Chapter Text
November 2, 1983
Lawrence, Kansas
The night was quiet, with crickets chirping under a barren deciduous tree outside a suburban home. Inside, Mary Winchester carried her eldest son, Dean, into the dimly lit nursery. She turned on the light, revealing baby Sam lying in his crib.
“Come on, let’s say goodnight to your brother,” Mary said, setting Dean down.
Dean toddled to the crib, leaned over, and kissed Sam on the forehead.
“’Night, Sammy.”
Mary smiled, brushing Sam’s hair back. “Goodnight, love.”
At the doorway, John Winchester appeared, clad in a USMC T-shirt. Dean rushed to him.
“Daddy!”
John scooped him up with a laugh. “Think Sammy’s ready to toss a football yet?”
Dean giggled. “No, Daddy!”
Mary passed them on her way out. “You’ve got him?”
“I’ve got him,” John assured her.
As Mary slipped into bed, strange static filled the baby monitor. Stirring awake, she called out, “John?” But the bed beside her was empty.
Mary hurried to the nursery. A dark figure stood over Sam’s crib. “John?” she whispered.
“Shhh,” the figure replied.
Her stomach dropped. She spun around, spotting John asleep on the couch downstairs. Realizing the figure upstairs wasn’t her husband, Mary dashed back to the nursery, screaming, “Sammy!”
Moments later, her screams woke John. He bolted up the stairs, only to find Sam wailing and Mary pinned to the ceiling, blood pooling at her abdomen. Flames engulfed her body.
“Mary!” John screamed, grabbing Sam and rushing out. “Dean, take your brother and go! Don’t look back!”
Dean froze, overwhelmed, until his latent pyrokinesis suddenly activated, flames erupting around the room.
“NOW!” John barked. Dean ran with Sam in his arms, the nursery consumed in fire.
February 28, 1986
Skylark Camp, Lebanon, Kansas
Atsuko Hikawa stood on a pier, holding live electrical cables, her hands protected by rubber gloves. Her daughter, young Mana, watched fearfully from the bushes.
“Mommy!” Mana cried, her voice cracking.
Atsuko turned, her expression pained but resolute. “I love you, Mana. Stay hidden!”
A monstrous demon lunged at Atsuko just as the cables sparked. Her angelic protector, Sachiel, appeared too late to stop the surge of electricity that claimed her life. Mana screamed, running toward her mother’s lifeless body as the police zipped it into a bag.
Nearby, baby Kiana cried in the empty Ofuda household. In a flutter of wings, Castiel appeared. Conflicted but drawn to the infant’s innocent energy, he lifted her gently, using his grace to calm her.
“You’ll never be alone,” he murmured, his voice trembling as he sang softly to her.
May 2, 2004
Stanford University
It was Sam Winchester’s 21st birthday, but instead of partying, he stood outside, scrolling through his phone, searching for a message from Dean. His roommate and best friend, Kuri Hikawa, joined him, tucking herself into his side.
“He didn’t call, did he?” she asked.
Sam sighed, shaking his head. “No.”
Kuri hugged him, letting him hide his tears. “He loves you, Sam. There’s no way he’d forget without a damn good reason.”
She kissed him suddenly, the unexpected intimacy breaking through his sadness. Sam deepened the kiss, finding solace in her warmth.
Later that night, Kuri tucked him into bed, marveling at the bond they shared. As she left the room, Sam’s phone buzzed—a belated message from Dean.
October 20, 2005
San Francisco felt like a strange mix of familiarity and estrangement as Mana Hikawa, Reiko Hikawa, and Kuri Hikawa returned to their childhood home: the old, creaking Victorian manor on Prescott Street. Their father, Bobby Singer, had left them in the care of their grandmother when they were young, and though Bobby’s absence was explained by “the hunt,” the sisters never truly forgave him for staying away. Now, Grams was gone, and the house was theirs.
The Funeral
The old Victorian manor on Prescott Street loomed over San Francisco, shrouded in a veil of fog. It had always felt eerie, but today it was steeped in grief. Kuri Hikawa stood on the porch, her medium-length dark hair wisping around her face as she waited for the guests to leave. The funeral for their beloved grandmother, Grams, was over, and the sisters were alone again in the house they’d grown up in.
