CHAPTER THREE: What…?

"H-hello?"

The human called out into the dark cavern, her voice shaky and weak, golden petals sticking out of her curly hair. She stood there tentatively, hair the color of dark chocolate framing her face in wild and messy curls, her battered apron gently bumping against her knees as she stood, shaking. The soul of kindness, bruised and bleeding from the ordeal that brought her here. Tears still shining on her cheeks, she did her best not to spill any more as she glanced around, terrified.

What is this place? Where is she?

How did she survive…?

Maybe I do have some luck after all… the small child thinks nervously, shivering in the chill underground air. Slowly, she steps out from the circle of light, towards the ornate door, her scuffed, yellow-rubber rain boots tapping against the stone with each tentative step. This place scares her down to her core, the shadows deep and intimidating as she edges nervously away from the bed of golden flowers. Maybe…maybe she can still get back. Maybe this leads back to the forest? She clings desperately to that thought, just as thorns cling to her tight, dark-chocolate curls.

Hey there…snotty little child? Can you hear m…woah, never seen a green soul before. Interesting…you better be able to hear me, kid!

a voice from beyond the beyond hisses, sinister but luring as it winds its words from beyond death itself. The child stops nervously, blinking, and peers around with big, terrified eyes. Cracked and crumbling pillars rise above her, stalagmites and stalactites growing like tiny mountains around the darkened cavern, vines climbing the walls as they reach for the shaft of light, but she sees no one. Sure, the shaft of light pours down, But it illuminates nothing about her situation, only more things she doesn't understand. More questions…Then, nervous and alone, she calls out, her voice still shaky;

"I-is somebody there…?"

And the whispering voice from beyond answers, surprise well hidden in the soothing tone. Nobodies been able to hear them in a long time.

a friend. I can help you, guide you, I know the way around this place…I know how you can survive. The last kid who could hear me might have been a lunatic, but youwe could do so much together…

But the child takes no notice, peering around, not hearing the voice that transcends death. Her soul is not kindred to the sinister echoes of red- she has no connection with the vengeful spirit that fades away, it's eyes glinting in disappointment. She takes a few nervous steps forward, peering into shadows and cautiously stepping through the towering ornamental door that looms in front of her, another shaft of light beyond.

"H-hello? Anyone? Please, I'm- I-I'm scared…"

She calls, her voice catching with tears she wants so desperately to let fall. Then her brass-and-honey eyes widen, catching the little light there is, in surprise.

"Howdy!"

A flower, bright and golden, bobs in another light shaft, surrounded by vibrant grass as its pleasant, smiling face beams up at her from in between its sunshine petals.

"You must be new around here, aren'tcha?"

.

.

.

*it seems like your journey has finally begun.

*...You are filled with…

Kindness.


?¬リ゚? ?¬リ゚✌❄✍✏ ?¬リ゚✌❄ ✋? ゚モᆱ ✌ ?¬ワマ

Gaster screams, attempting to cover his eyes with his hands, and failing, since they have holes in them. His voice- loud though it is- does not echo, the cry of static and clicking that is his font dissipating into the swirling confusion of light and shadow that the void has become. After so long without light, it almost burns him, the bright beams hitting his skull like physical blows, and his soul reacts. Painfully reacts. It blinks into being with a flicker of gray light, responding to the foreign pain, and Gaster blinks hard in the blinding glare, staring down at it in shock.

What…?

His mind produces only that thought, over and over, as he stares down at his fragmented soul, watching the tiniest of bright glowing sparks flit through the gray, muted glow, like reflections of warped glass, as he feels the will to live coarse through him. So he…that moment, he remembers, so it wasn't just a dream? He wasn't imagining? He actually has…

determination? This…no, this is impossible, I…I am a monster, I can't have…but…could I really have generated it somehow…? Is this real? Is there finally light in this darkness?…do I finally have a reason to hope…?

