Hide and seek
When Sans came to, he was laying sprawled out in the middle of a dirty city street. He sat up confused at first as to where he was and how he had gotten there, until the events of just moments ago became clear in his mind again. Right, he was currently residing in Frisk's soul, which apparently was taking on the form of Ebott city. It was strange remembering reality when in this sort of trance like state. Sans mused that it was almost like trying to remember a dream after waking up, but at the same time that you were still dreaming. He shook his head not wanting to confuse himself any more before he got to his feet and began to take in his surroundings.
It was warm. It looked like summertime in the city, which made sense as Frisk had lolled off thinking about her favorite time of year. The sun washed over the town in a somewhat brilliant way, and if Sans had to guess it was somewhere around dawn, though Frisk’s perspective was obviously embellished a little bit as Sans couldn’t recall ever seeing the city bathed in such a gorgeous light before.
As Sans began to wander he couldn’t help but feel like he was lost. Though he recognized that he was in Ebott city, at the same time it wasn’t familiar at all. Sans began to walk down the streets that he had come to know like the back of his hand, only to find that everything looked slightly off as if it were warped, a little like looking at it through a fun house mirror.
It was like the picture of the city that he was currently walking in didn’t accurately reflecting his own memories of it. Certain shops that Sans was fond of, and had visited numerous times, appeared fuzzy as if they weren’t given proper attention to detail. Even when Sans tried to focus on them, knowing what they should look like, they didn’t come into full view. Other areas of the city that Sans hadn’t even paid a second glance to, however, jumped out to him clearly. There was a ladies boutique which had a lot of pretty things displayed in the window that Sans found himself looking at more than he knew he should be. A sweet shop on the corner, advertising a deal on their world famous milk shake, oddly grabbed his attention when he had never had such a sweet tooth before. The rooftops and dark alleys, however, were what remained the sharpest in his vision. The amount that Sans caught himself focusing on them threw him off guard. It was almost as if he were transfixed. San’s tried to clear his mind, but it was to no avail. These were Firsk’s memories that he was walking through after all, he could only see things how she did.
“Jeez, this is like having double vision. It’s giving me a headache.” Sans said to himself as he continued to walk through the streets, not entirely knowing exactly what it was that he should be searching for.
He noticed how unnaturally quiet it was around him. The shops were all lit up and open for business, but there were no people about. It sent a little shiver up Sans’ spine. He felt like he was walking in a ghost town.
Sans meandered a little bit more without a real purpose, and then decided to try to enter into one of the buildings that lined the streets. He chose one of the more detailed ones that Frisk must have paid a lot of attention to. It was a quaint looking cafe on the corner of a pretty popular intersection as Sans also recognized the place from his own memories. When he entered into the shop, it remained stagnant for just a moment before all of a sudden it came to life. People appeared out of thin air and began bustling around like they were going about their daily business.
Sans stood shocked for a moment, startled by the sudden action taking place, and couldn’t move out of the way fast enough as a lady toting along a child strode swiftly toward the exit. Sans braced himself, sure that she was going to run into him, but instead the women mealy fazed right through him and continued on her way out the door before disappearing again right before his eyes. Sans patted himself down in a bit of a panic as he was certainly not used to the sensation of someone just walking right through him.
Sans managed to remove himself from the flow of traffic as to avoid another unwanted encounter. He then looked around at the rest of the café still rather unsure as to what was going on. Another individual, a young man, was sitting at the café’s counter bar, reading the paper and sipping at a coffee. There was a piece of pie on a plate next to him that only had a nibble taken from it. Sans eyed the young man a little warily before he gathered up his nerve and waved a hand in front of the man’s face. The man didn’t react in the slightest and continued to read his paper as if he didn’t even notice Sans being a nuisance right next to him.
“Huh.” Sans said, a bit of a smirk tugging on his cheek bones as he decided to try something a little bit more drastic.
Sans then reached forward and shot his hand right through the man’s head. His hand fazed through him as if he wasn't even there, just as the women with the child had done to Sans before.
“Wow.” Sans said as he wiggled his fingers while his arm was still stuck through the side of the man’s head like an arrow through an apple. “Neat.”
It took Sans a moment to realize that these people were only phantoms, mere figments of Frisk’s memories. He wouldn’t be able to interact with them, only observe.
