My Idiot

Sympathy

Word about Temmie's death spread throughout the Village. Monsters that she knew and worked with also showed their sorrow. A couple of humans who worked with her also came to the funeral. With how intelligent she was, capable of making nice snacks and clothes, she was remembered by them all. They all came to the funeral. Asriel went too, for Flowey's sake.

The weeks that went on were never quite the same. Flowey never reappeared after the death. Asriel tried to call to him once, but the flower wouldn't come back. He soon found that what influence of him that remained slowly faded away. Perhaps the flower died as well.

He never could explain how much it struck him. With two Monsters dead, it suddenly made his world go dark. He couldn't help but feel rather responsible for what happened. But it couldn't have been prevented anyway. The Soul was going to crack. They didn't have much of a choice.

"What troubles you, Asriel?" Aida asked him one time.

"Nothing. It's just...something doesn't feel right"

"Asriel" she spoke, this time more firmly. "Friends tell friends what problems they have"

He sighed before he gave in. "How would you feel if you took something from someone, but you didn't mean to do it? How would you feel if you had no choice but to take someone else's life to save your own? Shouldn't that make you...selfish?"

"Why? What did you take?"

"It's...complicated"

"Then tell me in a way that you think I'd understand"

As if to emphasize her point, she let them sit down at the table under the gazebo. It was a little something Mettaton ordered up. Though the robot star was mostly living in his own house with Papyrus, he still often came over to visit the scientist who made all this possible and the sister he had just had. There were times they often sat under there.

Right now, the whole scenario made things serious. The robot with no Soul was staring at him eye-to-eye. She leaned a bit forward probably for better hearing. Aida was giving him her full attention.

"Okay, there were once these two people: A ghost and a human. They sometimes fought, and they sometimes got along. The human had a family of his own, and was well on his way to fame. The ghost was lonely and only had the human to speak to"

Aida listened intently as he prepared to indirectly introduce Temmie.

"One day, the ghost made a friend of his own: A Monster. He was annoyed at the Monster at first, but she never gave up on him. He eventually warmed up to her and they became close friends. One day, the human had to leave the area for some family business. He had to bring the ghost along"

"Why did he have to bring the ghost?"

"Because they were connected and they couldn't be apart for so long" he then continued. "So, he had to tell the ghost that he had to leave the Monster. The ghost didn't want to. But no matter what he tried, he had no choice. He had to say goodbye, and in a very harsh way. He missed her along the whole trip. When they came back a year later, they found that the Monster had died. The ghost was upset while the human didn't know what to think"

Aida began to evaluate the situation. It made her seem so uneasy to hear all that. He braced himself for her judgment. It certainly wouldn't be pretty.

"The human should just help the ghost"

He blinked before looking up. "What?"

"They knew it couldn't have been prevented in any way. No matter what they would do, it would all end up the same. But there are things that can be fixed. The human should help the ghost over his loss. They should show the ghost they have friends, and they are part of his family. You cannot change the past, or wish for what could've been, but you can learn something from it"

Asriel couldn't understand how she thought. But it did make sense. Temmie can't come back, but that doesn't mean he can't learn from it. Flowey was crazy, but he did have a heart. If he were to keep denying it, he'd be no different than the flower.

He nodded. "Thanks, Aida"

She gave a kind smile. "Though, do tell me: Did the human have a lover?"

"Aida!"

=========================================

Aida watched with anticipation and nervousness as Alphys focused on the Soul in her clasped hands. It wasn't just any Soul; it was Aida's. After so long of tracking it down, they had gained a strong enough signal and found it. It was a little weakened, but whole. To ensure that it would be stable, the lizard lady fixed it by giving it her Love as she did when it was first formed many years ago.

Aida was excited about it event. After so long, she can finally be whole again. She was going to be capable of emotions once more. Beside her, Undyne held her hand, unable to contain her excitement as well. Mettaton was present, and Blooky came too.

Finally, Alphys reopened her eyes and walked over to the robot as Undyne let go. Aida steadily walked over to the scientist she knew as her mother. She held out her hands, revealing the glowing white Monster Soul they held.

Aida's own mechanical arms were shaky as she held them beneath Alphys' hands. The Soul then made its way over to her hands, as if it knew who the owner was. Holding Soul made the robot shaky. She never thought she would see it again, but now it was back with her. She looked up to Alphys, who nodded before leaning in and undoing the ribbon on her neck.

There was a reason for the ribbon to be there. It was the entry to where Aida's Soul was located. She was never to undo the ribbon herself, especially out of the sterile environment of the Lab, for fear it would damage it.

Finally, the ribbon came loose and Alphys parted her hands away. At the base of the robot's neck was a small switch that seemed to pulse. Aida willed it to open, and it did. She gave her mother one final smile before holding the Soul up and absorbing it back in.

Immediately, everything felt like a blur. At the moment the Soul went back into Aida, the switch shut back in place before she collapsed to the ground. She let out a loud cry of pain and her eyes glowed a blinding white as she felt it reconnect with her. Chara had no trouble when she did this, but it was different for a robot, very powerful that it could've overwhelmed her.

Alphys rushed over to her daughter. She knew it would be a strong force when she reunited with her Soul after so long. She held her tightly, patting her back, offering comforting words in an attempt to ease the pain. She felt her own Soul light up with Love as the natural Soul Bond between a Monster parent and child rekindled.

Finally, the light died down with the screaming. All that was left were the mother and daughter on the floor, holding on for dear life. Both were panting heavily due to the reconnection.

"Aida?" Alphys called to her as she pulled away and checked her. "Are you okay? Did it work? Can you hear me?"

She didn't say anything as she felt for her mother's hands at her face. She took deep breaths before opening her eyes. They seemed to be code glass for a second before they turned back to normal blue. They were blank and unfocused before she moved them to look up to her.

"Aida?"

She nodded slightly. "...yeah...I'm okay, mother"

Alphys let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Thank goodness"

She then helped her daughter back up to her feet. Undyne and Mettaton rushed over as the girl steadied herself. Alphys then fretted over her when she noticed something new on her eyes: They had tears. Even Aida was surprised when she felt them.

"Aida, how do you feel?" Undyne asked as Mettaton was on the verge to freak out.

Aida looked at the hand that felt her tears before stretching it out as if to inspect it. She closed her eyes for a second as she allowed the emotions in. Along with them, she saw memories from when she had awoken atlast, followed by what she could've felt. They made it up to the present before she opened her eyes again.

She let out an actual smile.

"Alive...so alive"