Blood and Ash

Prologue

Sans shoots up in his naked mattress of a bed, as he'd done countless times at this point. He puts a bony hand to his head to try and quell the ringing headache induced by the forced sleep he's put into at every reset. He had been stupid enough to be napping when the kid had started fighting a certain scaled, armor-clad royal guard. Now he's knocked out every time they die. At this point, it's just been inconvenient considering this is the 15th time they've died to the fish lady. 

Getting out of bed with a sigh as his headache subdues, he's grateful that his brother is out patrolling Hotland and therefore too busy to give him a lecture. Taking a quick shortcut to his Hotland post and backtracking to the massive mountain near the end of Waterfall where Undyne likes to hang around and pretend to be her own boss. Lo and behold, there she is at the top of the rock formation. She catches a glance at Sans from the peripheral of her one good eye and jumps down with one fell leap, landing powerfully and standing up straight with her bright red spear.

"The fuck are you doing here? I thought you were wallowing in self-pity in your room after your brother got done beating your ass for slacking off." Sans rolls his eyes. He gets belittled so much from every possible angle that it has no effect on him anymore. At least, not from Undyne it doesn't. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Where's the human, bitch? If you haven't already killed them, then you're hiding them somewhere for some fucking reason and I'd rather just take them myself so we can all get this over with." Undyne raises an eyebrow at him and smiles, a full mouth of yellowed razor-sharp piranha teeth glinting in the light of the glowing crystal at the top of the mountain illuminating the entire cave room. "No way. Have you started doing LSD or something to cope with the fact that your brother outshines you in every way? Did he hit you too hard and fuck up your head?" Sans looks up at her with a blank expression, already tired of her antics. "The hell are you talking about? There's no human down here, and there hasn't been since the last one 50 years ago. Gerson got their soul and took it to Asgore before he retired." 

Sans freezes. There's no way they just quit, right? Is this what happens when the kid just gives up? They just get erased from the universe entirely? Undyne snaps her fingers in front of his face. "Hey, come back, dipshit. Answer me."Sans returns to reality from his own thoughts. "What?" "I said, where's Papyrus? I've got a score to settle with him." "When don't you?" Undyne snarls a low guttural growl before grinning a sinister smile. "Watch it! I wouldn't want to hurt Papy's little punching bag. Or maybe I would! Maybe then he'd give me a little respect around here." Sans stands his ground, but his body is yelling at him to take a couple steps back. He'd challenge her if he had more strength, but a mere single blow would be enough to dust him and without the kid, he doesn't know when things would reset and revive him.

"Get lost, Sans. It's abundantly clear no one wants you here and you're off your fucking rocker. Go back to your coke or something." As Undyne stays grounded in her place, spear in hand, Sans reluctantly starts walking back into Waterfall, listening closely as he goes to make sure Undyne doesn't try to catch him off-guard as he leaves. As soon as he's out of sight, he starts to panic. Where the fuck is that kid? All of an uncountable number of deaths through Ruins, Snowdin, and nearly through Waterfall and this is where they call it quits? Taking a quick shortcut all the way to the Ruins door at the beginning of Snowdin, he waits. He waits and hopes for the human child to come walking through that door with that same determined expression. Unfortunately, that human is now gone. 

You, however, are here.