Ice Cubes
Summary: And then there was nothing.
Krampus 6
It took awhile for the children to calm down. When they did, they had formed a small group in front of Bunny who still refused to let go of Jack. Beside him, North, Sandy, and Tooth sat. Krampus had been taken into the sleigh by Sandy while North comforted the kids earlier. The small man gave Krampus a punch for good measure and to ensure that he was knocked out instead of the heavy dousing of sand that would've been painless.
The kids had puffy eyes, some were bowing their head while others sniffled now and then, rubbing at their own eyes for anymore escaped tears. When they had all calmed down, they insisted on thanking the Winter teen and had gathered in a group.
No one dared to speak the word 'death'.
"We're sorry." A kid finally spoke up, twiddling with his thumbs his head looking at the ground. "We didn't acknowledge your presence because we were scared. We're sorry."
"You protected us." Another spoke in a quiet tone. "Even though we didn't believe in you and yelled for you to go away, you were there and you protected us."
"We should've done something. Attempted to try and escape but we-" Sobbing had started again.
"I don't know if you can hear us." The blonde girl said as she reached out for the pale hands, big and cold but these words the hands that protected her and the other children. "But we're really thankful and we're really sorry."
A boy looked up trying hard not to cry. "We'll be better kids. We'll try harder and we'll tell everyone we know about you."
"So thank you." A small girl said in an accented voice.
Thank you.
"And we'd just like to say…" All the naughty children looked at the once unseen teen lying like a lifeless doll in Bunny's arms.
"We believe in you, Jack Frost."
And suddenly, there was light.
Bunny didn't know what he was expecting after the children gave their thanks. Maybe everything would continue onto a blur ad they headed back into the sleigh and the Easter kangaroo would be like a zombie for days, never leaving Jack's side even as North went through all the preparations of a proper sending off.
Maybe he thought his heart would close off. His other senses seemed to have done that already. He forgot what it was like to feel now, his body was numb and the weight and cold body in his arms were barely felt now.
Maybe it would've been for the best if the old Pooka had let go of Jack. Given him to North so that the Cossack could bring the other back to the sleigh and lay his tired body to rest in the seat and cover him with the blankets there.
But even the thought of doing just that had sent Bunny's heart reeling. The emotionless façade he head forced onto himself threatened to collapse and loss wanted to grab at his heart and squash it and crush it into oblivion. Having Jack in his arms, managed to keep the hurt away even for a bit. Maybe it was because by having the other so close, his heart and mind still dared to hope.
Even if Jack presented all the bruises of someone who wasn't there anymore, the guardian of Hope still hoped.
Because humanity was like that, having a heart and caring for someone was like that.
You hope and hope and hope, because hoping is the only way that you can continue. Because hoping is tomorrow's veneer to today's disappointment. Because at the moment, with Jack in his arms and the children around them, hope was all they had.
It was the only connection they had left of Jack.
The hope of someday becoming a family.
The hope that it wasn't too late.
But hope was cruel. It builds up dreams and push down frustrations and when everything doesn't work out, it knocks them down like cannonball to a tree.
Just when they thought they had Jack, just when they thought they had a family forming, and just when Jack was finally seen and cared for…
It was all taken away, just like that.
And nothing could've been crueler than that. Or so Bunny thought.
In his arms a cold figure laid, skin as pale as the moon, hair as pure as snow, cold to the touch and unmoving and it takes everything Bunny has to try an register that the boy in his arms is gone, that he had died protecting the children, the best way any guardian would go…
And then words of the children cut him bone deep, reminding them of mistakes of three hundred years and centuries of children walking through…
"We believe in you, Jack Frost."
Then a bright light suddenly shone and the intensity of it blinded Bunny.
There was no Moon in the twisted home of Krampus' dimension. No light that would guide them out in the darkness or help them out from the deep pit of sadness and grief they had fallen into.
And if Bunny thought that death taking Jack was the cruelest thing that had ever happened well…
The life slowly beating under his paws conceded that thought and Bunny gazed down in wonder mixed with panic and amazement.
Because Bunny realized that the cruelest thing the world could do to him now was not to kill Jack and take him away.
No.
The cruelest thing right now was for the world to let him hope again after all that has happened, only for it to end up with fate taking away what was important to him a second time.
Being the guardian of Memories, Tooth knew the potential of what a good memory and a bad memory can do to a person.
