:):

Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews!

They really make me happy when I get to read them.

...

This is the first chapter of the Waterfall arc, so from here on out the tone's going to become a bit more serious.

xxx

Ephemeral Love

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Listening to the rhythmic dripping of water, Sans tried in vain to catch a few Z's. His skull resting on softly padded arms, the skeleton slumped lazily over his guard station in Waterfall. This was usually a great place to nap but for some reason he just couldn't seem to relax.

The morning had started out with a bang, ...or at the very least urgent knocking. Papyrus had freaked out almost immediately when he couldn't locate the human. In retrospect, Sans realized it was probably his own fault. He should have at least left a note but it had slipped his mind entirely.

After another breakfast, in which the kid had once again refused to eat more than a few bites, Sans had slipped away, leaving her with Papyrus for the day. If he missed anymore days of work, people might actually start to take notice. That was only half of it, though. The skeleton was exhausted and he really didn't want to get roped into the bizarre crash course Papyrus had planned for the poor kid.

A strange mechanical buzzing sound drew the skeleton from his half asleep stupor. Lifting his skull, Sans scanned his immediate area for the source of the disturbance. What the hell was that? It sounded like something he might hear in Hotland or maybe near the Core.

...oh.

Looking up, he spotted the broken security camera twitching to life near his guard station. For as long as he'd been stationed here, that thing's been out of commission, and truthfully, he preferred it that way; he could slack off much easier if he wasn't being surveyed.

The device was badly corroded from rust caused by the constant humidity of Waterfall. It was in such a bad state that it didn't much resemble anything but scrap metal stuck to a cave wall. A few sparks flew from the base as the camera tried to swivel to the left then to the right. Flickering slightly, a tiny red light activated next to the zooming and unzooming lens.

Sans stared intently at the security camera as he felt his smile lessen slightly. He had been wondering how long it would take Alphys to start reacting. A small part of him had hoped she hadn't noticed that the Ruin's camera had mysteriously gone missing. Of course she had. She probably saw the kid too. And if Alphys knew there was a human in the Underground, sooner rather than later, Undyne would as well.

As much as he hated to, it was about time he paid the good doctor a visit. Thankfully, he had a pretty good excuse. As convenience would have it, this was also around the same time he usually showed up to purchase food for the pampered mutt now known as Poff. And while he was there, he might as well try and find out everything he could. After all, he liked to be in the know. About everything.

...

Fearia held back a groan of displeasure, her face, however, seemed to have adopted a perpetual glower as she was forced to listen to the fifth instruction manual in a row. This one, just like the other four held little if anything that might even vaguely pertain to becoming a royal guardsmen. So far she'd learned how to identify various different types of pasta, none of which she would ever want to try, how to go about dating a monster and what clothes you might need, how to be a cool dude 101, and the proper way to be a congenial host.

Ever since Papyrus had learned that she couldn't read, he'd taken it upon himself to read the books aloud in her stead. Oh joy! This, adding to the fact that he wouldn't let her sleep through the boring parts, which was all of it, was becoming unbearable. Where was Sans? Wherever he was, she wished she could trade places with him.

...

"knock knock."

Sans said in time with the lackluster knocks he made on the metal door to the Royal Scientist's Laboratory. The large building wasn't too far away from his third job he had as a guard in Hotland. That was a good thing because he didn't feel like traversing a lava field today. Or any day for that matter.

"W-who's there?" The stuttering voice came from a speaker next to a small camera. It was connected to the doorbell which Sans had chosen not to use. Doorbells were overrated anyway. Besides you couldn't exactly do knock knock jokes with them.

"swelter."

"U-um, l-let's see... S-swelter who?"

"swelter you gonna let me in or not? my bones are bakin' out here."

Instantly, the metal door slid open revealing a messy office/living area. The clutter strewn about this room could rival his own. Empty cups of ramen were littering the tables and scrunched up bags of popato chrisps were tossed under the tables for later. If later ever came. It was a total sty in here and held all the telltale signs of someone who was a total shut in.

"S-sans! I wasn't expecting you so soon." Alphys exclaimed as she tried to toe a candy bar wrapper under a nearby table and out of sight. "Is t-there anything I can h-help you with?"

The skeleton studied the nervous smile on the yellow lizard lady's face. She looked even more nervous than usual. Holding up an empty bag, Sans kept his grin perfectly neutral. "just came for some chow. anything interesting happen lately? i noticed a few security cams reactivate in waterfall today. what's up with that?"

Accepting the empty dog food bag from the skeleton, Alphys let out an awkward laugh as she started to sweat. "W-well um, you see I... A few days ago I t-thought I saw s-something near the Ruins." Hesitating, the lady averted her eyes for a moment as she contemplated. "oh... I'm not sure if I should be t-telling you this. But... I n-need to tell someone and you seem like the m-most logical choice. E-even so, Sans, you have to p-promise not to tell anyone about what I'm am about to t-tell you, ok?"

