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Blood is the New Black	By : QueenoftheDream Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > Sessh?maru/Kagome > Sessh?maru/Kagome Views: 5749 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, nor the characters from it. I made no money in writing this fiction.

Chapter List
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Kagome awoke to a muffled rapping noise that echoed in the space around her. Usually, when one opens their eyes, they are accustomed to seeing sunlight or the comforts of their bedroom. Kagome, however, saw pitch blackness. A lance of panic jolted her awake, and she quickly sat up only to smack into something above her, which shifted with a loud clanging.
She then realized that she had been sleeping in her bathtub where Sesshomaru had left her. The knocking repeated itself, and she recognized that it was coming from her front door. Quickly scurrying over the rubble that used to be her bathroom door, she dashed toward the door.
Opening the door, she fully expected to see Kikyou in all her regal office-chic glory. Instead, she was faced with two small girls, both dressed in gold and black Indian Langa Voni. They looked around five years of age, and Kagome found herself staring at their otherworldly beauty. They looked like little statues, placid devis from a painted tile.
"The Prince is waiting for you outside," one girl spoke, and in a tone far more mature than Kagome had expected.
"I suggest a change in attire," the other one added. Kagome looked down, mortified to see that she was still in her polyester ducky pajamas. All she could do was stare open-mouthed, and the two girls turned to descend the staircase. She quickly reentered her apartment and donned a pair of jeans and a light three-quarter sleeve sweater before bolting back out the door, running her hands roughly through her hair.
Reaching the entrance of her building, she saw that waiting outside was none other than a black limousine. A goddamned stretch. Parked in front of her apartment. She felt horrendously underdressed, but couldn't very well go back upstairs and waste more of the Prince's time. She exited the building, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. When she reached the other side of the limo, she found that the two little Indian girls were waiting next to the open door.
"You may enter," the one with pigtails stated.
"The Prince awaits you," the other said, and Kagome saw with equal parts horror and fascination that she had little vampire fangs. Fixing her eyes upon the interior of the vehicle, she climbed in and sat down upon the lush maroon velvet seat. Across from her as promised, sat Kikyou, who regarded her coolly. The girls climbed in behind her and shut the door.
"Good evening, neonate. I trust you had a decent first night of rest." Kagome nodded without speaking, absently picking at the little pills on her green sweater.
"Do not worry. I will not keep you out too late tonight. I assume you have yet to feed and wish to tie up some loose ends in your mortal life."
"About that," Kagome started, hesitant and unsure where to begin. "What do I tell my mom?" She wondered if the little girls sitting next to the Prince had a mother, though, judging by their blank stares, she guessed not.
"I understand that it's probably hard for you, but you cannot retain contact with your family since it would risk breaking the Masquerade." Kagome stared dumbly. "I'll get to the Masquerade in a moment, but take this into consideration: How would you explain your ashy complexion? Your inability to consume mortal food? The fact that your mother will turn eighty and you will still look like a young adult?"
"How…?"
"Your mother will get a phone call from the San Diego forensics department tomorrow. Your apartment caught fire, and all of your belongings went up in flames. There was very little left of your body when they extinguished the flames. The forensics department will be unable to ship your remains back home due to the fact that they are being used in an ongoing investigation, let alone the international shipping laws that would need to be navigated. She will have no way of knowing that it is all a lie, I assure you."
"Isn't that a little overboard?" Kagome murmured. The thought of her mother getting that call tugged on her decomposed heartstrings.
Kikyou shook her head. "If there was another way, we would use it. We could fabricate a different accident if you are disapproving of fire."
Staring at her knees, Kagome shook her head. "What were you saying about a masquerade?" she quietly asked. They were headed downtown: the lights surrounding the limo grew increasingly brighter.
"Yes, the Masquerade. It's a façade that we all must maintain in the presence of humans. We must act, talk, walk like humans in order to avoid detection and exposure. If you break the Masquerade too many times, hunters will catch your scent and pursue you until the end of your days; that is, unless the Camarilla claims your life first. You are allowed four Masquerade violations in your new life. Upon the fifth infraction, you will be slated for execution."
"Camarilla?"
"The Camarilla is the government of vampires so to speak. All vampires are expected to abide by Camarilla law. Each city has its own vampiric government. There is the Prince, of which I hold the title in San Diego. The Prince's council is comprised of seven vampires, one representing the member clans of the Camarilla. These are known as the Primogen, and are usually the eldest of the vampires in the city, or the ones with the most influence and power. The seven clans are as follows: Ventrue, like you and I, Toreador, Brujah, Gangrel, Malkavian, Tremere, and lastly, the Nosferatu. Do you follow so far?"
