Another chapter on the count!

Before I start, I would like to answer some reviews:

herrendolf: I'm really glad you're liking it so far. I tried to build up the relationship between the two of them slowly and steadily, so I hope the next chapters will also live up to expectations. On the second topic, I know this story has some slow parts, especially in the beginning. I partly want to do it that way, but it's obvious that some things got out of hand, as the untranslated story has more than 60 parts and I feel that the plot progress is not in line with everything already written.

The name is agron: I see I'm still having mistakes with that. I've tried to correct as much as possible regarding the mistakes expressed in the genders of the characters. Even if I try, I'll probably always skip certain corrections because of my near-zero understanding of English. I'm sorry if that might bother you.

With nothing more to clarify, it's about time to begin.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER 6: THE BET! A RATING GAME IS COMING UP...

Issei looked at the large lake that loomed in front of him with stars in his eyes. The first time he had come to these parts, he had heard the movement of the water, but he had not imagined something so big. Many relatives were lounging in the trees, bathing, or just playing with each other, creating a friendly atmosphere. The small layer of steam rising above the crystal clear water gave a hint that the lake was at a slightly warm temperature, ideal for relaxing with a nice bath at normal temperature.

Tiamat put her hands on her hips with a small smile. "This place is perfect. Whenever I'm looking to relax, take a bath, or both, I always come here."

Issei leaned both of his fists forward in excitement, indicating that he agreed with Tiamat. "It's a gigantic hot spring! This is amazing!" As unbelievable as it seemed, for the first time, Issei didn't imagine a bunch of naked girls in the water, waiting for him to go in with them.

"His excitement at the whole thing is genuine, without any malicious ideas behind it." Ddraig thought seriously, then put a rather silly grin on his face. "You're growing up, partner."

"Well then..." Tiamat walked over to the water and dipped her hand in, then closed her eyes in satisfaction after feeling the temperature. "We'd better not waste any more time."

"Huh?" Issei blinked several times in confusion. Quickly, his confused expression began to change to a nervous one. "W-wait a second, we haven't split up yet for-" A large glow surrounded Tiamat, causing Issei to look away as he realized that his clothes had begun to disappear. A large, unbelievable blush appeared on her face, as Tiamat continued to touch the water with a calm look in her eyes.

"You can't do that if I'm in front of you!" Issei exclaimed as he looked away in great embarrassment.

"What's wrong with that?" A loud splash was heard, giving Issei permission to take another look at Tiamat, who was already deep in the water and half of her breasts were covered by the thick steam, sparing the protagonist's nostrils. "Dragons always bathe naked in front of other dragons. It's a sign of trust we have among the species. We're not as delicate as humans on that subject." Tiamat replied with a smirk.

"Have you already forgotten that I am a human!" shouted Issei as he looked away and pointed at himself as an idiot.

Tiamat raised her index finger with an amused look on her face. "You WERE human. But now you are a Demon." Tiamat declared with an air of grace in his words. She was actually having fun with this situation.

How long had it been since she had been amused by something so trivial?

Come to think of it...

had she ever?

Issei glared at Tiamat while blatantly pointing at her. "That's right, I'm a Demon! A fucking Demon, not a dragon! And that has nothing to do with it really! I was raised on human principles, and it's completely normal for me to act and think like a human!" Right after those words, a large amount of water completely washed over Issei, causing him to spit out a small stream of water.

"Stop making excuses and come at once." Tiamat gave him a mischievous grin. "Unless you want to get wet again, but with slightly colder water."

A small shiver ran down Issei's back. He didn't think twice, and began to take off his clothes with a big blush on his face. Tiamat was just staring at him, not taking her eyes off him. Issei hadn't noticed due to his great discomfort that the dragoness wandered a little with her gaze between his torso and neck, though it was only for a short second.

Finally, Issei only needed to remove her chasers. "Can you turn around? I'd like to keep my human dignity unpunished for a little while longer..." Issei declared as he looked sideways at her with a big blush on his face.

