Two Kinds of Knowledge

by Princess Cora

A/N: for the sake of numbering system, I’ve compiled the prologue and the first chapter together.

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Prologue

Lagia put a hand over her only daughter's. Why? She thought. Why couldn't you wait until she was older? But Lagia knew she would receive no answers from the woodland spirits this time. Here she was, on her last few hours of life, and her daughter Nari was only twelve.

Lagia's hair was a soft brown, wavy, like the ocean. One wide streak of hair on her right side was a dark forest green, the mark of a woodland spirit-watcher. The spirit watchers lived in small clans among their respective natural habitats. Every now and then, one would emerge into society and teach the ways of the natural world, but not often. They mostly kept to themselves, communing with their spirits and taking care of the local animals.

Lagia had taught Nari everything she could, but still it wasn't enough for the girl. She had such a thirst for knowledge, for life, but mostly just to impart her knowledge to others. Lagia had seen her daughter calm a hysterical toddler, break up fights, teach a little girl how to sew, and heal a dying squirrel. Nari was longing to teach others, but there was nowhere to go in this little clan. She needed something more.

"Nari," Lagia finally said. "We both know I'm going to die. My time here is done, and the forest spirits are claiming my life early." She smiled. "Nari, I have only one thing to say to you." The girl looked concerned. "Darling, no one is forcing you to stay here. When you are ready, find a place where you can be happy. That's the most important thing - that you're happy, and the people you care about are happy." She smiled again. "I'm so proud of you. I know you'll go on to do great things." She pulled her daughter into a hug. "I love you. Never forget that."

"I won't, momma." There were tears in the girl's dark eyes. "I'll remember everything you told me."

"That's my girl. Run along now - I want to die in peace." She grinned, and Nari laughed a little. She did leave, however. She was taught to respect her mother's wishes.

"Don't forget to laugh," Lagia whispered. But Nari was already out of hearing range.

Chapter 1

If you need to crash

Then crash and burn

You're not alone

"Class... meet Professor Tenshou."

Saichi Tenshou was tall, had long black hair tied in a ponytail, and small gold-rimmed glasses that his black eyes looked over the top of. He was wearing bright-colored robes, making him look very self-centered.

He walked to the front of the room and stopped next to the teacher. He had been told she was beautiful, but beautiful was not quite the word he would use. Her hair was white - not an old lady's white, just pure snow white. On her right side, she had a wide streak of forest green that was cut shorter than the rest of her hair. Her hairstyle was a simple braid down the back. However, Saichi could certainly see where the other man was coming from - her skin was smooth and pale, she had a beautiful face, and her eyes were a bright, lively green. And yet... maybe it was the fact that she was wearing a light short-sleeved dress, no cloak or coat, when the chilly December wind made all the children shiver in their seats.

The class was murmuring welcomes from all around the tiny one-roomed schoolhouse. It was such a change from the Emperor's great university, of which Saichi was head of.

"I'm Nari." The girl held out a hand for him to shake, which he did.

"Is that a nickname for anything?"

"Nope. Just Nari." She grinned.

"And... do you have a last name?"

"Nope!" she seemed pleased with it. "Well, you could say it twice if you wanted to." She looked thoughtful. "Nari Nari. Doesn't sound too good, but..."

There were giggles from the children. She smiled benevolently at them. Then a little boy in the front put his hand up.

"Yes, Tsukiyo?" she asked.

"Nari... I was just thinking. If we call you Nari, why do we have to call Professor Tenchou Professor Tenchou?"

"Because he's a guest." Ah, it all made sense now. "Class, Professor Tenshou -"

"Please." He interrupted, but nodded his condolences. "Let them call me Saichi. It will be easier on me."

She nodded. "All right, Tsuki, you win." They grinned, as if it was a private joke. The class seemed to understand - Saichi felt a little out of the loop.

"As I was saying, Saichi is coming to help me teach, he's from the Emperor's University, so treat him with respect." The look on the children's faces was one of surprise and awe. Good, Saichi thought.

"Now, let's take attendance out loud today, so Saichi can learn your names. When I call your name, raise your hand. High." She sat at her desk and took out a slim book. "Tsukiyo?" The little boy who spoke earlier raised his hand eagerly. As Saichi saw the boy's silvery eyes, he realized he was blind.

"Kumori?" An older girl with brown hair in two braids raised her hand, shivering as a gust of wind swept the room.

Nari seemed unfazed by the wind. "Unabara?" She pronounced the name with a Y in front, like YU-na-ba-ra. The girl next to Kumori raised her hand. She had floor-length midnight black hair and blue eyes.

Nari continued down the list, totaling six boys and eight girls. Saichi was sure he'd learn the names soon. As he looked over Nari's shoulder, he was surprised at the age range of the children. The youngest was five, and the oldest was twelve. He had never taught this young...

"Well then! We usually do language first... do you want to start? Or maybe you'd like to watch for a bit..."

He blinked. "Actually, watching would be nice."

