A/N: Okay…just to warn you all…this might get a little intense, I think it will be based solely on the 'experiments' that the scientists will be…experimenting Sesshoumaru on. Just a warning so that you don't start like…crying to me in a review or something that you hate what's bein' done to Sess. That and NO! SESSHOUMARU WON'T DIE!! >:O Question…how many of you guys think that Sess is gonna crack? By the way…yes, there is a reason that they are doing these more intense experiments. It'll be revealed in this chapter.

Water and Blood

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Chapter 7: Pain

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No words, not a thousand, could describe the shame that he felt right now, the disgust. He never knew that humans could be this disgusting and this low…or even this capable. Interestingly so, they also were able to induce pain on him as well—with their bare hands no less. He was in an upright position now, having been like so for over an hour.

After they'd nearly stretched his limbs with his chains, they left him hanging here—completely lacking any garments—before some others flooded into the room. He had snarled at the humans dangerously, but it proved to do nothing for himself. One of them had mentioned that this was some sort of…test. It was a test for physical…endurance.

He clenched his eyes tightly at the painful memory. And for sure it was painful. The only thing he bore himself to do was shift his tail so that it wrapped around an upper thigh and gave him what little privacy it could. After that, he had endured their blows to his body.

After a while of the physical torture, that old bastard had walked in again. He'd asked the same question that he'd given the inu youkai earlier. And he added that he wanted to know if there were more like him. Of course, when the youkai lacked an answer, the pain inflicted on him had doubled. He had resisted even opening his mouth to mouth his pain before, but when electricity and sharp objects had become involved in the picture, his mask collapsed.

When his mouth had made even the smallest noise, all blows and devices of torture came to a halt. The old man raised his eyebrows, as if expecting an answer to his question. He fruitlessly asked again. The lack of answer resulted in pain again—worse pain. It took a shorter amount of time for him to actually let out a short scream of pain. When his body had slumped forward from the pain harshly, he felt his sockets at his shoulders* dislocate.

After a short laugh from the old man, he was relieved that his hair was covering his face. The least it had done was hide his wide, pain-filled eyes and his slightly ajar mouth, breathing out tendrils of blood and pain. As if nearly…fearing more infliction upon his body, he had allowed his bloodied tail to wrap around his tender body.

When they grabbed it tightly and wrenched it away from his body, another sound elicited from his mouth, a sound close to a whimper. His tail was the most sensitive part of a body as one was to an animal. They had tried nothing more with his body.

He was here, now, with his body bruised and blistered. And he couldn't help but wonder…wonder if it could get any worse…

…and if he would ever be able to leave this place…alive. The time he had to himself was cut short as the doors slid open again. He gave a slight wince at the sound of the door. It only meant more humans. More humans meant more means of pain.

"It's another test of physical endurance," he heard a feminine voice say. More? He stared at her angrily, returning his feral mask. She took a step far too close to him as the chains on his legs began to loosen. He took it as a way to tell the humans that he wouldn't allow them to cause him infliction without him doing the same to them. He lashed his leg at her, a pleasurable smirk forming on his bloody lips as she let out a scream of pain when her back collided with the wall with a sickening sound.

His neck was instantly surrounded by the paralyzing collar device.

"Detain him…" he heard the old man say from the door, "…as I take off his chains in a few minutes." The orders were followed. "See, my Sesshoumaru…" the man started as he stood in front of the youkai, "I've recently told the military base of you. They sounded fairly…interested."

The youkai snarled at the man, the chains holding him rattling dangerously as he tried to fruitlessly shake himself lose. He didn't understand what the man was talking about. It spurred his naiveté of the future, which only frustrated him more.

"So they are driving over right away to see what I spoke of. Do you know what the General told me? He told me…that if you are as great a find as I say you are…you will be able to aid the military greatly." He paused. "You will aid the military in a conspiracy of the murder of the American president. And when war breaks out…your other form will be of aid."

So these humans…planned on using him for their bidding?! An angered, guttural growl came from his lips. How dare these humans even have the audacity to do such a thing!

