This is a fanfic. BUY THE FUCKING MERCHANDISE!

"…So… how have the exorcists been?"

"You ask this question now after nearly a week?"

Akira held up his hands in a mock surrender when Sona gave him a look.

Sitting on a chair, the raven-haired teen leaned back while prying his attention away from the chess board that sat in front of him. The table that carried the game was also in front of his usual opponent, Sona. Since it was Akira's turn, Sona had asked her question so that she could have time to think while she would get her answer.

"Well, as you know, they've been getting used to school life here at Kuoh Academy." The boy answered, leaning forward. His eyes darted around on the board, think of his next move and words. "But as you know… since they are exorcists and that God of the bible is dead…" He didn't say anything after in favor of moving a game piece.

"Yes…" Sona sighed, closing her eyes for a second before opening them again. "That sort of news was indeed a shock to everyone that was present for that reveal. It still surprises me however that despite them already finishing their mission, they still remain here in Kuoh for the moment."

"Can't say I blame them." Akira added, watching Sona reach over to the board but then stop. "In an environment like the church, praising their dead god, having to go back to a place like that would not be healthy in my opinion." Sona then moved a piece and Akira immediately reacted in turn. "It is a relief however that the Church did not violently react by us granting them shelter and that Irina-san with Xenovia-san did not reveal our identities."

"What you have done is also most generous. No doubt that they feel like they owed you that and more." Sona commented, looking at the student who also wore glasses. "Though it is a shock that two Excalibur wielders are allowed to stay away without some of the higher-ups coming here to make sure that they are not being tempted by us Devils." She then moved a knight piece.

"Hm." Akira hummed with a nod of his head, shifting a pawn. "Despite them being rather open and friendly at school, they are actually quite quiet when inside our home."

"Just like you stated earlier, no one can blame them." The Devil moved her rook next.

"Yes, that is true." He nodded in agreement, capturing a pawn with his bishop. "We do want to at least try to talk to them. Unfortunately, it is a subject that us Phantom Thieves all wanted to tread lightly on and decided to only discuss the subject when they want to. Which, so far, has proven to be fruitless."

"Give it time." Sona suggested.

Akira raised an eyebrow. "It's been nearly a week."

The girl did not visibly react. "Give it more time then."

The male teen shrugged. "Already been doing that." Reaching over to the board, he ran his bishop into Sona's knight. "Check."

While the boy took away the knight, the female Devil blinked and looked carefully on the board. Indeed, Akira was correct with his call and it had caught her off-guard. She didn't have any choice. Sona moved her king over to be protected.

Akira slid his rook over immediately. "Check."

The quick move surprised Sona for a bit. Looking back on the board, she had no choice but to command her bishop to get in front of her king to block the enemy rook.

Without missing a beat, her opponent moved his second bishop to take out her defending bishop.

Sona exhaled, having her intellect be tested. Looking around, she tried to see what she could do. Her first rook was untouched as well as her queen. The second rook was standing in an odd spot with the castling move. She was missing both knights and bishops with only five pawns left over in poor positions.

Trying to think of a way to break free, she moved her second rook forward.

Akira moved his second rook to capture the opposite colored piece.

Sona did not hesitate to take that rook with a pawn.

Akira placed the first bishop one spot forward, closer to the enemy king.

Looking at her queen, the girl looked around the board. She then changed the positioning of the piece. "Check." She said, internally releasing a sigh of relief.

Akira moved his king into the corner.

Sona thought she had him on the ropes. Having her queen dash forward, the high piece captured a pawn.

The Phantom Thief immediately slid his second bishop forward to the end of the board on the enemy side. "Checkmate."

Sona's blood ran cold when Akira uttered those words. Snapping her head down, her eyes darted all over the board. Silently, she tried her hardest to find a way to prevent Akira's victory. But she couldn't. He was right. It was his win and her loss…

That panicked reaction did not bode well for Akira as he frowned a bit. "Sitri-san?"

"…I want a rematch."

The sudden words and tone the came from Sona took the boy by surprise. "Pardon?"

"Another game. Do over. Restart our match!" The outburst even caused Akira to lean back when Sona leapt to her feet. Pointing a finger forward, Sona hovered the very tip just in front of the boy's eyes with a rather intense look. It took her a couple of seconds though to realize what she was doing.

