"Whenever you feel like giving up remember why you held on for so long."


Frisk stared in horror as any warmth faded, and she was suddenly in an even darker, more unforgiving void. Her body trembled with dread as her stomach dropped six feet under.

Chara was jerking violently, deep black red liquid leaking from her nose and mouth and eyes. Her skin was back to the pale color of death.

Frisk couldn't fight for long. Her body was battered and tired… and somehow, this place… she felt… faint here.

"You feel that? That's your soul fading…" Chara chuckled. "You've been in this place before, remember? When we first met… ironic, isn't it. That this will be the place we both stay for eternity!" Chara snarled.

Something stepped up beside her.

It was her own soul wolf, deep black. It's fur was bristly and sharp looking, running over its bulky muscles and frame. It's eyes were blood red and threatening as black pooled from its jaw like saliva. Frisk noticed Snow was in sight as well, cowering close to her side. The wolf looked pitifully small compared to Chara's, with soft white fur instead of the harsh black.

Frisk's mind was in a panic between rage and fear. Deep, raw fear.

She couldn't fight for long. Her body was unsteady and weak.

...something felt wrong.

Asriel's voice rang in her head.

"she… isn't herself… please… let us be together again… only you…"

Let them…

Be together?

Frisk tightened up.

Was fighting… the right thing?

But it was Chara! She was…

Wasn't…

Herself.

Chara barked, snapping Frisk from her thoughts.

"Hey! Don't ignore me… you ruined EVERYTHING!" Chara leaped, knife in hand.

Frisk had shoved her dagger in her pocket at some point and pulled it back out, blocking Chara's knife in a flash of metal.

Frisk heard savage barking and snarling as Chara's soul wolf attacked her own, grabbing it by the neck and shaking her viciously before flinging her a good distance away.

Frisk inhaled, acting on instinct and trying to kick Chara's legs from under her. Frisk realized she didn't even have enough strength to do that- the best she could manage was only a slightly scraping kick to the knee. That set her off balance and next second Chara had decked her in the face, sending her to the ground.

The world churned. Frisk felt something hot on her cheek and touched her finger to it, pulling it back to find the corrupted Determination that seemed to be leaking profusely from even Chara's nose and ear, creating a bubbling sound as she panted.

Something clicked.

When Asriel said she wasn't herself…

This was the cause, wasn't it?

It was an absurd thought. The things Chara had done were horrible. Frisk hated her- nothing could ever change that fact. But in the end… she was just a child. Just like him. A scared child. Not understanding the world and acting so. She may not be a child in appearance. But she was once, just as Asriel and Sans and even she had been. They all acted and carried their experiences from that time in different manners, but they had all been scared children all the same.

So who's to say Frisk could judge Chara for her actions, no matter how grievous? Who's to say she could blame the person for what most likely a group of unsavory experiences and mind altering determination would have done?

Frisk sneezed, looking up. Chara was growling nonstop, standing over her.

There was… no winning this fight, either way.

Except, maybe if she got rid of that Corrupted Determination… she had a chance of talking. Finding what little emotion this demon had left. Asriel still felt for his adoptive sister. Chara must feel the same way, right? Deep inside? She did seek him out. That tiny chance that a heart lie under all that dark blood and corrupted body was all she had to hang into.

Frisk rolled over before Chara could kick her, getting shakily to her feet.

How would she get rid of the Corrupted Determination, anyways?

Chara attacked again, causing Frisk to backstep out of the way of the slashing blade.

Maybe… if she were to cause enough wounds, the Corrupted Determination would drain?

Problem was, that would take time.

Frisk didn't have time.

Chara tried stabbing her in the chest, and Frisk narrowly avoided, tumbling to the side. She threw her arms in circles to balance her battered body and hissed.

"What's wrong, can't fight back? Pathetic!" The black eared girl hissed, baring her fangs.

Frisk gritted her teeth, swallowing down nausea.

Chara snarled and tried attacking again.

Frisk felt a twinge of burning in her chest, the determination that still guided her.

Frisk used her superior speed to strike last second, moving towards the attack but enough to the side to not get hit. The blade grazed her cheek as Frisk buried her dagger in Chara's gut.

