Jack Frost- An Ouran High School Host Club Tale- Based on the tale by Rankin Bass.
I do not own Jack Frost, Ouran High School Host Club, or the season of winter any way.
He's nipping at your nose…
He gives winter its chill. He's the sharp cold whipping at your hair. He's the playful spirit that brings joy all. To the world, he's known as Jack Frost.
Jack tumbled through the sky, riding the wind. He laughed his jingling laugh and wrapped the winter around him like a blanket. His silver hair rippled over his head, and his icy white skin glistened in the morning sun. He was centuries old, yet still remained young. He loved bringing snow and ice to the world.
In a joyful mood, he floated to the ground, near a group of children who were building a snowman. It was quite pathetic; the snow they were using was dirty, and wasn't holding up well. Jack smirked and hopped over to them. He blew slightly, and with a gust of wind, the snowman became whiter than a cloud, and he grew bigger than before.
"Wow!" the children gasped in delight. They giggled and joined hands, dancing around the snowman in glee. Jack smiled and joined in on their fun. The only problem was, they couldn't see him. He could make them happy, could bring them joy, but he could never truly share that joy.
They dispersed suddenly and ran towards their snow sleds. Jack waved goodbye as a sled whisked through him. His icy smile turned low, and he hunched over slightly. He took to the air, leaving a jingle of ice behind him.
He flew to his favorite spot- a frozen pond surrounded by a snow bank and ice covered trees- not as happy as he usually was. He was starting to get into these moods more and more often, and it was starting to become quite a bother. He rested his face on his long white fingers and stared up into the sky. He conjured up wisps' of snow in a bored manner, and kicked his long legs back and forth.
"Dad, I really don't think this is a good idea," sounded a voice from below him.
Jack jumped up quickly, looking down onto the snow bank. A girl at the age of sixteen stood below him, with a pair of ice skates dangling from her hands. She was dressed in men's pants and a long coat. Her dad was shoving his feet into his skates, smacking at his long hair as it whipped in his face.
"Oh Haruhi," her dad whined. "You used to love to skate when you were little! Do this for daddy please?" He stood to his tall height, his thin body wrapped in a long women's cloak. Jack chuckled softly at their apparent gender confusion.
Haruhi exhaled, sending a puff of air out of her mouth. "Fine," she mumbled, and crouched low to put her skates on. She pulled them tight, and stood gracefully to her feet, despite the blades on her feet.
"Come on!" her dad nearly shrieked, and pulled her onto the ice.
Jack floated up from the rock, and watched with fascination. Haruhi skated with an unexpected gracefulness, gliding smoothly and turning with agility. She let a small smile grace her features, something Jack rarely saw.
This was his favorite spot because Haruhi came here often to skate. She pretended she didn't like it in front of her father, but Jack knew for sure that she loved it. He smiled and watched her with wide eyes, feeling a chill race up his spine.
He absolutely adored her. When he first saw her as a child, skating with her mother, he instantly thought of her as his own. However, as he watched her grow up into her teen years, his fatherly love began to turn into something else entirely. He longed to make her happy, and he wished that he could take her into his icy arms.
Reality hit him them, and he fell back onto the rock with a splat. He was invisible to humans, and he could never do as other humans could do. He was a spirit; a very old spirit. He could never walk amongst the humans.
"Isn't it wonderful weather we're having, Haruhi?" Renka breathed, gliding on the far side of the ice.
Hauhi smiled. "I suppose we have Jack Frost to thank for that."
Jack floated back up, smiling harder than he had before. One other thing about Haruhi Fujioka that he loved; she believed fiercely in Jack Frost. He would watch through her window- years ago- when her mother whispered stories about him in her ears. She dressed up as Jack Frost for what the humans celebrated as Halloween, and in her secret heart, fell in love with the fabled spirit.
Jack spun through the air, hugging himself in glee. Flurries of snow danced around him like old friends. Perhaps if this silly spirit was less focused on himself, than perhaps he would of sensed the ice give, heard it crack beneath Haruhi's blades.
Haruhi's shriek snapped him from his reverie, and he quickly darted to the edge of the rock, looking down. A hole had broken in the center of the ice, and Haruhi was gone.
"Haruhi!" Renka shouted, running over to the hole where Haruhi had disappeared. He reached into the icy water and came up empty. "Haruhi!" Renka screamed again.
