Kouga paused, smile faltering for a moment before he flipped his ponytail over his shoulder. "I know you're not ready to settle down yet, Kags."
She sighed, shaking her head. "It's not that, Kouga-kun." Sango and Miroku looked between the trio, then shrugged. The brunt of the fight had subsided, and now that they didn't have to worry about someone losing an eye, they busied themselves with preparing camp for the night. Sesshoumaru and Shippou would return with their kill soon, so they started digging a hole to set up their fire.
Kouga paid them no mind, his eyes on her, his prize, undeterred by her dismissal.
"Yer gonna have to make it more obvious than that," Inuyasha muttered. "And if he gets handsy again, I'm throwing him into another tree." She expected him to join the others, but he remained beside her, arms crossed to keep himself from following through on his threat.
She didn't want to hurt the wolf's feelings, but Inuyasha was right. If she didn't put her foot down and make him understand, it wouldn't just be his feelings that got hurt. "I'm not yours," she repeated. "I never was. And I never will be."
Kouga only chuckled. "I can change your mind."
She vehemently shook her head. "I don't want you to change my mind. There is no continuation of our story because there was never a beginning." She stood firm, willing him to understand.
"I can give you the world—"
"I don't want it! I'm perfectly content with what little I have," she said. "I don't want the moon or the stars or the world on a platter."
His eyes finally lost their glow, one foot tapping in agitation. "Then I'll give you that instead." She wanted to throw something at him, to storm up to him and beat him into the ground. Maybe Inuyasha had a point with all of their physical altercations. "Come on, Kags, I know you care about me."
"I do," she agreed. "As a friend. Nothing more."
"Then what is it?" He was getting desperate now, and she could sense Inuyasha's frustration.
"You never asked."