Legend Killer Chapter 23

Mark actually looked proud. "Well, kid. We did it. We saved the world."

"We were lucky," Roman croaked, his voice was so hoarse he could barely talk. But still…"And don't call me kid." He scanned the area looking for Dean and found him several feet away. His brother was still unconscious, lying beside the body of the Beast. Turning away from Mark, Roman trudged over to Dean and reached down to feel his neck for a pulse, just to reassure himself Dean was still alive. Blood was leaking from Dean's nose and ears. His crushed cheekbone was swollen to twice its normal size. Bending over made Roman's head swim and the pain in his arm and ribs nearly had him on the ground next to Dean. He tried to draw a deeper breath but couldn't. He closed his eyes to will the pain away. It didn't work. Giving up, Roman's knees slowly buckled and he landed in the dirt near Dean. He put his good hand out to steady himself. He felt far, far older than his twenty-nine years.

"Take it easy there, kid," Mark told him as he motioned to Hideo to go over and help Roman. Mark himself was deliberately staying near Randy in order to quickly intervene if Randy's fragile mental state started to unravel. He could see the dazed look in the Legend Killer's eyes as Randy watched Roman. Nodding, Hideo cautiously approached Roman and knelt down beside him. Itami started to examine him but Roman, who had no idea who Hideo was, glared suspiciously at the newcomer. Seeing Roman's hostile reaction to Hideo, Finn joined them, both to reassure Roman that his friend was legitimate and to protect Hideo if Roman tried anything. That didn't necessarily reassure Roman, who could sense the demon inside of Finn. But he was just too hurt and mentally worn out to put up much of a fuss. Besides, Mark seemed to have enough faith in Hideo to send him over to help. However he did look over at Mark again, who nodded that he should let Hideo do what needed doing. With a tired sigh, Roman acquiesced, but he kept himself between Dean and the strangers.

Back where the others were standing, Randy turned and abruptly embraced Punk, holding his normally aloof friend tightly. He could feel how uncomfortable Punk was in his arms, but Randy didn't care. He had truly believed his friend was lost to him when he had been possessed by Nexus. Punk being alive and whole was nothing short of a miracle. Finally he released Punk and stepped back, studying him critically. There was no sign of Nexus in Punk but there was something different about him now. "How?" Randy asked, grateful for something to think about besides what the Beast did to him.

"Grandfather," was all Punk said with a strange smile.

Puzzled, Randy nodded. He knew Punk wouldn't elaborate in front of strangers so he explanation was enough for now. Randy was already feeling stronger; the ache from the bruise on his chest was fading but he couldn't bring himself to look at the opening of the mine or the body of the Beast. If he did, he would lose his mind. He noticed Kevin standing nearby with a sneer on his face. John was still hanging around too, looking like he had aged ten years over night. Randy studied him critically. "Crowfoot decided to help you," he said.

Grim, John nodded. "Yeah," was all he could bring himself to say on that subject. But Randy, who understood what John had gone through once again looked at him with sympathy. This time John didn't get mad.

"Are you going to hug him too?" Kevin snarked.

Tense, Randy's eyes narrowed and he started to respond, but John cut in, ignoring Kevin. "What now?" he asked Randy.

"I'm going to finish this," Randy told him as he shifted his gaze in the direction of Helena. Thick gray smoke was billowing into the air. It was obvious many of the buildings were on fire. There were probably many injured, or even dead. But Randy was beyond caring about what was happening in Helena. There was only one thing he wanted now.

"Finish it how?" John asked. "Are you going after the Ascension?"

"No, those two can take care of them." Randy motioned to Roman and Dean. "I'm going after Hunter," the Legend Killer said, his voice carrying a hint of his father's icy rage. He didn't say it very loud, but the others heard him anyway.

"Not without me, you're not," Roman called over to him, wincing as Hideo prodded his ribs. He was glaring at Randy but with warning, not anger. Being inside the Saint's head for so long, Roman understood Randy better than anyone else, aside from Mark. One of the Saint's memories stood out to him; that of a younger Randy covered in blood and defiantly facing a sadistically grinning Benoit alone, hatred and horror on his face. The Smith and Wesson in his hands shook hard and the burns across his shoulders were a deep, vicious black. At his feet were two dead humans, Benoit's men Roman figured. And in the background he had gotten a glimpse of what he could only assume were Ted and Cody's bodies hanging from the prison wagon. They too were covered in blood, their exposed lungs hanging against their backs. Ted's were still moving, albeit feebly. Nauseated, Roman shuddered and tried to put it out of his mind. He never wanted to see anything like that again. Hideo immediately apologized, assuming Roman's reaction was because of something he did. Roman didn't bother to correct him.

