Sam's P.O.V.
It had been a few days since the trickster hunt and we had all been pretty grumpy with yet another lull in hunts. I was about ready to start going off of nearly nothing when Akuma announced she'd received a phone call a few moments ago about a new hunt, though this one was back in Canada. "Either way it's a hunt. I'd rather go back to Canada then sit around and do nothing." I groaned, stretching my legs out on the couch I was sitting in. Not only that we might be able to stay at the house again and I would be lying through my teeth if I tried to say that I didn't miss it.
"I agree." Dean added from where he was leaning by the fridge, a beer in hand. "We've done fuck all for the past few days. I need to get out of here, we could all use another hunt." We had gotten out of the town where the trickster was and done another small hunt but it was easy and we had finished it in a night and all it needed was Akuma to get pissed again and kill the thing before any of us had a chance to even get into the fight.
"Then it's settled. We'll go up to Canada. It's in the mountains by the house again, lucky us." Akuma said, pushing herself up from the chair and stretching. "You coming with me again, Sam? Or am I on my own this time?" I sighed and sat up a bit more. I would rather be with my brother or Alice but Alice wouldn't ride with her sister because she was still pissed, which was completely ridiculous in my opinion.
"Yeah I'll ride with you." I said, offering a smile and ignoring the look that Alice gave me as I stood and grabbed my bag. Everything was basically packed except for a couple of shirts so I threw them into the bag.
"You don't need Sam to ride with you." Alice's voice was almost a growl and I groaned, running a hand through my hair. Alice was actually looking for reasons to bitch at her sister now and it was getting on my nerves at this point. Akuma was trying to talk to her but she wouldn't give her a chance at all.
"Well you and Dean both hate me and I'd like some company while I drive for like four hours, so yeah, I kind of do." Akuma spat back before turning and walking out of the room, probably to head to the room over to grab her stuff. I sighed again and pinched the bridge of my nose before turning to face Alice.
"Alice its fine. And she's right. It's a long drive and she's going to need someone to talk to." I said, lifting my eyebrows when she was opened her mouth to speak. "She's still human, and humans have feelings. It would be nice if you guys would stop yelling at each other for a while, you know, we," I pointed to myself and Dean. "Have feelings too, and you guys are getting on our nerves." I gave her a tense smile before giving her a quick kiss on the forehead before I walked out of the room to meet Akuma, a bad feeling about this hunt washing over me.
Alice's P.O.V.
I tossed my bag down on my bed and sighed, digging through my bag before changing into sweats and a loose t-shirt. I hesitated for a moment before I pulled my hair back into a loose bun and went downstairs, relaxing when I noticed Akuma wasn't down yet. It was almost midnight because we had left so late and Dean had hopped into the shower, complaining that he hated feeling gross after travelling. With another sigh I headed to the kitchen and dug out some soup cans that shouldn't have expired yet, ready to make soup for myself and for anyone else who wanted some. I was still upset over the comment Sam had made before we all left. He was right that Akuma had feelings, but I had feelings too, and she had hurt them badly. I might be taking it overboard but I felt worse about annoying Sam and Dean than I did about how I was handling Akuma. She was my sister and I could deal with it however I wanted.
"Hey…" I jumped a bit and slammed the pot on the stove at the sound of Akuma's behind me. I had been so absorbed in my thoughts that I hadn't heard her approach, but she was also getting more and more silent when she walked. "Can we talk?" She asked quietly. I swallowed hard and grabbed the can opener, not bothering to turn around.
"About what?" I asked tensely, waiting a few minutes for a reply before finally turning around when I didn't get one. "Well?" I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring at her. She looked small compared to me for the first time. She usually had a lot of confidence in every situation and it made her look a lot bigger than she actually is. I swallowed hard as I met her eyes, which were light but leaned more towards a grey than their usual bright blue. She looked like a kitten that had been kicked but was still trying to come back, though for all I knew it could be an act. She was good at that too, she was good at a lot of deception.
"You know what I want to talk about Alice…" Her voice was low and she kind of looked like she was shrinking in on herself, trying to look small and submissive. The action made me snort a bit and I waited for her to push further, pressing my lips into a thin line to resist from making a snarky remark. I was going to let her start this, and if it turned into a fight then so be it. I'd started enough already. "I'm sorry for leaving, but you know that I had to." She sighed and I rolled my eyes, moving my arms so my hands could grasp the edge of the counter.
"We both know perfectly well that you didn't have to do anything. You chose to walk out on us." I snapped, sucking in a deep breath to calm myself before I continued. "You need to admit that."
