Just a quick announcement before you start: I will be posting chapters about every two or three weeks now, instead of once per week. This for me to be able to improve my work on these chapters, and to help my beta reader, Eccentric Axolotl. (Speaking of whom: they are always a fantastic reviewer and deserve the extra time they want.) I hope you understand, and please enjoy chapter 11.


Chara POV

Ughhhh… My head feels like it split down the middle. Spots flickered in and out of my vision as I sat up. Every muscle in my body screamed in protest. My skin felt like it was cracking with each movement. Finally, I was able to take in the situation.

I was still in the boy's body, and Amane was stirring a few feet away. Asgore and Frisk were unconscious about thirty yards in front of me. Frisk was still wearing the items; this was my best chance to get them. I tried to stand, but I fell to my knees with a whine. He is too injured. I had managed to block most of the damage, but this was still more than I anticipated. Blood trickled from burns covering much of his body. His clothes were nearly reduced to charred rags, except the glove and bandanna. Those were still in perfect condition.

I got my feet under me again, but I fell on my face the moment I put weight on my legs. This was hopeless! The boy could barely sit up, much less walk. Someone must have heard the battle. Reinforcements would be on their way and I would lose these two. I cursed, sick with the state I was in.

I should never have challenged them up front like that! I should have played the bit of the scared child and waited until I got the chance to launch a surprise attack. Instead, I rushed in recklessly! This wasn't purely my decision; the boy's influence affected my judgement . This was a choice he would have made, and his urge to fight mixed with mine. An unfortunate combination that landed me in this crappy situation. I have to squash him down when I get back to the Surface.

With him out of commission, I switched over to Amane. To my surprise, she was in much better shape than the boy. She had escaped most of the blast and sustained minimal injuries. Guess I had a little luck left. Unfortunately, she had used up most of her power in the fight, so she was still weak. Unsteadily, I got to my feet and took a few shaky steps. This will have to do for now. I walked over to Frisk, crouching down to grab the glove on their left hand. The air around them shimmered, solidifying into a wall of green light. I pushed, but it didn't budge. I pounded against it. The wall remained whole.

Grunting, I punched repeatedly, but all I did was hurt my knuckles. What the hell is this? Frisk is out, so who is doing this? Oh, wait. I forgot about him.

He was walking over one of tiny bridges stretching across the rivers. As he reached the pair, the wall closed around the three of them as a dome. Without a second look at me, he crouched by the Monster King's side. He rested a hand on his shoulder, green light enveloping Asgore as the boy flexed his fingers. The King let out a groan of relief before falling silent again. The new boy looked at me, a faint smile on lips, and waved with his free hand. "Nice to meet you."

Annoyance crawled in my head head like insects! How could I forget about the second child!? "You bastard!"

He sighed tiredly. He ran his hand through his multicolored hair as he closed his eyes. "What is with you people and name calling. Seriously, I'm just making conversation."

"What are you doing here?" I growled.

The boy opened his eyes, green orbs that caught the light emanating from the crystals. He looked down at Asgore, still shrouded by light, and then back to me. "I believe I'm healing him."

I wanted to strangle him already! "I can see that, but why? Why do you want to save him?" My voice dripped with venom.

The boy shrugged. "Why not? Being your enemy seems like a good enough reason to help him." He pointed at Frisk. "They're next, so I'm just patching up the worst of the injuries."

I threw myself at the wall again to no avail. I wanted to scream, which I did. How was I still so powerless!? Right now, this boy is holding me off without breaking a sweat. This is humiliating! "Let this wall down now or else I'll come in their and throttle you!"

"Um… Why would I do that?" He asked with a genuinely baffled look. "You can't seem to get through, so why would I let you in to kill me? Come on, I'm not stupid."

I hate him! I wanted to tear out his eyes and shove them down his throat! He's getting on my nerves and I can't even reach him! I flung my consciousness his way, but I bounced right off. Even his mind was blocked off!

"How are you doing that?" I asked, my tone barely more than a snarl now. "How are you resisting me?"

The boy shrugged again. As I watched, black fluid ran from his eyes and poured from his mouth. He wiped a drop away, watched it roll down his fingers, and said, "Well, that's new." Then he turned back to Asgore.

What. The. Hell? "What's wrong with you? There is black sludge coming out of your body, and you don't even seem to care!"

The boy shrugged again. That's starting to get annoying, too. "It doesn't hurt, so I don't mind." There is definitely something wrong with him. "Either way, I still have to help them. If you don't mind, could you please be quiet and let me focus." He said this all with a grin.

I swear I'll kill him! I want to kill him as much as that damned comedian! "Stop acting so calm and composed! When I get my hands on you-"

"If," he corrected.

"I'll make you beg for mercy and leave you a broken shell!"

The boy nodded, considering my declaration. "IF you get me, then that might just happen."

