Chapter eight

The trip to the hills of southern asia did take less than what Jack had expected, as Tooth had said, but it was still long enough to make Jack tense up. He eyed fearfully at every shadow they passed, half expecting to see Pitch or one of his fearlings to jump out of nowhere. He let out a breath of relief when swarms of familiar psychedelic fairies came into view. Tooth stopped at the foot of her glittering palace to continue by foot, and Jack did the same, pausing occasionally to greet the small fairies.

"Jack, in here. Quick." Tooth said after a few minutes, pushing the door of a private room; a setting out of place compared to the open spaces of the castle.

"Um… what's with the cramped room?" Jack questioned. He did admit, he wasn't a fan of small spaces, and matched with the dim lighting and his impatience, it was extremely unnerving.

Tooth turned sharply after closing the door. Jack flinched at first, wondering if her anger had eventually come out, but was proved wrong when he saw tears brimming n her violet eyes.

"Tooth? Are you okay?"

She quickly disabled Jack from speaking any further as she pressed a hand gently against his mouth and gesturing him to be quiet with the other.

"Listen, if any of my fairies hear what i'm about to show you, it will be far worse than having Santa Claus and Aster turning their trust on you, I swear it on my afterlife. Understand?" Jack quickly nodded, eyes widening further at hearing her use the full names of the guardian spirits.

Tooth released Jack from his silent state as she raced to a corner of the room, opening a multicolored chest that Jack hadn't noticed before. She returned with a sort of furnished wood tape recorder, complete with bright colors and the symbol of each Guardian, excepting Jack, on the front. The device had a speaker and buttons, but no recorder or microphone. Just a small knob handle on the side.

"What is that?" Jack whispered.

"It's an invention that I constructed with the Guardian's help long ago. I started it alone but couldn't do it all by myself, so North did the main system and Sandy added extra magic to help."

"And Bunny?"

"He had the pleasure of doing the decorating." She smiled.

"So, what's it for exactly?"

"It's been a very long time since this has been used. I put it away i here because it's exposed too much information before. It's very dangerous in many ways, but in this case we need it. It's a speaker for amplifying memories out loud.

"Woah, really? I had no idea if that was possible. How do you work it?"

"Well, since it's a memory speaker…" She tugged off a pint-sized triangular knife that was attached to the side of the player, "One has to take a genetic sample from the cavity, whilst thinking with full concentration of the memory they desire to hear, like a tooth in a box-" And with that Tooth opened her mouth and pointed the knife past the interior of the bottom lip, suddenly slitting the gum quickly and violently.

"WOAH! Tooth, whattheheckdidyoujust….!" Jack started blabbing before Tooth shushed him.

"Like a tooth, blood from the mouth will work for smaller memories too." She pulled on the knob on the device, revealing a small wooden drawer. She let the blood drip once off the knife into the box and closed it.

"Now, Jack, are you prepared for what you're about to listen to?" She asked, her voice adding to the tension already wafting through the small room.

"Now that I think of it, i'm not too sure." Jack said. "I don't know if it'll make things any better. What if I said something that is true to me on the inside. Or used to be, anyway?" It was when Tooth's eyes widened that Jack realised that he had admitted all that through speech, right then.

"Oh, um… Tooth, I didn't mean- It was… gah, damn it." He shook his head. "I need to confess. There was… a lot of things I really didn't have hope for at all those three centuries. Things that I feared, and… you know I was afraid that no kids would ever believe in me, so… I got rid of that, but some things just get left behind."

It was true. After Jamie and the other children in his area began to believe in him, he had long since left the fear that he would never exist to people. But then again, Pitch once said that you can't kill fear, and he was right. Pitch Black was the reason Jack had grown a new pleora of fears over the past day or so, and one was the Guardians finding out about Jack's disbelief in the past.

Thankfully that could be off Jack's list in a little bit. Now, if he could just get this stupid damned tape recording over and done with…

"Jack, it's okay. Calm yourself. Whether this will make things better or not, I have no idea. But panicking isn't going to make anything better."

Jack looked up with wide eyes, realising that he had been breathing harshly, close to hyperventilation during his thoughts.

"O-okay." He whispered. "Play it. I'm ready."

Tooth grinned briefly before she pressed the green play button worriedly. Jack listened in pure shock at what emitted for the next few minutes.

Tooth spoke first, "Jack! Sandy, why did you have to do it so hard. Oh well, at least we can get him back easily. He'll be safe back at the pole."

"Safe from who, himself? Tooth, he almost committed freaking suicide. What if he does it again?" An australian speaker asked.

North spoke back, "Bunny, do not blame the winter spirit. He is only under the influence of Pitch."

"It's no influence." Jack gasped at what he heard. That was his own voice!

"Pitch has made me come to realise that. You're talking about him like he is evil. Yeah, that's what he is, but he's a saviour too."

