Hey guys, welcome back to Frost and Fullmetal!

Thanks so much to Superstitious Studios for reviewing! New chapters release every Tuesday until the story's finished :)

With that, on with the chapter!

~ 8 ~

Guardians of Childhood

It wasn't often that Edward Elric was stunned into silence. His quick wit and sharp intellect (as well as, admittedly, his short temper) usually provided him with all the quips and insults he needed to prevent himself from looking foolish in front of most others - Mustang be damned. Even when flustered or caught off guard, it was a rare day indeed that he was ever rendered completely speechless.

This, it seemed, was shaping up to be one of those rare days.

North had led Edward into another section of the workshop - a platform overlooking a colossal globe covered in millions of glittering golden lights. If the sight of the incandescent structure itself wasn't enough, North stepped up to a control panel, gripped a wooden handle, then turned it and pushed it down. The globe immediately shone with color, ribbons of green, violet, pink, and aqua light undulating across its surface. The light flared its way up out through a skylight, surging out across the black velvet sky.

Through it all, Edward's mouth hung open, his dazzled eyes stretched wide.

Despite the gravity of the situation, North couldn't help but chuckle when he noticed the young alchemist's wonder. "Is beautiful, no? I bet you never thought you would see Northern Lights this close!"

Considering the fact that, up until a minute or so ago, Edward hadn't known what these "Northern Lights" even were, then yes, North's statement was accurate. Idly, the boy wondered if any similar phenomenons existed anywhere in his own world. Not caused by magic, of course, but by science. It would have to make sense, unlike practically everything in Jack's insane world.

Ed winced imperceptibly as Jack's name returned to his mind, putting a bit of a damper on the ethereal beauty in front of him. An impossible boy from an impossible world who had apparently performed an impossible feat. Though this world clearly contained such incredible things as shimmering globes and toy-building yetis, it also contained the boy whose very existence was an insult to everything Ed had sacrificed in exchange for shattered hopes and tortured dreams.

He would stay just long enough to find out if any of these "Guardians" had anything that could help him, and then he would leave. He had done his part already by telling North what had happened to Jack. They would handle everything.

And he would owe Jack nothing.

"So, uh…" Ed began, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Is that...light show thing a beacon or something? To get the attention of...the others?"

North nodded. "Yes! Is emergency signal for Guardians. When they see it, they will come running! And flying, of course. But, ah, for now...we must wait."

"Okay...well, then...while we wait, do you mind answering a few questions for me?" Pushing thoughts of Jack's situation aside, Edward was all business once again. He had come to this world to see if there was anything its "magic" would have to offer to solve his problems, and he did not intend to leave until he received his answer. "Jack, he, uh...he said you were some kind of 'magic' expert? And...as much as I hate to admit it, science hasn't really been working all that well on the problem I have. So I just figured I'd ask about your magic, just in case it turns out to be what I've been looking for."

The man eyed him curiously, eyebrows lifted. "You are interested in magic, you say? Yes, yes, I am expert of sorts. What sort of magic are you looking for?"

Edward exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck with his automail hand. "Well...I was sort of hoping you could tell me. I don't know how any of this stuff works, you know. But...do you have anything that's related to, uh...the human body?"

"You will have to be more specific than that!" North chuckled. "There is magic that can change bodies, yes, but with many different effects! Some temporary, some permanent. Some complete transformations, some minor changes. What sort of thing do you need?"

"Uh…" Edward trailed off, searching for the correct words. If this was alchemy, he could simply say "human transmutation" and be done with it (not that he would ever actually say that to someone he didn't already trust), but he had a feeling that phrase wouldn't mean much of anything in this world, if Jack's blank stares in response to the most basic of alchemical terms was anything to go by.

Either that, or Jack was just a dumbass. Probably both.

"...how about regrowing limbs?" Ed finally asked. "Or, better yet, regrowing a body for a...let's call it a 'wayward soul,' to latch back onto?"

North paused, thoughtfully stroking his beard for a few moments. "Regrowing limbs and bodies…" he mused, and shot Ed a curious side-eye. "Hm...off top of head, I am not sure. Would be very complicated magic...human body is very fragile, yes? Many vital moving parts. But...once Jack is safe, I will look into it. I will let you know if such thing is possible!"

Ed desperately tried not to get his hopes up too high. "Got it," he managed in a somewhat strained voice. "And, uh...thanks."

"Of course!" North chuckled. "Is least I can do in return for warning about Jack."

The guilt of nearly leaving Jack behind threatened to crawl its way up Ed's throat once again, but he stubbornly forced it back down. "...right."