I was seconds away from tearing out Amane's hair! "Quit babbling and come out here!"

The boy gave me a lazy grin. I wanted to rip it off his face! "I'm going to keep stalling, so I hope that's okay."

"Stalling for what!?"

He pointed at a spot over my shoulder. "For the fish lady wearing armor and carrying the energy spear."

"The what-" I realized too late. The boy had kept my attention on him so that I wouldn't notice her approach! I turned on my heel, my brain working to keep up. Undyne was charging towards us, weapon in hand. If she got Amane, it would be over! However, when she saw the girl's face, Undyne slowed for a second. That was all the time I needed.

Undyne planted her foot in the marshy ground and threw her spear. I raised my hand and turned Amane's power on herself. I felt the resistance of her SOUL, pushing it upwards. I shot up, the spear slicing through my calf. Without that moment of hesitation, the projectile would have embedded itself in Amane's gut! The spear crashed against the shield, cracking the spell as it hit the ground with a thud.

I heard more of them heading this way; dozens of footsteps were all trekking towards the site of the recent battle. I cursed. I couldn't fight them off with the vessels so injured! The boy was down for sure, and Amane was running low on power. As much as the thought made me sick, retreating was the only option I had left.

The moment my feet hit the ground, I started to spin. This was when I let Amane's body take over and I focused my Determination. Music notes sprouted from Amane's foot as Undyne readied another spear. Faster and faster I spun, shifting between my feet as more music notes surrounded me. I poured every bit of energy we had left into the notes and let them fly.

They whipped themselves away from me and slammed into the anything close. Undyne's second spear was knocked out of the air. More cracks began to spread across the shield as the notes tried to force their way through. Humans and monsters alike yelped as they emerged onto the scene, only to be caught in the frenzy.

Using the confusion as a cover, I grabbed the boy's SOUL and dragged him over to me. I pulled him of the ground so that he hovered at shoulder height. I looked towards Frisk, still behind the new child's protection. So close, but I'll have to leave the items behind again. I ran as fast as Amane body could go, the boy floating behind us. Sweat beaded my forehead from the strain: keeping the music notes active, holding the boy's SOUL up, and flat out sprinting for the exit. If I stop, Amane won't be able to get back up!

The only stroke of luck I had was that everyone was back in Waterfall when I reached Hotland. The sound of the battle had drawn them like moths to a flame. I reached the castle and tore down my least favorite corridor. I was running out of time! Amane's lungs couldn't take in enough air! I could feel the music notes shatter as the group fought back! The exit was in sight when my blood ran cold.

Three of Undyne's task force members were guarding the way out, and they all held swords. (I guess swords were more fitted to magical combat than guns. I don't know.)

Two of them flanked me while the third stabbed at my heart. I sidestepped and grappled the hilt from his grasp. I slammed the flat of the blade against his face, hearing the cartilage in his nose snap. He crumpled as the other two lunged. I dodged their swipes, droppin the sword in the process.

I couldn't handle it anymore. I released the music notes with a gratifying breath. Undyne would catch up soon, so I have to end this quickly!

I jumped back from another slash, only to feel the shadow of the third member fall over me. Her sword was raised over head, ready to plunge into my spine! I let the boy fall as I grabbed her SOUL. She stiffened, and I threw her head first into the wall. Then her partner was on me before she hit the floor.

He was quick (or I was slow. Exhaustion will do that.) forcing me backwards as a slash split the skin on the back of my hand! I jumped as he swung at my legs and I stomped on the blade. I turned on the steel, delivering a kick with my other foot into the space where the neck connected with his shoulder. The man gasped, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he fell on his side. (That may have been a more dramatic move than necessary, but no time to worry on that.)

I grabbed the boy's SOUL again and ran out of the Underground. I started down the newly worn path, but I tripped over a root. The world spun and my limbs flailed! Foliage bit at my skin and hair, stones dug into Amane's body, and I crashed into the trunk of a fallen tree! Miraculously, I had managed to keep a hold of the SOUL. The boy hovered limbly a few feet away from me. I released him and he landed like a sack of potatoes.

Groaning, I sat up, leaning against the trunk. Everything hurt. Thorns clung to my hair. rocks were stuck in my legs, blood dripping around them. Pain throbbed along my back from the collision. More lacerations than I could count littered the girl's body. Plus, she was past the peak of her abilities. It would be difficult, nay, impossible to fight anyone like this! Nausea crashed over me and I threw up in a bush.

This sucks! Both of them have to recover before I could do anything. Unless another child arrives, I'm going to have to sit out for awhile. I stood up, relying heavily on the tree. I reached for the boy's SOUL again. I could barely lift him an inch into the air. Slowly, way too slowly, I made my way back to the warehouse. All I could hope for is that I have a little luck left. If Undyne finds us… I trudged along, stumbling every step.


