Frisk was completely exhausted from the journey. It was quite a long hike making it back to the Ruins all the way from New Home, even with the ferry shortcuts. The Underground was a lot bigger than it seemed, the way forward or back was often convoluted and roundabout and the constant change in environment was wearing on her physically, especially the transition from Waterfall to Snowdin.
But she was fine with that, it gave her time to think about what she was planning to do. She knew what she was going to do, she knew how to actually do it, but she didn't know how to approach him about the matter. How was she going bring it up? Would he be willing to go through with it at all? What if he didn't even want to see her this time? Those thoughts, and Sans voice giving them force, weighed heavily on her mind even now.
And what if she suddenly lost her nerve and tried to back out at the last second. It pained her to consider that possibility was still in the cards, but the thought scared her so much that she had serious doubts about herself and her own resolve. The thought rattled around in her head like loose change the whole way, leaving her with a sense of tangible dread.
But she also remembered who it was for, what it meant for that person.
And it filled her with DETERMINATION.
I only hope I'm not too late...
Frisk finally ascended the stairs into Toriels house. It wasn't much farther to the place she was going, only a few minutes away, in fact. The puzzles that would normally impede her progress had already been solved so it was more or less a straight shot at this point. But Frisk felt like she needed to take care of one final matter first.
The living room was empty and dark now, the fireplace having died long ago, now nothing but spent embers and ancient ash. The light switch still worked when flicked on, however, and Frisk sat at the large table near the back wall. Now in front of her was a piece of simple stationary and an envelope in which to put the flimsy parchment in. With pencil in hand, Frisk began writing a letter...more like a will, considering what was soon to come. She was pressed for time and made it a point to hurry, but by the same token put as much care as she possibly could into it.
When she was finished, she folded the stationary and slid it in the envelope, sealing it with the adhesive of her own saliva. On the front she simply wrote 'To Mom', not addressing who it was from or what its contents were. Then she slipped it into her napsack, pushed the chair back underneath the table and turned the light off, leaving everything else as it was. She left through the front door.
The Ruins were definitely more straightforward than any other area in the Underground, and there wasn't much to see or do as a result. About the only room that required a roundabout approach was the one where the only other way out was separated by a wall, forcing Frisk to fall through the weakened spots in the floor, into a chamber beneath the room, with staircases leading up to either side. For the most part though, the puzzles were simple and all of them had already been dealt with, so there was nothing to really impede Frisks progress on the way there.
The spiders that were holding a bake sale were not far from here, and although Frisk had no time to visit, it was unlikely they were still there anyway.
Hopefully Muffet raised enough money to get them out.
Soon Frisk came upon the room with the bowl of monster candy and the note that said 'take one.' Frisk felt a little guilty about that now, having taken four pieces at the time, and still had three left. It was a silly gesture because it was unlikely anyone would come back for it, but Frisk took a moment to replace the extra candy she took, depositing the three that she did not eat. Feeling better about herself, she pressed on.
Before long, Frisk came upon the first puzzles she encountered in the Ruins, the ones that Toriel had taught her how to deal with, and the dummy that Toriel used to teach Frisk how to converse with monsters. Her anxiety magnified severely, knowing that she was so close.
Finally, she reached the double staircase leading down to the other exit of the Ruins, and after passing the patch of grass just beyond, the one where she first met 'Flowey'...him...she at last had reached her destination. First it was a long hall, and then the hall opened up into a little cavern. Inside this cavern was a golden flower bed, above which was the hole she fell through at the beginning of this whole adventure. Sunlight was still filtering down through the hole onto the flower bed below, giving their yellow petals an almost luminescent glow.
And there he was.
Asriel Dreemurr, the son of Toriel and Asgore, the young boss monster whom she battled over for time and space, the one who only hours ago sacrificed everything to break the barrier and set the Underground free, was kneeling in the bed of flowers, tending to them carefully. "Someone has to," he would say, just like his mother. He still looked as he did before they parted ways earlier, his younger self, wearing the same striped green and yellow long sleeved shirt and dark pants. His furry hands and paws were slightly muddy from the flower soil, as were his clothes. He was facing away from Frisk, and didn't seem to notice her presence.
She ducked around the corner of the entrance and went into her napsack, rummaging through all of her belongings as quietly as she could. So many odd trinkets she had collected on this journey. Finally she came out with two objects. One was the heart locket she picked up from New Home, something she knew belonged to him because of the photo inside, the one of Asriel and another child, and the engraving.
