Responses
Yeah this story is definitely going to be filled with emotional rollercoasters. It's rare to find a yaoi story that I can't ship anyone together yet. I'm not going to lie, that "rescue" at the school rooftop made me feel uneasy- I get that Yuka didn't want to be lonely, but being paired wasn't really on his agenda. However, I'm curious to see where the author is going for at the end.
I definitely don't think Yuka and Kaoru have romantic feelings for each other. In the beginning it seemed that way for Kaoru, especially seeing how he went into rut being near Yuka, but as adults Yuka seems to have taught himself to care for Kaoru because he has no other choice, and Kaoru appears to insist he has feelings for Yuka out of stubbornness and even guilt. I see that they are important to each other, but not in a romantic way.
As for Taiga, he was a shit fest. He took his reaction to his fated pair as a normal alpha response, and perhaps the ego boost from finding out he was an alpha and his friends enabling him played a part in his attempted rape. (I'm not excusing his actions, I'm just trying to flesh out his character.) But as an adult I think he shows genuine regret. If he had bitten Yuka in the beginning, I think they would not have been happy, seeing as neither realized they are fated pairs and it would come about after rape, and his behavior as an adult is a result of that bitter regret. Why change his viewpoint on everything if he already screwed everything up?
And honestly, I feel like he's only being nice to Rin because he sees himself in him. Taiga had accepted that he can't have Yuka, but once it was discovered that Rin and Kaoru are fated pairs, and seeing that desperation of wanting to be with your fated pair, he can suddenly relate to Rin. So I worry that Taiga will then settle for Rin, like Yuka settled for Kaoru. The author seems to be heading towards an ending that is all about going against fate, but I don't think it's being presented in a way that makes it the favorable outcome.