:):
Thank you for the wonderful reviews!
I know I'm a few days late, but this chapter was really long lol
Now, without further ado...
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A Sister's Love
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With a low growl, Poff once again stood over the Soulless child. Narrowly dodging a flying book, the little dog barked out a warning. The intruder was becoming more and more desperate, almost like they knew their chance was slipping away. And it was. They both knew it. Each minute that slipped by brought the tiny human closer and closer to death. A dead body was useless. What would be the point in possessing something that wouldn't last?
Keeping close watch as the intruder drew away slightly, Poff laid his ears back and growled again. He knew what they were doing. They were searching for something else to throw at him. It was fortunate really, that his friend didn't have a lot of hard objects laying around. Most of the clutter was harmless - either dirty laundry or paper balls. There were, however, a few items that caused a bit more harm. Thankfully most of those objects had already been used and they now resided either under the bed or wedged in-between the bed and the wall.
The little white dog monster gave a short huff when his friend's beat up jacket levitated into the air. It looks as if the intruder was going to try something a bit different this time. Confirming his assumption, the jacket was tossed at him. Like a blanket, the torn fabric fell over the small dog, momentarily trapping him in darkness. With haste, Poff shook off the insulated covering only to find that the intruder was now right in front of the bed. With a sinister grin, they had their hand outstretched, reaching down towards the dying child.
Bristling, Poff lunged at the offending hand. Opening his small mouth, he bit down as hard as he could.
A disembodied scream filled the room, forcing the small dog to once again fold his ears back to protect them from the shrill noise. Drawing away once more, the intruder growled in anger.
"You wretched monster!" A hateful voice rang out as the lights began to flicker erratically. Throughout the messy room, everything that wasn't heavy enough to remain began to levitate as ominous vibrations permeated the small space. "How dare you try to stop me! You won't win! I'm going to take that body whether you like it or not. And when I do, I'll reduce you to dust!"
Crouching down over the tiny human, Poff snarled as he held his ground. Ignoring the swirl of dirty clothes and garbage, he focused solely on the intruder. There was no way he was going to let them get that close again. Feeling a dingy sock land lightly atop his head, the little dog shook it off quickly only to have another fall onto his back. Things were rapidly getting out of hand and he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up before all hell broke loose inside this tiny room.
Where was his friend when he needed him?
Almost as if summoned from Poff's sheer desperation, a burst of magic flashed in the center of the room and from out of thin air, two figures appeared.
Frisk let out a silent gasp as she beheld the chaos, while Sans, who stood beside her, narrowly dodged a flying notebook, its torn pages scattering behind it like a paper trail. What. The. Actual. Hell. Was going on in here? It was as if they had stepped into a different reality; one where the laws of gravity didn't seem to apply.
"get down!" Sans ordered as he took hold of the teenager's arm and dragged her down with him into a crouching position. Not a second later, his broken table lamp shot over her head. The empty flashlight that had been previously stuck inside the lamp followed closely behind. Both objects collided loudly with the nearby wall, leaving an obvious dent from the impact.
That could have seriously caused some harm if it had hit either of them. Glancing over to the bed, Sans noticed that Poff was standing over the kid protectively. Good, he thought as he pulled Frisk closer to himself in an attempt to make her harder to hit. Whatever was going on, he needed to find a way to make it stop.
Feeling an arm wrap around her shoulder, Frisk flushed in embarrassment as her body was pressed against the skeleton's. Even though his intentions were obvious, this still felt so awkward! Still, why was this happening? So far, nothing in the Underground was making any sense to her.
Shielding the teenager's head with a skeletal hand, Sans cautiously watched for anything potentially dangerous as he tried to think up a plan. However, before he could even begin to attempt to come up with a solution to this bizarre situation they had found themselves in, the vibrations suddenly stopped. A second later, everything that was floating overhead rained down upon them like a deluge in the form of dirty laundry and garbage. It was ironic, really, but it would seem nothing short of a supernatural event was enough for Sans to finally realize how disgusting his room really was. Perhaps once things got back to some sense of normalcy, he might think about cleaning it. ...Maybe.
Poff watched as the intruder retreated through the wall before turning his attention to his friend and the newest arrival. After a short moment, the two finally stood back up. This new human, he now noticed, was much larger than the tiny one.
Laying his pointy white ears back, Poff couldn't help but worry slightly. Who was she? Sniffing the air, the small dog monster quickly recognized the familiar scent. It was nearly identical to the little girl's. Was this person related to his tiny human? Her sister, perhaps? Poff didn't know for certain whether that was true or not, but something deep down was telling him that he had no reason to fear. She was safe.
