A/N: Okay, some of you may hate me for the events within this chapter, in fact, I hated writing them. I searched for an alternative high and low, but I there was no other. I have to put this in, because it fuels something else that's important for the story. So, again, I am really, really sorry for this, and I hope you all can forgive me.

Chapter 5: Tragedy and Despair

Ever since Kuro made that promise to Suki that they would be together at the age of eighteen, he had thought about what their lives would be like at that every day since then. All he could think about was when Suki would finally be his. It was an obsession, a dream that he would never let go of, and it would always make him smile to think about it.

He had been sad when they were not allowed to be together after that night at sixteen when he promised her they would be together, but he knew one day, no one would have a say in what they did together. They would be allowed to see each other without his Uncle Miroku fuming.

Not that they didn't get chances to be alone.

On regular days, they would have no way of sneaking off. Ever since the incident, Miroku seemed to keep a keener eye on his daughter and Kuro. Kuro noticed that the monk seemed to get a glare in his eye whenever he came near. He didn't blame him; after all the stories that he had heard about the monk in his youth, he was bound to be over protective of his daughter. Kuro just wished he would be a little more leniant.

But, on nights of festivals or when their families gathered and the focus wasn't on them, they could run away for a few minutes, to remind each other of the passion they still shared. There was one particular occasion that on Kiri's sixteenth birthday, Kuro and Suki had slipped away, and became lost in the time, only to realize that they had been gone two full hours. They hurried back, and realized they had never been missed, since Shippou (Who had a liking to Kuro and so helped him out on such occasions) provided some entertainment by turning into various members of the Inu-tachi and acting out some of their finest moments.

Most included Miroku getting slapped and Inuyasha being sat.

Since the males of the group were angry at their portrayal, they were more focused on the kitsune and less on the fact that their son and daughter had mysteriously disappeared.

Kuro could remember on Suki's seventeenth birthday, how they had met hours after everyone had gone to bed, and celebrated the fact that they only had one more year to wait.

That was a fond memory.

So, they waited one more year, full of even more slipping away, or stealing a quick kiss behind the temple. Of course, there had been many close calls, sometimes so close, that Kuro was sure Miroku knew what had been going on. But if he did, he said nothing. Kuro suspected that he understood, even if he didn't approve.

On his eighteenth birthday, he had no chance to meet Suki, but, by their exchange of looks, she got the message. He fully intended, three months later at her birthday, to ask her to marry him. He figured there was no way she could say no, since she would be of age, and by her actions, it seemed that she liked the idea.

And so he would always smile to himself, and keep a countdown until that day.

Until the day I ask her...

But, three months later, no one was in the mood for a wedding.

Plague had struck the town, and many villagers were already dead. A month before Suki's birthday, it had already carried of 5 of the farm workers, and Kaede-sama, since she had been the one to tend them. She had a large funeral, since she had the resident miko until Kagome had come along.

By the time of Suki's birthday, it was worse. People kept to their homes, fearful they might catch it. Food was running low since so many farm hands had died. There wasn't a family that the plague didn't strike.

During this time, Kuro kept to himself, wishing, hoping, even praying that Suki wouldn't catch it. He knew he couldn't bear it if she...He didn't even want to think about it.

His father seemed to understand. After all, he lived a year without knowing if Kagome would survive the next youkai attack. He gave Kuro sympathetic looks whenever he was in a particularly depressed mood.

Kagome would go and try to help the villagers, but in most cases, it was no use. By the time she got there, they were already too far gone. She would come back to the hut, sad and downtrodden, and Inuyasha would try to comfort her. Sometimes, Kuro would hear her crying in their bedroom, her crying about how this death was worse than a soldier dying in battle. She'd cry about how they'd moan with pain, and how she hated being powerless to stop them.

She may have had some miko powers, but because she was never fully trained, she did not posess the power to heal the sick. Kiri, however, did, and sometimes, she would come help her mother out. But she could not fully heal them. She could only ease their pain with this sort of plague.

If the household didn't object to her help.

It went on like this for weeks, and finally, it seemed that the plague was passing out of the village. Kuro was relieved.