The man then suddenly got up off of his seat. He spoke something to the bartender, but the words came out of his mouth all garbled and Sans couldn’t make heads or tail of them. He supposed that Frisk must have not been paying attention to the conversation. Then the man tipped his hat and gathered up his paper before walking out of the building, leaving behind his hardly touched pie piece.
Suddenly Sans realized something. If this was one of Frisk’s memories then she had to be here in order for her to have created it. He looked around the shop almost franticly until he spotted her.
She was sitting alone in a booth at the far corner of the cafe drinking a chocolate milkshake. It had actually taken Sans a moment to recognize her as she looked to be a fair bit younger, at least by a couple of years or so. She was wearing some oversized dirty street clothes that were similar to the ones that she owned in present time. She also looked thinner, much to Sans dismay. Her cheeks were sunken in, and her eyes looked duller then the usual warm brown orbs that Sans had grown so fond of. She had a bruise on her cheek, and Sans also noticed some other scrapes and minor injuries over her hands and arms.
He just stood there and watched her for a moment as she sucked the milkshake down as it were her life line ….which he figured it probably was by her malnourished appearance. Slowly he made his way over and sat in the booth across from hers.
“You’re looking like you’re in a bit of rough shape kiddo.” He said sadly as she continued to slurp the remaining bit of ice cream from her glass.
She didn’t respond to him and Sans wasn’t expecting her too, as he knew that this was only a shadow of Frisk’s past. He could only watch what happened here. He couldn’t change it, no matter how much he wished that he could.
“You about finished with that?” A snarky voice sounded from the side of the booth. Sans looked over to see a cranky, and very ugly, looking waitress standing by Frisk’s side of the table.
Sans had to do a double take when he saw just how disfigured the women appeared before him. She almost looked cartoonish. The women’s eyebrows appeared to be obviously drawn on, forming sharp peeks over her droopy eyes that were heavily caked in a powdery purple eyeshadow. A cigarette was hanging limply from her clown like mouth, which was over painted with red lipstick. Her apron was stained, and her uniform was wrinkled. She held a tray under one scrawny arm as the other was placed on her bulbous hip. She looked at Frisk with an annoyed grimace, her expression set as if she were gazing down at a cockroach.
Sans realized then that Frisk’s memory of this women was most likely skewed by her impression of her, and that she probably didn’t look this hideous in real life; though that didn’t mean that this lady was any less nasty.
Frisk sucked up the last remaining morsel of her milkshake and then smiled pleasantly.
“Yes thank you, I’ll just take the bill.” She said. The women smirked almost cynically as she slammed a piece of paper down in front of Frisk.
“That will be 20 cents hun.” She said condescendingly as she presented Frisk with the bill, having had it ready before hand. Frisk paused letting out an unsurprised sigh as she began digging around in her pockets.
Sans watched the whole episode play out and anger sparked in his soul. The women didn’t even try to be subtle with her suspicions, as Sans could see by the way that she was blatantly sneering at Frisk that she was pegging her as a thief.
“If you can’t pay the bill I got a whole stack of dishes that can sure use a good scrubbing in the back.” The women began to chirp smugly before Frisk even had a chance to try to pay for the bill honestly.
“Hey, why don’t you back up and give the girl a break hu?” Sans found himself snapping, but the women didn’t pay him any mind as Sans was reminded again that he could make no difference as to what played out in front of him.
He looked around at the other patrons to see if anyone else would come to Frisk’s aid, but none did. They instead seemed to be finding this whole scene rather amusing. A few smartly dressed teenaged girls giggled in the corner while pointing and snickering, while a few other individuals shock their heads as if Frisk was getting what she deserved.
Sans could see that Frisk’s face was flushed with embarrassment as she counted up the change in her pockets. She then stood from her seat, raising herself so that she was at eye level with the ugly waitress.
“Here keep the change, and you can scrub the damn dishes yourself!” She said as she shoved the money into the waitress’s apron pockets and then made her way to leave the café.
The waitress just stood stunned as she watched Frisk walk down between the booths toward the door, but before Frisk exited the building she made a quick grab for the nibbled pie piece on the counter. She shot the waitress with a snarky wink while she took a big bite out of the pie before quickly making her leave. Sans watched as the waitress tried to hobble her way down to the café’s entrance, hollering at Frisk that she needed to pay for that.
