Hello again all. Again, I am delayed in posting another installment. So I hope you all were eager to see this coming out.

Last time, Rias won her Rating Game with assassin help. Now, we come to see what happens next with our hooded heroes.

A week passed since the assassins had helped Rias with her marriage problem. Rias was now free to choose whoever she wished to be her future husband. While it was risky, Issei had been happy to see that Rias was happy beyond measure. She also kept up her end of the bargain. In exchange for her freedom, she never mentioned anything about her hooded accomplices to anyone, and she also owed them a favor should they call her on it.

The week had been quiet for the most part, but as usual, the ever vigilant assassins kept up their work. Just two days ago, Issei had caught onto a corrupt police officer falsely persecuting people. Rather than killing the man though, Issei felt he should have a taste of his own medicine, and as such, the man had been investigated and imprisoned by the very people he worked with, with Issei's little hints to thank. The master assassin had been satisfied.

Now, he sat at the desk covered in papers in the hideout. It was a map of all of Japan, and with it were contracts, some completed, and some that had yet to be taken.

Sitting at the table by the library, were Indra and Shoraku, engaged in a game of chess. Issei couldn't help but take amusement in their focus of the game. Two eagles were staring daggers at each others, waiting for one to make the next move.

Shaking his head, Issei set down the paper he was looking over and went to his own room. It was Friday afternoon, so school should be over for the day.

"Indra, Shoraku." He called, getting their attention.

"Why don't we go and visit Rias?" The master assassin suggested.

Shoraku raised an eyebrow. "What brought this on?" The golden eyed assassin inquired. Indra nodded beside him.

Issei shrugged. "Well, I figured it wouldn't be bad. We haven't had any contact with her for a week, and the contracts have nearly been cleaned out." The brunette reasoned.

Indra and Shoraku shared a glance. They both shrugged. Turning back to Issei they both nodded wordlessly.

Issei smiled.

"Terrific. Remember to bring as little gear as possible." He reminded.

Shoraku and Indra rolled their eyes.

"Gee Issei, you make it sound like we forgot about the second tenet." Shoraku quipped.

Issei chuckled. "I'm just saying. I know how much safer it would be to bring full gear, but the times have changed since the 15th century. We can't just walk around with guns and blades freely."

Indra and Shoraku settled for keeping their hidden blades and taking only one small weapon. The golden eyed assasin kept his karambit knife and Indra kept his kodachi.

The three changed their clothing to be more suitable for the occassion, and left when ready.

...

Issei knocked on the door to clubhouse. They waited for exactly 11 seconds before Akeno answered the door.

"Oh, hello Issei." She greeted, with a glance to Indra and Shoraku. "What brings you all here today?" She inquired.

"Just dropping by to visit. Have you been well?" Issei replied.

Akeno smiled a sweet smile. "Yes, I have." She moved out of the way for them. "Please, come inside. I'm sure everyone will be happy to see you."

They all stepped into the clubhouse's elevator, and waited for a few moments before they reached the floor the clubroom was on. Upon entering, Koneko was spotted on the sofa nibbling on a chocolate bar. She regarded the assassins with a nod, before going back to enjoying her sweet. Kiba was nowhere to be seen. They also heard the shower run... Wait, a running shower?

Issei sent Akeno a questioning look and the Queen giggled.

"Rias has this little habit of 'forgetting' to shower before arriving here, so she had her brother get a shower installed here in the clubhouse." She explained.

"I...see." Issei couldn't help but say nothing more than that.

"Please, have a seat while I prepare some tea." Akeno offered.

"Thank you Akeno." Issei bowed his head before sitting on the sofa with Koneko.

Indra preferred to sit seiza on the floor. Shoraku was happy enough take the only chair, by the window.

About five minutes later, Rias came out, dressed in a rather messy manner and drying her hair with a towel.

"Oh, Issei, Shoraku, and Indra? I didn't hear any of you come in." Rias said as she set the towel down on her desk.