Until, that is, his mother got sick.

Kiri wanted to help her, but Kagome said she could not. She knew that this plague was not curable by miko powers. Miroku had come over to try to help her, and he put up a few sutras for good health.

But, Kuro would never forget the look on his father's face when he asked the monk if Kagome would be alright. It was one of utter despair, knowing that there was nothing you could do.

Since that day, a silence had passed on their household.

He remembered the last time he saw his kind mother, lying on a pallet, after wasting away from the plague. However, she was not like the other victims, she still retained her beauty, even though she was dying.

Their whole family was in the room, Inuyasha closest to her, holding her hand, while Kiri and Kuro sat in the back of the room. Occasionally, Kuro would look over at Kiri. She didn't cry, but he knew by her look that she wished to.

Kuro heard a sigh and looked over at his mother, she was looking at him. "Kuro," she said, as if each word came with great effort. She gave a small smile. "Please, make sure you take care of Suki-chan..."

He nodded. "I will, mother."

She now looked over at Kiri. "And, I wish I could have seen someone for you, Kiri. But I know you. You'll find someone for you before you even know it."

Kiri looked slightly suprised by this. She had forgotten that their mother sometimes got premonitions in dreams.

And then, Kagome looked back at Inuyasha. "I guess this is where our journey ends, Inuyasha..."

"No..." he begged. "Please, Kagome, don't..."

Kuro had never before heard his father plea like that. He could see the ears on his father's head were almost completly flat, and he knew he must have been in despair.

Kagome reached up with a shakey hand, and clasped the kotodoma rosary in her hand. She pulled on it, and it broke, scattering the beads everywhere. Inuyasha could only know one meaning by this action. She had never taken it off when he had begged her, and now, she was taking it off when that was the last thing he wanted.

"B-baka!" he said, "What are you doing?"

"You don't have to wear them anymore." she whispered.

"No," he said. "Kagome, don't do this..."

"I can't help it, Inuyasha..." she murmured. "I guess I finally know what Kikyou was talking about...how she wanted death again...death is a lot more peaceful..."

"I won't let you die, Kagome!" he said. "You're not going to die!"

"You can't change that." she said, looking over at the wall. "No one can...But Inuyasha...you have to do one thing for me..."

"Anything." he said, without thinking.

She looked back at him, with the most mysterious look in her chocolate eyes. "You have to kill the shape-shifting youkai. Please...you have to...Inuyasha, Kuro...he's in danger!"

When Kuro heard his name, his ears popped up and he knew everyone was staring at him. I...I'm in danger? He thought.

After that interesting proclimation, Kagome closed her eyes. It was getting harder to speak. "Inuyasha...I love you...and I've lived a full life with you. I wouldn't ask for anything more..."

"No!" Inuyasha grabbed her and held her in his arms. "Don't die! Not now!"

Kagome took a deep breath. "Goodbye."

And then she was gone.

Kiri gasped, tears threatening to fall, and Kuro felt as if his heart had been pulled out of his chest. His mother, his loving, caring mother, was dead.

But no one was taking it harder than Inuyasha. There were actually tears streaming down his face as he yelled at her lifeless body, "Please, Kagome, don't leave me like this! Please, don't be dead!"

Kuro and Kiri got up and left their grief-ridden father alone, not knowing that it would be the last time they would see him as well.

He did not get the plague, because of his hanyou blood, but he had died of a broken heart. He couldn't live without her.

So now, at eighteen, and Kiri seventeen, they were orphans. Left all alone in the world after just barely learning of it.

Kuro sat in front of his father's grave, reflecting on all of this. He grasped the Tessaiga in is right hand, the inheritance he earned from his father. He was also given the fire rat haori that his father always wore, since it doubled as a suit of armor. Now he was expected to uphold his father's legacy.

But really thinking on it, he wasn't sure he could do it. His father had probably been the only great hanyou, to have killed many stronger youkai with his sword, the legendary Tessaiga, and even though Inuyasha had taught him, Kuro barely knew the secrets of it, much less knowing how to do what his father had done. In fact, he didn't want to. All he had planned on was marrying Suki, he didn't want to have advetures now.