Then the vision faded and Sans was left alone in the empty café once again. He continued to sit in the booth for a while as he replayed the events that he had just observed. This was most likely a memory from Frisk’s earlier days when she had been living on the streets, and there were probably going to be plenty more that were just like this one. Sans sighed as he let his head fall back against the booth. He wasn’t sure that he was fully prepared to see all of these unhappy memories, and this was just the tip of the ice burg. He had no idea what to expect if his assumptions were right about Frisk and Gaster’s connections. He wasn’t sure if he was able to bear witness to such things. Sans sat for a while then before he forced himself to get up again. He had work to do after all.
Sans continued on visiting multiple buildings and encountered more and more of Frisk’s memories. Some were similar to the first that he had experienced, and some very different. Some were from when Frisk was older, and some were form when she was very young.
He followed a version of her that looked to be no more than eleven years of age, as she darted this way and that through the back streets and alleyways of the Undercity. She was a small dirty little thing, but was still so full of pepe and spunk in spite of the odds staked against her. He had watched her mouth off to a mobster who had stiffed her, paying less then what was promised for her work. Sans had been proud of her wit, as even as a child she was able to take down a fully adult males ego with a few sharp comments. However, the mobster who wasn’t so good with words was unfortunately good with his fists.
Sans had to turn away when Frisk had miss stepped and had gotten caught. She got a black eye and a bloodied nose that day. Sans sat with her while she cried in the alleyway, wishing that she could somehow feel his presence with her, if maybe he could give her some comfort.
Sans found the old orphanage that Frisk had stayed in for a year after Toriel had given her up. When he entered the building it became filled with children of all ages, running around, laughing, and playing like wild animals. He could barely believe that he had managed to find Frisk as an eight year old in all of that madness. She was so small back then, she hardly even made it up to Sans’ rib cage. Her eyes were big and bright, though they still held a strong sorrow to them as well. Her cheeks were so chubby that Sans wished that he could off pinched them at least just once. She would often play with the other children, and had even made some good friends, but more often than not Sans would see her staring out the window waiting for Toriel to come back for her. One night she snuck out through an unlocked maintenance door and never came back.
Sans continued on his trek through Frisk’s image of Ebbot, feeling like he wasn’t really getting anywhere. Though he had learned a lot about Frisk’s past he still wasn’t finding the answers that he was looking for. He had to find a way to dig deeper.
Suddenly an idea came to him. The laboratory. If Frisk’s memories involving Gaster were anywhere then they would surely be stored in that building. Now all he had to do was find Frisk’s version of it.
Sans changed his route, skipping over the other buildings while ignoring the phantoms that played out there scripted memories. He needed to get to the lab, and he didn’t have time for any more distractions. As he made his way through the city however, his surroundings continued to get more and more vague to the point that the buildings where no more than blurred smudges, and the road kept warping as if it weren’t sure exactly where it was supposed to lead to.
Sans narrowed his sockets. Whatever memories that this road led to it was clear that Frisk did not visit them often. He tried to bury his already growing speculations. This could still be nothing. The fact that this area of town was so unclear could be simply because Frisk had no memories about it to begin with, not because she was avoiding them. But as Sans entered into the industrial district things took on a very different feeling. His surroundings were no longer washed in golden light, instead a dull overcast blanketed the sky. The colors all faded as the memories that Sans was walking by became unsaturated and foggy. Sans felt a cold chill over take his being as a strong smell of smoke perforated his nostrils. He felt suddenly that he shouldn’t be here, that he should turn back now before it was too late. He continued on regardless.
And then there it was. The lab.
The warehouse stood sharp and stark against its muddled background. It almost seemed to be glaring as the scenery around the building remained out of focus. Sans felt immediately overwhelmed as suddenly a foreboding feeling settled sickeningly in his soul.
He moved toward the door and opened it. The interior of the warehouse was empty, just a big dark room. It was nothing like how it really looked in reality. Sans could here muffled voices echoing around the empty space and disembodied footsteps, but they sounded far away like they were obstructed by a wall or something. Sans turned toward the door that led down into the lower levels. It creaked open with an unsavory grown. Sans felt himself break out into a cold sweat as He descended the stairs.
The hallway was dark and musty. Sans felt panic build in his being as he continued down into the dark, and this panic was not just a reflection of Frisk’s memories, this was his own panic. He found that the conjured layout before him was all too similar to his own experiences when he had been forced down into the basement with Gaster’s other projects.
