Hey sorry for not updating, please no pitchforks!
I had a lot of issues and wasn't able to reach the pen- er... labtop
BUT I am back and will be posting more!
My usual editor, marisol, is out of town so renoku (who you may find on tumblr or on here!) offered to help!
Go check that tumblr out! It's awesome!
And now, after too long of a break (as well as authors notes)
Chapter 4

Aster was alone in his warren, sitting by a river of dye. Today the googies were far away, playing in the sun and having a grand ol' time, completely unaware of Bunny's mental state. He looked down at his large furry feet and bit his lip.

"Of course he doesn't feel the same way, Aster." He laughed a pained laugh, like something you would hear of someone who'd given up. "Who could want a giant rabbit?" He poked at his foot with his paw, a tear escaping from his eye. He had this wave of hopelessness wash over him and he pulled at hair. Something inside pained him everytime he thought of himself, something about not being human - or at least looking human - stung every time time. When children saw him, sure he looked cool to them. But people loved the human look, and he didn't have it.

"Oh Aster, you silly widdle wabbit," a taunting voice called, "You think that he'd like you back. You thought that kiss meant something." Bunny knew the voice; it was his own. The mimicked Australian accent sounded perfect, it was as if the rabbit was talking to himself. Bunny had no intent on fighting, he only wanted to succumb to his fate, he felt so hopeless and lost.

"Aster, I know it hurts. I know better than anyone. You're alone... worthless... unwanted and unloved." A darkened form of himself gave a pitiful frown from the dye beneath his feet. Bunny said nothing, he only looked down. "Aster, I can make it go away. I can make you never feel again." The charcoal pooka disappeared, its manipulative voice still hanging in the air. "You'd never need anyone, you can be independant. And I know that is what you want, because I am you. Aster, I feel everything you feel."

Bunny nodded; the idea of numbness forever sounded so sweet. He remembered Jack's voice, how it sounded so musical. But that music was sour now. He remembered Jack's carefree smile, how life was always a game for him. But that game cheated Bunny. All good memories of Jack, everything Bunny craved for in him had turned black - everything seemed awful, painful, and full of hurt. Bunny closed his eyes and saw Jack's face, his blank face of disgust when he admitted his feelings.

Bunny winced and shot open his eyes, but the Jack he saw still was there. Bunny stood up, reaching for his boomerangs, but before his paws could touch the wood the darkened pooka yelled out, "Look bunny! This is the man you want! Look at the hate in his face! Look at how he never would want you."

Bunny let out a cry and fell to the ground. "NO!" he yelled. "Just make it go away!" His voice was desperate, "Just make HIM go away!" With that the face of Jack disappeared in a gust of dark red and black sand.

Bunny took in a breath, gasping for air, the experience far too vivid for him. Tears were rolling off his face when the dark pooka crouched down, looking at the wreck of what was left of Bunny's sanity. "Aster..." He whispered. "I can not only make him go away, but the siren that calls you to the shores of your death - I can make that sweet addiction go away too." Bunny let go of his head and looked up the hallucination. "Aster... I can make Jack frost go away to."

He reached out a paw to Bunny, and the magic sand looked pale and innocent. Bunny held his breath, putting his hand closer, but before their pads could touch, he looked into his eyes. They were no longer a resemblance of the same green that he held in his own. They were a deep blood red that startled him. Bunny pulled his hand away and jumped up. The reflection didn't look like himself anymore; it grew in size and turned more and more twisted. Its muzzle pulled back and the teeth turned into shattered glass.

"Bunny, take the hand!" The voice had a hidden sense of a female. The evil dripping taste of a young girl spat at bunny rather than his own.

"I don't know what you are, but I'll kill you," Bunny said, quietly reaching for his boomerang. The evil Bunny laughed and pounced on top of him, ripping at his chest.

Bunny let out a blood curdling whelp that Jack could hear on his trip over. Jack flew over one of Bunny's open holes and screamed out, "BUNNY!" His yell went unheard and more screams rang from the hole. Jack dove down the hole and through the tunnels until the warren shone through, still looking peaceful, as if everything was fine. Jack wasn't fooled, he could still hear Bunny. "BUNNY I'M COMING!" he screamed, flying at the fastest speeds he could reach, but he was too late to see Bunny's reflection, for it disappeared in a dark cloud of red and black sand.

Bunny lay lifeless on the blood stained patch of grass. Jack watched for a moment until a single, shallow breath wheezed its way of from Bunny's chest. Jack flung himself down next to him, crying loudly, "Bunny! No... NO please no! You'll be ok. I'm here." Jack held Bunny's head, clearly ripped from the claws of his reflection.

Bunny managed to lift an eye and see Jack's tears hitting his face, although he couldn't feel the cold water. "Jack..." He smiled softly. "He promised to be numb." His face was weak. Jack cried louder for Bunny, holding his face closer to his body. "He promised to make me numb... and now... now I am... and I hate it." Bunny laughed very lightly. "I hate it because I can't feel you."

Jack held his breath, and smiled lightly. "But I'm right here. Please Bunny, feel." Bunny closed his eyes, and licked his lips. "I...I can't feel you," he said, and this time anger rang. "You're holding me, and I can't even appreciate it."

Jack saw a tear run into his silver, blood stained fur, the dirt from the warren ground into the clumps that were left. He leaned down and pressed his forehead to Bunny's. He cried out again, anger filing his heart.

A light inside his clenched hand began to glow dimly. Jack saw the light from the corner of his eye and gasped. It then shone brightly.

"Hope," Jack said simply. "HOPE!" he yelled a bit louder.

Bunny opened his eyes and said with little air, "Oi!... let me at least... die in silence."

Jack breathed in with excitement in his voice. "Bunny, there is hope!" Bunny didn't hear, he faded out of the world, growing closer to the fate that rested for him outside of Jack's arms.

Jack saw and tried to think of what to do. He lifted the shining hand and pressed it to Bunny's face, his ice creeping into the deep cuts, slowly closing over and shining much like his hand. Jack smiled and leaned down, his nose adjacent to Bunny's muzzle.

"There will be hope again," he said, his lips just brushing over Bunny's slightly purple lips.

He pressed down, kissing Bunny lightly, full of meaning and passion. A light washed over the dying pooka, wrapping around him like a blanket. Jack kissed harder and pulled bunny up, needing the little warmth he had left. Bunny was now all white in the cold light that shone from him. He twitched lightly, his face winced, he felt a small nip from the freezing hold of Jack's arms. He pressed back lightly, kissing Jack back as he lifted an arm, the sudden release of death proving real. He sprung up, still holding jack. Jack smiled, the pain still on his face but his eyes so happy to see Bunny alive.

Bunny looked up at Jack, still confused, "D-did you just?"

Jack nodded, tears rolling off his cheeks. "Y-you're ok," was the only thing he could say.

Bunny wrapped his arms around jack, both knowing the worst wasn't over but neither could care. For the time now, the sweet time that they spent in each other's arms, the only thing that mattered was that they knew. They knew they felt the same.