"When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back at you." Strip away the philosophical meaning, and that quote just means: when I look at you, you're also looking at me.
From the moment Shane stood up, he'd been watching the Winchester brothers. He'd been studying the system and opening gift packs, but to the Winchesters, who had no idea what he was doing, it just looked like he was staring at them.
At first, the brothers didn't pay attention. They assumed he was just a curious neighbor or passerby—after all, police cars and ambulances had just been here.
But after several minutes passed and the stranger neither left nor came over to ask questions, instead continuing to stare at them, Dean started to feel uneasy.
Sam's girlfriend had been an ordinary person who knew nothing about the supernatural. She hadn't been in danger before, hadn't been in danger after, but the moment Dean dropped Sam off, she died. What did that mean? It meant the killer had been watching them. Tracking their movements.
Now a suspicious stranger was also watching them nearby. How could Dean not be paranoid?
Maybe he's the killer's lookout.
Maybe he is the killer. Maybe he's the yellow-eyed demon Dad and I have been hunting.
Demons can possess ordinary people.
Dean grabbed a beer from the car and subtly gave Sam a meaningful look as he handed it over.
Though Sam was still drowning in guilt and rage over losing Jessica, their longtime brotherhood let him understand Dean's intent immediately.
Sam took the beer but didn't open it. Through gritted teeth, he lowered his voice. "What's the play?"
Dean pulled a small silver flask from his pocket and twisted it open, raising an eyebrow.
"Holy water?"
Dean nodded. "I'll go give him a face full. If there's a problem, we send him straight to Hell."
"Good."
Sam tightened his grip on the beer bottle, and together with Dean, walked toward Shane.
Shane had been preparing to approach the Winchester brothers when he suddenly noticed them walking toward him instead.
Their expressions seemed normal enough, but their behavior didn't add up.
First, why would Sam, who just lost his girlfriend, be in any mood to deal with a stranger? Second, Sam's beer wasn't even opened, and Dean—who loved beer—wasn't carrying any. Instead, he had a small flask.
They're hostile. I've been misunderstood, haven't I?
Sam's girlfriend had just been murdered by a demon. Shane's behavior—lingering at the scene—probably looked exactly like a killer taunting them. Given the Winchesters' experience so far, suspecting him was completely reasonable.
If he were in their shoes, he'd be suspicious too.
Shane glanced at the open flask in Dean's hand. If he wasn't mistaken, it contained holy water. A splash to the face was the most direct way to test for demonic possession.
This was a misunderstanding, and Shane did want to befriend the Winchester brothers, but as the daddy of the Naruto Tycoon System, getting holy water thrown in his face before making friends was absolutely unacceptable. He had a generous heart, but he wasn't about to let himself be humiliated.
So... strike first it is. After all, they misunderstood him first. A little suffering on their part? Totally reasonable. Besides, there's an old saying: "You can't make friends without a fight." Friendship can wait until after the beatdown!
Watching the brothers draw closer, Shane's lips curved into an expectant smile. His hands began forming seals at high speed.
Though this was his first time performing hand seals, the instant mastery made the movements feel strangely familiar and smooth. His hands moved quickly and flawlessly.
Seeing Shane's smile and the bizarre movements of his hands, the Winchester brothers became even more certain of their suspicions. Sam, who should have waited for Dean to test Shane with holy water first, was consumed by fury. Losing all reason, his face twisted with rage, and he charged straight at Shane.
"Shadow Possession Jutsu."
Shane completed the seals. His shadow rapidly extended and connected with Sam's shadow.
Sam, mid-charge, froze instantly.
His expression went blank. Then he saw Shane slowly raise his left hand. In that same moment, something bizarre happened—Sam found his left hand, the one gripping the beer bottle, lifting against his will, mimicking Shane's movement exactly.
"You—" Before Sam could finish, Shane's raised left hand suddenly swung toward his own head.
Shane's hand held nothing, and he stopped just before impact.
But Sam's hand held a beer bottle. And though it also stopped, the distance between bottle and head was different.
CRASH!
The bottle shattered on Sam's head. Glass shards and beer foam sprayed everywhere, and beer ran down Sam's face.
"Sam?!" Dean, catching up, was stunned. Not only had Sam stopped moving, but he'd smashed a bottle over his own head?
No—wait. That guy's movements were identical to Sam's. He's controlling Sam.
Dean understood instantly. He glared at Shane with cautious hostility. "Bastard, what did you do to Sam?"
Shane shrugged. "Just did what he was planning to do to me."
As Shane shrugged, Sam shrugged too.
"That's holy water in your hand, right? Know what to do with it?"
"Throw it in your face." The moment Dean spoke, he splashed the holy water directly at Shane.
Shane jumped to the side. The controlled Sam jumped as well. And then... got holy water splashed all over his face.
Originally, Shane and Sam had been positioned in a straight line, with Dean off to the side. So when Dean threw the holy water at Shane, all Shane had to do was jump slightly to the side, letting Sam take the hit instead.
Seeing Sam drenched, Dean froze for a moment, looking both annoyed and apologetic.
Uh... did Shane just realize Dean might not be the sharpest tool in the shed?
Out of holy water, and with Sam mysteriously under the stranger's control, Dean could only try to outsmart him. Time for talk-no-jutsu.
"What do you want?" Dean asked while observing, trying to find an opening or opportunity.
"What do I want? I want to be your friend. Do you believe me?"
"Friends? Hah. I don't make friends with demons!" Dean sneered.
"Hunters wouldn't befriend demons—especially your family. Your mother was killed by a demon. Your father became a hunter. You two were trained from childhood. Now Sam's girlfriend was killed by the same demon. Of course you won't befriend a demon."
"But here's the thing... I'm not a demon."
"You think I'll believe that? You say you're not a demon, but why are you so conveniently here? Why were you staring at us? And how are you controlling Sam?"
Dean asked coldly.
Shane's expression turned odd. "Like I said, I came to be your friend. If I didn't come here, how would I meet you? How would I make friends? The place was crawling with cops earlier, and Sam was grieving after they left. If I didn't observe a bit and wait for the right moment, that's not making friends—that's asking for trouble!"
"As for how I'm controlling Sam, that's the power of money!"