"So tomorrow…tomorrow you have to be…prepared for their inspection…" Mukai smiled in pleasure from the youkai's frustration. "…I told you that you were mine. Do you think that the words were just a front? No…"

Unexpectedly, Sesshoumaru's turned toward the man as his limbs fruitlessly lunged for him, his claws ready to strike. The human didn't even wince as his fingers came mere centimeters to his skin. The youkai bore his teeth angrily as the human threw back his head in taut laughter. "No one uses this Sesshoumaru and lives! No one!" he yelled angrily, trying to wring his body from the chains, trying to escape so that he could clasp his fingers around the bastard's neck.

His mind chose to forget the fact that it had happened once before with that Naraku bastard. What assured him that it wouldn't happen again? That's what had made him furious, so very angry, like a wild animal.

"Hm…" The old man snapped his finger. At once, Sesshoumaru felt the collar tighten around his neck again, cutting of his flow of air. Mukai knew for a fact that it would hurt the youkai more because he'd just wasted his breath on yelling angrily. He smiled in misplaced pleasure as the youkai before him writhed and twisted a few times, his head kicking back and his back arching outward to get the small amount of air that he wouldn't receive.

Agony twisted inside of Sesshoumaru as the collar sent vines of fiery pain through his body for seconds upon more seconds. As the pain instantly stopped, his body was left shaking involuntarily, his limbs weakly slumped over. Every now and then, his body would give a slight twitch. Seconds later, he felt absolutely nothing. The chains rattled as they fell from around his limbs. He body fell to the ground less than discreetly. Connected chains were put on his ankles, and some sort of band was put around his wrist.

"Get him and let's go," Mukai said as he threw his head toward the door and walked to it. One of the men grabbed hold of Sesshoumaru tightly by his hair, another man taking hold of the chains on Sesshoumaru ankles. The two carried his stunned, stiff body out of the room, into the hallway, and then into another room. "Tell me, Sesshoumaru," Mukai started as he stared at the youkai, "how long are you able to hold your breath?" He knew he would receive no answer.

A few minutes passed silently until Sesshoumaru's limbs began to have feeling again. The humans noticed. "Okay, put him in, now," Mukai said as he pointed to the tinted container of water.

"What is this for again, Mukai-san?" asked one of the men as he snapped a rod onto the loop of Sesshoumaru's wristband and another rod onto the loop of the collar.

"The general asked me how long the specimen can hold his breath, if ever he is caught in a room full of gas, and if it came to that, how would he react to the gas. I told him that I'd test his ability to hold his breath as well as his reactions to gases," Mukai responded nonchalantly. With the flick of his wrist, the men began to lift Sesshoumaru's body into the water, another few scientists putting suctions on Sesshoumaru's chest and jugular vein and his sides also.

"Oh, I see…" stated the man.

Sesshoumaru struggled to keep his head above the water as the human pushed down at the rod connected to the collar. With a few forceful pushes and tugs, his head was submerged under the water.

Mukai watched very closely. Soon, his colleague, Asako, walked by him and stared as well, holding the timer. "Let's see how long he'll hold up," she said to him. They stared at the still youkai through the glass. She looked at her timer after a while. "30 seconds," she said. She looked at his beautiful, silver hair as it wavered in the water like endless clouds in a bright blue sky. "He is so…beautiful," she muttered to herself.

"I agree," Mukai stated with a smirk.

"No, Mukai-san, I mean…he's physically beautiful. He's handsome!" she returned. "Oh…" She looked down at the timer. "One minute and 23 seconds…" she muttered in disbelief. "Wow…how can he stay in there for so long a time?"

"Well…he is youkai…" Mukai muttered with the roll of his eyes.

"But even so, his internal organs are probably the same as any humans'!" she retorted.

"True…" Mukai said as he put his hand on his chin. "Well maybe because of his animal-like instincts, he is able to slow down the processes of his body. Like how animals act as if they are dead when danger comes their way."

"Oh…yes, I think I can understand that," she mentioned. As a bubble came from the youkai's nose to the surface of the water, she looked at the timer. "2 minutes and 37 seconds…!" she said. She returned her gaze to the youkai.

Another minute passed.

And another minute.

"…Is he dead?" one of the men asked.

"…No, his body would then float to the surface if he was, and his body would convulse," Asako answered. The returned their gaze upon the youkai. "Other than the fact that you guys are pushing down on him in the first place…"

Another minute passed.

