Chapter 14: Recovering

Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha.

A/N: Wow, a lot of reviews! Thanks a lot! Just so that others know, I replaced my author's note with chapter 13. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

"InuYasha, watch out!" Kagome and Sango cried out in unison.

Unfortunately, however, it was too late. As the two cars came crashing together, everyone was thrown out of their seats, save for the ones wearing seatbelts (excluding InuYasha). Of course, this led to a stunned and bleeding hanyou flying out the car window and crashing into the other car. Everyone watching was screaming and yelling, and someone could be heard calling for the police.

Kagome's POV during the car crash

I had already known that it was too late to stop the whole accident from happening. Jerking violently in my seat, I watched in horror as InuYasha went flying out the window. Glass and body met, and I screamed as glass that hadn't hit InuYasha came flying onwards, directed at us. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sesshomaru and Koga break a hole through the roof of the limousine and fly upwards, cursing and swearing at InuYasha. As I was about to shout out my anger at them, two glass shards pierced me in the arm and blood flowed freely from the wound. My world was fading.

"Don't die, InuYasha, don't die…" I pleaded, before giving in to the welcoming, dark world of unconsciousness…

Nobody's POV

Kagome slowly came to. What had happened? Oh yes, the car crash…InuYasha flying out the window…Kagome would have laughed out loud at that if only the situation hadn't been so serious.

"Kagome, are you awake? Is your arm okay?" the high school girl heard Kikyo's voice calling. Opening her eyes, Kagome groggily lifted her left hand to rub her eyes. For some reason, her other arm was too heavy to be lifted. That was when she remembered that her arm had been pierced by two glass shards. Straining her head to look down, the girl saw her arm bandaged and looked at Sango, who had a crease in her forehead.

"Were the wounds serious?"

"Well, the lower shard left a gaping gash in your arm, so yeah, it was serious, that's why you're arm's all bandaged now. Miraculously enough, Kikyo and I managed to get out of the whole ordeal with only a few cuts and bruises," Sango replied, accepting an ice pack that a random nurse had given her and placing it on a bruise Kagome had only just seen.

"How long have I been out?"

"It's just the three days since the crash. We're surprised you even came to that fast. Our little pup whelp, who wasn't as fortunate as you were, is lying in the other bed right now," Kikyo piped in, and Kagome snorted.

Kagome then looked on the bed to the right, and saw Sesshomaru and Koga standing over an unconscious InuYasha's bed, talking, Kagome assumed, about hair products. "Interesting to see that Sesshomaru's got a new gossip friend," Kagome said seriously, and Sango chuckled darkly, and then lowered her chuckle as the youkai mentioned turned around and gave the teenage girls a dark glare.

"Did you see Koga and Sesshomaru before you passed out? I mean, they broke a hole and escaped through the roof, then appeared again when you guys were being carted off to hospital! Those are real cowards!" Kikyo complained loudly in an irritated voice, and this time both Koga and Sesshomaru sent a cold, icy glare towards Kikyo before going back to talking about whatever they were talking about.

That was when Kagome began to think about what had happened before the car crash. And that was also when she remembered: Where was Rin?

"Sango, where's Rin?" Kagome asked slowly, suddenly afraid to ask. What if the girl had been killed in the car crash? Or was she still around, just barely alive?

Judging by the look in the two girls' eyes, Kagome lowered her head, stunned. How could Rin have just died like that? But then again, the girl didn't have much going for her in life. Trying to shrug the tragedy off, Kagome struggled to sit up properly in bed, only to sink back down onto her pillows again. At least InuYasha isn't around to see me like this, or he'd laugh at me, Kagome thought, before smacking her forehead gently with her good hand. What had made that cocky hanyou come into her mind?

That was when Kagome began to think she was dreaming, for she could hear InuYasha's voice yelling mockingly, "You fell, haha! You're so weak it's just phenomenal!" Looking at Kikyo's facial expression, Kagome could tell that InuYasha had come round, too, and she scowled. Sesshomaru simply kept on his calm, collected expression as he watched the two exchanging fierce glares and death-looks at each other. Finally, Sango broke the ice.

"Well…heh…it's nice to see that you're both…er…awake," the performer said rather awkwardly. "InuYasha…er…nice to know that you're wounds are already healing."

The hanyou's reply was to flex his muscles proudly. "Of course, I'll always be able to heal faster than you weak humans can ever do." Kagome growled threateningly, placing her good hand on the cup of water beside her bed. Kikyo hurriedly moved it farther away, afraid that her friend would end up hurling the object at the acrobat. InuYasha, completely oblivious to Kagome's reaction, turned to his calm and collected brother.

"And at least I'm allowed to have more emotions that you stupid youkai people."

