You are good in countless ways, and you are not evil when you are not good, You are only loitering and sluggard

- Khalil Gibran

Chara woke up in a cold bed, despite having been covered in a blanket. The warmth Frisk left near her slowly dissipated overnight, yet she was happily giggling as she woke up.

At least, he was still here.

Chara looked at her room or perhaps was it every human child's room. They were eight, herself included, and that much had not been enough to free the monsters once and for all.

She could imagine the pain her mother went through every time a child left. If her memories were correct, Sabrina - or Patience - did not even make it past Snowdin. The others fell in every other area, leaving one SOUL to be secured for Monsterkind's freedom.

Frisk.

Chara heard footsteps coming her way, and went to a sitting position as she rubbed her eyes. Toriel came in shortly, hesitant to enter a room she has not visited for long. Chara smiled at her now sane Mother, she then went to the door and took her paw.

"It is all right, Mother, you can come inside."

The room felt a lot livelier with a child in, and Toriel knew that much. The usually silent, cold kids' room had now the soothing feeling of a gentle fire. Chara's presence perhaps brought bad memories but also filled her old heart with hope.

Perhaps this time, Chara would stay home for good.

"Good morning, Chara."

"Good morning, Mother."

Toriel's golden eyes wanted to cry at the trivial exchange. She couldn't believe that her long-lost daughter was back. Chara was equally shaken, every time she met with Toriel had the same calming effect on her heart.

Toriel hugged her child close, as Chara giggled and tried to reciprocate the embrace as much as she could. She felt the soft fabric of her mother's fur on her skin, tickling her a bit but filling her with much-deserved warmth.

Just like in the old times.

"Are you leaving me again?"

Toriel, as usual, asked quite abruptly about the most pressing matter in her opinion. She glanced at Chara's eyes, then shifted to her mute lips. She waited for an answer that never came, as Chara was lost in thought. A steadily heavier silence filled the room, making both mother and daughter quite anxious.

"I can stay for a couple of days with you, but I'll eventually have to leave to see Father."

Toriel was not sure how to feel about that, she wouldn't let her newly recovered child get killed again. She may be happy to have them around for a while, but it would not probably be enough. Chara saw Toriel's urge to plead with her, so she thought of something no child asked of her Mother before.

"In a week's time, I'll go and see King Dad, and you can come with me."

The old Queen was a little distraught at the proposal, it was certainly reasonable but she would leave her reclusive life for the first time. Toriel was afraid the past would catch up to her, she went astray for so long. Leaving Monsterkind without a leader, she hid behind a sturdy door. She left six ch- or was it seven?

"Chara, was there a child with you on the way?"

Chara's SOUL cracked a bit, she felt a thorn running deep down her flesh. Burying her head in her Mother's robe, she muffled a few things, and all Toriel's droopy ears could catch was.

"... No Mother, they died on the way here ..."

Goat Mom squeezed her daughter like she never did before, sharing her pain and suffering. Both shed a few tears, but quickly wiped those and resumed hugging. Chara looked at her old Mother, held her paw close to their pulsing SOUL, and whispered.

"He gave me my life back, at his own expense. I think I loved him, too."

Toriel laughed a bit, making Chara puff her rosy cheeks and mumble a "what's so funny?" as she buried herself again. Toriel patted Chara's hair with her soft paw and remembered a few things about her first Love.

"Your Dad also gave me a life back then, at his own risk. Although we loved each other, our families would rather marry us to humans or other species in exchange for future services."

Chara recalled bits of that story when her Dad wanted to take her Mom to some cottage and live a modest life there until their families saw no other alternative but to accept their union. He did not hesitate to get severely wounded in their attempt to escape, nearly dying when they made it to their small hideout.

"We both had reckless lovers, my child. They may be bad at times, but their heart is good deep inside."

"Frisky" remained in the room, eavesdropping on a conversation that was not supposed to be heard. Chara talked to her mother about their last encounter, making it look like a dream. They left for breakfast soon after that, leaving Frisk to float around the room for a bit.

Nothing much has changed since they were here last time, not when they were a sane human child at least. The hallway from the basement the house, the entrance, the living room. All were still filled with memories of "Frisky" 's last genocide attempt, reeking of a mixture of monster dust and blood.

His eyes, dyed in deep red, could only see the basement back then. They craved flesh to cleave, bones to shatter, dying pleas, and choked maydays in their ears. The grave, the maddened voice of a warrior from the past haunted him, as his fears synced in his folly.

Payback, revenge, death.
Bullied, ashamed, afraid.
They left me to die alone.
They left me in the dark.
I was beaten to death.
I was bullied and mistreated.
I never fought back.
I never talked back.
I want them to pay.
I want them to suffer.

Shadows formed beneath the ghost child, slowly taking away his sanity. His thoughts were sinking him into a cold, dark sea of death and decay. The shadows spread throughout the room, then went to seek out prey on the outside.

Chara just got back to her room, after indulging in a nice routine with her mom. She felt a dark wind howling close, as well as strange drips of a liquid she is familiar with. The black mud of corrupt determination was around her closet, and "moved" around in the small room.

Chara finally caught the invisible boy, who almost died from freeing his demons. He looked paler than usual but manifested a corporeal form once Chara was close enough to his ailing body. He was smeared in black mud, but she did not mind that and pecked his forehead.

"You need not worry, my love. I'll SAVE you for real, just like you did for me."

Many a thing passed through his broken mind, but all converged into one thought: Chara was there for him, and only him. She had him lie down on their bed and snuggled him carefully to not worsen his condition. "Frisky" collapsed from exhaustion, and all he heard were Toriel earlier words.

"We both had reckless lovers, my child. They may be bad at times, but their heart is good deep inside."

After Chara checked upon her sleeping "Frisky", she stroked his hair as his wounds closed up. Her SOUL healed his with all the love she had for him, even when it left a few more scars on his already battered body. Chara's scars ached every time she saw him in such a state, but she kept her composure as she clenched her fist.

That is how their stay at the Ruins started, with shadows on the run and hearts patching up.