Chapter 12: Scars

Susie's brain fills with static, and she jumps backward leaps and bounds until it suddenly stops. The rain hits harshly against the windowpane. Children can be heard running and yelling in the hallway as they pass to their dormitories. Susie comes into focus, as spiked bracelets cover her arms and muscles. She rises from her bed, quickly forcing the bracelets off. As she rubs her eyes, her eyes pass to the glass on the nightstand. The water within the glass trembles. She shakes her head as noise flows through her corner of the orphanage.

"Don't these brats know that not everyone here can run on lack of sleep like they can? I wish they'd just shut up." She smirks. "Maybe I'll make 'em."

Susie rubs her fingers through her hair as she approaches the door. As she walks out of the room, a human wearing a bright white outfit appears before her. Her face is rosy, and her right hand is gently placed on another human's shoulder. This child is slightly shorter than the caretaker, whose face and eyes are covered by their hair. They're wearing a green and yellow shirt, figure borderline skeletal. Susie takes a step back and shakes her head." The H is this?"

The human waves her arms and smiles. "Don't worry, Susie- he won't bite. I would like to introduce you to a new friend." The caseworker smiles and gently nudges the second human into the room. "This is Kris. He's about your age, and both of you are among the few teenagers in this orphanage. Maybe you two can confide in each other."

Susie's eyes scan Kris' body. He continues to hang his head, and Susie clicks her tongue and rolls her eyes. "What, you're gonna say nothin'? That's pretty stupid."

Susie folds her arms, and the caseworker shakes her hand. "Tsk tsk Susie, no need to be rude. You should be nice to him; he's here because his parents were murdered recently."

Susie's mouth widens slightly, and she takes a step back. "Oh?"

The orphanage employee nods slowly. "Well, I should clarify. Perhaps I shouldn't tell you this, but the police suspect that one of the monsters in the State killed his parents. They have a few ruffians lined up as candidates, but no arrests have been made."

Kris' limbs tremble, and his arms shake. The caseworker leaves silently, and Kris begins repeating words under his breath "Die…die…" Kris whispers.

Susie shakes her head and grips his shoulders. "Dude, you're acting weird. Get it together!"

Kris meets Susie, with his gaze shaking. "Sorry…I know I'm being creepy." He shakes his head and wearily extends a hand. "I'll try again; my name is Kris."

Susie straights her posture, and gives Kris a fist bump instead of shaking his hand, smirking. "I will tell you one thing, though…this isn't the first time I've been abandoned, Kris. Cross me, betray me, whatever…and I'll eat your face."

Kris stares at her, and his quiet eyes dance awaken, filled with intense energy. "Noted."

Susie's brain plays static again, and the fuzz increases tempo for a few seconds. As the sensation stops, a grainy expanse reveals itself, depicting Kris. "Next time we cross…hope it will be our last…Susan."

Susie punches the ground. The world swirls and grows, nearly imploding. The static mounds and swells, and the noises of the scene become nearly deafening. Suddenly, silence. The brain rebounds. The colors return.

…

The room is quiet. Asriel taps his foot rapidly. Frisk is leaned forward, with his small, narrow eyes glancing into Susie's somewhat uncomfortable posture. "Please explain more, Susie."

Susie crosses her arms authoritatively. "He talked about vengeance a lot, and wanted to get back at the one who freed the monsters."

Frisk sighs and twists his thumbs in between each other. "That means that he wants me dead, right?"

Susie nods. "Bingo. And I dunno if Kris was the one who attacked you guys, but the motive does line up. I can't think of anyone else in this town that would do something as bold as that."

Asriel's eye twitches as his fists clench and grow tense. Susie doesn't see him and continues to talk to Frisk. "He could've been mad at himself, too. Dude would gripe constantly. He'd say things like 'why am I here?' 'Why did this happen to me?' I get the pain of losing your parents." She shakes her head. "I dunno where mine even are. It sucks, but like, c'mon man."

