I'm really sorry for the long wait, but I've been busy and on vacation and stuff like that PLUS writer's block. Seriously, I tried to write and it sounded like a kindergartner's work. So, anyway, here's the next chappie. Enjoy!

Oh, yes, and... DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY REVIEWS I GOT FOR THE LAST CHAPTER?!?!?! IT WAS AMAZING!!!! I don't believe you people! I love you all!!! (Not in that way!!!!) THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!!!!

Review responses: (I'm doing them differently this time because they take too much time and space.)

Empress Inuyasha: Don't worry, you weren't rude! It was a compliment, for gosh sakes! Thank you for ALL of your wonderful reviews! See ya next time!

Lost Darkness: ... Did he just call me 'old chap'? I'm not old!!!

gilbertfan: Sounds like Canada Day was fun! Thanks for the review and hope you update soon! And thanks for telling your bro about my fic!

Ian: Thanks! Hope you keep reading!

Inuyasha's Fang: Not to worry! Being a freak is a good thing, right?

Lint Ball of Doom: Yes, yes, bad Lint Ball... Though I'm that way sometimes, too. Hm... Why is your next chapter going so slow? I hope it's not writer's block! NNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Please update as soon as you can!

Dragon's kitty: Lol... Funny review.

punkkagome: YOU HAVE A WEDDING?!?!?! Congratulations!! ::throws rice:: No worries!

power2thepink: I know everything was a little too convenient, but you just gotta ignore things like that, otherwise you won't have any fun in life! Well, maybe not life, but this story at least!

Kristen Sharpe: Your guess was correct! Congratulations! ::gives cookie:: Keep reading and reviewing!

InuAngel: Hey, chill! No, I have not disappeared off the face of the planet and I haven't abandoned this story! I've just been too lazy... ::sigh:: Sorry! But don't worry, I will NEVER abandon a fic, even if nobody is reading it. And why in the world would I abandon a fic that's getting as many reviews as this?!?! Keep reading and reviewing!

Thanks to Defefaeth Mechqua, SheWhoWrites, Sarah, Goth Musician, remix-69er, Chee Cheez Chan, Hiei's/Kurama's-Angel, Anime fan, ?????????, puffin, Jjah-Jjah, BakaBokken, gothmiko, ChibiYugiYasha, Demon Girl17, WolfKeeper989, NefCanuck, Happy Youkai, Rykokitty, KonekoMiyabi, Dark Padme, Trillian, Shamanic Destiny, Tippi, MirokuHoushi, Dragon Man 180, demented-squirrel, badgurl136, Lady Netiri, dark-wolf-soulX, Kagome youkai Higurrasi and Kikyo Reign Higurrahi, roshyn77, and Braindead for your wonderful reviews! I'm also really sorry I couldn't give you all personalized review responses! Believe me, I really wanted to, but it just takes up too much time and space! And just because you didn't get a personalized response doesn't make you any less special!! Okay, that was a really cheesy line... Oh, well! Thank you so much!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. But I do own Kyla, Seana, and Danni! (Long story, don't ask.)

Chapter 8: Learning to be human
"Kagome. Wake up! Kagome!"

Kagome groggily opened her eyes to find Sango gently shaking her awake.

"Good. You're awake. Miroku and I were going to take a morning walk. We were wondering if you wanted to come along."

Kagome sat up and rubbed her eyes. "A walk? Sure."

"Great! We'll be ready in just a few minutes."

Sango left to help Miroku pack their things so that they would be ready when they came back from their walk. Kagome stretched her stiff muscles. It was still early and she relished the feeling of the cool morning air. Kneeling on the ground, she neatly folded the two blankets: hers and the one Inuyasha had given her.

'Speaking of which...' Kagome glanced around. Inuyasha was nowhere to be seen. Kagome stood up and looked around again. Still no sign of Inuyasha. Suddenly, the branches in the tree above her rustled and a few leaves floated down. Kagome looked up just in time for an acorn to hit her square between the eyes.

"Ow..." Kagome said, rubbing here nose. "Stupid squirrels."