With that, the two were left in an uncomfortable (at least, for Edward) silence, but to the boy's relief, it didn't last long. Suddenly, a string of curses that even impressed the foul-mouthed Fullmetal Alchemist himself sounded from a little ways down a nearby hall.

"Ah!" North laughed. "That will be Bunny, of course. Still is not used to the cold!"

The name "Bunny," as it turned out, was a bit too accurate.

Edward stared in shock as an actual, human-sized, anthropomorphic rabbit stormed into the room, shivering from the snow powder dusting its gray fur. It wore bracers on its wrists, leather wrappings around its feet, and a strap across its chest that held two holsters for...boomerangs?

The young alchemist's first thought was "chimera," but he quickly reminded himself that this wasn't the world he was familiar with. Maybe giant talking rabbits were somehow normal here?

And boy did the rabbit talk.

"Oi, North!" it snapped, in a masculine, strangely accented voice, ears flattened against its head in apparent anger. "Ya'd better have a damn good reason for draggin' us out here ta this frozen hellscape! If I'm freezin' my tail off for anythin' less than an emergency, I'm gonna - !"

"Bunny!" North scolded goodnaturedly. "That is enough - is child present! See?" He gestured at Edward, whose eye twitched slightly at the descriptor, but said nothing.

The rabbit's viridian eyes narrowed and flicked over to Edward, studying him intently. "...alright. Who's the kid?" he asked, a hint of suspicion in his gruff tone.

Could rabbits sense guilt and discomfort? Ed silently hoped that that wasn't the case, though admittedly, much stranger things had happened today.

"...Edward Elric," the boy muttered, averting his eyes.

"He is friend of Jack," North added, gesturing to the staff still in Ed's grasp. The boy winced, but didn't bother to correct him, instead letting the man continue to speak. "He has come to warn us that Jack is in danger! Somehow, Pitch has returned and is seeking revenge against him…Edward here says that Jack has been kidnapped!"

Bunny's eyes widened, his hostile expression disappearing in favor of shock. "Hold on - what!?" he exclaimed. "How the hell is that even possible!? It's barely been two years since we kicked that ratbag's arse the last time! How could he have gotten back enough power ta even crawl outta that hole of his, let alone take Jack back down with him!?"

North shook his head gravely. "I do not know. Perhaps he has been biding time, charging power in secret? Collecting fear in smaller ways? Edward also says that Jack in particular has been losing believers...I think Pitch may have been targeting their belief from shadows, being very stealthy to avoid getting our attention!"

"Damn it…" Bunny growled. "How long has this been goin' on!? What kinda condition is Frostbite in!?"

"He, uh...was coughing up water," Ed supplied when the two of them looked at him expectantly. "And some of his hair turned brown...and I think, just before he was taken, I saw one of his eyes turning brown too…?"

"I see…" North mused, stroking his beard. "It seems like he is turning human, then. Losing winter spirit magic, yes?"

Bunny's eyes narrowed. "Sure, but then what the hell's this about coughin' up water? Is the kid meltin' or somethin'?"

"That, I do not know."

Edward blinked. They didn't know?

They didn't know.

A lump formed in his throat as he remembered more of Jack's frantic words. "It wasn't anything personal," he had said. "I've never told anyone about it."

"Shit," the alchemist muttered under his breath, clenching his fists. Of course. Jack hadn't been hiding his death from Edward out of spite, or to mock him, had he? Sure, Edward might have had a specific, traumatic history with resurrection (or lack thereof), but to Jack, he was still nothing special. Jack had never told anyone else.

And really, Ed realized, why would he? Ed himself always went out of his way to keep his own trauma buried deep, not just because it could get him arrested, but also because he hated talking about it. Why wouldn't it be the same way for Jack? Why would the older boy be expected to happily discuss his own drowning with some random stranger who, so far, had done nothing but yell at and insult him?

Ed grimaced. Maybe he was the real dumbass here.

"Are you alright, Edward?"

North's voice jolted Edward out of his thoughts, and the boy quickly lifted his head to see the two Guardians staring questioningly down at him. He winced, feeling like a pathetic mouse under their gazes.

Would they be mad if they knew how he had treated Jack?

...probably.

"...I'm fine," he managed, forcing himself to meet their eyes. "Just, uh...shaken up, I guess. By...that creepy guy. And his weird horse."

Bunny merely tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowed in suspicion, but North, thankfully, was quick to agree with Edward. "Of course," he replied, nodding sagely. "Pitch has that effect on people! Aura of fear is very strong. But do not worry! You have done well in coming to tell me about it!"

