Chapter Text
Almost there, she’s almost there, she can just sense that she's close by.
Kanako is close, her soul can feel it. In just one of these rooms, in this dark, cramped and terrible lab, her daughter is trapped in one of these rooms.
Don’t worry, Kanako… Mama’s coming, Mama is gonna take you away from here, Mama is going to promise to make things right again.
“Ceroba, slow down! You’re going too fast!” Clover called out to her, trying to keep up with her pace.
…And Mama has the cure needed to save you from that state, just hang on just a little longer, my darling.
“Keep up Clover! She’s somewhere around here, we have to hurry before that scientist comes down here!” She snarled at them, and Clover flinched for a moment. But she didn’t pay any mind to it, there’s no need to, they’re going to die anyways.
…It didn’t stop the pang of guilt that came after it though. She sighed. “Just a little longer okay? You’ll get a break from this once it’s over, I promise.”
“Okay Ceroba, I’ll try to keep up.” They mumbled, not wanting to say more less they upset her more.
The two ran through the endless hallways, ignoring the pressure as they headed closer and closer to where Kanako was kept. Until Ceroba suddenly stopped in front of a door, the sign saying “Kanako Ketsukane.” Clover almost bumped into her, not expecting her to stop so suddenly.
“We’re here.” Kanako is in there, only a door between them. She knocked on the door, expecting a response. But there were no words spoken, other than the sounds of something moving, shuffling about on the floor.
“Kanako? Mama’s here to pick you up.” She waited, hoping to hear something.
But there was no response.
Worried, she barged in the room, slamming the door wide open with Clover coming in after and the two were horrified by what they saw. “K-Kanako..?”
What she expected was her daughter in this room. Not.. whatever this creature is.
The creature resembled a fox, or perhaps it was a snake? She couldn’t tell, not with how elongated it looks. Besides that, the creature had white fur that’s melting and it seems to stay that way. But the remarkable thing to note was its head, the mask-like head reminded her of the mask that Kanako made. But.. it can’t be her right? That’s not Kanako, that’s not her daughter. Her daughter had soft brown fur, her daughter looked like a normal child. Not like whatever is in front of Ceroba.
And those hollow black eyes, it resembles nothing like Kanako’s brown eyes.
It’s not her, that’s not her daughter.
Until the creature turned around and spoke. “M..a..ma?” That voice, despite how distorted it sounded… It sounded just like…
It sounded just like Kanako…
“Kanako… Is that you? Is that you my child…?” She slowly walked closer to the creature, her hand reaching out to it.
“Ceroba wait! Be careful!” Clover called out to her, but she ignored them as she took a step closer, her soul beating faster as she did.
It has to be her right? What did Alphys do to her?!
The creature cried, black tears pouring out from its eyes.“Ma..ma…Ma..ma, I’m….s-soo..rry….”
She couldn’t help but tear up. “No, no it’s not your fault Kanako. I broke my promise to Chujin, I should have never gotten you involved. Mama’s the one who should be sorry.”
As Ceroba got closer, her arms were about to hug her daughter but instead, Kanako backed off, crawling away from her at a distance.
“No…Ma..ma.. d-don’t.. touch..”
She stopped walking for a moment, a look of concern and confusion on her face.“Kanako? What’s wrong, I won't hurt you.”
She shook her head.“I..know…but.. y..you’ll…become…f-fused t-to me…”
This only made Ceroba even more confused.“Fused?... What happened here?”
Kanako frowned, her body trembling in fear as she recalled what happened. “E-every..one… melted f-fused…s-so..much..s-screaming….”
“Then, are there other monsters fused to you?” She couldn't help but ask, if Kanako is fused to other monsters, it might make this plan more complicated.
She shook her head.“..N-no, got…sca..red, ..r-ran…and...l-locked..h-here..a-alone…”
She held back from sighing in relief, it’s good that Kanako managed to save herself from that fate. But she felt for the other families, the ones who were unfortunate enough to be a part of this mess.
…What did Alphys do to them? What did she do to cause her daughter to look like this, to cause everyone to look like this? If Chujin was here, he would never have caused an accident of this magnitude to happen.
“Ma..ma? M-mad..at me?”
Ah, her face must've looked angry, she thought. “No, no Kanako, I’m not mad at you at all. Just angry that Alphys could hide all this, that she could keep you all trapped down here. It’s cruel.”
“Don’t..like it….I-I get..why. S-She. ...feels…g-guilty…took..care..o-of us…b-best…she c-can...” Kanako was starting to struggle to form her sentences.
