A/N: Hey! I'm still alive. I won't go into details about what happened, just know that my other story is gone and won't be continued.

Anyways, enjoy this one-shot. I got inspiration from listening to Undertale - Stronger Than You (Response)

Hope you like it!

I could see that neither him, nor myself, really wanted to do this. We were both just standing here right now, eyes locked. I knew what he was waiting on. He was waiting on me taking that last step. I could see the pain clear on his face. How could I not? I had planted it there after all.

I could hear my heart beat faster, as the darkness in me got me to take the step. He looked down at the floor, having predicted it.

"welp, sorry old lady... this is why I never make promises..."

The world turned black and white around us, with the exception of the red heart that had appeared in front of my chest. However, having been in the situation so many times, I knew by heart what to do.

Heh, under other circumstances I knew he would have loved to hear that sentence said out loud.

Sans finally lifted his head, his eyesockets closed. I didn't know what he was going to do, or if he was going to say anything. The one thing I knew, was that it would hurt me.

Not physically, but psychological.

"it's a beautiful day outside...

birds are singing... flowers are blooming...

on days like this... kids like you..."

He opened his eyes, both of them hollow of any lights. I had only seen that one time before on him, and I could clearly remember how it had creeped me out back then. This time, I knew why he had that look on his face though.

"SHOULD BE BURNING IN HELL!"

Before I could get to decide what to do, or if to say anything (Not that it would have mattered) he attacked. I was taken back by this, as I felt gravity grow stronger on me. Jumping over the wave of bones that flied directly towards me with a bit difficulty I noticed that I immediately was released from the gravity of being blue.

I was moving without thinking by now. Avoiding a new set of bones thrown at me, I was surprised to see a dragon-like skull directly aimed at me. I jumped out of the way just in time to not be hit directly by the beam that shot from it's mouth, I could feel it graze my arm though and it left a burning sensation that hurt like hell. Well, that was where he wanted to send me anyway.

Or rather... The darkness that had taken over every part of my soul.

As more of the blasters appeared, I managed to avoid them to my best ability. I wasn't all successful, having been hit on the arm twice and once on my right leg.

Sans spoke once more, but he sounded so hollow it was hard to tell it really WAS him. "Huh. Always wondered why people never used their strongest attack first."

I wished with all my heart that I didn't have to do this. I wish I couldn't see what would go on...

But, as they say, curiosity killed the cat... Except in this situation, curiosity killed all the people I still loved as friends... As a family.

My legs moved without my consent, heading straight towards him with knife at the ready. The heart locket was around my neck, but I wished things were different. As I slashed out after him, he dodged and my attack missed him. I knew this would be the case, he DID only have one HP after all.

Papyrus had told me this back before... Before the darkness took me and I reset.

After promising I would never do so again.

Once more, sharpened bones flew towards me. I dodged them without much trouble this time, even as the burning feeling was still evident at the spots that he hit in his initial attack.

Then, he started speaking while I was dodging and the darkness forcing me towards him to try and land a hit.

"why kid..."

Another blaster almost hit me, but instead grazed my back. I would have screeched out if I could, but being mute made that impossible. I knew he was holding back, as he didn't WANT to hurt me. I could see it, looking in his eyes. But there was nothing to do. The darkness hadn't spared anyone. No matter how much I screamed in my mind that I was sorry, that I didn't want it. I had done so, until the first monster after I had barely survived killing Undyne.

"i thought you were happy..."

'I was Sans, more than you knew...'

Another wave of attacks. I kept dodging. One bone hit me hard enough so I was forced to back off and heal before getting back in and dodging the next parade of attacks from him.

"you promised... you promised that there wouldn't be a reset... why..."

His attacks increased in strength the more he spoke. I could see he was crying, the blue hue of his tears unmistakable. I wished I had never had to know how it looked when he did so, wished I had never been forced to look at him like this. Broken, scared and hurt in a way that was worse then any of the wounds I had gotten throughout my journey this time.

I was pretty sure I had caused a wound to his soul.

"WHY DID YOU GO BACK ON THAT PROMISE?!"

I had never seen him like this... I wished I wasn't seeing him like this.

I had to use the bones to jump up above a line of blasters, my arms swinging the blade directly towards him. Of cause, he dodged and forced me back with more bones.

"everyone was happy... but then you... you reset..."

I was crying, I knew it. But it didn't seem to faze him. He most likely thought I was doing it to throw him off his defenses. That at the slightest sign of weakness, I would sprint to kill him. Just like... I had done with all the others.

