---

The muggy air of Waterfall crawled over Frisk's skin like a slug, cocooning them in its suffocating veil as they tried to fall asleep. They wanted to take off their clothes, at least their shirt, but the idea was unthinkable with Chara lying besides them. Endurance was an old companion they had to tolerate for every journey they took. If there were any regrets they had, it was the fact that Chara had to suffer through it as well.

Frisk couldn't remember the first time they slept under the stony ceiling of Waterfall. They couldn't remember a lot of things from back then. Like a leaking tap, their memories had dripped out of them over time, leaving in their mind a hollow gap, a cave much like the one they laid in then, reminding them just how much they had lost.

They knew they had slept in the cave behind the waterfall back then. They knew it had been humid, knew that the crashing water reverbed around the walls so loudly it soon became part of the 'silence'. They knew there had been the glowing mushrooms, the sandy ground which they lay upon to rest. But those weren't memories. Those were facts, lingering in their mind simply due to the sheer amount of repetition they had to endure over the resets. They still couldn't recall how it was like to experience those things then, how it felt.

Had they been scared? Had they been hurt from fighting Papyrus just prior? Had they resented him for it? Had they been confused?

The feelings disappeared. The discoveries became less and less, and each reset that followed brought them only a sense of numbness that grew and grew until it was almost all that was left.

This was what Flowey went through. It must have been, and they could have walked down the same path, if not for one factor.

Why are you staring at me? Chara asked, their eyes still closed as they laid still on the bed they've made out of Echo Flower heads.

How do you know I am? Frisk said, grinning.

I just do. Chara opened their eyes and rolled over to face them. "Can't sleep?"

Frisk shook their head. "No, I can. I just want to remember this moment."

"And what is 'this moment'? Us on the run? Sleeping in a muggy old cave while using flowers as a bed in the same dirty clothes we've been wearing all day?"

"No, you grump." Frisk giggled.

"I'm not a grump. I'm just stating facts. It really would be good if we could sleep in something not half crusted in mud."

"It's not too bad once you get used to it."

"And I fear I'm not really getting used to it." Chara laid on their back and looked up at the ceiling. "I feel very groggy, like I've been wearing the same clothes for the past 48 hours, and probably will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Isn't that horrifying to think about?"

"Well, I'm sure we'll manage. It's not like we have any other choice."

"No, I suppose we don't." Chara shivered. "I can't wait to get to the castle and forget all about this."

Frisk's smile strained. "I don't," they said. "I don't want to forget."

Perhaps it was the tone of their voice, or just their connection, but Chara's humour seem to dissipate as they rolled to look at them again. "You think you will?"

Frisk's smile lingered only as a shadow. "I don't want to," they said and buried their face into Chara's side. They closed their eyes, taking in Chara's scent, their warmth in the sticky air of Waterfall. They wished they could carve it in their mind, a painting they could look back on in the future and smile.

"You won't forget," Chara said.

"How do you know?"

"I just do."

Frisk smirked but did not laugh. Chara wrapped their arm around them, enveloping them in their presence. It made them feel better, helped them focus on what was important. Even if they did not remember this moment in the future, it didn't mean that it meant any less right now.

"Hey, Chara?" they spoke after a moment of silence.

"Hm?"

"Can you sing me a song?"

Chara shifted. "A song? Like a lullaby?"

Frisk nodded. "When you were a ghost, when I was feeling down, you used to sing for me to help me go to sleep." They sighed. "I miss it. I've missed it for a long time."

"You should have said something."

"No. We weren't very friendly when we first met. And you were hurt after that. You needed more rest than I did."

Chara was silent, and Frisk smiled further, knowing what Chara was thinking now, about the things they did to Frisk in the past and how awful they felt over it. It was very sweet, but Frisk nudged Chara's side with their face, just to make them stop and reassure them that they didn't need it, not when it made Chara feel bad about themselves.

Chara held them tighter in a long hug. "What song did you want to hear?"

Frisk thought only for a second. "There was this song. One you always sang to me."

"Which is?"

"I… don't know."

"You don't know?"

"Nope."

"How can it be your favourite then?"

"Because it was," Frisk said, and Chara laughed.

"You're so silly."

"Nuh-uh. I just didn't understand it. It wasn't in English."

Chara's arm stiffened, and Frisk opened their eyes. They didn't look up at Chara's face, but Chara's chest was still for the moment.

"I…" Their partner took in a slow breath. "I sang you that?"

Frisk tried to piece it together, the way Chara shuddered the words out, as though the mere idea was impossible. Frisk didn't know why that would be. Chara had always sang that song on their own volition. When Frisk was sad, when they felt uncertain about their actions, Chara would sing it and make everything seem better. It was an easily gave gift. At least it was to the Ghost Chara.

"You don't have to sing it to me," Frisk said. "You're tired too. It's okay."

"No, you don't have to do that." Chara took a fortifying breath. "I'll sing the song. It's fine. I just… need a moment."

Frisk laid down, their eyes on Chara's troubled face. "If you're sure."

"I am."

Chara took a minute. A minute to find the courage? To clear their rattled conscience? Frisk didn't know. But when they were ready, Chara took Frisk's hand and intertwined their fingers. And as they looked up at the dark ceiling, they began to sing.

"Le ciel bleu… sur nous peut s'effondrer… Et la terre… peut bien s'écrouler… Peu m'importe, si tu m'aimes… Je me fous du monde entier…"

It was the song. It was the same tune, same tone and words, but it was different somehow. Chara sang quietly, perfectly, but despite there being no evidence to it, there was something about it, something about how it echoed in the small cave that made Frisk know, Chara was about to burst into tears.

Yet, in the end, Chara never did.

Squeezing Chara's hand in their own, Frisk finally fell asleep, their last thought holding onto the sound of Chara's real, living voice, singing to them for the first time in their life.