"Jack?" Tooth spoke again. "What- oh my goodness? The dream sand… It's gone- Oh my gosh!"

"What?" The two speakable guardians asked in usion.

"Look! There's black sand in his blood! It's making him sleep-talk! Sandy, help over here!"

"Stop talking about me like i'm not here." A swat was heard. Undoubtedly him hitting a hand away. "Oh, you think it's the nightmares talking? No. This is me. You know how some adults speak their thoughts out loud under the influence of alcohol? That can be good. In fact, my case is perfect. Because, I've never had the courage over the past miserable to tell you what i'm about to say. Because I was scared. I was a wimp. But that sand? That did a good deed. It took away that fear, for once. For the first time, I can speak honestly. I can free myself of the awful hell hole of a life with you through words."

"But, Jack…" Tooth whimpered in assurance, "We thought you were happy. Don't you remember? You have believers now. Seven gorgeous children, and more to come, eventually. Aren't you grateful for that?"

"No." He snapped back, as the sound of shifting snow symbolised that he was moving. "I'm not, because that isn't enough. Seven scrawny little kids? Are you joking me? I'm practically on the bridge of existence because of you. North, you said once that according to the laws of a Guardian, one's strength is measured by the amount of believers. I could be invincible. Unstoppable. Fun could be unable to kill off. But, no. My immortality is scarce because I only have seven individuals looking out for me. My life is on the line, and I can change it."

"How, Frosty?" Bunny snarled hoarsely. "You've been going at this for ages since this whole blizzard started. What is wrong with your life that we've given you? How can you change it?"

"You have a point. Sure, I am the guardian of fun now, and plenty of children have the pleasure of my gift, but they can't get enough. You know why? Their parents are so strict on 'good behaviour' and 'working hard to achieve their dreams'." Jack imagined himself making quotation marks with his hands. "Well, what if their dream is to have fun all the time? Yeah, I'm saying that to you, Sandy. Why can't they have that while working for themselves? Oh, right. THERE'S NO MISCHIEF IN IT."

The Guardians gasped.

"Yeah, you heard me. Maybe Man in Moon chose me for the darker side, not to help you. Maybe you should have been defeated, for the sake of having fun." Jack waited, anticipated for the third sentence, "Maybe, I should have joined Pitch. Then they'd be more fun, and more believers."

There was silence. Deathly silence.

"I would've never found my purpose on my own, but maybe if i'd just gone to someone else for advice. Maybe if I decided not to give all my trust into a- a cossack who make toys in his freetime. Two hybrid freaks who decorate eggs or collect human bones. A dwarf who- dare I say it, is made out of sand?

"You were never any help to me. You've always just used me. Isn't there a marvel villain like that somewhere?"

The crinkle of frost was enough for Jack to tell that he was letting out his emotions physically now.

"You've never cared for me. I'M JUST ANOTHER LIGHT ON THE GLOBE TO YOU! I'M JUST A SINGLE FLAKE IN THE SNOWGLOBE! MAN IN MOON CAN'T EVEN BE BOTHERED SPEAKING TO ME BECAUSE YOU SEEM MORE IMPORTANT. I HATE-"

A series of cries broke out, starting with Bunny.

"I got him on the ground! North, grab him, now!"

"Don't hurt him!"

"Let go of me! Leave me alone!"

Jack's cries were cut off my someone clapping a hand over his mouth. A few muffled cries of anger and pain escaped him before Tooth spoke.

"NORTH STOP! Give him to me!" She yelled in anger.

"Tooth, are you crazy?" His voice boomed. "Did you not hear him? He disgraced the Guardian name! He's-"

"It's not him! Now stop! You're making it worse! Give him to me, i'll stop the struggling."

North huffed in disagreement as Jack began audibly yelling again.

"You're mongrels! The whole lot of you! You'll never live up to your values!"

"Sandy!" Tooth yelled as the blizzard grew stronger. A swoosh of a magical sound and Jack's yelling immediately ceased.

"Okay, I don't know what the cavity that was, but we're going to find out what's wrong with him once he wakes up, Safe."

"If I don't kill the little psycho first."

"Bunny!" Tooth scolded. "Stop, I beseech you. Jack would never say that. You remember his confession of '68. You know him now. Give him time, I'm begging you."

Angry Mutters were heard, but he seemed calmer.

"Back to sleigh. The little imbecile can pay later." North growled.

With a static closing, the memory ended.

Jack stared at the box with disbelief for a few seconds before he fell back on the floor, unmoving.

"Jack!" Tooth gasped as she dropped the box and landed at his side, ignoring the discarded object.

"Tooth.. I-I'm." Jack stuttered as Tooth pulled him up and into her arms. "I'm so sorry."

"Jack. Jack, it's- it's okay. I'm not mad, Sandy's not mad, you're fine. We're two against three. Nobody's gonna hurt you."

