A Not So Twilight Story by Xenoky

Chapter 1

Kagome really should have paid more attention to politics as she was growing up. Sure, she shouldn’t have expected a young six year old to pay attention to all the news going on around her, but, sure, middle school or high school Kagome should’ve known what was going on. 

If Kagome didn’t know any better, she’d blame her mom and her grandfather for being the way she was, but she knew that it was solely her fault that she was so unknowledgeable on the vampire laws. 

Kagome had just entered kindergarten when laws had finally passed to allow vampires and humans to coexist peacefully, and as she had gotten older, the laws had changed to encompass all moments of a vampires life, from how they fed, to how they got to get housing. But of course, Kagome didn’t know any of that, because she was too busy being a kid blocking out the world, and living in her own little bubble, caring only about her toys, and whatever cartoon show she was obsessed with. 

So here Kagome was, sitting in the middle of her apartment, with ramen cups laying around her, looking desperately for a roommate. 

****

“Kagome, we paid about half of the apartment off already for you,” Kagome’s mother said as she handed the keys over to her. “You’re an adult, so you have to pay the rest of it yourself, but don’t worry, if you need any help making payments, I’m just a phone call away okay?” And then she pranced out the door, leaving Kagome with her unpacked boxes in the middle of her new, barren home.

It took her a while to arrange everything, to put everything in its own little spot, to make it her own, and after two weeks, Kagome found herself standing in her small living right next to her newly purchased sofa — she didn’t have the money to get a coffee table yet— with only one picture on the wall — Kagome, Miroku, and Sango the summer before senior year— and she was pleased with her results. The apartment looked lived in and like a home, even with the bare minimum. After a week in her apartment, Sango had given her a plant, she didn’t know what kind, and although she needed frequent reminders to water it, it was still alive, which she was also proud of. 

The one thing she wasn’t proud of, was that she still hadn’t found a job, and the first official rent payment was coming up, and if she didn’t find a job soon she wasn’t sure if she would be able to stay in it. And not only that, but her ever growing mountain of ramen cups didn’t help anything in dispelling the notion that Kagome would be able to stay. She was beginning to run out of money for even that. 

At first, she had considered becoming a vampire, but after looking it up, she realized that she’d still have to pay her rent, so she threw that out. She didn’t want to, but she’d have to get a roommate. Cohabitation wasn’t something she exactly wanted to do, but she was going to have to.

So that’s how Kagome reached her last resort, she has to make a deal with a vampire. The main problem now however, is that Kagome doesn’t even know how to begin doing this. How does one approach a vampire, and ask them to live with them in their small, one bed room apartment? 

Fortunately for Kagome, her friends are far less ignorant when it comes to the undead. Which is why she found herself calling Miroku at 12:30 AM on a Wednesday night. 

“It’s honestly really easy!” Miroku explained later that day as they were sitting down drinking smoothies at a nearby cafe. Kagome looks at Miroku and raises one eyebrow before taking another sip of her smoothie. “There are two things that vampires are in desperate need of, and that humans can provide. The most obvious one, is blood, and then they need a place to live in. All we have to do is look at the ads, and pick and choose from there.” 

Kagome is already mentally exhausted. Just thinking about having to find a decent vampire that a) would be cool with sharing a one room apartment, and b) wouldn’t mind trying to keep as much of the blood stuff as possible away from her would be a nightmare in and of itself.

“I mean Kagome, have you just considered blood donation?” Miroku asked.

Kagome choked, practically bringing the straw into her throat, as she struggles to get air. “Ugh, n-no,” she says, coughing in between breaths. “I only want to — rent.”

Miroku turns his mouth down in a frown. “Poor you, you only have like what, one room?” 

It was Kagome’s turn to make a sad face. “Yeah, but I really need the money. I’m desperate.”

Miroku puts his head on his palm. “You could always like, find a human roommate Kagome.”

Kagome gives something between a grimace, and a smile. “Wouldn’t a vampire pay more?”

A smile breaks out onto Miroku’s face. “I like the way you’re thinking!” He says, slurping the rest of his drink down. “I’ll send you the links of some of the more trusted sites.”