He wanted to stop. This was enough. Frisk wouldn’t know about this secret level of the lab unless she had been here herself. This was good enough evidence to suggest that what was written in the journal was fact. But something else kept Sans moving forward, an intense itch to know more, to uncover the horrible truth. He continued to reason with that feeling, even though he knew that he was probably going to regret what he was about to see.
He came to the secret door. It stood large, grey, and intimidating before him. Sans made a move for the handle and turned it carefully. It was locked. He wasn’t surprised.
What was surprising, however, were the chains that shot out from underneath the door and from the cracks at its sides; wrapping themselves tightly around its entire frame. A clear sign that whatever was hidden behind it Frisk didn’t want it to be seen. It was also the incentive that Sans needed to be sure that this was the door that held all of the answers to his questions.
Sans examined the chains. He wondered if there was a way to break them. He wouldn’t summon his magic here as it would be too risky brining an extension of his soul so closely to Frisk’s, but perhaps there was a tool that he could find somewhere. The chains all came together at the center of the door. They were held together by a big iron lock. Sans took a closer look at the lock, noticing that the key hole was in the shape of a heart.
“What are you doing here comedian!?” an angry voice then sounded from behind Sans.
Surprised by the sudden disturbance, Sans spun around to see a young boy standing only a few feet behind him. He was a slightly gangly youth. A mop of brown hair was cut in a clean even angel right above his shoulders, and an angry expression was drawn across the kids face. his pink cheeks were pinched in a scowl, and his red eyes glinted dangerously at Sans in irritation.
Sans blinked in confusion as he stared blankly at the boy. At first he had thought that it was only another phantom. The kid had red eyes like the test subjects described in Gaster’s journal. He could be a companion of Frisk’s past. But the kid had addressed him directly. This meant that he was not just another figment of Frisk’s memories but something different.
“Hey, bone head, I asked you a question.” The boy demanded again, taking a step forward toward Sans. Sans instinctively backed away before he pulled on a casual grin.
“Oh uh, sorry there bucko, I think I got a little lost. It’s a bit dark in these parts after all you know.” He said. The boy stared at Sans unimpressed.
“You shouldn’t be here.” He replied flatly, and Sans stumbled over an attempt at an excuse.
“Yeah, I’m beginning to get the hint that I shouldn’t uh, overstay my welcome so I’ll leave…but hey, maybe you can show me the way back.” He said. The boys red eyes widened in surprise before they narrowed angrily.
“As if I would help you! You wandered in here on your own, you can find your way out by yourself!” The boy spat and Sans merely shrugged.
“Well alright then, it’s just I obviously over stepped a boundary here, and it would be a shame if I accidentally stumbled into some other part of town that I’m not supposed to ….it sure would be handy to have a guide is all.” Sans quickly quipped.
The boy stiffened in front of him, and Sans could see that he was taking the bait. With an annoyed huff the boy turned on his heels.
“Fine. As long as it gets you out of here sooner.” He agreed.
Sans followed behind the boy in silence as he lead the way back out of the lab before heading back into the city. The kid didn’t so much as spare a glance back at Sans, instead keeping his red gaze faced forward. Sans had no idea as to who this stranger was, or why he was different from the other figments that he had come across so far, but he had a hunch. He had heard that a person’s conscience could manifest in an individual’s soul as a sort of guardian if the soul was perceived to be threatened. He wondered if perhaps this was Frisks subconscious telling him to back off. He wondered why Frisk’s guardian would take this form. Who was this boy to Frisk, and why did he have red eyes?
Sans couldn’t help but feel that perhaps this boy was the key he needed to get inside the locked room.
“So….what’s your name there friend. I’m Sans, Sans the skeleton.” Sans began politely in an attempt at making conversation.
“I know who you are trash bag.” The boy snapped back harshly, not offering his own name in return. Sans was silenced for a moment not expecting the punitive reply.
“Oh…ok then, not one for pleasant conversation I see. There a reason why you seem so upset there friend?” Sans questioned, and the boy then turned on his heels and brought his face so close to Sans’ so quickly that Sans almost lost his footing and fell backward.
“I. AM. NOT. YOUR. FRIEND.” The boy snarled. “I know why you came here and I won’t let you ruin everything.”
Sans blinked blankly while he got his soul to settle again as it had nearly burst right out of his rib cage. Who the heck was this kid?