"But bunny, he said that he'll-"

"Kill you. I know, but he won't. I'll never let him even touch a hair on you until he understands. Okay?" She said, stroking him affectionately.

"Yeah, except, this doesn't make it any better. Pitch was right. You can't kill fear. And now i'm scared. Scared of my own family. How do I-"

"Sweetie, there's nothing to be afraid of." Tooth pushed away and lifted his head in her hand. The smile in her eyes seemed familiar to Jack. Somewhat… a memory, almost. Of a mother figure who always gave affection to him…

"Besides, they're soft when it comes to words. However, I was convinced it was never you. You would never say that."

"Some of it was true though." He blurted out, not able to hold it in anymore.

"Huh?" Tooth asked, surprised.

Jack took in a breath, knowing this would take a lot of explaining. "A lot if it was. Well, in the past, anyway. It was out of fear; Seeing you do your jobs everyday and barely seeing any other spirits around, I thought, maybe none of you cared." He looked down for a moment, "Asking Manny what I was there for every day with no answer was like trying to tear my own skull apart. And, as sad as it sounds, sometimes I only asked to hear my own proper voice." Jack shuddered as he relived the unpleasant memories.

Tooth nodded in acknowledgement, sadness in her eyes. "You know," She began, smiling just a little bit. "I really, really hate Pitch."

Jack's head shot up. He'd almost totally forgotten that it was his doing that caused all this. Bringing up the awful past and turning it against his family? No one deserved that.

"Tooth, we have to find him. What if he starts doing to other people? I don't know who they could be but… we just have to stop him."

"Agreed. Where do we start?"

"By stopping." A chilling voice out of nowhere whispered. Jack and Tooth went rigid. They both knew that voice far too well.

Jack clutched his staff as they both got to their feet, backs facing each-other in a fighting stance.

"Pitch!" Toothiana screamed into the darkness. "Come out and fight like a man, you- you…"

"Go ahead, insult me, Tooth fairy." Pitch said. "No word can hurt me as much as they've hurt little frost here."

Before Jack could process what was happening a hand shot out of the darkness and grabbed Jack by the lower jaw, forcing him to took into the gloomy amber eyes of the nightmare king. His eyes widened in fear and he jerked away forcibly.

"What do you want now?" He said at finding his courage once again.

"Funny question that. I hadn't planned this far in stalking you. I just made my presence clear because I spotted something that I seem to have taken interest in."

Jack stiffened. Pitch had been watching them? Even in places where shadows lacked, he must have known most of what happened. Oh no…

"What have you taken interest in?" Tooth spoke, "If you're thinking about Jack, you'll never even get to-"

"Calm yourself, bird. It is only a mere object." Pitch's gaze travelled down to the memory player left on it's side nearby and began making his way to it.

"No!" Jack dove for the recorder, but was sideswept by a nightmare and the device was snatched out of his grasp. "Pitch! Give it back, it's not yours to take!"

"Neither is your trust in the Guardians, but I think we all know where that's gotten to." Pitch leered at Jack, a maniacal grin upon his face.

Jack stood back, frightened by the nightmare king's sudden quotation.

A grunt of fury was heard as Tooth rammed into Pitch, desperately trying to wring the memory box out of his hands. Pitch flung her aside where she crashed into Jack.

Tooth scrambled off, attempting again to attack, when she was trampled on by a large nightmare and dragged roughly across the ground.

Jack looked fearfully from Tooth to Pitch, who was turning the box over in his hands, examining it carefully, then to the locked door, where screeches of mini fairies could be hard, obviously having heard the sudden noise.

"Yes, I think I will take this after all. Also, this would be a good moment to thicken the plot up a little bit more than it already is, eh?"

And with that, the nightmares surrounding the two victims spiralled around their king, creating a hurricane of black sand around him. Tooth and Jack screamed for each-other in the spinning air, the force coming in, limiting breathing and bringing pressure down on everything.

The room exploded.

When Jack found consciousness, he found a whole swarm of mini fairies spinning around the room, squeaking little orders to each-other. The whole egg-shaped room was completely destroyed in a mass of shattered gold and crystal. The box that once contained the memory holder was in shambles, mixing with the rest of the debris. His whole body was in agony, his staff was on the other side of the room, and worst of all, Tooth was gone.

"TOOTH!"

Urgh, Yeah. Sorry for the cliffhanger, I couldn't help myself.

I'm gonna be honest, I pulled that whole memory speaker thing out of nowhere. Out of the shadows, maybe?

Um… Thanks Pitch?

Anyways, I'm thinking of a new one-shot sequel to my Big Hero 6 story. I've been planning to do an apology fic (because it was completely OOC and overall sucked) plus there were some things for the finale chapter that were left unincluded.

So, you guys let me know what you think.

Goodbye, poroporoaki.