Best Friends Forever: A + C
Chara, it had to be. It went into her pocket.
The other object was what was left of the Snail Pie that Toriel had baked for her at the onset of this adventure, a taste she had to struggle to acquire. She ate it more out of necessity rather than desire, and although she had told Toriel as much earlier, she still felt bad for being unable to appreciate what she was sure was a 'delicacy' to her, and probably Asriel too. The leftovers were still big enough for one person, though. Frisk quickly cleaned the fork it came with, using the plastic wrap as a makeshift napkin.
Here goes...
With the pie in hand, she slowly approached a distracted Asriel.
Asriel was still kneeling down, still facing away from Frisk. His gaze was drawn to the flowers beneath him, knowing that he was soon to become one again. He was looking at his hand, the white fur glistening in the filtered sunlight beaming down through the hole, and he seemed to be deep in thought. Frisk could hear Asriel talking to himself as she moved closer.
"I wonder what they're doing at this moment. Hopefully everyone has left for the surface by now. The sun must feel wonderful."
Asriel...it does. It really does.
A noise from behind.
"Hmm?"
Asriels floppy ears picked up on Frisks footsteps quite easily. He turned around to see a familiar face...
What if Sans was right? What if he really doesn't want to see me?
"Frisk!? It's you!"
Asriel shouted with a gleeful smile, erasing some of Frisks earlier worries.
"Y...yeah, I came to keep you company."
He was clearly happy now. Nobody even knew he existed at this moment, and she only knew because she had visited him before, on previous resets. And it had been hours since their confrontation, their battle for control over the timeline. He had thought for sure that they would have made for the surface by now. Though deep down he really didn't want to see anyone, he WAS happy to see Frisk, and he let it show. At least Sans was wrong on one count.
"How did you know I was here though?"
Frisk didn't want to immediately let on how she knew.
"I...just had a feeling."
Asriel gave her a smile, not sarcastic or condescending like Papyrus or Sans, nor was it sheepish or meek like Alphys. This was genuine, and it cheered her up a little bit, even more so after what Asriel said next.
"Well, I don't know how you found me, but...I'm glad you did!"
Frisk returned the smile with interest, her eyes still in narrow slits like always. The difference in demeanor between Asriel and Flowey was night and day.
"Yeah, me too."
She sat down in the flowers beside Asriel, with the last slice of Snail Pie still in hand.
"Here, I saved this for you."
Asriels eyes widened and his smile became bigger.
"From Mom? You kept a slice for me? T...thank you!"
Asriel took the fork in hand and carved into the pie without hesitation. As Frisk thought, he loved Toriels 'specialty', even though she could never acquire the taste for it. He even offered her some, which she refused. The look on her face told Asriel everything.
"Don't like it, huh? You humans have weird tastes."
"Really!?"
She inquired, bewildered by the statement Asriel had just made.
"You monsters eat snails and WE'RE the ones with weird tastes?"
She wasn't trying to come off as offensive, but she couldn't blame Asriel if he took it that way.
He didn't, though. He simply giggled, and Frisk soon followed suit. The giggles turned into full blown laughter before long, the both of them nearly falling over in their hysteria.
"Hahahaha...well, maybe we do have weird tastes. We're certainly more picky than monsters from what I've seen."
Asriel flashed her a look of curiosity.
"But you ate most of it anyway."
Frisk shook her head and shrugged.
"Beggers can't be choosers, right? I ate what I had and I was grateful for it."
Asriel smiled at that thought, and turned his attention back to the pie. Frisk scooted a little closer to Asriel now, and after taking another bite, he brought up a question, one that had apparently been on his mind for some time.
"Hey Frisk, can I ask you something?"
His gaze was now drawn towards the hole above.
"Sure."
"Do you...remember why you came to the Underground?"
Frisk, not fully understanding the question, inquired further.
"What do you mean?"
Asriel elaborated.
"Well...you know the legend of Mount Ebott, right? They say that anyone that tries to go up the mountain is never heard from again. They never come back down."
Frisk thought for a moment before responding.
"I do know the legend, but...I don't really remember where I might have heard it. Must have been a long time ago."
Asriel looked directly into Frisks eyes before asking again.
