Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction ❯ In Omnia Paratus ❯ That's A Wrap ( Epilogue )

AN: Well, here it is, ladies and gentlemen! Your epilogue! drum roll Enjoy!

 

- - - - - - - - - - -

 

Sam, Dean, Kurama, Angel and Cordelia all left before the sun came up the next day. They didn't all leave at once, but it was close enough.

 

Kurama, Hiei, Yusuke and Kuwabara left first, taking a portal that they brought up in the Summers kitchen as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Dean and Sam were the only ones who didn't show any surprise—the others gave confused inquiries, and Giles expressed an interest in studying the thing until Yusuke mentioned how easy it would be for the librarian to fall through it.

 

Yusuke and Kuwabara hung back while Kurama said goodbye to everyone, each time promising to call. Hiei didn't say anything, but he looked extremely surly, which usually meant that he was upset about something and didn't want anyone to know it.

 

“Hey, shrimp, come over here a sec.”

 

Hiei glowered, but for some reason he didn't seem inclined to dispute the nickname. He went over to Dean and snapped, “What do you want?”

 

“Well, you're in a much better mood than usual,” Dean said pleasantly. Hiei frowned at him, and Dean rolled his eyes. “Look, all I wanted to say was thanks for helping us. And especially for…uh…well, you know. Just figured I'd better say it now, since I hope I won't ever have to see you again.”

 

Hiei glared at him. “There is absolutely no reason for us to even be on the same continent ever again. Don't even imply such a thing.”

 

“I wasn't!” Dean protested. “Thought horrifies me too, you know.”

 

“Well, you thanked me. Can I go now?”

 

Dean laughed suddenly. “Yeah, get outta here. Go make out with your man.”

 

“Freak,” Hiei muttered, but as he walked away, Dean could have sworn he'd heard the little demon add, “Have a good life.”

 

Dean was still staring at him when he disappeared through the portal after Kurama, Yusuke and Kuwabara. He only snapped out of it when Cordelia and Angel came over to him and Sam to say their goodbyes.

“This is my number in L.A.,” Cordelia said, handing Sam a folded piece of paper. “Call us, okay?”

 

Sam smiled at her. “Yeah. Promise. It may be a while, though.”

 

Cordelia nodded, and then surprised Sam by grabbing him in a hug. When she stepped back, her eyes were bright. “Good luck. To both of you.”

 

“I hope you find what you're looking for,” Angel added, shaking Dean's hand.

 

“Thank you,” Sam said to Cordelia, so softly that only she heard.

 

“Anytime,” she said, smiling. “Angel, we need to go. Sun'll be up soon and you need to be in the car by then…”

 

As they were leaving, Dean grabbed his brother's arm. “Dude, how did you do that?”

 

“Do what?”

 

“How did you get a hug and her number?”

 

Sam looked clueless.

 

“…You know what, never mind,” Dean said, disgusted. “Hey, was it just me, or did they seem a little…”

 

“Nervous?” Sam asked. “Yeah…let's try not to think too much about what that could mean, eh?”

 

The Winchesters were the last to leave. Sam went among the group for goodbyes, but Buffy drew Dean aside, instead.

 

“Before you go, I just wanted you to know something—”

 

“You don't like me,” Dean said, cutting her off. “And you probably never will. Is that the gist of it?”

 

“Well, I wasn't planning to be so harsh.”

 

Dean chuckled. “Yes, you were. You're a tough girl, I can tell. Don't take crap from people. It's cool.”

 

“You're flirting with me.”

 

“Is it working?”

 

“…GET IN THAT RENTAL AND LEAVE BEFORE I KICK YOU BACK TO THE STONE AGE!”

 

“…Guess not.” Dean smiled. “Well, fair enough. Hey, Sammy, let's get outta here,” he called to his brother, who was trying to fit in one last apology to Willow for her arm and to everyone else for…everything else.

 

“Hey, Dean?” Buffy said as Dean started toward the rental car.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Good fight.”

 

Dean watched her walk away, and he sighed. “Damn, but she's hot!”

 

XXX

 

 

Sacramento, California

 

“Oh, my baby. Daddy's home,” Dean sighed rapturously, patting the hood of his car.

 

Sam snorted. “You know, your relationship with that car is just disturbing.” But his hand strayed to the hood of the car as he got in, and a small smile crossed his face. “So where are we going next, anyway?”

 

Dean shrugged and started the car. “I was checking the `net while you were locked in with Cordelia. We have what looks like a poltergeist in Nevada, and also a series of really weird car accidents in Washington. Both seem pretty routine. You get to choose.”

 

“And what a wonder it is,” Sam sighed, leaning back in the seat and closing his eyes as the car pulled out of the lot.

 

“You all right” Dean asked, back to masking his concern.

 

“Yeah, just a little beat. But they did warn me about that. I'll be fine in a day or so.”

 

Dean nodded, but continued to drive without replying. Sam closed his eyes again, and miles passed in silence. Then, suddenly, Sam sat up, opened his eyes, and asked, “Are you all right?”

 

“What?” Dean asked, sounding baffled by the question.

 

“Well, it's just that you hardly said a word the whole way here for the car, and since then you've talked only to the car. Is something wrong?”

 

Dean shook his head. “No…no, nothing.”

 

“Uh…okay,” Sam said, but he made it perfectly obvious that he didn't buy it.

 

Dean sighed, keeping his eyes on the road as he spoke. “It's just…I didn't tell you before, because I didn't see any reason to, but…in the hospital, when Doyle was there, he did tell me the possible consequences of…bringing you back. And…well, he explained that it was possible that you had already gone on to a higher plane. That…” His voice dropped a notch. “That you were with Mom.”

