It was such a strange sight. Strange yet pleasing, as the bright crimson stain spread, mixing with the pure white snow, ruining its beautiful purity.
Red was such a beautiful color, and he couldn't help but reach out to touch it.
"Just like ketchup..." he muttered. He stuck the stained finger- or in this case, bone, into his mouth, frowning when a bitter taste hit his tongue. he spit it out, right onto a messy heap in front of him. "Oh... What a bother. Humans are so MESSY. Why can't they just turn to dust like us?" he reached forward and grabbed the corpse, grimacing as the redness spread to the fabric of his favorite hoody. Nonetheless he cradled the heap in his arms, whispering softly, as if it was a baby just born to him.
He traced the human's cheek, right up to where the left eye used to be, and then traced his hand to their chest.
"This is all your fault you know." he explained, before shoving his hand violently inside, ripping their soul out from its safe haven.
It wasn't supposed to end this way. Or for that matter, even start like this.
Everyone around town knew there was something different about their friend, but they couldn't figure out what.
It all started when he met the human, seemingly lost and helpless in the woods.
But he knew from experience that they were far from weak.
"Sans?"
At the sound of the familiar voice, Sans shot out of the chair, his left eye glowing blue for a split second before shutting it down.
"Papyrus!" he exclaimed, straightening himself when he saw his brother standing at his door. "Cant a monster have his privacy?"
"Sure! As soon as you're done with work!" Papyrus yelled, crossing his boney arms in anger, "Undyne called me this morning telling me you didn't show up for work! I was worried sick! Well... Until I realized you were probably still asleep! Stop being such a lazy bones! Being a sentry is a very important job!"
"Heh... Lazy bones. It looks like I'm not the only pun loving jokester in this town."
"SANS! ENOUGH OF YOUR INSOLENT BABBLE! IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" screamed papyrus, "If I had hair I would have torn it out long ago with all the trouble you cause me!"
"That's a funny thing to imagine. You having hair." in fact, as he thought of Papyrus having long flowing locks of hair, he started to crack up.
"SANS!"
"Fine fine, I'll go to work. But only after you answer me this." Sans sat up, throwing his sweatshirt over his stained tank top.
"... What is it...?"
"Why does a skeleton laugh?" he was already giggling. What could he do? He was just so plain hilarious.
"... Why...?" Papyrus knew what was coming next, but it was far too late for him now.
"When something tickles his funny bone."
"GET OUT!"
Sans was still laughing as he headed to his outpost, hearing his brothers bouts and swears right until he entered the Waterfall. Then he was, once again, alone. He sighed and slid into his booth, and felt himself begin to dose off again.
It only felt like seconds passed before he felt something small and warm touch his boney wrist.
"... Eh?" his sight took a moment to focus, but when they did he saw it was the human. They smiled and held their hand out in a friendly gesture.
"Do you want to take a walk?" he asked, trying to decipher what the mute child wanted.
A small nod accompanied with another bright grin made him hop out of his sentry seat. "Oh how can I refuse to that smile? Let's go, kid."
As they both conversed, or rather, Sans was doing the talking, he couldn't help but notice they were travelling into a rather dark and desolate part of Waterfall. It wasn't so much that he was the one directing them towards that spot as it was the kid.
"Hey... Where are we headed?" he asked as they came to a stop. He lifted his hand, igniting a blue flame in order to have some light. He looked down at the human, who didn't move at all. They just stood. Blank faced and silent.
"Kid?"
"You know... I've had quite enough of this game."
"Huh?" he glanced around, "What game?" he wasn't as much concerned with their location as much as the fact that Frisk just SPOKE.
But as soon as he gazed upon the human once more, he recoiled backwards, blue eye activating once again.
It wasn't Frisk. Not the human he knew and loved.
It was the devil of a child themselves.
"Hello Sansy. Nice day, don't you think?"
The voice was menacing, one that belonged to that of an innocent youth, one about ten or eleven in age. Frisk never talked; he wasn't even sure if they could, But the venom behind the words made Sans's skin crawl.
Well, it would have if he had any.