Kagome nodded, twiddling her cold fingers.
"Clan Ventrue are historically the leaders of the Camarilla, and often possess a level head and logical way of thinking that makes them especially suited to leadership. The clan-specific powers of the Ventrue are Fortitude and Presence. Fortitude allows you to take extra damage to your vampiric body for a limited amount of time. Make no mistake, you are by no means impervious to bullets, but the use of Fortitude can come in… handy. Presence allows you to either attract or frighten those around you according to your wish, Kindred and kine alike. Each time you invoke these powers, it uses blood. Think of blood like calories. The more activities you perform, the higher your caloric intake must be to compensate. Do you understand?"
"Bullets?!" Kikyou seemingly ignored her alarm and continued on.
"Toreador are often star-quality types with an eye for beauty and enjoy the realms of poetry, art, and film. They also retain more of their human nature than most other vampires. Do not misunderstand, they are monsters like the rest of us. They simply blend in easier with human society.
"Clan Brujah are a very… passionate… sort. They are sometimes members of the Anarch movement, which opposes the Camarilla. It would be wise to stay away from these types, as they often have short lifespans.
"The Gangrel are in and out of the Camarilla, depending upon the day it seems. They are closest to their inner beast and make up some of the most fierce fighters in the Camarilla forces, though they are a solitary type." Kikyou paused, allowing Kagome to process the information.
Kagome shifted in her seat. "I think I follow. Please continue." If her stomach were still a functioning organ, it would be lightly rumbling.
"Clan Tremere is well-versed in sorcery and blood magic. They are some of our best philosophers and intellectuals. They are equal parts fascinating and awe-inspiring.
"I've never met a Malkavian without the Gift of Insight. They are often oracles and seers for our organization, as their vampiric curse allows them to see connections that nearly all others are unable to see.
"Lastly are the Nosferatu. They are perhaps the most damned of the damned, as they're cursed with a hideous appearance and twisted bodies. They must live underground to avoid breaking the Masquerade. However, they do an admirable job of keeping the population of rats under control in our sewers," Kikyou finished, an unsavory grimace upon her face.
Kagome nodded, letting all of the information soak in. "I think I've got it." She happened to look to her right, where upon the plush seat sat the day's newspaper. Splashed across the page, the headline, "BODY OF REBECCA PAIGE FOUND NEAR BOARDWALK, THROAT SLASHED," sat to mock her. Her crime had made the front page.
"It was set up to look like an abduction and murder. You need not fear being caught," Kikyou interjected, effectively making Kagome feel even worse. This crime would go unpunished, and her murder would go unsolved.
"Are there any… clans that aren't in this Camarilla?" Kagome asked, changing the subject. Kikyou nodded solemnly.
"There are seven clans in the Camarilla. Four clans are independent, meaning they owe loyalty to that clan and no organization. Two clans make up the Sabbat. Every evening, thank your lucky stars that you were not made one of them. They are vicious beasts and will not hesitate to kill you for merely existing. Stay away from them," Kikyou finished gravely as the limo came to a slow stop. The door opened, and they exited the vehicle, Kikyou nodding at the chauffeur. Kagome had to do a double take. The driver had short, silver hair and eyes the color of honey. Just like a certain person with whom she had recently acquainted…
She was ridiculously relieved, however, to discover that this man was indeed not Sesshomaru. He had fuller cheeks and a stronger jaw than her panty-thieving sire, but the resemblance was quite uncanny. He smiled politely, and she gave him one last lingering gaze before catching up to Kikyou, who was walking into a very tall swanky-looking building. When they entered the foyer, Kagome saw multitudes of people; very human people, all wearing some form of formal attire. Rather than stopping to indulge in the pointless chitchat the rich were so quick to instigate, Kikyou and the two children made a beeline towards the metal doors of an elevator. Kagome sheepishly followed, keeping her gaze upon the marble floor.
They stepped into the green-carpeted elevator, and Kikyou pressed the button for the twentieth floor, the highest floor in the building. "I own this building, so we are guaranteed privacy," Kikyou added, keeping her eyes upon the doors. "I've arranged for dinner tonight. I hope you hadn't any plans." All Kagome could do was shrug her shoulders and hope for the best.
When the elevator dinged, they were met with a single room that spanned nearly the entire floor. It was like an office combined with a small museum. Priceless paintings decorated the walls, and one wall was a set of floor to ceiling windows that presented the glittering lights of downtown. The Prince walked across the parquet floor, her heels clicking briskly, until she reached a gilded door. Turning the intricate handle, she led Kagome and her tiny retainers into a small intimate lounge. Two young women were waiting upon a red-upholstered sofa across the room. One smiled a maroon-lipped grin and sauntered toward Kikyou.
