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E. Aster Bunnymund, the Crown Prince of the Pookan Empire, watched in horror as their capital fell around him. His mother, father, siblings, all killed one after the other. His robes rustled and fluttered around him as he rushed down the endless halls, watching the palace burn. Bursting out the main entrance he drew his sword, trying to take out as many fearlings as he could.
His efforts were in vain, however, as he couldn't seem to stop the slaughter of his subjects, watching the demise of entire families in just seconds.
It hurt.
As he was pulled away by his bodyguards.
He watched helplessly at the mass genocide.
He saw, just before everything went black, his beloved mate falling to the ground, dead.
Soon falling under the effects of a powerful sedative.
Silent tears slipping down the cheeks of an unconscious prince.
Waking up was an abrupt experience. Consciousness hit him with a force of unadulterated grief as he became aware of the tears trickling down his face. Aster slowly sat up, rubbing at the tears as a hiccuping sob burst out of him.
He had become complacent. He had pushed past his guilt and grief long enough to become almost happy, and that was his mistake. He couldn't forget. He had to remember. Because they didn't deserve to be forgotten. He should have died with them, he shouldn't be alive.
According to North, it was survivor's guilt. According to Tooth, it wasn't his fault and he deserved to be happy. According to Sandy, well, all the man could do to show his support was to indicate his agreement with the other Guardians, but Aster got the idea.
And then there was Jack. The reason Aster had slipped up in the first place. Stupid Jack, visiting the Warren regularly, making Bunny smile, playing pranks and making sure Bunny actually eats and sleeps regularly. It had been a few years since the battle with Pitch, and Jack had been practically glued to his side since. It was endearing in a way, and he found himself even missing the frost sprite when he was gone fulfilling his own duties, but if it was causing Bunny to forget his people, then it had to stop.
"'Roo! I'm here!"
"Speak of the devil," Bunny muttered, hardening his features and shutting down the part of his mind that was screaming for him to rethink his decision, reminding him of how much he loved Jack's presence in the Warren. How much he'd miss the sprite. How much he hated to hurt the boy after all the poor kid had been through. Reminding him of how much he loved Jack.
When Jack spotted the large rabbit, he swooped down to land gracefully in front of Bunny, his toes adding a faint frost to the grass where he stood. Bunny took a moment to steady himself, refusing to acknowledge the bright smile on Jack's face, determined and steadfast in his decision. Jack had to go.
"Did you miss me Bun-bun?" Jack teased good-naturedly. The nicknames had become more of an inside joke between the two than actual insults. Bunny didn't think about how much he'd miss them.
"Jack, there's something we need to talk about," He spoke softly, his accent thick.
"Sure, what is it?" Jack cocked his head to the side, the only indication of his slight distress at those words being the way he shifted from one foot to the other.
"You should stop coming to the Warren." There was quiet between them, the only sound in the slight breeze caressing the flora in the Warren, which Bunny picked up with his incredible hearing. Unfortunately, that hearing was also what allowed him to hear the hitch in Jack's breath. There was a brief temperature drop in the Warren before Jack's bright smile was once again plastered on his face.
"O-oh, I get it," he exclaimed. "This is a prank! Good job Bunny, you almost had me there." Jack started to brush past Bunny, but the large rabbit only grabbed his arm.
"I'm serious," he murmured, feeling Jack stiffen. He took a deep breath, feeling his voice and resolve strengthening with each word. "You're always playing pranks and distracting me from my work, and you make the Warren's temperatures fluctuate, which is bad for my googies. And really," Bunny prepared himself for the final blow. "You're just an annoyance to me." There was a serious chill in the Warren now, and Bunny forced himself not to shiver. He held his breath, waiting for Jack's reaction, hoping it would be quick so he could break down in peace.
"You really feel that way?" Jack asked quietly, turning to face Bunny, and the rabbit felt a pain in his heart, easily spotting the insecurities that had flooded Jack's features. The sprite looked him in the eye, hoping, searching for any signs that Bunny had been lying, pulling some cruel prank. Bunny watched that hope die, slowly, painfully.
Bunny blinked, and Jack was gone. He looked down in a daze, briefly noticing the layer of frost that covered the Warren.
It had been necessary, he told himself, but it was a weak argument.
The next time he saw Jack, it was at a Guardian's meeting. They had taken to monthly meetings, keeping up to date with each other, and maintaining friendships. It was nice, before. Now Bunny dreaded it. And it went about as he had expected. Jack looked miserable, and he refused to even look at Bunny. The others noticed, he was sure of it, but they didn't comment.
