Disclaimer: I do not own Inu-Yasha, but if I did there'd be more episodes. It belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.

A/N: Okay, I had this written when I put the first chapter up, but I didn't know if I should add it onto the first chapter or make it a second chapter. I decided on the latter. Okay, enough of my babbling. On with the story!!!!!!!!!

(Italics are thoughts)

Chapter Two

After jumping out of the well, a climb that would have been a clamber for anyone else in his position, Inu-Yasha slid the shrine door open and stepped into the late afternoon light outside with Kagome in his arms. Looking around, Inu-Yasha noticed Sota, Kagome's little brother. He'd only met this little kid a few times before, but Sota seemed to hold him, Inu-Yasha, in high esteem. It was such a change for him, being respected. Nobody ever looked up to a lowly hanyou. Why would they? Hanyous were generally considered scum. Youkai were always respected, mostly out of fear, but respected all the same, and humans? Humans were respected and loved by each other. Hanyous were hated by both. Inu-Yasha was insulted by everyone he met. It wasn't his fault he was born that way, but what did they know? As a result he had very little trust in people. He was pulled out of his thoughts by Sota's voice.

"Hey! Inu-Yasha and Kagome are back! Hi you guys!"

"Hey, Sota." Inu-Yasha said half-heartedly. "Hey, go get your mom and grandpa. Kagome's badly hurt and needs a doctor. I'll take her inside."

Sota suddenly looked concerned. He paled and said "Um…Sure…" as he saw the blood on her shirt. Inu-Yasha went inside following Sota and laid Kagome on the sofa in the living room as Sota disappeared into the depths of the house. A few seconds later Hitome (Kagome's mother) and Gramps (that's what they called their grandpa) came running in. Just as a worried mother should do, Hitome rushed to her daughter's side.

"Kagome? Kagome, what's wrong?"

The question was pointed at Inu-Yasha, who just stood there a little nervously.

"Yeah, what happened?" piped up little Sota as he eyed the blood on his sister's shirt once again.

"It doesn't matter right now. She needs help." He said in attempt to avoid the question.

"You're right. Grampa call an ambulance" Hitome called. From the kitchen an old voice answered "Already on it."

As Kagome laid there, she only really heard half of what was going on. Everything was becoming harder to understand. If only everybody would quit talking then she could sleep. She felt that she was laying on something soft. Nothing like that was in the feudal era. She shifted her eyes to the left and saw the back of her favorite couch. When did she get home? Oh, right, the well. Wait, did someone just say ambulance? She decided to speak.

"Hey, what's going on? Did you say…ambulance?"

'Well, she's talking more, which means she's stronger, but she's also more confused…' thought Inu-Yasha.

The air was tense for a few minutes with silent worry until they heard a siren and a knock on the door that told them the ambulance had arrived. Everyone could hear as Hitome answered the door. "Hello, she's in here…" Hitome entered the room with three people following. The first one glanced at Kagome and hurried over to her. She pulled Kagome's shirt up enough to take a look at her abdomen. The wounds there were deep and dark. "I see the bleeding stopped" she commented as she thought 'That's usually not a good sign. What happened to this girl? That boy has her blood all over him.' She looked around and addressed her two partners. "Okay, you two, lets get her to the ER." The other two paramedics lifted her onto a stretcher and rolled her out of the house. A few minutes later as they were about to close the ambulance Hitome said, "Okay, everybody, get in the car. We'll follow them to the hospital."

Inu-Yasha inwardly groaned. He hated those weird metal things. They always made him feel a little queasy. What was the phrase Kagome used for that feeling again? Oh yeah, car-sick. One of the worst feelings in the world. Besides that, he could get to any place faster than a car. When you were running around on top of buildings and trees, instead of waiting around in that giant mess of cars and people, nothing got in your way. You could get straight there and back without turning a corner every few seconds or sitting in something so big and clunky. Besides, Inu-Yasha heard that cars were dangerous. What were those things called that Kagome told him about? Car crashes. She said that huge numbers of people died from them every year. He'd never seen one but thought he knew what one must look like. The name was pretty self-explanatory. Why use a car when you had legs and feet? At least walking didn't make you sick.

-Inside The Ambulance-

Kagome was about to fall asleep. She knew from watching a lot of crime and doctor shows that you weren't supposed to fall asleep in an ambulance. They wanted to keep you awake for various reasons. She couldn't be sure if that was true or not, but if it was, she didn't want to put herself in danger by taking a nap, no matter how well deserved it was. And anyway, even if she wanted to fall asleep, she wouldn't have because this was an experience she wouldn't want to forget. She kept herself awake mostly by thinking of all her friends and family; all the people she loved. The seconds ticked on as she waited for the ambulance to start moving. As she repeated her list of closest friends -Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Mom, Gramps, Sota, Inu-Yasha, Kaede, Kirara, Ayume, Koga, Buoy (her cat)- each name connected to a memory, an image, or a thought, she noticed that one named flashed across her mind more than the others: Inu-Yasha.