---

Chapter 22

Being an immortal, one takes a liking to gardens. Though individually the plants may die over time, new seeds are sown year after year, newborn rise from the soils of the dead. The garden may be composed of completely different sets of plants in time, but it -as a whole- lived on forever.

It was why Asgore always took the time to tend to his garden every day. It was why he spoke to it as though it was a person. It was his oldest friend, a confidant whom he could share his deepest secrets, his greatest fears, and trust that it would not share it with anyone else.

If there was one aspect lacking about his friend, it was that it wasn't much of a conversationalist.

"And you are certainly needy," he said, and yanked out yet another weed from the soil.

He laughed at his own joke, but his friend remained as mute… as a flower. He laughed at that one too. All alone.

He didn't mind, though he would be lying if he said that it didn't get to him in a while.

There had been a time when someone else would have been in the garden with him. A time when someone else would have laughed at his silly joke, silly behaviour overall. There had been someone who would chid him, praise him, comfort him, love him. But she was gone now, never to return, and the memories of her, the good and the bad, were forever tainted by her last words.

"You sicken me."

"Oh."

He opened his palm, and look down at the watering pot's metal handle, now bent and ruined into the shape of his clenched hand. Perhaps the time for gardening was over. He had a lot of work to do for the day.

By the time he was finished putting away his gardening supplies, there was a pounding at the throne room door. Part of the typical affair of being a King, but it was slightly unusual that it would happen so early in the morning. It was just a little past five o'clock. People at least had their breakfast before they start sending him complaints about budgets, politics, and the weather.

"Speak!" Asgore said.

"A message for you, Your Majesty! It's in regards to the High Judicator's whereabouts!" said the voice outside.

Asgore whipped around. The High Judicator have been missing for the past week. "Enter!"

The door opened, but instead of the messenger immediately entering the room, there was a pause. A surprised gasp, an exchange of words Asgore could not make out, and a moment later, a figure walked in.

Asgore's eyes widened. "Sans?"

"yo," Sans said, waving his hand. "how's it going?"

"I think I should be the one asking you that," Asgore said, walking up and shaking his friend's hand. "Where have you been all this time? This absence was long, even for you."

"yeeeeaaah, sorry about that. you haven't heard anything, right?"

"I get the feeling that the messenger you just dismissed had something for me."

"kind of. i told everyone not to tell you. i didn't you to freak or anything, you know?"

Asgore laughed. "I am the King, Sans. I do not 'freak'."

"yeeeeaah, sure. you remember the last birthday ball? 'Gods and Stars!'"

"Gods and Stars," Asgore groaned, chuckling. "I am never going to live that down. You know you are not supposed to deploy a party cannon inside a formal ball?"

"yeah, but you hate balls, dude. and on your birthday too? i had to do something to cheer you up."

"You are not going to get a thanks from me. I had to write more apology letters after that than I had meals through out the year."

"hey, at least you laughed."

"And that is why I had to apologise." Asgore's laughter trailed off into a sigh. "So, back to business then. What is it that you told everyone not to tell me."

Sans didn't answer immediately. "man, i guess there's no real good way to say it, so i'll just say it: i've uhh… i've been held hostage in my home for the past week."

Asgore frowned. "By sleep?"

"heh. sounds like me, huh? no. not this time." Sans sighed. "i've been held hostage by the new humans who came underground."

Asgore's frown hardened. "… I see. Are you alright?"

"yeah. it wasn't that big of a deal. no torture or anything, unless you want to count how boring it was to just sit there and do nothing."

"And how is your brother?"

"yeah, that's the thing. he uhh, kinda got tricked into helping the humans."

Asgore paused for another moment. "Is he still?"

"no. he's been put in a cell since i got out."

"I see."

"i'm going to release him."

"As you should, if he was tricked as you say." There was no accusation there, just a statement of fact. Sans knew well that Asgore didn't condone nepotism among the ranks.

"he was. he just wants to help people, and the humans used that against him."

Asgore frowned. Out of all the humans that had fallen into Underground over the past few decades, this was the first time that would sink as low as to manipulate his people into aiding them. "It seems the humans are different this time. First they insight fear in the Snowdin populace with their little explosives in the Middle White and now this? I must coordinate the guards to put out a-"

"whoa, hang on, buddy," Sans interrupted. "this is exactly why i told everyone not to tell you. i didn't want you to start putting your focus on this sitch when you still have a whole freakin' kingdom to run."

"Unexpected situations happen all the time, and I have dealt with thousands of them while maintaining the Kingdom."

"yeah, i know, but this shit affects you. every time you have to kill a human, you lose focus. you know it. i know it. hell, the entire Kingdom knows it. you hate this. and that's why i wanted to talk to you about this."

Asgore waited for him to go on.

"i'm going to propose that… you leave this whole thing to me."

Asgore blinked and had to take a moment to let the offer sink in. Sans offering his service willingly? He would have to order his men to watch out for pigs flying today.

"This is… highly unusual, Sans," he said.

"yeah, well, it's an unusual situation. this won't happen again, you know? this is the last one. the last time any of us have to deal with this."

"Which would mean that I should handle this."

"you've already done this six times, and each time it takes a piece of you, man!" Sans stopped himself and continued in a more even tone. "you always say you're the servant of the kingdom, but you have to remember, you're our friend as well. we all worry when you get sick. we all feel bad when you make the hard decisions. six times is enough. just… let us handle this, okay? let me handle it. as your friend." He chuckled. "think of it as my way of saying sorry for all that apology you had to write, huh?"

Asgore would have argued, should have argued, because this was a duty he had burdened on the Kingdom. It was under his orders that this was happening and that naturally meant that he needed to be the one to see it through. But he was so tired. Tired of everything that he had to do. He sometimes woke up in the morning, alone in his bed, alone in his home, and wondered what the point of it all was.

It was his duty that kept him going, but even that was hanging by a thread. An offer to take this burden off of him…

He clenched his jaw, closed his eyes and pushed away the pair of red eyes that looked at him with pure hatred from the depth of his mind. He just wanted to rest. That's all he wanted.

