Chapter Two- Claiming

Kuwabara hurried up the steps, eager to see his fiancée. Kurama had reported last night, which was Monday, that Yukina was her usual sweet self and looked forward to seeing him. This news thrilled him as he knew foxes could be aggressive and Yukina's opposing powers had made her dangerous and angry. But Hiei was able to calm her and Kurama told me that he had coached her in curbing the aggression.

He reached the compound and the demons who lived there greeted him warmly. He returned their greetings and asked for Yukina's location. Nero directed him to Yukina's private garden; a spot easily accessible through the main garden but only Yukina tended that one spot. He went to the garden and saw her tending to flowers that had only existed on her floating island home until she had transplanted some of them here and used their seeds to grow more. He watched her use her ice powers on the flowers and admired her fox demon form. He had seen it on Friday but events had made it hard to admire her in peace and calm. He took the opportunity now and he smiled.

Her new form is just as pretty as her old one, he thought before walking toward her. She looked up and gave a bright smile as her eyes lit up at his presence. "Hi, Kazuma," she greeted as he kneeled beside her. "I was looking forward to seeing you today ever since you called last night."

"Me too. I was working on a project over the weekend and then had homework last night."

"You don't need to explain. I'm proud that you are working so hard to graduate."

"It'll pay off too. Graduation is getting closer and I've already been accepted to the college my school is afflicted with."

"That's wonderful."

"I'll come by when I have the graduation tickets. I want you to see it."

"I would love to. You know I've mastered my illusion powers, right?"

"I do and I'd like to hear what else you've learned."

"Well, Kurama coached me in keeping calm and in control of my aggressive nature. He suggested I use my ice apparition side to aid in that. The thing is I'm not an ice apparition anymore. Hiei suggested I cry to test that theory and I shed a normal tear."

"So, you're all fox then, huh?"

Yukina nodded. "Hiei then showed me how to create a shield of fire energy. After they left, I practiced making one with ice energy yesterday. Watch." Yukina summoned her ice energy and a dome shield enveloped them.

Kuwabara put a hand to it to find it solid and cold; indeed it was cold inside the barrier as well. "Impressive, but it's kind of cold."

"Oh! Sorry." She dropped the barrier and continued, "Kurama then said I can become an actual fox that talks. I look unusual with my colors."

"Would make a quick getaway if you need to."

"I'd like to show you."

Kuwabara adjusted himself to a cross-legged position before saying, "Go ahead, my love." He startled a little as Yukina took fox form and then climbed into his lap and laid down. He reached out and began to stroke her from head to the base of the tail. He heard her sigh with content before saying, "I like this." She gave a soft growl of pleasure as Kuwabara scratched her chin. Kuwabara chuckled and Yukina yipped at his laugh which make him laugh some more.

Yukina then sniffed the air several times. There was a scent in the air she hadn't noticed before and she felt her mating desire welling up inside her. She breathed in deeply to identify the scent and its source. She managed to figure out both quickly: The scent of her chosen mate with Kuwabara as the source. She swallowed hard. Kurama was right: The urge was strong. I want to officially make Kazuma my mate, but he's human and we're already engaged. That should be enough, but my instincts say it's not. She whined at the internal conflict.

"Yukina? What's wrong?"

She looked up at him, leaped off him, and resumed her demon form. "There's one more thing Kurama told me. He smelled a scent on me that indicated that I am ready to have a mate. Not necessarily to have a family," she said, the last part said quickly when Kuwabara looked alarmed. "That's a different urge and won't surface until both are ready. What I'm feeling is a desire to have you as my mate and I will be aggressive in my desire."

"When you say mate, is that the demon equivalent of being married?"

"Well, yes, but I'm willing to consider us engaged in this case as we already are in the human sense." Yukina then began to pant and her tail swished back and forth rapidly as her desire rose and Kuwabara's scent filled her nose. "Oh, Kazuma," she moaned breathlessly. "I love you so much. I want us to be mates." She leaned forward, lust and desire shining in her red eyes.

Kuwabara's mind raced as Yukina succumbed to her mating desire. It was clear that she couldn't fight it and that she would follow through on her desire with or without his consent. There's no harm in us becoming mates. Yukina said that the actual mating urge won't happen until we're both ready.

"All right, Yukina," he said. "We'll be mates. What do we-," He was cut off when Yukina pushed him onto his back and she got on top of him.

"Just follow my lead," she said in a sweet, enticing voice. She unbuttoned his uniform jacket halfway before sliding the left part aside exposing a tank top. She gently ran her fingers over the strap before pushing it over and lunging forward, her fangs piercing his shoulder.

Kuwabara's eyes bulged in pain and he cried out until she withdrew. He gasped and grimaced at the pain but Yukina simply gazed softly at him.

"Now, it's your turn. Mark me like I did to you."

Kuwabara pushed aside the throbbing in his shoulder to expose Yukina's left shoulder and biting it as best as he could. Yukina hissed as he bit down but growled in satisfaction when he withdrew. "Thank you, Kazuma," she said, now sounding normal.

"You're…welcome," Kuwabara managed to say as Yukina got off him and he sat up, a hand to the shoulder.

"Kazuma?" she asked, concerned. "I'm sorry. I didn't think I bit you that hard."

"You didn't, but it still hurts."

She gently pushed his hand aside to assess the damage. Blood welled up from the mark and she delicately licked it away before using her healing power to ease the pain but left the mark as it told all that he was mated and that she was that mate as some of her scent and energy was in it.

"Does that feel better?" she asked.

"A bit. So, you still have your healing powers too."

"My change didn't affect the powers I already had while unlocking my fire half and making me a fox that can be aggressive at times."

"Will the actual mating be just as aggressive and intense?"

"Could be. It kind of depends on what you do." She snuggled up to him. "But we'll worry about that at another time."

"Yeah. Another time." He put an arm around her shoulders and tried to ignore the remaining pain and throbbing from the bite. His blood felt like it was on fire and he only hoped that it was just a temporary side effect of being bitten by a fox demon.