A/N: YES YES YES YES; I wrote another chapter, and I am under the impression hat writing the next one will be vair quick/easy to do. I apologize for not writing; I have had a serious lack of inspiration, and you guys, who follow my story, know how horrible I am at making bridge chapters.

Review Responses (Really Fucking Long This Time Around, So Skip if You Like)

Irken Pop-Tart: Haha…Truth is, I just really did not like that chapter. There was no real inspiration or desire to write it- I wrote it because it had to be done. It took it more as an obligation rather than something I wanted to write- and that just results in bad stories, right? Thankya for the review & compliment.

Atrephius: Haha. Well, I s'pose, in some sense, Inuyasha is dating Jakotsu, even though it's more of a…rape situation, I guess. And, Columbia! Holy Shit! I just got into TMLA, in Jamaica. Got a scholarship, too. And, you've never dealt with parents like theirs? I have to deal with them all the fucking time…I guess it's because, well, Inuyasha is respectful towards his parents- that sort of kid who's a devil behind their backs and an angel in front of them, and he doesn't like to be embarrassed in front of them. Jakotsu's parents are annoying and gaudy, and I know one or two sets of parents like 'em- it's the whole Catholic-school-thing. And, I didn't like that last chapter because I forced myself to write it.

Sarah: Wrote more!

Angelfire: Haha. I think, though, that I've, uhm, lost Inuyasha's character- like I can't properly write up the catchy catch phrases and witty, biting sarcasm anymore. Maybe because I hate sarcastic people- but his sarcasm was always more sassy than sarcastic, and sassy is better- more tolerable- more genuine.

Unsuspecting Uke: You know what? That's a good analogy for this story. It's rather circuitous, I think. Anyway, enjoy!

Darkangel: Aww, thanks…haha. The "assume" thing. Inuyasha's retarded. I'm sorry if I disappoint you in this chapter with the lack of plot and sarcasm. It's more like a bridge chapter than anything.

Ile: Haha. Let's just assume that Inuyasha's father is mentally retarded…I'm glad you thought it was funny. Enjoy!

Shinigamisgirl: Hahaha. "Very friendly" in my world is equal to "slutty." I'm not the friendliest of people myself, I guess. And, about Jakotsu's mom- that's a good point, I haven't, uhm, exactly thought of that myself!

Love if for Fools: Haha, people call it deep, but I just draw it from my own mind & experiences- just like Inuyasha, I kind of consider everything rape, and like Jakotsu, I can be obnoxious and rude. Anyway, about him, it's like me- I say I hate gays and blacks and Latinos and white people and all sortsa other people, but in truth, I just talk out of my ass. And plus, a lot of people are shit- they just love to live up to their stereotypes.

Denisse: I, ah, don't exactly know how it'll end, actually! It's not going to end soon, though- I have to write thirty chapters in total because thirty is a nice, even number. Enjoy!

Blackrosa: Hahaha. Yeah, I guess they go out- but it's not something that really stays in that peanut brain of Inuyasha's for too long, ya know? Sorry for not updating & enjoy.

PrettyJakotsu: Haha. Oh! I'm going to make a lot of Jak/Ban subplot sort of things, so you should enjoy that. This is just an irrelevant bridge chapter, to connect between bigger plot advancements & the like.

Kenshigomuwaarimasuka?: Wow…what's your username mean? Well, here it is, continued- enjoy!

Shinimegame: Oh! You're stealing my plot ideas. Oh, no, I'm just kidding. Haha, he is very casual, isn't he? Anyway, enjoy the next chap.

KawaiiInu-TaiYoukai 4ever: Haha…, oh, trust me. You don't want to deal with anyone like him, not in the slightest bit. The people he's based on are complete lunatics! Hahah. Well, enjoy this!

Goldgirl66556: Someone find out who this fucking girl is so I can punch her in the teeth or something.

(YES-I'M-DONE!)

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Chapter Seventeen

School was becoming a hassle lately.

Now, normally, I was a straight-A student; yeah, the occasional B, the occasional 86 on an Earth science test or some other crappy, useless subject, like Problems in an American Society, or colonial American history. But, bottom line, I was usually a good student.

But, lately, my grades had been dropping. My English grades were slipping from 100s to 95s to 82s and then on to 75- my worst grade this whole year. My math grades were decreasing less dramatically, but I knew that, one of these days, they would just roll on downhill.

I thought about the cause of my slipping grades. Was it because of Miroku? No- I'd dealt with his idiocy for more than six years, and it never affected my grades. Was it because of Kag? No- I had fallings-out with her before, but those only made me work harder.

