Nivek Beldo - Sorry I'm kind of rewriting DxD and Biblical lore a little bit with inspiration from various works but thank you for the heads up! Valak's backstory will be revealed in a later chapter since I've written 3-4 chapters in advance before publishing anything. As for the whole harem thing, I'm kind of turning away from it and mostly going with a love triangle. I'll be staying away from the whole Aespa x OC harem because I wanted their dynamic to be more family driven rather than romantic but a love triangle story will come later down the line.

Author's Note - I know that this is kind of long and drawn out but I wanted to flesh out some OCs as well as working out the plot and abilities of various characters before going forward with the main plot. And yes, I know I'm sorely lacking in the DxD characters department but I wanted to kind of flesh out my characters before introducing them to the main cast. For the next few chapters though it's mostly going to be character development between my main OC cast with sprinkles of DxD side characters. I promise I'll introduce the main cast down the line. If you have any questions or concerns or if you just want to tell me what you think about the story so far, feel free to drop a review. I'm open to all and every critique on how to further improve as I go through with the story I had in mind. Thanks again like always and I'll see you guys again soon!

VI
Goodbyes

The cries of children. It was the one thing that Karina could never forget. No matter how hard she tried to or how much she tried to move on and forget about the past, the cries of all the children she couldn't save haunted her dreams night after night. She had hoped that this child would be one she could manage to protect…but maybe she was in over her head.

"Rina…"

Karina didn't take her eyes off of Koujiro, sleeping in their hotel room, gently stroking his raven hair to make sure he was safe. Giselle entered her room and closed the curtains of the glass wall before sinking into the sofa chair.

"Did Winter come back yet?" asked Karina.

"We just filled her in on what happened," said Giselle. "She wanted to come check in on the kid but I thought he deserved his rest."

"Yes…he does," Karina tucked Koujiro in before taking a deep breath. "Did you contact Lord Azazel?"

"I…I didn't know what to tell him," said Giselle. "Rina, you know I would follow you wherever you go, you're our leader…but are we in over our heads here?"

"I don't know."

The two exited the bedroom to let Koujiro have his rest, meeting Winter and NingNing in the living room. Thanks to their work as an idol group, they always lived in the finest hotels room while on tour our abroad. The Four Seasons gave them their most luxurious loft on the top floor, with more rooms than they knew what to do with and a spacious, open concept living area. Winter was eating an omelette with NingNing reading at the sunken couch, waiting for Karina and Giselle.

"Karina," said NingNing. "How is he?"

"He's sleeping," Karina sat down besides Winter. "Let's just let him sleep until morning. He's gone through a lot…I don't think we should be traveling until he's rested."

"I can't believe all of that happened as soon as I leave," Winter set down her omelette. "First the Hero Faction and now the Church? How are they finding him so quickly?"

Karina had thought about that question for awhile now. It didn't make sense how these factions were detecting him so quickly. With the numerous amount of barriers Giselle had placed over the city and even more so on Koujiro himself, no one should have detected him unless they were already in London. The only logical explanation was…

"Someone's been watching him," said Karina. "For a long time now, somebody's been keeping their eye on him and informing the other factions about his whereabouts."

"You really think someone's been spying on him?" asked NingNing. "That would mean that they've been watching him even longer than us."

"I can't think of anything else," said Karina. "We're outmanned and outgunned if it comes down to an entire faction fight though. We have to get out of London, take him somewhere safe before we teach him how to control his powers."

"And so that brings me back to my original question," said Giselle. "Rina, those eyes…they haven't surfaced in a long time. It can't be a coincidence that the House of Valak chose him to be their guinea pig. Are we in over our heads here?"

"Maybe," said Karina, crossing her arms and legs. "We have to find out more about who Koujiro was before they got to him, before the Shidou family adopted him."

"Digging into someone's life is easy enough," said NingNing. "But we're talking about a child who's entire history is unknown. The Church probably locked up all of his information."

"Then we ask someone who's on the inside," said Karina. "But right now we need to make sure Koujiro is okay. Did you set up the barriers, Giselle?"

"Nobody's getting into this hotel without me knowing," said Giselle.

"Good," said Karina. "We're going back to Korea. For the time being, we lay low. We keep Koujiro hidden and train him on our own. We still have our jobs as idols but we can't forget about what's important."

"The poor kid…" Winter's eyes lingered to Karina's room. "He's lost so much in just a few days…He's just like how we were back then."

