Chapter 1; I Hate Love:

Warning; Rated M for swearing, violence, lightish lemon, and lots of magical beings with really cool jobs. You have been warned…

Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Rise of the Guardians' or any of its characters, I am only using them to fulfill my own disillusioned dreams and fan-girl wishes. : P

Once again, thank you vixen1991 for being the one who got this story rolling, hope you like it!

And much credit needs to go to Phantom of the Night 117, for helping figure out the plot, character development, and a lot of the story line. She is an aspiring fanfic writer people, so go read her stories as soon as she has them out, she is amazing! And I have been aided in refining my writing style and plot points much by the wonderful Adrianne Whitt, she has a talent that is incomparable to any aspiring young writer I have seen, so go support her works!

Also, dear readers, think of this one chapter as two detached ones (the bold will show where the next one begins). I know most people would normally post these separately, but I really hate short chapters.

Anywho, read, review if you think it worthwhile, but most of all, enjoy!

~o0o~

It was cold. So cold that she couldn't even feel her fingers as she tried to bend them in a pathetic attempt to warm them inside her coat pocket. Her legs were frozen from hours of walking through the knee high snow that coated the road. And if she took off her boots, she was willing to bet that her feet were bitten blue with frost.

A warm light could be seen down the sleet covered road, filling the night shrouded forest with a fire's glow. A house. Feeling her cheeks ache in pain as a hopeful smile spread on her frozen face, the young woman redoubled her efforts to continue down the road, the thick white puffs of her breath drifting above her.

They told her to go away, that they didn't take in beggars. Bastards.

It was getting colder, and soon she knew she would have to stop somewhere for the night. After a few moments of stumbling down the dirt road she had been following for days, the young woman saw the beaten path curve out of sight. Having nowhere else to go, she continued down it, seeing the dense forest open up as she walked on.

Soon the woodland disappeared altogether as the road spilt a blanketed field stretching all the way out to a black horizon. Nothing but grey clouds and white snow to be seen for miles ahead, a despairing scene of emptiness for someone looking for a warm shelter. The young woman shook her head in defeat as a pathetic sob escaped her, bits of ice falling from her thick hair as she did so.

Why bother? Why try? She was alone in this world now, and even if she found another house to take her in for the night somewhere down the deserted roadway, she would ultimately have to leave it once the owner's pity ran out. If her own family, her own dearest, did not think her worthwhile to stay, why should any stranger?

Coming to accept the fact that she was completely and utterly alone in her heart with no hope for tomorrow being better, her exhausted body found it could not take the weight of this cruel news. Collapsing back where she stood onto the white ground, the young woman looked up at the clouded sky, giving up on her efforts to guard against the bitter cold as it started to seep into her.

As an escape from the biting sensation of ice against her whole body, her mind naturally turned towards memories of happier, warmer times. Times when she was welcomed home with a smile, when laughter rang throughout halls, and forgiveness was given unconditionally. When there was love around her, earnest, absolute, tender love.

Love.

Though now chilled past the point of being able to move any of her limbs, the young woman's lips sneered at the word. Love was what did this to her, tricked her into thinking she would have a home forever, a caring family for the rest of her life. And then one day decided to take all it ever gave her, but not in one harsh moment. No, it was much crueler than that. It was slow, a creeping poison that day by day tainted her life until there was nothing gentle or warm left in it, nothing save these virulent memories.

So to hell with the damned emotion.

Closing her eyes, the young woman tried to keep her mind off of the feeling that had betrayed her, and instead took comfort in how the winter snow was now completely numbing her body. Almost gently, the cold purged itself into her very bones, and she could feel her mind and heart beat start to fade away into darkness.

At last, maybe she could get some peace…

'To be so young, and yet so bitter'

The girl's heart revived itself as the cold hand that was gripping it released its hold, starting within her a tiny flame of warmth that the panic of hearing a voice speak so near her had sparked. Her strength too faded for her eyes to open, the young woman frantically listened for the sound of footsteps to accompany the voice that had spoken, hoping that whoever he was, he would just move on and leave her.

'Do not look for me near you, for I am worlds away' the soft voice told her.

For some odd reason, this calmed the girl down, and she waited patiently for it to continue, having of course nothing better to do. It occurred to her that this just might be her delusional last thoughts; if so she wondered what part of her own mind did this delirious invention come from.

'Oh, I am very much real' the voice told her with a warm chuckle.

'Good for you. Now leave me be' the young woman replied sharply, hoping that her rudeness would make the voice in her head leave and go back to wherever it came from if not from her own dying thoughts. She wanted peace, and having another person in her head was not her ideal of such.

'I am the Man in the Moon, and I have come to give back what you have never truly lost'

'What are you talking about?'

