Chapter 19

The atmosphere in Stark Towers was thick with tension as Tony Stark, accompanied by a few SHIELD members, whisked Kagome, Thor, Jane and Loki away from the chaotic battlefield. The relentless onslaught of the otherworldly army had taken a toll on all of them, and the need for a moment of respite was undeniable.

Tony led them into a spacious, well-furnished room within Stark Towers, where they could gather and regroup. As they settled in, Tony began to brief them on the dire situation they faced. "We've been calling these guys 'dungeon and dragons' for now because, frankly, that's what they look like. But they're no joke. They've been popping up all over the world, and the other Avengers are spread thin trying to contain them."

Kagome's brow furrowed as she absorbed the gravity of the situation. "Have you learned anything where they're coming from?"

One of the SHIELD agents, a stern-faced woman with a laptop in hand, stepped forward. "We've got a name—Malekith the Accursed—but that's about it. No one knows what, or who, we're dealing with here."

Tony, ever the pragmatic genius, leaned against a nearby table, his arms crossed. He looked over at Loki with a challenging glint in his eyes. "Alright, magic man, you always have something up your sleeve. Any ideas on how to get more information?"

Loki's irritation at being called "magic man" was thinly veiled, but he arched an elegant eyebrow in response. "Of course, Midgard would have no known knowledge of these beings; they are not of this world."

Tony, unfazed by Loki's demeanor, rolled his eyes. "Well, why don't you put your magic where your mouth is and help us out here?"

Loki let out an exasperated sigh but begrudgingly considered the suggestion. "Very well. I suggest we consult the Scrolls of Asgard. Heimdall wrote them all himself, and he is all-seeing and all-knowing."

Thor, still harboring skepticism regarding his brother's intentions, voiced his concern. "Brother, I do not trust you to go alone, nor with Kagome. I fear you may have ulterior motives in seeking this information. I will go with you and the women can stay here."

Loki's lips curled into a wry smile, his eyes locked onto Thor's. "Ah, my ever-distrusting brother. Very well, then we shall go together."

Kagome saw an opportunity to contribute to their mission and interjected, "And while you're at it, maybe you can find some information on the whereabouts of my bow. If I can retrieve it, I might be able to do more damage the next time we face these creatures. They seemed vulnerable to my powers."

Thor hesitated for a moment, his gaze shifting between Kagome and Loki. He ultimately agreed, albeit reluctantly. "Very well, we shall seek the scrolls we need. But first, we must gather reinforcements to fight this army of darkness."

With a plan in place, they settled in for the night at Stark Towers, the weight of the unknown and the challenges ahead hanging heavy in the air. The mysteries surrounding Malekith the Accursed and the otherworldly invaders were daunting, but their determination to confront the threat head-on burned brighter than ever.

Plan made Kagome turned from Thor, dismissing him without so much a word, it was a noticeable change in her demeanor towards him. She couldn't forget the moment of crisis when Jane's name had slipped from Thor's lips, a stark reminder of the past and the affection he held for his mortal lover.

Thor, baffled by Kagome's sudden aloofness, couldn't help but worry about her. He had sensed the change in her, and the gnawing guilt for his past actions gnawed at him. Despite his concern, he found himself preoccupied with fretting over Jane like a mother hen, leaving Kagome to her own devices.

Tony narrowed his eyes as Thor escorted Jane down the hall to her bedroom, no doubt the golden haired God would spend the night in it. Before the marriage deal had been thought up by Fury and those other bigwigs he was all for Thor and Jane settling down and popping out halfling kids, even though he could not fathom declaring your undying love for a woman you had only known for a few days.

He and Pepper had been together for years and they had just now made it official. Well they weren't married or ever engaged but she was now his official live-in girlfriend.

Engaged to be engaged to be engaged.

Either way, they had years between them and Jane and Thor had days, so why he was so in love with her, to the point of rubbing her in his wife's face he would never understand. He mused it could be an Asgardian thing, and if so he was very disappointed in the race as a whole.

So with a forced smile he threw an arm around Pepper and Kagome's shoulders and led them towards the living room. "Ladies, I don't know about you but I could use a drink."

Pepper rolled her eyes but nodded her head in agreement, while she was not one for drinking all this magic and darkness and realm jumping gave her a headache.

Kagome sighed but nodded, a drink sounded damn good at the moment, maybe it would help her get her mind off of the fact that her husband was slowly killing what was left of her.

Every Time she vowed to close him out, to make her heart steel when it came to him he did something to worm his way back in just to do it all over again.