Susie rolls her eyes and squints them harshly. "Blaming you for it because the barrier broke was broken is all sorts of weird." Susie holds her arms behind her head now, trying to relax. "I gotta say though, I dunno what's crazier: a parent having to bury their child, or a child losing their parents before growing up." She places her arms at her sides now, pressing them into the mattress forcefully. "Both would suck. I know that much."

Asriel's eye twitches more harshly. He slowly gets up from his seat on the bed and hunches over, in pain. Frisk turns his head towards Asriel; his face is covered in worry.

Susie stares at Asriel, her pupils narrowing and darkening in color. "Azzy, bro…are you alright?

Asriel's mouth opens, and his twisted face releases pain. "THAT'S TOTAL GARBAGE," he yells, spitting at the ground.

Susie looks closer at Asriel and her eyes narrow. "Um…what is?"

His voice lowers to a deafeningly soft level. "I don't get it…" Asriel brings his hands up to his face. His fur stands on end and his irises dance frenetically. "Frisk unified us all." Asriel's voice raises in volume again. "Life has been good for both humans and monsters; this Kris guy doesn't know what he's talking about. And, IT'S NOT FRISK'S FAULT EITHER!"

Asriel's body seethes; his stubby horns grow in length and build, and it's as though he's growing taller. But Frisk reaches out and grabs Asriel by the arm. Asriel lowers his head, and the red aura fleeing from his body dissipates. He then slowly sits back down on the bed and holds his head in his arms. "Asriel, it's ok", Frisk says. "Please calm down, ok? I hate seeing you like this."

Asriel's body trembles for a few moments. He glances down at Frisk, his brain freezing and his eyes tightly shut. After another moment, he nods slightly and sits down, head resting on his hands.

Toriel charges in the room and her eyes dart back and forth between both beds. Her eyes settle in on Asriel. "Why is my child screaming?!"

Toriel's brow furrows as Asriel sighs. He removes his hands from his head, his eyes watering. "Mom, I'm sorry…I didn't mean to disturb you or act rude. There's just a lot I'm thinking about right now. I hope you won't stay mad at me."

Toriel's angry expression fades quickly, and her aura shifts from red hot to cool aqua. She holds a hand over her mouth and nods briefly. "Very well, my child- all is forgiven. Please tell me if you need anything."

Asriel nods. Toriel's eyes tremble as she turns to leave. After she closes the door, Susie turns to Frisk and smiles widely. "Heh, so you really did free the monsters? I had a hunch you did, but I didn't know for sure if you were ambassador or not." Susie then smiles smugly and chuckles. "Ya see, I don't give a crap about politics. I'm only following what's going on now because I got good evidence for my former friend being the culprit."

Frisk nods and smiles. "I don't blame you for saying that, but I'm not actually the one to break the barrier. Azzy was." Susie leans backward and nods. Frisk continues. "But since I'm the ambassador, many have given me credit for it, I guess." He shrugs. "I've told people that Asriel was the one to finish the job, but they forget."

Susie nods. Frisk bites his lip gently. "When it comes to doing ambassador stuff, things are going great now, but it definitely wasn't like that early on." Frisk bubs his neck and leans back. "There are times when I get a little tired, and I had a funny feeling that things wouldn't be perfect forever. And of course, as soon as I thought that, Kris showed up. Not only that, but on the weekends I have to meet with the Ebott city council for discussion on how things are going in our town. Plus, I gotta look after Azzy."

Frisk gently pats Asriel on the back, and Asriel lifts his sulking face. A slight smile is etched onto it, but it's quickly erased. "Wait a minute. If you're the target, why did Asriel get hurt?" She points to Asriel, then releases her finger as Asriel's glare blares into her skull. She clicks her tongue. "Never mind. Don't want you to get all crazy on me."

