Chapter 5

(Third Person)

(Skeleton brother's hosue)

Morning comes swiftly, the rays of light penetrating through the monster's windows. Frisk stirs from his position, glancing up through bleary eyes. A blurry figure of Papyrus slowly comes into view, a noticeable grin stretched across his skull.

"GOOD MORNING HUMAN!" Papyrus beams, ruffling the child's head. He makes a small noise of protest, swatting the hand away lazily.

"Mornin' Paps," Frisk murmurs sleepily. Papyrus begins his chatter about morning routines, all of which Frisk has heard before. Through the sleepy gaze, the child glances at the bedroom door. 'Something feels…off.' A cold seeps into the house, its usual mirth somewhat lacking. Frisk glances around the room, his brows draw close. 'Nothing looks unusual. The room is the same as it always is.'

"HUMAN! I SHALL GO WAKE THE OTHER HUMAN FOR MORNING SPAGHETTI!" Frisk hums, shooing the skeleton out of the room. With a hearty "NYEH!" Papyrus throws open the door, stomping loudly down the stairs. The child's thoughts drag within his mind, the haze of sleep slowly lifting. Frisk pulls his legs up into a sitting position, his fingers running through the knotted strands upon his head. 'I just don't get it. Another human isn't supposed to fall. This event should not have happened. Will it skew the timeline? What if…' The child hums under his breath, cracking a vertebra as he shifts his neck. Loud footsteps echo the room shortly after, the shouts of Frisk's name slur into a mess of words. Papyrus runs through the door, a frown creasing his normally jovial attitude. Beads of sweat trickle down the skeleton's skull, worry clear in his eye sockets. Frisk snaps out of his thoughts, racing over to the younger skeleton.

"HUMAN FRISK! HUMAN NIX IS GONE!" Frisk stares at the skeleton, dumbfounded.

"What...?" Papyrus nods frantically.

"I CHECKED EVERYWHERE! UNDER THE SOFA, ON THE SOFA, BEHIND THE TV, IN THE KITCHEN, THEY ARE NO WHERE TO BE FOUND! WHAT IF…" He trails off, his eyes squinting further down in worry.

"WHAT IF THOSE BAD PEOPLE CAME AND TOOK HER WITHIN THE NIGHT?! WE MUST FIND THE HUMAN!" Papyrus bolts out of the room, grabbing the dusty box of bones on his way out. There is a few sounds of things breaking within the skeleton's wake as he gather's supplies for the rescue mission. Sans walks in a moment later, his usual grin forced, the lines under his sockets dark. Frisk eyes the short skeleton wearily, his eyes shrinking into slits.

"Sans…" Frisk begins taking a hesitant step forward. "What did you do?" The skeleton shrugs, stuffing his hands into the jacket pockets.

"Didn' do a thing. The defect walked out." Frisk stares at the skeleton, hating in this particular moment. How the skeleton's face appears aloof, uncaring. It annoys Frisk that the skeleton could be this cold even with his panicking brother destroying half the house.

"Why didn't you stop her?!" Frisk growls, grasping San's jacket between his fists. His eyes lights glance between Frisk's hands and his eyes. Sans gives a lazy shrug.

"S'not my job kid. Quite frankly," His eye lights dim, the vacant stare directed at Frisk. "It is better that they are gone. There are things in this world that should not exist." Frisk releases San's jacket, taking a step back. His eyes darken slightly, the urge to fight the skeleton vibrating through his skin. Frisk pinches the bridge of his eye sockets, willing the anger away. 'Keep it together.' Frisk does not spare the skeleton a glance as he walks by, hearing Papyrus call him from below.

"Even if you do not care…" Frisk's tone drops, icicles hanging off of every word. "Your brother cares for the creature, human or not." Frisk walks out of the bedroom, shouting at the abundance of stuff Papyrus has gathered for the rescue mission. Sans stands idly in the bedroom, watching the particles in the air float by. His eye lights remain hidden, allowing the darkness to seep into his bones. The sound of his bones rattle as he shakes his cranium.

