HEY GUYS. IT'S BEEN A WHILE. THIS CHAPTER IS KINDA SHORT, BUT MORE ACTION WILL BE IN 10.
ENJOY.
"Who are you?"
"Jack Frost."
"What is your purpose?"
"To destroy the Guardians."
"And?"
"To please you."
"Who am I?"
"Pitch Black. My..."
"Your...?"
"My... lover."
In a dark, dark room, a shadow grinned a gleaming, white grin. "That's right my dear. You are mine."
In the same room, a dark hair teen sat cross legged on the floor, his golden eyes focused intently on the shadow. "I... am yours."
"We'll find him, Bunny." Tooth fluttered over to the Spring Spirit, settling on the floor near his seat. Bunny was seated in a sort of blanket nest, one he'd been occupying for almost three weeks. Upon discovering Jack had left to fight Pitch, Bunny had come to the Pole to alert the others. For the next several weeks, they spent every waking minute looking for their lost friend. They searched every nook and cranny, and hadn't found a single clue as to Jack's whereabouts. They'd even asked Jamie, Jack's first believer and best friend, whom Jack told everything. Not even he had heard from Jack in a while.
"We've been telling ourselves that for days, Tooth. We've looked everywhere, and ain't found a single sign of him... he's gone."
Tooth gasped, and shot onto her feet. "E. Aster Bunnymund! Don't you dare give up!" She made to smack him, but Sandy grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back. Baby Tooth, who had been silently atop Bunny's head, began to weep. Bunny picked her up and cradled her, saying nothing.
"Do not despair my friend. Jack is strong boy. I'm sure he is fine." North said, staring down at a map. On it, he was crossing off the places they had looked for Jack. Most of the world was crossed off, all except Antarctica and around the Pole. North got up and went to Bunny. "We have one last place to look. Surely Jack is in Antarctica. He is Spirit of Winter and Fun! He loves the cold. Maybe he has beaten Pitch and is healing there."
Bunny said nothing, just stared into the fire.
A malicious laughter filled the room.
"Look at the little rabbit pouting in his nest." A voice like butterscotch on steel filled the room. Tendrils of black shadow began to meet atop the Globe. The four guardians watched as Pitch formed, grinning at them from atop his perch.
"Hello there. Miss me, anyone?" Pitch laughed again.
Bunny jumped up, dropping Baby Tooth in the nest. "Pitch! You ugly mug. What did you do with Jack?!" He pulled out his boomerangs.
"Now why is it that, every time something in your oh so perfect little world goes wrong, you blame me?" Pitch tried to look insulted, but couldn't hold down his nasty grin.
"I'm in no mood for games, Pitch. Where is he?!" Bunny ready a boomerang to throw.
"Always impatient, aren't we rabbit?" Pitch rolled his eyes. "Keep your eggs in their baskets. He's safe in my lair. He is clothed and fed... and happens to be enjoying the darkness very much."
Bunny's fear level went up. "What have you done to him?"
Pitch snorted. "Don't get your ears in a twist, rabbit. He's fine. I can show you." Pitch snapped his fingers, and large black hole appeared in front of the globe. The Guardians watched as a small figure came into view. His hair was black, black as night, and he wore a familiar sweatshirt covered in snowflake patches, also black. The figure's skin was a smooth gray, his eyes large and gold. But despite these differences, the Guardians recognized their fifth member.
"Jack." The horror in Tooth's voice was evident. Baby Tooth flew back up to Bunny's head, gaping.
They watched as Jack interacted with a Nightmare, stroking its mane and speaking to it.
"How much longer until Pitch comes back? I miss him." he whined. The Nightmare snorted and Jack made a face.
"That's too long. I want him back now, so we can go mess with people like he promised."
The Nightmare snorted again.
"I know, I know. I should be patient, he'll come back to me." Jack stroked the Nightmare one more time, and then froze.
"What if those stupid Guardians hurt him?!"
The Nightmare's head rolled, an equivalent of rolling it's eyes. Jack's own eyes turned a ferocious red.
"If they hurt him at all, they'll pay. Dearly. Especially that stupid rabbit, Bunnymund. He can hurt me all he wants, but if he hurts Pitch..."
Bunnymund flinched visibly at the acid is Jack's tone.
The Nightmare nuzzled Jack, and he cuddled up to it, closing his eyes.
The hole disappeared.
"See?" Pitch asked. "He's fine. My Nightmares are taking care of him in my place. And as you can see, he seems to enjoy the darkness very much."
"What did he mean about Bunny hurting him?" Tooth squeaked. "The way he said it... He's never been so angry..."
"Oh yes that. Well it seems my sand wiped his memories, and so I gave him some new ones. As far as he knows, the Blizzard of '68 is Bunny's fault. Really it was mine, but that's a story for another day." Pitch rolled his eyes and sighed. "I didn't come all this way to chatter with you. Be prepared, Guardians. Jack and I will be calling on you soon."
Before any of them could do anything, Pitch melted away.
"Jack..." Tooth's eyes began to water. "We have to help him."
Sand took her hand.
"We will. And we will rescue him." North said, sounding sure, but the uncertainty in his eyes betrayed him.
The others looked towards Bunnymund, waiting for him to say something, but he seemed to have retreated into his own mind.
Baby Tooth twittered something, looking distraught, and Tooth nodded.
"That's right. We don't know where he is." Tooth looked at North.
His face was grim. "Then we will just have to wait for Pitch to call on us."