'Love'

If the girl was not incapable of movement at the moment, she would have tried to beat the voice out of her head. The little flame of life that was created out of panic started to flare up with her anger as she practically growled her answer back inside her head.

'And what do you know about love?'

'I know what you think it has done to you'

'I know what is has done to me! It has left me here, to die, alone in the cold!' the young woman shouted in her mind, her aversion for the so called Man in the Moon growing rapidly.

'That is not what love is. That is not love's duty,' the voice said in a tone a pitying parent would take with a child they believed was too young to understand what they were saying 'and it is shall not be your duty either'

'What do you mean?' the girl had by this point given up on dying peacefully, thinking instead that she might end up surviving this night, if only a little frost bit with a touch of insanity in the morning.

'To love is to live' said the voice, the girl instantly feeling something strange at work within her as he did. She felt herself rise up, though not by her own strength. Prompted purely by panic, she opened her eyes, only to have them blinded by a silver light.

The moon had broken through the thick blanket of grey clouds and had filled the sky with its luminosity, causing the girl to squint in its intensity. Glancing down, she could see that she was indeed being lifted from the ground, but not by earthly means. Her body seemed to be trying to meet the moon halfway as it strained to get closer to the ground, filling the girl's view with nothing else but its white face and grey craters.

'You are life; it is in your name'

The girl felt another strange feeling start up within her, only this time it brought pain. Fear providing the strength needed, the girl doubled herself over in the air, trying her best not to scream as what felt like wave after wave of agony washed over her, collecting into her upper back in a concentrated pang.

'So go, share your love'

One last wave of anguish went through her, and this time she didn't bother trying to contain her scream as she felt something rip free of her back. The agony subsided after a few moments of pained breathing, and allowed her to open her eyes and see what it had done to her. At first, nothing besides the large moon and despairingly empty landscape were to be seen, but soon she saw something drift into her line of sight, something black and feathery.

Wings. She had wings.

With nothing else to look at, the young woman stared at the impossibly large moon, eyes wide with fear inspired wonder. She didn't know what, but something else was at work within her then, spreading out from the small flame the voice had sparked within her, creeping slowly out through her body like the roots of a weed, spreading its faint warmth. The sensation was at the same time foreign and familiar, but most of all, it was terrifying. The girl's breathing became hitched and hurried at the realization of just what was slowly consuming her, but before she could plea the voice to stop, it spoke again.

'Go and share it with the world'

All she remembered after the voice spoke one last time was the cold leaving her forever as an unbearable heat grew from the worming flame in her, fiery licks raking through her flesh, enveloping her in a fire that scorched her very senses.

The moon itself retreated back to its place up in the heavens, leaving her alone to live and burn.

Some 300 odd years later…

A quiet town lived the night up for once as a yearly parade winded its way through the small streets, the residents cheering and clapping as the school band played through. Even though the town was in the midst of an unusually brutal winter, the citizens celebrated their town's festive foundation day with much gusto and delight. Kids in oversized mittens and hats laughed as the green dragon the high schoolers built as a group project traveled down the street, it paper mache head rearing back to 'roar', proud parents and siblings applauding the product of several sticky weeks.

Unbeknownst to the town's folk, they themselves were being watched. Sitting on the roof top edge of one of the many convenience stores that lined the well-lit and lively road, a young woman observed the people below her silently. At first glance, she appeared to be human of about eighteen years of age with light beige skin, and a gently angled face framing petite features that held neither a warm smile nor a disenchanted frown.

But upon further inspection, it was obvious she was something quite different. Her hair, cut short and layered heavily, was an unnatural red, making the few strands the wind played with look as if they were flames escaping from a hearth than actual hair. Her eyes as well were not of this world, colored a coppery gold that stood out against her surroundings like twin lanterns. Yet as bizarre as those features were, the most unearthly of all
that belonged to the young woman was a pair of wings protruding from her back. With feathers so black that a crow would be jealous of them, the large means of flight overwhelmingly dwarfed the small woman they belonged to.

The girl however did not seem to be inconvenienced by the black things attached to her back as she continued to rest the side of her face in her palm, trying not to cringe at the song the school band was butchering as they passed by. Her black riding boots continued to tap against the concrete wall of the building she was perched on, breathing out a heavily bored sigh that caused her wings to fold down to match her contentedly jaded mood. After grimacing in sympathy for a certain father of three screaming toddlers, she turned away from the sight to start digging into the satchel at her side, the sound of vials and papers shuffling around emanating from it in her search. Eventually she dug out a small gold watch, and the girl's eyes narrowed at the time it told.

"Dammit, and I was so looking forward to watching the cheese cake eating contest too" She sighed out loudly as she stuffed the watch back into the bag, though not one adult glanced up from below to chide her for using such language in the presence of children. With an unnatural grace that matched her unearthly look, the girl stood up upon the building edge as she straightened out her black overcoat after placing the bag on her shoulder.

