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Show Me That Glasgow Smile	By : LuciferDragon Category: +M through R > Rise of the Guardians Views: 1540 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Rise of the Guardians stuff, and I make no money from writing this story. Purely for fun.

Chapter List
- 8
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9.
A thunderous slam made me jerk, sending pain flashing through every nerve in my body. I clenched my jaws together, letting a hiss between my teeth. Only darkness met my eyes when I tried to open them. The glow let me see cloth as I grew more aware of my surroundings. My arms were restrained above my head, keeping me kneeling on the floor. I winced and sucked in breath when I shifted, feeling something like pebbles digging into my flesh.
White hot pain flashed through me, coming from my thighs. I couldn't hold back the resulting scream. Five more cuts followed, each coming right when the previous pain would start to fade. Tears soaked through the cloth over my eyes. My heart pounded against my chest as my mind blanked. Finally, I broke. I begged for it to end, and end it did.
Something took my shoulders and pushed down, applying pressure against the pebbles. I fought against the hold, but only managed to bruise my knuckles against the wall I had been strung to.
"You are a hideous beast, aren't you?"
I stilled at the female Asian accent, my blood running cold.
"I'll make you beautiful."
I felt cold steel press to my cheek. This couldn't happen. She was not a creature known to be a dream walker. I flinched as the tip of the blade pierced my skin, and I hated the pitiful whimper that escaped me.
"It's my first time on this plane, but I think this shall work well enough."
I swallowed. "B-before you… Where did you get this power?"
"I've always possessed the power. I never had the inspiration to develop the skill required. Your son made me learn more about your family, which let me know just who to damage to break him."
I hissed through my teeth as she pressed me to the pebbles. "You seem to have no idea of my husband's power."
"But I do. This room is of my doing. This realm is mine to manipulate. The Boogeyman's domain is of dreams. This is no dream." I couldn't read her. Her voice held nothing. Not even a grin. "This is real. Your soul is here with me, extracted from your precious dreams. And so it shall remain until you provide what I want."
The pebbles split skin, forcing a short cry out of me. "What do you want from me?" The pressure stopped and the knife vanished from my skin. I could only hear my heavy breathing and the pounding of my heart. Everything stilled. I licked my lips, straining my ears. My voice cracked, forcing the permanent rasp to grow harsher. "What do you want me to do?"
"Die."

I looked to the window as the Nightmare faded through the glass pane, my attention caught by her call. Not a moment later the Void opened behind it, allowing Drago and my eldest daughter to enter on their own, both of their mounts dissipating on their arrival. I frowned but found no point in wondering what he was doing with his sister.
"Before I help, I'm not doing this for you," she said, stepping forward to examine my wife. "I'm doing this for her."
It still stung that, while she had forgiven me for our centuries-long misunderstanding, she did not want anything to do with me. I couldn't blame her. She was the keeper of balance, and I had the potential to screw with just that, which I had almost done in the past more times than I'd care to admit to. I nodded and allowed her to assess what was keeping Hana under, and what was causing all of her growing injuries. I felt more and more helpless with each one that showed. I glanced over to Drago, seeing his terrified features.
"Dad, what's wrong with Mom?"
I could only shake my head. "That's why your sister is here. It's out of my hands."
"But she's only sleeping, isn't she?"
I saw my daughter freeze the slightest bit. "Her soul is gone," she said, placing her fingers to Hana's temples as I had tried to do. "Everything else is here, her thoughts, her memories, but the soul itself is missing."
Which made sense as to why I couldn't sift through her mind to access her dreams. She wasn't sleeping. She wasn't even there with us. I took a short, steadying breath. "Can you find it?"
"There's a faint trail. I can try."
"Dad, there's blood on the sheets. Is she bleeding?"
I could practically taste the fear he was emitting. I looked where he was pointing, and sure enough, blood was stained through the light sheets where her knees were resting. I caught Emily Jane's eye and nodded. "Find her."
She took a breath and closed her eyes, keeping completely still, her fingers still at Hana's temples.
I looked at my son, seeing him appear almost ill. "Drago, you shouldn't see this."
"But she's my mom. I can't just leave." He sat on the bed and took her hand, ignoring the bruises. "I'm staying here. I'm not a kid anymore, Dad. Don't treat me like one."
Arguing would solve nothing. Instead, I nodded, allowing him to do as he wished. He was right. He wasn't a child any longer. A whimper from my lap drew my attention back to Hana, and my heart threatened to stop when I saw blood start to show on her cheek, not far from her lips.
"I have her," Emily Jane muttered, her eyes still closed, but her face more strained. "This will not be pleasant. Her soul is fairly damaged."
"Can you heal it?"
She shook her head. "I can only heal the physical. Once the soul is damaged, it can never be repaired. Not by my magic."
I pressed my lips together, another thought crossing my mind. "Can you keep her asleep?"
She nodded. "That would most likely be the best course of action, so she does no physical harm to herself. I'll heal her wounds while I still have the connection maintained. When I bring her soul back, you may enter the dream plane to calm her down. She has been through much."
"But will she be alright?" Drago asked.
"Yes, for now." She cycled a breath in her nose and out her mouth. "Whatever had her is strong, resilient. I'm having a hard time shaking it."
"Keep trying," I urged, prepared to enter her dreams the moment I could. What started to eat at me was the knowledge that her soul had been hurt. Hana was not a weak woman. While she could hold her own well enough in a fight, it was her spirit that kept her going. Without it, I don't think I would have kept her around as long as I had. I sure as hell wouldn't let her take control of me from time to time. To be able to break that… I didn't like the odds piled against us.