"Okay," he said, so quietly that he hoped Sans wouldn't have heard. But his friend did, and he felt his boney hand patting him on his arm.

"it's going to be okay," Sans said, but Asgore knew that it won't. It hadn't been for a long time.

"I'm a coward, Sans."

"naw, man. you're just a person, like any of us. eternal lifespan doesn't mean a thing here." Sans sighed. "welp, I better get moving."

Asgore opened his eyes with a frown. "So soon?"

"well, yeah. the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can put this behind us." He turned around to leave. "i'll see you later. take it easy, alright? and seriously, don't bother yourself with this. i'm gonna make sure you write twice as many apologies as last time if you do!"

Asgore did not respond to the jest, and the skeleton left, leaving him alone to start his day.

He let out a quiet sigh. Another human in their midst. Another SOUL to be collected. It was for the Kingdom, for the injustice that befell his people, for the injustice that befell on his son. But sometimes, he wondered, what was the point of it all?

"You sicken me."

The words came to him once more, and instead of shying away life every other time, he let it wash over him, allowed it to take him back to that moment when Toriel walked out that very door before him, bringing with it all the same pain, same anger, and same devastation. And he thought now what he thought back then when she said those words to him, the words he couldn't say out loud:

Yes. I sicken myself as well.

Asgore stood still for another minute, then left the throne room, ready to perform his eternal duty as the King for another day.

---

The little girl in a faded yellow dress dances in the middle of a trashed up house, a beautiful lady leading her to the beat. A beautiful music comes through the fuzzy radio, a beautiful night. The two are holding a small ball of their own.

The song comes to an end, as all things should, but the girl still wants to dance. And so, the lady makes her own music. Her dulcet voice is like a vibrant flower in the middle of a black, scorched earth. The girl doesn 't understand the words, but she wants to sing along nonetheless. And so she does.

"You have such a lovely voice," the lady says.

"When I grow up, I want to be a famous singer, just like you, Mama!" the girl says.

The lady trips and hurts her ankle, and the girl gasps with worry.

But the lady still smiles, and hugs the girl with all she has.

"My princess," the lady whispers, her face buried in the girl's shoulder. "You can be whatever you want to be. You can have the world."

The lady 's words are kind, but the girl can feel the wetness on her shoulder grow.

She holds the lady in her small arms, and continues singing as the lady silently cries.

Chara opened their eyes, the scent of fresh lemon, mirthful laughter and angelic voice lingering with them a moment longer.

It was humorous how predictable their mind was. One brief reminder of their former life, a single, stupid aspect being brought up was enough to guarantee that they will have a dream about it. They knew this would happen, expected it, but that did little to ease the ache it left in their heart. There was a throbbing now, a yearning for a time when they didn't know a thing about the world. A simpler time. Happier time.

They ran their hand over their face with a long, silent inhale, then blinked when they bumped lightly into someone clinging to their side. They looked down and found Frisk sleeping soundly while holding onto their gown, tight enough to rip the fabric on accident.

Chara had half a mind to yank themselves away, leave Frisk in the cold as a little revenge for making them have that dream again, for making them feel like this. But that wouldn't have been right. Frisk had noticed their hesitation immediately before and even tried to rescind their request. It was Chara's choice to do the favour, and hence the blame their own. Besides, the sheer innocence of Frisk's sleeping face melted their insides like butter. They couldn't do something so mean, not even out of such petty reasons.

Chara wrapped their arm over Frisk, enveloping them in a light hug that would not disturb their sleep. Frisk mumbled at the movement, and Chara felt warmth rise from their connection like a sapling. It wasn't the same as the warmth they remembered and yearned, but it served to remind them why they shouldn't dwell on things that were lost. This -having Frisk in their arm- was what they had now, and they had to make sure that they didn't lose it either.

They gave Frisk one last squeeze, and closed their eyes once more, willing to let themselves rest for a while longer before it was time to continue their long journey.

"Le ciel bleu…" -Then, their eyes shot wide open- "Sur no pe.. Pes… Pe-sru?"

A voice as quiet as a sigh tickled the edges of Chara's ears like a crawling ant.

An echo from their dream? That was the first and the most logical conclusion they came to. However, the voice, the pronunciation of the lyrics, the tone, it was all wrong, like a streak of wine-stain on a white dress. It wasn't a dream. Someone else was inside the cave.

They sat up, throwing their hand at the mouth of the cave at the same time. A black portal opened up by the only exit, then a second one next to it, both pointing inside so that anyone who tries to escape would only end up running inside. They whisked their gaze about the dark cave, then instantly stopped at the dark corner.

There was something there. Someone. A small figure, sitting on the ground wearing what Chara believed was a long, drape like gown. It was hard to tell the details in the dark, but there was a light tint to the gown, a near pale white-ness to it, and the figure had their back turned towards Chara, making them appear as though they were almost pressing their face against the stone wall.

For a moment, Chara was at a loss on what to do. Though they were specifically looking for an intruder, they had not expected one that was so easy to find, and not one whose intention was unclear as this one. Why were they in the cave? It couldn't have been that they didn't see Frisk and Chara when the two of them were lying so plainly on one side. Why had they come to this cave in particular? Why were they singing their song? Why were they just standing there as though they weren't exposed? It was as though the intruder wanted to be seen, as though they wanted for someone to approach. A flytrap waiting to close its maw on an unsuspecting butterfly.

A strange chill ran down Chara's spine.

Frisk. They shook their partner by the shoulder. Frisk!

Frisk stirred, their brows furrowing as the shaking continued. "Chara…?"

Wake up! There 's someone in the cave!

"Chara… Cornbread…"

… What?

"Ox tail… Rice… Mm…"

Wake up, you moron! Chara flailed Frisk like a salt shaker, yet somehow their partner remained dead to the world. They were even smiling, as if they were having a ride of their life.

