Ok so this is the next chapter.
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Onto the chapter!
A year. It's been a year since he had lost his belief in the Guardians, four years since he's spoke to them and one since he has seen them. Ever since he lost his belief, Jack's avoided them, any trace of them. He no longer played with the dream sand that drifted through the sky at night, nor did he bother keeping a look out for the cloud of dream sand. He never payed attention to the fairies that zipped by at night and he never gave them the chance to see him as he remained hidden in the shadows. He didn't care if winter caused it to snow on Easter and didn't bother to stick around to see if the rabbit would try and seek him out. On Christmas, he didn't try to follow North or write his own letters. Jack just simply never wanted to deal with the Guardians ever again.
He performed his winter duties without struggle, surprised when Mother Nature never asked what had happened to him though he really shouldn't be that surprised. There was an ache in his heart from where he had felt the kindness of another spirit, but it was ignored because it was now just another faded wound of betrayal.
The wind remained by his side, and for that he was grateful. However, the wind noticed he was always as cheerful as before, but the boy still had fun. And, as far as Jack knew, the Guardians were not even aware that he had been free from Pitch.
It would have stayed that way, Jack never daring to cross the Guardian's path, but that all fell apart one autumn day.
"I'm telling you North, I smelled him this way." Bunny stated as he led North in the direction he smelled Jack's sent.
"How do you know it is not like any other time?" North asked wearily. They lost much of their joy when Jack stopped believing, like the life had been sucked out of them. They continued on with their jobs but that didn't mean they forgot the boy, even with the short time they knew him in. During the time the boy was gone, Bunny claimed to smell the boy but it was so feint that it could have simply been the wind carrying the smell as a cruel punishment, and they took that seeing as they never saw the boy.
"Nah, it's too strong for that." Bunny protested as he hopped along. It was just the two of them seeing that if this was just a fluke, then the other two Guardians wouldn't lose time of their, mostly, twenty-four hour jobs. However, as they continued to draw closer to the area he smelled it at, the sent grew stronger and Bunny just knew this wasn't a fake.
He motioned for North to quiet and slow down as they were just mere steps from the sent. His ears swerved in that direction, looking for any sound that could help him and he heard soft breathing. Taking a quiet step forward, Bunny looked towards the sent and froze.
There, relaxing in a tree, was Jack Frost. One leg dangling off the branch and his staff across his stomach with one arm over it while the other was behind his head. He seemed to be daydreaming or something of the sort as he gazed up tiredly at the afternoon sky. He didn't seem to take any notice in them as they both came out of hiding.
"Jack?" North gasped out. The boy didn't react.
North took a step forward and winced when his boot come down and snapped a twig. This Jack did hear and jumped up in fright at the sound. His blue eyes flew to look towards them, wide with panic that quickly faded to confusion.
"Jack!" North called once again when he believed he had the boy's attention. "We are so happy to see you!"
"North-" Bunny spoke up, noticing something but he was cut off by Jack.
"Huh, odd." He spoke confusing the larger Guardian while the other's ears just drooped as he silently hoped this wasn't happening.
"Jack, what do you mean o-" North was cut off by said boy and his words made his heart fall.
"I thought there would be someone there." Jack muttered, his words a knife to their hearts. "Guess not."
"Jack?"
The wind swirled around Jack. "I don't know what you mean, Wind. I don't see anything. It's probably just nothing." Jack sighed before twirling his staff and jumping into the wind's grip. "Let's go, we shouldn't worry about it." With that he was gone.
The two Guardians stared in shock at the spot long after Jack had gone. They were frozen in sorrow and shock at what they had just witnessed. Jack…didn't see them.
"He…he couldn't see us." North choked out, breaking the tense silence.
"I hoped it hadn't been that when he looked in our direction." Bunny said. "I saw it in his eyes, the way he seemed to stare past us…but I didn't want to believe it."
"He really doesn't believe." North whispered in shock.
"Hurts, doesn't it?" They jumped at Jack's sudden voice behind them. They turned around to the see the winter spirit staring disinterested in their direction. "To be ignored and looked through."
"Jack-?" Bunny stopped when Jack raised his eyes to look into theirs, the blue eyes looking cold and bitter to them.
North suddenly began to move forward, ignoring Bunny's shout for him to wait. He moved to the younger spirit and opened his arms prepared to hug him. Jack flinched as he neared him and his arms began to close around him. Jack almost fled, but he didn't have to.
Three gasps were heard as North passed right through Jack.
As North gasped in pain, a large hand to his chest, Jack stood there in shock before letting out a bitter laugh.
"Well would you look at that." He spat out with a bitter chuckle. "Talk about irony."
"Jack?" Bunny gasped out staring in shock. "What the bloody hell just happened!?"
Jack leaned on his staff and shrugged. He understood what happened and so did the others, they just didn't want to accept it. The fact North had gone through Jack was testament to his disbelief in them. Honestly, Jack hadn't expected to go through the Guardian, seeing as he could still hear and see the other and he's never had that problem in the past with other spirits.