Asriel's blue expression returns, and he fidgets with his fingers while lowering his gaze. "I'm sorry about earlier, and I promise to keep calm when explaining." He breathes deeply, then continues to speak. "Thing is…I jumped in the way of Kris. I recovered, but it was pretty scary. I have the scar to prove it."

Susie leans forward, and Asriel slowly lifts his shirt. A thin, dark red laceration scar stretches from his right pectoral muscle down to his belly button. The powerful hue blares for Susie, and after a few seconds, Asriel pulls his shirt back over his midsection.

"That scar is pretty dope," Susie quips.

"Heh, that's the first I've heard. But, thanks." Asriel looks at Frisk slightly, then turns his head back to Susie. "I had to save him; I owed it to Frisk."

"Why?"

Asriel sighs deeply and folds his hands together. "When I was 11 years old, I lost my real body through…dying. Kind of. I say 'kind of' because I resurrected. You could say the death doesn't really count, but I still didn't have my real body after my revival."

"So, how did you live?"

"Through my Flowey form." He gulps, leaning in and whispering, "please keep it a secret; I don't go around advertising it."

Susie nods. "Huh…does anyone know about, well…what actually happened?"

Asriel scratches his ear. "Only three know of my passing firsthand: my parents and Gerson. But the reason why all of Ebott knows my story of getting re-goated, except the Flowey part, is because it spread like wildfire soon after I came to the surface." He shakes his head. "It was crazy- my soul was detached. I was hollow, cruel, prideful, and angry at the world…at myself, too." A pair of tears appear in his eyes. "The pain was indescribable."

Susie nods. "But you're here, right?"

Asriel manages to laugh as he wipes away the tears from his reddened eyes. "Yeah, I am. And, I'm glad that most don't know that I was Flowey. The only ones that know are my closest friends and family…oh, and my counselor, Alvin."

Susie folds her arms. "How did ya get your real body back, though? I'm still lost on that."

Frisk inches forward and nods. "I can explain. Considering our battle and how many souls he used in it, Dr. Alphys theorized that in order to make sure beyond the shadow of a doubt that Azzy could get his real body back, he would need enough powerful soul energy to make it work. Any less and he would probably keep his real body for a while but then also possibly go back to his Flowey body sooner or later." Frisk gently nudges Asriel and Asriel rubs the back of his neck. "Even if he was still in his flower body though, I still would've put Azzy in a pot and brought him home. Then, we would've just waited until enough human souls were available from donors."

Susie raises an eyebrow. "Like, with organ donors?"

Frisk smiles. "Yes, just with souls! You could say that in this case, the human soul counts as an organ, too. Just, a special kind of organ. Anyway, he would've gotten his real body back sooner or later, and I didn't want to leave him down there." Lowering his head, the ambassador bites his lip. "But honestly, I wanted Azzy to be in his real body again as soon as possible. That's why we went with the plan that we did."

Asriel chuckles and smiles. "Thanks, Frisk. I'm happy to hear that. And, while having my real body back is the best ending, I still would've been happy in my Flowey body." Thinking for a moment, he folds his hands. "Well…I don't think I would've been that happy, maybe, but it still would've been ok because I would've been living with my family again, instead of being all alone in the Underground." The goat child chuckles and rubs the back of his head. "Sans' old tv isn't exactly the best roommate."

Frisk nods and bows his head. "Yeah, you're right. But, I still wanted to see if there was a way to get his real body back, and there was. It was sharing my soul."

Susie raises an eyebrow. "Well, why does your soul work?"

Frisk nods. "Because Dr. Alphys discovered that my DETERMINATION is so strong that it would work, along with my soul having unique properties." He lowers his head and confidently stares at his chest. "My soul's the only human soul to revive over and over again, along with refusing to break during my final fight with Azzy. It was based on that fact that Dr. Alphys confirmed to me that my soul energy is far stronger than the average human soul's energy."

Susie smirks. "Dang, you're a tough cookie."

Frisk chuckles. "Thanks. Anyway, all souls have DETERMINATION to one level or another, but mine is a lot stronger than any other kind of soul."