She had told Jack once that her and her fairies purpose was to remind children what was important. To remind them of the warmth children like them should carry all throughout their lives so that they may look back at their childhood with fondness and live the rest of their lives in contentment and happiness. They stored the most important and happy memories in hopes that children would not forget what was important, in hopes that memories would warm their hearts in the most coldest of circumstance.
Memories warm you up from the inside. But then, they also tear you apart. Because the worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it.
And right now as Tooth stared at the teen in Bunny's arms, she is reminded of the happy memories she had with the guardians. She feels and echoing loneliness and sadness at the fact that this- this would tear them apart. Prevent them from creating happier memories with each other, Jack's – Tooth shivered – death always hanging on their heads like an unwanted hat.
Because happy memories don't always do good. Sometimes rather than warm people, they cause them to grow colder because it reminded others of what had been and what could've been. Reminded them of what they had and what they lost.
And like good memories, bad memories can sometimes do a person good. It reminds people of past horrors and pushes them to be stronger.
Sure, for now, Jack's death would tear them apart and cause them to drift away from each other. The happy memories, the pranks, the laughter would haunt them for the rest of their days and stalk them like shadows, probing and eliciting hopes that were crushed and cast to light to dreams no one realized they had.
But a bad memory would help them in a way too. It would help them move on and realize the importance of a person's life and that would make them stronger and more determined to protect those that are important to them.
Because no matter how much suffering a person goes through, they should never want to let go of their memories. Because no matter how sad or heart rending it may be, it was what they had and it defines what they are and what they will be.
But just as Tooth tucks away the last memory she had of Jack smiling- blurry in the edges because of her eyes filled with tears- as Jack gazed at all of them with softness they found surprising from a person who was sharp and defined, the children chant in harmony their last message to the fallen hero.
"We believe in you, Jack Frost."
And as soon as those words were said, a bright light illuminated and Tooth's wings fluttered in shock as she covered her mouth with her hands as she uttered a soft 'oh'.
Memories could be good or bad, depending on a person and his experiences. Not every memory and life can end in a happy note. It rarely ever ends in a happy note.
But Tooth knew, as she gazed and recorded with her own eyes what was happening, that this would be one of those times that life would make an exception.
Youth is happy because it has the capacity to see wonder. Anyone who keeps the ability to see wonder never grows old.
North was a young man at heart and this was known by his friends, his family. He had the uncanny ability of seeing good things not only in objects but also in people. He was able to see the potential of a person, the abilities they blindly turn away from.
He had told Jack once that he had the eyes that can see the wonder in everything. This wonder was what he put into the world and what he protected in children…
And he had seen that wonder in Jack too.
The potential of the not-so teen guardian they had eventually come to love in only a short time. The teen they had all failed to protect in the end.
North had always prided himself in being able to look at the good side of things, the wonderful side of things if you must. He was always the one who made crazy ideas to help others just to bring a little hope and wonder into a very helpless situation.
But right now, as he sat next to Tooth, looking at the children that they had somehow miraculously rescued thanks to Jack, North could not find it in him to find the good in this situation.
Maybe the good in this situation was that, because of what had happened the guardians would be more cautious in the future. Maybe the good in this situation was that they had finally, finally gotten rid of Krampus. Maybe the good in this situation as that thanks to what happened there would be lesser naughty children in the world. Maybe the good in this situation was that Jack had four times more believers than before now.
But what good was all of this when Jack, their Jack, wasn't even here to share the wonder with?
For all their magic, their belief, their strong conviction… why could they not save one boy they held dear?
And North slumped in defeat, thinking that he didn't need magic anymore if he could not even save one person he held dear. His old friend Ombric once told him that the world was full of magical things, but the greatest of all magic was a person's belief.
If one had faith, if one had trust, if one believed strong enough, then anything could happen.
And just as North remembered this, the children around him began to say, "We believe in you, Jack Frost."
And to North's shock bright line began to shine, blinding his eyes and senses with wonder as he felt a warm feeling swirling in his belly and spreading throughout his body and to his fingertips.
Yes, the world is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper and to notice the wonderful little things of life. And as North watched with growing wonder at what was happening-what he hoped was happening, he realized that…
…Yes, this was one of those wonderful little things.
All of our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.
