V

A Sister's Love

Kouji frowned as he sat in the living room while Karina and the girls cleaned up the house. King whistled as he reheated some food and made tea for Kouji, occasionally sneaking glances at the girls. He didn't know if King really was sneaking glances seeing as he was blind folded, however he figured seeing as it was a thing King would do.

"Tell me why I have a blind fold on again?" asked Kouji.

"Until your eyes return to normal, you can't risk making eye contact with anyone," said NingNing. "Especially since you can't control those eyes yet. Someone might end up in a coma like that hero girl."

"She did not seem very heroic," King set a tray down before Kouji and led his hand to the cup of tea. "It's hot."

It was strange but…Kouji could somehow see without actually seeing. It wasn't the same as sight but he could somehow tell what was around him. Nothing was in detail but he could make out objects around him, the couch he was sitting on, King beside him, Giselle tossing out the garbage, and even Karina sweeping up the broken glass.

"What did I do to her?" asked Kouji. "I…I could see everything that Imugi did in that world, but I couldn't move a muscle."

"It's called Purgatorial Phantasm," said Karina. "Those eyes can peer into any living being's soul and trap their minds in an illusion world created by you. Time and space are completely under your control. Years can pass in that world and not a single second would have passed in the real world. I don't know how long she spent being tortured by Imugi…but I doubt she'll come out of it the same person."

"Okay let's forget about how…terrifying that is for a second," said King. "Who was she anyway? You guys said she was a hero?"

"Technically she is," Giselle crashed onto the couch and let out an exhausted sigh. "I can't believe we performed at over 10 different cities in a month and this is what gets me tired. I hate cleaning."

"Jeanne is a member of the Hero Faction," said NingNing. "They're a group of humans who are descendants of the heroes from mythology. Some are direct descendants while others just possess the same Sacred Gears."

"Are you going to eat that sandwich Koujiro?" asked Winter.

"All yours Winter," said Kouji.

"So like Perseus, Son Wukong, and Heracles?" asked King. "Weren't those guys made up?"

"Works of fiction to humans might actually be based on true events," said Giselle. "But I'm impressed, you got them spot on. The descendants of all three of those heroes are members of the Hero Faction."

"So Jeanne…" said Kouji. "French, blonde, swords…No way she's the descendant of Joan of Arc right?"

"Not technically," said Karina, joining them in the living room. "Joan died as a teenager so she never had children. Her spirit however remains eternal, choosing a different host every century to carry out her moral crusade. It just so happens that the host her spirit chose happens to possess a powerful Sacred Gear."

"That's why she could create those swords," said Kouji. "I thought they were supposed to be miracle machines. Making swords doesn't seem like such a miracle."

"Miracle was once a word used to describe magic," said NingNing. "They're not so uncommon."

"Okay let's take this blind fold off," Karina walked towards him and wrapped her arms around his head to untie his blind fold. "Keep your eyes closed and look down as you open them, okay? Look up slowly."

Kouji could still "see" everything around him, however as he slowly opened his eyes, color returned to him. He didn't feel like they were any different, but then again he couldn't tell if his eyes changed even before.

"There you go," Giselle. "Lookin better already."

"I gotta learn how to control these eyes," Kouji sighed. "What if I accidentally make eye contact with a random person?"

"We'll teach you how to control them, don't worry," Karina smiled. "How's your body?"

Kouji stretched but he didn't detect any injuries. If anything he was just a little sore, as if he had worked out his entire body thoroughly.

"I'm okay," said Kouji. "Speaking of which, when can I take these bandages off? I've been wearing them all day."

"Not for awhile," said Winter. "I laced those bandages with a soothening agent to keep the snakes at bay. I don't know why it didn't work with Imugi though…maybe I need to tweak it."

"Who is this Imugi?" asked King. "I'm sorry I'm new to this too."

"It's way too long of a story to tell," said Giselle. "Let's just say that Imugi's the reason why Adam and Eve got kicked out of the Garden of Eden. It's that old."

"Is it okay for King to be here?" asked NingNing. "I don't mean to be rude but…isn't it dangerous for a normal human to be here?"

"I told him everything," said Kouji. "He knows about what's happening to me…he's my best friend, of course I had to tell him."

"Well nothing we can do about it now," said Karina. "King, listen to me okay? You need to go home and lock your door. I'll have Winter come by in the morning to check up on you but it's too dangerous for you to be out right now. Jeanne snuck into the city without us noticing so we have no idea who else is nearby."

King gulped. "Y-Yeah…That's perfectly understandable. I'll head on out." He glanced over at Kouji with a serious look. "Do not do anything stupid and I cannot stress that enough."

Kouji furrowed a brow. "I'll…try not to."

"Can you walk him home Winter?" asked Karina. "Go back to the hotel after you're done and wait for us."

"Sure thing," Winter put on her coat with the sandwich still in her mouth. "C'mon big boy, I'll keep you safe."

"God don't let this be a dream," said King.

Kouji smiled as his best friend left his house with his favorite idol. A part of him wondered if Karina did that on purpose, she knew how much King loved Winter.