Susie folds her arms. "So, what does that mean?"

Frisk smiles slightly. "It means that my soul combines all those soul traits from other types of human soul, and I guess I also has the strength of many human souls." Asriel nods and smiles as Frisk keeps speaking. "This is explained by how I've hit 0 HP many times, especially in my fight with Azzy, yet I either revived each and every time. My soul also refused to break during my battle with him." He shrugs. "I had a feeling my soul was different when I fought Asriel, but I didn't know for sure until after the barrier broke. When Alphys began studying my soul for the "re-goat Azzy" project, that's when we learned that my soul was different. We figured out a way, and thankfully my own soul was strong enough due to how unique it is."

Susie smirks. "Sweet. It's all coming together." She then snorts. "But, while that would explain how Asriel kept his real body, since your soul's a cat that has nine lives, how did you split it without dying?"

Frisk nods. "Another good question. I realized that it was possible to do during my interaction with a Mad Mew Mew doll in the Underground. My soul was split into two different halves during my encounter with her. And, the halves could interact independently of each other without any worries or concerns." He pats Asriel on the back and smiles. "That's when I knew that I could give half of my own soul to Azzy and both of us would keep living in our true bodies. I have one half, and he has the other."

Susie nods and strokes her chin. "Makes sense. But, couldn't your soul half just, like…not allow it?"

Frisk chuckles. "You're right; my soul could rebel because human souls have a will of their own. Both Azzy and I would know, since we saw it happen with some other human souls during my journey through the Underground." He lowers his head. "But, mine isn't rejecting Azzy's monster body. It wants to stay within him, and I think it's because I've forgiven him and I want him with me, and he's repented from his past mistakes."

Asriel smiles and interjects. "I'm not sure I would be like I am today without him."

Susie smirks. "Sweet."

"Yeah, it is sweet," Frisk agrees. "And again, even if our soul share plan didn't work, we would just need soul donors from other humans. Now that Asriel's redeemed, they would bond with him a-ok." He chuckles. "Thankfully we didn't need that, but I guess we have a backup plan if things ever go south with our soul share status."

Asriel sinks his head. "At first though, I wasn't sure. I told Frisk 'the idea of resetting…I don't think I could do it all over again.' I didn't wanna do it again, and I was worried what my parents would think if I ever got worse. I also said 'seems as if everyone is perfectly happy.'" He shakes his head and smiles. "But, he reminded me that what I said proved that my compassion and love for others was back. I was still technically soulless, but I still had enough of a soul remnant back to care for others again even after going back to my Flowey form, which showed that I had potential to move on from my past for real."

The goat child shrugs. "I knew that my essence was back a little. Definitely not completely, but a little and enough. So…I guess that also helped convince me that I could get my real body back, and that I could be the real me, instead of Flowey me…I guess."

He smiles and sighs while Susie nods and strokes her chin. "It's a lot, but it makes sense to me."

Frisk smiles. "I'm perfectly happy with sharing a soul with Azzy. Sure, I can't revive over and over again or refuse a soul break, but I guess that in order to obtain what you want, something of equal value must be lost." He chuckles and strokes his chin. "Well, maybe that's not the case with everything, but it was with this situation. And, I couldn't leave him behind. I barely knew my brother at the time yet I still cared about him. I'm the one who forgave him first…It's just how I am."

Asriel pats his chest, grinning warmly. "Frisk's soul was the only soul not used to break the barrier. And, this is the first and only time that Frisk's soul has been in my body." He grins and sunny ones stretch across his face. "But, I don't have this soul for any of my past selfish goals. Now, I want this soul because I want my family to be happy, and I want to move on from my past for good. And, I hope I'm doing that now."

Frisk side-hugs Asriel and smiles. "You are, Azzy. You're doing just fine."