"His heart beat is becoming a little irregular," said one of the scientists at the monitor screen.

"Note that," Mukai said. They did as they were told.

More minutes passed.

After everyone thought of how long the longest human was able to stay underwater for, Asako took another look at the timer. "Kami-sama…" she said, here eyes widened.

"What is it?" Mukai asked.

"Some signs are showing failure, Mukai-san," said one of the scientists at the monitor.

"He broke the world record**…" she muttered to herself.

"How long?" he asked.

"He's been in here for 13 minutes and 47 seconds, now…"

"Mukai-san!" one of the scientists yelled angrily.

"What?" he asked. "Oh. Fine, fine. Pull him out."

They finally pulled Sesshoumaru up to a sitting position. He let out a growl. He hated, hated being wet! Not only that, but now his hair was a tangled mess! But that wasn't very important at the moment.

"His stats are stabilizing…" the scientist said.

"Good…" He turned toward Sesshoumaru. "Stand, youkai," he said. The youkai lacked a response. "You're really going to have to learn obedience, Sesshoumaru," he said. "Especially if you are to become the General's pet."

The youkai's eyes thinned at the word and his blood boiled, sending a zap through him, which he ignored. He is no one's…pet! "This Sesshoumaru is no animal to be seized!" he barked at the human, literally.

"You sure do act like an animal…" the scientist muttered. "And it's already too late to be speaking of being seized. Where do you think you are right now?"

It was a hard blow to the youkai's pride.

"Now, I won't repeat myself after this time. Stand." Mukai fisted his hand in the air. No response. The old man glowered angrily before turning to the man holding the rod that connected to Sesshoumaru's collar. The man pulled out the black, electric device that Mukai had used earlier and pressed the green button.

Sesshoumaru leaned forward as the electricity surged through him, the spikes driving madly into his skin and the collar tightening. His dripping hair fell in hurried clumps over his face as his eyes widened again. If not to make the pain worse, he was still in the container of water. When the pain finally stopped, he was left breathing deeply for air, his limbs twitching.

"Need I repeat myself again?" Mukai said as he crossed his arms and stared at his specimen. He watched as blood began to soak the perfect, silver hair. "Hmm?" He smirked as the youkai grabbed the edge of the container. He watched the knuckles whiten, most likely from the youkai's anger and strain, as he slowly, very slowly stood up.

"Oh my…" Asako muttered as she blushed and looked away. She cleared her throat.

"Oh come on, Asako," one the men said with a smirk. "It's like you haven't seen a naked man before."

"And what are you suggesting, Keiichi?!" she questioned angrily as she faced him and fisted her hand. "I haven't!" She caught sight of Sesshoumaru again, giving a blush and looking away.

'How disgraceful…' Sesshoumaru thought angrily. Twisting his tail so that it wrapped around his upper thigh and once again gave him what little privacy it could.

"See, now, my Sesshoumaru?" Mukai asked as he walked up to Sesshoumaru. "It's not that hard to listen to what we tell you, is it?" He gave a smirk as the youkai remained quiet. "Now…get out of the container…" he ordered. He was pushing it too far. The youkai held his glare and did nothing. "You don't want more pain, do you?" he asked. Sesshoumaru failed to respond. The man glowered. Instead, to his utter surprise and glee, the youkai stepped one foot onto the edge, then a hand…

…and climbed out, dripping wet.

"Very good…" Mukai said. He walked out of the room, telling the men to do so as well.

Sesshoumaru stood still, glaring at the man as he passed him and walked through the door. When he was roughly tugged at, he wavered forward a bit, taking a step to keep himself balanced. The man tugged the rod again, making him walk (limp) involuntarily.

-

"Kagome," Inuyasha started angrily, "you're not going to school!"

Kagome settled onto her couch. They'd arrived minutes ago. "What I said is final, Inuyasha!" she said. "I'm going to school tomorrow! Who knows, maybe some kids at school have heard about this whole deal!" she reasoned. She noticed how he settled for a couple of seconds.

Inuyasha's eyebrows twitched. "…Fine…" he muttered.

"Arigatou, Inuyasha," she said gratefully.

