Hey guys! Sorry about the cliffhanger last time; guess I was just letting out my inner Rick Riordan!
Anywho, you guys know the drill! Big thanks to Nekohime1, ForeverFrost, AFandomLostInTheEcho, Brenne, Daziy is SoniQ (Both because he doesn't want to draw attention to himself by flying, and because Zephyr's been the only one he could consider a friend for a long time), LaughingFish36, Viny, .mira (Wow...where do I begin!? Thank you so much! I'm so glad you like this story so much, it means a lot! I don't think I'll be giving Jack a love interest, though. However, in regards to sequel(s), who knows? I don't have anything planned at the moment, but if inspiration hits me once I've completed this, then it's possible! Once again though, thank you so much for the review! :D), justsomeone (I'm glad it could help, and thanks for the review! :), and NiaJayne (Wow, thank you! And I don't plan on abandoning this, so I think we're safe in that regard!)!
Wow...guys, before we continue I just want to take a look at the stats here. 85 reviews, 80 favorites, and 112 follows...
You guys are literally the best. Every single one of you. Honestly, you are. Every time I post a new chapter, I'm so nervous that there's something wrong with it; that something doesn't make sense, that someone's out of character, that I forgot something, etc. But seeing your reviews? Getting your support? That's what makes me suck it up and post it. That's what makes me confident. And that's what makes me so happy. I love all of you guys! :D Fandom group hug! *hugs you all*
Once again, you guys are the greatest, and so now, let's get on with the chapter!
Chapter 11: An Unexpected Heart-to-Heart
"Oi, duck!'
Something twirled out of nowhere, startling Jack out of his trance. Instincts finally kicking in, he hit the ground, doing a backwards somersault out of the way. The object-one of Aster's boomerangs, no doubt-passed through the air, directly where Jack's head had been a moment before. It collided with the creature, seeming to go right through it, and spiraled back into the Pooka Guardian's paw.
Jack gasped, eyes wide as saucers as he was sprayed with a strange, gritty substance. It almost reminded him of Sandy's dreamsand, but rather than send him into a peaceful sleep, all it did was bring to mind terror and darkness. When he looked up, the eyes had gone.
Suddenly, he felt someone grab him by the collar, lifting him up into the air. Within less than a second, he found himself staring into Aster's narrowed emerald eyes.
"Why were ya up." The way he growled the words made them seem less like a question and more like a statement.
"I-I-" was all Jack could stammer. The two of them seemed to be alone; despite Aster's shout, none of the other three Guardians appeared to have awoken.
The rabbit rolled his eyes and scoffed, dragging the boy over to where he had formed his makeshift light source. He set Jack down and pointed to it. "And why did ya put the fire out!?"
"W-Well I-"
But Aster wasn't done. "Did it not occur ta ya for even a second that maybe-just maybe!-that fire coulda' been there for a reason!?"
"'T-'Tis not like anyone t-told me it was!" Jack retorted, his voice taking on an almost hysterical tone. With a jolt, he realized that his whole body was shaking profusely. "Y-You-I-I-" He could scarcely form words, instead settling on falling silent and staring up at the Guardian with wide, fearful blue eyes.
For the first time, Aster's gaze softened marginally. "...come on," he said, following a long moment of silence between them. "Let's...sigh, let's get ya cleaned up."
Jack frowned, then looked down at himself. Upon doing so, he noticed that whatever substance the creature in the dark had been made of (he assumed that the substance had been released only because Aster killed it) now covered his clothes. If he had to guess, he would say that it coated his hair and face just as thoroughly.
When he looked up again, Aster had already started walking towards the green-tinted tent. Halfway there, he turned and faced Jack, one eyebrow raised. "Ya comin' or what?" he asked gruffly. Struggling to slow his breathing, Jack hurried over.
The two entered the tent, Aster gesturing for Jack to sit down. After getting as far away from the entrance as he possibly could, Jack slowly lowered himself to the ground while Aster picked a rag and a canteen of water up from the table on the other side of the tent.