 

Sam looked down at his knees and didn't answer.

 

“And when I heard that…I thought about how happy you might be, how much better off, and then…I told Doyle to bring you back, without another thought. And I think…I think that's bothering me.”

 

“Why?” Sam asked. “Because you care?”

 

“No, not because I care. And we'll get back to you making me sound like a girl. It's because I didn't. I knew you might be happy for once, and then I just did what I wanted.” Dean sighed heavily. “I don't know how to explain it.”

 

“Just…just forget about all that and listen to me for a sec, okay? Dean, I'm so glad that you care as much as you obviously do, okay? That's all that matters to me, so stop beating yourself up, brother.”

 

“You are making me sound like a chick, Sammy. You know the rules about that.”

 

“Never, ever, ever make Dean sound like a girl, a gay man, a pansy, or anything else that means he has to braid someone's hair,” Sam reeled off.

 

“Right,” Dean said with a chuckle. “So…uh…what was it like?”

 

“Being possessed?” Sam guessed. Dean nodded. “Well…at first it was painful. You saw that. That was the worst part. I didn't think it was ever gonna end. But then it did, and everything was just…gray. Everywhere. It was…boring.” Dean smiled at his choice of words. “And then…after Doyle came…”

 

“Wait, Doyle came to see you?”

 

“Mm-hmm. I asked him what was going on, and he explained about the possession. And then I asked what was going to happen if you couldn't stop it, and…and then everything changed from gray to black, Doyle shouted something and then disappeared—I think he got kicked out by something—and the next thing I knew, I was trying to kill you guys and I couldn't control my own body. And there was so much power—it was ripping me apart, Dean.” Dean winced. “I mean, Giles explained to me where it all came from before we left, but it's still a little scary to think that the demon used me for something like that. Why do you think it chose me?”

 

Dean debated with himself for a moment, and then lied. “I don't know.” Sam shrugged and didn't ask again, and another few miles passed. “Hey, Sammy?” Dean asked hesitantly.

 

Sam turned to look at him, and in that moment, Sam knew the question his older brother was going to ask, Dean knew the answer, and no verbalization was required.

 

“Are we gonna be all right, Sammy? I mean, are we gonna get past this?”

 

Sam just smiled a little at him, and then proceeded to do one of Dean's all time least favorite things.

 

“The tree that never had to fight—For the sun and sky and air and light—But stood out in the open rain—And always got its share and rain—Never became a forest king—But lived and died a scrubby thing—Good timber does not grow with ease—The stronger wind the stronger tree.”

 

“Dude, I hate it when you quote Malloch.”

 

“You like it better than Tennyson.”

 

Dean smiled. “So is that your freaky way of answering `yes' to my question?”

 

“Mm-hmm.”

 

“Go to sleep, geek boy.”

 

“Okay,” Sam mumbled, closing his eyes, done with his humanitarian act for the day. For a few moments, the only sound was of Dean and Sam breathing, and the hum of the car engine. Then suddenly Sam asked, without opening his eyes, “Dean?”

 

“Yeah, little brother?”

 

“Could you turn on the radio?”

 

Dean looked at him for a moment, then smiled and reached out to turn on one of his Led Zeppelin tapes.

 

The next time he looked at Sam, his little brother was asleep.

 

As the miles and minutes dropped by, Dean found himself thinking, once again, how close it had come. How he had almost lost his brother. And then he pictured what could have happened: Sam could have died, and instead of being in his car, listening to Zeppelin, happier than he had been in a long time, with Sam sleeping next to him—Dean could have been alone, in silence, and grieving.

 

If he believed in God, he would have been sending up an extremely heartfelt thanks right about now.

 

He laughed aloud when he realized what he'd just told himself, and looked up into the sky that was, for once, blue instead of dismal, depressing gray. As he turned his eyes back to the road stretching endlessly in front of him, an extremely random phrase jumped into his head and just stuck there.

 

In omnia paratus.

 

Ready for anything.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Well, it's finished. And as always, I'm completely brokenhearted over it. sniffle This is my favorite story out of all of them I've written, and now it's over. Can't blame me for being a little sad, can you?

 

Well, moving beyond my pity party—a big, humongous, loving thank you for all of my terrific reviewers! Even if you only sent in one, it made me happy! You guys are my inspiration! You have to share the title with my boys and that beautiful car of theirs, though…

 

Oh, and also, little note: I have no idea when you can expect my next fic. I'm going away for a week and I don't know how much time I'll have to write where I'll be. But I do know what it's gonna be about! So it shouldn't be too long. Hopefully.

 

Just in case anyone cares, ya know.

 

Thank you all very much, sayonara, bye-bye, please take care of yourself!

 

—Adara-chan

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." -Confucius

 

“Evil is always possible. Goodness is a difficulty.”-Anne Rice

 

“Darkness never really goes away once you've seen it. You just learn to see the light in darkness. In fact, once you've seen the darkness, the light is brighter.” -Anne Rice

 

“Don't adventures ever have an end? I suppose not. Someone must always carry on the story.” -Bilbo Baggins, Lord of the Rings

 

“Thinking of you, wherever you are.

We pray for our sorrows to end,

And hope that our hearts will blend.

Now I will step forward to realize this wish.

And who knows:

Starting a new journey may not be so hard.

Or maybe it has already begun.

There are many worlds,

But they share the same sky—

One sky, one destiny.”

-Kingdom Hearts II