"What's this," Maou asked, leaning in so he could get a look at the platter.

"I figured I'd bring something to contribute to the festivities," Suzuno said happily.

She removed the lid and they beheld a myriad of food, all poked through with toothpicks so that the partygoers could grab one and mill about, talking and having fun. Not that there was really anywhere to go in the six tatami apartment, but it certainly made the atmosphere more cheery and exotic.

"Woah, this looks amazing Suzuno!"

Urishihara looked at the small mountain of finely decorated finger food and fell to his knees, begging to sample one of each before the party started and thanking Suzuno profusely for good, fresh food.

"It was nothing," she said, brushing her hair out of her eyes and blushing furiously.

"You will wait for the other guests to arrive before you can eat, as will everyone else, because they are polite and well mannered," Ashiya chided.

"So, Suzuno, anything happening worth knowing about?"

Now that Maou and Suzuno were friends, Maou often asked about information regarding Ente Isla and its inhabitants while he was absent. While she refrained from handing over important information to Maou, she still sated his appetite for news.

"Well, nothing major has happened since we last spoke, but the tension between nations is still there. And I think they have finally decided to simply let your castle stand for the time being. They want desperately to destroy it, but they can't seem to bring the castle down."

"Pfft. Of course they can't take it down. That castle was there before I found it, it's ancient!"

"What," Suzuno demanded, struck by the news.

"Yeah! That castle has always been there on the central continent. I don't know anything about its origins myself, but when we made base, I could most definitely feel some kind of power in its walls."

"Hmm. Perhaps the Church shall receive an anonymous tip about the castle's mysterious origins and they'll stop trying to destroy it."

"I don't see any harm in that. And as it's been suited for my use, I'd bet the Church could find no possible use for it."

"Well, some of the Church's associates are certainly evil enough to be able to survive in your castle."

"Of that, I have no doubt. Still, the castle is a part of ancient culture and architecture, they can't just destroy that!"

"It didn't stop them from trying," Suzuno said darkly.

"I suppose it wouldn't. They would at least want to seem like they were on the good side, though. If enough people knew it was a landmark and not just the Devil's Castle, they might spare it."

"That settles it," Suzuno said happily, "I'll send a report and my agents will sow the seeds of rumor. Within a month, the whole of Ente Isla will be clamoring to keep the castle and have it studied."

"Hang on, you have agents," Maou gasped.

"Well, of course, I can't do the things I do on my own."

"But I thought you were the bottom link of the chain of command for the Inquisition," Ashiya said, flabbergasted.

"No, there are those who work under me, in positions that barely even hold any sway within the Inquisition. They collect data, monitor populations and things like that. How do you think the Church stays in control, or always seems to make just the right move to get public approval?"

"Now that I think about it that makes sense. Ashiya, make note of this! When we return, we will need some civilian demons to pledge themselves to our cause and give us information as to the general populace's feelings on our armies' cause."

"I think that's an excellent idea, Sire."

"I think it blows," Urushihara sighed, looking longingly at the finger food.

"Coming from the guy whose army was wiped out all because of his poor leadership skills, I'd say your opinion is void here, Urushihara."

It was Emi, standing outside the apartment, the door of which was still open from Suzuno's arrival. Maou cricked his neck from how quickly he turned to look at Emi. She wore a brightly colored summer dress and a bright tank top, with a pair of leggings and slip on shoes. Maou even thought he saw a hint of make-up, a strange and rare occurrence for Emilia the Hero. Maou decided it would be best if he said nothing about it, but Urushihara, whose pride had been hurt, was itching for revenge.

"My army only fell because you're face scared them to death. And Emi, the make-up isn't helping matters. I feel sick just looking at you."

Maou, Ashiya and Suzuno all felt cold chills run down their spines at the look Emi shot at Urushihara. For a moment, she clenched a fist and a thin, hazy outline of a sword appeared in her hand.

"Emi."

She looked for the voice to find Maou looking meaningfully at her. His eyebrows were scrunched, but his mouth had a lopsided, twisted smile. He had a look of devilish charm about him that caused Emi to gulp and blush a little before she stepped inside and kicked off her shoes. She dropped herself gracefully onto a pillow next to Urushihara, then proceeded to punch him off of his.

"Hey," he shouted indignantly, "didn't you guys see that?"

If they did, they did not make it known, because no one said a thing. Emi turned to Suzuno and struck up a conversation to keep things going.

"So, Suzuno, how have these Demons been acting lately, all good on your front?"

"Oh, yes, I suppose they've been alright, though I should tell you, good Sadao seems to have gained an inordinate amount of power recently, from work, he claims. Not that he's been doing anything wrong with it, but the thought of evil has crossed Ashiya's mind. Oh, and Sadao made the most outlandish accusations about me having two demonic boyfriends. If I hadn't grasped the humor in his statement, I'd have crushed him then and there," Suzuno said happily as she sipped at a can of soda.

