Frisk looked around finding herself trapped in thick mist, no matter where she ran she couldn't escape, every direction she tried to run rewarded her, with Sans.
Or to be precise, his death...
She spotted a tiny sliver of clear sky and decided to run straight to it, covering her eyes from the horrors surrounding her.
She reached the open air, only to be forced back by a stream of darkness that rose up to meet her.
She tried again and again but the darkness kept her trapped in the mist, on the other side she could see Sans, holding his hand out for her.
"What's the matter, Frisk?"
Turning around she saw another Sans with his hoody hiding his face in darkness.
"This is where you belong."
She saw a bright red glow come from where his magical eye was, revealing a horror in itself.
It wasn't Sans, it was her, she was only wearing Sans's hoody.
"This is what you wanted, to be with everyone that ever mattered to you."
Shapes took form in the mist, Toriel, Papyrus, Undyne…
Sans.
"So why are you trying to run?"
Her replica held out a razor sharp knife, it screamed out with the lives of those it slayed.
"You still haven't finished yet, there's still so much to do…"
Frisk tried to run through the dark again, to reach her Sans, but it only smacked her back into the mist, straight into the arms of her replica.
"I knew you'd come back to me."
The replica forced the knife into Frisk's hand, she couldn't let go when the killing tool was there.
"Now let's finish this, I'm sure Sans must be waiting for you."
She couldn't control herself, her body moved on its own accord, heading to sans, the darkness parting to allow her to walk straight to him.
Sans looked at her and smiled.
"S, Sans, R-"
"It's alright Frisk, I know. I'm sorry…"
Gaster Blasters formed next to Sans, aimed straight to her.
"This is what you wanted Kid, you should've just asked."
He snapped his boney fingers, signaling his attack, bathing her in the bright beams of light from the blasters.
As the pain wracked her soul Frisk caught something, through her blurred eyes she saw Sans he was looking away, cold tears sliding down his cheek bones.
"Frisk…"
Waking in fright the human girl felt a throbbing headache first, it lasted only a moment but it was intense, when it passed she became more aware of other things, a racing heart, a soft feeling against her cheek, a pair of very boney fingers between hers.
It took her a moment to realize that she was still against Sans, the skeleton was sleeping deeply.
She smiled and raised her free hand, placing it over his heart.
She could feel the magical rhythm, his energy beating like a heart.
…
"What are you doing Frisk?"
She realized again that, this was wrong, this Sans, he didn't ever hand her bouget's of flowers, he delivered salvo's of Gaster Blaster attacks, he offered her life ending bone barrages, not blush inducing flatteries, although to some girls that didn't know him they both would have had the same effect…
She got up and let go of his hand, it wasn't easy, but she couldn't deny reality.
This Sans will always remember that his brother died by her hands.
No amount of time spent bonding will ever change that, the only way that she could make it up to him, would probably, take her own life in the process.
While Sans slept peacefully Frisk headed back to her books.
There were still some things in them that she hadn't discovered yet.
Sitting down and going through her notes Frisk had started smacking ideas together to try and make progress, she made, some of it, but not a lot.
After what seemed like hours of making more notes and going through the books she stopped, sighing in frustration before opening up a different book, an empty book.
She was using it as a sort of, journal to keep track of her actions, of events that had occurred, of her state of mind, it was a kind of anchor and reminder for her as to what she had to do.
As she flipped through the pages Frisk could see the signs, she was degrading.
She was having a harder time separating her feelings for this Sans from her feelings for other Sans's.
For the first Sans, the one that mattered the most to her.
She wrote down a number, the amount of days it had been since he, spared her, she couldn't remember what day it was so she used that as a time stamp instead.
'it feels, like an eternity has passed since I came to this place, Sans is still friendly with me which I am ever thankful for, but it is getting harder and harder to keep my distance from him, so many lives we were together, but that is over, why won't I just let go?'
She stopped for a moment, feeling something nearby for a split second, she looked around to try and find the source of the presence, when she couldn't she returned to writing.
'This constant feeling of being watched isn't helping, if 'she' comes for me before I can finish my work, no, it's over, 'she' is gone, she has to be… than why can't I shake this feeling?
