7 - Easy Life

As it turned out, the Buddhists did have a sturdier container for the little monster.

A nice metal trunk, with some symbols etched into it that were probably mystical, but Dean didn't know. He'd have to ask Sam later.

With some help, Dean got the backpack in there, and more adzuki beans were thrown in before the trunk was locked. They apparently had some actual ground - grass in Chinatown! Of the non park or technically illegal variety! - and some of the guys were digging up a space for the box while the nun insisted he and Sam get their injuries treated. Dean didn't think they were that bad and it wasn't a big deal, but he quickly learned nuns, whether they were Buddhist or Catholic, were never to be defied.

They were very nice and very efficient, and they left Dean alone for a little bit in a quiet room, where he was happy to close his still aggravated eyes and give himself a moment of peace. He really didn't like everything the amanjaku stirred up. It wasn't that he didn't know he was miserable; of course he knew that. What he hated was being so weak. Dad was right. He once accused him of being weak. Dad apologized later, said he was just upset, but Dean knew he was right. He didn't know what to do about it. He was trying to be better. Dean knew he needed to try harder. His stomach felt as tight as a fist, and he desperately needed a drink, but his flask was empty. Damn it.

He and Sam rejoined the group in time to help lower the metal container into the hastily dug grave, which they threw more beans in before filling the hole, and putting a heavy stone Buddha on top of while the head monk did a solo cleansing ritual, which essentially rendered the ground consecrated. That demonic little fucker was never getting out of there. Good riddance.

Chinatown was crawling with cops by the time they left the temple, and Dean's phone rang as they were trying to sneak past with the rest of the crowd that wanted nothing to do with the 5-0. Luckily the guy whose car got torched was still very upset, and drawing most of the attention. Dean had hoped it was Dad, but it turned out to be Rob, who was near hysterical. Dean had to reassure him half a dozen times that they were fine - Dean almost brought up the nut punch, but was glad he didn't - and Dean got him to pick them up in his old beater car a couple of blocks over. It was almost a mistake, because he kept apologizing profusely enough that Dean was considering punching him unconscious again. Sam looked like he'd be fine with that.

Rob drove them out to where he'd left their Dad, which was at a decrepit looking pier, the kind of place that looked like you could buy heroin, a hooker, and get murdered within a five minute span. In other words, a fun place where Dean would totally hang out if he had a minute. Rob led them to an old shipping container that was chained shut. Rob needed bolt cutters to get through them, and inside, also partially chained up and bleeding from the head, was Dad.

According to the story Dean was able to pull out from the profusely apologizing Rob, they'd gotten a solid tip that an oni had been smuggled in, to be sold to an unscrupulous buyer. But it turned out not to be the oni they expected - a dangerous but more manageable kind called a namahage - but the far more dangerous and unstable amanjaku. Since Dad was the first one inside the container, he essentially "broke" whatever was holding the amanjaku back, and therefore it went after his family first. (Yep, disturbed a shrine, more or less. Smooth move, Dad.) But while Dad was unaffected by the amanjaku - he had the superior protection bag - Rob wasn't, and it all went as Dean imagined it did. Rob attacked Dad before he knew what was happening, and chained him up and went hunting for them, while the amanjaku did the same. Dad got free enough to call Dean and warn him, but he was unconscious when they opened the container, and once again this set off apologizing from Rob who helped Dean get him to the car. As soon as Dean got the chance, he was going to punch Rob again.

They took Dad to the nearest emergency room, but Dean let Rob deal with the cover story and everything, because he felt like he was done for the night. Wait, did he say night? They'd just hit the E.R. when Dean noticed the sun was coming up, turning the sky a rosy pink. They'd been doing this shit all night? Son of a bitch. No wonder he was so tired.

They still hung around the waiting room, because he was their Dad, and they weren't leaving until they knew he was all right, and Dean went hunting for some drinks. He considered coffee, but decided he didn't want caffeine right now, because what he really wanted was booze, and that would pale in comparison. He found a soda machine, bought one, and used a trick that he knew sometimes worked, where if you hit it in the right spot, a second can would drop. It worked this time, which almost made his morning. Yes, it was cheap but when you lived off credit card fraud and gambling, you learned to take whatever shortcuts you could.