"I did it to keep you safe." Akuma's voice was more firm now and her chin lifted a bit so she was staring down at me instead of trying to be at my level or lower, which only pissed me off more. She couldn't get defensive when she was trying to apologize. "I was trying to save your life, unlike you were trying to do to me with that fucking trickster. You looked like you were about ready to let him kill me. Is that what you want? Me dead?" She snapped, her pupils flaring so that there was only a thin ring of blue around them. I laughed hard and rolled my eyes again. She was just pissed and fucking crazy if she thought that that's what I was doing.
"I wasn't trying to get you killed. But if you think that why are you even here? You could just walk out again." I snapped, leaning forward and growling low in my chest. "If you were trying so hard to protect us then why did you bother coming back? If you're so sure you're doing the right thing you wouldn't even fucking be here right now." I moved my arms across my chest, resisting the urge to walk past her. "You want me to talk about it? Then fine. You're a fucking liar and I don't really trust you anymore, you should have told me about who your father was. And you need to stop fucking running away from your problems. Any time your dad comes around or something goes back you turn into a selfish bitch and leave me. It's not up to you to decide what keeps me safe." I ranted, sucking in a deep breath. "The only person that you actually care about is yourself and you know what else? You're just as manipulative as your god damned father, if not more. The longer this goes on, the more like him you become." I spat, regretting the words the moment they left my mouth. I had wanted to hurt her as much as she knew me but that was real low. The colour drained from her face and her pupils shrunk to pinpoints. I moved forward, reaching my arm out to her, but she had turned and stormed away before I could reach her. I heard the door slam, followed by a splintering sound moments before Sam rounded the corner and Dean came down the stairs. They both looked shocked and Dean looked pretty pissed.
"That was way too far Alice." Dean growled before turning and heading out after Akuma, the door creaking as he opened and closed it.
Akuma's P.O.V.
I didn't bother grabbing my jacket or my shoes when I ran outside and I didn't really care. I heard the door splinter behind me but I ignored it as I took off running into the field, the cold shocking my system slightly as I ran. I heard someone come out behind me and call my name, one of the boys, but I didn't care. I needed to put as much distance as I could between me and all of them. I knew Alice was pissed but I didn't think that she was mad enough to pull something like that and we both knew it wasn't true. I swallowed hard and wiped my face from the tears from wind and anger, changing my direction so I was heading towards the trees. I knew this was dumb and dangerous with this hunt but I really didn't care at this point. I was just about to the tree line when I felt something hit me and I fell to the ground, face planting in and choking on snow. I screamed more out of anger than anything when I felt claws tear into my back and I bucked, managing to get the thing loose so I could flip and knock its hands away from my face. It came at me again, drool dripping onto my chest and throat as it tried to slash. I heard someone yell my name again and I looked over to see who it was when they swore and more snarling ensued. I hadn't thought that they would actually follow me out here and I swore softly, wincing when the thing scratched my face. "Fuck. OFF." I growled, twisting my head when it snapped at my face. I wanted to get out and away but the cuts in my back must have been deeper than I thought because I was starting to see dots. I swallowed hard and tried to move again but couldn't move fast enough, darkness taking over when the wendigo hit me hard in the head.
Dean's P.O.V.
"Akuma!" I called out after her, though she was way too fast. She probably didn't hear me. I called out again just as a black figure collided with her, throwing them both several feet before hitting the ground. I skidded to a stop, trying to see where they had landed. It was dark out but not dark enough that I couldn't see. I squinted hard to see Akuma thrashing out and yelling but I lost sight of them for a second and felt myself get tackled to the ground from behind. I felt the taste of dirt and blood in my mouth as my face smashed into the ground. A scream ripping through my throat I felt a sharp stinging pain run down my back. I glanced over my shoulder to see its animalistic face, lifting my leg, I kicked it hard enough to send it falling backwards. I pulled a knife from my belt and stabbed it in the chest as I lunged forwards to get away from it. I didn't know what I was fighting until I had gotten close enough to stab it, now knowing that my action was basically useless. It managed to reach up and claw at my face as I jabbed the blade in again, aiming for the throat. I made a break for the house, running as fast as I could with a limp until I threw open the door. Slamming it hard behind me, pressing my back to the wood, my chest heaving hard. Sam and Alice both stared at me, concerned and worried. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I flinched, grabbing Sam's hand.
"Dude, are you okay? What happened?" Sam uttered out, his voice dropping once he noticed that I was really having trouble keeping it together, still trying to breath, I had never run so fast in my life. I wouldn't admit it but I was scared out of my mind.
"Did Akuma do this to you?" Alice spoke, I could hear the judgement in her voice, her arms folded over her chest as she looked at me with disapproval. I reached up to my face, feeling the fresh blood slip down my face from the claw marks. A groan escaping my lips as the sting set into my skin.
"Uh, no." I managed to get out, finally catching my breath. I grabbed at my shoulder as I felt the blood trickle down my back. "Wendigo's."
Alice's P.O.V.