"Yes, I think the King of Demons could do with a good crushing," Emi said, glancing at Maou and giving him a smirk.

"Wow," Urushihara said, "after the deep conversation you two had last night, I thought you would be a lot nicer to Maou. Never thought you'd turn on him so easily."

"You told him," Emi asked Maou indignantly.

"No! He heard me through the walls when he was hiding in the closet. I didn't say anything," Maou said, holding up his hands.

Emi's brow furrowed and her eye twitched as she glared at Lucifer, who ducked beneath the table so that Emi couldn't hit him again. Still, Emi aimed a sharp kick at him from under the table and the assembled heard a thud and a yelp from Urushihara.

"That's what happens when you talk too much," said a voice from the door.

It was Chiho, looking freshly cleaned and changed after a long shift at work. When she kicked off her shoes and came in, sitting between Emi and Suzuno, she sighed as her legs folded, sore and tired as they were from a day of standing at the register. Now that they were all there, the majority of Ente Isla's immigrants, it felt like a true gathering. Everyone dug into the snack cakes and the treats, along with the fine assortment of finger foods Crestia Bell had prepared. They sat around the table and talked for a time, relaxing after rather long and dull days of working, housekeeping and other menial tasks required for living. It was odd, seeing Emi and Maou commiserate about their work hours, and it was strange hearing Suzuno and Ashiya talk about cleaning and general responsibilities as the heads of their houses. Even Lucifer and Chiho talked, though that might have been because Chiho was the only one willing to talk with him at that point. Urushihara absolutely loved technology, and Chiho was subscribed to a tech magazine, so she let Urushihara use her tablet to view the magazine she had.

"I never would have guessed that Urushihara and Chi would get along so well," Maou observed, sitting against the wall by Emi.

Together they watched as the partygoers became somewhat loud and rambunctious, but it was the weekend, time to rest relax and recuperate. Ashiya and Suzuno were having a cooking competition, both using the same ingredients to make different dishes. Chiho and Urushihara were now comparing the specs of the Devil's Castle laptop to Chi's tablet.

"Me neither," Emi said through a mouthful of cake.

"Still, I suppose that's a good thing. It actually reminds me, I wanted to talk to you about something," Maou said quietly.

Emi looked at Maou, her cheeks still puffed out from the cake she was eating. Even with her mouth full she was beautiful, and Maou's vision flashed, showing her as she was in his dream last night. A dress, cut high upon the thighs, a clear blouse, a flickering fire and a violent rhythm as Emi swung her hips to the beat. Maou blanched and came back to Earth, where Emi was looking slightly concerned, having swallowed her cake.

"Why are we whispering," she asked in an undertone.

"It's important," Maou said, "let's go outside."

Maou stood and offered Emi his hand, which she took after a moment of hesitation. Together they stood and waked past Suzuno and Ashiya, who were threatening each other with large, sharp kitchen knives. Out of the apartment they went, out of the porch and down the steps, all the way out until they were leaning against the cinder block wall outside the shabby apartment building.

"So, what's this about," Emi asked, slightly more on guard than before.

"Emi, I needed to talk to you about us."

The way Maou said it made Emi's face go red and she looked perplexed, dumbfounded and scandalized all at once. Maou, however, giggled slightly at the realization he'd made them sound like an item.

"That sounded a little less awkward in my head. Anyway, I wanted for us to talk about our future together… dammit, I did it again!"

He looked conflicted, for each time he tried to get his motives out and in the open, it sounded like he were going to drop to one knee and propose to her on the spot. He exhaled deeply and regained his confidence, then tried again.

"Emi, I wanted to propose a deal of sorts. What do you say, does another deal with the Devil sound like an option?"

Emi looked interested, though she said nothing. Maou took that as a good sign and continued.

"I have talked over our… situation… with my troops and we-uh- well we believe that a truce may be the best way to deal with what's to come."

"You talked to your roommates about what we did," Emi hissed, pushing Maou against the wall by his collar.

"No, but I needed to give them a reason for our rather neutral attitude towards each other, they don't know any details, other than the fact that I stayed the night at your apartment," Maou said lamely.

Emi looked slightly apologetic and let go of Maou's collar, then she frowned and fixed it for him, making it even and unwrinkled, as it was before she reacted. Maou slightly slid away from her as she once more took her place beside him against the wall. She cleared her throat and looked away from the Demon King, frowning and blushing slightly.

"So, they only know a little bit… what's this about a truce?"

"Well, I was thinking, what if, at some point, we all went back to Ente Isla? What would happen? Where would we go, how would people react? How would we react to each other?"

"Ok, so what are you getting at?"

Maou stepped away from the wall and stood right in front of Emi, forcing her to meet his eye and to see the seriousness of his proposal.