"Heh. If only the kid knew…" Sans blinks out of existence, retreating to the only place he is always welcomed.


(Waterfall)

(First-PoV)

"Oh for the love of…!"

"Oh for the love of…!" A small blue flower belts out, echoing the reaction throughout the small space. It quiets down after a moment, repeating the phrase in a quiet whisper. A few monsters stare at me awkwardly, turning away when I meet their gaze. Blood pops under my cheeks in embarrassment, my body attempting to shrink down.

"What is that creature?" One of the monster's whisper as I pass.

"Is that a monster from the capitol?"

"I think it is a human!"

"A human?!"

"Oh dear! Someone needs to report them to the Royal Guard!"

"The Royal Guard!"

"The Royal Guard will save us!" I glance wearily at the huddled group of monsters, their gazes peaking over the others in a poor attempt to catch a glimpse. Taking a hesitant step forward, I tap the monster closest to my location. The group around them stiffens, their bodies backing up to sacrifice the monster.

"Um…" The orange fish monster shivers, its scaly head slowly turning. Color drains from its face as it backs up into the cluster, his webbed fingers shaking.

"…" It shrivels in fear, its legs pushing its body further into the small group. They bounce him back up, practically throwing him to the wolves. I tentatively reach a hand out, keeping a neutral farce. 'Hopefully it looks neutral. I do not wish to scare the little guy/' With a startle gurgle it flees, its garbling voice crying as it runs in the opposite direction. I turn to the group, raising a hesitant hand. They all begin to scream, running around like a frantic group of ants. The dark purple cave clears immediately, their screams echoing the walls courtesy of the strange blue flower. I sigh, rubbing the back of my head awkwardly.

"…I just wanted directions out of here."

Without an answer, my legs begin their walk in a hopefully correct direction. The sound of a waterfall brings hope to my adventure, my legs picking up speed. Blocking my further advancement through the cave is a large waterfall taking up half of the room. The roar of the water is soothing and brings questions to mind. 'For example how the hell is there a large waterfall in a cave?!' Two smaller dark waterfalls splash into a dark basin of water. The water flows toward the edge of the body of water plummeting into a dark abyss. I kneel, glancing at my reflection. 'Well no wonder why they ran.' The clips holding my bang up hang in a loose clump, dangling half the hair over my eye. There is a sickening purple-blue hue of popped blood vessels under my eyes, darkening the golden iris to an eerie color. Various bits of untamed raven locks stand in every direction, some protesting louder than others. The brand new clothes from Toriel's house are, at the very least damaged. Small tares across the thoracic section of the shirt. Major tares scrape across the femur and tibia with dried blood staining the opened stitches. With a crinkle of disgust, I shake my head.

'I look like a mess.' I start with my hair, running dirt crusted fingers through the tangles, ripping where needed. The clips slide easily back in place, their aluminum frames showing no damage from the toss around. I cup my hands, shivering as the cool water sinks into the well. With a quick flick, I splash the water onto my face, feeling the chill seep into the bones. The nerves below shoot awake, frantically calling out signals to get the body warm again.

'Guess I should clean the blood off as well.' The bloody spots get a healthy splashing of water, the red mixing into the clear. The clothing soaks in the wetness, locking the chill in. Despite the best attempts, the blood refuses to wash away completely. I glance at the obstructed pathway once more, frowning. 'At least I am already half way wet.'

I push off the ground, wiping the dirt onto my shirt from my hands. Taking a hesitant step, my feet sink into the water, squishing into the mud below. They make a sloshing sound as they dislodge from the mud only to stick back in a moment later.

"Oh for crying out loud." I mumble, taking a moment to remove the shoes. After a second, my feet slide out easily, the water rushing to get into the shoes. A hiss escapes my throat as the soles of my feet hit the cold mud, their suction less than the shoes. "Can't keep anything from the surface can I?" I growl, stomping my way through the water, boots in hand. Once the ground turns back into soil, I sit down. With a sigh I dump the pooled water out of my boots. Once emptied, I begin wringing the water out of my top.

