A/N: Don't own Inuyasha. Completely awful drabble, but it was insistent on being written.
Rinse and Repeat
"The stars shall fade away, the sun himself Grow dim with age, and nature sink in years, But thou shalt flourish in immortal youth, Unhurt amidst the wars of elements, The wrecks of matter, and the crush of worlds. "
-Joseph Addison
Sesshomaru is old enough that the world has passed through his eyes. A cafe is his chosen spot, somewhere on the merging edge of the bustle of a metropolis Tokyo. He sips his tea, because coffee is too harsh for his senses, and he can't remain there without purchasing something.
He watches the humans that pass--studies them as they chatter on cell phones and dig through their purses; as they stray through their life with goals and dreams but no singular path. He never moves from his spot by the window because that will defeat the purpose of his self-imposed voyeurism. His past self would be disgusted at this stagnant Sesshomaru, but after a certain age, stagnancy is all that he can commit to.
He sees faces in the crowd sometimes, familiar faces, faces that he has seen many times before. He sees a little girl pulling her mother along, and the mother exudes exhaustion but contentedness. The little girl is missing some of her teeth and has her hair pulled sloppily to the side of her head.
The last time he saw her was some seventy five years ago, being toted along by a man in a top hat and tweed with a stiff demeanor.
Sesshomaru has learned more by watching than he ever has by doing. Perhaps this is the life of a youkai, one who has lived centuries, and will live centuries more. He does not know whether this is a curse or a blessing, this ability to see the recycling of souls. Sometimes he sees his brother, sometimes his mother, sometimes the miko who Inuyasha traveled with. Sometimes they are together, sometimes they never meet. He's found his father even.
The little girl passing by with her mother is Rin, Sesshomaru knows this because he can recognize her smell, her smile, the very essence that makes her Rin. He sips his tea and watches them pass, then turns to study the rest of the crowd.
He never learns their new names, he never wants to. They are always Rin, and Inuyasha, and father. They will remain that way until Sesshomaru dies, or the world ends, whichever happens first.
Perhaps, he muses, as the girl comes back into view, this is what he is meant to do forever. He was born to watch and guide the souls who are deserving. The girl glances through the window, searching the customers, until her gaze lands on him. She pauses, then a luminous smile spreads across her face.
She waves, then her mother pulls her away out of sight. Sesshomaru remains solid and statuesque, his facade never changing, even after a millennia.
Sesshomaru gets up to leave, his soul-watching done for the day. After living so long, Sesshomaru recognizes life and the cycle it ever continuously repeats.
He wonders when it will be his turn.
"Immortality is the genius to move others long after you yourself have stopped moving."
-Frank Rooney