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Chapter Text

Stepping through the entrance of Asgore's castle, we were met by a long hallway with a golden tint to everything. Huge pillars held up the ceiling.

"The Last Corridor..." Chara revealed the name of this place as we "saved" before trudging forward down the hallway.

*Chara

Lv 119

The Last Corridor

"heya." The skeleton in the blue coat, Sans, stood in our path, hands in his pocket. Wordlessly, we stared at him, glaring at him as we prepared to draw the Real Knife.
He looked...apprehensive at us.

"you've been busy, huh?" He continued in his usual lazy manner of speaking, the lights of his eye sockets staring at the dirty and dusty state our clothes were in.

"He doesn't look that much different from the rest. We can cut him down like the other ones." We snorted, gripping the edge of our knife.

"Don't underestimate our opponents, Frisk. We might be powerful, but the Comedian always has a trick up his sleeve." Chara warned beside us.

"so, i got a question for ya." Sans mused, his gaze never leaving us. "do you think that even the worst person can change...? that everyone can be a good person, if they just try?"

Chara was strangely silent at that. Our eyes glowed red with determination

We took a step towards the Comedian.

"heh heh heh heh..." The skeleton laughed darkly, closing his eyes with a sigh, his hands still in his pockets. "all right." He shook his head with a sigh. "well, here's a better question."

The air around Sans seemed to feel heavier and he opened his eyes, revealing two black empty voids where his eyes should be.

We've seen this bit several times now.

"do you think you're above consequences?"

We flinched, clutching our knife, our Determination causing the blade to glow red.

That was new...

"'cause if you think playing with lives is funny, buddy, i got news for ya. that stops here and now."

What a bold statement. We shall rise to the challenge, Comedian.

"You want to try out some of that new magic we gained from our last timeline?" Chara asked, flashing a smirk at us.

"Not right now. We want to keep it as a surprise or last resort, should we need it." We replied.

Chara nodded, and we took another step forward towards Sans.

The Comedian sighed again, shaking his head in disappointment.

"welp. sorry, old lady. this is why i never make promises."

Sans cracked his neck, opening his eyes to face us, the ever present grin on his face.

"it's a beautiful day outside." Sans said calmly, take a step forward. "birds are singing, flowers are blooming."

"on days like these, kids like you..." Sans took his hand out of his pocket, the lights of his eyes going out once again.

"...should be burning in hell." With a swipe of his hand, our red Soul changed to blue and we were flung down towards the ground, smashing violently into the golden tiled floor.

"Frisk, jump!" Chara shouted to us and we leapt up, just as a row of bones jutted up from the ground underneath us. Several Gaster Blasters appeared around us, firing their huge lasers.

"huh, always wondered why people never use their strongest attack first." Sans mused just in time to sidestep a slash from our knife, grinning at us the whole time. I gave him a dirty scowl once we recovered from our miss.

"what? you think i'm just gonna stand there and take it?" The Comedian lets out a rattling laugh as more bones jet up, smashing into my gut, causing me to double over in pain.

"You alright, Partner?" Chara asked, but before I could respond, more Gaster Blasters fired on us, forcing me to dive and roll out of their path.

It appears this will be the same as the other timelines. There will be no problems.

Pointing our glowing knife at The Comedian, we darted forward.

xxx

"all i know is...seeing what's coming next..." More bones jutted up beneath us, we dodged to the side, slashing the bones in half and continuing our advance. "i can't afford not to care anymore." Sans shrugged, sidestepping our slash.

"ugh... that being said..." Sans stopped attacking, the two of us clearly out of breath. "you, uh, like to swing that thing around. huh." The Comedian sighed, putting his hands in his pocket and closed his eyes, returning to his usual lax state.

"listen. i know you didn't answer me before. but...somewhere in there, i can feel it." Sans took a step forward, a small light of hope in his eye sockets. "there's a glimmer of a good person inside of you. the memory of someone who wants to do the right thing.
someone who, in another life, could be considered as, i dunno...a friend? i can tell you that i truly believe that no one is pure evil, nor is anyone purely good. so c'mon buddy, if you're listening, let's forget all this, ok?" The Comedian held out his arms in the form of a hug, looking hopeful. "just lay down your weapon and well...my job would be a lot easier."

This nonsense again?

We snorted and crouched to strike the skeleton.

"We're getting ready to attack, Chara." We mentally told our partner, tightening the grip of our knife.

