:):

Wow, thank you for all of the reviews!

I'm so happy that you like my story, Not A Shady Guy. :)

Yes, undershield and Equimavera, when Sans finally does meet Frisk, he's going to feel pretty silly, lol.

As for the barrier requirements, felisfernus, I, too, do not believe that any of the previous humans needed to die and I don't think that Toriel believed it either. The main recurring principle in Undertale is, after all, that nothing good comes at the cost of another's life.

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What's a Fever?

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With the kid sufficiently occupied, Sans left her with Papyrus while he got to work attempting to fix their water heater that they had never before felt the need to use. It shouldn't be that hard. All it needed was a bit of maintenance. After that, he could get started on the real project - making a heating system for the house. To be honest, mechanics weren't really his thing, he was more of a quantum physics kind of guy, but he could as least do this. If he couldn't, he'd have to ask Alphys... That thought alone inspired him to at least give it his best attempt.

Once Fearia got over the shock that the shiny black mirror in their living room had people living inside of it - though Papyrus had tried multiple times to explain to her that it, in fact, did not - she was figuratively glued to the screen. Fascinated amber eyes flit from one thing to another as the exciting and overly dramatic show played out. Was that flamboyant box singing on the stage made out of metal? There were so many lights flashing, all in different colors. And the music! She had never heard music like this before!

Coming back into the house an hour or so later, Sans froze just inside the door, eye lights momentarily going out at what he saw. In front of the TV, Papyrus was trying to mirror Mettaton's poses while the tiny child, who now sat high upon his shoulders attempted to do the same. They were both singing the lyrics to the show as loudly as they could, quite oblivious to the out-of-tune racket they were making. Stuffing his bony hands into his jacket pockets, Sans's grin went flat. This was just freakin' great. He already knew his brother was a hardcore Mettaton fan, but now it would seem the kid was as well. How did he manage to convert her in such a short amount of time?

As the song came to an end, Fearia finally noticed the shorter skeleton standing awkwardly near the front door. Amber eyes lit up as a happy smile appeared on her face. "Sans!" She called as she held onto Papyrus's skull with one hand and waved to him with the other. "Did you see? Isn't Mettaton great?"

"you bet, kid." Sans replied easily as he pulled something from his jacket pocket. "you two looked like you were having a real blast."

"We Were!" Papyrus exclaimed, a big grin on his face. "I Had No Idea A Human Would Like A Show That Was Made For Monsters! Miss Fearia," He addressed the small human practically hugging the top of his skull. "Don't You Have Shows Like This Up On The Surface?"

"Mm Mh!" Fearia shook her head. "I've never seen a show with such tiny people before. But in the Fauna Village, we dance sometimes, too! It's usually only during festivals or ceremonies though. They're a lot of fun! Even though I'm not normally allowed to go, sometimes I follow Frisk. She never tells on me."

"Who's Frisk?" The taller skeleton asked.

"She's my eldest sister!" Fearia revealed, beaming with pride. "And she's the best dancer in the village."

"Wowie!" Papyrus replied thoroughly impressed. "I'd Sure Like To Meet Her Someday."

"You will!" The small child replied with certainty. "I'm sure Frisk would love to meet you! She isn't scared of anything, so even though you guys are skeletons, I bet she wouldn't even care."

Sans listened silently as the little girl went on and on about her sister. She really adored Frisk. That much was obvious. Perhaps she was the only person who ever showed the child any kindness. As depressing as that thought was, it might actually be true.

He knew the subject of saving her sister would come up again sooner or later, it was inevitable, he just didn't quite know what to do about it. Telling her to just give up seemed wrong, plus this kid was way too stubborn to ever listen to logic or reason. That just left him with only one other option - helping her. Unfortunately, that route was also very unlikely to work. For a few reasons. Getting the kid through the Underground in one piece was one thing, but convincing King Asgore into actually letting her go home was another thing entirely. Not to mention, she probably wouldn't receive a very warm welcome upon her return to the village.

