An 11 year old brunette stirred in her sleep. She groggily opened her eyes and rubbed them as she sat up.
She groaned. "Hm... Want some... warm milk..."
Just as she hopped off the bed, a strange light caught the corner of her eye. She peeked through her curtains to get a better look, but she was forced to close them again from how bright it got. Rubbing her eyes again, she tried to peek out one more time and frantically looked around. The light was no longer there, but instead, a strange lump was on the snow outside the apartment gates.
Before she knew it, she was running out to the hall and knocking on her brother's door. When she heard shuffling coming from inside, she started to knock faster. "Onii-chan! Onii-chan! Masato-nii-chan!"
And immediately after her calls, the door opened to show her brother in a panic. "Yuuka?! What happened?!"
Before she could respond, her cousin walked up behind him and patted his shoulder. "Shuuya, calm down. She's right in front of you."
"O-Oh..." Seeing that she wasn't hurt, he let out a sigh. "What's wrong, Yuuka? It's late, so you should be asleep..."
She nodded at that. "I know, sorry... I wanted to drink some milk, but then I saw a bright light outside."
"A bright light?"
"It was super bright! Like a star!" She then pushed her way into his room and opened the curtains, pointing down to the gate. "And then that appeared when the light was gone."
"That...?" The two boys walked over and stared in silence as they tried to make out what the lump was.
Masato took a step back. "That's... not a person, right...?"
Gouenji frowned. "If it is, they might need help. They're hardly moving."
"True..." He sighed before stretching and reaching for a ball. "Let's take this just in case."
He got one nod and one tilt of a head. Gouenji went down on one knee and patted his sister's head. "Yuuka, I need you to stay and keep watch from this window, okay? If you see us getting into a fight of any kind, make sure you wake father up."
"O-Okay... Stay safe, onii-chan. Masato-nii-chan."
The two boys gave her reassuring smiles before exchanging nods and heading out the door.
She watched them leave before dragging her brother's chair to the window and sitting on it while she waited for their figures to emerge. They soon did and were slowly making their way to the lump. Her cousin was still holding on to the ball while her brother was leading with a flashlight in hand.
When they got close enough, they seemed to stop to converse before her cousin kneeled down next to it. He then turned back to her brother before rolling the ball to him and lifting the lump― which by then she could tell it was a person.
She closed the curtains and headed for the door, waiting for her brother to open it. When he did, she helped them by holding it open as he placed the flashlight and ball on the side while her cousin walked in with the person in his arms. Up close, she saw that it was just a little girl, perhaps no more than five years old.
"I'll wake father up. Masato―"
"She can take my futon." Her cousin cut off, earning a raised eyebrow. "She'll be closer to the heater that way."
"Fair point. Yuuka,"
She turned her attention to her brother. "Yes?"
"Go with Masato and help him take care of her."
She nodded and held open the door to her brother's room for him again. As she helped tuck the girl in, she noticed that her clothes were strangely not that soaked. She looked up at her cousin to ask, but she got a shake of his head in response, indicating he didn't know the reason for it either.
Soon, her brother returned with their father in tow, who seemed like he hadn't actually slept and was ready with his doctor tools. He checked on her briefly, finding out she had quite a few scrapes and burns all over, but nothing to be too concerned about. After confirming her well-being, he directed everyone to go back to sleep.
They pulled out two more futons and had a sleepover in her brother's room.
~~~~~
The next morning, she woke up to the little girl cowering in the corner. When she tried to get closer to greet her, she only curled up even further.
She felt a hand on her back and she turned to find her brother already dressed for the day. "Did you try talking to her too?"
She nodded once. "Onii-chan did too?"
"Yeah. I woke up the same time she did. But when I tried to say 'Hi', she scurried off to that corner..."
She frowned at that. "Does she not like us...?"
Before her brother could reply, the door opened to reveal their cousin, also fully dressed. "Yuuka, are you awake? Breakfast is ready for everyone." He turned to the girl in the corner and gave a smile. "That means you too."
She seemed to have somehow shrunk even further.
"Hey, come on. You have to eat something." Ignoring her and her brother's calls, Masato walked all the way up to her before bending down to her level. With a smile, and without caring for her clear discomfort, he patted her head. A blush crept up her face little by little before she eventually gave in.
Yuuka couldn't help but stare as her cousin managed to lead her out of the room. Only when her brother patted her head did she turn her attention to him. "Onii-chan?"
"Kids do love headpats..." He said, smiling slightly.
It brought out hers in response. "That's true! I know that it makes me happy whenever you or Masato-nii-chan do it to me!"
"Right. Then, let's go have breakfast."