"Shut your yap, you insolent puppy. Don't forget that you're actually just a lowly half-breed for us humans and youkai to bully. That's your only purpose in this world," Koga had just voiced what InuYasha had been trying so hard not to think about. Kagome was now confused about how she should feel about InuYasha, whilst Sango's eyes just widened in shock. The others in the ward simply stared and began muttering. The only ones who did not give a reaction were Kikyo and Sesshomaru, who were too busy trying to outdo each other with calm, collected, cool death glares. Kikyo seemed to be winning so far.

InuYasha, on the other hand, had his mouth hanging open. For once, his brain was devoid of any smart remarks he might once have had. For once, the hanyou wished that someone would help him out of this jibe Koga had sent. Lucky for him, Kagome was there to the rescue for once in his entire life.

"Koga, just stop annoying InuYasha. I'm getting sick and tired of hearing you idiots squabble every time I'm around," Kagome said wearily. At least that would have to do for now. Shooting Kagome a secret grateful glance, the hanyou turned over and went to sleep, thinking, Now, what if that wench weren't around to help…, while Koga stormed off to pull Sesshomaru from his staring contest with Kikyo, angry that Kagome had sided with the hanyou.

As soon as a steaming wolf youkai had departed from the ward, Sango rushed up, a smirk evident on her pretty features. "Ha, I told you that you'd fall for InuYasha, Kagome!" the performer said triumphantly, nudging her friend in as if to say 'ha ha!'.

"It was nothing," Kagome retorted, choosing her words carefully. "And I don't like him." That seemed safe enough, but even Sango somehow managed to say something else. The high-school girl moaned in annoyance when she heard the dreaded words.

"You do know, my friend, that saying you don't like someone is one of the first steps to liking that person."

Kikyo, who had walked up just behind Sango, gave her accused friend and knowing and playful wink.

"Open up, Kags, just admit you like him," then deciding to dim the red blush on Kagome's face, Kikyo made up, "I actually think that InuYasha's brother is quite hot." Inwardly, the high-school girl retched at the thought. Sesshomaru, good-looking? You just had to be kidding.

At that point, Kagome found a little flaw in what her friend had said, something that made her vulnerable. "You like Sesshomaru? You never told me that…" Kagome grinned widely, looking at Sango. "Have you ever been told, Sango?"

Before the relieved-that-she-wasn't-being-picked-on performer could reply, the three gossipers were interrupted by InuYasha's rough, impatient voice. "Will you just shut up? I'm trying to get some sleep here, in case you didn't notice. Oh right, girls ARE too stupid to notice."

"You heard everything we said?" Kagome asked, too stunned to retort at InuYasha's rude jibe.

"Of course, the way you idiots were ranting on. I always knew I was good-looking," was the hanyou's muffled reply, and Kagome turned red. Sesshomaru, who was actually standing by the doorway, looked down, his expression hidden by his long silver hair. Usually, the youkai could sense a lie, but when that weak human girl had claimed that she'd liked him, he could sense no lie. Are my senses weakening? It she is really telling the truth…personally, I don't care much for her…A little sparring is in order. Time to cut down a few trees, the youkai thought, his lip curling. He could always pretend that those trees were his hated brother.

With Koga

The wolf youkai was pacing up and down in an isolated isle in a newspaper shop, not knowing that the reason was because the stuff was all boring celebrities talk magazines and books discouraging smoking, which nobody really needed. But the youkai was mutter-thinking.

"How can Kagome side with that ungrateful no-good of a dirty half-breed? I mean, I just revealed his secret to her, she'll surely not like him…" Koga muttered angrily. "But why does she still side with him? Is it because she just thinks he's better looking, or is it the money-"

At that point, Koga snapped his fingers and stopped thinking. That had to be it. Kagome simply liked InuYasha because of his money. Licking his lips in a satisfied way, Koga marched happily out the door, ready to face the gang again. If he'd been less proud about his decision, the wolf youkai would probably have seen the shadows lurking behind the shop door, ones that only youkai could see if they tried.

Continuing on his jolly way out the door, Koga practically skipped down the street, his mind devising all sorts of different ways to get Kagome on his side and humiliate InuYasha if front of everybody. It was a pity, Koga realized, that InuYasha's half-breed secret had been revealed, but nobody had bothered berating him for it. That was when it came to Koga: Yes, the idea was perfect. Nothing could possibly go wrong. By remembering that Kagome was soft-hearted and kind, Koga could pretend the idiot hanyou had hit him real hard. InuYasha, of course, would get all heated up and start yelling obscene things at him, and Kagome would step in to save Koga from all the abuse. The plan had a 90 chance of working. But before Koga could rush all the way back, someone placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Looks like I'm back. Let's go, pal."

And a protesting wolf youkai was dragged away through the suddenly deserted street.

A/N: Whew, sorry I took a long time updating! Please review!