"...right," Edward mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Right…"

Suddenly, a low buzzing sound like whirring dragonfly wings caught his attention, and he was momentarily distracted by his own guilt. "What the - ?"

A blue and green blur shot inside from a nearby window, followed by several more tiny specks of color. "North!" a feminine voice called out as the blur zipped across the room to hover just in front of the three of them, solidifying into a proper figure as it came to a relative stop. "What's going on!? Is there trouble!?"

Once again, the word "chimera" was brought to the front of Edward's mind.

The newcomer was a woman with brilliant magenta eyes and a body absolutely covered in blue, green, and golden feathers. Gossamer wings beat a mile a minute on her back, keeping her floating aloft in the air. She was otherwise human-shaped, but only the skin on her face and hands was visible. Elsewhere, she was all shimmering feathers.

Edward's jaw dropped.

Was she some sort of...fairy? He thought he recalled North mentioning as much, but nothing could have prepared him for the sight of a hyperactive feathered woman surrounded by what he now saw were tiny, hummingbird-like creatures with humanoid faces and hands.

And to think, he had assumed the giant talking rabbit would be as weird as things got today.

"Tooth!" North greeted, raising a hand to welcome her. "I am glad you could make it! But unfortunately, yes...there is trouble."

"Pitch-related trouble," Bunny added, arms folded. He nodded in Edward's direction. "According to this kid, he's got Jack."

"What!?" Tooth, the bird woman, exclaimed. "But...how!? How could Pitch have come back so soon? And how could he have taken Jack!?"

Her incredulous tone suggested that such an occurrence was a rarity - and Ed also recalled Bunny making a similar shocked exclamation. It was as if Jack in particular would have been expected to hold his own against the shadowy man.

Was that icy dumbass really so powerful? Given everything that he had seen, Ed wasn't exactly inclined to believe that. Sure, he had blocked an attack from Scar and briefly sent the man flying, but was that really all that impressive for a spirit? Besides, it wasn't even a real fight - Jack had just taken Scar by surprise and hit him once before the military showed up and forced Scar to flee. It didn't take much effort to imagine the muscular Ishvalan picking up the walking stick figure that was Jack and flinging him into the nearest building.

Though, perhaps Jack's fragile, elfin frame was an illusion? It wouldn't be the first time the strange boy had defied Ed's expectations, that much was certain. Maybe whatever "magic" Jack possessed was a lot stronger than Ed had originally thought.

Soon, both Edward's musings and the Guardians' frantic discussions were interrupted by the arrival of yet another anomalistic being.

Gently drifting in from the same window through which Tooth had entered was a particularly small man, probably a foot or so shorter than even Edward. The man was entirely golden, from the tips of his shimmering, spiked-up hair down to his oddly tiny feet. His clothing was made up of glistening gold sand, sculpted to give the appearance of a robe. A serene, sleepy smile was on his face as he landed amongst the other Guardians and silently waved in greeting.

Almost immediately, Edward was struck with the realization that this man was just about the exact opposite of Pitch.

Whereas Pitch was inherently creepy, his mere presence delving into Edward's deepest fears and insecurities and dragging his trauma to the surface for all to see, the man of golden sand instantly put him at ease. It was as if an aura of calm emanated from him, reminding the young alchemist of the rare luxury of a peaceful sleep.

It was almost too obvious - Pitch was nightmares, and this little man was sweet dreams.

"Ah, Sandy! Welcome!" North called out to the man. "We are all here, good! We must prepare for battle immediately!"

Sandy tilted his head and, with a rustle of sand, a golden question mark appeared above his head.

"No time to explain it all, mate," Bunny replied gruffly, pulling a boomerang out of its holster and twirling it dangerously. "All ya need ta know is that Pitch has Jack."

The question mark immediately shifted into an exclamation point.

Ed wasn't sure if Sandy couldn't talk or simply refused to, but he didn't bother questioning it. Instead, he cleared his throat and remarked, "So...looks like you guys have this all under control."

North nodded. "Indeed we do, Edward! We shall leave immediately, and should be back with Jack soon! You still want to talk about magic afterwards, yes?"

"Er, yeah, that'd be nice…" Ed answered slowly. "Uh...how long do you think you'll be, exactly? I assume you're like...professionals at this?"

"We are! We have fought Pitch many times and won, and he is still not at full strength - should not take long at all!" the man replied, though he didn't exactly answer Ed's question about timing. "Stay here for now, we will talk when we get back. Is this good?"

