You groaned as once again, your piece was forced back behind the others, leaving you in dead last. "Why do I suck so much as this game?!" You muttered, sighing as you cradled your head in your hands.

Monster Kid snickered as he spit out his personal dice and moved his character forward. "It's okay Snowflake! Even if you aren't that good at bored games, you can still sing!" He comforted you.

"Besides," Frisk added. "It's payback for being so cocky with your early lead."

"I wasn't being cocky!" You protested, snickering. "I was just a little excited." Undyne chucked the dice aggressively at the board and moved her character, laughing obnoxiously. "Ha! Uno!"

"Uh, Undyne? Uno's a card game. We're playing Sorry!..."

"Where did you even get that card?" G!Paps asked, looking at the Phase 10 card in her hand.

She looked at it and shrugged. "I dunno."

"That's not even the right card for Uno..." You giggled.

She brandished a smile and shoved her fist against the table. "Doesn't matter to me! I'm still gonna beat you punks!"

Kid ogled at her in awe. "So cool..."

G!Paps threw the dice as he chuckled, moving his last pawn forward before sitting back. "It doesn't matter now. I just won."

Undyne gasped as though he just revealed her deepest darkest secret and she crouched to look at the board. "When did you...." Her face fell and she flipped the table. "How could this happen?!"

Your hand flipped up to catch you piece while you tail did the same, a few pieces remaining unscattered. "I knew he'd win." You confessed. "G!Papyrus is the only monster here that I would think plans the entire game out before we've even started."

Mettaton sighed as he stood, retrieving the table a day putting it back. "I kept getting crappy rolls."

"What can I say Mettaton? These games do tend to be a bit dicey." Frisk teased, sending both him and Monster Kid into a fit of laughter.

You snickered quietly as you stood, stretching happily as your joints popped and your muscles relaxed. A loud yawn escaped you as you looked down at your friends. "Well guys, I'd stick around for another game but I'm really rather tired. It's been a long busy day."

"Wait! What about my autograph?" Frisk whined.

"Frisk, we're friends now. All you have to do is text me and we can hang out any time." You reassured.

"But I really want an autograph. I brought my CD for a reason." He pouted.

You sighed and rolled your eyes. "Fine, I'll sign the disc now. I think I left a pen in the kitchen."

He smiled and jumped from his seat, following you as the others cleaned up behind you. You sat rummaged through the kitchen before resurfacing with a Sharpie pen. Frisk handed you his CD and you signed it quickly. You handed it back to him with a gentle smile. "There, are you happy?"

He nodded and you grinned. "Well, if that's all then let's get back to the others. I'm ready to sleep for a fe-"

He grabbed your wrist, efficiently silencing you. You looked at him and raised a brow. His expression fell and silence took him as he grew sad. "Frisk?" You said quietly. "Are you okay?"

He shook his head. "Snowflake, have you ever... lost someone? Someone really important. And you tried to find them but they're hiding because they don't want you to find them?"

You laughed gently, resting a hand against his head. "Frisk, this kinda sounds like Hide and Seek." You teased, immediately regretting it.

He looked up at you and your grin disappeared, heart wrenching as his watery eyes seemed almost pleading. You sighed and met his gaze. "Listen Frisk. I lived alone for a very long time, and for that time I didn't have any friends. But I know who you're talking about. You mean the (Y/N) character right? Gaster!Sans is looking for her as well?" He nodded, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

"Yeah, that's right. I know you only met her for a few hours, but I wanted to ask... can you help us find her? You were the last monster to see her. I know you didn't really get to know her, but we... me and Gaster!Sans that is, did know her. She was like my big sister. She protected me and loved me, even when it put her in danger. She was blown into an entirely new world, but she still had the kindness to protect me. I miss her, but she hasn't come back..."

I squatted down to his level and shushed him by placing a finger against his mouth. Smiling, I pulled him into a hug and grinned. "Of course I'll help you find her." You said with a short and sweet tone.

