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“Please, I’d like to know more about this thing the humans call…Love.”
It was a normal afternoon after school that day. Keine was clearing all the junk that the kids left in their desks. Didn’t they know how to clean? This is disgusting. However, she let it go and moved on.
Keine had been a teacher for as long as she could remember. She had seen children for at least three generations now. How long could she keep this up? Who knew?
But one thing that kept the were-hakutaku going was the thought of her longtime friend, Fujiwara No Mokou. She was an immortal phoenix who had dealt with so much in her life. She had no clue how she wanted to be still alive some days. And yet, Mokou stopped by the schoolhouse almost every day, sometimes even just to say hi. This thought really warmed her heart.
Mokou was also one of the only people who could deal with her when she did turn into a were-hakutaku. When she did, she became heated. In that sense. However, they didn't do anything like… ahem, THAT with Mokou, Keine could deal with it on her own. But…
Enough thinking about that! The full moon was a full 2 weeks away, she didn’t have to worry about that right now. She started to erase the chalkboard when she heard a knock on her door.
“Come in!” She called.
“Hey. ‘Sup Keine?” The voice of Mokou walked into the classroom. She stood by one of the desks and leaned on it.
Keine smiled at her. “Oh, I was just cleaning. Just saying hi, I’m guessing?”
“Not this time. I have something on my mind.” The phoenix sat on the desk closest to the teacher’s chair.
Oh? This was rare. Keine pulled up her chair to Mokou’s desk. “What’s going on?” She asked her.
“I’ve been thinking,” Mokou started. “I’ve dealt with so much shit in my life. Death, War, Fighting…Kaguya.”
Keine giggled at the last one.
“But I feel like there’s something missing. And, I actually want to experience it at least once.”
The were-hakutaku could tell Mokou was serious about this, which, once again, was rare for Mokou, because she was normally a laid back person.
“Bring it on me.” Keine looked at Mokou. “Tell me, what do you desire?”
Mokou shifted a little. “I’ve only recently heard about this, and I would like to know more about it.”
“Ok…” Keine listened to her friend.
“Please, I’d like to know more about this thing the humans call…Love.”
This made Keine’s heart skip a beat. This came as a complete surprise to her. She never thought Mokou was the romantic type. And yet, here she was, asking to be taught about love.
“M…Mokou…are you being serious?” She asked.
Mokou nodded.
“V-very well. I shall teach you what I know.” Keine stood up and closed the door. She cleared her throat. She grabbed a piece of chalk and started to write.
“Love. Love is a set of emotions and behaviors characterized by intimacy, passion, and commitment. It involves care, closeness, protectiveness, attraction, affection, and trust.” She wrote this all down. Mokou took a mental note of this.
“It can vary in intensity and can change over time. It is associated with a range of positive emotions, including happiness, excitement, life satisfaction, and euphoria, but it can also result in negative emotions such as jealousy and stress.”
Mokou nodded.
“However, I feel that love is a wonderful thing. I’m curious, Mokou, why did you want to learn more about this?”
“I think it’s because…how do you humans say it?” She was blanking on words.
“You’ve fallen for someone?” Keine asked suddenly.
Mokou’s heart skipped a beat. For the first time maybe ever, Keine saw her embarrassed side. She slowly nodded. “I…I think so.”
Keine gave her a sweet smile. “Aww…that’s so sweet!” She booped Mokou’s nose, to which Mokou looked away. “If you feel comfortable, can you tell me more about them?” She asked.
The Immortal phoenix looked back slowly. “W…well…this person is one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. The way she does her job, the way she smiles, the way she speaks…everything about her, I love. I…I don’t have the courage to confess to her, however…”
Keine giggled. “That’s news to me. I never knew you were so shy about this subject~...” She teased and winked.
This caused Mokou to slump back and look down. She had explained more than she wanted to. She wished she could curl up in a ball and roll away. Keine was talking about something Mokou had been thinking about for a while, and now, all her secrets were about to be let out, she felt.
“I’m curious. You’re so nervous, Mokou. How would you even confess to this person, if you don’t mind me asking?” Keine looked at her with intent.
Mokou looked out the window. She swore she saw that bitch, Kaguya, whom she hated. But Keine put a hand on her desk, and she snapped back to reality.
“Um…” She looked down. She tried very hard not to look at the Schoolteacher the wrong way. She was very attractive, after all. “Keine…I…”
“It’s ok.” She gave Mokou a reassuring smile. “I won’t judge. I know that whatever you say will come from the heart.”
Mokou stood up as if she were presenting something to the class. She took a breath and started to speak:
“Keine…I would say…I love you with all my heart. I’ve loved you since I first laid eyes on you. We’ve been through so much together, and I don’t want to stop. Even when you die, the thoughts of you and all the things we’ve been through will be in my mind until the end of time. I love you. I want to be with you forever until you die.”
Mokou could feel that time stopped. The air was silent for a good minute. Did Mokou really just say all that? Centuries worth of secrets was now revealed. She shook a little bit, but then Keine put a hand on her shoulder.
“Wow…” Keine was blown away. “That was…so…unquestionably…adorable!” She giggled. “Mokou, I never knew you were capable of all that! You’re gonna make someone so happy someday, I just know it!”
Did…she not realize that message was to her? There was no way… Keine was so smart, how could she have NOT realized? Mokou felt disappointed inside. She had no other choice but to speak her heart.
“Keine…” She turned red.
“Yes, Mokou?”
“That confession…was for you, y’know.”
Keine could feel the Earth stop. Her lesson, Mokou stepping out of her comfort zone, Mokou’s confession…it was all…so she could find a way to profess her feelings to her? This was so bold of her…
“I…you…the whole thing was for…me?” Keine struggled to talk. She hadn’t felt this way in a long time.
Mokou nodded slowly.
“Oh, Mokou, you sweetheart!” She walked up to her and gave her a hug. Keine could easily lift Mokou thanks to her Hakutaku strength.
“Um…your tail is sticking out.” Mokou chuckled.
“GAH!” She dropped Mokou and tried to hide her wagging tail under her dress. “That’s embarrassing…”
“Well I think it’s cute.” Mokou smiled at her and wrapped her arms around her neck.
“I…” Keine shyly looked away as Mokou lifted her chin.
“I love you Keine. Always have, and always will.” She closed the gap between them. Keine’s eyes flew open. She had never been kissed before. Mokou’s lips tasted spicy, then again, she was a phoenix. She kissed her back, her body pressed up against hers.
When they broke apart, Mokou smiled heavily. She seemed so happy. She finally felt something…happy. And the fact that she could share it with someone like Keine made her heart swell.
“I love you too.” Keine shyly smiled back and caressed her cheek lovingly.