It was a starry, moonless night.
Under the Thousand Year Cherry Blossom, illuminated by the light of the city, a lone boy sat reading. He turned the page of his picture book slowly, marveling at the alluring illustrations and taking in, once again, the story he knew so well.
The boy had spent nearly every night here for the past few weeks, under this very tree, reading the same story as the flower petals fell gently around him. He had become captivated, and when the petals floated onto the pages of his book, he would scarcely even notice. He felt safe here, and something about the pages in his hand would envelop him in a strangely familiar warmth, even on such a cold and silent night.
But before long, the silence was broken. A pair of hurried footsteps and winded breaths. A voice called out.
"Stop running! You'll fall!"
"I'll be fine!"
Called out another. But just as soon as it had been said, the voice's owner, an energetic young girl with bright pink hair, appeared before the boy with a thud. Running too fast to see where she was going, she had tripped over an outstretched root.
"Ow..."
The girl groaned as the boy gasped in surprise.
"Are you ok?"
He stretched out his hand.
"Who are you?"
The girl asked as she reached for the boy's outstretched hand.
"Me?"
Answered the boy.
"My name is… Hiro!"
And a new story begins.