evergreen | destiel

II

it took 16 years before he found the soul again.

castiel learned that dean died in '19, when he was 26. the soul had moved onto a new life. at first the angel wasn't purposefully looking for the soul's reincarnation, but he felt a whisper of that familiar feeling and couldn't help himself. he touched down to earth, found a random vessel, and followed where his heart told him to go. and yes, it sounds cheesy. but he ended up at the right place, so how stupid could it possibly be?

he walked into a small clearing. he didn't even know what continent he was on, but truthfully the angel didn't care. wherever it was, it was beautiful. it felt beautiful.

castiel saw a flower in the clearing. it was vibrant purple surrounded by complimentary lush green grass. spring was just beginning and rain had been pouring down just a day before, making the ground moist enough to feel cool on the angel's skin. castiel approached the beautiful flower, soaking in it's essence. the soul was just as wonderful as he'd remembered it.

he laid down right next to the plant, flat on his back, hands behind his head. he looked up to the sky and closed his eyes, finding it easier to not face the sun shining through the clouds. the soul's essence called to him, and castiel swore he could feel it lacing itself around his vessel's limbs like a vine.

castiel almost liked the soul better in this form. there were no human emotions in the way to conflict what was obvious: that he and this soul were drawn to each other. he played around with that thought in his head before he ultimately decided no, he missed dean's stubborn personality and found it charming.

the angel laid in the clearing with the flower in complete solitude for what felt like minutes but had to have been months. the only sounds were the rustling of the wind against the trees around the perimeter of the clearing, and the songs of the birds in them.

it was complete solitude, and therefore complete bliss.

soon the flower started to droop sadly. the air held a bite of chill that felt like fall and castiel watched as the gorgeous purple flower curled into itself and died.

it wasn't sudden, it was a slow process. before castiel even realized, he felt empty again. why would he want to live without being near them? everything about their presence drew him in so delicately and sickly sweet.

he flew all around the world in search of them again. he'd find them, and depending on the situation would either watch over them silently or sit with them wherever they lived.

in one life they were in the form a beautiful little girl born in zimbabwe, so castiel made his form invisible to humans and followed her until she eventually passed away in her home village, surrounded by everyone who loved her.

once, they were one of the ducks in a small pond, and castiel sat on a bench and fed all of them every single day until one of the local dogs attacked the birds while they were sleeping and death took every last one. it didn't make him sad, because he knew that they would be back.

another time they were a tall, wise oak tree deep in the green forest. the leaves reminded castiel of dean's eyes. the angel laid his head on the roots and once again basked in the righteous glory of that soul.

no matter where the soul went, castiel would follow. sometimes the lord would call him back up to heaven to attend to business but he would never stay gone for long. he always found a way back.

this carried on for nearly fifty years.