I Know Your Name

by ShiningwingX

Seeking shelter from a storm, a blind child descends into a realm of monsters. A chance meeting grants him a companion in the form of a ghostly girl garbed in the colors of flowers. Yet, what seems but a simple adventure becomes much more as memories of dark pasts claw their way to the surface. Lives forsaken, a name unspoken... what does this new future hold in store?

24. Chapter 24

Pre-Chapter Notes: Hey, everyone! It's been a while hasn't it? We're really sorry that it's been so long since the last chapter was uploaded. Surely some of you might have worried about the future of this story, so maybe this upload will provide a ray of hope.

A bit of an explanation: We're sure you're all aware of the current goings on in the world. This COVID-19 thing has been one big sucker punch to the world. Us included. Kiki works in pharmacy and therefore is in a fairly high risk location for the disease. Thankfully none of us have caught it yet, but it has made things a little rocky in terms of free time. We've also been working at getting set up in a house of our own (as up until now we've been living with her parents. So that has also been taking up much of our time. Most recently on top of all of this, we had to deal with the sudden death of a very close friend of ours. All in all, it's been a very… "eventful" few months. Some of these things, we've mentioned briefly in our Discord server, but this is the short version of everything that's been going on in our lives.

Having said that, hopefully this chapter might provide some momentary respite from the trials the world is facing these days. It'll be a while yet before we get to Hotland, along with a certain overly dramatic geometric shape but hopefully what we've got coming up will be just as enjoyable.

It's hard to say whether updates will start picking up, due to how uncertain everything is, but rest assured we are still 'working' on this story, even if it's just brainstorming concepts or planning our how and when various story elements will play out. We'll see what happens in the coming days and months. We're starting to get settled into the new place now so hopefully we'll have more time to devote to writing in the future. For now, we'd ask for everyone to please be patient with us. That might go without saying, since you guys have proven to be one chill group of readers, but it still feels right to keep you updated on the situation.

One last thing to note: We've actually begun working on a few smaller projects as well. Some are connected to the universe we're shaping around IKYN, but some are also set apart. If you're interested, keep an eye out once we start uploading those. You might find something to like.

For now though, please enjoy this latest chapter. It's another long one so hopefully it was worth the wait.

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Chapter 24: That Which is Passed Down

---

"You what?" Lily wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly.

Everything had happened so fast. One moment she was speaking with Sans, with Frisk sleeping soundly as could be. The next, he'd nearly fallen off the couch and would have if not for the blue skeleton's timely intervention. Now, he was awake, doubled over in pain and looking on the verge of tears. Her hand drew circles around the boy's back attempting to sooth him as every now and then his body shuddered with another jolt of agony.

"I remember…" He muttered again, hand still pressed to his left eye. "I'm… remembering."

"breath, kid." Sans said, and the girl noticed he was suddenly standing next to them. When had he even moved? "slowly. ease it in. you're gonna hurt yourself if you keep tensing like that."

Frisk did so, drawing laborious breaths into his lungs and trying to resist the urge to go rigid each time another pulse ran through his skull. It seemed to help… or at least he thought it did. His head still felt like it was in a vice, but at least it seemed like the pressure had abated somewhat. He concentrated on his breathing, using the feel of Lily's hand as an anchor to keep from being swept away in the tide of memories, and waited.

Finally, after what felt like hours but was really only a few minutes at most, the pain suddenly fell away. Though it didn't fade completely, Frisk could tell that the worst had passed. He released a long sigh, his body feeling heavy after what it had just experienced. At last, he spoke.

"Okay… I think it's mostly gone." He said, his voice still somewhat strained. "Thanks, you guys."

"Don't thank us yet…!" Lily said worriedly, floating around the boy to check him over. "What the hell just happened?"

"you said you remembered something?" Sans asked.

"Yeah…" Frisk muttered.

"like what?" Sans asked, although not forcefully.

Frisk took a moment to think while Lily continued to examine him for any outward sign of injury. A series of unfocused memories were now roiling through his mind, appearing and fading at once before he could fully comprehend them. It was like someone had dumped a large amount of liquid into a near-full container. Some splashed out of the side, but most forced itself in, stirring up the whole thing into a violent churn.

"I think… a lot of things. It's mostly fuzzy, but… not all of it." He explained. "I… I remember them."

"Them?" Lily paused in her examination to ask the question.

"Sans knows…" Frisk replied, looking pointedly toward the short skeleton.

The skeleton nodded in understanding. "you still haven't seen 'em this time." he pointed out.

"But I saw them before. Didn't I?" Frisk wasn't asking.

"Hold on. Am I the only one out of the loop, here?" Lily spoke up, sounding somewhere between confused, and annoyed at being left out. "What are you two talking about?"

"It… might just be easier if you see them yourself." The boy said with some hesitation. "Do you mind calling them, Sans?"

The blue skeleton fixed the boy with a thoughtful look. "you sure, kiddo? somethin' tells me you weren't exactly on friendly terms with 'em back then."

"I'm sure." Frisk nodded. "I want to tell them I'm sorry…"

He couldn't recall everything about when he first met them. Most of it was still hidden from him, and trying to delve into it just made his headache worse. But he at least remembered what they looked like and how he'd felt. That uncharacteristic intensity he'd seen within that image of Sans… as well as the terrifying coldness within his own heart. It was enough for Frisk to reach the same conclusion that Sans had.

"welp… guess i can't really argue with that…" Sans shrugged, raising a languid fist into the air before opening his palm.

With a silent pulse of magic, unnoticed by a certain knight still asleep on the windowsill, the air around the trio began to distort. The walls and furniture seemed to swirl, their colors blending as space twisted in on itself. Steadily, the distortions coalesced into three spiraling vortexes, each one emitting a strange blue light. The display might have been dizzying to the children if it hadn't been so strangely familiar. They'd seen portals like these before… it was the exact same thing Papyrus had done when they'd braved his so-called 'Gauntlet of Deadly Terror'.

Still, though she didn't know exactly what to expect, Lily figured that Sans probably wasn't calling up a few harmless contraptions and a dog.

The answer came when three identical figures emerged from the portals, slipping through their surfaces as easily as water. They were large and snow-white, their shapes superficially resembling the skulls of canines but with multiple horn-like protrusions jutting from the back. A number of sharp fangs clung to their upper jaws, while the lowers seemed to be split into two precise halves. From the depths of their pitch black eye sockets shined a light, flickering between cyan and yellow and outlined in purple. Two of them turned their eyes - their disturbingly humanoid eyes - in the direction of the children, while the third glanced questioningly at its master.

Lily's breath caught in her throat at the sight of these intimidating figures. Instinctively, she moved closer to Frisk, intent on protecting him from… whatever these strange beings might do. She watched as Sans glanced toward the one looking at him and shook his head. The skull made a noise, somewhere between a low growl and an airy sigh toward the others. At once, the light within their sockets, once threatening, seemed to soften.

Frisk pushed off the blanket that had been covering him and rose from the couch as the third skull drifted forward on invisible strings to pass between the other two. The boy felt a tight grip on his hand, and turned to see Lily, looking at him with poignant worry. He smiled, squeezing her hand reassuringly, and turned his attention to the approaching figure.

It was much larger up close, about the size of Frisk himself. It looked him over in a mixture of curiosity and uncertainty, making a noise that almost sounded like a sniff though the boy felt no disturbance in the air. Lily's worry was not unfounded… to be honest, he was somewhat afraid as well. He swallowed that fear though, and lifted a hand. The skull recoiled slightly before slowly inching its way back, its shining eyes fixed upon the boy's small hand. Tentatively, Frisk lay his fingers upon it. Its surface was cool to the touch and smooth.

"Hi guys… I guess I can't really say 'it's nice to see you again', huh?" The child said softly, stroking the strange creature's ivory muzzle. "I know I put you and your master through a lot of trouble before. I'm really sorry."

"it's nice to see you trying so hard, frisk but I don't think these guys really remember any of that." Sans said. "they're bound by the same rules as everyone else, except maybe for you.

"I know." Frisk replied, as the skull leaned slightly into his touch. "I don't remember all of it either. But… now that I remember them, it just doesn't feel right to know they're there but not say anything."

The blue skeleton considered that for a moment. Given the copious amount of information stored on his terminal, San's assumed that there were no surprises anymore. In hindsight, he should have realized that nothing Frisk did ever followed any normal patterns. He'd been honestly surprised that the kid had requested to talk to them at all. Most everyone else just assumed they were another kind of bullet, and thus part of himself. But Frisk? He didn't hesitate to separate Sans from his Blasters.

"What… are they?" Lily asked, drifting forward to take a closer look.

"They're…" Frisk paused thoughtfully. "I'm not sure myself, actually. I've met them before… but I don't think it was a very happy time. I can't remember if I ever learned how they really work."

"it ain't much of a secret, though it'd take too long to go over all the details." Sans chimed in, letting his thoughts fall by the wayside for now. "the easiest way to explain it is that they're autonomous weapons that feed off SOUL energy. don't worry though. they won't get hungry unless i want 'em too."

"Are they alive?" She asked. Frisk relayed the question

"sort of." Sans replied. "you might think of them as a really advanced sort of a.i."

"A.I.?"The ghostly girl repeated. "Uh, I think you skipped a few letters there…"

Frisk snickered slightly at her blatant misunderstanding of the term. "She said you skipped a few letters."

