A/C: Thank you all for waiting. I'm a bit late on this but damn work T.T

Anyway, here is the next chapter and more information is being learned about the problems going on in the world.

Chapter Four

A few days passed by with only a few problems as Eros tried to get himself together. Getting used to a new body and the powers that came with it, was a big challenge. Bunnymund made sure to stay clear of the flammable spirit that resided in the home and North put up with it for as long as he could. Only until Eros had accidentally lit up one of the elves' hats on fire, which proceeded to run around the factory and catch several other items on fire, did North finally lose his patience. Jack couldn't blame them, it was very stressful to keep an eye on the emotional roller coaster that Eros was at the moment.

He would get extremely upset about being cloistered in the factory, not allowed to explore the world outside. The only time he could go out, was to areas where there were no mortals for hundreds of miles, and it bothered Eros. Only when the young man was calm and collected, almost like the old Jamie that Jack knew, was he able to control himself. Sandy had been the first to pitch in a place for Eros to go to, offering his dream realm for the other man to reside in, and all agreed. Eros would cause less damage there and if he did happen to catch anything on fire, Sandy could easily fix it or stop the flame from spreading. Sand and fire seemed to be a good team, which annoyed Jack slightly, but he kept his mouth shut.

"I wanna get out of here." Eros said, breaking Jack's thoughts about the events that had just passed by the last several days. Jack turned to raise an eyebrow at the young spirit as he propped himself up on his hands, leaning back slightly as they both sat on the edge of a large sand cliff. It was one of the areas in Sandy's realm, where he procured quite a few different places for himself, and even more places for Eros to feel comfortable. Of course, Eros would simply ask to go outside of the realm but the sand spirit would give him a stern look before waggling a finger for no.

The place they currently were was beautiful. A large sandy cliff, golden dust falling down into a large crevice that was filled with beautiful decorations of trees and waterfalls. Eros had actually gone down to explore the area, enjoying the warm climate that the Sandman had somehow created, and dipping into the water. The swim had been an interesting one, as his entire body heated up the river and made it more of a sauna than a cool swim, but only when he was agitated. Which he was now.

"Where do you wanna go?" Jack questioned, giving Eros the questioning gaze but knowing full well why the guy wanted to leave. As fun as Sandy's world was, it was a bit stifling knowing that it wasn't all real. A bit disillusioning, even to an immortal that had seen quite a bit.

"I don't know...somewhere...cold maybe..." That made Jack quirk a smile, liking the idea that Eros was wanting to go someplace cold. Nodding his head, he reached a hand out for Eros to grab onto and the man did so with little hesitation, smoke filling the air above their hands. Looking left and right to see if Sandy was watching, Jack smirked as he felt that he was smuggling the fiery spirit out. Then using the wind, Jack flew both men out of the realm and back into the real world.

"Again...middle of nowhere." Eros stated, hands on his hips as he kicked at a rock in the clearing that they stood in. The area was cold, just as he had asked for, but they were out in a clearing somewhere. He had been so happy to feel the wind blowing through his hair and to feel the sun beat down on him but he could barely stand the isolation. For some reason, he couldn't explain why, he felt that he had to be near people. That being near the mortals would somehow answer all the questions that he had at the moment.

"For now. You wanna try to practice again?" Jack offered, breaking Eros' train of thought and the blonde headed man turned his head towards him. Letting out a breath, he gave a nod before looking around the clearing. There were only trees for him to aim at and for some reason, it didn't feel right. He had tried aiming the new power he had discovered at different objects in the factory but all it had done was catch the stuff on fire. Which got him more than a few angry looks.

Raising his hand up, palm open and fingers spread, he concentrated on the tree before him. Standing a few meters away, he bit his lips as he felt the warm sensation work its way through his arm and into his palm. Then the blast of white light shot out, sparkling and hissing for a moment before hitting the tree's trunk. A few moments passed and Eros lowered his arm, a confused look on his face as he saw that the tree hadn't caught on fire.

Suddenly, the tree shook as if something were shaking its roots. Then the leaves grew a bright green, spreading and opening in the cold temperature, and the tree growing new branches to spread out. Lastly, the tree grew a little taller, shuffling its leaves as it grew. Jack stood behind Eros, just as confused as the fiery spirit and both men turned to stare at each other.

"Wha...why didn't it catch on fire?" Eros asked, more to himself than to Jack and the snow spirit shrugged his shoulders, unsure of just what was going on at the moment. He had assumed that the man could catch things on fire and that that answered the question about his ability, a fire spirit. It seemed like that wasn't what was going on though. Eros turned back around, raising both hands up this time and shooting out multiple blasts to different trees and shrubbery around them. Within a few minutes, it looked as if spring had come early and all the plants were growing back to full life.

"Wait..." Eros whispered out, eyes widening as he suddenly had an idea of what was going on. Smiling wide, he suddenly ran off into the forest and straight for the nearest town. Jack yelled out, surprised at the man's sudden movement, and chased after him. The man moved fast though, ran much faster than any mortal normally would, and Jack cursed under his breath. Eros wasn't ready for a city yet, wasn't ready to face people, and he wasn't sure what the man was going to do.

