Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction ❯ In Omnia Paratus ❯ Let's Have A Plan ( Chapter 4 )

AN: Okay, so I just wanted to put a quick note up to all of you who actually read this: I am SO CONFUSED about where to put it!!! It's a crossover of all these shows and I dunno where it should go! Is this category as good as any other one? And if not, can ANYONE tell me where I should put it? If so, PLEASE tell me!!!

 

Oh, and also, for anyone who doesn't actually watch the show Supernatural, I promise that the actual story WILL be told! I skipped over it here because I already have the whole scenario for when it comes out planned in my pretty little head and I don't wanna risk making the muses mad. But it'll come, I swear. It just may take a couple more chapters…so just try and bear with me, please!

 

Other than that, please enjoy the chapter! (Please keep hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times or you will be in danger of being shmooshed.)

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Dean sat back in his chair with a sigh, glad to finally be finished talking. He had spent the last half-hour telling these strangers his life story—or an edited version of it, anyway—and the experience had been profoundly unsettling. He had only ever told one person the full truth in his life, and she hadn't even called in over a year.

 

But every one of these people had flatly refused to explain anything until he did, and so Dean had ended up backed into a corner. Now, though, it was his turn.

 

“So…you hunt demons?” the old woman, Genkai, asked.

 

Okay, maybe not.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“On your own?”

 

“With my father and my brother.”

 

“No, I mean, you have no one telling you where to go or what to look for?”

 

“What're you talking about?” Dean asked, genuinely puzzled.

 

“Don't you have a boss?” Yusuke asked.

 

“Um…why?”

 

“Well…” Yusuke looked slightly disconcerted. “Well, to let you know who needs your help, and when.”

 

Dean scoffed. “Why bother? All we need to do is read the papers. There's always something going on. And then there's S—” Dean cut himself off suddenly. That was one thing he wasn't going to tell them. To cover up the sudden, awkward silence, he said roughly, “Okay, your turn. Who are you people, and how do you know about all this crap?” And why are you friends with a demon?

 

Yusuke sighed. “Well, I did agree to this…but you may want to get another drink. This will take longer than you did.”

 

So, Dean was given a full, warmer cup, and he sat back to listen with an intensity that would have surprised his brother, were Sam around to see.

 

XXX

 

Sam wanted to wake up. This endless gray fog was beginning to get on his nerves. But he also got the feeling that there was a reason that he was stuck here. And he also felt that it would come to him if he could just concentrate…

 

So, he did just that. He forced his thoughts into something resembling an order, and then he began to systematically push them all away, to the very edges of his consciousness. It was much more difficult than he would have thought—he never guessed he had this many cares and ideas in his head—but he kept on until his mind was completely empty. Then slowly, cautiously, he lowered the barriers he had always used to seal his emotions and secrets away, and prepared to let whatever would come in.

 

He wasn't prepared for the assault.

 

The second the last guarding barrier fell away, something pushed itself into his mind. It was sharp and hard, like a shard of glass multiplied a thousand times. And it was absolutely, utterly ruthless, clawing and pushing its way into his mind toward the tiny ball of diamond-bright light that was his life.

 

Sam didn't want to find out what would happen if the attacking force reached that light. He fought frantically to put the barriers up again, but they were batted aside quickly, and Sam realized too late that it was much harder to put his guard back up than to take it down, because something was fighting him tooth and nail.

 

And all the while, the pain just kept growing, until he couldn't even think past it, and only fought out of determination born from ten years of fighting for his life. And even that was dying now…and so was he. This was it, and his death was going to be his own fault…

 

XXX

 

“SAMMY, WAKE UP, MAN!” Dean shouted frantically, shaking his brother's shoulder. Sam, for once, paid him no attention, arching up off the floor and clawing at his blankets as another scream tore from his throat. “I thought you said he was fine,” Dean growled at Yukina as he pinned Sam to the pallet, his words strained from the effort.

 

His anger faltered slightly when he saw the fear in her eyes, but he was too scared for it to fade completely. “Help him!”

 

Yukina didn't even speak—she just ran over and crouched next to him, and the next time Sam lay flat for a moment, she reached out and placed a hand on his forehead, and closed her eyes.

 

XXX

 

The pain felt like it had been going on for hours, but somehow Sam knew that it was only a few minutes. At one point, he lost the ability to stand and just fell to his knees and then dropped flat on the ground, where he curled up in a ball and rocked back and forth and focused all his will on not giving in, because if he did, even for a moment, he wouldn't ever be able to come back.

 

Endless moments later, the force attacking him flickered, and weakened slightly. Sam instantly started to push himself to his feet—only to collapse again as the crippling pain hit once more.

 

XXX

 

“What's she doing?” Dean asked quietly, staring at Yukina, who looked to be in some kind of trance, her hand resting on Sam's forehead. Dean was still gripping a now-semi-quiet Sam's shoulder, his knuckles white, while the other three grouped themselves around the pallet. The demon was standing in the doorway, face still expressionless, though his posture seemed oddly stiff.

