InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Shadows Within ❯ So, It Begins ( Chapter 1 )

A/N Here is my first multi-chaptered Inuyasha story, I have great things planned for this one. It's a bit of a sci-fi background, but the main focus for the story is drama and romance. And because this is just the first chapter, some things aren't going to be explained until later. So for now you only need to know that it takes place in the future, around the year 3075. Other than that, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Inuyasha characters.

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Bright liquid metal began to harden as she pulled the blue flame away from the thin pipe. Turning the gas off with a soft pop, she placed the torch on the makeshift table beside her as she absently wiped the sweat off her brow before removing her goggles. Moving closer to inspect her work, Sango couldn't help but smile at the cleanliness of the join. The satisfying feeling she got from working with metal worked its way through her body, relaxing her and putting her in a good mood.

Walking out from under the ship, she stretched her arms above her head as she took in the buzz of activity around her. The main hangar in which she stood was full of sounds, the majority of them coming from the tools other mechanics around her were using to fix up one of the main ships. The aircraft in question towered at thirty feet, it's large bulky structure illuminated at various points from the people welding. Two other ships were nearby, both of them similar in structure to the one she was working on. All three of them were commonly used for shipping the parts made in the factory next door.

In front of the ships, the main door to the hangar was open letting in the afternoon sunlight. A fresh breeze blew in once in a while, cooling off the people stuck inside and airing out the unnatural smells that came from melting metal. Well, as fresh a breeze as possible considering the air was manufactured to support the life that now flourished on the red planet.

At the opposite end of the long building, a smaller side door was also open, but for a different purpose. The heavy metallic door was only open when Inuyasha was expected to return from one of his runs, making the getaway a bit easier for him. She bit her lip absently wondering if his ship would return in one piece.

A distinct sound came from her stomach, and looking over to the old fashioned wall clock, she noticed that she worked through lunch. Again.

Humming to herself, she made her way to the kitchen moving swiftly around large pieces of metal, wiring and other mechanics. She stopped when she noticed a young man staring at a handful of tools, obviously debating as to which one to use.

His thick black hair was tied back in a small ponytail, similar to her own, and soft brown freckles dotted his round cheeks. A wide green band was sewn onto the sleeve of his mechanic jumpsuit, signifying his status as an apprentice. He chose one of the tools hesitantly and put the rest on the ground before moving towards his work at hand.

"Kohaku!"

He turned to her as she called out. A look of relief flooded over his face as he saw his sister moving towards him.

"When you're putting back on a piece of the exterior, you use this laser," she explained to him, picking up the device from the ground. "It works all the way through the metal. When you use the torch, it looks like you did the job properly, but really, the filler only connects the pieces on the outside. The flame isn't hot enough, so it doesn't seep through and attach on the inside. Basically, your hard work will be for naught in about three days."

He blushed a bit, realizing his mistake. She smiled kindly and put her hand on his shoulder.

"You're doing good," she reassured him. He straightened his posture a bit and returned the smile, reminding her of the boy he used to be.

"Thanks, Sango."

"No prob. Hey, I'm on my way to the kitchen, do you want anything?"

"No. I'm fine for now. I'm almost done my shift anyway."

She nodded as she resumed her trek towards the kitchen. She was happy that Kohaku was beginning to act more like the way he did before their parents died. That was over two years ago.

Her brother had been distraught when he heard about the accident and went into a depressive slump for over a year, leaving the house as little as possible and keeping to himself all the time. She had tried to comfort him as much as possible considering the hectic work schedule she took on, working double shifts almost everyday just so they could afford their rent.

Sango herself couldn't afford to feel sad; she had to take care of her brother. Most times she felt as if the weight of the world were on her shoulders. Her friend Inuyasha had tried to help out the best he could by running her errands and keeping Kohaku company, but his efforts didn't help much in the long run. Eventually she had begun to wear herself out, and it showed in the strained relationships she held with the few friends she had left.

Inuyasha told his older brother about her plight, even though Sango made him promise he wouldn't, and after several phone calls between her and Sesshomaru she had a position set up for her. She was forever grateful, because not only was she working regular hours again, but also her pay had increased substantially because of the risk factor involved in her job.

If she ever told anyone whom she worked for, they believed she worked in a parts manufacturing plant. Not many people knew about Sesshomaru's side business.

Sesshomaru also offered Kohaku a job as an apprentice, which he refused. The older man seemed to understand what her little brother was going through, so he left the offer open. A couple months later Kohaku accepted the job hesitantly. He had been improving ever since.

Sango unzipped the front of her grey one-piece mechanics suit, removing the top half so that it hung about her waist, allowing her heated skin to cool. The magenta tank top she wore underneath stuck to her skin, but it was ignored as she searched for something to quell the pangs of hunger. She poked around at the contents in the cupboards before moving to the cooling unit, sighing when she saw very little that could be considered to have any nutritional content.

"Men," she grumbled as she grabbed a lone sandwich and began to eat.

An explosive shot sounded from the main hangar, along with the sound of crackling energy. Shoving the last of her food in her mouth, she bolted over to the main hangar to see what was causing the noise, silently praying that it wasn't was she thought it was.

She choked on what she was chewing when she saw it.

Entering the hangar was one of the company's smaller ships, except it wasn't looking like much of anything at the moment. As it lowered to the ground, billows of black smoke spewed out of the main thrusters and a loud bang sounded from the engine area. Pieces of the exterior were burnt or bent, some even missing, and wiring spilled out from several fist-sized holes. Fusion energy crackled from somewhere inside the back of the ship but stopped as soon as the sputtering engine was shut off. The heavy side door to the hangar closed with a resounding bang, drawing the attention of everyone else in the hangar.