"Okay!"
Even with the extra guest, breakfast was peaceful and didn't feel awkward in any way. Aside from the unsure looks they'd get when they ask the child to tell them about herself, it didn't feel too different from their usual days.
It was only after that they decided to take things more seriously.
"Do you have a name?" Her father asked as he inspected her wounds.
The little girl pursed her lips, but when Masato patted her head again, she immediately relaxed. Though she was still somewhat nervous as she answered, "I-It's... Ki... Kimi... ko... Kimiko... I-I think..."
"'You think'?" She didn't elaborate further, so he moved on. "Where are you from? And how did you end up outside the gate last night?"
Her gaze went down.
"Do you remember anything at all from before then?"
She slowly shook her head.
"Amnesia, is it..." He stood up, turning to them. "Shuuya, Yuuka, if you have free time today, go out to the neighborhood and ask around. Show them a picture of her and if she's theirs, take them to the hospital. Masato, you're with me. We'll be taking her there ourselves."
"Alright."
~~~~~
They had no luck. They spent the day running around town, asking every single person they came across. But none of them knew who the girl was.
When they got to the hospital to inform their father, they found their cousin playing soccer with her by the gates. As they were only two, they were simply passing the ball between them.
She was rather good.
"Go ahead and join them, Yuuka." Her brother suddenly said. "I'll tell father everything."
"Okay!"
She ran over and cheekily took the ball mid-pass. After quickly apologizing that they couldn't find her parents, and to their surprise, not getting much of a reaction, they continued the game together.
Days later, she was deemed fully healed, and so their father arranged for her to be sent to Sun Garden Orphanage, where she knew some of her brother's friends lived. But just as the adults told them of their decision, her cousin went in front of the child and held his hands out, shooting them a look.
"Mom. Dad. I want to take her in."
It was an understatement to say that they were shocked by his sudden wish.
"But Masato, we―"
"No 'but's, mom. There's literally no reason for us not to." He insisted. "It took her this long to open up to us. How hard would it be on her if we just left her at an entirely new place again?"
"Masato..."
"She's been talking, eating, and kicking the ball together with us! I can't just leave her alone after that!" He turned to the girl with a smile. "And besides... I've always wanted a sibling. It gets boring when I'm alone at home, you know."
"And I suppose you'll stop complaining about how jealous you are of Shuuya and Yuuka if we take her in." His father said.
"Yup!"
"Well, you're right. There isn't any problem. Only..." His mother turned to the girl, who was looking up at them all curiously. "Would you like to come along with us?"
"Um... Can I... really?"
Masato patted her head. "We're the ones offering."
"O-Oh, right..." She looked down, seeming to contemplate the decision before looking up, shyly nodding. "I'll come."
"Yes!"
"Gouenji Kimiko..." Her brother muttered, smiling slightly. "Not bad."
"So we have a new member in our family!" She grinned, taking her hands. "Make sure to visit lots and lots, okay? We can have lots of girls' talks in my room!"
That day was one of the happiest they've ever had.
~~~~~
Masato tapped his foot impatiently as they waited for the detective's call. Granted, it wasn't the first time his sister had disappeared, but that time, it was her choice to go MIA. This time...
Rings snapped him out of his thoughts and he immediately picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Gouenji Masato?"
"Yes, that's me."
"We found her. Your sister."
"Where?!"
"Amano Mikado Stadium."
He didn't need to be told twice. Ignoring his parents' calls, he hopped into his car and went as fast as he could. He broke through security and drifted perfectly into a parking slot before running for the back entrance, which was surrounded by police officers.
His cousin was there, explaining his side of the story to them, as well as shielding him about his reckless actions upon arrival. With his authority, influence, and connections as the ex-Holy Emperor, he was able to calm them down.
... Most of them down.
"Where is she?!" Masato still looked about ready to pull his own hair out.
"We have reason to believe she's in one of the higher floors." One officer said. "We're still searching which one, but―"
That was all he heard before he pushed past them and headed for the stairs. He hadn't had much exercise in a while, but the fear and worry he had gave him enough adrenaline to reach the top without getting too out of breath.
"Kimiko! Kimiko, where are you?!" He continued to yell as he ran past the already opened rooms. Each of them had at least two people investigating inside. Many of them tried to stop him, but thanks to his soccer skills, he was able to dodge past them easily. "Kimiko, if you hear me, say something!!!"
Suddenly, there was the sound of something shattering. Following it to the end of the corridor, he was faced with a door on both sides.
"Kimiko? Was that you?"
Suddenly, the one on his left was yanked open. Or at least, that's what it looked like from the outside.
