Author's Note: 100 reviews! :D (insert party here) Haha, thanks again for reading and reviewing guys, seriously, I appreciate it more than your tiny human brains could possibly comprehend (…damn…haha jk guys I love you).

COMIC VERSION?***In other news, I just got new sketchbooks, and they're itching to be drawn in. I was thinking to myself when I was bored the other day, what the f*ck am I gonna use all this for, and aside from my own comic I've been working on, I've come to a decision. Once this fanfic manages 200 reviews, I'll draw a comic version of it and post the pages up on my deviant art account for the world to see. I know, it seems totally unfair, but the sooner the reviews reach 200, the sooner I'll start posting the comic version (and unfortunately, spam doesn't count). If you'd like to see some of my work (please don't get discouraged upon seeing it, I'm always learning) my deviant art profile name is KuraiTeiruzu696. If you have a dA, hit me up ;D. Yes, if you were wondering, I drew the Jack Frost for this book cover. I have to change it, cuz I have the cover page for Frostrauma done already... if I ever get to draw it ;D I splurge post on dA every two weeks (once Frostrauma reaches 200 reviews, I'll try uploading more often).

Again, thanks so much for reading (all your reviews make my day!) and sharing your opinions with me, I hope you enjoy the story as it takes its unfathomably depressing and unreasonably angst-y course.

FINALLY A FLUFFY (albeit hella long) CHAPTER… right after I try and make you cry.

~~PLEASE NOTE THAT SPIRITS CAN'T REALLY DIE~~

Rated T for self-abuse, suicidal themes, some violence, a descriptive scene of physical harm, feels that will probably make you cry, and of course, the unnecessary overuse of foul language (what else? Even though it's not as bad this chapter)

From the other side of the door, Jack heard the muffled sound of shifting sand, and he assumed that it was Sandy's turn to speak… well, not speak per se, but to show them what he was thinking on the matter through gold sand pictures.

"So he has not been sleeping lately?" North implied, and Sandy continued.

When Sandman finished with whatever he was saying, Tooth let out a startled cry and North let out a "No… Rimsey Korsakov, what have we done?…"

Bunny remained silent.

'What? What!? What did Sandy tell you I was doing!?' Jack urged in his thoughts, taking a deep breath to steady him from collapsing then and there. No. There was no way. Why would they sit back and watch him all those years alone, and then bring it up now just because he was a Guardian!? Jack usually vomited when he cried too much. But he always cried before. Why was it such a big issue now? And what could've been causing all the sullen responses from the Guardians? Just what did Sandy say to them? Did Sandy know of-

[2 weeks prior to first chapter's events]

Sandy was the only one who knew about it back then.

The golden guardian saw it from a mile away, and discreetly flew over to better see just what the kid was doing.

The first time Sandman saw it, he was mortified. Why would he do that? Why on earth would he do that?

Curious as to what he was doing, Sandy swiftly glided closer, his dream cloud nearly skimming the ground as he looked up to the night sky inquisitively, squinting to make out the dark figure as it shot up into the air. Jack looked to be flying as high as he could… trying to find something, maybe? Before the winter spirit became a guardian, Sandy often heard Jack talking to himself. It was normal to pass by one late evening delivering dreams and hearing Jack just rambling to himself about the most random things. He supposed it was a way of coping with the loneliness (Sandy wished he could have stopped by and talked to him, but he had dreams to deliver; he was far too busy), by talking to the wind, or the children that couldn't see him. Sometimes it was directed to the trees, other times, to the lake. But most of the time, he spoke to the Man in the Moon. He recalled how on one night in particular, while he was flying over Burgess and delivering dreams, Jack was standing on a rooftop and asking something of the Moon with a bitterly distraught look upon his face. Therefore, the guardian of dreams really wouldn't be surprised if Jack was just flying up to have a one-on-one conversation with the Moon.

Sandy chuckled. He had let his sixth sense get the best of him and worry him for no reason it seemed. He was slowly turning to fly away when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw it.

Jack was rapidly falling back down to earth, his staff falling beside him and not in his hand where it belonged. And Jack's eyes were closed. And he was smiling.

Sandy would've helped him; he would've caught the poor boy had he not been paralyzed with fear. But the fact of the matter was that, he just couldn't bring himself to move, too ensnared with the horrific scene that was taking place before him.

Jack crashed into the earth with a thud, overshadowed by a series of sickening cracks and snaps. A deep daunting wail emitted from the crumpled spirits lips and filled Sandy's eardrums, which immediately startled him out of his temporary paralysis. He hopped off his dream cloud and began to make his way toward the crippled spirit, focusing his mind and forming a telepathic connection to Jack as he did so (in hopes of keeping him awake through his mind), and abruptly came to a halt.