Asriel continues. "And, I'm growing like before!" He chuckles and smiles. "It's nice to have my body again, and I have horns now. You can see my tail now too, unless I cover it with spare royal robes of course. I can have mom's pie whenever I want!" He lowers his gaze and sighs. "But, none of this would be possible without Frisk. I'm so thankful, and the least I could do is protect him." Asriel lowers his head and his smile fades to a frown. "With what happened to me, I could have died again. That's why I need to get stronger because if he ever gets attacked again, I want to make sure that I can roll with more punches, not fall after just one."

Susie folds her arms. "You love your brother, don't ya?"

Asriel nods and stares at Susie, his eyes calm and his demeanor strengthening, like a pillar. His words move like a mighty river. "There's no greater love than to lay down your life for your friends. In a way, I wanted to do that…for Frisk."

Asriel rubs the back of his neck and stretches his limbs. "Thankfully, I'm still here. I just hope I can keep my mind clear, now that I know how evil this Kris person is." He shakes his head. "I also apologized to Frisk for being so careless. I'll do anything I can to protect my brother, but I don't wanna die again. I need to be there for him, and for my parents, too."

Susie nods as Asriel's eyes dance quickly, swirling like a whirlpool. He bites his lip and lowers his head. She smiles, but then it quickly dies out. "It's a cool story bro, but we've got some muck to get through, so let's get back to business. Judging by that wound, it was a large knife and he could've easily killed you, yeah?"

Asriel nods and gently rubs his chest. "My guess is it was a vegetable knife."

Susie sadly chuckles and shakes her head. "That makes too much sense. This creep is making my blood boil."

Frisk nods at Asriel, then Susie. "So this Kris who attacked me, or rather, Asriel…he blames me for causing his parents to disappear?" Frisk holds his hands together and twiddles his thumbs. "If his parents did die, I am sorry for his loss. However, it's still a big leap in logic."

Susie holds her arms behind her head again, sighing deeply. "Didn't I say it was stupid?" She then growls and narrows her eyes, face turning an angry crimson color. "And if I ever do cross paths with him again…he really won't like what'll happen to him next."

Asriel raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean, Susie?"

Susie doesn't respond, instead punching the mattress while staring at the floor with a murderous gaze. A loud ringing sounds from up the hall. After the tone plays, a series of five bong sounds echoes throughout the home. Asriel looks worriedly at the door, then back at Frisk and Susie. "Guys, mom always has dinner and her famous pie for dessert ready at this time. We should wrap this up and get back to it later." He then stares at her. "But Susie, I need to know…why did you come to our little town of Ebott after the barrier broke?"

Susie chuckles and waves her right hand nonchalantly. "I came here for a change of pace. You?"

Asriel nods and smiles. "I know I have to stay here, no matter what, for Frisk's sake. Not only that, but if I moved away…I'd miss mom and her cooking."

Susie's lip curls into a smirk as she pulls out her axe again, rubbing her hand against the hilt of the weapon. "Sweet. And hey, if you two need some backup, I'm more than happy to be of service."

The trio nod at each other and head out of the room, walking up the hallway towards the kitchen.

…

The sun barely touches the horizon. At Ebott Junior High, Dr. Alphys holds her head in her hand. Her cheek grows red and her eyes are fluttering heavily. A drip of slobber escapes from her mouth, hitting the page in front of her. She shoots up and her eyes widen as she stares at the papers on her desk.

She rubs her eyes and sighs. "Well, it's getting late. I can finish the rest of my lesson plans tomorrow." She looks around, then peers out the window. The golden sun is beginning to turn orange. "All the kids should be gone by now."

Alphys pulls out her cell phone. She opens it, clicks many buttons in rapid succession, and the phone begins to dial. As she places it up to her ear, smiles when a familiar voice comes through the other end, and sighs gently. "Hello, Undyne? I h-hope you're ready for operation 'b-break-in'…yes, fewer janitors and guards on Fridays…thanks; I would fail if I w-were alone…see you soon."