Ed blinked, thinking back to Alphonse waiting up for him. He had admittedly been considering leaving as soon as he passed the message about Jack's condition along (the awkward guilt was starting to become too much to bear), but if he was going to potentially receive some leads to solve his own problems, it might be within his best interests to stay for the time being. Of course, he didn't want to leave his brother hanging for too long, but surely the Guardians would return with Jack in hand before a significant amount of time passed. There was no harm in sticking around for a bit longer if it meant learning a thing or two.

"Yeah…" he said slowly. "That's...fine. I'll see you later, I guess?"

"Yes!" North reached into his pocket and pulled out a snow globe as a yeti walked up to him, carrying two sheathed swords. With one hand, he hung the swords at his hip, and with the other, he raised the snow globe to his mouth and whispered something that Edward couldn't hear. He then tossed the globe in front of him, creating another shimmering portal.

"Feel free to look around workshop while you wait!" North called over his shoulder as he walked towards the portal. "Yetis will help if you need anything!"

"Don't mess with anything, kid," Bunny warned. "Dunno who the hell you are, but if we get back here and you're doin' somethin' stupid, we'll - "

"Bunny," Tooth scolded. "Don't be rude! Jack needs our help, we can't waste time arguing here!"

The rabbit scowled. "How do we know Frostbite's even in danger? Can we really trust this random - ?"

"Better safe than sorry!" The fairy nudged her fellow Guardian in the direction of the portal. "Think about how guilty you'd feel if we ignored the warning and Pitch seriously hurt Jack!"

"Now hold on a - !"

But before he could finish, the two were through the portal, alongside North. Sandy was the last to enter it, taking a moment to give Edward a friendly, yet completely silent smile and nod. Then, with a floaty bound, as though gravity only tenuously held him to the ground, the little golden man drifted into the portal, which shrank and disappeared from sight behind him.

Just like that, Edward was left alone.

"Well, that happened," he mumbled, his mind still reeling from the impossibility of his situation. "Guess I might as well just...look around or whatever…"

As soon as he went to take a step, however, a gust of Wind shoved him from the front, stopping him in his tracks.

"Wha - hey!" the boy exclaimed, scowling. "The hell was that for!? I already did what you wanted, didn't I!? I told them all about your ice buddy, and they're on it! I don't have any more damn responsibilities in this!"

In response, the Wind rushed towards the staff that Edward had nearly forgotten he was holding, sending it clattering to the ground. He stared at it for a long moment.

"...you're kidding," he deadpanned. "Don't tell me you want me to follow them wherever and hand-deliver this thing back to him! Why didn't you bring this up before!? I could've handed it off to North and the others!"

He wasn't sure why he bothered asking, given that he couldn't understand most of what the Wind was trying to tell him in the first place, but yelling at least helped him feel a bit better.

"Well, you can just forget about it!" he snapped, glaring at nothing in particular. "I'm not going after them! Hell, I don't even know where they went! Snowcone's just gonna have to wait to get his stick back, and you're just gonna have to chill out about it! What's the big deal, anyway!? It's not like he needs this thing to live!"

The Wind went eerily silent.

Ed blinked.

"He...he doesn't need it to live...does he?" he questioned cautiously. "I mean he was weirdly protective of it and all, but...he just said it was a conduit for his power! That doesn't mean he'll die if he doesn't have it!"

The Wind offered no response.

Ed swallowed a lump in his throat. "No...you think I'm gonna believe that!? You're just messing with me! You're trying to guilt me into going after them, you asshole! Well...well it's not gonna work! If it makes you happy, I'll hold onto this damn stick until they get back, but I'm staying here and that's final!"

Still, no answer.

"...good." Ed slung the staff over his shoulder and began to stomp off, grumbling to himself.

However, while the Wind finally seemed to have left him alone, his thoughts weren't quite as willing to do so. Even as he walked away, Tooth's final words before leaving through the portal echoed in his mind.

"Better safe than sorry! Think about how guilty you'd feel if we ignored the warning and Pitch seriously hurt Jack!"

He came to an immediate halt.

"...shit," he grumbled, smacking his left hand against his forehead. "You know what? Fine. I still think you're just trying to trick me, but...whatever. Better safe than sorry, I...guess…"

Reluctantly, Ed reached into his coat pocket and removed the snow globe he had used to get to the North Pole in the first place. "Don't even know where I'm supposed to be going…" He held the globe up to his mouth regardless, scowling as he spoke. "Uh...wherever that Pitch guy lives. His evil lair or...wherever."

Though he honestly hadn't expected it to work, when he tossed the snow globe, a portal formed, just as it had the past few times he'd seen it used. His eyebrows lifted as the Wind gusted around him triumphantly.