All of Jack's thoughts flooded Sandy's mind, as if Jack's mind wasn't large enough to contain all of them and they seeped into whoever's mind it was connected to. Sandy's heart stopped when he realized that his thoughts merely composed of a slur of voices, most of which Sandy recognized right off the bat.

"We should never have trusted you!"

"Your greatest fear is that no one will ever believe in you,"

"You were chosen like we were all chosen: by Man in Moon."

"And worst of all, you're afraid you'll never know why."

"But none a them believe in ya, do they? You're INVISIBLE, mate. 'S like ya don't even exist."

"Why you were chosen to be like this; unseen, unable to reach out to anyone!"

"Ho-hold on! I'm… I'm sorry… I didn't mean for this to happen-"

"He has to go,"

"Stop it, stop it!"

"You want the answers so badly… you want to grab them and run off with them,"

"I'm a Bunny."

"But you're afraid of what the Guardians might think. You're afraid of disappointing them,"

"The Easter. Bunny."

"Jack… what have you done?"

"Well let me ease your mind on one thing: They'll never accept you. Not really… because you're not one of them,"

"You were with Pitch!?"

"You don't know what I am!"

"Of course I do: you're Jack Frost!"

"If I'm doing something wrong, could you just… tell me what it is? Because I've tried everything and no one ever sees me!"

"You make a mess wherever you go; why, you're doing it RIGHT NOW."

"You put me here! The least you could do is…"

"What did you do?"

"…tell me why…"

"More to the point Jack… what did YOU do?"

"People BELIEVE in ME."

Sandy broke the connection, falling to his knees as his own mind recovered from the unexpected memory flood. He shook his head in disbelief. All of his memories… they were ridden with so much sadness and self-loathing to the extent where Sandy couldn't withstand maintaining the mental connection. Goosebumps spread like frost down the dream spirit's back at the thought of being forced to endure them. He couldn't even begin to imagine what Jack was feeling.

Jack… Sandy refused to believe that the fall was intentional. He must have accidentally dropped his staff.

Upon returning his attention to Jack, Sandy stood up and once again attempted to move closer to the boy, and again, he paused. Jack was picking himself up from the ground, his body racking with sobs and short, rapid breaths. Using his staff as leverage, he clambered up from the dirt and tried to stand on his own two feet. He winced and toppled back over, releasing a wretched moan that echoed throughout the woods. After a few seconds, after Sandy was now almost 20 feet away from him and still gone unnoticed, Jack forced himself up, and began flying up in the air again.

This time, Sandy followed him, staying below him so that he wouldn't stand out among the clouds. He wanted to tell himself, see? He was just going somewhere. His staff must've slipped from his fingers at how fast he was going.

Sandy was never able to tell himself this.

Jack stopped and hovered in the air, unbeknownst that Sandy was not far from him, watching him anxiously. He shuddered.

"Man in Moon…" Jack sighed, before deliberately releasing his staff and sent spiraling back down to the earth with it.

And before Sandy could maneuver his dream cloud to assist Jack, he was flying back up, his face covered with tearstains as well as thick, dark blood.

Jack! Stop! A voice in the back of Jack's mind told him, the voice that was his own but was being manipulated by Sandy's telepathy. Jack paid no heed to it, and let go of his staff again.

Sandy tried to help him. He tried to get his attention by floating closer to him in his path of view, but his eyes were clenched shut, and he wouldn't stop rising and falling and rising and falling! So Sandy just used his telepathy, enduring the carnivorous thoughts that flooded his own as the guardian of dreams connected their minds.

Jack! Please, stop! Why are you doing this to yourself!? Stop!

Jack disregarded every word; that, or he couldn't hear them, his ears ringing with the same thoughts that flooded Sandy's.

"He… he talks to you?"

"You see, you cannot say no… it is destiny…"

"After 300 years and this is his answer? To spend eternity cooped up in a hideout thinking of new ways to-to bribe kids!?"

"Jack! I'm scared!"

"They never really trusted you… I just wanted to show you that…"

Sandy looked down at the spirit, his eyes spilling with tears and his own body shaking with silent sobs as he watched the horrific scene replay itself over and over again. He reached for Jack, whose white hair could've been mistaken for auburn at this point, and whose bloodshot blue eyes stood out from the red dripping from his face. Jack's face - the pale, mischief ridden one that constantly smiled and joked and said stuff to make people laugh - was obscured in a mask of red regret and an invisible pain.

Jack! STOP! Look at me! It's San-

But an incessant nagging in the back of the Sandman's mind caused him to break the connection, just in time for Jack to fall back down again.

