Author's Note:

PSA: Kindness Kills.

Disclaimer: Be warned, since I haven't followed the series closely in years or seen the Final Act, I'm pretty sure some things won't fit into cannon.

Pendulum : The Past
Chapter 13: Burned

Sprawled atop a towel with a cool cup of iced tea in her hand, Kagome relished the beauty of the sun sparkling ocean with her friends. Sesshomaru wouldn't arrive to his hotel for a few hours and Kagome figured that a beach day was much needed. In her bag, was a note with Sesshomaru's room number and hotel address scrawled onto it thanks to Shippo. Now Kagome just had to to wait for him to get there. Until then, all that was left for her was a euphoric taste of vacation.

"This is the life." Yuka murmured against her folded arms.

"You said it." Kagome agreed, stretching languidly until her toes curled. "I could stay like this forever.

All four girls gave a collective sigh of bliss. Nothing could ruin such a beautiful summer day, nothing except the topic of Kagome's turbulent love life."So I heard through the grapevine that you and Hojo are becoming real close." Eri mentioned with a sly grin, peeking an eye open to look at Kagome.

"Ho-jo?" Kagome echoed, lifting a finger to her lips. "I guess, we're just study partners though. There's really nothing going on there."

"He doesn't think so." Ayumi mentioned softly. "My brother is on his baseball team. Apparently there's a rumor that Hojo wants to ask you to Shiro's Summer Masquerade."

"Eh?" Kagome questioned. The ball was a month away and Kagome hardly wanted to attend anything social with Shiro's snobby elite even if it was with Hojo. "Well I guess that's news."

"Speaking of news, how's that bad news brother thing going? Is he still giving you trouble?" Yuka asked pointedly, lowering her shades to peer hawkishly over the brim.

"Him?" Kagome asked, not bothering to wait for an answer. All parties understood that Sesshomaru was bad news, whether they knew his murderous tendencies or not. "Well, I'm supposed to see him later today. He's actually staying nearby–"

"Really?" Yuka asked, sitting up on her towel. "Good, then we can gang up on him and set him straight."

"Yeah." Eri agreed.

"W-what?" Kagome stammered sitting up to stare at her friends with apprehension. "Uh... I don't think that's a good idea."

"C'mon Kagome, this guy's a jerk right?" Yuka asked.

"Yeah but–"

"But nothing!" Eri refuted. "Someone needs to set that dirty cheating dog straight!"

Interesting and accurate descriptions aside, Kagome couldn't put her friends in harm's way. While she didn't think Sesshomaru would hurt them seriously, given his recent resurgence of death threats Kagome wasn't sure what to expect from the son of the Great Dog General. For all she knew, Sesshomaru's amiableness towards her could be some sort of trick to trap her.

The more she thought on it, the more Kagome became convinced of the idea. Sesshomaru had mentioned that she possessed a great power and if there was one thing Kagome knew it was that Sesshomaru was an egotistical, arrogant, power-hungry hound. If she possessed some sort of power for him to exploit or steal, would it be so hard to believe that he would desire it for his own? Afterall, how many times did he try to take Tessaiga away from Inuyasha?

"Kagome, are you alright?" asked Ayumi, placing a concerned hand on Kagome's shoulder.

Waking from her thoughts, Kagome gave a nervous chuckle. "Yeah I'm fine." she lied. It took all of one second for her friends to see through her falsehood.

"I bet it's that guy." Yuka accused with clenched palms. "That settles it. We're coming to have a word with that creep."

With a sigh, Kagome hung her head. With her friends this determined, there'd be no way to convince them to act otherwise. "Okay, fine." she relented, praying that her decision wouldn't get them hurt. "You guys can come, but I need to confront him first, alone." she stated, looking to her rejoicing friends who high-fived each other in victory.

"That's fine for us, as long as we get a chance to give that dirty dog a word." grinned Ayumi.

A warm smile lifted her cheeks at the sight of them. Kagome sighed and shook her head softly at her friends before a gentle grin lifted her cheeks. "It's nice to know that you guys have my back. Thanks."

"We always have your back Kagome." Ayumi reminded. "You're our friend." Yuki and Eri both nodded their agreement with fervent determination.

Warmed by their support, Kagome simply smiled. "Thanks guys, it really means a lot."

"So," Eri said, clapping her hands together. "What's the plan?" The four girls spent the afternoon plotting how they'd corner the stoic dog youkai, deciding it best to stake out his hotel with walkie talkies in hand. Each girl staked out their place of observation, appearing as inconspicuous as possible in the crowds of visiting tourists.

"Lady K, this is Lady A." Ayumi chimed in on her device, blending in with passerbys sitting on the water fountain near the hotel's entrance.. "The Dirty Dog has arrived. He's rolling up to the hotel now. He's got a really nice car..."

"Eyes on the prize Lady A. Over." Eri corrected over the comm.

Kagome glanced at Yuka who sat beside her in the hallway leading to Sesshomaru's room. "He's here." she breathed nervously, second guessing her decision to drag her friends into this mess. Even Shippo didn't want to be involved and he was a full blooded youkai. Seeing Kagome's hesitation, Yuka answered for her.