At first glance, it looked like the Frisk he knew, with their blue and pink striped sweater and frizzy brown hair, but the real difference were the eyes.
They almost seemed to radiate red, and the pupils were so undialated they were mere dots in the ocean of blaring crimson.
"You know, it's rude to stare. My mommy taught me that."
"Chara." he growled, fists clenched as they spewed their bright and mystical magical power.
"It speaks!" Chara cried, clapping her hands together in pure excitement, "Good job! I was beginning to think I scared the VOICE out of you!"
"Tch. No. I was just trying to think of a good pun to use right now." he shot a beam towards the human, who jumped out of the way just in the nick of time. "Also... I can't really stare at you. I don't even have eyes."
"You can still see, smartass!" Chara hissed, glaring at the beam that slid past.
"Hey now... Watch your language, kid. I'm sure your...'mommy' wouldn't be very happy with such vulgarity." a bone tore out of the ground, with Chara narrowly dodging it.
"Oh... You're so much fun!" they giggled, pulling a blade out from the sleeve of their sweater. "I really wanna play and all, but I'm afraid I actually have things to do."
"And what would that include? Stabbing at my friends again?"
"Ooooh. So you remember it this time. I'm pretty sure all of the other times we've had this conversation you remembered very little." their eyes seemed to flash brighter than before, "That's a good sign. A very good sign."
He slid to the left as Chara swung her blade, jumping backwards and landing perfectly on his feet.
"Let me guess. You had a hand in restoring part of my memory." his mystical eye seemed to dim at the very thought. "I would like to thank you. I love remembering my friend's DEATHS." another bone shot through Chara's foot, crimson soaking her socks and white sneakers. The weird thing was, her smile only widened.
"As much as I wish I had a hand in your suffering, it wasn't me." in one swift move Chara yanked her foot upwards, making the bone rip all the way through her small foot. She drew closer, leaving a path of blood in her wake. "You have yourself to thank for that. Well, you and one other person."
"Who?" his normally joking demeanor completely disappeared, as well as his signature grin. He was actually frowning, which was something no one ever witnessed before now. "Tell me what's going on with me. Why am I...?" he didn't finish the sentence. It was too much to think about. Too much to reveal.
Another swipe caught him by surprise, but he managed to teleport a bone into his hand to block the knife.
"'Why are you' what?" they teased, kicking the skeleton in the chest as they flipped backwards. He stumbled onto his backside, virtually defenseless against the predator.
"Why are you... having such vivid dreams? Why are you so... Bored all the time? Oh... Let me ask YOU something." Chara pressed her foot onto Sans' head, holding him down with ease.
"What is the most powerful force known to all Monsters?"
It seemed like a simple enough question, but Sans was too shocked about Chara's strength to respond.
"What is it?!" they barked, landing a swift kick to the head.
A part of his skull cracked, and blood flew all over, as Chara hit him with the mangled foot.
"... Determination..." he answered gruffly, trying to scoot away from the human- no, monster, that held him down.
"Exactly. And what happens if that power is transferred to a monster?"
"..." Sans grimaced. "They die."
"Wrong!" another kick sent his head flying across the room. Chara grabbed the head and reached into his eye socket, somehow pulling out the glowing blue orb from inside. Sans started to scream as it was yanked from his scull, his magic draining as she yanked harder. Finally it was free, and the connected his head to the rest of his body, satisfied.
"Sure... Some have died. Hell, most have perished. But do you REALLY know what happens?" Chara then thrust their free hand into their own chest, yanking out their own source of power- their soul.
Though sans was weak, he could see perfectly what was going on. Chara ripped a chunk of the soul apart, letting the rest drift back inside, and grinned, turning their attention back to the skeletal heap.
"You know... I've seen so many timelines. As you are well aware of. I get SO bored. Don't take this personally. I just HAVE to change it up." they held up the piece of soul next to Sans's blue iris, and in a flash, they combined. As soon as that happened, the skeleton gasped and writhed, the pain so overwhelming that he passed out within seconds. Before he blacked out, he saw his own magic eye turn from a magnificent blue to a harsh and screaming crimson.
