KopyKat: I would like to reply to one of my reviews. Yes, I know that fox demons don't act like how Kurama's acting. But think, he's only a child. In the anime InuYasha, InuYasha wasn't always the badass that he is now. When he was a little kid, he was sweet & shy, totally opposite to how he is now. Youko will eventually become cold & by the end of this fic, I will give a reason for him to be cold.

Botan plops down on what seemed like a chair and glances around at her surroundings, interested. This was the first time that she was inside of a demon's lair, or in this case, a den. If it weren't for the fact that this particular demon was nice, she would either be terrified, or be dead. She opens her mouth to say something, but her stomach seems to do her talking for her. She blushes and smiles nervously, "Uh... it looks like I'm hungry..."

He looks at her, his fox ears twitching, "Well, go out hunting. You CAN hunt, can't you?" The girl's silence was convincing and he sighs, "Can't you humans do ANYTHING?" Silence again. He stares at her dully, his ears flattened slightly, "Fine, I'm getting hungry too anyway. Do you like rabbit or deer? There's also fish, but I don't feel like getting wet."

She clasps her hands together, "Rabbit sounds great!"

He walks towards the mouth of the cave, "While I'm gone, start a fire." He looks at her over his shoulder, "You CAN do that, can't you?" She nods, much to his relief. The kit leaves to do some hunting, "Good, 'cause I can't."

The bluenette watches him leave before setting to making a fire, "I hope I don't get him angry at me. He seems really nice, for a demon 'n all." She tries to create a spark from two flint rocks and manages to do so, creating a small flame. She feeds the fire and soon, there was a roaring fire.

The girl grins, proud of her accomplishment, "If only mommy and daddy could see! I started my first fire! My first... fire..." Her grin quickly diminishes as memories of her parents rise to her consciousness again. She frowns, her eyes watering.

Kurama carries two rabbits along with some mushrooms he found back to the cave and froze at the entrance, his eyes resting on Botan. She looked like she would break down any moment. A frown tugs at the corners of his mouth as he enters, his ears drooping slightly. He felt guilty for this new girl, though he was experiencing some of this pain himself. Humans were much more emotional creatures than demons like him.

She seems to spring to life when she sees him enter and she puts on one of her bright smiles, "Oh, hiya! See? I can make a fire!"

Two tears slide down her cheeks and his eyes widen slightly upon seeing them. She quickly wipes them away, still trying to smile, "It's silly... I just can't stop cryin'..."

He sets the food down before looking at her again, "It's not silly... you can cry. Your parents were killed..."

He turns away from her and walks over to a wall, where three long charred sticks rested. His brows furrowed and he frowns, remembering his own parents. He reaches out to grab a stick before he heard soft sobbing behind him. He winces before grabbing two sticks and going back over to the fire. He dared not look at the girl as he skins the two rabbits and puts them on the sticks.

He finally looks over at her, handing her a 'rabbit-on-a-stick', "Here's your rabbit, you'll have to cook it."

She nods, taking it and holding it over the fire, staying completely silent. She stares at the fire blankly, her eyes lifeless and her lips curved in a small frown.

The two cook their rabbits and begin eating, Botan still continuing to remain silent. Finally, Kurama decides to break the silence, "I'm sorry if this isn't as good as you're used to, but it's the best I can do."

She snaps out of it and looks at him, smiling, "Oh no, it's good."

He gives a slight nod before eating more of his rabbit, "We should go to bed after this." He looks down, a light blush on his cheeks, "Maybe I can teach you how to hunt tomorrow..."

Her eyes light up, "Really!"

He nods, still blushing, "Yes..."

She smiles brightly, "Thanks! And I'll teach you how to make a fire!"

She notices the mushrooms, "Oh, I love mushrooms! Those are good to eat right?"

The kit nods, "I was taught about mushrooms, so I'm pretty sure those are the good kind."

She picks one up, "I like the way this one looks." She cooks the mushroom over the fire for a bit before eating it. She smiles, "It tasted good..."

He smiles a bit and shakes his head, "Whatever..."

However, a few minutes later, Botan's face became flushed and her cheeks became pink with fever. Her eyelids slowly begin to droop, "I don't feel too good..."

Kurama looks at her and his eyes widen when she sways and collapses. He moved to her side and felt her forehead, feeling a high fever. The young demon began to worry. He had never been taught how to deal with illness nor food poisoning. He narrows his eyes, "It was that mushroom..."

The youth bows his head a bit, gritting his teeth. It was HIS fault, his ignorance that put her in this condition. He would have to do what he could to make her feel better. He began thinking of anything he could do, "Her head is hot. Maybe I should get something cold."

He ran out, clutching an old rag in his hand then sprinted to the nearest source of water: a small lake. He dips the rag in the cold water and immediately runs back to the cave. The boy lays the cloth on her forehead, hoping that it may help a little, "Botan, I'm sorry for this. I'm going to try 'n make you feel better."

Botan groans softly as a response, looking at him through slitted eyes. She cringes suddenly, her eyes shut tightly as if in pain, "My tummy hurts..."

His ears flatten against his skull. He definitely didn't know how to deal with stomachaches. He lets out a sigh of defeat, "Get some sleep... maybe you'll feel better when you wake up..."

She lets out a weak nod, closing her eyes completely. After about half of an hour, she had fallen asleep, though she was tossing and turning in slumber.

The kit watches her, feeling a pang of guilt. He gets an idea of how to make her more comfortable, though it would be slightly embarrassing to him. Then he thought of how sad she was about her parents' murder and how it was his fault that she digested a poisonous mushroom.

He makes the decision and within the next few moments, a fox cub replaced the demon. He lies down next to her and cuddles with her a bit, closing his eyes. This was degrading. A fox demon stooping so low as to sleep next to a human... but those thoughts slip from his mind when she turns on her side, facing him, and wraps her arms around him in her sleep. She seems to calm down immensely and her face relaxes.

He looks at her before closing his eyes. Now that he thought about it, it wasn't all that degrading. She was at least comfortable... and that's all that mattered to him right now. He lets out a sigh before falling asleep, somewhat content cuddled in her arms...