'It has been awhile since the cut has given me any grief. I should probably check it for signs of infection.' I glance at my palm, frowning at the wound. The mark's tendrils cover a larger surface than the initial cut. Faint, pulsing lines snake out across the whole palm, the center glowing an eerie red color. A small orange tip begins to make its way up the wrist, pulsating with the rest of the wound.

"Well…shit." I curse, staring at the strange wound, if it can even be called that at this point. 'Something is not right with this. This is not normal clotting procedure for a puncture. What are these tendrils? Why do they pulsate?' I shake my head, flipping the palm to rest on my knee. "There is nothing I can do about it down here." The purple cave gives no response, allowing the words to hang on the air. With no response or answer, I stand, pressing forward. The remainder of the room passes with dull purple everywhere, the sound of the waterfall fading away into silence.

The next room is an odd one compared to the others. The room is still dark purple wall and floor, but the ceiling vaults higher than the rest. 'Is that…tall grass?' I walk toward the leafy green plant, taking a blade between my fingers. "Definitely grass." The sound of metal clanking perks my body to attention, choosing to jump into the tall grass for cover. Blood flows rapidly throughout my body, the sound of the metal almost vanishing behind the heartbeat. The footsteps draw near, their direction unknown.

"CAPTAIN UNDYNE!" A familiar voice shouts, their footsteps racing along an unknown path. My breath stills a beat, the name flashing within my mind. 'Papyrus?' I do not move from my spot, fighting against the urge to expose my location right there.

"Papyrus! What are you doing here?! Shouldn't you be at your post?!" A voice practically shouts back at the skeleton, the tone sounding a mix of feminine and masculine.

"I…WELL YOU SEE… I AM ON A RESCUE MISSION!"

"A rescue mission? Shit Papyrus whose missing?! Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" The person's voice raises a pitch, clear worry hidden in their tone.

"IT IS…NOT SOMEONE YOU KNOW!" An awkward silence passes between the two.

"Papyrus? Is there something you are not telling me?" Another awkward silence passes, the skeleton's worry palpable on the air.

"ER OF COURSE NOT CAPTAIN UNDYNE!" A rustle of the grass behind me draws their conversation to an awkward pause. I hold my breath, my eyes widening as the rustling grows closer to my location. 'Shit this person will find me soon! I should probably move but then again what if it isn't this Undyne person?'

A little face comes into view, their eyes glancing around the tall patches.

"Frisk?" I whisper, snapping the kid's gaze to my own.

"Nix," He sighs in relief, crawling closer. Another rustle of grass behind him causes my body to tense, snatching the child close. He giggles into my chest, attempting to pull away. A little yellow dinosaur pops it's head through a bushel, their little chocolate eyes lighting up at the sight of Frisk.

"Oh there you are kid! I was worried I lost you!" The dinosaur rushes forward, tripping over something hidden on the floor. Their body slides forward into our little section, his head bumping into mu femur. The little orange spikes along his spinal column and cerebrum are candy corn shaped, barely causing any harm when poked. Their tail curls forward, the tip drooping over their spine.

"Monster kid…" Frisk giggles, reaching out to touch the child. They giggle, working their way forward with their feet. The two children giggle, head butting each other. I grab the monster kid with my other arm, drawing them close as well.

"Shhh…" I whisper, straining to hear the conversation.

"I think I heard something…"

"I…I AM SURE IT IS NOTHING CAPTAIN!" Papyrus's voice chimes in, the worry clear within his tone. Time seems to slow as the atmosphere begins to change. A faint crackling feeling coats the air as magic comes into play. The magic feels cool like a mint at first, springing to life like poprocks a second later. The metallic footsteps sound closer, the hum of magic thickening the longer it is active. Flicks of green particles dance within my peripheral, the faint outline of letters hovering over our bodies. It is then I hear it: a whistle of a projectile breaking through the magical air, its destination unknown. Without thinking I roll over, facing my back up to the cave top, shoving the children below me. Both stare wide-eyed, the yellow dinosaur kid hangs his jaw open in shock. Something jabs into the bad hand, the flesh rips against the projectile until the tip of it cuts clean through. I bite my lip as a string of curses bubble to the surface. I do not glance at the damage, staring at the children as though they will keep my cool.