Eros came bursting through the clearing, pausing for only a moment as he gazed around the small neighborhood before him. It was a rather busy street, bustling with activity and the sound of cash registers filling the air. Little children ran around laughing and giggling, chasing after each other as their mothers and fathers went shopping, and the elderly looking on from the nearby benches. None of them could see him, he knew this, but he pushed that rather depressing thought out.

What did catch his eye, was a man walking down the street. Hands stuffed into his pockets, looking down at the ground and appearing that he would burst out in tears at any moment. A dark cap sat on his head, covering the shaggy brown hair that hung down around his ears, and casual clothes that looked extremely worn. He looked about thirty and the man looked like his world was falling apart. Eros felt an ache in his heart, as if he could feel the man's pain in his chest, and he pressed his lips together tightly as he took a step towards the man.

Jack came bursting through the trees then, eyes looking around frantically for Eros, and hoping to the gods above that he hadn't lost the man. Then his eyes landed on Eros, eyes widening as he realized that the man was heading straight towards a mortal with intent in his motions. He reached out to yell for the man just as Eros raised a hand up, bringing forth the power in his hand, and touching the man's shoulder. It was like time stopped then, Jack's breath catching as he watched the glow enter into the man's body in slow motion, and Eros' own face just as nervous and unsure.

But there was nothing to worry. The man's face lifted up as he stopped in his tracks, his eyes staring towards nothing really, and not realizing that he was gazing straight through Eros. The eyes that had once been dull and growing lifeless with each passing second, filled with light and his green eyes becoming more vibrant. A smile came to the man's face, a breath easing out of his body as the stress eased out of his muscles. Squaring his shoulders, he walked on but with a new bounce and purpose in each of his steps.

Eros turned around slowly, the nervous look on his face turning into a wide grin, and his own eyes glowing. Jack stood there frozen, arm still hanging in the air from when he had began to attempt to stop Eros, and shock on his face. What had just happened? Jack had worried that the man would hurt a mortal and then go back into an emotional nosedive that he would never come out of. He had faced a similar problem himself, had dove down as deep as a person could get, and he had barely gotten back out. Eros ran forward to Jack, arms stretched out on either side of him.

Jack was jerked out of his shock as Eros wrapped his arms around the man, spinning them both in a circle as his arms tightened into a hug. Smoke hissed and filled the air around them but Jack could only stare down to Eros' lit face, smiling back in return.

"It worked! I didn't think it would...I mean, I had a good idea or I wouldn't tried but...oh my god!" Eros' new excitement made him spin them both around again, propelling them into a snow bank nearby, and both men laughing out loudly. It had been a surprise, that was for sure, but Eros was ecstatic. He felt as if he were a child and that feeling itself, was confusing, but he enjoyed it. Turning his head, he stared at Jack as the man returned the gaze, both smiling like fools. Then without thinking, Eros leaned over and planted a quick kiss on the man's lips.

Jack froze. His eyes widened, his mouth gaping open slightly as Eros pulled away, and shock filling his entire face. Eros was shocked as well, freezing as he pulled away, stopping only a few inches away from Jack. He didn't know why he had done that, didn't even begin to have a reason for kissing the man, but for some reason...it felt right. Why did it feel right? It felt right to touch the man, felt right to see him smile, made him feel as if a hole were in his chest whenever they were separated. It raised a multitude of questions for him and confused him more. Raising a hand up to his head, he rubbed his eyes before moving away to stand up. Jack turned back onto his back, raising an arm to cover his eyes.

"Let's head back, yeah?" He said, trying hard to not stutter as he felt his entire body shake from the event. Then slowly, he moved to stand up, grasping the staff in his shaking hands before slowly turning his gaze to Eros. The two men stared at each other for a moment before Eros nodded, following closely behind Jack, and trying to deny it again. To deny how good it felt to hold the man's icy hand.

"Jack! Eros!" The names ringing out into the air as the two spirits flew back into North's factory. The men landed, Eros pulling away from Jack as they both stared on, North approaching them with a worried expression on his face. The large man turned towards the huge globe, his hand pointing towards the lights on the globe, and stuttering out several times before gathering himself enough to speak coherently.

"The lights...the lights go out!" He said and Tooth fluttering out, nervous as well. Jack's eyes shot to the globe, seeing the lights that were slowing dimming out one by one.

"What...why?" Eros took a step back, feeling that this was something beyond him at the moment, but the idea of children in trouble...bothered him. That same ache came to his chest, his hand coming up to touch the light pain, and that same pull making him want to leave again. His thoughts were interrupted though as Tooth spoke up, her high pitched voice ringing out with worry.

"We don't know! Even the ones that are very young! Oh Jack...do you think it's Pitch?" The mention of the name made all the Guardians tense up. Bunnymund and Sandy came into the room then, the rabbit crossing his arms across his chest as a disbelieving look came upon his face.

