Weird.
Sans tagged along his worst enemy, and the only good word to describe the situation was ...
Weird, again.
The normally psychotic, sarcastic, hateful human being Sans was more acquainted with was gone. All that was left in place was a "normal" girl, mourning her mother and blushing at the sight of that ghost boy. Well, blushing at ghosts isn't exactly normal, but her having emotions of any good sort was unprecedented.
Sans recalled another of his flashes as they passed by Snowdin, one that had the same quiet boy they met earlier. They looked different, more cheerful, and ... innocent just like Dreemurr right now. Sans looked up the SOUL and sensed a familiar warmth flowing inside, his eyes flashed for a second before he recovered his sight and asked the girl walking ahead.
"why did Frisk do it?"
Sans' query came out of nowhere, making Chara nervous all of a sudden.
"Ho-How do you ...? Oh, wait, you do remember things between timelines ..."
"yeah, some of it. i guess it goes along with my shortcuts."
Chara found Sans' behavior a bit strange, but since she wasn't her old self anymore thanks to Frisk, she would assume Sans would be too. However, he was "controlled" by his own father, whose agenda is so far, unknown to Chara. The ghastly being beside Sans stared at her at all times, wandering in a black overcoat, an equally dark vest, a shirt, and a white muffler. Aster had his black fabric float with the snowy wind, making him look like a bony desperado.
Somehow, he was lonely, just like her.
Sans looked at his worst enemy a bit ahead of him, and a small transparent human tagging along. That must have been what was left of the good Frisk he knew. The kid hasn't changed much, except looking younger and a little shyer. Chara smiled when Frisk passed through her, making Sans question how could a demon change this much with a little love.
The kid, however, looked concerned, much like how Sans was walking behind him.
This whole situation was absurd.
Two beings usually hating each other were held back, by a wimpy little child and a ghost of old times past. Chara still hated Sans, as the sore loser she is, and maybe remnants of Arial fueled her natural hatred more than usual. She also had a better opinion of Papyrus, Chara wasn't one to befriend a lazy sack of bones.
"Sans."
Yet, for the first time, she felt sorry for what she did to him.
"what is it, Dreemurr?"
"I am ... sorry."
Sans was a tad skeptical, her apology wasn't going to be enough for sure. However, that was a start ...
"what for, kid?"
"What I've done, what Frisk will do, how much I hurt people I care about because I am weak and ..."
Chara broke into hot, profusing tears as she walked ahead, then stopped at a nearby tree. Ghost Frisk looked up at Sans as if telling him to go and cheer her up. The lazy bones reluctantly tried pep talk, making his "dad" chuckle at the strange sight he witnessed.
"Eh?"
Sans patted Chara's head, ruffled her hair, and rested the other on her shoulder.
"kid, tibia honest."
Chara looked up, wondering why the being she hated the most was comforting her right now.
"i can't totally blame you for doing all the killing'n'stuff, but you hurt so many people every time that got the best of you and ..."
Time froze.
Chara knew that look all too well.
"but i can't forgive you for killing paps that many times."
Sans' pupils got back as he finished, then walked ahead of Chara as he left her with a few more words of ...
"yet, sorry for uh ... making you shoulder all that, might be a good kid after all, like lil' Frisk here."
Frisk smiled at Chara and thanked Sans with a nod. The bony cue head sighed and resumed walking to Snowdin, knowing he had to fulfill his father's agenda this time around too, but ...That was one too many times he will see his brother dead.
"Bonehead."
Chara interrupted the gloomy imagery, with her usual sarcastic voice.
"what now, kid? changed your mind?"
"No, I'm here to ... help you this time around."
"huh?"
Chara spoke in words she never knew she could utter to Sans as if someone made her say it. He genuinely got surprised there too.
"the kid rubbed on you so much, it's hard to believe it's you Dreemurr."
Chara blushed and smiled at the lovely ghost company of hers, as Aster moved and murmured something to Sans. The lazy skeleton was ... defeated, to say the least, but he once again walked off to the last bridge near Snowdin.
"gotta go, paps is ..."
He couldn't finish it, he knew how hard it was the last few times he saw Papyrus turn into dust.