"heh…" Sans chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "right… kid from the past plus technology equals confusion. i keep forgetting that part."

"Sorry i've been living under a rock for the past few hundred years. Oh, wait." The girl pouted.

"Um, I'm not sure how well I can explain it but…" Frisk thought for a moment. "It's kinda like… if you used a spell to bring a toy to life. It would still just be plastic and cloth, but it would act like it was a living, breathing person or animal. Talking, moving around, doing things without you telling it too. Except it can only do things that the spell will let it do. Does that make sense?"

"Hold on. You mean it's alive and not alive at the same time?" She glanced between Sans and his guardians. "Sounds like someone else I know."

"meow." Sans grinned cheekily, taking that as a compliment.

"Well there's more that goes into it, but I wouldn't know how to explain." The boy said. "I guess I'd just say treat them like you would anyone else and you should be fine."

"Well… okay." Lily said, resting her ethereal hand on one of the other skulls that wandered up. She giggled slightly at the confused look it gave when it seemingly realized she wasn't actually touching it. "I guess I can do that."

"i probably shouldn't keep these guys out too long, though." Sans pulled them back to reality. "pap doesn't really like them in the house… and i'd rather Undyne not get any ideas."

"Oh… I didn't know, sorry." Frisk apologized. "I think I'm good now. Thanks for letting me see them."

"no problem, kid. i think they appreciated it." Sans said before making a beckoning gesture with his left hand.

At once the three figures returned to their master's side and headed for their respective portals. The first two quickly disappeared inside, while the third took a moment to glance back toward the children before doing the same. Sans lazily waved his hand and at once the portals vanished, snapping reality back to its natural state. Frisk smiled, feeling a lot better now compared to how he'd woken up.

"Well, this day's already started weird…" Lily sighed. "What do we do now?"

"I'm not really tired anymore…" Frisk added, rubbing his temples a little. "Undyne and Papyrus should be up soon, right?"

"i dunno about you, but i'm gonna head back up. can't go ruining my stellar reputation now, can i?" Sans said, making his way to the stairs leading to his and Papyrus' rooms. He turned back toward them, his foot on the first step and lifted the notepad for Lily to see. "don't worry… i didn't forget."

With that, he turned away and steadily made his way up the stairs, shuffling his way across the balcony and back to his own room. Without turning, he gave a lazy wave to the two children still standing in the room below before disappearing inside. Frisk turned to Lily, who was still staring at the closed door above, with a questioning look.

"What was that about?" He asked.

"Oh yeah…" The girl said. "You weren't awake for it. I, uh… I learned something too. Something about myself…"

Frisk frowned, sensing the strange unease radiating from his guide and best friend. He took her hand and gave it another gentle squeeze.

"Do you feel like telling me?"

The specter nodded, her eyes falling to where the sigil lay, currently covered by her shirt.

"Yeah."

---

The last part of the early morning was spent with Lily recounting to Frisk what she and Sans had discussed before he woke up. Frisk listened, trying to ignore the distraction of the barely-formed memories churning within his head. It wasn't hard to do… knowing that there was more to what he'd seen and felt back at the spring actually made it quite easy to remain focused.

He stared thoughtfully at the strange brand emblazoned upon the girl's neckline. It was a dizzying sight, the complex symmetry of it confusing to his senses. The ominous sigil was strangely compelling, and the boy couldn't decide whether to be impressed by its intricacy, curious about its purpose, or outraged at its general existence.

"Does it hurt…?" He asked softly.

Lily shook her head. "Not at all… it looks like it should, right? But I wouldn't have known about it if I wasn't already looking for the other scars."

"I just got another string of memories back too." The boy considered. "Do you think…?"

"That its related?" Lily ventured a guess. Frisk nodded. "I don't know. I don't think it is though… I got the impression that this thing is a lot older and since I doubt you're secretly a wrinkly old man…"

Frisk laughed lightly at her candor and made a show of hunching over feebly. "Eh, I wouldn't be so sure'a that, missy. You learn quite a bit when ya get to be my age! Wahaha!" He said, doing his best Gerson impression.

Lily giggled, the sight of Frisk acting like the old turtle doing wonders for her somber mood. "Wow, that's actually really good."

Frisk grinned proudly, before standing up straight again. If he stayed like that too long, his back really would start hurting. At the very least, he was glad he was able to help cheer her up a little.

"Still…" He said sobering. "If it isn't that… then where did it come from?"

Lily shrugged. "Sans said he would see what he could find out. I'm not sure how much luck he'll have though…"

"It's just… I'm worried, Lily. I have a bad feeling about it." the boy admitted. "I know we said we'd try to figure all of this out. Your name, our memories, what happened before… but it's like the more we learn the worse it seems to get. I mean, we already know that I…"

He couldn't bring himself to finish.

"I know." Lily said, drifting over and wrapping her arms around him. "I'm scared too… but there's gotta be a reason why you did what you did. Just like there's a reason for why I have these, right? Shouldn't we know what those are?"

"Yeah." The boy said, leaning into her shoulder. "I wasn't saying I wanted to quit searching. It's just, now I'm starting to remember things again and… I'm just worried that I won't like the answer we end up finding is all."

"That seems to be a running thing with us, doesn't it?" The girl said. "But what else can we do? I don't really like the idea of something haunting you besides me."

The boy could feel a grin tugging at his lips. He knew perfectly well what the intent of those words were but that didn't change what they sounded like. And to him, they sounded like a flirt. He raised his head from her shoulder and gave her a look, wondering if the pride he felt was for her or for himself. The girl stared at him questioningly.

"What?" She began before realizing what she'd said. "Oh! I didn't… That was just… you know what I meant!"

Frisk laughed as she unraveled her arms from him and used them to cover her reddening face. Her pale complexion only made the blush even more prominent though, and Frisk - somewhat literally - saw right through the attempt. They still couldn't figure out why she was even able to. As a ghost she didn't exactly have blood… and yet, as she felt the heat creeping into her rosy cheeks, Lily found herself cursing whatever demented entity gave her the ability to do so.

After a few moments of enduring the boy's laughter and her own embarrassment, Lily finally lowered her arms. Frisk had calmed down too, and the children eventually settled into their daily routine. While the boy was busy lacing up his boots, his eyes fell upon the magical satchel they always had with them. It really had served them well so far, but he figured it was probably getting close to full by this point. Perhaps it was about time to make use of one of the Dimensional Boxes…

He stared at the gloves covering his hands, remembering the ones he'd worn the first time they'd used one of those. It had been so strange, finding something already placed inside. It had become apparent that they, along with the dull shears that accompanied them had once belonged to Lily. Though he'd since replaced them with something a bit less sentimental for everyday use, they were still there among the rest of their belongings.

Now that he thought about it, the glasses and notebook they'd acquired from Gerson had also belonged to another human, hadn't they? Those weren't the only ones they had either. He tied his shoes before standing up and going to retrieve the satchel.

"Hmm? What's up?" Lily asked, noticing what he was doing.

"I just thought of something." He said, beginning to riffle through it. "You remember those things we've been picking up around the Underground? The ones that always seem out of place?"

"You mean like the shoes and the ribbon?" Lily asked. "What about them?"

"It could just be the new memories talking but…" Frisk trailed off, picking the items carefully out of their pack.

Edmond's notebook and glasses, having been the latest to go in were the first to come out. Frisk carefully laid the fragile frames on top of the encyclopedia before delving back inside. He could feel Lily's grin on his back as the next couple of items came in the form of the old tutu as well as the aforementioned shoes. He still felt concerned about the echo they'd heard upon finding the latter, wondering what must have become of their previous owner.

A confused blend of emotions filled him as he drew out the faded ribbon and the toy knife. While the ribbon invoked fond memories of Home and their time with Toriel, the knife served as a constant reminder of what followed. He could feel himself trembling as his fingers ran along the cool plastic, remembering how it had cut so easily through the kindly monster's flesh. To think that, at one time, he might have done such a thing willingly.

As Frisk arrayed the items on the floor in front of him, Lily couldn't help but notice how much different those two were. While they knew who the notebook and glasses belonged to, and it seemed fairly obvious that the tutu and shoes were meant to go together, the ribbon and knife were confusing to her. One invoked the image of childish innocence while the other was made in the form of a dangerous weapon. And yet, for whatever reason they seemed to compliment each other.

The girl's thoughts drifted as the boy drew out the final pair of items - the shears… her shears. Rather than laying them on the floor with the rest, Frisk instead held them in his lap, before finally doing the same with the tattered gloves that accompanied them.

Four sets of items. One of them belonged to her, and they'd learned of the owner of one of the other three. The last two were still unknown to them.

"I thought so…" Frisk said finally.

"Huh…?" Lily blinked, turning her attention to them. "You thought what?"

"One's missing." He replied. "We should have picked up another one by now?"

"Wait, really?" The girl asked. "I haven't seen any others…"

"Am I wrong? Maybe I'm thinking of these…" He muttered, turning over the shears in his hands. "No… it was different."

"Do you know where it was?"

"I'm not…" He paused, and Lily could see his expression slowly changing as something seemed to come to him. "Wait… I remember something. It was… around here?"

"You mean it's in the house somewhere?" The girl suggested.

"Not here here. In Snowdin." The boy's face scrunched up and he rubbed his temples in an attempt to draw up the memory. "Ugh… where was it?"