Chara let out a small screech as Frisk pulled back, pulling the dagger with her. The black liquid spurted from the wound, instantly soaking the fabric.

Chara grinned wickedly.

"You can't kill me. 'Tis only a flesh wound, as they say."

Frisk blinked and narrowed her eyes.

Chara's grin faded with in a suspicious manner.

"Nothing you do is going to work, dog. I've won. You will pay for setting me back! WITH YOUR BLOOD!"

She let out a laugh worthy of an insane asylum and moved forward suddenly, taking Frisk by surprise.

Frisk cried out as the blade caught her side, leaving a cut that was far too deep for her taste. Frisk tried reacting despite the pain and retaliating, leaving a good cut on Chara's shoulder.

Frisk could still hear the sounds of a horrifying dog fight happening somewhere around them. Frisk stumbled and put distance between them, gripping her side. Her head swam.

Great. I can't outlast her like this… Frisk blinked away black spots. I… I can't…

She shook her head.

No. We did it. We can all live together on the surface. I'm not giving that up. I'm not letting Asriel's last wish be in vain! I don't care that I'm weak and tired, I'm a god damn wolf and I'm going to act like it till the end!

Frisk bared her fangs, green eyes burning.

Chara said something, but Frisk couldn't make it out. Her ears felt muffled, like she was underwater.

Frisk made the first move this time, feinting to the side last minute. Chara predicted this and moved with her, step for step. Their eyes locked and Frisk gathered strength in her legs and tackled Chara over, digging the dagger in her opponents chest.

Chara screamed and grabbed her ears, holding her head back as they fell to the ground. Chara smashed her forehead into hers, causing her vision to go fuzzy.

Frisk lost grip of the knife as she kicked at the body on top of her, using both of her hands to stop the knife from coming down. Frisk felt Chara stomp on the deep wound on her wide and she wheezed, not able to fully cry out as there was a knee now crushing her chest. Black liquid was dripping everywhere, and Frisk felt it warm on her shirt.

The knife was dangerously close.

"Just give up and DIE!"

Frisk snapped at her in response.

"Not until you admit you still feel for Asriel!"

Chara flinched.

Frisk took this opportunity to bolt up as her grip momentarily lessened, opening her mouth as wide as it would go and burying her teeth into Chara's throat, feeling her fangs piercing the soft, cold flesh. Horrible tasting blood flowed into her mouth as she pierced the jugular, keeping a firm grip.

At the same time Frisk felt unbearable pain in her torso as the knife came down and went in. Tears bubbled in her eyes as she tightened her grip to stop from crying out.

They sat there like that for a few moments, both bodies quivering, unable to move.

Then Chara pulled the blade out and started struggling to release Frisk's fangs from her throat. A normal person would be dead, but Chara was already dead. A ridiculous amount of Corrupted Determination was already pooled beneath them, mixed with Frisk's own crimson blood.

She felt light, unfocused. But using the last of her strength, Frisk hardened her bite and with a mighty tug, moving along with Chara's pulling, ripped away, tearing the flesh out.

More of the black blood poured out as Chara grasped at her throat, gurgling.

Frisk collapsed to the ground.

She felt cold.

She was panting, blood coming from her mouth and pooling under her. Some was the black from Chara, but that was only soon swirls in a pool of brighter red. Every breath was hard and cold sweat accumulated on her neck.

I… can't reset… can I… the thought brushed her mind. Why it did, she didn't know.

This… is…

Frisk swallowed.

No, a little longer.

"Nnnnnnnn, how dare you!" Chara's voice still didn't sound right, but her throat had regenerated enough for her to talk.

Frisk couldn't see her. She couldn't lift her head.

"I have no feelings for that weak hearted coward!" Chara finished a little too harshly.

Frisk detected something.

"Tha… that black stuff… has no… feelings… not you…" Frisk huffed.

Chara was silent.

"…what nonsense do you spew, dog!?"

"You do… feel… you always have… haven't you… you… you just…" it felt so bad. Every word. Hurt.