I sighed. I didn't even have to think about it- I knew the cause of it. It was all Jakotsu- that homo stressed me out beyond belief. I couldn't even spell my name right- I had been so tired from him calling at fucking midnight to explain what a crappy and stupid or happy day he'd had, rambling on and on about his stupid ass private school experiences and Jesus, the more interesting side of him not even surfacing, that I couldn't even keep my head up in classes to pay attention to the lesson. It was becoming more serious and serious by the day. I couldn't blame it all on him, though- there was always the option of not picking up the phone. There was always the word "no." There was always the choice of just fucking killing myself one day, Jesus Christ Our Lord and Savior, I needed help.

It caught my teacher's attention, too. I was leaving English class, my shoulders sagging, struggling to carry my books, when I heard someone calling my name.

"Inuyasha…Inuyasha…"

I blinked. What the Hell? I turned around. Man Purse was calling me over to his desk. Great. Another fucking rape-fest to deal with.

"Mr. Miyazaki, may I speak to you for a moment?" he asked, shuffling papers on his desk. I shrugged and stood in front of his desk, my book bag slung sloppily over my shoulder.

"Yeah?" I asked, putting a hand on my desk, to support myself.

"I was grading test papers the other day," he said, selecting a piece of paper oh-so-precisely from the stack, and holding it, "And I found yours, in particular, very interesting." He turned it to me. "Can you explain this?"

I looked at the paper, and realized-

Oh holy shit.

Date: 11/27/05
Mr. Ushitaro, Room 1211
Class: 334
Name: Yasha

…I looked at it. Did I really write that? Did I really drop the first fucking three letters of my name? Was that my fucking handwriting, even? What fucking possessed me to do that?

Jakotsu.

He took the paper and put it into the stack. "Now, under normal circumstances, I would have paid it no mind- perhaps you're called that at home and got confused, for a moment," he continued, looking urgently pissed, "But lately, several teachers and I have noticed a slow decline in your normally outstanding grades. We have all noticed that you can hardly stay awake in classes."

I shifted uncomfortably. "Oh, uhmm…I'm uhm, just sort of tired. I'll try to get more…uh, sleep."

"See to it that you do," he snapped, coldly. "Now, off to your next class. Education waits for no one!"

Yeah. Easy for you to say.

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After that incident of complete and total cautionary rape, the day went normally- Rin and Miroku joked around about me at lunch, Kouga made a couple of empty threats to steal Kagome, and Kagome hit me a couple of times because I called her and Kouga a "match made in Heaven."

I was sitting home at my desk, trying desperately to concentrate on my homework, and not on the millions of other things going on around me- the annoying-ass birds who should have already migrated chirping outside, Sesshoumaru's stereo playing Latin jazz (which he listened to because he was "sophisticated-" sophisticated my ass), a car alarm going off outside…I stared down at the thick-as-Hell-froze-over AP History book, struggling and bored, trying my absolute hardest to be interested in this fucking stuff. Like I gave a shit about the first American-born kid! She could go take a long walk off the shortest pier she could find- I had better things to worry about right now.

I managed, after strongly considering suicide as an option, to finish my history homework. I moved on to my Earth Science homework. The Earth Science teacher, Mrs. Chua, was a small Filipino bitch who gave the longest assignments ever- especially with me in mind. That woman had it out for me…and my assignment, on this fine day, was, oh the joy, outlining sixty pages of complete and totally useless bullshit.

The music shut off for a minute; I was took the opportunity to actually get some fucking work done. But then the music turned on to something louder and even more intolerable- loud, scratchy, 70s punk. I gripped my pen tighter, reminding myself that I just needed to find my Zen center and everything- hear that? everything- would be A-Okay.

I found my Zen center and tried to ignore the music, when a couple of annoying-ass kids from that family across the street started screaming like all Holy Hell. I gritted my teeth…Jesus Christ…paired with the screams were the mechanical beeps of fucking laser tag machines. One more noise and I swear I'd rip someone's throat out- probably those loser kids outside who had nothing better to do than disturb the whole fucking neighborhood. That or my brother. I could imagine tearing his voice box out, or tearing it open with a pen, like in that movie Red Eye…

My Zen center was just about found again, until the muffled, electro-sound of Warning came ringing from my bedside table. I threw my book across the room, slamming my fist down on the desk. "Shit! Goddammit!" I yelled into my pillow, before getting up and picking up my phone.

"What!" I barked, almost spitting at the phone in my rage.