"Huh…" A voice caused both children to jump. "You guys sure collect some weird stuff."

Just like that the parting sea that was Frisk's mind rushed back into place as his concentration was broken. The boy sighed, half in relief, half in frustration as the pressure on his mind eased up. The children turned back to see Undyne standing behind them, looking over the assortment of items. Her eye, though still filled with all the alertness of a soldier was sunken slightly from having just woken up.

"Oh… h-hey Undyne." Frisk greeted her, rubbing his head gently.

"I guess sneaking up on people isn't just a Sans thing…" Lily deadpanned. Undyne looked in her direction.

"Uhh… is something wrong with my ears?" The Captain asked, prodding at an area around her one of her head-fins with a pinky. "You're a lot… quieter when you're not doing the eye thing."

"Well, I guess that answers something..." the girl sighed. "Anyone can see me, no one can hear me. Why couldn't it have just given me both?"

The boy chuckled slightly. "Um… yeah. I don't really understand it either but it seems like people can see Lily now. We still have to do what we did before for anyone to hear her though."

"Huh. Well, I couldn't see her before but now I can." Undyne began. "Maybe it'll be possible for us to hear her too, sometime?"

"Probably." The boy agreed. It wasn't the first time Lily's 'presence' had changed after all.

"Anyways, is everything okay, Punks?" She asked. "You looked like you were thinking pretty hard about something."

"Well…" It wouldn't hurt to ask. "Do you know about anything around town that's kind of like these?"

Undyne looked over the items for a good few minutes before shaking her head. "Nothing really stands out. About the only thing they seem to have in common is that they're old. There's a lot of old stuff in the Underground but without narrowing it down…"

Frisk nodded. He figured as much but it was worth a shot.

"If it's around here it shouldn't be too hard to find though. Heh, might be good training!" She said. "But, uhh… I kind of gotta wake Papyrus and head out. I know we aren't exactly fighting anymore but I'm still the Captain of the Royal Guard, and it'll look weird if I don't show up to bark some orders."

"And Sans is probably going to sleep the day away too…" Lily said. "I guess it's just us, then. You do want to go look for it, right?"

"It can't hurt to try." The boy replied before turning back to Undyne. "It's okay. We'll see if we can find it while we're out today. Besides, if I'm going to be cooking dinner, I'll need to pick up some things anyway."

"Oh yeah! Man, I can't wait to see how humans cook." The knight said. "You guys going now?"

"The earlier the better, right?" Lily asked. Frisk nodded.

"Awesome! I better be sure to work up an appetite then!" Undyne said, before turning and heading for the stairs. "HEY PAPYRUS! FRONT AND CENTER, DUDE!"

---

"Um… excuse me." Frisk said, craning his neck to peak over the counter.

It had been a few hours since the children set out, checking locations off the list as they searched for anyone who might have an idea what they were looking for. Their search had eventually led them to the (still misnamed) Library, where they'd spent time shortly after arriving in town. In the weeks that followed, they'd had precious little time to pay another visit, much to Frisk's chagrin. Despite his visual limitations, the boy always felt comfortable around books, even those he couldn't read on his own. Unfortunately though, that was not the reason they were here now.

"Ah, forgive me. I didn't see you come in." said the monster behind the counter, a tall and thin lizardman with green scales and wire-framed glasses. "Oh, it's you. Didn't I see you a couple of weeks ago?"

"Probably." Frisk replied. "I'm kinda surprised you remember since we haven't been back since then."

"I have a good memory, if I do say so myself and yours is a pretty distinct face." The librarian answered before turning to Lily. "That said, I don't believe I've met your friend before."

"I was here too." Lily said, knowing the lizard man couldn't hear her. "I'm the one who keeps wondering why a library has a misspelled sign…"

Frisk snickered a little at the girl's comment. "This is my friend Lily. She just pointed out the spelling error on your sign."

"Yes… I know. I've about given up trying to get someone to fix it…" The librarian sighed, pinching his snout with a claw. "Anyway… what can I help you two with today?"

"I was wondering if you could help us find something." Frisk said, reaching into the satchel to retrieve a few of the items. "They'd be kind of like this… old things that don't seem like they belong."

"The ones we have now seem personal so they'd probably be unique too." Lily chimed in.

Frisk nodded and relayed her words to the librarian.

"Interesting…" The lizard said, carefully picking up one of the ballet shoes and looking it over. "Do you mind if I ask why you're searching for them?"

"It's, uhh…" Frisk hesitated. He couldn't exactly tell the monster the truth: that he'd seen these items when he'd been to the Underground before, but he couldn't remember where they were because something was blocking his memories of the last timeline. There's no way the man would take him seriously.

"It's for a school project." Lily offered just in the nick of time.

Frisk suppressed a sigh of relief and relayed her words to the librarian.

The lizardman nodded, apparently attributing the awkward silence to the boy listening to his friend. "Well, I can't say. They're definitely old though. If there's something like this around here, it's probably either buried beneath the snow, or already in someone's possession… perhaps as a family heirloom if it's that old."

"Alright." The boy nodded. "Thanks anyway."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help." The librarian said. "Good luck on your project. I hope you can find what you're looking for."

The children stepped outside into the frigid air of Snowdin, leaving the library and its misspelled sign behind them. The air around them was cold - not exactly uncommon in this region of the Underground - and Frisk shivered a little, pulling his coat tighter around himself.

"How many places does that make?" Lily asked. "Four now? Five?"

"Someone who might be keeping it as a family heirloom…" Frisk muttered thoughtfully. "Do we know anyone like that?"

The girl shook her head. "Grilby's the only one I can think of but we already asked him. I don't want to get pessimistic, Frisk, but I'm starting to think we'll never find it."

"It's gotta be around here though…" Frisk insisted. "I know it is… I just can't remember where…"

"Should we try somewhere else?" She asked. Even now the boy didn't seem discouraged in the least so he must have known what he was talking about. "There's still a few places we haven't looked."

"I want to, but… I told Undyne we'd make dinner tonight. If we don't pick up everything soon we won't have time to do it. " The boy shook his head. "It's okay. We'll be able to try again tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah. Now that we don't have to worry about being attacked by an angry fish lady, we've got some time on our hands." Lily laughed at her own joke. "Besides, I kinda want to make up for what happened at her house too…"

The two started walking - or rather, Frisk started walking while Lily floated at his side - and began making their way to the shop owned by Miss Lapin. The rabbit shopkeeper had always been kind to them since the day they'd first arrived in Snowdin, and was always happy to help any time they visited her shop. Frisk grinned, thinking how nice it would be to see her again after their time away from Snowdin.

"I probably should have asked this earlier…" Lily spoke up as they passed by the large, decorated tree in the center of town. "What exactly is the deal with your memories?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Frisk glanced at her.

"Back at the house… I don't know. It seemed different than usual." The girl clarified.

"Yeah… it was." The boy said thoughtfully. "I'm not sure how to explain it."

"Whenever I recover a memory it's like a flash of light… déjà vu but more real…" Lily said. "It happens once, and then it's just 'there' like any of my other ones."

"What did Sans call it? 'Vestigial recollection' or something, right?" The boy recalled.

"Is it still like that?" The specter asked him. "Like a flash but brighter?"

"A flash… I dunno. Maybe?" He struggled a little, as the visual concept was still a little hard for him to grasp. Eventually though, he gave up and tried a different tactic. "Its like I'm underwater… everything sounds muffled and I can't smell much. I know it's 'there' but it's hard to tell where exactly."

"So it's like…" Lily thought, looking around for anything that might adequately describe what the boy was going through. In the end, her eyes fell upon the shrouded path in the distance that separated Snowdin from Waterfall. "…like a fog. There, but covered up?"

"Yeah… that sounds about right." He replied. "If I try to remember something, it clears a little… but it's still blurry in places and keeps changing."

"What do you mean, 'changing'?"

"Well…" the red child began, searching for an example. "Say I try to remember when I first met Papyrus. I can remember this time clearly since it's 'outside' of the fog. If I focus though, a little more clears and I can see other times I met him."

"You mean from the timeline before this one, right?" Lily suggested.

"Yeah… they're similar, but different enough that I can tell." He confirmed. "Some things though… they're deeper into the fog, and I can't find them as easily. I can try to clear it, but it's harder… like it's fighting me. It hurts if I try too hard."

"If it hurts, then you probably shouldn't push it, Frisk." Lily frowned. "You don't know what it could do to you."

"But… what if there's something important there?" the boy protested.

"Like what?" Lily asked.

"Like…" he lowered his head in hesitation. "…like the reason I Reset in the first place."

That was a good point… it bothered Lily just how good of a point it was and she wasn't sure how to respond. After all, what better place to find the answer to a mystery than in the mind of the one who created it? If nothing else, it might help them decode that strange message on Sans' computer. On the other hand, while Frisk's commitment to finding the truth was admirable, the specter had an ominous feeling that digging too deep too quickly would only make things worse.

"We can't take too many risks. What if something bad happens?" She said finally. "Yeah, you being able to remember more would be useful but not if it means you get hurt."

"But…" Frisk began.

"I saw what happened back at the house. If even that was enough to hurt you…" She drifted to the front of him and looked into his face. "I just don't want that, okay?"

Frisk stopped walking as he met the eyes of his friend. They were almost pleading.