He steels himself, remembering his sons as blood red determination begins to pound inside his soul.

Sans. Papyrus.

That is why he is still here…So he can return to them, someday, somehow. He will get back to them, No matter the cost. He will face anything, even impossible blinding light, to get back to them. To find them again. To see them smile, just one more time…he misses those brilliant smiles of theirs. This thought echoes through him, and he closes his eyes for a brief moment- steeling what's left of him for what might be his last attempt at freedom. Then, feeling he is ready to face whatever is beyond the light, determination rising in him, he looks up, a steely glint in his eyes even as they widen in shock.

a…a room? A room, yes…a room with a-

He stops and his mind roils, in disbelief, in wonder, in shock, as he dares to hope for the first time in too many years to know. Years of dreaming of his family, of colour, of escape…And, now, here is a room. A room, with a door. A door that leads somewhere. He stares through the crack, and finds he doesn't care how this happened. He doesn't care why this happened. he doesn't care what this might do to him.

He just…wants to be free.

For my sons…

His jaw sets, the now-old scars barely protesting as he drifts backwards, clenching his fists before he finally hurls himself towards the crack, DETERMINATION flowing through him as he tumbles through light and pain, barely caring as the light seems to burn like the lava that brought him here, tearing at him, dissolving him-

I'll risk anything.

WHAM!

HP: ERROR/ERROR

Pain- not again, i don't want to remember that again- I don't want to go back there- not the core- Not this again, please I…

But this isn't a memory. Doctor gaster lays flat on his face, collapsed and in absolute shock as he feels a solid object press against his throbbing skull. He feels something, he feels something solid. Something real. Slowly, he pushes himself up, his hands trembling, his mind reeling, a cool, flat surface under his shaking hands, the holes in them revealing a gray ground beneath. He's…he's not…he's not there anymore…He's not in the void anymore! He's not there!

It worked. It worked! It worked it worked it worked- He's free! With some effort, he manages to right himself, disoriented and confused, but hopeful, almost…almost happy for the first time in so long, so, so long. he wavers, unused to gravity, closing his eyes and breathing deeply to try and calm himself. He doesn't really need to breathe, but it still helps. Where is he? The lab? The floor, gray, and the light- He can barely process even these smallest details, these smallest variations, after so long of flat, unchanging nothingness. Gathering his courage, he looks down at himself, shaking slightly as he tries to balance. He hopes he's not injur-

?¬リ゚✌❄✍✏ ?¬リ゚✌❄? ? ?

He stares down at the writhing, convulsing mass of black that connects his still void-dark chest to the floor, twisting and churning like a mass of liquid tar. With a jolt, he begins to feel his own face, his skull suddenly begin to soften and slide, the joint of his jaw sticky with his own melted bone as he whispers to himself in a small voice- feeling himself melt away into a lump of darkness and light and melted bone in the room of gray;

?¬リ゚✌❄? ゚モᆲ?¬ワヘ ? ? ゚モᆲ? ✋ ?¬ワフ ❄ ?¬リワ? ゚モᆲ? ? ゚モᆲ?

I thought I was finally free…I thought…my sons, I… I thought I could go home…!

And with that thought, he begins to break down.

literally, and emotionally. his skull seems to drip and slide, his cracked eye forced down into a crescent of darkness, the other dripping impossibly wider even as tear stream from them. The vertebrae in his neck liquify and stick together, the line of his jaw fading away- he is unrecognizable, in unimaginable agony. so he shakes. his mangled, melting form quivers with his sobs, his tears falling into gray and lifeless ground as everything falls apart inside him. Hopes, even such cautious and disbelieving hopes, are painful when smashed. It's never comforting to find out that you can dig below rock bottom. His Determination is failing, fading..It's been a long time since he has…been hurt, like this. Cried, like this. he thought he was too numb to tragedy to still feel it's sting. The last time he's let himself feel like this was what he thinks was a month ago, time being so dissolved in the void he can no longer tell.

he had woken up from a dream about his sons.