"Copy that Lady A. Over." she acknowledged, taking Kagome's hand in hers.

"This is Lady E." called in Eri from her station within the lobby.. "Dirty Dog is now checking in...he got his room key...and he's moving to the elevator!"

"I can do this." Kagome resolved with a deep breath. "I can do this."

"You can do this." Yuka agreed. "C'mon, let's get out of sight."

Hiding behind an oversized fern in the hallway adjacent from his room, Kagome listened apprehensively as the elevator bell dinged ten times, each chime growing louder as it rose to their floor. The doors chugged open and the soft padding of feet moved along the carpeted floor. Peeking beyond the leaves of the potted plant, Kagome spotted Sesshomaru as he opened the door to his suite.

"This is it Kagome." Yuka encouraged with a squeeze of support to her shoulder. "You can do it. We're right behind you."

"Right. I'll go first." Kagome nodded as she crept from behind the fern to approach the door. Suspiciously, it was left open and a troubling anxiety seized her chest. Did he know? Kagome had taken special care to mask her smell the night before with unscented soap and made sure to swim in the ocean several times during the afternoon to further blend in. But who was she kidding? If Inuyasha could smell her a mile off, how much more so Sesshomaru?

With a hesitant swallow, she tiptoed into the expansive suite, finding his sole piece of luggage placed awkwardly in the center of the floor. Glancing around nervously, Kagome looked for a sign of which way he went finding the door to the balcony open. Taking a deep breath she started to march towards it when the door closed behind her closed with a resound click. Startled, Kagome whipped around to find Sesshomaru leaning against her only means of escape.

"Explain yourself." he requested bluntly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Standing tall, Kagome marched to him lifting her chin to meet his stoic gaze. "I want a straight answer." she proclaimed. "I know you met with him. Why did you threaten Hojo?"

Sesshomaru didn't move and his expression didn't change. "Your concern for those you call friends is commendable." he said with a mocking edge to his voice.

"I know it was you." she reaffirmed, putting her hands to her hips. "Hojo said it was you."

"I was not aware of my affiliation with your classmate." he responded icily. "What has convinced you of this idea?"

"He said a guy dressed in white silk with white hair cornered him on his way home." she informed. "So don't give me that 'affiliation' crap. Just tell the truth!"

At her words Sesshomaru's eyes widened briefly before his mask of indifference resettled back into its place. "I see." he murmured, his tone lacking its former tension. "Kagome, be at peace. No harm will come to your companion by my hand or any other."

"So you admit it. You did do it." she accused, stepping up to poke his chest. "Why didn't you just tell the truth?"

Rather than answer her, Sesshomaru moved past her to take his luggage in hand laying it on the couch. "This is for you." he informed.

"W-What?" Kagome asked, startled by the sudden change in subject. When she didn't follow, Sesshomaru turned to face her, his expression no longer holding the edge of offense but rather his normal unreadable indifference.

Moving to her side, he dug in his pocket and held out a key ring. "You and your friends are to enjoy these accommodations." he explained, dropping a set of four keys into her palm.

"W-wait, you can't do that!" she stammered feeling flustered. This wasn't how their talk was supposed to go. "I can't accept this..."

"What you decide matters not to me." he answered coolly as he walked to the balcony.

"Sesshomaru, wait!" she called but it was too late. By the time she reached the balcony he was already soaring away in the air. Looking to the keys in her hand, Kagome trembled feeling confused and overwhelmed.

Why was he doing this? This was the second time she verbally lashed out at him and rather than meet her with the violence she knew he was capable of, at every turn she was met with kindness and compassion. A heavy knock sounded at the door. Upon opening it, Kagome found herself faced with the puffed up expressions of her friends.

"Where is he?" Eri asked, moving past Kagome to enter the suite.

"He left." she answered quietly, moving to sit on the couch to eye the suitcase beside her.

"What? No way! The coward." Yuka huffed.

"He left us the room." Kagome breathed as she absently thumbed the keys in her hand. "He knew we were here."

"He did?" Ayumi asked in surprise. "But how?"

"Who knows." Kagome answered evasively as she moved to open the suitcase. Her breath caught in her throat as she rifled through its contents. An assortment of her favorite foods, sweets, books and movies were inside. Finding an envelope, a wad of money was enclosed with a note reading 'Dinner.'

Dropping the note as if it burned her, with shaking hands Kagome stood and took a step away from the suitcase. "I...need to go make a call." she announced feeling uneasy.

"Are you alright?" Ayumi asked, her brows knitted in concern.

"Yeah, I just need to talk to someone." she excused as she stepped into one of the bedrooms, closing the door behind her. A hand moved to her aching chest as she assessed Sesshomaru's actions. Nothing about him made sense. When she insulted him, he gave her ice cream. When she confronted him, he gave her a mini vacation in a luxury hotel with all expenses paid. His behavior was completely opposite of everything she knew of him.

