InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Price of Freedom ❯ Transmitting ( Chapter 8 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
Disclaimer: same as other chapters





The Price of Freedom

Transmitting








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Inuyasha hadn't spoken since Miroku and Sango had left to find a place to stay towards the centre of the town - mainly because Sango wanted easy access to shops. But by now, Kagome was starting to worry. Inuyasha was rarely silent.

It just didn't feel healthy.

Kagome's fingers nervously itched against her mug as her gaze flicked from the kitchen table to the shelves - basically anywhere other than Inuyasha. She wanted to break the silence but what was she supposed to say? This guy had just lost his sight permanently... some would think that was even worse than losing your life - Inuyasha struck her as one of those people.

Suddenly his stool squeaked as he decided to get up. Kagome sprung to attention, and said probably the worse thing she could say in a situation like this. "You want some help getting-"

"Just shut the fuck up!"

Kagome fell silent instantly. Well, at least he had spoken.

"You're so bloody needy and clingy - why don't you just jump off a cliff and die!" he snapped harshly.

His words stung a little... after all... she was only worried for him and she felt a lump form in her throat. "God - you can't accept that you do actually need me do you?!"

"Shut up Kagome!" he snarled.

"No!"

He spun suddenly and grabbed her by the shoulders roughly. Kagome emitted a frightened little squeak. "How about I just save you the trouble of having to use that ditzy brain of yours and throw you out of the window and the cliff all together by myself!"

Kagome paled. "You don't know where the window is!"

He turned them both abruptly so her back was to the kitchen window and started to lift her. She panicked and immediately lashed out with her hand, jabbing him hard in his side and kicked him hard in the crotch. He let out a shout of pain and dropped her sharply, falling down as well as her.

Kagome backed up shakily against the cupboards under the sink and stared at him. "Are you crazy!"

"I'm blind!"

"Don't scare me like that!" she gripped her trembling hands to her knees and tried to swallow the shaky sob that rose in her throat, but she couldn't suppress it and she started to cry.

Inuyasha's head shot up and he grappled to sit up. "What are you doing?"

"I'm crying, you idiot!" she sniffled, closing her eyes and willing the tears away that only spilled freely down her face. "I-I try and be nice and you j-just throw it back in my face!"

"Stop crying right now!" he ordered her tersely.

"Then stop shouting at me!"

"I'm not shouting!"

"Yes you are!" she squeaked. "And you deliberately t-tried to scare me!"

"Just stop crying!"

"Bully!"

"I'm sorry, ok - I'm sorry!" he looked flustered. "Just don't cry."

Kagome hiccuped and the sobs subsided with shock that he was actually apologising to her. "You're sorry?"

He nodded. "I'm just a little angry, I guess."

Kagome smiled and moved over to embrace him in the biggest bear hug she could manage, glad that he didn't push her away. "Me too... but we'll cope, right?"

He didn't answer, except he pulled away slightly and trailed a hand over her face. Kagome stared at him with confusion. "What are you doing?"

"Memorising a face I'll never get to see."

Kagome's eyebrows drew together and the pulled him back for another fierce hug. It wasn't like she could say 'don't worry, you'll see me one day' or 'it'll be ok', because that would just be lying pointlessly.

She was just about to say something when he jolted away from her, crying out in pain. Kagome inched away. "What's wrong?!"

Inuyasha grappled at his calf, eyes clenched in total pain, "My leg!"

"What?"

"It hurts.!" he gasped out.

Quickly, Kagome pounced on him and shoved up the hem of his trousers to his knee. Immediately the problem was evident.

Right under the light scar from that gunshot wound the flesh seemed to glow a bright, intermittent red. "What the hell is it?" she gasped, staring at him in stunned shock.





^_^





"We've got a signal." Kikyo stopped short on the street and gestured to Kouga who rolled his eyes at her.

"You really should have tried this earlier you know." He berated her.

"I get paid by the hour, do your own math." She said without looking up from the device in her hand. "Well... thankfully the transmitter hasn't been removed from the bullet wound yet."

"You shot him with a transmitter?" Kouga looked incredulous.