There were dreams that Sandy had to deliver. There were children that had to be sleeping right about now, nightmares to fend off, believers to protect. And as much as Sandy wanted to help Jack, wanted to keep him from rising and falling, rising and falling, as much as he wanted to personally step in to stop it… there were children in need of a good night's sleep. Children whose job was his to take care of. That, and Jack would stop once he "died", then he'd just have to wait until his body recovered, and he'd be good as new. Therefore, there really wasn't any reason to panic like this, was there? The sandman had dreams to deliver, children to lull asleep…

After all, Sandy's duty wasn't to another spirit, guardian or no.

His duty was to the children, just like all the other guardians.

[present; back at the Pole]

The tension was suffocating.

The pole was no longer the center of wonder and imagination. It was the center of anything and everything uncomfortable and unbearable. And Jack did not want to be here.

Bunny rested against the control panel in front of the globe, spinning one of his boomerangs in his paw and staring at Jack expectantly. The winter spirit gnawed on his lower lip, sitting criss-cross in front of the fireplace and staring back with a clueless expression.

It got to the extent where Jack couldn't handle the dreadful silence. He had to say something.

"Sooooo…" he began to say, looking out the snowy window longingly with gleaming blue eyes. "…well, this is oodles of fun, but uh… can-can I go outside now?"

"No." Bunny spat.

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"Jack." Bunnymund said sternly, shooting the newest guardian a strict glare. Jack went silent again, wringing his hands nervously as Bunny sighed.

The spirit of spring remembered what Sandy told him before leaving for the Pole from Sanctuary, his eyes full of worry and concern while he transmitted the telepathic message.

Bunny, when you talk to him, please don't be so hostile. He's confused, and he's just a kid after all. If you get aggressive with him, it'll get you both nowhere, fast.

It was harder than it sounded. Winter and spring didn't coincide to begin with anyways. And Bunny cared for him, sure, but there was just something about the boy that pushed him over the edge. His sarcastic mouth, his refusal to accept help, his denial on the matter of his health, the constant snowing out of his warren; oh, the list was endless. And how Bunny reacted to this just sort of… happened.

Take the whole fight at the pole for instance...

"After 300 years, this is his answer?" Jack spat, running a hand through his hair and shaking his head in disbelief. "To spend eternity cooped up in some-some hideout thinking of-of new ways, t-to bribe kids!? Oh no… that's not for me!" Jack hollered, chucking his fist down in frustration and glaring holes through the moon, before his expression faltered and changed into that of surprise as the realization dawned on him. "No offense," he said as he turned to the guardians.

Of course Bunny took offense. The spirit just insulted his title, his lifestyle. And at that point, he really didn't care how long the boy was alone, which in an of itself was a mistake. He didn't very much like this spirit at the time, and could care less how he felt. He just cared about redemption.

"How-how is that not offensive?" Bunnymund said firmly as he moved a little ways forward. He came to a stop and chuckled. "You know, I think we jus' dodged a bullet. I mean what's this clown know about bringin' joy ta children anyway?" The Pooka knelt down in his default rabbit position and used one of his feet to itch a scratch below his cheek. Jack sighed in irritation, his back turned to the guardian to better conceal both his pain and his annoyance.

"Uhh, you ever hear of a Snow Day?" Jack questioned as if the rabbit were stupid, slowly beginning to turn around and using over exaggerated gesticulations as he continued. "I know it's no hard-boiled egg but kids LIKE what I do."

The response was all too easy. It would've escaped Bunny's lips whether he thought about it or not. "But none of them believe in you, do they?" Bunny said, standing up to his full height and taking a step forward, a malicious glint in his eye. "You see, you're invisible mate. It's like you don't even exist."

Jack looked down at his feet and chuckled.

Bunny bore a smug grin. He'd gotten to him.

"Bunny! Enough." Tooth said to him. Jack flung his staff over his shoulder and spoke regularly.

"No, no. The kangaroo's right."

In Jack's mind, Bunny was messing with him, playing some sort of sick game with him in hopes of getting him to break. Unbeknownst to him, Jack was a master at games. Two could play at this one, and no doubt Jack would be the one to win.

"The-the what?" Bunny asked with a startled expression, earning the winter spirit a quick pang of satisfaction. "What did you call me?" He began to walk forward, ears slightly drawn back and his eyes set in an angry glare. "I'm NOT a kangaroo, mate."

Jack couldn't help himself. Pushing his buttons were just too much fun. "And this whole time I thought you were. Well," Jack swallowed the quick jolt of fear he felt when the Bunny had begun advancing on him with a livid expression, and instead stared at him with an equally angry look. "If you're not a kangaroo…" he leaned forward daringly. "What are you?"

Bunny reciprocated, his tone low, his infuriated face inches from Jack's.

"I'm a bunny. The Easter Bunny. People believe in me."

It was like a shot through the chest. It was true, and it was painful. Jack's eyes watered rapidly.

He'd let down his walls.