Outraged, Chara smacked them on the head.

"Owie…" Frisk said, but was still asleep.

Are you serious? We don't have time for- Oh, forget it! Growling, Chara yanked themselves off of Frisk, grabbed their cane and got up.

They didn't have time to dally with someone who was in the Mariana trench of dreamlands. If they needed to, they will open a portal to drop the child from a safe -but painful- height. But not now. They will conserve their energy to assess the situation.

Stealth was not an option. Them grabbing their cane, straining and shuffling to push off the ground had already created enough noise in this small, echoing space to wake anyone (aside from Frisk) up. So, they made no attempt to keep quite as they approached either. In fact, they made sure to stomp hard on the dirt ground with each step, ensuring that the figure was aware of their approach. The early the intruder reacted, the safer Chara was in terms of distance.

However, as Chara approached, the reaction from the intruder made them slow their boisterous steps. Despite their obvious presence, the figure stood as still as the stone wall around them, not even tensing in preparation for a fight or flight response. It was as though the figure was asleep as well, as deep in it as Frisk was then. Could that be possible? The figure appeared to just be small before, but perhaps they could be misinterpreting what was a monster that was lying down for a sleep. That left more question as to why the monster had chosen to sleep in an obviously occupied cave, though. The figure was too small for Chara to decide whether they were lying down or standing upright, and it was too dark for them to make out any details even with the shortening distance.

They stopped well away from the figure, far enough that they could dodge any surprise attack, but close enough for it to be obvious that they were addressing them. The figure still had not moved by that point, so Chara cleared their throat. Its sound was as striking in the silence as a piano being dropped at a funeral, and just as sudden, yet the figure did not flinch. The figure had no reaction at all.

"Excuse me?" Chara spoke this time. "Excuse me? You there, standing by the wall? Could you turn around, please?"

The figure did nothing of the sort.

Rude, Chara thought, and opened their mouth to try again, when something made them stop.

This was familiar to them. This whole scene, with one person acting weirdly unresponsive while the other was trying to actively communicate. They stopped to think, and it was only a few seconds later that they recalled.

It wasn't a scene which they've seen in real life, but one in a book they've read a while back: A terrible story of a family moving into a haunted house. The father, a young man with blind confidence that befitted his age of mid-twenties, found a womanly figure standing in the middle of his hallway with her back turned to him. It was daylight in that scene, middle of a warm summer day, but the hallway had a strange darkness tinting its shadows, an odd chill creeping the air. Despite the tell-tale signs, the father approached the woman, unfazed by the strange sensation in his gut that was his instincts, telling him, screaming at him to run.

Chara had told him that as well as they read the scene unfold: The womanly figure's arms whipped up, twisted and grabbed the father's head in an impossible angle, and as her head slowly turned around completely, cracking and snapping of bones were almost audible in Chara's ears.

The father had been dragged up into the attic by the ghost after that scene, and Chara had dropped the book just as abruptly.

They had mercifully forgotten about the story after a week of restless nights, but now, in this moment, it was rising up like bile up their throat, and they were quickly realising a horrifying fact: They were the father in that book. This cave was the hallway. And the figure before them was the woman, whose horrid descriptions of black, sunken eyes and unhinged mouth haunted their sleep for days.

Another chill ran down Chara's spine, and their throat suddenly tightened.

"E-Excuse me. Can you hear me?"

Their stutter was as inevitable as it was embarrassing, but the figure did not ridicule them, frowned or laughed at them. They did nothing. Nothing at all.

"Okay, that is enough!" they said, digging their foot and cane into the ground. No silly monster as small as this was going to frighten them, nor will a silly made up story written by some random human with a mind sick and deranged enough to depict such a horrid scene. "D-do you know who I am?," they continued. "I mean, it's fine if you don't. People forgot and I don't go around shoving my title at everyone's face. I mean, what good will it do? Make me look crazy rambler, that's what. B-but that doesn't mean you get to ignore me!" Chara growled, both at the figure and at their nervous rambling. "I-If you don't turn around right now, I am going to force you to do so. Do you hear me? I will do it." Their tone was stronger this time, firmer, even if it was rendered useless by the lack of response. "Alright. I'm going to do it! I'm doing it!"

Chara didn't, not for another few teeth-clenched moments which went by without a sound. Then, they summoned their magic and courage, grabbed the creature with their telekinesis, and with only two more seconds of hesitation, shoved, forcing the figure to spin in place.

Haunted houses weren't real. And even if it was, this cave certainly wasn't one of them. The exit was right there without any twisting corridors to mislead them, no ruined wallpapers that horrified the senses with both splatters of fake blood and tacky pattern design. No spooky noises echoing about the air, no doors that shut and locked on its own. This was the Underground, where nothing as so horrible as a murder ever happened. There shouldn't be any grudge holding ghosts. There was going to be perfectly ration explanation as to why a random monster had snuck in and was standing so absolutely still in a cave that was in the middle of the wilds. That was what Chara told themselves.

But when the figure turned around, and Chara saw their face for what it truly was, all that rationality was thrown out the window.

The long dress that had hid most of the figure's form revealed itself as a long hair in the light of Chara's red magic glow. Two black, sunken eyes peaked out between the parted hair, an enormous mouth that split through the woman's face hung open to reveal its inky blackness within.

It was then that Chara realised that the figure hadn't been so small because they actually were that small. They were small, because what was in front of Chara was only the head.

It was a head. A woman's decapitated head, sitting there on the floor, dead and unmoving.

In the light of Chara's red magic, the woman's hollow, black eye stared up into their soul.

Chara stared back. And then, through no desire of their own, they screamed.

---

Reality struck Frisk like a jet plane to an eagle. Their happy dream of sitting at a buffet where Chara was hand feeding them a moist cornbread, dunked in gooey ox tail stew placed on top of a bed of fluffy rice vanished like a flash of a camera shutter, and they were dropped back into the humid air of Waterfall. Familiar sight of indigo rock, smell of soggy grass and echoes of distant crashing water filled their senses once more, though now it was mixed with something new: A scream. Someone was screaming. Someones.

