"Do you think we should be spying on him like this?" Shippo asked his friends. They were hiding behind some bushes, watching InuYasha look around him and jump into the Well, out of sight.

"We can't outright watch him. Think of his personality, he'd never go get Kagome." Miroku explained.

Sheumaru didn't really care for watching her brother, she was feeling slightly better and began to wander off into the woods.

"I'm going to get us some food," she explained as she noticed Sango's curious look.

Without waiting for an answer she wandered farther into the forest, just bored. Also she hadn't yet gotten used to being alone with Sango and Miroku. What did Kagome call this feeling? The 'third-wheel'?

Sheumaru stooped down to pick up some berries and herbs, she would hunt for meat later. She was feeling better now, having it be three days since she was struck with the Wind Scar. She still had a slight gate to her walk and still adorned the scars along her right side, but it wasn't nothing she hadn't experienced before.

Something behind her moved among the brambles, she sat still, rock hard against the wind.

"It is rude to sneak up on people you know." Sheumaru smiled but never looking at her watcher.

"You.. you're a demon." The little boy said from the bushes, by the sound of his voice he couldn't be more than four.

"Yes I am." She nodded, picking some flowers as she stood back up.

"Why are you here?" The boy asked, a sharp tone in his voice.

"I choose to be here. Is that so bad?" At this Sheumaru had turned around.

"Demons aren't welcome here." The boy said quietly.

"What if I told you I wasn't full demon? I have human in me as well."

"Half-demons aren't welcome either!" The boy pouted.

"No one has come to stop me." Sheumaru looked around, humoring him.

"Well that's cause they don't know but once I tell them.." The boy trailed off.

She turned and walked, clutching to the flowers and herbs.

"Where are you going?" The boy asked irritably.

"Well I don't want to get caught now do I?" Sheumaru questioned, finding this whole situation rather funny.

When she got no response she kept walking, she could still smell the boy following her, she could still hear his rapidly beating heart.

After a while she set the herbs and berries down having smelt wild boar in the midst of the greens, smelling the air she crouched, her eyes swerving left and right, waiting to see the creatures great ugly snout.

With a rustle of leaves Sheumaru pounced on the creature, a squealing pig hung by the foot from her hand, she snapped its neck and it stopped crying.

A voice gasped behind her and she sighed, "if you do not wish to see such sights then why do you choose to follow me?" She was getting rather irritated, she didn't liked being stared at.

"I lied.. I don't have anyone." The boy said strongly.

"Haven't you heard the stories little boy?" Sheumaru asked him, walking away to a nice sizeable rock on which she will gut the boar.

"I'm not afraid. You're a half-breed." The boy spoke matter-of-factly.

"So you think you can take me on then?" Sheumaru turned around and sized up the little human. There was no way.

"Well no." The boy said simply, crossing his arms, "I just know half-breeds aren't as strong."

"That doesn't make the slightest bit of sense." Sheumaru sighed, turning back to the boar.

"It does to me!" The boy retorted.

"What are you doing anyway?" He asked, trying to see around her frame.

"I'm preparing a meal. If I don't scare you would you like to help?"

There was a pause as the boy thought, "as long as I'm not part of the supper." He shrugged.

Sheumaru laughed, "I don't like the taste of human blood."

The boy seemed less tense at that, walking around the boulder he asked, "so what do I do anyway?"

"Well, I've already gutted a piece here," she pointed, "Do you know of any rivers that aren't far from here?" She asked.

The boy nodded vigorously.

"Good now, take this meat and go wash it there, it's best to get all the bugs off it first. Don't want to get sick." She added, seeing the boy's confusion.

The boy nodded again and bent to pick up the now two pieces of meat.

"Thank you so much for your help.. I didn't get a name?" She said thinking back.

"Rayou." He said, turning around to get to the lake.

"Rayou." Sheumaru muttered, seeing his back move farther and farther into the leaves.

XXXXX

What's a kid doing here?" InuYasha barked, he had fetched Kagome from her era, they were all sitting next to a fire.

"Rayou meet my brother InuYasha and his friends Kagome, Shippo, Miroku, Kirara and Sango. Everyone meet the kind boy that helped me fetch food for us to eat, Rayou." Sheumaru introduced.

"As kind as he is, he can not stay. He would be in danger." Miroku warned.

"I am aware and I have warned him. He says he is content with finding a place in the next village." Sheumaru knelt down in front of the fire, Rayou copies her pulling the twigs that they would use as skewers out from under his arm pit.

Sheumaru began to put the pieces of boar meat and fish on the sticks as Rayou began to put the berries in a bowl.

"It's nothing compared to Kagome's but it'll do." Sheumaru sighed.

"This is delicious." InuYasha said taking a bite out of a skewer.

XXXXXX

Rayou was nestled next to Sheumaru fast asleep, he had fallen asleep quicker than even Shippo, but he was young and worked hard to help her.

Sheumaru was truly grateful that kids, though they may seemed scared at first, can come to warm up to demons and the other way around.

She was truly sorry that she would have to let him go in the next day or so.

A: Cute little chapter. I hope you enjoyed and as always please leave reviews. Bye bye now!