:):
Thank you all for your kind reviews! :)
I'm honestly astonished and happy that this story has gotten so much attention.
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Well... without further ado...
A warning to everyone, this chapter isn't going to be pleasant.
(i'm so sorry)
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A Painful Misunderstanding
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Shaking the dirty water out of his fur as best he could, Poff put his nose to the damp cave floor and began searching for that distinct scent. Easily finding it, his fluffy tail began to wag again as he gave a happy bark. The scent was stronger here. She must have come through this area not too long ago.
Stepping out of the water, Sans' pink slippers made a sad squishy sound as he followed after the small white dog. He was definitely on the trail of something. Was it the kid? Had she really survived that fall somehow? He knew it was foolish but he couldn't help but hold on to that tiny sliver of hope.
Snout to the ground and tail wagging furiously, the small dog led his friend into a glimmering cavelet. Walking past the cantankerous old tortoise, Poff let out an excited bark from underneath his counter. She had been right here!
Startled by the sharp noise, Gerson turned away from the stack of papers he had been sifting through, only to find someone standing at the entrance to his shop. "Wahaha... What can I do for you today, kiddo?"
Kiddo? Sans stared at the old timer for a moment before giving a slight shrug. Guess at his age, everyone was probably a kid. "sorry to bother you, but i'm actually looking for someone." Sans started carefully as Poff continued to sniff around the strange shop. "have you seen a... a rabbit kit wandering around here somewhere? she's lost and i need to find her."
"No." Gerson smiled knowingly. This kid looked worried out of his skull. "But I did see a tiny human child. She came through here recently. Are you her friend?"
Sans felt lightheaded for a second or two as those words sunk in. She was alive... The kid was actually alive. How was that possible? He had no clue but that didn't even matter right now. She was alive and he needed to find her and bring her back home as soon as possible. "i am. do you know where she went?"
"The little princess ran off towards Hotland." Gerson said as he sat back down into his rickety chair. "Said she was looking for Undyne of all people. I tried to warn her but she had this absurd idea stuck in her head. She actually wanted to ask Undyne to train her to be a Royal Guard. Can you believe it? Wahaha..."
Receiving nothing but silence for his words, Gerson looked over to the boy, but both he and the dog were long gone. "Good luck, kid." The old tortoise said aloud to nobody in particular. He just hoped that that skeleton would be able to get to her in time. The child's life was up to fate now.
...
Wiping her cheeks dry, the sorrowful child slowly made her way across a small bridge. She just wanted to get out of Waterfall. She wanted to go back to the skeleton's house. She wanted to feel safe and dry and warm. More than anything though, she wanted her sister!
Looking over the edge of the bridge, more out of morbid curiosity than anything else, Fearia took note of a number of sharp stalagmites jutting out of the dark water below. The drop from where she was standing was indeed impressive, but it was nothing in comparison to other places in Waterfall. Still... she'd rather not linger here.
Stepping off the bridge, the little girl's bare feet, now scratched up and cold, took her towards the entrance to another nearby cave tunnel. Before she could get there, however, the sound of footsteps alerted her to a potential threat. Turning on her heel, she was both relived and irritated to discover the yellow lizard boy rushing over to her.
"Yo!" The monster kid called out when he spotted his former friend. He hadn't been sure if he'd be able to find her again but as it turns out, she was kind of slow...
Running across the bridge, the little armless monster doubled over for a moment to catch his breath. "Yo, ...I know I'm not supposed to be here, but... I wanna ask you something..."
"Ask me what...?" Fearia frowned slightly. She really didn't want to speak to him right now... For some reason, she couldn't help but feel he had betrayed her in some way. Though... admittedly, she wasn't quite sure how. Maybe it was just the whole situation that was making her feel bad.
Looking up to his former friend, the lizard boy's expression became conflicted as he finally took the time to really see her for what she was. It was so obvious now, this little girl wasn't a bunny kit at all. "Man, I've never had to ask anyone this before... But... umm... you're human, right?" Taking an unconscious step back, the kid nervously laughed.
Crossing her arms sulkily, Fearia shot the kid a moody glare. "Yea? So what if I am?" She replied defensively.
"Man! I knew it!" The boy grinned despite his apprehension. "...well, I know it now, I mean..." Averting his eyes from the little girl, he gave an awkward laugh. "Undyne told me, um, "stay away from that human." He explained. "So, like, umm... I guess that makes us enemies or something."
"That's dumb." Fearia huffed. "Why would that make us enemies?"
"Duh! Because you're a human and I'm a monster!" The monster kid tried to explain. It was obvious, wasn't it? Why was she being so stubborn? "That's just how it is, y'know?"