Tiamat just rolled her eyes. "Fine." Tiamat looked straight ahead as she wondered a couple of things. "Why do humans feel so ashamed when it comes to showing their sexual organ to others? Maybe it's to defend their dignity?" Tiamat placed a hand on her chin as she thought seriously. "But what kind of dignity should they have, if their dignity is valued when it comes to protecting their sexual organs? Compared to the dignity of dragons, it's pretty ridiculous... obviously, that doesn't mean you should walk around naked all the time, because that would be disrespectful... Why the fuck am I even thinking this?" Tiamat finally thought, rolling her eyes.

The dragoness looked to her side as she caught the movement of the water, only to realize that Issei had already gotten in for a swim, several feet away from her.

"Enjoying it?" Tiamat asked with a small smile as she saw that Issei had a very calm expression on his face, being that a few seconds ago he looked like a talking tomato.

"That's great." Was Issei's simple reply as he stretched his arms back and rested them on the rocks.

Tiamat mimicked his movement, making her breasts even more visible and pronounced than they already were. The amused air around Tiamat changed to her usual serious atmosphere, causing Issei to become a little serious as well.

"... Regarding your training... I don't know if I'll be able to help you." Tiamat replied while looking at the sky seriously.

"Why?" Issei asked with some disappointment behind his words.

Tiamat lowered her gaze and looked at him seriously. "Because today is the last day you're here, and we're not sure what time your... mistress." Tiamat replied with a hint of venom in her last word.

Issei caught Tiamat's tone, but decided to leave it for later. "You're right, today is the last day..." Issei looked at the whole place around him with some regret. He really had liked it. "But until they find me it might take a little longer. The President told me that my pieces didn't link to my soul as they should have. And as a result, she can't track me with the power of her pieces."

"Hmmm..." Tiamat hummed at Issei's last words. She had never heard that demonic pieces could fail, even in a small way. But it was also true that she had barely been involved with such knowledge for obvious reasons. "Anyway, it would be best not to waste time." Tiamat stood up, causing Issei to look away. "At the very least, I'd like to prove a couple of things to you... before you leave." Issei blinked once confused by the tone of Tiamat's last words. He was sure they sounded somewhat... discouraged.

"Three days with someone must not be a long time for someone who was alone for a millennium." Issei thought with some pity, but decided not to mention anything about it, as he didn't know how the dragoness might react.

LINE JUMPING.

"Do you have any questions before we begin?" Tiamat asked with a raised eyebrow.

Issei rubbed his hair nervously. "Do you still hate Demons?" Issei's question startled Tiamat a little, causing the dragoness to look at him with both eyebrows raised in a piercing manner. Out of fear, Issei quickly waved his hands in defense. "You shouldn't answer me if you don't want to! I was only wondering because you seemed really angry earlier when you mentioned my President!"

"I hate Demons." Issei looked at the dragoness with great surprise, her cold, piercing gaze causing Issei to pucker her lips at the answer. "They are a foul, treacherous, crawling, impertinent, obstinate, and meddlesome species. I hate the Three Factions, but I hate the Demons even more for what they are. I would never trust one of them." Issei lowered his head in sorrow after hearing those words, something that did not go unnoticed by Tiamat. "But, you're special!" Tiamat exclaimed as she pointed at him seriously, causing Issei to look up in great surprise.

"Special?" Issei wondered, not understanding the true meaning of the word.

Issei was staring very hard at Tiamat, waiting for her answer.

"*She's referring to my power, mate. Thanks to it, you were unaffected by Demonic Corruption, and that makes you someone special*" Ddraig explained proudly after emphasizing his power, while Issei's eyes sparkled after finding the realization.

"Oh, that's right! I had completely forgotten about it..." He stated somewhat apologetically for having forgotten something so important.

"The power of a Celestial Dragon can prevent Demonic Corruption? That explains a lot..." Tiamat thought with an air of mystery about him that Issei could not detect, but his companion could.

"By the way Ddraig, have you been well these days? You're talking a lot less than usual..." Issei asked rather intrigued as he looked down at his gauntlet.