"heh." Sans shrugged apathetically as he closed an eye socket. "jeez, you act like you saw a human or something."

"I did!" Alphys blurted out before covering her mouth. "I-I mean I think I did..."

"you think?"

"H-here, let me show you." The reptilian lady said as she walked over to a large monitor attached to the wall. Flicking on the screen with a remote she had found under a pile of candy wrappers, she replayed the footage for what seemed like the millionth time.

Sans watched the screen with a carefully guarded grin. This was, as he expected, the view from the security camera hidden near the Ruins. Nearly a minute went by until something finally happened. The heavy stone door inched open with what had to be great effort before a small child emerged. He had forgotten what a sorry state the kid had been in when he had first seen her. She had burns and scrapes everywhere and her clothes were singed and in tatters. A large blackened area was clearly visible on her chest and she was missing a sleeve.

Despite her injuries, the kid was nothing if not resilient Sans thought wryly as a curious face monopolized the screen before the camera lost connection. "looks like it took your camera." Sans noted casually, pointing out the obvious.

"It did." Alphys agreed as she nibbled on a claw. "Originally, I had assumed my equipment had been destroyed, but a-after a few days I noticed the tracking beacon was s-still operating. It was coming f-from a deep pit not too far away. I had a s-salvage drone recover it last night." The Royal Scientist explained as she tapped a few buttons on the controller. "My c-cameras usually continue recording even if t-they become disconnected from the main computer. The footage just needs to be m-manually recovered."

The screen switched to a shaky video of the treetops. The footage was pretty useless visually, however the audio revealed the sounds of a small child as she became progressively more shaken. Sans felt a pang of guilt course through him. Sure he had meant to scare the kid, but now after getting to know the little brat, he kind of felt bad for doing it. The final seconds of the video were filled with panicked panting before the world spun violently and the video descended into darkness.

"It cuts off there." Alphys said as she turned the monitor off. "I-I think this is why there hasn't been any s-sightings of this human. I-if it was a human... It must have fallen to its d-death in that pit."

"if you really think that, then why are you reactivating your cameras?" Sans keenly pointed out.

Alphys gave a nervous chuckle in spite of herself. "Nothing gets past you does it, Sans? T-that's why King Asgore gave you s-such an important job. And you're right... I can't say for sure that it died. W-when I was recovering my camera from that pit I n-never found any human remains."

"you mean its soul?" The skeleton was slightly confused by this. Was that what she meant by "remains"? It didn't really sound like that was what she meant, but what else would she have found other than dust?

"I didn't find that either!" Dr. Alphys stressed as she nibbled on a claw. "This is the sixth human r-right? It's been years since the last one. W-what if it did already die and we just missed it? It was so tiny... What if its s-soul wasn't strong enough to persist after death? What will I t-tell the King? I..." She gave the skeleton a conflicted look before returning her gaze back to the blank monitor. "I-If it's still here somewhere, I need to find it."

"this happened near the ruins, right? how many cameras do have in the forest before snowdin?" Sans inquired as he tried to remember having seen any. Truthfully, he couldn't be sure. She was pretty good at hiding them.

Dr. Alphys lowered her eyes as a guilty laugh escaped her. "W-well, actually the camera I had n-near the Ruins was the only one still working between there and Snowdin. The frigid t-temperature in that location makes it difficult for my cameras to function properly."

"what about inside the town? are there any hidden cameras surveying snowdin?"

"There's two." Alphys nodded as she pressed a button on the remote. A fuzzy image of the Snowdin Shop and Inn appeared on the monitor. Like usual, there wasn't much activity happening there, just a couple of snow bunny kits chasing each other around in the fresh snow. The scene changed a few seconds later, it now showed a slightly more clear image of Grillby's. "I just reactivated them this m-morning so they aren't one hundred percent functional. After some maintenance, I'll be able to pan the v-view a bit better. For now, t-this is all I can do."

A grim understanding began to settle into the skeleton's bones. To put it mildly, this was starting to look pretty bad. Sans felt his grin lessen considerably as he stared up at the monitor. At this rate, they wouldn't be able to let the kid out of the house. Of course, there was no way that that was going to work. He knew this with absolute certainty. The squirt had way too much energy to be cooped up for days on end and he would never want to imprison her. If he did that then he would be no better than the lady in the Ruins, though now he could totally understand how worried she must have felt. The irony wasn't lost on him.

"looks like you've got this covered." Sans said as he forced a grin. "if you see anything strange, you know my number. i'll keep an eye socket out for it."

