The sharp scent of smoke clung faintly to the spring air as Giyuu stepped out of the firetruck, helmet tucked under his arm. A small crowd had gathered on the sidewalk, their attention drawn not to a blazing building, but to a tabby kitten clinging to the highest branch of a street-side cherry tree. At the base, a little girl sobbed, her tiny hands clutching the straps of her backpack.

Giyuu’s steady voice soothed her. “Don’t worry. I’ll bring him down.”

He climbed with practiced ease, his gloved hands gentle as he scooped the trembling kitten into safety. The little girl’s tears transformed into a smile when the tiny creature was nestled back into her arms.

That’s when he noticed her—standing just behind the child, her hair a soft cascade of cherry blossom pink that caught the afternoon light like a spring petal caught in the wind. Annie. She offered a quiet thank-you, her voice carrying a warmth that lingered in his chest longer than the scent of smoke.

Giyuu didn’t know it yet, but that moment—kitten, child, and pink-haired stranger—would burn in his memory far longer than any fire he’d ever faced.