"Wh-what? Chara?" they blurted out as they rolled to their side, only to find the flower bed empty. They frowned, their eyes still half closed as their mind tried to play catch up with their reality.

"Frisk! Friiisk! Ahhhh!"

And just like that, their mind was caught up.

They rolled onto their back, bumped their head on a rock, then scrambled up on their feet, ignoring both the pain and the black dirt that now littered their clothes. One look to the left, one look to the right, and Frisk found them: Chara, on the floor at the center of the cave, their cane rolling by their side as they screamed. Screamed for Frisk.

They didn't look hurt, they didn't look like they were under any immediate danger of any sort, but even still, it was the most horrifying sight that Frisk had ever seen.

"Chara. Chara!" Frisk ran and crashed onto the ground next to their partner, their arms wrapping around them for support.. "What's wrong? What's happening?"

Chara's scream died as they turned their tear filled eyes -tear filled eyes!- to Frisk. It took a moment, but as soon as recognition shot through them, Chara threw themselves at Frisk, clinging to them like a toddler about to fall off her mother's arms.

"Frisk. Oh, Frisk. God in heaven," they spoke into the crook of Frisk's neck.

"Wh-what's the matter? What's going on?" Frisk asked.

"I-i-it's a ghost! Oh my lord, it's a ghost!"

"A… a ghost?" Frisk repeated. Suddenly, a cup of confusion was added into the pool that was their panicked mind, diluting it enough for them to start gathering their thoughts.

"There! Over there!" Chara took a glance at the corner of the cave before burying their face into Frisk's arms and screaming again. "It's still there! Oh my god, it's still there!"

Frisk turned, squinted at the darkness for a moment before jolting back in surprise when they saw a small figure shivering in the corner, facing away from them. But despite this unknown figure's sudden appearance in the cave, the heart clenching fear that took hold of Frisk lifted off like a cloud, and they almost laughed at how ridiculous the situation was.

It wasn't a ghost. It was just a little monster, scared of Chara as much as Chara was of it, even though the princess obviously had no such clue. They smile at the way Chara was holding onto them, like a koala trying to escape a flood below. Chara was a lot of things: kind, cruel, polite, and very, very snooty. But in all of the contradicting moments that made Chara who they were, Frisk had never known a time where Chara was scared to hysterics.

Shh, hey, it's okay, Frisk hushed, embracing Chara who was now reciting the Lord's Prayer under trembling breath. It's not a ghost. It's a monster. Nothing else.

A ghost IS a monster! Chara screamed.

No, not that kind of monster. One of yours. You know, like the ones that live in this whole Kingdom?

Chara continued their prayer, as though they hadn't heard Frisk at all.

Frisk shook their head, suppressing a giggle. It was somewhat mean given how frightened Chara was, but it was kind of funny to see their partner like this. And maybe a little cute.

Frisk placed a kiss on Chara's head, returning the favour Chara had shown them dozens of times before. And as they did so, they grabbed Chara by the shoulders and gently pushed them away.

Chara looked up at them in confusion and Frisk caressed their face with both hands, giving them a reassuring smile. "Stay here," they whispered. "I'm going to go talk to her."

Chara blinked. Talk? You… you can't! She'll grab you and drag you away!

"O… kay?" Frisk quirked a brow while containing a laugh. "I don't know where you got that from, but no, she won't. It's going to be okay. You'll see."

No. No! Frisk! Chara screamed as Frisk stepped away. Don't leave me!

That gave Frisk pause. They spun around, returned to Chara and gave them a short but squeezing hug. "I'm not leaving you," they said as they pulled back, and placed their hand on Chara's chest, over their heart. "I'm right here, remember? Always."

And with that, they turned around again, walking towards the trembling monster in the corner. Chara whimpered, but did not stop them this time.

In the dark, the little monster did seem rather sinister, with long, draped fin that looked like hair; dark, sunken eyes and jagged teeth that had just enough skin and flesh to make her look like an emaciated corpse. Frisk couldn't see the monster's face from this angle, but they knew her identity from the start, just from the sight of her back. It was almost always the first thing they saw of her in each timeline, given just how shy she was.

"Shyren?" Frisk said softly, letting the echo of the cave carry their voice like a gentle breeze. "Shyren, is that you?"

The little fish monster stopped her trembling. She made a slight turn towards Frisk, then back.

"Hey, it's okay. We don't want to hurt you. You just scared us a bit."

But of course, their reassurance did little. In some ways, it was a relief. This was often the standard response when it came to Shyren. Perhaps then, they hypothesised, their standard response to this encounter would resolve it as well.

In a quiet voice, Frisk began to hum a song. Shyren's song.

It was rather awkward singing the song on their own. Had this been their standard encounter, Shyren would have been singing first, and Frisk would be humming along, making the song a duet with Shyren taking the lead. However, Shyren was too frightened to sing at that moment. More than that, Chara was frightened as well. Frisk had to be the one to solve this issue. They had to be the one who chased Chara's fears away.

The humming went on a loop, as Frisk was not planning on stopping until both the monster and their partner was up and able again. It took a while, but at the start of the third loop, Shyren seemed to response, as if finally noticing what was happening. By the time they had reached the chorus again, Shyren had turned around in full, staring at Frisk in wonder.

Frisk stopped the singing gradually in a fade away, and smiled down at her.

"You… know my song?" Shyren asked in her tiny, mouse-like voice.

Frisk gave a hearty nod. "Uh huh. I heard you singing before. It was so beautiful, I listened on until I learned the song too!"

"O-oh," Shyren said, looking away. Her pale green cheeks turned pink in embarrassment.

Frisk stifled a giggle, then looked over their shoulder. There, Chara was staring at Shyren with wide eyes, now more in astonishment than in fear.