"…" Akira was cross-eyed, both pupils settling for staring at the bit threatening to jab between the eyes.

The beautiful-Devil blushed in embarrassment. Immediately, Sona retracted her extended limb. While that action occurred, she sat down onto her seat that was used when their game was in the working. "I… I apologize for my sudden outburst." The girl apologized, looking away in a bit of shame. "It was rude of me to point so closely at you too."

Akira diverted his gaze down towards the board. "…Apology accepted." He said just as he looked back towards the female who was doing her best to calm her nerves. "I – um…" Pressing his lips together tightly, he allowed the pressure for a couple of seconds. "Did not expect that sort of reaction from you." His confession only made Sona cringe even more.

"Y-yes… I don't blame you." She muttered quietly.

The glasses wearing figure that of the male sex however turned his head curiously. "…Is there a certain reason for that?" Akira asked. "You hardly seem like the type of person who would be a sore loser."

Sona Sitri did her best to calm herself down, taking deep breaths and exhaling. She managed to compose herself, but still had a face that was red due to self-consciousness. "The reason may seem… I'm not sure how to describe it…"

Akira did not speak. "…"

Sighing, the girl took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. "Just like Rias, I too was supposed to wed another Devil from one of the 72 Pillars to keep a pure-bloodline. However, I was more fortunate with my parents allowing a duel of my choice to decide my fate." She took in a deep breath while fanning herself with her hand. "I beat my former fiancé in a game of chess and broken off my engagement in such a fashion."

"…Why chess?" The boy blinked.

"My former fiancé may be strong, but then he lacked the smarts." Sona tapped the side of her head. "I absolutely refuse to marry anyone of the sorts that is not smarter than me. That message and arrangement was made clear when I beat him"

Raising an eyebrow was the only way Akira could react physically when he saw Sona fold her arms with finality. "Seems like a rather high accomplishment one must achieve if you ask me." He leaned forward while folding his fingers. "So, the reason why you reacted when I won our game was because…"

Sona nodded her head at the unfinished sentence. "You are to become my fiancé." She finished.

Both of them fell silent. Sona's words were heavy and set the mood.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, it only lasted for less than 10 seconds.

"Do I actually have to marry you?" Akira questioned critically.

Due to Akira's tone, Sona stared. "Yes, you do. I said it myself." Her words seemed a bit agitated, probably due to the boy's attitude despite the very sensitive topic she brought up. She balled her hands up, frustrated at her loss.

He stared at her and her frustrated acceptance. Akira stayed silent through Sona's internal anger as he watched. Something bubbled inside of him as the seconds passed between the two of them. Reaching over, he hesitated for a moment. But soon, he put a hand on her shoulder.

The physical contact made Sona shot straight up and cause the two of them to make eye contact. Just that alone caused the girl to swallow as the boy had retracted his hand in reaction to her startled nature.

"…" Akira closed his eyes while taking in a deep breath and kept his hand hovering. "You refuse to marry anyone smarter than you… and I beat you in a game of chess…" He said slowly, causing Sona to clutch her head. "…Wouldn't that make me more of a potential candidate rather than your actual marriage partner?"

The question caused Sona to blank out for a second. "…I beg your pardon?"

The grey-eyed teenager leaned back. "Well… the way you explained your story. That was what happened, right?" Sona nodded her head to answer. "So, yeah, it means what you said. You will only marry someone who is smarter than you, not whoever can beat you at chess. It's not like the status of your contract was left up in the air under the stipulation that you would only marry the person capable of beating you at your own game."

Sona opened her mouth to retort but failed to make a sound. Closing her jaw, she looked to the side and began to think back. Her face began to flush red once again in embarrassment. "You're right…" She said quietly. "I got worked up over nothing."

"Yes, well, that may be the case. But, now you know and can use such facts to your advantage" Akira added in before looking at the clock. "Oops, looks like class is starting in a few minutes. Let me just clean up the board."

As Akira began to put all the game pieces back on their respective sides and squares, Sona diverted her eyes to gaze at the boy. For some reason, the very sight of him seemed to be… changed. It was as if she were seeing him in a completely different light suddenly.