“Look bucko …maybe I made a wrong impression, but I’m really not here to ruin anything. I’m just looking for some information and if you help me get it I’ll leave just like you want.” He tried to reason.
The boy starred at Sans before his face cracked into a menacing grin.
“You monsters are really all the same, only out for yourselves. You don’t care who you hurt in the process. I tried to warn her about you lot. I wish she had listened to me.” He said his tone turning from angry to disappointed as he finished his sentence.
It dawned on Sans then who this kid was.
“You’re Chara arn’t you?” He announced and the boy’s face shifted from that menacing smile to blatant surprise. Sans smirked triumphantly as judging from the kid’s expression he had guessed correctly.
“Frisk told me about you.” Sans continued wryly. “You were close friends back in the day, though she forgot to mention the part about you not being very good at social interactions.” He japed. Chara frowned.
“It doesn’t matter if you know my name or not, you’re still leaving here.” He replied, turning away.
“Well see kid, I can’t leave just yet.” Sans disagreed, causing Chara’s attention to turn abruptly back toward him again.
“I did come here for a reason.” Sans clarified. “And I’m not going back until I get some answers.”
Chara paused, his expression blank before that creepy maniacal smile crept its way back onto his face again. Sans stifled the shiver that was attempting to run down his spine. This kid sure did give him one hell of a case of the hibby jibbys.
“Alright Skeleton.” Chara then spoke up. “Seeing as we are at an impasse why don’t I make you a proposition?”
Sans raised a brow bone in interest, but also paid close attention to the warning bells going off inside his skull.
“What kind of a proposition?” Sans asked and Chara’s red eyes glimmered in what looked to be delight.
“Why don’t we play a game? If you win then you’ll get something you want, and if I win then I’ll get what I want.” Chara began to explain.
“Depends on the stakes kid.” Sans said, not wanting to agree to anything too quickly. Chara chuckled.
“Well I can tell you that the answers that you are looking for do exist behind that door just as you suspected.” Chara said. “And as you are aware that door is locked with no way for you to get your greedy boney digits on them.”
“I’m following you so far.” Sans replied annoyed.
“It must be frustrating being so close to the truth but still having no way to get to it. If only there was a way to open that door, like say a key?” Chara then giggled wickedly, and Sans had to fight himself from scowling.
“Why don’t you just get to the point here buddy?” He suggested already feeling more than frustrated.
“Well it just so happens that I have that key on me right here.” Chara said, pulling on a golden chain that hung around his neck bringing what looked like a little heart shaped locket out from under his patchy sweatshirt.
Sans eyed the little golden trinket as it dangled from around Chara’s neck. It didn’t take him long to figure out that that locket would be a perfect fit to the lock on the laboratory door.
“Ok so what is it that you want if you win?” Sans asked.
“Well that’s simple I want you gone.” Chara answered his eyes sharpening. “You will leave Frisk’s soul empty handed and you won’t ever step foot in this place again.”
Sans paused as he deliberated Chara’s terms. He wasn’t sure he wanted to agree to a deal like that.
Chara sniffed sensing his uncertainty.
“In truth you shouldn’t even be here to begin with. This place isn’t for a filthy monster like you. I’m actually more than a little annoyed that Frisk let you in here. You probably tricked her into it.” Chara accused.
Sans smile faltered then as instead it morphed into an unamused sneer. The brat’s words had stung him more then what he would like to admit. He wondered if a part of Frisk really did feel that way about him, seeing as how Chara was presumably an extension of her consciousness.
“So comedian do we have a deal?” Chara then said tucking the locket back underneath his sweatshirt.
Sans let out a dark sounding chuckle in response as he eyed up the brat before him.
“Yeah it’s a deal.” He said extending his hand. Chara smirked returning the gesture, sealing the agreement with a casual handshake, though it was anything but friendly.
“So what’s the game?” Sans asked.
“It’s easy really, like a version of hide and seek. I run and hide and you try to catch me before the time runs out.” Chara explained.
“What’s the time limit?” Sans questioned and Chara pointed toward the sky.
“How about we say until the sun sets over Ebbot?” He suggested with a smug grin. As Sans also turned his gaze skyward he could see that the continuous dawn like settings were slowly beginning to shift. The sun had started to rise.
“Alright, seems interesting.” Sans replied returning his pinpricks back to Chara.