Hey, Frisk said.

Chara blinked then turned their gaze to them. Hello.

You okay?

Chara didn't answer, but when their cheek began to take on a rosy tint, Frisk laughed.

Mission accomplished.

---

It turned out that Shyren had been in the cave the whole time since they arrived, hiding away in a small cave in the middle of nowhere so that she could practice singing alone. When Chara and Frisk appeared, she just froze up in the corner, and neither of them noticed her the whole time in their effort to set up a camp for the night as quickly as possible.

Once they fell asleep, she still couldn't bring herself to move in case that either of them were light sleepers who would wake at the most subtle movement. Therefore, she decided to wait until the morning when they were -hopefully- gone. The reason why she didn't move when Chara found her was because of that as well: she was just too scared.

Chara could barely hold their head up as they listened to the tale. They could not believe how stupid they had been, screaming their head off after confronting someone who was just a scared citizen. They had been frightened by their own imagination, made ill-informed and frankly shameful judgement on this demure girl based on her appearance only. And Frisk had seen it all! They wanted to bury themselves in a far away land and kill everyone who helped them in there so that no-one would ever found out where they were.

"Hey, Chara, come and say hello," Frisk said. "Shyren, this is my partner, Chara."

Chara forced away their desire to jump off a nearby cliff and put on a bright demeanour. "Charmed," they said. "Um, allow me to apologise for my earlier behaviour. It was highly irregular and appallingly rude. It must have come as quite the shock."

Shyren gasped. "O-oh! No, it's alright. It's me who needs to apologise. I'm sorry for screaming at you like that and scaring you. I've just never been good with other people, especially strangers."

Chara felt even worse hearing that. It sounded as though Shyren thought it was her scream that set Chara screaming along, when it was the exact opposite. "Um, may I ask, I think I heard you sing my song. Am I correct?" they asked, trying to push past the topic as quickly as they could.

"Oh! Yes. Sorry. I won't do it again, if that's what you want," Shyren said. Her constant apologies were like worms slowly digging at their conscience.

"No no no, I'm not angry or anything, I assure you. I was just curious why you were doing it."

"Oh, right. Because it was a lovely song!" Shyren said and floated up the air higher with a smile. "I was so scared of you two being in that cave, I didn't know how I would make it through the night. But then you sang that song, and I spent the whole night trying to remember it, I forgot all about how scared I was. Um, that is until you woke up again. Then I was super-duper scared. Oh, just thinking about it makes me… Oh…"

"Good gracious!" Chara yelled and Frisk jumped to catch Shyren as she fell backwards off the air.

"Oh, thank you." Shyren giggled. "Goodness, that was very frightening. I better not think about such awful things for a while."

"I say," Chara said.

"Um, where was I? Oh, yes, I trying to piece the notes in my head, and I thought I finally got it down, so I decided to take the chance to try and sing it just under my breath. It didn't come out properly though. It's strange how you can recite a lyric in your head, but your tongue gets twisted up in practice?" she giggled, then suddenly frowned. "Um, am I rambling? I'm rambling aren't I? And I bet I didn't sound that great when I sang it too. I could barely remember the first verse. Oh. Oh, I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

Chara stopped themselves from rolling their 's precautious and nervous nature was not something they liked nor found easy to handle. They didn't have the patients for it. "If you wish, perhaps I can teach you how to sing it?" they said with a smile.

Shyren's mouth dropped open, her eyes just as wide. "Y-you can? You will?"

"But of course. It may have been brief, but your voice was well tuned. I think you'd be great."

The little fish monster shook up and down, like a rocket about to go off. Then, with a silent scream, she swam about in circles in glee. Chara's smile widened into a smirking grin, and the second-hand glee from her was just enough to ignore how stupid they felt for being so terrified of her in the first place.

They turned to Frisk to share a look, and noticed them giving them a curious stare, one that said that they were surprised. Very much so.

What? Chara asked.

Nothing. Frisk shrugged. I was just thinking… you're pretty good with her.

Well, I am the princess of this Kingdom. I know how to deal with my citizens.

Riiight.

Oh, shush, Chara groused, and Frisk snickered silently.

I didn't think you would do that, Frisk said after a moment. Offer to teach her, I mean.

Why wouldn 't I? She seems to like to sing, and you always spout on about how we have to make friends with everyone to break the barrier in the future. This seems like the right course of action to take.

I know. I just thought … from how you acted before.

Chara smiled. They knew what Frisk was talking about, and found it very sweet that Frisk remembered their brief slip of composure when they wanted them to sing the song.

It's no bother, they said. I'm not too hung up about who sings that song. Really.

Frisk nodded, and did not bring up the issue again as Chara began to teach Shyren the song.

---

Frisk's yawn was silent, but the movement caught Chara's attention from the corner of their eyes. Their partner had been sitting on the ground near them, hugging their knee as they watched the two sing. Chara had noticed their drowsy eyes before, but lost track of time again as they got further and further invested into their task. Have they been at it with Shyren for so long? They held up their hand, and Shyren stopped her vocals.

"My apologies, Shyren, but may I ask what time it is?" they asked.

"Oh, sure." Shyren peaked under her fin. "Um, it's… oh dear, it's nearly seven in the morning."

Seven in the morning. They had hoped on getting a move on around this time the night before, but with their rude awakening and subsequent effort to befriend their new visitor, Frisk was in a poor shape to be going anywhere.

And neither am I, Chara thought as they closed their eyes, their eyelids suddenly feeling like they've been hooked with a pair of dumbells. At this realisation, a yawn began to come over them and they had to take a long, slow breath through their nose to hide it.

"I see." They looked to Shyren with an apologetic smile. "This is awfully rude of me, but I fear this is where we'll have to stop."

"O-oh. Okay. I understand that," Shyren said, as disappointed as a kid who finished her ice cream too fast.

"I've had a great time though. You have a lovely voice. I would love to do this again in the future."