"W-What was that thing?" Jack asked, voice trembling as he finally found the will to speak. Had he been thinking clearly, he would've cursed out loud at the feebleness of his tone, but for now, that wasn't the case. His mind was too clouded with fear to care about his showing of weakness to the usually-antagonistic Guardian.
Aster gave him a sidelong look as he finished soaking the cloth. As he turned fully and began walking towards the boy, he said, "That'd be a Nightmare, mate. One of Pitch's little minions."
"The Nightmare King," Jack mumbled dully.
Aster nodded in response. "The Nightmare King," he echoed softly. The rabbit held up the cloth to Jack's face and said, "Here, hold still." Aster, ignoring Jack's flinch at being touched, began to wipe at the black substance that clung to the young sprite's features. It came away easily, but Jack decided that it wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing to have rubbed across one's skin.
He winced as the particles dug into his cheeks, closing his eyes just in case Aster pulled the cloth the wrong way. When the Pooka was done, Jack opened his eyes, staring at the now almost entirely black rag. "Is that...sand?" he asked.
Aster nodded once again. "Yeah," he replied. "Lot like Sandy's, but a lot more evil." Aster stood, walking back over to the table. He slid an empty jar across the flat surface to rest in front of him, and squeezed the cloth out over it. Once he had ensured that all of the sand in the cloth had been transferred to it, he screwed the jar's lid shut tight. At Jack's confused expression, he explained, "Just a precaution. Ya don't wanna have constant nightmares every night, do ya?"
I already do.
"Of course not," Jack replied, drawing his cloak around him uncomfortably. Within moments though, he abruptly let go of it at an almost comical speed, remembering it too had been doused with the black sand.
His actions actually brought a chuckle out of Aster. Jack stared up in surprise, eyes stretched to the point of resembling an owl's, as the Guardian of Hope (at least, that's what he remembered E. Aster Bunnymund's title being) grabbed a towel and made his way back over to the boy.
Aster arched an eyebrow in response to Jack's expression. "What's wrong there, mate?" he asked as he knelt down once more. "Ya look like ya've seen a ghost."
"I'm fine," was Jack's automatic response.
The Pooka didn't buy it for even a moment. He studied the sprite, green eyes boring into Jack's blue ones. "Yer still shakin' like a leaf, kid," he finally said with an uncharacteristically soft tone in his voice. "Ya ain't fine. Tell me what's wrong."
"Well I-" Jack's voice faded out as he stared at Aster. The Pooka, for once, didn't have his eyes narrowed in anger, or lip curled in malice. He actually looked...concerned. It took a long moment for Jack to find his voice again. "I...why exactly are you being so nice to me all of the sudden? I thought you hated me." Good job, Jack, you can form coherent sentences again. You did it.
Aster was silent for a long time. Initially, instead of speaking, he chose to use the towel he had picked up to remove the black sand from Jack's hair and clothes. Jack allowed him to perform this task, but never took his eyes off of the Guardian's face, patiently waiting for a response.
Only when Aster had deposited this batch of sand safely into a jar did he speak again. "Don't get me wrong, kid," he said. "I decidedly still don't like ya."
"How kind," was Jack's sarcastic reply.
"But," the Motorean continued, ignoring the sprite's remark. "I'll concede-ya are just a kid. And...it ain't really fair for us ta be draggin' ya into this like we are. 'Specially when we're up against things like that Nightmare."
Jack couldn't believe his ears. His mouth fell open slightly as he continued to stare. D-Did he just say...did he actually admit that… Jack winced. Now even his thoughts were as disjointed as his recent speech patterns.
Aster rolled his eyes. "Oi, close your lips, kid. Yer gonna catch a hell of a lotta bugs that way." Jack quickly snapped his mouth shut as Aster sat down on the other side of the tent, directly across from him.
"Kid," Jack echoed when Aster had gotten settled. "I thought I was just 'sprite' to you. Just a...just a thing. A demon." The boy arched a dark eyebrow suspiciously. "Why the sudden change of heart?"