"It's better if I don't talk." Tiamat's cold and sinister aura made Issei find an answer immediately. "I can't stand that grating, whining voice of the Underdeveloped Lizard." The dragoness's tone made Issei turn a little pale. "Anyway." The aura broke completely and everything returned to normal, causing Issei to give an inward sigh. "Let's get it over with. Attack me."

After those words, Tiamat placed both hands in her pockets as she watched him piercingly. "I won't do anything at first. I just want to know how strong you are.

"Are you sure?" asked Issei worriedly, causing Tiamat to frown slightly. "Alright, alright! It's not like I'm underestimating you..." He quickly replied nervously, then turned serious and entered a combat stance. "I'm no fool. I know she's much stronger than me, so I shouldn't worry about her."

"Is that a fighting stance?" wondered Tiamat with a bored expression on her face as she saw Issei's ridiculous pose. "I'm beginning to doubt her mistress's competence regarding training and sparring. Though it's also true that she's a mere brat, I shouldn't have expected too much..."

Issei's gauntlet glowed brightly, covering her figure almost completely and she lashed out at full speed at Tiamat. The dragoness just stood there with her hands in her pocket as she received a hard right to her cheek that turned her head slightly. Issei didn't stop there. The gauntlet was getting a strong glow for every right and left that she was hitting as fast as she could across the dragon's body. After about fifteen consecutive blows, the aura finally stopped appearing, indicating that the Boost had reached its limit.

Tiamat didn't overlook this and finally made a move as he grabbed both of Issei's arms, stopping his attack in its tracks, leaving the chestnut completely shocked after seeing that he didn't even have a scratch on him.

"That's all your power?"

Sensing that his question was a provocation, Issei gritted his teeth hard and tried to free himself from the grip, failing miserably.

Therefore, he resorted to plan B.

Issei gave her a hard kick to her crotch that took her by surprise, causing her to let go of the chestnut's hands. Issei quickly jumped backwards to get a little away, while Tiamat looked at him with a surprised look on her face.

"If I had been a man, that might have hurt a little." Tiamat said as she looked down at his crotch, causing Issei to roll his eyes. But that didn't stop him from wasting Tiamat's inattention.

"This is my chance!" Issei thought as he charged his fist with a great amount of force to punch her in the abdomen. "This sensation... the feeling... the direction... It's an incredible punch!" Issei had a small flashback of when he sent Raynare flying with a punch. "It's even better than that time!"

Issei connected his fist with fate, generating a small blizzard around the blow. Tiamat's hair blended seamlessly with the gusts of wind, indicating that it had been a really strong blow. Even if that blow could have hit a high-class Demon, that meant it had certainly done a bit of damage!

"It would have tickled me, if you had chosen the right place to send that blow." Tiamat's face right now... really, really scary.

Issei's eyes were as wide as saucers, in complete shock, still with his head down. "I didn't move her even an inch, who the hell is she really?"

"To take on a really strong opponent..." Issei broke away from Tiamat as he reacted to her words, then tried to deliver a strong punch to her face which Tiamat caught without any difficulty. "You also need to be really strong. But..." Tiamat used Issei's hand as a support to bring his whole body to his back in less than a second, as he took a step forward and bent his knee. "If the two of you are equally powerful..." Tiamat pulled Issei's arm, causing the young man's entire body to pass over hers and slam hard into the ground, causing him to vomit some blood in progress. "The one with the greater technique and experience will be the winner." Issei froze when she saw how Tiamat's foot was practically already over her head, but passed within a couple of centimetres of her skin. In a small fraction of a second, he thought she had missed, but realised she hadn't when he felt every fibre of his skin being blown away by a staggering blizzard that produced Tiamat's kick, sending him flying into the wall.

Issei quickly got up with a bit of difficulty as he wiped the trickle of blood from his mouth. A small smile broke out on his face. "She's extraordinary!" he thought as he stared at her.