"Okay…" He said after a moment. Her eyes softened at that.

"I'm not saying to ignore your memories. I'm just saying be careful." She spoke again, a little more gently this time. "I kinda know your mind by now… you're smart. You'll know how much is too much."

"Then why do you feel like you have to warn me?" He asked.

Lily grinned impishly. "Because I also know how stubborn you can be."

"Hey!" Frisk tried to glare at her, despite his laughter. "It's called being determined!"

"Same thing!" The girl insisted, breaking into a laugh of her own.

The two children continued to joke amongst themselves as they moved on through the rest of the village. In time they reached it's western edge, where the brightly lit shop with its thick wood panels and snow covered roof waited. Smaller than the inn to its immediate right, it was no less inviting as the appetizing scent of sugar and cinnamon that tickled Frisk's nose could well attest.

"What are we gonna make anyway?" Lily asked, guiding him to the door.

"I'm not really sure yet." Frisk replied as the light chime of a bell announced their entry. "Let's see what we can find."

The bell above the door chimed softly as the two children entered. The delicious scents were even more pronounced now, while the warmth of the stove easily chased the chill from Frisk's body. The kindly shopkeeper with her purple fur and large ears peeking out from the gaps sewn into her floral sun hat looked up upon the sound. Another monster - a cream colored rabbit quite similar to herself - stood on the opposite side of the counter.

"My, my! Look who's come to visit us today?" Miss Lapin said with a friendly wave.

The other monster turned to regard them before smiling in recognition. "Well, aren't you popular today, Sis? Having customers as cute as these two."

"Miss Lapin! We aren't interrupting anything are we?" Frisk asked of the sisters.

Truthfully, the children didn't know Miss Lapin's sister as well as they would like. As the proprietor of the neighboring Snowed Inn, managing her customers' needs was truly a full time job, and didn't allow her as much freedom to socialize as her sibling enjoyed. Moreover, Frisk and Lily had little need for her services, given that they stayed with Sans and Papyrus so there hadn't been as many opportunities for them to speak. However, even with the few brief meetings they'd had they could tell she was every bit as kind and generous as her purple-furred sister.

"Not at all dears. Harriet was just helping me replace some things we're running low on." The innkeeper shook her head, ears swaying with the motion before turning back to the shopkeeper. "I think that's everything we need, isn't it, Sis?"

"Mm hmm! If you need more, just come on back, hear?" The purple furred bunny replied, sliding a large paper bag over the counter to her sister who took it gratefully.

"Guess I should head back then. You two be good, won't you?" The woman said with a smile to the two children.

"We will!" Frisk and Lily chorused, though the latter was still silent to anyone but her companion.

"Now then, how can I help you little ones today?" Miss Lapin asked once her sister had left the store. "Here for another of my Cinnamon Bunnies?"

Frisk felt his stomach rumble softly at the suggestion as well as the smell. At his side, he noticed Lily gazing longingly in a direction that he imagined ended at a fresh assortment of the sugary treats. Painfully, he managed to push away the desire to buy and eat one, remembering why they'd originally come in.

"Not today. We came to pick up some ingredients for dinner tonight." The boy finally said.

"Aw… can't we get just one?" Lily asked in disappointment.

"Maybe we can get some to snack on after dinner." Frisk conceded. "But we should try to get everything else first."

"Fine…" The girl sighed. "What should we look at first?"

The children made their way around the small, but well stocked shop, taking note of the various options available to them. It was hard to ignore the alluring scent of fresh Cinnamon Bunnies but eventually Frisk's keen focus (and nose) won out, allowing him to concentrate on the rest. He took note of the various scents, trying to decide which of them would go together best as the idea of what to make slowly came into his mind. Lily's help was indispensable when it came to picking out the freshest ingredients, as the girl's knowledge of plants also extended to vegetables and herbs as well. Even Miss Lapin contributed with a few of her own suggestions.

After about twenty minutes, the little human boy was satisfied with what they'd gathered and moved to the counter together with his ghostly companion.

"I think these should be good." Frisk said, sitting the basket containing their purchases up onto the counter.

"Alright. Just give me a minute to tally all this up for you." The kindly rabbit said warmly.

She stepped aside, moving to an old-fashioned cash register to add up the items. Frisk stood patiently at the counter, listening to the rhythmic clacking of the antique machine.

Lily busied herself by looking around the store a little more. The shelves behind the counter were arrayed with a number of interesting looking items. She hadn't paid much mind to them before since they usually only came here for food or to visit Miss Lapin but in the relative silence they'd caught her interest. An old tea set took up much of the bottom shelf, each piece bearing a similar pattern of bluish spirals. There were also a couple of intricate looking mirrors and bottles with labels that the spirit couldn't quite read. She found herself wondering if any of them were for sale.

She paused at one particular set of items. She couldn't quite make out what they were, but they seemed to stand out among the others.

"Hey, Frisk?" She tapped him on the shoulder.

"Huh?" The boy turned to her, frowning as he noticed the serious look on her face. "What's up?"

"There's a couple of things back there. I dunno… something about them." She said.

The boy's confused expression slowly shifted to one of realization, then disbelief. "Wait, you don't think they could be…"

Lily nodded. "Maybe? Do you think Miss Lapin will let us have a closer look?"

"It can't hurt to ask." The boy said before turning to the bunny shopkeeper. "Um… Miss Lapin?"

She turned from what she was doing to look down at him. "Hmm? What is it, honey? Think of somethin' else you need?"

"Maybe. Um…" Frisk began, thinking about how to phrase the question. "Are those things on the shelves back there for sale?"

"Most of 'em, yeah." Miss Lapin replied. "Why? Did one catch your fancy?"

"Actually, Lily noticed it. It'd probably be easier if she pointed it out." The boy said before turning to the girl.

Now that she had the shopkeeper's attention Lily drifted up to the counter before gesturing to the two items she'd noticed. Miss Lapin's jovial smile fell from her face, and was replaced by a strange expression when she realized what had caught the children's eye. She wasn't displeased… or at least that wasn't the impression that they got, but something had certainly changed in her mood.

"Those two?" She asked evenly. "Now why would you want to know about them?"

Frisk opened his mouth to provide the same excuse they'd given to the librarian, but stopped himself. Miss Lapin knew them well enough to catch onto that lie rather quickly. However, the truth was even less ideal. He turned to Lily, hoping that perhaps the girl's quick wit would provide an answer, but quickly realized that she seemed as stumped as he was this time. Fortunately, it didn't seem as if Miss Lapin actually expected an answer. She gave a wistful sigh and turned back to the items.

"Did you know those are probably the oldest things in this li'l shop?" She said. "They were here long before I was born, I can tell you that much. It's been a while since anyone asked about them."

She moved over to the shelf and picked them up, sweeping away a thin layer of dust that had begun to accumulate around them. It was only now that Lily was able to get an idea of what they were. The first was a piece of folded cloth tied into a loop. Its bright orange color, only slightly faded, was contrasted by the black flame-like patterns that danced along its surface. The second was a single fingerless leather glove. Most of its outer layer had flaked off over time, leaving it a dull yellow-brown. Only a few patches remained of its original pink color.

"What do you think, Frisk?" Lily whispered, after describing the two aged items to him.

"I don't know." The boy thoughtfully. "But I think it's them."

Miss Lapin made her way around the counter and held out the items. "Go ahead. Careful, now."

"Is it really okay?" The boy asked, staring up at her monochrome image. The kind smile returned to her face.

He nodded, but didn't take the items immediately, instead turning to Lily. In a moment of silent understanding, she returned to his side before vanishing into his SOUL. Then as one, the children reached out to receive them. With her friend's right hand, Lily took the bandanna while Frisk gingerly took the glove in his left.

Whispers of the past flooded the boy's mind as his fingers ran over the frayed thread and flaking leather. Just like that, the veil over his memories was slowly peeled away, removing all doubt from his mind. In its place, echoes of all the times he'd held them before took root, overlapping one another in a way that defied chronological thought.

"It's them…" he muttered, in a voice so quiet that even the girl sharing his body had trouble making it out.

"When I was a little girl," Miss Lapin spoke, unaware of what was going on in hey young customer's mind. Nevertheless, her voice drew the children's attention up to her, "my grandmother would tell me and Sis stories of where those things came from. Said it was her great grandmother who actually lived it. We would listen to it a hundred times… it never got old."

"How does it go?" Lily asked softly.

"Well, honey… I can't say I'm as good a storyteller as she was." Miss Lapin said fondly. "But if you really want to hear it, I s'pose I can give it a try."

"We do." Frisk said in quiet enthusiasm. "Please tell us."

"Well, like all good stories it happened a long time ago." The shopkeeper began. "Our town wasn't quite so big back then. Just a few families made of us furry types, a handful of houses and this here shop. Even the Inn Sis runs wasn't around back then. We didn't have all that much for people to want to stick around, after all. We were happy just living our days surrounded by the trees and snow."

"As you can probably imagine, a place like that wasn't much for excitement. Come to think of it, that's about the only thing that's stayed the same since those days. Well, up until recently I suppose." She cast an insinuating smile in the children's direction causing them to blush. "But just like now, that all changed the day that she showed up."

"She?" Lily asked.