"In case you're wondering," said Karina. "Yes, I did do that on purpose."

"Please don't read my mind," said Kouji.

"She didn't need to," NingNing smiled. "How are you feeling?"

Kouji clenched his fists. "I feel fine enough. What do we do now? The Hero Faction found me so fast, what about the other factions?"

"We'll do our best to keep this hidden," said Giselle. "The only problem is that we have no idea who else was watching. It's not entirely uncommon for Lord Azazel to be snooping on us, and don't even get me started on the Devil Kings or Archangels."

"This is your world huh?" asked Kouji. "I don't like it."

"Neither do we," Giselle smiled. "But it's the world we're stuck with."

"What about that Devil King you told me about?" asked Kouji. "The one who might know more about Valak?"

"You told him about the Leviathan?" asked Giselle. "Rina we don't even know if she's-"

"I know, I know," Karina sighed, letting Kouji see her frustrated for the first time as she rubbed her forehead. "I'm not 100% sure if we should even contact her. Serafall is a complete loose cannon. I can't predict what she's going to do."

"You can say that again," said Giselle.

"I still remember the fire from last time she got annoyed…" said NingNing.

Kouji gulped. "Is she…Is she that bad?"

"She's actually really nice," said Giselle. "She's just…really easily triggered. One wrong slip and next thing you know half the country is gonna be in a new ice age. You know Antartica was actually a green meadow before a certain incident happened?"

"You're kidding," said Kouji.

"No…" NingNing gulped. "She's not…"

"Oh…kay," said Kouji. "So let's not contact her. What's plan B?"

"You are," said Karina. "The plan still hasn't changed. We have to teach you how to control your eyes."

"And your magic too," said Giselle. "I'll be in charge of that once you start to manifest a bit too. Rina knows those eyes better than the rest of us so she's in charge of that."

Kouji couldn't get that feeling out of his head. The powerlessness he felt, the inability to move a muscle, trapped in his own body without being able to do a thing. He never wanted to feel that way again.

"Imugi…" said Kouji. "Be honest with me, what is he exactly?"

"It is something powerful and extremely old," said Karina. "Like Giselle said, Imugi's the reason why Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden."

"Wasn't Lucifer responsible for that?" asked Kouji.

"Are you religious?" asked Giselle.

Kouji shook his head. "My sister's an exorcist. She and my dad are spouting scriptures left and right, you tend to pick it up."

Karina grinned. "Imugi was the first being Lucifer before his fall and before he raised his army. It was because of Imugi that Lucifer kickstarted his rebellion. The snake was gifted to Valak, one of Lucifer's top generals, the Marquis of Snakes."

"But we don't know anything about Valak?" asked Kouji.

"Most of the knowledge of the old Greater Demons were destroyed during the war," said Giselle. "The only ones who know about them were the ones who were there there."

"And I'm guessing they're the only ones who can rebuild the seal," said Kouji. "But I thought the Elders at the Church created the seal."

"I doubt they have the capabilities to seal ancient demonic magic," said Giselle. "They probably used an old template for the seal. It might have been Holy Magic they used but the building blocks of the seal are demonic in nature."

Kouji scratched his head. All this talk of magic…it was making his head spin. He didn't fully understand the mechanics of magic yet but it was making sense. Which only leaves one question…

"What the hell do we tell Irina?" asked Kouji. "She's going to freak out when she finds out I was attacked, even more so when she wasn't here."

"That won't be the only problem…" said Giselle. "You're officially a target now. The ones who put that seal on you are probably gung-ho about how right they were. It wouldn't be out of the question for them to send exorcists to investigate you, someone outside of your family."

"Precisely."

Karina, NingNing, and Giselle immediately acted as soon as the voice spoke. They shielded Kouji as everyone's attentions turned to the front door.

"Irina!" cried Kouji.

She was dressed in her exorcist uniform, even with the white cloak wrapped around her body. Her eyes didn't meet his, if anything they were grief stricken. The girl in front of her held out her arm to hold back Irina as she addressed Kouji and the remaining members of Aespa.

"On orders from his Holiness, Shidou Koujiro is to be detained and brought to the Council of Elders," said the girl. "Come peacefully or I will be forced to extract you with force."

Kouji gulped. That girl…She wasn't just an ordinary exorcist. Her sky blue hair was cut short with strands of green. She wore a matching cloak as Irina, however carried a massive sword on her back as easily the size of her body.

"I'm afraid not, exorcist," said Karina. "The boy is under our protection. He's not going anywhere."

"That means get lost," Giselle opened magic circles on her palms and prepared for battle.

"If that's how you'd like it," the girl grabbed hold of her sword, unwrapping it to reveal a massive black blade that looked way too heavy to swing around as easily as she did. "I am Xenovia, exorcist of the Holy Church."

"I am Karina, angel of the Grigori," Karina's eyes glowed golden as Kouji's heart began to race. "And you will not touch a hair on this child's head."

"Koujiro…" NingNing whispered. "You have a choice to make here. This is going to end in a fight but how it ends is entirely up to you."

"W-What? What the hell can I do?"

