The hardest struggle in life is discovering its purpose. What were we meant to do? What was the ultimate end game? I mean, there had to be more to it all than to eat, sleep, and repeating that meaningless cycle till death claimed us, right?

All my life, it felt as if all I've done was seeking the purpose to my existence. It seemed easier in the beginning, when I had less questions plaguing my mind but with time, the questions and doubts only became louder while the answers became too few.

I would never claim to be perfect. I was never the perfect child or the perfect sibling. I wasn't obedient as I should be, even though I tried, except I hid it better than most. Then later on, I tried to be the perfect soldier that my father wanted to be…but at times, it made little sense too.

Even then, I did try. I tried my best.

Hunting evil, and saving lives was the only thing that made sense in this confusing thing called life, and I did my best to muddle through…

The warehouse was in the outskirts of the town and had been abandoned for the longest time. Until now, that is. Its new inhabitants looked ordinary enough that no one had connected the town's recent rise of strange deaths and increasing number of missing persons reports to them. Yet, for those who knew exactly what to look for, things were perfectly clear.

Vampires – a whole nest of them, fifteen in count.

She'd been tracking them for a couple of weeks, waiting for the perfect moment, to catch them unaware. She didn't need to, considering she was good enough to take them on in any state but it would cause less collateral damage – and would keep her under the radar – if done carefully.

The sun was just sinking, and the nest was only waking up when she walked in, seemingly unarmed. Against the glare left by the sun, she was in shadow, barely visible but she saw them clearly. The already awakened vamps growled, baring their fangs at her. When they lunged, the machete that suddenly appeared in her hand gleamed.

I'll seek you out, flay you alive…

There was no fight, no struggle. She wasn't even breathing heavily when she sliced through sinew and bones of the neck of the only vampire left standing in the open area.

She looked around and counted the number of heads lying on the floor. Fourteen.

She sensed the last one charging at her before she even heard him. Her hands swiftly curled around the attacker and tightened menacingly.

One more word and you won't survive…

Feral blood crazy eyes, quickly turned fearful. "Who the hell are you?" he croaked, astonished by the strength she showed for a mere hunter.

The smile she gave in return was anything but comforting. "It is not your concern anymore, is it?"

The vampire's eyes remained wide open in shock as his head rolled off with one clean cut of her blade.

News started spreading like wildfire for things like this had never been heard of before. Vampires and other monsters took extra caution. Fellow hunters, when they met in familiar establishments, spoke of this mysterious stranger in awe and wariness. No one they knew was good enough to take care of a whole nest of vampires all on their own – not even the legendary Winchesters. No one was that good enough.

It was a few days later, that she found herself sitting quietly at a crowded bar. She wasn't a drinker – not at all, but she nursed a beer in her hand in an effort to blend in. When men, in their drunken rowdiness, attempted to flirt with her, she paid them no heed. She had a job to do, and it allowed for no distractions.

I'm not scared of your stolen power…

Her eyes stalked her targets. They blended in well too, with their charming words and smooth moves. To an untrained eye, they seemed perfectly human.

I see right through you any hour…

But she saw them for what they really were, through their human visage and the innocent bodies they possessed. Beyond the "meat suits" she saw the blackened evil souls in their ugly reality.

They exited in a group, all five of them. She laid some bills on the counter in front of her and followed suit.

She didn't bother to be quiet and stealthy. As she walked down the dark alleyway, she made sure they heard her come.

"What's a pretty little thing like you, doing out in the dark all by yourself?" a voice snarled behind her, and it brought a smile to her face. It brought her joy when they presented a challenge.

She turned to face the man in a suit. "Looking for evil sons of bitches like you," she quipped, grinning. Suit guy's eyes flashed black. And she felt the other four swarm in around her. The energy they gave told her that they were lower level creatures. This should be easy. Too easy.

I won't soothe your pain…

In a swift move, the long silver hued blade sank into suit guy's throat.

The eyes of the blonde demon next to him widened. "Where did you get that blade?" she asked, wariness in her eyes, yet readying herself to fight.

I won't ease your strain…

Without bothering to reply, she stabbed the blonde right in the heart. The gasping and flickering light as her damned soul bid farewell to this world was such a distraction that one of the remaining demons took that opportunity to kick the blade off her very hands.

You'll be waiting in vain…

"You're mine now, bitch," it yelled, charging at her.

Quietly, but effectively, she dodged the attacks, reaching for the blade. In the last moment, she decided to let it lay on the ground where it was.

I got nothing for you to gain…

When she only defended instead of going on the attack, it pissed them off to no end. "Fight me, you bitch," one of them dared, but she only smiled.

She was waiting.

She wanted to prolong the entertainment.

I'm taking it slow, feeding my flame…

Their failed attempts at actually causing her any damage made it quite entertaining for her. Yet it was the fury in their eyes that fueled her adrenaline.

Shuffling the cards of your game…

"Is that all you are capable of?" Taking a page off their smartass book, she taunted them back, making their eyes flash onyx in anger.