Ironically, Chara wasn't doing it this time around, FRISK was. He looked at the ghost kid, who tightly "held" Chara's sweater as he writhed in pain.
"Are you letting them die again, Sans?"
Sans wanted to yell at Chara's face, pin her with bones and have her die the moment she said that. Aster felt his son's emotions and suppressed them right away, taking control of his speech.
"yEs, LiTtLe MoNaRch."
Chara shivered at the cold voice, looking worriedly at the shadow looming on her once the bitter enemy.
"sAnS wIlL hAvE tO dIe As WeLl, sO wE cAn DeFeAt HeR."
Her? That thing was a she all along?
Before Chara got any concrete answer, Sans was back in control, and just continued walking without a word. Chara tagged along silently, as both approached the vacated Snowdin village.
Minutes before their arrival, Papyrus approached a human near the Christmas tree, worried about how battered they looked. He went on his spiel of capturing humans for fame and glory - but most importantly making friends thanks to that.
"HUMAN, I SEE YOU HAVE DEVIATED FROM THE RIGHT PATH !"
FRISK chuckled, rather amused by the fact Papyrus stated. True, he was no longer himself, and the few good things about him were left with Chara. He was but an empty shell with a corrupt SOUL and his frail was but child's play for a seasoned demon.
"YOU ARE ALWAYS COVERED IN WHITE DUST, AND YOU ARE ... DETERMINED TO MOVE !"
That was obvious, FRISK had one thing in mind, save Chara. There was no time left for chatter or leisure, and it was pointless to do that if he were to kill his "friends" later.
"I WILL WAIT FOR YOU OUT OF TOWN, AND BRING YOU TO THE RIGHT WAY OF HUMANS!"
FRISK looked up with lifeless eyes at Papyrus, who hesitantly resumed his valiant speech.
"BE READY TO BE CAPTURED, AND REST ASSURED, EVERYONE CAN DO BETTER !"
Do better?
What can FRISK do better, other than cutting down monsters in one hit and moving on, and grieving them once That gave him some respite. Going back to the lover he was is impossible, and Chara would never forgive his new way of saving her. He really didn't care though, he just wanted her to be alive and well, even if it cost him the love of his short, miserable life.
Some skeleton woman appeared in front of FRISK, smirked at the clueless boy, and left towards Papyrus. The genocidal boy was wondering what the heck was that for a second or two, but dismissed that as another delusion of that demon. Seriously, she looked like Papyrus, except more capable and very strong.
The snow crunched with every step FRISK took towards Papyrus, as he kept the mysterious apparition earlier in mind. His brain desperately hoped that the monster could SAVE Papyrus somehow, before slowly giving in to the demon inside Chara's SOUL. Every time he got corrupt, his mind went blank and his vision got clouded by dark tar. All he could feel was the light weight of his blade, and the excitement building up inside him.
FRISK grew that creepy smirk he cultivated within himself, horrifying Papyrus when he saw the human advancing. The aspiring guardsman knew he had no chance to win, but smiled at his killer and motioned for a hug. Papyrus shivered with every bone in his being but stayed cool until the end.
"I S-S-SEE YOU H-HAVE ACCEPTED M-MY PROPOSAL OF BEING S-S-SPARED !"
Papyrus was conscious he was fooling himself right before dying, but at least he will remain the awesome guardsman he always wanted to be. FRISK entered battle mode and ...
Missed the first attack.
Papyrus is sparing you.
Second miss.
Papyrus is sparing you.
Third miss.
Papyrus is sparing you.
Fourth miss.
Papyrus is sparing you...
FRISK kept missing for a while, puzzling the resigned Papyrus. Knife slices notched a bone or simply avoided hitting anything. The boy was mustering every little drip of sanity he still had available to avoid killing Paps. Yet, when he thought he managed to tire himself enough to stop swinging his blade around, Papyrus saw something protrude from the broken human.
A bony dagger, like his mother's, flew towards him and finished him in one hit.
As he was slowly turning into dust, his head remained for a moment, just enough to hear a familiar voice.
"Papy dear, it is time we go home"
"MA ... MAMA?"