-

He couldn't breathe! For the life of him, this intoxicating air infringed his breathing. The fumes had gone through his respiratory system before he knew that he had to reject them. He held his hand to his neck as he bent over, trying to cough the choking fumes out.

It made his head throb endlessly, painfully. And it wasn't as if he had any cloth to cover his mouth. The throbbing didn't end, making him grab at his head. The fumes still intoxicated his body, the taste metallic and bitter.

He held his hand to his mouth as a rush came from his stomache. On his knees now, he bent over as he removed his hand, bile flowing forth. The disgusting taste only sent his stomache lurching again. He couldn't stop…throwing up.


"His body apparently reacts the same to gases as ours do, Mukai-san, if not worse," stated one of the scientists. "If we don't clean the air, he'll be dead within minutes."

"Really now," Mukai muttered as he put his hand to his chin. "Fine…give him another minute."

"Yes, Mukai-san."


When there was nothing more for his body to give, Sesshoumaru slumped to the ground on his side. His body gave a short convulsion. His head…still throbbed, but more painfully. It made his body curl and his hands wrench at his skull. He gave another short convulsion, a whimper proceeding from his mouth.

His eyes began to flutter uncontrollably from the reaction to the gas. His body gave another convulsion.

His claws scratched at the metallic ground, giving a chorus of screeches. He gave another convulsion.

A choking sound erupted from his throat as his eyes rolled into their sockets. Still on his side, he convulsed again. He couldn't breathe…


"Clean the air, right now!" Mukai yelled in near horror as he watched. "Do it right now!"

"Yes sir," said the man as he began to press on various keys.

"Kami-sama! He's suffering from a seizure! It can kill him!" Mukai roared as he practically flew through the door. He waited at the door that Sesshoumaru was behind, a small green light coming on, giving signal that it was safe that he enter. He entered instantly, gasping as his specimen lay still on the ground. At closer sight of him, he gave a short whimper.

Sesshoumaru wasn't breathing…

* Just because he has a stub of an arm doesn't mean that they don't have a way to chain it. So both shoulders dislocated.
**The world record for the longest breath held under water is 13.42 minutes.

A/N: …What an awful place to end this chapter. I mean really. I can't believe I'm doing this to you! Well, it's not really much of a cliff hanger because I already told you that Sesshoumaru WILL NOT DIE!! So you don't need to be worried. He'll be back in piece(s) in the next chapter. And guess what!! (I THINK) the next chapter is where Kagome finds out where he is! And boy don't you wonder how o_O. So I think that this story will be 11 chapters TOPS. It's either 11 or less. Okay, review responses:

The Crystal Wolf: No, dun worry, Sesshoumaru lives. :D Don't cry! He'll be better than fine……hopefully…XD

Tsume Yamagata: I don't know! I don't know what I'm doing to him! *wails as well* And what do you mean I 'don't mean it!'? Of course I do…*stares at Sesshoumaru* Hmm…yah…he's definitely a bishounen worthy of going through some torture…>:D

porifra: Oh! Oh! Can I call you Porifrabob Squarepants?! Oh pleaaassseee?? No, I'm just joking. I think that's a cute name you have there :D Hehe ~_~. Yah, I enjoyed the part where Rin smacked Miroku as well. I, in a way, used your poison idea! It was poison gas in the last scene. Tsk, tsk. Shame on you for taking part in the Sesshy torture. Tsk tsk…:P

yamitamashii: Hehe! The slapping part was fun to write ^-^ Hehe…some torture is good. As for being abused by a family member, like child abuse, that's bad. I don't enjoy that. But this kind of torture…I like…I like it a lot…Yah, Mukai is an evil dude. Strangely enough…he has the same last name as my Japanese teacher…*turns to her angry teacher* I swear I'm not implying something, Mukai-sensei!! How is this going to be a Rin/Sess fic in the end?! The girl is only 6 years old! As for being like a fatherish daughterish moment, of course we'll have that. Slightly…so very slightly…Actually, I started a Sess/Rin pairing fic. If you'd like to read it, it's called I Prefer not To :D.

Yes…GO READ MY THREE NEW FANFICTIONS, YOU GUYS! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEEEAAAASSSEEEE!!! ONE IS EVEN A SESS/RIN PAIRING FIC!!