"So, why did you come anyway, if you were aware of the legends? Was it fate, were you just being foolish, or was it..."
The smile left Asriels face, as if he felt guilty about asking. Frisk was confused and struggled to give an answer, but only because she genuinely didn't remember.
"I'm sorry, Frisk. I didn't mean to upset you. Forget I asked."
Asriel looked away from her, embarrassed for even asking such a silly question, but Frisk simply smiled at Asriel, whom took notice from the corner of his eye, putting him at ease.
"No, no, it's okay Asriel. I'm not upset. It's just...I don't really remember why I came. Honestly I don't even remember the fall, the climb, or the events that led up to it, now that I think about it. I don't even remember anything about my parents or my life before falling down the hole. It's...kind of scary."
"You...don't even remember your parents?"
Asriel asked tentatively, now looking directly at Frisk, and the tone in his voice made it clear that he suddenly felt terrible for her, even in his current predicament. At least he knew who his parents were and what kind of people they were.
"Yeah..."
Frisk replied with disappointment and even a sense of longing.
"I thought I might remember something about my past if I just gave myself time to recover, but nothing ever came back to me. I'm sure they were very nice people, and I'm sure they were good to me. After all, I seemed to turn out okay. I just wish I had something to remind me of them. A photo, a letter, a trinket, anything..."
Asriel put a free arm around Frisk now and pulled her a little closer to him, gently squeezing her shoulder with his hand and resting his head on her other shoulder. As bad as things were for him at the moment, he at least knew who his parents were and held on to their good memories and the fact that they were still alive and well. But to not have any memories of your family or past at all, not knowing who you really are, he couldn't imagine what that felt like.
Frisk put her other hand over Asriels, the one holding her closer to him, and gave it a reassuring pat.
"It's okay, Asriel. I've made so many wonderful friends down here, they're kind of like my family now. Including you. I can be happy with that, if nothing else."
She turned to look at Asriel now, her gaze locked with his.
"It doesn't matter what my reason was before, even if it was a less than happy one. What matters is that it happened, and I got to meet all of you as a result. So something good came of it, and I'm happy for that."
Asriel nodded and finally let go, turning his attention back to the last bite of pie.
"Yeah! Me too!"
Asriel said reassuringly.
"I can't believe either of us are saying that after everything you went through, too."
He finished the last of the pie and offered back the plate and fork.
"Thank you Frisk. Haven't had a slice of that stuff in a LONG time."
Frisk took the plate from Asriels hands, setting it aside. She gave him another smile in response.
"Heh, you're welcome."
Suddenly, she remembered the other thing she brought with her.
"OH! I almost forgot!"
Frisk stood and fished her hand into her pockets.
"Hold out your hand, Asriel."
He stood as well, opening his right hand and held it out towards Frisk as she dug around in her pocket, trying to fetch the other item she came with while Asriel watched in confusion.
She finally pulled out the heart locket she picked up from New Home, the one she figured belonged to Asriel once upon a time. She was holding it by its beady golden chain and carefully dropped the red heart attached to it into Asriels waiting hand, the chain falling into his palm with it.
"This is..."
Frisk nodded.
"I picked it up at New Home some time ago. I figured it belongs to you because of the engraving. It protected me, made me feel safe when everything seemed hopelessly lost. I wanted you to have it back."
Asriel was crying now and had to wipe away a few tears, but the smile on his face told Frisk that he wasn't upset or sad.
"It...was hers, actually. I wasn't wearing mine on that day, it's probably still in my room somewhere. But still..."
He gingerly put the locket around his neck, setting the chain carefully, and cupped it in his hand once it was secure.
Then he divebombed into Frisk, hugging her as tight as he could. Her arms were partially pinned and she could only get so much leverage to return the hug, burying her face into Asriels shoulder to return the show of affection instead.
"Thank you so much Frisk."
Frisk smiled and nodded in return, still bound in Asriels iron grip, her voice slightly muffled through the fabric of Asriels shirt.
"Don't mention it!"
Asriel finally let go. Frisk took a deep breath, clearly having been caught by surprise.
"Heh, sorry."
Asriel apologized sheepishly, unaware of his own strength apparently. Frisk reassured him with a silly grin.
"Don't worry about it! I've been getting those all day. Feels just like Toriels hugs, maybe even better."
Asriel grinned cheerfully, and he clearly knew about those better than Frisk.