Kagome looks quizzically at Miroku. “And how would you know which sites are more reputable?” 

Miroku shrugs with one shoulder. “Stress Google’s,” he says seriously. “The amount of things I started looking up just to not do my essays in college are staggering, and you would be surprised at how easy it is to get from baking recipes to hardcore porn.”

Kagome groans and begs Miroku to shut up, but reminds him to send her the links when they part later, trying to get the image of his dick out of her mind.

***

There were way more ads out there than Kagome could have ever imagined, some reading like a normal roommate wanted ad, and others looking like if you met up not only would you be missing a kidney, but most of your blood. A lot of them had pictures with their ads, but a lot of them didn’t. It was honestly so confusing, and Kagome had to think about what she should base her potential flatmate list on.

At first she filters by most popular, and her hands became sweaty with how much nervous energy she exudes. She knows that she doesn’t have much to offer, so really all she has to do is just find faces that she thinks she can live with, and hopefully one that doesn’t creep her out too much. The only problem is, is that most of them do creep her out.

After about an hour of looking, Kagome groans and turns away from her laptop, to lay on the floor. Grabbing her phone she puts in Miroku’s number and waits for him to answer. 

“Miroku, I don’t think I can do this.” She whines into the phone.

She can practically hear Miroku rolling his eyes. “Kagome, of course you can. It’s simple. Listen, if you’d like, I can ask around for you.”

Kagome huffs. “No, no don’t do that, don’t bother with it.” After blowing up her bangs in frustration, she reconsiders. “Actually, yeah go ahead and do that. It wouldn’t hurt if I knew a little bit more about them, and at least this way if I’m murdered it’s not my fault.”

Miroku laughs, and then playfully grunts at her. “Fine, but keep looking alright? There isn’t a guarantee that I’ll be able to find someone okay?”

Kagome laughs but thanks Miroku profusely, offering to pay for lunch next time if he’s able to find someone.

After getting off the phone, Kagome sits back up and begins searching again, hitting the next page button languidly. 

She’s on page 6 when her phone rings with a message from Miroku.

There’s already an ad out, so try to find the name Sesshomaru, Taisho Sesshomaru.

Kagome blinks at her phone. “That was fast” she says to herself, before she types in the name in the search box.

Searching on a new page, because she’s worried that if it doesn’t work out with Sesshomaru that she should at least have back up options, she looks at his ad.

His ad was in the section without photos— of course— Kagome doesn’t know how she feels about it exactly, but it’s only been three days since they posted the ad, so Kagome guesses that attempting to contact won’t hurt. 

Of course, it’s easier said than done, and it takes Kagome two bathroom breaks, and one snack trip before she can finally talk herself into calling him. That’s to say, her darling the number, quickly pressing call, and then throwing down her phone after she presses the green button like she can pretend it never happened, only to quickly pick it back up and put it next to her ear in case he answered.

But of course, he doesn’t, because it’s 2 in the afternoon, and vampires all should be asleep, because the sun is still out. unprepared, she tries to leave a coherent voicemail. “Hey, uhh, I’m calling to umm try and answer your ad, so please call me when you wake up.”

Smooth, Kagome thinks. Except it wasn’t at all. Kagome sighs again and heads for another bathroom break.

***

It’s a couple hours later, 8 to be exact, when Kagome’s phone begins ringing. Kagome had saved Sesshomaru’s number just in case he would call back, that way she wouldn’t ignore it if he did call back. 

“Uh hello?” Kagome says softly, her greeting coming out more as a question than a statement.

“Hi, you called me earlier about my ad?” the voice said on the other line, deep.

Kagome nodded, and then started once she realized that he had no way of seeing her. “Ah um yes, I did. I honestly didn’t know what time you would be up, so I just left a message after I saw it…” Kagome said, letting her voice taper off at the end.

“Nnn” Sesshomaru hums, and Kagome can feel herself relaxing. “You are offering a room right? That’s what I said I wanted in the ad.”

“Yes” Kagome answered, quickly. “I honestly won’t lie to you, I need the money to pay rent.” Kagome says, blabbering now that she feels more comfortable. “Do you want to come over some time to check the place out?”

