2. Cheria—

The academy was full of White magic practitioners at all times. Not only did young students and their professors attend, but so did researchers, probing the way into new magics, and perfecting the practice of the old. They were also visited often by White mages taking breaks from questing to refresh their studies, as well as practitioners of other ways of life, seeking to expand the breadth of their knowledge. A few monks, and even Black mages could occasionally be found in the halls, studying up on the White magic that they might encounter.

Kiro met Cheria as a fellow student in his first potions class. As Kiro scanned around the room, he gradually took in all of the as yet unfamiliar faces. Some casually glanced back, some focused solely on making their ways to their seats. Kiro felt his gaze rest, however, on Cheria's pleasantly soft features. He was unsure of what it was that was unique about her, if anything. Perhaps it was the way her soft, wavy brown hair just peeked out from under her white hood, resting over her head that compelled Kiro lean to his side to try to get a better look. His efforts were rewarded with the knowledge that Cheria was a fair-skinned girl with a cute little nose, and wearing a pair of glasses that, due to their thin light frames, were almost invisible. She smiled warmly at him, and he blushed, turning away and grinning.

"Enough chatter, let us begin," called out mage Hamil, the instructor.

Kiro was introduced to the herbs and tinctures that were used to generate magical potions and the basic magical energies that would imbue them with the power to near-instantly restore the health of the users. The class was asked to form up into pairs and begin practice with the various mixtures. On the first day, only the basic potion would be covered, since there was plenty new to learn just in the manner in which ingredients had to be combined. Potions were, after all, not merely a culinary matter, but also a slightly magical one. However, Hamil added, they would soon be able to work on antidotes, and that would come with a guest speaker from the school of Black magic to describe the sort of poisonous energies that antidotes are meant to cancel out. This interested Kiro, who was curious to see a Black mage up close, and to have a chance to hear about this opposite side of the magical world. Kiro had seen one or two in their all-concealing robes passing through the halls near where some of the more advanced classes were held, but had never had the opportunity to speak to one.

Kiro, turning his attention back to the task of pairing up decided quickly that, having already spent ample attention on her so far, it would be nice to pair with Cheria, and fortunately, she, too was comfortable pairing with Kiro as they took their positions at the laboratory benches. They introduced themselves to each other, and collected their basic ingredients. They would take turns providing the necessary ingredients, in this case, a clump of dark violet berries and a sprig of some leafy herb with a mildly bitter taste, they were told. From what they could overhear from neighboring benches, Kiro and Cheria could tell that a few others were having a bit more trouble than they. Hamil's instructions seemed clear enough, though. It was just a matter of being gentle, yet firm and thorough in mixing the solid ingredients in the crucible before adding distilled water and a hint of magical energy.

Cheria had gone first, so when their first sample was ready, Kiro offered to give it a little test. Cheria waited anxiously for Kiro's reaction. That reaction was first to the bitter taste; Hamil had been right about those herbs. However, the magical energy and the influence of the berries were clear within the next few seconds. Cheria released a sigh of relief as Kiro finally smiled, taking a deep breath and sighing in contentment as the healing energy warmed him.

When it was Kiro's turn, he noticed the pestle was a little tougher to move through the mixture than Cheria had made it look, so she generously took his hand and demonstrated how diagonal strokes, starting from the top of the bowl, made crushing the berries and herbs together a bit easier. For some reason, perhaps the excitement of working with his very first potions, Kiro felt his heart rate increase. And, for some reason, perhaps the exertion of manually grinding ingredients for several minutes, Cheria could feel her face become warmer. Once they were finished with the potion, Kiro handed it to Cheria and carefully watched her mouth as she sipped it. She moaned sharply as the liquid first touched her tongue, then took more into her mouth, then swallowed. She wiped her mouth and said, with a little giggle, "You were right about those herbs. I wonder if there is a way to improve the flavor...." Then, the healing energy washed over her, she closed her eyes, and let out a deep breath of contentment.

Several minutes later, the class was over, and everyone was dismissed, with two exceptions.

"Kiro, Cheria, please stay for a moment. I have to discuss something with the two of you."

The two young acolytes looked nervously at each other. Had they done something wrong? Was there something wrong with their schedules or with their class participation?

"Come up here, please."

"Yes, mage Hamil?" Cheria asked.

"You two need to get serious, here," Hamil warned, his voice lowered.

"I'm… sorry?" Kiro responded, confused, but a small part of him in the back of his mind already knew what Hamil was talking about.

"I mean you two, distracting each other, that has to stop. Now."

Both students put their heads down, embarrassed.

"I know you two are young, but I also know that you know the code of conduct to which White mages are expected to adhere. You are both good students, and I know you can succeed here, but the energy you two were putting off was… the other students probably did not notice, but it was starting to distract even me. You must be mindful of your feelings, and keep your thoughts pure, or you will not last long, here. You know, a few years ago, a couple of second-year students were caught kissing behind some stacks of scrolls, late one night in the south-wing library…"

Kiro and Cheria both blushed again at the thought; Kiro barely succeeded in stifling a chuckle.

"… and they were both expelled." The students' giddiness turned to grim seriousness. Kiro felt his throat tighten up. "Now, I am not saying that I think that would happen to either of you, I just want you to know that you are treading in dangerous territory if you do not take control of it right away. Am I clear?"

"Yes, mage Hamil," both students replied, quickly, keeping their heads down.

"Alright. Now, remember, if either of you has any trouble with anything, you can come to us for guidance. We are here to help you. I recommend you spend some time this afternoon in prayer to help center and focus your minds where they need to be. I will see you tomorrow. Dismissed."

As they left, Kiro and Cheria exchanged another glance, this time much more solemn than their previous ones.

As always, please read and review. Let me know what you think. How may I improve? Be nice, since this is my first multi-chapter fanfic, so I am a bit new at this. I have started working on making my successive chapters about twice as long as they originally were, and I hope that adds more engaging realism, not merely boring fluff. Please let me know how I am doing, especially how I might improve my writing style.

I have a somewhat long document that is something between an outline and a first draft for the rest of the story already planned out for future events; I just need to flesh them out a bit more, make them better able to draw the reader in. I know the "M" rating does not really seem to fit this story, but it will by the end.