"Haha, yeah, Mom does give the best hugs!"
Now Asriel looked away for a brief moment before speaking again, the tone in his voice now giving off a feeling of despair. He could feel a telltale tingling in his body now, a static twinge in his fingers and toes. He didn't have much time left.
"I can feel it. My power is fading. It won't be long now..."
In an instant, the smile on Frisks face melted. Was this really how it was going to end?
"Asriel..."
Asriel looked at Frisk again, and she could see the pain and sadness in his eyes again. He was truly frightened, and made little effort to hide it. He sat down in the flower bed again, arms wrapped around his legs, fingers interlocked, one paw on top of the other.
"Can I...confess something to you Frisk?
"Sure."
Frisk took a seat next to him again. If she could do nothing else, she was happy to listen to whatever her friend had to say if it would make him feel even a little better.
But the look of sadness on Asriels face now turned to shame.
"All those horrible things I did...It's strange. I did them because I wanted my friend back. Because I wanted Chara back. I didn't care what the cost was, I was willing to pay any price, go any length to get her back."
Frisk maintained eye contact with Asriel, not saying a word.
"But...I don't think Chara would have wanted that if she was really my friend. I love Chara, but in truth, she was not a very nice person. She hated humanity, for reasons I'll probably never understand. She'd be so upset with me, hearing me talk about her like this..."
Frisk said nothing, continuing to listen instead.
"When I absorbed her SOUL after she died, we went to the surface together. Her last wish was to see the golden flowers of the village near the surface, but she still wanted to go through with our original plan, to steal six more human SOULs to break the barrier. And when I carried her body to the village, to the flower bed in the center, the people assumed I was the one who killed her and they attacked me."
"Chara wanted me to fight back, to use my power to kill them, but I...I couldn't bring myself to do it. I fled, taking everything they had to throw at me, and eventually I made it back to the Underground, but my injuries were grave, and...well, I think you know what happened then."
"Asriel..."
It was all that Frisk could manage. She had actually heard this before, but that didn't make it any easier to listen to. She let him continue, though. He needed this.
"...the truth was, it was all Chara. She shared control of my body when I absorbed her SOUL. She was the one who carried her own body across the barrier to the village. And she was the one who wanted to kill the humans using our full power...but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I resisted, I turned away, and I...WE paid the price for it."
Frisk still couldn't say anything. Her emotions were a complete train wreck, but she had to be strong now. Asriel needed to get everything off his shoulders if he was to ever have any peace of mind.
"All this time I've been trying so hard to get her back, so we could go back to the way things were. Some semblance of the happy memories we shared so long ago."
Asriel looked down at the flowers again, clearly ashamed of himself.
"But, the truth is...she's gone. She died a long time ago, and so did I. And I never accepted it...until now."
Frisk spoke up now to correct him, because that wasn't completely true, at least not in a spiritual sense.
"She's not gone, Asriel. Not really. She lives on now, in your memory of her. As long as you don't forget about her, as long as you hold on to her memory, she's always with you..."
Frisk had a lot of trouble saying what she did, but even worse, she had trouble believing it. Frisk had never lost someone so important to her, at least not that she could recall from what was left of her fragmented memory, so it was kind of foolhardy to try and relate to Asriel on such a touchy subject, having nothing to really connect it to herself. And she couldn't blame him if he took it the wrong way.
But he didn't.
"Y...yeah, you're right. She's right here, with me."
He clutched at his locket, holding it closer to him.
His gaze was still focused downward, though. There was so much pain and sadness in his eyes, so much shame. It was an enormous challenge, attempting to face up to what he did, but he knew he had to do it if he wanted any closure, and Frisk forced herself to be strong for him in this moment.
"I...I've done such terrible things, Frisk. I was trapped in that hollow shell called Flowey for so long, and I adopted a horrible philosophy of the world. Kill, or be killed. I thought it was the only way. I nearly sacrificed everything to get what I wanted, without ever giving a single thought to the consequences of my actions. I hurt so many people in the process. Papyrus, Sans, Alphys, Undyne...Mom and Dad."
He turned to face her again, but his gaze was still focused downward, ashamed to look at her directly.
"But most of all, I hurt you. My foolish actions almost cost you your life. I was so blind, so stupid, and all this time I thought violence was the only way..."