The magic within the air dissipates after a moment, the projectile disappearing back to the caster. Something wet seeps under my palm, coating the top and bottom of my hand with a sticky substance. I take my eyes off the children for a second, grimancing as blood pours from the open wound.

"I will head back to my sentry post and I suggest you do the same Papyrus." The person scolds the skeleton, their metallic feet clanking in their departure. The sound slowly fades to nothing.

"HUMAN FRISK?!" Papyrus shouts, his steps rushing to our location.

"I am okay Paps!" Frisk shouts from under me. I release the children, helping them up with my good hand. The other hand continues to ooze blood, the liquid staining the grass around it.

"Hey thanks lady! You sure are swell!" The little monster dinosaur beams, directing his attention back to Frisk. "Didja see her?! Undyne the Undying is so cool!" The child begins to rattle off about his favorite monster Undyne who is head of the Royal Guard. The woman is always seen in metallic uniform, enforcing the laws while protecting little monsters. I nod as I listen in, giggling under my breath. 'They sound like they really look up to someone who almost killed us.' I glance at the wounded hand, hissing as the pain begins to settle. 'Of course it is the stupid glowing hand. I wish this would just heal itself.'

"THANK GOODNESS HUMAN FRISK! I WAS SURE UNDYNE WAS GOING TO FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MISSION!" Papyrus flies in, scooping the child up into a swinging hug. Frisk laughs, holding onto Papyrus's humerus for support.

"It looks like our mission is a success!" Frisk giggles, snuggling closer to the skeleton. Papyrus looks down at the child, his brows squishing together.

"I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HUMAN FRISK! WE DID NOT FIND…" Papyrus looks up, his eye sockets widening. "HUMAN NIX!" Without uttering a word, the skeleton squishes my body into his breast plate, dislodging the air out of my lungs.

"OH IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU WELL! DID THE BAD PEOPLE TAKE YOU?! WHERE ARE THEY SO THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, CAN SHOW THEM NOT TO MESS WITH US!" I roll my eyes, pushing away from the suffocating hold.

"Papyrus, I was not kidnapped. I just…got a little lost is all."

"BUT WHY WOULD YOU LEAVE OUR WONDERFUL HOME HUMAN? UNLESS IT IS NOT WONDERFUL FOR YOU…" His face falls, the smile saddens along with his mood.

"Papyrus, I cannot impose on you more than I already have. It is not fair to you or your brother."

"YOU ARE NOT…HOW YOU SAY IMPOSING ON US HUMAN! AFTER ALL I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SWORE TO TAKE CARE OF YOU UNTIL YOU ARE WELL ENOUGH TO BE TAKEN TO UNDYNE!" I shrug.

"It appears I am well enough to be taken to her now."

"NONSENSE! YOU HAVE NOT EATEN YET!" His eyes squint at something, popping back open a moment later. "WERE YOU PAINTING HUMAN? THERE IS A LOT OF RED COLOR ON YOU!"

"…Yes Papyrus. You caught me. I was painting." The skeleton squeals in delight, lifting Frisk higher.

"Me next! Me next!" The little dinosaur monster jumps excitedly, his eyes shining in delight. Papyrus glances down at the little armless monster, a wide grin filling his face.

"HELLO THERE CHILD! WHAT IS YOUR NAME?" The dinosaur kid smiles, revealing a row of sharp teeth.

"Monster Kid! My friends call me MK for short. Did you see Undyne in action? Isn't she the coolest?!" Papyrus nods.

