Reset (Sans x Older!Frisk)

8- Gratitude

When Frisk came to again, even knowing she was probably still unconscious in reality, she was almost relieved. She felt more awake here in her own mind, and she couldn't feel any of her bruises or the scrapes she knew would be on her face.

She opened her eyes and lifted her face, taking in her surroundings. She was in the Ruins, and as she had thought, Chara was in front of her, sitting on a pile of ashes. The child wasn't looking at her, but at her own hand, sifting through the dust.

Chara finally spoke as Frisk stood up, turning to meet her gaze. Her lamplight eyes were half-lidded, bored.

You're making this so easy. It's not even fun anymore.

"Then stop!" Frisk said on reflex, venom in her voice, then paused. She was surprised she was being allowed to speak at all.

Chara laughed. Want to build an ash castle with me? When Frisk backed away, horrified, Chara looked back at her hand. You're right, it's probably too dry to hold a shape anyway.

Y'know, Frisk... Nimbly, Chara jumped down from the ash pile, holding up a knife Frisk hadn't noticed before. No matter what I do, you just keep coming back here. I think it's time to change tactics.

Without giving Frisk time to react, Chara advanced, slashing the knife. Frisk held up her arms in a futile attempt to block the blows, but only succeeded in absorbing them with her arms. She knew that she couldn't die here inside her own mind, but the cuts burned all the same.

Now YOU can feel the pain we inflicted on everyone else.

Chara had a huge grin on her face, like a child given candy. The verbal blow was what made Frisk hesitate, just for a moment, and Chara plunged the blade into her side.

She woke up with a start, nearly banging heads with Alphys, who was standing over her.

"Wha-" Frisk started, glancing at the array of monsters around her- Alphys, Undyne, Napstablook, the Monster Kid, even Mettaton. "Where- ow ow ow." She laid back down, the stab wound in her chest throbbing. Judging by the look of the walls and ceiling and the junk piled around, Frisk guessed she was in Alphys' lab.

Mettaton was the first to speak. "Darling, you're awake!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms up dramatically, "Now if you could give me your soul, we could get on with the show."

"N-not the time, Mettaton," Alphys said, giving him the sternest look she could manage.

"Oh, but-" Mettaton started to protest, and was hushed by a look from Undyne.

"You're probably wondering why you're alive," Undyne stated bluntly, "It's because I missed your heart." She grinned. "If it makes you feel any better, it was only by a little."

Frisk smiled nervously. "For some reason, that doesn't make me feel much better," she replied, and Undyne laughed.

"I'm Alphys. Y-you're in my lab now," Alphys put in, smiling as well, "We got you bandaged up. You see, I- I have these cameras set up all over the Underground, and I've been watching your adventure, sort of like a movie, and-"

"Some monster told me that you'd been killing other monsters," Undyne cut in, "but Alphys showed me the camera footage, and it's obviously not true. So, uh... Whoops! Sorry!" She laughed again, while Frisk simply breathed out a sigh of relief. Undyne must not have understood Flowey about the resets.

Undyne appeared to grow somber, giving Frisk a long look. "The fact remains that I should kill you and take your soul for the good of the monsters trapped down here, but your friends managed to convince me otherwise." She sighed, then smiled. "I guess for now I'm going to trust you. You can thank them for that." She gestured at the Monster Kid, who was dozing off, and Napstablook, who had been quiet through the earlier proceedings.