Ducking a stream of flying sheets, they carefully walked down the hallway. This was whole new territory for all of them, some of them not even knowing it had existed to begin with.

The hallway it's self was warmly lit, the color looking much like aged parchment. Words in every language, and then some that were long forgotten, were delicately scrawled across the walls. Pictures of bight colors broke the monotony of words every now and then, all depicting scenes of heroism, love, tragedy, adventure and so on. Some of these pictures were no bigger than a childs hand, some as big as a horse.

More flying sheets continued to pass them, a near constant stream of them really.

Jack stepped lightly to duck under a stream of the sheets and his gaze followed after them. A large room could be seen at the end of the hallway, the top of a large globe could be seen spinning slowly. Beyond it several floors full of shelves and books, tables, couches only to disappear into a faded distance.

Books, scrolls and sheets of paper were flying from one end to the other. The air was filled with the sounds of turning pages, light whispers and soft music. It smelt crisply of paper, dusty of parchment, warm and inviting all at once leaving Jack slightly light headed.

"I said no! If you want to enjoy a book, then read it not eat it!"

The sudden angry cry echoed around them, causing them to blink. They strained their ears when something 'spoke' up. It was hard to tell, it was a soft high pitch sound, much like Tooths baby teeth. Once they finally entered the beginnings of the room, a chamber more like it, they searched for the owner of the voice.

A head suddenly popping out of nowhere from above, startling Bunnymund into jumping back while the others were merely startled. Jack was going to hold this over Bunnymund for as long as her could.

Turning back to the person that startled them, he could only blink.

Black hair swayed lightly as she turned to take them all in, bright blue eyes blinking and lips slowly curling into a smile while her cheeks began to blush.

"Oh guests!"

She quickly disappeared over the ledge she obviously had been standing on, the one just over their heads, before she dropped down in front of them. Her arms were outstretched at her sides as she was crouched down, but they quickly smoothed out her skirt as she stood up.

Once she was done putting things back into place, she looked up at them with a bright smile. "Sorry for startling you, but I rarely get guests. Welcome to my library!" she clasped her hands before her as she rose to the tips of her toes.

She was... tiny, slightly shorter than Tooth herself. But from what Jack could gather, she wasn't a child either. Her green skirt was brushing past her knees, though the pleats were at different heights so it was hard to tell. A red sash wrapped around her waist, the ends trailing down her left side. A brown vest over an off white shirt where the sleeves were puffy.

Upon closer inspection, golden words were stitched into the ends of her red sash, which also held a book that swung with her movements at her right side. And tucked behind her right ear, a pen.

"So, how may I help you?" she tilted her head, smile still in place.

Santa stepped forward, his booming voice easily echoing around them. "Ah, Man in Moon said you are to be next Guardian!"

The girl blinked rapidly, obviously in shock at the news. Not only that, the entire library went still. The books, pages and scrolls stopped in mid flight, the whispering and music no longer filling the chamber.

In fact, it became eery.

As Jack looked around, he spotted several crows resting atop the shelves and all were watching them. Little worm like critters from nearby shelves were also keenly watching them. It was highly unnerving.

"Why? What's happening?" Her voice was quiet, barely a whisper.

When no one answered her question, her brows pinched and the corner of her lips turned downwards. The expression didn't suit her at all.

"Please, answer me."

Tooth flew a little closer, an uneasy smile in place. "We don't understand what you mean."

She turned to Tooth, frown still in place. "Only when something is happening with the children, are new Guardians called upon. Especially in dire needs. So I ask again, what's happening?"

Tooth wrung her hands and drew in on herself, Jack could only wonder how she knew that and she answered him.

"Everything that happens, is recorded and added to my library. A few years ago, Pitch rose up and Jack was called upon as a Guardian. So please, what is happening?" by now, she sounded desperate and pleading.

Bunnymund stepped forward, his ears twitching. "The children are disappearing."

It took a few moments, but once the news settled, her eyes widened and all color drained from her face. She spun about and jumped over the railing behind her, causing them rush forward after her in worry for her safety.

They watched as she was carried over to the globe by a book and took it in. Her eyes were sharp as they scanned the lights that represented the children of the world. But when she got to Japan, her actions seemed frantic. She quickly rose to hover above the globe where she called out.

"Bring me the pages of every child that has disappeared!"

The books, pages and scrolls were once again flying across the library and in the distance there was a sound quickly approaching. The sound of waves at first, fluttering wings, but soon enough it turned out to be pages rushing forward.