"Asriel...it wasn't your fault. What you did as Flowey was NOT your fault. I know with all my heart, you never would have done those things as Flowey if you had retained your ability to feel love in that form. I'm certain of that."
She said, taking his furry hands into her own. He finally looked directly at her again.
"...you're probably right. But regardless, it doesn't absolve me of responsibility."
A feeling of peace came over Asriel now, and he finally let a smile take shape on his emotionally weathered face.
"What I DO know is...after meeting you, after everything you've done for me, I don't harbor those horrible feelings anymore. You're...you're incredible, Frisk. You sacrificed, you endured, you never gave up no matter how bad things got. And when given the chance for revenge, you chose to forgive instead. You were willing to give up everything to make sure others were happy...even your own life."
He still wasn't finished. Frisk began to cry, not out of sadness but out of joy, hearing Asriel say something so kind about her. Asriel could see it in her eyes and smiled again in response.
"You're the friend that I always wanted, Frisk. You gave me back something when I needed it most...a second chance. You gave me the opportunity to set things right with the little time I have remaining. You showed me how to feel hope and love again. I haven't felt like that in a long time. Not since..."
He stopped himself, letting that terrible thought trail off. He knew he didn't have to say anymore, and Frisk knew it as well.
"...well, thank you, Frisk. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, for everything. I'll never forget it."
Frisk smiled at Asriel, finally bringing herself to stop crying. The whole time she had never let go of Asriels hands.
He looked up towards the hole, his hands still in Frisks grasp.
"And thank you for listening to me, too. I feel much better getting that all off my shoulders. Looking back, had I actually gone through with it, killed those people in the village, then we would have had to wage war on all of humanity. It cost me my life, not fighting back, but...I don't regret that decision anymore. I did the right thing, and I can be content with that, if nothing else."
The smile was still on Frisks face. She felt happy again, knowing she had given her friend a chance to finally make peace with himself.
Asriel stood up and began to walk away, breaking contact. The tingling sensation from earlier was intensifying now. He had a few minutes left at most, and he knew it.
"Well, my time is almost up."
Frisk stood up as well, and the smile instantly left her face, replaced with a look of despair.
"You should probably go...your friends are waiting for you, and I'm sure you have better things to do."
No, I don't have anything better to do...
Asriel turned to face Frisk, and he had a serene look of resignation on his face, as if he had already accepted what was going to happen to him. Frisk looked directly into his green eyes now, and, if anything, the look on Asriels face now was ten times more painful to see then the one he showed earlier. He already knew. They both did.
"It's alright, Frisk. I know what you came here for, what you were going to ask me. And I appreciate you spending time with me, I really do. But..."
Don't say it...
"...I can't go back like this. I won't."
The look of despair on Frisks face now turned to pure heartbreak. She didn't know how to comfort Asriel. There was nothing she could say or do, nothing she could even think of, because she knew the truth without him even having to say anything. But he did anyway.
"I lost my SOUL a long time ago, it vanished along with my body when I died, and it took so much power, the power of so many SOULs, just to recreate this body. Without at least a SOUL of my own to sustain it, this body won't last...I'll just turn into a flower again. I'll lose everything that makes me who I am, and I..."
Asriel...
"I can't let my parents see that. They lost me once already. I can't break their hearts again by forcing them to lose me a second time. It would be cruel."
Frisk was crying now, unsure of what to do or say.
"It'd be better if they just forgot about me."
Frisk finally spoke up, still looking directly into Asriels eyes, angry at what he had just said.
"NO! That's not true! They love you so much, Asriel! They miss you so much!"
She could barely get a sentence across, her sobbing making it difficult for her to even speak. She couldn't accept what Asriel was saying. She couldn't just let him resign himself to this. Fate was not going to win the day. Not this time.
I won't let it end this way...I REFUSE to.
Frisk remembered what she came here for, and she turned away from Asriel for a brief moment.
Now it was Asriel comforting HER, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I know, and I love them too. I'd give anything to see them one more time if I could do it without causing more pain, but it's okay, Frisk. They have you. I know you'll take good care of them, and all the others too."
Frisk had something cradled in her hands at this point, but was still turned away from Asriel, who couldn't see what it was. He still had his hand on her shoulder. She was still struggling with the enormity of what she was faced with, knowing how close she was to death.
However...
I'm not afraid anymore.