 

“I dunno,” Kuwabara replied. “But you can be sure that she's helping him.”

 

Dean looked up sharply at his tone, and the look he caught on Kuwabara's face probably would have made him smirk at another time. Now, though, he just gave a curt nod and turned back to his brother.

 

Ten seconds later, Yukina's eyes flew open and she jerked away from Sam with a gasp, falling back against the wall. She sat there, panting, and Kuwabara immediately jumped forward to help her. Out of the corner of his eye, Dean could have sworn he saw Hiei take a couple steps into the room, though he wasn't paying much attention.

 

“What happened?” Dean asked harshly, grabbing Sam with his other hand as Sam began to scream again.

 

“Something—something's hurting him. It…it's strong. Magic. Dark magic. Dean, I can't help him.”

 

“You have to!” Dean practically shouted, now trying to keep blind panic at bay.

 

“I can't. None of us can! It's too close—to his mind. Fighting it would only kill him. He's resisting, though, just as hard as he can. All we can do is try to get him to keep doing it.”

 

XXX

 

There was no warning before the attack ceased. One moment the pain was there, and then it was gone, leaving only an ache in every muscle to remind him. Sam lay still for a while, then cautiously uncurled his body and rolled onto his back, half-expecting the attack to resume with every movement.

 

When nothing happened, Sam slowly sat up and looked around at the endless gray fog. “What the hell was that?” He said it aloud, just to hear something other than the pressing silence.

 

“Something that is not happy with you would be my guess.”

 

Sam managed to turn his yell of surprise into a choked gasp as he twisted to find the source of the voice, and almost instantly his eyes fell on a man standing about five feet away. The man was studying him intently, his green eyes penetrating and a little sad. He wasn't tall, probably a few heads shorter than Sam, and he was skinny, though he didn't look unhealthy.

 

“How did—you know what, never mind. Who are you?”

 

The guy smiled. “No one important. Just someone trying to help.” He had a thick Irish accent that made Sam smile, even though he was in quite a bit of trouble, it would seem. “Are you all right?”

 

“I'm alive. More than I expected. Can you tell me what's going on?”

 

“You're asleep.”

 

“Duh. But what was that—”

 

“You shouldn't even need to ask, what with the life you lead. It was a demon. A nasty one, too—took everything I had to beat it back. But I can't hold it long—you have to get out of here before I lose my grip, so to speak.”

 

“But what's going on?”

 

“I can't tell you that. I'm sorry. But it isn't time yet.”

 

“Time? What—”

 

“Just trust me, okay? You'll understand. I promise. Just—not now.”

 

“Who are you?” Sam asked again, determined to find out something.

 

The guy smiled at him as he turned and began to walk away, replying over his shoulder, “You can call me…Doyle.”

 

XXX

 

Dean's heart stopped when Sam went still. In a flash he saw Yukina proclaiming his baby brother dead, and he saw Sam's funeral, and he saw their father finally showing his face for the first time in over six months to say goodbye to his younger son, and he saw himself traveling all alone again…

 

Then the visions faded and Dean grabbed Sam's wrist to feel for a pulse. It was there, strong and steady and normal, and Dean let his shoulders slump for a brief moment before steeling himself again. Meanwhile, Yukina reached out and touched Sam's forehead again. “His fever's breaking…” she murmured, sounding confused. “He seems fine.”

 

Dean tried to hide the fact that he was shaking as he sat back on his heels and raked a hand through his hair. “What was that?” he asked rhetorically. “I mean, he's had nightmares before, but this was…”

 

“Well, eh seems fine now,” Yukina said. “Why don't you…”

 

“I'm not leaving him again,” Dean said instantly, and this time he meant it.

 

“I didn't think you would,” she said, smiling. “I was going to ask if you would let me get you something to eat. There's no way anyone around here is getting any sleep tonight anyway, it's like three in the morning…”

 

Dean shook his head, too tired to find the time surprising. “I still want to know about you guys. I want to know why I'm still here when this place is hurting Sam. Now start talking.”

 

After a moment of silence, Kuwabara sighed and said, “You're gonna have to go first, Urameshi. This whole thing did start with you.”

 

Yusuke nodded and sat down cross-legged on the floor. The others followed suit and the demon walked over to lean against a wall, where he—Dean had forced himself to keep thinking of the thing this way, at least for now—remained motionless. Yusuke cleared his throat and began to speak in a low voice.

 

“Up until I was fourteen years old, I was a real bastard. You're smiling, but that's pretty much the only way to describe me. I picked fights with everyone, I enjoyed scaring people whenever and wherever the opportunity came, I hardly ever went to school…I was that guy you love to hate and I liked the reputation. My dad had been AWOL from the time I was born and my mother was a mess, drinking herself into oblivion every day for as long as I can remember. I'm not making excuses, but it's a fact that my childhood was a major contributing factor to my behavior.”

 

“And has that changed at all?” Dean asked seriously. “Because you still seem like a guy who's pretty into brute force.”