"Hi," Jakotsu's voice chimed from the other end- "homigawd, you know what that lesbian Bankotsu did at lunch? He-"

"Look!" I screamed, holding the phone away from my ear and putting the mouthpiece to my mouth, like it was a walkie-talkie, "I really can not deal with your inane day and your inane life right now because I have got fucking work to do because today a teacher stopped me and told me I looked tired and my grades are fucking slipping and if you keep calling me, I'm going to fucking fail in every subject I fucking HAVE!" I hung up the phone and threw it aside, plopping myself down in the pillows of my bed, face sinking into the bed sheets, wondering why it just always had to fucking happen when I didn't need it.

>>>>>>>

"Inuyasha," my mother said, concernedly, at dinner, cutting her meat into tiny little microscopic pieces, "you sounded very agitated today on the phone."

I snorted. "Agitated?" I grunted, shoveling potatoes into my mouth.

"Excessively so," Sesshoumaru replied, even though I wasn't fucking talking to him, "Half the block could have heard you screaming about your grades at the top of your lungs."

"Yeah? Well, I think half the fuckin' city could hear that irritating goddamn music you insist on putting on every day," I snapped.

"Boys," my father warned. He wiped his mouth on his napkin and turned his attention to me. "Well, what really concerned us, son, is the phone call we got from your English teacher today."

I winced- Ushitaro. That gay fucking bitch…I felt red creep up onto my face, hating to have these little "talks" with my parents.

"He said that he was noticing a gradual decline in your grades," Mom said, gently. "He sounded concerned about your recent tiredness in your classes." She paused and looked at me with concern. "If something's troubling you, you can always talk to us."

I shrugged, embarrassedly. "I just needa get more sleep, I guess."

"Are you sure?" she said, frowning.

"Yeah, Ma. Jeez. I'm fine. Jeez," I said, shrugging again, spooning more potatoes into my mouth to avoid further discussion on the topic.

We ate in silence for a while, until Sesshoumaru got up, his utensils neatly stacked on his plate. "Well, if you're quite done with this display of familial affection, I'll be leaving," he said, coldly, putting his stuff in the sink and marching on upstairs.

>>>>>>>

I didn't hear from Jakotsu for a couple of days. Lucky for me- I aced every test I had, without that stupid homo calling me constantly. And, for the first time in a long time, I did all my homework- no joke. I did every single piece of homework I had, and studied some, too. I went out with Kagome twice in one week- record set!- and stayed away from cigarettes, alcohol, and stupidity- well, at least when I wasn't around Miroku.

I didn't really notice that he hadn't called in a while; I'd noticed that I was getting more fucking sleep, and that I was doing better in school. I noticed that I was acting happier, less grudging all the time, and I noticed, Jesus Holy Fucking Christ, my world, my life, was so fucking inane. Everything I did and everyone I knew was routine and boring. Everyone I associated with was fucking retarded. Everything I did at home was nothing- I studied. Was that the extent of my life?

When things got like this I never really understood it. I mean, I should've been happy, right? Well, of course I was happy- I was just so goddamned bored.

I was doing my history homework the Monday after, almost falling asleep to the bland decree of some stupid town, when I heard my mom calling me.

"Inuyasha! You have a visitor!"

I got up, rubbing my head exhaustedly.

"Inuyasha!"

"Yeah! Coming!" I called back, closing the cover of the book and running downstairs. "Yeah? What?" I asked. I looked at my mom, and then to the front door- my feet froze. I stopped dead, looking at Jakotsu, in my fucking front door, looking like a goddamned mess.

"You have a visitor," Mom smiled, and went off into the kitchen to finish cooking something or cleaning something.

I stared at him, the side of my mouth twitching. He looked at me silently. "Well, are you just gonna stand there like a retard or are you gonna gimme some reason as to why you're here?"

He smiled gently. "I made you something. It's real cool," he said, reaching into his backpack for something.

"Oh," I said, leaning against the wall. "Well, why'd you go and do that?"

"'Cause," he started, still searching through that goddamned backpack- what did he have in there? Nuclear weapons, torture devices, pornographic material- the usual? "'Cause you sounded really stressed and stuff, and when I'm stressed- here it is! Yay! Ow. Shit," he said, getting something out. He looked up at me and smiled, brushing the hair out of his face, "When I'm stressed, music makes me happy."

He handed me a small CD cover. I looked down at it- it was purple (what else was new with him), and had drawings in marker all over it; hearts filled in with crappy pen, caricatures of people he knew. He'd tried to scribble the song names on the back of the CD thing, but had crossed out so much and drawn so much over it that everything was incoherent. I struggled for some kind of uncomfortable words. "Uhm, thanks," I managed to get out. Of all the fucking things to do after I yell at him and call him inane, he makes me a CD. He grinned. I raised an eyebrow. "But don't think you're gonna get in my pants just 'cos you made me a CD."

