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Chapter five: Time
Years after Jamie's second fifth birthday Jack had still been running to Rion (and gushing, bragging, whining, and crying to the other Guardians), but this reincarnation of Jamie had felt…different.
Perhaps it was simply because the people seemed to be more violent (for there was an overabundance of bullies this time around), or, perhaps, it was because this was the first time Cupcake almost killed someone (another kid at that). Then again, this was also the first time another spirit had attacked. A wolf spirit, Loup, had assaulted Jamie's town, driving him off had been the first fight Jack had in ages, which made him feel both old and rusty.
So, yeah, those differences' certainly had something to do with how little Jack went to visit Rion during the earlier times of Jamie's last reincarnation. But Jack hadn't even ran to him after Sophie's death, he'd stayed by Jamie's side, listening to his loves wails of pain, and he'd granted him one wish, kill those responsible.
Perhaps Jack should have gone to see the death-child, perhaps he should have ran and allowed Rion to (as Jack had begun to call it) absorb his darkness. Yes, maybe he should have allowed those blank eyes to comb his soul and ride the snow of the clinging smog. But he hadn't, and, quite frankly, as Jack sat on the balcony of North's workshop, he didn't regret such a decision.
Sure, it eventually lead him to killing others, tearing them to shreds (on two separate occasions), and, yeah, killing had been the last straw, and so he was no longer a Guardian. But, the decision had also lead him to having a makeshift human family (that was latter killed by Loup), and then a makeshift school life (that was also ruined by Loup), and now he had a not-so-makeshift relationship with Jamie…who had his memories (which had been suppressed) back!
Jack couldn't have been happier.
He'd learned a life lesson: don't rely solely on others to push away you're darkness.
However, as he stared up into the sky, Jack couldn't help but feel like he'd betrayed his silent friend. For Jamie was now seventeen and that meant, in essence, that Jack had abandoned Rion for a good fifteen years. Would the boy ever forgive him? How long had he waited? Was he still waiting?
"Jack," warm arms wrapped around his middle, drawing him into a warm hug as a soft, comforting breath tickled his ear, "what's wrong?"
Now, Jack had kept Rion a secret out of instinct, he didn't know why, exactly, couldn't pinpoint the reason (and neither could the Songstress), but he had felt it was necessary for everyone involved that the child's existence be kept on the down low. Even now, as his love, his Jamie, whom he'd sworn never to lie too, asked such a question, Jack felt compelled to lie. And he almost had. But he'd promised, they'd both promised, no more lies, no more secrets.
For it had been lies and secrets that had them caused so much pain.
"I…" Jack began, leaning his head back with a sigh, "I fear I might have hurt someone."
"Someone?"
"Someone you don't know, and you would have never known."
"Another lover?" was the semi-joking reply.
"No." Jack said with a sly smile, a gentle cocking of the head, "more like your son."
"My son!" Jamie squeaked, pulling back, causing Jack to laugh.
"Well, unless you've been sleeping around when I'm not looking, you don't have to worry."
"Well, who is it?" Jamie huffed, pouting.
"A boy," was the solemn reply as Jack looked off into the distance once more, "a silent, lonely boy, who—"shouldn't exist "is a tad bit temperamental."
Jamie raised an eyebrow, "why haven't I heard of him before?"
"Because…" Jack gently shook his head before he rose, jumping into the sky, "why don't we go see him now?"
"Now?"
"That way you can tell for yourself." Because I do not know.
"How long has it been since you last saw him?" How did you hurt him?
"Fifteen years."
"Fifteen! Do the others know? If Tooth where to ever find out you abandoned a kid for that long there is no way you'd—"
"Survive? I know, but she doesn't know about him."
"And the reason is…something I can figure out myself?"
"Yep."
Jamie sighed, shrugging, before he, too, jumped into the air, wavering for just a bit (for he was still getting adjusted to the new powers) before he grinned. "Well, what are we waiting for?"
0-0-0-0-0-0
"Are you sure this is the right place?" Jamie questioned warily, staring at the ruins of what could have maybe-possible-sorta been a park (it was hard to tell, what, with it looking like an army of bulls smashed through the trees, then a few bombs were set off, then an earthquake hit, quickly followed by a tornado of blood).
Jack didn't reply, to busy scrapping through the rubble and crying out in fear, "Rion! Rion are you there?"
There was no reply.
And Jack began to panic.
Flying everywhere (in a very Tooth like manner), the Snow Prince attempted to ignore the strewn bodies, telling himself over and over again, Rion is alive, Rion is alive, he's fine, he's okay, and, no, that man isn't the one who dropped the cake, and no, that couple isn't the one he sent flying into trashcans.
Jamie had just as little success, having barfed the moment his foot accidentally brushed against the corpse of a child, he was about ready to grab Jack and fly as far away from the horrendous sight as possible when a tired sigh came from behind, "you have horrid luck, to come on the very day this happened."
The sudden cry of "Rion!" was Jamie's only warning before Jack zoomed past him, clutching the newly identified child to his chest, "You're alright, you're alright." Jack cried, seeming not to notice how blood stained his clothes, or the blank, empty look in child's eyes. "Could you put me down?" Only by straining his ears could Jamie hear the slight annoyance in Rion's voice.
"And could you explain what's happened?"
0-0-0-0-0-0
A/N: Yeah, crappy, and a really big time skip too, but don't worry, no one's going to be solving the mystery of Rion anytime soon (though, perhaps that might be a source of woe). Beyond that, this chapter is the only exception to the rule, two reviews per chap, 2 reviews, and I'll update.