"You just… ended up… in the wrong… situation… at the wrong… time… it isn't… entirely… your fault… Asriel… I don't know… who you were before… but he did… and you aren't that…"

"STOP! Nothing matters but my goals!"

"Think… about those… would living… in a perfect… world… alone… really suit you? What's… the point… the best… things… in this world… are flawed." Sans immediately came to mind. The way he messed with her, tussled her hair. How kindhearted he could be, no matter how annoying his pestering was. No matter how broken he was inside.

"Lies. This world is filthy and horrid. Nothing here is beautiful. It's all disgusting." Chara's voice held something that gave Frisk hope. Did her plan work.

"Don't judge a mountain… b-based off of a single view…For all you know… there's a beautiful valley of flowers… on the other side… just giving up with that notion… makes the flowers… wilt... only the prettiest flowers… bloom from the dirtiest soil… if nothing died on that soil… if nothing made it filthy… no flowers could grow…" Frisk could see Snow lying on the ground, unmoving.

Frisk closed her eyes, but opened them immediately. She couldn't fade yet.

"What… I'm t-trying to say, is… don't judge the… rest of this world… based on what… you've experienced. Yes, I-it's… hard at times… but… there are good people… and good flowers on not the best people… we all were… children… at some point… we were all blissfully innocent… but we were all p-pricked by the thorn… on that beautiful red rose… then we all turned out… so different… Asriel… he loved you… you were his r-rose, a-and he loved you… even after you hurt him with your t-thorns…" Frisk didn't know if it was the closeness to death, or maybe the blood loss that made her talk like this. It was all spilling out with the crimson blood.

Chara didn't say a word. For a second Frisk wondered if she had slipped into death without knowing. But she was thankfully proven wrong.

"I know what y-you're trying t-to do, dog!" Chara's voice shook, and it didn't sound like Chara anymore.

Frisk felt the corner of her mouth twitch.

"We hate e-eachother… b-but… we are similar, aren't we… we were both… rejected by this world… and we are both roses… you're Asriel's and I'm Sans's… we both h-hurt p-people, intentionally o-or not… but we both have the o-opportunity t-to be beautiful regardless. There's… nothing else… I can say… to sway you… except… Asriel… asked me… to let you two be together again… wherever you m-may meet…"

She felt so groggy. So sleepy.

Couldn't… hold on…

"…you are absolutely ridiculous, dog. How dare you… do this to me… I can't be with him… I can't die. I can't die, you idiot! So how DARE you tease me with that aspect!" Chara screeched.

"…hnnn… just… let go… of… your… corrupted… just… accept… it's the last…" Frisk's eyes closed of their own accord.

Then there was nothing.

Sans's knee hurt.

Why was he laying on it?

Why was it cold.

Why was he being shaken.

Where was Fri-

Sans shot up.

Holy. Shit.

The recent events filled his skull. The last thing he remembered was Frisk hugging him close, though for what reason was beyond him. The thing he remembered before that was dying.

Dying…

Sans rubbed his skull and groaned. He was in hell, wasn't he. He knew he had been bad, but was it-

Wait, if he was in hell why was Papyrus sitting in front of him!?

Sans jolted.

"P-paps?"

Papyrus blinked, smiling. He looked dirty but otherwise unharmed.

"Brother! You have no idea… how relieved…" he wiped at his eyes.

Sans blinked, finally looking around him. Everyone was still here… except Flowey and Chara were gone. What…? Why was he still alive?

"Paps, don't do that, please." Sans rubbed his brother's skull, feeling a little awkward. Being dead just a bit ago is kinda awkward.

"Good, the bone bag is up. Ya know what the fuck happened?" Undyne said, a little too loudly.

Sans rubbed his ear holes.

"No, I do not know what happened. I am supposed to be dead."

"So am I, dumbass." Undyne replied, crouching in front of him.

Sans blinked.

"What?"

"Everyone except Frisk, Papyrus and the king died, pal. Then we just woke up good as new."

Oh.

That was…

"That's a bummer, huh." Sans sighed. He was too tired for this shit.

"The barrier is open too." Undyne grinned.