"What was that quote again? 'There is a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground, and miss'. Ah, Adams, you brilliant man, how truly right you were…unfortunately" The young woman said in a low whisper as she peered over the edge of the tall building, feeling familiar butterflies start to do somersaults in her belly. No matter how many times she did this, it still did not feel natural, but then again, neither was her still being alive after all this time. Taking a moment to test the wind around her, the girl waited for the perfect gust of wind before she stepped off the ledge, letting gravity take her with an unsettling wrench of her gut.

Falling headfirst down into the street, the red haired girl stretched out her wings as far as they could go, causing her to lift with the wind before she collided with the ground. Despite her anxiousness, a well-trained sense of control and clarity took over her as her wings started to beat against the air, feeling a strong current of wind brush through her form. Climbing up through the cloudless sky after many strokes of her giant wings, the girl stabilized herself into a hover to peer down at the now toy sized town. As small smirk grew on the girl's face from the excitement that only the winged could feel, despite her apprehension about flying, she turned away with one stroke before she took off.

Within a few moments, the red haired girl had arrived to her destination; a gas lit park. Folding in her wings to dive down closer to the ground, she seemed to be troubled little by the wind that rushed past her face, barely causing her to squint at its cold sting. Spreading her wings out once more so she was soaring above the tree tops, she searched her target. Fiery gold eyes scanning the paths that wound their way through the snow covered park below her, the winged girl soon spotted her reason for coming here.

Two teenagers, younger looking than she was, were sitting together at a wooden bench, hands in a shy hold.

"I hope he hasn't said anything stupid yet" The girl commented lowly in her gravelly voice as she let herself plummet to the ground, time being of the essence. Landing on her feet with refined skill, she walked closer to the couple, who seemed to be oddly unaware of a red haired girl with giant wings walking straight towards them.

"Ashley, I, I was wondering, would you like to go out with me, again?" The brown haired boy asked the scarf wrapped girl next to him.

"I would like that!" Ashley replied in a chipper voice, her eyes gazing tenderly into the boy's. The young lad blushed and glanced down at the snow in embarrassment, a glimmer of a shy smile drawing upon his face. Now only three feet away from the couple, red haired girl rolled her eyes as her pleased smirk settled into the bored expression she was wearing before her long flight.

"Come on Tom, either you say it, or I am gonna make you say it. And trust me, you don't want that" She warned the boy, her words going unheard as the two teenagers continued to talk.

"Have you ever seen the movie Jurassic Park? I love that movie; you should come over to watch it sometime. Hey, that could be our next date!" Ashley, clearly the much chatty of the two, prattled on as Tom kept his blushing face focused on the ground.

"S-sure. I would like that, I always liked dinosaurs…" The apparently invisible girl resisted the urge to face palm herself, choosing to instead to groan in exasperation.

"Smooth move killer, how about instead of talking about extinct reptiles, you tell her that her eyes are the most beautiful blue things in this world? Or that her smile makes you weak at the knees? Any compliment will win this chick, so come on, pick a feature already" She lectured right in the ear of the boy, who didn't even flinch at her harsh tone and closeness.

"Did you know that Jurassic Park is still to this day Steven Spielberg's highest grossing movie?" Tom asked Ashley, who nodded vigorously. The unnoticed young woman glared at the boy, her coppery gold eyes burning as she decided that on his own, the boy was defiantly a lost cause. But, with her help…

"That does it Tom, you asked for it" She told him as she started to dig inside the black satchel attached to her side. Finding what she needed, she pulled out a round glass bottle, its liquid contents glowing an eerie green. Briefly glancing over the faded label that read 'Finding The Right Words To Say' on it to make sure she grabbed the right potion, she twisted off the cork lid, and splashed some on to Tom's face. Of course, Tom didn't feel the green liquid trickle down his cheeks, but he did feel a strange urge coming over him to look directly at the girl next to him.

"Ashley" He told her, his voice sounding confident for the first time during the entire date. The blonde girl returned his gentle gaze, smiling sweetly. Swallowing his apprehension, Tom went on, finding that the words he had been wanting to tell her for such a long time at the tip of his tongue.

"I like you. Really like you" He whispered. The smile of the girl grew wider.

"I really like you too Tom" She whispered back. The winged girl was not paying attention, trading the green potion for a blue one labeled 'Music Only They Can Hear'. Dumping some of the liquid on both of the unsuspecting teens' heads, the couple started to scoot closer to each other, a soft melody playing around them that was familiar and yet beautifully strange at the same time.

