InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Shadows Within ❯ First Impressions ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha...but he does visit me in my dreams. Seriously, he has. Twice. Is that weird?

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The Shadows Within

Ch.5

By: Quiet Escapist

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Inuyasha grumbled to himself as he plodded around the cockpit on his hands and knees, searching in every nook and cranny for something - anything - that would cover his damn ears. He skimmed his hands over the metal floor before reaching into a small crevice between the wall and a small storage unit.

His nose wrinkled in disgust when he pulled out a dirty old rag. An acrid odour wafted off it, so it was probably soiled with some sort of fuel. He was about to throw it back and ignore it, but then he noticed that it was a considerably large piece of cloth...enough to cover both his ears easily. And he was getting pretty desperate...

He shook his head violently, several silver locks loosened from him low ponytail, flying about his face. God, what am I thinking?! I'm not that desperate!

So he moved on, crawling under the main console but finding nothing more than dust and a piece of metal pipe. When he set out on his search he'd hoped to find a spare hat left behind, but so far he had come up with nothing.

This morning's shipment had him so worked up over the past few days, that in his routine mad-dash to make it to work on time today, he left his trusty red baseball cap at home. He didn't even notice he was missing it until Miroku made the `hanyou' comment, but by then it was too late. The damage had been done. Another person knew he was a half-breed.

But that's the way it always went. He never willingly showed his ears to anyone. It was always by accident.

Something tugged at the back of Inuyasha's mind, telling him he could trust Miroku, that he wouldn't rat him out. And he wanted to believe that - that there were more than just a handful of decent humans - but common sense prevailed over instinct.

Sure, the guy who works with the people trying to get rid of me won't spill my secret out of the kindness of his heart. He snorted at the thought. That'll be the day...

To reassure himself, he cracked his knuckles, deciding that if worse came to worse he could just threaten Miroku with bodily harm. He seemed to respond well to threats.

"Do I want to know?" a voice teased, startling Inuyasha. He leapt to his feet, but didn't get very far with the console over head.

"Gah!! Shit!"

He fell back down to his hands and knees and scooted out from the cubby hole, muttering a string of curses as he went. He quickly rose to his full height, the sharp throb at the back of his head making him sway slightly on his feet. Spinning around, he glared at Miroku who was standing at the cockpit entrance, leaning against the wall casually with his arms crossed over his chest. He snickered as Inuyasha's expense.

"Fuck off!"

"I didn't mean to startle you," he said honestly, though that infuriating grin was still stuck on his face.

The hanyou ignored him as he flopped down in a chair, the hinges squeaking as it took his weight. Gingerly he rubbed his hand along the back of his head, feeling the small lump beneath his thick white mane. The sharp pain increased tenfold at the pressure and he hissed.

Then he remembered what he had been doing prior to being snuck up on, and he wondered to himself whether or not Sango would have a bandana or something. He could ask Miroku, Inuyasha thought as he eyed the other man out of the corner of his eye. But he was pretty sure Miroku had nothing on him...hell, who was he kidding. He'd never ask Miroku for help, especially not after all the annoying shit he put him through in the past twenty-four hours.

"Where's Sango?" he asked gruffly, trying to ignore the pain. It'd be gone soon anyhow.

"She's still back there."

"Well is she coming out or what? Cause the sooner we got off-board, the sooner we can get the fuck out of here." Inuyasha turned in his seat to glance out the window, taking in the bustle that filled the docking bay. There's no way I can walk out there without at least one person noticing...

"She's having a word with Kagome at the moment. I don't think they'll be too long though."

It took a moment for Miroku's words to sink in, and then a strangled noise escaped from Inuyasha's throat, something similar to a cross between a gasp and a snarl. His attitude towards the news could easily be summed up in two simple words - Oh. Shit.

"The girl? She's awake?!" he cried out, finally finding his voice again.

Miroku nodded solemnly, his expression darkening slightly. Bright red, insanely loud alarms went off in Inuyasha's head, and he knew only trouble would come from this.

"So, they're talking?" he asked, trying to keep as calm as he possibly could considering the change in events fate just threw at him. He flattened his ears to his head to keep them from twitching spastically.

Miroku nodded again but said nothing more. The small semblance of calm that Inuyasha had managed to maintain exploded at Miroku's lack of information.

"About what?!"

The other man's lips tugged back into a playful smile. "Girl talk?"

Inuyasha let a low growl escape him. Why is it that Miroku seems to pick the worst times to make light of a situation...like when it was almost as bad as it could get! How can he be so damn calm? Doesn't that idiot realize how this just fucked up our already fucked up plans?!