"Where's Akuma then?" I spoke, hearing the worry and panic settle in my tone. I was desperately hoping that she got away or at least fought them off enough, otherwise there might not be much of her left by the time we found her.
"One of them got her." Dean touched his face again, sucking in a deep breath. I could tell that he was worried too. The boys had never fought one of the wendigoes from here before and they knew that they were a lot stronger. "We need to go get her!"
"We can't go now." My tone was harsh, commanding, and stern, there was no way that I was letting Sam and Dean go out in the middle of the night with wendigoes wandering around. I wasn't about to lose them too.
"Why not?" Sam was trying to be calm, his voice was smooth when he spoke and I sighed at the thought of trying to explain that it was just stupid to go out after her now. I rolled my eyes and turned to Sam.
"They are strongest at night, and they team up." I told them, taking a step back. "I'm going to find some maps. Sam, take care of Dean and then go get flares and flammables from the basement." I commanded quickly, my hunting mode setting in and taking control. I turned after both Sam and Dean nodded and ran up and to my room to get the maps. I tossed the maps on the bed and picked out the proper one that shows the mines and caves in the mountains. I smiled slightly, knowing where the path was; it was easy to get to from here. I hurried down the stairs and dropped the map on the table, calling the boys over to look at it with me. Sam was holding a bag of flares and other flammable materials, Dean on the other hand was holding a bag of frozen peas to his face to take down the swelling, he was grumbling about how his face felt like it was going to freeze off. I let Sam place the flares by the door and a thought struck me. I made my way back downstairs, remembering that there was gear in the basement that Akuma and I had used for hunting wendigoes a few years back. Only managing to find a few pieces of gear that were still salvageable, I brought what I could up and dumped it on the floor by the door.
"I found three caves or mines they could be at, but there's only one that's relatively close. They must have moved in while we were gone down in the states awhile back." I strode back over to the two table, pointing at the places on the map to show them where we were going. It had been circled in red pen previously, making it easier to find. "We had to clean this one out like ten years ago but we haven't stayed around much since then so…" Sam is nodding in response to how prepared I was.
"How long do we have to wait?" He set his hand on my shoulder, I'm sure that he could see how stressed out I was about this whole thing.
"Sunrise… it should happen relatively soon." I glanced at the clock, sighing. "I'm going to pack the bags."
Sam's P.O.V.
"Let's go" Dean shook me awake, even though I had been lightly sleeping. We all fell into a napping state in the living room, it would be easier to get up and ready this way. I sucked in a breath as I sat up quickly, more nervous than anything. I made my way over to the door after I woke Alice up, grabbing the sweaters and jackets, passing them to my brother and Alice. We had bundled up as best we could for the winter while being completely unprepared for the weather. I had slipped on my shoes; nothing else would fit, so they would have to do for now. I was hoping that the snow wasn't too deep. We followed Dean out to where he had been attacked and then we were going to head to where he saw Akuma get taken down. I could see a little bit of blood in the snow from where Dean had stabbed the wendigo, though there was not much blood. I heard Alice call out, finding where Akuma was taken down. I could see the pool of blood in the snow, followed by a long bloody drag mark that lead into the woods.
"Damn." Dean spoke through his teeth. "I didn't think the fight was that bad." His eyes wandered over the patches of ground and snow where Akuma and wendigo had been brawling. I glanced over to Alice, seeing the panic settle on her face. She pulled out the map and turned to find the trail. I moved and gripped her shoulder lightly, letting her know that we were going to find Akuma. Even after everything that has happened and Alice being a completely asshole to her, she still cared about her sister.
"How much longer?" I asked, after about an hour of trudging through the deep snow. My ankles were beyond freezing now, and for the most part my toes were numb but that wasn't a good sign. Alice stopped and dropped her bag into the snow.
"Almost there, we need to do a weapons check." Alice pulled her flare gun from the bag and shoved it into her pants, along with a blade and some lighter fluid. Dean and I followed and placed our weapons somewhere easy to grab.
"Sam, you find Akuma. You're currently the strongest and best suited to carry her." Alice continued, handing me a small bag with a blanket and some extra clothes.