When he peeked in, no one was by the door, and instead, there were pieces of a vase in one corner next to a small girl lifelessly staring at him with a hand held out.
"Kimiko!" His eyes widened at the sight of her. He quickly turned back to the corridor, yelling for medics, before running to her side. "Oh my god, what the hell happened to you?!"
Her hair was a mess and she was covered in wounds from head to toe. Her clothes had many torns, showing the burnt marks going up her arms and her neck had a strange, red mark all the way around it. Her eyes were red with dark bags below her lids.
She didn't reply, only continuing to stare at him blankly.
"I know you went to God Eden for your plan and all, but Shuuya said you didn't look too bad! Who..." He bit his lip, realizing he was still yelling. "Who on Earth did all this to you?"
She wasn't given a chance to answer as the paramedics came and carried her away on a stretcher, but with how unfocused her eyes were, he was sure she wouldn't have if she wasn't anyway. He followed after them, only stopping when his cousin placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Let's go with my car." He offered. "We can pick up Yuuka on the way too."
"... Fine."
After they picked up his now-pink haired cousin, he started explaining the state he saw his sister in. That encouraged them enough to agree to speed up just a little over the limit. When they arrived at the nearest hospital, they followed the nurses to the room she was assigned to.
The doctor came out not too long after, saying that she would be able to recover easily if she took it easy for the time being. However, he had a rather dark expression when they asked about her wounds. He reluctantly explained them in detail.
Burns as if she had been caught in a fire.
Red marks as if she was tied by chains.
And pale skin as if she had drowned.
There were also fractured ribs, as well as her blood shot eyes, but the doctor confirmed that everything else was in order. She should be able to speak and move without too much of a problem.
So why didn't she?
No matter what they tried, she refused to give any of them the time of the day. In the end, they worked out a few things and arranged to move her to the hospital back in Inazuma Town.
"We can't do anything, but maybe... Maybe that friend of hers can." He said through gritted teeth.
He didn't like that this... outsider was his only chance of getting her back to the way she used to be, while he, who had been her family for the past seven years, couldn't do a thing. But he also knew that the girl had lost nearly all the trust she had for them after what they made her go through.
He hated that he deserved this outcome.
The next day, in the afternoon, all of Raimon came to see her. Her friend, Tsurugi Kyousuke, was pushed into her room by his own brother, who thought it was a good idea to leave the two alone for the remaining hours open for visitors.
It... was.
"Excuse me..." Ten minutes before the nurses would start to shove them out, the navy haired boy entered his brother's room, where they were all waiting.
"Tsurugi!" Their brunette captain gave him a smile. "How did it go?"
"It's alright..."
The hell's that supposed to mean? Masato kept his mouth shut. He knew about the kid from how much his sister talked about him, but he also knew how much he had changed due to getting involved with Fifth Sector. He was probably in the process of regaining his original personality, so he shouldn't say or do anything to rush him.
"She said she wanted to meet with Gouenji-san... That is, Gouenji Shuuya-san." The boy continued. "She wants to talk about Fifth Sector."
Immediately, his cousin got up from his seat and gave him a pat on the shoulder before walking out.
The navy haired boy took a seat on the edge of his brother's bed, who smiled at him warmly.
"Welcome back, Kyousuke!"
"You still didn't have to push me earlier..."
"Hehe. How was she by the way?"
"Mostly fine. She'd probably be stuck here for a while and get bored out of her mind, but other than that..."
"So it worked out." The older brother patted his back. "Great job! I knew you could do it!"
"Well... Yeah..."
The team started joking about how different he was acting from his usual self, and even mimicking his old, villain persona in front of his brother, who simply laughed and enjoyed their company. Endou, Kidou and Haruna were in their corner, all three with a slightly more relaxed expression than the ones they had before they knew her condition.
Suddenly, he felt a tug on his sleeve. Looking down, he spotted Yuuka smiling at him.
"Let's go, Masato-nii-chan. I'm sure onii-chan and Kimiko wouldn't mind us peeking from the door."
"I guess not." He gave a slow nod and let her lead the way to the door. Right before he walked out, he turned his attention back into the room. "Tsurugi Kyousuke."
His shoulders visibly tensed, clearly surprised by the sudden call. "Yes?"
"For bringing my sister back and babysitting her all this time..." For the first time in weeks, he finally managed a smile. "Thanks."
~~~~~~~~~~
And that ends this round of side stories. Next week, we're finally starting Galaxy! However, because I haven't had the chance to write out all of it yet, I'll be updating one chapter a week to give myself time. Sorry!
Hope you'll still enjoy regardless! See you then!