Kagome says, before she can talk herself out of it.

“Well aren’t you brave, inviting a vampire inside your house so easily.” He said.

Kagome’s eyes widen, and she leans over and whispers into the phone. “Does it work over phone calls too?”

Sesshomaru laughs, a beautiful melodic laugh. “Message me the address and I’ll come over in 20 minutes”

Kagome smiles and agrees, and after telling Sesshomaru the address begins pulling away from the phone. 

“Hey wait!” Kagome hears as she’s about to hang up. “You never told me your name.”

Kagome hangs her head. She can’t believe she almost forgot that part. “Oh, I’m sorry, I’m Kagome, Higurashi Kagome.”

“See you soon Kagome.” Sesshomaru said, and Kagome felt shivers down her spine, as he hung up.

Kagome stared at her phone in disbelief before staring up at her apartment. 20 minutes. 20 minutes to clean up. Jumping up, Kagome begins to run around, to try and get it as clean as possible.

***

It takes more than 20 minutes for Sesshomaru to arrive, and Kagome, spending more time running around just moving objects from one room to another is startled. Looking around she sighs, but supposes that if he moved in he’d have to get used to her messiness anyway.

When Kagome finally makes it over to the door, she catches Sesshomaru looking down the hall. 

“I came in like a normal person, and you neighbor practically tried to stake me.” He says, with an embarrassed grin on his face. “Is everyone as welcoming here?”

Kagome grimaces. “I honestly have no idea.”

Sesshomaru raises his eyebrow at her, but says nothing. 

“I just moved in about a month ago, so I really don’t know my neighbors to well. Do you want to come in?” Kagome said, backing up and opening the door wider.

Sesshomaru smiles at her. “Am I allowed to?”

Kagome looks confused at him before covering her eyes and nodding. Vampire. “Yes, please, come in. I forgot.” 

Sesshomaru smiles even brighter at her, and waltzes in, and Kagome feels like her breath is stolen from her. She knows that vampire’s have an aura about them, that make them dangerous, but enticing. Intimidating, but sexy, and Sesshomaru seems to fit that package perfectly. And, he’s very pretty. 

“So less than a month? You need rent money?” Kagome is knocked out of her thoughts.

“More like money for everything.” Kagome says crossing her arms. “I’m looking for a job currently, even just an internship but—“ Kagome shrugs.

“It doesn’t pay well right?” He asks looking around.

As Sesshomaru begins to wander around the apartment, it becomes clear fast that the apartment only has one room. Especially when Sesshomaru is able to stand in both the living room and the bedroom at the same time.

“So have you thought this through at all? I mean, unless your looking for something else?” Sesshomaru says, looking at her.

Kagome raises her eyebrow at him. “What like a vampire sugar daddy?”

Sesshomaru bursts out laughing. “Well, I’d prefer to not pay for my sex, but as the kids say, you get points for that one.” He begins to walk towards her, but then leans agains the wall. “But really Kagome, how would we live? How would you go about this.”

Kagome doesn’t hesitate. “You can have the room obviously. I usually spend all my time out in the living room anyway so it wouldn’t be much of a change.” Kagome says, wondering if vampires can smell lies. 

Sesshomaru nods, but doesn’t look like he’s convinced. “We could always just switch out. With me sleeping during the day, and you sleeping at night, we shouldn’t be able to clash too much right?”

Kagome thinks about it for a little bit, thinking that honestly it’s what she would have said had she been any more comfortable with him, and had he been a girl. Kagome examines Sesshomaru, looks at his pale skin, the color of his eyes, like a dark wine, and then finally his mouth. When he laughed and smiled, she didn’t really see his fangs, and she didn’t want to ask to see them now because she felt like that would be crossing some type of invisible line. 

“Kagome?” 

Kagome get’s knocked out of her thoughts and brings her eyes up to Sesshomaru’s face.

“Yeah, we can try. My sleep schedule is a bit messed up though.”

Sesshomaru smiled, and his eyes crinkled in the corners, and Kagome begins to regret agreeing to this. Vampires shouldn’t be this cute.

