DISCLAIMER: If I was clever and made a humorous excuse for why Inuyasha wasn't mine, then you would laugh. That is unhealthy if you're reading this particular story.

A/N: The story's still going; no major revisions here like chapter four. If you've already read it don't worry about rereading it.

The Cycle

Chapter Three – Somewhere Else

By asian tofu

Inuyasha's POV

I'm lying on my bed, staring at the minimal number of cracks in the ceiling. Sesshoumaru's already asleep – his keyboard strokes have diminished. Occasionally the grandfather clock comes to the hour, and the vibrations of the chimes pulse through the walls. I haven't moved an inch since I started lying here, gazing blankly at the ceiling; thinking.

Thinking about her.

Suffocating myself with her scent to block out reality.

Delving into the alcoves of my mind so I can maybe comprehend, or even accept it.

I let her go.

There's a draft coming in from the open window, but I don't bother to shut it. It feels good; somehow I almost believe that I can dull my emotions with the cold. My lamplight flickers ever so slightly, and I close my eyes…

Tuesdays are worse than Mondays. Note to self: all students who piss me off today automatically have expired bliss. Yawning from my lack of sleep during the night, I take up a roll, sitting isolated against some lockers in a reclusive area off the side of the outdoor cafeteria.

Lighting the smoke deftly, I take a deep drag. The familiar old rush stumbles through my system, and I heave out a haze of gray tendrils. The first one is reduced to a butt quickly; I stamp it out with the heel of my foot before taking out another one, placing it at the corner of my mouth and lighting it accordingly.

The ash is flicked off into the wind, and my thoughts trail towards last night again. The full report on how they found her corpse, her senior yearbook picture hanging brightly beside the description of her dead body.

On that night.

Instinctively I slam the back of my head hard across the lockers, almost losing the weed clutched between my teeth.

"Damn it."

Maneuvering upwards, I snatch the smoke from my mouth as the school bell rings, and drop it into a nearby trash-bin.

"Love sucks major ass."

Kagome's POV

I think I'm going through mental instability.

Inuyasha is worrying me.

There! There they are! The bad thoughts again!

Breathe, Higurashi. That's right; fill yourself up with positive Zen energy.

Where did that come from?

I think he's been doing something. I crashed into him today in the hallways (the jackass), and he reeked of smoke. It was disgusting; I didn't even think he could sink that low.

Tomoyachi, you idiot.

I don't see how I even can stand tutoring the idiot. The teacher's speaks and class starts; Tomoyachi's starting to doze off again. Figures.

A bit of sunlight manages to penetrate through the canopy of leaves of the oak that I sit under during lunch. It's uncommonly warm today, and I've taken off my turtleneck to reveal a strapless spaghetti shirt. Some of my hair sticks to the back of my neck, and so I hastily tie my locks back into a messy bun.

During the second bite of oden, my thoughts wander away to the Tomoyachi situation. Sango has her attention irately turned to a guy who is currently earning his daily midday slap from another unfortunate victim of his perverted antics, so she doesn't notice my sudden stop in chatter.

I've never heard of him smoking before…maybe he's depressed.

For some reason Tomoyachi Inuyasha does not come off to me as a delinquent. He is definitely reckless and impudent, but not a gangster-type person.

Could it be…

My gaze follows him in the soda-line, staring aimlessly as if he were lost.

…that he's in love?

Author's POV

Inuyasha barked at the one before in front of him, "Hurry up, damn it!"

The diminutive lower-classmen jumped, hastily retrieving his carbonated beverage and scuttling away. Inuyasha moved up and put in his change, leaning down to choose his drink. Almost instantaneously, someone shoved him forward, instigating him to collide painfully against the machine.

"What the hell!" Inuyasha snapped up, instinctively punching the laughing person behind him in the jaw. "You son of a bitch!"

The guy was lying on the ground, contorted into a tight ball as he nursed his face. "If you ever – "

"Tomoyachi!" Kagome snarled, appearing suddenly and seizing him by the arm. "You've got some nerve! Hitting an innocent person like that!"

Inuyasha tugged, with some difficulty, his arm away from her. "Lay off, bitch!"

Kagome let go, pursing her lips. "Excuse me?" A crowd was starting to form around them.

Before Inuyasha could hurl another insult at her, the guy swept down and gave him a good jab to the abdomen. Inuyasha doubled over onto the ground; then returned upon the guy with a vengeance, swiping him off his feet. The guy couldn't react in time, and Inuyasha drove his knee directly into his stomach. His stark blue eyes widened, the agonized pain unraveling in them.

In the background, enlivened spectators watched in amusement; some even were chanting.

"Stop it!" Kagome cried wildly, shoving Inuyasha off. "You're killing him!"

