Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Inuyasha or any of the characters. This is a work of pure fiction and mostly a daydream of how I wished the anime went according to my ship. Here I shall let it sail.

New Beginnings Chapter 2:

"Would you have chosen me?" Kagome said softly. Inuyasha's triangular ears swiveled. She had uttered it so softly and dejectedly that he almost missed it.

Kagome decided during their walk that she would try to talk to him, reassure herself that she had made the right decision. Their future rested on his answers. She looked up at him. The last tendril of hope flickering in her heart.

"What kind of question is that? Kikyo is dead, there is no choice!" He snapped; tone gruffer than he intended. He bared his teeth in agitation. During this whole conversation they'd had, he became increasingly annoyed. It also made him nervous and after a stretch of silence from her he shifted uncertainly.

The truth was Inuyasha loved Kagome. He was more indebted to her than she knew. He had never felt more accepted and loved than he did by her. He was never asked to change who he was. She had helped him make friends. He had a sense of belonging with her. Kikyo could have never given him that, which made him feel even worse. He knew that Kagome deserved better. He wanted to be sure for her.

But no matter how hard he tried to put Kikyo in his past he just…couldn't. He wanted to tell Kagome if Kikyo had lived, he would choose her. That the warmth she extended to him had made her his first choice, but he couldn't. In truth, he didn't know. Kikyo wasn't here, he did love Kagome, so he wanted to try and see where it went.

Every time he looked at her the resemblance was uncanny. It hurt sometimes. At night he still dreamed about the life they could have had. Kikyo had been his first love. The way they ended twice; it wasn't by choice. He couldn't explain to Kagome that kind of loss. He didn't believe anyone who lost a love to death would ever move on completely.

It was deeply unfair to her, he knew. He watched as her eyes dimmed a little. Then he was angry. Angry that she just didn't understand. Kikyo was dead and nothing was going to change that, so why did this matter so much?

"You know what I mean." Kagome said feeling all her hopes fall again. She took a shaky breath in.

"You're being selfish." Inuyasha barked. He was uncontrollably angry. He could not help what happened before her. He couldn't change his past. He could never offer her his whole heart. Not because he didn't want to but because when you love someone who has died, they take a piece with them. If in death that's all he could give her, he would. Her life had been cut short because of him. If he never went seeking the Shikon no Tama he would've never put her in the path of Naraku. Their love had made him jealous. In turn he sought revenge and it cost them dearly. Perhaps she would've fallen in love with someone else and met the same fate. He would never know. Their love wasn't perfect, but it was real. The guilt he felt would never end. Their love killed her.

Kagome had said she didn't care, all those years ago. Promised to stay by his side. She knew exactly what she was doing when she decided to stay anyways. Why all of the sudden did she think he could just pretend?

"I'm being selfish?" Kagome said in disbelief. Tears on the brink of falling were forgotten. "It's selfish I want you to move on and choose me?"

"I told you we could be together! What more is there?" he yelled. His head was spinning.

Kagome's tears finally spilled over onto her red cheeks.

"I don't want to be what you settle for. I want to know that I'm not a fallback plan because the first one didn't work out. I want commitment. I want to know should some crazy person decides to resurrect her from the grave again, I won't be left hanging. I can't trust you!" Kagome's eyes widened in surprise. It was true though; she couldn't trust him. Death had not prevented their love before. If death couldn't contain her before, might there be another instance she comes back. What would hold him to her then?

"You can't trust me?" his face twisted up in shock. Growling he backed her into the well and she stumbled a little. They stared at each other for what seemed like hours, searching each other eyes.

"No." she breathes breaking the silence and finally letting out the air she caught in her lungs and refused to release.

"Then what exactly are we even doing?" he muttered. Before Kagome could answer him, he took off towards the tree line.

Kagome sank down to the ground and wailed. Her heart was shattering, again. She thought before she was numb, but she was wrong.

She hated she couldn't trust him. She didn't even realize how far the distrust ran until she said the words out loud. She kept thinking it was him that was the problem, but she realized it was her. He was willing to try but she was the one who couldn't let go.

She curled up into a ball and sobbed. The grass swaying around her in the gentle breeze. The sun was warm on her skin, but she felt cold. The clearing was serene while inside felt like a storm.

She laid there until the sun dropped in the sky, alone and wounded.