Chapter Text
Bright flashes floated on the gentle breezes, illuminating this dark night where it seemed the stars had shrunk and the moon had gone for a stroll, never to return. The landscape had turned a vibrant orange. The closer you got to the light source, the higher the heat index rose; the heat was so intense that mere contact with another person could melt you instantly. The fire slowly consumed the structure, destroying all the memories it held. This was once a home where many families lived together.
Most of the residents were outside, anxiously watching the building, waiting to see when their loved ones would emerge. The city's cursed traffic had left the firefighters stuck amidst the throngs of cars waiting for the light to change so they could each go their separate ways. They arrived around 2:00 a.m., and it had all started about half an hour earlier. They had been there so long that some police officers, seeing the desperation of a mother pleading for information about her daughter's whereabouts, decided to enter and search for survivors in the rubble.
The firefighters split into two groups: those entering the apartments to support the blue man and those battling the raging flames that reached the ceiling. The lights were unbearable for anyone even remotely near the scene, but people's lives were at risk, so a little eye strain wouldn't hurt anyone.
Camera flashes flashed back and forth, capturing new stories that could make headlines. Beside them, reporters crowded together, seeking interviews and accounts of the events from the victims being cared for by paramedics. Everything involved in dealing with a fire is complicated, which increases the likelihood of a tragic situation...
Sounds cease to be central at this point, even though reporters are incredibly skilled at eliciting responses from others, but right now that's not the case. The apartment is crumbling before everyone's eyes. Floor, wall, ceiling. No one knows exactly what's blocking the exit because everything has happened so fast that there's no way to react since everyone was preoccupied with their own things. Shit. There are still people inside.
The fire outside has been extinguished after swift and arduous work by the now exhausted firefighters, but there's no time to rest. They've fought so hard to save people that they're not going to give up now. It's time to get the axe out.
Strike one, it's somewhat weak. Strike two, it starts to gain strength. Strike three, it concentrates the frustration of the situation. Blow four, the damn necessity to get people out of there. Blow five, the one that breaks everything in half.
Whatever was blocking the door is now collapsed. They weren't expecting many people to come out; it wasn't that they didn't think there were any survivors, but there were only a couple of firefighters and a police officer inside looking for the little girl of the woman who was begging to see her.
The smoke billowed out incessantly, and it was almost impossible to breathe without an oxygen tank, so if the firefighters haven't found the defenseless police officer and the girl yet, they might be dead. Never lose faith, since there's always a chance that everything will turn out alright. Hope never killed anyone, so a little positivity in this moment isn't a bad thing; rather, it's a boost for everyone.
A soft creaking sound comes from within the hushed silence that has formed among the people. All eyes turned to the charred entrance. A little girl appeared, carried in a man's arms, followed by two firefighters who seemed like guardian angels. They were greeted by applause, sobs, and shouts, while the mother cried out to the heavens, thanking both God and the man for rescuing her daughter.
The man, with blond hair dyed slightly red, carefully placed the half-fainting girl in the hands of one of the paramedics who were going to check on her. In a sudden burst of emotion, the woman cupped the man's face in her hands and kissed him on the cheek, showing her deep gratitude. The man simply smiled, even more broadly than before.
What a man. He would surely be both an idol and a crush for everyone who saw the news. That's why the reporters wanted to have a conversation with him directly. The man, his face covered in ash and a faint lipstick mark, turned at the reporters' calls, asking him to come closer. He did.
"Sir, your actions today were truly heroic. Were you afraid at any point? Or did you have any doubts before going in?"
"I'm a police officer. My job is to help people and make this city a safer place. If I ever had any doubts, I wouldn't be able to achieve my goals. As for fear, of course I was afraid; I'm a human. But it wasn't so much for myself as it was for what the little girl might have felt being alone in the flames."
"Thank you for your response, sir. Could you tell us your name?"
"Kyojuro Rengoku, at your service."