It was almost as if he had no choice in the matter, his mother had given him a task already, to destoy the shape-shifting youkai, whatever that was. Supposedly, he already in danger by this said youkai.

There was nothing else he could do. He knew he had to kill it before it threatened him, or worse, Suki. From the stories he had been told, he knew that evil youkai were the type to do that. I have to put off my plans with Suki for a while.

He looked at the line of graves in front of the temple. The first one was a shrine to the miko who was killed seventy years ago by the evil youkai which his father had defeated. Whenever people spoke of her, it was with the same respect that they gave his mother, or to Kaede-sama. Kuro had known from the stories that she was probably the most powerful miko, besides Midoriko, that had ever existed.

The next one was to Kaede-sama. She also had a lavish shrine. She had protected the village before Kagome had shown up. It was right for them to respect her. His mother's grave was next, with many flowers placed in front of it. Even though she had been from another would and they had never really understood her, she still had the same respect that her two miko predecessors had.

Inuyasha's grave wasn't as nice. It was there, because he had done all he could to protect the village, but some were still prejudaced against him. It was nothing more than a small wooden shrine with a stone inside of it. Kiri had gathered up the kotodoma beads and placed them upon it, a gesture that Kuro knew he would appriciate, since he had said he never had wanted to take them off at that point.

As he looked at it, he thought, Father, I promise, I will withold your legacy and kill this youkai. I won't disappoint you.

As he stood up, his black hair waving in the wind, he saw Shippou walking up to the line of graves, with flowers in his hands and wiping tears from his eyes. The kitsune hadn't really changed in all of the twenty years since Kagome had met him. In youkai years, he had probably only grown somewhere from a year to two years. Kuro knew he would take it hard; Kagome had been like a mother to him.

Shippou noticed he was there. "Oh, hi Kuro..." he said, wiping the tears away. Kuro's heart felt for the young kitsune youkai as he walked up to Kagome's grave and placed the bunch of flowers on it. He looked over at Inuyasha's, thought a second, and then put one on his.

"Shippou," Kuro asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he said. "It's just...I miss Kagome!" he wailed, more tears sprouting in his eyes.

"I know." Kuro said. "We all do."

Shippou made an attempt to stop crying. "Gotta be a man," he muttered. "Hey, Kuro, is it really true you and Kiri are going?"

Kuro looked back at the Tessaiga, which he still had in his hand, he fastened it to his side. "Yeah...wait, Kiri?"

Shippou shrugged. "She said she was going. And she told me to tell you that you couldn't stop her."

"I couldn't stop her if I tried." Kuro said, thinking about all the fights they used to--still--had. And how she would always win. he also couldn't help but remember the attempts his mother and father would make at stopping them.

"Anyway," Shippou said. "It's really going to be sad if...you are going to..."

"I know, but I have to Shippou. I have to do what my mother asked."

Shippou sniffed. "Kagome..." He looked like he was going to cry again, so Kuro said bye and walked away. He didn't really want to get back on the subject of his deceased parents.

He decided to visit Suki. He would have to tell her that he was going away for a while. He would also...he needed to see her again, once more, before he left.

As he walked towards her hut, he thought to himself, I have to see her once more...and I have to tell her...

I have to tell Suki I love her...

A/N: Awful place to end it I know, but anyway...

I have to say, you may kill me for this, but I really didn't want to kill Inu and Kags off. I really, really didn't. But they had to die for specific reasons, for things that happen later on in the fic. I at least, gave them both natural deaths, something that I am sure for Inuyasha-land was rare since everyone gets killed off by youkai or in battle or something.

Plus, think about this, now there all up in heaven or wherever, and they're probably all happy in death. Probably happier than they were on earth. They are now at peace, wherever they are.

Again, I will say it, I didn't want to do it, but I had to. I cried all the way through it wishing there was some other way, but there isn't. So, I ask, that you will forgive me, and please continue to read and review this story. Thank you for understanding.