Frisk seemed to stiffen in surprise for a moment before relaxing and laughing quietly. "You know Snowflake," he cooed, stepping back and rubbing his tearful eyes. "In some ways you remind me of her."

Your mouth fell opened for a moment, your mind blank of a response. "Frisk..." You purred, mind clouded by incoherent noise.

He laughed and threw his arms around you in a hug. "Thank you Snowflake."

You relaxed and snickered. "You're welcome Frisk."

You held him at arms length and wiped his tears with your thumb as you smiled. "Now come on Shorty. Let's help the others clean up before I head to bed."

He nodded and rushed ahead of you as you trailed after him, your thoughts taking a bitter turn. "I have a bad feeling about this..."
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I turned slowly as hundreds of voices surrounded me. In the black expanse around me, a rainbow of tinted monster souls. They buzzed with the memories of conversation and thoughts of years of contemplation. I was silent as I took moment to look around, adjusting to the distracting noise of the minds that filled the void-like plane.

Gaster appeared at my side, an almost sorry look on his face. "Hey Gaster," u started. "Were you able to talk any sense into her?" I asked.

He shook his head and I sighed. "Did you plant anything? A thought of something, anything that might convince her to come back."

"I'm sorry son. As soon as I was able to break through her wall, she noticed my presence. She retreated to her mind so the only clue I had to her location was a vague blur of her surroundings." Gaster reported.

"What could you make from it?" I asked.

"She has found shelter, but she is not alone. She was speaking to someone when I arrived. Sadly, I was unable to glimpse the monster, but it wasn't Chara. The most I was able to plant was put threat."

"How is that going to help? We only one chance with this device, I need more than a few machine gun shots to locate her soul."

"You misunderstand me son. I planted the threat of our finding her. She built a wall around her mind to keep me from intruding again. Her mind is clouded with senseless noise. Logical thought is overridden by corrupted morals and bitter memories. All we must mind is a mind lost to chaos and sorrow."

"A soul lost in chaos and sorrow..." I muttered. "She's in pain."

Gaster nodded mutely and I shook my head. "Thank you dad. Let's get this done."

Before me I imagine (Y/N)'s soul. Memories of us together played before me, both painful and pleasurable. The terrain around me seemed to shift, lights disappearing and limiting me more and more as souls fell away. I imagined the pain she was feeling and imagined how her conflicted heart would cause turmoil. I closed my eyes and imagined her, the way she felt in my arms. I imagined the feeling of pressing my skull against her soft, warm lips. I could almost feel her flesh against my hands and my eyes snapped open as an eerie chill shook me.

Looking down, my hands cradled an orb of clouded judgment. Within its hectic borders, I recognized her (S/C) pulsing slowly. It seemed to sag sadly, fine fractures littering it's surface like scar. As I peered at it, confusion gripped me. I pried a hand beneath the smoke of chaos and attempted to part it before Gaster cried out.

"SANS DON'T!!"
_____________________________
You stood laughing when burning pain ripped through your head. You winced as your palm pressed over your forehead. What the hell?
_____________________________
I froze and looked at my father, hand still stuck in her defense. "What? What's wrong?"

"Do not fiddle with the defenses she has erected when we stand on this plane!" Gaster ordered.

"There's something wrong with her soul, I need to see her soul." I grunted, turning back to the orb in my hand.

I clawed at the layers, trying desperately to glimpse her soul. It grew back almost immediately as I peeled it back, frustrating me quickly.

"Sans stop!"
______________________
I couldn't keep it in as a scream ripped my throat. I clasped both hands to my head as splitting pain burned through my head.

"What's wrong Punk?! What's happening?!" Undyne panicked as you struggled to stay on your feet.

What's happening to me?!
_____________________________
Her soul throbbed as I chipped away at the defense. "I'm getting through!" I smirked as my finger nearly brushed the interior. Through the small gap, I glimpsed shards of white orbited her soul, specks of crimson speckling its surface. "Almost there..."

It felt like I was peeling back concrete. Her defense regenerated almost as quickly as I could get through.