Untensing, Poff whined as he slowly sat back down beside the sleeping child. He didn't know why this new person was here, but his friend must have brought her for a reason. Maybe she could help. As much as he hated to think about it, he knew that the little girl was failing fast. Whining again, the white dog gave an urgent bark to get their attention.
Brushing off a dirty sock that had fallen onto her shoulder, Frisk flinched slightly at the sudden noise. Looking over to the nearby bed, she spotted a fluffy dog monster. It was pawing at something with its tiny white paw, all the while staring straight at her. Did it want something? Lowering her gaze, she instantly spotted a small form laying half buried in rumpled bed sheets.
Fearia!
An overwhelming worry flooded her system as she rushed over to her little sister. Reaching down, Frisk hesitated for only a second before placing a hand to the girl's cheek. Her eyes were closed but the illusion of sleep was shattered by her cold temperature and deathly pale complexion. The teenager felt her stomach drop as she began to shake. Was... was she...? Pushing those thoughts as far back into her mind as she could, Frisk frantically began to search for a pulse.
Lacking his usual smile, Sans stood back silently as he felt his own worries start to grow. The kid looked bad. Real bad. He didn't know why Frisk was touching the little girl's neck, but he could clearly tell that she was beginning to panic. Had Fearia finally run out of time? Was she about to turn to dust? Feeling that familiar weight settle into his chest, Sans forced himself to approach. If the kid was about to go, well, at least she finally had her sister with her. Those thoughts did little to comfort him though.
After not finding a pulse in her neck, Frisk quickly leaned over and placed her head to her sister's chest. Listening intently for what felt like the longest moment of her life, the teenager's breath caught in her throat when she finally heard the faintest of heartbeats. It was slow and weak, but it was there!
Leaning back, Frisk felt her eyes sting slightly as relief filled her. There was still time, but she needed to hurry. As carefully as she could, Frisk gathered the small child up and cradled her to her chest. Fearia was so cold right now, and if she wasn't warmed up as soon as possible, it could easily turn fatal. She knew her own body heat probably wouldn't be enough, but as luck would have it, she actually had something perfect for this task.
Sensing the change in mood, Sans gave the mute girl some space as she sat down on his bed. She still looked worried, but now there was a spark of determination in her eyes. Was she about to do something? Could she- "can you help her?" The earnest question came out of his nonexistent throat without his consent and he was startled by just how desperate he sounded.
Looking up to the nervous skeleton, Frisk gave him a small commiserating smile before nodding.
*I think so.*
With barely contained trepidation, Sans watched as the little girl was gently placed on her big sister's lap. Wrapping an arm around her so that she didn't fall, the teenager then used her other hand to reach into the front of her silky tunic. There, she retrieved a small white pouch tied to a string. Pulling the leather cord off from around her neck, she brought the decorative cloth container to her lap and opened it. A small white stone tumbled out into her open palm. Even though it looked slightly different, Sans easily recognized what it was. The red runic symbols were a dead give away. It was another runestone. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long to find out what it did.
Holding the Firestone a safe distance away, Frisk waited as the carvings started to glow and a radiant warmth began to emanate from her hand, causing the surrounding area to quickly heat up. Right now, it felt pleasantly toasty, like sitting in front of an open fire, but she had to be careful so that it didn't get too hot. Placing her other hand on Fearia's forehead, she tried to keep track of her temperature.
Feeling the heat permeate his cold bones, Sans watched quietly as the little girl's complexion slowly started to come back. It was subtle at first, but after a few minutes, the paleness of her skin began to flush with color. Releasing a quiet improbable breath, the skeleton felt that painful weight lift a little as his eye lights reluctantly left the sleeping child and refocused on her sister.
Frisk looked to be in deep concentration as she held the little girl close, her hand occasionally changing locations from her forehead, down to her chest. Taking an educated guess, Sans figured that she was probably trying to estimate the small child's temperature. It made sense, and even if he still didn't know very much about humans, he could finally rely on someone who did. Frisk was now the single most qualified person in the Underground for this particular task and he was willing to trust that she knew what she was doing.
Sitting beside the human on the bed, Poff also watched the process in tense silence as the minutes ticked by. The heat in the room was almost becoming unpleasant, but if this helped his tiny person, the small dog wasn't about to complain. Poff just wanted the little girl to be okay again. He needed her to be.
