A/N: Dude…you guys are like, trying to kill me, aren't you?! Your REVIEWS!! I reached over 20 reviews for ONE chapter o_O XDXD Happy. I'll get right into the chapter this time >:D. I love you all. Only one more chapter after this. By the way, I'm in school right now, having emailed this chapter to myself. It's exam time :Dv!

-

Water and Blood

~

Sesshoumaru suddenly looked up at the trees as he did as told unwillingly and weakly. Something was up there. He could smell it. He looked down from the trees to the human suspiciously, who was placing his weapons and other clothing on the back of the pick up. The human (Takana) had an odd scent on him…oddly familiar.

If not seconds after the engine of the vehicle was revved up and the back of the pick up was closed, a figure clad in red and white landed on the ground from above, sliver hair waving familiarly. Another figure clad in red and yellow hung off of his back.

A commotion began.

~

Chapter 11: You're Safe…

Kobayashi put his car into drive, not realizing what was going on behind him. After a couple of seconds of driving, he stopped as he heard screaming coming from behind. He opened his door quickly and stepped out, conceiving that there was a commotion out there. His eyes widened as he saw someone similar to Sesshoumaru, a bit shorter, but clad in red and white, and some girl.

Already there were three people lying prostrate on the ground with blood on their body, breathing nonetheless.

Inuyasha jumped from the person's body to the old man who was running away in clear panic. "Oi, bastard!" he screamed angrily. He finally pounced right in front of the man.

Mukai blanched as the 'youkai' stood in front of him. "Kami-sama!" he screamed. "Please, please don't hurt me!" He took a step backward.

Inuyasha threw a quick glance at Sesshoumaru, who was sitting in the truck with a more than indifferent, vacant look about him; then turned back to the old man, his claws extending. In clear anger, he struck the man down. The blood spurted in different directions.

"Inuyasha, don't kill him!" Kagome screamed as she kicked at one of the men advancing on her. After she noticed that even though he was down he had called for reinforcement, she kicked at the device in his hand, crushing it, before she kicked him as well. Her eyes wide, she moved out of the way as one of the men struck at her.

Inuyasha ignored her words and struck out at the man even though down. "I ain't gonna kill ya'," Inuyasha said while wiping some blood from his face, "but I'll make sure that ya' can't do something like this again!" He nonchalantly threw the man over his shoulder.

Kobayashi took out the gun at his waist in a panic, shooting fruitlessly at the red-clad 'youkai'. The gun from his hand was knocked away as Mukai landed on top of him.

In an act of anger and panic, Kobayashi pulled the electric device from his pocket and stared at the mauled body of Mukai. The old man let out a guttural, bloodied scream as he fell to the ground in pain. Kobayashi looked from the old man to the electric device and pressed all of the buttons, not knowing which one did what.

Sesshoumaru had long attempted to climb out of the back of the pick-up Hummer, though weakened. He was hearing Kobayashi tell him to attack the 'intruders', but at the same time, he was hearing Inuyasha tell him to move out of the way. The orders confused him and he didn't know which one to fulfill. As he climbed out and his feet touched the ground, a searing pain suddenly over came in, making him double over as he grabbed onto the collar around his neck.

Inuyasha shortly paused in his movements and watched in quiet shock as Sesshoumaru leaned forward in evident pain. Ever more could he smell the blood coming from Sesshoumaru.

He put two and two together as he saw the General pressing on the electric device, and looked at Sesshoumaru once more. He sped toward the general, his bloodied claws extending toward him. His intent wasn't even to kill the man, it was to rip that thing from his hands. He landed on top of the general and the device fell from his hands, upside down, the pressure of the weight of it still pressing down on the buttons.

He picked up the general by his collar and threw him to the side. "Break it!" Inuyasha yelled as he pointed to the device. Kagome instantly ran over it to step on it.

She stepped on it but only dented it. "I can't, Inuyasha, I can't!" she screamed in confusion. She picked up the device and threw it to the ground a few times. "I can't do it."

Inuyasha gave a kick to the general before extending his claws. He threw the device into the air and jumped after it. "Sankontessuou!" He looked around for a couple of seconds after he landed and the pieces fell around him, then threw a quick glance at Sesshoumaru before the black van that he had ridden in before pulled up with a screech.

Hojou opened the back of the van doors from the inside. "Quick, get in!" he screamed in a hurry. "The guard called for a lot of back up!"