Back before he stopped dreaming. Back before he stopped letting himself dream, because they became to painful to bear. He remembers when they were small…So small he could hold papyrus and sans together, one in each arm. Only four years apart, he remembers them being eachothers best friend. Sans, always looking out for papyrus, even when there was no need, even when his younger brother was still in the crib, even though he was the one with only one hp, even when he was the one gaster would constantly be so scared would get hurt. And then, when sans was sixteen and papyrus was just twelve, he had- the fire of the core blazes through his mind, and he slumps down, retracting inwards as the sobs rack him harder still with memories of his family flashing through his mind, tears rolling down his melting skull as poor Doctor Gaster melts into darkness and light.


But, elsewhere, dark and light dance in a different pattern. snow swirls white in a dark forest, where the story truly begins…

'PpPPpttTtHHhhhhbbBb'

"heh, whoopee cushion in the hand trick, it's always funny."

The skeleton stands there in the thick snow, hand still outstretched even though the human has released it, a goofy grin spread across his skull- which quickly falters as much as a skeleton's grin can at the human's expression. oh, uh, guess they don't like jokes…?

"uhhhh, you ok…?"

He asks, tilting his skull awkwardly. The human before him sniffles a little, then breaks into sobs, their face scrunching up before they hide it in their pale orange apron as sans just stands there, his expression- though frozen in a smile- looking to be a mixture of confusion and concern as the child sobs in the snow. wow, i guess im more intimidating than i- Then his expression changes further, shifting to shock as his eyelights blink out for a few seconds- but he quickly recovers. Did the human just…hug him?

uuuuuuuhhhhhhhhh-

The human is still sobbing into his hoodie, clinging to him in a desperate hug as a slight smell of burnt cinnamon drifts from them, their bushy dark-chocolate-coloured hair flecking white with the falling snow. Sans was planning on telling the human to go through the gate, eventually herding them towards his brother but…

*you notice the humans' sobs seem genuine.

…that might not be the best of ideas…

"uhh, h-hey kid! wanna hear a joke?"

He asks hurriedly, not quite knowing what to do in this situation- so, as always, resorting back to humor. The sobs become a little quieter, catching slightly, and the human makes a questioning sound which is only slightly muffled by the jacket their face is buried in. Sounds like a yes to me…

"well, tibia honest- and i'm not tellin' any fibula's here- i think ya broke my funny bone, and believe me when i say there ain't any skullduggery involved since i'm really not feelin all that humerus-"

Sans's puns are broken off by shaky, teary giggling coming from the human, who looks up at him with a hesitant, wobbly smile.

*you notice one of the human's teeth is missing…it looks fresh.

The human notices where sans is looking, and they wince with pain before more tears spring up. Sans starts a little, and, not wanting the humans crying to attract his… excitable brother, quickly starts talking again, improvising as he does so.

"err, so, uh- what'cher name, kid? don't tell me you aint got one. I'm sans, sans the skeleton."

The human draws back from him quickly, as if remembering he's a stranger- or maybe just that he's a monster- but the response comes all the same. it's quiet and shaky, muffled slightly as the human wipes tears and snot off their face with their wrist, but it's a response.

"Misericordia…but…but you can call me Bell, I- if you want…"

They mutter nervously, shuffling in the snow. Sans, relieved that the conversation isn't one-sided any more, tries to prompt more information, if only for the sake of curiosity, and stopping the poor kid from crying again. When he spotted a human, this was not what he was expecting to happen. Aren't humans supposed to be, like, indestructible killing machines or somethin?

"Bell, huh? now that's an odd nickname. there's gotta be a story there…"

He pauses, studying the (still quite shaken) human's face, skin a warm brown and framed by dark-chocolate curls, still streaked with chilled tears.

"...if ya dont mind sharin, that is."

