HerHiddenSecret back! I've been working on this at school for days, I woke up and saw the reviews and the suggestions and I was so happy that I spent all morning typing up all that I've written and this was the outcome. I'd like to say that I've never been called a murderer as much as you've people have called me, especially not in Spanish. Here's part two!
Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians or any of it's characters, but if I did then it would be pure Jackrabbit! ;D
For hours he cradled the long gone, colder than usual, body. Even as the sun set, bathing them and the surrounding scenery in a golden light, he didn't stop begging and pleading and crying. He kept murmuring and shouting and yelling and screaming. Because it wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair at all. He cursed Pitch for doing this and he cursed himself for causing it. After all it was his fault as much as it was Pitch's. Why had he said said all those mean, awful words? Why had he blown his top over being called a silly name? Why had he spoken, no yelled, such horrible, god damn awful things?
He regretted it all. All those words and insults and things he had said. And not only what he had yelled at him previously, but all the things he had said in past fights and arguments as well. Because it was all his bloody fault. He'd just been tired and exhausted after spending all night planting his googie seeds and painted the ones that had already blossomed. Easter was only in a few months after all. He'd been painting and designing until the paint he used clung to his fur and his eyes welled with tears at concentrating on one thing for too long. He'd been on his wits when Jack, his little Jackrabbit, had shown up.
He looked back on how hurt had flashed through his Snowflake's eyes at his yelling. Remembering those beautiful ice blue eyes made his chest ache. No, made his heart ache with regret. Those shining eyes, so full of life. Now, now, he'd probably never see them again. Why? Because Jack, his Frostbite, his Snowflake, his little Jackrabbit, was gone. He was gone and it hurt. It hurt so much to finally realize all those emotions he'd been going crazy about, those emotions had been love.
He loved his little Jackrabbit. With everything he had. He loved his smirks, his smiles, his laughter, his eyes- oh how he loved his beautiful eyes-, and especially his scent. The scent of freshly fallen snow, and crisp cool air. Point was, he loved Jack and he would keep on loving Jack until the world ended and probably even after that. He'd love his little Jackrabbit forevermore.
He couldn't remember how long he sat, his little snowflake cradled gently in his arms. He'd long since stopped crying, the sobs giving away to an aching cold, numb, unfeeling and unseeing to the world around him. It was only him and, and Jack.
Jack's eyes were closed, long lashes brushing against snow white skin. The corners on his lips were lifted into a soft smile. Jack looked so peaceful, so relaxed. Aster wasn't. He was full of conflicting emotions, love, longing, sadness, regret, want, hopelessness, anger, misery, fury, and so many more. Indescribable emotions that made him want to curl up and forget the world around him. But he couldn't. Instead he just stared emotionlessly at the body being held so gently in his arms.
In his mind, he raged. Why did Jack have to die, have to leave him? Why did Pitch have to kill, to take away his little Jackrabbit? Why did he feel so much pain? If he could, he would still be screaming and crying, if only to hear something in these quiet woods. Something alive. But he couldn't scream, his throat was already raw and the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. He couldn't cry, his eyes burned and his whiskers were still dripping with frozen tears. All he could do was hold the body close to his chest.
The body, not Jack because his Jack was lively and smiled and laughed. He stared down at the face, not Jack because Jack laughed and smiled and moved and breathed. He was still expecting Jack to pop out from somewhere and scream 'Psych, I fooled you good Kangaroo!' But something inside him, his rationality, screamed that that would never happen because jack was dead, dead and it as all Pitch's fault. Not only Pitch, but Aster himself was to blame as well.
It could have been minutes or hours before he heard a noise in the woods. The woods that he thought would be silent forever, like Jack, which didn't make any sense since Jack was lively and loud. The jingle of bells and reindeer hooves echoed around the silent woods- just as silent as Jack who still wasn't moving and that didn't make any sense- and he hunched over Jack because Jack was sleeping. He was sleeping in Aster's arms because Jack was tired after he finished painting on Aster's fur with Jack's special red paint. Yes, special. That's what it was. It was beautiful, special red paint that Jack had stolen from him. Aster had ran after Jack to get the paint back, but Jack had flown into the woods and by the time Aster had reached him, Jack had been tired. He'd been so tired that he'd spilled the paint all over himself and stained his jacket. Aster had forgiven him though he'd been sad to see all the red paint wasted. He'd let Jack sleep on him, not minding when the paint soaked his fur like a pretty painting. Then Jack had slept and was still sleeping and probably didn't want to wake up yet.
Aster used his top half to cover Jack's body and footsteps and fluttering noise filled the woods. Jack was sleeping and Aster didn't want anyone else to see Jack sleeping because for some unexplainable reason, seeing Jack sleep made his chest hurt and his eyes burn with water. But he didn't understand why water wanted to fall out of his eyes because Jack's face was already covered in water and the fur on his face was already wet too so why did he need more water to get him and Jack even more wet?
His eyes locked onto three figures. North, Tooth, and Sandy. Why were they here? Did they want to see Jack sleep too? No, he wouldn't let them, Jack was his and his alone. He wouldn't let them see Jack sleep because they'd hurt too, right/ It hurt him to see Jack sleep so it would hurt the others too.
He growled lowly when they finally spotted him, fur bristling because couldn't they understand that he was protecting them from the hurt? When Jack woke up he'd let them see him but right now Jack was sleeping and when Jack slept, it hurt to watch.
"Bunny, comrade, vhere is Jack?" North spoke first, cautiously and Aster internally smirked because they couldn't see Jack. He was covering him completely. It also helped that it was dark because they couldn't see Jack and they couldn't see the red paint that clung to his fur like a second skin and the same paint that stained Jack's jacket. He wondered if Jack would ever be able to wash it off.