Once again she was stuck in an abusive and unhealthy relationship all because she wanted so badly to believe that she was worthy of being loved.

Tony licked his lips, loving the way the brandy burned his throat as it made its way down. He had been trying to find a way to bring this up without being an 'insensitive jerk off' as others put it but dammit. He was Tony Stark! He did what he wanted when he wanted! But this was Kagome, someone who had wormed her way into his heart and set down roots.

He had been surprised at how easily she had done it, how quickly. He cared about her on par with how he cared about Pepper, but in a less I love you, lets make little baby geniuses one day. It was more like a I care about you like a sister who I still check out, hit on and occasionally grope kind of way.

So to see her so down and well muted upset him, it also made him want to kick Thor's butt all the way back to his rainbow bridge and leave him there. He wasn't a poster child when it came to love and relationships but he had never once in his life cheated on a single one of his many conquests.

He did not have many lines he would not cross but being a cheating bastard was one of them. While not many knew it his father had cheated on his mother once, a very brief affair, and it had torn his mother apart. Shortly afterwards she got sick and died. He still blamed him for it to this day.

If there was any one thing in life he had, a goal, since being a child it was to not be a damn thing like his father.

While he could admire him for his genius, and yes deep down a part of him would always love his father because he was his father, he did not want to end up like him. Alone and unloved.

He didn't want that for Kagome either, she deserved to be happy and loved. Not to have a husband who not only cheated on her but thought it was okay and even tried to make her friends with his mistress.

Pepper sipped slowly at her drink, she was still on her first one, and glanced at Tony. He was in deep thought, she could tell by the way his leg twitched against hers. He was mad, as was she, at the position Kagome had been thrust into.

While she was not an official member of SHIELD, nor was Kagome to be honest, she had access to all of Tony's files. Even the ones he hacked into, so she knew of Kagome, her legends, her battles, every piece of information that SHIELD had been able to find on her and her companions had been all rolled up into one little file.

She was an admirable woman who had given up so much for the sake of others and to see that sacrifice rewarded by such pain and heartbreak made her heart break and her anger boil. She was not a violent person by nature but God how she wanted to beat some sense into the blonde moron that was Thor.

Tony twitched as he decided to throw caution to the wind, if anything he could blame it on the booze later, this silence was killing him. "So, Kagome. Are you really okay with this? Your husband is cheating on you without so much as a second thought. Are you really happy in such a loveless marriage? I mean there has to be some version of an Asgardian divorce right?"

Pepper glared at him ready to tear into him for his lack of tact yet was cut off as Kagome set down her drink with a loud clack.

Kagome scoffed as she kept her gaze on the rich brandy in her glass, a noise of amusement and detachment, it was an odd sound to them. For they were used to her always smiling and laughing, joking about and being happy, not this jaded bittered, reserved woman. "Love? Love has nothing to do with our marriage, it's a business deal. Yes, it would have been nice to have love between us but there's not. I don't even think he cares about me anymore then he would a possession." She paused, taking a swig of her brandy, not caring that her two friends were staring at her in shock and horror.

"As for a divorce, no. I won't put anyone else through this. It is my burden to bear, no doubt a form of punishment for my past deeds. Besides without our marriage all talks between our two worlds would fall apart, there would also be resentment which might lead to a war. Something we don't need, especially not now. If my suffering will bring about peace between our worlds then so be it. It's not the first time I've played second fiddle to someone, probably won't be my least either." She let out a dark chuckle of amusement, no doubt once Jane died he would find another lover, she would always be second best.

Tony and Pepper were speechless, never had they seen her act or speak this way. It was no wonder, she had always hidden her hurt and pain to make everyone around her feel better. To put them at ease. Honestly, by now it was a well refined art, a masterpiece. One she should not have tried to reveal to those so close to her.

Instantly she felt guilty as Tony clenched his jaw and Pepper's lip trembled. It was wrong of her to take out her raging emotions on them, when all they wanted for her was her happiness. They were like the Sango and Miroku of her time, her soul siblings.

It was so very wrong of her to try and bring them down to her level of pain, hurt and anger.

"Kagome." Pepper's voice was light as she reached over the table to take her hand. She did not like this side of Kagome, while she knew the happy and smiling woman was not as happy as she let on she would never have guessed her pain and resentment ran so deep.

She frowned as Kagome pulled her hand back, and merely gave a tired sigh. "Look, its fine. I'm sorry I'm tired and just not feeling myself. Just forget it okay? We're married, he loves Jane and I'm okay with it really."

With that she stood up and gave them a smile so perfect and happy that had they not heard and seen how she was seconds before they would have believed it.