The huma- no, Bell, looks up at him with eyes that seem to shine gold in the light, and the mercy and softness and…fear, in them takes sans aback. He thought humans were all… well, human, but this one… Well, they ain't anything like that weird flower, that's for sure. Why would he think of that weed…? Eh, no matter. With a small breath, Bell speaks, her voice less shaky as she stands in the snow.

"N-no, i don't mind! It's because my b-brothers always told me I-I …u-uh…"

The human goes silent for a long moment, then begins to tremble a little, mumbling something under her breath.

"eh, what was that? didn't catch it, kiddo."

The human is silent a moment, long enough to make sans wonder if he pushed too hard, but they finally speak up. They're mumbling, but just about audible as snow swirls between them.

"My b-brothers…t-they always t-thought my eyes were u-um, the c-c-color o-of…"

The human trails off again, teeth chattering, their cheeks glowing pink from either cold or embarrassment. With a start, sans realizes it's probably the first one, considering the snow is quite literally up to the kids knees.

"lemme guess, they thought yer eyes looked the color of bells?"

He guesses, tilting his skull to the side and noticing the unusual brassy-gold color. The human looks up at him, then slowly nods, snow dusting their dark chocolate colored hair as they shiver with cold, rubbing their bare arms. …how old are they? Sans is about to ask, but stops himself. He can guess. Not old enough to face anyone in a FIGHT…and too young ta' be in the snow like this…He's wearing a good few layers, but this kid's got only a thin shirt an' a ratty apron…

*you notice the human's fingers going blue…

With that, it's decided. That lady with the incredible sense of humor did ask sans to look after a human, so… that's what he's gonna do. Sans sighs, prompting a worried look from the still shivering Bell. this wasn't exactly what he'd planned for today… Eh, what the heck. Sans tugs off his warm blue jacket, and hangs it around the human's shoulders as they stare up at him in shock, but Sans quickly starts talking before they can thank him.

"well, ya know, my job is capturin humans…"

Bell's eyes widen, and she looks up at him in fear, her expression worried as she takes a small step back, tugging the jacket a little tighter around herself.

"...but that sounds like too much work. so, howzabout we go to my place and get cha' warmed up, huh?"

With that, Bell looks both shocked and grateful, and tears spring from her eyes as she grins up at Sans with a gratitude he's not used to. She nods, and wipes her eyes with one of the slightly ketchup-stained sleeves, her hair brushing back to reveal a bandage covering some sort of burn, which looks…fresh. Jeeze, kid, what happened to ya? I thought humans were…I dunno, indestructible or something. Sans looks down at her, then tugs the hood up to cover her hair with a small 'heh', the human letting out a small yelp of surprise as he does so.

*you feel…motivated…?

Sans chuckles a little at the questioning tone of the usually quite certain narrator. Heck, that narrator sounds more uncertain every day, ppft, bet even it's surprised I'm doin somethin for once…

"here, follow me. I know a shortcut."

Sans says, with a wink at the human, who flashes a slightly confused smile, taking the gloved hand he offers her with a noticeable hint of hesitation. Good, they know about stranger danger, so this kid does have some sense of self preservation... he had wondered, when they had hugged him, a complete stranger…Good thing I'm too lazy to really care, heh.

-VWWWWOOOOOOSHHHH-

"W-woah!"

Sans and Bell fall through blackness, flashing past pieces of sensasion, the feeling of bark, the smell of cinnamon, the heat of fire, the softness of fur, the slick of ice, the sound of electricity, the flash of coloured tiles, the indescribable taste of frozen spaghetti-

And then it all gathers together.

Suddenly, the skeleton and the human are standing just inside a cozy cabin, sans somehow already leaning against a beaten up green couch and grinning like always.

"fast shortcut, huh?"

