PATCHWORK SOUL

Is That A Light? Chapter 83

Sans wasn't sure where to start. He supposed the beginning wasn't so bad a place. The flower patch deep in the Ruins was empty, though. Quiet, though the air whirling around the place seemed to carry a tune. It was so soft, it was more like it could be felt than heard. It put pressure in the back of his skull, a thought he couldn't quite grasp.

He checked the Ruins door. Nobody was there, not even new footprints. He winced. Where could his kid have ended up? Not on the surface, surely? He felt his soul thunk and a chill pass through him. He steadied himself. He'd find her. No matter what, he'd always find her.

His thoughts shifted to Toriel. Maybe they'd found each other. He half expected it not to work, but the colour spectrum shifted from white and purple to warm, yellow light as he plunked himself in her living room, beside her fireplace. A chair was toppled over. That was odd.

"Tori?" he called. He didn't hear anything and he wandered the house, looking around. "Frisk? Kiddo, you in here?"

He caught sight of a sheet of paper on the floor right in front of the front door. Also odd. He knelt and scooped it up.

"Dear Frisk, this is mom writing. If you see this, PLEASE wait in the house!!! I will be back, soon, I am just looking around the Ruins for you."

Frisk definitely wasn't here, then. She wouldn't have left this on the floor. He sighed. Good to know that Toriel was alright, but his soul was humming a little too fast. There was something a little different about it. He clenched his hand into his shirt; pleaded for it not to be because he'd lost a sibling this time. He winced. Tried to hold himself together, but he didn't like where his mind was running off to. He gently put the note back down on the ground. He hoped the kid would come across it.

He went to the lab quickly and found Alphys stumbling, dazed, down her escalator. She yelped when she saw him and he caught her soul when she tripped at the bottom. She lurched forward and grabbed onto him with a hug.

"Oh m-m-my god!!" she squeaked. She clutched him tight and buried her face into his shoulder. "S-Sans... Sans, I... I...!"

"Remember?" he said.

"Yes!" She shot up, her eyes alight. "Everything! A-All of it! Oh my god, I... I... I-Is everyone okay?! Where's Frisk?"

"Still lookin'," he said.

"What?!" she yelped. She pulled back and put a hand on her head. "Oh m-my god, but...?"

"S'okay. I'll find her," he said.

"I c-can check the tapes, I c-can...!"

Sans put a hand up to stop her. "Take care of your pals," he said. "I'll find my sister. Just need to figure out where time decided to chuck her. Were you in bed?"

"Y-Yeah! Yeah, I was, actually," she said. "...Did you guys check her bed? Wait. Sh-She doesn't have a bed, does she?"

"Yeeeah, she just kinda sleeps wherever," he said. "Uh..."

"Oh, god, um, wh-what about Undyne, is she...?"

"Checkin' on her next," Sans said. "Glad you're okay. See ya?"

"Y-Yeah!" she said. "W-Wait, your h-hand—?!"

He left too quickly to answer her. The first thing Sans heard when he got to Undyne's dark house was a large crash and some swearing.