He returned and gave Sam a can, wondering if he should talk to him or not. Sam had been super quiet since coming out from under the amanjaku's influence, and Dean imagined he was freaked out. Whatever darkness switch the demon flipped in him, he did not like it at all, and seemed to be struggling with how to handle it. Dean completely sympathized. He could have lived without knowing what a weak piece of shit he was, but hey, it was what it was.

Dean decided it was best if Sam brought it up, if he wanted to talk about it or not. He sipped his soda, and glanced at the TV playing in the upper corner of the waiting room, showing a local news channel. Apparently the craziness was being blamed on drugs and gangs? Which didn't sound even remotely plausible, but okay. He wasn't making up stories for the normal people to find palatable.

Finally, Sam said, "Do you smell like sage, or is it me?"

Dean smelled his jacket. "I think it's both of us. I also smell like mint, though. You?"

Sam sniffed his sleeve. "No, just sage."

Dean glanced around. The waiting room wasn't too crowded, but it was early morning. He imagined the Halloween rush was probably between midnight and three AM. "I bet we're the best smelling people in this joint."

"I kinda doubt there's much competition," Sam said, sinking low in his seat. After a couple of moments, where they waited to see if Rob was returning yet or not, Sam asked, "Do you think ... am I a bad person?"

Dean almost gave himself whiplash looking at Sam. "What? Are you fucking kidding me? You're the opposite of a bad person."

"It's just ..." he grimaced, looking down at the floor. Clearly he didn't want to admit whatever it was the amanjaku stirred up.

Neither did Dean. So he threw him a bone. "The stuff the demon called up? It doesn't matter. Our darkest desires only define us if we let them. We all have a breaking point, and it's okay. It's called being human. Forgive yourself and move on."

Sam sat up staring at him in wide eyed shock. "Who the fuck are you, and what did you do to my brother?"

"Oh, ha ha."

"Seriously. Should I do the exorcism ritual?"

"You can bite me is what you can do."

Rob reappeared, deep in discussion with a nurse. Dean leaned over, and whispered, "Do you think he's apologizing to her?"

Sam snorted a laugh, quickly covering his mouth to avoid attracting attention. If he could make Sam laugh, then things were okay. After a minute, Sam admitted, "I really thought you were gonna punch him again."

"I'm still considering it."

"Should we let Dad take the first swing?"

"If he wants it." Dean wondered if he'd even bother. No, it wasn't Rob's fault - all of them got overwhelmed by the amanjaku, save for Dad, who was too unconscious to feel it. Well, as far as they knew.

Dean wondered what his darkest desire would be. The same as his primary desire - hunting down the yellow eyed demon? Or maybe he would have helped Rob hunt down his worthless kids? Was that too harsh? Maybe he'd hunt down Dean, spare Sam.

"We're not gonna let him live this down, right?" Sam asked.

That caught Dean off guard. He wasn't sure what he was saying. "Huh?"

"That we planted a demon Dad couldn't. I mean, I know he was unconscious in a shipping container, but it still counts."

Did it, though? Dean could already imagine what his Dad would say when he found out about it. He'd say it took Dean too long to put the pieces together, and by not immediately heading to a less crowded part of the city - wherever that mythical place was - he had endangered more people than necessary. He'd tell him he never should have fallen victim to the amanjaku's influence, and he put Sam into more danger than he should have.

Oh fuck, he'd say a lot of things. But you know what? Dean refused to let the negative voice in his head have this one. He wasn't perfect, no, but they'd somehow survived the night, which he wouldn't have thought possible a couple hours earlier. They were in one piece, they found their Dad, and he wasn't dead. The amanjaku was buried on the property of its worst enemies, the Buddhists, who were really nice, as it turned out.

No. Today, Dean was going to let himself have this one. "Fuck yeah it does," Dean said, holding out a fist. Sam bumped it with a fist of his own, as they watched Rob and the nurse still discussing something. But they'd moved over to the left side of the corridor, meaning the right side was open. If they were sneaky they could get past.

"Wanna go see how Dad is?" Dean asked. It was a stupid question, and he knew it.

Sam nodded, getting to his feet. "Let's go."

It could have gone better, sure, but it could have gone much worse. And if that wasn't the Winchester motto, Dean didn't know what was.

The End