"Is that a rule or something?" The tiny human asked skeptically. "If it is, then I've never heard of it before!"
"Seriously...?" The lizard boy asked as he shrunk back a little from the passionate child.
"Whoever made that rule's a big dummy and I'm not gonna follow it." Fearia declared grumpily, her cheeks flushing a shade of pink. "I don't understand this whole human and monster thing. It doesn't make any sense! I've met plenty of nice monsters in the Underground and I like some of them a whole lot. Even you. So, if you're saying that I'm not allowed to be your friend just because I'm human, then... I won't..." *sniff* "I won't listen... You're not my enemy... you're my friend..."
The monster kid stared down at the unhappy little girl as her large amber eyes started to well up. Man, he felt like such a turd right now. Making a girl cry... What a big hero he was. Maybe she was right after all. It was a pretty dumb rule once you really thought about it.
"Yo... You're making me feel like the bad guy right now and I stink at that! "The monster kid complained. "Guess being enemies was just a nice thought." he chuckled. "We'll just have to stay friends instead."
"Really?" Fearia asked as she rubbed at an eye. "You mean it?"
"Yeah!" The boy grinned. "I mean, who even cares what Undyne says. So what if you're a human! You're still my friend, so don't cry, okay?"
"I wasn't crying!" Fearia denied as she tried to wipe her eyes dry of the traitorous moisture.
*Clang!*
The loud noise echoed throughout the area making both children flinch. Turning, their eyes were drawn to the Captain of the Royal Guard in all of her armored glory. She, in turn, stared right back at them.
Fearia felt her breath catch in her throat as her stomach dropped. Had she come to try and take her soul again? Why?! Why couldn't this person just leave her alone! Taking a step back, the small child was prepared to run for it. She wasn't cornered this time so maybe she had a chance!
Before she could try to make an escape, however, the yellow lizard boy bravely stepped in front of her.
Staring down his idol, the monster kid trembled as he shielded the small human child. "If... If y-you wanna hurt my friend... You're gonna have to get through me, first!"
To their astonishment, that threat actually seemed to work! Undyne had yielded! For the time being at least. After giving both children what they could only assume was a steely glare, the armored warrior fell back into the shadows.
"Whew!" The monster kid exclaimed. "She's gone... I - I can't believe I just did that!"
Nearly knocking the unsteady boy over, Fearia hugged him from behind. She was just so thankful right now! So appreciative! He had protected her even though he didn't have to. Not only that, but he had stood up to Undyne! "Thank you so much! That was really brave." She praised.
Flushing in embarrassment, the monster kid stepped away once he was freed from the hug. He hadn't expected such gratitude from the little girl. Grinning, he soaked up the praise. "It- it was pretty brave, huh?"
"Uh huh!" Fearia beamed. "She could have easily clobbered you!"
The levity he had been feeling vanished almost instantly at those words. Now he just wanted to cry. She was right! What had he been thinking? It was a freaking miracle Undyne had backed down at all! Sufficiently humbled, the monster kid had had enough for the day.
"...man, I should REALLY go home..." He said as he gave a subdued chuckle. "I bet my parents are worried sick about me..."
"You're leaving?" Fearia felt herself droop slightly. She didn't like the idea of being alone again...
"Yeah. I've got some homework to do anyway." The lizard boy nodded before turning to leave. "Later, dude!"
Glumly, the little girl watched him walk away. She didn't know what "homework" was, but it must be important. Sighing, she turned around as well. Guess it couldn't be helped. She was about to leave when she heard her friend cry out in alarm.
"H-hel! I t-triffed!"
Looking back, Fearia's eyes widened in worry. The boy was hanging off the edge of the bridge. Without arms, he was desperately clinging to a length of tattered rope with his teeth. "Hold on!" She called as she rushed over to him.
Getting onto her hands and knees, the small child reached down and took hold of the boy's striped sweater. But it was no use! She just wasn't strong enough to pull him back up. They needed someone even stronger. Doing the unthinkable, Fearia took in a deep breath and then screamed as loud as she could.
"UNDYNE!"
A tense moment that seemed to drag on for an eternity passed by before a heavily armored person dropped down from above them, landing with a loud clang. Pushing the tiny human out of the way with no amount of tenderness, Undyne reached down and took hold of the monster kid. Effortlessly, she lifted the scared boy back up and plopped him down onto the bridge.
Before any words of gratitude could be shared, the Head of the Royal Guard reached over and grabbed the little girl by the arm. Lifting her into the air, Undyne growled angrily. "You might have fooled him, but I knew you were trouble from the start. Humans are all the same. Wicked, treacherous creatures. After you, we'll just need one more soul and then we can finally be free. So, do us all a favor and DIE!"
