A Shadow's Kiss ~ A Pitch Black/Rise of the Guardians Fanfiction

Chapter 3 ~ Fearless

I awoke the following morning to believe the events from the previous night to be a dream. It all seemed highly unlikely, impossible even. Yet, a part of me knew that it was real, all of it. It was an unexpected but fascinating turn of events to say the least. The fact that the Boogeyman had requested my aid in regaining his strength and in exchange he would protect me was an idea that seemed as though it came directly from a children's bedtime story, or a Grimm brothers tale. Though, the more I thought about it, the less dangerous it seemed. More than anything, the concept of being around this powerful being was nothing short of exhilarating.

As I began to put my makeup on in my dressing table mirror, I noticed a shape forming in the far corner of my room again. Instead of feeling fear, I simply waited patiently for who I knew it must be. The black shadow slowly morphed into the form of a tall man, Pitch Black. He stepped toward me, teeth bared and eyes practically glowing, but I ignored it, returning to my eyeshadow. I could hear the heaving breaths he was taking, apparently too weak to even put on much of a horror show. A pang of guilt stabbed through me, though I knew his pain wasn't my fault. I glanced back, seeing him leaning against my bed, bent over with his head hanging limply. "Pitch?" I called softly, trying to hide my growing worry. He froze, turning his head toward me, his expression becoming a grimace. "Why didn't that...work? It used to....frighten you...all the time..." He panted. I set my makeup down, getting up and striding over to the lithe figure. "First of all, you aren't quite as scary in the daylight." I motioned toward my window, then returned my gaze to him. "Second, it's hard to be scared of someone when they can hardly stand, and honestly your presence can be intimidating enough. You don't have to give me a heart attack every time I see you in order to get me to keep believing in you." I explained.

Pitch turned his eyes back toward his feet, and it suddenly struck me that I was trying to give a pep-talk to the Boogeyman. It was actually kind of funny if you think about it. And to make the situation all the more perplexing, I realized that seeing him sad and tired made me feel just as negative, as if I were experiencing the same emotions as him. That was the thing that scared me more than anything, even him.

Returning my attention to the matter at hand, I gingerly placed my hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture, feeling the same tingly sensation in my chest as before. I furrowed my eyebrows as our eyes met, his gaze full of something that resembled both appreciation and shock. "You're the Nightmare King, Pitch. Fear is your specialty. Your powers will return, and you'll be just as strong as before. I'm sure of it." I gave him a small smile. He looked completely astonished by my words. "Then why don't you fear me?" Pitch growled threateningly, glaring down at me. I shrugged at the tone change, stepping away to lean on my dresser. "Because sometimes the worst nightmare is reality. I put up with emotional torment every damn day of my life, from the people I go to school with at least. Seeing you comes as a relief anymore. It's a comfort, to be honest." I admitted. "And why's that?" He practically spat. "Because I know there's an escape from reality. I know my dreams and my nightmares, and I'll happily embrace them both so long as they give me a break from this Hell I've come to know so well." I answered evenly, watching his reaction.

Again, the expression of the Nightmare King changed. He seemed to be processing all I was telling him, and then contemplating on how to respond. When he finally opened his mouth to speak, he was slow to begin his statement. "I believe...we may have more in common...that what I originally thought." He told me, before his lips curled into another smirk. "No matter. Please, direct me to where you would like me to sit." He continued his thought without giving me a second to ask him what he meant by "having more in common with each other." I shook my head to clear it, before swinging my arm around absentmindedly. "Wherever, I guess. You're staying?" I inquired curiously, watching as he made himself at home on my window seat. He he reached back, pulling the curtain shut to darken the bedroom just a bit, then leaned against the wall with his hands behind his head.