He jumped out of his seat and bolted for the door to the small room, ready to burst through it and...and what? Yell at Sango for speaking to her? Hit the girl over the head so she was unconscious again?

Miroku was suddenly in front of him, halting him several paces away from the metallic door. Inuyasha could feel his eyebrows raise as he resisted the urge to just barrel through the dark-haired man and continue on his way. I didn't know he was so fast.

"Inuyasha," Miroku began, his hands firmly set on the hanyou's shoulders. "Think this through."

"I am thinking this through! You're not thinking this through! She's still supposed to be in that container, not awake and-"

"Listen," Miroku started again, his voice remaining smooth and calm. "That can't be changed right now. I'm not sure what exactly Sango's telling her, but I'm sure it's not everything. We can't afford to have her overly upset. Remember what I told you about the energy fluctuations becoming stronger when she's upset?"

He paused, waiting for Inuyasha to make some acknowledgement that he was following him. "If she starts freaking out and the scans pick it up, then we're in deep shit. So it's easier this way. Besides, don't you care how she`s feeling right now? She`s been taken away from everything she knows..."

Inuyasha let Miroku's words fade away as he continued to stand there, the other man`s mouth still moving though no words were coming out.

Did he care?

As much as he hated to admit, he probably understood what she was feeling better than the others. He knew what it was like to be feared. To be taken from the only world you knew, only to be thrust into a situation you have absolutely no say over, even though it has everything to do with you. To know your fate, and know there's nothing you can do to change it.

But just because he knew how it felt, did that mean he cared?

The hanyou shook his head to himself.

No, he already decided before that he didn't.

"Keh." He backed away, returning to his seat in the cockpit. The worn material moulded to his body as he leaned back and rested his feet up on the console in his favourite sitting position.

He did not care.

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Numb.

She felt numb. And exhausted.

Kagome let out a heavy sigh as she let everything slowly sink in; her environment, her physical state, and the words the other girl had spoken about why everything had happened.

Unnatural energy... fluctuations...

She hung her head, dropping her gaze to her feet. Her long black locks swept forward, creating a thin wall around her face, shielding her from the Sango's compassionate stare. Maybe Sango wasn't aware, but behind the softness in her eyes Kagome could see that she was hiding something. There were so many missing pieces to the story, and Kagome wanted to ask Sango one of the million questions rushing through her mind... but she was afraid of the answer.

So for now, she figured it would be best to just try and sort out her feelings and thoughts. But she didn't really feel anything, and her mind seemed to trip over itself the more she thought. Sango mentioned earlier that she might feel thick headed for a while because of the gas.

The gas that was in the chamber she was locked in. But why? Why was I locked up?

Her fingers twisted in the rough material of the mechanic suit she wore. Sango had been kind enough to offer it to her when she noticed the way Kagome kept shifting her pyjamas, trying to make them cover more of her exposed flesh. But she felt naked, even now; it had nothing to do with her clothing. To have other people she never met before know so many intimate details about her life, it made her feel like she was on display.

Is that what I am? A freak to put on display?

"We landed just before you woke up, so we should be going," Sango said, standing up and reaching out a hand to Kagome. "Can you stand?"

Kagome tried pushing herself off the cot, but her arms felt too weak to even lift herself. "No," she confessed, worrying her lower lip with her teeth.

"Don't worry," Sango said soothingly, noticing her nervous habit. "I'm sure it'll wear off soon. But for now, I guess you'll have to be carried."

Just then, the only door in the cramped room opened and a man leaned in against the doorframe. Kagome remembered him as the one she had seen a bit earlier, though at that time she didn't get a very good look at him. He was tall in stance, much taller than herself, with midnight black hair tied in a small ponytail at the nap of his neck. The dark pants and navy blue shirt he wore were business attire, but somehow, he made them look more casual than then should have been.

But the thing that struck her was his face. It was beyond handsome; borderline perfect was more like it. The defining lines of his face were soft, yet masculine at the same time. His sapphire blue eyes were playful, but seemed to hold a wisdom beneath the surface, and his boyish smile made her feel warm and relaxed.

He moved towards her, his hand outstretched in a friendly gesture. "Miroku Kazanna," he stated warmly as she grasped his hand and shook it.

"Kagome Higurashi."

Beside her, Sango made a noise that sounded a bit like `humph'. Kagome turned and noticed Sango's eyes narrow in on Miroku as he let go of her hand. "Were you eavesdropping?"