"My prey," Kikyou muttered under her breath, "is the blood of the vain and self-important. The other girl is for you…" Kagome nervously walked over to the couch and sat next to the second young woman. She was pale with dark brown hair. She was not particularly pretty, but clearly had money if the pearl necklace upon her throat and Prada bag at her feet was any indication. She looked at Kagome shyly. Kagome forced a tight-lipped smile to form upon her face.
And then, tired of the farce, she dove in for the neck, eliciting an, "Unngh," from the wealthy woman seated next to her. The woman clutched Kagome's shoulders and moaned, her heartbeat racing. Quickly enough, the woman was dead and slumped in the sofa next to Kagome, who was cradling her head in her hands. Another night, another murder it seemed.
Kikyou, still standing in the doorway with her jaws clamped upon the other woman's lower neck, looked at Kagome evenly, eventually allowing the body to fall limply into her arms, where she promptly dropped it to the floor.
"You don't like to play with them, I see. Very well. Esha, Neela: you may begin."
The two small girls who had been waiting so patiently behind Kikyou made a sudden dive for the body on the floor, their little mouths and hands biting and ripping and tearing at the freshly expired corpse. Kagome could do nothing but stare, mouth agape and eyes wide with shock. She could hear the flesh tearing, like ripping apart a raw steak, and she fought to keep her hands at her side. She could hear little tongues lapping at the meat, hear their little gullets opening and swallowing chunks of flesh with muffled squelches and slurps.
Sensing her revulsion, Kikyou elaborated. "Neela and Esha are Nagaraja. They are akin to vampires, but rather than drinking the vitae, or blood, of kine, they must consume the flesh. For that taboo, they are scorned and feared among the circles of the supernatural."
"You mean there are other things out there? Ones that aren't vampires?"
"Oh, yes, yes. Ghosts, werewolves, vampires, and probably many other things share the night with us. Your life has, in effect, become your worst childhood nightmares all wrapped up in one. Hmm, it seems that that girl did the trick for you. I believe it's the blood of the rich that calls out to your hunger…" she mused. Kagome simply watched the tiny undead monsters lick the blood from their petite fingers. They both looked up at her, red smeared across their plump cheeks and running down their chins.
"Come, come. I'll escort you back your haven. The night is still young, and I'd imagine you have much to think over." And that was that. They rode the elevator down, leaving their disaster behind. The car ride was silent and pensive, and when Kagome exited the limousine, she took the newspaper from the seat.
"I will come for you in the next few days," were the last words the Prince had said before Kagome slid the door closed.
She trudged up the stairs to her apartment and unlocked the door to find sheets of metal visible from behind her curtains. Of course, seated at her table was none other than Sesshomaru.
"Have a pleasant evening out with the Prince?" he enquired, nonchalantly picking at the invisible dirt under his nails.
"…'the hell did you do to my apartment? I'll never get the security deposit back now," Kagome whined as she moved the curtains back, revealing metal sheets actually bolted into the plaster of her walls.
"Hmm, losing your security deposit, or bursting into flame at the sun's touch. Tough choice, that one," Sesshomaru mused sarcastically. Kagome glared at him and tossed the paper onto her kitchen table as she walked into the kitchen to look into her small fridge out of habit.
"She talked about the Camarilla bloodlines today." Kagome felt like a petulant child telling her nosy parent of her day's happenings.
Sesshomaru chuckled. "Ohh, I'm sure she did. But did she tell you the important and pertinent information, I wonder?" Kagome cocked an eyebrow at him, but nonetheless sat down at the kitchen table after retrieving her laptop.
"How do you keep getting in here? Are you some sort of vagrant or something?"
"No, I recently acquired an apartment. Did she tell you that the Toreadors are usually quite a waste of space and do nothing but mill around humans, too lost in their own egocentric 'poetic sorrows' to do anything with their unlives but bask in the beauty that kine create? They can be useful occasionally, however."
"Well, what the heck are you doing here bugging me if you have a place?"
"You're my childe and thus, my responsibility, even if everyone thinks me gone. Did she tell you that the Gangrel are 'close to their inner beasts?' What a joke. They simply don't know how to keep it in check, so they run around howling at the moon, frenzying the second someone starts to piss them off."
"If you have your own place, why don't you go there instead of breaking and entering into mine?" Kagome opened her email to find a message from Iris Paige, sister to Rebecca Paige. Her body went cold…er. Did she know?