"Wait a second, Frisk. To tell you the truth, killing the same people over and over again is starting to lose its interest. After consuming five entire timelines, I'm kinda curious about how the other path looks. After giving me your soul, what's left you have to
lose?" Chara confessed to us with a sigh. "For once, let's spare him too. We'll reset and try the other path."

...Whatever you say, partner. For you, Chara, we'll toss aside everything we've worked for, and throw away all our progress.

"...Fine. I'll give." We spoke up for the first time during our fight, placing the knife down to the floor. "Although, from the other timelines, I know what happens next, I'll stop fighting." I braced myself, knowing what he's going to do.

"...so, you're sparing me? finally. buddy. pal. i know that it must be hard to make that choice. to go back on everything you two have worked for. i want you to know, i won't let it go to waste." Sans chuckled softly, still holding his arms out to us.

"How long did you know she was with me?" I asked Sans, prolonging his mercy kill.

"buddy, no normal human has the kind of reflexes you have. i might not know how, but i know you're not alone in there. and believe me, seeing you two work together is a lot scarier than just one of you fighting me. i couldn't even manage to hit ya once." Sans explained, his grin widening as the light of his eyes vanished.

"with that said, i want you two to reset. if i find out you two gained a single point of EXP, the next time we fight, this battle will look like mere child's play in comparison." We felt a shiver go down my back as we watched those empty eye sockets burn holes into our very being.

"now," Sans' right eye gave off a blue glow and we felt our body rise up off the ground. Higher and higher we rose. "geeettttttt dunked on!" The Comedian dropped his hand and we felt our body get flung downwards as a huge bone rose out from the ground.

"i'll see you in the next timeline, kid. try not to kill anyone this time."

The last thing we could remember is getting impaled onto the bone and feeling our soul shatter.

"Guess it's time to show some mercy now, Partner." Chara chuckled inside our mind before our vision blackened.

Chapter Text

"do you think the worst person can change? that everyone can be a good person, if they just try?" The Comedian's questions echoed in our mind as we stared at the options "Continue" and "True Reset" before us.

"You ready, Partner?" Chara asked, her nervous crimson eyes peering at us questioningly. She wrapped her hand around ours, as if trying to draw strength from our touch.

Although, the question isn't, "can the worst person change", but more along the lines of "does the worst person want to change in the first place".

It's obvious that just one Pacifist Run won't correct all the horrible things we did these past six timelines. No matter what good we do, it still won't atone for the sins we've committed.

Gently squeezing Chara's hand, we gave an audible sigh and turned to her. "As ready as we'll ever be, Chara. You really think we can pull this off?" We asked, revealing our doubts to her.

"Well, we won't know if we don't try, Frisk. Who knows, it might end up being a lot of fun playing the hero for once." She flashed me an encouraging grin. "Besides, we're in this together, Partner. As long as we have each other, there's no force in the universe
that can stop us."

Her words always put our mind at ease. After giving our Soul to Chara, she became permanently bound to our very being. All our pain, all our emotions are felt by her as well. Everything that we experience, she experiences as well.

It's as if we both share the same Soul.

We'd do anything for Chara. We'd watch this world die over and over and over again, as long as it means that she'd be there by our side to watch with us.

"You got that right." We finally cracked a wide grin at Chara, nodding with confidence. "Let's do this, Partner."

And with that, the two of us pressed "True Reset" at the same time, our hands entwined tightly together.

We couldn't have asked for a better companion than Chara Dreemurr.

xxx

Darkness...

An endless black and empty abyss...until...

We opened our eyes, laying on the bed of golden flowers, just like how I always start out after every timeline.

The first thing we see are two glowing blood red eyes peering down at us from a bed of flowers. "Here we are, Partner. There's no turning back now." Standing up, Chara offered a hand to us, which we took right away, and pulled us up.

The scarlet eyed specter floated by our side as we walked down the dimly lit corridor. "The Weed makes for an entertaining sidekick at least. It's almost adorable." Chara chuckled softly as we entered the arched doorway.

xxx

The Weed looked around in confusion as we entered the room, looking annoyed and frustrated, but immediately donned his pleasant mask as he spotted us.

"Howdy!" The golden flower greeted us with a false smile. "I'm Flowey! Flowey the Flower!"

We still think that's a made up name

We glanced at each other, then back to the flower, annoyed.