"In the opposite case..." Issei watched very carefully as Tiamat raised her index finger. "If your opponent is much stronger than you, and is just as good at their respective techniques and combat experience, you're simply finished." Issei let a bead of sweat drop nervously at Tiamat's rather cold sincerity. "If the opposite is the case, you'll tear him to shreds." A small mysterious smile would creep across Tiamat's face, causing her to look at her very intently. "But, if you are both equally powerful, and you have the clearer concepts. Then, you could wear yourself out far less than necessary to defeat him. You might even have a chance to defeat a stronger opponent with a good strategy, as long as the guy is not smarter and more strategic than you about battles..."

"Wear me down less?" Issei asked with some intrigue.

Tiamat positioned her hands on her waist earnestly. "I'll give you an example. Suppose I am now using 100% of my power. But, if I use my experience and knowledge in techniques..." Tiamat gave a sly little smile as she extended her palm towards Issei, causing the protagonist to look at her with great surprise. "I would only need to use 50% to be able to defeat you. Even less, but in that case it wouldn't be a battle to save energy anymore, I'd just be toying with you to make it last a little longer for the thrill of real combat."

"I see!" Issei exclaimed as he raised his arms in great excitement.

"Actually, I'm not even using my 1%, but I can't tell him that or he'll be quite disappointed." Tiamat thought with a bit of grace in her words.

Tiamat sharpened her gaze, causing Issei to visibly tense. Tiamat's outstretched palm turned into a provocation as she invited him to face her. "Come and attack whenever you want. I'll be sure to show you the difference in technique that exists between us."

He didn't have to tell her twice. Issei quickly rushed towards the beautiful woman and attempted to lunge at her. Tiamat's eyes glowed a light blue colour as she watched Issei's fists come at her in a very clear way.

"Right..." Tiamat tilted her body to the side, dodging it completely. Her light blue eyes quickly darted to Issei's other arm, which was starting to prepare a strike. "Left..." Tiamat dodged it again smoothly with blistering speed, leaving Issei genuinely surprised. Tiamat's eyes would quickly dart to the right. "Right..." He dodged the blow again with no trouble. "Repeat..." Thought the dragoness, and this time without even needing to see Issei's next blow to dodge her left jab even faster than the previous time. "His punches are super basic and easy to dodge, plus he doesn't know how to use a feint." Tiamat thought as she closed her eyes and continued to dodge it without any trouble.

Although it was super easy for Tiamat, Issei was totally shocked by the display of power she was being subjected to. She continued to dodge everything at a speed that was becoming a blur to his eyes. Adding the factor that she was using her maximum speed and power in her punches, it was resulting in accelerated exhaustion. Now, he could understand much better the word exhaustion and why he should avoid it.

"Time to put the pressure on him." Tiamat thought as she opened her eyes with a menacing air. She dodged one of his blows with her usual normality, then looked at the left side of Issei's torso, indicating where her blow was going to land. Quickly, he began to prepare his fist to strike.

Issei's eyes immediately caught Tiamat's intent, causing him to place his gauntlet in the trajectory to defend and counterattack. "To the left!"

Tiamat's eyes narrowed with a flash of cunning. "By the right..." Issei's eyes widened in shock and he began to writhe in pain as he felt how Tiamat's left jab had sunk into the right side of his stomach.

Tiamat took a couple of steps back as he waited for Issei to recover from the blow. "That's called a feint. Remember it well. It's very basic, but it could give you the trump card in a battle. But only use it when you're sure your opponent is overwhelmed by your moves. Also, you must exert incredible mental pressure, not only with your fake attack, but also with a sharp gaze that is projecting where the impact is going to hit, as if you are really going to strike there." Tiamat's gaze hardened slightly, causing Issei to get a small shiver down his spine. "We'll also have to work on your variety of strikes. You suck!" Issei clutched his chest tightly as an arrow engraved with "Apestas!" pierced his chest. A heavy footstep from Tiamat would bring Issei back to reality. "Why do you have that look on your face? We're not done yet."

Issei swallowed deeply as he got into a fighting stance again. "This time, I'll make sure I don't fall for one of his tricks again..."

