Learning

Rōjū woke up with cascades running down his cheeks, while Kohana and Hanonai were resting on top of him. It seemed weird that they were suddenly in a worn down settlement, one that you could see outdoors even through the thin walls, mostly made out of paper. Rōjū looked around warily and felt slightly confused with his current state. He then heard some light and slow-paced footsteps coming towards the room he was in. He didn't move as to not wake up Kohana and Hanonai, although he did keep a cautious eye looking at the source of the noise.

A sliding door was opened, a door which Rōjū thought to be a normal wall, and a figure slowly moved itself closer to the group. It was an old, fragile woman that had a slightly curved back. She was almost as tall as the guards the kids saw before, and looked as healthy as she could. She had a small branch to help when she walked, which swung from side to side slightly every time she took a step. The lady slowly turned to the kids and had a slightly surprised look that quickly turned into a smile. "I see you are awake now little one" she said with a worn out voice, that felt dry when heard. She got closer to Rōjū and stood next to him "Come on dear, get up. Breakfast is ready" the lady said softly before walking back to where she came from. "And bring both of your little friends too dear, I'm sure you are needing some good food". Rōjū's stomach growled waking up the other two. Kohana rubbed her eyes before stretching her arms. "Hm? Rōjū!" exclaimed Kohana before getting on top of him, hugging him tightly with affection, small tears sliding down her cheeks. Rōjū pet his friend on the head and smiled a bit, which felt like the first time in ages, before walking to the same place the lady went.

She wasn't fast and moved with caution, so they caught up with her rather quickly. They slowed down their pace in order to match hers and after less than five minutes they entered a neat wooden room with some furniture, fairly similar to the type of room Rōjū last appeared in his dream. Because of this he recognized it as the kitchen of the house he was in. Rōjū held Kohana's hand while walking behind the lady, whom turned around facing them and said "We are here my dearies. I made some delicious stew I hope you like" before giving a wholesome smile and walking to the table to serve the stew in her own bowl. She then sat down and waited for the kids to join her in the table. Rōjū and Kohana both sat down together, staring at the bowls in front of them and then back at each other. After a very short time they grabbed spoons and began eating the stew hungrily.

After eating up all of the stew on their bowls, the kids looked at the lady slightly confused. The lady noticed this and smiled at them with happiness. "You are staying here for a while my dears. I will take care of you, feed you and teach you. So come on, follow me to start the class" She said now walking away to another room.

Rōjū and Kohana looked at each other confused before looking back at the lady, hesitantly following her. They had never been taught directly, never had had a teacher and never been to a school. This was the first time they would be taught like that.

The kids followed the lady and entered a room with a bunch of seats with tables in front of them, all facing towards a large desk with a worn-out green wall behind it. The lady stood behind of said desk and pointed at the seats before saying "Now, seat. Class is starting" Her smile looked wider now, and her face was filled with energy and excitement, as if she had been waiting a very long time for this to happen. The kids sat down immediately, feeling greatly in a position under the lady. The lady looked at them and finally introduced herself. "Well children, my name is Toha, and I will be your teacher this year" energy flowed from her mouth all the way to both kids' souls, making them feel the same. Toha now noticing excitement from them as well, decided to begin the class. Toha started teaching basic knowledge, what many people have regarded as common sense, only to test how low or high was their level of education. However, she quickly saw how problematic the situation was when the kids had no knowledge of numbers, colors and even normal language. However, they did well with shapes, nature and drawings, which surprised Toha a bit.

The classes of that day ended poorly, with the kids barely managing to grasp the names of things they had already seen before. Toha did not see this as failure however, since she was completely sure she would manage to make these two kids ready for the world they lived in now. She couldn't really understand it, but she felt the duty of making them ready, she felt they ended up with her for a reason, whatever it might be. However, she couldn't help but feel guilty knowing that someday in the future, she would have no other choice but to leave them. Anyone that entered this facility would find it obvious, this place was run-down and almost abandoned. This was once a school, with many children running around and playing. It was no coincidence a slave camp was set up near it. But the reason she would have to let them go is because she didn't have the supplies to sustain herself and two kids for more than a year, without mentioning if the little pet they brought ate some of it. Nevertheless, she pushed this topic for when the time came, she would not worry them anymore than needed, instead, she would send them to sleep in the room Rōjū woke up in, and that was it for this day.

Toha told them to go sleep nicely before planting a kiss on their foreheads, making the kids a bit confused with this action. She giggled a bit and sighed relieved, teaching them would probably make her worry less too. She blew the room's candle and said goodnight before sliding the door to close it and walking away to her room, it appeared she would learn a lot from them as well.