Bell smiles, nervous but amazed at the magic, the missing tooth seeming to only amplify how young they look. Sans raises a nonexistent eyebrow, looking the human up and down. This kid…six? Seven? He can't really tell, but he knows they're a little kid for sure, they're small enough to be shorter than even him, barely coming up to his shoulders. He watches as they nervously climb onto the couch, seeming to slowly stop shivering as they fold themselves deeper into the folds of sans's too-big jacket.

"so, kid, s'that tooth bothering you? looks sore."

He asks by way of a conversation starter, sitting beside them and turning on the MTTV with a click. They look…surprised, and sniffle a little, but respond all the same, less shaky than before.

"O-oh, yeah, it hurts a bit, but, uh, it's nothing…"

Sans chuckles a little, then after a moment, puts his hand on the human child's head, his hand nearly swallowed by the dark chocolate curls as he heals their wounds with what little ability he has- a soft green glow emerging from his gloved hand in the form of tiny motes of light.

"Oooohhh, that- that felt kinda cool! What did you do?"

The human asks brightly, now looking more interested and thankful than scared or confused, her gold eyes shining as the small child radiates curiosity. Sans looks at them, surprised, then responds with a tiny widening of his permanent grin;

"healin' magic. pretty cool, right?"

the human nods furiously, not noticing the pun, her chocolate curls bobbing as she does so, causing sans to snicker as the little human bounces slightly with the intensity of her nodding.

"Y-yeah! It feels…a lot better now, actually!"

Bell exclaims, feeling the gap with her tongue, causing sans to muffle a chuckle at the expression she pulls.

"i've uh, never used it on a human before… hope it didn't scramble you too badly, heh."

The human looks up at him and gives a small smile.

"No, it felt…kinda…funny."

she says, searching for the words, and apparently finally relaxing around the skeleton as whatever fears she had fade in the face of his friendly, lazy manner. sans blinks a little, raising one nonexistent eyebrow.

"er… bad funny or ha-ha funny?"

Bell thinks for a moment, mettaton draped dramatically over a piano on the MTTV.

"It felt kinda like…remembering things."

Sans is surprised. Most monsters have a relatively easy time describing healing magic, usually as just a warmth, or a softness, but this is new. Deciding to keep to the topic of conversation, he asks;

"like rememberin? how's that?"

the human thinks, her face scrunching up as the human and monster sit side by side, on the old green couch. a human and a monster, just…being, together, Is a sight sans never thought he'd see, let alone be a part of.

Wow. Look at him, makin history…heh.

"Like…remembering something you forgot, and it's a good thing, so you smile! and everything's a little brighter. Like that feeling, but it's…the hurt bit of you remembering what it was like to be whole."

Sans blinks a little. He chuckles to himself, wondering how any magic he cast could make someone feel that. Usually, it just makes people sleepy. But hey, humans are weird, right?

Suddenly, Bell speaks up.

"Hey…why are you…you know, helping me…?"

Sans looks over at her sharply, but seeing only childish worry, relaxes again, telling the truth with a noncommittal shrug.

"eh, you look too young to be wanderin around on your own, and you certainly ain't a threat. you're just a kid after all, nothin to be scared of."

Bell smiles, reassured. She seems to unwind slightly, drawing her knees up into the oversized jacket as she watches mettatons latest cooking show with wide-eyed interest. Sans chuckles internally, this really is just a kid, human or not…mettaton must seem so strange to them, heck, he must seem strange to them. But they don't really care…it doesn't surprise him. Little kids are usually still learning about the world, human or monster- they just take everything in stride.

Then, after a moment, the human responds quietly;

"…you aren't scary either."

Sans chuckles out loud this time, and pats the small child on the head, only half watching the bizarre cooking show.

"Thanks, kid."

the child turns her head, and smiles at him, a genuine smile, warm and grateful. The skeleton pretends not to notice, slightly embarrassed by her gratitude. She tugs the jacket tighter around her, watching as mettaton twirls and spins on the MTTV, fascinated by his robotic form and exuberant personality. She thinks to herself, as sans the skeleton, the most unintimidating monster she's met so far sits beside her, his coat around her small shoulders;

Toriel was wrong. So was the mean flower. Monsters are nice, they were being the mean ones…Well, not toriel. She just wanted to keep me safe, but…

Bell touches her burned cheek lightly, remembering the fire flying around her in tornadoes of light, the usually kindly face of toriel hard and aloof.