"Mhm. It was the strangest thing. We knew this place like it was our own backyard, because it was our own backyard. Everybody knew everybody, even those who chose to live outside our little town. But no one had ever seen anything like her before. She just showed up, out of the blue like one of those Skeletons you two are staying with. Popped out from the forest to the west with that bandanna around her head and that glove on her hand."

Miss Lapin's eyes turned to the ceiling of her shop, as if trying to visualize a time long before her own.

"Now, everyone knows the only thing beyond Snowdin Forest is the old door to the Ruins. That door doesn't open. Unless you're a ghost or can burrow there's no getting in or out." Lily could make the argument about that difficulty extending to ghosts as well. Or at least to her anyway. Somehow Napstablook had no trouble.

"So where could this wiry little thing have come from?" Miss Lapin's story continued. "No one really knew, so my family welcomed her into our home. It was just the right thing to do… we couldn't leave the poor thing out in the cold, could we? We'd only find out the truth later… that she was a human."

"A Human…" Frisk muttered thoughtfully. "Just like Edmond… and us."

"What happened next?" Lily prompted, thoroughly invested in the story.

"She stayed with us for some time. Eventually it was like she was as much a part of the town as anyone else. She was really quite fond of the children, a real protective sort. The grown ups could rest easy knowing that no harm would come to them so long as she was there." The shopkeeper chuckled melancholically. "She was courageous as they come, some might even say heroic… all the way until the end."

Frisk nodded in understanding, sensing the moist, earthy scent of Lily's sadness that told him she'd reached the same conclusion. "How did it happen?"

"The day started like any other. No one could have expected the blizzard to come so suddenly." The bunny explained. "Now, I know what you're thinking: a blizzard all the way down here? Maybe it was magic, or maybe a part of the mountain fell away and let it in but this whole region was choked in white. Some of the children were out playing in the forest when it came. Everyone was worried about them, but the storm kept them from going out to search. My great great great grandmother was one of those children."

"The townsfolk had just about given up hope. Planned to wait out the weather and pray the children could find a place to do the same. This girl though… she didn't hesitate. She stepped outside, despite the danger and ran headlong into the blizzard.

"She found them pretty deep in the forest, shivering from the cold but still alive. She led them all back to the town, fighting through the wind and snow to get them home. Their parents were overjoyed to see them back home safely. It was only when the townsfolk went to thank her that they realized she'd fallen down."

'Fallen down'… it was a term they'd heard before and had recently come to understand through Edmond's notebook. A comatose state monsters enter when they near the end of their lives, before their bodies turn to dust. It stood to reason that they would apply the term to humans as well. It was similar enough to convey the meaning. They took a moment to regard the glove and bandanna one last time, musing on their owner, before returning the items to Miss Lapin.

"My family took her in and laid her on the bed. Tried everything they could think of to save her but," Eyes distant, the shopkeeper paused as she retrieved them. "without any fur, facing that much cold for that long…"

"There was nothing they could do." Lily said softly, feeling torn between admiration for the girl's bravery, and sadness for where it led.

"Supposedly, the last thing out of her mouth was just two words: 'take it'. They say the moment she said them, the house lit up brighter than the tree in the middle of town. It was a warm light, so warm that they almost forgot about the blizzard outside." The purple rabbit turned her eyes down to the children and smiled sadly. "A little like the one you carry, actually."

"Her SOUL…" Frisk said, placing his hand over the light hovering before his own chest.

She gave a single nod. "Eventually the Royal Guard of the time came to get it, but we kept her glove and bandanna to remind us of what she did. It was before my time, but I wouldn't be standing here now if that brave girl hadn't given her life for us. I know what they tell us about humans. But having grown up with that story, and getting to know you two… I just can't believe it. I imagine everyone else here feels the same. It wasn't just my family that was saved back then."

"Do you… know what her name was?" Lily asked, worried for the answer. As someone who had lost her own, she couldn't abide such a selfless person being forgotten.

Miss Lapin, however, smiled at the question. "Rilynn. It was Rilynn."

"It's a nice name." Frisk said, feeling Lily's joy and relief at the knowledge that even after so long, the girl was still remembered.

"I think so, too." the shopkeeper said, before her expression changed. "My, my but we've been talking for awhile. It's good to remember the past now and then, but you two should know better than to take up a lady's time at work."

"Oh, uh…" Lily chuckled a little. "Whoops?"

"We didn't mean to." Frisk apologized. "But, thanks for telling us the story."

She stared at them for a moment but the twinkle in her eye suggested that she didn't really mind. "No worries, but we'd better get you honeys rang up and headin' home. I hear that house is gettin' a little more crowded."

"Oh, duh." Frisk smacked the side of his head. "Dinner!"

"I actually almost forgot about that. Do we need anything else, Frisk?" Lily asked.

The two made another quick pass around the store to confirm that they had everything they needed, while Miss Lapin returned to her place behind the counter. With everything accounted for, the shopkeeper finished adding up their total before handing them their groceries. Thanking the purple rabbit once last time, they paid her before stepping from the shop and back into the chilly streets of Snowdin Town.

"You sure you don't mind leaving those back there?" Lily asked, hoisting Frisk's arms to keep their purchases firmly in place.

"They're not ours… and they seem like they mean a lot to Miss Lapin. I'm happy just knowing who their owner was." Frisk placidly replied as they made their way back in the direction of the Skeleton house. "Anyway… another human. She really was a hero, wasn't she?"

"Yeah… now we know about two of them. " Lily said, thinking about the glove and bandanna sitting back on that shelf. "That means it's true. Those things we've been picking up… they all belong to humans that fell before you, right?"

"If the feeling I get from them is right." Frisk replied. "Yeah, I really think they did."

"Undyne said there were six." The girl recalled. "If we include mine, that means we have five."

"Four." The boy corrected her.

"Huh?"

"Four." He said again. "I can't really explain why but… yours are different from the others."

"You mumbled something about that before." Lily pointed out. "But different how?"

"Well… when I think of the others I get the sense that I had them before." The boy explained, craning his neck back thoughtfully. "But when I look at yours, I can only remember when we got them out of the box, back when we first came here. It's like I never saw them in the last timeline."

"Hold on." Lily stopped them mid-step. "Does that mean I'm not one of those six humans? Then, how am I…"

"Maybe…" Frisk said, trying to concentrate through the fog of his memories but ultimately stopping when the pain started setting in. "I'm not sure… I feel like there's more to it. We know you were here at one point. Flowey wouldn't know you if you weren't. I feel like I should know something about it but… I can't reach it. I'm sorry, Lily."

The spirit sighed, and shook her head. "Don't be sorry. It's still something, right?" She decided to change the subject. "So… four, then. You think we'll find anything from the other two?"

"I hope so. I'd like to know who they were, at least." Frisk nodded. "It's funny though, Edmond, Rilynn, us… isn't it weird how we all seemed to come from the Ruins?"

"You're right." Lily agreed. "I bet that's where the others came from too. I mean, Mom did say…"

She trailed off, the very mention of the motherly caretaker of the Ruins casting a shadow over her mood. Frisk felt much the same way, remembering their final few moments with her before they'd stepped out into the greater Underground and this whole crazy adventure. It was strange, really. Compared to everything else they'd been through, their time with Toriel was comparatively short. And yet, it seemed that around every corner, there was something that would always bring their thoughts back to her.

"You weren't really able to talk to her back then, huh?" Frisk reminisced.

"Oh yeah. It's been so long since we've been able to do this, I almost forgot that we couldn't at first." Lily laughed a little. "But, you know… even though she couldn't see or hear me, she still tried to make me feel like I belonged."

"I guess back then, it would have been easy for other people to just think I was a weird kid with an imaginary friend… but she didn't even question it." Frisk said, remembering how he'd been the only one able to directly communicate with the girl for a while. "She was good to us… I wish we didn't have to leave like that."

"Me neither…" Lily said somberly. "There might have been another way, if we had time."

Frisk lowered his head sadly. "I just… I really want to see her again."

"So do I…" Lily replied, wrapping her presence around his SOUL in a comforting hug. "but you know we can't… not while that door is closed."

Frisk nodded, knowing full well that she was right.

This had become a common topic of discussion among the two of them, ever since they left that place. In the weeks before their adventure through Waterfall, they'd made a number of trips through Snowdin forest, hoping they might find it open. Each time, all that awaited them was a large slab of stone, firmly sealing the sole entrance and exit to the Ruins. It remained steadfast in their attempts to pry it open, the etched symbol they now knew as the Delta Rune mocking them with its insurmountable challenge.

No other monsters knew the secret to its unlocking either… even Sans, as in-the-know as anyone probably could be, had simply shrugged. Lily had tried to cross it one her own, feeling her incorporeality might allow her to do something, only to be barred all the same.

At this point, crossing the Barrier and making their way back the way Frisk first arrived seemed more likely to succeed than getting the thing open. Of course, that too was easier said than done.

"We shouldn't stand around out here. We'll get in the way." Lily spoke up after a moment. "Let's hurry up and get back, okay? Everyone else is probably there already."

"Right…" the boy muttered, becoming aware once again of the bags in his arms.

"Cheer up, Frisky…" she said gently, offering a small smile within his SOUL. "We'll see her again, you know that. Right now, how about you focus on showing Undyne how food can taste when you don't turn your house into an oven?"

Frisk giggled a little at that. "Okay, okay… I guess I am getting a little hungry anyway."

