Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Life was always full of surprises, wasn't it?

After all, if waking up finding yourself at the bottom of what seemed to be a hole wasn't a surprising life-changing event, then she wouldn't know what was.

Of course , if this hadn't happened to her in the first place, then she wouldn't have met so many beautiful people. It's a shame; no one truly cared for little ol' her, at least they acted as if they did, but she could always tell their disappointment in her... Especially him.

Love was flawed, wasn't it?

And yet, it was so easy for her to fall so deep within it that she had lost all senses of herself. She no longer cared for her well-being and mental capacity; what mattered most to her was the freedom of these people, her friends, family, her infatuation .

She knew they never truly cared for her from the start ; she was of no use to these people, to begin with. She was just another mindless human with no organic use for the monsters of this world, but that never stopped her from caring .

They were her family, her friends, and her beloved loved ones . She knew it didn't matter what they expected from her or what they needed from her; she merely gave anything to and for them anyway.

The look on their faces when they realized what she had done was disheartening, but then again, it didn't matter, not anymore. She knew their expressions were false, no one truly cared for her , not even before she had risked everything for their freedom, and that was completely fine with her, for she had nothing and no one within her miserable life anymore. She was nothing more than a mere pawn, and by all means, she was entirely okay with the idea . 

She was able to save the ones she loved, the ones she had genuinely cared for. They may not have shared the same sentimental emotions she had for them, but at least her heart and soul were able to live long enough to know that her love for them would never change, never falter, and would never cease to exist. It was a golden statement, proof of her profound fondness for the beings who once wanted nothing more than her cold crimson blood to pool around her stiff, unmoving body. 

She knew they never trusted her; even if she showed them her trust, they never truly believed in her, even when she sacrificed herself and broke the barrier. Their current emotions were only due to their confused souls, lingering in the memory of her long-forgotten existence.

She knew that as time went on, they’d forget that she had ever even existed, which, surprisingly enough, she was okay with that belief. She was at least able to be a part of their lives for some time ; she was allowed to know and live with them long enough to learn who they were in a personal light; that was enough to satisfy her withering heart.

But why did she continue to feel so......

Guilty ?

Or was this perhaps regret?

Something within her had told her that what she had done wasn't entirely… a great idea, but did it matter?

They are free now; they don't need her; these beings can live on to do the things most had dreamt of doing for years on end; they don't need her, not anymore, not ever. Her insignificant life was never required for the sake of their lives for that to happen.

So... Why are they crying ?

Why did they visit her mound if she knew that they didn't need her?

Why did they still visit her when she had believed they never cared, that she knew they shouldn't have still managed.

She was better off forgotten, so why haven't they realized that yet for their own sake? 

She was gone now, nothing more than a pile of flowers and a lingering blue echo. There was no point for them to mourn for her, yet they did — every single one of them at one point in time.

Monsters had visited her during those lone tiresome evenings. It wasn't that long ago since she had sacrificed herself —only two or three years to be exact— so by now she would've expected everyone to leave, or just forget her by then, but they didn't, they just wouldn't, no matter how long or how much she'd beg them too, even if they couldn't hear her pleads.

They were still here, mourning , suffering from the loss of her supposedly welcomed presence.

"Stay strong." They would whimper.

"Be brave." They'd exclaim.

"Why did you do it?" Was what they had asked, followed along with words and phrases along the lines of, " Your selflessness was the only thing driving us to move forward, yet we're still here, regretting our unmade actions to stop you from doing it."

Words and conversations amongst her sprouting buds of glowing blue whispering floral leaves were the only things that were keeping her from entirely disappearing. The sound of their voices helped keep her from going insane, persuading her to stay strong and being determined enough to want to continue and somehow be able to survive, watch and listen.

Of course, there was always the slim few that would come here only to rant that her actions were flawed or that they hated her for what she had done to save them, but it didn't matter now, what's done is done ; there was no turning back, no place for her to run to, she was stuck there, with the lingering thought that her actions were what made this world livable, no matter the cost.

