chapter two was done a lot fast then i thought it would be... oh well enjoy and R&R

Chapter Two: Taken

It was times like these that I really wish college took up my free time.

So that I would know what day it was, or what time it was, or have time to worry about shallow and petty things. Things that I knew would happen and were rather absurd at that.

…Then why had I been staring at the phone like some crazy person for the past hour?

It was Sunday the only day Kurama had work off, and it was seven P.M.; the normal time he called me. But he had yet to and so on that note my mind started coming up with all of these reason for him not to call.

Was he hurt? Had something happen to his family? Was he fighting some unknown demon? Was he laying somewhere bleeding to death?! Or worse: was he cheating on me?!

I groaned and turned over on my bed stuffing a pillow over my face. This was insane! He was fine, he wasn't cheating on me; he wasn't that kind of a person. He was probably out doing something instead of spending money making a long distance call.

Maybe we should start doing email…

I huffed again and then I heard a sigh. For a moment everything was quiet in the room. Then the pillow was yanked from my face and a pale hand came down and pulled me into a sitting position. Blinking I stared into the eyes of one annoyed looking Reka. Oh dear, this couldn't end well. She crossed her arms looking at me with a hard expression. I smiled slightly, making the mistake of looking at my phone.

"That's it! I'm taking you to go see a movie or to get ice cream or something! You need to stop acting like this before I slap you silly!" I blinked before smiling slightly at her. She was right after all.

"Ice cream sounds good…" I hardly had time to finish my sentence before Reka grinned and pulled me up. I turned for a second and grabbed my phone before I was practically dragged from our dorm room.

I had to admit when it came to Reka she didn't take no for an answer and so we drove across town to the small ice cream shop. It had been a good idea and while Reka went with her triple chocolate and caramel ice cream I went for some rainbow sherbet. We ate quietly for a while on the bench outside before Reka asked me the question I had been expecting.

"What's with you anyway? You know Kurama better than you give yourself credit for, and yet you hang on to stuff that would never happen – what's the deal?" I smiled slightly at my friend; it was so hard for me to really see her as a demon sometimes because for the longest time in my eyes she hadn't been. But it made sense now, she'd always been too wise for someone her age and I'm sure a few hundred years could fix that.

"I know…" I muttered finally staring as my feet as I took another bite of the cone "I guess it's because I can't see him wanting to stay with me…" I stopped her before she could say anything. "I mean I know he likes me but I'm human and I won't live near as long as him… I don't want him to grieve over me after I'm gone."

After all even though Kurama would be gone, Yoko would still live and when it came down to it they were the same people, Yoko just seemed to be the colder part of him that had trouble with human manners. Being the same person meant I loved Yoko just as much as I loved Kurama.

The sudden snicker from Reka surprised me and I looked up to see her smiling at me. "What?" I grumbled. Did she really find my reasoning so childish? So silly? I didn't find it silly. She shook her head.

"You don't need to worry about that happening, trust me he will make it so you live as long as he does." I blinked confused.

"But how?" I pondered that for a moment suddenly seeing a senile old women standing next to Yoko and cringing mentally.

Reka hummed a bit finishing her cone. "He'll Mark you." I blinked, confused by the term. She giggled at the face I made. "It's like a demon's wedding ring. The male normally bites the female and leaves a tattoo like marking where ever the bite is." I frowned looking at her. It was a little odd but I could see the benefits to it. For one you couldn't lose it.

"But how would that make me live as long as him?" Reka shifted a bit getting comfortable.

"Well because you're human, there is a kind of side effect when you're marked," she frowned a bit trying to find the best way to explain it. "You see even though you're human, you have demonic genes hidden in your DNA – they're just not active so it's like they don't exist. When a human is marked, the venom used to make the mark also kind of awakens the demonic genes and thus turns that person into a demon. Though the process of that can be a bit painful at times the burst of demonic energy heals any wounds you might have. It's really an interesting process."