"…what."

"I said, THE BARRIER IS FUCKING OPEN! WE ARE FREE NERD!" Undyne screamed, jumping up and pumping her fists.

Sans was struck.

…free?

Like, now?

Papyrus looked back up to him, ecstatic.

"Yes, brother! Frisk must have done something! I always knew she was a good human! She had a good role model!" Papyrus put his hand on his chest and puffed it out in pride.

"Yeah, sure bro… wait, where is she?" Sans looked around frantically. Then, it hit him…

…oh god.

He had actually confessed-

Sans hit his face in his hands, feeling his cheeks light afire. Why couldn't he have just died?!

"Actually…" Undyne turned around to looked at Rocky, who was standing a little ways away. Toriel, Doggo, and Asgore talked in hushed voices, Silver close. Alphys was hidden behind Asgore's huge form.

"She up, dude? Sans is!"

Rocky looked up, wide eyed.

"N-no… Something isn't right Undyne…"

"She's just probably tuckered out from saving an entire race, it's cooool." Undyne waved him off.

Sans burst to his feet faster than he probably should have and wobbled over to where Rocky was standing. Now he saw Frisk laying on the ground, unmoving.

He felt soul dropping distress.

"Oi, Sans, chill! It's fine!" Undyne called as Sans got down on his knees, wincing a little. Damn his bad knee.

Sans pressed his fingers to her cheek gently. Cold.

Her breathing was…

Holy FUCK!

"FUCKING HELL!" Sans shook Frisk, maybe a little too roughly. It may have been just him, but it didn't look like she was breathing at all.

"What?" Undyne asked. Toriel and the others looked over.

Sans tilted his ear towards her chest. Her heartbeat was faint-very. And for humans, that was a bad.

"She isn't breathing, you fucking moron! Come on Snap pea, wake up! Wake up wake up wake up!" Sans was filled with panic. What the fuck should he do, what could he do, what was even hurting her! She didn't look badly injured!

Sans moved in on instinct to try what he remembered as something he was NOT certified in and refused to do when he was younger- CPR. Oh, how he regretted that. He didn't even know if this was right for humans- his mind was too panicked to worry about that.

Sans started pumping her chest rapidly, scared to hell and back this wasn't right. Alphys had rushed over at this point.

"Hold o-on, y-your d-doing it w-wrong… move over! Do what I tell you too!" Alphys pushed him, and Sans hesitantly complied. He moved as Alphys started pumping Frisk's chest the right way, much more rapidly.

Everyone had rushed over and surrounded, somewhat annoying him. Do something!

"It didn't look like anything was wrong!" Undyne said.

"Maybe actually check next time!" Sans snapped, grabbing his right arm. What would he do? Freedom was useless… useless! He didn't want it! He just wanted Frisk to be okay, god dammit! That's what he died for!

Sans turned back to Alphys.

"What's wrong?"

"I d-don't know, she isn't responding, I-" Alphys was crying. Why was she crying?

Sans was shaking.

She could just reset, right?

…right?

Alphys finally backed away, sweat beading on her scales.

"…"

"…Alphys?" Toriel asked apprehensively.

"I… I… she isn't… I think… it's…" Alphys burst into a muttering, sobbing mess.

Sans felt like something hit him.

No.

No. No no no no.

Absolutely NOT.

Sans moved back to Frisk, shaking the human.

"Get the fuck up right now. It isn't funny! Now! Frisk, don't do this do me! WAKE UP!" Sans was hyperventilating. It hurt so bad.

His soul…

He heard no heartbeat.

Why was there no reset?

"FRISK! Come on… please…" Sans stopped shaking, seeing as it wasn't doing a thing. He couldn't hear anyone else, couldn't see anyone else. All he could see was the thing he tried so hard to protect, the thing he never thought he would care about losing when he fried saw her.

His skull felt hot with tears.

"p-please… don't… just reset… please… I don't… it's… my fault…" Sans hunched in on himself. He was being crushed.

"I'm sorry… please… come back…"

Silence.