"By the looks of it, he'll be more attentive to feints, though that won't entirely save him. Feinting is just one of the many varieties I can use during a fight, not counting my magic power." Tiamat thought calculatingly, then stepped into a combat stance. "If you won't come, then I will!"

Issei gritted his teeth in shock as Tiamat began to run towards him with a menacing stance. Without much time to think, he attempted to answer her blow with another blow.

"Don't try to defend against a blow with another blow if you're not sure!" Tiamat grabbed his forearm without any difficulty and deflected the blow into nothingness, while delivering a large palm strike to Issei's stomach. Even though it was open-handed, the blow was a bit devastating, making Issei vomit saliva. Tiamat didn't end up lashing out like the previous times, passing her fist inches away from his face and making small cuts on Issei's skin thanks to the strong blizzard, besides almost flying away. She didn't stop there and quickly moved and turned her back to Issei at a high speed, then grabbed him from behind and grabbed him hard by the neck with both her hands, then spun around at high speed for a couple of turns until she finally released him and sent him flying, crashing hard into the cave wall.

"I guess this is it..." Tiamat thought aloud as she watched Issei remain sprawled on the ground. But she was surprised when a large red glow came from the gauntlet, indicating that she had achieved another multiplier. "He could still go further?" thought the dragoness with slightly widened eyes as she watched Issei struggle to his feet. "It's not that... he's evolving during combat. That means he must at least have a pretty clear motivation to continue fighting. And to progress, that's a very important thing." Issei finally stood up and shouted loudly as he ran towards Tiamat full of slits. Tiamat's eyes narrowed in disappointment. "However, that motivation will not serve to make him strong in a short time. For that, you need another kind of motivation that I cannot teach you." Tiamat ducked and tilted her head slightly to the side, dodging Issei's punch that passed by the side of her face. A tiny smile appeared on her face as she delivered a hard punch to his stomach that lifted him slightly off the ground, generating a small blizzard from the impact. Tiamat slowly withdrew her arm and used her body to support the unconscious Issei. The dragoness gave him a small smile and tightened her grip on his back to enclose him in a warm embrace.

"But, even if I can't teach it to you, I know you'll learn it eventually. And that's because you have the mentality of someone strong!"

LINE JUMP.

"President, do you have any idea why we were called here?" asked Kiba as he looked at the huge structure where the Gremory's lived.

That's right, they were currently in Hell.

Rias snorted in annoyance. "I already told my brother about all the problems I have with Hyoudou, so I don't think he'll call me to talk about my Sekiryuutei." Rias shook his head with some amusement. "He was so happy when I mentioned my new acquisition to him. But his smile quickly faded when I told him that my control over him is practically nil."

Akeno delivered one of his typical chuckles. "Don't worry, President. Hyoudou is very grateful to you, I'm sure he'll abide by all his orders without a second thought."

"Speaking of Issei..." Asia added. "Weren't we supposed to look for him today?"

Rias gave a tired sigh. "That's right. I was planning to do it now, but this unplanned meeting just came up. And best of all, we have a meeting today, and another one tomorrow morning." Rias commented with clear sarcasm in his last words.

"I think you can survive another day without any problem." Koneko stated nonchalantly as she waited for the maids to open the door.

As expected, the doors opened. The entire Rias retinue, plus the redhead herself, bowed in a big bow to show the Gremory patriarch some well-deserved respect.

"Hello, father. Forgive my insolence, but I would like to know why I was called so repen-" Rías raised her gaze, going completely blank as she realised that the man standing in front of her was not her father.

When Rias shut up so abruptly, the others raised their heads, only to get the same shocked expression from Rias.

"Hahahahaha!" The laughter rang out in an eerie way. "Father, huh? I like the sound of that. But just call me that when you're in bed with me, Rias."

"..."

"Raiser..."

LINE JUMP.

He was warm, his whole body.

The sound of burning wood could be heard in the background. Probably a campfire.

It was all dark, probably because he hadn't fully woken up yet and hadn't opened his eyes.