"Yeah…" Shyren turned to the Echo flower bed at the other end of the cave, then at both their and Frisk's dirty night clothes which they had been wearing all day yesterday. "Um, are you guys okay?"

"We're fine," Chara lied nonchalantly. It was better that the monsters they encounter had no idea who they were and simply knew them as 'just some kids'. "I know it looks bad, but this is just a temporary stop, you see."

"B-but it looks like you guys have been walking the marshes in the same clothes you're wearing now," Shyren pressed on. "And I don't see any change of clothes on you. You don't even have any bags to carry anything."

Chara didn't say anything to that. They didn't know what to say. It was true that their situation was not the most ideal, and this was technically the easiest part of their journey. They were in Waterfall where edible grass and fungi were in abundance. But once they arrive at Hotland, food will become very scarce. Even if they could afford to skip a few meals, they didn't want the same for Frisk, and the heat of Hotland will demand a lot of drinkable water for the both of them, something they could not afford to skip out on if they actually wanted to get anything done. It was a fact which they would need to eventually face, but it was also not a fact that they were comfortable sharing with a practical stranger.

"Um, actually," Shyren began, breaking the silence. "I know that we've just met, a-a-and this might be way too forward or something, but um, would you guys like to follow me back to my home? I-I don't have any spare bed or anything but I have a couch and it'll be so much better than this cave for you to sleep in."

Chara's brow furrowed slightly at that.

An offer to help? The thought had not come across them at all so far. Frisk and they were fugitives and everyone they came across in the Kingdom was a potential threat. The best they had expected from an interaction with a monster was an amicable parting like they were about to have with Shyren. When it came to other necessities, Chara had expected they would be stealing from the Hotland's stores. This was an unexpected turn, a generous offer that touched the heart. It also caused a chill down Chara's spine and made them clench their hand around their cane grip tight.

"I… appreciate the offer, but I do not think that is a good idea," they said with a thin smile. "We barely have two hours before we need to start moving again."

"Um, actually, I was going to offer a little more than just a bed."

Chara tensed their jaw. "Were you, now?"

"Yeah. I noticed your dirty clothes from the moment I saw you guys and I instantly thought: Aw, those poor kids. If only I could take them home and give them some." Shyren blushed. "Um, and then I realised I have no idea who you were and got really scared. B-but that's not the point! I have some clothes for you two back at my place. I might even give you some bags for your travel."

"We're not interested." The answer from Chara was curt.

"Y-you aren't? It's really not that far. I live alone out here. And those things I have, I was going to throw them away anyway, so you'll be doing me a fav-"

"I said, we're not interested!"

Chara's hissing words tore at the air like a serrated blade, and everyone -Shyren, Frisk, and even Chara themselves- jumped in response.

"Oh. I'm sorry." Shyren's entire body seemed to shrink like a dying candlelight, and she floated back to put further distance between them.

"I… I'm sorry, I…" Chara tried to speak through their suddenly dry throat, but their words choked and refused to come out any further.

Someone walked past them.

Frisk, who was now wide awake, went over to Shyren and mumbled a quiet apology, soothing the distraught monster in their place. Chara's throat choked again as they watched. They had their eyes fixed on Frisk, even though they wanted to look away. They were sure that Frisk was mad, that once Shyren was consoled enough, they would look up at them with anger, confusion, disappointment, and seeing it would crack something inside them.

But when Frisk did, they didn't glare at them. They frowned, not in anger, but with concern.

Are you okay? they asked.

Chara wanted to cry.

They couldn't bring themselves to say anything. Their back felt cold, their arm weightless, almost floating, like they were eager to do… something. Something violent. But that also made their insides churn, because this was not what they wanted. They didn't mean to scare Shyren. They just wanted her to stop.

How could they explain to Frisk what was going through their mind? This jumbled mess of thoughts, both rational and irrational hounding at each other's boundaries until Chara couldn't recognise which was which. The world was a scary place. You couldn't follow people to their homes, not even the nice ones. Especially not the nice ones. Sure, it may be the rule of the surface and may not apply in the Underground, but hard-learned lessons were difficult to forget, even if they wanted to.

Chara?

Chara swallowed their dry throat, and they crouched down near Shyren. The fish monster averted her eyes, but they spoke on, nonetheless. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I did not mean to raise my voice like that. I'm just… not used to such kind offer. I panicked a little."

Shyren looked up at them in shock. "Oh goodness, I-I didn't mean for you to panic. I just wanted to help."

"I know, and we are ever so grateful for you being so generous." Chara turned to Frisk and their grubby clothes, clumped hair and the bags under their eyes. They looked so tired. Chara stilled themselves with a breath and made a decision. "Very well. We will take up on your offer."

"R-really?"

Chara smiled, as strained as it was. "Yes. It is a generous offer. I'm honestly not sure if we should, but if you truly insist-"

"I insist! I insist!" Shyren's expression brightened, bobbing up and down in the air in excitement.

Relief came over Chara and they turned to Frisk, looking for a smile, an approval, something that would indicate that they did the right thing. But when they did, all they saw was Frisk watching them with concerned eyes, and they immediately turned their gaze away back on Shyren.

There wasn't much for them to pack in terms of belongings, and the three were soon out of their little cave and off to Shyren's home. And through all that, Chara did not look at Frisk once.

---

Frisk kept a constant watch on Chara as they walked to Shyren's home.

The two of them were keeping distance from each other, with Chara walking ahead with Shyren, talking about compositions and other details of a song that was too detailed and complicated for Frisk to really understand. At a first glance it appeared as though Chara was trying to amend for how they behaved earlier with the monster, and there was no doubt in Frisk's mind that they were doing that, but there was also a nagging feeling that Chara was doing their best to avoid having the two of them talk about the outburst as well.