 

Yusuke grimaced. “I deserved that, I know. But to answer your question…a person can't go through what I did and not change. I wasn't the only one either—Kuwabara used to be a lot stupider.” He grinned and his friend scowled. “And Hiei used to be even more withdrawn…don't look at me like that, it's the truth, God as my witness. We all went through hell and we all changed—maybe with the exception of Genkai.”

 

“What happened?”

 

“I died. See, you're giving me that look again—oh, come on, don't be like that, man…”

 

Dean stood straight up, grabbing the axe he'd set down next to him during Sam's freak out. “So you're some kind of spirit, then? Is that it?”

 

“No. I don't know what I am, but I'm as alive as you are. Sit down, you're behaving like an animal. Listen, and you'll get it.” When Dean didn't move, Yusuke rolled his eyes and said, “I will swear on whatever the hell you want that I don't want to hurt you, okay? I only want to help.”

 

Dean glared at him and slowly laid his axe down and took his seat again. “I dunno why I keep doing this…”

 

“Because despite all of this you have a clear mind and good judgment and you can tell I'm not lying. Well, like I said, I died. I was hit by a car saving a little kid who had chased a ball into the road—something totally not like me, by the way—and the medics didn't get there in time. I know, really lame way to die, but nevertheless, it caused a huge uproar in the Reikai—the Spirit World. That's where all the souls of the departed go to be judged and to be sent on to whatever plane of existence they're meant for in their next life. Anyway, it turned out that I wasn't supposed to die that day—because seriously, who'd expect me to die saving someone?—so there wasn't a place prepared for me yet. And because of that, I got a second chance, and a choice: I could stay dead and go to another plane, or I could go through a test given to me by the Reikai prince, Koenma, and if I passed, I could return to life.”

 

“Well, I was sure there would be a catch somewhere, and so I didn't say anything right away. The person who had brought me the message—Botan, Pilot of the River Styx, special messenger for Koenma, in charge of ferrying souls to the Reikai—she's otherwise known as the Grim Reaper—”

 

Dean had made up his mind not to show his thoughts on his face, no matter what Yusuke said, but he couldn't keep the surprise off his face now. “You've met a Reaper?”

 

Yusuke shot him a puzzled look. “What do you mean a Reaper? Botan's the only one I know of, and she doesn't exactly belong to the black-robed scary-face crowd. She's a little weird, and way too perky for her own good, but she's…Botan, when all is said and done. I'm pretty sure there isn't more than one of her, thank God.”

 

“Oh, yes there ism—I've seen one, and he was definitely a man.”

 

“You saw one? That's…well, maybe I'm mistaken and Koenma has more than one Pilot…but even so, it's still true that people from the Reikai are only visible to people when they choose to be—and that usually only happens when you're already dead…but that means…” Large brown eyes fixed on Dean. “Well, well, well…looks like I'm not the only one who's had one foot in the grave.”

 

Dean shrugged. “It was no big deal. I had a heart attack a month or so ago. A pretty massive one, because of a high-voltage shock—hundred thousand volts. They gave me two weeks to a month.” He looked down at his brother then, and the look on his face would have tugged at anyone's heartstrings if they had any feelings at all. “Sam saved me. He took me to a faith healer, and I was cured. That was when I saw the Reaper. Long story short, it was bound to this insane-o chick who was using a spell to force it to save people she saw as good, and kill people she deemed wicked. Anyway, I've never seen another one since.”

 

Yusuke looked thoughtful. “Well, you are an odd one. Maybe Hiei was right…” He shook his head. “Anyway, where was I? Oh, right. Botan knew I was having a hard time deciding, and she told me she thought that maybe if I saw the reactions to my death it would help. So I went to check out my wake. I have to say, I wasn't expecting much. I didn't have any friends or anyone to care about me. So I was pretty shocked at the number or people. I mean, sure, most of them were kids from school who probably only came because it was expected, but here and there were people who were genuinely there to mourn. My mother was one. And this teacher from my school who's always tried to look out for me, though I never did do anything but make him miserable. You have no idea how bad I feel about that now. There was also Keiko, my girlfriend, who you probably won't meet, but I think you'd like her. She could smack you back into the Stone Age, I don't care how many demons you've fought. Kuwabara showed up, too—which I still don't get, considering how much we'd hated each other before I died.

 

“Anyways, it was those four who convinced me. I watched them mourn, and I watched them cry, and I made my decision and sealed my fate. I went and told Botan I wanted my life back.” Yusuke paused, brooding. “I still don't know if it was the right thing to do. I don't suppose I ever will. If there's one thing I've learned—and I've learned a lot—it's that the line between right and wrong is oftentimes to blurred it's impossible to distinguish between the two. But whether it was right or not, Botan took me to Koenma, and he gave me my test—in the form of an egg.

