Every weekend, she'd accompany that man to Inazuma Town. Most times it's to his cousin's house, other times it's for some other business. This was the former.

They arrived at the train station. Living in another town, closer to the big city, the train was their only means of transportation. At least it is until he earns his driver's license, but that won't happen until next year.

"How are you doing?" He asked kindly.

She had only been a part of this family for a couple of months, but they never tried to force her to get used to things. They let her experience their routines at her own pace. As usual, after their visits, he would ask to make sure she was comfortable. Though she still felt out of place, she was slowly beginning to enjoy her time. Especially when they were kicking the ball together.

"I'm alright, Masato-sa... I mean, Masato-nii." She replied, correcting herself when he gave her 'the look'. She still didn't know how she felt about calling him her brother, but he always looks so happy when she does.

"Glad to hear."

He bought them a ticket and they hopped on the first train that came. The car they were in was empty, and they chose to sit near the doors. She watched as the sun slowly disappeared behind a large hill.

"I want you to memorize this town." He suddenly said. "This place has a lot of meaning to our family."

She nodded. "Because of that junior high school, right? Where Shuuya-san went."

"Because that's the town where we found you." He patted her head, making her a little flustered. "But yes, also because of Raimon. It's dangerous to put you in a school right now, but I'm hoping we can enroll you there when you turn 13."

Dangerous... Because she didn't know what else she could do?

It happened about a week after she was taken in. She and his parents were watching as Masato played around in the backyard. That was when he missed a shot. The ball bounced off the goal post and went flying straight towards her face. But it never hit. She had her arms stretched out in front of her, hoping to catch the ball, only to find it floating in front of her when she opened her eyes. He also told her that her eyes were glowing when it happened.

It scared them, but it frightened her even more. When they saw this, they discussed the situation and decided to limit her interactions to just family. Who knows what strangers would do to her if they found out?

"Yuuka said she'll teach you while we're in town. Between Shuuya, her, and me, she's the closest to you in age so it's the best option. Though Shuuya and I will pitch in once in a while too." He scratched the back of his neck, his expression uncertain. "Though, I wonder if you'll be alright...? Learning fifth grade's material when you're only five years old..."

"Yuuka-san is good at telling stories. If she teaches that way too, then I'll be fine. And I like reading, so if there's something I don't understand, I can visit the library."

Seeing her try to reassure him brought a smile to his face. "You're a really good kid, you know that? I'm really glad I adopted you."

She felt the heat on her cheeks again. "Please stop saying that..."

~~~~~

The next week, her lessons started. Yuuka had told her beforehand about what topic she'll be teaching so she could read ahead, and she did. Thank goodness for that, otherwise, she wouldn't be able to figure out half the stuff she did.

Masato had some errands to run, so they agreed that if he didn't come to pick her up in time, she'd go meet him at a nearby park. Currently, she had just arrived at said park, and since there was no sign of him yet, she took a seat on a bench far away from the people around.

The closest to her were a pair of blue haired boys. Brothers, she assumed. They were passing the ball to each other happily. Well, the taller one was. The shorter one kept missing and falling on his bum. Still, he had a carefree smile on his face.

And it bothered her.

Why are you laughing? You're not even kicking the ball right!

"Ah!" The ball actually touched his foot this time, but because he jumped, he kicked the ball harder than intended. And without her clearly processing what happened, the blur of black and white hit her square on the head.

"Ack-!"

"S-Sorry!" The two boys ran over to her, the smaller one bowing as he apologized. "I heard something and it surprised me! Are you okay?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly. It wasn't a glare, but something close to that. "Just looking at you makes me irritated!"

"E-Eh?"

"You can't even kick the ball properly! You missed so far it hit my head! And I was behind you!"

"S-Sorry...?" The boy wasn't so sure he should be apologizing for being new at the sport. His older brother was chuckling behind him.

She huffed before noticing a boy with platinum blonde hair by the entrance. "When you're going to pass it to someone, you should pay attention to that person. You can't aim if you keep looking at the ball." She passed the ball that had rolled back to her feet to him as an example, and left, ignoring the boy's thanks.

~~~~~

The next week, she noticed them again. After her lesson, she went to the park to meet her brother, and spot the two boys playing in the exact same spot. She pretended not to notice the younger one's staring.

At first, she just watched them play, only kicking the ball if it strayed over to her, but eventually, they started kicking the ball towards her on purpose. Finally, after many, many times, she stopped the ball, and dribbled it back.

"If you wanted to invite me to play, you could just ask, you know..." She said, her cheeks slightly puffed out. The two only laughed sheepishly in response.

Then, it was the younger one that approached her first. "My name's Kyousuke! That's my brother."

"Tsurugi Yuuichi. You can call me by my first name too." The elder nodded curtly. His head tilted to the side. "What's your name?"

"...Kimiko."

"Are you new around here? I don't think I've seen you around before last week." Yuuichi continued to ask.

She shook her head. "I live a few towns over. I'm just here to see some relatives."

"Ah... That explains it."

"Does that mean you'll come here often from now on?" Kyousuke cut in.

She nodded. "I'll be around every weekend or so."

He grinned. "Then, does that mean we can play with you every weekend too?"

"Kyousuke..."

"Nii-chan, she's great at playing! Like you! If we play soccer together, then I can get just as good in no time! And then, we can chase after Gouenji-san together!"

She blinked. "Gouenji-san...? Do you mean Gouenji Shuuya?"

"Who else! He's the best soccer player in the world! The ace striker of Raimon Eleven and Inazuma Japan! Also known as the legendary flame striker!" His eyes sparkled as he continued gushing. She couldn't help her own smile from forming, though it was for a slightly different reason. He continued on and on for a little while longer before finishing off with, "Someday, I'll get into Raimon, and then the world tournament, and then I'll be a world class ace striker just like him!"

"Only if you learn to handle the ball correctly." She teased.

His cheeks puffed out into a pout. "I will! Just watch me!"

What's with that expression? She only just managed to stop herself from laughing out loud. You're not cool at all.

They started opening up to each other about themselves, talking about nonsense like their birthdays, likes, and dislikes. She was surprised to hear that the younger brother was a whole year older than her, mainly because he was shorter than her, and apologized for saying something so rude when they first met, but he seemed to have forgotten it even happened.

Before they knew it, years passed by, and the two young ones only grew closer. It was a bond no one could ever break.

~~~~~~~~~~

Here's to the start of a (somewhat) new fic!! Hope you all enjoy :D