I'm not normally one for fantasy, so I'm not really sure where this idea came from, just think of it as a little experiment.
"Hey, Retsuko, you remember how we met?" Haida turned his head to smile at the red panda lying in the grass beside him. Retsuko laughed.
"How could I forget? It wasn't exactly uneventful."
She'd had her nose buried in her Enchanca when she'd wandered into the gymnasium, just in time for the punching bag he'd been practicing with to fly across the room, nearly hitting her.
She screamed, ducking to the floor with her arms over her head, the heavy bag crashing against the wall before falling over on the floor with a thud.
"Oh my God!" a spotted hyena sprinted to her side, looking terrified as he dropped to his knees. "Please tell me you're okay!"
She sat up, leaning back as she caught her breath.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she laughed a little, sounding almost hysteric. "But what was that?"
He blushed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"It's a strength spell," blue violet sparks enveloped his hand. "I'm still trying to get the hang of it."
The magic faded, and he helped her to her feet.
"I don't think I've seen you around before, I'm Haida."
She straightened out the blue skirt of her uniform.
"My name's Retsuko, it's my first day," she gasped. "Oh no…"
She grabbed her Enchanca off the floor; the holo-screen had shattered, several of the buttons cracked or loose.
"My mom told me to be careful with it," she started tearing up. "What am I going to do?"
She sniffled, swiping at her face with her white sleeve. Haida stammered, waving his hands frantically.
"I'm sorry! Please don't cry!" he gulped. "Maybe I can fix it for you!"
She looked at him, her eyes still wet.
"Really?"
He blushed again.
"Yeah," his voice cracked, he cleared his throat. "I mean, yeah, I'm kind of a tech wiz, and it's my fault you dropped it in the first place."
He got to his feet, one hand shoved in the pocket of his sweats as he jerked his thumb toward the arched doors.
"Come on, and maybe I can show you around the dorms later."
They laughed again. It had taken him almost all night to fix that thing, but her reaction had made every hour worth it.
"Oh, Haida," she beamed at him. "You're my hero!"
"Man, that thing was ancient," he chuckled. Enchancas could only be activated by innate magical ability, the first gateway to becoming a master of potions and spells. They were also standard supplies for magic students, usually passed down through families. "No wonder it broke so easily."
He sighed happily, taking her small hand.
"That was all it took to get me stuck on you, Retsuko," he admitted. It had been the middle of his second year at Myst Academy when she'd shown up, the first time he'd felt a different kind of magic flow through him, that had only gotten deeper the longer he'd spent with her. It had taken the rest of the semester for him to work up the courage to ask her out, and he'd been even more of a nervous wreck when she'd said yes.
It had been simple, a picnic at the center of the school maze, watching the harvest moon rise, then they'd tried to see who could name the most constellations. She'd won, of course, being a student of healing magic as she was. Those spells were most powerful when the moon was full, and being able to read the stars was half the battle.
"Thanks for tonight, Haida," she packed away the remains of their picnic. "It was fun."
"Yeah," he started folding the blanket when she pushed the basket in front of him. "Retsuko?"
She climbed on top of it, and kissed him. He froze, just for a second, before returning it, hugging her tightly.
"I don't usually kiss on the first date," he quipped when it ended. She sighed happily, leaning against his chest.
"Neither do I," she said into his shirt. "But something about this just feels right."
He smiled, and hugged her again.
"It sure does," he whispered into the fur between her ears. "It sure does."
She squealed with laughter when he pulled her on top of him, their noses touching as he got lost in her eyes, before losing himself in her kiss.
"I love you, Retsuko."