There was always that one voice that would waver her thoughts, however, and somehow- said the voice was always able to summon the phantom tears that had streamed and stained her invisible features and Rosey grey cheeks.

"Why..." They start.

"Why did you do it?"

Do what? She assumed they were referring to her so-called gracious sacrifice for their species' freedom, she knew what was coming, and therefore she didn't much care for what they had to say . 

"You were the only one that could ever understand me, the only one I had ever told about my pain, about the things I lost and the things I've gained. From the pain I've suffered to the pain I've caused."

"So why did you do it? Why did you leave me... I'm all alone now, with the thought that maybe I was the one that pressured you to do it- to do this !"

The silence broke through these thin walls as the source of the voice began to waver. Were they... crying? She hoped not, she was always the emotional sort, and whenever she heard someone else whaling, she couldn't help but follow along with them in response.

"They miss you..."

"We miss you..."

"I miss you..."

"So... won't you come back to me? Please?"

"Just reset..."

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"....Reset..."

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" Please ?"

But nothing happened ; no one had heard except for the little lone flower who did nothing but repeated the last words it had heard.

"Please?... " it repeated, echoing along the walls slowly and disturbingly slowly.

It was too much for one to hear, especially if it were from the only voice one could remember, the voice of the one man who she feared for all those years ago, only now realizing how much she missed him. His genuine smiles, to his murderous ones, the way he laughed from the way he melted into pure anger. He was a natural person, someone who changed the way she had believed him too. 

He couldn't believe how everything had ended or even how the one he had sworn to protect now laid withering beneath the very dirt he walked upon. He didn't want to live this sort of life, not without them- without her by his side. He promised to save her, to free her from this pain, if only he knew that this wasn't just mere karma but also torture. He had killed her, only because she had asked of him too, but he had done it, no matter how wrong he knew it was, he listened. 

And now there he sat, beside the grave he had set out for his flower, he sat beside the bright blue flower that sprung lively above her grave, the complete contrast to how depressing the situation may seem. 

"... Knock knock."

"....-Who's there?"

"Who-"

"Who… .. Who… "

"Heh… terrible echo in here, isn't there…?"

He knew speaking with the flower wasn't helping, for he could never rid his bright mind of the woman he loved, but it was the only thing that could help him cope, especially when the flower began to bloom the day after she was buried. But he couldn't help it; he had to do something, anything to keep his mind in check.

And so, on many days like these, he'd return to the underground and just sit with the flower enjoying both the nostalgia behind this place and the presence of a person who no longer existed. He knew it was an unhealthy way to cope with his feelings, but he didn't know how to stop himself; he didn't want to, to begin with. 

He couldn't help but contemplate everything that had happened; what seemed to have occurred said a mere few days ago had indeed occurred within the few years before his people’s long overdue freedom. and yet there he was, wanting nothing more than to gain her stupid powers, the ability to reset and start all over, to obtain the ability to help another lost soul to continue living life, whether it was with him or without, he just wanted her safe, wanted her back-

“Ha… Ha…”

Puzzled, he glanced over his shoulder, utterly perplexed from the events that transpired mere moments ago.

“You…-” He began, “You spoke to me?” His bewildered expression did nothing but cause the flower to once more respond with the same faint yet familiar laughter he had missed for oh so long.

“Ha… Ha…”

“No… No- This couldn’t be real, this couldn’t possibly- This was a prank, it- it had to be, this can't- she can't be… Are you?-” He waited for the flower to respond, for the voice to at least say something other than repeating the same rhythmic laughter. He was enchanted by that sound and wanted nothing more than to hear it again, but he couldn’t, for he knew he shouldn’t, he had to understand, had to wait and listen for that voice- her voice to respond, to speak, to talk to him like the good old days…

But to no eval, for the flower never once spoke again, no- now it had only repeated the last thing it had heard, the last sentence Sans had ever spoken to said flower. “I m i ss y o u … .”