Sanderson Mansnoozie had always believed that when a person dreamed big enough and believed hard enough, anything could be possible. Dreams were a reflection of a person's innermost wish and desire, the longing a heart strongly wishes to make come true. A possibility many are scared to pursue.
Sandy knew dreams better than anyone else. Knew that they were the personification of a person's inner pure thoughts, filled with longing and wonder and hope for it to come true. The guardian of Dreams worked in a realm where he brought these dreams to children, strengthened their beliefs and hopes with a simple sand in the face.
Making them come true however was a different matter.
He was once a wishing star though, once, a long time ago and he wasn't sure of that counted as anything. He loved making people's dreams come true, he liked seeing the happy faces he brought just by listening and granting.
But things have changed now and he was in a world where wishes and dreams were not easily reached without hard work. Although Sandy wanted to do his very best in making others dreams come true, he could only do so much as a being believed to be a myth by several million people.
But if there did come a chance where Sandy is given the power to be able to make a dream come true, then Sandy would take it into his hands and do his best to ensure a dream.
One such dream was Jack Frost's dreams.
He was a strange boy. All other people in the world had endless dreams and wishes but Jack, even though he had been alone for about three hundred years did not nearly have as many wish as the others.
In fact, Jack was one of the very few Sandy considered to be contented with the way things are. He may not look like it but Jack Frost was a being who had no complaints and who had whole-heartedly accepted the situation he was in and was trying to make the best of it.
But everyone had a dream.
And it wasn't hard to find out what Jack's dreams were.
It was to be expected that one of Jack's desire was to be seen. But surprisingly, this was a pure hearted wish no one would expect from a boy who made blizzards for fun and laughed at the face of danger.
Jack wanted to be seen, yes, Sandy had known this, but not the extent that people would start to fear him in exchange. Something Jack himself had said when he had told Sandy quietly of Pitch's advances and offers.
"I was lonely but it was okay. I wanted to be seen but I didn't want to be feared in exchange." Jack told him once with a smile. "I mean where's the fun in that, right?"
The second dream was something Sandy found in delight he could give with ease. Jack had wanted this with all of his heart and it was only right that the guardians gave it to him.
Jack longed for a family again.
It was something he had so desperately wanted. Going so far as even thinking of joining Pitch- even though briefly- just to make sure that he had someone who cared about him, who thought and needed him. And that broke the sandman's heart.
He vowed to do everything to make Jack's wish come true.
And Sandy was confident that given time, he would have fulfilled Jack's wish of a family. He would've been able to convince the other boy of the familial ties between him and the guardians.
Everyone had already seen Jack as something akin to family. It was just Jack who refused to believe it.
But nothing everything will always go as planned. Fate would always intervene just as you think 'Life couldn't get any better'. And this time, Fate had taken something more important than a dream of a young boy.
Fate had taken the dreamer himself.
Sandy wished sometimes his sands were not the Sands of Dreams. Sometimes he wished his sands were the Sands of Time, wanting to go back and reverse everything that had ever happened. Too go back three hundred years and pluck a lonely winter spirit away from a lonely life with no memories, no hope, no dreams, and no wonder.
He wished he could be given another chance to make someone as pure hearted and selfless as Jack happy.
They all wished they would be given another chance.
But, that was not to happen, it seemed. Because here they were now, with Jack still in Bunny's arms, unmoving, not breathing, as still as a doll.
And dreams echoed around Sandy, whispers of tiny children as they said their thanks and apologies to the boy who will never get to hear them, before finally they all say one last message:
"We believe in you, Jack Frost."
And Sandy thinks, as a bright light shines and he drops his whips as golden eyes widen, that maybe Fate was giving them a second chance after all.
And if he were then…
He'll do everything in his power to make everyone's dreams come true again.
It was dark and it was cold. He was stuck in this place where there was nothing ahead, above, or below. Sitting there in the middle of nothing, seeing and watching nothing, hoping, wishing, and praying for nothing.
And Jack thinks idly if this was his punishment for three hundred years of pranks.
No heaven or hell for him. Just an eternity of nothingness and waiting for all eternity.
Waiting for what though, he did not recall. He just had a vague sense of warmth and hands and paws and sand. A simple touch of memory, of kind smiles, worried faces, horrified gazes and before he knew it, he feels something wet drop into his hands.
He was leaking- or rather, crying if he recalls the term correctly.