"It's wonderful to see you in good health Rias." Issei replied.

Rias smiled. "You all are actually just in time."

Issei and Shoraku gave her a raised eyebrow while Indra blinked blankly.

"Would you care to spend this afternoon with us? We're going to clean out the pool so that we can use it." She elaborated.

Issei chuckled. "Oh? So just another typical summer afternoon?"

Rias chuckled with him. "Essentially, but it would nice if you were to join us. I know you said that you're usually busy. So this is a win for both of us. What do you say?" She reasoned.

Issei smirked. Indra and Shoraku had to resist facepalming.

"Well, with sound logic like that, how can we refuse?" He said.

Indeed, a break sounded nice. And Issei was content to spend it with two of his old friends.

"Perfect. While the pool is being cleaned, we were planning on going shopping for swimsuits." Rias smiled. And just like that, Issei felt his smirk drop slightly.

'I don't like where this is going.' The three assassins thought in tandem.

"You should come along too. It would help out to have an outside opinion."

'Issei, you fucking dick sponge!'

'I'd better get an almond danish so Fei won't be mad at me...'

The three assassins accompanied Rias, Akeno, and Koneko to the mall. They found a shop were swimsuits were being sold, and they all had been dragged inside. Now, each of the assassins had a parter whom they were browsing with.

Rias had taken Issei, Akeno had taken Indra, and Koneko had taken Shoraku.

With Rias and Issei, the brunette sat down on a chair outside of the dressing rooms. Rias had taken two different swimsuits that caught her fancy. Seeing an opportunity, she brought the brunette outside of the changing rooms to wait for her.

Issei himself, waited patiently as Rias had her fun. Seriously, he could hear her giggle as she tried on what she thought he would like to see her in. As Issei waited, he shifted vision to the other end of the shop, seeing Shoraku's raven hair standing out among the white colored garments Koneko was browsing. Indra was all the way in the back with Akeno.

Perhaps he could have been a bit more easy with his vocabulary back in the clubhouse, but there wasn't any getting out of it at this point. Why did he have to be such a charmer? He blamed his grandfather for that.

"What do you think?" Rias' voice caused him to look, and saw she was inside of a red bikini to match her hair. Issei would admit, it was nice. The red did look good on her, but it didn't do much to really make her appearance pop, in a sense. The whole point of the bikini was to show off your skin, and even allow the fullest extent of movement in water. But somehow, Rias just looked...plain in her current choice.

"Hmm... It looks good on you, but I'm not sure if it's really for you, you know?" Issei tried as best as he could to make sure his point wasn't taken the wrong way.

Rias looked at herself in a nearby mirror, and nodded. Issei was right, she did look good in it, but she could do better too please the assassin. Smiling, she went back into the changing room, certain this one would be just right.

The next one was definitely better in his opinion. It was white with gold colored trimmings. The colors really brought out her eyes more compared to the school's outfit she frequently wore.

"Yeah, I definitely like that one better." The master assassin said, getting a smile from her.

With Shoraku, he followed Koneko around as she browsed one-piece swimsuits. She still wasn't very confident in her own body. That was why she had Shoraku accompany her. The golden eyed assasssin wasn't quite sure what Koneko had in mind. He could tell just by looking at her, that she was quite uncomfortable with this sort of thing.

He let out a breath, causing the nekomata to turn her head in his direction.

"Look Koneko. I'm not necessarily well versed in helping women with clothing. I trust that you know what you like, so I won't judge you for whatever you choose." He said.

A bit blunt, but then again, Koneko wasn't one to beat around the bush either. So she took Shoraku's statement to heart and made her choice. Rather shyly, she kept her choice of swimwear out of his line of sight.

She did decide that she wanted to show him though, and had him waiting beside Issei outside of the changing rooms.

"So Koneko hm?" Issei inquired.

Shoraku shrugged. "She's not really my type."

Issei chuckled. "Yeah, I know how much you like 'refined' women."