By the end of the explanation my mouth was gaping open at her. Me, a demon? That was something I would have never foreseen if I had guessed all my life. "So I wouldn't get old faster than him?" I finally muttered. She shook her head.

"Nope. You'd age, yes, but when demons are full grown our aging slows. Every one human year of aging takes a demon a hundred," she said smiling.

Part of me was worried about all of this but that was drowned out by the interest I had and all the questions I had for her. "Is there a way of telling what kind of demon I would be?" I asked unable to help myself. She laughed a bit rolling her eyes.

"Well you'd be human like because you were human, but depending on what you would be might add features or change them slightly." She pondered for a moment. "You're no fox demon like Kurama sadly; fox are very cunning and take a lot of risks – you really don't do either…."

I glared at her. "Oh gee thanks, Reka."

She laughed a bit rubbing her head. "Only the truth" she pointed out, before pursing her lips. "You could very well be some kind of dog or wolf – they're normally very loyal and competent," she sighed. "I'm not really sure – it's just a guess."

As we drove back I was kind of quiet; I couldn't seem to get my head out of what we'd been talking about. It was all too much, but still it made me feel so …wanted. Not that I wasn't wanted but still.

Oh the other hand I didn't know if I could deal with being a demon. I mean sure I'd live for who knows how long and I'd have Kurama and Reka there with me, but what about my family? What could I say to them when they realized I had stopped aging? I'd have to watch them die over time and keep secrets from them the whole time.

After a moment I felt something wet slide down my face and I flinched, raising my hand and whipping at it. Reka frowned glancing over to me, worried. "Hey you okay?"

I nodded slightly not sure why I was crying. Because, in the long run I knew I had already made my choice. Reka frowned a bit and rather hesitantly turned her gaze back to the road.

And then we were sent flying.

I didn't see what had caused it, all I know is that suddenly it seemed like the car engine blew apart, and the car seemed to split in two. Then Reka and I were sent flying into the air.

I screamed, unable to see, only to feel something slice into my shoulder and then the wind whistling in my ears as I flew down towards the ground. Hitting the ground was worse though, because the pain was swallowed up by the agony that fallowed; there was a crunching sound in the wrist which I had just landed on. The ringing in my ears was low and I couldn't seem to open my eyes just yet.

I heard Reka growl and hiss, and then there were footsteps, and an explosion and a scream.

I bolted up, ignoring the pain as I did so, my eyes scanning the dark road. There weren't any other cars – it was late and no one really traveled this road unless they went to the college. My eyes focused slowly, and I saw Reka laying on the ground, unmoving and a large hole in her shoulder. I gasped, stumbling up and trying to get to her.

"Reka…" I whispered, but didn't move very far before seeing the figure standing a few feet in front of her. He was very beautiful and that only caused me to worry.

His hair was short; it stood up slightly in spiky tufts of glossy black hair that curled around pointed ears. Carmel toned skin surrounded sharp violet purple eyes. His lower face was covered, a mask pulled over his nose and mouth that stopped over his eyes and under his jaw line. Slanted slits were near the mouth and I could just barely see sharp teeth. The rest of him was covered in black; a flowing cloak trailed behind him as his deadly gaze turned to me.

I gasped slightly scuttling back as he moved towards me, a hand glowing. A demon. Another stupid demon was after me. Well okay so it was the first demon… the other had been a tainted angel… but that was beside the point.

"Come here little human," his voice was muffled from the mask, but it still sent chills running up and down my spine. I knew I couldn't out run him, I was trapped and with every step he took I could feel Death's hands creeping closer.

And then my cell phone rang.

With speed I didn't know I had I yanked the phone out of my pocket, glanced at the number and then answered it. "Kura-"

That's all I got out before the phone was ripped from my hand and a foot collided with my gut. I gasped a bit before falling to the ground, my world fading around me quickly. The only thing I could make out was the demon speaking into my phone.

"Yoko Kurama, I presume. If you want to see you precious human alive again, you will come to the Death Hallow Caverns tomorrow at noon. If you aren't there, she will die the way you should have."