The side door of the small ship opened and Sango watched as a tall man bounded down the ramp, his rugged clothing and long, silver hair only slightly dishevelled compared to the state of the ship. His dog-like ears twitched spastically on the top of his head as he surveyed the damage, muttering a string of curses as he went.

Sango's fists became clenched at her sides, her nails digging into her palms. As her body temperature began to rise, she gritted her teeth in a futile attempt to control her anger.

He's so gonna get it this time, she thought to herself as she stormed up behind him.

"Inuyasha! What the hell did you do to my ship?!"

His ears flattened against his skull as he slowly turned around to face a now fuming Sango. For a brief moment she caught a look on his face that she quickly registered it as guilt. But it suddenly vanished from his face as he quickly tried to replace it with his usual smug, confident smile.

"Keh. Your ship?

She stood beside him now, half a head shorter than him, trying to make herself seem bigger than him with her angered presence.

"Stop being a smart-ass, you know what I mean."

He swallowed hard as he stared at her but said nothing else.

"I spent forever fixing that ship up after the last shipment you ran, and now you bring it back and it's about to fall apart again!"

"It's not my fault!"

"Oh really," she sighed, rolling her eyes away from him as he went into defence mode.

"It's not like I went around looking for someone to fight with! That's not my idea of fun." He snorted as if to emphasize his point.

"Could have fooled me," she muttered under her breath as she moved closer to the ship, trying to visually estimate how long it would take for repair. His ears swivelled in her direction catching the faint words that left her mouth.

"You're just upset because now you think you have to fix it again. Newsflash Sango: there are other mechanics in this room. Have someone else work on it."

"Sesshomaru promised he'd give me THAT ship after it finished two hundred runs. That day is not too far away and I've been looking forward to it, except you seem to be on this path of destruction and now I'm thinking that my ship isn't even going to be around for two hundred runs."

Inuyasha visibly flinched at the sound of his brother's name. She knew she hit him in a soft spot but at the moment she didn't care. He took a moment to regain his composure before flashing her a sly grin.

"I'd like to think that if I came back in the shape your ship's in, you'd be fretting over me the same way."

She laughed dryly, intrigued by the way he tried to change the subject.

"If you came back like that, I wouldn't give a shit, because it wouldn't be me that would have to put you back together again."

A low growl began to reverberate in his chest.

"Some friend you are," he pouted as he began to walk away.

She reached out and grabbed the cool, polished beads around his neck, bringing his face level with hers.

"Some friend you are!" she yelled, pointing at the smoking heap in the hanger while the hanyou beside her tried to cover his sensitive ears with his hands.

"Can you yell any louder, bitch?"

"I wouldn't have to yell if you didn't have such a thick skull, you jerk!"

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Sesshomaru re-read the letter he held before glancing up to study the man sitting before him. Across the large desk sat a man, tall in stature though not nearly as tall as Sesshomaru himself. His short, black hair was loosely pulled back into a small ponytail, his clothing neat with clean lines but not stuffy looking for the position he held. His posture indicated that he was calm and relaxed, unlike most people who met with the powerful youkai.

So, the Senate is asking an underground shipping company for assistance, he mused to himself, putting the thin paper in his desk drawer. Interesting indeed, considering the fact that I was sure they weren't aware of our actions.

"Where is the cargo?" he asked, watching the younger man's face for anything that hinted that the man was behaving suspiciously.

"In safe keeping," he calmly replied, his voice low and smooth. "They ask that the departure be in two days. Will a ship be ready?"

Sesshomaru nodded once but said nothing more. There must be a reason why they didn't ask to use the military's aircraft. If what this man said was true, and I am almost sure it was because I couldn't smell any hint of dishonesty, then the Senate has come specifically to us for help.

But why ask the one's working against you for help?

Perhaps I would be able to solve this irritating riddle if I were informed as to what exactly the cargo was. Insolent man, hiding behind you're obligation to secrecy.

His hands clenched slightly on the chair's armrests.

"Can I see the ship?" the other man asked, breaking Sesshomaru's line of thought.

The youkai raised a thin eyebrow slightly at the question, but stood motioning for the man to follow him to the other side of his grand office. Standing before a large panel of dark grey glass that covered the majority of the wall, he twisted a small knob on the wall, the grey fading until the panel was crystal clear giving both men a view of the main hangar below.

A smile broke out on one man's face as he took in the scene, while the other betrayed all inner emotions with his expressionless face.

Smoke was filling the hangar as it escaped from various holes on one of the smaller ships while mechanics and labourers watched a quarrel between a man and a woman. Sesshomaru's eyebrow twitched involuntarily when he recognized the young man as his little brother.

Silently, Sesshomaru thanked his assistant for suggesting a sound-proof viewing panel. He pushed away the anger that was building in his chest as he regained composure over his inner emotions. He turned to his guest and pointed downwards at his younger brother who was currently covering his ears while he shouted obscenities.

"He will be your pilot," he explained calmly and then pointed to the smoking mass in the hangar. "And that will be your ship."

The younger man paled as he registered in his mind what had just been said. Sesshomaru said nothing more as he motioned for the man to follow him out the door, though he did feel oddly satisfied with the man's reaction.

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A/N So have I peaked your interest? If so, I'll hopefully have the next chapter up sometime this week. Until then, please review and tell me what you think. Constructive critism is really appreciated, but review even if it's just to say that you read it. Thanks.