“Long time, huh?” Reiko Hikawa said softly, joining Kuri on the porch. Her red hair, styled in twin buns, framed her face, and her green eyes shone with unspoken sadness.
Kuri smiled faintly. “Too long. How was New York?”
“Fast, loud, and smelly,” Reiko replied with a chuckle. She crossed her arms and leaned on the porch railing. “What about you? Stanford treating you well?”
“It’s… fine.” Kuri hesitated, glancing at her sister. “I’m actually back early because of Sam.”
Reiko raised an eyebrow. “Your roommate? The one you never stop talking about?”
Kuri rolled her eyes, trying to fight the blush creeping up her cheeks. “Yes, him. His brother showed up out of nowhere and dragged him on a hunt.”
Reiko straightened. “Sam’s a hunter?”
“Was,” Kuri said. “He gave it up years ago, but now he’s back in it. Something’s wrong, Rei. I just… I feel it.”
Reiko touched her sister’s arm gently. “Then we’ll figure it out. Together.”
XXX
The attic was still locked, just as it had been when they were children. Mana—the oldest and pragmatic to a fault—stood with her arms crossed, glaring at the ancient door. Reiko, ever the peacekeeper, stood behind her with a tentative smile, a nervous hand adjusting the sheer fabric of her top. Kuri, the youngest and most spirited, had already climbed up the stairs, her curiosity undeterred.
“It’s just a door, Mana. We’ve seen worse,” Kuri said, leaning on the railing.
Mana gave her a sharp look. “Grams told us to stay out of the attic. There’s a reason it’s locked.”
Reiko sighed. “Grams is gone, Mana. Maybe… maybe there’s something up there we’re supposed to see.”
Before Mana could argue, Kuri pulled out a hairpin and jimmied the lock. The door creaked open, revealing a dusty room filled with old books, trinkets, and a peculiar pedestal in the center. On it sat an ancient, leather-bound book embossed with an ornate pentagram.
“The Grimoire,” Reiko whispered, as if the words had been sitting in her mind all along.
Kuri ran a hand over the cover. “I don’t know how, but… I feel like I’ve seen this before.”
As Mana approached cautiously, the book flipped open on its own, pages fluttering to a stop on a spell titled “To Awaken Powers.”
Reiko gasped. “Did… did it just move on its own?”
“Grams was hiding this from us,” Mana muttered, scowling. “Magic isn’t real.”
But before Mana could slam the book shut, the words glowed with an otherworldly light. The air around them vibrated, and a surge of energy shot through each of them. Mana stumbled back, clutching her head as her surroundings blurred. Reiko gasped as her hands glowed briefly with a shimmering light. Kuri dropped to her knees, her vision assaulted by flashes of the future: Sam Winchester, a crying baby, and fire on the ceiling.
When the moment passed, Kuri looked up at her sisters. “Something’s happening. To all of us.”
October 28, 2005
Stanford University, Sam’s Apartment
Kuri, dressed in short sleep shorts and a cropped anime-themed shirt, woke to the sound of the front door opening. Dean barged in, startling Sam. Their reunion quickly devolved into a scuffle, ending when Dean pinned Sam to the floor.
“Dean?” Sam finally gasped.
Dean grinned, helping him up. “Missed me, Sammy?”
Kuri appeared in the doorway. “Sam, who is—?”
Dean’s eyes lit up. “And who’s this geisha? Your roommate? Man, she’s way out of your league.”
“We’re not dating,” Kuri shot back, rolling her eyes. “I’ll give you guys a moment.”
After explaining their father’s disappearance, Dean begged Sam for help. Despite his reluctance, Sam agreed to join him. As they prepared to leave, Kuri handed Sam her enchanted knife. “For luck,” she whispered, her eyes filled with worry. But when their hands touched, Kuri had her first premonition.
XXX
Later that night, Kuri shared what she’d seen at Stanford.
“I had a vision,” Kuri said, sitting on the worn-out couch in the living room. “Sam—one of Dad’s hunters—he was attacked at his apartment. Dean showed up, dragged him on a hunt. Something’s out there, Mana. Something big.”