"…Thank you for that insight." The raven-haired Devil said quietly. Akira did not look towards her, but she had a feeling that he greatly acknowledged her words. "…I kind of feel like hugging you right now."

"…" Akira took only a moment to come up with a response. "Yet as my friend, you know that would be a rash decision."

When he finished cleaning up, Sona blinked and snapped herself out of her thoughts. "Well..." She nodded her head before extending a hand. "I look forward to our next match."

Akira looked down at the limb for a couple of seconds. If he was surprised at the gesture, he did not show it since they mainly ended their sessions with an exchange of words. The boy still shook her hand with a nod of his head.

Turning towards the door, Akira began walking over. Just as his fingers wrapped around the knob, he stopped and turned around. "Almost forgot." He stated, causing Sona to look up from the bag she was picking off the ground. "We finally decided what we will be doing in celebration of returning the Excaliburs, defeating Kokabiel, and Issei awakening a Persona."

"Oh, that… sounds nice." Sona responded. "What do you all have in mind?"

TakeABreak

"Whoa…"

Issei released an amazed breath when his eyes laid upon the many females that approached the school's pool. The sound that he made also caused the other males to look over and see that the girls were already changed into their swimsuits. There was a variety and majority of them being bikinis. The only ones wearing school-swimsuits were Asia and Koneko.

"Hey, did we keep you guys waiting?" Rias asked with a smile as she approached them. "I know there is a small tendency that girls change a bit slower than the males."

"Not really." Ryuji shook his head. "Though all we got to do it move all this stuff over to a safe spot, so it won't get wet. All of you can go in the pool right now if you want."

"I'll help you guys out." Ravel stepped forward.

"You can go on ahead, Kiba." Koneko spoke, pushing the blonde Devil away from the group of males. "I'll aid them as well."

Irina stepped forward as well. "Do you guys need anymore help? Xenovia and I could lend a hand if you still need it." She offered, but the blue-haired female remained silent and to herself.

"I don't think we need another pair of hands. Your offer is appreciated however." Yusuke informed after taking a mental headcount.

Asia however noticed Issei looking around deep in thought. "Issei-kun, is everything okay?" She asked, getting everyone's attention. "You seem to have something on your mind."

Issei scratched the back of his head. "Well… you guys might end up laughing at it."

Ann raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"I just realized something." The male brunette spoke with a shrug of his shoulders but grew a small grin. "You know how there is anime everywhere? Many of them eventually do an episode where they go to the beach or to a pool and hang out. This is like our beach or pool party episode! Isn't that - - isn't that cool?!"

"…" Everyone looked at each other.

"Nah." The male Phantom Thieves answered.

"Not really." The female counterparts followed up.

The user of the Boosted Gear scratched the back of his head, embarrassed by what he said. "Well, I think I'll go do what Ryuji-senpai suggested then." Running to the pool, he leapt into the air and curled up. "Cannonball!" His shout was followed by a loud and big splash which soaked some of their legs.

But despite having no intention of getting wet at the beginning, Rias still smiled. "Well, the rest of you don't need me to tell you what to do. Have fun!" While waving her hand, she jumped in after Issei.

More people decided to join in as well. Kiba dived in. Ann, Akeno, Makoto, Futaba and Haru submerged themselves gently from the edge of the pool. Asia followed slowly after, at bit nervous but excited at the same time. Irina nearly fell on top of Issei during her own dive.

The remaining people however did their own things. Akira was wheeling a barbecue grill with Yusuke and Xenovia also having their own separate grills. Setting them up near the pool, Ryuji unfolded a few tables that he was carrying with Koneko. Ravel and Sona meanwhile placed down the bags of food they were carrying onto such tables.

"Right, now let's enjoy ourselves. No need to get the food ready until later." Akira clapped his hands, and everyone went off to do their own activities. Taking out some equipment that would be used when cooking on the barbecue, he noticed that Sona didn't leave her spot.

Morgana also noticed this as he walked over. "Anything troubling you, Sitri-san?"

Sona blinked when she was addressed and shook her head. "N-no, I'm fine." She answered. "I was just thinking about something." She then looked at Akira and the cat. "What are you two planning to do?"