What a conundrum. This was like a puzzle with no clear solution. Good thing he liked puzzles.

One thing he was coming to understand with undeniable clarity. If this kid didn't have her sister, she would never be happy. Therefore, forcing her to stay down here and abandon her impossible mission would be selfish on anyone's part. He imagined that this was the reason the kid had had such a hard time getting out of the Ruins. The lady had probably chosen to put the little girl's wellbeing over her dangerous desires. That decision, although made out of love and concern, had been selfish as well as foolish.

If she had succeeded... Sans felt his nonexistent insides squirm a little as he watched his brother gently place the joyful child back onto her feet. If the Ruins lady had succeeded then he never would have met this stubborn, obnoxious, brat of a child. She would have just stayed in the Ruins. Imprisoned down there until who knows when. The very thought made him feel ill.

"What's that?" Fearia asked as she stared curiously at the device her friend was holding.

Sans looked down at the tiny child, her simple question dragging him out of his dark musings. "oh, this ol' thing?" He forced a grin onto his skull as he lowered the device so she could better see it. "this is a therma-meter. i can use it to read temperatures of an area or object. want to help me out real quick?"

"Sure!" Fearia agreed easily, happy to help. "What do I do?"

"i just need you to stay real still for a moment." Sans said as he flipped a switch on the device. "think you can do that, squirt?"

"Stop calling me that." The little girl whined as she stood perfectly still. She was more irritated with herself that she wasn't as irritated as she should be at the irritating nickname. Was she becoming used to it?! ...How irritating!

"heh." Sans chuckled as he carefully scanned the human child from top to bottom. Her body temperature was mostly consistent, with most of her warmth radiating out from her upper torso and much of it going to her head. "looks like you really are a hot head, kid."

Fearia frowned up at him and she lifted her hand to her forehead. Was he teasing her? "Oh." Sliding her hand from her forehead to her cheek, her eyebrows raised in realization. "I think I have a small fever."

"What's A Fever?" Papyrus asked as he knelt down to look at the tiny human. Was it something bad? Was she not supposed to have one?

The little girl glowered up at both skeletons before sighing softly. Maybe it was okay in the Underground. Maybe she didn't have to hide how bad she felt right now. Hadn't Sans told her it was okay to be a little weak? "A fever... is something a human gets when they have... a cold." She revealed with a bit of hesitance.

"But You Aren't Cold Anymore." Papyrus protested. "You're Nice And Warm Now."

Sans listened quietly as he tried to understand.

Fearia shook her head. "Not cold as in cold. Cold as in Sick!" She watched with growing frustration as both skeletons tilted their skulls in confusion. Oh! That's right! They were skeletons! Maybe they don't get sick... Changing her approach, Fearia decided to just explain it as simplistically as she could. "It means..." She cringed and looked away to hide her shame. "It means I don't feel good right now..."

"You Don't?" Papyrus asked, bewilderment growing. "Why Didn't You Say Something?"

"yeh, kid. you're supposed to tell us if something's botherin' you." Sans chided. "it might come as a huge surprise, but tibia honest, we don't know much about humans. can you tell us specifically what is making you not feel well?"

The child nodded and with reluctance began to list her ailments. She felt hot. She felt cold. Her knee hurt. Her throat was scratchy. She felt a little dizzy. Her elbow hurt. She had a headache. Loss of apatite. And her Knee Hurt.

"anything else?" Sans raised an eyebrow ridge. No wonder the kid was so grumpy. He'd never been sick before but it sounded unpleasant to say the least.

"How Did You Get Sick?" Papyrus asked curiously.

"I must have gotten a little too cold when I was out in the snow before." Fearia shrugged like it was nothing. "It happens sometimes..." A slow frown formed on her face as she thought back on the events leading up till now. What had happened? There had been a big windy place with lots of snow... Sans had been there... Then what? "...I can't really remember... What happened before?" She asked looking to the shorter skeleton, her eyes clouded with confusion.