"Golly, you must've taken quite a tumble to end up in this place, huh. You must be so lonely and confused." He continued, offering his false sympathy. "Don't worry, you new pal Flowey is here to show you how things work around here! Ready? Here we go!"

We felt a tug on our chest as our SOUL sprung out before the flower.

"Not a very good start to our run, Partner." Chara crossed her arms beside us.

"This here is your SOUL, the very culmination of your being. It's usually, uh, all one shade." Flowey blinked in surprise at our SOUL. One half of the heart was a darker shade than the other.

That was Chara's half of the SOUL.

"Don't worry about that." We cut in with a sharp glare. This was getting annoying...

"W-Well, in any case, right now your SOUL is very weak. Monsters will be able to steal your SOUL easily. To get stronger, you'll need LOVE."

We flinched at that. The power LOVE gave was there, but it was a dark and empty feeling. We used to embrace it, but thinking back on it, we felt like we were losing something important the more we consumed timelines.

"Down here, LOVE is shared through little white...uh..."friendliness orbs". You want some love, don't you? Well, here get as many as you can." White bullets appeared around Flowey, and fired towards us.

We simply sidestepped out of the way of the bullets.

We didn't fall for it then, nor will we now.

It was Flowey's turn to look annoyed this time.

"Hey buddy, you missed. That's fine, we can try again." His friendly smile dropped a bit as he fired more pellets at us.

Once again, we sidestepped out of the way.

Suddenly Flowey let out a dark chuckle as vines slithered around the room, blocking the exit and the way forward. Several more covered the area.

We were surrounded.

Instinctively, we reached for a knife that wasn't there, silently cursing to ourselves.

"You. You know what's going on here, don't you? That's fine, no, that's GREAT actually. Now I get to drop the stupid act and watch you suffer before I rip your SOUL from your corpse!" Flowey cackled madly as a thick vine coiled around our leg and slammed us
into the wall. A barrage of white pellets appeared around us as vines held us in place.

Still, we remained determined as we glared defiantly. We knew what was coming next.

Suddenly Flowey shrieked in pain as the vines blocking the exit became engulfed in flames, causing him to retreat into the ground.

We were never so relieved to find Toriel headed our way.

"What a miserable creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth." A motherly and calm voice spoke as Toriel walked into the light.

"Do not be afraid, I am Toriel, the caretaker of the Ruins." She continued with a warm and concerned smile as she healed our wounds with magic. "I pass through here everyday to see if anyone has fallen down. You are the first child to have fallen down in a long time." She explained as she gingerly helped us to our feet, holding our hand.

"This way, my child. I shall guide you through the catacombs." Toriel said as she walked ahead through another arched doorway.

We felt a wave of emotion from Chara as she looked at the motherly goat monster with a distant gaze, as if recalling something from her fragmented memory. Sighing, we took Chara by the hand as we followed after Toriel.

As the monster entered the Ruins, we stopped ahead to "Save" before continuing on.

"The shadow of the Ruins looms over you, filling you with determination." Chara narrated with a chuckle as two of us entered after Toriel.

Chapter Text

"Welcome to your new home, innocent one." Toriel began as she walked up to the first puzzle. "Allow me to educate you in the operation of the Ruins." She said as the goat monster proceeded to solve the puzzle for us.

Our face gave off an uneasy smile at Toriel’s words. Even if she did not know it, her words opened memories of this place across the multiple timelines we traveled.

We’ve gotten too used to the smell of dust.

At this point, we were just going through the motions, hitting the two levers mindlessly before following after Toriel. 

We’ve repeated this far too many times.

xxx

"As a human living in the Underground, monsters may try to attack. You will need to be prepared for this situation." Toriel explained as we walked to the next chamber with the dummy. "However, worry not! The process for this is simple. When you encounter a monster, you will enter a fight. While you are in a fight, strike up a friendly conversation." She continued and gestured towards the dummy ahead. "Practice talking to this dummy. Stall for time, and I will come to resolve the conflict." Toriel finished and stepped to the exit to watch us.

We stared at the dummy, contemplating our next move. Usually we’d just smack the dummy and carry on. 

What if there’s some trick to it?  

We certainly couldn’t repeat the actions we took in the other timelines.

We needed to try something…different.

We met eyes with our partner, who nodded.

Here goes nothing…

Sighing deeply we awkwardly approached the training dummy.

We felt a tug at our chest as our SOUL appeared before us. 

We and the dummy stared at each other, as if waiting for the other to make a move.