She was still facing away from Asriel, still clutching the object she was about to offer up, shaking violently where she stood. He couldn't see it yet, her hands and posture concealed it from his view. He pulled away from her now.
"Just...do me one favor, Frisk."
"Anything..."
"If you...if you decide to come and visit me in the future, after I...well, you know...don't remember me as Flowey. Remember me as I am now. Remember me as Asriel. Someone who got to be your friend for a little while."
Her shaking intensified, as did her sobbing.
"Can you do that for me?"
Frisk could hear him getting choked up, trying to keep his composure.
"I've lost one child before...TWO, in fact."
He was terrified, she could hear it in his voice.
"nothing would make them more happy than to see him again"
He wasn't ready for it to all end.
"I just want to see my child again."
And neither was she. It was enough to give Frisk the last bit of courage she needed.
Frisk is filled with DETERMINATION
"Yeah, I can do that..."
She said, and she turned around to face him again with renewed vigor.
Asriel finally noticed the object in her hands.
"Hmm...what's that?"
And as soon as he realized what it was...
"W-WHAT!? T-T-THAT'S..."
It was Frisks SOUL.
She held out her hands towards Asriel, a perfect beating heart, shining with a soft red glow. She was sobbing almost uncontrollably and shaking almost to the point of collapse, but forced herself to retain control. Asriel was freaking out at this point.
"W-WHAT IS THIS, SOME KIND OF JOKE!?"
Frisks voice nearly failed her again, but she steeled herself and shook her head, speaking clear as day.
"You said you don't have a SOUL anymore, so I want you to have mine."
Asriel was now the one sobbing uncontrollably and shook violently, unsure of what to make of the situation he was now facing. He looked into her eyes now, and what he saw made him certain, this was no joke. She meant what she said. He just stood there, completely dumbfounded, not sure of what to do or say. She was really doing this.
"Frisk, I..."
After a moment, he reached out his hands towards the SOUL Frisk was holding. Frisk almost let another smile creep onto her face despite being faced with what was more or less a death sentence.
But to her surprise, he took her hands into his instead and closed them around the SOUL, pushing it back towards her.
"N-no. I can't. I won't. I won't do that to you."
It fused back into her body, emitting a blinding white glow as it did. Frisk touched a hand to her chest, and now she was the one reeling in surprise, feeling absolutely dejected.
"But...but why!?"
Asriel let another genuine smile creep on his face, completely floored by Frisks infinite generosity. He knew he couldn't let her do this, and he said as much.
"You know why, Frisk. You know I can't accept that. It wouldn't be fair to you. You've already sacrificed so much for me, for everyone."
The smile left Asriels face and was replaced with a look of fear.
"I'd never be able to live with myself if...if I..."
Frisk kept her composure and took Asriels hands into her own again.
"It's okay, Asriel. This is my choice. This was my intention all along."
Asriel looked straight into Frisks eyes, now clearly confused and unsure how to respond.
"WHAT!?"
Frisk responded, and another smile now began to take shape on her face, as she began to recount her past and the journey leading up to this point.
"I've been through this life more times than anyone deserves. So many challenges I've had to overcome, so many adventures I've embarked on over the last 24 hours, so many wonderful memories. I've made so many friends throughout this journey, I'd accomplished so much, and everybody had finally gained their freedom. Everybody was happy. I was content to just leave it at that."
Now Frisks gaze was drawn downward towards the flowers.
"But at the end of it all there was still something missing, something that kept ME from being happy."
Asriel still looked confused.
"What was missing?"
She said...
"You."
Asriels confusion was once again replaced with tears as he reeled back in shock, and he even began to blush.
"M-M-ME!?"
But before he could speak again...
"When I met you for the first time, when I came to visit you, I saw it in your eyes, how much you wanted to live again, how much you wanted to see your parents, your friends...and I just couldn't let it end that way. I just couldn't accept that there was nothing I could do. There had to be another way, something I missed somewhere."
Asriel was in total shock by this point, but Frisk still had more to say.
"And so I reset everything. Again and again. Each time I did I kept thinking there was some detail I overlooked, something that would be different, and I would pick up on it if I looked just a little harder. But every attempt was met with failure. Ten, twenty, fifty runs and countless more, and each one ended in misery. There just didn't seem to be any way to save you, and I was almost ready to give up."