“Good! Then I’m off! I’d say it was a pleasure but that would be a lie.” He snipped and Sans just rolled his sockets and huffed.
“Yeah yeah smartass. I’ll give you a ten second start.” He replied.
Chara threw him a snarky smile before he ran off, zigzagging his way through the confusing city streets with surprising expertise. When he was gone Sans let his confident front crumble away.
He probably shouldn’t have made that bet. The odds were very much stacked against him, but he didn’t really see any other option at the time and he needed to get his hands on that key. At least now he knew where it was.
After Sans had finished counting silently, he began moving forward in the direction that he had seen Chara head off.
He checked different buildings, briefly scanning memories for the red eyed boy, but as time wore on Sans realized he couldn’t just wander pointlessly. This place was too huge to rely on luck alone he would have to try a different tactic.
He thought back on all of the times that Frisk had mentioned Chara to him. He tried to determine what memory that he might be hiding in, but Frisk had never really shared all that much with him regarding her past. He vaguely recalled her telling him a story about how chara stole a chocolate bar from a vendor in the market square, so Sans decided to try and search that area next. He sighed as he made his way through the streets realizing that he was grasping at straws.
As Sans approached the town market square he suddenly saw a flash of brown hair and a glint of red eyes dart around a corner. Sans snapped his head toward the movement in disbelief. That was the kid. That was Chara!
After he shook of his stupor Sans immediately gave chase, bolting down the alleyway behind the boy. He followed him this way and that, as the kid darted with the agility and grace of a gymnast, always keeping himself just out of Sans’ reach.
Chara had lead Sans down so many twist and turns that Sans could barely keep track of where he was anymore. The back streets all looked the same, like a giant maze of crumbling brick and stone. When Sans sprinted around yet another corner he no longer could see any sign of Chara. He cursed himself under his breath as he frantically searched the area, figuring that the kid was just toying with him at this point, but then he spotted him crouched down behind a rusty bin. Sans smirked triumphantly as he approached. He couldn’t believe it, how on earth had he gotten so lucky?
“Hey see I told you I wouldn’t be long, and look I got a surprise!” Chara suddenly spoke, and Sans raised a brow bone as he paused mid step, wondering who it was that he was talking to.
When Sans was able to see behind the bin he realized what was going on. He hadn’t found Chara, or at least not the one who he was looking for. He had only been chasing another memory.
The Chara that he was seeing now was younger than the one that he had encountered before. He was kneeling next to an even smaller Frisk who looked to be very cross at being kept waiting.
Sans watched as the memory of Chara pulled out a big chocolate bar from behind his back, his red eyes gentile and soft as he presented his treasure to the little Frisk. Her face lit up instantly at the sight and she squealed happily.
Sans groaned defeated as he leaned up against the alleyway wall. Another dead end. Though he decided to stay and watch how this memory played out regardless, it wasn’t like he had any better ideas.
Chara opened the chocolate wrapper as he settled himself, sitting cross-legged on the ground before pulling Frisk into his lap. He split chunks off of the treat and shared it with her while He told her his daring tale about how he had swiped the chocolate bar from the mean old venders stand without him even noticing and Frisk listened transfixed.
Sans found himself chuckling along while he listened in. He had to admit that the brat was actually pretty good at telling stories, even if he was proving to be a massive pain in his side at the moment. As Sans continued to watch, he noticed that this Chara looked different then the version that he had encountered before. His disposition appeared to be kinder, his eyes didn’t hold that glint of malice that Sans had witnessed during their other meeting. He spoke gently to Frisk as he handled her with the utmost care.
Sans wouldn’t have expected that from the boy that he had just been acquainted with at the lab, but then again this was all a reflection of Frisk’s perspective. He had no idea who Chara had really been in reality, and the one that Sans was currently dealing with viewed him as a threat. He knew he couldn’t expect niceties from that phantom, even if at one point he had been a good kid.
Sans was about to turn away to continue on with his search when he overheard the memory of Chara talk about something interesting.
“Frisky I’m gonna go back out on another job tonight, so I need you to go to the secret base and wait for me there until I get back.” He said.
Sans brow bone peeked in interest. Secret base? That sounded promising.
Frisk immediately began to pout at the news.
“No! You just got back!” She protested. Chara smirked and rustled her hair.
