Chapter two! It's here! It's here!
This chapter also has lyrics throughout, but not all chapters will… especially once we begin deviating from the movie's storyline.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Nightmare Before Christmas, I don't own Hetalia, I don't own the characters of either, and I don't own the soundtrack of Nightmare Before Christmas. Danny Elfman wrote the songs, I don't remember who made Hetalia, Tim Burton wrote the original poem "The Nightmare Before Christmas", and Disney made the movie out of the poem.
Enjoy~!
Jack walks away from the center of Halloween Town. All the other citizens are still celebrating this year's festivities. Another frightening Halloween, one that everyone had enjoyed. Jack had fun, of course, but he still feels as if something is missing. His aimless steps lead him to the graveyard, or, more specifically, to the moonlit hill in the center.
There are few who deny
At what I do I am the best,
For my talents are renowned far and wide.
Jack sighs, plopping down at the very top of the hill. He has begun to get sick of all the praise he recieves. Sometimes it's just too much!
When it comes to surprises in the moonlit light,
I excel without ever even trying!
He hardly even has to TRY to scare people on any day of the year, let alone Halloween! He has gotten too good at his job over the years!
With the slightest little effort of my ghost-like charms,
I have seen grown men give out a shriek!
With a wave of my hand and a well-placed moan,
I have swept the very bravest off their feet!
Does he really even have to try? It's way to easy! Way, way to easy! A gesture here, a frightening noise there, and even the bravest of men scream like terrified little girls! Will things ever change? Even his failed attempt at Christmas had frightened people! And Chrismas is one of the LEAST frightening holidays in existance!
Yet year after year, it's the same routine,
And I grow so weary of the sound of screams,
And I, Jack, the Pumpkin King,
Have grown so tired of the same old thing…
Jack sighs, wrapping one long, bony arm around his overly long legs.
Zero, his ghostly dog, floats over, wondering why Jack seems so down. Halloween used to be Jack's all-time favorite day of year! Why would he be so sad, not out celebrating his success with his peers?
Oh somewhere deep inside of these bones,
An emptiness began to grow.
There's something out there, far from my home,
A longing that I've never known…
'Is this all there really is in life?' Jack wonders in despair, unknowingly ignoring his pet. Is he doomed to frighten people forever? Is there nothing there for him?
I'm a master of fright, and a demon of light,
And I'll scare you right out of your pants.
To a guy in Kentucky, I'm Mister Unlucky,
And I'm known throughout England and France.
He sighs quietly, simply thinking about the stories told about him in the mortal world. He has always been well-known as a terrifying character. Does anyone actually know him for anything else?
And since I am dead, I can take off my head
To recite Shakespearean quotations!
Zero barks at him, begging for Jack to play with him. Shocked out of his reverie, it takes Jack a few moments to readjust to reality and aknowledge his closest friend.
"Oh, all right," Jack sighs. He tugs out a rib bone, waving it in front of Zero's nose. "Here you go, boy!" he said half-heartedly, throwing the bone for Zero to chase.
No animal, no man
Can scream like I can,
With the fury of my recitation.
He watches Zero flutter about, looking for the bone. The ghostly canine lets out a few muffled barks before beginning the long journey back to Jack.
But who here would ever understand
That the Pumpkin King with the skeleton grin
Would tire of his crown? If they only understood…
No one seems to understand. He hates his job.
…
Okay, not really, but he isn't happy with what he does, either. He is sick and tired of scaring people all the time.
He'd give it all up, if he only could…
'If only, even just once, I could spread cheer, not fear. If, even just once, I wasn't the spook in the closet, but the hero…' he thinks sadly. He doesn't even notice right away when Zero returns with his rib clamped in translucent teeth.
Oh there's an empty place in my bones,
That calls out for something unknown.
He slowly stands, returning the bone to its proper place in his ribcage. He pats Zero's head, and the two slowly walk back to Jack's house.
"What's missing?" he murmurs sadly, pausing at the elaborate gate of the graveyard. "I'm constantly praised by people, every year. Why do I still feel like something's missing?"
The fame and praise come year after year,
Does nothing for these empty tears.
A/N: Well, no one reviewed (lol didn't give ya the chance!) so now you get to read the whole thing!
I have no clue how long this will be, I'm just writing this. The plot kitty for HNBC is the one telling me what to do. Like I said, this was originally supposed to be a oneshot, not a multi-chaptered story. I'll try not to make it too long, though (not that it'll be very short... -.-').
I dunno which one was harder to write... this chapter or the first one!
Chapter one was not set to follow the movie, but I did my best with it.
Chapter two followed the movie a little, but it didn't really. Jack's not singing the lyrics, by the way. He just was talking in between... when he actually spoke...
-sigh- Just enjoy it, okay? Stop making me try to explain it!