Sans was quaking, trying so hard to keep his sob in his throat. It was more emotion than he had ever felt, he didn't know what to do with it. It hurt so damn bad, but he didn't want to let it go, he couldn't let-

Suddenly, it burst free, and he raised his head and let out the most mournful howl he could have ever produced. He could feel his soul, heavy and pained as he let it out.

Once he ran out of breath, stuttering to a stop, he took more air in and kept going, hurting so bad.

It felt like he was trying to reach something, something gone. His soul was acting of its own accord, making him howl desperately. He could see his soul wolf doing the same next to him.

Someone else padded up to the side. Doggo.

"Us Moon Bloods call to you, human." He muttered before raising his head and letting out a howl of his own. Sans looked up and over, confused enough to abruptly stop.

Doggo looked to him and explained.

"Maybe we can call to her soul and form a connection, to pull her back. We are wolves. Wolves can call each other over distances great and unimaginable."

Sans stared, open mouthed, before letting out another howl, this time with clear driven purpose.

Call. Frisk. Back.

There was no reset. There would be no reset. The damage done to the timeline via whatever happened while he was out was too great, he could feel it.

Doggo joined, and their howls joined together pitifully. It sounded incomplete.

Eventually, Doggo stopped, leaving Sans desperately trying on his own.

"… we are not enough, old friend. I'm sorry."

Sans shook his head and kept trying. He'd keep trying till he had no voice. He'd keep trying till he turned to dust.

He wasn't letting her go.

He couldn't.

Never w-

Another, higher pitched howl joined his.

Sans stopped, feeling a bristling energy.

Sans turned to see everyone had scattered, staring at a single, unwelcome person.

Chara stopped howling, looking down at him.

"… don't look at me like that, skeleton."

"Get. The fuck. Away from Frisk." Sans snarled. Did Chara do this? If so sh-

"I'm trying to help you, idiot!" Chara snapped.

"I offer my soul. It is incomplete anyways. However, it may be used as an energy source to pull hers back from the realm she had been trapped in."

Sans growled.

"Why would you of all people help?"

Chara blinked.

"I have my reasons. Now do you accept or not?" She wasn't playing around.

Sans gritted his teeth.

He learned his lesson last time, accepting a deal from a-

"Sans, I believe we should try." Doggo insisted.

Sans shot him a glare.

Then he looked down at Frisk.

He…

Sans closed his eyes and howled despite his common sense telling him it was a trap.

Doggo joined again, followed by the new voice of Chara.

It sounded louder, closer.

Maybe…

Sans felt a tug.

Sans increased his volume, filling his last few notes with a desperate pull before tuckering out, panting. His throat hurt.

Dammit, it still wasn't enough. They we-

"Sans."

Doggo nudged him with his paw.

"I know. I know, we can't, just leave me alone." Sans sobbed, dropping his head in his hands. His ribcage hurt. It hurt so bad and he just wanted it to stop.

"I think not, friend. Looks like our enemy was telling the truth."

"That damn skeleton wouldn't know truth if it smacked him in the face." Chara snarled.

Sans looked up and turned around to see the demon fading. She was surrounded by a golden light, and her soul was nothing but a faint outline.

"Good riddance, I say." Was her last words before she disappeared like she had never been there to begin with.

Sans felt hope soar in his chest and he turned back to Frisk, eyes wide.

He took his two fingers and check for a pulse.


I hope this didn't flop completely. I know it's anticlimactic and stupid and cheesy and I butchered Chara. I'm sorry :/

It's 1 am lel. I haven't been getting much sleep lately.

Anyways, 1 more chapter! It makes me sad… but I'm excited for this!

However… will it be what you guys think it will be?

;b

Since it's so late imma hold of on reviews till next chapter. It makes more sense anyways. I am happy with some of the dialogue. That's it. I'm probably going to redo this.

Please, please be sure to check out Fangs of the Wolf. I am going to delete last chapter at some point. Very few people have check out Fangs of the Wolf, and it's a Sans centered story! Plus, once HT is wrapped up it's the only source of HT news besides my DA! It's Comycatdarkangel in case you forgot!

From the tired wolfo,

Comycat~

(Sorry for spelling errors)