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Kudelia was finding teaching to be quite enjoyable.
Her students soaked up every scrap of information like sponges, so incredibly eager to learn and to improve. Mikazuki seemed to be a figure the other students looked up to, and worked hard to mirror his determination.
They were quick to scold each other for any mistakes they made but were just as quick to praise each other – each one of them doing everything they could to grow and learn as much as humanly possible in the time they had to spare.
It broke her heart.
Kudelia knew from the start how bad it was on Mars; how on the red planet, child soldiers were as commonplace as an item of clothing or a fruit. How illiteracy, homelessness and poverty dominated the younger generations on a, frankly, ridiculous scale.
It didn’t make the state of Tekkadan any less horrific.
There were less than a dozen kids with any kind of literacy skills – and why would they need them? These children were labourers, guard dogs, mercenaries; tools at the disposal of the deplorable adults who owned them.
There was very little she could do for Tekkadan; introducing education was among her options. If that meant she could improve the lives of these children by even a minuscule amount, then by God she would teach them everything she was capable of and then some.
She glanced up from her meal of potatoes and vegetables to observe Mikazuki and Atra sitting at the table across from her. Atra was coaching Mikazuki on how to distinguish between the letters “u” and “v”, and how to write them to make the difference clear. Apparently, that was something he found challenging. In response to this issue, Kudelia had assigned him a whole slew of words containing one or both letters to copy down.
There were, oddly enough, no complaints from Mikazuki – or the other students, for that matter – which only served to further highlight her privilege and Tekkadan’s lack thereof. Many children on Earth resented schooling, and while there are occasions where their resentment is entirely justified, it stood in stark contrast to the children of Mars, who were largely illiterate and lacked any advanced numerical skills, therefore seeing education as a great luxury.
A calloused finger pokes the skin of Kudelia’s cheek, and she jolts upwards in alarm. She turns to her right and sees Mikazuki standing beside her holding his tablet, wearing an almost pensive expression.
“Sorry, Kudelia!” Atra apologises sheepishly, “you were staring at nothing, and Mikazuki wanted to ask a question.”
Kudelia blinks and turns back to Mikazuki, who holds out his tablet for her to look at.
“Kudelia, what’s this word? I was reading through something and I got stuck on it. Atra doesn’t know what it means either.”
Kudelia glances down at the tablet, a small smile making its way onto her face.
“Ah, that makes sense. I haven’t taught you anything like that yet. The word is ‘Agape.’ Say it with me: “Ah-gah-pay”. It’s a really old word, even by our standards – ancient, even.”
Atra blinks owlishly at her. “What does it mean, Kudelia?”
Kudelia brought a hand to her chin, contemplating her answer.
“Let’s see, how can I put this? It’s a term used to describe a kind of love. It’s meant to refer to the highest expression of love – a love that is pure, unconditional and selfless. It’s not something to be taken lightly, by any means. In an old religion, to express agape was considered one of the greatest achievements someone could make. There are many different kinds of love – most people only really consider the romantic kind, but there are all sorts,” she elaborates.
Mikazuki looks down at the tablet, reading and re-reading the word, and something seems to click in place for him.
Milazuki and Atra look up at her like she’d hung the moon and the stars.
“There’s… There’s a word for that?” Mikazuki asks, utterly dumbfounded.
Kudelia smiles and tries desperately to smother the blush forming on her cheeks. Jeez, why did they both have to be so honest and sincere?
“Yes, there is.”
“Hey, Mikazuki,” Atra begins, twisting her body to face him, “do you feel ‘agape’ for anyone?”
Wow – that’s a loaded question if Kudelia’s ever heard one. She’s interested in his answer, too, but still…
Atra turns to Kudelia, then asks, “is that how you use it in a sentence?”
Kudelia nods, “yeah, it is. Generally, you’d attach the word love on the end; so you’d say ‘agape-love’, but I’m sure ‘agape’ by itself is just fine.”
Atra nods and turns back to Mikazuki, who seems to be deep in thought.
“So, Mikazuki, is there? Is there anyone you feel ‘agape’ for?”
Kudelia hums in agreement, “when you hear the word ‘agape’, who do envision?”
Mikazuki’s eyes sharpen, and he answers their question without a moment’s hesitation.
“Orga.”
Kudelia chuckles – that was no surprise at all. Orga and Mikazuki were each other’s pillars, their motivation, each other’s best friend and brother. She’s glad the two of them share such a strong bond.
Atra, however, seems to deflate. “Oh. That doesn’t really surprise me.”
Mikazuki purses his lips. “I was going to say you, too, but that wouldn't be right. I think that’s a different kind of love. I don’t think... I think I feel a different kind of love for you, Atra.”
Kudelia looks away; she feels like she’s intruding on something - she feels like a total outsider. Her blush makes its way to her neck and ears. Atra, meanwhile, is doing her best not to choke on her own spit. She blubbers and flails, caught off-guard by the matter-of-fact declaration.
Mikazuki places the tablet down on the table, reaches out, and tugs gently on Kudelia’s sleeve.
“You too, Kudelia.”
She lifts her head to see Mikazuki looking her right in the eye.
“Uh, pardon?”
“I think I feel the same about you, Kudelia. When I think of you and Atra, I don’t get the same feeling as I get from Orga or the others. It’s… A warm feeling,” he elaborates, raising a hand to cover his chest. “I feel warm when I think of you both.”
Wow. Okay. She’s dead. This is it. She’s gone and died and this is either heaven or some weird death-induced dream.
The rough, calloused fingers that snake their way between hers blow any chance of that out of the water. She looks down at her and Mikazuki’s entwined fingers and sees that he’s joined hands with Atra as well. The two girls make eye contact and start to giggle. She doesn’t know why she’s laughing – no part of this encounter was humorous – but it’s a natural response to her nerves, she supposes.
Atra reaches out, an unspoken question, and Kudelia takes her hand. Her hand is much smaller and much softer than Mikazuki’s.
“We might have to research some more – I’m sure there’s a word for this feeling too, Mikazuki,” she says.
Mikazuki smiles back in response, and wow, is it hot in this room or is that just her?
Atra giggles again, breaking contact with both of them only to tackle them in a hug.
“It’s time to learn more words, Mikazuki! Let’s start looking for a word to describe this feeling!” She chirps, face split in a grin.
Kudelia smiles, and thanks her past self for deciding to choose Tekkadan as her escorts. She couldn't imagine her life without them.