She never talked this long to anyone, not even to the other amalgamates, some of them weren’t fortunate enough to have a proper mouth to speak and Alphys doesn’t stick around here for too long, only coming down to feed them and going back up. She felt envy at how free she was unlike the rest of them down here.
“Even so, that doesn’t give her the right to keep you all down in this, to not even let anyone get closure to what happened.”
Kanako stayed silent, neither agreeing or disagreeing with what Ceroba said.
Meanwhile, Clover was watching, rather awkwardly from a distance. This disfigured monster was apparently Kanako, Ceroba’s daughter. Which is great and all but… What are they supposed to do here exactly?
Ceroba said that they could help her somehow but… They don’t think they could do anything for her considering how messed up she looks. Isn’t this something she should ask from a doctor? So why them?
But they didn’t get to think more of it as Kanako finally noticed who's behind her mom. “Ma..ma? W-why…is ..h-human th-there?!”
Oh right, she forgot Clover was there for a moment. “Don’t worry Kanako, this human will save you, they’re not a bad human like the one you met. Their soul is pure unlike that other human, that’s good right?” Ceroba reassured her, it’s no good if Kanako's too scared of them.
Hesitantly, Clover walked in front of Ceroba, looking up at Kanako nervously. “H-Howdy there, you must be Kanako. I’m Clover.”
But all they got in response was a stare from her, as though she was deciding whether to trust them or not. Her gaze had a distrusting look at them, as though she was expecting them to attack her.
….Awkward, is what Clover thought. They always heard from everyone, Ceroba especially on how Kanako was always friendly to everyone, managing to make friends with even the most introverted and shy person.. Maybe it’s because they’re human is why she’s wary of them
Ceroba cleared up her throat, grabbing both of the two’s attention. “Anyways, since Clover is here now, we can help you recover from this state, Kanako.”
“Er, but how do we help her? I’m not a doctor if you noticed.”
“Don’t worry Clover, I know exactly how to help her but I need to ask you this one question. Do you trust me?”
Trust her? That’s a weird question to ask, of course they trust her. Without her, they definitely wouldn’t be able to male it through Steamworks. Even if at the beginning, she was kinda harsh at times.
But another reason is because Ceroba reminded them of their mom. Strict yet kind, even when she takes out her anger at them, she always makes up for it. Their mom wasn't a bad person, just had a bit of temper that she's trying to control. Because they know that she loves them, just… they wished that mom and dad didn’t fight so much.
“Clover? Are you listening?”
Oh right, she’s waiting for them to answer. They nod. “I trust you Ceroba.” They smile at her reassuringly.
For a moment, she felt guilty for what she was about to do but she can’t back down now, she’s so close to getting Kanako back, she’s just within reach to save her, to forget about all this legacy that Chujin tasked her. She just needs their soul.
She solemnly nodded.“Okay, this… I’ll try to make this quick. I’m sorry Clover.” And she summoned her staff, a thunk noise hitting the floor.
They look confused and wary, why did she take it out, what is she planning? “Sorry? What fo-..!” Before they could finish their words, they felt something sharp stabbing inside their chest. They look down and see the top end of the staff, the bell piercing through their chest.
“C-Ceroba..w-why?” They can feel blood coming out of their mouth, the pain, the discomfort of the staff plunging even further in.
“Mama?!” Kanako was horrified. Clover is a human but.. to be killed so suddenly, by her mom too. Why did her mom do that?
Clover could feel themself being lifted up by the staff, and they were thrown against the wall with a resounding bang. Blood started gushing out from their wound, a red streak smeared onto the dirty floor.
The pain was too much, they could barely scream, they could feel themself being weakened as blood continued to flow out of them. Slowly, their vision turns black as they lose consciousness. Their only regret… was that they weren’t a good kid for their parents.
Ceroba watched as Clover’s breathing became staggered, until it stopped entirely. They were dead and not a moment later, a bright yellow soul came out of them, floating just in front of their chest. She grabbed it and held it in front of Kanako, urging her to absorb it.
Kanako was still processing what just happened. Her mom killed someone, she killed the human, Clover. She killed someone who was Kanako’s age. She killed them…
“Ma..ma?...Why? …w-why..did..you?”
She sighed. “Because it’s the only way to save you, they had a pure soul, it was the only way to get rid of that corrupted serum inside you.” It’s the only way to fix the mistake she made.
“B-but..I c-can’t…can’t…” She couldn’t just unrightfully absorb the soul of an innocent life, someone who just got betrayed by her mom.
She just can’t.
“Please Kanako! Just trust me! Come back home with Mama!” She pleaded, her eyes were filled with desperation. She’s so close, she has done the deed and she just needs her daughter to fuse it into her soul before that lizard comes back.