"There!"
At the same time Hana drew in a heavy breath, I replaced Emily Jane's fingers with mine, tapping in to my wife's dreams. I staggered against the resulting pain as the dream became corporeal, feeling my muscles grow taut against the discomfort. Her form came into view through the dim lights.
She panicked and backed away before she saw who I was, though it took a moment for the fear to disappear from her face. "Oh God, Baby."
She never used that endearment unless she was terrified. She got to her feet with such difficulty I hastened my last few steps so she wouldn't have to go far. Once close enough she gripped on to the sleeves of my coat and pressed her whole weight to me, forcing my arms to keep her closer. "I've got you. You're safe here." Her fingers dug deeper as I felt her break. "Nothing can get you again."
I stayed in her dream, listening to her recount the details of her attack, and keeping her shock at bay. I didn't know what else to do besides treat it as one of the nights she would feed from far too much fear and have a bad fear high. Talking her through it and making sure she wasn't alone always worked. I made her laugh a few times, bringing her back to how she always was. My muscles began to relax, the pain easing away. Over the course of the dream, I leaned against a conjured wall with her beside me, laying her head across my legs. "Thank you, Oogie." I looked down at her, seeing her gaze locked on my chest, apparently fascinated with the motion of my breathing. "I know how hard it is for you to talk to her, let alone see her."
"You're more important than that. It's something between my daughter and I, nothing with you or the children. You have provided no reason for her to hate you."
"But she forgave you."
"It doesn't mean she wants anything to do with her evil father."
"Just because you're not on the side of good shouldn't mean anything. I'm not much more innocent than you with what you've done on this planet."
I smiled and leaned my head back. She had no idea just what I had done in the hundred years we were apart. I had been a mess for awhile, redefining who I was, trying to deal with the growing madness. I was more guilty of nasty things than she realized. She was far from innocent herself, but I doubt she had done some of the things I had done. She hadn't started a movement that had hundreds of innocent women killed accused of spells and enchantments. I had converted human children into Fearlings to do my bidding. I had sent people who crossed me on endless cycles of Nightmares until I conveniently remembered to stop them. I terrified humans into an early grave by intentionally giving heart attacks. These were just the ones I cared to admit to.
"Oogie?"
"Hm?"
"Am I okay? I mean, my body. Is it okay?"
I frowned, still not looking at her. "It should be fine. Why?"
"I'd like to go back. I'm alright."
I nodded. "You may feel a slight pinch."
She let out an amused huff and sat up. "After all that, a slight pinch is a welcomed and pleasant sensation."
I chuckled. "I can provide something a little more pleasant once you're ready for it again."
She purred, sending a shiver down my spine. "I'll think about it."
How she remained so tantalizing after centuries with her wasn't hard to see. As I had said, she had a very strong spirit. One strong enough to leave me still chasing after her like a wild animal despite the years. I pulled out of the dream plane, finding my way back to my body. When I opened my eyes, I saw Hana had not stirred just yet. Drago hadn't left, though my daughter had. I did not expect any less.
The boy jolted when he realized I was awake again. "It she alright?"
I nodded. "How long did it take?"
"Two hours. It's only ten." He rubbed his face, waking himself up. "Em left once the injuries were healed up."
"What were you doing with her to begin with?"
"I was out and ran into her. We were talking when the Nightmare found her. We decided I had the fastest route home."
Some details in his story didn't hold up, but I didn't have the energy to push the issue. As Mother Nature, it was impossible to have such a chance meeting with her. Not unless she wanted to be found. Not wanting an argument, I assured him his mother would be fine and sent him off to his room. In reliving fatherhood, I learned to pick up on his tells when he was lying. His face went flat, void of emotion. He thought being unreadable was an advantage. I was only confused on why he was lying about spending time with his sister. He had discovered the family ties when he was fourteen, and had spent time with her in the past. He had never felt the need to hide anything like that from me before.
Hana groaned and moved finally, hissing a bit in pain. "You told me my body was fine, you liar."
"It's better than it was. You're just sore."
She tried sitting up, but froze against something.
"Hana?"
She flipped the sheets, seeing the dark stain. I was able to see light scars on her ashen skin through tears in her socks, resembling pebble marks. It was an old torture device I had seen used in the past. It was a slow, dull torture, unless force was occasionally applied.
"You're alive, at least."
She nodded and stood, allowing her nightgown to cover the slashes on her thighs. Without a word she leaned over her dresser, pulling out fresh clothes.
"Are you alright?"
She nodded again, but said nothing as she entered the bathroom door next to her side of our bed. I heard water start to run not long after. I originally decided to let her have time to sort out her thoughts by herself. She needed it. I could only do so much. I was more concerned with why the kuchisake-onna was interested in my son so desperately that she'd try to kill Hana to get to him. He wasn't the one to deal the killing blow, so it couldn't have been a grudge concept. Did she resent him for getting away, since he was her target all along? She was a ghost made of pure vanity. Being shot down and denied her usual game would have dealt a strong blow to her ego. If that was the case, I'd have to tread carefully in the dream plane to find her. I couldn't risk my family and do nothing.
A soft sob reverberated in the bathroom, causing my nerves to jolt. I shook my head and got up from the bed, pulling my coat from my shoulders. My wife was many things, but a good liar was not one of them.
- 8
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- 10
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