Chapter 19: Forward

Four years later

Engines roared over the screams of spectators through the television. Chara shovelled a mouthful of popcorn from the bowl upon her lap, feet kicked over the coffee table. A dozen flashy race cars wrestled for the lead. Several fell behind while taking the tightest turn on the course. One came close to spinning out of control, barely avoiding a collision with the vehicle attempting to overtake it.

The front door slammed open. It jarred Chara from her fixation. "Chara!" Mew Mew yelled. "Chara! It's here!"

Chara scooped spilt popcorn from the sofa and threw it back into the bowl. "What's here?!"

Mew held an envelope into the air. When she saw the emblem on its corner, Chara's breath caught. She killed the volume on the TV and took the letter from Mew Mew. Her legal name was printed over the front.

"Well?" Mew Mew danced anxiously on her toes. "Open it."

"Okay, jeez! Give me a sec!"

Shoving her finger underneath the envelope's seal, Chara slowly tore it apart. Her throat ran dry as she removed several sheets of paper folded inside. Carefully, she flattened out the top page and began to read.

'Dear Charlotte,

We thank you for participating in the General Education Development Program. Your final exam results have been assessed and we are pleased to congratulate you for successfully completing your Certificate of High School Equivalency…'

"I… I passed…" Chara gasped.

"Oh my god!" Mew Mew crushed her with a hug. "Congratulations! I'm so proud of you!" She released Chara just before her vision started to blur from the loss of oxygen.

"Thanks… Mew…" Chara wheezed. She continued reading the rest of the letter. The remaining pages broke down her results for each test. Her overall score wasn't close to 'A-grade,' but she didn't outright fail any of them.

"Let me see! Let me see!" Mew Mew snatched the papers from Chara and squealed. If anything, she was the most excited of them. "This is so great, babe! You've got to tell Toriel."

"Okay, I'll get to it," Chara chuckled. "No need to rush."

She did need to tell Toriel as soon as possible, though. If not for her tutoring over the last few years, Chara would have crashed and burned in her attempt to finish her education. The old woman had been so patient and encouraging. Even a 'C' was worthy of her praise, even if she nudged Chara to keep improving. Chara ended up wishing that she had a teacher like Toriel a long time ago. Maybe she would have stayed in school if someone like her had been there to believe in Chara.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Mew Mew asked.

Chara drew a blank. "Honestly, I don't know. Guess I didn't think I'd get this far." She chuckled again. "For starters, I could go for some pizza to celebrate."

Mew Mew flashed a devilish grin. "I hear you. Super-large with stuffed crust. Then we get black-out drunk together."

"Jeez, Mew. Do you ever show any restraint?"

"Come on!" Mew wailed. "It's what loads of people do when they finish high school! Live a little, girl!"

Chara sighed but wore a wide smile. "Fine. But I choose the toppings this time. No arguments."

Pouting, Mew Mew crossed her arms. "Alright. We'll be boring then." Her ears folded flat atop her head. Chara coaxed them up again with a gentle scratch between them. Mew Mew then wrapped her arms around Chara and kissed her.

"I'll say it again, Char. Great job on passing. You really deserve it."

Chara rested her chin on Mew Mew's shoulder and hugged her back. "Thanks, babe. That means a lot to me."

Mew Mew had dropped the letter at some point, scattering the pages across the floor. Chara glanced at one and felt something warm and happy fill her chest. It had taken years of hard work to achieve this much. And now that she had finally finished her high school studies, it started to feel like Chara had a future to look forward to.

Kris sat on the bed within a small, single-room apartment. Three other guys reclined in various places around him, all staring into laptop screens with headphones over their ears. The other human on the desk chair banged his head back and forth, throwing around his curly copper hair.

"These are some sick tracks, Kris," he said. A virtual battle displayed on his screen. The characters flickered through idle motions as the player menu remained untouched.

"I could wander through the woods for hours listening to this," the rabbit monster on the floor agreed.

Their third friend raised two thumbs beside his faceless, black-diamond head. A glint of sunlight bouncing off his facets was the closest they got to an expression.

"Thanks, guys," Kris said humbly.

"Seriously, dude. You've got awesome talent for this stuff. This game is going to kill when it's finished."

He fought off the blush building on his face. "It's not like I spent a whole lot of time on it. I just threw a few chords together and they happened to work."

"Truly the skills of a master," the rabbit bowed his head low. "We are not worthy."

Kris squirmed as his composure slipped. "Come on. It's not that great. You guys are the ones actually making the game."

"Yeah, and it wouldn't be half as good right now without you making the music," the diamond man asserted.

"So, Barry," Kris then asked. "How close do you think we are to beta testing?"

Barry removed his headphones and ruffled his curls in thought. "I reckon with a few all-nighters we could have it ready by the end of next week. What do you guys think?" The other two agreed.

"I can finish off the boss sprites by Tuesday night," Kris said. "I'll see if changing the colours like Louis suggested looks any better." He then got up and walked to collect his bag by the front door.

"Sweet as," Barry grinned. "You heading off already?"

"Yeah; date with Susie tonight. She'll be around any minute now."

"Urgh!" Louis pulled on his ears. "An artistic genius AND he has a hot girlfriend! Where the hell is my lucky break?"

"Learn how to talk to girls and you might find it," Barry teased. "Seeya, Kris. Let me know when you're done with those sprites."

Kris navigated down through the college dorms and into the late afternoon air. He slipped his sweater from his backpack over his head. Fall's chill was setting in. Crossing under browning leaves, Kris walked alongside the road towards the carpark.

