This is my first story here on . I can't promise that I'll update regularly, but I'll do my best. :) This story is written for my enjoyment; I'm posting it here so that you guys can read it, too. Review, if you'd like, and suggest ideas as well, but flaming is not welcome.

I'd like to thank my cousin Madarao The Authoress for being an awesome beta! Without her, this first chapter probably would not have ever been completed. She's amazing, so if you guys haven't read any of her work, check her out!

I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of its sexy characters, but I do own Ashton and any other original characters I may decide to throw in.

The night was calm, quiet. A gentle breeze rustled through the trees' leaves. The full moon illuminated the lands. The chirp of crickets and the occasional croak of a frog or hoot of an owl filled the air. The night's siren song gave the illusion that everything within the universe was as it should be.

A faint whimper interrupted the orchestrated music. It was not human or animalistic, yet somewhere in-between. It was quiet, but even after the sound had faded away, the music did not begin again.

A girl stumbled from the forest. Stopping at the edge, she leaned against one of the trees. She was small and petite in stature. A blood soaked silk kimono clothed her frame; it was ripped in several places to reveal deep wounds. Purple bruises blossomed, standing out in stark contrast against her pale skin. Hair that had once been silky and smooth was now matted with blood. Perched atop her head was a set of fox ears, fuzzy enough that they almost appeared to be unreal. They were very much real, though, twitching even as they took in the softest sounds.

Using the tree for support still, she closely examined her surroundings. Nearby were three houses, each separated by a fence. Two of the backyards, she noted, were cluttered with children's toys. It was the third house, though, that really caught her eye. A large flower garden took up most of the free space. The girl could make out the shapes of rose bushes, pots of herbs, and beds of daisies and tulips. Seemingly interested, she slowly began to walk towards the garden and house, pain showing on her face with each step she took. She passed by the plants, though, as if they weren't even there; her grey eyes were locked on the house's backdoor. To her, it seemed as if an eternity had passed by before she reached her destination. Fighting off fatigue, she raised a small, clenched fist and knocked on the door, hoping to wake the house's occupants. Lady Luck must have been smiling on her at that time, for the door soon opened.

"Help me," the girl pleaded before succumbing to the darkness that had for the longest time been swimming at the edges of her vision. She swayed on her feet for a moment before she began to fall backwards. A pair of arms reached out and grabbed her, saving her from hitting the ground.

"I don't know who you are, but even I cannot ignore your plea," spoke the redhead who now cradled the girl in his arms. He watched her for a long minute before he turned and walked back inside, closing the door with his foot. She did not stir as he carried her upstairs, and she was still unresponsive as he laid her down on his bed. Picking up a small, round, purple object off of his desk, he slipped out of the room and went back outside to his garden. Out by his roses, he opened the compact-like device.

"Botan?"

A crackling sound met the handsome boy's ears. It was soon replaced by a yawn as the face of the aforementioned, sleepy-eyed, blue-haired grim reaped flickered onto the screen.

"Kurama? Do you have any idea what time it is?" she sleepily asked. Kurama gave her a sheepish smile before teasingly replying,

"Judging by the fact that you're in pajamas and not acting all cheery, I'd say that it's quite early." Botan's cheeks flushed as she looked down at her clothes. She was wearing a spring green tank top with the word 'Bingo!' on it in rhinestones, as well as a pair of black pajama pants.

The communicator screen went black, and for a moment, Kurama wondered if the connection to Spirit World had been lost. He was debating closing the device when Botan came back onto the screen. She'd pulled a robe on over her pajamas.

"Yes, well…" She covered her mouth and yawned. "As much as I love being woken up for early morning chats, I doubt that's why you've contacted me. What's up, Kurama?" The man took a deep breath before he began to tell Botan about the girl who'd shown up at his house, the condition she'd been in, and the two word's she'd spoken to him. He finished by saying,

"Botan, I know it's early in the morning, but could you please come over? I'm sure she'd be very appreciative if you cared for her wounds in my place." The reaper blinked a couple of times before nodding. After promising that she'd soon be over, the connection ended. Kurama, though, did not turn to go back inside.

He had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind, the kind where you know you've met someone, but you're unable to stick a name or place to their face. Kurama knew he'd seen the girl somewhere, but he didn't know who she was or where they'd met. Even Youko was unable to shed any light on the situation.

Shrugging off the feeling, Kurama went back inside. He found a first aid kit and a spare set of his pajamas. He placed those in his desk chair for Botan to use when she arrived.

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Pain. Coming to her senses, that was all the girl really knew. It seemed to come from all over, dominating her every sense and thought. As she began to wake up more, the discomfort and hurting seemed to fade into the background, making way for details of her surroundings: an unfamiliar room, faint voices from somewhere nearby, and the smell of roses.

Roses. A flash of a recent scene popped into the girl's mind. She was walking through a garden where the roses' perfume hung heavy in the air. At the time, she had not paid very much attention to her surroundings. She remembered concentrating on making it to the door of the house without falling or passing out.

"That house… That must be where I am," she mumbled, opening her eyes as she sat up in the bed. She winced slightly; her muscles were sore and stiff. She looked around the room for a moment before she walked out. Pausing in the hallway, she listened to the hushed voices for a moment. From what she could tell, there were five people in the downstairs area of the house, four males and one female. Silently praying that they were good people and not enemies, she found the staircase and descended. All eyes turned to look at her as she reached the bottom step, and for a long while, no one spoke. Botan finally broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Oh goody, you're awake!" the bubbly girl exclaimed. She grinned and looked at her comrades. She introduced the four to the girl, ending by telling her own name.

"It's nice to meet all of you. Thank you for everything you've done for me," the girl gratefully replied. "My name is Ashton Kumari."

"A pretty name to go with a beautiful face," the carrot top that Botan had introduced as Kuwabara commented. Rising from his position on the couch, he crossed the room to where Ashton was standing. He took both of her hands in his own and stared deep into her eyes. Surprised, Ashton shifted uncomfortably.

"Beautiful, fair maiden, would you do me the honor of becoming my girlfriend?" Ashton was not given a chance to respond before Yusuke pulled Kuwabara away and hit him in the head.

"I thought you had eyes only for Yukina. Better not break her heart, dumb ass," the detective said. The two began to argue, so Botan led Ashton over to where Kurama and Hiei were sitting.

"Please excuse their behavior, Ms. Kumari," Kurama told his guest. He gave her a friendly smile. "I'm afraid that they don't know any better. They usually can't survive for five minutes without starting a fight with each other."

"They're idiots," said the red-eyed Hiei. The three looked over at the demon. He was perched in the window sill, eyes closed. After a moment, he got to his feet and walked over to Ashton. "But you… You are a demon. What are you doing here in the Human Realm?" Ashton looked away from the demon's gaze. The room fell silent once more, and she felt all eyes on her again, waiting for her to speak.

"I was being pursued in the plains of Demon World. I must have stumbled upon a portal to here… But I'm not exactly sure," she quietly replied. "I can't even tell you where I'm originally from. All I can really tell you is that I'm an ice kitsune, and I'm being hunted for some reason."

Yay! The first chapter is complete! May anyone who bothered to read this enjoy it. :)
And review also, pretty, pretty please! The reviews are what will keep me alive, and without me living, I kind of can't update this.

Much love,
Pandah