Reset (Sans x Older!Frisk)

14- Resurrection

Frisk followed Asgore to the barrier mutely, like a lost puppy being shown the way home.

"Think of it like a dentist appointment," he had said in that warm, fatherly voice. Once, the words had chilled her- she had harbored an unrelenting will to live and she didn't want to think of her death as clinical and inconsequential. Now she yearned for it- for her death to be fast and painless and to hurt as few monsters as possible.

As he raised his trident, Frisk wanted to close her eyes and just let it end, but she found herself unable to- she was riveted by the image of her own death approaching. She'd died many, many times, but never for good. Never with this sense of finality.

Time seemed to slow to a standstill as the points of the trident just barely touched her throat, and her legs began to move on their own. Against her will, she cleanly stepped out of the way.

Did you really think I would just accept this? Chara asked with an annoyed tone, as if Frisk had done something as trivial as borrowed a pen without asking.

Asgore looked surprised for a moment, then rounded on her to attack again. The look of sorrow on his face as he aimed the trident again appeared ghostly with the red tint in Frisk's vision.

I'll be taking it from here.

Chara dodged and sidestepped Asgore's attacks with a speed and agility Frisk didn't know she had possessed, while Frisk put all her energy into trying to slow her down. It went against everything she knew- that Chara was fighting for their lives while Frisk tried to end them.

Finally, Frisk managed to slow Chara enough that the trident nicked her arm, a small but deep cut, and blood welled up immediately. The pain made Frisk cry out, while it only served to enrage Chara further.

Several more times, Frisk slowed herself or made herself trip, inflicting wounds to the point where even Chara could hardly move. She growled in an almost inhuman way.

Give up, Chara, Frisk implored her, Your health is so low that you'll only cause us more pain if you continue.

Our health. Ours, Chara retorted, a hint of desperation in her tone, You're so focused on ending me that you're forgetting you will die too. You'll die and you'll never see any of them again.

I didn't forget.

Dying hurts, Chara continued, ignoring Frisk, It's cold and it's dark and it hurts. I've been there and I'm not going back. Frisk felt tears pricking her eyes and struggled to quell a rush of shock and something akin to sympathy, since she knew the tears weren't hers.

Chara barely managed to avoid Asgore's next attack, but the trident sank into her leg instead. She screamed and collapsed to the ground. She tried to drag herself with her hands but slipped in the blood covering the floor and fell back down, her red vision flickering in and out.

"I'm so sorry it had to be this way," Asgore rumbled as he raised the trident above his head, and again time seemed to slow down. Frisk managed to lift her head, and in the shadows she saw a figure.

It was Flowey, face impassive, but Frisk's heart broke for him anyway. He knew what was happening- that he was watching the death of Chara, his oldest friend. Even if he truly could feel no emotion, witnessing this wasn't something Frisk would wish on anyone.

"Forgive me," Frisk whispered, laying her head back down on to the floor and closing her eyes.

As the trident swung down like a guillotine, Frisk felt an arm wrap around her waist and she was quickly dragged backwards out of the way.

"That's enough, kid," her rescuer said, laying her on the ground on her back and grinning.

"Sans? Why?" Frisk croaked.

"I told you I couldn't let you do this," he replied, "And besides, I made a promise to the old lady to protect you." If it was even possible, his grin grew wider and he added, "Sorry I'm late. I was bringing backup."

As he spoke, a ball of fire hit Asgore, sending him flying backwards, and Toriel entered the room, followed by Papyrus, Undyne, and Alphys.

"HUMAN! THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS HERE TO SAVE YOU!!!" Papyrus shouted.

"Everyone stop fighting each other!" Undyne yelled too.

"Y-yeah, everyone calm d-down," Alphys added.

"What's going on?" Asgore spluttered, baffled.

As Toriel snapped at him, Frisk looked back at Sans. "But... don't you understand? This is the only way to defeat Chara, and the monsters can go to the surface."

"No, it's not," Sans argued, "Listen, kid. The first time you came to this room we all thought that you had two options- to kill Asgore or to die. You proved us wrong then. Prove yourself wrong now."

Frisk was silent for a long moment, then said, "Alright. I'll try, for you. I'm going to talk to Chara. Face to face."

"I believe in you, bud," Sans responded, voice warm.

"Just promise me one thing," Frisk added urgently, "When I open my eyes, if they're red, you have to kill me."

"I told you, I can't-"

"Promise!" Frisk insisted, and finally Sans gave in.

"I promise," he stated.

Frisk smiled. "I love you," she said softly, before closing her eyes and plunging into the abyss.  

A/N: As we head into the final chapters, I'd just like to thank you guys so much for the support you've given me for writing this. I wouldn't have made it nearly this far without you. 

As always, thanks for reading and have a great day :)