Author's Note: I'm really glad you guys liked the first chapter. Thanks for all your reviews. They make my day! Ok, so some of you expressed your hopes that Kiba is the one who saved Yuri in the last chapter. You'll find out whether or not it was Kiba, in this chapter. Oh, and I'd like to once again say, for those of you who just stumbled upon this story, this is a sequel, so you'd enjoy a lot more if you read the first part, The Lily's Path. Ok, so let's get down to business, enjoy!
"Yuri! Yuri!" Jane yelled, running frantically toward to her side. "Oh my god, are you all right?" she gasped, falling to her knees beside her.
"She unconscious," the young man replied softly. Jane turned and started a bit that the sound of his voice, as if suddenly aware of his presence. His hand still supporting Yuri's head, the young man placed it in the crook of his neck and gingerly took Yuri's body in his arms, standing slowly but with no apparent difficulty. He turned sternly to Jane. "I've got a cab stopped just across the street—I was about to get in it when, you know. But we need to get her to a hospital, and fast. It looks like she's got a concussion."
Jane shook her head fervently. "You're right, but some guy over there," she shook her hand dismissively in some arbitrary direction, "already called for an ambulance, so it should be getting here any second."
No sooner had Jane finished her sentence than the distant rumblings of an ambulance's siren could be heard approaching. Within seconds, the ambulance sped into view. The crowd that had gathered to witness the scene quickly parted, allowing the ambulance to stop only yards away from Jane and the young man with Yuri in his arms. A group of paramedics leapt out, rushing over to the young man.
"Is this her?" a paramedic asked, pointing to Yuri. The young man nodded absently and the paramedic motioned for his comrades to bring the stretched over. The young man carefully placed Yuri on it, whereupon he was pushed out of the way so the paramedics could secure her in place. Jane jumped up and down anxiously, trying to get a good look of Yuri, babbling something about "going lax on hospital safety," and biting her nails.
Just as they were done loading Yuri into the ambulance, the paramedics jumped back into the ambulance ready to leave when one last paramedic approached the young man. "Would you like to ride with her, sir?"
The young man, who had been taking the whole scene in silently, blinked a few times before nodding slowly. "Ok, come with me then," the paramedic said, leading the young man to the ambulance. "You can sit here, next to—"
"Wait!" came a shout. Jane was rushing toward them. "Please, let me ride with her too, she's my friend!"
The paramedic looked at her skeptically, recalling her babblings from moments ago. "It's up to you," he said, turning to the young man. "There's only room for one of you to come and we've got to hurry, we're losing time."
Seeing Jane's apprehensive expression, the young man nodded. "Go," he said, letting Jane get past him. He helped her into the ambulance.
"You're going to have to follow us," the paramedic said. "Since you're involved, we're going to need you to answer a few questions for us, alright?"
"Alright."
The paramedic nodded curtly before shutting the door of the ambulance. The young man quickly ran across the street where the taxicab he had stopped earlier was still stationed, the driver staring unabashedly out his window. "I need you to follow the ambulance," the young man said harshly, jerking the driver back to work. He jumped in and zoomed after the ambulance, down the street.
"Name?"
"I'm Jane Elliot."
"I meant the patient's."
"Oh, uh, Yuri Yamagata."
"Ok, age?"
Jane put a finger to her chin, thinking. "Uh, I'm not sure," she answered hesitantly. "At least seventeen, I suppose."
"I guess that's better than nothing. Residence?"
"Oh, we're only visiting, we don't live here."
"Well, where does she live?"
"I don't know."
The nurse at the front desk put her pen down and looked up from the form she was filling out. She fixed Jane with a quizzical gaze. "You don't know? Didn't you say you are her friend?"
"I am," Jane answered. "We're not that kind of friends, that's all."
"Oh?" the nurse smirked. "And what kind are you?"
Jane let out an indignant snort. "What does that matter?" she burst out. "Are you not going to treat her or something, unless you have your stupid little form filled out, or what? Just tell those doctors to do their job!"
The nurse chuckled lightly, earning a scornful scowl from Jane. "Relax," she said calmly. "You're friend is already being taken care of. This form is just for the purpose of maintaining our records. That's fine. You looked stressed enough. We can finish filling in the rest of her information later. Why don't you take a seat and let the doctors work their magic. She's going to be fine, you'll see."
Jane sighed heavily and nodded, walking slowly over to a chair by the nurse's desk. Jane closed her eyes and leaned her head back, massaging at temples with her fingers, gently kneading in a circular motion. They had helped Jane out of the ambulance as soon as they arrived at the hospital. Then she got lost in the tumult of paramedics, doctors and nurses inside, and didn't see where Yuri was whisked off to, or with whom. And to make matters worse, Jane had been told she "couldn't see Yuri" by a nurse with such a tone that, as Jane put it, sounded "like a death sentence in itself."