"Perhaps listen to what Toriel said." Chara suggested. "You always hit it. Why not try talking to it this time." 

We stared at the dummy, considering Chara's approach.

The dummy made no sign of movement 

We continued staring, deep in thought.

The dummy stared back.

Before we could get a word in, the dummy suddenly floated away, as if growing tired of the awkward situation.

We continued to stare in stunned silence, trying to process what just happened.

"Uh, the dummy grew uncomfortable by your staring and promptly evacuated the area." Chara attempted to narrate the situation, obviously as stunned as we were.

We looked at Toriel who also looked stunned, but cleared her throat, quicker to recover from the absurd nature of monsters "Well, this way, my child." She said as she continued down the path.

We glanced at Chara, and with a nod, followed after Toriel.

xxx

"There is another puzzle in this room. I wonder if you can solve it." Toriel said as we walked through the doorway.

As we followed Toriel, a Froggit crashed into us, knocking us to the ground. Panicking at the sudden attack, we swung our stick at the monster, killing the Froggit in one hit and reducing it into dust.

You gained 3g and 5 EXP

"FRISK!" Chara shrieked in panic at our dusty hands. "What did you just do?!"

"What? We…just..killed...a...Froggit." we answered...and soon realized why she was freaking out. "...Oh no. Chara, we're resetting NOW!"

xxx

"There is another puzzle in this room. I wonder if you can solve it." Toriel said as we walked through the doorway.

"You always kill the Froggit, Frisk. Lemme take control before you force us to reset again ." Chara fumed, crossing her arms to her green and yellow striped sweater, glaring at us with her crimson red pupils.

"Hey, this is the second timeline we accidentally killed the Froggit. The other five times were intentional." We fired back with a huff. "And do you know how weird it feels when your partner wears you like a meat suit?"

"Can't be as weird as wearing your partner like a meat suit. Listen, it'll just be for this room and I'll give you back control again." Chara bargained with us with an almost pleading tone.

It has been awhile since Chara took over anyways. It'd be good for her to be reminded of what it's like to have a body every now and then.

"Hey, you don't need to beg for control, Partner. We share the same Soul after all. Just ask and we'll gladly give you control." We assured her and closed our eyes, emptying our thoughts to allow Chara into our shared mind.

"Just try to keep Toriel from seeing those red eyes of yours, Chara." We advised as we floated beside her as Chara followed Toriel.

"Yeah yeah I know, Partner." Chara assured me. "Feels good to have a body again, though. " She chuckles to herself although she knows we can still hear it.

xxx

Soon after giving us back control, the three of us entered the room with the extended corridor, Toriel finally left us alone and ran ahead.

"Hey, Frisk. Remember the very first time we went down this hallway? You know, like the time when we first met?" Chara was the first to break the companionable silence we had as we walked down the corridor together, hand in hand.

"...Yeah, of course I do. We were both so confused back then. We think that was our Neutral run, right?" We replied to her with a content sigh.

"Yeah it was! You were so quiet before. It took our second Genocide run to even get a peep out of you." Chara giggled, giving me a genuine smile, something she hasn't done in a very long time.

We feel so comfortable around her.

We allowed ourself to give her a small smile. "We guess it took us up until then to actually get used to each other's presence. This is the first timeline that you've been so talkative, now that we think about it." We chuckled softly, enjoying this moment I'm sharing with my other half.

"Hey Frisk," Chara said suddenly, her tone softening and her crimson eyes avoiding my gaze. "I know I told you that I really don't remember anything about my past or when I was alive that one time, but can I ask you what it was like, you know, before you fell?" Chara asked cautiously.

We flinched, squeezing the hand we held tighter, and drew a shuddering breath.

xxx

I'm so alone...

Someone! Anyone! Just look at me! Someone tell me I exist!

I might as well be a waste of space...isn't that right?

...please...someone, just...talk to me...

...

...

...but nobody came...

xxx

"...W-We'd rather not talk about it, Chara. Let's just say we have our own reasons for hating humanity too..." We managed out, drawing a deep breath, but we knew Chara felt the trauma and lingering emotions rise back up and she pulled us close into a tight embrace.

"I'm so sorry Frisk! I-I didn't know." Chara whimpered out, clinging onto our blue and purple striped sweater, whispering apology after apology.