The ruins were so dark, so…ruined. The monsters didn't talk, just ran away…I couldn't bear it. Even after just those few days, I just felt trapped…toriel did her best, I know that, she was just trying to protect me but…she went really far. And that flower…He seemed sad, somehow…mean people are always sad, somewhere deep inside….

Bell glances over at the skeleton, and stares for a moment, fascinated. He looks so much like the doctor's model…but a lot different, too. Softer, cartoonier almost, and all soft when she'd hugged him before, like a layer of cushiony air around his bones… And also because he's alive, obviously, but there's just something about the shape of his skull or…

"W-wait, you don't have a jaw!"

She remarks abruptly, and the skeleton turns to her, surprised. He raises one nonexistent eyebrow at her, and she gasps a little, afraid that she offended him but also surprised at how his skull is moving. Monsters are so, so cool and so, so scary sometimes.

"course I do, kid! It just doesn't work s'all. 'fused' I think it's called, or somethin like that."

The skeleton responds lightly, apparently unbothered, pointing to the smooth curve where his jaw meets his skull, the place a joint would be on a human skull. Bell let's out a little sigh of relief, and cautiously asks:

"B-but, how do you eat…?"

sans chuckles, and taps his frozen smile, winking at the curious child who stares at him, wide eyed.

"S'magic, kiddo."

She simply stares at him, then narrows her eyes slightly, suspicious.

"But…where does the food go though…?"

Sans shrugs.

"beats me. magic?"

He actually does know- but 'magic' is actually the answer. Food just sorta turns into magic before it hits his teeth- and the taste just sorta happens inside his mouth all by itself, despite his lack of a tongue. The human makes a little huffing noise of dissatisfaction, but sans deflects any further questions by asking one of his own.

"where does your food go, then?"

The child blinks at him, then pokes one finger into their midsection, which is apparently their answer.

"Uh, you…eat with your…?"

he asks, only half joking. He knows that human food somehow goes through their whole body before being absorbed, but it beats him how they do it. He always wondered though.

"No! I eat with my mouth, and then it goes here, down my throat, and then…I dunno what happens after that."

The human responds, a little incredulous. She points to her mouth, then her neck, then back at her midsection, then shrugs at him, the explanation apparently over. Sans raises one nonexistent eyebrow, and pokes the human in the midsection, making them giggle in surprise.

"heh, you humans are weird."

Bell smiles at him in that bright, little-kid way.

"Monsters are weirder!"

Sans snorts, and feigns mock-offence, putting a gloved hand to his chest and leaning back, earning a giggle.

"aww, c'mon, hows that?"

bell tilts her head at him, then points to the MTTV, where mettaton is now holding a quiz show, but the contestant appears to be juggling…bombs? sans looks at the screen and huffs, used to the robots antics and not impressed by them.

"eh, he's a wild card kid, believe me."

Bell laughs a little, then gasps as the contestant drops a bomb, her attention re-caught. Sans looks down at her, and wonders again how he ended up catching a human. He literally did nothing but prank them and they latched onto him like some kind of baby monkey. As he watches, Bell draws the jacket tighter around her, and a chill seems to send shivers up their small body. How long were they in the snow like that? And how old is this kid anyway? Probably not much older than that kid by the gyftmas tree, if size means anything. Heh, lookit me, takin care of a human. Man, my bro's gonna self-combu-

Suddenly, The door shakes on its hinges as it is kicked open by a neon-red boot, the house shaking with the sheer volume of an earth-shattering:

'NYEH-HEH-HEH!"

-…ohhh crap.