"Me?" Akira asked. "I was going to relax in the shade under those umbrellas." He pointed towards a couple of beach chairs set up under some large umbrellas. "Morgana was as well."

"…Interesting." Sona said. "I was going to do the same."

The raven-haired male teen looked towards the female. "Huh, that is interesting." He agreed with a nod of his head. After a couple of seconds of none of them speaking, he the broke the silence. "Want to go do that right now with me?"

The dark-haired duo walked over toward the chairs, passing by Ravel who was just wandering around the edge of the pool. "Hey, Ravel-san," Hearing her name be called, the blonde looked over to see Ryuji swimming towards where she was standing. "Why aren't you hopping on in? The water's pretty nice for this weather." He pointed up towards the sun. "I mean, I guess the Phenex family does have a tolerance to heat?"

Ravel gave him a flat gaze. "Yes, we do." She then shook her head and looked away while playing with her hair. "As for your other question… I don't feel like it."

Ryuji raised an eyebrow. Ravel could have just answered straight to his face. But instead, she chose to hide her expression from him. "…Ravel-san… can you swim?" He asked. The girl flinched but tried to act like nothing happened.

Feeling his eyes boring into her, Ravel faced forward. "No, I can't swim!" She confessed. "There, I said it! Just don't laugh at me!"

That sentence brought confusion to the blonde Phantom Thief. "Is the fact that you can't swim supposed to be funny?" He asked. "Cause I don't see the humor to it. I mean, there are tons of people who can't swim; even adults. Heck, most of the girls and Issei are teaching Asia-san, Futaba, and Koneko-san how to swim right now. Look."

Listening to Ryuji's words, Ravel looked up a bit to see that what he said was indeed true. Three of the shortest members of their group were being pulled as they kicked in the water.

"Trust me, it's not really something you should be embarrassed about. All you got to do is learn." The male blonde continued to speak. "Though the others look busy right now. I can teach you as well if you want."

"…Umm, su-sure." The girl nodded her head.

Bending her legs, Ravel carefully slipped one leg into the water. Shivering a bit due to the temperature, her positioning on the ledge was compromised and fell. Quickly, just as she hit the water and released a squeak of surprise, her arms wrapped around Ryuji's neck and almost pulled the boy down with her.

"Whoa!" Ryuji grunted, using one arm at first to hold them both up in the water. But he eventually managed to move his other arm over to fully support their bodies. "Well… that was a bit of a surprise." He said, looking up towards the air and breathing deeply to calm his nerves.

The female was confused to why Ryuji was reacting the way he was. Looking down, she realized that she was holding onto his rather tightly and was pressed her chest against his. Ravel unwrapped her arms from his neck and held onto the edge immediately upon discovery. "Ye-yeah." She agreed.

Pushing himself back, Ryuji managed to find footing at the bottom of the pool. "Right, just give me your hands and we'll get started." He informed while holding the exact limbs out.

Carefully reaching over, Ravel retracted her hands a bit just before making physical contact. But she immediately made up for that mistake by grabbing his hands right after.

Watching the blondes go around the pool, Yusuke sitting underneath some shade. Keeping everyone into account, the blue-haired male held his hands up. With his thumb and index fingers on both arms, he created a temporary, improvised frame to capture the moment in front of him. But while taking in the picture, he noticed that there was one person missing from the image.

"Trying to stay out of the heat too, Xenovia-san?" Yusuke asked as the girl set herself down next to him.

"Yes. The heat is a lot more intense than I anticipated." The girl confirmed with a nod of her head, trying to seat herself in a comfortable position. Yusuke only hummed in response and looked back to the scene that lacked only the two of them. "…Sorry… for this past week, allowing us to seek shelter within your home. We risked the Church potentially coming for the both of us.""

"It is okay." He said with a single nod. "It wouldn't be the same for you two with the fact that God is dead being back at your original homes."

Xenovia looked over. "I'm a bit surprised that none of you tried to discuss the issue with us."

"As much as we didn't exactly like it, it was an issue that was to be taken care of when you or Irina-san would decide." Yusuke answered, scratching his chin.