"I have to keep an eye on you, you know, and make sure that you're getting the full story, not the corporate Camarilla-sponsored half-truths that will get you killed. Malkavians are demented. Their so called 'gift of insight' comes from the voices in their heads, literally. Most of them are too far gone to make any sense. If you see anyone that isn't of the homeless population arguing with a stop sign, they're most likely Malkavian."
"If by 'recently acquired an apartment,' I hope you don't mean mine," Kagome drily remarked as she opened the message from Iris. They met during her freshman year of college, and Iris was the godsend that got her through that year, a foreign girl in a foreign country studying foreign materials.
'Kagome,
I'm sorry I haven't talked to u in a while. Things have been so hectic with me, and I haven't even had time to take care of myself, let alone my social life. Sorry for dumping this on u, but I need to vent.
They found Rebecca's body this morning by the boardwalk. Someone ripped her up, Kagome. Her throat was cut almost 180 degrees around. Idk what kind of monster could do that to someone, especially Becca. She was doing so well and had no enemies. U knew her. It was practically impossible for someone to dislike her. I don't get it, Kagome. Can we meet up for coffee some time? I need to talk to someone that isn't a reporter or my dad. Thx.'
"Of course not. The apartment across from yours has been vacant for a few weeks. I checked. Nosferatu… I pity them, but that doesn't make me like them more. They're damn useful, though. You need information on anyone, anything, you get hooked up with a Nosferatu and they'll get you in. They've got networks, and nobody knows exactly how extensive they are. It unnerves me, how much they know and how quickly they know it. They're essentially traffickers in information and bribery and can be very dangerous if crossed."
Kagome forcefully shut her laptop, unable to respond to Iris. Iris didn't know… but she also didn't know that Kagome had recently joined the grand ol' "League of the Undead" either.
"Across the hall? They'll find you, especially if you keep coming around here. I don't really fancy getting my head chopped off over your stupid hide."
"Oh, little Kagome, how much you have yet to learn. The closer to your enemy you lay, the longer it takes for them to discover you. The Brujah have a good thing going, but they tend to take it overboard. Most of them are Anarchs, short for Anarchists. The Anarchs don't have anything against the Masquerade or most of the Traditions, but feel that the hierarchy and bureaucracy of the Camarilla are completely unnecessary. They never last long, though. The Camarilla makes sure of that, if you catch my meaning."
Kagome walked to her bedroom and put on her favorite light grey nightie. Her mom shipped it to her for her birthday three years back. While alive, it used to compliment her complexion prettily. Now, it practically camouflaged into her pale skin. She walked back out into the main room and plopped down in a chair.
"Anything else you want to add?" She rested her chin upon her right hand and gave Sesshomaru her most bored look.
"Ah, much, but I wouldn't want to overload that simple little head of yours. The last clan we'll go over tonight is the Tremere. They frankly put me on edge. They frighten everyone, rightfully so. They're highly secretive, and the little bits people uncover are enough to scare them away. Blood magic is their forte, and it's not pulling rabbits out of hats, I'll tell you that much. Avoid the Tremere if you can."
"Hmm, I'll do that," Kagome muttered absently, staring at the newspaper.
"Are you even listening?"
She hadn't even realized it until a red-tinged droplet fell from her eyelashes and onto her lap, staining the satin. She was weeping. "They're calling my mom tomorrow. About my 'death.'" Mama is going to be heartbroken. And Souta… the thought of her little brother caused another bead to tumble down her cheek.
"Ah," Sesshomaru said carefully. This was dangerous territory: territory of the emotions. When was the last time he'd experienced a feeling other than the thrill of the hunt?
"It had to happen eventually, you realize. It's better to get it done quickly. When these things are left too long, problems arise."
"What kind of problems?" Kagome scrubbed at her eyes, ashamed that she'd let her mask slip in front of him. After all, he was essentially a stranger.
"I think that tomorrow, we'll pay a visit to Charlie. Until then, start thinking of a new name. You will eventually need it, as one almost always encounters humans from their past at some point. No matter who they are, you will need to lie to them about your identity. You know this, yes?" He got up and walked to the door, presumably to walk the five feet to his own door. Neighbors these days...
"…Yes," she tonelessly answered.

I hope you guys are starting to catch on to who some of the characters are. I'll tell you right now, all of the characters so far are canon characters (though I've had to change the names and ethnicities since this is set in San Diego, not Tokyo). Any OCs won't last long, e.g. Rebecca Paige, the mayor's daughter. Her and the two victims of today's chapter were the only OCs so far, if one can call them OCs.
Anyway, thanks for the reviews and reads. This is another kinda boring chapter, but is informational in nature and will shape how you and the characters in this story view the other characters. Does that make sense? XD
This chapter was inspired by the song "Framed in Blood" by The 69 Eyes
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Blood is the New Black