He couldn’t help it at the time, how sad his voice must’ve sounded, but it was just how he responded, and with all honesty, he hadn’t cared for how others may react to it; after all, no one but him ever seems to visit, maybe Flowey now and then, but never anyone else, for their guilt and self-loathing seemed to prevent them from doing otherwise. They all regretted how they treated the poor child, even though he was ashamed. Still, he at least knew that no matter what had happened, no matter what he had said or had done, he knew that no matter what the consequence, she would remain to believe that he was good, “ A Skeleton worth fighting for, ” as she would say.

It’s funny; no matter how many times that girl would say she’d fight for him, he had never once seen her attack another monster, not once. There was a time where she had accidentally run into one of the monster children, and it for some reason counted as an attack, which managed to nick a bit of their hp, but it wasn’t enough to do a whole lot of damage. Nevertheless, the poor girl was devastated; she practically smothered the poor monster with treats galore, all homemade even . She was kind, oh so very kind, but that’s what made her weak, and now… that’s the only reason she was gone.

“... Miss- Missing you-...”

It repeated.

He couldn’t help it, the echo he received was almost the exact last words Sans had said, but it wasn’t in the voice Sans had lived with for all his life, for instead, it was corrupted by that of the voice he couldn’t help but wither for. She was there, somehow, and he knew, but he couldn’t do anything to help, to entirely save her. He wanted nothing more than to take the flower with him to see if he could somehow fix it- fix her . 

He needed her back; he needed to see her, to talk with her about the craziest things, or even just to sit and watch the stars as promised. He remembered every memory he could’ve possibly had with her, and all of it was down to every little detail . The way she watched the ceiling crystals, the way she would subconsciously try to eat the snowflakes that always landed atop her pink button nose, the way her eyes would always gleam when she’d look at him, or even the way her smile seemed always to melt his very soul, the laugh alone was enough to kill a man, let alone a monster like him . —And that was only putting it lightly. —

“S-Sans… I- S, So-.. rry….”

“... Sweetheart?- Is… Is that… is that you in there?-...”

But again, no response. Sans was confused, so utterly petrified, he knew that he’d one day go insane, but he hadn’t thought it would’ve been then and there. His obsession with this girl was unhealthy, he could admit that to an extent, but he would never have believed it was to this extreme. Sans couldn’t tell whether or not his mind was playing tricks on him or if Sans was genuinely losing the rest of what little sanity Sans had left. He missed her very much, but he had never thought his mind would play such a cruel trick, especially one this surreal . 

‘Yeah, yeah, maybe it was all just in my head,’ it was bound to happen eventually; he knew that, but he just couldn’t seem to come to terms with it, not yet at least. So he stood, glanced one last time towards the flower; true now feared yet both cherished and ceased ever to return. It wasn’t like he had a schedule; true, he visited every day to make sure it was alive and well; now, with no living monsters living within the underground, everything seemed to stop. The snow never fell, the trees began to wither, the water slowly declined in size, and the waterfalls never continued with their beautiful blazing beauty. It was as if this place had known they were no longer there, or as if their presence was the only reason why this place remains, which in all honesty, could’ve been the case, especially now that the cores generator was no longer functioning.

It took Sans a few weeks, if not month , to finally believe that he wasn’t going completely insane; his brother, however, would say otherwise. Papyrus was a somewhat kindred soul, but there were days even Sans just wanted to run and hide away within his room and stare at the one soul he could ever manage to love. He knew it wasn’t right to take the soul back after he had broken the barrier, but Sans couldn’t leave it there, for he knew it would’ve phased out of existence entirely just as the others had done. He couldn’t let that happen, not to her; he had promised to keep it safe, even if Sans knew that she hadn’t meant to this degree, but for some odd reason, he couldn’t seem to stay clear from it.