"Aww," he whined.

"Sorry," I snapped, "I'm taken."

He laughed. "Aw, Yasha, you're so…I can't even explain it," he decided.

I shrugged. "Well, uhm, are you gonna stay or something?" I asked, immediately regretting the words.

"I wish," he snorted. He pouted. "My stupid mom is making me come home early because my stupid Dean had a talk with her about my 'appalling conduct.' What-ever." He rolled his eyes, but began to get all happy again, causing me to think that maybe he was bipolar or something. "Well, bye, Yash!"

"Yeah," I said, getting the door. I noticed, looking out after him, I guess to make sure that he didn't get run over or murdered on his way across the street, that he still had no jacket. He shivered and walked off, looking down at the sidewalk, counting steps like a fucking kindergartner.

>>>>>>>

I skipped dinner. I didn't feel very hungry, and I had work- and, plus, I had this CD to listen to. Maybe it was the music that kept me going on with him. Even when they're wasn't any playing I could still hear it, even though I didn't think of it as a big deal. I just thought of it like you think of movies, with a soundtrack playing in the background.

I sat down at the desk with my textbook and notebook and popped the CD into my stereo. I hit play and started to outline again.

It sounded like a mariachi trumpet, with the steady, rhythmic beat of a tambourine and a drum. The bass sounded like a Beatles song, melodic-like and boppy. A woman started singing- I was taken by surprise. The only women he listened to were Madonna and perverted girls, like that Chrissie Hyndes girl or whatever her name was. I'd heard this girl's voice before- it was soft but strong at the same time.

"Old men, young men, preachers sayin' Amen, taking up collections, playing on the bass drum/ How come, the city, never sleeps, at night…"

"Heh," I snorted, moving more comfortably into my chair. Just like me, lately. I tried to concentrate on the homework, but the song kept blaring in the background, all majestic and glamorous sounding, like big bands with a touch of jazz house.

"Red cars, blue cars, payment-overdue cars, cops with indigestion, millionaires and some bums/ How come, the city, never sleeps, at niiiight…"

I sat there, annoyed as all Holy Hell that I couldn't pin a name on this girl. Jesus- was she- no, that was the girl with the deep voice…Christ…Who was this girl? I listened harder.

"Short girls, tall girls, happy that they're all girls, walkin' with tonight's love, holdin' hands and then some/ How come, the city, never sleeps, at niightt…"

I thought about Jakotsu- well, this seemed like the kind of music he would like, that kind of acid-trip-big-city music that some bands did, like journal music. I was lulled to sleep by the voice- I could hardly keep my head up, with visions of the city that I had never seen and big neon lights playing in my mind, with some girl with flipped hair singing,

"Good guys, bad guys, women place-and-show guys, losers with their hands out, pigeons beggin' breadcrumbs/ How come, the city, never sleeps, at niiight…"

>>>>>>>

I woke up an hour later; the CD was finished. I blinked, looking at the display on the stereo. Fifty-six minutes and forty-three seconds long. I played it again, skipping past number one, just in case I fell asleep again.

An airy guitar played. Wait. I'd heard this song before…the drums came in, and I instantly recognized it- You Shook Me All Night Long. I smirked- what a fucking song. I began to frown, though- thinking of Jakotsu and thinking of this song provoked some disturbing-ass images…

"She was a something-machine, she kept the motors clean, she was the best damn woman that I'd, ever seen-"

I skipped the history homework- fuck it. If anyone cared least about the past right now, it was me. I couldn't deal with it, so I sped through my math homework and wrote an essay on Brave New World and seriously considered breaking off all contacts with Jakotsu and went to sleep.

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A/N: I am extremely tired now…writing, actually, depresses me, sometimes. Ahhmm…hmm…, uhm, well, that was a bridge chapter, (another bad bridge chapter), to connect between the next chapter and, well, you know, I can't move from one plot advancement to the next so quickly. Songs:

1) The City Never Sleeps at Night- Nancy Sinatra
2) You Shook Me All Night Long- AC/DC
3) Latin music that Sesshoumaru was listening to was a song by Mariani; number nine on her CD.
4) The punk music he was listening to was, let's say, I'm Waiting for the Man by Lou Reed, or Seek and Destroy by Iggy and the Stoogesor Success by Iggy Pop. Or Louie Louie, by the Sonics.

Bye. Happy New Year, Christmas.