She picked up the acorn that had hit her and looked up, prepared to chuck it at the first squirrel she saw. The only thing she saw was Inuyasha, perched high in the branches of the tree.

"Inuyasha?!! What the heck are you doing?!"

Inuyasha shifted and glanced down at her boredly.

"How did you get up there?! Screw that! How are we going to get you down?!"

To Kagome's horror, Inuyasha just narrowed his eyes, jumped off the branch, and began free falling towards the ground. Kagome shrieked.

"What are you doing?! You're gonna get yourself killed!!!"

As Kagome watched, Inuyasha landed gracefully (and safely) in a crouched position on the ground. Kagome gaped. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. Kagome snapped her mouth shut. Taking a deep breath, Kagome bent down and picked up the two blankets, trying to mask her shakiness and embarrassment.

"Well, we're going on a walk. Do you want to come with us?"

Inuyasha hesitated and then shrugged. Kagome smiled. He was acting more and more like a normal person with each moment that passed.

"Good," she said. "Sango and Miroku are waiting for us. Let's go."

Naraku slammed his fist down onto his desk, causing the pink jewel on top to jump. He snatched the gem off the desk and threw it as hard as he could at the far wall of his new trailer. It made a small dent before falling harmlessly to the floor with a small 'tink.'

"Curse that stupid mutt!" Naraku yelled before taking a deep breath and regaining his composure. He chuckled slightly. So, you've gained some friends, have you, Ikari? Feh."

He stood up and walked over to the jewel. He glared at it disdainfully before picking it up. He sat back down at his desk and gazed at the harmless looking sphere in his hand.

'The Shikon no Tama. So small, yet so powerful. It has the ability to steal a person's soul, just like I stole the human half of that stupid half-breed's soul. Yet somehow, he is regaining the part of his soul that was taken from him. How?!' He clenched his fist shut over the jewel. 'I WILL find out and I WILL make you suffer... Inuyasha...'

----------(A/N: Yes, Inuyasha IS a hanyou, yes, Naraku DOES know Inuyasha's real name, and yes, the function of the Shikon Jewel IS to steal and imprison souls. And in case you're wondering why Inuyasha isn't going berserko demon on us since he had his human soul stolen, let's just say that isn't an issue in this fanfic.)----------

Kagome half-heartedly berated Inuyasha for the fifth time that morning while Sango and Miroku watched with amused faces. Inuyasha pretended to ignore her.

"I'm telling you, you've got to quit doing that. PEOPLE do not chase squirrels. If somebody saw you chasing a squirrel, you'd probably get sent to a mental institute."

Inuyasha flicked his left ear. Kagome sighed heavily and rubbed her temples. Teaching him to be a normal person wasn't going to be as easy as she thought. They continued walking back towards camp, only to be greeted by a very unwelcome sight. Both of the motorcycles were gone. Sango cursed under her breath.

"Looks like they've found our camp," Miroku stated.

"You mean Naraku's goons?" Kagome asked.

"Mm," he nodded.

Sango walked over to a large bush and produced hers, Miroku's, and Kagome's packs from somewhere inside it. "At least they didn't find these. I always hide our supplies in case something like this happens."

"But weren't those motorcycles expensive?" Kagome asked.

Sango smiled. "Yeah, but this isn't the first time our motorcycles have been stolen. We'll get them back eventually." Her smile faded. "I'm sorry, Kagome, but this means that we won't be able to give you a ride back home."

"Huh? But you just said that this isn't the first time they've been taken. Couldn't we go get them back?"

"By now, they've probably taken our motorcycles far enough away that it would take longer for us to go and retrieve them than it would for you to just walk home, Kagome," Miroku said. "Naraku's no idiot, as we've learned."

Kagome sighed in defeat. 'The world really must be against me.'

"However," Sango said, "We'd be happy to accompany you on your way home."

"Really? That'd be great! I mean, no offense to Inuyasha, but he isn't the best when it comes to company."

Sango looked around. "Speaking of which, where is he?"

"Probably chasing squirrels again..." Kagome sighed. "Inuyasha!!"

