"That face" you whispered while the kid was walking towards you. "That is the face of someone who has died five times in a row". You chuckled without humor while balancing a bone on you middle finger. "That's kinda convenient, huh? Once for each finger". She didn't seem very amused. Your eyes went completely black. "But soon…"

You threw a series of bones and gaster blasters, but she avoided almost each one of them. You cursed softly while you avoided her attack. Your attacks were always similar and in the last three resets she had started to recognize them and didn't take much damage. You would have to start using more magic soon. Then things would start getting risky.

The tiny girl, just a little taller than you, held the knife with a strength that didn't match her angelic face. You looked closely while she jumped over the rays of a gaster blaster for an indication that she knew what she had done, knew who she had killed. The only thing you could clearly see though were red eyes shining with determination to erase the world.

You resisted the urge to scream with despair when you dodged another one of her attacks. Some days ago, at least for you, you two and Papyrus were sitting on the couch watching a cheesy Mettaton movie. She giggled each time you made another bad pun. It was driving Papyrus humorously insane. The girl moved closer to you and her brown eye shone with happiness when you hugged her tightly…

"Frisk! Why are you doing this?" you shouted while she was dodging a shower of bones coming from every direction. "Frisk, do you remember me?"

There was no answer.

You kept avoiding each other's attacks. It was weird, but you could have sworn that her hand sometimes pulled in the other direction just fragments of a second before her knife hit you. It felt like she was defying the urge to kill you. Maybe, you though at those moments, maybe the person you had met was still there, somewhere. Maybe she had just woken up in the Ruins without any memory of who she was, of who her friends were and she was afraid. Maybe you had to try one more time to remind her.

You threw her on the floor with your magic and enhanced gravity so much that she couldn't even move her head without a huge effort. The magic made you tremble and sweat, but you could keep her like this for long enough to try and talk. You approached her slowly. The tiny creature was fighting to get away from your hold on her. Despite her wounds, she wasn't complaining nor crying. The only thing she seemed to want was to kill you.

But you just couldn't stop hoping.

"Frisk" you whispered aching, "Talk to me. Do you remember me Frisk? I am your friend".

You had made the same question during other fights too, but the only answer you got was the swing of a knife. But then, the red eyes shone and a low, hysterical laugh echoed in the corridor. The girl rose her head with difficulty and, smiling, she talked for the first time in your five fights.

"You idiot" she laughed. "Do you still think I am your precious Frisk? Have you not understood who you're talking to?"

You felt your bones tremble and your eye sockets became two dark abysses. You had seen those red eyes again in another body, so you didn't think it could be… That person had been dead for a very long time. Another human was standing in front of you. But still…

"I'm Chara" she continued with an angelic smile. You took a big breath while taking a step back.

"No" you whispered to yourself mostly, "It's not possible…"

She laughed a paranoid laugh. You knew this wasn't the laugh of your little Frisk. From the moment you saw her outside Snowdin you felt there was something different on her, a strange aura you remembered from before. But you just couldn't accept it.

"Oh, but it is, Sansy…" she said mockingly. The nickname made his bones hurt from grief. She used to call you this. Before the reset. When you were alone. "I'm Chara in the body of your beloved Frisk. I just couldn't stand watching a human treating monsters with so much kindness. Being friends with them and… Well. Your relationship with her was so disgusting".

Your hands were trembling. You were mere moments away from killing her, breaking her body apart, watching the colour drain from her eyes. But if the kid's words were true, if the Frisk you knew was still in there somewhere, you couldn't kill her. You could never do that.

Chara chuckled even louder. You were already hating the cruel laugh coming from her lips, so different from the melodic sound you were used to hearing.

"You understand nothing" she continued cruelly. "Your little human is still alive in the back of her mind. She cried so much every time I killed someone. The pathetic little fool. You know, she begged me not to kill your stupid brother when he spared me". Mentioning Papyrus made your bones freeze. You wouldn't allow this wretched creature to talk about him.

"Don't you ever mention Papyrus to me" he whispered with a scary voice, as dozens of bones appeared above her, aiming her small body. She just smiled.

"You know, whatever hurts me, hurts her too" she said. "Oh, you've hurt her so much, she begged me to give up so that you would kill us faster. But you have no idea how much I enjoy her pain".

You stepped back covering your head with your palms, disgusted at the thought that you were hurting your little Frisk while she was trapped in there. "Does she… Does she remember me?" you whispered, your voice much more vulnerable than you wanted.

"Of course, you idiot" she answered happily. "She loves you, Sans" she shrugged. "It's disgusting how much she wanted you to touch her". Her expression was ecstatic. "Isn't this more fun though? The fact that you will eventually die from the hands of the girl that loved you?"

The only thing you could was whisper. "Give her back. Now". You were trembling, hurting so much, you didn't understand your grip on her was loosening.

She laughed again, that awful cruel laugh, and her red eyes were shining with happiness. "Well, this time… I think I will give her to you… just for a little while"

"Wait" you screamed, "what are you doing?"

You were too surprised to stop her. Chara raised the hand holding the knife and buried it between her ribs. Simultaneously, the red eyes turned a familiar, sweet shade of brown and an awful scream filled the room.