The circled her, and she was quickly reading them. With a flick of her hands, pages were darting up to make room for new ones. It was a dizzying spectacle, and they were the ones watching her. Others pages she had returned to where they came from, most of which were aged, but the rest, which was a startling amount, stayed.

The book carried her back to them, stopping just before the edge of the balcony, the countless pages following behind her. "These pages show unexplainable disappearances of children all over the world in the last week. Unknown to humans, and mysterious ever to our standards."

They took in the wall of pages behind her, truly taking in how many that were missing. It rose to such heights, as to block view of the glass ceiling above them and spread out just as far.

While they were taking in the vast amount of pages, she was busy with her pen and book. Her hand was quickly flowing across the page the sound of her pen scratching across the surface. The moment she was done, something flowed from the pages to land next to them. It looked much like ink spilling, but as more flowed from the book onto the floor, it was spilling upwards not outwards.

Soon enough a figure stood there, a younger version of the librarian. If the situation were not as dire, Jack would admit she was adorable.

"I need you to watch over while I help the Guardians stop this and bring the others back where they belong. Notify me if there is any change in the pattern of children going missing." the little child nodded her head and used a different book to take her to standing above the globe, whispered commands sounding in the air around them.

The librarian reached out a hand and a single sheet of paper flew to it. "This is the first child to go missing. She was playing in her room due to sudden bad weather. It states here, like all the other pages, the room went dark and all sound was blocked off and she caught a glimpse of a strange... place. After that it just stops."

"What just stops?"

She looked towards Jack, a very worried look on her face. "Her page. Ever person ever born gets a book. It is filled with their life, each birthday starting a new chapter. For it to stop so suddenly is... not possible."

"They... they aren't..." Tooth mumbled, her hands flew to her mouth as if afraid to ask -that- question out loud.

"No, they're still alive. Just not... here. Their pages describe how afraid they were when everything of the world was cut off from them and then nothing. It's as if someone took them away somewhere, it doesn't state where. Or who or what for that matter. But there might be one who does."

"Who?"

Her face pinched up as if she had just sucked a lemon and she turned her gaze away. "Pitch."

"... are you saying... he took the children?"

"No. If he did, their books would still continue. But with how terrified the children were when they were taken... he might be able to track where they were taken."

They instantly broke into arguments on how they weren't going to get him to help, especially after what he had attempted to do a few short years ago. As they continued to argue in her direction, Jack watched how her expression darkened, the feeling of the library also darkening along with her.

She was then suddenly in their faces. "If you're not willing to forgive and forget, then I'll go see him myself. This is not about you or him, but the children. You called upon me to become a Guardian, you the great ones that protect children from everything that is harmful to them outside the human realm. But did you even bother to think that nightmares are needed just as much as sweet dreams?"

I'm sure they learned to conquer their fears due to him, to become outstanding adults. Without him, there would be no one brave enough to explore uncharted land and waters, no one to think to reach beyond the stars into the darkness of space, no heroes to conquer evil. Why? Because they would still be afraid. But they learned that conquering your fear in nightmares and childhood shows them that later on in life, they can do the same when they grow up

And right now... their childhood is being robbed of them. We don't know who. We don't know how, why, or for what. So if you don't like my simple suggestion, then I don't want to be a Guardian. He needs children to believe in him just as much as you do. Without them... none of you truly exist. You said so yourselves."

They stood there, her words ringing in their ears. What she said was true, but it didn't make them any happier. Silence, save for the whispering and fluttering of pages, echoed around them.

"If he so much as looks at me wrong..." Bunnymund narrowed his eyes on the librarian.

She raised a challenging brow. "Of course he will, you all banished him to his realm of nightmares and now ask for his help. But if attempts anything against any of us while trying to save the children, that's a whole different matter."

When they grumbled under their breaths, she merely rolled her eyes. "Come on then, we're going to see Pitch to see if he's willing to help freely."

"If not?"

"We'll simply have to persuade him. Or remind him that he needs the children just as much as we do." she jumped down onto the floor, only to take a hand from Santa and Bunnymund and lead them back to the book, which was now open.

"What are ya doin'?"

"My way of travel, since we're all here." she turned to look over her shoulder. "Come on flying folk."

Jack let a breeze carry him to fly next to Bunnymund, Sandy and Tooth Just behind them. Observing the girl, Jack finally asked the first thing that had been burning his tongue.

"What's your name?"

"Call me... Kagome."

AN: Whelp... Kagome as a guardian this time. Something a little different than as Mother Nature/Spring/Time but I figured it suited her. Read, enjoy, and review!