Karina knew all too well of loss and despair. She had lost everything and so much more yet clung onto hope…through these girls. Everything she had lost, she had regained in the form of her own family. She knew that Koujiro would be okay eventually…but she had to help him get to that point.

"He's strong," said Karina. "He'll be okay…We've gotta look out for him as much as we can. I know that's a lot to ask and I kind of just…did it without consulting any of you but-"

"Like that's anything new," said Giselle. "You don't have to ask us, Rina. Koujiro's a good kid, and he's just lost right now. Of course we'll help him."

"Plus we can't really just let him die after we tried to kill him," said NingNing. "It'd look so bad on us."

"I wanna try his pasta," said Winter.

Karina smiled. "Alright, let's try and get some sleep. We've got a plane to catch tomorrow."

…

Kouji shot up in a panic, his body covered in sweat as he panted, trying to catch his breath. He had a horrible dream that he was separated from his sister after he was attacked by a reincarnation of Joan of Arc.

He breathed heavily as Koujiro looked around to see an unfamiliar room and even more so…Winter, standing by his bedside, wringing out a towel in a bin full of water. She was dressed casual in a loose fitting T-shirt and shorts with a bandana pulling back her silvery blonde hair. She dropped her towel as she met his eyes.

"H-Hi…" said Winter.

Seeing Winter was like a brick to his face. Koujiro's jaw dropped as he realized…

"It…It wasn't a dream…" said Koujiro. "It wasn't a dream…it was real?"

Winter sat down by his bed, grabbing the towel that had fallen from his forehead and wipped the sweat off his face.

"You're safe, Koujiro," said Winter, trying her best to smile for him. "Are you hungry? I made you some chicken noodle soup…well I just reheated it. I thought you'd be hungry…"

He wanted to say no, however Kouji's stomach growled. His cheeks immediately grew red as he looked away from Winter. Thankfully, she smiled and grabbed the bowl of chicken noodle soup, gently blowing on the spoon.

"Come on," said Winter. "Have some. You need to eat."

Kouji wanted to cry however nothing was coming out. Had he cried so much that his tears were dried up? He remembered now…He had gone with Aespa to avoid being executed by the Church. Irina had even given him her blessing, making him promise he'll be safe and happy. That's right…He'll never see her again.

"Thank you…" Kouji gripped his bed sheets. "I know that I'm being a burden, but you guys are helping me either way. You guys must be busy…"

Winter smiled. "We're never too busy to help someone, Koujiro. Now eat up, my arm's getting tired."

Kouji took a bite of her soup and smiled as memories came flowing back to him. Irina had made him chicken noodle soup when he was a kid whenever he got sick. She would sit by his bedside and feed him, just like Winter was doing now.

"Good?" asked Winter.

Kouji nodded, his eyes somehow watering. "It's good…I love it."

Winter's smile beamed and lit the room up. "I'm so happy! Now, let's get you another bite."

"W-What happened?" asked Kouji. "Where are we?"

"You're at the Four Seasons," said Winter, blowing on another spoonful. "We're actually getting ready to leave. We have a plane to catch in a few hours."

"To where?" asked Kouji, taking another bite.

"Korea," said Winter. "Our tour's over so we're going home. You'll be coming with us…it's not safe for you to be in London anymore."

South Korea? He hadn't been back to Korea since middle school. A one and done year at a prep school in Korea was all he did before coming back to London. He loved it there but learning the language was hard for him.

"We're really leaving…huh?" asked Kouji. "Leaving and never coming back."

"I'm sorry Koujiro," said Winter. "After yesterday, we didn't think it would be safe for you in London anymore. The Hero Faction found you and even the Church…if they're hunting you, we have to keep you hidden."

Kouji balled his fists. It was frustrating being so useless and powerless, but he understood their reasoning. They were going through so much trouble for him, he had to make sure he wasn't more of a burden to them.

"I understand," said Kouji.

"I hope you don't mind," said Winter. "But I tweaked the seal on your arms. We were lucky the mask didn't fully form yesterday. Karina wants us to start training you once we land in Korea so for the time being, you won't have access to your magic. For now, it's just your eyes."

"The Mystic Eyes…" said Kouji. "I guess it's for the best."

