Leaving RAD after the meeting, I found myself taking the long way back to the House of Lamentation. I guess I was just trying to prolong the inevitable as long as I could, even if I knew it was pointless. Thankfully, it wasn't long into my walk of self pity that I felt a familiar set of long arms wrap around me with a girlish giggle.

"Look who I found!" Asmo cheered. "It's Belle!"

"Hey Asmo," I greeted, cracking a smile as he came to stand beside me, an arm still wrapped around me.

"So, what's up?" he asked. "Heading home now?"

"Kinda," I answered, shrugging with my free shoulder. "What about you? What are you up to?"

"Me?" Pink and green painted nails splayed across Asmo's chest as he gestured dramatically to himself. "Well, I'm glad you asked! I was about to ask you out on a little date actually. Let's hang out and have a little fun. I promise you'll enjoy yourself."

"Sure, I'm game," I decided, glad to have an out from my pity walk.

"Alright!" Asmo cheered again, pecking me on the cheek. "Then it's settled! I already have a place in mind, so let's get going!"

…

I can't remember the name of the bar Asmo took me to, but it was quite a lively place. From the number of people dancing out on the floor, and the amount of lust magic radiating through the air that even I could feel it, it was clear this place was one of Asmo's favorites.

"Come here often?" I joked as I took a seat at the counter.

"Oh quite often, actually," Asmo answered, slipping onto the stool next to me with a playful smile. "It's got a good atmosphere, and the drinks are good as well."

"Oh come on, Asmo," I pressed, leaning on the counter and smirking. "You're telling me the Avatar of Lust only comes here for the drinks?"

Asmo giggled at that, playing with the edges of his scarf.

"Well, I will admit that I'm particularly fond of the private rooms in the back," he admitted, which made me smile and nod as my suspicions were confirmed. "They're useful for when you really hit it off with someone, and you're looking for a more private spot to..." his face became downright sinful, "do things you maybe shouldn't."

"I take it you're a frequent customer of those back rooms," I remarked.

"You know me so well," Asmo went on, giggling as he thought back on what I could only assume were some porn-worthy encounters. "Once, we actually rented out this entire place for a private party. The entire bar was like our own private room. We did such naughty things..."

"Sounds like you had fun. Honestly, the whole bar hopping thing has never been my scene. Still, it's nice to be able to share a drink with a friend you trust."

"Aww… Belle. That's so sweet."

He put an arm around me, hugging me gently. Around that time, the bartender brought us some drinks. Asmo ordered himself a Paradise Blue drink, while I stuck with a Little D Cola. It tasted like cherry coke, which was a favorite of mine. We drank and laughed, just chatting about various inane things as Asmo nursed drink after drink.

"I'm glad you agreed to come and spend time with me, Belle," Asmo said, a bit red faced as he smiled at me. "I was hoping to get a chance to be alone with you, and that's nearly impossible at the House of Lamentation, especially with Mammon."

"Got that right," I nodded, leaning on him slightly. "Guess that's what makes this night special."

"Yep." Asmo wrapped his arms around me, pulling me so my back was pressed against his chest. "And I got you all to myself. Though between you and me, I would love it if we were really alone. Y'know, without these other customers. We could snuggle together while I make you feel like a queen, pampering you until you melt in my arms."

"Honestly, that sounds like heaven."

I turned so I was resting my cheek against his chest, feeling his nails gently run through my hair.

"Up til now," Asmo said softly, never stopping his gentle pets, "I've always loved myself above everyone else. But ever since you arrived, something's been a little off… I find myself wanting to put you first, even before me. What do you think about that?"

"It shows you care," I replied. "You know you love someone when their own happiness comes before your own."

"Really?" Asmo questioned. "If I'm honest, I've never been interested in others up to now. Sure I've had many flings and one night stands, but that's just one of the perks of being me. But with you… I don't feel like myself."

"Aww… Asmo..."

"I'm serious, Belle," Asmo declared, pushing me off so we were facing one another. "You're not like everyone else. I want…" he began blushing hard, turning even redder than before. "I want to be your everything. I want you to look at me and tell me you love me more than anyone else. If you did that, I'd feel safe, knowing that I really am the best."

I didn't know what to say in that moment. My brain just completely fizzled out on me, unsure of exactly what to do or say. I'm not even sure if Asmo wasn't just drunk off his various Paradise Blues, so I just stayed silent. Thankfully, Asmo took that moment to break into a smile and clap his hands together.

"I just had an idea!" he declared. "Get ready, because it's a good one." His feet were kicking slightly from excitement. "You and I should have a drinking contest!"