"Oh, God..." Was all Issei could think as he felt a very comforting caress felt on his cheek. It felt great, and whoever it was, she didn't want him to stop. That hand... it was extremely soft and caressed him with great affection. Not even his mother had ever caressed him like that, although that woman was not a good example really.

He felt how his body was positioned, the space he was in.

He was sitting...

He could feel how his two legs were slightly curled up with two other legs. He could feel how his back was resting in great comfort on an extremely soft surface. He could also feel how another hand was holding his waist, hugging him lovingly and making their bodies stay closer to each other. He could feel how his head was lying on two huge mounds, soft, round, firm but soft at the same time. His head felt like it was on the best pillow on the planet. She could also feel someone resting their chin on top of her head, indicating how relaxed she was, just like him.

Issei opened his eyes slowly, everything was completely white, and the discomfort he expected to have after his worst battle so far, mysteriously, did not present itself. For sure, that person had taken good care of him all those hours he was unconscious...

Finally, Issei's eyes adjusted to the light and the first thing he could see were piercing, contented, beautiful and calm light blue eyes that were staring at him very intently.

"That face..." Issei thought unconsciously as he admired it. That face conveyed a great deal of tranquility, trust, concern, affection and gratitude. "How is it that they could deceive this woman?" A small twinge appeared in his heart when he thought those words. It was probably an answer he could never find, and if he did find it, he would never understand it anyway.

"Are you all right? I think I was too hard on you for a first time..." Tiamat inquired, still holding her previous expression, but her concern and guilt showed through her tone.

Issei closed his eyes and smiled genuinely at Tiamat's concern, letting himself get caught up in the moment and hugging her tightly. Tiamat's reaction was much different than usual, as she tightened her embrace around Issei's waist and rested her chin more affectionately on top of the chestnut's head. "To tell you the truth, it was kind of hard. But I feel amazing. I don't know how you healed me, but I really appreciate it!"

"I'm glad to hear that." They both closed their eyes, enjoying the caresses and bear hug they were giving each other at the moment. Perhaps, the expression of affection was getting a little out of hand.

But would they really think about it?

Tiamat hadn't felt the warmth and affection of another person in a millennium. Whereas Issei hadn't even experienced such a thing in his short life. They felt too good to walk away from each other. They liked the feeling of warmth all over their bodies. They liked having another person show them true affection.

They simply wanted to experience the feeling of being loved by another person.

But...

Still, that strange warmth that began to invade both of their bodies. That warmth that finally parked itself in their hearts, was not a simple desire for friendly affection. But they were both too comfortable to realise that at the moment. They just wanted to enjoy the moment, their closeness.

"What is it that motivates you to become stronger?" Tiamat's question broke the extremely comfortable silence that had settled for several minutes.

"My motivation? I guess my President, Rias Gremory." Tiamat pursed her lips at the answer. Not only because she felt a small pang of jealousy that this woman should be her motivation and not her, but also because she was a foul Demon. "She gave me a second chance in my life... I want to become stronger to protect her. Her, and everyone I consider important to me. Like you." A practically imperceptible blush appeared on Tiamat's face as she looked down at Issei's face, who was extremely comfortable and calm, sleeping on both of her breasts. Issei chuckled slightly under his breath, causing Tiamat to raise an eyebrow in intrigue. "Though for the moment, it'll have to be the other way around between you and me, since you're much stronger for now."

Tiamat looked up with a smile on her face. If Issei had been wide-eyed, he would have said it was that genuine smile that Tiamat gave off once in a while, like the one when she told him she'd be staying with her for a couple of days. "Hmmm..." I hummed happily. "I don't think you'll ever get over me."

"Wanna bet?" Issei asked with a small chuckle at the end.

"Hmmmm..." Tiamat hummed happily again. "If you ever surpass me, you can ask me for anything you want."

"Alright!" Issei declared without any malicious thoughts from behind, causing Ddraig to puff out his chest in pride again. "So, what is it that I must promise?" he asked with a small teasing tone.