Behind him, a police car slowed and blew its siren. "Attention, beanpole! Put your hands above your head and shake what your momma gave ya! That's an order."

Kris did no such thing and instead walked towards the car. He opened the passenger door and threw his bag underneath the glove compartment. "Doesn't this count as abusing your power as a police officer?"

"Hell if I know," Susie grinned. Her blue uniform complemented the mauve of her scales. She exuded an air of strong authority as she leaned over and kissed Kris. Her tongue in his mouth sent a jolt of excitement through him.

Susie hit the gas as traffic began to build behind her. "So, how'd it go with your friends?"

"Not bad," Kris answered. "Barry thinks we'll be ready to have people test the game soon."

"Sweet! Sign me up for that."

"And how was your day?"

"Meh. Pretty boring. Nothing but parking tickets and a few speeding fines. Didn't even get to chase anyone down."

"Woe the day Ebott City is too peaceful for Officer Susie," Kris sighed dramatically.

"I must be too good at the job," Susie cackled.

They continued to joke and laugh as they drove through the city to the restaurant where Kris had made their reservation. Susie stepped out of the car and threw on a plain jacket over her uniform. She pulled her hair free from its professional ponytail, shaking it wild to her liking. Then she offered her arm to Kris. As they walked, elbows interlocked, Kris looked up to the streetlights and gleaming shop signs.

His friends' praises echoed in his thoughts. A smile adorned his lips. Kris glanced over to Susie. She looked radiant tonight. He found himself falling in love all over again. Susie caught him staring and smiled endearingly back.

They had both struggled from an early age. Their lives before each other had been rife with isolation and a lack of confidence in themselves. Yet, here they were together, arm in arm and having found their path in the world. He had a space all to his own where his skills and passions could shine. She had discovered her calling to protect others with her fierce heart. People valued them. And more importantly, Kris and Susie valued themselves and each other.

Kris realised that he now had many reasons to love life, and he felt lucky to have his greatest reason right here beside him.

It was a wonderful night for Frisk. Asriel had taken her to a fancy restaurant in Ebott City's classier side. The food served was divine, served alongside fine wine and a live violin performance. After dessert, Asriel drove her to an outlook on the route towards Mt Ebott.

Frisk clutched her coat tighter around her shoulders as they walked through the evening breeze. From atop the high cliff, they could see the whole city and its shining, multicolour lights. It was a spectacular view. They had it all to themselves.

"Have you had a good time so far?" Asriel asked her.

"Yes. Tonight's been lovely. Thank you, Asriel."

He smiled. "Good. I'm glad."

They stood close to one another. "It's beautiful out here," Frisk remarked.

"Not as beautiful as you."

Frisk blushed, heart fluttering. "You charmer."

"I wouldn't call it charming if I'm simply telling the truth."

Frisk turned to face Asriel and stared into his gentle, clear eyes. He cupped her cheek, brushing her bangs to one side. In the moment, she forgot all about the cold. Only the crickets were around to be heard. Their songs surrounded them from the dark foliage in the distance.

"So," Frisk finally said, "was there a special reason for tonight? Or do you plan to spoil me like this a lot from now on?"

Asriel flinched for a fraction of a second. His expression fell before his smile returned. "Looks like you caught on to me, huh?" Frisk nodded with a sly smirk. "Should I just get to the point, or can I still do the speech I prepared?"

"I'm listening."

"Right. Uh… Um…" Asriel twiddled his thumbs and rubbed his nose for a moment. "Was hoping to ease into it a little better than this, but… um…" Frisk waited patiently, urging him on with her eyes.

Then Asriel exhaled. He finally relaxed. "Frisk… The last few years since I met you have been a journey. I never expected our lives to change the way they have, and I'm really glad that I got to share this journey with you. We had good times, and bad times, and we made it through them all together. I feel that I've grown closer to you than I ever imagined that I would."

She saw it coming two hours ago. Yet, tears still wetted Frisk's eyes as Asriel got down on one knee. "I've decided that there's no one else I'd rather spend the rest of my life with. And though the choice is entirely yours to make, it would make me very happy if you said yes to this." He held up a small box and opened it. A ring glinted in the car's headlights.

"Will you marry me, Frisk?"

She pried her hands from her mouth so that he could hear and see her joy. "Yes." Frisk threw her arms around Asriel. His embrace was strong and rich in love. She kissed him to her heart's desire.

"What about my parents, though?" she dared to ask.

Asriel smiled. "Don't worry. Got their blessing." A weight lifted from her shoulders. "Thank you, Frisk. I really am glad that you said yes."

Frisk kissed him again, following with another prolonged embrace. She allowed Asriel to slip the ring onto her finger. He then pulled her back into his arms. She dried her face with the front of Asriel's sweater.

This was everything that she had ever wanted. After a lifetime of feeling alone in the world, Frisk finally had it all. Her brother; her sister; her parents; and the man she loved. They each formed irreplaceable parts of her life. And at long last, they fitted together to form her perfect picture of the world.

Chara, Kris, and Frisk… Although their lives had drifted apart once more, they knew that it would not be forever. At long last, they each felt whole again.

Author's note:

Wow. It's finally done. I never expected this story to come out the way that it had, but I feel proud of it. I'd like to thank Mister. Enigma again for inspiring me to create this story.

Now that Reconnecting is complete, I look forward to dedicating my time to my next big piece.