Inuyasha didn't know what he meant, but from the sounds of it, it was nothing good. Takana grabbed Sesshoumaru's clothing and threw it inside of the van, Hojou jumping out of the way with his eyes wide as the spikes nearly jabbed him. Inuyasha grabbed onto the swords and placed them in the back of the van before he grabbed up Sesshoumaru and placed him (gently) into the back of the van.

"I'm staying!" Takana yelled as Inuyasha and Kagome jumped into the back of the van. "They'll be asking too many questions. I have to stay." He briskly shut the door after that and smacked the back of the car. Asako sped off.

Sesshoumaru's constricted breathing was the only sound inside of the car as the van sped onward toward Kagome's house. The blood began to pool from his lips and neck and saturated into the carpeting of the van.

"What's wrong with him?" Kagome asked in a panic as she looked at Asako.

Asako simply looked in the rear view mirror before turning her attention to the road again. "It is a subjugating, constriction collar," she muttered. "It tends to have lasting effects for up to five minutes after the button has been pressed, depending on how long the button on the device was pressed…"

"I don't understand…" Hojou muttered, staring with wide eyes. "What is it doing this to him…?"

"It's cutting off his flow of air by tightening around his neck," she elucidated.

"…Why is he bleeding?" Inuyasha asked.

Asako paused. "There are jagged spikes driven into his neck as well as shocks of electricity…" she muttered in shame.

"Why won't it stop?" Kagome asked with panic rising within her. "What can we do to make it stop?"

"We can't do anything for it right now," Asako answered. "We have to wait it out…"

Kagome paused. "Why…would you people want to do this to him?" she asked as she turned to the other female. Her eyes brimmed with sadness.

Asako let out a loud sigh. "General Kobayashi was planning to take Sesshoumaru as his own, a sort of lap dog to do his dirty deeds…"

"Which would be?" Hojou asked curiously.

"Kobayashi-sama…he was planning on using Sesshoumaru…so that he could conspire against the American forces by killing their presidential leader…And if war was to start from this…Kobayashi would use Sesshoumaru's alternate form as a means against them, lest he die."

Kagome and Hojou widened their eyes as they took in her words. Japan had been in an alliance with America for 45 years now! Why would the general want something like this? It was absolutely senseless…

They all watched (with the exception of Asako) helplessly as Sesshoumaru (whose back was turned to them as he faced the doors), struggled to catch a breath, his body giving a few twitches intermittingly and his pleading sounds of air not passing their ears. As he lay on his side, the clawing of the carpeting was heard, as if he was trying to take his mind away from the pain. His knee nearly touched his chest as he curled into himself to quell the pain.

When everything seemed to stop a minute later and he calmed down with a last choke, his raucous breathing was the only sound to be heard. He lay on his back.

Sesshoumaru's heart was beating so loudly and quickly that Inuyasha wasn't the only one to hear it. His usually cat-like eyes were dilated as he continued to stare upward, breathing deeply with his claws clasped around the collar. It was slowly loosening, and the three took notice of the blood that further poured from the wound and the sound of bloody flesh. His body shook violently. That was the worst that the constriction device had ever done to him.

Kagome held back her hand for only seconds. After another short while, she let her hand waver over him before she placed it softly on his chest to steady his fast heartbeat. Her eyebrows furrowed inward in heartache as he softly flinched from her touch. "Kami-sama…" she muttered softly. There was a short pause after she spoke. His asthmatic breaths quickened once more.

Inuyasha was relieved right now that he was the only one in the vehicle who had a sixth sense. Everyone else would have felt the 'emotions' of Sesshoumaru right now; his pain…and—

"He's…so aloof…" Kagome continued remorsefully. She then softly placed a hand on his forehead, which was heated and sweaty. His eyes contracted slightly from her touch. "And he's ill…or something…"

She looked quickly over at Inuyasha as he gave a soft grunt. He caught her looking at him, which compelled him to look out the window.

'Inuyasha…' she thought with the tiniest smile on her face. 'Arigatou…'

She looked back down at Sesshoumaru as he continued to breathe deeply, shivering lightly. It hurt her to see him like this. She'd never thought the day would come when she would feel bad for him…or even see him in such a situation. "It's okay…" she started softly. Inuyasha turned to her and then looked down at his older half brother.

"You're safe…"

The inu youkai's eyelids began to softly fall over his glassy eyes.

-

Asako stopped the car and everyone stepped out. "Alright, I'm leaving the van here. We'll have to walk the rest of the way to your place Kagome. Just to keep it safe."

"But Sesshoumaru can't walk…" Kagome objected.