"Fine, but I am the one who takes him out," Randy told him. "So get your ass ready to move. Otherwise I'm going without you. I don't want Hunter getting away."

Roman nodded. As much as he wanted to kill Hunter himself, he would be content just to watch the judge die.

But John planted himself in front of Randy. "I can't allow you to do that."

Unable to believe what he was hearing, Randy shook his head. "Did you just say that you can't allow me to kill Hunter? Here's a bit of news for you Cena, you can't stop me." He stepped up into John's personal space, using his greater height to try to intimidate John.

"Maybe not, but I will try. You forget that I am still a US Marshal and while Hunter has broken the law, he must be punished according to the law. That's the way it works. And if you try to kill him I will arrest you." John glared at up Randy defiantly. He knew that Randy could break his neck without any effort, but he stuck to his principles. From over where he sat on the ground, Roman raised his eyebrows in surprise. It never occurred to any of them that John would try to stop them from killing Hunter.

For his part, Randy was stunned that John would deliberately try to stop him. After everything he had gone through because of Hunter, from Benoit to the Beast, he was not going to let John get in his way. Knowing both Roman and Dean would have his back, Randy was closing a fist to break John's jaw when Mark put a hand on his shoulder. Jerking violently away, Randy glared at Mark, who was unaffected. "What?" the Legend Killer growled at the undertaker. "You're not going to stop me, either" Randy vowed. "No one is."

By now all eyes were on the three men, one a former Marshal, one a current one and the third was a self-described 'simple' country doctor who somehow held influence over everyone, include Death.

"Son, Hunter left town right as all this shit happened with the Beast. He has about ten guys with him. If you go after him, you'll be shot to shit and I promised your old man that I would watch out for you." He saw Randy go pale under his tan at the mention of the Beast and knew he needed to get Randy out of there soon. By his nearly attacking John, Mark could see Randy was barely holding it together.

But the Legend Killer was shaking his head. "I'm going after him. He needs to die," Randy said stubbornly.

"I agree, if anyone needs killing it's him. But he's been recalled back out East."

Cursing, Randy looked around for a horse, but they had all run off when the Beast appeared. In order to distract Randy, Mark told John, "And you've been appointed temporary sheriff of Helena until they can elect one."

"On whose authority?" John asked, surprised. He had thought his career in law enforcement was over. As soon as his superiors learned about the shit-show the situation in Helena had become and John's part in allowing it to happen, they would without a doubt arrest him, or at least strip him of his badge. This bit of news came out the blue.

"The telegram that recalled Hunter, appointed you. It was from Vincent Kennedy McMahon."

"Judges can't do that," John argued.

Mark shrugged. "Well, he did." He saw John open his mouth but raised his free to forestall John from saying anything. "So you can stand here arguing or you can go try to help save what's left of the town before it burns to the ground." He gestured to the thick pillars of smoke billowing into the sky.

Unnoticed a little ways a way, Seth had opened his eyes. For a while he listened to the argument taking place, trying to figure out what the hell had happened and where the hell he was and why the hell he was laying on the ground. He scowled up at the sky and sat up abruptly when he heard Roman talking to Randy. The sudden movement caused stabbing pain behind his eyes and he clutched his head in his hands. Gradually, it receded and he raised his head and looked around. He didn't recognize Kevin Owens, who was standing nearby looking both bored and amused at Randy and John and Mark's stand-off. Neither did he recognize Finn Bálor and Hideo Itami. To his eyes, Itami was a normal person, but for the first time in his life Seth could see a demon. He gasped in horror when he saw it was inside of Finn. It was looming next to Roman who was looking like death warmed over. A shot of adrenaline woke Seth up completely and he scrambled to his feet, swaying for a few seconds before he caught his balance. He felt strange, like he didn't know his own body anymore. He half jogged half staggered over to Roman and landed on his knees beside his brother. He reached out to place a hand on Roman's shoulder. Roman jerked away with a warning glare.

"Roman? What's going on?" Seth asked. His eyes were wide with confusion and hurt. He didn't understand what he was seeing, or how he could even see what he was seeing. And Roman was glaring at him like he thought Seth was going to attack him. "What happened? Who are these people?"

