Inuyasha sat in the cafe quietly, cupping his mug between his palms. It burned to the touch, but he didn't care. The waitress had yet to come back with the pen he had requested, but that wasn't what bothered him. He was going through the names again in his head, one by one: Akane, Asta, Luzie, Estera, Filvia...the list went on and on, from every ethnicity and corner of the world imaginable. If he didn't write them down, he'd forget the pattern. He'd lose the little bit of hope he had left.

A whole century. Over a century this year, in fact, since he'd found the last version of his beloved. Each time had been the same: a romantic dream, turned sour by disease and old age. He'd watch her become an elderly woman, or develop breast cancer, or drown in the river before she learned to walk. It was torture every time, but the waiting...that was worst of all.

"Your pen, sir." The waitress returned, lightly placing it beside his napkin. She smiled. "How's the coffee?"

"Great, great, thank you." He snatched the pen and began to scribble on the napkin. Japan, Germany, Finland, Egypt….the United States of America. He sighed and fell back into his chair, tossing the pen across the table. The waitress still stood next to him. "How much?"

"Um," She blinked, having been fixated on his writing. "Oh, coffee is no charge on Sundays. It's a family tradition here." She furrowed her brow, twirling her brown ponytail in her fingers. "What's with the list?"

Inuyasha glanced at her. "Why should you care?"

The woman shrugged. Staring at her, there was something a bit familiar in her eyes, a twinkle he hadn't seen in awhile. He hooked his arm over the chair and furrowed his brow. "What's your name?"

"Sango."

"Sango," Inuyasha attempted a smile. It didn't feel right, he was pretty sure it didn't look right either. "Nice to meet you."

"If you're going to ask for my number, you can forget it." She replied with a surprisingly aggressive tone.

He laughed. "Oh, trust me, I wouldn't even know how to use a phone."

"I have a boyfriend," She continued. "So don't."

"I'm not asking you out, no need to worry." He glanced at the napkin. He grabbed it and pushed it deep into his jacket pocket. Sango stopped twirling her ponytail and put a hand to her hip.

"You're weird."

"Thanks, I guess." Inuyasha reached into his pocket and pulled out a twenty dollar bill. "Here, for making me laugh." He slapped it on the table and stood up. "Might stop by again, you remind me of someone, not sure who yet, but I'll figure it." He adjusted his baseball cap and started to walk towards the door.

"Wait!" Sango reached out and grabbed his jacket. She blushed when he glared at her and let go quickly. "Um, sorry. What...what was your name?" She didn't seem sure why she was asking, and was angry with herself for it.

He gave her another lopsided smile. "Inuyasha."

"Oh." She took a deep breath and grinned at him. "Well, thanks for the tip. Feel free to come back anytime."

"Of course."

Inuyasha exited the cafe, looking about the streets quietly. He realized he hadn't taken a single sip of the coffee, but his hands were at least warm in the chill of the New York January weather. He really should get a better coat, he thought to himself as he rushed against the sidewalk traffic. It didn't seem like the cold bothered the rest of the population, but after living in various parts of upper South Africa for the last decade, he'd grown comfortable in extreme heat instead of extreme cold.

Pulling out his wallet, he counted his remaining cash. About two hundred. He could get a hotel, if he wanted to live a little, but the thought of attempting another pick-pocket in this city full of suspicious citizens seemed a bit daunting in the bright early morning. Oh well, a motel wouldn't be so bad. If only he could just buy one of those damn iPhones and learned how to do more than turn it on that'd be fantastic.

Sighing, he returned his wallet to his pocket and continued to walk. He remembered the days when he'd be scanning the crowds for her face, but those days had died long ago. Now he just wandered around the country where, if she'd been born in the last two decades, she might still be. Unless she moved, or was on vacation, or some other thing. The world was a small place now. Just because you were born somewhere didn't mean you'd live there forever. The next incarnation could be on a plane to Madagascar for all he knew.

"Hey!" A voice called out, suddenly interrupting his thoughts. He spun around to see a younger man with a rat-tail hairdo, eyes blazing at him. Inuyasha recognized him immediately. "You stole my wallet, you asshole!"

"Oh shit."

"Thief!" The man spat, starting to run at him. "Thief!"

"Oh shit," Inuyasha hissed, backing up and pushing through the crowd. Out of all the people in this city, he had to run into the only one he had stolen from so far. Honestly, this 'small world' thing was getting just plain ridiculous.

"Get back here! I'm gonna kill you, you bastard!"

"Oh, now I really want to stop!" Inuyasha called over his shoulder. He swung himself over the railing that led to the subway, knocking over a few people in the process. The man followed in hot pursuit, practically gaining on him. Inuyasha pulled his hat down hard, making sure it was secured, before leaping high over the turnstile and landing lightly on the other side. He narrowly avoided colliding with an elderly homeless woman pushing around a shopping cart of goods. A few people were staring at him, shocked, as he continued onwards. A subway car pulled up, coming to a screeching hault. Inuyasha quickly ducked in as passengers scrambled out. The doors closed. He breathed a sigh of relief and allowed himself to relax as the car started to move...

Something cold snapped onto his wrist.

"Got 'cha." Inuyasha twisted his head around, face to face with his rat-tailed pursuer. The man smiled. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you by the state." He cocked his head and smirked. "Maybe you shouldn't steal a cop's wallet next time, bud."

Inuyasha stared at him for a moment longer as the car continued on its merry way, the passengers of New York barely paying attention to the scene as though this was a daily occurrence. He lowered his eyes to the cuffs, and realized that they were made of no ordinary material. He looked back up at the man. "Who are you?"

"Name's Miroku," He leaned in close. "I've read quite a lot about you, Inuyasha. What's it been, a few hundred years?"

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. That face...he knew that face…

"Shit."

Miroku nodded. "That's right, you guessed it." He winked. "I'm Aramitama, one of the Four Souls. A pleasure to finally meet you."