"A… drinking contest?" I repeated, blinking in confusion and my brain still trying to restart.

"Yep! If you lose, you have to say, 'I love Asmo more than anyone else.' And if I win, I get to kiss you over and over to my heart's content. Sounds good, right?"

"Umm, a few things first," I insisted, holding up a hand. "First off, I've been drinking soda this whole time, not alcohol. Second, don't demons have, like, an enhanced endurance for this stuff? And third, and I feel this is kinda important, you left out what happens if by some miracle I manage to win."

"Oh don't sweat the minor details," Asmo insisted. "If you win, you can pick whatever prize you want. Now c'mon, it'll be fun!" He turned to the counter, waving down one of the bartenders. "Two extra large horns of Demonus!"

The bartender vanished, returning a moment later with two very large drinking horns filled to the brim with Demonus. Asmo took them both, holding one out for me. I hesitantly took it, having never had so much alcohol in one sitting.

"I'm not talking you out of this, am I?"

"Nope!" Asmo beamed, readying his horn. "And just so you know, I'm not about to let you beat me!"

"I am so going to embarrass myself..." I muttered.

…

Shockingly, I didn't end up embarrassing myself. In fact, I managed to down the entire Demonus horn without any problems. When I finished, there were no adverse effects or loss of inhibitions. Asmo, on the other hand, was turning redder and redder as he became more and more drunk. We kept drinking for a while, and I continued to feel fine, sipping at the Demonus like it was just another Little D. Cola.

"I don't get it..." Asmo insisted, slurring his words a bit while leaning on the counter. "How can this be happening? I've never lost a Demonus drinking competition… never ever! How can you still be fine after drinking all of that…?"

"Hey, your guess is as good as mine," I replied. "I always paced myself when it was served at the parties we went to, so I never noticed anything off, but maybe… maybe demon alcohol doesn't affect me because I'm human."

"Whaaaaaa..." Asmo whined, looking ready to cry. "That's not fair..."

I laughed lightly, ready to tease him for losing what should have been an easy win for him. However, that's when I noticed that he was starting to truly break down. My merriment breaking, I reached out to gently peel the latest empty Demonus horn from his hand. Once I did, Asmo latched onto me, burying his face in my stomach before crying loudly.

"It's not fair!" he wailed, still clinging to me. "I don't want you to go, Belle! I don't want you going back to the human world! Don't do it, don't go. Stay right here, forever..."

I gently ran a hand through his hair, holding him close before placing a gentle kiss on the crown of his head.

"I wish I could, Asmo," I whispered into his rose-scented hair. "I truly wish I could."

"I love you, Belle," Asmo declared, looking up and meeting my eye while maintaining his grip on me. "I love you more than anything!"

"I love you too, Asmo," I replied, continuing to lightly scratch his scalp.

"Don't go..." he begged, his mascara running down his face from all the tears, "Don't you dare go anywhere..."

He then slipped forward, his entire body weight coming to rest on me. His grip went limp, and his eyes slid closed. I looked down at him, realizing that he had completely passed out, and in doing so, he'd pinned me to my seat. I felt a bit of panic welling up inside me as I tried to figure out exactly how I was going to get us home. Thankfully, that's when I heard a familiar voice.

"I knew it..." Satan remarked, coming into view as he looked at his unconscious brother in disappointment. "I figured I'd find the two of you here."

"Hey Satan," I greeted, giving a sheepish wave. "Didn't expect to see you here. Come here for a drink?"

"I think you've both had enough drinks," Satan insisted, eying the empty horns in front of us.

"Actually, I'm fine," I replied. "Turns out, I can't get drunk on Devildom alcohol. Although..."

I gestured to the unconscious demon in my lap, who was starting to drool on my jeans. Satan rolled his eyes, grabbing Asmo and throwing him over his shoulder like a sack of flour. Now free of the extra weight, I got off the stool.

"Thanks," I said gratefully.

"Just be thankful I came looking for you two when neither of you returned from school." He dropped a couple grimm on the counter, then we began walking out. "Let me guess, he challenged you to a drinking contest?"

"Yep," I nodded. "Not even I expected to win, thinking he had some special tolerance, when it was actually the other way around."

"Fascinating," Satan mused, glancing at his brother over his shoulder. "Seems whatever scheme you had concocted failed."

Asmo just let out a small whimper, a few more tears slipping through his eyelids. I gently brushed the tears away as I followed Satan back to the House of Lamentation.