"Yeah you are. I've been hearing your stomach for the past fifteen minutes." Lily grinned. "Now let's go!"

Spurred on by Lily's encouragement, the red child hefted the bags in his arms and started back on the path toward the cozy home of the brothers. She was right… as long as they kept trying, surely they would one day reunite with Toriel. They would have so many stories to tell her when that day finally came.

Finally, his thoughts turned to what he planned for them to make for dinner. Thoughts of the kitchen and how his housemates would react to the dish quickly chased away the somber mood that hung over him. Pretty soon, it was only the bags in his arms and his unwillingness to drop them that kept him from running all the home.

He couldn't wait to get started.

---

"What's taking so long?" Undyne grumbled.

"OH! I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER HEARD OF THIS KIND OF SPAGHETTI!" Papyrus declared vociferously. "WHERE ARE THE NOODLES?"

The two monsters were staring at the thin strips of seasoned meat roasting slowly in the skillet. Again, Frisk wasn't entirely sure what the source was, whether they were a magical recreation or the flesh of some animal native to the Underground. He'd picked it primarily because it smelled like beef, and he imagined the cooking process might be similar. He was proven right as a savory aroma began to waft through the kitchen and the rest of the house.

"That's 'cause it isn't spaghetti, Papyrus." Frisk replied. "Since Undyne's staying with us now, I wanted to try something new."

Papyrus stared at the boy who was stirring a mixture of peppers, onions, tomatoes, and spices in a separate pot. "NOT SPAGHETTI? BUT WHAT OTHER DISHES ARE THERE?"

"Not that many, just a few thousand…" Lily smirked, keeping her attention on the sizzling meat while Frisk focused on his stirring. "Some are even just as good!"

"BUT... SPAGHETTI IS THE PERFECT DISH! SO ELEGANT, SO FLAVORFUL! CAN ANYTHING TRULY MATCH SUCH AMBROSIA?" Papyrus seemed flummoxed by the very idea.

"Well… Ambrosia probably could but I don't think I'm good enough to make that." the boy giggled. "But Lily's right. There's a lot of different recipes out there."

"Don't tell me the Great Papyrus is satisfied with only making one kind of food. That's a waste of talent!" Lily teased, grinning as Papyrus was forced to consider that for a moment. "But seriously… what are we making, Frisk? You never told me."

"It's a pepper steak recipe I learned about a few days before I came here." The boy explained. "I haven't had a chance to try it out before now. I hope it turns out okay."

"Well it definitely smells good…" the girl replied. If she had a body of her own she'd probably have been drooling. "I think the meat's ready to be turned."

"Undyne, can you do that?" Frisk asked. "Gently, like I showed you?"

"Uh… right!" The knight perked up, grabbing a pair of tongs and turning each of the pieces over while resisting the urge to slam them violently into the hot pan. "Ugh, this is taking forever! Can't we just turn up the heat and make it cook faster?"

"Don't. Even. Try it." Lily warned. "Let's try to keep the number of burning houses to one, please."

"Fine… this is so weird though. Cooking is supposed to be about passion!" Undyne complained. "Bending the ingredients to your will, and pummeling them into submission is the best feeling in the world! What's the point if you don't go all out?!"

"Passion doesn't have to be burning hot, you know… it can also be calm and flowing, like water." Frisk said sagaciously, stepping back to let the mixture stew a little. "The ingredients already know what they want to be. They'll tell you if you listen."

Wow, Frisk…" Lily exhaled. "That was really deep."

The Captain blinked at him for a few seconds before finding her voice. "Okay… I want to argue with you, but I won't. Because that was just too cool."

The boy smiled before taking a deep breath, letting in the fragrance of the fledgling meal. The scents told him a great deal where his eyes could not. A subtle shift in aroma was sometimes as telling a sign as one of color, and he'd learned to recognize them where he could. Truthfully though, having the two monsters as well as Lily for help was a godsend, especially for things that required a little more precision. His SOULsight wouldn't be much help there.

After a few more moments, he nodded. "Papyrus, can you pour the vegetables into the pan with the meat? Be careful that you don't let any of it splash."

"NYEH HEH HEH! CONSIDER IT DONE, FRISK!" Papyrus declared.

The lanky skeleton sauntered his way over to the stove and did as instructed. A harsh sizzle resounded through the kitchen as the separate parts were united in the skillet. The aroma immediately changed as the mellow vegetables mingled with the savory meat. The two children watched Papyrus as he was careful to make sure everything was transferred properly. He'd made a good bit of progress since the first time, though he was still prone to odd experimentation. Then again, that creativity could lead to some truly unique cuisine one day… just so long as he could control his impulses.

Frisk stepped up again and proceeded to stir the meat and vegetables until they were properly mixed. "Good job guys. Now we just need to cover it, and we can leave this alone for a while."

"On it!" Lily sang, placing the lid over the top of the meal. "So was that everything?"

"Almost. Now we have to boil the rice." The boy answered. "This part should be easy. It's pretty similar to noodles. Could you guys find another pan? That one isn't quite big enough."

"This better be good, Punk!" Undyne said with a toothy grin. "C'mon Papyrus."

Frisk and Lily made their way out of the room to retrieve the rice while Papyrus and Undyne searched for something to cook it in. Lily was worried about leaving the two lethal chefs alone in the kitchen but, from the sound of the clanking that followed them into the living room, it sounded like they were simply doing as instructed.

"Hey Sans?" Frisk asked.

The skeleton looked almost as if he'd fused himself into the couch from how relaxed he seemed. He glanced up, snapping his joke book shut as he shifted his attention to them.

"hey, kiddos. dinner's startin' to smell pretty good." He said lazily. "wouldn't leave pap, and undyne alone with it too long though."

"If you're that worried, you could always help, you know." Lily said, crossing Frisk's arms before his chest. Sans merely grinned.

"nah, i wouldn't know where to start with somethin' like that." The short skeleton waved her off. "besides, you guys sound like you got it covered."

Lily made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a scoff. With everything they'd seen already, she knew that was a bold faced lie.

"We need the rice." Frisk said before the girl could protest. "Do you remember where we put it?"

Sans waved a bony hand and one of their bags came floating over, aloft on a cloud of blue magic. From it, emerged a smaller bag filled with fine white grains that proceeded to hover before the children.

"Show off…" Lily muttered as Frisk took the bag.

"yep…" He grinned in response.

"Thanks, Sans." the boy replied. "It should be ready s-"

A loud crash coming from the kitchen silenced the small human as both he and Lily cringed at the sound.

"better get back in there, kiddos," Sans said, turning back to his book. "before those two turn the kitchen into a nightmare…"

The two nodded in agreement. Bag in hand, they quickly returned to the kitchen to check on Papyrus and Undyne. They stepped inside only to find Papyrus sprawled on the ground amidst assorted pieces of kitchenware. Undyne meanwhile was standing on top of a chair with a pot in her hands and a confused look on her face.

"Hey, you found the pot!" Lily chirped jokingly. "…You okay, Papy?"

"OWIE…" Papyrus groaned, picking himself up off the ground. "P-PERFECTLY FINE, LILY. A SMALL SPILL LIKE THIS IS NOTHING TO THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"

"Y-yeah!" Undyne replied, climbing down from the chair and draping her arm over the unstable skeleton. "What's next, then?"

"Uh, well… normally we'd rinse the rice first, but that might be a little… tough right now." Frisk began, not really needing to see it to have an idea of the mess they'd made. "It isn't really necessary anyway. We'll need about four cups of water for the pot. Could you get those?"

The boy listened and Lily watched as Undyne muscled her way through the scattered kitchenware and approached the elevated sink, grabbing a spare measuring cup along the way. Without a second thought, she grabbed the edge and pulled herself into a one handed chin-up over the side. The warrior's deftness was impressive as she used her free hand to measure out the water, adding it to the pot before letting herself drop to the ground without spilling a single drop. Undyne turned back to the children and brought the filled pot to them, her awareness of her feat plain to see from the smug grin she wore. Papyrus' eye-sockets sparkled with admiration for his mentor, while Frisk and Lily gave a single-person applause.

"Alright! Now we're ready for the last step." Frisk declared, excited for how their dish would turn out. "First we need to boil the water before we put in the rice."

Undyne nodded and laid the pot onto an unoccupied burner while Lily set the temperature (to a far more reasonable level this time). It didn't take long for bubbles to begin forming on the surface of the lightly steaming water. At last, they measured out the rice before handing it to Papyrus who quickly added it to the water. Frisk wore a content smile as he stepped aside, allowing the aroma of the slowly cooking meal to fill his nose.

"Alright, now what do we do?" Undyne asked.

"Now we just wait." Frisk replied.

"That's it?" Undyne voiced her displeasure. "Man, I was really getting into that too…"

"NYEH HEH HEH! NO WORRIES, UNDYNE! THIS IS THE BEST PART!" Papyrus encouraged her.

The captain gave him a questioning look. "Whaddaya mean?"

"It won't cook right if we mess with it too much." Lily explained.

"That's right." Frisk added, proud of how much his friends had learned. "This shouldn't take too much time though. While we're waiting we can clean up the rest."

Undyne shrugged but decided not to complain. Even she had to acknowledge that whatever the punks were doing seemed to be working. The smell alone was almost enough to make her want to eat right out of the pot. Taking their advice, the fish woman turned her attention to the scattered pots, pans, and utensils. The other three followed suit, gathering up the mess and returning everything to its proper place. It was somewhat difficult, given the inconvenient set up of the kitchen but eventually they managed to get everything put away.

