Cover Art: FairyFan94 from Deviant Art
A/N: There probably won't be an update next week because of reconfigurations and contract of my wifi as well as a few other personal reasons. So I apologize in advance if there won't be one next week.
Chapter 20 – A Flower Remembers
Flowey watched the skeleton move around in the little lab. It had been days since he last spoke to the flower. Flowey wanted information, information about how the human girl was, what had happened or why so many LOADS happened in the first place? Also why had they stopped? The skeletons silence was unnerving him and it also annoyed Flowey especially since he had agreed to cooperate with the skeleton before the last LOAD. Though in the flowers mind his definition of cooperating meant working with the trashbag till they accomplished their shared goal before going after his own agenda again.
His eyes narrowed at the skeleton, glaring at him and willing him to rip of that stupid tape that was – thanks to that LOAD – back on over his mouth. Then again, this time he would at least try to bite the skeleton for the pain that will be caused by ripping of the tape. Last time he was too overwhelmed with fear to even think about causing the trashbag pain. But…
Flowey watched how the skeleton read through some of his documents mumbling something about discussing his theory with Alphys before trying to analyze it more. He saw the lights of the skeletons eye-sockets flicker for a moment to him before they returned to the papers. A low and muffled growl escaped the flower through the tape.
'HE IS IGNORING ME ON PURPOSE!' He screamed in his mind. Enough was enough. A rotating circle of friendliness pallets formed behind the Flower and his eyes turned hollow with rage. 'It was his dump idea to work together and now he is ignoring me! I will make him suffer before I will help with anything at all!'
The white pallets shot forward but even with his back turned to the flower Sans easily dodged them his eye-lights disappeared as he glared at the flower with a mocking grin. "Would you mind NOT disrooting my work here?"
One of the flowers eyes started to twitch in annoyance and summoned more pallets aiming for the skeletons skull. Screw cooperating, screw his fear, screw the human kid, if everything was going to end anyway then he was going to use his time left to make Sans suffer.
Before the flower could let lose another volley of friendliness pallets he was faced with the skeletons face just inches from his face. Sans eye-sockets were pitch black. "Look I know I probably keep you here to stop you from messing with time but you better leaf me alone right now or I will give you a bad time once again."
'Wait what?' Flowey blinked in confusion. Carefully he eyed the skeleton and gave him a doubtful look. He received a strange look in return but once Sans back was turned to him again Flowey actually did hesitate in getting his attention once more.
If the flower remembered right he was brought here to prevent Frisk from meeting him. Flowey tilted his head in slight confusion on why the reason suddenly changed. Shaking his head the flower focused now on trying to find out what was going on and on getting rid of that stupid tape.
So without any more hesitation a new volley of friendliness pallets soared through the air and once again Sans effortlessly dodged them turning his skull only slightly to look over his shoulder so he could glare at the flower with dark eye-sockets. Flowey only glared back preparing another round of pallets.
Sans fully turned to glare better at the flower, sidestepping the pallets that aimed for him. "My patience is running thin weed. What do you want?"
Flowey rolled his eyes, finally getting somewhere. His eyes motioned to the tape and turned to glare at the skeleton once more that had gotten closer to the flower. A skeleton eye-brow was rose and Flowey felt like face palming but seeing how he had no hands nor wanted to slam his face against a wall anymore he just motioned with his eyes to the tape that was still covering his mouth.
"Huh? So you want that tape off bud?" Sans questioned skeptically and carefully eyed the flower that seemed to give him some kind of 'no-shit'-look. The skeleton stared at the flower for a while longer before he shrugged not really remembering why he had even taped it there in the first place.
His right eye glowed blue as he used his magic to rip it off the flowers face, grinning a little at the pained yelp that escaped the flower. "Now spit out whatever you gotta say, I calcium why you're disturbing my researches."
Flowey hissed in annoyance and muttered something along the lines of 'stupid trashbag' before he eyed the skeleton skeptical. "What happened to the idiot? If you want me to cooperate I want some information!"
Confusion crossed Sans face for a moment and Floweys' eye narrowed as he didn't receive an instant reply. He watched how the skeleton lifted his bone hands in a slow-down motion and gave the flower equal narrowed eyes. "Why would I want to cooperate with ya?"
Okay now Flowey knew something was definitely wrong with the sack of bones. Eyes turning wicket Flowey looked to the side a little and gave a crooked smile. "Have you seriously forgotten what happened?"
The flower felt the annoyance rise in the skeleton and he couldn't help but chuckle sadistically at that. He may still feel fear in his vines but that didn't mean he wouldn't enjoy any kind of torture he could put others through. Though… it wasn't funny any when bones impaled the wall next to his head.
"Did you mess with time again?" Sans voice was very low and held a dangerous undertone one Flowey was very familiar with. Wide eyed the flower slowly looked from the bone over to the skeleton yet slight confusion lay in the flowers eyes.
"You are dumper than I thought." Flowey chuckled humorlessly eye turning hallow. "I lost that power the moment that stupid idiot fell into the Underground. If it weren't for that stupid kid I would still rule this place!"
He saw Sans eyeing him suspiciously like he didn't believe his words but once Flowey heard the skeletons next words the flower froze not sure how to react. "What kid are you talking about, bud? You are the only one right now with time controlling powers."