Roman's expression changed from suspicious to cautiously hopeful. "Seth, is that really you?" he asked, still wary about being tricked. But the weird golden glow that been in Seth's eyes was gone.

Still confused, Seth nodded. "What happened? Why are you hurt? And where the fuck is Dean?"

Instead of answering, Roman threw his good arm around Seth's neck and buried his face in his shoulder. He felt his eyes sting and his throat closed but he didn't care. His brother was back.

Stunned, Seth wrapped his arms around Roman and held him close. He saw Hideo smiling at him, but Seth was too distracted to be embarrassed because as he held Roman in his arms, Seth could feel Roman's injuries, where they were and how much they hurt. All he wanted was to take the pain away from Roman. Then something deep inside of him responded to his wish. It was new, like light given form and Seth hesitantly reached for that light. He pulled it out of himself and channeled it into Roman. He concentrated on Roman's broken arm and cracked sternum, soothing the pain and mending the tissues.

Feeling his injuries healed, Roman jerked back, away from Seth. "What the fuck?" he demanded, glaring at Seth again. "What did you just do?"

Staring at his hands, Seth shrugged. "I don't know. You were hurt. I tried to help," he said simply. He didn't know how he had done it and it scared him but he tried to cover it up. He didn't think what he had done was evil. Now Roman looked as confused as he felt.

Then Hideo spoke and Finn translated for them. What Hideo and Punk had done to Seth was pretty close to what Hideo had done to help Finn with Bálor. Except with Bálor, Hideo had been rushed and he hadn't had Punk's assistance. As a result, Finn's seal was unstable. In contrast, Seth's was functioning perfectly. "The angel that possessed your friend was not banished. Rather, Hideo and the other one merged it with your friend's soul. Your friend can tap into the angel's power at will, but the angel can never again regain control over your friend. It is trapped there, forever." Seeing Seth's look of horror, and Roman's face darkened in anger Finn raised an eyebrow. "After everything the angel did to you and your friends, why would you want to reward it by sending it back to Heaven? As you can see, Seth can use its power. That might come in handy in the future, given what you guys do," he finished drily.

Put like that, Roman could see the advantage of having a captive angel. However, "Are you sure it can't take him over?" he asked. He couldn't bear the thought of losing Seth again.

Nodding, Hideo answered in English. "Yes, the seals are a part of him now. The angel will never break free."

Still confused Seth frowned, but Roman stood up and looked Hideo straight in the eyes. "Thank you," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "I owe you for what you did to help bring my brother back."

Hideo, a bit uncomfortable from the intensity of Roman's stare, merely nodded. Beside him, Finn smiled too. Kevin sneered and rolled his eyes.

Smiling back, Roman turned to Seth. "Think you can heal Dean?" he asked, motioning to Dean's body on the ground. Nodding, Seth reached out to Dean, gently placing his hands on Dean's face where blood was still leaking out of his nose and crushed cheek bone. This time and with more confidence he healed Dean's cracked skull and other Beast-inflicted injuries. He was just about the withdraw when he felt the raw pain in Dean's soul, recently sustained from the damage the Colt Walkers had caused, and he soothed that too. He was feeling rather light headed when he pulled away from Dean and stood up. Roman steadied him with an arm around his waist. And then, unable to help himself, he hugged Seth again. Bemused, Seth let Roman hold him close. "You're going to have to tell me what I missed," he said.

"In a minute. Dean is waking up," Roman said. They watched the lunatic take a deep breath and open his eyes.

"Hey," Seth greeted Dean, crouching down to give Dean a hand up. Dean's eyes widened, and before Seth could react, Dean's fist slammed against Seth's jaw with a loud crack.

"Son of a bitch!" Seth yelped, jumping back from Dean and holding his jaw. It wasn't broken but damn did that hurt! "What the fuck was that for?"

"Stay away from me, you piece of shit!" Dean snarled. He rolled to his feet in one smooth motion. The commotion had attracted everyone's attention and he sneered at them. "What?" he demanded. "I told him not to come near me!" He wiped the blood away from his mouth and nose with the back of his hand.

"Dean, settle down," Roman ordered, though he was having a hard time keeping a straight face. "It's not the angel. Seth is back."

That brought Dean up short. "What?" he asked again. "Are you shitting me?"

"Dean, it's me," Seth said, rubbing his jaw and watching Dean warily. He took a step back so he was next to Roman, not quite pressing up against him but close. He had honestly no idea what had happened to make Dean act the way he did.

