That gave him pause. His eyes lost their sparkle, and Kagome stood her ground. As much as her instincts bade her to comfort, that was what had gotten her into this mess in the first place.
She wouldn't call herself flighty, but she'd been love-starved as a teen, and Inuyasha's indecisiveness hadn't helped. Kouga had been devoted from the start, and it had bolstered her confidence to have someone chasing her instead of the other way around.
But that was then, and this was now, and she had to get through to him—for both their sakes.
"That's…that's the whole point, Kags," he said, genuinely confused. "I wouldn't choose you if it didn't help the pack. It's my job to protect them. Our job," he amended. He reached for her hand, but Kagome stepped backward, keeping him at a distance. He still hadn't noticed whatever claim Sesshoumaru had put on her, even being this close to him, and she didn't want to witness the daiyoukai's reaction if he showed up and she smelled like someone else.
"I need more than that, Kouga-kun. I need to know you've chosen me for me. That even if the entire world were against us, you'd still go through with it."
"But that's—"
"I don't fault you for not being able to do it," she said, giving him a pained smile. "But it just proves my point. We're looking for different things. We don't match."
Kouga finally got to his feet, brushing dirt off his pelt. "I think we match just fine. You haven't even met the rest of the pack yet. You'd love them."
She bit back her automatic response of 'I'm sure I would'. She had to remain focused. She had to make him see reason. He was more than just bark and brawn—she hoped.
"Are you plannin' on marrying a human?" he asked, cerulean eyes narrowing. "'Cause all youkai are the same."
Relief coursed through her at finding a subject she was well-versed in, and she smirked. "No, they're not."