Basic disclaimer: The Kuro characters aren't mine, much as I love them. Talen/Carissa and her kitty are mine though.

Warning: This story will contain the following: language, violence, sex or at least sexual references, mpreg,drama and possible future warnings as it progresses.

Extra story notes that could be of miscellaneous interest (trivia tidbits, thoughts on chapter) are at the end.

Chapter 1: As Evening Descends

Another mission accomplished and Talen was happy to be returning home. She didn't work as often as most of her colleagues, but she was considered a "Special Agent". Part of a small team of highly-skilled field agents who took on some of the more dangerous tasks. That didn't bother her much, she was capable and paid handsomely for the risk.

For the past half week or so she was roaming the countryside on her latest mission. A soul that did not want to be ushered to the other side. The human knew death was approaching and put up quite a chase. Their record put up an equally daunting fight. The human was extremely ill, and seemed to think that by running they could escape their fate.

Walking through familiar city streets, she came to a quiet side street. Aside from being taller than most people, she looked like anybody from the city's "freak scene". Her hair was razor cut slightly past her chin, with a light, feathery appearance. It was black with ruby streaking that would look like a crimson halo when the sun shone through it. Her attire was basic business style.

Reaching the familiar door she knew that any stress would dissipate. Here she could be who she wants to be, not what she was expected to be. She was not Talen Falcata the half-blood, the demon-slayer. She even hated the name Talen, it made her feel like all she was nothing but a weapon. The surname, a completely contrived one, was just as bad. The name was bestowed upon her at birth by the man who raised her.

Being half demon wasn't that pleasant. She was born from the union of two beings considered mortal enemies. Never could she see that part of her blood as kin, all her life she was raised to hate demons. She despised that part of herself as well because it made life that much more difficult. At least she wasn't born with the need to devour souls for sustenance, her demon blood came out more in her appearance and heightened senses.

The door creaked open and she entered the building. Hanging in the air was the faint scent of cookies,a fresh batch must have been made a couple hours ago. It mingled well with the flowers, someone's funeral was soon.

A familiar figure came out of one of the preparation room, greeting her with his usual smile, "You're back Carissa, wasn't sure when I'd be expecting you."

She smiled at the man, who used her middle name, he was the only one allowed to call her by it. She thought it was a nice name, a sign that somebody in her past cared for her, or so she hoped. It seemed so incongruous amidst a name that signified a warrior. In the past she fought for a legal change only for her guardian at the time to refuse. Now she only wanted those closest to her to use it. It became a sign of trust.

"Hey Undertaker, I noticed you made more cookies today," she smiled back at him while slipping her boots off.

"Always need a fresh batch for us... and our visitors," he chuckled, "I'll get started on dinner once I'm done with my latest guest."

"Take your time, I'm taking a bath first. My latest mission left me a little sore, I need to relax," she took off her jacket and hung it on a hook, "I'm filing the reports for tomorrow. Those bastards at the office can wait."

"Okay, I'll see you soon," and with that he was back in the embalming room/laboratory.

Talen went upstairs, where a decent apartment was located. Most people would feel uneasy about living in a funeral parlor, but the residents were not typical. The whole building had been renovated to keep up with the times and living customers' wishes. There was the entrance/office area where many old instruments were now kept behind glass cases. Behind the desk sat the old anatomy mannequin. It gave the room a museum-like feel, which became part of the charm in its own creepy way. Off to the side was a viewing room for families that wanted calling hours to see their dead loved ones. Tucked near the back was an embalming room and laboratory for working with the cadavers that was actually pretty state-of-the-art. There was also a coffin room, for clientele who wanted an old fashioned coffin, retro was in style now. It also served as Undertaker's bedroom most nights, he still liked sleeping in his favorite coffin.

The apartment itself was modest, and mostly filled with things Talen accumulated over the years. Predominantly books, movies and clothing. It had a well-stocked kitchen with some interesting kitchen ware that included beakers, scalpels, urns and other various tools as well as traditional kitchen supplies. The living room had a decent entertainment center and some comfortable furniture in dark colors. The bedroom in back was acquired by Talen as Undertaker hardly ever used it.

