Chapter 10: We're All The Same

"Papa, do you think King Asgore will listen to me if I go talk with him?" Kayla asked.

"I would hope he would, but I am concerned that he might not," River Person said. "I think I should pay him a visit and you remain here or go to Snowdin."

"But Papa, I'm not afraid to face the King," she protested.

"It's not that, my little one," he said gently. "I just fear that Asgore would hurt you and then I would lose you."

Kayla now saw her father was just worried for her safety. "But Papa, won't he be angry that you've been harboring a human?" She asked worriedly.

River Person lifted his hands, which were glowing with his purple magic. "If it comes down to a fight, then I will fight him to keep you safe," he vowed. "But I hope it doesn't."

"I hope so too," she said, hugging him. "Be careful, Papa."

"I will, my daughter," he said softly, gently kissing her forehead in affection. "I'll be back soon."

With that, he headed for the king's castle.

Asgore was in his garden, tending to the flowers with loving care and sighing softly. The flowers reminded him so much of his children and his heart ached as he thought about how Chara had died and then how the humans ruthlessly killed Asriel, who had just been trying to fulfill his sister's final wish. A gentle swishing behind him made him lift his head and he turned to find River Person behind him and he stood while the cloaked being bowed in respect.

"My King," he said, his voice respectful.

"River Person," the king said with a nod. "How are you?"

"I am well, Your Majesty," River Person said. "I was wondering if you were busy."

"No, not at all," Asgore said. "Come. I have tea ready."

As they sat down to tea, the cloaked being decided to ask a question. "How are you holding up, Your Majesty?" He asked gently.

Asgore sighed. "It has not been easy," he admitted. "I miss my children. And my best friend, Gaster. And...my wife."

River Person nodded softly. Gaster had been the scientist of the Underground and one of the king's very close friends and Toriel had left Asgore not long after the third child to have fallen into the mountain was killed. The king sighed. "I just need one more soul, but...I don't think I can bring myself to strike another human now. I haven't done so for the last two who fell. They died natural deaths."

The cloaked being nodded. "Asgore, my daughter, Kayla, feels there's another way to break the barrier," he said.

"Ah, the human you rescued?" The king asked, a gentle smile on his face. "Is she the reason Undyne was so quiet the other day?"

River Person was curious. "She was quiet?" He asked.

"Yes, even said someone had made her think that perhaps she was going about her duties wrong," Asgore said. "And Alphys has shown me the video of the girl when she battled the Royal Guard Dogs and Papyrus."

The cloaked being was worried now and tensed, but the goat king held up a hand. "Relax, my friend," he said. "I was intrigued by the battles and by how the girl handed the battles with her brain instead of her magic."

"Kayla does not like fighting," River Person said. "Due to her abusive past with her foster parents."

Asgore actually had tears in his eyes. "Just like with Chara," he said softly and then sighed. "I would have given my own life to save her."

"We all felt that way, Your Majesty," the cloaked being admitted. "She was our first hope that not all humans were closed-minded."

The king nodded and looked at him. "There is another way, as your daughter believes," he said. "But...why would a human want to work with me to break the barrier?"

"Kayla will," River Person said. "She's said as much."

Asgore looked thoughtful. "Even with her help, we'd still need one more human to help us," he said. "We may have to wait a bit."

"Then we shall," said his friend.

The king nodded. "For Kayla's sake, we must," he said.

Meanwhile, Kayla was with Papyrus, Sans, and Undyne as they had met up in Snowdin. "I'm glad you didn't want to fight me, Kayla," Papyrus said.

"Me too, Papyrus," she said with a smile.

Undyne looked unsure. "I'm still not very sure, but I'd rather learn more about you than face your father when he's angry, Kayla," she admitted.

Kayla smiled. "We're all the same, Undyne," she said gently. "Why, I'm no different than you guys."

"How do you figure?" Sans asked, curious about her answer.

"Well, you guys have hearts and feelings just like me," she said. "And humans have skeletons inside of them as their body frames and we all feel strongly about you guys being freed from this place."

Papyrus smiled and surprised her by lifting her up and spinning around with her over his head. She giggled at his antics. "Then there's hardly any difference at all between us!" He exclaimed happily.

"That's right," she said as the tall skeleton then hugged her happily.

Undyne chuckled at the scene. "Hey, Pap," she said. "Didn't I promise to show you one of my favorite moves?"

He beamed. "Yes, you did," he said. "Will you?"