Something inside of him clicked with realization. Jack wouldn't be able to wash the stain out. The stain would stay because Jack wasn't waking up. Jack wasn't sleeping, he was dead. Dead because Aster had been stupid. Dead because Pitch was a bloody bastard. Jack wasn't waking up. The realization hit him like a bucket of cold water would. He shivered and squeezed his eyes shut in pain.
It wasn't special red paint. It was sticky, warm blood. The water falling steadily from his eyes once more wasn't just water, the water was tears. He curled around Jack, tighter than before, letting the warm tears soak his fur once more. The other Guardians looked worried. He didn't deserve their worry. He was one of the main reasons Jack wasn't in the world of the living any longer.
Tooth fluttered closer, worry and doubt circling her violet colored eyes. "Aster, Where's Jack?" By now the others had moved closer to Aster. Stopping until they were only a few feet away from him. Aster shook his head once more. Sandy tensed, twiddling his fingers as North tightened his grip on his swords. Sandy stopped a foot away from Aster. A little snowflake made of sand appeared above Sandy's head, followed by a sun and a moon, then the number three and finally a question mark. Where's Jack, he's been missing for three days?
With a silent sob Aster straightened up, uncovering the body curled up in his lap. Tooth covered her mouth in shock at the sight of the blood clinging to his fur and covering Jack's entire front. North stepped back in shock, swords falling to the floor with soundless thuds and Sandy could only stare before walking closer. He furiously wiped away the tears falling from his face with his fists before sitting before Aster and taking Jack's hand in his. He finally allowed little golden tears to fall down his cheeks as he stared sadly at the boy he'd seen as family. Tooth, wings folded neatly on her back, tentatively stepped forward before sitting near Jack's head. She traced the tears on Jack's face before running her hands through his hair. North soon followed after, leaving his precious swords on the ground as he was overcome by grief. He sat near Sandy and just watched his family. Tears on everyone's faces. What would they do without Jack?
A week later, everyone was gathered in Santoff Claussen. The normally loud and cheerful place was abnormally quiet and had been since the body had been brought in the night before. No toys had been made since then and even those who had at first tried to continue the toy making process had eventually given up. The elves trudged along quietly down the halls, the usually happy bells turned into a sound of mourning.
The yetis stayed holed up in their rooms, quiet and sullen. Phil had taken it a bit harder than the other yetis and spent most of his time outside in the snow, staring off into the distance as if waiting for a certain mischievous spirit to try and break into the workshop once more.
Aster locked himself up in one of the guest rooms, refusing to come out. He blamed himself for everyone's sadness. After all, hadn't he taken Jack away from everyone? He daydreamed of what could have been, on what should have been. He planned on taking Pitch out, making him suffer as much as everyone else was.
North spent long hours in his office. He sat on the window ledge, what had been Jack's favorite seat, and cradled a little wooden doll in his hands. The silver haired, blue eyed doll that he had given Jack when they had first defeated Pitch. It had fallen out of the boy's pocket when they had brought him into Santoff Claussen and North couldn't bear to part with the little doll.
Tooth stayed in a guest room, little fairies poured in every now and then as she half-heartedly told them where to go. The normally cheerful little fairies were quiet and sad. Baby Tooth stayed near Tooth at all times, crying into her small hands as her sisters and Tooth tried to calm her. Tooth eventually broke down and held Baby Tooth as they both cried. The other little fairies let tears slip as they continued their jobs of collecting the teeth.
Sandy preferred to spend his time on the roof. He cried sometimes and other times he'd just stare out into the cold barren land that was the North Pole. Jack loved the cold. Had loved the cold. The cold reminded Sandy of Jack as he stared up at the moon high in the sky. He glared up at the Man in the Moon. Why did you take him away from us? Give him back! But the Man in the moon seemed just as sad as the others. He couldn't do anything to bring back a Guardian. It was out of his hands.
The hospital room, far away from any of the other rooms was currently occupied. The room was pure white with all the needed supplies in the far corner, lined up neatly on sparkling countertops and only two white beds. On the one nearest to the only window lay a body. Jack had been placed tenderly on the covers. Jack's skin had become lightly frosted by now and the light streaming in from the window made him seem like he was sparkling.
Where am I?
He was floating. Surrounded by complete and utter darkness. He felt numb. What had happened? He remembered Aster yelling at him and he had run off. Pitch had appeared and he'd gotten hurt. No, he had given up. Aster had come and he'd felt happy, so happy. For a moment light blinded him. Aster loved him. Aster loved him and that was all that mattered because he loved Aster.
He was lying on a bed. The sun coming from the window made him blink a few times as he sat up. His skin was covered in frost. Absentmindedly he brushed away the frost as he looked down at himself. He'd been washed and was now wearing a too large for him shirt and some baggy blue shorts. The smell of a hospital filled his nose as He ran a hand through his hair. He was alive. Alive and his wounds had healed over.
For a moment he let a few tears fall from his eyes. He was so glad. He was alive. He jumped off the bed, feeling slightly weak as he headed towards the door, a bright smile on his face. He wanted to see North, Sandy, Tooth, the yetis, the elves, Baby Tooth, the other fairies, his believers, and most of all, he wanted to see Aster.
Alright there it is! Give me a review and tell me what you think, I also love and adore all suggestions. Anyone curious as to why Jack is alive? I like believing love brought him back but if you think I should explain it just tell me and I'll include it in a flashback or something in the next chapter.
I've decided to continue this story, obviously, so this isn't the last chapter. Yay! I'll do my best to make the next chapters full of fluff!
Anyways I need ideas guys, give me a review or send me a pm, they're really helpful.
Love you all guys!
HerHiddenSecret~~~