It occurred to her that she wanted Inu-Yasha to be with her all of a sudden. She didn't know why, she just did. Would that lady get Inu-Yasha for her? She decided to find out. "Inu-Yasha…" she muttered. "Hm? What did you say hon?" asked a motherly voice. Kagome hadn't noticed how pretty her voice was before. "InuYasha" maybe this time she would hear correctly. Kagome didn't saying it more than once. She liked Inu-Yasha's name. It felt good on her tongue. It was fun to say and beautiful. Saying his name was like saying your favorite word over and over again just because you like the way it sounded.

"Inu-Yasha, huh? Okay." In all honesty, she'd heard Kagome the first time. She just didn't know what an evil dog had to do with anything. She went over to where the girl's family was gathered around their car. "Hey, does 'Inu-Yasha' mean anything to you guys? She keeps saying it." Turning at his name Inu-Yasha said "Yeah. That's me." "You're Inu-Yasha?"

"Yeah. That's my name."

The woman just gave Inu-Yasha a satisfied look and said, "Okay, well I think she wants you. You can ride with her if you want. We have to get going."

"Oh wait. Before we go, can I have your name?" Hitome asked.

"Yeah. I'm Kokoro Hoshiko." She said and smiled.

"I'm Kagome's mother, Hitome Higurashi."

Inu-Yasha ran into the back of the ambulance almost hitting his head on the top of its doorframe and Kokoro got into the driver's seat. "Hey, Kagome…" Inu-Yasha said as he sat down next to her. "So how do you feel?" he asked as the ambulance started to move. Kagome didn't want him to be to worried and she hated being worried over, so in an attempt to lighten the mood she replied "Holey…" and smiled at him. It was a lame pun, but fun anyways. She'd always loved it when she read it in a book, but never thought she'd have a chance to use it. Inu-Yasha didn't fully understand it (of course she was holy, she was a miko, but what did that have to do with being injured?) but he smiled anyway because it amazed him that she was a strong enough person to still make jokes at a time like this. Suddenly he felt a gentle touch on his left hand. As he looked down, he realized how close Kagome's hand was to his. S he moved it again, trying to grab his hand. He wasn't shocked exactly, but surprised. Did she really want to hold his hand? He looked at her face and decided it was a yes by what he read in her eyes. He remembered the first time she held his hand. It was on that beautiful day when she came back through the well and told him she stayed with him by choice, not because she was obligated to. Those words had stuck with him all this time. They were still in his heart. He loved that memory and was very happy that he had met Kagome. He'd never known such a person before and he doubted he ever would again. Kagome had been his first real friend. She was more of a friend than Kikyo had ever been, and he was glad that he had unpinned him from that tree. What he loved most about her, and all his friends was that they acted so normal and comfortable around him. They all saw him for who he was, not what he was. It had been a new feeling for him when he had met them all. It was so amazing that he had friends. It was one of the first good things that happened in his life. Friends.

-At The Hospital-

A few hours later when Kagome was released from the ER and put in her own hospital room, Inu-Yasha, Sota, Hitome, and Gramps could be found in he waiting room on the first floor. The door swung open and everybody currently sitting in a chair looked up hoping it meant they could see the patient they were there for. A nurse walked through it and made her way to Kagome's family and Inu-Yasha. Hitome, being a worried mother, spoke first, "How's she doing? Is she going to be okay?"

"Kagome should be fine, but we're not entirely sure how bad off she is. She took quite a beating you know. Oh, and my name is Airi Atsuki."

Sota, being an impatient little brother was doing all he could to keep from bouncing on his toes and couldn't hold it in anymore. "Well, what's wrong with her?" he blurted out. Airi took out her clipboard and said, "Well let's see. She has trauma to the head, several wounds to the lower torso and a broken wrist."

Hitome asked, "Can we see her?"

"I don't see why not. She's in a stable condition. I'll show you to her room" The nurse replied and she walked out of the room with the family following behind her.

One staircase and three hallways later they came to room 1037. The nurse stopped in front of the door and said, "She's very tired so she's probably asleep. If she is, we shouldn't wake her up."

Airi left and everybody walked into Kagome's room. She was lying on a bed in a hospital gown, asleep just as the nurse had predicted. Conveniently there were a few chairs placed around the room so nearly everybody found a seat. For a few minutes they all watched her sleep. She didn't look too good but apparently, she was expected to make a full recovery and for that they were relieved.

A/N: This chapter has a little bit to do with names. I gave the nurse and the paramedic those specific names for a reason. Here are the name meanings:

Kokoro-----spirit, heart

Hoshiko----star child

Airi----------love, affection, jasmine, pear

Atsuki-------warm, kind, cordial

Inu-----------Dog

Yasha-------Female demon (from what I have heard-may not be completely accurate)

So I was making a little joke when Kokoro Hoshiko thought Kagome was talking about an evil dog. Not a very good one but it was fun.

Also, if you haven't seen the show in Japanese or don't know the Japanese words for things, here's the list:

Youkai--------Demon

Hanyou-------Half demon

Miko-----------Priestess

There are more but I don't really watch the show in Japanese very often so I only know a few. There are others that appear in the show.

Please review! I know you're reading this!