"Thanks, Sans." Alphys returned the smile nervously. "We're probably just looking for a s-soul but there is still a c-chance that it might have survived that fall. If it did, be careful. Even though it looked tiny, it's still a human. Who knows w-what it's capable of."

...

After getting his refill of kibble, Sans mulled over his dwindling options as he slowly made his way back home. He had originally wanted to give the kid the two weeks she said she had left before the end of her deal came due. During that time, he had hoped to learn more from her and her time period.

Of course, he wasn't a fool. He knew that after those two weeks it would most likely get very difficult to console her once she realized she couldn't save her sister. In truth, he still hadn't figured out how he was going to break it to the kid. How do you tell a small child that she had unknowingly trapped herself down in the Underground and she would most likely never be able to see her sister again?

Turns out, he might not have to have that conversation at all because from the looks of it, she probably didn't have that long before things got real ugly. It was only a matter of time before she was spotted and when that happened, everyone was going to have a bad time.

Sans couldn't hide the small child indefinitely. He knew that. And he wouldn't willingly hand her over either. There was, however, one last thing he could do to try and save the kid. He needed to appeal to the King directly. If he could convince Asgore that the kid's life was more valuable than her soul, at least for awhile, then he just might let her live.

Until he spoke to the King, Sans needed to make sure that the tiny child stayed out of sight. Alphys was on high alert right now but she didn't deem the kid as a viable threat. Not really. And as long as that stayed the case it was unlikely she would contact Undyne about this. As far as Dr. Alphys was concerned, she was on the lookout for a lost soul floating around somewhere.

Sans held back a sigh as he boarded the River Person's vessel. He could have teleported himself but for some reason he was in no hurry to go home quite yet. This whole situation was hanging over his skull like a dark cloud of impending doom. Thinking about seeing the kid's clueless face and knowing that she might end up being just a golden soul floating inside a jar was making the skeleton's nonexistent insides squirm a little. He just wasn't up to it right now.

"snowdin." Sans said as he nodded at the mysterious cloaked figure. The River Person simply nodded back before setting off from the Hotland's dock. Failing to contain another sigh, the worries swirled relentlessly inside the skeleton's skull as he waited.

It was only when the temperature began to drop, did the cloaked ferry operator speak. "Love, like a flower, can sometimes be tragically ephemeral. Remember to not let the bitterness of parting overpower the sweetness of knowing. ...From despair, hope will arrive." The last few words were said in a barely audible whisper.

The advice was far less obscure than usual and almost sounded prophetic. The River Person was known for imparting words of wisdom onto their passengers, but they were usually just silly fortunes that never made much sense. This was different, though. This felt far too personal.

Not bothering to reply to the cloaked person's words, Sans gave them a lazy wave once the ferry had arrived at the Snowdin dock. As he walked home, the gloomy skeleton with the fake grin chuckled darkly in spite of himself. "hope will arrive, huh? wonder what that's spose to mean..."

After stashing Poff's special grub inside the old shed outside their house, Sans made his way to the front door. Upon opening it, the skeleton was greeted with an unusual sight. Standing in the middle of the living room, the tiny fugitive was attempting to balance a stack of books atop her head.

"Now, Miss Fearia, As Part Of The Royal Guard One Must Learn Balance In All Aspects Of Life!" Papyrus instructed as he placed a fourth book onto the stack. The tiny human teetered to the left slightly before losing her footing. With a small stumble the stack of instruction manuals crashed to the floor in a messy pile.

Releasing a noise of clear frustration, the child stomped her foot angrily and crossed her arms. "This has nothing to do with being a Royal Guard!"

The shorter skeleton's grin lessened as he stuffed his bony hands into his jacket pockets. Not good. He knew what an impending tantrum looked like, and from the kid's expression, she was just about to throw one. "ok, who needs a break?"

"Sans!" Fearia exclaimed when she spotted the lazy skeleton milling at the front door. Effectively distracted, the small child abandoned her balancing lesson and rushed over to him. "You're back!"

Sans wasn't expecting to be greeted with a hug when he arrived but he wasn't complaining either. Chuckling, he reached down and ruffled the kid's mess of auburn hair as she clung to his femur. "what have you two been doing all day?"

"I've Been Trying To Help Miss Fearia Understand The Building Blocks Of Life As A Royal Guard." Papyrus replied brightly before crossing his long bony arms and squinting over at the child. "It hasn't been easy... I Had No Idea Humans Couldn't Read!"

"I can read!" Fearia shot back grumpily as she pulled away from Sans to shoot Papyrus a look of indignation. "I'm not a little kid, you kno- huh?" Feeling something being placed atop her head, the little kid's attention was easily diverted. Reaching up, she retrieved a strange stick-like object wrapped in silver paper.