Sensing that Fearia was finally warmed up, Frisk quickly stuffed the hot stone back into its protective pouch and set it aside. Bringing two fingers to her little sister's neck, she checked on her carotid pulse once more. It was strong enough now that she could easily find it this time. Feeling her shoulders slump slightly as the tension gradually subsided, Frisk finally allowed herself to acknowledge how truly close that had been. If she would have arrived any later than she had, it might have been too late. Even now, it still didn't look good, but at least Fearia wasn't teetering on the edge anymore.
Unfortunately, Frisk knew that this was only a temporary fix. Sooner or later, Fearia would begin to fail again. This was a fact. The only way to prevent that from happening was to have her Soul returned to her body. Despite the growing unlikelihood of that happening, Frisk simply had to have faith that it was still possible. In the meantime, she needed to find some way to stabilize the little girl. To do that, she needed to know how long she had been in this state.
Turning her gaze to her new friend, Frisk's question faltered before she could ask it. The poor skeleton looked so worried right now. Worried and exhausted. Even though she knew it would be rude to ask, she still found herself wondering how long it had been since he had last slept. Had Sans been watching over her little sister since she arrived in the Underground? In truth, it hadn't really been all that long, but still... Frisk could clearly see the fond attachment he held for her. Witnessing Fearia in that awful state must have really scared him. It had scared her too. Feeling a pang of sympathy, she knew she needed to find some way to put his mind at ease.
With a warm empathetic smile, Frisk gestured for her friend to come closer.
Confused but curious all the same, Sans easily complied. Did she want help with something? He wasn't quite sure how much help he would be, but he'd do what he could. Stepping in front of the silent girl, the skeleton was slightly surprised when she took his hand. Placing it gently to the little girl's mess of auburn hair, she gave him a reassuring look before mouthing something out.
*It's okay. See? She's warm now.*
After carefully reading the mute girl's lips, Sans felt even more confused as he turned his attention to the small child. He kinda figured that the kid had been warmed up, so he didn't really understand what she was getting at. What was she... It was only when the heat began to seep into his bones, did Sans finally realize what Frisk was trying to convey.
"heh, you're right." Sans replied as a soft smile appeared on his skull. He didn't know why, but this seemingly insignificant gesture was something he hadn't even known he'd needed till right at this moment. He needed to feel her warmth. He needed to be reassured that she was really okay; that she wasn't about to dust. Right now, Fearia felt so alive. "she hasn't been this warm in days." he confided as he brushed some of the auburn hair out of her face.
Distracted by the loving and tender expression that the skeleton was somehow able to display, Frisk very nearly missed what he had just said. Days? Did he just say days? That... can't be right. With a slight frown, she silently asked a question.
*How long has it been?*
Smile lessening, Sans unconsciously let his eye lights drift away. "it happened about a week ago." he revealed with some reluctance. "the kid had just been granted sanctuary, believe it or not, and everything was lookin' up. but then..." Sans felt his smile go flat as the memories replayed inside his skull. "that damn flower had to go and show his ugly face..."
*A flower?* Frisk asked as she tilted her head slightly.
"yeah, a nasty one." Sans replied as he leaned back and stuffed his boney hands back into his jacket pockets. "i know that sounds ridiculous, but this wasn't your run-of-the-mill garden variety daisy. that jerk had thorns and one helluva bad attitude. not only that, but he had also been snacking of soul gems. i... i really messed up." he admitted guiltily as he looked away again. "i had the chance to get the kid outa there and i let my guard down..."
A small frown formed on Frisk's face as she stared up at the forlorn skeleton. As much as this story bothered her, she couldn't help but feel bad for him. It was obvious that he'd been blaming himself for what had happened, and even if he had made a small error in judgment, the fault was not his alone. Frisk could tell that he had fought hard to protect her little sister, and knowing this, she could not bring herself to blame him for how things turned out.
"you know, it's ironic." Sans started, a humorless grin appearing on his skull. "a couple weeks ago, she actually drew a picture of that dumb weed. and the night before it happened, she had had a nightmare about a flower that was trying to kill her. maybe i shoulda been paying closer attention..."
Feeling utterly perplexed, Frisk furrowed her brow slightly as she tried to make sense of the time. Something wasn't quite adding up here and she just didn't know why... Giving her friend an obvious look of confusion, she decided to try and get to the bottom of this mystery.
*How long-* She started slowly, trying to make sure he understood her silent words. *has Fearia been in the Underground?*
"eh, tibia honest, i'm not really sure." Sans replied as he gave a lazy shrug. "she's been living here with me and my bro for a few weeks now, but i'm pretty sure she also spent a bit of time living with the lady in the ruins. don't know how long she was down there though."
