The night was dreary and damp. The air was frosty and cold. Aomine warmed his unclothed hands by rubbing them against each other and shoved them into his pockets. He shuddered as another breeze swept by him, so he picked up the pace and scurried back home. Training at the police academy was demanding and rigorous as usual, but according to his instructor, his aim and combat experience was improving. He squared his shoulders as he hurried down the sidewalk, heart racing in anticipation once his apartment was in his view.
Then he heard a squeak.
He halted his foot in midair and immediately pivoted to his left. He stood there, waiting, searching for any signs of life within the dark alleyway. A faint, barely audible mewl was heard in a distance, and that was his signal.
The man traipsed past the discarded box and burnable materials to reach his destination. Sitting in front of him was a lone box, but the box was not his prize. Within the cardboard box was a shivering wide-eyed cat with intricate black stripes. It had peculiar, strange markings on its face. Patches of its matted brown-red fur was missing, and the poor thing looked slightly malnourished and unfed.
Aomine bent down and hovered over the box. He stretched out his hand and tested the waters. He hoped that the small animal wasn't infected with anything like rabies.
"Hey there, fella," he cooed softly.
Surprisingly, the feline didn't lash out or swiped against his approaching hand. Instead, the cat closed its eyes and lowered its head, and Aomine's heart ached at the miserable gesture as if the cat had resigned to its pitiable fate. However, Aomine did not strike or batter its frail body like the cat expected. Rather, he scooped it up and held it close to his chest.
Then he carefully unzipped his puffer jacket until there was a slit where he could tuck the cat inside.
"Don't worry," he said in a hushed voice. "I got you."
From there, he resumed his walk back home with a new companion in tow.
From there, that was the day Kagami Taiga fell in love.