"Uh...okay." The boy shook his head as though to clear it. "Here's hoping this takes me to the right place...then I can just find the others, give them the stick, and leave, okay?"

Thankfully, the Wind seemed content with this. It did not bother him again as he hesitantly stepped towards the swirling vortex of light.

Silently hoping that he wasn't making a huge mistake, Edward took a deep breath, steeled himself, and stepped through the portal.

()()()()

Jack had never exactly been fond of the dark. In fact, one might go so far as to suggest that he was outright afraid of it, and they would not be particularly far off.

Of course, it wasn't quite the darkness itself that Jack feared. Rather, it was the high quantities of potential dangers that might lurk within it.

He wasn't some child fearing imaginary monsters in the closet or beneath the bed - despite the fact that, in reality, Pitch Black, the Boogeyman, was far from imaginary. Still, Jack had made it abundantly clear that he was not afraid of Pitch.

But as Pitch had once made equally clear - he was afraid of something.

Jack had learned to be wary of the dark and the threats it concealed long ago. Having spent most of his life outside, he was forced to adapt to the dangers of nocturnal wild animals, stealthily approaching natural disasters, and other spirits planning to attack him under the cover of night. Still, all three of those dangers paled in comparison to the invisible demons that terrified him the most.

His own thoughts.

Now burned into his mind was the image of Edward's face contorted in disgust as he watched Pitch drag the winter spirit into the shadows. Ever since Jack had arrived in the darkened, empty, underground room Pitch's Nightmare sand had dropped him off in, he had replayed those last few moments in his head over and over again. He lay on the hard, stone ground, shivering against the cold surface - a major concern, considering he hadn't even been able to feel the cold in over three hundred years - and too weak to do more than lift his head slightly to spit out water. His eyes - surely both brown by now - were squeezed shut as he silently agonized over that final exchange.

"I-I...I've never told anyone about that…i-it wasn't personal, I swear…"

"Like hell it wasn't! What kind of dumbass do you take me for!? You've probably been giggling to yourself about it this whole damn time! Ooh, congrats! You managed to do something I lost two limbs and my brother's body trying to do! Here you are, alive and well and intact and just rubbing in the fact that I failed!"

If Edward hadn't hated Jack before, he certainly did now.

And really, what had Jack expected? That he could hide the truth of his death forever? That, if he did find out, Edward would just magically be completely fine with the notion that the older boy's very existence made a mockery of the Elric brothers' losses?

Edward had unknowingly given up his leg in an attempt to bring his mother back to life. Alphonse had lost his entire body, and would have been gone forever had Edward not dragged him back from the brink in exchange for his arm. Both of them had suffered so much for a dream that would never come to pass.

And then there was Jack. A young, stupid colonial boy who quite literally skated on thin ice and paid the price for it - except he hadn't, really, because the Man in the Moon had seen it fit to force life back into the pathetic corpse mere hours later, practically on a whim. And why? Because in his final moments, Jack had managed to prevent his little sister from sharing the same fate?

The realization which had once cemented in his mind the idea that the Moon had made the right choice in making him a Guardian now felt small and ridiculous. Did saving his sister really make him all that special? Sure, maybe it was an admirable act, but Jack was neither the first person nor the last to sacrifice himself for a sibling like that - not that he had even been intending to die in the first place. Why him? Why did he in particular deserve what he knew to be the only second chance ever given?

Why not Edward? The boy who willingly cast his own right arm into the void for the chance to pull his brother back from it. The boy who now was forced to bear the weight of two metal limbs despite his small size - two tolls he should never have had to pay. The boy who ignored his own pain and devoted every waking moment to fighting for a way to get his little brother's body back. The boy who had agreed to follow a total stranger to another world for the sake of said brother, only to have his already tentative trust dashed on the ground and shattered into pieces.

The boy who had just wanted to see his mother's smile again, and had been shattered just as thoroughly as a result.

If anyone deserved a shot at a successful resurrection, it would be a boy like that, not the fool who fell through the ice he hadn't checked carefully enough.

Jack gave a soft whimper as he curled up on the stone floor, a trickle of water dripping from the corner of his mouth. He knew the Guardians wouldn't be coming for him. There was no way Edward wouldn't have immediately gone back home, not bothering to tell the others that their youngest member was in trouble. Thanks to his terrible circumstances, his origin story that made him a freak, an oddity, and his concealment of the truth from the one boy who deserved to be told the most, no one would be coming to rescue him.

And honestly, he probably deserved it.