It didn't appear that Jack had told them, which Bunny was grateful for. For once the sprite's stubbornness came in handy. He knew the others would become upset with him, saying that his fears were unfounded, that he deserved happiness. But he knew the truth. Bunny knew that he didn't deserve happiness. Not after leaving, like a coward.
Jack and Bunny went on for months like that, in the state of seeing each other regularly, but actively avoiding any interaction.
Of course, the day Jack finally cracked, it didn't take long before Bunny's home was invaded. North was livid, practically seething. Tooth was a mask of cool calculation, but her set jaw gave her away. Sandy also seemed upset, but also pitying, which was worse than the other two. Bunny spotted Jack as well, hanging back behind the angry Guardians, his hood over his head, looking incredibly uncomfortable.
Immediately defensive, Bunny bristled, trying to prepare himself for what was to come. What he wasn't expecting, was for North to suddenly deflate. "What are you thinking, old friend?" He looked Bunny straight in the eye, shocking the Pooka. "You're pushing us away again, and you were finally looking happy, too." Bunny avoided the intimidating gaze, swallowing the sudden lump in his throat.
"I can't be happy," he found himself muttering, staring down at his large feet.
"No, Aster," Tooth whispered. "You don't let yourself be happy."
"I'm not allowed," Bunny bellowed, anguished. "I don't deserve it!"
The next outburst was from Jack, who marched up to Bunny, surprising the Pooka into backing away from the winter sprite. Jack was undeterred, however, glaring up at the large rabbit. "Everyone deserves happiness," he growled. "North told me about your past." Before Bunny could turn on North, Jack continued. "Can you seriously tell me that your entire race wants you, the one survivor, to mope around for the rest of his days, wishing death upon himself? Because if it was me, and at one point it was me, I'd want the survivor to live. Not just survive, live and love and be happy, enjoy life for everyone that can't. You're alive for a reason, Bunnymund. And you're disgracing your entire race by moping." The harsh words rendered the Pooka speechless. It took him a moment to process, but he finally got it.
He'd spent centuries feeling guilty, grieving for his people, the people he had sworn to protect. But now, there was no war. There was nothing for him to focus on, so he was relying on the burden of grief to keep him grounded. Bunny sat down heavily, eyes wide. Instead of wishing he was dead, he should live, to celebrate his species, to remember those that had been lost. To honor their memory, rather than hide in it. It took him a while, but he finally managed to lift his head to meet the eyes of his friends.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, meeting each of their eyes, feeling tears fill his eyes. "I've been so focused on what I lost, I didn't realize what I have." Tooth and Jack were suddenly in his arms, hugging him for all he was worth, pulling him to his feet as he let the tears fall freely. Sandy was next, floating up to pat his shoulder comfortingly. Finally North swept him up, hugging him until he could barely breathe, but Bunny hugged back all the same.
The Guardians spent the rest of the day at Bunny's Warren, playing with some of the eggs, splashing in the color stream, and playing games in the forest on the outskirts. It was incredibly childish, Bunny noted, but a bit of Jack's magic and they were all having a snowball fight to remember. It was exactly what Bunny needed.
Finally, as the day reached a close, Tooth and Sandy had to get back to work, and North left as well, leaving Jack and Bunny by themselves. After chatting for a while, strolling over the hills and enjoying the magic sunset, Bunny was surprised to be tugged into a fierce hug. It took him a second to hug back, belatedly realizing that Jack was crying into his fur. Shocked, he tried to gently pat and rub Jack's back, worried as to what brought on this reaction.
"I missed you, Princey," Jack whispered. Bunny stiffened, eyes widening as he looked down at... "I got my memories of my human life after Pitch, but it took North's recollection of your story for me to remember my previous life as well." As Jack's words sunk in, he found himself hugging the sprite closer.
A white Pooka pushed Aster into a hidden room, fighting off three fearlings as he worked to shut the door. "We don't have long, Princey. It won't take them long to open the door." He turned to face Aster, smiling reassuringly. "You have to go. It'll be okay, I promise. Just please, be safe." The Pooka, his beloved mate, nuzzled him one last time, before turning to face the banging on the door. "Go!"
Aster ran, turning back one last time, watching his mate fall, blood pooling underneath his still figure. Tears filled his eyes, making his world blurry, barely making it to the checkpoint, a sedative filling the escape pod as it placed him into stasis, allowing him to be preserved until the pod reached it's far, far away destination. A small, brand new planet, yet to be named.
Four words, two voices, one soul, centuries apart.
One the last, the other the first.
"I love you, Aster."