When the whiteness disappeared after an unbearable moment, they all came out of the memories gasping for air. What had happened, they didn't know, but they noticed that Guide was once again consoling the two shaken spirits like he had done with Innocence. Joy seemed more agitated than Misery and they could only assume that it was reasonable.

"Crikey," Bunny hugged himself as he shivered, "What was that?!"

'Jack didn't survive, did he?' Sandy asked with a solemn expression as the others watched their caped guide.

"No," Misery was the one to answer the question, "He didn't...And we're fine with it."

"Don't say that!" Tooth shouted as tears flowed down her cheeks, "Jack can't have died. He's still alive!"

"Technically, he's not," the brown and white-haired teen responded with an understanding look, "He's frozen; no heartbeat, skin cold as ice, and stuff."

"Why does he need to breathe then, mate?"

"He doesn't have to," he answered back with a shrug as he threw the staff over his shoulder, "Instinct. Just like how he doesn't need to eat, drink water, or sleep unless he wants to or is low on energy."

"No brain function?" North asked with wide eyes as he glanced from each clone of Jack who stared back, "Must have brain function to be alive."

"That is where it gets weird," their guide rubbed his face tiredly before sighing, "Jack's dead in a sense, but his brain does work. If you really want to know, ask Clev. As you know, he's the only one that truly understands this."

"Where are you going next?" Joy asked as he inspected his staff, mood rising with every second, "Because Clev's library should be nearby. And Mischief may be close by too...Those two are like Misery and Grief...You know, they hang out around each other even though they represent opposites."

"Bye," Misery stated without so much as waiting for a reply as he wandered away.

"Vhat vas zat about?"

"Oh, he's probably going to see Grief again." Joy stated happily before he noticed the looks they gave him, "He does that a lot...Like I said earlier-"

"Everyone has their issues," Bunny stated boredly as he patted his foot, "We heard this one already, mate."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he laughed before turning to Guide, "As awesome as this has been - it has been for sure - I have to go find some more positive emotions to talk Anger out of whatever he said he had planned. You know how he never plans for things ahead."

"He's up to something again?" The guide's brows scrunched in thought as his strange eyes peered at the joyful soul, "Darkness first, now Anger. Who'll be next?"

"Hopefully not Lust," Joy shuddered as he began to float above the swaying grass, "He's crazy enough without being full-on...handsy and stuff. Man, I thought my day wasn't going to be messed up...I'm going to have nightmares just thinking about that now...Poor Affection."

"Some other negative emotion will probably go first," Guide's cape fluttered briefly as he too shivered, "But let's hope Lust doesn't get there. I'll hide Affection if he does. Go talk to Anger."

"Lust kind of has a thing for her," Joy chuckled before saluting quickly and jumping in the air, "See you around, Cicerone!"

"Very funny!" 'Cicerone' shouted as he began walking away from the scene, "Of course, he thinks I'm a tourist guide."

"Ya kinda are," the Pooka nodded with a little simper.

"Oh, hush, Kangaroo!"

"Crikey!" His ears flattened as he crossed his arms, "How many times do Ah 'ave ta tell ya, Ah am not a kangaroo!"

"By all means, keep on saying it," Guide laughed as the group followed. The Warren setting dissolved as they wandered on. Mist drifted in on an unseen current as a chill filled the air. The light decreased as the frost under their feet turned to what seemed like stone. As they came further, stepping stones came into place as fire pits emerged next with sapphire, cold flames flickering. Navy-blue statues settled on nearby pedestals and seemed almost alive with their cracked positions and deformed shapes.

"Creativity is not going to be happy about that," Guide muttered as they glanced at him before he stopped, "Oh no."

"Oh no?" Tooth asked quietly as the whole group paused too, "What does that mean?"

"It means that Da-"

"Well, well," a voice called from the dark as the Guardians twirled around, "What do we have here?"

From the shadows stepped Darkness who grinned at them with razor-sharp teeth. His denim-blue eyes stared at them like they were prey for him to eat. His ebony hoodie and dark brown pants made it harder to see him, but his gray hair was still able to be seen along with his gray-toned skin. Strangely, the Guardians noticed that his hair seemed a darker gray than when they had watched the emotion mess with Innocence. Before anyone could move, a large, shadowy cage sprang to life and closed itself over the concerned group separating the Guardians from their guide.

"Oi, mate!" Bunny protested along with the other three as golden sand flashed here and there, "Let us out of 'ere!"

"Vhat is happening?"

"How are you doing that? Is it-"

"Oh no," Darkness interrupted as they gripped the bars of the cage made of the material, "This is not Pitch's sand. I cannot conjure such an item in this place. But I'm sure he would be proud of my abilities nonetheless. He is, after all, the one who taught me them."

"Taught you?" Bunny scoffed as he banged his fist into the solid bar, "That bloody-What could he 'ave ta teach ya?"