We returned her hug, shushing her with a sigh. "It's alright Chara. You didn't mean anything by it. We're sorry you had to feel that. Now stop apologizing, Chara. Aren't you supposed to be the older one here?" We chuckled softly, wiping away a tear forming in the corner of her eye.

Chara sighed and broke from our embrace, entwining our fingers together tightly, refusing to let go. "Then I promise you that no matter what, you'll never have to be alone anymore ever again." She vowed to me, determination blazing in her eyes as she gave me a wide smile. "After all, we completed that last promise a while ago anyways." Chara grinned at us, lifting our spirits and making us smile along with her as she pulled us forward by the hand, running down the rest of the hallway. "Now come on slowpoke! We gotta find you more friends! Can't have me taking care of you all the time, now can I? "

We stumbled after her, holding onto Chara's hand for dear life as we approached the pillar where Toriel hid. For the first time in our entire life, we felt ourselves crack a wide grin as we laughed from behind her.

Having someone like Chara Dreemurr standing with us, it really does feel like no force in the universe can stop us.

Chapter Text

"I must attend to some business, and you must stay alone for a while. Please remain here. It's dangerous for you to explore by yourself." Toriel said nervously. 

"Oh! I have an idea! I'll give you a cellphone. If you need anything, just call." She handed us the yellow flip phone with a smile. "Be good, alright?" Toriel finished before walking away.

"Well, we had our hiccups, but so far we've been doing pretty good, wouldn't you say, Partner?" We chuckled as we watched Toriel leave, the emotional moment us and Chara shared still fresh in our mind.

"Don't get too cocky, Frisk. This Pacifist run is just now starting. Let's just continue forward. I can't wait until we get to Home, I never liked the Ruins in any of our past runs." Chara sighed with a hint of nostalgia in her tone, walking forward to the next room while we followed after her.

As we entered the room, our cell phone began to ring. Knowing who it was, we answered it and Chara leaned in close to hear.

"Hello? This is Toriel. You have not left the room have you?" The two of us exchanged glances with each other. "There are a few puzzles that I have yet to explain. It would be dangerous if you tried to solve them by yourself. Be good, alright?" At that, Toriel hung up.

Chara continued on ahead with us following behind. Smiling mischievously to ourselves, we quietly followed after Chara and got in close to her and playfully blew in her ear.

Although we weren't sure if Chara would feel it or not, apparently she did, and let out a startled yelp and violently whirled around to us. "FRISK!" she shouted at me, a bit flustered and a light blush forming on her cheeks.

We couldn't help the creeping grin on our face as we began to laugh at our playful teasing.

"C'mere you!" Chara, still blushing, crouched and prepared to tackle me.

Uh oh...

Seeing this as our cue to start running, we attempted to flee from Chara's wrath, only to have her tackle us into the pile of red leaves in front of us.

"Gotcha now, you cheeky twerp" Chara exclaimed in success as she promptly sat down on my back, pinning us to the pile of leaves.

"Is that so?" We replied, a sly smirk forming as we grabbed hold of her legs and twisted to the side, causing Chara to tumble down and we took the chance to pin her down with a victorious 'ha!'. " How about now, Miss Dreemurr?" We quipped with a cocky smirk.

"Not fair! Boys should always let girls win!" She shot back, sticking her tongue out at us in defiance and pouted.

"Is that right? In what timeline is that ever true?!" We retorted, sticking our own tongue out at her. "Don't be such a crybaby about it, Chara." We retorted, grinning at her playfully.

Chara's eyes widened suddenly as fragmented memories flooded into our mind.

xxx

The laughter of a young girl and the sound of sobbing from a young boy.

"You're such a crybaby, Azzy!"

The red eyed child giggled at the small blur of white, who sat on the ground, sobbing and cradling his wounded knee and offered him a hand up.

xxx

Sighing, we tumbled off Chara, laying in the pile of leaves beside her. our rusty brown and bright scarlet eyes met with each other before both of us bursted into a fit of laughter.

"Hey Chara...let's just...rest here for a bit." We suggested once we discovered how comfortable the pile of leaves actually were, feeling out eyelids get heavier.

"Sounds good to me, Frisk. I can't remember the last time you fell asleep now that I think about it." She sighed with a chuckle, her usual rosy pink cheek replaced by a bright red color. "We both deserve a break. I'll watch over you while you sleep." Chara said as she scooted over closer to us.

Like really close to us.

However, knowing that we were being watched over by this red eyed girl, it filled us with...

