Kagome had thought that the past few days had been as stressful as any she could have imagined. She must have forgotten the fact that her small group, and those attached to it in any way, were Fate's favorite play things.

Maybe it was the stress of the past few days, or maybe it was the due fact that she knew this situation could only end in far more emotional turmoil, but she knew she was very close to a breakdown. Just how was it possible that whenever she thought she saw a faint light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, something else would go even more wrong to counter that hope? And maybe it wasn't fair, but her overwrought, overburdened inner self decided to throw a small tantrum.

So what if Koga had shown up and caused yet another possible catastrophe? Wasn't he well known for acting irrationally when faced with a situation he disliked?

When he had decided that he wanted her to find shards of the Shikon for him, he hadn't even bothered to ask her if she might be willing. No, he just ran her down, terrified her half out of her wits, and kidnapped her. If it hadn't been for the quick thinking of the little fox pup Shippo, she might very well have wound up a permanent member of the Ookami pack. But even then, it hadn't been all roses, because he'd threatened to have the little one eaten by the mortal wolves of his pack if she didn't do everything he desired. It had taken time, but she had managed to talk him out of seeing her as an object of power to be controlled. Little did she know that he'd turn about and decide he was in love with her. She'd always been under the impression that only very young men and stalkers fell in love so swiftly with those they knew so very little about.

She gave a mental sigh, knowing that last thought had been a little uncharitable of her, but unable to help herself. I mean, honestly, 'I love you because you're pretty and you can see the jewel shards'?!!

Her mental rant picked up speed as she remembered all the times he'd continued to act like a love sick fool over her. The time he'd chased off another male who'd wanted to simply be her friend, lifting his arrogant nose proudly as he'd talked down at her as if she were some empty headed little thing who didn't understand what the other male had truly wanted from her. The twit Ookami had been too thick to understand that the other man was…well, batting for the home team, as it were. Then there was that one time where he'd decided that Inuyasha was a rival for her affections, though to be fair, she'd still been maintaining her hopeless little crush on the Hanyou at the time, and it had been all she could do to restrain her traveling companion. He still liked to boast that Inuyasha was no match for him, but even she knew that Koga would get his foolish ass handed to him if Inuyasha ever let loose on him.

Now, here he stood, challenging a male that made Naraku look about as harmless as an enraged Yorkie pup, complete with high-pitched yapping.

A male that she had known held a few more very crucial secrets.

She didn't know why he'd chosen to introduce himself under a different name and right then, her spinning mind couldn't cope with it, and so she sorted the information into a pile to be dealt with at a later, less tension-fraught, date. A name that inspired a feeling of unease, both for its implications, and for creature than now claimed to bare it. Loki, god of fire and chaos, purportedly the most handsome…and devious…of the Norse Pantheon. Now, embodied in the form of her beautiful Youkai lover, and every bit as dangerous as legend had made him out to be.

For now, she had other worries. She'd always managed to keep Inuyasha from killing the foolish male, but she didn't know quite how to bargain with Sesshomaru's beast, because she well knew that it was in full, welcomed control. She couldn't see it from her position, but she suspected that his eyes had deepened to that strangely swirling bluish black as his power flooded outward in anticipation. She knew that he was fully capable of killing Koga; she sighed, because no matter how angry she happened to be with him at that moment, she could never allow it.

She also knew that her request would come at a high price, and quite likely higher than she would have desired to ever pay.

Koga took another step forward, and Kagome used every bit of her mass to push Sesshomaru a step in the opposite direction. She felt him resist her for a moment, before he allowed it and moved smoothly backwards, keeping his body pressed up along her back, almost as if to deliberately antagonize the other male further still. She shivered at the feel of all that repressed, focused aggression as his body slowly flexed against hers with even the subtlest movement, because she knew that he was just waiting for the wolf to take that one last step that pushed him over the edge. He'd had far too much to deal with the last few days, and she suspected that Koga would end up as the Tora's chew toy if he weren't careful.