"I mean, she's cute, but she's 15 and I'm 18. She isn't even of age." The sniper stated. There was an air of awkwardness before the assassins shook it off.

"Well, I wouldn't be worried. I'm sure you'll meet your significant other eventually." Issei offered his thoughts.

The sound of the curtain opening drew Shoraku's attention. Koneko came out wearing an aqua colored bikini. It was frilly on the chest and around her hips. The younger girl had a neon blush on her cheeks and she was avoiding eye contact.

Shoraku chuckled. "Not so bad, right? I think that suits you pretty well."

Koneko showed a small smile in response. "I'm keeping this one." She said.

With Indra, the stoic assassin watched with little interest as Akeno browsed. She had rather...interesting options to choose from. Where Rias and Koneko were flashy and modest respectively, Akeno had little concern for the amount of skin she showed. So she was obviously trying to get attention.

Indra was a bit occupied thinking about Fei. The Cheshire Cat will no doubt know of this, if she somehow didn't already, and demand compensation from him. Naturally Chesire Cats aren't very clingy, but Fei was the close cousin to a near extinct species of youkai. That kind of tends to change a person, or persons, in some way or another.

If that wasn't enough, Fei and Indra both met when the white haired boy was a novice. He and Issei were traveling around with Hanzo during this point in time, and it just so happened that Hanzo took them to Kyoto, where they met.

"Come on Indra, I think I have a good idea of what I want." Akeno's voice brought him back from his thoughts. Looking at her hands, he saw two swimsuits she picked out. Both were made to leave little skin covered. Only one of them would be leaving this store.

Indra stood by Shoraku and Indra as Akeno entered the changing room.

Both Issei and Shoraku smirked.

"Not one word." Indra glared, something he doesn't do often.

After waiting for exactly a minute, Akeno came out in a white bikini, if you could even call it that. Her top, so to speak, was a single white strap of cloth. It horizontally encircled her chest, and was wide enough that the front of her breats were covered. That still left the top and bottom of her large chest open for viewing. The bottom looked remotely similar to a thong, with both the front and back, being V-shaped.

Perhaps it was just an assassin thing, but Indra personally thought the white colored contrasted beautifully with her raven hair. No words were needed. Indra simply nodded his approval of her of choice, getting a smile out of her. She went back into the changing room and left the assassins to their musings.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say she fancies you." Shoraku commented.

Shoraku received the middle finger in response.

The girls were paying for their swimsuits while the assassins stood outside of the store, eyeing the other vendors.

"Well, that was certainly eventful." Shoraku cracked his knuckles, not like he had something to do.

Issei resisted rolling his eyes. "I don't think sarcasm would have made it any better Raku." The brunette replied.

"Alright, let's head back to the school." Rias came out with Akeno and Koneko behind her.

It was a fifteen minute walk before they came upon the gates of the academy again, and when they went to the back of the building, they found the pool. Pristine with clear water filling it to the brim. On one of the few lounge chairs by the pool was a familiar face. It was Aki Nijou, the school nurse.

Indra sweatdropped at the sight of her. He wasn't sure if she was mimicking Akeno, or if she really was that big of a clothing klutz. Her swimsuit was literally no different from Akeno's, only being colored a bright turquoise.

Upon seeing them, the nurse jumped up from her chair and hurriedly rushed over to their position. Issei chuckled annd took a step to the side as the white haired assassin braced himself for the unavoidable impact.

"Oh Indra! I was so worried when you didn't come to school! Are you alright? Have you been eating enough?" The blue haired nurse clung to the boy like a lifeline and swung him around in a hug. Indra himself was unable to give her a response due to his face being swallowed by her K-cup sized chest.

"Ms. Nijou, I think you might wanna let him go now." Issei was standing by with a smirk as the scene played out.

Aki let go, allowing Indra to take a good step back. He would never admit it out loud, but her chest was certainly quite comfortable.