Frisk POV

It was so warm. All I wanted to do was lie here and fall asleep. I settled myself and started to drift away…

A surge of freezing water crashed over my face. Gasping, I bolted right up just to get slapped in the face!

"Finally! God, you sleep too much."

Disoriented, I locked on to the boy kneeling next to me. His hair could rival Amane's: He had cinnamon colored locks with a myriad of interlocking streaks the colors of numerous spices. There were reds and yellows, greens and grays, white and blacks, orange and brown. His colorful hair fell freely around his shoulders. His eyes were green and shone like emeralds. He wore a shirt, the color of which was hidden by stains and burns. The same was true with his trousers. Like Grizzy, his skin was sickly pale. In his hand was a bucket with droplets tracing down the sides.

"Who are… what's happen… where are…" My tongue felt heavy as I tried to form a complete sentence.

SMACK!

"OW! Quit doing that!" I rubbed my check to work away the sting. "Why did you slap me? Twice!"

"Actually, it was five times," He held up his hand, fingers spread, to emphasize. "I got tired of waiting, so…" He tapped the bucket. "It seems to have worked just fine."

What's wrong with him? "Just who are you, anyway?"

The boy crossed his arms with a huff. "You don't remember me? You know… giant demon, blowing up a tail, some cheesy fight scene? Ring a bell?"

"What do you mean by 'cheesy!?'" I snapped. "Wait, you're the boy from my dream?"

"Boy of your dreams?" He tilted his head with an amused expression. "Well, I'm flattered-"

"From my dream! FROM!" It was easy to predict how difficult my life was about to become. "So you're the one who helped me?"

"Yep," He replied. "Although, I guess meeting someone in person is better than in a dream/vision overrun with killer demons." He pointed behind him. "Your friend was in pretty bad shape, but he's out of the woods. A regular hospital should be able to keep him stable."

"Uh...thanks." The recent battle lit up my mind. "Chara! Where are they!? Did they-" I looked at my hand and my chest. I sighed when I saw the items were still in place.

"Undyne chased after them a while ago," the boy informed me. "And I keep them away from the two of you until she showed up, thank you very much!"

"Thank you. Now, did Undyne mana- HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" The boy suddenly snatched the apron and pulled on it. I struggled for a few seconds as it got tangled around me head. The boy freed me and threw the Stained Apron on.

"Ah! That's better!" The boy threw back his head and exhaled. Then, he bundled up the edge of the fabric and pressed it against his nose, sniffing deeply. He let it drop with a sigh.

"You're the Green SOUL?" He nodded. "How long have I been out?" He shrugged. "Did Undyne catch Chara." He shrugged again. I was starting to lose my patience! "Can you tell me anything?"

"Alex."

"What?" I was confused.

"Alexander is my name, but you can call me Alex," Alex held out his hand. "Nice to meetcha!"

"Um… Okay. Hi, Alex." I can't keep this up much longer. This boy was draining me. I want to go back to sleep. "I'm Frisk."

"Frisk. Frisk. Frisky Frisk." He repeated this until his tongue slipped up. "I like that name."

Please let me go back to sleep. After everything that just happened, I don't want to put up with this! I tried to stand and ended up flat on my face.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Alex chanted. "I may of healed you, but you should have about zero stamina right now. After exerting yourself with that last attack, I'm surprised you can sit up."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"I thought that you wouldn't listen to me," Alex said. "Aaand I was right."

I tried to stand again, but I land face down again. Once more, I reached a squatting stance, but I fell on my back this time. Before I could do it again, Alex cleared this throat. He got up, stood over me, and promptly sat on my chest. I grunted as the air was driven from my lungs. He shifted so that his feet were next to my left hand, and leaned back on his hands, lifting enough of his weight so that I could breath.

"I told you not to stand up, but you wouldn't listen. Now I have to do this," While he complained, Alex was still smiling cheekily.

Why is this happening to me? "I just meet you, but something tells me you won't be moving anytime soon."

"Nope," Alex declared. "So get comfortable. By the way, any stories you want to tell? Undyne and her squad may not be back quickly, and I want to get to know someone else stuck in this strange predicament. I'm all ears."

Since arguing was pointless, I told him about my time in the Underground, how the monsters adapted to the Surface, my friends, some details about the city, and what's been happening with Chara. He listened and nodded, asking questions for clarification. After I was done, Alex told some of his own tales. Irritatingly, Alex stayed on my chest the entire time! And yes, it was a long, long time before the others came back! In the meantime, I got to know the newest (and possible the strangest) fallen child I have ever met. Lucky me..


That's a wrap! Just a heads up, the next few chapters will be focusing more on other characters and some character building. Please understand these are not filler, as they still have scenes important to the plot. I just want to slow down the story and give other characters some attention.

If anyone has a comment or a question, please leave a review or message me. I always want to hear what you have to say, wether it is positive or negative.