"Of course," she said. She had already apologized to the tall skeleton who had readily forgiven her and they now headed off to do some training together while Kayla and Sans walked through Snowdin and the young girl took a deep breath.

"Sans, can I tell you something?" She asked.

"Of course," he said. "What's bugging you? Besides the bugs?"

She smiled at his joke before looking serious. "I've...been having this really odd dream lately," she said. "It's...It's like how I first fell, only a bit different."

"What do you mean?" Sans asked curiously.

"Well, when I first came down here, I fell into the river and Papa saved me," Kayla said. "But in this dream...I land after falling through the hole in the mountain and I start running as there's a shadowy figure behind me, but I can't make it out. It's just a very odd thing, but when I look at it, I feel afraid of it."

"Like you know it's dangerous but don't know how you know that?" The skeleton asked.

"Yeah," she said. "And I think to myself that I have to find Papa, but I can't remember where he is and I run to a place that looks like it's falling apart, like ruins. I run inside and I'm trying to call for help, but I can't cry out very loudly for some reason, but then I find a person standing in front of me."

Kayla paused. "It looks like a female goat and she's wearing a purple dress and she's looking at me with concern. I run to her and as I cling to her, I sense the shadowy figure getting closer, but then it vanishes as I'm clinging to the goat woman. She picks me up and asks me if I'm okay, but I don't respond. I kind of pass out and that's when I wake up from the dream."

Sans was quiet. "Sounds like your dream is taking place at the Ruins," he said. "It's the place right outside of Snowdin where the forest is."

She nodded. "And here's the weird part. Last night, I had the same dream, but I remembered what happened before and I was a bit more lucid as I ran to her and I asked her name and she answered me."

"What name?" The skeleton asked.

"Toriel," the girl replied. "Just like the Queen's name."

Sans stopped and looked at Kayla, his expression unreadable. "Kid, come with me," he said as they headed down the path.

Kayla sensed there was something up. "Sans? What is it?" She asked, pulling her hood up just in case they ran into a monster that she didn't know.

He looked at her. "I think I know who you see in your dream, kiddo," he said. "But...you haven't met Toriel yet, have you?"

"No," she said. "I learned of her when studying the history of the Underground from Papa's history books, but that was all."

They soon reached the door of the Ruins and Sans knocked. "Knock, knock," he said with a smile.

"Who's there?" Asked a feminine voice.

Kayla stiffened as the familiar voice came to her. Sans looked at her and looked at the door. "Raisin," he said.

"Raisin who?"

"You're raisin my spirits high."

A giggle was the response and Kayla pushed back her hood. "Sans, that's her," she said. "It's her voice."

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm sure," she said. "Toriel."

"Sans? Who is that?" Toriel asked.

"It's a human named Kayla," the skeleton responded. "River Person rescued her and adopted her as his daughter."

"Ah, I thought I had heard someone fall a few months ago," she said.

Kayla placed a hand on the door. "Miss Toriel, lately I've been having an odd dream and at first I thought it was a replay of when I had first come down here, but it's something else. When I land, something is after me and I run into the Ruins and meet you and I think you protect me from whatever is chasing me," she said.

Toriel listened. "But...we haven't met, my child," she said softly.

"What if...What if it's a vision?" The girl asked.

"She may be onto something, Tori," Sans said.

"Which means...there might be another child that might be falling down here soon," Toriel said, a note of fear in her voice.

Kayla felt fear too. "Miss Toriel?" She asked. "What if that does happen?"

"Then I'll protect that child fiercely," the goat woman answered.

Sans nodded. "We'll do the same," he said.

Kayla looked at him, her face worried. "Sans, are there...any dark, shadowy monsters that would chase someone down here?" She asked.

"Not that I know of," he replied. "Did a shadowy figure chase you when you were running and fell into the river?"

She shook her head. "No," she replied.

"We'll keep our eyes peeled then," he said seriously.

"Yes," Toriel said quietly.

Kayla closed her eyes, some tears threatening to fall. Sans gently pulled her into a hug, rubbing her back gently as he gazed into the woods and vowed that just like with Kayla, he would protect the child that the twelve-year-old was seeing in her vision, if it was a vision.

If it wasn't a vision and a child did fall with someone after her, then they were going to have to be alert and ready for anything.

Quite a twist, huh? :)

Next chapter takes place five years later, but rest assured, the story isn't ready to end quite yet. :)

Please leave a review, but no flames!

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