Because for all his calm, caring ways, he was a wild animal at heart.

He could be kind, playful, and infinitely patient. But he could also be quite cruel. He'd rarely display it, especially when in her presence, mostly because there had been no reason. But she had felt just how agitated he had become the last time he had held back from retaliating against the human cops in her time. It had taken a great deal to calm him down and make him forget about his need to show them exactly who the alpha male was. But this time, there was no excuse over the prompting of instinct over human ignorance. Koga was well aware of what he was doing, even if lack of knowledge about his opponent might have driven him to think he might succeed.

Kagome released a shuddering sigh, before turning to catch Sesshomaru's eyes. "Please, just don't kill him…"

She knew, immediately, that the unknown price was indeed far higher than she could have imagined. His eyes darkened further, as he realized that she had neatly trapped him. A spark of anger ignited in them, and she felt her heart plummet as she realized that it was directed at her. She knew that all of his aggression would have to be worked out, somehow, but until then, she had assumed that it might be redirected. But, oh, it had been…

His brothers had joined them, by this time, as had Seiko. Miroku's head peeked around a corner of the stone archway, and even he seemed to have realized the outcome, because he looked incredibly nervous. The Ondori watched her for the longest moment, a strange, regretful look in his eyes, before he turned away and focused his gaze on the intruder, a dark scowl crossing his features as if blaming him for what he knew to be coming. The other two Tora seemed to come to some silent agreement, both gliding forward almost stealthily as Koga's attention remained on his target. One more step, and he suddenly found himself caught and held by a pair of males both infinitely stronger than he could have imagined. He snarled at them and pulled at his arms to free them, and to his dismay, he gained no ground at all. He was held and forced to watch as the big, silver male bent and nuzzled the female he held trapped as if, despite himself, he wished to comfort her.

She realized, then, that the anger wasn't truly for her, but for what he now felt forced to do.

"If I cannot prove to the nobility that you are mine by beating it into them, then it must be done in other ways."

Kagome bit her lip as the beginnings of panic and understanding filtered through her understanding. He would demand everything from her, and she could do nothing but give it. He had told her that she would have to choose him for her mate, if that was what she so desired of him. But never could she have imagined that he would put her into the position she was now in. And she could only blame herself because honestly, it was the only way, short of Killing Koga, that he could be made to see that he would never have her.

Anger and humiliation warred inside of her as she consented. Anger at him, anger at herself, rage at Koga, and still more towards the other four males who would witness something they had no business seeing; humiliation for such a private act to be made public, because the only other option was to watch Koga die before her eyes.

She bit her lip as she felt her hakama being carefully loosened, and then slid down just far enough to let her skin touch the warm leather covering his thighs. She wasn't exposed to anyone's eyes, but the fact that they knew what was to happen made it harder for her than if they could. Koga pulled all the more as he realized what he was about to witness, snarling harder as the strange males forced him down onto his knees. Miroku turned his head, unwilling to watch, even if he felt the strangest compulsion to stay. He wanted desperately to make this all stop, because he knew how hard it would be on the girl.

The wildly struggling Ookami watched as the female he'd pinned all his hopes and dreams on closed her eyes as she was lifted against the foreign male. His silent guardians stood witness with him as she tilted her head to the side in submission, biting her lip with a tiny wince as sharp, curved fangs sank almost gently into her flesh. And he watched as she stiffened at that first, heavy thrust, before going limp in acceptance. As a slow flush climbed over her throat and face as she began to enjoy it in spite of herself. He could feel her confusion as she began to respond, even if she wasn't doing it consciously. Felt something in him slowly wither and die as she pushed back against the gentle rolling of the Tora's hips, because she wasn't supposed to allow it.

But she was…

He howled in denial, even as the faint scent of her unwilling climax reached him, saw the Tora's eyes burn fierce and bright as he suddenly drove himself against her harder. His entire body stiffened, and then he growled against her throat and sank his teeth in deeper, earning a surprised gasp of pleasure from the Miko.