He feels that vague sense of loss hollowing his insides, a pain of forgetting and confusion as he placed a hand on is chest. He left behind, he knew that, what or who, he could not remember. But he wanted to go back, he was sure. But how or why, he does not know.
So he sits there, just sits there and wonders.
Who was he? Where was he? He has an eternity to think of the answers. And instead of feeling relieved because there was no pressure in getting the answer out of him, he feels devoid and wishes for something, anything to give him a clue.
And then the humming starts.
There were vague words but it was disconcerted in this place of nothingness.
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.
The humming again, the song going out of focus before back, this time sung by little children. Jack's heart ached.
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir.
Jack hums along, though he feels a line missed in that familiar but peculiar song.
And folks dressed up like Eskimos.
Then the song stops abruptly and Jack is left puzzling again, over the song, over the lyrics and wondering what it was that was missing and-
Jack Frost nipping at your nose.
-and the song starts up again before it stops abruptly and silences. And Jack stars wide eyed, gripping the name in the last line, turning it over his head.
Jack Frost.
That was his name wasn't it? Those children said his name! They know him! They know him!
Or did they?
No one answers Jack's question.
He was alone in this strange world. Being sung about by children who weren't even here did not matter, Jack decides and he curls upon himself, a familiar gesture, hugging his knees to his chest clinging at centuries worn trousers and he idly wonders once more if someone, anyone will come for him.
And he wonders of warmth and of people he barely remembers.
He feels them though, as though they are beside him. The warmth of fur encasing him, the small hand holding his and then joined by another-
Jack flinches, almost as though slapped. The hand of a child hovering over his own hand and he gazed in wonder. Someone, a kid, was holding him! Touching him!
And they weren't going through him!
Someone believed in him.
And a small light lit up inside of Jack as he cradles his hands in his chest, listening, ears rapt with eager attention.
"We're sorry. We didn't acknowledge your presence because we were scared. We're sorry."
"You protected us. Even though we didn't believe in you and yelled for you to go away, you were there and you protected us."
"We should've done something. Attempted to try and escape but we-"
"I don't know if you can hear us. But we're really thankful and we're really sorry."
"We'll be better kids. We'll try harder and we'll tell everyone we know about you."
"So thank you."
Thank you.
And Jack feels lighter than he'd ever had in weeks, in months. He feels something growing there, in his heart, like a seed planted in his heart ready to bloom only this side of painful.
"And we'd just like to say…" Jack looks up as the words continue, feeling a warm weight settling inside of him making him feel weightless.
"We believe in you, Jack Frost."
Blue eyes widened as light shone in the vast space of nothingness, enveloping him fully and Jack hears a laugh, a familiar laugh, tinkling and sweet and kind, and Jack feels a small hand on his once more and he turns and his breath stops.
A girl with brown hair and eyes was holding his hand, a woman and a man behind her. All of them having the same serene and contented looks on their faces as they smiled proudly at Jack.
"Jack." But the voice wasn't the calling, desperate one he had heard several months ago. It was a calm voice, filled with love and wonder for him.
The elder woman behind the girl raised a hand and placed it on Jack's face. Her smile brightened as she said three words that made Jack's heart stop a second time, "We love you."
And just like that, Jack knew no more.
Notes: Oh man, a KRAMPUS 7! Why do I keep doing that? *facetable*
I'm happy I manage to snag twenty reviews in several hours though. THANKS GUYS!
For sure, the next one is the end, I'm sure it'll be the end right?
I might edit this in the future and man I'm so tired but I pulled through with my promise guys! Two updates in one day! :D
So please enjoy, the guardians' point of views were inspired by the quotes below and I just don't know what to say now, my head is throbbing.
Hope is tomorrow's veneer over today's disappointment. Evan Esar
Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart. Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore
The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared. Lois Lowry, The Giver
Youth is happy because it has the capacity to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old. Franz Kafka
The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper. W.B. Yeats
All of our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them. Walt Disney
This was not rechecked by me so I'm sorry for the mistakes, I'll work on it when I wake up after a long, long rest.
Thanks for reviewing, and to Moonumb, yes you are right. Other review replies will be on the next chapter, I really need to sleep!
Oh and to hisokauzumaki, I'm happy you liked it but I feel unsatisfied for some reason. Maybe I need to train more in writing! XDD
So,THANK YOU to all reviewers and reviewers and people who favorited this and followed!
And review if it isn't troublesome!