His brother eventually found a way to help his older brother, it took a lot of convincing, but they found a way to help with his unhealthy obsession. Everyone tried to help him get over it or to at least try to forget about her, but he couldn’t just simply. She was the first and only person who had ever cared for him, openly at least; however she was the only one who had ever seemed to believe in him, publicly or not, she was the only one who ever seemed to see past his ferociously sharp appearance .

So, after a few weeks of therapy, he finally, with a conscious mind, took that first step into the ruins to meet with the flower he had longed to see, with the proper permission, of course, from both his brother and therapist. His main goal was to say goodbye, for that was the task that his therapist had given. She had said something along the lines that saying goodbye to an object or an item that was of significant importance to you was something that would help with his coping problems, so here he was trying not to stumble on his own two feet at the sight he had witnessed before him.

Like on regular trips to see the gravesite, he’d always stop by his old home to keep his little promise to feed his younger brothers’ pet rock. ‘Sides, he was never one to break a promise; they were rare after all.’ he knew now that it didn’t matter, nor did it ever, to begin with, not since they were kids, but for some odd reason, his childish ways never ceased to release him.

But right then and there, on that particular day, something utterly heart-wrenching had merely occurred before his very own eyes. The little blue flower was nothing more than a wilting pile of desiccated leaves and petals. 

“No… No- N o no n O n oN O ! No please, please, sweetheart- not again, don’t do this to me again, please! Please… I-I can’t do this- I can’t live on without you, you were all I had, all I ever needed, and now- Now… I… You’re gone.” He knelt closer to the little blue flower, sockets void of any emotion, yet if anyone were to look any closer, they could immediately see the slight shiver his body had seemed to produce. 

It was too much for him to handle, and yet it wasn’t enough. He deserved this; he deserved it one hundred percent, for Sans was the reason why she was dead, Sans was the reason why she could never live a life on the surface, the exact reason why she could never enjoy the feeling of the blazing sun against her sun-kissed face, could no longer watch the rain, or play with her friends, he was the reason why she could never grow old with the man she’d one day meet and fall in love with, he was the reason her future children with some man would never have a chance at a life of their own, the reason why she could never be happy.

“I’d do anything, Anything to take it back, to take it all back. I’d do anything to switch in her place if I had to. She never deserved to die, especially from my hands… Please, anyone, everyone , SOMEBODY ! Can anybody he ar m e ?!”

“Please, take it back, someone please pinch me, or better yet, just kill me! I can’t live on in this life, not anymore; there’s nothing left for me here in this world. I keep trying to get better, I do, but I just can’t. Living on the surface is just the same as it has always been back home in Snowdin, only now I’m merely judged by everything and everyone . “ His sobs were apparent, and only now had he realized how frighteningly tight he had held himself; Sans was sure that if Sans were covered in the flesh his beloved had, he would’ve cut his pointed flanges into his skin relatively quickly, possibly even breaking into the skin itself."

“This isn’t what I wanted… Please, please reverse this. Anyone?...”

B ut … N o b od y ca m e .

Chapter Text

Cold, that was all complete darkness could ever feel like . A contrasting color could never produce heat, and yet, she felt both cold and warmth, but maybe that was for different reasons. Waking up alone was quite the struggle, seemingly enough; anyone who could fall from such heights shouldn't even be considered a living person, any more so than the flowers that spread beneath her. Or maybe she was dead? She could hardly tell at this rate, it at least felt like she had, but perhaps she was just oddly dramatic. However, on closer speculation, most of the ones surrounding her body's indented area seemed to have died due to the unwelcoming impact. "Great, now I'm a flower killer…." 

Rising to a sitting position, her body couldn't help but protest at her sudden uninvited movements; this sudden spike of pain alone could've been considered brain jostling. It was hard to open her eyes, especially when all she could see was total and utter darkness except... for the little light that surprisingly reached down to her stationary presence. 

