with the kids.”



“It’s noisy in here,” Kanon whispered, as we entered the playroom.

I gave her a curious look. “Noisy?”

“Is it quiet for you?” she questioned and I shook my head.

“No… Actually it is very noisy in here.” The children ran around playfully, not minding our entry. Some boys wrestled while others played with toy cars and trucks. The girls played jump rope or with some dolls. Some kids ran around, possibly playing tag. “What do you see, Kanon?”

“Baby fairies and nymphs, playing around,” she responded.

“So there are humans and creatures in this room?” Things were much stranger with her around. I squeezed her hand tighter. “Why don’t we play?” The first thing I did was sit her down on the ground, so that the children could be closer to her. It seemed that she hardly noted their presence. “Stay here,” I told her and she gave a distracted nod.

When I returned, I had an easel with huge pads of paper and colored pencils. She looked at them, and then at my face, with a strangely pleased reaction. “What should I do with these?” she asked, as if she didn’t already know.

I mused over the thought, smiling. “Just draw what you see.” And she did. I watched her start with a paler-than-rose colored pencil, drawing quickly. The pencil sketched out a face, chubby and sweet looking, carefully skipping over the hair and body. She drew chubby limbs, and then etched in the clothes and hair.
Her skills were amazing, I thought, as she started on the next. Some of the children had taken an interest in her drawing, and had sat down beside her, watching it take its form. Though I wasn’t sure if she could tell herself, she looked back every once in a while, noticing the pull of a boy on her shirt.

It took her ten minutes to finish, and when she was done, she held it triumphantly to me. “How is it?”

“It’s… beautiful,” I managed, and some of the girls nodded in agreement. The room was filled with all sorts of cute, babyish creatures in their carefree way. This is what the world looks like to her, I can’t help thinking.

Suddenly a young girl pulled on my leg. I looked down at her and she smiled. “Can she do me, next?”


Chapter 8: Isleen

He asked me if I could try to draw a human girl. I almost refused, but he seemed to have confidence in me. So he told me when she sat in front of me. I hesitated, putting the black pencil on the paper. I couldn’t draw a single line.

Then I looked towards Haru and asked, “Can I touch her face?”

He blinked, surprised at my question. “Would that be okay?” he asked, and the silence came, but he gave an understanding nod. “It’s fine.” He took my hands and led them to her face and he released it. My fingers brushed over what I could tell were her cheeks. It traveled down the side of her nose, over her eyelids, combed her hair. They toured over every inch of her face, hair and neck, until I was sure what I would do.

I started again. I drew the narrow face carefully, sure to add the chubby cheeks. Her short nose and the bubbly eyes, the color of which I wasn’t sure. Her hair was long and straight, and very thick, so I was cautious with it. Her eyebrows were thin, while her eyelashes were long. It was very silent, and I knew that the humans were watching me along with the creatures. Her lips were thin and her neck was long. When I was done, Haru smiled at me. “She loves it, Kanon.”

I stared at him, unsure of how to react. Slowly a smile found its way to my face. “I love it also. She is very… beautiful.”

“She says thank you. She wants to know if she can keep it.”

My eyes find the drawing once again, and I give a brief nod. I feel a sudden force around my body and it releases suddenly, taking away my drawing. I watched it leave and then I looked at Haru. “They want to know you.”

He gave me a curious look. “Who?”

“The creatures.”



They pulled at his shirt and his hair, and poked at his face, and he said nothing through the whole thing. When I opened my mouth to command them to stop, he told me not to interfere. I didn’t understand. I could only think that maybe he really wished to know the creatures. If this was the only way he could, then he would take it. “They like your eyes.”

“I can tell,” he murmured, closing his eyes shut. “They keep trying to poke them.”

I smiled, though I was sure he couldn’t see. “Let’s go,” I said to him and he gave a nod of agreement. “Let go of him,” I said, brushing them away. Reluctantly, they released their new toy, and turned to their own business.

He stood up, dusting off his clothes. “Did you have fun?” he asked timidly, and I smiled in response.

“Yes. I did.”



When I stepped out of the bathroom, Haru was already asleep. I smiled a bit, knowing how tired he must be with those babies harassing him. I sighed, sinking onto the ground. If only he could see my friends, and be as friendly with them as I was. Or for me to see the humans that he speaks so much with.

I jumped onto the bed beside him, sighing. “Kanon?” murmured his voice. I looked down at his face. His eyes were still closed, but I knew he was awake.

“Yes?”

“…Do you want to keep traveling with me? Do you want to stay here in the park with the creatures?”

I blinked, taking it into consideration. I could tell the silence was agitating him because his tapped his fingers impatiently. I took his hand, and he opened his eyes. “I want to stay with you.” My answer was short. My answer was simple. And so was his response. He put his hand over mine and gave a relieved sigh, making me smile. I felt his breath against my fingers, and I left my hand in his until I was sure he was asleep.

I pulled away, and curled up next to him, drifting off into my dreams.