 

“There was absolutely nothing remarkable about that egg. It was just a little brown-gold thing. I thought it was a chicken egg at first. Then Koenma explained that it was the egg of a spirit beast. My test would be to keep it until it hatched. The egg would feed off my actions and feelings, and they would influence the creature's personality. If I was a good person—inside where it counted—the egg would hatch and the thing inside would be good and I would be returned to life. If I proved to be evil, so would the thing in the egg, and when it hatched it would devour me, soul and all.

 

“I never finished the test.”

 

“What? What happened?” Dean asked, because despite his reservations he was really getting into this story.

 

Yusuke smiled wryly. “Well, during my test, I didn't have a lot to do, so I took to watching my house, where my mother had put my body on the floor on a pallet when Koenma had put a pulse back in me so I wouldn't be cremated. When I wasn't watching the house I was going berserk from boredom or stalking Keiko and Kuwabara. Well, one day when I was following Keiko, she went to my house like she sometimes did, to take care of me. That day happened to be the hottest, driest day of the year so far and, as is completely my luck, some idiot chose to set my house on fire—with Keiko inside. She could've gotten our, but…she wouldn't leave me there.

 

“Botan was with me when it happened, and for a minute or two she watched me try every conceivable way to get Keiko out of there. And then she told me that there was another way. She said that if I took my egg and threw it in the fire, the creature inside would know what I wanted and it would save Keiko. But if I did that, my chance to go back would be gone.

 

“I threw the egg in the fire, and everything went exactly as Botan said. Energy from the egg stopped the fire and Keiko was able to get out with my body. I thought it was all over then—because Botan had told me so—but later Koenma came to me and told me that because I had chosen the unselfish path I would be brought back to life anyway.

 

“And he did it, too. He kept his word, and brought me back. But that's not the end…it's nowhere near the end.”

 

“Plus, this is where we come in, so it's bound to get interesting,” Kuwabara added, and Dean caught the smile before it could show on his face.

 

“Y'see, Koenma didn't exactly give me back my life for free. It came with a job—and I really had no choice in the matter, either. Soon after I got back, I was made the Spirit Detective of Earth, working directly for Koenma. It was my job to keep peace in the Three Realms by destroying anything that wanted to hurt humans.”

 

“Yeah, and a bang-up job you're doing, too,” Dean muttered.

 

“Right, about that…I'm confused. I really don't know how all those things escaped notice, but I'm sorry for it. You shouldn't have to do what you do. Actually, you probably shouldn't be doing it at all. It's not generally safe for humans, and…”

 

“Back off, little man,” Dean snapped, and Yusuke fell silent. “Don't you ever patronize me like that again. Nothing has ever been safe for me or Sam, and that has nothing to do with the fact that we're human. It's because of the number we've killed. And that's my choice. I could quit this life, sure. But I'm never going to, and don't assume that I'm going to stop on a word from anyone, whether it be a random guy on the street or your Koenma himself.”

 

“I'm sorry,” Yusuke said quietly. “I didn't realize…”

 

“I know that. Don't worry about it. Just watch it,” Dean said gruffly. “Go on.”

 

“Right. Well, my first real job as Spirit Detective was to participate in a contest to become the apprentice to Genkai here. She was actually a pretty good fighter…back in the day.”

 

“I can still kick the crap out of you,” Genkai said reflexively, her response apparently conditioned by long experience.

 

“There were hundreds of people there,” Yusuke went on, flashing Genkai a cocky grin. “And one of them was Kuwabara, who got roped into participating even though he only wanted to see Genkai because his vibes were acting up.”

 

“Vibes?”

 

“Yeah. I get…feelings…sometimes. I can sense spirits, and judge peoples' power levels, stuff like that,” Kuwabara explained.

 

“You don't get…visions…do you?” Dean asked, his mouth suddenly rather dry.

 

“Are you serious?” Kuwabara scoffed. “That's…what's that American movie…with the scary man who wrote the book that said the same thing over and over? The Shining. That's like The Shining.”

 

Dean couldn't help it—he threw back his head and laughed until tears came into his eyes. The looks he got only made him laugh harder. “I'm sorry,” he murmured when he was able to talk again. “That's what I said when Sam—never mind. So you two were in this contest to be her apprentice…” He nodded at Genkai. “Who won?”

 

“Urameshi, obviously. I ended up breaking most of the bones in my body,” Kuwabara said, smiling.

 

That brought up a whole new set of questions, but Dean knew that if he asked them now he would never get the full story, so he filed them away for later.

 

“Well, anyways, after I won I went into training for six months, and by the time I was done I was the most powerful human in the world.” Again, what should have been bragging was nothing other than a simple fact.

 

“So how'd you meet him?” Dean asked, nodding at Hiei, who still hadn't moved.

 

Yusuke chuckled at this. “Oh, I was sent to arrest him and this other guy when they were on a take-over-the-world kick—well, Hiei was anyway—the other guy was just trying to help someone. The story would bore you greatly, but we ended up fighting, he kicked the crap outta me, the other guy showed up, got stabbed by accident, Hiei and I fought some more, I won—sort of, anyway00and Hiei and the other guy, who was still alive, remarkably, got put on probation.”

