Sesshomaru's hand paused on the letter he had been writing. He listened as a voice from far away continued sobbing for hours on end. Releasing its sorrow into the night. He sighed and set down his quill, causing the ink to smear slightly. Albeit technology outdated hand written letters; formal communication between the cardinal lords of the demon world was old fashioned.

He placed both elbows on the desk, and rested his head in his hands. Never before had he felt so exhausted. He'd known his brother's end had been growing nigh, but was not yet prepared for it to be this soon.

Many years ago he had felt bitterness, and a burning anger towards his half-brother. But they had long since reconciled centuries ago. While they were not overly affectionate in their relationship, and neither would openly admit it, the brotherly love was still there.

For the first time since his loss of Rin, Sesshomaru once again felt grief. Though he did not express it in such a loud, messy way the girl, he knew was suffering, did; he was screaming on the inside. The anguish on his face was very visible and very real.

This Sesshomaru is sorry, Brother. He was not there to say goodbye.

A lone tear traveled down his face. It fell and landed on the letter. Blurring the ink. Through the centuries the stoic demon had indeed changed. Rin had softened his heart. He could still be harsh and very short tempered, but he had come to show his emotions to those close to him. Rin, Kagome, and Inuyasha were the only ones he had ever felt the need to protect.

This Sess-… No, I love you otouto. Farewell.

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Shippo.

The only thing, the only person that remained connecting her to her past. Her happiness was now in the past.

It had been so long since his last visit. Right now she was desperate for any type of familiarity. She longed for someone she knew she could lean on. The only person that seemed to fill that role was her adopted son.

Day after day she sat in the corner of what had been Inuyasha's room. The maids came in to check on her every two hours, occasionally convincing her to snack on something like fruit or bread.

It wasn't enough to fully sustain her, but it was all she would allow.

"My Lady," Yuri, a maid who had been with them for nearly two centuries, was the only maid tasked with the job of bringing her food. She gently nudged the door open. "I have some strawberries for you, would you care for any?" she was one of the most dedicated people in the Taisho Mansion staff; if not more so than Jaken was to Sesshomaru.

"Yuri" her head jerked towards her mistress as she closed the door. "Where is my son? He told me he would come to see me soon." Kagome turned her gaze to the slightly startled maid. Her mind was thinking on the last time she had seen Shippo. "I miss him." Her eyes shined and her neglected voice cracked. "I want to see him, my little Shippo."

Yuri walked towards the emotional woman. "My Lady, we do not know his whereabouts as of late." She informed her mistress regretfully. "The young master was last known to be in Paris, but as you know a few years ago he disappeared. I apologize." As Yuri knelt before Kagome and placed the tray of fruit on the floor, her lady's stare went back to the ceiling.

"Oh yeah, he left a note saying he was going back to train with Sesshomaru." Her tone turned bitter, "But no one's even seen him for nearly five decades. How does Shippo know where he's been hiding out?"

"My Lady you must eat, when your son does come home it would be devastating for him to find that all that remains of his precious mother is a lump if skin and bones." The corners of Yuri's mouth turned up in a small attempt at a smile. Her light attempt of humor seemed to be a small success.

Kagome's lips twitched, and she reached for a strawberry. "You're right, that would be quite pitiable." She took a bite of the bright red fruit. As she chewed she frowned, and her next comment made Yuri's small success vanish. "I don't remember strawberries tasting so... bland. The ones Inuyasha would feed me were so sweet."

Their relationship had been that of more than friends, more of the kind with a sibling complex. Many had mistaken them for lovers, and often times they would pretend just to have fun. After failed loves they both abandoned the idea of ever finding their true partners and became dependent on each other.

But when the person you've always protected, and been protected by is gone, who are you supposed to turn to then?

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Otouto- little brother

So what do you think? Is the POV change confusing? If there's anything you don't like or don't understand, please comment and I'll totally see if I can fix it!

Thanks!