Jack darted off his rock onto the frozen lake. He scanned quickly around, seeing through the ice. Almost immediately, he saw Haruhi about thirty feet away, banging helplessly on the surface of the lake. He was above her in an instant, and watched as her pounding got weaker, and her eyes fluttered closed.
Panic gripped him, and he bent down. He couldn't melt the ice like the Heatmiser could, but he could remove it. He placed his hands on the ice, unfazed by the cold. A perfect circle cut around his hands, and he easily lifted the heavy chunk and crushed it in his delicate hands. Haruhi was beginning to sink. He reached in and tried to grab her, but his invisible hands went right through her. Suddenly, Renka was above him, reaching out and clutching Haruhi's jacket. He hauled her out, and without difficulty, lay her on the ice. With a bit of coaxing and back patting, Haruhi's eyes opened, and for a moment, her brown eyes locked on Jack's icy purple ones. He knew in that moment, as she was just seeing the day, she saw him.
But, as Jack knew would happen, Haruhi's glazed over with the spell of human ignorance, and she saw reality once more.
"Dad," she choked, and threw her arms around him. "Jack saved me!"
"Jack?" Renka stared at his child.
"Jack Frost," Haruhi croaked. "He saved me!"
Renka patted Haruhi's back. "Sweety," he murmured.
Jack stared at his forbidden beloved and made up his mind once and for all. He stood up, and looking around, he added another sheet of ice to the lake to make it more solid. With one final glance at Haruhi and her father, he took to the sky, leaving a tinkle of bells in his wake.
"Good morning Heatmiser, Snowmiser!" Jack bellowed upon his return.
The twins looked up with identical faces. They were the fabled Heatmiser and Snowmiser, the twins of the weather. The Heatmiser sat on a lawn chair, with a fan in his hand. His red hair fell over his head lazily, and his matching red robe lay discarded on his side.
The other was in all blue. He sat on his icy throne, watching the snow fall down on earth with a satisfied expression on his face. His white hair danced on his head. They were exactly the same, but total opposites.
"Good morning Jack." they said in unison.
"You're doing a wonderful job down there," the Snowmiser mused. "I wonder if perhaps I can take a day off like my lousy twin here." He jerked his thumb to his counterpart.
"Hey!" The Heatmiser jumped up and stalked over to his twin. "I've been working nonstop since-"
"Heat," Snow said dramatically. He placed an icy hand on Heat's face. Instantly, Snow melted, and heat froze. They became identical, both with hair and robes of violet.
"I'm sorry about what I said." Snow continued. "Please forgive me."
Their faces drew dangerously close to one another. "Snow," Heat murmured.
A chorus of squeals came dancing over Jack's shoulder, and he turned around to see the Sleet Sisters hanging over each other, intrigued by the twin's love.
Jack laughed. "Where is Snip and Honey?"
Snow broke away from his brother. "They're in the Flake Room." He turned to sit on his throne, his violet hair fading back into white.
Jack nodded and flew off to the Flake Room within the floating castle in the sky. He had lived here since the beginning of time; the enchanted castle within a cloud. He passed the Hail Fellow, and a crew of small pixies. He said his salutations kindly, and several moments later, he was inside the Flake Room. The flake room was made completely out of ice- much like the rest of the castle- and held a large desk in the center. Chunks of ice sat to one side of the desk, while on the other, beautifully crafted snowflakes waited to be dispersed throughout the world.
"Snip!" Jack called, his jingling voice reverberating throughout the room.
"Jack!" Honey jumped up from behind Snip's desk. A wreath of holly adorned his silver hair. "Welcome back!" Honey was a Snow Flake Gypsy, and handled all of Snip's expertly cut flakes. His tiny body, which resembled a small child, ran toward Jack, and he was clutched to his chest in an instant.
"Good morning Honey," Jack breathed, crushed by Honey's embrace.
"Oops!" Honey yipped, and released his hold on Jack. "What brings you back?"
"Well," Jack began, dusting his hands. "I've been thinking about something…"
"Ooo, what is it!" Honey had settled down, and was sitting as his small desk, munching on a piece of white cake.
"Well, I was wondering if I could talk to Snip about it." Jack admitted bashfully.
"You don't want to talk to me?" Honey dropped his fork and tears formed around his eyes.
Jack jumped up and scurried towards Honey. If there was one thing the spirit got nervous about, it was tears. Without thinking, he turned the drops on Honey's face to ice.
"Jack!" Honey yelled, and desperately tried to pull the ice off his face.