Noticing the look of bewilderment on the mute girl's face, Sans slowly lifted an eyebrow bone as he studied her. Was there something strange about what he had just said? "she's probably been down in the underground for close to a month." he revealed, answering her question directly. "why did you ask?"
*A month?* Frisk's expression turned worried as she took a quick glance down at her sleeping sister. This wasn't right. None of this was right... Looking back up to the skeleton, she frowned slightly. *But... Fearia's only been missing for a day.*
Reading the mute girl's lips, Sans felt his eye sockets widened a little as he let those silent words sink in. Only one day had past on the Surface? Seriously? Given what he already knew, though, he wasn't about to doubt her on this. Privately, Sans wondered how Frisk would react if he were to tell her how much time had really passed. It would probably frighten her... He didn't want to do that.
Deciding to save that topic for a different occasion, Sans tucked that information away and simply shrugged. "huh. guess time works a little differently down here. but you know," he began, giving the older girl a smile. "i bet it'll make the kid happy to know that you came as fast as you could. she's been talking about you nonstop for weeks now."
Turning her attention back down to her baby sister, Frisk's expression softened as she held her a bit closer. Even though it disturbed her greatly to learn that Fearia had been without her for close to a month, to know that she hadn't been alone all that time filled her with a sense of relief. How fortunate she had been to find such caring and generous monsters. Despite what had happened, her little sister's time in the Underground appeared to have been well spent.
When the mute girl finally lifted her hazel eyes, Sans felt his grin slip ever so slightly by the amount of gratitude he found there.
Tapping her chin with her free hand, Frisk arched it outward towards her new friend as she gave him a warm heartfelt smile. *Thank you for watching over my little sister.*
"uh.. heh," Eye lights drifting off to the side of their own accord, Sans gave an awkward smile. "you don't gotta thank me. besides, i wasn't the only one. there's been plenty of other monsters who've helped her out. maybe it's because she's just a baby bones, but most of the people she's met down here seem to like her. patella the truth," he grinned in humor. "papyrus, my little brother, he adores this kid. i haven't seen him this happy in years. that's why..." grin faltering, the skeleton's eye lights were drawn back to the sleeping child. "that's why i need her to wake up... i need her to really be okay. whatever it takes, i need to get her soul back."
Hearing the conviction in her friend's voice, Frisk felt that weak flicker of hope grow just a bit stronger. If he was serious about this, and she didn't doubt that he was, then her little sister might actually have a chance. Giving the skeleton a look of hopeful determination, she carefully mouthed out a question.
*Do you know where her Soul is?*
"i've got a hunch." Sans revealed after processing the silent words. "but i don't know how long it will take me to actually locate it. how much time do you think the kid has?"
After first feeling the small child's forehead, Frisk gently pressed her fingers to Fearia's neck to check her carotid pulse once more. A subtle frown slowly fell into place when she noticed the weakening heartbeat. It was as she had suspected, warming her up had only been a temporary fix. The real problem resided inside of her fragile body. Her organs were most likely failing and that was the reason why she was struggling to produce her own body heat.
Keeping her warm would probably only stave off death for a few more hours, but there was a way to buy more time. As luck would have it, Frisk actually possessed the unique ability to do just that. She just needed a bit of information first.
*A few hours, maybe.* She answered honestly. *But, I might be able to give her more.* Taking a short moment to construct her question, Frisk then tried to silently articulate what she needed to know. *How long has she been in this state?*
Tilting his skull, Sans tried to understand what she meant by that. "are you asking how long it's been since her body started to decline? or... how long its been since she lost her soul?"
Shaking her head, Frisk lifted one finger.
"the first thing i said, huh?" Sans waited for her to confirm his assumption with a nod of the head before reaching into his jacket pocket and digging out his cell phone. "i had been taking the kid to a healing star routinely to keep her healthy, but recently... they just stopped working." he said as he flipped open his phone. "it's been exactly... twenty eight hours and forty seven minutes since she was last healed."
Frisk didn't know what a healing star was, but the information that he had given her was just what she needed. Nearly thirty hours... That was definitely going to be a stretch for her powers, but she didn't need to go all the way. She just needed to get close.
*Okay...* The silent word was more for her own sake this time as Frisk gave an unconscious nod, her mind focusing on the task at hand.
Sans watched quietly as the teenager turned and gently laid her little sister back down onto the messy bed. She then, much to his embarrassment, began to clear some of the trash away that had fallen in a scattered heap across his rumpled bedsheets. Seeing what she was doing, the little white dog had actually attempted to help to some degree as he gathered up a few paper balls.