"That's…" Flowey slowly started. "A bad joke right?"
The skeleton didn't answer him. Dark eye-sockets eyed him with suspicion yet confusion and curiosity. But the flower could care less right now about that, he was trying to figure out if Sans was pulling a bad joke on him or if he was for real.
"Come on you know the idiot has that power right now, right?" Flowey eyes turned slightly fearful and panicked. "Y-you know that human girl?"
"What human girl?"
Okay now Flowey was seriously panicked as well as weirded out and fear returned to him full force as he started to shiver uncontrollable. Strange feeling resurfaced from deep inside him and he swore that just for a moment he felt like his true self was going to break through. His face morphed and looked more and more like Asriels.
"You… you don't remember F-frisk?" Floweys' voice was so soft and barely even there as he stared hopefully at the skeleton. But all the flower received was confusion yet Flowey saw it. The small spark of recognition it had been there just for a millisecond. That was enough to awaken a little hope in the flowers mind.
He would have to put his own agenda of killing the kid and keeping the game going to. Right now he needed the trashbag to remember that idiot and find out what had happened to the human girl. Flowey shivered lightly and pushed away unwanted thoughts, his eyes staring with determination at the skeleton before him.
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Everything had turned gray. Chara marveled at the fact how everything was just in a different shade of gray. The water of Waterfall? A fluent ash grey. The magma of Hotland? A variation of drak gray to glowing light gray. The snow of Snowdin? A very light shade of grey. It was a colorless word and Chara grinned wickedly at that.
At first they had been shocked that they weren't standing in Papyrus kitchen where the actual save was but near Temmie Village. But now they didn't mind it anymore as they looked at the colorless world around them when they slowly started to backtrack.
But there was something they found rather strange. There hadn't been even once monster they encountered. It was like they had already killed them all yet it wasn't. It wasn't eerie quite nor was there any dust that indicated the death of monsters.
They could hear all kind of sounds, the rock under their feet crunching, the water rushing, the drips of rain, the swishing of grass, even that stupid music box in the distance. The world was colorless but alive. Yet she hadn't met even one monster that she could turn to dust.
Chara frowned lightly before they kept on walking thought Waterfall, their steps echoing from the cave walls and the water patter in the background filled them with 'determination'. They clutched the handle of their knife tighter.
Their red eyes searched every area, followed every moving shadows. If this continued on they would have to start to actively seek out every monster. A maniac gleam appeared in their eyes. If they wanted to play murderous hide and seek than they would gladly agree to it.
Then finally they spotted someone. It was a monster child with no arms and reptilian features. She was wearing a checkerboard-like sweater and a bow on her head. The monster was just as gray as their surroundings. A wide smile spread across Charas' face as they slowly lifted their hand with the knife and walked nearer to the monster.
Once they were near enough they didn't ram their knife into the monsters back. No they wanted to see the pain in their face, so they tapped the monsters shoulder innocently and smiled nicely at them when they turned.
But Chara wasn't prepared for pupils eyes that seemed already lifeless to stare back at them.
"Oh hello." The monsters voice sounded strange in Charas ears and they took a step back their knife raised and ready to attack that monster at any moment.
"Have you ever thought about a world where everything is the same…" Chara readied themselves and they were about to stab them, when the monster child continued talking. "Except you don't exist?"
They haltered in their movement staring at the monster child that waited for an answer from them. It was strange but yet they slowly nodded. It wasn't a lie, Chara knew that. Their red eyes searched the face of that monster child for any kind of emotion.
"Everything functions perfectly without you…" The monsters voice was void of any emotions yet their face seemed… sad? Chara shook their head trying to get rid of any useless thoughts and emotions as they once again tightened their hold on the knife.
"Ha, ha… The thought terrifies me." The monster turned her back to Chara and continued staring out the dock.
The Charas smile dropped, the hand that held still tightly to the knife also fell back to their side. Blankly their red eyes stared at the monster child before them. Unwanted feelings rampaged inside of them and they took another step back distancing themselves from the other child.
Violently they shook their head. These weren't their emotions. They couldn't be. With a flicker in their eyes they summoned their own soul and stared at the strangeness of the white and gooey black heart hovering before their chest. Narrowed eyes watched that soul as it floated slightly up and down. It seemed as nothing was wrong with it.
'Determination' filled them and their head snapped up staring at the back of the monster child before them. A cruel smile spread over their face once again as their black and red eyes gleamed evilly. They stepped closer once again, slowly the knife was lifted back up into the air.
Without warning they slashed down. They grinned seeing how the monster child turned their mouth opened in shock.
[Damage 99999999999]
Chara chuckled satisfied with the amount of damage they managed to deal with one blow and took a step back wanting to watch that monster turn into dust fully. But instead of dust Chara watched with shock of the monster child smiled at them.
"You are trying to hurt me?" For once they didn't know how to react so filled with more 'determination' they swung their knife at the monster child again. But she didn't even blink and only stared blankly at the knife that went through their body like butter before the wound closed itself again.
"Ha, ha… You know, I appreciate your try in making me feel something." She turned her back to Chara again who let out a frustrated growl. Why couldn't they kill that monster? That blow should have been lethal to her and yet she was still standing.
Chara turned sharply on her heels and walked away, heated emotions filling her being as they choose to spare that one monster for now. They would return for it later anyway.