As Alphys closes her phone, a young reindeer peers her head inside from around the corner. Alphys shoves the phone into her pocket and begins messing with the notes on her desk. She chuckles and rubs her scalp free of sweat as the reindeer student enters and politely stands before Alphys, placing her hands in front of her.

Alphys speaks. "Ah, h-hi Noelle! What c-can I do for you?"

Noelle nods and slowly approaches the desks. She sits in the front desk right in front of Alphys, and warmly smiles. "It is nice to see you, Dr. Alphys. I hope I'm not disturbing you at all!"

Noelle blushes embarrassingly, and Alphys casually waves her hand and begins to organize the papers on her desk. "You're fine. I n-need to be here for my students, after all. It's what t-teachers are for, I would think."

Noelle nods, then sinks her head slightly. She taps her finger on the desk. "This, um…isn't about the science fair project or anything. It's actually about the recent attack."

Alphys' eyes widen. "Oh right. What did you want to ask?"

Noelle looks up at Alphys again, with twinges of shakiness in her voice. "Are you alright? Are you safe? How is Azzy doing? You're close to the Dreemurr family, right? You'd know." Noelle's voice speeds up. "I wish I asked him more about how he was doing, but I had to go to class and I lost track of time and I get worried about him, and I hope Frisk is doing okay. Is Frisk doing okay? I hope he's okay; he doesn't say much! What about Undyne? Are all of your friends well? I hope they weren't attacked, either. OhnoIhopethey'reallsafe!"

Alphys backs up, pushing her chair slightly more closely towards the wall. She sighs and nods, forcing a smile on her face to comfort Noelle. Noelle grips the bottom of her chin, attentively staring at her teacher. "Noelle…Asriel's just fine. And the others are too!" Alphys' two front teeth beam proudly. "He was in school today, and he's been back to his happy, healthy self s-since being released from the hospital, as f-far as I can tell."

Noelle lowers her head and smiles. "That's reassuring. Azzy's one of my closest friends, and so is Frisk. I just thought you knew something about who attacked them."

Alphys' eyes continue to widen. She chuckles, gets up from her seat, and begins to head for the door. "Noelle, I'm l-leaving soon. Let's head o-out together."

Noelle nods, picks herself up from her seat, and the teacher and student pair begin to walk towards the school's front door. Her red nose trembles like a leaf. "Dess was trying to cheer me up earlier today. I appreciate it, but I'm not sure if she understands my worry."

Alphys looks sideways at Noelle, and smiles. "Your sister has always been like that. Although, she's not i-invested in science like you are. Heck, I n-never saw her come by the lab when we lived in the Underground!"

Noelle chuckles and rubs her hand through her golden mane. "Yeah. But she's still my sister and I love her." Noelle lowers her face again, staring at the tiles beneath her. "Still, even though I'm happy she tried to cheer me up, I just don't know what lies ahead. I'm scared that more Ebott citizens will be hurt. I'm happy that Azzy survived, but others might not. What about them, and how will we protect ourselves? I hope Dess doesn't get hurt, too." Noelle sighs heavily and rubs her neck. "I just wish we all knew more about what was going on."

Alphys nods as they walk out through the front door. "We'll be f-fine. We just need to stay DETERMINED…and I guess listen to the police and stay indoors, heh." Noelle nods and smiles. Alphys speaks up again. "Now, h-hurry home! It is safer for you to be there."

Noelle begins to run into the depths of Ebott. "Yes, Dr. Alphys! I'll be careful."

As Noelle disappears from sight, Alphys walks to her car and pulls her phone out of her pocket. She begins scanning through messages, seeing that there are a few new messages from "Undyne." Alphys holds her phone tightly. "Right, the plan to find the attacker. What makes it better is that the curfew will loosen a little when we strike. I hope you're r-ready."

…

The Dreemurr household is still as the two children and their mother sleep. Well, mostly still. In the right bed lies Frisk, whose chest moves methodically up and down. Gentle snores spew from Frisk's mouth as his mind travels pleasantly through his subconscious.