Inuyasha grunted before standing straight. He gently grabbed Sesshoumaru, the two swords tied around his waist. Kagome grabbed the clothing with a hidden smile and the four of them were off, trying to evade contact from other people.

Kagome arrived to their home if not minutes later. She quickly opened the door, allowed everyone to get in, and shut it. "Kasaan!" she called quickly. "Jii-chan!" She ran to her bathroom and grabbed some towels before ordering Inuyasha to place Sesshoumaru on her couch, placing the towels behind the youkai's neck.

"Come here quick!" Kagome yelled.

"Kagome? What are you doing home?" Kagome's grandfather asked. He walked into the room and saw Inuyasha there, as well as someone bloody on their couch. "Oh, well isn't that nice?" he asked.

Kagome glared at him slightly. Her mother walked into the room quickly. "Kagome? Why are you here? Shouldn't you be at school?"

"I'll explain things later, kasaan, but we need to help him right now." She pointed at Sesshoumaru, who was slightly shivering, his eyes glossed over and his hand covered in blood.

Higurashi-san gasped as she saw the bleeding man on her couch. Without hesitation, she ran out the room to find a first aid kit.

"Ooh, I feel the presence of a youkai," Kagome grandfather said. He pulled out some ofudas. "Youkai be gone! Flee, flee!" He ran out of the room, trying to figure out where he 'sensed' the aura of the youkai.

Higurashi-san returned with the first aid kit and a pail with warmed water and a cloth. At that, Inuyasha got up and left the room to find Buyo before he went up the Goshinboku.

Kagome noticed but decided not to follow him. "Hojou-kun…" she started.

"Hai?" he asked.

"I really don't think we'll need you for anything else…" she mentioned. "Thank you very, very much for being so cooperative with us. I really appreciate it." She gave him a short hug, which he returned. "You don't understand how thankful I am…"

Hojou smiled and blushed as he looked away.

"But Hojou…please, don't tell anyone about this…you here me?" she said. "Don't ever tell anyone."

Hojou simply stood and with the simple nod of his head, he walked toward the front door and left. "Ja ne," he muttered with a soft smile before leaving.

Kagome then turned back to Sesshoumaru, then cocked her eyebrow in confusion as a gurgling sound came from his throat. Thankfully no one was right next to him, because he next threw up. His eyes then closed as his breathing steadied.

"Oh no!" Kagome yelled. "He's very ill!"

"He's not ill…" Asako muttered softly. "His body is simply trying to purge itself of all of the chemicals…"

Kagome turned to her and glared at her for a short while before turning back to Sesshoumaru. "Well then since you are part of the cause of this, you wouldn't mind cleaning that mess then, would you?" It was more of an order than a question.

Asako wordlessly did so right away.

Higurashi-san didn't ask for an explanation. She knew that she had to help Sesshoumaru. Trying to clean at the wounds from the collar and clean the blood, she found it nearly impossible. "Is there a way to remove these things?" she asked. She also looked at the metal band around his wrist and then at the ones around his ankles.

Asako paused and looked over at her. "Possibly…Mukai-san was practically the only one to use these. But…" She looked at the ones around his wrists and ankles and played with them a bit. "There…" she muttered. "Those are off." She tried to take off the one around his neck but found it nearly impossible. "I can't do that one though."

Kagome sighed, as well as her mother. Asako looked at them and back at the collar once more. Seeing a circular form where one of the sickles were, she pressed on it and twisted it around a little. Surprisingly so, the collar unclasped from around his neck and fell on the floor.

"Good. Now you can leave," Kagome said briskly.

"But—" Asako started.

"Kagome!" Higurashi-san said in shame. "She helped you guys! Don't treat her so rudely!"

"And then again, she's the one who helped get Sesshoumaru in this situation. And I don't think he'd take it lightly if he was to wake up fully in strength and see one of the people that captivated him. He'll attack her. It's best that she leaves, before my nerves are ground any further."

"I totally understand…" Asako muttered as she stood up after finishing cleaning the mess that Sesshoumaru had made. "I agree with Kagome. Besides, they'll be looking for me soon. I don't know how you'll get Sesshoumaru away, but they'll look for me and find me here. It's best that I leave…"

She walked toward the front door but turned around to stare at Sesshoumaru one time.

Kagome noticed, and it compelled her to move in front of him. "Thank you for your assistance," Kagome finally said. She took to note how Asako stared at Sesshoumaru still. Like she was losing something precious to her. "Please leave."

At that, Asako gave a short nod before opening the front door and leaving.

Higurashi-san didn't pay attention. She was working on the deep, charred wounds around Sesshoumaru's neck. "This is awful…" she muttered. "Who could do this sort of thing…?" she asked.