Where was the malicious youkai who'd eliminate humans simply because they existed? Where was the being who felt no remorse in the idea of taking his brother's life? Sure he'd entertained Rin in the past, but even the girl's presence hadn't done much to curb his violence. His reprehensible behavior was without excuse and yet... in the face of her upset he acted on none of his violent tendencies.

Taking the phone in hand, Kagome dialed out. "Hello?" greeted Shippo as he answered the phone.

"Hey." she greeted forlornly.

"Kagome? You ok? What happened?" he questioned, picking up on her somber mood instantly.

"Nothing." she muttered.

"Talk to me."

"Shippo, none of this makes sense." she breathed. "Why? Why is he being so nice?"

"Oh, you found the suitcase." he acknowledged.

"You knew?"

"Yeah, I told him of all the things you like to eat and about the things that make you happy."

"But why?"

"Why I told him or why he got them?"

"Both."

"'A' He asked. And 'B'? Isn't it obvious?"

Remembering the three words whispered to her when she feigned sleep, Kagome felt her chest clench. This was wrong. All of this was wrong. With every act of his kindness, Kagome increasingly felt the pressure to accept his affection. However, Kagome never asked for his care and didn't want his gratitude. It was evident that he loved her, but Kagome couldn't reciprocate those feelings. Sesshomaru wasn't Inuyasha and nothing could change that fact. Ice cream and vacations vastly paled when compared to the countless times Inuyasha put his life on the line to protect her.

"Shippo I don't care about this anymore." she breathed. "I-I don't want to see him again."

"Wait, w-what?"

"This isn't right Shippo. I don't love him."

"Yeah but–"

"I know what he's doing Shippo. I feel like he's trying to make me fall in love with him, but I can't. I don't love him. I love Inuyasha."

"I don't think that's what it is Kagome."

"Isn't it?" she challenged. "He's already confessed that he loves me."

"Exactly." Shippo affirmed. "He loves you. Remember when Inuyasha was in limbo between you and Kikyo? Remember what you decided?"

"Yeah, I decided to stay by his side even though he loved Kikyo." The latter part was spoken slowly as revelation dawned on her. The knowledge was crushing, only reinforced by Shippo's words.

"Then what makes you think that Sesshomaru wouldn't feel the same way? Kagome, it's not that he's trying to win you, he knows that you love his brother and he wants– no, needs you to hold to that. The thing is, he loves you too and all of this is him just acting out of his heart."

"But this isn't right!" she argued, her eyes swelling with tears even as her heart swelled with hurt.

"None of this is right." Shippo placated. "Both of you are caught in a weird love limbo. You can't have Inuyasha because he's not here and Sesshomaru can't have you because the you he remembers isn't here. Put yourself in his shoes Kagome. He waited 500 years to see you, waiting for you. Then, when he finally sees you, finally has the chance to to hold you, he finds out that the girl he's been waiting for is the wrong one. Everyone has their limits for patience Kagome. Can you really blame him if his heart leaks out with these gifts?"

Kagome's chest fractured. Taking into account his pain, Kagome truly did sympathize with Sesshomaru. It was true that she understood what it meant to love unrequited, but his situation was not the same as her situation with Inuyasha when he loved Kikyo. At that time, Inuyasha actually cared for her. Kagome only cared for Sesshomaru in a platonic sense, tolerating him simply because he was an old acquaintance with an unnerving secret.

However, in the larger scheme of things, did it even matter if she knew how-or if they became a couple? Right now the idea was treasonous against her love for Inuyasha and the more she entertained Sesshomaru and his heart, the worse things got. Briefly the memory of Sesshomaru's boldness to deliver ice cream and a heartfelt kiss goodnight flitted through her mind, robbing her lungs of air.

If Inuyasha ever found out that his brother had acted so brazenly, he'd be crushed. Worse, how could she a woman who claimed to love him allow for such things to happen? This game had long lost its amusement and was now proving dangerous.

"I can't do this anymore." Kagome gulped. "Shippo, I can't see him anymore." The kitsune quieted in the wake of her admission. It pained her knowing that deep down, Shippo wanted her to return Sesshomaru's heart. Considering that he was a friend and confidant of Inuyasha, the idea was maddening.

"I-I'll let him know you don't want to see him anymore." he breathed solemnly.

"Thanks Shippo." she breathed, lowering her head onto her knees.

"C'mon, at least stop crying ok? For me? Enjoy the room and your friends. Do it for me? Please?"

A somber, mirthless, smile lifted her lips at his request. "I'll try."

"That's the spirit. I'll talk to you soon ok?"

"Yeah."

"You're going to be okay right?"

"Thanks Shippo." she said, smudging the tears into her cheek. "You're a good friend."

"It's what I'm here for."

With their final goodbyes said, Kagome hung up the phone. Falling back onto the bed, she looked up to the ornate light fixture above the bed, and a heavy sigh passed through her lips. "Inuyasha, where are you when I need you?" she murmured to vision of his face within her mind. "You said you'd protect me." Now more than ever did she need his protection from Sesshomaru who no longer tried to kill her with claws, but with blistering kindness and in the wake of his most recent attack, Kagome found herself burned.