Sans, probably knows, I don't want to keep him the dark, but, he will try to stop me, I can't let that happen, he needs to get my power, no matter the cost…
I just, wish that I could kiss him, under the moonlight again. But this, childish body isn't right, being this young is fun, but, if I had a more adult body again, I could probably accomplish things faster, in the end, I will need to build, and this body, is so fragile.'
The presence returned, distracting her again for a moment.
'I'm scared, I want to go back, back to that night, I want to go dancing again with him, my Sans…'
She saw droplets splatter on the page she was righting on, pulling back she noticed it was her own tears, Frisk closed the book and put it back, she put down the writing equipment and hugged her legs.
"No matter what kid, no matter when or where, know this, and never forget it, after what you did, I will ALWAYS be there for you, NOTHING will get in the way of that."
She smiled at that, something he told her shortly after they left the underground.
But it was a lie…
"Something did get in the way Sans, I did…"
She was about to cry but felt a pair of boney fingers gently wrap around her shoulders.
"Hay Frisk, what's the matter?"
He was concerned, not fake, but genuine concern, the difference in his voice, it gave it away.
But she couldn't tell him, instead Frisk just brushed away her tears, telling him it was, nothing…
"Kid-"
"Sans, please, don't pry, it, hurts when you ask about-"
"Don't try and bottle everything up okay? I don't know why but you wouldn't have reset without good reason, if you just want to talk about it than I'm here for you okay Frisk? Remember that…"
He squeezed her shoulder gently before backing out.
She smiled, at least some part of the old him stayed no matter how many times she reset…
Frisk noticed something rather, annoying and bothersome when she entered the kitchen, their supplies were running all time low.
"Sans?"
"Yeah?"
"We need some more food, and spices…"
"Ha, alright, come on, I'm sure Grillby won't mind too much."
She didn't like that idea but desperate times and what not.
Luckily Grillby's was the same as when they left it, completely deserted and wreaking of dread.
Just standing at the door, felt wrong.
"Come on kid, let's grab what we need so we can get going…"
Luckily, they didn't need to stay around for too long, they grabbed only what they needed from the back area.
"Let's, not do that again…"
"No complaints here ki-"
Sans locked his eyes on something in her hands, something that, didn't belong there, it took Frisk a moment to realize what it was.
A razor sharp knife, she was gripping it, naturally, like she was born to hold it in her hand.
What truly bothered her, was the fact that, she couldn't remember ever coming near the knives in Grillby's
Sans slowly reached to the knife, and she reacted, pulling it back and flipping it's position so the blade pointed to him, she took a solid stance against him, ready to defend and kill him.
Only after the fact did she realize her own body's reaction, she had to force open her hand that gripped the knife, dropping it down into the snow.
She looked back to him in shock and she could see in his eyes that he was, confused.
"Frisk?"
"I, I'm sorry, I-"
He simply crouched down, his eyes locked on hers as he reached for the knife, throwing it to a side, away from her.
"What, happened?"
"I don't know."
She was telling the truth, that knife didn't belong in her hand, why, why was it there?
Frisk started to cave, her emotions running rampant as her mind collapsed in on itself… eroded with the simple thought.
"I THREATENED HIM AGAIN!"
She waited for it, a Gaster Blaster Salvo, a Bone Barrage, him to use his power and grab her soul, flinging her around like a ragdoll.
…
But none came…
…
Instead Sans stepped closer to her and gently placed his hand on her head while he examined their surroundings.
She could feel it, he was looking for something.
"I know you're out there, you can hide all you want, but try and mess with this kid, I dare you…"
"Sans?"
"It wasn't you who held that knife was it?"
She couldn't answer, it was her hand that held it, hers, no one else's, but she never grabbed it.
"It, it's happening, I must fight, I need to hold it off, till I'm done!"
Frisk raised a shaky finger, pointing to a patch of darkness, she felt the presence strongest there, like the dark itself was alive and watching her.
Sans chuckled and summoned up a Gaster Blaster, firing to the spot she pointed.
The presence vanished, Sans felt relieved but Frisk, she knew it would be back.
There was no escaping it.
No escaping a shadow.
"No escaping your sins… partner…"