"What are you doing here?" Jack sighed as he looked to both of the Guardians.
"What do you mean what are we doing here?! I think it's bloody obvious don't you?" Bunny exclaimed. Jack just raised an eyebrow in response.
"We're here for you!" North shouted with a weak smile and open arms in Jack's direction. Jack looked at him and his hard eyes softened for a moment before hardening once more.
"Right." Jack drawled. "Why?"
"Why? What do you mean why?" North asked his arms dropping and his face morphing to confusion. "We were looking for you so you could escape Pitch! It's been four years!"
"Three years." Jack spoke up making them freeze. "I escaped a year ago, no thanks to you."
"Look Frostbite, Pitch may have showed you some things but none of them are tru-"
"Pitch didn't do anything other than show me my memories." Jack snapped, cutting Bunny off. "And before you object, I know they were my actual memories, there were no tricks involved."
"You believe that ratbag over us?!"
"I didn't say that." Jack growled back. "I said I saw my memories! I don't believe Pitch's words I believe what I saw. You can definitely count on the fact I don't believe you."
"So this is the thanks we get for looking for you all these years?" Jack gave a scoff in reply making Bunny growl. "What now?!"
"You obviously weren't looking that well for me."
"Why you litt-"
"Stop!" North blew making the two quiet down. He turned to Bunny saying, "Getting angry won't solve anything." Then he turned to Jack. "Come with us to the Pole. I'll call Tooth and Sandy and we can clear up everything there."
Jack rolled his eyes. "Thanks but no thanks. I'm fine with not being dragged into whatever trap you have waiting."
"There is no trap." North protested. "Please, Jack."
Jack swallowed as he watched the two before him plead for him to go with them. He could, he almost did go with them. But he froze. He didn't know if he could trust them to have a simple talk.
North had moved forward once more and a hand reached out and hovered over the winter spirit's shoulder. For a few moments, it stayed like that but then North lowered his hand and it came to rest on his shoulder, not going through it.
But it was only there for a split second as Jack decided he didn't want to risk going with them and being chained there as a power source. He decided he would flee as he said. "As I said, thanks but no thanks."
North's hand went through his shoulder.
The two Guardians just stared as Jack called to the wind and began to take off. However, Bunny had enough of looking for the boy and growled.
"Oh no you don't!" He leapt and tried to grab Jack only to fall through him. Jack froze in the air at the action, not prepare for the Guardian to do such a thing even after he knew what would happen.
This proved to be an effective way of distracting Jack long enough for Bunny to take out a boomerang and throw it at the winter spirit.
Jack yelped as the weapon smacked into his staff, ripping it from his grip. He tried to grab it but it was too far out of reach and Jack slammed onto the ground a few feet from where he had been flying. The two Guardians could only be thankful Jack wasn't too far from the ground and that when he fell it was not as hard as it could have been.
Bunny quickly ran and seized Jack's staff as the other got his breath back. When Jack pushed himself to his hands and knees, he glared at Bunny.
"Why did you do that?!" He growled. "I wasn't doing anything!"
"No, you weren't, but you also weren't agreeing to talk with us."
"I don't want to!"
"Why?"
"If this is your attempt to be friends, then it is really stupid." Jack stated, not answering Bunny's question as he stood up.
"While I don't agree with Bunny's methods, I agree we have to talk." North spoke up. "Please, come with us to the Pole."
"No." Jack hissed back. "I don't want to! You can't make me!'
"You want to bet?" Bunny asked raising a brow.
"As if you can." Jack snipped back. "You can't even touch me! so how are you going to keep me with you."
"We have your stick."
Jack frowned at the Guardian of Hope's words. "First of all, it's a staff. Secondly, so what?"
"I know that, simply from watching you, you'd never leave it behind." Bunny smirked when he saw Jack swallow and create fists with his hands. "So if we took it with us to the Pole, you'd be inclined to follow just to get it back."
Jack grit his teeth. "And how do you know I won't just freeze you right now and take my staff back?"
"I know this cause I know you enough to know you won't." Bunny stated confidently.
Jack clenched his fists tighter as he felt the wind circle him, but not able to lift him without his staff. He was backed into a corner right now and he could hear the wind was asking him to go with the Guardians, even if he didn't know why.
With a sigh, Jack turned to look the two Guardians in the eyes.
"Fine, I'll go with you." His words made North smile and Bunny smirk.
"I have fast way." North said as he took out a snowglobe and whispered his destination before letting it smash. He stepped through, followed by Jack who was forced to go through second, and then Bunny who still held the winter spirit's staff.
Once they were in the Pole, Jack could feel the eyes of the yetis on him as North went to called the other Guardians. He looked back to Bunny and sighed when he saw his staff still him his hands.
This was just great.
So that was that. What will happen? You'll have to wait and see!
Feel free to comment, ask questions, etc.
Until next time! :D