"Ah, Issei, it's good to see you both again. Really. I was worried when you two suddenly disappeared after that whole stickup incident." The nurse addresed the brunette.

"Well, it's good to be back. Unfortunately, we won't be able to come back for a while. It's not exactly safe." Issei said, but Rias knew what he was implying. While she knew of their situation, Sona didn't. But she could fix that, given if they even wanted that to happen.

Aki pouted, but she understood. "That's understandable. The school actually implemented a new rule after that. Students have to travel in groups when leaving the premises now." She said.

"Safety in numbers." Issei commented, getting a nod from the blue haired nurse.

"Issei, we're going to get changed real quick. Be back in a jiffy." Rias said as Akeno and Koneko followed her into the school's locker room.

On that note, Aki looked at Shoraku, seeing the sniper idly lounging on one of the chairs.

"Oh, hello. Are you a friend of these two?" She asked.

Shoraku felt a tug at the corners of his lips. She hadn't noticed him throughout their conversation, good. That meant he was still good at hiding his presence, even among friends.

"Shoraku Anderson Kaneme. Nice to meet you." The sniper recited his full name to the nurse.

"Anderson? That sounds like a western name." She replied.

The golden eyed boy nodded.

"Yeah, my father was British, but I prefer taking my mother's surname." He said.

"Oh, you're mixed heritage? That's very interesting. Well I hope you feel at home here in Kuoh." Aki smiled, getting one from him in return.

"With these two? Yeah, I'd say I'm fitting in fine." The sniper chuckled.

Aki noticed another thing about the assassins.

"Aren't you here to swim?" She asked.

The three all had small smiles on their faces.

"We're just waiting for the girls to get changed. While we have no insecurities about our...masculinity, we have a strong sense of modesty." Issei explained.

Aki giggled.

"Well, that's certainly a humble gesture. I like that in a man." She commented.

Issei and Shoraku both gave Indra a sideways glance, little smirks flashing before they disappeared.

"Sorry for taking so long!" They heard Rias call out.

The boys all laid eyes on the three females of the Gremory peerage. Akeno and Rias really did work the suits they picked out. Koneko being the only to not pick a white suit, looked beautiful in her suit, despite her still developing age.

Yes, it would be safe to assume the assassins all shared the same taste for light colors. Guess the tradition of white was for a good reason beyond looking like a scholar.

"Well then, we'll be done in a few minutes." Issei said as Shoraku and Indra went into the locker room with him.

When they were all inside, Shoraku leaned against the wall as Issei began to take off his clothes.

"So, you guys could feel it too right?" He asked.

"Yep."

"Mhm."

Shoraku gave a satisfied nod. "How much you want to bet it's the other one?"

Issei rolled his eyes. "I've learned not to make bets with you. Your luck is absolutely ridiculous." Issei growled lightly.

Shoraku let a practiced sinister chuckle escape his lips.

Indra said nothing as he removed his own clothing and folded them into a neat pile.

"I assume we'll be meeting the student council president soon?" Shoraku stated more than he asked.

Issei nodded, now wearing a red pair of trunks with a white dragon design on them.

"Notes for a later time. Let's not keep the ladies waiting." Issei said, leaving Indra and Shoraku in the locker room.

...

"We're getting payback right?" Shoraku looked at Indra.

"Hell yes."

The two shared a fist bump.

Well, this took a bit longer to get out than I would have liked, but here it is. I hope you guys enjoyed it. I certainly had fun writing this chapter.

So, to go over just a tiny bit of info, please keep in mind that both sides-Templar and Assassin-are nearly worn out. This war between them won't last for long.

"So what will the plot be centered around if the assassins won't fight the templars through the whole story?" Some of you will definitely ask this, I'm certain. So here is my answer.

I never said the assassins would have just one enemy. *sly smile*

I think most of you were already thinking that though, due to how I've brought up points in the story that they are trying to avoid supernatural attention.

So, with that said, I hope you guys will stay tuned for the next update. Have a good day everyone.