Winter continued feeding Kouji chicken noodle soup despite him telling her he could feed himself, however she was very insistent on it. She told him of their schedule in Korea once they land. Most of it was for their idol work, however he would be staying in their dormatory during the day and training at night.

"Hey Winter," the doors to his bedroom opened as NingNing came in. "Have you seen my cardigan? I swear I left it in here…Oh, you're awake." NingNing smiled and walked to his side, ruffling his hair. "Did you sleep alright? Karina's bed is always so tough."

This was Karina's bed? Where did she sleep?

"I'm okay," Kouji forced a smile. "I gotta say I am not use to you guys not in your stage outfits. It's kind of refreshing."

NingNing smiled. "You think I would dress like that everyday? I'm much more comfortable in just a hoodie."

She was dressed in a large, oversized black hoodie with jeans and a pair of boots. Her sky blue hair was tied into a ponytail behind her head with a pair of sunglasses resting on top of her head.

"I think Giselle has your cardigan," said Winter. "Speaking of which, are we leaving soon?"

NingNing sighed and sat down. "Giselle went out to get snacks before we leave and Rina's checking us out. We're all packed…just waiting for Giselle."

"Of course," Winter sighed.

Kouji furrowed his eyebrows. "Is that…bad?"

"She takes forever," said NingNing. "Like I mean, forever, picking out snacks. You should have seen how long she took to pick out snacks for a movie the last time we went out."

Kouji smiled. "You guys are like a dysfunctional family, I love it."

"Well get used to it kid," NingNing chuckled. "You're a part of it now." Her eyes turned to the bowl of chicken noodle soup. "Is that…Is that my chicken noodle soup? Winter, what the hell!"

"I thought Koujiro would want some soup!" cried Winter. "Don't yell at me!"

"Since when do you make food for other people?" asked NingNing. "You nearly tore my arm off when I tried to snag a piece of chicken from you."

"Look at him," said Winter. "Look at how adorable he is…I can't just ignore him when he needs food."

Kouji blushed as NingNing sighed. "Fine, fine. I hope you don't mind Koujiro, but I got you some new clothes. We can't really go back to your house for your things so I went shopping this morning and got you some new clothes."

"You…bought me clothes?" asked Kouji.

"Yeah, nothing fancy or anything," said NingNing. "Some new shirts, nice pants, a pair of shoes…and some rings and necklaces I thought would look good on you. Honestly I didn't want to say it but your fashion game needs a step up. Black shirt and black jeans are so outplayed."

Kouji smiled. "Thank you, it means a lot. And you guys can just call me Kouji, Koujiro seems a little too formal."

"Well then Kouji," NingNing stood up and stretched. "Get dressed. Giselle should hopefully be back soon."

"Actually…" said Kouji. "Do you guys mind if I make a pitstop before we leave?"

"Where to?" asked Winter.

"King," said Kouji. "I…I want to say good-bye."

Winter and NingNing exchanged nervous looks before looking to Kouji.

"I…I'm not sure that's a good idea," said Winter. "The Church will be looking for you and your close friends and family will be the first place they'll look to start."

"If we get too close, they'll jump us," said NingNing.

"Please…" said Kouji. "He's my best friend. I dragged him into this world and nearly got him killed…I need to at least say good-bye if I'm never going to see him again."

"Dammit…I can't say no to that face," Winter sighed.

"Winter…" said NingNing. "If Rina finds out, we are so unbelievably screwed."

"What do you mean we?" asked Winter. "You don't have to come with us."

"You know how I am under pressure…" said NingNing. "If they ask and I lie, they'll know."

Winter smiled. "Look at you, an accomplice. I love it."

"C-Can't I go by myself?" asked Kouji. "I don't want you guys to get in trouble."

"Please," said Winter. "You step one foot out there without us and you're pretty much dead. Of course we'll go with you."

"I can't believe I'm being roped into this," said NingNing. "But let's do this. Get changed, hurry up."

Kouji smiled as NingNing gave him his new clothes to change into. A pair of black cargo joggers, a long white T-shirt and a beige cardigan. On orders from Winter to keep him hidden and anonymous, she placed a bucket hat on his head and even a facemask to cover half his face.

They tried their best to be quiet as NingNing opened a magic circle under their feet before teleporting them out of the hotel room and directly in front of King's house. The familiar sight of a house he had been to so many times brought him relief, a familiar sight before everything changes for him.

"You can let go of him now Winter," said NingNing.