 

Dean nodded curtly—he really wasn't sure how much he wanted to know about the demon right now, anyway. “What about you, Yukina? Where do you come into this?” This insanity…

 

Yukina looked down at her lap and Dean was startled to notice her hands shaking ever so slightly.

 

“I'm sorry,” he said quickly. “Just forget it.”

 

“I was taken captive by a man who very much wanted the money I could provide him,” Yukina said, sounding so overly composed that Dean knew she was trying hard to stay calm. “Yusuke and Kuwabara were sent to get me. And…and Hiei followed them, too.”

 

The demon shifted and even made a sound like he was about to speak, but he let Yukina continue uninterrupted.

 

“He, more than anyone else, wanted to get me out, you see. He had been…searching for me for a very long time, you see. And when he found out that I was being tortured for money…”

 

“I don't think I've ever seen Hiei that angry before or since,” Yusuke broke in, with no trace of humor in his tone. “I don't care if I never see it again, either.”

Well, anyway, they all managed to save me, and I went back home for a while, but I came back here to—to look for my brother. I already knew him then, but he never told me who he was, so I continued my search.”

 

“Your brother? Who—oh, you have got to be kidding me.” Dean groaned as he suddenly figured out why Yukina's eyes had seemed so familiar. “Him?”

 

“Yes. Hiei is my brother,” Yukina replied steadily. “He never told me so—he never would have, if not for his—if not for someone else. But anyway, you asked how I came to be here, and now you know.”

 

“Okay, there are some serious blanks that need filling here. Like, who is that `other guy' who was there when you met Hiei? And how did you all end up on the same side?”

 

“Well, the `other guy' you'll probably meet. His name's Kurama, but he's not exactly here. And as for how we all ended up on the same side—they showed up on one of my jobs with Kuwabara, and after they helped us take care of that they showed up for something else, and it all sort of spiraled from there.” Yusuke shrugged. “And here we are.”

 

“Huh. Interesting. And about Hiei—I get the feeling you're leaving stuff out.”

 

“You're right, I am. And it's gonna stay that way. That story is Hiei's alone, and I can't share secrets that aren't mine.”

 

And though Dean wanted to argue, he knew it was completely useless. “So…how exactly did Sam and I get all healed up in five hours?”

 

“Yukina did that,” Kuwabara answered. “She's got these amazing healing powers…”

 

“Oh.” That really should have surprised him way more than it did. “Thanks,” Dean said to Yukina, who smiled in reply. “And…why were we attacked in the first place?”

 

Yusuke shrugged. “Well, that's the question, isn't it? From what Hiei was willing to say—and that was less than usual—he attacked you because he thought you were going to hurt someone. Which really wasn't such a leap—you guys were packing some serious heat. But you said you were demon-hunting and I believe you. What I don't get it how Hiei lost. Or at least he ended up backing off. We've been waiting for one of you to wake up so we could ask you what happened, since Hiei's not talking right now.”

 

“I don't know what happened,” Dean replied. “I was hoping you guys could tell me. One minute we were pulling a John Wayne…”

 

“I'm sorry? That must be another American phrase…”

 

“Yeah. Just means we were facing off with Hiei over there. Anyway, then he disappeared, Sam yelled, and the next thing I knew he was lying in my lap with a hole in his arm and his face one big bruise. I didn't see a thing.” He shook his head. “I guess it was some kind of time fold, but why didn't it affect Sam?”

 

“It wasn't a time fold,” Yusuke said thoughtfully. “Hiei doesn't need them…”

 

“Care to share?”

 

“He can move practically at hyper speed,” Yusuke explained. “It's just one of those things some demons do. But he did say your brother fought him, and if you didn't see any of it…well, the only thing I can think of is that your brother…”

 

“He was moving as fast as Hiei?” Dean finished, every inch of him showing skepticism. “No. There's—it's something else. Sam is not—” A freak…God, what next?

 

“I'm sorry, but it's the only explanation that makes even a little bit of sense. The confusing thing is, he's definitely human—”

 

“Of course he is!” Dean said loudly, his voice ricocheting off the walls. Sam shifted uneasily, and Dean forced his voice back to normal volume. “Of course he's human! He may be a weird, geek human, but he's still a person!”

 

“Which is exactly my point,” Yusuke said calmly. “His energy isn't the least bit different from an average human's. He shouldn't be able to match Hiei in a million years. But he did and we have to figure out how.”

 

“Why, though? I mean, it was probably just a freak thing. Once-in-a-lifetime deal.” Even as he said it, a little voice in Dean's head mocked, And how many times in our lives has it actually been a freak thing?

 

“And how likely is that, exactly?” Kuwabara asked, unconsciously echoing Dean's thoughts. “Not so much, huh? And if he can't control it, it's worse. That means it could happen again, or he could discover something else. He might hurt you, or himself, completely unintentionally.”