"Scientists…" Kagome muttered. "Dirty ones."

Higurashi-san shook her head in pity as she continued to work with further wounds on the rest of his body. Kagome stood up and left after her mother asked her to do so, a blush on her nose when her mother mentioned something about pulling of his clothing to get on some more bandages.

-

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked as she looked up Goshinboku. "Inuyasha…"

"What?" he asked gruffly.

"Thank you…" she muttered. "Very much."

"Why? What good does it do to you?" he asked.

"It doesn't do me any good," Kagome answered with a short smile. "But you're going to make a little girl very happy."

"Keh," Inuyasha muttered.

"Inuyasha…" she started.

"What?" he asked more irritably than before.

"Aren't you at all bothered by this?" she asked. "I mean…you seem so…distant about it…" She walked toward the tree and tried to climb up to sit with him. After a failed attempt, she tried once more, but got a helping hand from Inuyasha as he pulled her up. She sat next to him on the thick branch. "But at the same time…you seem to be thinking about it a lot…"

"How can I not be?" Inuyasha asked.

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked in return.

Inuyasha paused for a short while, but then started, "The fact that I've never…seen him like that before. I mean…I couldn't ever imagine him like that."

"…Some things change different beings…" Kagome reasoned.

Inuyasha looked away. "I hated the look in his eyes," he muttered angrily. "I'll admit; I don't like Sesshoumaru at all. But he's still my older half brother. Seeing him….like that…is just strange…and different."

He paused and his eyes widened in shock as Kagome looked back at him with tears nearly in her eyes. "Inuyasha…" she started, her voice shaking.

"Don't you cry for that bastard, Kagome," he said angrily, his eyebrows drawn inward.

Kagome gave him a short smile before giving him one of her rare hugs. "I'm not! But it's awful, Inuyasha…" she muttered softly. "I can't stand seeing anyone like that…" She let go of him before looking away. "I mean…when I was looking at him in the car, I was thinking to myself, 'Kami-sama, what if this was Inuyasha…? What would I do if this was Inuyasha…?' And I couldn't stop thinking about that. I couldn't stop thinking about what I would do if you were in that situation…"

Inuyasha remained quiet as he stared at her. "Kagome…" he muttered softly. "I won't let you worry like that."

"Thank you for doing this for Rin," she said again. "This was the only reason I wanted to do it at first, because of Rin. But after I saw Sesshoumaru…Kami-sama…it's a scary thing. I hope he'll come out okay in the end. And Rin…I hope that she…"

"Stop talking about it, Kagome," Inuyasha muttered. "Just…shut up for now."

The two of them sat there for a long amount of time, neither of them could tell. But because of the fact that it had gotten hotter and colder as time passed, it was easy to say that they sat together silently for hours.

A screeching noise put the both of them at alert. Inuyasha jumped down, Kagome on his back, and ran inside. Higurashi-san was cornered in the living room with Sesshoumaru staring down at her with a feral look, his claws extended toward her and acid seeping from his fingers onto the floor.

"Sesshoumaru—no!" Kagome called out harshly as his hand came close to her mother.

Sesshoumaru instantly turned around with the dangerous look in his eyes. At the sight of Inuyasha and his wench, Kagome noticed the instant look of relief that slowly dripped over his eyes.

"Inuyasha…" Sesshoumaru muttered lowly. "Hnh." He dropped his hand to his side.

"You should thank him for saving your sorry butt, Sesshoumaru!" Kagome said as she glared at the youkai.

"Keh," Inuyasha said at the words. "Just get your clothes changed and get your stuff 'cause we are leaving later today!" Inuyasha ordered.

Too quickly for anyone to assess, Sesshoumaru rushed in front of him with a deep glare. "This Sesshoumaru is tired of taking orders from those below," he said angrily, grabbing onto Inuyasha by his collar. "Those bastard humans will all die by this Sesshoumaru's hands before anything else is done."

"Oh yes, and I'm so sure that you'd love to be caught again," Kagome said sarcastically. "You go back there and it will start all over again, if not become worse. It's your choice if you want to be a lap dog and follow orders against your own will. So go ahead!" Kagome pointed to the front door.

Sesshoumaru took a step toward the front door, not letting the human's words affect him in the least. "You're too weak now, Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha said. "It'll just be easier for those humans if you go back there."

The words cut down on Sesshoumaru's pride. He stopped and turned toward Inuyasha. "Hnh…" he muttered. He simply let his knuckles crackle as he passed by the hanyou, picking up his items and walking away.