“I promise I won’t be long, but you have to be a good girl and go right back to the base ok?” Chara continued, holding the little Frisk with expectant eyes. Frisk grumbled before she reluctantly nodded.
“Ok.” She finally agreed.
Sans watched on as Chara said his final farewells to Frisk before jogging down the alleyway again. The vison of him disappeared as soon as he stepped on to the street. The memory of him had faded. Now Sans was left alone with the little Frisk.
He watched her curiously as she ever so carefully peered out form her hiding place behind the bin, before making her way through the confusing back streets away from the main thoroughfares of the city. Sans felt oddly nervous tailing behind her as she walked. He really didn’t like the fact that Frisk was wandering around on her own at such a young age. She was so vulnerable out here, and who knows what kind of scum would be slinking in this grimy shadowy part of Ebbot. Even though Sans knew that he was only following a memory, and couldn’t interfere with how it played out in the end, he couldn’t help but scan his surroundings vigorously for any possible threats, wanting to protect the child that toted along in front of him.
Luckily, it seemed that Frisk was a rather smart child, as she was also paying very close attention to any and all dangers that presented themselves. If she heard the smallest of sounds she would scurry like a little mouse for cover and hide herself away until it was clear that she was all alone.
Most of these scares were false alarms, such as a bottle being pushed over by a stray cat, or a flock of pigeons cooing around a stale piece of bread. However, there were also more worrying encounters. A group of rowdy, angry, young men rounded one corner just as Frisk had managed to duck out of sight. They looked to be a rag tag simple street gang as they shoved at each other unceremoniously while boasting about how many enemies they could take out with their bare hands. Sans rolled his eyes at the creeps. These sort of yahoos where chump change, not really even belonging to an organization. They would just gather together for violence’s sake and shared love of carnage. As they passed, Sans made sure to stand protectively in front of Frisk’s hiding spot.
After they had left, Frisk continued at her careful pace until she came to an old, rusted latter bolted to the side of a rundown looking red brick building. Sans eyed the structure warily. It appeared as though it had been abandoned years ago and was about to be condemned. With a small grunt, Frisk pulled herself up to the first rung of the ladder, before starting to steadily climb upward. Sans almost instinctively reached out for her, wanting to support her little body so that she wouldn’t fall. He remembered quickly that unfortunately he could be of no help to her as his fingers just fazed through her form. He instead made sure to climb up directly behind her. He knew that it wouldn’t really make a difference but the close proximity gave him at least a little comfort.
When they made it to the top of the ladder Sans heaved himself up on to the roof. He glanced upwards, noticing that his time limit was running out as the sky began to take on the brilliant oranges and pinks that it did during the dusk hours. He realized that this would be his last chance, and he sure hoped that he was right about this hunch of his. Sans then looked briefly around to spot Frisk standing on the edge of the building overlooking the city. She had a small, content smile on her face as the evening breeze gently ruffled her short locks. He stood beside her for a moment as he also gazed at what she was looking at below. There was a street festival going on in one of the city squares. There was music, costumes, and dancing as the entire block was lit up by lanterns and candles all strung up around the celebration.
Frisk only watched for a moment more before she turned away. Sans followed her gaze and found that she was now looking at what appeared to be an old wooden water tower. Sans watched as the little Frisk began to make her way toward it before the vision of her faded away, the memory having completed its course.
Sans now stood alone on the rooftop staring at the old, dilapidated water tower. So this was the secret base. He took a deep breath before he began sauntering toward the structure. He sure hoped that he was right about this.
As Sans got closer, he noticed that there was a large whole in the side of the water towers wooden frame. A sheet had been placed over it from the inside resembling a makeshift door. Sans brushed the sheet away as he crouched down to peer inside.
He poked his head through the opening carefully, not wanting to startle anyone who may be hiding in the tower. He took a moment to observe the space. It really wasn’t all that impressive, but it most definitely looked like someone had set up shack here. There was what looked to be a play area stationed on one side, as a few old broken toys and very warn out looking stuffed animals were scattered around the floor that was matted with flattened cardboard boxes. There were a few story books placed in a pile against one of the walls; some of them had their covers missing, while others were stained or ripped. On the other side was a wad of old pillows, quilts, and blankets piled up in to an un-kept ball, and laying over top of that was the red eyed boy.