And still he was forced to witness the taking of his mate by another male.

The Tora's power poured into her unchecked…just as the embodiment of Chaos, himself, spilled every bit of his pent up desire into the female he held. The guttural groan, as the release continued and drained him utterly, shook through the mated pair, the male's knees slowly buckling and taking the two of them down to the soft grass, his body cushioning hers protectively as they sank downward. The female leaned back against the male, almost as if to draw comfort from the one who had so distressed her. She shivered slightly as he unhurriedly slid his fangs from her flesh, tenderly licking away the blood from the small punctures even as he continued to fill her with the warm, addictive burn of his chaotic nature.

A part of Kagome was deeply ashamed.

She wanted to sink into her mate and accept the pleasure of his touch, just as much as she wanted to push him away and rail at him for putting her into the position of placing one of the most private acts she could imagine on display simply to prove a point. She knew why he had done it, but just the same, she was twisted up inside over it. She sat stiffly away from him, unable to relax against him as she might have otherwise. And being as completely connected to her as he was, he could not fail to notice it. Or the way she tensed further as he shifted under her.

Instincts were peculiar things. Completely unpredictable and rarely controllable. They could demand the craziest things of a person, then leave that same person to deal with the fall-out of those demands.

He regretted what had just occurred. Not the result, but the way it had happened. He knew that there would be a price of his own to pay, and while it had all felt worth it at the time, now he wasn't so sure. He disliked the way her embarrassment made the beast feel as if she were somehow rejecting it, because he knew better. He knew exactly how she must be feeling and he knew just as well why she would feel that way. A touch of shame slid through him, because now that he was in his right mind, he was far more able to see the other options he might have taken. Now, it would most likely be a long while before she would allow him to touch her again in this way. He wanted to snarl at himself, because he'd finally experienced something that he'd only been able to imagine for longer than most beings would ever live, and now he'd managed to set himself back with his careless disregard for her feelings.

He sighed, and even more regretfully lifted her free of him, after setting their clothes to rights. It felt oddly like Déjà Vu, putting him in mind of the first night he'd truly taken the time to get to know her. Then, she'd been embarrassed, but understanding, knowing his only intent had been for her benefit. This time, she couldn't help but be aware of his enjoyment of their actions, because he could see it trailing down her legs before he covered them. The slight wince her body made as she was placed on her own two feet made him want to cringe, because he hadn't taken nearly enough care with her smaller person. He was aware that he was a lot to handle in the best of circumstances, and he'd been less than gentle with his entry into her unprepared body.

He was even further disheartened when she refused to look at him, nor anyone else present. She only wrapped her arms about herself and moved slightly away from him. He hesitantly reached out to touch her shoulder, but she either sensed it and wasn't ready to allow it or she simply didn't see the motion. She moved further away and turned towards the gates, slowly walking away from all of them, unable to cope with the situation for the time being. And though he might wish otherwise, the best thing he could do for her right now was to let her go. Forcing his presence on her would only exacerbate the situation further.

Koga had long since gone limp under the hold of the two other Tora males, unable to even fight anymore as the full weight of the situation pulled at him. He'd lost the woman he'd wanted, lost the chance to gain a higher position for himself…lost a small bit of his sense of self worth, because he'd always thought himself to be a good catch. And here he was, with his loss forced under his nose as if he'd been an unruly pup. The look on Kagome's face as she'd turned from them, the slump of her shoulders and the way she'd avoided the gaze of everyone also hurt because for all his ambitions, he still cared for her, and he knew that he now had no real place in her life, nor was it his place to give the comfort that it was so obvious she needed.

Miroku turned, finally allowing himself to look into the courtyard, only to see the small form of his best friend moving blindly toward him. He couldn't help but turn questioning eyes on the large male who he'd begun to befriend as well. The golden eyes met his own with remorse mixed with a strange sense of shamed satisfaction, and Miroku met his eyes with his unreadable violet gaze, before trailing the girl back into the building. Though he knew his words would be unwelcome, he could at least provide a silent shoulder for her. He'd been the only one unable to bring himself to watch, and that might provide a bit of comfort after the mess the afternoon had become for her.