The same cannot be said for his brother. Over on the left bed, Asriel's body contorts. His hands shake as he grips his head as violent images flash through it. His skinny, small goat body flips around the bed as he groans and mutters in his sleep.

Asriel looks around a long, even infinite, grassy field. The sky is colored pink, the clouds gray. A golden flower with a melted face appears just a few feet ahead, causing him to jump backward. "Who is that? Wait…no." Asriel's heart fills with dread as he stares at the melted face on the flower. The sky flashes brightly and he looks upward. A bright red slash crosses over the heavenly expanse. The world spins round and round as he trips and falls. Sweat pours down his face and his heart races faster. The flower smirks widely and laughs maniacally, evilly staring at him.

"You are nothing." The flower's voice shifts and changes into something harsher and lower-pitched. "You will never BE ANYTHING. Worthless trash."

Asriel looks to the sky; the clouds turning a bright crimson. With a quick snap, green and yellow ribbons fall from the sky and land on top of him. Asriel quickly turns his neck to his side and sees Frisk. With a quick jolt, a knife plunges through Frisk's chest. Laughter can be heard from behind. The blood gushes and flows as Frisk falls to the ground, the half-heart shape on his chest breaking apart.

Asriel gasps, with streams of tears flowing from his face. "No…this can't be happening. Not again!" He falls to the ground, crawling backward on his bottom towards the expanse behind him, inching to an escape. The voices grow louder and louder. He covers his ears tightly, shuts his eyes and screams out.

…

"Azzy…Azzy. Wake up," Frisk whispers.

Asriel yells out as he wakes up from slumber. He looks to his left and sees Frisk standing there, his hand on Asriel's back. Frisk tilts his head with a sad look on his face. Asriel looks down at his green and yellow checkered pajamas and discovers that they're drenched in sweat. He then feels a dull soreness in his abdomen and coddles it gently.

"Azzy…are you alright? It's alright…it was just a nightmare, bud", Frisk says.

Asriel stares at him, beginning to cry. He tightly hugs Frisk and whispers, "my best friend is alive…my best friend is alive…"

"Yeah…I am. What's the matter?"

"You died…I thought you died…" Asriel breathes heavier and shakes his head. "Frisk…I'm a curse."

Frisk lowers his gaze and his voice sharpens. "Who told you that? You're not a curse, bud."

"Then WHY is it," Asriel retorts, "that whenever someone gets close to me…they get hurt…or die?"

Asriel's tears turn from light raindrops into waterfalls. "Chara had that stupid, stupid plan…I was allowed to resurrect and live, and sure, it was as Flowey but I still got to live. But, what about her?! And you...with Kris…you could've died! And, after all the times I hurt you…and taunted you in the Underground…mom and dad too..."

"You're not a curse. You're a blessing," Frisk says.

"How can I be?!"

"Because you care about me and your friends and family."

"But what about Flowey?"

"You were created with love, bud."

Frisk shakes his head and gently rubs Asriel's back. "Besides, it was just a bad dream, bud. I'm alive and well…I'm here." Asriel's reddened eyes burrow into Frisk, and a slightly twisted smile appears on his face. His eyes widen and his volume lifts while Frisk lifts an eyebrow. "You okay?" Frisk asks.

"It's like there's no escape," Asriel replies. "'Kill or be killed' follows me everywhere!"

"Azzy, please…"
"It's a part of me, Frisk! There's no escaping it; it's pointless!"

Asriel chuckles. Then, he laughs as his eyes shudder and his mouth twists. Right as his laugh is about to turn into a full-on cackle, Frisk shakes his head and slaps Asriel on the back of the cranium. Asriel suddenly stops laughing and rubs his head. His wide smile fades into a frown as he sinks his head, tears returning. As he sobs, the brothers tightly hug each other again.

Asriel sputters. "Frisk…I'm so sorry for trying to kill you all those years ago…what is wrong with me?!"