Heading to the bathroom, she began drawing a bath, adding an oil bead that released a soothing lavender scent. Letting the water run, Talen went into the kitchen to get a few cookies from an urn in to nibble on. Then she went the bedroom room to get a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and a book to read while soaking. She wasn't sure if she would be reading or not, but just in case. On the bed a fluffy red cat lay curled up in sleep. His name was Charun, she took him in as a stray kitten a few years back. She was particularly fond of cats, as like her, they did everything on her own terms. Apparently, according to Undertaker, her Father loved cats too.

"And how is my kitty today? I missed you," she ran her fingers through the soft fur and he blinked at her with sleepy gold eyes before purring.

She fawned over the feline for a few more minutes before returning to the bathroom. Shedding her uniform she climbed into the claw-footed tub. The hot water felt great on her sore muscles and she could already feel the tension ease out of her. She set the book aside on a table, and placed her silver framed glasses on top of it. Leaning back she closed her eyes and just relaxed.

How long had she been living like this? It must be nearly a decade now, but like many beings with a long life span such time frames really didn't matter. Living here was great in her mind, her own place of comfort. Not to mention she was living with someone she could consider her best friend with benefits. They were lovers, but friendship was first and foremost. Talen never thought much about romantic love, but at the same time they never saw anybody else. He may have been centuries older, but he still looked fairly youthful under the long robes and amazingly long silver hair. He was still young at heart, in his playful and sometimes impish nature. Not that age mattered once adulthood was reached.

A gentle knock at the door brought Talen back from her mental drifting, "You alright in there? I don't feel like having you as my next customer. Although you would leave a pretty corpse heh heh."

"I may have the live fast part down, but I don't plan on dying young sweetie!" she laughed. "I'm just daydreaming."

"Well I just wanted to let you know I was thinking of spaghetti for dinner, I had a busy day with my guests."

"That's fine, and maybe after we can watch a movie. I found a bunch of old cheesy ones at the thrift shop last week."

"Sounds like a plan m'dear. I'm sure you picked out some delightful ones."

"I'll be out soon then."

Washing up quickly, Talen finished her bath and got herself dried and put on some scented lotion and spray before dressing. It was the most refreshed she'd felt in days. It wasn't until then she realized how hungry she actually was and couldn't wait for dinner. Making her way to the small dining area in the kitchen she rummaged around the cupboards for a glass and some scotch.

"Just in time, I made sure to put extra garlic in the garlic bread."

"Awesome," she grabbed the bread to set on the table, "I'm starving!"

"Well aren't we eager tonight."

"As always," she smirked and took a sip from her glass. "It's been a few days since I've had a decent meal."

"What shall I do with you?" he smiled at her while dishing out their dinner.

She adored his smile, finding it to be reassuring. Many other people would think otherwise, but Talen knew Undertaker was more than just some creepy fellow. That smile to her meant things were okay.

In turn he had no issue with her living with him. She was someone who provided company, as much as he enjoyed the company of his guests there was no way they could respond to him. Another living being wasn't too much of an issue, some days they had little interaction with each other, keeping to their own business. When she felt like it she was helpful, having no problem in helping to build a coffin or keeping the shop in order.

Dinner was fairly quiet after that. It was simple, but delicious and just what she needed. Feeling a little fuzzy from the scotch, Talen went to the main room and searched through the DVDs she had gotten but hadn't had a chance to look at. Most of them were old American B movies, cheap horror that was more ridiculous than frightening. Selecting one she threw it in the DVD player.

"Find anything interesting there?"

"Of course I have," she flashed a grin, "when have I not found something interesting? I came across an old classic actually."

"Oooh delightful!"

Talen grabbed the remote and sat on the couch next to Undertaker. This was probably going to be the highlight of the day, a B movie and then some sleep. Charun wandered into the room and Talen immediately pulled him into her lap for cuddling. Yes, this was the highlight of her day.

Author's notes:

A falcata is a type of sword that's been around since ancient times. It wasn't called a falcata until the 1870s, and is derived from the latin language. All this name stuff is going to play in later when I get to the actual drama.

I used the Etruscan spelling of Charon, their culture usually depicted him as a redhead who would lead you to death by bashing you in the head with a hammer. Not the ferryman we think of when we hear that name.

I also think Undertaker would totally be the type to watch old B movies for fun in modern times.