Chapter 11

The forest was actually quite lovely. It wasn't completely quiet, but it had a calm tranquility about it that was very soothing. Untouched by humans, the forest was nature in its purest form. It was a shame he was here on such ugly business.

Sans walked through the trees, his footsteps leaving patches of dead plants behind him, keeping an eye out for anything unusual. He had teleported to the forest's edge and slowly made his way inward. He didn't know exactly what he was looking for, but he was sure he'd know it when he saw it. After all, a place free of death should stick out like a sore thumb to him. He was nearing the heart of the forest now.

Then, he felt it. It was subtle, but he sensed a thrum of magical power in the direction of Mt. Ebbot. He picked up his pace, and when he got a little closer to the mountain, he found what he was looking for. He'd stumbled upon a grove of trees that had grown so close to one another that they formed a solid wall. Sans didn't know much about trees, but he knew they wouldn't naturally form a thick wall like that. There was a single break, shaped almost like a door, in the center. The opening was sealed up with some kind of green magic. He smiled. "Finally," he said.

He walked up to the opening and stood right in front of it. "Well, well," he thought to himself. "This has got to be it. The one place in the mortal realm that I've never been to before. The one place completely free of me. How suspicious. There's even a barrier here to avoid detection."

Looking closer, he saw that the barrier was made up of interlocking vines with magic coursing through them. He smiled wider. Something like this was child's play to him. He reached out and touched the barrier with his hand. The vines began to wilt at his touch. Within seconds, the barrier fell, leaving an open way into the grove.

"How simple. They can't run from me any more. Time to end this." Sans walked through, his senses alert for any disturbance. He was instantly on edge, for something wasn't quite right. For some reason, he felt like this wasn't his first visit.

"It's strange," he thought. "I've never been here before, but I can't shake the feeling that I know this place somehow. And the magic of that barrier… it kinda seemed familiar."

He kept walking and soon he reached a clearing. There was wildlife everywhere. Birds, deer, rabbits, and all other kinds of animals. Numerous flowers and trees, more than he knew existed, grew along the edge of the clearing. They were colorful and vibrant and had clearly been arranged in a set pattern, forming the most beautiful garden he'd ever seen. He could've stood there and gazed at it for hours, but something else had drawn his eye. In the middle of the clearing, surrounded by animals, was a tall creature. She was clothed in simple green robes and she seemed to radiate light and warmth. Her back was turned to him, but he could tell she had fur and a pair of long ears. Definitely not human. Which left only one alternative. "No… it can't be," he thought.

He took a few steps closer, and as soon as he broke the clearing's circle the animals bolted in every direction. The goddess, for that was what she had to be, looked around with a startled expression. She finally turned around and saw him for the first time. Her face was… kinda cute actually. She had round eyes and cheeks, and a pair of small horns on the top of her head. The horns were also covered in fur, and actually made her look even cuter. They stared at each other for a few seconds, then her eyes drifted down and were suddenly filled with rage. Following her gaze, Sans looked down at his feet, where the grass had wilted and died where he stood. He grinned, and lifted his head, looking her directly in the eye.

"It's… you," she snarled.

"Well, well, well," he said. "Isn't this a ghastly surprise. So this is where you've been hiding all this time." He was trying hard not to burst out into hysterical laughter. "What's the matter? You look like you've seen dea-"

He barely dodged the plume of fire she hurled at him. Man, she was quick. "Whoa! Chill, out lady. Do you want to set this place on fire?"

He looked over his shoulder where the fire landed and was surprised to see that it wasn't consuming anything. "Huh, it's not burning." He looked back at her. "You really must be Life."

"And you are an abomination!" she replied, gathering more flames into her hands. "A creature like you should not exist!"

"Heh, that's rich," Sans said as he took out his scythe. "Considering you're the reason I do!"

They launched themselves at each other without thinking, acting off pure instinct. It was in their nature. Life and Death were opposites after all. They had circled each other from the beginning, but right now it felt like their very first dance. They both despised the other, and at first they attacked without mercy. Warm gold flame met cold blue fire, and their powers collided, creating shockwaves that shook the whole garden. They were evenly matched, neither Life's flame or Death's scythe found their mark. The fight went on for almost two hours before they both collapsed, panting for breath. With most of their energy exhausted, the two of them began to think clearly again.