"Now wait...it's been awhile since we seen the bloke...let's not-"

"You say last time, Bunny." North reminded the man and Bunnymund let out a sigh, looking to the side. From how things were going, how the lights were going out, and how young the children were; it didn't seem like Pitch. At least to Bunnymund. Jack flew up into the air, looking around at the lights that were going out, hand touching the little lights that flickered for a moment before going black. He had noticed a slight pattern with the lights, lights that were usually the brightest were the normally the youngest. Brightest since their belief was much stronger at a younger age and their belief diminishing over time, making their light less bright.

"They too young to not believe! Something make them lose hope. We must find out what and stop it." North said, slamming a powerful fist into his other hand to emphasize his point, and Bunnymund gave a small nod. The rabbit looked certain that this wasn't Pitch, which Jack kind of agreed with, but he did look just as concerned as North. Then he looked back towards the others.

"I'll go check it out. Then we can see what's going on exactly." He said and Tooth nodded, buzzing up to Jack.

"I'll go with you." She said, several faeries coming to fly around them, offering their own assistance as well. All the Guardians agreed, waving off the two as they flew off into the sky, and Eros standing silently in the room. The ache was still there, telling him that there was something he had to do, and the aggravation of not knowing, made him want to scream. A large hand landed on his shoulder, making him calm down for a moment before turning to look up at North's stern face.

"No worries, Eros. They find problem and we all go help."

Tooth and Jack arrived to the first location quick enough. A southern country filled with laughing children during the day and a cool night for sleep. The two Guardians split up, looking around at the different children and checking to see if they were alright. As Jack entered into one room, he snuck quietly into a young boy's room, and looked around. There didn't seem to be any of those damned dark horses around or any other dark creature that Pitch could bring up. Then he turned the child and stopped in his tracks.

The little boy was laying limply in bed, almost as if he were asleep, but his eyes were still open. They were half lidded though, as if he were comatose, and tears streamed down the sides of the young man's face. Jack reached out, wanting to comfort the child that looked as if he had given up on life completely, but knowing that there was little he could do. Taking in a deep breath, his hands turned to fists before he shot out the window, looking for Tooth.

He found her, hovering in the air above a playground, and staring down at the ground. His eyes followed the gaze and his eyes widened, not believing what he was seeing. Young children, ones that were usually very good, were beating up on others. Bullying them, pulling their hair, and pushing them around in the middle of the night. Adults coming out to yell at the children to come inside before the mother and father turned to each other, yelling and screaming at each other before closing the door. Tooth turned her gaze to Jack, tears in her eyes from what she had seen.

"Tooth..." Jack said, reaching out to comfort the woman, but Tooth reached out faster. She grabbed his wrist, pulling him towards another direction.

"Jack, there is something seriously wrong." She stated, pausing after a moment, and pointing down to a building with her free hand. Jack's gaze moved down to see a family in their house, a father yelling and screaming as the mother yelled back in return. His entire body jerked as he saw the father strike the woman before turning towards the children, who were sitting in their chairs and nearly as comatose as the child he had just seen.

"What's going on?" The words came out whispered, disbelieving. He didn't know all he people in the world but Tooth knew most. If she was shocked, then this was definitely not normal. There was something evil and dark going on. One thing he did know, was this town. The people in this small town were always so kind to each other, no violence, and caring for each other as a large family would. The Guardians' eyes met again, worry on their faces, and nervous since they didn't know what was going on. This wasn't something that Pitch would do...or would he?

The small baby tooth's came up to them then, fluttering and buzzing about in nervousness. Tooth raised her hands up to calm them enough to hear them speak. Jack saw them pointing a bit away, fear very evident in their eyes, and he felt his entire body tense up. Without waiting, he shot off in the direction that they pointing, eyes searching the dark streets below him. A fairy caught up with him, leading him down lower to the town, and pointing as a dark figure shot through an alley.

Jack shot down into the alley, eyes watching as the dark figure moved through the tight streets and alleys. From what he could tell, it was wearing some kind of dark cloak, and moved around as if it were really flying on the wind like he did. Dodging a street sign, he pushed himself faster, reaching out with his hand to try and grab the cloaked figure. A light whispering sound filled his ears as the hood of the cloak turned around to stare at him, turning a full three hundred and sixty degrees. The sight of that made Jack's eyes widen and he found himself stumbling before landing face first into the cobblestone pavement.

"Jack!" Tooth yelled out, finally catching up with the usually quick footed spirit, and helping him to stand up. Jack dusted off his knees, grimacing slightly from the scratches he had gotten, and head shooting up to stare down the alleyway. He was sure he would have caught the black figure but the creature was fast. Too fast. Way too fast to be Pitch. Turning his head towards Tooth, he gave the colorful woman a worried face.

"We're in trouble, Tooth...this is something new."

A/C: Thank you for reading! The next chapter should come out sometime this week. :) So stay tuned in!