Sans grinned down at the small curious child. She had no idea what that was. Someone from her time period probably had never seen or heard of a candy bar before. Sure, he might have swiped it at the lab, but Alphys wouldn't miss it. "you like sweets, don'tcha, kid?"

"I do!" Fearia beamed.

"Right Before Dinner? Seriously, Brother?" Papyrus chided disapprovingly.

"aw, don't be like that, paps." Sans grinned as he helped get the wrapper started before the kid had the chance to chew on the paper.

Taking a bite of the sweet smelling dark colored treat, Fearia chewed on it for a few seconds before a smile lit up her face. This was her new favorite thing she thought to herself as she greedily wolfed down the rest of the bar. In hindsight, she probably should have savored it more because now it was all gone.

"Can I have another one?"

"nope."

"Why not?"

"s'all i had, kid." Sans couldn't hide the humored smile as he watched the disappointed pout fall onto the child's face. She really was like a little puppy sometimes.

...

It was after dinner now and the two skeletons plus one small child had gathered together on the lumpy green couch. The Mettaton show was on right now but this time the sexy rectangle was performing a musical drama in which all the parts were played by him alone. It was a sad tale of love lost with a dramatic plot twist at the end. All in all, it wasn't entertaining enough to keep the tiny human from falling asleep squished between her two new best pals.

Even though Papyrus was into the show, he couldn't help but steal glances every so often at his lazybones of a brother. Sans seemed even more withdrawn than usual as he unconsciously rested a bony hand on the small bundled up human. Something was on his mind right now and it wasn't the show.

"Is something bothering you, Sans?" Papyrus asked as quietly as he could. "You've been getting enough sleep, haven't you?"

The exhausted skeleton chuckled quietly as he gave his little brother a genuine smile. "you know me, paps, i'll sleep..." Closing an eye socket, he finished with his usual sarcasm. "when i'm dead."

Papyrus shot his older brother a look of annoyance. "I'm being serious, Sans! Must you joke about everything?"

With a subtle shrug, the shorter skeleton grinned. "what can i say, bro, it's in my bones."

"Why do I even bother?" Papyrus groaned as he brought his attention back to the show.

"actually..." Sans started as he looked down at the sleeping child. She was sound asleep, curled around a portion of the blanket that had been draped over her small body. "i'm going to talk to the king tomorrow."

Papyrus felt a sense of unease fall over him as he turned back to look at his brother. "Is this about the human?" He asked nervously as he glanced down at his new friend. Was she going to be sent home soon? He wasn't sure if he was ready for that yet.

"yeh." Sans nodded. "i'm going to be gone for awhile, so why don't you two try and find something fun to do inside until i get back."

"Is she going home?" Papyrus couldn't seem to keep the displeasure from his voice. "Already?"

"i don't know, paps..."

...

Much later that night when everyone had already gone to bed, the small human restlessly tossed and turned in her sleep. She was currently in the grips of an awful dream where some of her worst fears were running rampant. "noo... I still have time... you promised... ... ...No don't!"

Fearia let out a loud gasp as she was flung back to reality. That had been a horrible nightmare! Sitting up, she let the blanket fall around her as she brought her knees to her chest. Wrapping her arms around them, she tried to get her mind off of whatever had scared her so badly.

Luckily, she was having trouble remembering what the nightmare had even been about. The memory had slipped away, quickly sinking beneath the surface of conscious thought. All that she had been left with was the residual fear that had gripped her.

Letting out a soft whimper, Fearia looked around at her surroundings. She was in Papyrus' room again, but it was different this time. Now it was just a little bit brighter. The child's attention was brought to the nearby nightstand where a small object in the shape of a crescent moon sat. It was emitting a soft warm glow that lit up the room in a gentle light.

"Pretty..." Fearia whispered as she flopped over onto her stomach to stare at it. It really was beautiful. She'd never seen anything like it before. How did it glow?

Her curiosity was temporarily redirected when she spotted a familiar object sitting innocently at the base of the nightlight. It was her mother's sunstone. A dull sense of guilt crept up on the little girl as she stared at it. She had forgotten to put it back last night. Were they upset?

A soft smile formed on the child's face as she reached out and took the stone into her hand. For some reason, she didn't get the feeling that they were angry with her. She was actually starting to feel like she understood the two skeletons a bit better now. They were truly nice people. Even if they were a little bit weird.

Bringing the stone to her chest, Fearia let out a small yawn and laid back down. More than anything, she wished she could live here with Frisk, Sans, and Papyrus. They could all be a family.

But first, she needed to save Frisk.

xxx

The River Person is so mysterious...

...

In the next chapter, Fearia reveals that she can see more than just invisible stars!

xxx

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Sheii Bae~