He was entirely unsure of how he felt about it. Part of him wanted to be glad that it was finally done with. Kagome would always have a place with the person who would love her the most. He didn't doubt that, despite recent events, because even he could see how much it hurt the other male when he had realized what he had done. But he couldn't help feeling angry with him, either. He could never have brought himself to have done such a thing to Sango.

He sighed.

Maybe he wasn't being entirely fair, because he'd never had to deal with the kinds of instincts a Youkai, more specifically a male Youkai, had to deal with on a daily basis. He could see plainly that Sesshomaru's first instinct had been to simply kill the rival male, even if it were only for the foolishness of believing himself capable of taking his mate. It was pure instinct (as much as he was beginning to dislike that word) that drove one male to kill the weaker rival, especially if it was over a chosen female. A wolf was a worthy predator, but a tiger was far more dangerous. Territorial and as unpredictable as they could be intentionally cruel, they were one of the few animals in nature that would kill another simply for the amusement of it.

He almost wondered where the line between the instincts of a mortal tiger left off and the instincts of the demon began.

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Inuyasha knew he'd been far too late when he landed in the far corner of the grounds, just under the oldest of the trees. He could feel the tension in the air, even from here, and his white ears pinned themselves against his head in unease. He carefully placed his human cargo in the lower branches of a tall, strong tree, before slowly moving forward, senses attuned for the slightest hint of what might have happened.

The scents of two more Tora reached his nose, the new additions making him faintly uneasy because he could tell that they were related to his brother.

But it was the scent of what just happened that made him see red.

Sex, fear, pain, and rage mixed into a spine chilling cocktail that set his hair on end and pulled a low growl from his throat. It drew the attention of those left on the grounds, and his brother's eyes went cold in recognition. But it must have been a measure of his own disquiet, because he didn't say a word, nor did he attack, and Inuyasha knew then that something had gone horribly wrong. It was almost ingrained in the Taiyoukai to desire his blood on sight.

It was as Koga was finally pulling himself free of the two strange Tora males and climbing slowly to his feet that an uncomfortable picture of what might have happened began to paint itself inside his head. The scent of Kagome's tears only added to his agitation, and the scent of Koga's guilt. He wanted to question the others, to not jump to conclusions about what he was beginning to suspect, because he wanted to make certain he was correct…even if he desperately wanted to be wrong. He couldn't even blame it all on his brother, because he knew that under the circumstances, he would not have been the most rational. No blood was split, which meant that for all of Kagome's pain, it was only psychological. He knew that if she'd been hurt, he might not have been able to compartmentalize his frustrations quite so well. But she had not been.

"You…"

Koga's eyes widened at the rough sound of his name, grated from between the clenched teeth of his long-time Hanyou rival. Something about the enraged sound lifted the hair on his arms and up the back of his neck. The Hanyou moved forward from under the trees, his body radiating hostility as he advanced on his chosen prey.

Koga had never before felt truly threatened by the Hanyou. He had assumed it was simply because he was superior to him, that the other male would simply wish to not appear weak before backing down, and he could respect where he was coming from him. He was a young male with humans to protect, and if he ever came across as less than capable, his pack would be prey to anything desiring the humiliation of the younger son of the great Dog General in the form of the deaths of those he protected.

He watched as the white haired male turned towards Kagome's foreign mate, never taking his hard amber eyes off the Ookami. "She was frightened and in pain. Is this his doing?"

For a moment, Koga could tell that the big male was tempted to ignore the younger Inu. He cocked his head in contemplation, and he could see the curiosity building in him. The tense coiling of muscle momentarily relaxed though did not entirely diminish. "It was."

Inuyasha turned back to the Ookami, and Koga actually flinched at the look on Inuyasha's face. The smile did not look quite sane as his amber eyes narrowed with the strangest expression of anticipation. "Good…"