"I, I think that I, no. I know that I…love…you" The invisible girl heard Tom confess to Ashley as she turned away to distance herself some. Aided by her wings, the girl launched herself into the top of a leaf bare tree about a hundred feet away from the bench. Perched gracefully on a thick branch as any other winged creature would be, she returned her attention back onto the couple, whose faces were inching closer and closer every second. She rolled her eyes at the sickly sweet sight.

"Well Tom, it's no 'I love you more than words can wield the matter, dearer than eyesight, space and liberty', but to win this girl over, it will do. Though next time, couldn't you at least throw in a little Shakespeare in? He's a classic for a good reason, makes girls melt into putty" She chatted gruffly to herself as she once more dug into her satchel. Instead of pulling out another potion, the girl pulled out something quite different. A wooden bow, two-thirds the length of her body slid out of the bag, its burgundy colored shaft decorated with gold engravings. Passing the bow into her other hand, she pulled out an arrow tailed with red feathers , its metal tip shaped like a heart whose curved edged had been filed down to cruel points.

"I love you too Tom" The red haired girl's sharpened senses heard Ashley whisper back, doubling her efforts to hurry. Taking as wide a stance as the branch would allow, she notched the arrow on the taunt bow string. Pulling back until the longbow creaked with strain, she focused on her target, forcing her breath to a slow draw. Keen eyes locking firmly onto Tom's chest, she let the string slip out from her fingers, sending the arrow flying towards the helpless boy.

Tom gulped nervously as he felt like he had been shot, unaware of the ironic projectile that was protruding from his chest. Piercing the boy's love filled heart; the arrow slowly transformed itself from an object of wood and feathers to a flame. Engulfing him in a matter of seconds, the fire of Tom's own feelings for Ashley blazed from him, coloring him in a passionate red light as he leaned in to kiss the girl of his young dreams. From her perch, the red haired girl smirked at her work.

"And, another one bites the dust" She whispered. Seeing the couple pull away from their first kiss, she decided it was time to leave the young lovers alone, but not without one last comment.

"Enjoy it while you can kiddies. There's a good reason why love has such a bad reputation amongst song writers and poets" She told the teens, her cynical tone holding no faith that the two would last very long together like the thousands of other couples she had overseen. Launching herself from the tree, the young woman who had seen centuries begin and fade climbed a little way into the sky, just high enough to spot a nice looking place to record her work.

Diving down to land on a snow covered boulder tucked beside a path, the winged girl opened her unnaturally spacious bag up one last time to put away her curved bow away and dig out a black book. Pulling a pen from one of the many pockets in her jacket, she flipped through the book's yellowed pages until she found the one she was looking for. The wide eyed, innocent looking face of Tom was staring back at her, his name written in curving letters above. Beside the portrait was more lettering spelling out 'First Love' and then 'True Love' beneath. Taking the pen, the girl checked off the box by First Love.

That done, she took a second to flip through the pages of her book, glancing at the hundreds of thousands of faces that each page held, many with the first box crossed out, but only a handful with the second. Stuffing the book and pen back inside before letting the bag fall only somewhat gently to the ground, the young woman stretched, her black wings straining to the sky as she let out a contented sigh.

"Well, looks like the rest of my evening is free. I wonder if there's a good Thai place open nearby, I'm in the mood for spicy" She said as her arms and wings returned to her side as she dusted off her darkly colored jeans, her hungry stomach voicing its approval of her statement. One would think and immortal like herself above the need for food, but nope, she was prone to hunger pangs and sugar crashes like anybody else, more so even. But granted, the invisibility attribute did provide excellent opportunities to try some of the world's finer cuisines, so long as you had quick fingers-

'A job well done tonight Evelyn'

At the sound of the accursedly familiar voice, Evelyn slowly straightened herself in time to see the bright moon wink at her from its place in the cloudless sky.

"Why thank you Manny. But don't go patting yourself on the back" She scoffed at the white disk in a harsh tone, her face settling into a scowling glare. Evelyn's copper gold eyes glowered at the moon coldly for a moment, challenging him to continue. Seemingly retreating back to his hide out on the moon, Evelyn broke off the stare down as she lifted the overcoat's wide hood over her face, covering her hard expression.

"Cause I still hate love" She whispered bitterly before she grabbed her bag and turned away to fly off in search of food, never once looking back.

~o0o~

First chapter, yeah! This is my second fanfic ever, but I hope that it was a nice enough read for you all. Next chapter will have Jack and the other Guardians, so stick around if you think my story worthwhile, cause it is only gonna get better from here folks!

Oh yeah, the quote 'I love you more than words can wield the matter, Dearer than eyesight, space and liberty' Is from Shakespeare's Play 'King Lear'. And the quote about flying as an art and knack is credited to Douglas Adams from a Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

Well, that's it for now folks, next chapter will hopefully be up soon once I go through a few more editings.

Till then, review if you think it worthwhile, fav if you like, but most of all, have a nice day!