Once done, they checked on the dish. Undyne was surprised to notice that most of the water was gone, and the rice grains had almost tripled in size. What was more, the mix of meat and vegetables had softened, and the broth had darkened to a rich brown.

"It's almost done. We can probably turn the stove off now." Frisk announced. "Let's get some plates ready."

Soon enough, they departed the kitchen along with four plates, each with a generous helping of food. The tender meat and succulent vegetables sat atop a mound of rice, colored and flavored by the thick sauce. While the little head chef couldn't fully appreciate the appearance of it, the smell was another story. It had evolved during its time stewing and was now more mouthwatering than ever. He grinned happily, pleased with the result.

Sans' constantly grinning face glanced up at them as they entered. He hadn't moved from his position on the couch, reclining back into the cushions, feet crossed at the ankles, with both on the table.

"SANS! TAKE YOUR FEET OFF THERE THIS INSTANT!" Papyrus scolded his brother.

"'kay…" The elder skeleton replied. His feet remained.

"SAAAANS!" Papyrus shouted again.

"Wait, when did…" Lily muttered, glancing around the room.

The table was normally set against the wall, but now it was in front of the couch. How was it possible that such a huge piece of furniture had been moved without anyone noticing? Rocky had also found a new home on the smaller table in the other corner of the living room, though he didn't seem to mind that much.

"YOU DO THIS ALL THE TIME!" Papyrus complained. "I KEEP TELLING YOU, IF YOU MUST PUT YOUR FEET SOMEWHERE, GET A STOOL OR SOMETHING!"

Sans reluctantly did as asked, struggling far more than was necessary to lower his feet from the table. The girl watched him curiously. It just seemed strange that, while he'd been using it as a glorified footrest, the skeleton had also provided them a perfect place to eat. Would he really have gone to that much effort just for a place to rest his feet? It wasn't hard to believe… Sans was always one to go to great lengths for the sake of laziness. But, then again…

"anyways… that's lookin' pretty good." Sans said. "can't wait to try it."

"Same here. I know I don't really need to eat, but it feels like I'm getting hungry just from the smell. " Lily agreed as they handed the short skeleton his plate.

"Sure that isn't me?" Frisk grinned, sensing his friend shrug in response.

"Yeah well, the look and smell doesn't matter." Undyne reminded them. "What's important is the taste. I'm gonna be real disappointed if this sucks, Punk!"

"UM, UNDYNE? ARE YOU OKAY?" Papyrus asked, placing the other plates on the table. "YOU SEEM TO BE… SALIVATING."

"S-Shut up!"

Frisk and Lily giggled as the three of them carefully maneuvered their way onto the couch. Papyrus took a seat next to his brother, followed by Frisk and Lily. Finally, Undyne settled herself down on the other end. It was a bit of a squeeze, fitting five people onto the ugly, but comfortable sofa even if one didn't exactly take up much space. Still, they managed and before long everyone was settled in. Sans fished a remote out from within the cushions (how he knew where to find it was anyone's guess), and turned on the TV as the housemates prepared to eat.

The children took their fork in hand, popping one of the pieces of meat into their mouth. It was entirely different from the spaghetti they'd made before, but every bit as pleasant. It was tender, the savory flavor having taken on a hint of sweetness from the veggies.

"Damn, that's good!" Undyne cried, slamming her fist onto the table and setting the plates and silverware into a clatter.

Frisk, Lily and even Papyrus jumped in response to her sudden outburst, the latter of whom nearly dropped his own fork in the process. Only Sans was unaffected, instead looking mildly amused at everyone else. Lily turned a sharp glare toward Undyne as soon as they recovered, which contrasted Frisk's proud smile.

"Does that mean you like it?" He asked.

"Are you kidding me?! This is amazing!" The captain responded with a toothy grin of her own. "Guess that means you beat me again, but you know what? I don't care if it means I get to eat stuff like this!"

"WELL SAID UNDYNE!" Papyrus replied. "ALTHOUGH, I AM STILL SURPRISED YOU CAN ACHIEVE THIS DEPTH OF FLAVOR WITHOUT SPAGHETTI…"

"looks like you got everyone's approval, kid." Sans nodded.

"Then, how about we stop talking and actually eat it?" Lily joked, her initial annoyance already gone.

No one objected to that suggestion, and thus the five of them tucked into their meals. Light from the TV streamed into the room, while the tinny voice of a very rectangular news anchor filled the room. The usual segments of daily events and weather (which was somehow still possible even in the Underground) was interspersed with advertisements for an upcoming movie. Most of the friends weren't really paying attention, although Papyrus seemed particularly interested in the latter.

"So, I gotta ask…" Undyne spoke up after a few minutes. "How did you learn how to cook anyway, Frisk? I mean, you're blind, right? I thought something like that would be hard for you."

"It isn't, really." The boy replied. "Like you said, taste is the most important thing and that works just fine for me. I might not be able to make it look too fancy, but I can do that much."

Lily giggled slightly. "I asked the same thing when I found out."

"I mean, I get that. I can see why you'd be interested in it." Undyne said. "But isn't it hard to learn recipes and stuff?"

"Huh… I never thought about that." Lily added.

"Well… I did have a little help." The boy said, skewering a piece of pepper onto his fork to add to the meat that was already there.

"Someone taught you?" she ventured.

"Not exactly…" Frisk answered, somewhat hesitantly.

"What do you mean?" Undyne asked.

"You know how I mentioned being in a foster program before?" He answered. "Well… those aren't exactly the happiest places for a kid. You never know what kind of family you'll end up with. Sometimes you're lucky, and they place you with people who care, but if you aren't, well…"

"sounds like you're speakin' from experience, buddy…" Sans observed.

"It was harder for me. I feel bad saying that, since there's a lot of kids in that situation, but it's true." The boy replied. "Some of them just had no idea how to take care of me because of my blindness. Others were just interested in the next check. There were some good families who really tried, but once the term was up I would end up back in the system, hoping that the next place would be as kind. Usually, it wasn't."

"Frisk…" Lily sighed. She wasn't surprised this was the first time she'd heard this story. Who would want to talk about something like that?

"Damn, Punk… you went through all that?" Undyne asked in a voice that sounded somewhere between pity and respect.

"There was something that kept me going though… or actually, someone." The boy said fondly. "They taught me so much… and it was thanks to them that I got interested in cooking in the first place."

"WHO WAS THIS MYSTERIOUS CONFIDANT?" Papyrus asked, taking another bite from his plate. "YOU MUST HAVE KNOWN THEM WELL IF YOU ADMIRE THEM SO MUCH."

"Actually… I've never even met them." Frisk said, grinning slightly at the perplexed silence that answered him. "From time to time, I would get letters and packages sent to wherever I was living at the time but they never had return addresses. The letters were usually short, telling me to be strong, or not to give up. It was just the usual motivational stuff, but it kept me going. The packages were mostly books. One of them had some cookbooks in it… that's where I first learned."

"Come to think of it… this isn't the first time you've talked about reading." Lily pointed out. "I've been meaning to ask this for a while, but how were you able to read anything if you can't see?"

"It's funny, right?" The boy laughed a little. "They were all in braille."

"Braille?" Lily repeated. "What's that?"

"It's… not really a language. More like a 'writing style'." Frisk explained. "It lets the blind read by using their sense of touch."

"OH! I THINK I UNDERSTAND!" Papyrus declared. "MIGHT IT BE SOMETHING LIKE THAT 'HANDSY' LANGUAGE WE KNOW, BROTHER?"

"a bit, yeah." Sans replied thoughtfully.

"'Handsy' language?" Lily's mind immediately turned to her conversation with Sans the night before. Could that be what he was talking about when he mentioned a better way for her to communicate? She shook her head before letting her mind delve too far into that thought. "Anyway, go ahead Frisk."

"Even with the books, it was hard to learn." the human continued. "I had to train my other senses to make up for my eyes. I thought, if I could learn how to do it… maybe I wouldn't be so much of a burden to everyone."

"You're not a burden though." the girl replied, and Frisk could feel her hugging him from within.

"I know… I don't feel like that anymore. Not since I came here." He said, placing a hand over his chest. "That isn't why i like cooking though. It might have started out that way, but eventually I'd do it just because it was fun."

"Good thing you did, huh?" Undyne grinned, spearing another piece of meat onto her fork. "We wouldn't be eating like this right now if you didn't. I kinda wanna find whoever sent you those packages give 'em nice headlock to say thanks."

"heh, nothing says 'gratitude' like passin' out from lack of air." Sans chuckled before turning serious. "guess the mysteries around you just keep piling up, huh?"

"Yeah… I'm kind of getting used to it by now." Frisk replied honestly.

"Nothing wrong with a little mystery, is there?" Lily grinned. "It makes things more interesting!"

"INDEED! IT IS JUST LIKE A PUZZLE!" Papyrus said. "IT IS FAR MORE FUN IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER BEFORE HAND!"

"Braille, huh?" The specter said thoughtfully after a moment's pause. "Do you think you might be able to teach me some?"

"Really?" The boy asked her. "Are you sure? I mean… it isn't really all that useful for anyone who isn't blind."