 

Dean looked from face to face, and they all looked back at him without speaking. Last of all, he looked at the demon, Hiei, who met his gaze unflinchingly, his eyes holding a flicker of something that Dean couldn't place. The fact that he allowed them to show anything threw Dean, though, and after a moment he swallowed and said, “What do you want me to do?”

 

XXX

 

Sam left the gray place soon after the stranger Doyle disappeared. It wasn't a conscious decision or anything resembling it. He just remembered Doyle saying how he needed to leave, and suddenly he felt an odd tug at his body, as if someone had thrown a rope around him and was trying to drag him off. Then the fog faded away, and suddenly Sam was plunged into a whirlwind of color, noise, and confusion, through which a picture or scene became clear from time to time.

 

It was comforting, in a way, to be back in the normal, regular dreams.

 

XXX

 

He saw Dean first. His brother was just standing there, watching Sam, eyes narrow and face hard. Sam knew, instinctively, that Dean was worrying about something, but before he could say anything, John Winchester appeared behind Dean, so close that the two of them were practically touching.

 

Standing there, facing Sam, the two looked remarkably similar. The only real difference was in their expressions. Dean still showed nothing but worry—about what?—but John looked angry. Sam knew that look well, having received it many a time growing up, but what could his father be mad about now? He hadn't seen his sons in six months! How on earth could he be mad at them?

 

And even more importantly—to Sam anyway—what was Dean worried about?

 

XXX

 

He was in a city now. A big city, complete with thirty-story buildings and thousands of cars everywhere. It was night, and pedestrians surrounded him, but almost immediately Sam's attention was drawn to one man.

 

There was nothing unusual to draw attention. He was just a man, with brown hair and dark eyes, dressed all in black, standing at the corner where two roads met. No one else seemed to notice him, but to Sam everything about him screamed TAKE NOTE: I'M A REBEL!

 

Then the guy looked around once, and melted into the darkness of an alleyway between two buildings. Sam followed, not really sure why but knowing it was important. Not a minute later. He had slipped into the alleyway, and a second after that he caught sight of the stranger again—beating on another, smaller guy who seemed to be putting up a terrific fight.

 

“Hey!” Sam yelled, taking a step forward…

 

XXX

 

And finding himself in a graveyard. It was still night, but he didn't seem to be anywhere near the huge city anymore. Here, it was dark, and there was no hum of traffic or babble of voices. But this place did have something in common with that alleyway—there was a fight going on, not even ten feet ahead of Sam.

 

He couldn't make anything out at all beyond moving black shapes. But he could tell that the smaller figure was winning. As Sam watched, the larger one was tossed over a gravestone, and the other followed a second later. Sam saw the person reach for something and then kneel down over the one struggling to his feet.

 

The next second, there was a strangled yell, and then silence fell.

 

XXX

 

Sam woke up.

 

Actually, at first he wasn't quite sure he was awake. His thoughts were still in a whirl, like they always were during his dreams. Plus, he was once again in a place he didn't recognize with no idea of how he had gotten there.

 

But things felt real, in a way they never did in dreams. He could feel the cotton of his shirt brushing his skin as he shifted, and he could feel the blankets covering him…and he could feel the absence of pain.

 

That was odd, but he didn't know why. He couldn't remember—his memory was just a blank stretch from the moment he had fallen down with his arm laid open until now.

 

That probably should have been alarming, but he felt only confusion. There was something…peaceful…about this room, and it seemed to block any really negative things. Or maybe it was his own mind that did that—he wasn't sure.

 

But then, the next moment, Sam forgot all about the peace, in favor of the thought that suddenly struck him. Where was Dean? He remembered falling on top of his brother, and he remembered telling Dean that he was all right, but then nothing. For all Sam knew, that demon had…

 

Before he could complete the grisly thought, though, footsteps sounded outside the closed door. Sam closed his eyes and smiled his relief—he recognized the slow, careful tread, and knew who it was before the door opened and Dean stepped in.

 

He looked okay, all things considered, though his every movement bespoke exhaustion. But the important thing was that he didn't seem to have any stab wounds or bruises or anything other than the old scars that marked him as a warrior. Dean was fine.

 

Sam had reached that verdict by the time Dean closed the door, turned around, and saw Sam watching him. In an instant, most of the tightness left his shoulders, and his haggard features softened into a relieved grin. The fact that he didn't try to hide the relief was startling, and it made Sam wonder how long he'd actually been out for.

 

“Hi.”

 

Sam found himself chucking at Dean's greeting. “Hi? That's all you're gonna say?”

 

Dean shrugged and came over to kneel next to him. “Well, I was gonna jump to `how ya feelin'' if you'd wait a minute.” His tone was light, but Sam knew it was a serious question when Dean gave him the patented Winchester appraising stare.

 

“Well, that depends. We're not dead, right?”

 

“Does it feel like we are?”

 

“Are we held here against our wills?”

 

“We could leave if we wanted, I guess.”

 

“And you're not hurt?”

 

“Nope.”

 

“Then I'm good.”

 

Dean rolled his eyes at the undeniable chick-flickness of that last part, but he chose to ignore it for the time being.