With those parting words of hatred, Undyne flung the terrified human over the side of the bridge. If she was lucky, the small creature would land on a rock and die instantly. Good riddance... She'd collect the soul afterwards.
Temporarily stunned by the blinding pain shooting through her shoulder, Fearia barely had time to process the fact that she was falling. Something was broken... She had heard it snap...
Her mental fog finally lifted just enough for her to realize what was happening. Flailing weakly, Fearia broke out into a blind panic. Someone was going to catch her, right? Someone always caught her when she fell. ...Someone ...always... Drawing in a painful breath, she screamed out that someone's name as loudly as she could.
"SANS!"
*Splash!*
"You big bully!" The monster kid shrieked as he kicked out his clawed foot, connecting unpleasantly against the warrior's armor. "She wasn't trying to hurt me, she was trying to save me! Why did you do that?!"
Unaccustomed to being reprimanded, Undyne awkwardly stood there in confusion. That human had been trying to save him? From where she had been, it looked like the brat was trying to shove him off the bridge. Had she been wrong about that? ...No way. Humans didn't save people. ...It didn't matter now anyway, since the tiny creature was probably already dea-
"H-help!" A weak voice cried from far down below. Sputtering and coughing could be heard as the little human pleaded. "Please, help! I- *cough* I can't swim!"
"Undyne!" The monster kid snapped as he looked over the side of the bridge. He felt relief wash over him when he spotted his friend. She was still alive! "You gotta save her! She's going to drown!"
Whether it was out of stubbornness or apathy, only she knew, but Undyne refused to budge. This was for the best, wasn't it? She tried to remind herself of how illogical it would be to save a human. Even so... those distressed cries were becoming hard to ignore. Why hadn't the tiny thing just hit a damn rock?!
"You're not a hero!" The lizard boy yelled out at his former idol. "You always brag about protecting the innocent, but that's a lie! You're nothing but a coward if you won't even save a scared little girl. I... I hate your guts!"
Undyne shot the kid a stern glare through her helmet. As much as she'd like to brush off those insults, his words struck a definite cord within her. She prided herself on being a hero, but the damn kid was right... Standing up here and waiting for the pathetic human to drown was as far from heroic as she could get.
Scowling, the fish lady ripped off her helmet and threw it to the ground with more force than necessary. "Stand back." She ordered as she stood at the edge of the wooden bridge. Without any further delay, the heavily armored warrior took a daring leap and plunged into the darkness below.
Crashing into the pitch black water, Undyne let her armor pull her under as she listened for the human. From under the water, she became aware of how eerily quiet it now was. Had she waited too long? Cursing silently, the fish lady quickly scanned her surroundings, her eye easily piercing the darkness.
There! Just a little ways off, she spotted a small figure sinking slowly towards the bottom of the flooded cave. With as much speed as she could muster with her heavy armor, Undyne swam over and carefully took hold of the child. Her eyes were closed and her face looked peaceful as the tiny human's body rested lifelessly in the warrior's grasp.
Feeling the urgency, Undyne quickly pulled them to the water's surface. The human wasn't gone, not yet, its soul was still intact. As long as that stayed true, the small creature still had a chance. Breaching the surface, Undyne carefully lifted the little girl up so that she could breath.
...Nothing.
The child just hung there limply.
"Come on, breath damn it..." Undyne urged as she gave the small being a slight shake. Still nothing. Worry started to seep into Undyne's skin as she noticed a golden glow getting brighter from within the human's chest. "Oh no you don't." Gritting her teeth, the fish lady leaned the child over before delivering a sharp slap to her back.
Almost instantly, water was evacuated from the little girl's lungs as she gagged painfully. Wheezing and coughing, she tried to drag in as much air as she could, her small body trembling weakly. Once she could finally breathe, heartbreaking sobs poured out of the injured child.
Undyne winced as a foreign feeling a shame overcame her. This was her fault. She felt strangely awful as she watched the abnormally small human wail in her arms. Not knowing what else to do, Undyne brought the pathetic creature to her chest and attempted to quell her sobs. She had no idea how to do that, of course, so instead she just ended up cradling her awkwardly. Unfortunately, that just wasn't enough. The child's crying persisted as a tiny human hand reached up and latched on to the metal rim of the warrior's chest plate. The other arm, however, hung uselessly at her side.
Watching the small quivering creature, regret nipped at Undyne's heartstrings.
She really was a bully...
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I know Undyne seems unnaturally cruel in this AU, but there's a reason for her overly hostile behavior. It might take her a bit of time, but she'll eventually come around. ...though it won't be easy. A skele-ton of character development needs to happen first.
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In the next chapter, Undyne is taught the meaning of "What goes around, comes around."
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Sheii Bae~
