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

Chapter 26 ~ Mesmerized By Magic

Three full days had passed before I awoke after practicing with my powers. I had not felt how they had drained me until that very last moment with Cupcake. When I opened my eyes, Pitch was already awake and watching me anxiously. "H-hey," I croaked in greeting. The Nightmare King moved to kneel next to me, taking my hands between his own. "Hello, my nightflower. I believe you are beginning to enjoy worrying me." He remarked. I chuckled, shaking my head and squeezing his hand. "Not hardly." I retorted before yawning and getting cautiously to my feet. I spent the rest of that day and the following relaxing, although I really didn't want to. I practiced summoning Bastet and Nuka and crafting smoke hearts, trying to do something productive with my time.

A few days later Pitch and I were in my room, my boyfriend stretched out across my bed and petting Aphrodite while he watched me sitting by my window and practicing my powers. Every now and then I noticed a young couple strolling down the way, standing close enough to brush shoulders. Like the first day in the mall parking lot, I sent a heart shaped cloud out of my palm and down toward the couple. Within moments, one person would reach out to hold the hand of the other, and both would grin shyly.

The sound of my bedroom door slamming open startled the Nightmare King and I, each of us immediately facing the sound. "Anara! Is it true?" The stunned silence was met with the voice of a familiar young boy. "Oh joy, the Bennett child has arrived...what a wonderful addition to my day..." Pitch muttered as he rolled his eyes, returning his attention to my cat who was purring as he stroked her fur. Jamie flinched away from Pitch, noticing the Boogeyman's presence for the first time since barging into my room. Noticing the boy's distrust, Pitch let out a low growl, causing Jamie to dart over to me. "Oh Pitch. Must you torment him?" I asked, reaching out for Jamie's hand. Jamie took it and sat beside me, ignoring the chuckle that came from my boyfriend. "What is he doing here? Cupcake said you are a Guardian now." Jamie asked, confusion written across his freckled face.

Smiling gently at the child, I began to answer his question. "Cupcake was right, Jamie. The Man in the Moon made me a Guardian like Jack and the others. I am the Guardian of Love now. But, Pitch Black is not just the Boogeyman, he is the Guardian of Fear. He and I are two sides of the same coin. We are meant to be together, even though we are different. Even the Man in the Moon told me so. Pitch does as he is supposed to, but he would not harm you." I explained, holding my hand out to my boyfriend to gesture for him to come over to me. The Nightmare King huffed and got to his feet, approaching me and Jamie and wrapping his fingers around mine. "She is right, Jamie. Though you are a pain in my tail, I would never actually hurt you. Frighten you, yes. But physically harm you, no." Pitch reaffirmed my comment.

Little did I know that I had two other visitors standing at my door. "Shut the front door!" I heard my best friend Jade gasp, her mouth open in a large grin as she glanced between me and Ashlyn who was standing beside her. "Hey guys..." I greeted them, waving them into the room. "How much did you hear?" I asked, watching Jade and Ashlyn staring at both Jamie and Pitch. "Something about Guardians, you, and Pitch." She offered, then smirked at my boyfriend. "I was wondering when we were going to actually see Mr. Black again, though I had no idea this was how he usually looked. I thought it was a Halloween costume. Still, I am not disappointed." She winked at me after analyzing the Boogeyman from afar. Pitch swallowed and looked at me in embarrassment, his cheeks slightly darkening due to my best friend's comments. "Same here. So what all were you guys talking about?" Ashlyn interjected, sitting on the floor beside Jamie, while Jade claimed my desk chair.

Shrugging, I took a deep breath and prepared to explain the story of the Guardians and my transformation to all the people who had settled around me. All eyes stayed on my face as I told my tale from beginning to end, Pitch holding my hand and stroking it while I described the fight with the Guardians and my death. Jade and Ashlyn gazed at me in awe and disbelief, clearly taken by surprise that the figures from our childhood were indeed real, and that I was dating one of those characters. And the fact that I was also a Guardian now seemed to shock them more than anything, but their smiles never left their faces.