'Odd …' you'd think, by the distance of how far she had fallen may seem rather dull compared to that from a building if it wasn't for the distinct look within the off-shaped cavern, 'no light would possibly reach me from here. Odd… very strange indeed.'  

The flowers alone seemed relatively soft and appealing; if it were any other day, she'd believe it to be the same as that of a bed back in the overworld, but due to the unimaginable pain she was going through, her body would love to say otherwise. Unable to stand appropriately, she slowly supported herself enough to waddle down the room, or to at least a comfortable attempt to move into the next stage. Slowly approaching the next corridor —completely and purposefully ignoring the ominous cave sounds that fluttered about— or maybe those sounds were just a figment of her imagination? for all she knew, it could've been deadly silent. Her mind would have easily been playing some disturbing tricks on her sanity. She hated the dark. 

She leaned against the walls as she passed, slightly admiring the detailing within the carvings; The girl couldn't help but to adore the strange art splattered across the room; it looked so surreal, so… humane- or at least from what she could see . It was an odd life-changing event, never had she thought that one day she would be able to personally find and; somewhat discover old cave art and strange formations from what could've been centuries before her time. 

The door was her next target, or should she say opponent, seeing as she could hardly even open it. With what little power she could muster, she somewhat managed to crack it open enough to fit her skeletal frame. Giving the next room a long and hard glance, from what she could tell, she was practically surrounded by nothing but a colorful mass of blurry images. Her frustrations silently released throughout her entire being; she could at least say she was trying her best to continue on her way, anyone without planning on giving up. 

She was just about to pass another mass of fallen flowers, the same as those of which caught her falling form, only to suddenly be stopped by the unsuspected shrill of what sounded to be from…. a child of sorts? 'What was a child doing down here all alone?'

"P-p lea se do n't hu rt m e…  I sw ea r, I- I d on 't- "

Stumbling to keep on her toes, reluctant to move but had no say in the matter as now her body began to move on its own - Confused, she noticed a little yellow blurry flower facing slightly away from her, and it wasn’t enough for her to not see it shaking. 'Well, this strangely feels iconic for what I said mere seconds ago…' Finally, forcing her body into motion, she took a few steps closer before slowly situating herself in front of the other individual, perplexed by the idea that it had just spoken to her. She gave the flower an uncertain look before she faintly found herself reaching out for the little thing, gently stroking along the flower petals like the lost girl would do to any other plant they would’ve come across; she was a florist, after all.

She didn’t think much of her actions; if anything, she found the movements quite soothing , but it had seemed utterly difficult for the receiving end of the party. But from an unexpected turn of events, She could hear a whimper from the direction of the flower, such a sound barely shocking her but most definitely still managing to scare it. 

“Oh.” She spoke, unsure of how to take into consideration how surreal this must’ve been for the flower and certainly for her. 

Leaning closer, giving it her complete and utter attention, leaning whatever weight she may have to spare onto her feet, slightly using her legs as a seat, she slowly but surely became face to face with the tiny creature, giving the poor whimpering thing a gentle smile. 

"I won't hurt you." She finally spoke, giving a rather faint but reassuring smile for a mere moment; it was a way for her to show her trust and kind nature, a way to help the other feel a little more stable with her nearby. 

"Y-.. You won't?..." She watched patiently as the flower slowly started to face her properly, slightly rubbing at its still rather tear-filled eyes. It bugged her seeing such a small thing cry; she was always weak to the little things, especially if said thing was a somewhat child crying for being scared of her.  

Placing her body into a natural criss-cross sitting position, she placed both elbows against her inner thighs and rested her face between her hands, trying her best to seem more relaxed than dangerous. It was a shot worth taking, especially if it meant making amends.

She gave the other a sympathetic smile before she offered the flower a simple nod; placing her hand against the other's puffy face, the girl gently stroked its flower-like cheek, which somehow helped the other’s emotional outburst as she continued to rub the tears away from his damp petals gently.