Sans sat there, breathing heavily as he considered the Goddess of Life. He hadn't really known what he was doing when they were fighting. It all seemed like a blur. Now that he had calmed down, he observed her a little closer. She was strong, but he should've guessed that already. She probably used her powers as much as he did. Humans might die everyday, but it was likely that they were born everyday as well. No wonder her powers were an even match for his. He stared at her. This woman was his curse, the reason he had to bear the burden of Death. He hated her, he'd told himself that countless times. And yet…

He couldn't look at her in eyes and feel that hatred. Despite all the reasons he had to loathe her, he just couldn't. He wasn't entirely sure why either. He smiled. Well, he had to admit he'd always been curious about her. Guess he should try to act civilized. He opened his mouth to say something, but she beat him to it.

"You know," she panted. "It is rude to barge into someone's home uninvited. Didn't anyone teach you any manners?"

"Please," he replied. "I'm never invited anywhere, so I guess I can't help being rude."

He grinned at the look she was giving him. He shrugged it off saying, "Anyway, now that we seem to have let off some steam, I didn't come here looking for you."

"Then what are you here for?" she demanded.

"Tread lightly, Sans," he told himself. This was the goddess that had created Chara after all. He doubted she'd take the news of Chara's corruption well. "You haven't seen a murderous yellow flower around here by any chance, have you?"

"A murderous flower!?" she replied, shocked. "You twisted one of my creations and made it murderous!?"

"Hey now," he said. "I'm pretty sure it wasn't my fault."

"Everything's your fault!"

"Now look who's being rude."

She glared at him for that last remark. He didn't know why, but he was really enjoying himself right now. "Well," he said. "It's pretty obvious it won't be here. We're both pretty tired, and I think I've worn out my welcome. So I'll just bleat it. Before I go though, I never actually bothered to learn your name. Mind telling me?"

She stared at him for a solid minute before finally, "I am Toriel."

His grin grew wider. "Name's Sans. Nice to meet you." With that, he turned to go.

"Don't you ever return, Creature of Darkness!" Toriel said. "You are never welcome here!"

Sans looked back over his shoulder. She was obviously still upset, but he wasn't about to let that one slide. Time for a reality check.

"Heh. Last I checked, I don't answer to you," he said. "Besides, isn't Life supposed to be full of surprises? And what bigger surprise is there than a visit from me?"

"How dare you—" But before she could finish he was gone. Toriel sat there, contemplating what had happened. After so much time spent in hiding, she had assumed she would never come into contact with another god ever again. But why, of all the gods that could've found her, did it have to be him? That foul God of Death who's only purpose was to destroy everything she created. She stood, wondering what she should do next. She could put the barrier back up, but he'd already broken through once, so it wouldn't be able to keep him out. She sighed. Well, it would at least keep anyone else from finding her. Or at least she hoped it would. After all, if Death told everyone where she was it would be impossible to avoid detection. She started walking to the entrance of her Sanctuary, considering all that she had to do. Death would come back, she was certain of it. And when he did, she would be ready for him. Once she finished replacing the barrier she headed back to her favorite napping spot. That fight had worn her out, and she slowly drifted off to sleep. Before she closed her eyes, she remembered the look on Death's face before he left. He had a nice smile, but it looked so out of place on him. "But I suppose even the God of Death has to have some kind of redeeming quality," she muttered before passing out.

Sans appeared back in the Underworld and was immediately greeted by his brother. "Sans!" said Papyrus. "Welcome back! Where did you run off to?"

"Oh, you know. Just went out and about for a bit."

"Really? Did you make any new friends?"

"Maybe."

"So you did make some new friends! Do you like them?"

"Well, she's definitely the Life of the party, that's for sure."

"Nyeh?"

Sans left Papyrus half confused and walked up to his room. His search for Chara and Flowey had come up dry, but he didn't really care right now. He ought to feel frustrated, but for whatever reason, he was feeling better than he had in ages. Still, he was utterly exhausted. Maybe he could finally get a good night's sleep for once. He laid down and before he went to sleep, one last image drifted across his mind. It wasn't Chara or Flowey, it was Toriel. Specifically, the image of her standing there, simply looking at him before she had realized who he was.

She really did have a cute face.