Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, or any of the characters associated with it. Got it? Good.

"You were everything, everything that I wanted

We were meant to be, supposed to be, but we lost it

And all of our memories, so close to me, just fade away

All this time you were pretending

So much for my happy ending." – My Happy Ending by: Avril Lavigne

No Such Thing as Happily Ever After

by: Sharys Aogail

What happened?

Keiko had asked that over and over, and even now she had no definite answer. No one would tell her what had gone wrong, or when exactly everything changed. Then again, if they had told her, would she have listened?

She saw it coming, in her own way. She never really acknowledged it, but she knew. Even at the very beginning, she felt like there was something amiss. She tried to talk to him about it, tried to make herself understand what it was she wasn't seeing. But she never could really reach him, for all his jokes and wisecracks. It was like he never took her seriously, or maybe he just didn't want to talk to her about it.

He had been right there and yet, somehow, always beyond her reach.

Did she do something wrong? Was she not caring enough, or understanding enough? She was the one he came back for the first time, wasn't she? She had always tried to support him, even when he and the others charged headlong into deadly situations. She tried her best to be strong for him. Wasn't it enough?

There were things he said that made her wonder about them as a couple. Little things he mumbled aloud when he forgot she was there. Talking to shadows when he thought she wasn't listening. When she asked, he would deny it altogether, or grin and play it off as something else. She should have known then, but she ignored it.

And then he began drifting away. He was gone more often. Missions, he would tell her later, when he finally returned to her. He had always returned to her. But time passed, and the absences became longer, and it finally came to the point where he no longer gave her the assurance of an excuse. Even as their romance lay dying, she clung to her love for him, ignoring how badly their relationship was fraying. Refused to acknowledge that she no longer held claim to him, to his life . . . or even his heart.

The warnings were all there.

There had been a time where everything was perfect. His missions had hit a low point and their lives settled in some semblance of normalcy. She could forget that he had died twice, and that his heartbeat was now that of a demon's. Then, he had simply been Yusuke, the same reckless, headstrong, rebellious punk that she had known for over a decade. She could delude herself into believing that there was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. As things settled, she began to seriously think about their future, talking to him about eventually settling down and starting a family. She had then promised him forever, never thinking twice when he didn't promise in return. Never noticed that when he smiled, really smiled, it was never directed at her.

She saw a storybook ending, and believed that the two of them would get their "happily ever after".

But that was then, and the vision of perfection began to slip away, slowly being replaced by a harsher reality. Then came the day where the fairytale shattered completely.

He came to say goodbye. She just stood there in shock, trying to convince herself that she had heard wrong, that this didn't mean what she thought it did. She had searched his face, looking desperately for some reassurance, and finding none. There was sympathy there, but no regret or uncertainty.

Had it all been a lie?

She then slapped him, harder and more viciously than she had in the past. He barely flinched, the slap nothing but a small annoyance to what he was now. She tried her damnest to hold back tears as he gave her an apologetic smile and left, never once looking back.

That had been three years ago, and in all that time she still clung to the hope that one day he would still return to her. Didn't he always return to her?

But he never did.

What had happened? Even now, at this final gathering, the others gave her no answers. She felt like a stranger to them now, like an outsider looking in on a close family. They greeted her politely as they passed, Kuwabara gently leading a shakey Yukina by the shoulders, while Botan flashed a weak smile. Kurama brought up the rear, his eyes empty.

She waited for the others to go out of sight before she approached the site herself, paying the respects the others expected of her. Her eyes fell desolately on the cold grey stone, her gaze sliding briefly over the engraved name and the words following it. As pain and confusion welled, she looked away, suddenly blinking as her eyes fell on something else.

Another marker. Another familiar name.

She collapsed to her knees, uncontrollable sobs constricting her chest.

No one here got their happy ending.

FIN

Author's Note : Kind of interesting I suppose, but not one of my best works. I may revamp and reload this eventually, if I feel like it anyway. I got this idea while listening to Avril's "My Happy Ending". I notice that I tend to kill of the same two characters . . . poor Keiko. Oh well. Any comments welcome.