"Of course not; what cruel person would ever want to hurt another soul, much less one like you?"

It gave her a faint smile, momentarily relieved with the words she had stated, but something shifted within the little guy's gears , or at least she believed it to be accurate, for that small child-like smile soon switched to a somewhat dwindling frown. "Yo u… w-w ouldn ’t unde rstan d…   th e wor ld yo u m ig ht co me from… It ma y n ot be t hat w ay up th ere, b ut d ow n h ere… I- it 's a ki ll or b- be ki lled w-w orld … n o on e's s afe d ow n he re… espe cia lly y ou."

She gave the innocent little flower a quizzical look, unknowing whether to believe the poor thing or not, but either way, it wasn't something she was apprehensive about. Even humans had a certain tendency to use violence rather than verbal explanation, so she was quick not to judge a person based on their performance. "Beggars can't be choosers, besides! You wouldn't hurt me!.... Would you?"

"N-No! Of course not! I'd never… I couldn't- Wouldn't dream of it!" He frantically squirmed about, trying to seem sincere but failed miserably the moment he began to cry. 

"Then see? I've got nothing to worry about! If you won't hurt me, then who can say others won't reconsider? What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, after all.” It was hard for a person to believe there was good in everyone, but if the said person lived as positively as she could, anything could be possible, even if it meant the unimaginable. Taking a moment to stand to the best of her ability, she began her unsteady stride down the corridor and tried her best not to hurt herself on her way through the catacombs. 

" But I-... W-wait! Where are you going?" Briefly stopping to give the other a sideways glance, she hummed to herself before finding a suitable answer. 

"This way."

"B… -but you can't! If you go down there, then the mean lady will-" But the sudden pause in the flower's voice could do nothing but help the girl spin her full attention towards the cowering little fellow. She was expecting to see it crying again or shuttering in fear, but instead, she had seen absolutely nothing there. 

The only visible thing left from where the flower stood was the slightly obscured amount of dirt that appeared to have been uplifted by some roots here and there. She was confused by sight,  but all the same, she hadn't the time to dwindle on a distant thought. So she turned, expecting to see the next door to where she'd possibly be out and far away from this strange place, but instead, she was faced with something quite peculiar. 

"Oh!... I’m sorry, I didn't see-"

"Poor, innocent… youthful maturity, mistakes… utter, blissful, confusing mistakes. It is alright now, don't worry any longer; the pain will only last for a short while. Rest at ease, for this is the only chance you'll ever receive a peaceful everlasting slumber."

But before the girl could question or ponder what the other had meant altogether, she could already feel the faint sensation or something within her burning with such velocity. It didn't become such a surging pain till the burn dug deep into her angelic skin. A sickening squelch was the first thing she heard, and the last thing she remembered before a violent full-on picture of her own pulsating heart was all that remained to rest. Watching as her own heart pulsated every few mere seconds, watching as it blackened in color due to the eternal flame now nestled within her chest. 

Blood tried its hardest to seep from her exposed wound only to bristle to a crisp as chard black muck slowly dripped to the lowest part of her abdomen. As her eyes finally closed, leaving her once more within the outer darkness, never to be heard from again, she couldn't help but wonder how beautiful it was to see such a strange anomaly. 'So… this is how I finally die, huh? Strange, I figured it would've been from the-'

"Human? Human!... Human, wake up!... Please… " Or so she thought . 

The physical pain was almost too much to bear, now with the other phantom dull throbs lingering within her chest, it was even more challenging for her to stand, but the weakness wasn't something she liked to showcase. So she slowly stirred awake, ultimately facing the little flower which she had met not long ago. 

"Ouch, I didn't know death was so painful.” Rubbing circles around her injuries, faintly soothing the lingering soreness, she couldn't help but stare at the sudden faint burn marks that lingered right below her collar bone. 'So the wounds stay? That's rather startling… but I got a cool scar out of it... "The more you know, I suppose…."