Aster didn't meet his gaze for a long moment. "Like I said," he said, finally looking up. "Still don't like ya. But as long as yer stuck with us, I figure I'm gonna have ta tolerate ya."
"You're not telling me everything," Jack said, barely letting Aster finish his sentence. "I mean don't get me wrong; I can understand why. I mean, I am just a soulless demon bent on mass annihilation-"
"Now look here, mate-"
"-but I would appreciate a bit of honesty. To be honest, you sort of owe it to me at this point."
Aster exhaled heavily, eyes traveling up to the top of his tent. "Fine," he said. "Aside from bein' a real pain in the tail, ya haven't exactly done anythin' that could be considered evil this whole time."
"If I remember correctly, I shot at you," Jack deadpanned, referring to his failed escape attempt, during which he had nailed the Guardian right between the eyes with a blast of ice.
"Self-defense," was Aster's response. "I'd've done the same thing in yer position." He shook his head, as if not believing the words he said were coming from his own mouth. "And when I saw ya get attacked by that Nightmare...well, let's just say ya looked a lot more like a child than both your formal and 'rebel without a cause' acts permit. Yer a child, I'm a Guardian, ya finish the puzzle."
Jack opened his mouth to speak, but Aster beat him to it. "And before ya ask; yeah. I know they're both acts. Ya may not like it, but yer as clear as glass, kid. I just had ta actually look ta see it."
"See what?"
"That yer afraid."
Jack studied the rabbit carefully, his expression guarded. He still wasn't sure he believed that the rabbit wasn't trying to trick him in some way, but said nothing in respect to that. Instead, he asked dully, "Afraid?"
"Afraid," Aster parroted. "Ya really think none of us can see it? Ya really think we're so dense that we automatically assume that yer perfectly willin' ta go with us?"
Yes.
"No."
Aster scoffed. "Now that there, is what we Guardian folk refer to as a lie." The statement almost brought a smile to Jack's face.
Almost.
"Look mate," Aster continued. "I don't know what Tsar Lunar's plans for ya are. I don't know why he sent us after ya, I don't know why he chose ya, and I don't know why he won't tell us what the bloody hell he's doin'. But regardless of that, yer here, and we've got a job ta do. So if-"
"I'm not a Guardian, Aster," Jack said suddenly. "I'm not sure what the Tsar is expecting me to do, but, whatever it is, I can't do it."
"Kid-"
"You saw what happened out there. I couldn't defend myself against one Nightmare. If the stories are to be believed, the Nightmare King has thousands upon thousands of them." Jack met Aster's eyes. "I'm just dead weight. I can't help you."
The Guardian frowned, examining the boy for a long moment. The silence lasted a long time before Aster finally broke it. "I agree with ya on one point," he said. "Yer not a Guardian. Despite what the Tsar said, yer-"
A demon, apparently, Jack couldn't help but think, mentally completing the Pooka's sentence. And a criminal.
"-not gonna officially join us; not ever." Aster grimaced, as if not wanting to speak his next words. Despite this, he continued anyway. "But if Lunar says yer gonna help, then yer gonna help."
Jack's eyes narrowed. "How am I supposed to-"
"Any way ya can." Aster's word on the matter seemed final, so Jack quickly fell silent. The rabbit sighed, rubbing his forehead briefly before returning his gaze to the sprite before him. "Now get back ta yer tent, will ya? And stay there." After a moment, he added, "And just so ya know, this never happened, yeah?"
After a nod and a reluctantly mumbled, "Thank you", Jack slipped out of Aster's tent and returned to his own. Knees weak, he collapsed into the pile of blankets he had left strewn across the floor, and lay there a moment, eyes drooping and thoughts returning to the eyes in the darkness.
"What the hell have I gotten myself into?" he asked himself for the thousandth time. By the time sleep washed over him at last, he still hadn't come up with an answer to his own nervous question.
Slightly shorter than usual, but I hope you guys enjoyed all the same! That being said, I'll see you next Saturday for the next chapter!
Until then, Sapphire316, out!