…Kanako wanted to refuse so badly, because she can’t just take this soul. But looking at her mom’s eyes, any form of hesitance crumbled. She wanted to go home so badly, she wanted to be with her mom again, even if it meant… taking the soul for her own selfish purpose rather than for it to be sent to the king.
“O-okay…Mama… Do it…I’ll…t-take ..it…” She leaned down and let out her own cracked soul, slowly overlapping hers with Clover’s, which initiated the process of the fusion.
Sorry, I’m sorry Clover… She wanted to cry so badly, it felt wrong to do this. But she wanted out of here, of this twisted body she has. She wants to be Kanako again.
Eventually, both souls were fused, leaving a bright white soul with a smaller yellow soul inside. Ceroba gasped and then smiled in relief of the fused soul in front of her. It worked, it actually worked! Her once cracked soul is fixed, she saved Kanako!
“Hurry, put it back inside. We don’t have a moment to waste before she gets down here!”
Kanako slowly lets the soul fuse back into her body, as Ceroba finally thinks.
Finally, her child is coming back home, everything would go back how it’s supposed to be.
Or so she thought, Kanako suddenly tumbled down onto the floor, groaning, whining in pain. “Ma..ma…i-it..it hurts…” She weakly cried out. Her body melting even worse than before.
No, no! Was she mistaken again?! Was a pure soul not the solution?!
“Ma..ma…he..lp…it..hurts…everything…hhurts….” Kanako started to tremble in pain as pieces of her body slowly fell off, crumbling into dust.
No! She’s going to die!
“KANAKO! KANAKO, NO! YOU CAN’T DIE! DON’T LEAVE ME!!” She rushed to her daughter, holding her crumbling body as panicked thoughts raced in her mind.
“Ma..ma…scared….so..scared…” She quietly whimpered, she didn’t want to die, she was so close to going back home…
To be with Mom.
To be with Uncle Starlo.
To be safe from here, to be able to live a life again…
She didn’t want to die…
Her eyes laid onto Clover’s slumped and bloodied body. But, maybe she deserved this, Clover died for nothing, she couldn’t even absorb their soul right, and now she’s dying in her mother’s arms.
…She’s useless, so useless.
She regrets that she couldn’t be a good daughter to them.
And slowly she crumbled into the last specks of dust.
Ceroba could only watch, and she could only wail in anguish. Her hands slamming down on her daughter’s dust, covering it in her remains.
She failed again, she couldn’t uphold his legacy, she couldn’t save her daughter and now Clover died in vain. She killed them for nothing.
She looked back up, the soul was still there, floating, almost like it was mocking her… But what use is it when Kanako’s dead, when Clover’s dead?
She’d take it to Asgore but… Her soul, Kanako’s soul would be trapped in that container, she doesn’t want to be away from what remained of her daughter besides her dust.
But what can she do now? What’s left of her to do next? She couldn’t do anything right besides mourning her loss. Then, an idea came to mind.. Maybe, maybe there's a way to salvage all this, Kanako might have died but maybe she could at least save Clover, she could make up for this.
She took the soul and went back to Clover’s body, but before she placed the soul back to its rightful owner. She cauterised the gaping hole in their chest with fire, and then carefully let the soul fuse back into Clover.
She waited and waited… But nothing happened.
Did it not work, did she fail again?
…Was it all just hopeless delusion in the end?
…No, she just needs to be patient. Clover did lose a lot of blood, and from what she knows of human biology, blood loss makes them incredibly weak. So, they’re probably still unconscious.
Alright, this is fine, she just needs to get them out of this place, and then… Head back to the estate she supposed. She’s not ready to explain this to anyone, not yet at least, she needs time.
She picked up Clover’s body, cradling them in her arms, and saw their chest slowly rising up. They’re breathing, that’s.. good, it means they’re alive.
And the two left the room, leaving behind blood streaked stains and leftover dust that was once Kanako.
…..
…..
…..
The sound of giggling can be heard in the room, for a golden flower sprouted in the middle of it.
“Wowie! That was such an incredible display of events from that vixen. Failure and more failure, like wow. Never have I seen someone who continuously makes that many mistakes in their lifetime. It’s hilarious!” Flowey laughed even harder, the laughter echoing around the room.
“To think I was going to reset, but seeing Clover’s soul being fused to a Boss Monster’s soul, that’s bound to make this run interesting, and maybe for once, they’ll actually beat that dumb oaf and get me those souls.”
And the flower was gone, once again leaving no trace of life in the room.