"Not just a pretty face, hm?" she turned slowly until the arrow was pointing toward the flashing red light.

"Northwest - towards the coast."

Towards Kagome's house, but Kouga said nothing, and diplomatically followed Kikyo as she started off at a brisk pace down the street.





^_^





"What do we do?!" Kagome shifted nervously as she looked down at Inuyasha from where he lay on the sofa, gripping the fabric beneath him, but keeping his mouth clamped shut on any scream of pain he could emit. He didn't answer probably because he didn't trust himself to speak normally.

"Ok..." Kagome got down on her knees and took a closer look at his right leg. "It... it looks like a flashing red like deep under the skin... something's in there and it's healed over it."

"The... bullet..." Inuyasha ground out.

"But Miroku removed them with tweezers!" Kagome shook her head. "It's something else... unless... it was attached to the bullet and Miroku didn't know it was there so he just missed it or something!"

"Kagome... shut up... and get it out..." he said with forced calm. "The whole of my right side... is seriously cramping up..."

"How do I get it out?!" she yelped, jumping to her feet. "I'm not a surgeon!"

"I can't do it!"

"But you... claws and... cut - oh for heavens sake - I'll call Miroku!"

"NO!" Inuyasha grabbed her wrist before she could run away and tugged her down so she fell on her knees. "By the time that blockhead gets here the others would have found me."

"What?"

"It's a transmitter you moron!" he gasped and pointed to his leg. "It's probably sending a signal right this minute - there are probably people from the institute racing towards this house right now - they could be bursting down the door any second!"

"But-"

"We can't wait for that doctor of yours! You have to get it out NOW before they find me!" he yelled.

"But I can't cut you!" she screamed back, the mere thought of causing him pain was enough to send a prickle of perspiration along her forehead.

"You have to! Cut me or they capture me!" he raised a hand to press against the side of his head like he had a migraine. "Please Kagome..."

She stared at him, breathing hard and taking what he'd said into evaluation before nodding fervently. "Fine... ok... I-I'll get a scalpel."





^_^





Kag ome stood before him, scalpel braced in her hand and a little red in the cheeks. She was embarrassed that it had taken her almost a full hour to pick up the damn scalpel and now she was trying to force herself to contemplate cutting into Inuyasha's leg.

"But we don't have any anaesthetic!" she wailed. "I'll hurt you!"

"It hurts like I'm having a thousand knives rammed into my leg! One more won't bother me!" he was pressing the balls of his hands hard against his eyes. Kagome knew full well that the pain in his leg had been setting off a chain-reaction of pain during the past hour and not only did his leg hurt but his head as well, and apparently his eyes were giving him trouble too. And here she was standing there like a dodo while precious seconds ticked by. The enemy could be coming up the road right that minute.

"Ok... ok... I can do this." She took a deep breath and sank to her knees beside him with her eyes closed.

"DON'T DO IT WITH YOUR FUCKING EYES CLOSED!!!" Inuyasha burst out.

"How did you know?!" she glared at him.

"I could hear it!" he yelled. "Stop being a pussy and just do it! I don't mind!"

"Well I do!" she inched the tip of the scalpel closer to the scar on his calf and bit her lip. She was saying a little prayer under her breath as she edged closer little by little until her hand rested on his leg beside the old wound and her other hand braced the blade millimetres above the skin.

"On the count of three..." Inuyasha said slowly, beginning to pant. "One... two... three..."

"Make it five - no wait - ten!"

"Kagome!"

"Ok, ok..." she closed her eyes and shook her head briefly before focusing her attention on his leg. "Let's count together."

So they did. "One... two... three-"

"NO, I can't do it!" she pulled back so quickly with a scream that made him groan.

"Kagome! This'll be on your head if they find me!" he gasped out. "I thought you were going to protect me!"

"I- I will..." she stammered. "Just give me a minute..."

"Do it now Kagome! Or I'll haunt you until you die!"

"Are you saying they would kill you?!"

"YES!!! ANYTHING - JUST GET THE TRANSMITTER OUT MY FUCKING LEG!!!" he yelled.

