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

Chapter 19 ~ Bitter Revelations

Pitch POV

The past few months with Anara Rose had been delightfully wicked, at least, in the opinion of Pitch Black. With every lingering gaze, passionate kiss, and nights filled with whispered sweet nothings, the Nightmare King could hardly remember a time when he was happier. Being with this young woman had slowly reawakened the spirit of the once honorable man Pitch used to be. The Nightmare King knew that the depth of his love for this mortal was growing by the day, and undoubtedly she would become his undoing. Still, Pitch Black had no desire to resist the young woman who now wholly owned his darkened heart. In fact, he wondered if a part of him craved for her ever-present light to purify the shadows of his past, so that maybe, one day, he could be known once more as General Kozmotis Pitchiner. One day, he would once again become someone worthy enough for the love of such a woman.

With these strong emotions swirling inside of him, Pitch had been making efforts to be a better spirit in spite of his current occupation. He may be the Guardian of Nightmares, but, as Anara had pointed out, he was still technically a Guardian. So, Pitch had slowly shifted to only scaring the children who had been acting...intolerable. The ones that bullied others or acted particularly disrespectful toward those that didn't deserve it. He sort of began to think of himself as the Anti-Sandman, or even a Krampus-like figure.

This was all going well...until a certain frosty Guardian showed up on the window ledge of a child's bedroom and scared the life out of the Guardian of Fear. Pitch had been there to deliver a particularly tame nightmare to a young girl who had shoved another girl on the school playground. She was afraid of lizards, a surprisingly common fear of young children, and so the Nightmare King sent her a dream of a giant lizard chasing her through her playground, reprimanding her for shoving the other girl earlier that day. Pitch saw it as a form of retribution. The dream was not cruel or grotesque, it was simply a way of urging the child to apologize for her actions.

Whilst the Boogeyman was crafting his perfect nightmare, a voice appeared behind him, one that chilled Pitch Black to the bone. "Still devastating kids I see," The Guardian of Fun, Jack Frost, remarked, sitting on the narrow window ledge across from the child's bed. Pitch whirled to face him, his expression twisting into a hateful snarl. "How dare you show your face to me. Get out of my sight, Frost..." The towering figure hunched his shoulders in the shadows, taking a threatening stance.

The white haired young man shook his head negatively. "No, I don't think I will quite yet. You see, I have some concerns about you. I thought we defeated you the last time we met. But, recently I heard from a little snowball that you are just as strong as before, and that...that worries me. What are you planning, Pitch?" Jack Frost questioned his enemy, glaring at him with steely blue eyes. Pitch narrowed his own eyes at the hooded Guardian. "My powers have returned, yes, but...I am no threat to you or your precious children, Frost. I have chosen to pursue something much more valuable than overthrowing all the goody-goody actions of you and the other Guardians..." Pitch admitted haughtily.

Jack Frost dipped his head in acknowledgement. "Oh yes...so I've heard. You claim to be in love with Anara Rose? Or at least, you've made her believe you are in love with her." Jack stated matter-of-factly. Pitch growled deep in his throat. "You know not of what you speak, boy!" The Guardian of Fun shook his head. "I think I do, Pitch. After all, I heard it from Anara herself." He met his opponent's eyes. "She never would've told you anything without telling me that she had done so. You are lying." "I assure you, I have no reason to lie to you. But know this, Anara Rose is one of the purest souls I have ever met. And while I have no romantic feelings for her, she is a friend to me. I will not allow you to corrupt her, or hurt her in any way. You will stay away from her, or next time I see you, the other Guardians will be here too. And if you love her, as she seems to believe you do, then you will stay out of her life. For the sake of her happiness, let her go. She deserves to live a normal life, one that no Guardian can give her..." Jack Frost finished sternly.