He idled there unaware of Sans presence, bouncing a foot with a smug expression drawn across his face. Sans held his breath as he took a moment to make sure that he wasn’t just seeing another memory, and when he was certain that this Chara was the real one a smirk crept its way across his skull. His gamble had been correct. He had won.
Sans flung the curtain back as he stepped inside of the water tower.
“Heya there pal ready or not here I come.” He sung cheekily.
Chara immediately threw himself back against the wall of the tower, startled by the skeletons sudden appearance.
“H- How?” He managed to stutter and Sans chuckled hardily.
Guess your little secret hiding place isn’t as secret as you thought that it was.” He replied smugly. Chara’s expression of surprise then morphed into one of pure rage.
Sans didn’t flinch in the slightest as he took a step forward, holding out his hand expectantly for the locket.
“A deals a deal bucko.” He said. “Hand it over.”
Chara’s red eyes narrowed further as they burned with malice and hatred. Those eyes of his really did disturb Sans a little, even though he kept up his casual façade. He didn’t think that a part of Frisk would ever look at him that way.
“Alright skeleton, you won fare and square.” Chara agreed.
Sans raised a brow bone in slight surprise. He had been fairly certain that Chara was going to ty to weasel his way out of there bargain.
“Let me just get you your reward.” Chara continued before he suddenly lunged toward Sans pulling a switch blade from behind his back.
Sans stumbled backward as he barely was able to dodge the swipe of the knife. He managed to balance himself again as he prepared for the next attack, only it never came. Now that Sans was out of the way, Chara made a break for the door, flinging the sheet out behind him. He leapt from the rooftop, overlooking the street carnival, across to the adjacent building before bolting through the city.
Sans cursed under his breath as he immediately gave chase. He followed Chara’s path as he struggled to make the same maneuvers, leaping from building to building. Chara maintained a growing lead on him. No matter how fast Sans tried to move, the brat maneuvered this way and that with an expertise that Sans couldn’t hope to keep up with. He now understood where Frisk had learned her own city hoping skills from.
“You’re killing me here kid.” Sans murmured to himself as he was forced to stop to catch his breath. He watched as Chara continued to sprint ahead of him without so much as breaking a sweat. He groaned to himself when he saw the answers that he had been so desperately searching for slip away from him as Chara bounded into the distance.
“Damn it!” He cursed to himself. There was no way that he would be able to catch up. When he had been chasing after Frisk through the city he had had the benefit of his magic, but here he couldn’t use it to cut Chara off…unless he didn’t need his magic.
Sans remembered back to the day that he had been attacked in the alley by Ludo’s dimwitted goons. He had been hit with a smoker and was unable to call forth his magic to escape. He remembered that he felt almost certain that he was going to perish then and there, but he had still managed to activate his eye with the power of determination from the soul candy.
Sans looked around himself at the conjured world that surrounded him. This was Frisks soul. This entire realm was saturated in determination and if he wanted to use it then all he had to do was channel it.
Sans closed his eyes as he concentrated, focusing on the energy of his own soul. This would be going a little bit further then what he had originally planned on. Sans had decisively chosen to leave his soul and magic out of this matter. He did not want to accidentally entice a soul bond and end up absorbing Frisk’s soul completely, but if he just reached out and connected for one second, then he might possibly be able to use her determination to his benefit.
Sans channeled his own soul calling it out of dormancy. It responded relatively quickly. He could feel it stirring in his chest excitedly, reacting to his current connection to Frisk’s soul, but he kept it firmly under control. Sans knew that he could not let it simply run rampant, he needed to make sure that he always had a handle on it.
When Sans was somewhat settled he found that he could now feel the swirling levels of determination that surrounded him. The air was so thick with it in fact, that Sans almost felt like he was swimming in the stuff.
The same sudden intense feelings of absolute invincibility that Sans had experienced before in the alleyway when he had swallowed the soul candy flooded his senses. It was however, far more intoxicating this time around as Sans felt his being suddenly becoming filled up with a foreign power. When he opened his sockets again Sans’ left iris was activated, though it did not shine with the usual cyan color of his magic, but instead burned a bright red; the same crimson color as Frisk’s soul.
Sans focused his gleaming eye on the figure of Chara shrinking into the distance. He smirked triumphantly as he then shifted his gaze sharply to the right where a shortcut was ready and waiting for him. Sans chuckled darkly.
“Alright bucko, you wanna play? I’ll play with you.” He said laughing to himself as he disappeared through the tear.