"Emi, when I became the Demon King, there was no magic amongst us, there were no official languages, no nothing, just a bunch of wandering tribes warring with one another, hunted and picked off by humans. I was taught to speak and use magic by an Arcangel, who found me when I was weak and dying. She gave me life, even though I fought her, and she initially sparked my interest in humans. Emi, I realize that I hurt humans, and I know I was wrong to do so. I wanted nothing more than for all of us to live together, happily ever after, just like the stories, but the demons I commanded wanted blood, and they took it without my blessing. I'm not assigning blame, I know the blood of the innocents who died is on my hands, but I think that given how much I've learned here, and how much we've accomplished together, we could actually work together in Ente Isla."

Emi looked at Maou, her green eyes piercing his red ones, and she blinked, crossing her arms. Emi did not look happy, nor did she look sad, she looked rather unsure and pessimistic at best.

"And so you think that the people will just forgive you, and that they will just forget your sins?"

"No, I don't expect them to, but I want a better place for demons to live, and you want a safer world for humans. If my death would bring peace amongst the humans and would allow them to accept demonkind as a friend and neighbor, then I think I would be willing to make that sacrifice, Emi. I want peace, I want unity, I want prosperity, and with the human and demon races united, progress would be inevitable! Just think, thousands of new ways of looking at problems would emerge. For every human problem, there is a demon with a solution and vice versa! We could do so much to bring about a world of peace, and I was thinking that if you deemed me worthy after our time here, and if you thought me to be of superior quality after our lives as humans, maybe we could reunite in Ente Isla and we could work together to bring about this peace."

"Do you really believe that we would trust you? Do you really think that humans would just take my word for it and believe you to be reformed?"

"Again, no. As I said, I'm prepared to die for the chance of peace. In fact, I've sort of resigned to that."

Emi was stunned. Here, in front of her, the Demon King was touting that he would one day sacrifice himself for the sake of peace. And to Emi's surprise, she found herself upset and saddened by the thought of his death.

"So, you would just run away again and leave the world to fend for itself, typical demon!"

"If you have a better suggestion for my penance," Maou said, leaning in dangerously close to Emi, "I'd be glad to hear it."

Maou pushed his face into hers, forcing her to acknowledge his determination and his loyalty to his kin. In that moment, Emi found that she truly did not want Maou dead, which made her head spin. Or perhaps that was Maou's scent, intoxicating as it was. And he was so close, she could see the lines on his face as he frowned….Emi snapped out of it and realized once more that they were discussing the fate of the world.

"I… I don't know," Emi admitted, turning her gaze away from Maou's intense red eyes.

"Well, I do," Maou said, once more leaning against the wall, right next to Emi.

"The humans will want blood price," Maou continued, stuffing his hands into his pockets, "and I'll pay it to see the day humans and demons can live in harmony. And when I die, you should be the one to kill me."

Emi's eyes widened and she turned to look at Maou, who was watching the ground at his feet intently.

"Why?"

"The Hero should be the one to kill the Demon King. Look at it this way, after killing me, I guarantee you will hold more sway than the Church. When you are in this delicate position of power, I want… no, I don't want, I ask that you do all you can to play the Devil's Advocate, literally, as I won't be there to speak for my people. Ashiya and Urushihara will help you, too. And when all is said and done there will be peace for all, the mighty Hero, Emilia Justina, will reign as a kind and wise leader. Ashiya and Urushihara can serve as your advisors, maybe you can form a council and you can sort of take a step back as society grows and expands."

As Maou spoke, Emi could almost see the future he'd laid out come to pass. It was such a well laid plan, and if she agreed, it could mean the end of a millennia old war.

"You've really thought this through," Emi said carefully.

"When you are born with an incredibly long lifespan, your plans generally take years to complete, this human aspect of planning only weeks or months in advance in ridiculous," Maou replied.

"What about Ashiya, Urushihara and all the other demons, won't you miss them?"

"More than you know. I've known Alciel the longest, and he's always been a loyal, trustworthy general, and the best friend I could have asked for. I'll miss this world, too, and all I've gleaned from living in it. I'll even miss Crestia Bell, Urushihara, Chiho… and you," Maou said quietly.

"You'd miss me," Emi asked.

"Yes," Maou said, "I would, at the very least, miss the good times we shared, surviving in a strange and foreign world. And if I never get the chance, thanks for everything. You've actually been very kind and considerate to a few vile demons, we can't even begin to repay you for your mercy."

Maou stood from the wall and turned to Emi again, but this time he kept a respectful distance and bowed in a traditional Japanese way, his hands clasped tightly together.

My goodness, this is the first time in a long time I've actually added to this story. It took a very dark turn there, though, what with Maou spouting his sacrifice logic. Still, I think this is a much better pace for a romance themed story... and if your a music lover, I actually had a very specific song in mind for the chapter as I wrote it.

When The Day Met The Night- Panic! At the Disco