All of that had occurred two hours ago.
"So," the nurse asked, leaning over her desk slightly to speak to Jane. "What happened?"
Jane opened her eyes and turned to the nurse. "I'm not entirely sure," she replied. "It all happened so fast, in the midst of all the commotion, I didn't know exactly what was going on. Basically, she almost got hit by a truck."
"Almost?" the nurse said. Jane nodded. The nurse blinked. "So who's that guy?" She asked, jerking her head in the young man's direction. He was standing in a corner of the waiting room, leaning against the wall, his face clouded by a dark, brooding expression.
"I don't know," Jane sighed, looking at the young man. "But I know that he is the one who saved her. He ran into the middle of the street and pulled her out of the way in the nick of time. I only barely managed to see it happen."
The nurse raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Really?" she murmured. "Sounds like a pretty heroic guy."
Jane shrugged. "I guess so."
"Well," the nurse said, easing back into her chair behind her desk. "If he was involved, he needs to fill one of these forms out too. Would you tell him to come over here, please?" Jane nodded and stood up, bracing herself on the chair's armrests and groaning slightly with the effort.
Jane walked slowly toward the young man, taking in his appearance as she walked. He was still brooding over something and he didn't appear to notice her approach.
"Um," Jane said hesitantly. No answer. Jane tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Excuse me."
The young man looked up. "Yes?" he answered softly.
"Uh, the nurse wants to see you," Jane said, motioning toward the nurse's desk.
The young man peered over Jane's shoulder at the nurse, who eyed him with a funny expression. He sighed. "Alright, thanks," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking to the nurse. Jane stared after him, caught by his behavior and the expression in his eyes.
Jane plopped back into a chair and closed her eyes. She had called her friend earlier and told her about the whole ordeal—what a day this had turned out to be! Now she just wanted to settle into a nice comfy bed and sleep until she forgot all about this mess. Her friend had assured her that she would rush over to the hospital and be there are soon as time allowed. She couldn't wait for Yuri to be released, which she hoped would be soon. She could hear the young man's voice, soft and low, muffled, as he answered the nurse's questions in a hushed voice. As she slipped into sleep, Jane could barely make out anything those two were saying….
"Miss Elliot, Miss Elliot."
Jane stirred a bit, groaning. Now what is it? "Ugh, I'll do it tomorrow, Mom," she mumbled, turning over in the chair.
"Miss Elliot!" The nurse said, shaking Jane slightly. She was the nurse from the front desk. "You may see your friend now."
"What?" Jane turned to face the nurse. Now she was awake. "I can see Yuri?" Jane asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
The nurse smiled brightly. "Yes, you may. Just follow Miss Ueda," the nurse said, indicating another white-clad nurse, with curly black hair. "She will lead you to your friend's room."
Jane stood up and stretched a bit before following Miss Ueda through a pair of automatic sliding double doors. As she walked, Jane noticed the young man was still there, sitting alone in the waiting room, brooding as before.
"She's right in here," Miss Ueda said, standing beside a white door marked, Room 104.
"She was awake when I left her, but she may have fallen asleep, so try not to disturb her if she is, OK?"
"Ok," Jane answered. Miss Ueda turned to leave as Jane reached for the knob. "Oh, wait!" Jane called after her. "Miss Ueda, when will Yuri be ready to leave?"
"Soon, my dear. We'll talk about that later. For now, just go see your friend."
"Alright," Jane answered, a bit puzzled at Miss Ueda's expression. Shrugging it off, Jane cautiously entered the room.
Yuri was awake, sitting up in bed wearing a white hospital gown and a sizeable frown on her face. She smiled, however, when Jane walked inside. "Oh," she sighed, "I thought you were another doctor or nurse here to prod at me."
"Nope, just me," Jane replied. "I'm so happy you're OK," she said, hugging Yuri.
"Same here."
"How's your head?" Jane asked, pulling a chair over to the side of the bed and sitting in it.
"I've got quite a bump apparently, but other than that it's feeling alright."
"That's good," Jane said. There were a few moments of silence until Jane broke the silence and added, "Oh, I called my friend. Yeah, she said she's really sorry she missed us, but there was an emergency and she couldn't miss it, so yeah. She also said she'd be here as soon as she could, so we won't have to worry about catching a cab to get to her place."
"That's great," Yuri said. She twisted her fingers nervously in her lap.
"Is something wrong?" Jane asked, noticing Yuri's behavior.
"No, I just wanted to know, is that young man still here? The one who saved me?"