"Seth?" Dean asked, getting right up into Seth's face and looking carefully into Seth's eyes, who by now really was pressing up against Roman, wary of another punch to the face. "How?" he asked.

"They did it," Roman told him, grinning as he waved to Hideo.

"They got rid of the angel?" Dean asked, a smile breaking across his face in delight.

"No, they merged it to Seth's soul," Finn said, smiling.

"Why the fuck did you do that?" Dean spun on Hideo, demanding an answer. Finn's eyes narrowed but Hideo never needed help fighting his own battles.

Looking extremely satisfied, Hideo spoke. "The angel can never leave. It's trapped inside of him, forever. Your friend is in control now. It will stay that way until he dies. And when he dies, the angel will too." Finn translated to them.

"So the angel is fucked for the rest of its life?" Hideo nodded. Dean broke into a large grin. "Couldn't have happened to a nicer asshole." Dean knew they couldn't have 'rescued' Seth without the three men's help. Saying 'thank you' wasn't his strong point, but he made the attempt. "So, uh, look. You guys came in handy and I appreciate it."

"This is all well and good," Kevin interrupted. "But when am I going to get paid?"

Rolling his eyes, Finn said, "Soon," and offered his hand to Dean. Accepting it, Dean and Finn shook hands and next to them, Hideo bowed to Dean. He didn't like to be touched by people except for Finn. Dean bowed back. However, he didn't offer to shake hands with Kevin, who wouldn't have done it anyway. The bored look never left Kevin's face.

Looking less than enthusiastic, Finn said to Kevin, "Come on Kevin; let's find our horses so we can get you your money and we can be done with you."

"About time," Kevin grumbled as the three walked away.

"That guy gives me the creeps," Seth observed. But he didn't dwell on it for long as Dean caught him up in a hug that squeezed all the air out of his lungs. He huffed a surprised laugh and patted Dean on the back. Next to them, Roman grinned then he caught both of the up in is arms.

A few feet away however, things were not so happy. "Your revenge will have to wait," Mark was saying to Randy. "I didn't bring you back so you could kill yourself going up against Hunter." This conversation didn't need to take place in front of everyone. Mark knew the respect Randy had for him would be tested but he would force the Legend Killer if Randy proved stubborn. He needed Randy to understand, but the son was just like his father, and he knew if he didn't do it the right way, Randy would rebel against him and any influence he had would be lost. But Randy desperately needed him whether he would admit it or not. For too long, the son had been without his father, but had to pay for his father's sins over and over again. "Those three can finish off the Ascension. I need you with me."

"Why?" Randy asked, narrowing his eyes, but he was listening.

"Because I said so," Mark said, sounding like every parent since the dawn of time. Randy opened his mouth to argue, but Mark shook his head. "Look, son, this situation has been resolved for now , but there is someplace you and I need to be or we will end up with another Beast situation."

The rage and rebellion faded from Randy, leaving him looking young and vulnerable. "Fuck. Where are we going?"

"South," Mark told him. There was a gang of outlaws operating in the Idaho territory who called themselves Bullet Club. Things were about to get messy and a certain individual was going to need Mark's help very soon. "I'll fill you in along the way."

"But what about Hunter?" Randy wanted to know. He looked like he was going to be sick. "He has to pay for what he did."

"He will," John said with unexpected intensity. "After I get the situation here sorted out, I'm heading back out east. I'll make sure he answers for what he did. I promise."

"I'll hold you too that," Randy told him.

"I won't let you down," John promised. He looked around again. "I need to go. They need me in town. Take care, Orton. I'll let you know when I get Hunter." John held out a hand. Unexpectedly touched, Randy shook it. Then John turned, nodded to Mark and headed towards town. The smoke boiling up into the air was getting thicker and there were shouts for help. He passed by Punk, who had disappeared without anyone noticing. Punk was riding his appaloosa, and leading Randy's, Marks' and John's horses. He tossed John the reins to his bay mare as he rode by. John caught them and mounted up, kicking the mare into a lope as he heading towards town without looking back.

Randy took the reins and leaned his head briefly against the roan's neck. The horse turned and lipped his shoulder. Randy still didn't look very happy, but Mark was relieved. "Alright son, we have to move." He wanted to get Randy away from there before anything else happened. He glanced over at the three former US Deputy Marshals, who were watching with interest, and Punk.