He'd lost the game.

"Jack," North called. "Walk with me."

Jack couldn't move for a moment. It hurt because it was true, sending a wave of anguish as well as shame through his paralyzed body. Bunny's infuriated expression held firm, it didn't waver or diminish. And that just hurt Jack more.

A tear spilled out over his cheek before he withdrew from the face off, and he hastily wiped it away with his sleeve, and followed after North. ...

"Jack…" Bunny began.

Oh, here we go, Jack thought to himself. This was where the pep talk came in. This was the part where Bunny would tell him how bad cutting is, and how the guardians were gonna help fix him, and-

"I'm sorry."

Jack's train of thought crashed.

"Y-you- what?" was all he could manage to say as he hopped up onto his feet and rested on his staff.

Bunny's face was no longer expressionless or angry, something that Jack wasn't used to. It was composed of what the winter spirit thought must've been regret. Again, this didn't suit him, nor did the apologizing suit him.

"I'm sorry,"

"F-for what? You… what?" Jack's mind was reeling. This, he was not expecting.

Bunny replaced his boomerang and looked down to the ground. "For everything, Jack."

They were just words. That's all they were, right? I'm sorry for everything, Jack. Five words. But they were more powerful than Bunny could've ever imagined. Jack's breath caught in his throat. His grip on the staff weakened greatly. His knees trembled. Apologizing…?

Bunny, upon looking up at the boy, mistook his surprise for confusion, and he elaborated. "Ah mean… I'm sorry for- for tauntin' ya for not being believed in, and treatin' ya horrible, an' not trusting you, an' never really thanking ya for savin' my arse last Easter…" Bunny shuddered as it dawned upon him. Wow. He treated this boy like dirt for as long as he could remember. That was damn near unforgivable; but all he could do was try.

"And I'm the reason why we were even holdin' these meetings, cuz I felt bad about bein' such a jerk to ya, so I-I went to check on ya one night and you were-" He couldn't finish his sentence. You were trying to kill yourself. You were doused with blood, and you wouldn't stop crying. The lump in his throat finally went away and he finished speaking. "And I - I care about ya, Jack! So I told the othas, and then we- I - we all agreed ta keep an eye on you, j-just in case something really bad happened, and… and I'm sorry we never told you abou' them." Bunny hopped in front of Jack. "And I'm sorry for-for stabbin' ya arm with mah boomerang."

Jack remained unresponsive. He was frozen, looking up at the sullen Bunny in awe. What do I say? What do I do!? Do I have to say anything? Do I say thanks? Do I just tell him that it's okay? Do I just tell him what's on my mind? What? Jack's mind frantically tried to choose the right course of action, his eyes growing wetter, threatening to spill over his pale cheeks. A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He said sorry to me… He just said he cared about me…Eventually, after having no clue as to how to go about this (no one's ever apologized to him before) he decided on the latter. Jack looked up to Bunny and cleared his throat uncomfortably as he set down his staff.

"Uh…yeah, that… that hurt like a bitch…"

Bunny laughed. No, it didn't necessarily mean all was forgiven, but it was still pretty damn funny. Jack let out a chuckled and sighed. The smile was faltering now, but it was still there.

He said sorry to me… he just said he cared about me…

The tears spilled over his cheeks before he could wipe at his eyes, which forced a few tears from Bunny's own as well. Jack was a kid. A child. And Bunny was oblivious as to what was going on inside his head until it trailed down his cheeks painfully slowly.

He hated seeing children cry. It was heartbreaking.

"C'mere," Bunny whispered softly and opened his arms, inviting him for a hug, clenching his eyes shut and hoping it would keep any more tears from falling. For a second, it worked.

But when Jack just weakly fell forward into him, his arms wrapping around Bunny feebly, his small frame shaking with soft cries, it just rekindled his tears; and then the both of them were crying. He just said he cared about me… Jack burrowed into the Pooka's fur, clinging to him as if his life depended on it. He just said…

He sobbed harder.

Author's Note:

CHAPTER SONG: EASER TO RUN BY LINKIN PARK (I don't own) GOD THE FEELS; THEY'RE EATING ME ALIVE; CHEESY AS F*CK BUT I WHATEVER I LOVE IT :D ha I love how all the scenes I've written of Bunny apologizing to Jack involve crying and hugging. But hey, it works. (listen to this song; it's like this scene's theme song… or the story's theme song XD)

Seriously, look up this song, it's bloody depressing. (Easier to Run first part lyrics) Something has been taken from deep inside of me, a secret I've kept locked away, no one can ever see. Wounds so deep they never show, they never go away, like moving pictures in my head, for years and years they've played… D,:

So… so… … … … hmm. I got nothing. Well, that's a first.

ReViEw PlEaSe AnD tHaNk YoU

969~696