On The Side Of The Pitch With You

SIDE CS: In Flames

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."