...Peace...

xxx

(Chara)

Frisk was asleep.

I sighed and watched his chest rise and fall as we laid down on the pile of red leaves together. I could almost feel myself...blushing?

But how could that be? I'm no longer alive, I don't have flesh or blood. I'm a ghost, a remnant of the human girl who was once Chara Dreemurr.

I am not real.

Yet the longer I stayed by this boy's side, the more timelines we went through, I felt myself becoming closer and closer to who I once was.

The very first timeline, during our first Genocide run, was when I became a separate entity from Frisk's Soul, the first time I woke up as Chara Dreemurr.

By the second timeline, I was able to separate myself from Frisk's mind and create a ghostly form of me. I was able to walk by his side.

The third timeline was the timeline where Frisk gave his SOUL to me. Before then, I didn't have emotions of my own. There was a burning hatred for humanity and the desire to make this disgusting world die.

To my surprise, Frisk agreed with my views and offered me his SOUL, calling me his partner as we consumed timeline after timeline together.

"I wanna help you become a real person, Chara.

That way, you can have your own body and you won't have to be trapped inside mine forever.

Until then, we'll just have to kill everyone over and over again until we can finally walk side by side together.

Until we can watch this disgusting, horrible world burn together, I won't stop consuming timelines.

Because Chara, we're both so very empty inside...

Because Partner, we're both made of LOVE.

And LOVE will bring you closer to becoming real..."

Frisk once told me this, right before giving me his Soul, his motives for helping me commit genocide over and over again.

I was touched, flattered even.

This boy simply gave half of his Soul, half of his very being, to me without so much as a second though.

After a while, I felt myself growing...comfortable around Frisk. He became my companion. 

My...partner.

Now in this timeline, I can touch him and he could touch me! I can feel emotions on my own! I was so close to becoming a real person, just like Frisk said.

However...a lurking doubt dwelt in the back of my mind.

If it meant that I couldn't be with Frisk anymore, maybe I don't want to become a real person...

Chapter Text

Stirring, we woke up to Chara's bright red eyes peering down at us, seemingly deep in thought. Seeing us move, she gave us a strangely warm smile and helped us up out of the leaves.

"Alright, I'm gonna grab some of that non licorice flavored monster candy and then we can move on." We told my companion, rubbing the sleep out of our eyes.

She nodded and we entered the small room in the north of the chamber.

xxx

"Here comes Napstablook!" Chara announced as we were pulled into a fight with the ghost. "This monster doesn't seem to have a sense of humor."

She snickered coyly.

"oh, I'm real funny..." Napstablook narrowed his eyes right at Chara and a stream of tears snaked down from his eyes and flowed right for us, which we easily dodged.

Wait a minute...

"HE CAN SEE YOU!?"

"HE CAN SEE ME!?"

We both exclaimed to each other at the same time, completely bewildered by the fact.

Sighing, we gave Nabstablook a patient smile, still a bit amazed at the fact we’re not the only one who can see Chara.

"heh.." Napstablook let out a small melancholic chuckle. " sorry, not really feeling up to it right now..." He mumbled to us instead of attacking.

Man, just being around this guy seems to bring us down.

"Hey cheer up, Napstablook. It's not healthy to be so low spirited ." Chara and us both cringed at my horrendous pun, but the ghost seemed to find it a little bit funny.

"Napstablook seems to want to show you something." Chara observed.

As if by magic, which it might actually be, the ghost's tears floated up and formed into a semi-liquid tophat on his head.

"i call it..."Dapperblook"..." Napstablook gave us an expecting and hopeful smile.

We couldn't contain our growing smile and chuckled.

"I like it, Napstablook. It really suits you." I complimented him with a smile.

"oh geez. i usually come to the Ruins because there's nobody around....but today i met somebody really nice....oh, i'm rambling again, i'll get out of your way." Nabstablook murmured and vanished before we could try to respond.

xxx

"Well...that was an experience. So, how does sparing monsters instead of killing them feel, partner?" Chara asked as we continued forward towards the Spider Bake Sale.

"Dunno. Being called nice was pretty strange for me, to be honest. I'm not used to others being so nice to me..or acknowledge me at all, so I've always treated acts of kindness with suspicion." We admitted to her with a heavy sigh.

Chara frowns at our melancholic state, feeling our emotions also and gives us a gentle hug from behind. "Hey, none of that, Frisk. As long as we're connected, you'll never be alone anymore ever again." She tried reassuring us with a warm smile as we bought a Spider Doughnut and headed to the room up north. 