“Well then, we should talk about money then right? They payment, shall we sit then?”

And Kagome mentally berates herself again, because she should be the one to bring it up, but at least she’s the one leading him to her couch.

***

It doesn’t take that long to get the contract done up and signed by the both of them, and before that night is over, Sesshomaru moves his stuff in, and Kagome’s life gets turned upside down. 

Kagome gave Sesshomaru the keys, she hadn’t managed to get a spare yet, and by the time she woke up, she felt like she had entered an entirely new time of her life, and to begin, she wasn’t the only one in her bed.

“What the fu-“ Kagome says, mind still slow and heavy from sleep. Reaching for her phone, she accidentally knocks it off the night stand, and looks over to see if she woke Sesshomaru. Poking him in the side, and then in the cheek, she seems satisfied that he didn’t wake up.

Finally getting up and turning off her alarm, she sighs when she sees the time. 11AM. Cursing she begins to actually get up. 

Hearing mumbling coming from the bed, Kagome looks over. “You’re.. too.. difficult… wake up..” She hears. 

Kagome lightly chuckles and apologizes softly. She thinks it’s funny that one of her absolute worst qualities are revealed less than 24 hours after they met. But, to be fair, she’s now living with a vampire in a one bedroom apartment, they should get well acquainted with their bad qualities.

After changing her clothes and staring some more at Sesshomaru, Kagome decided that sleeping vampires are just as creepy as wakeful vampires, and so she decides to leave the room. Looking out into the living room, it’s weird to see a whole bunch of new things, for one, Sesshomaru managed to bring in a coffee table. 

Going over to the fridge to get a glass of milk, she wasn’t prepared to see all the blood bags in her fridge. “Jesus Christ!” Kagome exclaimed, before quickly shutting the door.

Opening the fridge again to see if she had merely imagine it, she quickly closed it again, quickly loosing her apatite.

***

“So, did you ever call Taisho Sesshomaru?” Miroku asked. 

Kagome thought about the blood bags that she found in the fridge. They should talk about that when she gets back.

“Yeah, he’s sleeping in my bed right now, and oh my god Miroku, there’s so much blood, everywhere.” Kagome mumbles, putting her head in her arms. “I don’t think I thought about this enough.”

Miroku looked shocked at Kagome. “What the hell Kagome! You slept with him already?” Miroku practically screamed at her, causing Kagome to look around to see if anyone heard. “I mean, I don’t blame you, he is super hot right?”

“Miroku shhh! No I haven’t he’s just sleeping in my bed because I only have one of those remember? And all the blood is in my fridge okay? All the blood bags.”

After a pregnant pause Miroku sighed heavily. “You’ll get used to it Kagome. Maybe you can ask him to put them somewhere else? Maybe like in a box or something. I’ll see you later this weekend okay?”

Kagome nods, and get’s up. She’ll deal with the vampire and the vampire matters later. It’s not like a job is going to fall out of the sky and fall on her.

***

Kagome doesn’t even realize that the sun is going down, she’s so intent on playing the game on her phone. However, the door opens, and that catches her attention, so looking back at the room, she see’s Sesshomaru walking out to the bathroom, half naked. When he spots Kagome, he smiles, but doesn’t stop walking.

Kagome enters panic mood. Vampires shouldn’t be cute, but they also shouldn’t be this hot either. And once he leaves the bathroom it’s even worse, his hair is still wet. 

“Uh, are you always so..” She waves her hands around trying to grasp a word out of thin air. “Well you know.”

Sesshomaru looks at her and then ducks his head laughing. “Does it bother you? I could always go back and—“

“Well actually,” Kagome interrupts, “The blood in the fridge is way worse.”

“Way worse.” Sesshomaru repeats.

Kagome looks at Sesshomaru and then looks up at the ceiling and whines. “No not like that.” She mumbles, and then begins to get agitated as Sesshomaru starts laughing at her. 

When he finally puts a new shirt on, Kagome begins to get to know him, and Kagome finally feels like she’s living with an actual being, not just something that died and came to life, but something currently existing.