Shiuku's Plans

**Aileen POV**

On the center table in Sekai's room I spotted the pile of books I had been attempting to read in the library. The journal had me forgetting about all the information those big thick books could provide me. The DSS would have more value in them than Shiuku's little book of women. I had been selfish, putting my curiosity in front of the task at hand. Selfish... My tongue darted out moistening my lips. Devon really could kiss. My lips still tingled with the fresh memory.
"Hey, Spaced One!" Sekai tapped her foot impatiently. "You barged into my room, demanded I start babysitting your ass and said you wanted to talk."
My feet moved towards the table, picking up my previous selection. "I kissed Devon...or well I kissed him back. He thinks I'm his true love and with the support he supplied I figured just maybe."
"Hmmm... Is that all? You two must have really held back. He is right, Shiuku knows it, I know it, glad you two finally figured it out."
I picked up the book with no title. "I'm really something huh? Shiuku sure is lucky to have cornered a girl like me."
"Oh yes, and you're lucky to have him. A demon lord who hates humans who is already searching for your replacement in the event you do not carry a child; or die." He's what? The demon must really be getting desperate! I'm still alive and mostly well! Why would he be hunting his next target?
"Shiuku has had his goals laid out since he killed the original guardian, but was bested by her. With the rest of her power, she put humanity under her protection, until the final guardian was born. Over the years he had to revise his plans a bit. An heir became very important to him in those centuries of waiting. Someone to help him when he burns the DSS to the ground and can dance on the final guardian's grave." Sekai explained in a cautious tone.
He shouldn't underestimate Lena. She wouldn't go down easy. I could still perfectly picture her kicking every member of her team's ass when we trained. On several occasions she would allow us all to gang up on her. Not a single member was able to so much as scratch her. Then again, Shiuku could twist a head off simply by looking at another person. All demons being terrified of him didn't come from a gentle or weak ruler.
"If he hates humans so much, why the hell does he victimize human girls? Why stalk me and those other three? Well, two. Brintini was the only one he cared about." I swallowed hard. "And I still feel guilty kissing Devon. A decade later and fake Sir Alaric was right, I acted like a slut, a bitch in hate wagging my tail when Devon got close."
Sekai slapped the back of my head with one of the books; the largest. An eyebrow cocked, daring me to stand against her. I said nothing. The book flew behind her head as she prepared for another assault. This time I dodged, spun on my heel, and put a chair in between us. My brain had suffered enough injuries for this week. Or however long it had been. Devon never told me the length of my nap.
She made an exasperated sound and used the book as a pointer at me. "You two are true loves. Shiuku and you never had anything real. It was all smoke and mirrors curtasy of Devon being stupid. I'm jealous of you two! I've been stuck in this damn castle, or his previous hideout for the last two hundred years. I'll just be stuck with that dumb shit 'boyrfriend' Shiuku gave me to! I can tell you right now, being forced to be with someone is horrible. But if I found my true love, I would be on him in a second. We'd both be doing the dirtiest kinkiest sex ever heard of and the whole castle would hear our sweet torturous moans!"
I'd never seen that twinkle in her eyes before. The demon girl yearned to find her true love. How could I not see the relationship she and that man shared was unhealthy? He only called on her when his dick was hard.
Damn, I was so stuck in my own head and issues, that I never saw just how much my friends were suffering. They hid their misery with jokes or blank stares. One kept herself light and teasing. The other kept a quiet and stoic profile.
Sidling up to Sekai, I reached for the book. It was time to start studying. It was only a matter of time till Devon was ordered to go out on another mission. A letter had to be written to my Father for him to take. This one would prove more useful then the sad ones we had exchanged thus far. I could find something valuable and convince everyone to rescue Devon.
He was more than worthy of having a family for once in his life. Mine had to accept him, and grow away from their prior scorned egos. We would fail if we didn't band together. Shiuku had already taken down too much of the DSS. More allies...that was it!
Sekia and Devon weren't the only ones here out of fear, I was sure of it. The one bad thing about leading solely from those afraid of death; offer an out and they will leave you. Lena can undo his mark! They won't be bound like they were for the previous centuries. Join the final guardian. Maybe Shiuku will give up then, or come to a compromise. We all have to make sacrifices, it was time for Shiuku to as well. Yes, there was so much studying to get done preferably while no extra weight from an evil aura was engulfing me.
I sat down ready to dig into the delicious information Sekai had brought up from the library for me.
"Hey, I just got a text from Devon, I'm supposed to go back to the torture wing...Devon is in an important discussion, so Jacob should be outside the door. If you need him, just holler."
She bent down to whisper in my ear a response to my previously unanswered question, "he chooses humans because he wants a child who will be a strong elemental, someone to keep his idea of order, but not be able to overthrow him. Shiuku can't risk a more powerful demon being born; so make his baby a half. He'll still be stronger than most demons and can rule over the humans. He's cautious enough to know there would always be a chance his son could try to dethrone him. Keep him half human solves that. Shiuku is a cunning bastard."
Sekai ruffled my hair like a I was a toddler and went off to the torture room. A grim look made her pretty features seem longer. Another order she didn't like? I toyed with the charms on my new necklace. I could do this, nothing she said was that surprising, Shiuku always thought like a chess player. Well, the Queen was finished dancing around to her King's tune. The black side was about to face a revolution, given I could play this right.
I glanced back at the piles of text. She had more books than I had initially selected. Mine were stacked in a pile. Three others rested on their spines next to them. This would take me longer than I thought.
"Jacob!"
In the biggest rush I had ever seen Jacob move, he burst through the door. A sword was already drawn as he took in the condition of the room. That gave me an idea.
I held out my hand, palm up. "Give me your sword."
Jacob gulped nervously now. To his credit, the cowardly knight killer handed his most deadly weapon to the girl who had stabbed him recently. Either he was braver, or just really wanted death to end the personal hell he landed himself in. I stabbed the blade deep into the floor not caring if my friend got mad at her ruined carpet. Jacob blinked, not sure of what he was witnessing.
"You don't need a sword asshole. It's time you start repaying me for Kalum's death. Get to reading, find anything interesting, bring it to my attention. Otherwise, you'll help me exercise. I have a lot of anger to work off and your face looks like the perfect sand bag." I smirked evilly. The wickedness that plagues all of us was hopeful he would choose the violent option.
Jacob pulled out the chair across from me. "So what are we researching?"
He refused to say my name since I read the three letters. It irked me at first, but I understood as time moved forward. He belittled himself like he was nothing more than a slave. He may have called me Master if I asked. His well-being and future was in my hands now.
"You're going to help me figure out what Shiuku's goals are. What are his plans now that the final guardian is alive? If he wins, what comes of this world and will it spread to others? Are there any battle strategies we can assume he will utilize? I want anything we can find to report." I winked at him, "and you're going to aid me in all these wonderful books. Keep your mouth shut and this will be our little secret."
*I still want to beat you to an awful ugly puddle of gore though.*