Her understanding came with the dawn, and she never looked back. She carried herself with a new purpose, and no one could stop her. She knew what she wanted, and that she knew she was never going to get it.
Everyone looked for her, and they found her. She wouldn't go back. No kisses or promises could dissuade her. No tears could wear down her resolve. No arguments could turn her from her path. She had decided, and she was going to stick with that decision as she had stuck to her indecision before. She was a new person, and no one could make her be what she had been.
She stopped simpering around and looking wistful. She stopped dropping her gaze and being sorry. She stopped apologizing for what she had to do. She stopped letting the aggression pretend to be a cover up for worry and stopped thinking she was second fiddle. She stopped believing she could live with only half a heart to call her own. She stopped waiting for love that would never really be hers.
She knew. She knew. She knew. No one could tell her otherwise, and they knew it. They knew. Everyone knew. No one wondered. She would never have what she wanted. She could promise anything-everything-in return, and still not get what she wanted.
Because that's life, she said. That's life. It's unfair. It hurts. It bites. It kills. It hollows people out and leaves empty shells meant to devour other people. It's hard, cruel, and sadistic. Life is bad, but it's all we have. She smiled as she spoke, but it wasn't a happy smile.
Kagome Hirugashi walked away from everything she'd ever hoped to have, and found she was much more than she'd ever imagined.
A/N:Yes this is a one-shot, and yes Kagome gave up on Inu-yasha. No, she's not sorry, and no, she'll never go back to him. This was written because Kagome annoys the ever loving snot out of me with her attitude twoards the Inu-yasha/Kikyo issue. Please review.