Kagome cringed and edged closer. "OK! But no yelling otherwise you'll put me off and I might chop your leg off."

"Kagome..." he said warningly, but was cut off as a cold pain shot through his leg. It was nothing compared to the pain currently exploding behind his eyes, and he could swear he could see coloured lights flashing.

"Stop moving!" Kagome warned, pulling a horrified face as she cut a little deeper. "And don't pull that face at me! I'm doing the best I can!"

"It's not personal!" he ground out.

Finally she managed to find the flashing miniature device in his leg. To her, it just looked like one of those tiny little SIM cards you found in phones - except it had a flashing red light and a copper electronic plate on the back. She pulled it out carefully, wincing as she heard him groan before pressing a tea towel firmly against the wound and held it up to look at it. "It's out!" she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Destroy it then!"

"It's too flat! I can't smashed it." She bit her lip and wiped the blood off it. She frowned when she saw the logo on the front beside the blinking red light. "Central Science Labs?"

"Throw it away!"

And she did... into the bin.

"Kagome... unless the bin men come in the next five minutes then the signal will still be HERE!" he said patiently as he heard the metal lid of the bin snap shut.

"Ah!!" Kagome threw the top off the bin and started to dig around for the red light - not a pleasant job. "What do I do with it?"

"Use your imagination!"





^_^





Kouga's eyes were firmly fixed on the approaching house on the horizon. The one where he knew Inuyasha and Kagome were lodging in. Kikyo's eyes were firmly glued to the little display screen in her handheld device as they walked up the road. She was oblivious to the approach of the house ahead of them.

"Four hundred metres and closing." She informed him.

Kouga nodded. They would find Inuyasha for sure now.

Suddenly Kikyo stopped and held up a hand to halt him as well. "Wait... the signals on the move... it's heading straight toward us!" she glanced up ahead of them towards the house. "It's coming right at us!"

Kouga narrowed his eyes... he couldn't see anything.

Kikyo looked down at her green screen, the blinking red light approaching at amazing speed. "He's definitely alive... and very fast... three hundred metres and closing!"

Kouga looked this way and that. There was still no Inuyasha.

"One hundred yards and closing! He's picking up speed!" she lifted her head to check the ground. "He should be in sighting range!"

Kouga clenched his fists and prepared to fight if need be.

"Five metres!" Kikyo turned suddenly so she was facing the other way. "He's gone right past us..."

Kouga looked back up the road before noticing something at the side of the road. A manhole. "The signal's underground."

Kikyo looked at the manhole as well and sighed. "He's taken to the sewers." She lowered the device and clipped it onto her belt. "Well, at least we know he's alive for sure now. And he knows very well we're onto him. Come on Ookami."

She started moving back the way they came. Kouga spared a glance back at the house to where the sewage lines must have connected to the structure. It hadn't clicked with Kikyo that the signal had started from that point.

He shook his head and started after Kikyo again. What he didn't understand was that Inuyasha seemed to be remaining in one place. Common sense should have told that dog-turd that he needed to keep on the move if he was being pursued. A little girl couldn't hide him forever... unless... there was something going on between the two of them... something that would have prevented Inuyasha from moving on.

Well... it would explain the many, many extra large condoms that Kagome had bought a little while ago...





^_^





Kagome entered the lounge again and dropped down beside Inuyasha, physically shaken and a cold sweat had broken out on her skin. "I flushed it down the toilet."

"Good..." Inuyasha sighed and struggled to sit up. Kagome gave him a hand, though Inuyasha only shrugged her off. "That gives me a little more time."

Kagome set her mouth. "You're talking like they will eventually find you. They won't. Not when you have me."

"I'm not getting into this argument again..." he said quietly, rubbing his temples. "I forgive you this time... but only because I have a pounding headache."

Kagome touched his cheek tenderly before heading off into the kitchen to fetch fresh bandages from the wound she'd created on his leg. At least that little fright had gotten his spirits up a bit.







(A/N: Yep! That's another chapter done. It's the weekend and it's raining so I've had a lot of time on my hands to catch up. Next chapter - 'Another Close Call' - and a bit of jealousy to stir up matters as well ^_^)