"Honey," a voice sounded from the doorway. Jack turned with the word 'help' on his face.
Snip stood in the doorway. He was taller than Jack, and his dark black hair rivaled Jack's silver hair.
"Snip!" Honey yelped, and leaped into Snip's arms. "Jack turned my tears into ice again!"
Snip regarded him kindly. "Then you shouldn't cry as much." He carefully plucked the ice off Honey's face. When he was finished, he sat behind his desk, picking up his scissors to work on another batch of flakes.
"There's something you need to talk to me about, Jack?" Snip murmured.
"Well, yes." Jack sat back down.
"Father Winter will be angry that you're here so early," Honey said, all traces of ice gone. He was happily munching on his cake again.
"Yes, I know, but I need to ask him something very important." Jack wrung his hands nervously.
"So why are you talking to me?" Snip replied.
"I want to know your opinion." Jack took off his hat and leaned forward. "I want to be human."
Honey dropped his fork again, and Snip put down his scissors. "Human?" They both said.
"Why, Jack?" Honey whispered.
"I have my reasons," Jack said cryptically, his mind filled with images of Haruhi.
"You can't let Father Winter find out about this," Honey whispered.
Suddenly, a wind harsher than Jack's, and a cold colder that Jack's, whipped through the room. A deep voice rebounded off the walls. "I have already found out."
Jack stood up and faced Father Winter. He was far older than the others within the room, but he still retained a young form. His black hair framed his white face, and his glasses held infinite wisdom. He was expertly dressed in a white suit, and held a small book in his hand.
"Father Winter," Jack bowed.
"This is downright insubordination," Winter said calmly, his eyes ablaze.
"If, I am insubordinate sir, it's you who made me so." Jack said with equal calmness. He was the only one who stood up to Father Winter.
Winter smiled softly. "Is that so?"
"I am the only one you send amongst the humans," Jack started. His purple eyes gleamed. "You ordered me to bring joy to their Januaries, and to make their Christmases whiter." His face turned sad. "But when I try to share their joy, they can't see me! Why can't I be part of them?"
"Jack," Winter sighed. "You do not know how humans live. You would be a stranger to their ways." He fixed his glasses and fixed his eyes on Jack. "No one down their really wants to know Jack Frost."
Honey was frowning. He felt for Jack; he truly did. He didn't know what it was like to be amongst humans, but Jack did. He was with humans all the time, but he could never share what they had. It has to be lonely being one of a kind.
"He must be lonely," Honey whispered to Snip. "He practically lives with the humans, but he can never truly live amongst them."
Snip nodded.
Jack remained unfazed by Winter's statement. "Grant my dream, Father Winter. They won't know it's me. Strip me of my powers. Just allow me a chance to be human."
Winter stared at Jack. "Give me some time to think over your request; a century or two." He began to walk away.
Jack ran forward and held tight to Winter's hand. Winter stopped in his tracks and stared at Jack. Jack fell to his knees. "I'm afraid that will be too late," Jack whispered.
Winter looked at Jack, feeling his defenses beginning to weaken. "I don't want to be special. I just want to be an ordinary human. I want to fall in love and live a simple life." Ice formed around his eyes as he looked up at Father Winter. "Please give me a chance to try."
Winter sighed and adjusted his spectacles. "If you feel so lonely Jack, I suppose I have to grant you wish. You may become human."
Jack jumped up and hugged Winter, rubbing his icy face against his. "Thank you so much! You have no idea what this means to me, mon amie!" Jack leaped away from Winter and leaped through the air.
Winter chuckled. "There is a catch, Jack."
Jack stopped mid jump and hovered in the air.
"You will become a human only temporarily." Winter stated.
Jack hit the ground. "But Father-"
Winter held up his hand. "I will grant you a winter of humanity. If by the first sign of spring, you have accumulated the basic human essentials- a house to shelter you, a horse to bear you, a bag of gold to sustain you, and a wife to make it all worth the while- then you will be truly human." He sighed. "Then you may stay so with my blessing forever."
Jack stood up and bowed. "Thank you, Father Winter."
Winter bowed his head, and with a gust of wind, he was gone.
Hey again! This a little thing I've been turning over in my head for a while, so I decided to make it into a story. Right now, it's going to be parallel to the Rankin Bass version- as you can see by the dialogue- but it will branch off, I promise.
Oh, can anyone guess who the characters are? I hope you can!
Reviews are appreciated!