Then they decided to up their game, ganging up on her, two of them charging at her at the same time.

And just in time, in the right place…

It was time. It was time to end this little game of cat and mouse. She checked her surroundings and found that no one else was around. In one swift move, she laid her palms on the heads of the demons charging at her from either side. With a flash of light, they fell to the ground, eyes burned right out of their skull.

Suddenly I will play my ace…

The remaining demon backed off, shaking in fear as she stepped forward picking up her blade.

"Only one thing can kill like that," it stuttered, barely managing to get the words out. "What are you? What the hell are you?" it asked, even though deep down it knew the answer too well.

She smiled right into its fearful eyes, her blade pressed right against the pulse of its neck. "Tell me where your leader is," she commanded, and the demon didn't even think of resisting. She had the answers she sought in a matter of seconds.

"I told you everything you wanted to know," it said. "Will you let me go? I won't tell a soul," it went on pleading. She laughed in its face and it was the last thing heard as the demon flickered and dropped to the floor, its days of terrorizing human kind at an end.

The Impala's roar died down as Dean parked a block away from their desired destination. "You sure this is the place, right?" he asked, glancing over at his brother in the passenger seat.

Sam nodded, checking for his demon knife and readying himself for the fight ahead. "Maybe you should try calling Cas again. We could use his help on this one, Dean," he suggested.

"Well I called out to him once but he didn't exactly reply, now did he?" Dean replied, trying to keep the frustration he felt under wraps. "We are on our own on this."

"This lair is of a high ranking demon. A leader of an entire gang. You really think it's a good idea going in alone with no back up against something this powerful?" Sam asked, dubiously.

"We've beaten worse odds. We got this, Sammy," Dean said with a confidence he didn't truly feel.

As it turned out, five minutes into the fight, Dean and Sam both realized that they most definitely did not "got this." They were outnumbered, and beaten bloody on the floor.

A black-eyed bitch had Sam pinned against the wall, and another was advancing on Dean with the demon knife too far away from his reach. Cas, if you're listening, Dean prayed, knowing it was his last resort. Now would be a damned good time to show.

The door of the warehouse banged open. The sound distracted the demons, making them turn to find a figure standing in the shadows. "Looks like I'm late to the party," the figure announced.

Eyes on fire, your spine is a blaze…

Felling any foe with my gaze…

A demon charged angrily at the intruder, and Dean watched in awe as it fell to the floor with one strike, as dead as a demon could be. He took advantage of the distracted demons and reached for the knife, killing the one closest to him.

He watched them advance upon her – yeah, that's right. It was one badass hunter chick, coming to their rescue – and he moved to help her. Except, it didn't seem like she needed anyone's help. Not really. He watched her in awe, and he felt he just might be falling in love. Her determination so focused on killing evil was so freaking sexy.

The battle was over soon enough, and ignoring the survivors inside, she moved to the exit. A man in a trench coat stood in her path. His blue eyes narrowed at her, then recognition flared in them. "I know you," he said quietly.

She smiled at him, glad to see a friendly face at last. "Hello, Castiel."

Wiping the blood off the corner of his mouth, Dean found his way to the exit followed by Sam. He glared at Cas. "A little too late to show up to help, don't you think, Cas?"

"Sorry. It takes a bit longer to drive," Cas replied, truly apologetic.

The intruder grinned at the Winchesters, even while she kept her guard up against them. "What he means to say is, it's not easy to be at your beck and call now that his wings are fried."

This earned another glare from the blue-eyed angel.

"Who the hell are you?" Dean asked.

"This is Ariel, an angel from my garrison," Castiel introduced her.

"I go by Y/N on earth now. Since the fall, I mean," she told them calmly.

Dean eyed her curiously, fiddling with the demon knife in his hand. "Ariel? Like the Little Mermaid?" he joked, earning a look from Sam. "What? You were thinking it! I'm just saying it."

She watched the younger Winchester whip out an angel blade and she grimaced inwardly. These humans should not play with celestial weapons. It was becoming a nuisance. "We've met quite a few of you angels since the fall, and not all of them that likable," Sam said thinking of all he'd gone through because of Gadreel and the others. "The question is…are you a friend or a foe?" he asked defensively holding up the angel blade against her.

Y/N stepped right against the tip of the blade and pushed it down gently with her hand. "Friend, for now," she said smiling at them. "If I wanted you dead, you would be by now."

Dean looked at Cas, silently asking for his opinion on all of this.

Cas shrugged, letting his trench coat gently flutter. "You would be," he agreed, remembering the early days in heaven. "After all, she is the one who trained me. If she wanted you dead, that's exactly what you'd be."

She clapped her hands, smiling gleefully. "What do you say we take this conversation somewhere else? Surrounded by a whole lot of dead demons ain't exactly the place for a reunion, don't you agree?"

And that was how Dean found himself at a bar, challenging a celestial being – a very hot celestial being, mind you – to drink him under the table, as Cas and Sammy laughed at him for his stupidity.

To be continued...