"You can either come with us and learn how to control your gifts, figure out the truth about who you are and what you can do about it," said NingNing. "Or take your chances with the Holy Church and their trial. Most likely, they're going to deem you a threat and have you executed."

"W-What…They're gonna kill me? Just like that?" asked Kouji.

"The trial's just going to be an examination of how much their seal has been broken," said Giselle. "They're not going to take chances with a demon, especially not after the first time they encountered you."

Kouji's mind raced. What the hell was he supposed to do? He needed to make a choice on how his life will turn out…but…

"Irina…" said Kouji.

He needed to talk to her. There had to be something he can do to break this tension and talk to her. Something to-

"Irina!" cried Kouji.

The moment she looked up and locked eyes with him, Kouji forced his eyes to activate. The tomoe symbols spun until they connected, sending the world into crimson.

"W-What happened?" asked Irina. "Xenovia? Xenovia!"

"She can't hear you," Kouji slipped by Karina and ran to his sister to hug her. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"

"W-What are you talking about?" Irina's voice cracked as she hugged him. "I should be apologizing to you. I couldn't…I couldn't stop them…"

Kouji pulled away. "Is Giselle right? Are they…Are they just going to kill me?"

Irina gritted her teeth. "I'm sorry Kouji…I thought I could protect you…"

"I don't know what to do Irina," said Kouji. "I don't…I don't know what to do. I don't wanna die, I wanna keep living with you and dad…"

Irina took his hand. "Promise me."

"What?"

"Promise me you'll live your life the best you can," said Irina, smiling as she pressed her forehead against his. "Promise me you'll be safe…and you'll be happy. I don't know Karina as well as you do…but I know she'll protect you."

"W-What are you saying?" Kouji backed away. "You're making it sound like I'll never see you again."

Irina smiled as tears drowned her eyes. "They're going to be hyper vigilant about me and dad. They're probably going to stick Xenovia on me to make sure I never have contact with you again. You…You and I can never see each other again."

Kouji's eyes filled faster than he thought. Memories of their childhood flooded his head as he quickly thought about what life would be like without his sister. All he had known his whole life…was her. No matter what happened in his life, she would always be by his side.

Irina took off her necklace and placed it in his hand. "Remember to eat everyday, okay? I don't know where they're going to take you but you need to take care of yourself. I'm going to miss you so much…so much Kouji."

Kouji gritted his teeth. "I don't want to go…"

"I know," Irina pressed her forehead against his and caressed his cheeks. "I know…but this is the only way I know you'll be safe. I love you so much Kouji…so much. You may not have been born into our family but you're still my brother…you'll always be my brother. I love you so much Kouji…so much."

Kouji couldn't contain himself as he held onto his sister. All of the feelings he had buried over the years and especially over the past few days came pouring out. All of the fear, the anguish, the anxiety, the dread…it all came rushing out as Kouji cried. Irina, doing her last deed as his sister, smiled and comforted him, stroking his hair as she kissed his forehead.

"I wish I could be your sister a little longer…but this is the only thing we can do," Irina pushed him away. "Go…before I do something stupid."

Kouji reluctantly backed away from his sister and making his way back behind Aespa.

"I love you Irina," said Kouji. "I'm so grateful to have had you as my sister. Thank you for raising me."

Irina smiled as more tears fell from her eyes. "It's okay Kouji. Everything will be okay."

Kouji instinctively took Karina's hand as he closed his eyes, forcing the crimson world to shatter.

"K-Kouji?" asked Karina.

Tears still flowing from his eyes as he looked to Karina. "I'll go with you…I don't wanna die…"

Karina seemed to understand what happened as she saw his tears. Her grip on his hand tightened as she looked to Irina.

"He'll be okay," said Karina. "I give you my word, he will be safe."

Irina smiled and nodded.

"What?" asked Xenovia. "What did you do?"

"Giselle."

Giselle stepped in front of them and held her hands out to her side and opened a large magic circle big enough to envelope the four of them. Kouji reached out for his sister as the world went white.

Kouji fell to his knees as all of London spread out before him. He was…He was on top of Big Ben. The clocktower pierced the heavens as the sun broke through the clouds and beamed down on the city. The weather was clear and the sight was beautiful, however Kouji couldn't care less.

He sunk into his emotions and cried, screaming as the realization that he'll never see his family again set in on him.

"Koujiro…" said Giselle.

"It'll be okay," NingNing knelt down and held him in her arms. "It'll be okay…I'm so sorry…"

"Irina…" said Kouji.

Karina crouched down and pressed her forehead against his. "You'll see her again, Koujiro. This isn't the end. Heartbreak and loss is something you'll never forget…but I promise you we will be here to help you through it whenever you're ready. I know we won't be anywhere close to her…but we'll do our best to guide you through this."

Kouji clutched onto Irina's necklace as he was embraced by Karina, NingNing, and Giselle. He knew that this was the right thing to do, he'll be safe and alive and see her again one day…but the pain still felt real. He knew he'll be okay, but for right now…he let himself finally feel everything he had kept in for the sake of his sister.