Kuroko no Basket Imagines {Continued}.

Protection.(Kagami Taiga)

-Enjoy!-

  There were plenty of underrated jobs that are actually crucial to the society you live in. There was a reason you chose this particular job, it wasn't because you were particularly good at it. Saving a life and helping people just appealed more than sitting at an office and working for somebody you despised. However, this job was a dangerous and difficult.

  The familiar alarm blares in the cafeteria and you quickly shove in a mouthful of food before shooting up to get changed. You remember the first time you arrived, you almost got a heart attack from the sudden loud noise. Now the whole process was just second nature to you. Of course, you had gotten much stronger and tougher since then, however there was one thing that was altered from the first moment you had arrived. That one thing was the fluttering butterflies in your stomach that only appeared when you set your eyes on that one particular man.

    His name was Kagami Taiga. He was an outstanding fireman. Many have recommended that he take on the role of being the head of this firefighting jargon. It just so happens to be the largest firefighting jargon in America and it also just so happens that you were madly in love with him. You never confessed nor told anyone about your feelings, and it was getting quite tiresome. Having to muster up your true emotions of attraction seeped out more energy from you than you thought. You really did believe that you could handle it, but it turns out that that was more than a mere underestimation.

"I'm going to explain the details and I need all of you to pay attention. There has been a house-fire on Howard Street and it seems that it's quite a big one. It's been in the combusting stage for over thirty minutes before it was noticed, so you all need to be extra cautious; always be weary of the collapse zone. Do you hear me!?" The chief yells out orders as everyone suits up and you all yell out a respectful response.

  You glance at the crimson-haired man as you all sit in silence while the truck carries you off to a destination where you were to risk your lives to save other ones. You found yourself praying that he wouldn't be the one to be taken from the team, as many have already been seriously injured or killed. It wasn't uncommon in a job like this, but that didn't make it any less painful. You actually think that the more you expect it, the more painful it is. At that moment, he looks up and your eyes meet briefly. Even though it must have been for a couple of seconds, it felt like hours as you search his eyes for something that you couldn't pinpoint. He gives you a soft smirk before mouthing a few words that only you could make out.

Good luck.

  ~~~

  Everybody was evacuated safely from the house, and as the firefighters were still attempting to put out the fire once and for all, you were in the process of wiping your face with a wet flannel as it was covered in soot and dirt. That's when a woman with her hands clutched to her chest approaches the a few of your comrades with a shrill and worried voice.

"H-have you seen my daughter?! I-I don't see her anywhere?! Oh GOD! There was debris...I..I couldn't get to her!! I thought...I thought that she was already r-rescued! PLEASE!!! OH PLEASE SAVE HER!!" She begins to scream as she collapses to the ground in complete shock.

  Before anybody could decide what to do, in fact, before even the chief could tell any of you what to do, you were already on your way back into the house. You didn't have time to grab your oxygen tank nor did you have time to bring your helmet. Everything else in your mind burns away as you dash as fast as you can. You could hear the muffled cries of the people you knew, and you turn around slightly to see Kagami yelling something with an outstretched hand. But you don't stop in your tracks and Kagami watches in horror as you disappear in the smokey entrance of the doorway.

"Hello?! Is anyone here?! Call out if you can hear me!!! I'm here to help!" You shout as loudly as you can with the damp flannel pressed tightly over your mouth and nose. 

  Your eyes were beginning to sting, but you keep pressing forward until you hear a soft muffled cry underneath a pile of wood that had appeared to have pinned her down. You begin to pry the pieces off one at a time whilst completely ignoring the splinters digging into your palms. At last, you see a limp and barely conscious little girl and lift her up into your arms before attempting to get out safely. However, as soon as you turn around, you hear a crackle above you. Just as you look up, you see a pipe fall loose and feel it smack you right across the face. 

  The metallic taste of blood fills your mouth, but you take a deep breath and keep moving. The house had suddenly become a maze. The smoke made everything hazy and you were almost at your limit. Your legs begin to feel heavy from the lack of oxygen reaching your brain and body. You grit your teeth as you attempt to keep moving, but they give out underneath you and you slip into darkness with your arms still wrapped around the child.

"(Your Name)!!! (Your Name)!! Come on...(Your Name). She's not breathing!" A familiar voice barks into your ear as you feel his fingers lift your chin up before a pressure builds in your lungs.

  Suddenly, you were fully conscious again and you inhale a raspy breath before coughing and almost gagging in the process. As the paramedics rush over to sit you up, your eyes focus on one particular face to see Kagami looking down at you with the most worried face you have ever seen in your life.

"Is-is the girl okay?" You ask weakly as you realise that he had his arm wrapped around your shoulder protectively.

"She's fine. She's alive. Thanks to you." Kagami cracks a smile, despite almost losing the one he fell in love with. "You are a hero (Your Name)."

"Th-that would make you one too...Kagami-kun. You saved my life didn't you?" You rasp weakly through the oxygen mask as he lifts you up in his arms before lowering you down on to the stretcher.

"It would be wrong not to protect the person you love."