Blinking, the girl turned her vision away. Still sitting, she curled her legs up and wrapped her arms around them. The two of them did not speak a word at all.

"…I do not mean to compare, but I may have an experience familiar to this but much less intense." The artist-in-training spoke up, but the girl did not visibly react. "Being deceived… Taken advantage of… Those are some examples." He continued to speak, just thinking of what to come up with.

"…How?"

Yusuke turned his head slightly to see that Xenovia was looking at him from the corner of her eyes, just like he was doing with her. "My former teacher, Madarame-sensei, was also my legal guardian who taught me how to become an artist. He encouraged me to paint and draw, seeing how I had a talent in such an area. I was curious of what Sensei could perhaps create since I saw him as a master of art. But he said that he was in a very long stump, something very understanding."

"You said that you were deceived and taken advantage of…" Xenovia said quietly. "Did he take your work then and claim it as his own?"

"…He took artwork from other students, but you are very correct." Yusuke answered, not moving a muscle due to what he would say next. "But the main reason why I despise him was…" He took in a deep breath.

A hand was placed on his shoulder. Looking over, he saw Xenovia being the one to comfort him. "I'm… sorry that I'm making you say all of this. You only want me to feel better. I think it's about time I tell you what's on my mind anyways. So… there's no need to push yourself."

Looking down, a mixture of emotions flooded Yusuke's eyes before he nodded his head slightly.

"It's just… God is dead… There are, however, things I had done that were under the belief that he was still alive. Many of them… perhaps questionable things." Xenovia said quietly but Yusuke could hear it fine. She too looked down but did not stop. "I don't think I can speak for Irina. But for me, I didn't just become an exorcist to be an angel."

"You became an exorcist because you wanted to help people, especially considering how you are a wielder of one of the Excaliburs." Yusuke spoke, taking the blue-haired female's second of silence as a yes. "It is quite an admirable thing."

Xenovia did not acknowledge that last part though. The look on her face suggested she was in her own memories. "Yes… being chosen… When I was first selected to wield Durandal, I was ecstatic. Thrilled. How many people on this Earth and I was the one that was selected and chosen. I felt special… worthy… like I was going to accomplish something far greater than anyone of this generation could only think of. I was going to bring righteousness – justice – to the world. Become a hero… But after learning the truth… I don't feel like a hero at all…"

"…" Yusuke did not say anything.

"I've done questionable things…" The girl admitted softly. "They weren't good things. You may even consider them bad." She chuckled darkly, no humor at all when Yusuke frowned. "There was always something at the back of the mind. Doubt made me think. But I ignored it in favor of rationalizing. I explained to myself that by serving the Church, I was serving God who was a figure of the force of good. He must be because he is God. But now… can what I have done really be considered good when he was dead for that entire time?"

"…Do you remember of what Akira had said back during the incident with Kokabiel?" Yusuke decided to say. "Something that may have come as a shock towards the both of you?"

Xenovia turned her head a bit more. "…Yes." She answered. "He said that you all managed to kill a god."

"Their name was Yaldabaoth." He revealed, shocking his audience member. "I sharply remember something Morgana said just before we killed that god. Are you curious to what he said?" She nodded her head. "If a god plays naughty, then it's a demon lord's duty to punish them."

"But we're human… people. We're not like gods or demons." Xenovia pointed out.

"Then allow me to lower my example to something a bit more appropriate." Yusuke followed up. "If the exorcists are considered to be heroes after what you had described and thought of, then we Phantom Thieves will take the title as villains without hesitation." With his hand on his chest, he then gestured over to Xenovia. "Do you understand now?"

The female looked at the male in a bit of surprise due to… not really knowing how she should respond. But Xenovia still nodded her head, indeed comprehending the logic behind Yusuke's words. "Yes, I do…" She then looked over to see Rias getting out of the pool. "And I think I know what I am going to do next…"

Yusuke saw where Xenovia was looking and turned his head in that direction as well. Upon the red-haired Devil coming into his sights, he understood what was possibly going through Xenovia's head. "If it is what you choose, then go on ahead."

Whipping back to face the blue-haired male, she blinked and then nodded her head. "Thank you… for your kind words and everything else." The girl then got up and began to walk over to the Devil that was on her mind.