Frisk lowers his head and speaks gently as Asriel tries to stifle his crying. "Hey…it's alright. It's all forgiven; it's ok." Frisk lets out a sigh and gently rubs Asriel's back. "I'm also sorry for slapping you on the head. That was mean of me."

"No, Frisk…you had every right to do so. I'm really sorry…"

Asriel releases Frisk and places his hands back on his kneecaps. He sighs and wipes his face with his pajama sleeve. "I saw my past self, then I heard a menacing voice, and then…Kris, or whoever…then…I…" Asriel bites his lip and sighs. "I thought I was over it, but I'm not. I'm still a mess." He then lowers his head and his voice quivers like a leaf in the rain. "I don't deserve forgiveness. Why would anyone forgive a horrible person like me?"

Frisk shakes his head. "I thought you already knew the answer to that."

Asriel nods and forces a slight smile onto his face. "Yeah…you're right."

Frisk tilts his head. "But, there is one thing I should know. Considering that and your nightmare, why did you wear that flower costume at my party?"

Asriel shakes his head and rubs the back of his neck gently. "I, uh…"

"You can tell me," Frisk says.

"Honestly…I hated wearing it…a lot. I felt grimy inside. I didn't want to wear it, but…I thought it might make your party better, I guess."

"Azzy…if it brought back bad memories, I'm sure mom would've understood if you said something."

"I didn't want to burden her or make your party worse though…I wanted you to have a good time."

Frisk sighs. "I don't want you to be hurting yourself."

Asriel shakes his head. "Frisk, your happiness is more important than mine." He bites his lip. "Even if I don't hate the costume, I had to wear it because my happiness doesn't matter…I don't deserve happiness."

Frisk shakes his head and raises his voice slightly. "Bull. You need joy and comfort just like anyone." Asriel sinks his head while Frisk nods. "And, that nightmare wasn't real. I'm here and alive, just like you are."

Asriel's eyes widen, and he looks down at his bed again. "Thank you. I needed to hear that." Asriel brings his knees up to his face and rests his head on his knees. "I don't understand though." He lifts up his head, and sorrowfully looks at Frisk, voice shaking. "I still can't forgive myself. Everyone that knows has forgiven me, but I can't. And, even though I've apologized for what I've done, I can't move on and it's really hurting me. What do I do?"

Frisk gently droops his head and sits on the bed with Asriel. He scooches over slightly to give Frisk more room. "Well, what do you think?" Frisk questions.

"Um…well, I did wrong and know it," Asriel replies. "But, while I do feel sorry for what I did…even 'repented' from it, if you wanna call it that. But, I still don't know…"

"Are you in that spot anymore, Azzy?"

"No."

"Then why dwell on it? It's like you're trying to live in a house that you don't live in anymore. Trying to live there still will only hurt you more."

Asriel nods and frowns. "Am I just a menace? A curse?"

"Azzy…that's not you anymore. Anyone can be redeemed, and your life proves that."

Asriel smiles again and joyful tears appear in his eyes. "Thanks, Frisk. I still worry though. I don't want to hurt you or others ever again and I want to keep moving forward. That's what I wanna do."

Frisk sighs. "Honestly, I'm not sure if those scars you have will ever go away. Not in this life, at least. But, this won't last forever for you, right?"

Asriel nods. "Heh, yeah. Well…no, yes. Yes, for sure. I mean that I won't be hurting forever."

Frisk chuckles and holds his hands on his knee caps. "Remember your own advice, okay?"

Asriel. "I know there's hope for me. I've believed that since the barrier broke." He shrugs. "I just worry sometimes. I know I don't deserve a second chance, but it's been given to me. So, I'm trying my best, as much as I can."

"That's all you can do. Now get some rest."

Asriel nods, laying his head back on the pillow, letting it softly rest. Frisk then returns to bed and calmly sighs. Despite the tiredness from both Dreemurr siblings, their DETERMINATION has been renewed.