Frisk had been half asleep when Chara raised their voice and so had not heard the full conversation that had lead up to it, but they recalled the feeling, one that was so strong it overwhelmed Chara's senses and reason. It was cold yet electric, making their heart pound and head buzz. It also made them want to throw up, to scream and hide under a blanket, block out everything around them in a futile effort to block out their feelings. It was an awful experience to have, and the only thing that made it worse was the fact that Chara was feeling this. Frisk was certain that Chara was still feeling this to some degree. They knew they were, because Chara had closed up their connection and was still blocking them out.

The studio wasn't too far from where they were, just as Shyren had said. Behind a certain waterfall mere ten minute away from where they had slept, there laid a little alcove of dry land. It quickly ended with a large stone wall, jagged with magic crystals growing in random clusters. At the bottom, a long wooden door stood, complete with a tiny welcome mat on the floor that read 'Hello, I'm mat'.

"Huh," Frisk said. For all those times befriending Shyren, they had never went to her home before. They had always thought she lived underwater.

"You've gotten yourself quite the spot for a home," Chara said. "How have you come to own such a place?"

"Oh, this used to be an old ranger's station that they stopped using awhile back," Shyren said, swimming through the air towards the door. "The tunnel that they used to come here collapsed and made it difficult to make the proper patrols. So they decommissioned it and put it up for sale."

"You own a ranger station all on your own? That must have been quite pricey."

"Not really. Nobody wanted to live so far away from the main cities, so the price kept going down. Plus, I got a bit of money when-" Shyren paused. "I mean, I suddenly had money this one time, and I always wanted to live by myself, you know? So I just thought, why not?" She placed the tip of her head antenna on the door, and an invisible wall of magic revealed itself in a bright, white light before receding like blinds being pulled open. The door clicked and pushed inwards on its own, and Shyren turned around, raising her fin in an 'enter' gesture. "There. Come on in."

The house was -as the monster's appearance would have suggested- water themed, though more leaning towards the "sea-water" side than "fresh-water". The door immediately opened up to a wide living room where the walls -painted in deep ocean blue- was curved smooth. Pink coral lamps accompanied a clam shaped bean-chair and a treasure box themed couch. Both seats were facing a TV in the shape of a deep diver's helmet, and a starfish shaped clock above which had short and long octopus arms to indicate the time. At the end of the living room, three passage ways stood, two of which were covered by a crystal bead curtains made to look like water bubbles, and one that was directly leading to a stairway to the second floor.

As they surveyed the room, Chara hummed in approval. "You've done quite well with this place. Very nice."

"Oh. Thank you," Shyren said, hiding her blush behind her hair-fin. "Well, that's the couch I was talking about. Please, take a seat and wait here a moment. I'll be right back."

Frisk was about to smile and nod when Chara spoke up. "Where are you going?"

Frisk tensed. Chara was wearing a toothy smile, but their words were abrupt and loud, like a train rushing past a station with its horn blowing off.

It took a moment for Shyren to collect her thoughts and answer. "Oh, I-I'm just going upstairs," she said.

"What for? How long will you be gone?" Chara spoke as soon as Shyren finished, then added in a lighter tone, "Sorry. I was thinking I don't want to dirty your couch if possible. I don't mind standing for a bit if you won't be gone long."

"Oh, there's no need for that. I'll just be a minute. I'm going to go fetch some towels for the dirt and those spare clothes I was talking about."

Chara hesitated but after a moment, nodded. Shyren nodded back and was gone, floating up the stairs and out of sight.

A moment of silence befell the two humans, the ticking of the clock only intensifying the awkward energy that seemed to grow before them. When it became apparent that Chara wouldn't speak up on their own, Frisk spoke up.

"Chara?" they began, taking a step towards Chara who had their back turned to them.

"I know, okay?" Chara snapped, then hung their head and sighed. "I know. I'm just… I don't think I can. Not now."

Frisk would be lying if they said that they didn't want to coax the answer out of their partner. They even knew that they could if they really pushed. But instead of doing that, they nodded and smiled. "You don't have to talk. We can talk about it when you are ready, and if you're never ready, we don't ever have to, okay?" And they really didn't. Frisk would rather be kept in the dark forever than make Chara do something they didn't want.

"I'm sorry," Chara said, but Frisk was quick to shake their head.

"Don't be. You have nothing to be sorry for." Frisk went and stood next to them, peering up at them until Chara finally returned the gaze. "Are you okay?" they asked.

"Yes. I think so." A soft smile pulled Chara's lips. "You're always so good to me."

"We're good to each other," Frisk said and gave Chara a hug which was quickly returned with a kiss on their head.

The two stayed like that for a moment longer, enjoying a comfortable silence that had happiness bubble inside Frisk like a fresh soda.

"Hey," they said when they parted. "You know that TV is the same one that SpongeBob has?"

Chara peered over at the TV in question and back to Frisk with a quirked brow. "Who?"

"Oh right. We'll watch it when we're at the castle. You'll love it. It's a cartoon about a sponge living under the sea. Oooh, who lives in the pineapple under the sea? SpongeBob SquarePants!"

Chara didn't seem to know whether to frown or laugh. "I think someone's a bit sleepy."

"No, I'm not!" Frisk giggle, but even as they said that, they were feeling the lack of sleep return to them in full force and was ready to crash as soon as Shyren returned.

As if on queue, there was a swish in the air as one of the bead curtains parted. Frisk turned and smiled to greet their fish friend, but in their sleep addled mind, they had forgotten that Shyren had went upstairs. And the archway to the stairs had no bead curtains set up.

In a second, both Chara and Frisk stared at the newcomer with wide eyes, just the newcomer did them.

The newcomer was a merman, with blue fish tail for legs, bulging, dark muscles emphasising the humanoid chest and arms, and a horse head completing the set with a spikey Mohawk hairstyle that stood up with dark-blue dye job.

It was an Aaron, and the merman stared at the two humans with his jaw slowly dropping open in a trembling manner.

Uh oh, Frisk thought, and as soon as they did, in perfect synchronisation, the Aaron began to scream.

---