Seeing Xenovia hold a small conversation with Rias before the two of them began walking into the changing rooms, Yusuke nodded his head at the satisfaction the blue-haired girl wore on her face.

TakeABreak

With the sound of sizzling filling the air, the scent of cooked food filled their nostrils.

On the barbecue grills were Akira, Ryuji, and Makoto. The rest of the Phantom Thieves meanwhile were assigned to seasoning the meats, vegetables, and other foods that were brought over to them. With the sun beginning to set, the environment around them looked warm as everyone else was relaxing in beach chairs.

"Are you sure that this is considered overcooked?" Ryuji asked, bringing his face closer to a meatball that he cooked. His face was scrunched up into a frown due to confusion.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure." Ann stated, poking the meat with a plastic fork. "Just feel it. You can see how hard it is just by doing that alone. Eat it, why not, to see that I'm right."

The male blonde hummed critically. Taking the meatball, he popped the food into his mouth and began to chew. After a few bites, Ryuji grew a bit of an unpleasant look on his face while swallowing. "Yeah… guess you're right." He said.

"Just make sure to do your best when cooking your balls." Ann said, turning around to take food from Akira and Makoto to bring over to the others.

While the leader of the Phantom Thieves was still cooking however, he started growing a small smile on his face due to their conversation. Ryuji looked over and did a double take when Ann left. Since Akira was within earshot of their conversation, the blonde had a feeling what was going on through his friend's mind.

"How hard are you trying not to make a ball joke right now?" Ryuji asked while raising an eyebrow.

Akira looked over. "…They're smoking." He stated.

"…Huh?"

The raven-haired teen then gestured with his chin. "Your balls."

Blinking, Ryuji looked over and saw that Akira's observation was correct. Just right after having a conversation with Ann about being more careful with cooking as well. "Gah!" He started rolling the meat around. "No, no, no. They're browning way too fast."

"Blue's the color you got to watch out for." Akira commented.

"Enough." Ryuji said to stop Akira from making any wittier comebacks. Cutting one of them open, Ryuji pointed in disbelief. "Look at how- they're still raw inside." He pointed out. "By the time they're cooked, the outside will be burnt."

"I think we have a medicated powder for that." Makoto decided to join in with Akira's humor, receiving a flat stare from Ryuji.

"Not you too, Makoto." The blonde groaned.

"Hey senpais, food almost good to go?" Issei asked, coming up towards the three of them. "Everyone is starting to get hungry, so I thought I'd ask to let them know."

"Seeing how almost everything is almost cooked, I think they're close to being finished." Ravel followed the brunette. Folding her arms, she sniffed and frowned a bit. Walking over next to Ryuji, she raised an eyebrow. "You know-"

"My meatballs are about to burn, yes." Ryuji sighed. "Well, looks like this batch is going to go bad."

But before anyone else could continue, Ravel raised a finger to stop the boy from going anywhere. "No… there still is something we can do." She looked around. "All we need…" She drawled her sentence out before walking to another place. "Is vinegar." She then held up a bottle of the stuff before moving around to find a barbecue brush and some cup or bowl.

"…Vinegar?" Ryuji questioned. "What's that going to do?"

"Well… there's acid inside of the vinegar." Ravel said, finding what she needed and coming back. She then poured some vinegar into a measuring cup. "All I have to do is add coat the meatballs in this, and the maillard reaction should be slowed down." Ryuji gave her an odd look which caused her to sigh as she coated the meatballs in vinegar. "Basically, they'll be cooked fully through and won't be burned."

"…Really, that's it?" Ryuji asked before looking back onto the grill. "…Cool."

"That's awesome, Ravel-san!" Issei gave the girl a thumbs up. "You did a really nice job handling Ryuji-senpai's balls!"

Akira was the only one to laugh at the looks Ryuji and Ravel gave towards Issei.

Eh… I think I handled this chapter decently.

But at least for that Sona scene… I only read on the wiki that Sona doesn't automatically marry if she lost a game of chess. Only that she refuses to marry anyone who isn't smarter than her. Is that a fanfic thing where she must marry whoever beats her at chess? Or am I just getting something wrong? Either way, I wanted to try something different.

No flames please.