"Seriously? That crazy goat lady had just killed you, and you're already cracking jokes?" The flowers' flustered face, now seeing the human's slightly bare chest, was enough to cause the girl to glance in his sudden direction curiously. Still, she thought nothing of it now as she continued to stare off into the distant room the girl lived knew she would eventually have to stride within. 'Was death going to be this inevitable?' ; "You're as bad as that stupid trash bag." A sentence spoken so quietly, he was sure the human wouldn't have noticed, but she did; she only chose not to mention anything about it. Once again, stumbling her way up onto her toes, she was now better aware of the faint feeling of something that was throbbing by the side of her head. 

"H-hey wait!-… Do- Do humans… normally grow flowers? On the side of their...head?"

"What?- Uhm… No?-… Why?"

The flower is what he may, didn't know how to exactly explain the thing currently drilled within the human girl's head without somehow freaking her out. "There's a... Uh… a flower in your hair. I can't tell whether or not it grew there or if it's from one of the flowers you woke up on…."

Acknowledging the other and its pleads, she gave a considerable thought of it before swiftly trying to take the little flower out of her hair, only now noticing that there were two nestled neatly between her ear, as she tried her best to tug the little things out from within her hair, she couldn't help but it since from the pain that followed. 

"Huh… guess that answers our question. Wonder why they're growing… " she gave her new apparent forever companions a little patience as an apology for nearly trying to rip them out of her before she once again bounced back into action. The flower could do nothing as he watched her form once again walk steadily away from him. He would've quickly let the girl go if it wasn't for the fact that he knew she was bound to continue with this deadly facade, since she was already killed once again. So the flower continued to try and persuade her to reason with her in some way, but he knew she'd never listened. 

"Human, please! Rethink your actions; if you prance on your merry way back in the catacombs, you'll surely be killed again by that woman-"

But his feeble attempts of persuasion ceased to replenish his shaken form, for it was once more already too late. He merely just sat and watched as the human continued her way down, lingering every so often to look at the faded paintings that marked the walls; he couldn't help but to ponder over the expressions she made along the way, how delighted she had seemed upon discovering them as if they were something she's never seen before. It was amusing to watch but a total waste of time, and he knew she understood that as well. 

"Come on… human, please- you shouldn’t just dilly dally about; there’s a crazed Looney out here looking for ya! You can't just-" but once again, there he was, speechless by how quickly his own words came to bite him, for he couldn't help but to stare at her lifeless form slowly drop to the floor without so much as a fair warning. The sounds of a lingering flame still embedded within her lower back, the sight of tendons and muscle burning to a crisp, alongside a rather prominent looking bone from a spine slowly poking out within the chard mass was enough even to make him falter. 

He hated this; seeing such gruesome things like this, how she always seemed to come back to life in a bubbly mass of pure blissful joy was beyond him. He couldn't take it, the sight of her dying form, he may have just met the human, but that didn't stop him from crying for the said girl to lay there lifeless, once again to reappear lying within a golden bed of flowers, same as before, only now she seemed more serious, more thoughtful than before. 

And so, as he sat back and watched, he couldn't help but wince every single time a flame or some other form of a tool silently killed the poor human over and over again without any remorse. He knew that any other human would've given up or at least tried to hide, but no, not her; she just continued trying her best to get past those doors but never once did she prevail, so here they were, lying on the ground doing who knows what while staring off within the distance as though they were trying to come up with some plan. 

He was concerned that maybe you were genuinely dead at first, but that thought soon dissolved once he noticed the sudden movement of her arms solemnly being placed atop her curly-covered head, scarcely lingering against the newly formed flower now entangled within her black-framed hair. 

"Uh… human? Are… are you alright-"

"Toki, you can call me Toki." 