"As a matter of fact," Jane said, considering her question, "he is. He's still in the waiting room. Why do you ask?"
Yuri's heart skipped a beat. She had only caught a glimpse of him before she lost consciousness, but she was almost sure of what she had seen. She had seen a young man with dark hair—blurry or not, she was almost sure Kiba had saved her from the truck. Could it be? Could it be that her love had followed her and saved her from that truck, just as he had been her deliverer from loneliness and depression before? One thing she was sure of; she wasn't going to leave any question in her mind—she had to find out.
"Could you ask him to come, please?"
"You want to see him?" Jane asked curiously.
"Yes, I want to thank him, you know, for saving me," Yuri answered.
"Oh," Jane nodded. "Of course, I'll get him right now, if you like."
"Yes, please."
Jane nodded and stood up. "Is there anything else you would like me to get you while I'm up?"
"No, thank you."
"OK, I'll be back in a minute." Jane left the room, leaving Yuri to her thoughts, for the moment.
Yuri's mind raced. If it were Kiba, what would she do? What would she say, how would she act? Would he be angry with her? Is that the reason why he had not come to see yet? What would she do in that case? Would she apologize? It was only a few minutes, but to Yuri, it seemed an eternity elapsed before there was a light knock at her door and she heard Jane call her name.
Jane opened the door a crack and peeked in. "He's here, do you want me to stay with you?"
Yuri shook her head. "Actually, I'm a little thirsty now. I'm really sorry, but would you please get me some water?"
Jane smiled. "That's fine. How about something to eat too?" Yuri smiled timidly. "OK, I'll see what they have. I'll be back, and I'll let him in now, OK?"
"OK."
Jane's head disappeared behind the door, and Yuri could hear two voices in the hall, neither of which was very distinguishable due to the echo. Yuri closed her eyes, feeling her heart beating frantically in her chest; it seemed about to burst its encasement with its frenzy. Lord, if he didn't come in soon, she was liable to have a heart attack! Just then, the door opened again, slowly, and the young man walked in.
"Excuse me, where's the cafeteria?" Jane asked, stopping a nurse in the hall. She had forgotten what floor she was on and jumped into the elevator as if she knew where she was going. Now she was on the seventh floor of the hospital, completely lost.
"Oh a you're a little ways away from the cafeteria. It's on the fist floor, by the gift shop."
"Thanks!" Jane replied. The nurse shook her head, smiling, and walked away. Jane turned and walked in the opposite direction for a while, looking for the elevators, until she realized they were in the other direction. "It's a wonder I can find my way home sometimes," she thought.
When she finally did find the cafeteria, there was a sizeable line before her. "This is going to take a while," she mumbled. "I thought hospital food was terrible," she said.
An elderly man in front of her turned with a smile. "It is," he replied.
"Then what's with this?" she said, indicating the size of the line.
"Oh, not this hospital," the elderly man answered. "This hospital has quite good food. Isn't that funny? But it's true. Besides, it's dinner time and we're all a little hungry."
"Yeah, me too," Jane said. She checked her pockets for money, having realized earlier that she left her bags somewhere in the street. Somehow, they had just lost their importance at that moment. She sighed, realizing she would barely have enough for Yuri's food and maybe a candy bar for herself. Maybe someone would find her bags and turn them in. Her name was written on all of them—a precaution she always made. She stuffed the money back in her pocket.
"Here," the elderly man said, holding a few bills of money out to Jane.
"Excuse me?"
"Take it," he said.
"Oh, I couldn't."
"No really," the elderly man said, taking Jane's hand and placing the money in it. "I noticed you were a little short on money, and this hospital happens to be a bit pricier than others, probably because the food is good. So take it, I insist."
"Oh, thank you very much," Jane replied, squeezing the money.
"It's nothing," the elderly man said. "I hope it helps."
Jane nodded and blushed slightly as her stomach gave an appreciative rumble.
Yuri held her breath as the young man entered. She smiled, seeing the young man's face.
"Hello," he said, shutting the door behind him.
"Hello," Yuri replied. She sighed.
"It something wrong?" he asked.
"No, nothing's wrong, it's just that…"
"Just what?"
"You're not Kiba."
The young man smiled. "No, sorry. I don't know him, is he a friend of yours?"
"Yes," Yuri replied, smiling with tears in her eyes. "Something like that."
Noticing the tears in Yuri's eyes, the young man bit his lip nervously. "Is this a bad time?" he asked. "I could come back later, if you like."
Yuri shook her head. "No, no, I'm fine, really. I'm the one who called you here in the first place, remember? I just wanted to thank you for saving me."
"You're welcome. It's nothing, really, I was just acting on instinct."