"Hey Chara, let's make another promise." We spoke up as we walked down the corridor as I waved to the three other Froggits passing us by.

"Sure Frisk, what do you have in mind?" Chara asked, blinking at us curiously.

"...Let's bring down the Barrier. Not just for us, but for all the other monsters as well. Let's free everyone here." We said with a smile full of determination.

Chara's eyes widened, and I felt another of her fragmented memories flash in our shared mind.

xxx

"I...I don't know about this..." A white goat child whimpered as a red eyed girl knelt by the field of golden buttercups. "I...I don't like this idea, Chara."

"Don't tell me you're backing down now, Azzy? If we're going to save everyone, then sacrifices have to be made. What did I tell you about big kids?" The red eyed girl berated her monster brother.

"Wh..what? N-No, I..I'm not....big kids don't cry. Yeah, you're right, Chara." The goat child, Asriel, sighed in defeat.

"You're not doubting me, are you, Asriel?" There was a dangerous glint in the human girl's crimson red eyes.

"N-no way! I would never doubt you, Chara! Never!"

"Don't worry, Azzy, even if I die, I'll still be with you. Our Souls will become one and no one will be able to stop us." The red eyed girl, Chara, gave Asriel a determined grin.

Asriel, feeling Chara's determination rub off him, returned Chara's grin back at her. "Y...Yeah! We'll be super strong! We'll free everyone...together!"

"Remember, Mom or Dad can never find out about our plan, Asriel." Chara warned her brother.

"H-how many human Souls do we need to collect?"

Chara's mouth curled into a wide slitted smile as she plucked one of the golden flowers, chuckling softly.

"Six, Azzy. Six is all we need."

xxx

"What...was that?" We mumbled out, holding our head. "That was longer than your usual memories, Chara."

"I...I don't know, Frisk.."

"Chara! you're crying!" We rushed over to Chara's side, taking her hand into ours with a worried expression.

"W-why..am...I...?" Chara still seemed stupefied at what just happened as we wiped away her escaping tears that ran down her cheek.

Chara just looked..so fragile in this state. Sighing, we forced down the emotional distress and pulled her into a hug.

As we held Chara there, we felt a strange and familiar sensation on our back as our shadow started to extend longer and longer behind us. It felt like a bunch of insects crawling on our back. We felt a shiver go down our spine.

Wait...where did we feel this before?

Oh...

Right...

Our sins...

xxx

"but that's ridiculous, right?" The Comedian chuckled humorlessly as we were smashed against the wall over and over again, bones barely grazing our back. "yeah, you're the type of person who won't EVER be happy."

Into the walls, into the ground, into the ceiling, over and over again. Gritting our teeth, we tightened the grip on our knife and slashed at the skeleton.

Once again, he teleported away from our knife.

"you'll keep consuming timelines over and over. until...well..." The Comedian shrugged with a sigh as we ducked away from a Gaster Blaster. 

"...hey, take it from me, kid. someday...you gotta learn when to QUIT."

More and more Gaster Blasters appeared behind Sans and fired on us. 

Chara helped with some of our reflexes, which helped us close in on Sans.

Smirking at us, the Comedian teleported away just as we swung.

"and that day's today." He announced after sending a series of bone attacks at us.

We could feel our sins crawling on my back, but it didn't matter, not if our partner was here to carry our sins with us.

So hit us with your best shot, you damn grinning Comedian bastard!

xxx

"Don't worry, Chara. We'll free everyone, and we'll do it right this time. Now go get some rest. I'll wake you up when we get to Home." We assured her with a gentle smile and looked into her scarlet red eyes as we tried ignoring the unsettling crawling feeling just now.

Chara looked back and returned my smile with a nod. "Y eah! I know we can do it, Partner!" She beamed brightly at us as her cheeks started to grow dark red suddenly and we could feel a hint of nervousness.

Before we could react, the blushing Chara leaned over and gave us a peck on the cheek with a shy smile.

"That's for being the greatest human I've met, Frisk." She smiled warmly at me. " Thank you for coming into my life. I'm glad you're my partner." Chara pulled us into an affectionate hug before vanishing into our shared mind.

We stood there, blushing deeply, and placed a hand on the cheek Chara just kissed before moving on ahead, a growing smile making its way across our face.

We’re glad to be your partner too, Chara.