"Oh, not much," Darkness shrugged before smirking and tapping his shadowed staff on the wall, "Answer this, Rabbit. What goes better together with the cold than dark?"

"Darkness," Guide's expression was soft as he stared from within his cage, "Let them go. They just want to help Jack."

"That's deep coming from them," the scowl on the charcoal-haired boy's face was enough to remind them of someone familiar, "I could rant all day about how they never wanted to help Jack before, but I'll leave that to Anger...After all, I heard from the shadows that he's quite angry."

"Vhat's he angry about?"

"Oh, the usual," Darkness waved his hand in a vague manner, "Angry that he has no believers while you are surrounded by them. Angry that while you've been adored endlessly, he's been alone for centuries without a soul to so much as whisper his name. Angry about...shall I go on?"

"You're wrong!" The feathered fairy shouted as she almost launched herself at the cage, "Jack has believers."

"What happens when they no longer believe?"

The others opened their mouths except for Sandy who had been quietly thinking the whole time. They couldn't think of anything to say, so Darkness went on.

"That little, rag-tag team of children won't believe forever," he concluded with a casual shrug, "Jack knows he'll all but be forgotten like he was just months ago. He knows it. He always has known that is how it will end. Him wandering this world like Loneliness does now...forgotten, unloved, and uncared for."

"That's not true!"

"Well, then what am I here for?" He turned to them quickly as the staff went onto his shoulder, "I can assure you it's not for the tea parties."

"Jack drinks tea?"

"The things you miss when you don't pay attention," the boy laughed as they all flinched, "Yes, Jack likes tea. He liked it as a human when he could have it if his family could pay for it. It usually was the smuggled type though. He still drinks it when he can."

After a moment of sharing gazes, Tooth finally spoke up from within their jail.

"You remind me - all of us - of someone," she looked to the side as he came closer to the cage.

"Who do I remind you of?"

"I'm not sure."

"This must be the reason my grandfather loves to call you idiots," his sharp teeth glistened as he stepped forward, "Except for you, Sandman. He finds you a worthy opponent, I'm sure."

Sandy smiled a tiny bit as he sat on a cloud of sand. He made symbols from the sand in a faster order than any of the Guardians could read, but Darkness and Guide obviously had no problem keeping up.

"This must be why Jack loves you so much," dark eyes lightened just a tad as a laugh greeted their ears, "So understanding and so much FUN!"

"Oi!" Bunny stomped to get their attention and shuttered when the clone's glare landed on him, "Will ya just answer the question?"

"I'm sure I'm not too different from my grandfather," he stated with a raised brow as silence fell on the area and Sandy glanced away while face-palming, "This why you're idiots. Gramps was right. Sandman knows."

"Vhat is he talking about 'Sandy knows?'" North asked curiously as they glanced at the floating man who silently sighed but refused to sign anything or explain.

"My grandfather was once known as Kozmotis Pitchiner," the three gasped in shock as he rolled his eyes, "But he goes by the name of Pitch now."

"You're grandfather-"

"Is-"

"How?"

"He's Mother Nature's original father." Darkness snickered at their looks of cluelessness, "Mother Nature is technically Jack's mother. You understand, right?"

"But he's the enemy!" Bunny shouted as he finally seemed to comprehend what he'd heard before he rammed into the wall of the cage, "Jack's nothing like that creep! He doesn't even care 'bout Jack!"

"Neither did you," Darkness shrugged with a smile as he strung the staff across his shoulders, "You assumed Jack was a bad spirit; someone you didn't want around. Too childish to be of any good. Jack also knows this. Don't bother denying it."

When the Pooka's ears drooped, Darkness chuckled at the deflated look on his face. The gray-furred bunny took a few steps backward as his emerald eyes glared at the dark form.

"The fact that you weren't going to deny it is intriguing," the teen now stood inches in front of the Pooka inside the cage, "See, you don't get to act like you know Jack unless you know him. The good and bad. Nice and Naughty. Sweet and dangerous."

The Guardians looked away in shame as he stared at all of them one at a time while saying this.

"So I'll bring you up to date," he pressed closer as their eyes widened and Guide watched on sadly, "Maybe knock some sense into those idiotic brains of yours."

He didn't bother reaching any further, just paused his hand inches from the Pooka's nose. With wicked laughter, the shadows pulled in around them until it was literally black. Unable to see the slightest bit, they heard another laugh before glowing teeth appeared.

"This may hurt a little," the smile widened as the shadows licked at them at every corner, "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Thanks so much for reading this fanfic! This was going to be longer, but I split it up...be prepared for the next chapter soon! As you may know, some memories will be made from my own head, others are very close to the real thing we saw in the movie, and such...Just tell me if you have any ideas on what should happen next...

'Til next time.

~Angelicat2~