Frisk still had Asriels fuzzy hands in hers, and she finally brought herself to look at him now.
"But with each failure I got to spend a little more time with you, got to know you a little better, until you no longer felt like a stranger to me. You...you became like my best friend, like a brother."
He was still completely dumbfounded.
"B-but I don't remember anything..."
Frisk nodded, not a surprise.
"I know...I erased everyones memories every time I reset, so they wouldn't remember anything from the previous attempt. Even yours. But..."
Knowing exactly what to do, Frisk pulled Asriels hands towards her.
"Close your eyes, Asriel."
Not sure of what was going on, he complied. He closed his eyes.
A few seconds later, he cried out, as if he was being assaulted by some unseen force.
Suddenly, the memories came flooding back
...
...
...
"Here, like this."
Asriel was showing Frisk how to tend to the flowers.
"Be careful, they're very delicate."
Frisk nodded and smiled.
"Like this?"
He gave her a thumbs up.
"Yeah, that's perfect!"
...
...
...
"A SOCK COLLECTION!? YOU'RE KIDDING ME!"
"It's true though. I saw it myself."
Asriel shook his head in disbelief.
"Wow, I know some people collect strange things as a hobby, but...WOW."
"I think we know who to blame for that though."
"Sans..."
...
...
...
"I do wish that I could see them again."
"Huh?"
Frisk looked over at him.
"Mom and Dad...I refuse to put them through that pain again, but...I really wish I COULD see them again, just one more time. Even if it's only for a minute or two.
"Asriel..."
"I just...want to tell them how sorry I am...how much I love them."
...
...
...
"I...I remember!"
Asriel shouted, the memories taking hold of him now, powerful and true.
"I remember everything!"
He took a deep breath and opened his eyes, his gaze meeting with Frisks again. He touched his hand to his heart now, knowing that what he felt now was real.
"You...you really DID come to visit me, again and again. You really did all this for...for me? You really care about me that much?"
She nodded immediately in acknowledgement.
"Of course I do, Asriel! You're my friend too. But...it was going nowhere. I've lost count of how many times I've done this now, hundreds, maybe even thousands of resets. Every attempt ended in failure, no matter how hard I tried. I hated myself so much, Asriel. I made all my friends suffer this horrible nightmare over and over again, and I couldn't even SAVE the one person I cared about the most..."
She broke eye contact with him now, staring down at her own hands, having finally found the answer she was looking for.
"...but I get it now. I finally understand, what I have to do. I honestly wonder now, why I never saw it before. It's funny...at first I was terrified of what I was planning to do. I wasn't even sure if it would work, if it would be enough in the end. Honestly, I still don't know if it will be enough...
She touched a hand to her heart now.
"...but, after spending so much time with you, getting to know you, living through this journey so many times, all the wonderful friends I've made, the memories I've shared...I'm not afraid anymore."
She gazed up at the hole now.
"I wonder what I was ever afraid of to begin with."
Asriel still questioned why Frisk would ever do such a thing for him, feeling utterly ashamed of himself.
"But why, Frisk? I don't deserve it! I hurt you, I hurt everyone you love, over and over again! How could you ever think of giving your SOUL to me!? How could you ever even think to FORGIVE me after everything I've done!?"
Frisk had never let go of Asriels hands, and another smile took form on her face.
"Because I saw the 'real' you."
Asriel looked confused again.
"The...real me?"
"Yeah, the first time I came to visit you, at this very spot, so many resets ago. I saw you for who you really are, and I knew. You're the same as me. Someone who just didn't want to be alone. Someone who just wanted a friend. You're a wonderful person, Asriel, and even if you yourself don't immediately see it, I do. And what you...no, what Flowey did was not your fault, Asriel. It was NOT your fault! You do NOT deserve to suffer an eternity of isolation and misery down here! I am NOT going to let that happen to you! I am NOT going to leave you behind! I REFUSE TO!"
"Frisk..."
Frisks expression started to crumble, her lips were quivering and her voice was failing her, but to her surprise Asriel took her hands into his instead, giving them a gentle squeeze. She stared for one quiet moment into Asriels shining green eyes, and his warm gaze gave her a feeling of peace. She brought herself back into focus and continued speaking.
"I...I've had several lifetimes worth of happy memories. It's enough for me, Asriel. You deserve a chance at happiness too."