Mana frowned. “You’re saying the same Sam who left hunting years ago? And Dean dragged him back?”
Reiko leaned forward. “Didn’t Grams always say there’s a balance? If we’ve awakened… maybe it’s connected to whatever they’re hunting.”
Kuri nodded. “It’s the Woman in White. I saw her. She’s an angry spirit, killing unfaithful men. And Sam… he’s involved.”
Mana groaned. “If this is true, they’re going to need help.”
Reiko stood, her fox-like ears twitching briefly before vanishing into her human form. “Let’s go. I’ll grab my reiki charms.”
“Not a word about that,” Mana said, pointing at Reiko’s kitsune heritage. “I’ll hold down the fort. Who knows what creepy crawlies are gonna be attracted to the manor now that we’ve been awakened.”
XXX
The sisters met up with the Winchester brothers on Centennial Highway, where the Woman in White had taken her latest victim. Kuri’s sacred powers flared to life the moment she saw Sam, her reiki glowing faintly in her palms. Sam noticed and frowned.
“You’re a miko?” he asked.
Kuri smiled. “And you’re way too calm about it. Guess you’ve seen weirder.”
Reiko’s kitsune tail flicked under her jacket as she handed Dean a charm. “Here. You’ll need this to hold her off.”
Dean raised an eyebrow but pocketed the charm. “So, what’s the plan, ladies?”
The group tracked the Woman in White to her old house. When she appeared, the air chilled, and she tried to seduce Sam into proving his unfaithfulness. Kuri stepped in, her reiki forming a protective barrier around Sam.
“She’s feeding off guilt,” Kuri said, her voice steady. “Sam, don’t let her in.”
“I’m not unfaithful,” Sam said, his voice firm. “I never was.”
The spirit screamed, lashing out, but Kuri’s purification powers burned through her. When the ghost’s spirit refused to leave, Reiko used her foxfire to force the Woman in White to face her own children’s spirits. With a final, anguished cry, she vanished, leaving only silence behind.
XXX
Back at the Manor, the sisters celebrated their success. Mana tried to downplay what had happened, but Kuri suddenly froze. Her eyes went white, and she collapsed against Sam, gasping.
“What’s wrong with her?” Sam shouted.
Reiko knelt beside her. “It’s her new power—premonition. She’s seeing something.”
Without a world Kuri pulled Sam aside. “It’s coming for me. The same thing that killed your mom.”
Sam stiffened. “We’re stopping this. Tonight.”
XXX
After the hunt, Kuri returned with Sam to Stanford. As soon as they entered the apartment she knew that something was wrong.
Kuri collapsed, another vision overtaking her. She saw herself pinned to the ceiling, fire consuming her body, and Sam screaming her name.
When she came to, she grabbed Sam’s arm. “It’s coming for me. Be brave, and whatever you do, don't die for me”
Together, they prepared a trap in her bedroom, lying in wait for the demon. But they had no idea that this demon was more powerful than they had ever faced.
That night, the demon struck. Kuri woke to find Sam’s apartment ablaze, the dark figure pinning her to the ceiling.
“You’ll never be free,” the demon hissed.
Sam burst into the room, his powers flaring to life for the first time. He used his strength to pull Kuri down, catching her in his arms. Together, they fought the demon, Kuri’s purification spell burning its essence.
“You think this is over?” the demon snarled. “You can defeat me, but there are thousands more where I came from. In shapes and forms you can never imagine. You will NEVER be safe, and you will never be—FREE!”
With a final scream, the demon dissolved into ash.
The Road Ahead
The next morning, Kuri sat with Sam on the steps of the manor.
“You saved me,” she said softly, leaning into his shoulder.
“You saved me first,” Sam replied, his hand brushing hers.
When Dean honked the Impala’s horn, Reiko rolled her eyes but smiled. “Come on, you two. Evil’s not going to wait.”
As the sisters climbed into the car, Dean looked back at the manor where Mana stood. “Don’t worry, Big Sis, we’ll be back. But for now… we have work to do.”
The Impala roared down the street, leaving San Francisco behind, but the bond between the siblings and the Winchesters had only just begun.