"you almost dusted, kid." Sans revealed bluntly as he watched the tiny human. Papyrus just nodded, he really didn't want to relive the memory.

"Dusted?" The little human tilted her head at the unfamiliar term.

"Yeah." Papyrus chipped in. "If Grillby Hadn't Warmed You Up, You Would Have Dusted For Sure."

"Who's Grillby?" Fearia asked, latching onto the new name.

"he's the guy who left you that." Sans grinned as he gestured to the burning sphere floating overhead. "you really need to thank him sometime. he went way out of his way for you, pal."

"He gave that to me?" Fearia gaped as she stared up at the ball of fire.

"i said he left it for you." Sans corrected with a smirk. "his magic is currently being used to heat this house. he'll come back to collect it later."

"He can use fire magic, too?" Fearia's amber eyes lit with excitement. Magic was so cool, she couldn't help but be fascinated by it.

"kid, he is fire magic." Sans shrugged, closing an eye socket. "you'll understand when you see him."

"Can we go see him now?" Fearia asked, curiosity burning inside of her. Was this "Grillby" guy made of fire magic? How? She had to know!

"uh..." Sans stared down at the poorly clothed human. "sorry, pal, but you're not going anywhere dressed like that."

"You'll Get Cold Again!" Papyrus reminded, supporting his big brother's decision. "You Don't Want To Get Double Sick, Do You?"

Fearia frowned as she looked down at the baggy shirt she was wearing. She was used to being denied what she wanted but that didn't mean she liked it. Even so, the skeletons were probably right about this. She knew that... Reaching up, she gripped a fistful of fabric at her chest and glowered up at them, a pout visible on her face. "Fine..." She relented.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Sans sighed as his eye lights drifted to the side. How is it that a tiny human could make him feel guilty with just a look? He wasn't even used to reading human fascial expressions but for some reason he was coming to understand them easily. Disappointment. That was the look she was giving him. The kid was disappointed. Damnit... Why did that bother him so much? "how about this." Sans started, eye lights coming back to the small child. "you work on getting better and i'll work on finding you some real clothes to wear. once those two things are taken care of, we can all go visit grillby's together. how's that sound?"

A small smile appeared on Fearia's face and she nodded in acceptance. That was fair. "Okay." She agreed.

"I've Been Wondering..." Papyrus started, placing a gloved hand to his jawbone in contemplation. "How Does A Human Get Over Being Sick?" Eye lights traveled to the taller skeleton as his brother stared up at him. That was a really good question.

Fearia gave a slight shrug. "I don't know..." She admitted. Every time she had gotten sick before, Frisk was always there to help her get better. Maybe her cold would just go away on its own this time.

"You Don't Know?" Papyrus squinted at the child as if she were keeping secrets. "Aren't Humans Supposed To Know These Kinds Of Things?"

Sans's grin went flat as he listened. Sure she was a human, but she was also just a little kid. Monster children didn't know how to help themselves so why were they expecting a human child to be able to? Sighing, the shorter skeleton ran a bony hand over his skull in exasperation. What a hassle... "you've been sick before, right, kid?"

"Yeah, but Frisk always took care of me..." Fearia explained, looking away depressively.

He should've known... This kid did usually have someone who looked out for her. In a way, her sister was a lot like he was to Papyrus. Right now, it would seem Frisk was the most qualified person to handle this situation. Problem was, she wasn't here. Hell, she might as well be a world away for how much help she was at this moment. "what does frisk usually do to help you when you don't feel well?"

Both skeletons watched as the child became lost in thought, her reply unforthcoming. This was like pulling teeth!

"Is There Anything We Can Get You That Would Make You Feel Better?" Papyrus asked helpfully.

Finally, Fearia looked back to them as a thought occurred to her. She didn't need to wait until she got over this cold. No. All she needed to do was find one of those floating star things. Smiling, she clasped her hands together in front of herself. "I need to find a healing star!" She said, her amber eyes lighting up with determination. "That'll fix everything!"

