Summary: Kagome used to be the popular and happy girl in school. Everyone loved her, until summer break. Now, returning to high school, no one regognizes her. Will someone be able to find out why she's vanished? Inuyasha's POV.

Rated M for the following: Cutting, mention of suicide, adult situations (Miroku's fault this had to be put in), and foul language... If these bother you, then suck it up and read, or leave.

Heart of Pain
Chapter Six: Rumors

"Kagome had... Rumor has it that Kagome got in a car accident. She had such bad scars on her face that she nearly vanished from radar at school. She keeps herself hidden and won't look anyone in the eye." Sango says. I pause, my heart stopping for a moment as I digest this information.

That would explain a lot of things, wouldn't it?

- - -

Every student in high school dreads Mondays. Some dread it so much that they don't come in at all. Unfortunately, my dad was staying home from work today, and I had to go to school. That gives me a chance for one thing that school can help with. I can dig up some of the rumors that are floating around Kagome.

That's what I'm doing. It's ten minutes before the first class and I'm walking around school. I'm not close to my room at all, but that doesn't bother me. I just need to ask people about what could have happened to Kagome. So far, I've heard the story about the car crash.

I walk up to a group of kids, they seem to be popular. I don't recognize most of them, but I know one of the girls. Her name is Kagura, and she's really lazy when we're in gym class.

"Hi, I have a question for all of you... Do any of you know what happened to Kagome Higurashi?" I ask. Most of them get quiet and shake their heads. Kagura's face lights up then she nods.

"I heard that someone almost killed her during summer and that she dyed her hair to keep them from finding her. She went through a lot of changes just to hide, but she couldn't change her name since she was under 18." She says. I nod, making a note on the murder rumor. Strange how something that dramatic can happen in one summer, or so they think.

I walk away, going to a group of goth kids. Each one of them glares at me, and I try to act unphased. I must've pulled off the I'm-not-intimidated look, because they slowly stopped glaring at me.

"What do you want?" One asks. His voice sounds so mean, I feel like leaving. I straiten up then push the fear away from me.

"Do any of you know what happened to Kagome Higuarshi over the summer?" I ask them. One of them speaks up before the others have a chance.

"Kagome moved during summer. She didn't want people to know she was gone, so she hired someone to pretend to be her this year." He says. I nod slowly then look to one of his girlfriends.

"I heard that Higurashi had been raped. She had been so devistated about it that she started dressing and claiming to be a boy so men wouldn't look at her." She says. Okay, some of these rumors are weird and there's no way someone can believe them.

"If you want to find out more about her, go to where those emo kids go. They seem to know alot about her." The boy adds. I nod then walk towards them, but the bell stops be. Damn, I was about to get somewhere!

I walk to class, my head lowered in defeat. Soon I'll be able to figure out what happened to her and know why she doesn't appear so much at school. I sit down in my first class and write down what I'd just learned. I don't want to get the rumors mixed up - that'd make them even more twisted than they already are!

Rumor One:
- Kagome got in a car crash and has to hide her face from everyone

Rumor Two:
- Got close to being murdered. Changed everything but her name so the attempted murderer wouldn't find her.

Rumor Three:
- She moved and had someone hired so people wouldn't know she was gone.

Rumor Four:
- Raped. She acts and claims to be a man to avoid men looking at her anymore.

I think the third one sounds closest to the most possible truth. Even the third one is a bit stretched though. I doubt anyone even knows. Then again, I haven't had a chance to ask the emo kids. They might know what happened to her, butI don't know why they would. They never seem to get along with the popular girls like Kagome.

I let my head rest on my desk, ignoring the teacher's lecture entirely. I close my eyes slowly and take a deep breath. Within seconds, I'm passed out and have forgotten about searching for the rumors behind Kagome's vanishings.

A sharp jab to my ribs jerks me awake. I yelp then shoot into a sitting position. One of those emo kids is walking away from me, and I assume she's smiling at my reaction. I smile faintly before I grab my packpack and head to my next class. Hope what we talked about in class won't be on the test our teacher says is comig.

Classes are very boring when you can't concentrate. I fell asleep in my second class and had someone wake me up by poking my ribs. This time, I snatched the pencil that they used. I didn't get to see them retreating, so I don't know for sure if it's the same person. I look at the pencil then stick it in my backpack carelessly. At least I got something out of it.

Lunch is a relief when you've been poked in the ribs three times. The first two times, I was awake. The third time, I was about to fall asleep before the bell rang. Thinking it was funny, somone poked my rib. I didn't see the person, but I know it's got to be the same person that's been poking me all day.

"Hey, Inuyasha. Aren't you going to eat with us?" Sango asks. I shake my head as I open my can of soda.

"I might, if I get done in time. I'm going to ask the group of emo kids if they know anything about Kagome." I tell Sango.

"Why would they know anything about Kagome? They're the opposite of her personality." Miroku states.

"Some goth kids said that the emo's knew an aweful lot about her. Maybe they know what really happened." I reply calmly.

"Emo kids know a lot of things. They can, somehow, get all the rumors and turn them into what happened. When you were gone for a week and everyone thoughts you were sick, they knew you went on vacation. It's strange the way they work. Just be careful and don't come back as an emo." Sango warns me. I smile then shake my head.

"I won't... Anyway, I might be back, I might not. Bye!" I say. I walk away, towards the group. There are around ten or eleven kids in the group. They all seem to know each other pretty well, which means that they must all think along the same lines. When I approach them, they all look at me. Well, all of them except for three.

"What do you want?" One of the other eight asks me. I shrug them look at the empty seat.

"It's taken." Another quickly adds. I have a feeling that they don't like me very much...

"I wasn't going to sit down. I was just wondering if you knew anything about Kagome Higurashi and what happened to her over the summer." I say, holding my hands up so they know I'm not dangerous.

"Why would you want to know?" One asks sharply.

"Well, I haven't seen her since summer vacation and I'm worried about her." I say.

"She didn't know you." Someone says. I can't tell which one said it, but they sounded really... rejected.

"I know. Doesn't change the fact that I'm worried." I reply.

"She died." One of the ones with their heads down says. I look at her, my heart skipping a few beats.

"She died? How?" I ask. She stands up, and I think she's ready to send the rest of the emo's to attack me or something.

"It's not your business! You didn't know her and you couldn't have cared for her! Leave us alone!" She snaps. I walk away, glancing back once. She knows that I didn't know Kagome very well, which means she had to have been paying attention. Maybe she can help me figure out what happened...

Next time on Heart of Pain...
Inuaysha begins to follow this girl, trying to figure out why she seems so familiar. She's quiet and seems to be scared of the world. Unfortunately, Inuyasha's not the only one showing interest in her. Someone she doesn't want to see happens to be around quite a lot recently...

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- Lonely Bird