"Sans!!"

"What Gaster?!" I snarled.
______________________________
Your soul tried to tumble from your chest but you held it in place with a hand clasped over your heart. Tears littered your face as another scream destroyed your voice. It felt as though someone was taking a blunt ax to your skull, the noise you had were using to keep out Gaster deafening. Another sob took you as you begged the God you didn't believe in to make the pain stop.

Something was clawing it's way through you hungrily, consuming you from inside out. Your body had collapsed on itself and the people around you were in panic as you struggled against the satanic pain.
________________________________
The warmth of her squirming soul was almost brushing my knuckles.

"I'm so close."

"You're hurting her!!!" Gaster yelled.

I froze, looking at Gaster. "What.....?"
_____________________
For ten minutes you suffered, then it stopped. In an instant, it all stopped. Not even a phantom of the pain remained as you gasped for breath. Your friends seemed to freeze as well as you were suddenly silent.

You sat up, gasping for breath. Your fist was clenched over your chest, fabric balled in your hand.

"Snowflake?! What happened? Are you okay?" They asked. "Your quiet? Is it over? What just happened?"

You were overwhelmed as you stood shakily, both Frisk and Gaster!Paps were at your side, supporting you. You couldn't speak through your broken throat. As you continued to sob.

"Please..." You rasped. "I need to sleep."
______________________________
Her soul disappeared from my hands and I was forced to look at Gaster as he cradled it. He waved his hand over it, green engulfing his hand.

"What're you doing?! Why are you healing her defense?! I was almost through!"

"You would learn nothing from seeing her soul. We came here only to see her mind, to gauge what we needed to find. Your selfishness was hurting the very person you wanted to protect."

"What?" I murmured. "How did I hurt her?"

"Sans... you were tearing through her mind. Your were clawing through a wall of her most painful memories and thoughts, reflecting that pain not only on her soul, but on herself."

"Wait, You mean... she felt it... she felt me tearing away at-"

"She felt every single movement rip though her soul. Cherish whatever you drew from what you saw, because you just tore through her."

He returned the the orb to me and I glimpsed her soul sapping up the healing magic as though a starved man would food. The cloud of defense reconstruct itself slowly. The fragments surrounding her soul rushed to her soul and I felt my heart twisted painfully.

"I was hurting her..."

I drew her soul against my chest. It radiated an aura that exposed my own golden soul. The light of my soul seemed to enhance her own and it's outline moved to meet mine through the wall. "I'm so sorry (Y/N)..." I cried, glowing tears falling and trickling over the orb protecting her soul.
____________________________
Your heart was racing moments after G!Paps and Frisk had laid you in your room. Comfortable warmth filled your chest, a glow seeming to encase your heart.

The faint scent of leather and smoke calmed you as you drifted to sleep, concern taking you. He felt like he was so close, you could almost feel him cradling you. "Sans..."
____________________________
"(Y/N)..."

I sighed as I stood. Gaster seemed to dissolve away as I turned into an empty void. My eyes remained on her and I lowered my skull so it rested against the orb. I left a peck on it.

I let it go and watched as it floated once again on its own. For a moment, it flickered and I saw the outline of her. A ghost of a smile flickered over my face as I turned away.

"I'm on the way."

I blinked a few times and I reappeared in the Lab, Alphys snoring as she was slumped over the console. I removed the visor and the restraints released. I stood and walked away from the lab.

"I'm going to make this up to you. In person..."
________________________
You opened your eyes and gazed out over an expanse of obsidian, your heart instantly sinking. You didn't expect to meet anyone, but you felt as you'd just missed someone.

You looked down and saw an orb of cloudy looking grey in your hands. Every so often you saw the familiar sight of your soul through it. Your brow furrowed as a swirl of healing magic lived within the orb, healing your soul.

I never healed myself... I can't even heal myself. Who?

I turned the orb as my finger fell into a droplet of wet. Lifting the finger to my eyes, looking at the Golden tear.

"Sans..."