Once the bed was finally devoid of clutter, Frisk joined the sleeping child, kneeling beside her, near the middle of the mattress. Lifting an eyebrow bone, Sans couldn't help but be curious. What was she planning to do?
His unasked question was answered soon after, as Frisk held her hands out and lowered them till they were hovering just above Fearia's small chest. Closing her eyes, the teenager looked to be in deep concentration as gentle wisps of soft ethereal light began to slowly swirl to life around her poised form. Honestly, Sans didn't know why he was surprised. He already knew she could preform magic to some degree. But... for some reason, witnessing it firsthand like this... He was amazed. Was this really human magic?
Hands tucked inside his pockets, the skeleton watched with rapt attention as the golden light began to channel into Frisk's outstretched hands, and from there, gently flowed downward before seeping into the sleeping child's small body. Sans wasn't quite sure what was happening right now, but he had faith that Frisk knew exactly what she was doing. If this really did end up giving the kid a bit more time, then he was truly grateful.
As Sans silently observed the process, something strange caught his eye lights a few minutes in. Coming from teen's lower back, a faint red glow could be seen from just beneath her silky clothing. Quietly, so as not to disturb her, he took a couple steps to the side so he could get a better view of whatever it was. The light, that was about the size of his hand, wasn't quite centered on her back, it was more on her left side. Studying the unusual glow, Sans could just barely make out the familiar curves of runic symbols as they steadily became brighter.
Hearing a pained hiss, the skeleton's eye lights snapped back to the mute girl's face as she suddenly lost her focus. The golden light that had been flowing from her palms quickly dissipated as the spell was broken. With a look of vague annoyance, she leaned back and tenderly pressed a hand to the fading light on her side, wincing a little as she did.
Huh... Sans thought as he made a mental note. Whatever that light had been, it obviously wasn't a good thing.
Recovering as quickly as she could, Frisk brought her attention to her little sister. Just as she had suspected, she hadn't been able to go back all the way, but she had gotten real close. Probably twenty six hours, more or less, and that was definitely good enough.
Leaning over Fearia's small body, Frisk felt her temperature before carefully checking her pulse one last time. She was pleased to find that everything seemed perfectly normal now. With her deep even breaths and a healthy complexion, the little girl appeared to only be sleeping.
"dunno what you just did, but i think it worked." Sans said as he approached the soulless child. Reaching down, he placed a boney hand gently to her mess of auburn hair. The renewed warmth he felt there easily brought a smile back to his skull and with it, his hopes lifted a little. "how much time do you think she has now?"
Lifting her hazel eyes to look up at the skeleton, Frisk once again caught that look of affection as he stared down at Fearia. Honestly, seeing someone show this much care and compassion for her little sister truly warmed her heart. When his eye lights rose to meet hers, she smiled before silently answering his question. *A little more than a day.*
"that's perfect." Sans sighed in relief, easily returning her smile. "it'll give me just enough time to come up with a plan before i head out. in the meantime..." He began, giving the mute girl a slight look of concern. "why don'tcha take a rest. don't mean to sound blunt, darlin', but you look bone-tired."
Darling? Giving the skeleton a humored look, Frisk rolled her eyes slightly. He was right, though. She was exhausted. In truth, she couldn't remember the last time she had actually slept, and waking up from a reset simply didn't count in her opinion. With a small nod, she lifted her hands and gestured out her gratitude.
"heh, don't mention it." Sans replied with a lazy shrug. Admittedly he still didn't know much in sign language, but "thank you" was something that he had definitely learned. "i'll be right over there if ya need anything." he said as he nodded over to his upside-down desk.
Watching him turn and walk away, Frisk slowly slid her weight off of her legs and sat in a more relaxed position on his bed. After a tired yawn, she sunk all the way down so that she was laying on her side next to her little sister. Flicking her gaze back over to the kind hearted skeleton who was presently trying to figure out why his desk was no longer level, she again found herself smiling in humor.
Lifting her free hand, Frisk privately pointed a finger to herself before making a quick gesture using her thumb and middle finger as if she were pulling something from her chest. She then pointed over to the oblivious skeleton who was in the process of shoving a book underneath one of the bent legs to his now wobbly desk.
Holding back a silent giggle, Frisk gathered her sleeping sister into her arms and snuggled close. Sleep wasted no time in finding her.
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Frisk sneakily just said "I like you." in sign language.
If there are any questions you would like answers to, please let me know!
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In the next chapter, Frisk discovers that she can communicate with Sans in a different way.
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Thanks for reading!
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Sheii Bae~