The flower couldn't help but jump at the sudden sound of her voice, sure. He’s heard her speak many times, but not with how defeated she had sounded, as though she had given up on everything entirely. In his head, he finally huffed with satisfaction; 'Good, now she'll finally understand she won't get anywhere with how she's living now,’ but then he couldn't help but regret those thoughts, even now upon paying more attention to her. 

She looked defeated, sounded defeated, and acted defeated like there was nothing else going on for her within this life. He never really cared for another person before hut he couldn't help but worry for her. Now that the flower had gotten to understand her a little after a while, they had small conversations. However, most were of him trying to convince her to give up and follow his direction while others were of little personal snippets of life, including the one he once loved, or at least he phrased of as though it were of a completely different monster entirely. 

"Chara…  that was the name of the human who had first fallen. They were adopted into the Royal Family and became best friends with the prince. After their death, they were buried beneath the very flowers you landed on." When he glanced in the humans- or now known as Toki’s direction, he couldn't help but suddenly stumble with his words in hopes to convince her that it was okay. 

"No-no, don't worry! I'm sure they don't mind. They're dead, after all... Sorry, that didn't come out right… I mean to say that they were a very nice person; I’m sure they wouldn't mind. Besides, Chara would want you to be alive and well, so if it means allowing you to land on their mound. I’m sure they wouldn't… I'll stop talking." And with that, he hurried off, flustered and embarrassed. He knew leaving her wasn't the most incredible idea, but in the spare of the moment, it was a decision he believed he had to make. Besides, the flower already knew he’d meet her right back in the same spot as always once she resets. 

She listened patiently as the little flower continued about a heartwarming story between the monsters and their first encounter ever with a human. It was a sweet tale, even she couldn't help but be engulfed with such a tale, but once word came out about how the girl was buried within the very ground she laid upon, she couldn't help but feel a little concerned, not only for her but for the lingering spirit. 

Alas, even the flower had realized her discomfort, which led to a stuttering mess form from said monster. It was a delight to witness, but concerning once, she watched the little guy walk away. And so, once again being left to wallow within her thoughts, she decided to sit up for once and pay her respects to the child for saving her life more than once. 

As Toki turned towards the bed of flowers, she bowed lowly to the ground; both hands flung straight in between her eyes as she prayed for the child's lingering spirit to find its way in the skies and to have a peaceful afterlife. She stayed there for a whole, remaining as though she could feel the eyes of the spirit resting within her soul, as though they were deciding on whether she genuinely meant her actions or if it were just for show, but over time, they knew. 

Toki would've continued her little silent prayers if it wasn't for the sudden sound of approaching feet and the violent sound of something being dropped as though whoever it was holding such items was surprised to see a human; little did she know, however, it was for an utterly different reason altogether. 

"Young one…  why are you here? Sitting so peacefully across the ground in such a demeanor?"

The human continued to pray for a little longer before releasing her hold against her own hands to finally fave the being that still lingered from behind. She gave the monster a saddened smile as a small stream of tears filtered within her eyes before they begrudgingly ran down her chin and dripped within her loose clothing. "Someone had told me… a child was lying within this beautiful bed of flowers. I was merely paying my respects and wishing the child a safe afterlife among the stars from above. In my culture, we pray and speak with the dead in hopes to bring them enough hope to last them an eternity."

And as if she were to pray once more for the wandering spirit, she was beginning to help turn herself back towards the flowers before she felt a pair of heavy hands land heavily against her shoulders. If it weren’t for the fact this person was the same one to have killed her all those times ago, then she probably would've started to cry and accept this loving feeling. Still, for that reason alone, she couldn't help but to shutter, in fear that she'd feel another fireball aimed straight for the heart or even her backside, but to her surprise and welcoming relief, no pain had come, only the feeling of a motherly embrace. 

"Do not fear my child; I will not hurt you." And as she said these words, she couldn't help but hardly believe in them. After all, the monster had already killed her more than once before.