…

Returning home was pretty uneventful. Satan dropped Asmo in his bed, stripping him down to his shirt before pulling the covers over him. I made sure to leave a glass of water and the Devildom version of alka-seltzer for him to take in the morning, then followed Satan back to his room. I sat down on the plush reading chair as Satan just shook his head.

"What am I going to do with him?" he said.

"Warn him to make sure his opponent can get drunk before challenging them to a drinking contest?"

That got a small laugh out of his as he sat down on the arm of the chair beside me. I thought back to a time where such closeness to the Avatar of Wrath would have terrified me, but now, it was like when I did the same with my sister back home. Just friends, no… siblings, talking to one another.

"There's something I wanted to ask you," Satan spoke up, drawing my attention. "It's about this human world book I acquired recently."

"Oh? What's it called?" I always enjoyed talking about books from my world with him.

"It's more of a compendium than just a single book," Satan explained. "A collection of old folklore and legends from the human world, and there was one in particular that caught my attention."

He leaned over to one of the many stacks of books surrounding the chair, grabbing a book with a green binding with a golden trim. He opened it, flipping through it for a bit before finding the story he was looking for.

"Here it is." He placed a finger on the page as he began talking once more. "As the story goes, there was once a country that had been stuck in a long war with a neighbouring land. Just as their resources were about to be exhausted, a beast with magical powers appeared before their king. The beast tells the king 'I'll help you win this war against your neighbors, but in return, you must give me that which you hold most dear.' The king agrees to these terms, and with the help of the beast's magic, he succeeds in winning the war. But afterwards, he breaks his promise and kills the beast."

I winced at that, knowing what such an action would lead to in most legends I'd heard. I was not disappointed as Satan continued the story.

"The slain beast then transforms into a terrible monster and curses the king's entire country, inflicting a series of calamities upon it. Fearing the wrath of the beast, the king eventually offers his newborn daughter to it as a sacrifice. At that point, the disasters cease and the land is spared."

"Let me guess, the girl wasn't sacrificed and ended up being raised by the monster."

Satan cracked a smile, giving me a nod.

"You're good, Belle. Twenty years later, she appears on the mountain where the monster lives. When the people see the girl they once thought dead appear before them, they're so afraid that they try to kill her. They shoot a volley of arrows, which hurtle down towards her like raindrops from the sky. But, just as they're about to hit, the monster shields her, giving up its own life instead..."

"Wow..." I let out, stunned by this.

"The beast," Satan said, closing the book. "What do you think it felt in its dying moments?"

I let out a long breath, resting my hands on my knees as I gave the question some serious thought.

"Well… I'm certain there was a lot it was feeling at that moment. Anger towards the people that were trying to hurt its child, the child it raised from birth. Sadness that she wasn't accepted by her own people, that it had to leave her alone in a world that would probably never accept her… and love… love for the child he was willing to die to protect."

Satan mulled over my words, nodding along with my explanation.

"Maybe so," he mused. "Perhaps that love it felt for its child, that willingness to perish for her sake, helped it pass on in peace. Or maybe the sadness and anger persisted even to the end..."

"Either way, it's just a story," I insisted.

"It may be just a story… but I thought it could help me understand..."

That got me to perk up a bit.

"Understand?" I repeated. "Understand what?"

"...how I'm feeling," he answered after a second, glancing off to the side as he gripped the book in his lap. "I used to feel nothing but rage, but then you came along and another sort of emotion took root inside me. The way I feel towards you… could this be… love as well?"

Slowly, he turned to meet my gaze, clearly turning the question over and over in his head. Rather than answer, I just pulled him into a hug. He was hesitant at first, then slowly returned it.

"Maybe it is..." he decided after a moment. "And if it is love… I don't ever want to lose it. Ever."

"You won't," I swore, tightening my grip. "Me returning to the human world will not change anything."

"Right," Satan nodded, though he still refused to let me go. "Just because you're going home doesn't mean we'll never be able to see each other again. But still… the mere thought that you won't be around anymore makes me sad."

After another minute of just holding me, he let me go and straightened up. There was a single tear in his eye that he quickly wiped away, giving me a sad smile as he got up, offering me a hand.

"Good night, Belle," he said.

I took the hand, letting him pull me up before pecking him on the cheek.

"Good night, Satan."

I slipped out of his room, returning to my own. Closing the door behind me, I looked around at the large room, at all the various knick knacks and baubles I had collected in my time. Sitting down on my bed, I just stared at all the stuff before my eyes drifted down to the pact bracelet on my wrist. I fingered the six different charms as I felt a wall of sadness come crashing down on me.

"I only have a few more days..." I said softly. "Then… it's all over.."