Have you ever heard of the fairy tale of a peasant girl who went to a royal ball, fell in love with a Prince, fit a glass slipper, and then lived happily ever after? So you've heard of the fairy tale about the little cinder-girl? So have I. I've even seen a person's life play almost like a fairy tale. But there was one difference. And that's what this story's about.

This is a story where fate will never be by your side, where fairy tales should only stay in books, and where dreams will never become reality. This is a story about a young girl who never had a 'Happy Ending'. Her name was Kagome Higurashi, and she was my best friend.

She was eighteen years old, kind, graceful, and beautiful. Her raven hair reached below her waist, with shining sapphire orbs that glistened brighter than the sun. Happiness always paraded her soft features, but the one thing that you will never forget about her was her smile. Her smile always had an effect of people; it would always leave them cheerful for the rest of the day. Her warm smile can even stop the heavens from crying. Okay, maybe not literally, but you know what I mean.

It was a bright sunny day, and Kagome just came from work at the hospital. She was always a sucker for nature's beauty. So she took a stroll around the park. Not even twenty minutes into her walk, she saw her loving boyfriend. His name was Inuyasha Taisho. They were together for three years and still going strong. He walked up to her, gave her a warm greeting and followed it with a big hug. They took stroll in the park, hand-in-hand, with smiling faces.

They talked about everything; dreams, wishes, life. After their deep conversations, he stopped and bended down on one knee. And as lovingly as he could he asked for her hand in marriage. A sad but soft smile appeared on Kagome's lips. She shook her head lightly declining her boyfriend's third proposal. For the third time he asked her why. For the third time she simply replied no. For the third time he asked for a chance. And for the first time she said yes.

A smile graced her lips as she spoke. She told him that she would only accept his proposal if and only if he passed her only challenge. She asked him for a blank sheet of paper, and then slowly walked toward the picnic bench. She sat down with her back facing him so he wouldn't see what she was doing.

When she finally finished, she turned around and asked him to hold out his hand. And when he did, she placed an origami swan into his empty palm. She looked up at him and smiled. She told him that this was his challenge. The rules were simple. One, he was not allowed to have any form of help. And two, he cannot see or have any form of contact with her until he completed the challenge. He protested telling her that he did not understand, but she just kept on smiling and walked away. The young boy stayed there trying to figure out the challenge.

A week had passed and Inuyasha still couldn't figure out what his girlfriend was asking of him. What kind of a challenge was a paper origami swan? For a week the boy had been looking at that swan, with the same question parading his thoughts. He stared at it hoping that he would be able to find a clue that would help him pass her challenge. By now he had memorized every detail on the origami.

It was amazing how such a simple piece of paper could be transformed into something so elegant and beautiful. A smile graced his lips as he thought of her again. Images of her smiling face appeared in his mind. She was like the swan. She was plain and simple like a piece of paper. But at the same time she was a graceful swan that always smiled in his dreams. She had her own kind of grace that set her apart from everyone. And that's how she captured his heart. What made her different, made her beautiful.

It was already noon, and he was still staring at the swan. The sky was gray, and slowly small drops of tears fell from the sky. It had begun to rain, but only a few drops. Drops of water landed on the paper origami. He quickly grabbed the swan in fear of it being ruined. His hazel eyes landed on the swan once more as he ran under a tree for shelter. There were black markings on it. Curiosity overwhelmed his thoughts as his fingers began to move. Slowly and carefully he unfolded the origami swan.

Cherry Blossom Park. I'm waiting.

He smiled as he finally understood the purpose of the swan. It was not a challenge; it was but a simple message. He ran towards the Cherry Blossom Park, hoping to see her again. I could see Inuyasha running towards Miroku and I. Miroku was Inuyasha's childhood best friend, and I was glad he was here. We were at the Cherry Blossom Park waiting for him, with sad expressions. We said our greetings and went straight to the point.

"Kagome was a kind girl that held a lot of promise for the world. She always cheered people on everything they did. But unfortunately, she had been sick ever since she was a little girl. She hated her sickness, and always complained about how life was unfair. But then she met you. You gave her a fairy tale come true. And that was when she finally accepted her fate. She told me, that she would leave with a smile on her face." I spoke softly as tears began to form in my eyes.

Miroku continued, "She never told you because she didn't want you to worry about her. She wanted to live the remainder of her life to the fullest, always happy and always smiling. But she didn't want you to be there when her time came. She wanted you to remember her smiling like the first time she met you."

He looked at us with confused expressions. Simultaneously Miroku and I stepped aside and revealed a blank tombstone. We looked at Inuyasha once more. We knew he understood what we were trying to say. But we also knew that deep in his heart, he didn't want it to be true.

I gave him the paper swan that held her last words. "She was waiting for you, you know." His amber orbs eyed the second origami swan. Slowly and carefully he unfolded the swan; making sure than not a single drop landed on the piece of paper.

Inuyasha,

I'm glad you made it. Sorry I'm not here to greet you personally, but you remember the rules right? So you still can't see me until you pass my challenge. Do you remember long time ago, I asked you if you could live one day without me? And if you did, I'd give you a small kiss? Hehe. Back then you couldn't do it remember? That was my challenge for you then, and still is today. So here is my challenge for you. Live 24 hours without me each day. And once you complete that, then I promise I'll marry you.

Thank you Inuyasha, for giving my fairy tale. I'll be here waiting for you…

Love always,

Kagome Higurashi

So that's their story. Each day Inuyasha went to the Cherry Blossom Park, and each day Kagome would be waiting. This girl didn't deserve this kind of ending. She was always kind, always patient, always loving, and always smiling. She definitely deserved better.

On May 23, 1925, I decided that I would make her a good-bye present. Even though she might never get it, others will know about it. I'm going to tell her tragic story; letting everyone know her name. Everyone deserves to hear the greatest story love has ever told. So I picked up a pencil, and opened my notebook. The words came to me as if someone were whispering them to my ears. So I began to write.

"Have you ever heard of the fairy tale of a peasant girl who went to a royal ball, fell in love with a Prince, fit a glass slipper, and then lived happily ever after? So you've heard of the fairy tale about the cinder-girl? So have I. I've even seen a person's life play as a fairy tale. But there was one difference. And that's what this story's about..."

I hoped you liked it.

Angelic Eyes X22