"A Healing Star?" Papyrus tilted his skull as Sans deadpanned silently beside him. "Where Do We Find One Of Those?"

"Hmm..." Fearia thought back. "The last one I saw was in the place with all of the ice sculptures. Oh! I also saw one floating near your plate of frozen spaghetti. I don't think they move, so they're probably still there!"

"I've Never Seen One Before." The taller skeleton admitted. "What Do These Healing Stars Look Like?"

"I drew a picture." The little girl grinned, feeling hopeful. "I'll show you!"

Sans stayed quiet as he watched the tiny human limp towards the kitchen. Should they be humoring her like this? He was fairly certain these magic stars of hers were imaginary. Unfortunately, he was also aware that his little brother was gullible enough to believe her.

"This!" Fearia said as she revealed her picture to the two skeletons. "I need to find one of these."

"And You Say These "Stars" Are Just Floating Around Out In The Forest?" Papyrus asked as he studied the childish drawing.

"They don't actually move around." Fearia explained. "It's more like they just float in place. When you touch one, all of your injuries just magically heal."

"Wowie!" Papyrus grinned as he turned to his brother. "Sans, We Should Go Find One Of These Healing Stars And Bring It Back To The Human."

"i dunno, paps..." Sans replied with uncertainty. He didn't want to dash the kid's hopes by saying he didn't believe her, but there was just no real proof. She'd been here, what, a few days? He'd lived his whole life in the Underground and he'd never seen anything like what she was describing.

"You don't believe me?" Fearia challenged hotly when she noticed the shorter skeleton's wavering support of her idea. She was no stranger to skepticism.

"i didn't say th-"

"But I'm telling the truth!" Fearia interrupted, a distinct pout forming on her face. "Look!" Setting her picture down, she placed a small hand to her chest. "Remember when you first found me near the Ruins? The front of my sweater had been blackened, right? That's because Mom hit me with a ball of fire. It hurt a whole lot and I had a big bruise on my chest. But now look." Pulling the neck of the baggy shirt down, she revealed spotless, unmarred skin. "It's gone now and that's because I touched a healing star. See? They really work!"

Sans became notably quiet as he mulled over this new bit of information. Was the kid actually telling the truth? He hadn't seen her chest until last night but it was true that the front of her clothes had been discolored. He tsked lightly as he looked away lost in thought. Who hits a tiny child with a fireball? She could've easily killed her, he thought disapprovingly as he remembered all of the burns he had seen on the kid. Wait... The burns! Last night when he was looking for more injuries to bandage, he had noticed her lack of burns. He had wondered where they went... Were healing stars real after all?

"Who's Your Mom?" Papyrus asked as he looked from the small child and then to his brother, a look of worry on his skull. He didn't know the human had a mom. Was she looking for her? Should they bring her back to the Ruins? What was that bit about a ball of fire?

"The nice goat lady in the Ruins said I could call her "Mom". Fearia answered. "It was nice to have a mom for a little while since I've never actually had one before."

"You Never Had A Mom Either?" Papyrus's eyebrow bones raised a little as he smiled. "Sans, She's Just Like Us!"

"i think that's a bit of a stretch, but sure thing, paps." Sans shrugged lazily. "listen, kid, let's say your healing stars are real. if we find one, that'll heal you right?"

Nodding, Fearia smiled up at him. Finally, he believed her! "It will! Good as new. I'm sure of it."

"okay." Sans nodded. "how about we go find you one tomorrow?"

Amber eyes lit up happily as a large smile spread across her face. "Thank you, Sans."

The shorter skeleton replied with a shrug and a smile. This tiny human sure was a lot of work, but her infectious smiles almost made it worth it. Almost. She was still a pain in the bones, though. He just hoped her mysterious healing stars worked.

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Funny you should mention the healing stars, Starinteris, because that's going to play a big part in the next chapter!

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Thank you for reading!

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Sheii Bae~