She waved him to a chair between the bookshelf and the fireplace. The one-roomed schoolhouse was evidently old and drafty, yet no one started a fire.

She began to teach, with Saichi watching Nari closely. She handled the age difference very well, balancing all different levels of comprehension with her quick speech and thoughtful manner. She was good, very good. Almost too good. She only started teaching here this fall? Somehow, it seemed like they all knew her very well.

Looking over at the schedule on the wall, he saw math next. That was what he was scheduled to teach, and so he started carefully planning his lesson based on the children's level of understanding. When Nari concluded her lesson, he was ready.

"Mathematics. Want to have a go?" She grinned as if she was poking fun at him, and indeed he felt that way. But his face did not show it, he only smiled back and nodded. Nari, instead of taking his chair, sat down at her desk.

It was about halfway through the lesson when she got up and moved over towards the fireplace. "Do you mind if I start a fire? It's a little chilly in here." She grinned at the students, who were nodding emphatically.

He continued. The kids were pretty smart, especially Tsukiyo and the twins Irihi and Asahi. It was easy teaching them, and Nari seemed to like listening too.

"Oh blast... these matches..." The ten-year-old sitting right in front of the fireplace jumped up and took the matches from her. "Oh, thanks Himochi..."

Saichi, watching the little encounter, had turned back to his notes when he heard giggles through the classroom. He narrowed his eyes and looked up. Asahi was politely raising her hand. "Yes, Asahi?"

"Saichi, Makaze threw Jishin out the window." The other students were laughing harder. The older girl in the back near the window was slouched in her seat and looked triumphant. That must be Makaze. Indeed, the seat in front of her, which should have belonged to the cute red-headed boy Jishin, was empty. The window was also open.

He automatically looked towards Nari, who was completely immersed in her matches. This never happened at the university! People didn't throw their classmates out the window! He sighed, and walked outside. The best thing to do would be, pick the boy up, figure out some punishment for that Makaze... But before he'd taken more than a few steps outside, there came a scream from inside. He ran back in to find the chair on fire, which was quickly spreading to the bookshelves.

Nari looked close to tears. However, she kept her head and started organizing the frightened children. Saichi ran towards her desk, knowing she had a lot of papers there. Suddenly, he was caught by the back of his robes. "What are you doing!?"

"Getting some of your... papers..."

"Children are more important than papers! I need your help!" She tried to get the kids out as fast as she could without them burning. The walls and ceiling had caught on fire now.

He helped herd them out, saving several kids just in time. After they had gone out, Saichi let his eyes sweep around the room one last time. Suddenly he spotted a flash of black. Tsukiyo, with a scared look on his face, had gotten caught in a ring of fire.

Saichi suddenly remembered the boy was blind, and ran across the room. It was very hot in here... He tore off his robes, wearing a shirt and pants underneath, and used it to beat a path towards the silently frightened boy.

He swept him up in his arms and ran as fast as he could outside, making it just before the roof caved in. Nari, looking very worried, was standing amidst a huddle of children.

Saichi only then realized that he had soot all over and several burnt fingers. He put Tsukiyo down on his feet, and the boy looked around for a second. Nari ran forward and hugged him, smiling gratefully. Then she looked up at Saichi, and spontaneously hugged him too. He was a little surprised, but then, he did just save Tsukiyo's life.

"Thank you," she said, then turned back to the children. "All right, class, now that we're on the subject, let's talk a little about fire and burning. What are the three things you need to create fire?"

As the kids battled to answer her questions, Saichi looked at her in amazement. Here they were, barely alive, and she makes no move to save the schoolhouse? He shook his head. And then, she teaches a lesson on how to create fire. Just wonderful.

"Let's move a little closer.. Cold, isn't it?" she continued to talk about science, organizing the children into rows sitting on the dirt. When the fire started to burn lower she paused.

"Hmm, let's see... why don't you all run along to your houses and tell them what happened? Bring some lunch... Makaze, you bring some food for me and Saichi for throwing Jishin out the window... And ask your parents to bring out anything they wanted burned, we can have a bonfire tonight. Sound good?" They all murmured some kind of agreement, and ran off towards the village square.

Saichi remained sitting, watching the remains of the schoolhouse.

"Well," Nari said, "At least we'll get a newer schoolhouse... that should be a luxury." She smiled and lay down on the ground.

Saichi blinked. "I guess so..." He traced a pattern in the ground with his finger. "I just have one question. How did the fire start, anyway?"

"Oh I started it."

He blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Yes, once I got the match lit I threw it onto the chair, which was conveniently placed against the bookshelf." She seemed perfectly okay with the idea.

He blinked again. "Why?"

"Well, we really did need a new schoolhouse." She sat up, noticing his look of shock. "Here." She threw the half-empty box of matches at him. "You might need it someday." Then someone called her name, and she stood up.

Saichi picked up the box of matches, and pocketed it. She was quite possibly the strangest person he had ever met, but her optimism was catchy. Maybe it would indeed come in handy some day.

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