 

“Are we still in Japan, Dean?” Sam asked suddenly.

 

“No, Sam, I just dragged your dead weight onto a plane and flew us back across the world.”

 

Sam shrugged at the sarcasm. “Well, I never know with you. So we're still in Japan. Where?”

 

“A temple. It belongs to this really old, unbelievably scary chick. She's putting us up for awhile.”

 

“How…did that demon bring us here?”

 

“Not on his own.”

 

“Dean, will you stop dancing around the subject and tell me what's going on? Where's the demon now? And who helped him bring us here? And why are we here?”

 

Dean looked carefully at him, as if trying to decide something. “Can you get up?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Can you get up?” Dean repeated, with exaggerated patience. “As in, get up off the floor and come with me?”

 

“Um…yeah…but…”

 

“Good. C'mere, then,” Dean said, reaching out and grabbing hold of Sam's shoulder and gently raising him up. Sam stumbled as he got to his feet, then steadied himself on Dean's arm and let his brother lead him to the door.

 

XXX

 

When the brothers got to the kitchen, they found five people sitting around the table, wearing expressions of annoyance and impatience. Two of them were arguing in Japanese at the moment, though the others looked likely to jump in at any time.

 

“Who's Koenma?” Sam asked quietly, leaning against the wall.

 

“What?”

 

“They're arguing about whether to go talk to Koenma first. Who's he? And what're they planning that they need to talk about with him?”

 

“You speak Japanese?”

 

“Enough to get by on. I picked it up at school. Who're these guys, Dean?”

 

Instead of replying, Dean cleared his throat loudly, and as one the five turned their heads toward the door. Sam started a little as he realized that one of the guys that had been arguing was the demon.

 

They all stared at him, and Sam shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. There was something about their eyes when they looked at him…he couldn't put his finger on it, but it made him uncomfortable.

 

“So you finally woke up,” the guy who had been arguing with the demon said, pushing back his chair and standing up. “I'm Yusuke. That's Kuwabara, Genkai, Yukina, and Hiei. Are you feeling better?”

 

“Uh…yeah, I'm fine…”

 

“Here, sit down,” Yusuke said, gesturing to the chair he'd just vacated. “So has Dean talked to you yet?”

 

Sam glanced at his brother, who was pouring himself a cup of coffee as if he'd been here all his life, and simply shook his head, letting his look of confusions speak for him.

 

“I figured I'd let you guys do it,” Dean explained as he came back over and slid a cup to Sam. “Y'know, before we figure out what we're gonna do next.”

 

XXX

 

“You're not serious.”

 

Sam said it quietly, looking around at Yusuke, Kuwabara, Genkai, Yukina, and finally, Hiei. When they all looked back at him without a word, he turned frantic eyes to Dean, who tried to send him a silent “Don't panic” message. Apparently, though, he didn't succeed, because when Sam spoke again, his voice had risen and his voice was oddly tight, as if his throat were constricted. “I'm not…I can't move that fast! I've never been able to move that fast! I…” His words trailed off then, and he simply sat there looking desperate.

 

The last hour and a half had been spent catching Sam up. The conversation had been punctuated often by Sam's questions, cumulating in this last frightened inquiry. Outside, the sky was lightening and the stars were quickly fading. Dean could hardly believe that it had only been a day since their plane had landed in Japan—all he wanted to do was go to sleep for a year and forget the insanity he had been plunged into.

 

“I know you don't want to believe it, but it's true, and the sooner you accept it the sooner you can do something about it,” Yusuke said, his gentle tone a contrast to the roughness of his words. “That's what we were talking about with your brother while you were out.

 

“Yeah? Come up with anything?” Sam asked, sounding sulky but determined not to act like a child.

 

“No—” Dean began, but Yusuke cut him off.

 

“We think we may have figured something out.” He ignored Dean's look and focused instead on Sam. “See, we have this guy stationed in California right now, on a job. He's our resident smarty, and I think that he may be able to help find out what's going on.”

 

“So you want us to go to California and meet him?” Dean asked, surprised at how much he liked the idea. But at least California was familiar territory, unlike this place where the entire world suddenly seemed turned upside down.

 

“Exactly. But what we can't decide is when. I think we should talk to Koenma about it first, see if he had any ideas. But he's been busy lately, and when I tried to contact him—a bit before you woke up, Sam—he couldn't see us. And Hiei says we can't afford to wait, but I think that he's think of something besides…”

 

“Detective.”

 

“Well, anyway, that's the general gist of our situation,” Yusuke finished, glancing at Hiei with a barely noticeable smirk.

 

“Ah. Well, while you guys are talking about that…can I see you?”

Sam shrugged, and got up to follow Dean into the hallway as the others gathered again and picked up the debate where they'd left off. Once they were outside the room, Dean turned to Sam and said abruptly, “Did you dream?”

 

Sam looked puzzled for a moment, as if he had been expecting something else. “What do you mean?”