"i thought nothing would change... but that wasn't the case..."

Even though I was hurt and tears was flooding my vision, I could see he was shaking. But I didn't know, was it in anger? Sadness? Hurt?

"once you came out of the ruins... i could feel that you weren't the same... and once I noticed the dust that was always on your clothes, it was too late...

you had already killed him...

YOU DIRTY BROTHER KILLER!"

All right, it was anger at the moment.

~ o ~

I don't know how long we had been doing this little dance. Minuets? Hours? All I knew, was that my inventory was empty of all and any items to heal. My health was on one. We were even right now.

I felt the darkness slide away from me, leaving me to the next decision on my own.

"Look, kid..." He looked like he was almost at his limit. He was using this as a time to regain his composure a bit as well.

"i know you didn't answer me before, but... somewhere in there. i can feel it. there's a glimmer of a good person inside of you. the memory of someone who once wanted to do the right thing. someone who, in another time, might have even been... a friend? c'mon, buddy. do you remember me? please, if you're listening... let's forget all of this, ok? just lay down your weapon, and... well, my job will be a lot easier."

I could hear it on him. If I did this, he would end me. However, for the first time since the start of the fight, the two options appeared. 'FIGHT' and 'MERCY'

I knew which one the creature wanted me to take. But as I looked into his eyes, while he was standing there, arms out as if to hold himself open to a hug from me, I knew how I could at least pay a bit for my sins. Sins, that throughout the whole fight, had been crawling on my back.

The knife was dropped, the sound of the blade hitting the floor ringing trough the halls before I held my hand over the one button that I knew would be the end of me, as well as the darkness that had been trapped in my mind since the first kill back in the ruins.

'MERCY'

His eyes went wide, as I send him a smile. Tears were running down my cheeks, and I knew he was crying as well. I closed my eyes once more, just as he started talking again.

"... you're sparing me? finally. buddy. pal. i know how hard it must be... to make that choice. to go back on everything you've worked up to. i want you to know... i won't let it go to waste."

I could feel the darkness in me writhe, as it tried to get free of my mind. But my mind was a cage, both for me and it.

"... c'mere, pal."

He held his arms up for me to come closer. I could already see the circle. I just needed to take one step, and I would be dead.

I took it.

And I was staked on numerous sharpened bones that came up from the ground.

There had been no avoiding it.

Even as I could feel my soul shake, about to shatter for the first time since I had first fallen down here, I tuned my head to him. He was turned away, clearly waiting for the world to turn black and fade away.

I was glad that I at least was able to sit on my knees, and that the bones hadn't hit my arms. I shakily lifted them, and after getting his attention by snapping my fingers weakly, I started to sign out.

*I'm sorry... I know I broke the promise... I never meant to do it... It wasn't me, Sans...

I could see him, mouthing out the words as I signed them. He was shaking, tears running down his skull.

*I can never make up for all that I did... For the things I've done... I really should burn in hell... I should let you kill me, over and over... But that would be to torture you as well...

He walked over to me, looking me in the eyes for a second before looking down at my continued speech.

*I won't make you suffer anymore Sans... I never saved, not once trough this run... Once my soul shatters, you'll all be back where you were... Alive and well... I won't come back...

"kid..." His voice shock, as if it was close to break as he said it. Or as if he was afraid it would break me and stop me before I could finish what I had started.

*I... L-love you, Sans... This is the final goodbye...

His eyes was almost impossibly wide, as I heard the tell tale sound of a soul breaking.

Then it all disappeared.

~ o ~

I jolted awake, looking around. The room was dark, and the only sound was the sound of snoring coming from the room next to me. I could feel my left eye burning intensely.

That image was still burned into my vision. The kid, right in front of me. Staked beyond recognition, but still holding onto life with the final strings.

They'd had just enough time to sign to me... They had been sorry, they hadn't meant any of it...

They had spared me...

They had gone forward, even if they could see the attack. I hadn't hidden it. They could see it clear as day. One step, and it was all over.

Then they had said the one thing I even now wished I never would have known. Their smile, and the signs were still on my mind as I started sobbing loud enough for Papyrus to rush to my room and hold me close...

*I... L-love you, Sans... This is the final goodbye...

Damn it kid...

Once Paps had left once more, after I reassured him I just had a nightmare, I still couldn't hold back the tears.

"... I love you too, kid."