Name: Luca
Age: 13 (2001-2002)
Birthplace: Minnesota
Race: Black
Disability: Autism
Hair color: Green (formerly black)
Eye color: Green
Hobbies: Drawing, music listening (including 4Town), learning Japanese
Born in Minnesota in 1988, Luca’s parents divorced in 1998, then in 2001 his mom married a Japanese man who had a daughter who was two years older than Luca; shortly after the wedding, when Luca turned 13, he inherited the ability to transform into a large green anthropomorphic kitsune, a fox from Japanese folklore with nine tails (basically think of Nick from Zootopia with nine tails). Unlike the actual kitsune, no user had magic powers (aside from the aforementioned shapeshifting) nor did they live forever, all of them had the same lifespan as humans, also they all had 9 tails rather than needing to wait centuries. Apparently because Luca is legally the stepdad’s descendant, the inheritance went into effect after he became of age, also each family member became a different color, his stepdad was blue and his stepsister was pink.
After the weekend, Luca managed to learn how to keep the kitsune under control, they never sealed the kitsune away unlike Mei’s ancestors.
In summer of 2002, the family moved to Toronto, Canada, where Luca attended Lester B. Pearson Middle School while his sister started high school.
On the first day, Luca introduced himself to his classmates, and all went pretty well until a student accidentally dropped something, making a loud noise that startled Luca and causing his fox ears to pop out, then his tails. Before long, he transformed, panicked and ran out of the classroom. Mei, one of the classmates, realized what happened and after asking for a hall pass she set out to find him, using her panda ears to pinpoint the sound of his hyperventilating in the bathroom (gender-neutral for this story as it would get awkward otherwise).
Mei tells him from outside the stall that she knows what he’s going through, and tells him to take a few calming breaths, promising to show him why he can trust her and not laugh at him or make fun of him; upon transforming back to human and exiting the stall slowly, he was greeted by the sight of a large red panda where Mei stood; Luca recognized her as the same panda girl who fought “that other giant panda at the SkyDome” (referencing “Pandapocalypse 2002” in the movie’s climax) after which she explained that giant panda was her mom, promising to tell him the whole story later.
When she tried to reach for him, he flinched. She told him he didn’t need to be afraid of her, but he explained that he is autistic and does not like loud noises or being touched suddenly. Mei calmly told him that if he wanted, he could give her a hug, and she would be gentle. Feeling Mei’s soft, warm fur made Luca feel better, and after the hug was finished Mei poofed back to human. She told him her name, saying that her friends call her Mei, and so can he, making him realize that she is his first friend in a new city. As they walked back to class, she offered to let him meet her friends at lunch, promising to tell them to be gentle with him for introductions. (to be continued)
(By the way, there is no shipping whatsoever in this story, Luca is only friends with Mei and the 4Townies)