He blinked and then smiled innocently. "No, why would you think that?"

She snorted. "Liar. You heard the word `carry' didn't you?"

He laughed, and Kagome thought she heard a slight nervous undertone to it. "I don't know what you're-"

"Whatever. Just go get Inuyasha, would you?" Sango cut him off, giving him a commanding stare.

He shrugged and left the room, the sound of his footsteps against the cold metal floor fading as he moved to another part of the ship. Kagome looked to Sango for some sort of explanation about the little scene that had just taken place. Sango just sighed and rolled her eyes in a `nevermind' gesture.

Miroku returned moments later, followed by a another guy. This one wore a plain t-shirt beneath a thick black vest, along with chocolate brown pants that ended in pair of heavy black boots...and he had dog-ears?

Kagome forced herself to blink several times just to make sure she wasn't seeing things. But they were still there, a pair a fuzzy white dog-ears on the top of his head. Then she noticed his other... `unique' physical attributes. Like his waist-length white hair tied in a loose low ponytail, and his eyes...

"Inuyasha," Sango started, the sound of her voice pulling Kagome out of her trance. "Can you carry Kagome? She still can't stand because of the gas."

Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest, considering Sango's request, his golden eyes piercing her with a hardened gaze as if he was sizing her up. Kagome stared right back at him, not wanting to surrender to his unspoken challenge.

"Keh," he muttered before moving towards her, his eyes still locked on her own. When he was directly in front of her, looming above her, he broke the stare, turning his back to her and crouching down.

Piggyback?

She looked to Sango who gave her an encouraging nod, so she gave in, pushing herself of the cot with the small amount of strength in her arms, slipping off the cot and onto his back. He waited a moment to make sure she was settled before standing up with such ease that it seemed like Kagome weighed no more than a child did.

"Thanks," she mumbled, a little flustered at how close she was to the stranger.

"Feh."

He moved effortlessly, striding out of the room she woke up in, Miroku and Sango trailing behind. He paused at a door that Kagome assumed led outside, waiting for someone to pull the lever. Sango came beside him and grasped the lever, but stopped herself as her eyes darted to the top of his head. She reached up and tugged one of his little delicate ears, earning a yelp from the man.

"Ow bitch! What are you doing?"

"You need a hat."

"I looked but I couldn't find one here...and I forgot the other one at home," he explained, the last bit coming out a bit sheepishly. Sango responded in a mother-like manner, clucking her tongue and giving him a scolding stare before tapping her finger to her chin as she brainstormed.

"Flatten them," she said simply after a moment's thought, and Kagome watched with delight as his dog-ears flattened down to his head. She felt the sudden urge to reach out and touch them, her fingers itching to rub the fine velvet fur that covered them

Sango reached forward again, this time arranging his silver locks so that they fell over his ears. She shrugged, fussing with his hair a moment more before giving up.

"That's the best I can do, but they're covered for now," she said, eyeing the practically concealed ears before turning back to the lever. The door hissed as it opened outwards, a wide ramp extending out from the ship so that they could walk out.

Kagome's chocolate brown eyes widened in awe as she took in the happenings of the docking bay. Hundreds of people moved about, some carrying boxes or equipment, others engaging in conversations with their friends and family. Voices of many different dialects filled the expanse around her, and she caught snippets of various conversations as their group moved purposefully towards a blue-tinted glass skyscraper. Enticing smells entered her nose, the delicious scents wafting off the small carts that a few vendors worked. The docking bay held the same atmosphere as a flea market Kagome had gone to once when she back home.

Home...

She felt the bright smile disappear from her face at the thought of her family. Sango told her that some people working for the government had kidnapped her one night. Her family must have been so worried when they didn't find her in her room, with not even a clue as to where she was. Mom... Souta... Grandpa... She wondered what they were doing right now. Were they okay? Were they thinking of her?

A stinging sensation started behind her eyes, and Kagome forced back the tears forming in her eyes. It wouldn't do her any good to start crying now. Crying never fixed anything. She had to be strong; not only for herself but for her family too. She didn't want them to be in pain because of her.

Silently she made a promise to herself that she'd make it home, even though she had few clues as to what was really going on right now.

The silence that had fallen upon the group was broken by Miroku`s smooth voice.

"You know Sango, that outfit looks really great on you. The colour of your top really compliments your eyes."