Inuyasha growled, his mind blank except for the girl in blocking his emotional release.

Get out of my way! Was the only coherent thought that burned inside him. He leapt again in an animalistic rampage, only this time he found someone holding him back.

"Miroku! Let go!"

"Inuyasha! What the hell do you think you're doing!?" He shouted, trying to knock some sense into his friend as he struggled with restraining him.

"Leave me be!" Inuyasha roared, finding that he had underestimated his lecher-friend's strength. He thrashed about under Miroku's hold as Kagome led the injured boy to the nurse's wing.

It wasn't until the boy had gone for a while that Miroku finally loosened Inuyasha from his vice-grip. "Are you insa – "

Inuyasha whirled around and socked him in the face.

Bzzz.

Jaken shuffled to the gate, checking through the peephole in case it was another advertising business men. In finding that it was a safe chance to open it, he unlocked all ten bolts and entered the security code before it automatically slid ajar.

"Higurashi-san, so glad to see you back," the old butler smiled graciously.

Kagome gave him a false smile, "Do the Tomoyachi's change doors all the time?" She asked curiously, eyeing the new black security gate.

Jaken's eyes crinkled into a cough-like laugh, "This they've had for a full year. The family's mighty cautious, as you can see. Come in, come in!" Kagome reentered the Tomoyachi residence, finding at least the interior of the house the same.

"I'll be calling for the young Master, Higurashi-san, so please take a seat," he said, pulling her out a chair from some invisible storage place.

"Calling me for what, old crack?" Inuyasha emerged, dressed in an undershirt and jeans. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?"

The girl glared at him.

Jaken flinched under the deep-set abhorrence filming the room, "Perhaps you should redirect Higurashi-san to your quarters, Inuyasha-sama, to continue your conversation."

"Yes, it'll be much more appropriate," Kagome grinned at him, the tainted honey encasing her words. Inuyasha growled icily, and led her up.

Inuyasha was sitting at his desk, math book open in front of him without much progress. Kagome was doing her homework as she sat on his bed, the careful scratching of her pencil absent.

"You broke a few of his ribs, Inuyasha," Kagome informed crisply, her vision still focused on her notebook.

Inuyasha read the same line he had read a minute ago, not taking any information in again, "Who?"

Kagome's pencil snapped and she got off the bed to sharpen it, "Stop being such a jackass. You know what I mean."

"No, I don't, and I think that you should shut your mouth." Inuyasha retorted coolly, rereading his line again. If x root three is sufficient…what the fuck?

Retaking her seat on the bed, Kagome began writing again, "You were being a violent bastard. The guy's also got a broken jaw."

"I don't care, so stop shitting about my problems," he spoke brusquely, flipping to the next page.

"Know what? If you can just deal with whatever your issues are without hurting innocent bystanders, I wouldn't care either."

"He provoked me!" Inuyasha argued hotly, directing his scorching gaze down at her.

Kagome lifted her eyes from her notes, and hissed, "Provoked? Provoked? He didn't even speak to you!"

"He shoved me practically onto my ass!" Inuyasha snapped, rising from the chair. Kagome put her stuff down and glared at him.

"Inuyasha, he pushed you on accident and you beat him up!" Kagome fumed, "A-And then, you start smoking like some messed-up delinquent!"

Inuyasha was slighted perturbed that she knew about his smokes, but that didn't stop him from furthering the quarrel.

"My life's already so fucked-up that if I killed myself no one would care anyways!"

SLAP.

"You are more of a bastard than you let on, Tomoyachi."

"Damn – "

"Shut it You don't understand how much it hurts – you don't have any type of right to talk about throwing away life like that," Kagome heard her voice tremble as she spoke and bit the inside of her cheek. "Stop being selfish. There are people who care about you."

"Like who? My parents? I barely ever see them," Inuyasha contradicted, crossing his arms, still shaken from the numbness of Kagome's handprint across his face.

"Plenty of people you aren't aware of."

Like me.

Inuyasha scrutinized her apprehensively; then returned back to his mulish expression.

"Whatever."

Kagome sniffed, realizing that she'd been crying. Inuyasha sheepishly handed her the Kleenex box, allowing her to collapse onto the bed.

"I've got to go," she murmured through the tissue. Within a few minutes, she had everything ready.

As Kagome turned to leave, Inuyasha held her back.

Inuyasha shifted on the bed, averting away from her, "Tell the kid I'll cover his expenses, all right? Even though it still is his fault for being a bastard."

Kagome inwardly scowled at him, but guessed that was the best apology she could get out of him, "Okay, sure."

"And H-Kagome?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you please get out of my house now?"

Kagome picked up her math textbook off his desk and cuffed him across the head.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Interesting. A more dark side of the story is creeping through. Don't forget to drop a review while you're here.