"THE VERY COOLEST BUT NOT AS COOL AS I!" The two begin to ramble, MK set on Undyne being the coolest while Papyrus defends with himself being the coolest. I take notice of Frisk who simply rolls his eyes, making himself comfortable within the skeleton's grasp. 'They seem to be having fun.' A dreadful thought looms in the back of my mind, the chill shifting through my body. 'If I cannot escape now, I will have to go back to their house and deal with…No, he is nothing more than a bully. Papyrus has extended his offer and I have nowhere to go.' Determination fills my soul, the feeling erasing the potential fear from bubbling up. 'I guess I should wrap the wound.' I glance at the back of my injured hand, furrowing my brow at the sight. A small pulsating circle fills the area where the injury penetrated through. Red is the predominant color with little specks of orange and yellow flickering through it. Turning my hand over, my eyes widen. Blood coats the skin with a thick red dye, but the gaping hole once within my hand is gone. A thin orange ring colors the inside of the original wound. Spider like tendrils creep further out from the origin, a few branching out toward my wrist. 'That is…not possible. Even with the quick healing I normally possess, this should have been a surgery repair at best. How…?'

"HUMAN! WE ARE READY TO GO! MONSTER KID CANNOT PARTAKE IN CELEBRATORY SPAGHETTI SO WE MUST EAT HIS PORTION FOR HIM! NYAHAHA!" I look up at Frisk and Papyrus. They both are grinning ear to ear, their determination radiating off of them in waves. I smile, shaking my head. 'How can I say no to those faces?'

"Let's get going Paps, Frisk. That celebratory pasta will not eat itself."

"INDEED IT WILL NOT!"


"ALRIGHT HUMAN FRISK AND NIX! YOU TWO SHALL WAIT IN THE LIVING ROOM WHILE I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, MAKE MY SPECIAL PASTA!" The skeleton shoos us out of the kitchen, spinning back around just as quickly back into the room. There is a couple of sounds of items crashing to the floor, cabinet doors slamming around, and the constant ignition of the stove.

"Are you sure it is okay to let Papyrus cook?" Frisk shivers, settling into his seat of the couch.

"Do you want an honest answer?" I shrug, patting my lap. He lays his head down eagerly, pulling my hand to his head. My fingers begin quick work, dragging the nails over the surface. He mumbles happily under his breath, snuggling closer. Slowly, his breathing begins to even out until sleep overtakes the child. 'He looks so peaceful when he sleeps.' My fingers still for a moment, picking at a particularly knotted strand. 'I wonder how long he has been down here. His parents must be worried even if he says they do not.'

'I wonder if anyone is looking for me…?' The air crackles around us with the familiar hum of energy. There is a popping sound, like someone puncturing a small balloon. An icy feeling settles in despite the warmth of the room a few seconds ago.

"Sans." I greet without looking at the skeleton, continuing to play with the child's hair.

"What are you doing here?" His voice hisses, the venom dripping from every word.

"Your brother brought me back." There is a beat of silence between us, the sounds of Papyrus preparing his dish filling the background noise.

"Could've said no."

"Can you even say no to your brother?" Sans chuckles lowly. It is a deep sound, vibrating from his very center. It is a familiar sound, like the sound of a cello's notes.

"Nah tibia honest I could never say no to Paps. If you patella anyone though, they might find it humerus to take advantage of his kindness and well…" A shadow looms over my frame. On instinct I pull Frisk in closer, using my body to shield his from the skeleton. I feel his phalange pull at my chin, forcing my gaze to his empty sockets.

"Just remember kid: if you hurt my brother you will have a BaD tImE." I swat at his hand, giving him the best glare I can muster.

"If you mess with me like you did day one, I will tell your brother it was you who did it." His eye sockets narrow, a growl escaping the back of his skull.

"You. Wouldn't. Dare."

"Try me." I hiss, inching closer. We stare at each other for what feels like an eternity. His empty eye sockets showing the pain that he will inflict if the secret gets out. My own imagination runs wild at the various ways I can get back at this skeleton. Slowly, his eye lights come back, making his eye sockets less scary.

"HUMANS! THE CELEBRATORY PASTA IS…SANS? WHAT ARE YOU AND THE HUMAN DOING?" Sans turns around, shoving his phalanges into his coat pocket.

"We were having a staring contest Papyrus. Although, I do not think I could ever win against you guys." Papyrus appears to buy this, his face lighting up.

"WOWEE! YOU MUST SHOW ME THIS GAME AFTER OUR PASTA!" I chuckle, gently shaking Frisk on my lap.

"Sure thing Paps. Sure thing."