"Well, you said yourself that without the books that person gave you, you wouldn't have learned a lot of the stuff you know now." Lily offered. "So… it's important to you, right?"

"Uh huh." The boy nodded.

"I dunno what it's like to be blind… even when I share your body like this, I can still see." She continued, somewhat hesitantly. "Maybe if I learn Braille, it could help me understand a little better…"

The red child was touched by his friend's sincerity. Speaking about his past wasn't always easy, and usually brought him to a place in his mind he didn't enjoy visiting. Yet, Lily always had a way of reminding him that that unhappy life was behind him now. No SAVE, Load, or Reset could change how his life had been before… but if it hadn't been for that, he might never have come to the Underground in the first place.

No… there was no 'might'. It was without question.

"If you want, sure. I can try, but…" still, he hesitated. "I don't know how well I'd be able to teach it. I can read it fine, but I've never actually tried writing it myself."

"It doesn't have to be perfect… we can fill in the gaps as we go." The girl pressed, hopefully. "Besides, we both know I'm good with languages and stuff. Please?"

"Okay." Frisk agreed finally. "When should we start then? Tomorrow?"

"How about right after dinner?" Lily suggested, growing excited at the idea. "We can at least do a little before bed, and I wanna learn it as quickly as I can!"

"heh. kid's gonna be an omniglot by the end of all this…" Sans muttered, dredging up a bit of sauce with the rice on his fork before popping it into his mouth.

The conversation dwindled and everyone finally returned to their meals, polishing them off at their own pace. When at last everyone had finished, all that remained were four sets of dirty dishes, and five satisfied housemates. Eventually, it came time to clear the plates and deal with any leftovers. With Papyrus, Undyne, and the children working together, this took no time at all. Sans, true to his nature, let them handle it. Finally, with full stomachs the four of them returned, intent on enjoying the last few hours before settling down for the night.

"Man, that was good, Punk!" Undyne praised for what must have been the fifth time. "Guess you weren't just making it up when you said you could cook…"

"Haha… thanks." Frisk said, a little self consciously. "I'm just glad it turned out well."

"I WILL NOT RELINQUISH MY LOYALTY TO SPAGHETTI," Papyrus began with a wide grin. "BUT STILL… THAT WAS VERY GOOD, FRISK."

"Looks like you'll have to try a little harder to get him to switch sides, huh?" Lily joked, causing the boy to laugh. "Anyway…"

Frisk grinned knowingly as the girl trailed off. He had a pretty good idea what she wanted to say.

"We can get started now if you want." He said, feeling good after the food and company. "We'll need some paper and something to write with first though."

"think i saw something in those bags you brought home…" Sans said evenly from the couch.

"Huh?" Lily said, turning to the skeleton. "How? The only things we got up at Miss Lapin's was the stuff for dinner."

"ya sure about that?" The short skeleton countered. "i'd check again if i were you. you wouldn't wanna throw away something you might need."

Frisk frowned as Lily continued to stare at Sans, who seemed completely oblivious to their looks. That was certainly an… odd piece of advice coming from him. It was almost like they were having two completely different conversations. In any case, surely there was nothing else in those bags but food. Did they miss something when preparing dinner?

"It can't hurt to look, right?" Frisk said finally.

"No, I guess not," Lily replied, piloting Frisk's body over to an empty place near the TV stand where they'd left the bags. "but I'm telling you, there wouldn't be anything in here but-"

She stopped short as she opened one of them, the glowing eye that represented her, illuminating what lay within. A short gasp escaped from the children's shared mouth as whatever it was left her completely dumbstruck. Frisk could sense the abrupt change in his friend even before this.

"What's wrong?" He asked curiously. "Is something really in there?"

Lily didn't respond immediately, instead carefully placing the bag back where she found it, taking up the second, and looking inside.

Sure enough…

"Frisk, I…" She mumbled. "I think you should find out for yourself."

Confused but curious, the boy did as she suggested, dipping his small hand into the bag to hopefully figure out what had affected her so much. His fingers brushed the item hidden at the bottom, and he knew at once. Delicately, he grasped the soft material and drew it out, letting the now empty bag fall to the floor.

In his hands was a bright orange cloth: a bandanna.

"The glove's in the other one." In her stunned state, Lily's words seemed more habitual than anything.

Frisk was much the same way though as he delved into the other bag and drew out the glove. Both of them… the glove and the bandanna: relics of a child who came to the Underground before them. The belongings of a brave girl named Rilynn…

"But… how?" Frisk found his voice first. "We… gave them back to her. Didn't we?"

"Maybe… maybe she put them in our bags by accident?" Lily ventured a guess.

"But there's one in each…" Frisk pointed out. "Would she really have missed that?"

"So wait… you mean she did it on purpose?" The specter asked.

Her human companion shook his head. "I don't know…"

Lily stared at the two items for a few moments before blinking the fog from her mind. She turned her glowing eye toward Sans, who was conspicuously watching the two of them from behind his joke book. She couldn't see the bottom of his face, but something told her he was grinning more than usual.

"How did you know?" She asked.

"saw 'em when you guys were in the kitchen." The skeleton said simply. "i thought they must've been the things you were looking for, but you didn't seem to know they were there."

"Why didn't you say anything before?" She continued.

"guess i forgot." Sans shrugged. "i am pretty thick-skulled, y'know."

Papyrus cringed visibly, which served to lighten the heavy atmosphere a little.

"A-ANYWAY. THOSE WERE WHAT YOU TWO WERE LOOKING FOR, CORRECT?" He spoke up. "IT SEEMS TO ME THIS DAY HAS BEEN A ROUSING SUCCESS ALL AROUND!"

"Yeah…" Frisk said thoughtfully, running his fingers along the items. "I guess it has, huh?"

"You probably better find a place to keep 'em safe though." Undyne spoke up. "You're doing that 'Braille' thing, right?"

"Oh… oh yeah!" Frisk said, finally remembering what they'd been looking for in the first place. "Where's that pen and paper?"

It took a moment, but eventually they managed to find what they were looking for while Papyrus and Undyne returned the large table to where it belonged. The two children used the empty space to set up a study area with which to have their lesson. The glove and bandanna, it was decided, would go on the corner table for now, as it would be safest there until they could reach a dimensional box. Finally, they asked Rocky - who had grown content in his new home - to keep the two treasures safe until then.

The pet rock, of course, had no reason to object.

---

Authors' Notes: Again, this was a long one… but hopefully it's served to clear up some things that haven't been delved into quite as much yet. Frisk's partially restored memories will have a much larger impact on the story going forward, so there's bound to be some more deviation from the game's progression.

For those who might be wondering how the release of Seal: Beta changes things compared to Seal: Alpha, here's the gist of it. Before, what Frisk went through were flashes of déjà vu or vague visions triggered at random, or in response to something significant. Now, he's able to recall certain things at will if he focuses on them, but if he tries to go too deep into it (such as specific details, or especially bad memories one would naturally try to repress), his mind can't handle it, so it hurts. To use Papyrus' 'puzzle' analogy, it would be the difference between having all the pieces in a disorganized pile, as opposed to having finished the outer edges and now working your way in.

The Gaster Blasters being somewhat sapient isn't exactly a new concept in Undertale fanfiction… but it's just too good to not use. Also an important note: the Blasters themselves aren't entirely magic. They run on and channel magic, but their bodies are closer to a monster than a bullet.

Similar to the glasses and notebook, you can buy the Tough Glove and Manly Bandanna in the Snowdin shop. This is another reason why we changed out the Glove you can find in the Dimensional box with things related to Lily… we wanted these items to be unique since they used to belong to the other humans. Having the Orange SOUL child be a girl was a choice we made for the sake of uniqueness, given that most people would assume the opposite given the items.

This is also the reason why Snowdin's residents weren't keen on giving Frisk and Lily up when Undyne came around asking about them. They know the 'common knowledge' the Underground has about humans isn't entirely accurate… they've known a virtuous human before, and saw that reflected in the kids.

Frisk's life on the surface wasn't the easiest, but at least he had someone in his corner. Who could they have been though, and why the interest in one little blind boy?

Last but not least… Yeah, Sans snooped. You didn't really think we weren't going to see Rilynn's items again after going into her backstory did you? Rabbits can be sneaky when they need to be… even if they're purple-furred, sunhat wearing shopkeepers.

ShiningwingX: "As someone who has been in a foster system myself, I have personal understanding of Frisk's situation. Maybe it's better these days, I don't know but back then it was a serious roll of the dice who you'd end up with. Some families are genuinely good people who only want to help, but others can be downright horrible. Even if you are fortunate enough to get the former, the stress of having your life uprooted can really mess with a kid. Anyway, back to the notes…"

Hopefully this chapter was enjoyable to read despite its length and the heavy themes involved. Please let us know what you think or if you have anything to share. :)

And as always if you want a direct line to talk to us, feel free to join our discord server: /jfYHvw2

Finally, please know that we love you guys and hope you're all stressing safe during this trying time. Take care of yourselves and each other. Social distancing sucks in a lot of ways but it's important to hinder this pandemic as much as possible. With that in mind though, please don't give into all the panic and chaos either. As bad as the situation is, it's more important than ever to remain level headed and respectful to others. Above all, stay informed, listen to your healthcare professionals, and keep yourselves safe. We'll get through this together.

For now, we'll see you all in the next chapter.