"No chance," Winter clung to Kouji's arm. "What if he gets attacked again?"

NingNing sighed before knocking on the door. "Sorry Kouji but you're going to have to make it quick. We gotta be back before Rina finds out we're gone."

"I know…" said Kouji.

"Coming!" a voice cried through the door.

Kouji's heart raced as the footsteps approached. What was he even going to say? How would he even say it? There was so much that he wanted to tell King but not enough time…

The door opened as King stood wide eyed with shock. He was going in for a hug, however stopped when he saw Winter and NingNing.

"I'm so glad to see you again," King smiled. "Irina told me what happened…Hey Winter."

Winter smiled and waved. "Thanks for the chips yesterday King, they were really good."

"I…" Kouji balled his fist. "I don't know what to say…"

"I know," said King. "You have to go, right?"

He didn't want to. He wanted to stay here with his sister and his best friend. He didn't want to drop everything and start a new life somewhere else, but he knew he had to.

"I'm…probably never going to see you again man," said Kouji. "I just…I wanted to say thank you, for everything."

"You dumbass," King pulled him in for a hug. "Do you really think you have to thank me? You're my friend, not a burden. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"I…" Kouji hugged him back. "I know…I just came to say my goodbyes before we go. If one day, I see you again, I promise I'll tell you everything."

"We'll see each other again," said King. "That's a promise. Don't worry, I'll take care of Irina while you're gone."

"Don't do anything stupid," said Kouji.

"As if I could," King smiled as they parted. "Promise me you'll take care of him? He's my best friend…"

Winter clung onto his arm once again. "On my life."

King smiled. "Good…Everytime I listen you Aespa, I'll think of you. Now go."

"Uh…" said NingNing. "I think she found we're gone."

Kouji looked back to see a magic circle forming under their feet, however it was a different color than NingNing's. It was blue…like Karina's.

"We gotta go," said Winter. "We're in so much trouble."

"Bye King," said Kouji. "I love you man."

King smiled and waved. "Be safe, and be strong."

Kouji smiled as he stepped back into the magic circle. Light enveloped them as they were teleported back to the Four Seasons. They were in the living room this time, bags packed at the ready by the front door. Giselle was finishing up her goodie bag of snacks while Karina…stood before them with her arms crossed and eyes narrowed. She was dressed in a big puffy jacket with baggy pants and a mean look on her face, though it looked more cute than angry.

"What in the name of sanity do you think you're doing?" asked Karina. "You guys cannot just take him outside without telling me, especially back to that neighborhood. What if the Church had found him?"

"W-Wait," said Kouji. "Don't blame Winter and NingNing, it was my decision and they just got dragged along. I just…I just wanted to see King one last time before we go."

"Do you know how dangerous it is, Koujiro?" asked Karina. "I know you want to say good-bye, but you have to at least tell me before you run off? Do you know how worried I was?"

Giselle placed a hand on Karina's shoulder and smiled. "C'mon Rina, the kid just wanted to say good-bye. Besides, NingNing was with him. She knows better than to expose him. She probably had him cloaked or cast a perception filter."

"It's true!" cried NingNing. "I cloaked us the whole time, and Winter has perception filters laced into Kouji's bandages."

"You did?" Karina and Giselle asked at the same time, genuinely surprised.

"Hey! I have good ideas too yanno!" Winter pouted.

Kouji smiled, they really were like siblings.

"I'm sorry," said Kouji. "I won't run off without telling you again, I promise."

Karina sighed, however smiled before ruffling his hair. "You really had me worried."

"I'm sorry."

He tried to hide his smile. He missed the feeling of being coddled by an older sister. With Irina gone…it was nice to have someone to care for him the way a sister does.

"So I'm guessing Giselle didn't take that long getting snacks?" asked Kouji.

"H-Hey! What the hell did you tell him?" asked Giselle.

"You do take long," said NingNing. "We weren't lying."

"Did you get the barbeque potato chips?" asked Winter.

"And your ketchup ones," said Giselle. "Now can we go? The only time we can't put up a perception filter and we get mobbed."

"W-Wait," said Kouji. "What're the fans going to say when they see me with you guys? Your fans are…kind of crazy sometimes."

"Oh trust me, I know," said Giselle.

"Your perception filter will work just fine," said Winter. "Nobody will notice you, promise."

"Alright," Karina clapped her hands. "Let's get moving. We got a long flight back to Korea.