Inuyasha appeared out of the bushes with a huge (albeit unnatural) innocent smile on his face.

Kagome rolled her eyes. 'Oh, no, he hasn't been doing anything.'

Kouga smiled as he stroked his wolf's head fondly. "You butterball. You need to lose some weight."

The wolf raised its head and whimpered.

Kouga laughed. "You're right. We have been slacking off on our training lately. Naraku's been so preoccupied ever since Ikari, or whatever his name is, got away. What's so special about him, anyway?"

Kouga sighed and looked up at the sky. 'I just want to see her again. If only-'

"Hey Kouga," Shippo said for the hundredth time that day.'

Kouga twitched. "What do you want, fox-brat?"

"Whatcha thinkin' about?"

"None of your business."

"You're thinking about her again, aren't you?"

"And what does it matter to you if I was?!"

Shippo shrugged.

Silence.

"Hey Kouga."

"What?!"

"How much loyalty do you actually feel towards Naraku?"

"None whatsoever. I'm just in it for the money... And the fan-chicks."

"Like her?"

"Yeah..."

Silence.

"Hey Kouga."

"Don't you have anything else to do?!!"

"I was just wondering, if you don't feel any loyalty to Naraku, why don't you quit and go after... you know... her?"

Kouga paused for a minute and you could just see the wheels turning in his head. "You know what?! You're right! I'm gonna go find her and make her my woman!" With that, he stalked off into the woods, followed by six wolves.

'What a moron,' Shippo thought as he rolled over onto his back. 'I love my job.'

Naraku sat at his desk, clutching the jewel and glaring daggers at the trailer wall. Things had not been going his way. Suddenly, there was a tentative knock on the door, interrupting his thoughts.

"What is it?!" he snapped.

An extremely nervous employee opened the door and stuck his head inside.

"Well?!" Naraku shouted impatiently.

The employee swallowed nervously. "Well, sir... Kouga is missing and so are five of the wolves."

Naraku shut his eyes. So Kouga had run away, had he? Things were most definitely not going his way. Oh, well. Kouga wasn't the biggest problem at the moment. He opened his eyes again and looked at the employee who was nervously awaiting his reaction.

"Then get one of the other wolf tamers to replace him," Naraku said calmly with only the barest hint of anger in his voice.

"Sir?"

"You heard me."

"But sir, none of the others are good enough to take his place."

"Well, then they'd better start training, shouldn't they?"

"Yes, sir..." The employee retreated, deciding not to aggravate Naraku any more.

'What's happening? My carnival is falling apart. You'll pay for this, Inuyasha.'

"All right, just like this, okay?... No, not like that! Like this!... No, wait, you've got them backwards!... Hey, watch where you're aiming those things!... Don't scowl at me!... No, no, you're doing it all wrong!"

Sango and Miroku watched this scene, not even trying to contain their laughter anymore. The source of their amusement? Inuyasha trying to learn how to use a pair of chopsticks. Kagome was trying to instruct him, but she was barely able to get her words out because of how hard she was laughing. Inuyasha had the most bewildered expression on his face and was scowling at their laughter intermittently. As Kagome broke into another round of uncontrolled laughter, he decided he had had enough.

SPLAT!!!

A piece of chicken hit Kagome square in the face, leaving a saucy smear as it slid down her cheek before falling to the ground. All laughter stopped, replaced by three wide-eyed stares. Inuyasha sat there, chopsticks in one hand, bowl in the other, glaring at Kagome.

'Did he just throw that at me... with his chopsticks?' Kagome thought.

"Inuyasha..." she said. "YOU DID IT!!!" Sango and Miroku applauded him.

Inuyasha blinked a few times before the information processed. He gaped at her as if to say, "Are you serious?"

Kagome nodded.

"YES!!!" he shouted triumphantly, earning another stunned silence followed by another round of applause, and this time, the applause was all for him, not for the trainer who 'tamed' him. Kagome glomped him. Inuyasha decided, at that moment, as his friends laughed and congratulated him, he could not have been happier.

YAY!!! Inu's so cute when he's confused... Anyway, don't forget to review!!