Asriel finally spoke up, clearly struggling with the prospect of what he was facing. She was making this choice willingly, but Asriel knew what it meant if he let her go through with it, if he actually went along with what she was asking.
"I...I don't think I can bring myself to do it, Frisk. If...if I take your SOUL, then y-y-you'll..."
Frisk was still crying, but didn't let it stop her from saying what she needed to say.
"It's okay, Asriel. Really, it's okay."
He shook his head in disagreement and turned away from her, angry at her for saying such a thing.
"No, it's NOT okay, Frisk! How...how can you be okay with this, knowing what it means for you!?"
She forced herself to stop sobbing for a brief moment so she could speak clearly.
"Asriel...look at me."
It was an enormous challenge just to do that, the emotional pain and shame overwhelming him, but he did. His eyes met with Frisks again. And what he saw was genuine and pure. Frisk was truly unique, unfathomably kind and selfless to the core, completely unlike Chara, and he suddenly wondered why he ever confused the two in the first place. She really WAS the friend he had always wanted.
"I wanted to share so many happy memories with you, all those promises we made, but I was never able to because our time together was always cut short. We were always robbed of that chance by the cruel hands of fate."
Frisk held Asriels hands up higher now, pulling them towards her.
"But if you take this piece of me, if you take my SOUL, then..."
The sobbing intensified.
"...t-then I really CAN share in everything you do! Every adventure, every promise we ever made, every hug, every laugh, every moment, happy or sad...I can share in all of it. And I'll always be right there with you. You'll never be alone."
Asriel was shaking, still unsure of how to respond. Even if it was her choice, even if it was what she truly wanted, he wasn't sure if he could handle being the one who ended her life.
"Frisk..."
Before he could say anything more, Frisk threw her arms around him, taking him by surprise.
"GAH!"
"It's not a happy ending without you..."
Frisks bawling made it difficult for her to finish speaking, but she kept control through sheer force of will.
"I love you, Asriel! Please, don't make me go on without you...please..."
And Asriel suddenly started crying with her. Hesitantly his arms closed around Frisk to return the hug, his claws again digging into the fabric of her shirt. He held her for what seemed like an eternity.
Asriel was being faced with an enormous decision, an impossible one by some standards, and he wasn't sure what to do. He knew that someone was going to get hurt no matter what he decided. Either he accepts Frisks SOUL and moves forward, knowing how much pain it was going to bring her friends to lose her, having to live with himself for taking her life to save his own...or he rejects it and sends Frisk away, breaking her heart and forcing her to leave him behind. In all honesty, Frisk couldn't blame Asriel if he hated her for forcing such a difficult choice on him, the magnitude of the consequences he would be faced with no matter his decision, and her sobbing intensified as she realized just how much pain she was actually causing in her attempt to set things right.
But he didn't hate her. In fact, it was quite the opposite, and it was part of what made this choice so difficult.
"Frisk, I...I..."
Tell her!
"I...I...I love you, too!"
Frisk sobbed even more in response. They maintained the embrace for one long heartfelt moment before Asriel finally looked at Frisk and mustered the will to speak again, taking her hands into his. It was perhaps the most difficult decision he had ever made, knowing what was about to happen as a result, but it was what Frisk truly wanted, to save her friends life, to give him back what had been cruelly snatched away from him so long ago, even if it meant losing her own life in the process. And at long last...
"...a-alright, Frisk. If this is what you really want, I'll...I'll do it. We'll go and see our friends TOGETHER."
He touched a hand to his heart, signifying that he had finally made up his mind. He was ready. Frisk nodded with a warm smile, wiping away her tears, and then delivered her final request.
"One last favor?"
"Anything..."
Frisk quickly went into her napsack and pulled out the letter she had written earlier, the one addressed 'To Mom.' She handed it to Asriel.
"Give this to Tori...to Mom when you see her."
Asriel looked at the letter, then at Frisk. He nodded, slipping the envelope into his pocket. She took his hands into hers again.
"Wherever you go, I'll always be by your side, Asriel. Just call out if you ever need me, and I'll be there for you, no matter what."
"Y-you promise?"
"I promise."
They hugged each other one last time, gripping each other as tight as they could, as a brilliant white glow engulfed them.
"Let's go home, Asriel."
And in a flash of light, Frisks SOUL left her body, finding a new home within Asriel.
And the two friends were united as one.