Chapter Text
She ran along the deserted streets of the old town, desperately trying to escape the raging fire engulfing the run-down buildings, the heat of the fire clawing at her back. The air was thick with ash; buildings crumbled under the roaring blaze.
The flames glowed in the pitch-black night, dancing, sparkling, erupting into the air, destroying everything that was left of the city. The night sky glowed orange, sparks rising like stars before vanishing into the darkness - a mockery of beauty in the face of ruin. Despair.
Hope had died long before the flames reached her. The city was already lost.
Her body, mortally wounded, moved on sheer instinct. Her vision blurred; her breaths came shallow. In the narrow embrace of an alleyway, her strength gave way. She collapsed onto the cold stone, consciousness slipping away. Alone. Left to die.
.
“Rinsuke!” The deep shout cut through the crackle of dying flames.
The purple-haired investigator turned toward the voice.
“We've found someone - a girl!”
'We've found someone.'
The words jolted him. Rinsuke crossed the rubble-strewn street and knelt beside the figure lying still on the ground. Her hair, once a light shade, was now matted with blood. Only a few strands hinted at its natural colour.
Something in him - instinct, perhaps, or pity - stirred. He shrugged off his jacket, wrapping it carefully around her before lifting her into his arms.
He carried her away from the ruins, the glow of the burning city fading behind them.