Kagome shifted herself slightly on Inuyasha's back, craning her neck to look behind her, watching the pair walk side by side. Sango averted her eyes away from him, a rosy hue spreading across her cheeks as she mumbled a `thanks'. The smile returned to Kagome's lips as she wondered what sort of relationship the two had.

She had worn a tight magenta tank top with a low neckline, along with a pair of plain fitted black pants underneath the mechanic suit. When Sango passed the suit off to Kagome, she explained that she didn't usually wear the outfit she had on now; it was too revealing in her opinion. She only wore such things when it was under her suit to keep her from getting overheated while she worked.

Miroku let his gaze slip from the girl beside him to Kagome, and he smiled mischievously before returning his attention back to Sango. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, shocking the mechanic slightly, drawing her closer to his body.

"Sango," he said, motioning towards Kagome and Inuyasha. "Perhaps you would like a piggy-back too?"

She shot him a deadpan look. "No," she said firmly, pushing him away from her as she sped up her pace. Unfortunately for Miroku, she pushed a little too hard, knocking him off his balance and into a bunch of boxes that were neatly stacked, waiting to be loaded onto a ship.

Sango flushed a dark shade of crimson when she realized what she had done, but she continued walking behind Inuyasha with her head bowed, trying to hid her obvious embarrassment. Inuyasha paused for a moment to nonchalantly take in the situation before returning to his steady walking pace.

"Get off your ass Miroku," he called out as he moved away.

Kagome stifled the giggle rising in her throat at Miroku's futile attempts to dislodge himself from the mess and turned her attention back ahead of her, enjoying the busy energy that surrounded her.

They walked on for a bit longer in silence, Inuyasha and Kagome continuing to lead the way while Sango and Miroku followed closely behind. Sango kept her arms folded across her chest to try and cover herself while looking everywhere but at Miroku, and he in turn kept himself at arm's length from the mechanic.

As they approached what looked like the main building, Inuyasha suddenly stopped in his tracks. Kagome tore her gaze away from the happenings around to her to follow his line of sight, landing on a small group of important looking men striding towards them casually. Sango moved to their left side and Miroku stood at their right, waiting for the six men to make their way over to them.

The man walking at the front of the group exuded confidence. From his casual strides and tailored clothing, to his confident grin and strong facial features; everything about him said `leader'. He was also tall, much like the other men she had met that day, with a lean build beneath the stylish trench coat he wore. Charcoal bangs fell in his eyes, the rest of his long dark hair pulled up into a simple ponytail.

When the group came several paces closer, Kagome noticed that half of the group was were suits similar to one she currently wore, except they looked sleeker and in better shape than Sango's. Those three also wore baseball caps to match their suits, but one of the mechanics kept their head down so their face was basically shielded from her sight.

An odd feelings worked it's way up Kagome's spine as she studied the mechanic, her eyes taking in the womanly figure, watching as the mechanic lifted her head ever so slightly to reveal a pair of perfectly painted lips. A bold red colour. Kagome tore her gaze from the woman, feeling embarrassed that she was staring, even though the woman probably couldn't tell.

Inuyasha's sturdy back began to rumble as a low animal sound escaped him, forcing Kagome to do a double take. Wait...is he...growling?

"So, I'm going to tell you again that you were lucky I was in the control room," the front man began as he stood in before of them now, his fierce blue eyes full of playful arrogance. "Because if I wasn't, you'd still be floating around in space right now, and it wouldn't do much good to miss a shipment, now would it."

Inuyasha's growl became louder and more feral. Sango placed a hand on his shoulder firmly, and he let the sound disappear. The other man that had spoken previously grinned, and then motioned to three of the others with him, pointing at the ship far down the line. They nodded and left, Kouga managing to reach out and snatch one of their hats as they left.

He studied it for a moment, a smirk settling on his lips as he turned it around so that Kagome and the others could see the words `Tanaka Fuels Inc." stitched neatly on the front. He took a quick step forward, tugging the hat over Inuyasha's head and then stepped back to enjoy the image.

"Gotta cover those ears, mutt." His words were whisper quiet and Kagome could barely make them out, but she figured Inuyasha heard them loud and clear by his reaction. His muscles tensed beneath her, and he snarled taking a menacing step towards the man.

"Kouga-" he threatened, but the other man just ignored him.

"Sango, you look well," Kouga said, extending his hand out in a friendly manner. She accepted it and grinned warmly.

"I am. And it looks like you're doing pretty well yourself." She gestured at the docking bay around her and he nodded, a look of pride coming over his face.