Kagome sighed in relief. "I think that's his way of telling you that you're right, Inuyasha," she muttered after a while.

"Yeah, sure…" Inuyasha muttered. "No one can do a single good thing for that bastard…" he muttered angrily. "Else he rubs it back in your face with that snobby, arrogant pride of his."

"Inuyasha…" Kagome whispered, walking toward him. Her mother got up after a while and hobbled toward the couch weakly to clean up a bit and take a seat from the scare. "Don't forget that his 'pride' was wounded for six days…I don't blame him for trying to fix it again…"

"Keh."

-

Sesshoumaru stood inside of the shrine near the well, this accursed thing that'd brought him here. His claws extending, he ripped at the clothes he had on right now. After doing so, he gave a lick at the wounds on his hand from the blades on the collar. Touching softly at the gauze around his neck, he couldn't help to think of how relieved he was that he was inside the house of Inuyasha's wench and not some other place.

He put on his elegant clothing ever so slowly, taking in the feel that he never thought he'd have again. For a while back at that accursed place…he really didn't know what was to come of his future. He really thought that some petty human would own him, as disgusting as that sounded.

When he finished clothing himself, he sat down on the ground and leaned his back against the well, waiting to get back to how he was before. His eyes closed as he leaned his head back, and the sigh of relief came quietly from his lips after giving a slight touch to his two swords.

A/N: Dude, this chapter was so much harder to write than the last. I was trying to keep everyone in character, I really hope I did a job well done at it. Sometimes it's hard keeping Kagome and Inuyasha in character, but yah. The part in the van had my stomache churning…seriously…I really wanted to cry for Sesshoumaru. Review responses:

fireash: Psychiatric help would work :D. But in this case…I'm…not very sure ):D

Crow T R0bot: Yes, good, topic drop is good :D. Now…making Inuyasha and Kagome chase after Sesshoumaru would sort of pull realism away from the plot and extend it far too much. I didn't really want to do that… =_= And yes, Kilala is just about the only dubbed name in the show…other than the fact that they pronounce the names VERY wrong >_>

Tsume Yamagata: Hehe ~_~. Another review is always good :D. See, I'm taking time to update even though this is my week of exams =_=

Lima Squimosa: :D. I still need to read the other chapters, though. I only read the first couple XD.

RedHerring: Hehe ~_~, and I do that cuz not only does it keep you on your toes, but it ensures me that the next chapter will be read >:D

bearmoon: Will Sessh…hmm…his mind is far too clouded to anything else. Hehe, I worked on the kissing scene for a long time and I tried to make it perfect :D. Reviewing character profiles would be pretty fun, but there's no way to do it.

Miharu210: Yes, it is a strange sight indeed :D.

Yamitamashii: Asako isn't all that bad. Okay…maybe she is…but yah' know :D. Nope, Inuyasha knows better than to murder in Kagome's time. Human lives actually count >_> *snaps fingers*

Lord Sesshoumaru: Okily dokily then :D

Kay's Craft: :O? Is my story that good? Hehe ~_~ *blushes* Thank you for your encouraging words ;D

purplepeopleeater: Hehe, I've updated >:D

Kivrin: And he's saved XD

ReJeCtEd AnGeL: Yah, he's gonna be a little broken in the next chapter ;-;

porifra: >:D>:D>:D>:D>:D. I'm UBER evil…>:D. I don't know…it could very well be Sesshoumaru's first kiss. In that case, Asako really did lip rape him >_> Sisters can be the utmost evil, I would know…with two older sisters…Ew…

anhimals: Hehe >:]

Cacat Angel: Oh…my…goodness…YOU REVIEWED!! THANK YOU SO MUCH! *gives a giant hug* Yah, I stopped putting A/Ns in the actual story and just waited for afterward, or put a little star sign and made a footnote for it. Thanks, though :D. Yah, I think that Project Fluffy is a little too uh…what's the word…?Satirical on the actual subject…I'm just going to change it to Project F…:D

Koki: >:] Am I really? Does this mean that you no longer want to read my story? ):3…

Breschandra: Okily dokily then :D

Mintvee: Yes, she is. She took advantage of poor chained Sesshoumaru…

Well, guys, this is almost the end of my story. Just one more chapter to go, and I don't really think that the 12th chapter will be all that long :\ Well see, though. Anyway, I was just hoping that you guys would read my other stories, and if you'd like, you can read my Sess/Rin story that I will be updating after my exams. And I'll be updating Black Heart as well, as soon as I am able :D.