"Alright." I uttered out, feeling the cold settle in. We make our way around the path and found the entrance. Once we managed to get in, we split off, Dean and Alice headed down where they heard some growling echo through the cave and I searched down the other path. It was silent for a long time, the only sound was my feet padding across the rock floor. My flashlight skimmed over the tunnel ahead and down a few more as I passed them. A sudden low groan echoed through the tunnels and I pulled out my gun, resting my hand over the flashlight. I followed the noise hesitantly, knowing that one of the wendigoes was just around the corner. I shut off the light and tightened my grip on the gun, sucking in a breath I turned the corner and it lunged at me, though it was smaller and weaker than I thought it was going to be. I kicked it away easily and shot it in the chest with the flare gun. I noticed that the monster had one of Dean's blades shoved in its throat. As it let out this loud screeching noise I reached out and pulled the blade out of its neck, knowing Dean he would be pretty upset if he lost one his blades. It burned to an ash pile on the ground and I winced a little as I stepped over it. I continued down the path until I came to an opening, finding an upside down Akuma hanging from the rafters of the mine shaft. She was covered in some fresh cuts and bruises, along with the long claw mark down her back. Blood was dripping from the wounds and pooled on the floor, her black hair dragged below her, soaking in the blood. I lunged forwards and carefully hoisted her up a bit and before I cut her down. I set her down on the ground and carefully rolled her to check her wounds, wincing when I see how badly and dirty they were, realizing that I'd have to reopen some of the ones that healed more because they have dirt and shit in them. I carefully wrapped her up in the blanket trying not to make her feel uncomfortable before I lifted her and placed her over my shoulder, making sure that if we got attacked I could still manage to somewhat fight. I felt her wake up slightly and groan as I shifted her over my shoulder. I glanced around the room quickly, seeing the other victims that they had captured and already killed. I slowly headed out, trying my best to keep a weapon hand free and trying to keep my flashlight going. I could hear Alice's voice as I neared the other tunnel before I practically ran into them.
"Dean." I called out, hoping that he could help me get a better hold on Akuma, she was shifting over my shoulder, making feeling uncomfortable and worry that I would drop her. My eyes went straight to a new set of wounds on Dean's chest; the other wendigo must have snuck up on them, the claw marks went through the jacket and sweater, leaving a red ring on his clothing. I nodded to Alice, seeing some blood on her shoulder.
"Let's get outta here." She spoke and we made our way back to the house. Dean was helping me carry Akuma, making sure that I wouldn't slip and send the both of us sliding down the side of the mountain.
After the impossibly long trek back to the house I relaxed a bit. I could feel Alice's gaze on me as I carefully set Akuma on her stomach on the couch. "Give her some alcohol and painkillers so it takes effect. She'll knock you out if you don't." I nodded with a slight smile, I felt a lot better now that we had Akuma back. Alice grabbed the painkillers while I went for the straight vodka with no sugar or flavours to water it down. I could hear Akuma waking up a bit before I could get to her wounds. Her eyes fell on me for a moment before drifting to the materials I had laid out for her. She sighed and pulled her hair away from her back, a small groan escaping her lips as she moved. I glanced over my shoulder to see Alice lingering by the kitchen, probably staying away because she didn't want to upset Akuma.
"I'm going to have to open some wounds again to clean them out…" I started to say and Akuma groaned, resting her head on her arms to say that she was ready and to do it fast.
"M'kay... sorry if I hit you…" Akuma groaned out, half muffled by her arms, and though could tell that she was kind of out of it. I hesitated for a few moments before getting to work. I could tell that it was very painful for her, but she seemed to get through it without hurting me or destroying the couch. I cut the last stitch and sat back, rubbing my sore fingers together, letting my hands rest.
Akuma's P.O.V.
I groaned and opened my eyes slowly as Sam pulled his hands away from my back, having finally stitched all the wounds. He was standing up and starting to walk away but I reached out and grabbed his hand to stop him. "Can you just… Can you stay here?" I asked, clearing my throat.
".. Uh yeah, sure." Sam spoke softly as he sat down by the couch. I let go of his hand and he pulled it back into his lap, looking both concerned and confused.
"Thanks... I just... You're the only one who doesn't hate me…" I muttered, looking away from Sam's face, a pang of anger and pain filling my chest when I thought back to what Alice said to me before I left. I sucked in a deep breath and closed my eyes to hold back tears at the thought. "Or you're at least better at hiding it." I choked out, my throat feeling tight.
"No… I don't hate you… they don't hate you either." He was quick with his words and I could hear the desperation in his voice. I could tell that he was sincere but I laughed and opened my eyes again, though I stared off at the fire place. I probably got blood all over the couch.
"Alice does now… I'm so tired of fighting with her." I continued, feeling a bit dizzy from the pain, alcohol, and painkillers. Neither the alcohol or pain killers would have worked on their own, but the combination always put me a bit out of it. "It's so draining… she won't give me the chance to make up for it. She thinks I'm like my father." I could feel some tears spill over at this point as I spoke, and I couldn't stop them this time. I blinked them away and finally met Sam's eyes, my breath shaky in my chest.
"She's just… I'm sure she doesn't actually believe that. You should have seen her today. She really was worried about you." Sam's lulling voice was putting me to sleep. I laughed again and closes my eyes, too exhausted to keep them open
"I'm so tired Sam." I leaned over and rested my head against his shoulder, just barely catching his last words before passing out.
"I know." I felt his hand touch the side of my head and then I was gone.