"Yeah, we're expanding again. We added this whole section when we decided to accommodate public transport instead of just business travel. Construction was a bitch, but now that it's over, things couldn't be better."

He winked and flashed her a confident smile, and then he turned to Miroku, once again extending his hand to introduce himself.

"We haven't met before. Kouga Tanaka."

"Miroku Kazanna"

"Friend of the puppy?"

"No. I'm just...along for the ride," Miroku replied vaguely.

Kouga nodded, acknowledging the ambiguous reply and choosing not to pursue it, his gaze shifting from Miroku to Kagome. When his bright eyes locked with her own, she couldn't help the way her heart began to beat faster.

"I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful woman standing in this docking bay before." A blush stained Kagome's face as she took in his words, choosing to ignore Inuyasha's snort and Miroku's comment that `she's not really standing, she's riding Inuyasha'.

"Oh. Um... thanks," she stuttered out, trying to calm her pounding heart. "I really like this place. It's so full of energy. It reminds me of home."

"Does it? Where are you from?" he asked with an honest interest.

"Earth. American district."

"I've been around that area before; it really is a beautiful place." He paused for a moment, his eyes never leaving her own as he pondered his next words. "You know, there are a few places nearby that I think you might like. So if you're around for while, maybe I could show you around."

She was flattered by his words, to say the least. She'd been told she was beautiful before and several guys had asked her out, but the way Kouga did it, it made her feel like she was the only woman in his eyes.

But this isn't the time to go on a date, she mentally berated herself. How could she so easily forget everything that happened so far that day?

She opened her mouth to kindly decline, but Inuyasha's gruff voice interrupted.

"We didn't stop by for idle chitchat, idiot"

"Don't you know when to keep your mouth shut, mutt?"

Again Inuyasha back began to vibrate as a threatening growl rumbled in his chest. A similar sound came from Kouga, and Kagome wondered just how human this two men were.

"This isn't the time you idiots," Sango hissed, abruptly stopping the quarrel as if she had physically slapped both men.

Kouga glared at Inuyasha for a minute, and Kagome assumed Inuyasha was doing the same because she couldn`t see his face from where she was perched on his back. He eventually shrugged his shoulders casually, taking a step closer to the hanyou and bringing his voice down to a whisper.

"Listen, I dug up some of the particulars of your shipment. Is the cargo still on board? Because if so, I can send some guards down to watch over it till the repairs are done."

"No. She's right here," Inuyasha replied brusquely. Kouga's brows furrowed as he contemplated the hanyou's words.

"She?"

"Yeah. She." He bounced Kagome on his back, drawing Kouga's attention back to the girl. A embarrassed heat flushed across her faced as the man scrutinized her with his piercing blue eyes.

"Oh, well..." he trailed off, running a hand through his long ebony bangs. "Then I guess I'll just have Ginta and Hakkuku show you to your rooms upstairs. I'll let you know how long the repairs will take the moment I'm informed about it."

Kouga nodded a quick goodbye to the group, turning away and walking back the way he came, the two other men that had come in with him still standing with the group. Several paces away, he called back in a distinct voice strong voice, "Oh, and Inuyasha? After you drop of Kagome, Ginta will show you to my office so we can have a word."

Inuyasha grumbled a few choice words under his breath, and then reluctantly followed Kouga's men towards the glass building. The group followed in Kouga's footsteps, veering off onto a different course once they stepped inside the elegant swinging doors, heading down several hallways with multiple doors on either side.

The entire time they steadily moved ahead, Kagome fumed as Inuyasha's actions. What's his problem anyway? Does he have something against me or is he always a jerk? Kagome bit her lip in frustration, annoyed by the way she couldn't just let his rude behaviour go like she did with most other people. Her blood felt like it was boiling as she continued to thinking about how irritating he had been, not able to turn her mind elsewhere.

Inuyasha decided to break the silence that permeated the group as they continued on their way.

"You know, for a piece of cargo you sure do talk a lot," he muttered under his breath.

"A piece of what?!"

Sango moved to their side instantly and whacked Inuyasha over the head. "Do you always have to be such a jerk?"

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A/N So now this fic is caught up with the one on ff.net. The next chapter is about half done, but I'm not sure when it'll be posted. If you want to be notified when it does, just tell me and I'll be sure to email you when it gets posted.

And a quick thanks to Shiad for reviewing! Thank you for telling me your thoughts, and I agree, that's who I sorta see him as too. I just love Star Wars (the original triology) and The Fifth Element, so I think that's where a bit of my inspiration comes from, among other things, hehe.