"I too must return to my people. Until our paths cross again Legend Killer," Punk said. He was looking north, head cocked to the side as if he was listening to something only he could hear.

"Take care, Punk," Randy said. He wasn't going to cry, but there was a heavy weight in his chest.

The half-breed wasn't one for long goodbyes. Indeed, there wasn't a word in his language for it. He preferred to come and go without warning. But he nodded to Mark, and ignoring the others, Punk kicked his horse into a canter and headed north. Randy didn't like uneasy feeling he had as he watched Punk disappear out of sight. Shrugging it off, Randy turned to Dean and Roman. He didn't know what to say. Neither did they. They all stood around looking uncomfortable until Seth sighed and rolled his eyes. He held out his hand. "Orton, can't say it was fun but we got through it."

Relieved, Randy took Seth's hand and shook it. "Keep an eye on those two, Rollins. Don't let them get dead too soon."

"I won't," Seth promised. Thanks to Punk and Itami, he now had a much better chance of making sure Roman and Dean would stay alive.

"Take care kid," Randy told Roman, who for once didn't object. Roman shook Randy's hand then briefly pulled him into a hug, which Randy returned.

"As for you, brat," Randy started, turning to Dean, but Dean just shifted on his feet and stared challengingly at Randy. Randy grinned evilly. "Remember what I taught you. Don't let them take your guns."

Dean smiled and he too pulled Randy in for a brief hug. Then Randy and Mark mounted up and without looking back, headed out and were soon lost among the trees, leaving the three of them standing alone.

Eventually, Seth broke the silence. "So now that we are no longer with the US Marshals, what are we going to do?" he asked the other two.

"If I remember correctly, Dean was saying something about turning outlaw," Roman smirked. He recalled them having the same conversation when they set out after the Wyatts, a lifetime ago.

For a moment Dean actually looked thoughtful. But then he shook his head, "Nah, I think I'd rather be a bounty hunter. That way I can get paid to catch outlaws."

"That's not a bad idea," Seth said. "It's not illegal, you're your own boss and can work on your own time. If you want a partner..."

Pleased, Dean grinned. Hearing Seth volunteer to stay with him made him happier than he'd been in years. He leaned closer and made a show of examining Seth. "Nice hair," he commented with a sarcastic smirk. Now that he was sure Seth was going to be okay he decided that Seth needed to be teased mercilessly.

"You are such a fucking moron," Seth told him, embarrassed. He ran a hand through the blond streak. He wondered if it would grow out. He hoped it would, it looked ridiculous.

Seeing them bickering again, Roman couldn't help a laugh and extended his fist. Grinning, the other two touched theirs to his. They were together and nothing in Heaven or Hell could ever change that.

Believe that.

Epilogue

The sun was just barely peeking over the rolling hills when Punk returned to the land of his people. He rode up to the campfire with its lone occupant and slipped off his appaloosa, gently removing the bridle and letting the horse go free. He watched it run off, tail held high, and then he turned and spoke to Crowfoot. "It's finished," he said.

Crowfoot nodded. He looked satisfied yet sad. He smiled at Punk, who sat down next to the fire. The old man took a wooden flute and began to play, a quiet song that greeted the sun. Punk blinked his eyes, suddenly feeling very tired. He lay down, listening to the flute. Crowfoot played on.

As he listened to the song, Punk realized that he remembered something, and sat up. The sun blazed on the horizon. There was a soft wicker from nearby and he saw the spirit horse, waiting for him. Without looking back, he got to his feet and swung up bareback onto the horse's back. Without any prompting from Punk, the horse set off at a canter to the spirit lands. Punk smiled when he heard the flute bid him a safe journey and a promise that one day he would be once again be reunited with his grandfather.

Alone once more, the old man put the flute down and sighed.

The End

This is the end of Legend Killer. Yes, Hunter escaped, but I could never have killed Triple H. I am done writing stories about the Shield boys for now. With the Shield broken up and both Seth and Randy being gone for so long, my interest has switched over to other wrestlers, like AJ Styles. So guess what? My next story will be about the Phenomenal One. But it will be set in the Legend Killer 'verse, so the other characters may show up here and there. Like Mark, of course! =)

A big huge thank you to Kiss316 who beta'ed for me. She is amazing.

And a final thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU! to every one of you who took the time to give me feedback and encouragement. It was literally you who kept me writing. So this story is as much yours as it is mine.

Belle Elegant