"Never leave me." Issei's eyes widened with great surprise at hearing Tiamat's statement. She had a completely serious face, in fact, it looked more like a threat than a request. But Issei knew she wasn't like that, because he learned to see her eyes. And her eyes denoted sadness, loneliness... fear. Fear that he would leave her alone, and that everything would go back to being just as cold, quiet, and horrible as before.

"I promise." Issei said in a rather serious tone and without even a millisecond's hesitation. This made Tiamat's chest warm in a way she had never felt before. "Now, nor ever."

A myriad of mixed emotions erupted inside her chest and stomach because of Issei. But, somehow he found a method to show those feelings.

She gave him a huge, toothy grin, showing her beautiful fangs. She had her eyelids closed, but the rims of her eyes were a little wet from her tears, which never fell.

"Thank you!" If Issei was already very surprised by Tiamat's smile, he was more so now to hear her tone so cheerful and truly grateful.

LINE JUMP.

"Brother!" Rias slapped the table loudly in great frustration. "You've got to be kidding me!" Rias looked at his parents with the same expression. "And you guys are okay with this?!" Rias' entourage only remained silent out of respect, though that didn't mean they agreed with what was going on.

"Calm down, Rias. I haven't finished my statement yet." The younger red-haired man replied with a serious air about him. At this, Rias could only continue to listen. "I agree to bring the wedding forward and celebrate it in a month's time. But only on two conditions."

Raiser's stupid grin was completely wiped off after listening. "What are those conditions, Sirzechs?

"Relax, Raiser. It's something very simple." Commented the now introduced Sirzechs. "My sister has a chance to play a Rating Game against you. And the second, is that anyone who is interested in breaking into the wedding and taking Rias as Fiancée may do so, though said subject must beat you in a one-on-one before they can take my sister's hand."

A clipped silence came over the room for a few seconds. Raiser was completely serious in that silence. But out of nowhere, the silence was broken by Raiser's small chuckle, which then turned into a laugh.

"All right, I accept those conditions!" Raiser exclaimed, completely sure of his victory. On both the first, as well as the second condition.

Rias and his entourage looked at each other very seriously as they saw that they had a chance to free themselves from Raiser.

Sirzechs stood up from his chair, making everyone look at him intently. "I think that's it for today. It's already very late, so get a good night's rest. Tomorrow we'll agree on a date and time for the Rating Game."

Everyone nodded, content with the outcome of the meeting.

What Raiser didn't know, was that his ego and pride played a trick on him.

LINE JUMP.

"Hey, don't you think they're taking too long?" Tiamat rested her chin on Issei's head after speaking her mind.

They were both still in the same position as before, the only thing different were some blankets covering them to get them through the extreme cold of the night. Inwardly, though, they loved that cold, as they snuggled even more with each other having the sub-zero temperature as an excuse.

"Maybe they'll come tomorrow..." Issei commented in a sleepy voice. "Damn. I'm going to be here for four days, and I still didn't get any Familiars. Why the hell do all the Familiars hate me, except the ones that are perverts?" Issei rambled aloud, causing Tiamat to stare at him. She knew that those Familiars were only attracted to people who had a large sexual appetite, though she preferred not to tell him so as not to embarrass him. A faint smile crept across Issei's face. "Come to think of it, it's not all that bad." He continued to ramble unconsciously. "It's great to be able to spend another day with you." He unconsciously declared, already collapsing from exhaustion and falling asleep with his head resting on Tiamat's fluffy breasts.

Tiamat only deigned to watch him for his last words. She watched him and watched him for a long minute. Her light blue eyes glittered with mystery. It was impossible to know what she was thinking now.

Until finally, she came to a conclusion...

"I think... I think if you stay away from me for more than a day... I couldn't bear it." Tiamat stated quietly, as she stopped stroking Issei's cheek and positioned her palm on the hand where Issei activated his gauntlet. His light blue eyes glowed with great longing for a short second. "Really, I couldn't bear it." Issei's hand glowed a light blue colour, while Tiamat's abdomen glowed at the same time with the same intensity and colour.

END OF CHAPTER!

Well, I leave you with the intrigue of what Tiamat will have done with Issei for the next chapter, don't kill me for it.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!