 

“Sam, you know what I mean. Not three hours ago I was holding you down to your bed while you nearly killed yourself thrashing around. I know what your nightmares look like, Sam, and you were definitely having one. But this time it was worse. I thought you were dying, man, and so did all those other people in there. So I just want to know if it was the usual stuff or…something else.”

 

Sam leaned carefully against the wall, facing his brother, and didn't say anything.

 

“Sam?”

 

“…I don't remember.”

 

“What?”

 

“I don't remember. I can't remember a thing from the time I passed out.”

 

Dean quirked an eyebrow. “Well, that's…weird. That ever happened before.”

 

“No, never. But it's probably nothing to worry about.”

 

“Yeah…maybe you're right.” But both of them were unconvinced, and Dean looked like he very much wanted to say something else, but right then Kuwabara popped his head out of the kitchen.

 

“Hey, guys, we think we may have a solution, if you want to hear it.”

 

After he'd ducked out, the two stared at each other for a minute, then Dean shrugged and headed back to the kitchen.

 

The group had separated again, and now only Genkai and Yukina sat at the table. Yusuke was sitting on the counter, legs hanging, with Kuwabara leaning next to him. Hiei was perched on the windowsill, staring out at the sunrise, looking almost normal. Dean was surprised at the gentle, almost-happy look on his face, but he immediately placed his guard up again, determined not to let it down at any point when around Hiei, even if he found himself starting to trust the others, if reluctantly.

 

“Okay, so here's the deal: we think we've found a way that you can leave for the States today, tonight at the latest,” Yusuke said, jumping straight in. “Now, please hear me out before you say anything—”

“Uh-oh.”

 

“No, Dean, not `uh-oh,' just…it is what it is, okay? So, anyways, we decided that you should leave for California as soon as possible, and go to meet the guy we told you about. And one of us will go with you, obviously, but the rest should stay behind for now, to try and get hold of Koenma and take care of things on this end. We'll fly out to meet you within a few days, though.”

 

“And who is it that'll come with us?” Dean asked, with the nagging suspicion that he already knew the answer, but needing to have the worst confirmed.

 

Yusuke looked away uncomfortably. “Well…we were thinking Hiei should…”

 

“No. Forget it.”

 

Yusuke sighed and rubbed his forehead with one hand. “Come on, man! Will you please just try and get over this bigotry toward demons…for now, at least?”

 

“Oh, yeah, because they're all such happy little guys who don't do anything wrong. Next you'll be feeding me the old `they're just misunderstood' line…”

 

“Dean!” The sudden venom in Yusuke's voice was startling. “Will you just trust us? I know Hiei hurt your brother, but we explained about that! And I know that other demons have hurt your family—a lot—but Hiei isn't like that, I swear! He's saved at least as many lives as you have, and he doesn't deserve to be treated that way. So get over it, already.”

 

Dean felt the beginnings of shame, but he suppressed it as best he could. “That's easy enough to say. But trying to get over more than twenty years of suffering at the hands everything hell can throw at a single human being takes a while. It can't be done in a day.”

 

“I know, but…listen, I'm sorry for jumping on you like that. But you have to understand. Hiei is my friend. The way he's glaring at me right now may not give that impression, but it's the truth even though he'll never come out and say it no matter how long we're together. And I don't want to listen to you bad-mouth him anymore. Can't you at least try?” When Dean remained silent, looking carefully at the wall just to the left of Yusuke's shoulder, Yusuke sighed and said, “Listen, I'm not going to force you to do anything. I could, but…you deserve to be able to make your own decisions. So…why don't you two go and…talk this out? We'll be here whenever you make your decision.”

 

XXX

 

“We should go.”

 

“Sam, you can't be serious! He's a demon, for God's sake!”

 

“I know, but…Dean, if this guy can really help me figure out what the hell I am, if he can give me—us—answers, then…I want to go. And…I don't know, but he seems trustworthy enough. I don't think he'll hurt us.”

 

“He already has.”

 

“But like Yusuke said, there was an explanation for that. Dean, I know you'll never forgive him for hurting me, but—”

 

“Aw, come on, man, don't turn this into a chick-flick thing…”

 

“It's not chick-flick, it's just you. But you've got to set that aside, and just think. They're right, Dean, I'm dangerous like this. And I'd rather die than hurt you by accident. It's the last thing I want. If we can prevent that, then shouldn't we take the chance?”

 

Silence.

 

“Dean, please…I won't go if you don't, but…God, I want to know! I need to know. Please?”

 

XXX

 

“Well? What's the verdict?”

 

“Well, I honestly can't believe I'm saying this, but—count us in.”

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

AN: Well, that chapter certainly turned out longer than I'd planned…sorry it took so long! I hope it was worth the wait. Review, please!!!

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

“Prejudices, it is well known, are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilized by education; they grow there, firm as weeds among rocks.” -Charlotte Bronte

 

“Everyone is a prisoner of his own experience. No one can eliminate prejudices--just recognize them.” -Edward R. Murrow