"Oh, it's something to me, you have my sincerest gratitude. I wish everyone had instincts like yours."
"Thank you," the young man blushed. "You were in danger, I couldn't think of anything else I could have done."
"That's terribly noble of you."
"I don't think so, it's just a natural instinct."
"Well I think so," Yuri said. "Come, sit next to me," she said, indicating the chair Jane had moved closer to the bed.
The young man sat down. "To be honest," Yuri said, "I was surprised you were here."
"Well, I had to answer some questions," he replied. "And…"
"And what?"
"Well, I wanted to talk to you."
"You wanted to talk to me?" Yuri asked, perplexed. "What about?"
The young man opened his mouth to talk, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Miss Yamagata?"
"Yes?" Yuri answered. "Come in."
Miss Ueda opened the door, followed by a harsh-looking old man. "Miss Yamagata, this is your doctor, Doctor Mitsurugi."
"Hello," Yuri greeted him.
"I need to have a word with you, in private, please," Dr. Mitsurugi said, speaking to both Yuri and the young man.
"Oh," I'll be leaving then," the young man said.
"You're not going to stay?" Yuri asked. "I thought you needed to talk to me."
The young man waved his hands to quiet her. "I'll be in the waiting room, I'll come back as soon as they're out, OK?"
Yuri nodded and waved at the young man as he left. Miss Ueda left with him, shutting the door behind them. Dr. Mitsurugi turned to Yuri and addressed her sternly, beginning with, "Miss Yamagata, I am here to inform you of your condition."
Jane walked slowly toward Yuri's room, trying to balance two trays of food. She hoped the young man was not hungry, but just in case, she had purchased a few things extra. "Yuri!" she called. "Can you open the door, or do I need to call a nurse?"
The door opened, and Jane walked in, setting one tray down on a table and turning to Yuri to had her the second one. She stopped. "Yuri, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"
"The doctor came in to see her," the young man answered.
"Well, what did he say?" Jane asked urgently.
Yuri looked up, tears flowing freely from her cheeks: "I'm pregnant!"
There you go. Sorry guys, but I couldn't have Kiba saving Yuri. Don't you remember why she left him? But don't get mad at me please! There are two new characters that you'll be seeing a lot of. One is Jane and other is the "Young Man" whose name you'll learn in the next chapter. So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's a bit longer than I meant it to be, but yeah. So, thanks for reading, and—
Kiba: Wait a minute, that's it?
Superninny-chan: What do you mean, that's it?
Kiba: I mean, this is the second chapter and I haven't been in either of them. What's the deal?
Superninny-chan: Keep your hair on; I'm getting there.
Kiba: Well hurry it up will you, my fan base is waiting.
Superninny-chan: Fan base? What fan base?
Kiba: I mean the fan base you're a part of.
Superninny-chan: Oh, that one. Heh, heh. On to the next chapter!
Kiba: About damn time.
Little Zep: Anyway, thanks for reading guys, and please review. Don't worry, Kiba will be in this story, just so you know, so hang in there, all will reveal itself in due time!
Kiba: Due time, shoe time, get on with it!
Superninny-chan: I would like to take this time to sincerely thank all my reviewers for their wonderful encouragement. One thing I like about AnimeSpiral is that author's can write comments to their reviewers on the actual review. It's a nice feature that I employ to it's fullest. Since this site lacks at feature, I will be writing comments or responses to my reviews at the end of each chapter.
To kagz: It's true, the Wolf's Rain audience is tragically small. I've been thinking of writing an Inuyasha fanfic, as a matter of fact, but I figure there are a some many stories for that series out already I'd be hard-pressed to find something original and I'd hate to use some dried-up, recycled plot (Not that my Wolf's Rain plot is all that original. I like romances, what can I say? However, most authors have Kiba pair with another female wolf. Yuri is human and she's not some perfect, super-hot, killing machine either…not so typical afterall). I'm really glad you enjoyed the dialogue in that chapter (can't recall, was that the chapter with Blue, or the fight between Kiba and Yuri?). I agree, I mean, not to toot my own horn or anything, but I also feel that dialogue is what I do best—it's what comes to me the easiest. Sorry, I left you with another cliffhanger! But I'll update sooner now, maybe tomorrow. I think that's a long-enough response. Until next time, thank you for your review. I loved your commentary! Thanks again!
To fangsire: Hooked huh? Awesome! That means I'm doing my job! Thank you so much! Well, now you know who Yuri's rescuer is—sort of. At least you know that it isn't Kiba. Kiba will be in this fanfic though, later on. It'll be scarce at the beginning, but I plan to totally reintegrate him. Thanks for your comments, loved the review!