You were riddled with anxiety as Papyrus pulled you through Waterfall. Frisk was being hauled in his other hand as you stuggled to keep up. Seeing the familiar walls of the damp scenery offered glimpses of memories, but having it so suddenly around you after the previous nights' memory scared you.

"Papyrus, I don't know if this is such a good idea." You said again, the tenth time in the past seven minutes.

"Nonsense human! I cannot have my best friends not be best friends! That would be madness!" Papyrus explained.

"But won't she want to collect our souls to break the barrier?"

"Of course she will! But I will not let her kill you, at least not until you are best friends."

"Paps..." You groaned, hanging your head. "I don't think I can handle it if we're engaged in a fight. I'm, uh, sick! Yeah I'm not feeling too well right now and-"

"PAPYRUS! WILL YOU HURRY UP?!" Another voice called, both familiar and worrying.

Welp, I'm fucked.

Hades cawed gently at you and you smiled, stroking his feathers. "Good crow. When I die, I'm leaving it all to you." You joked.

He cawed repeatedly as he jumped from leg to leg, making you snicker. Though it was a small, meaningless gesture, it lifted your spirits.

"Undyne! I'm bringing some more people to our lesson!" He warned.

Undyne's head of red hair bobbed in view. She looked so similar to the memory, but she smiled. It seemed wrong, even for a pacifist run. You glanced at Frisk and saw even he was in confusion as well. Though it was unfamiliar, he shrugged and smiled, increasing pace so he was leading rather than Papyrus.

You flushed. "Behold! These are my two human friends!" Papyrus boasted, lifting me so I stood front and center next to a beaming Frisk. "They're names are-"

"Frisk and (Y/N)!" She yelled, a grin over her face. She took our hands and shook them aggressively, almost pulling our arms out of socket. "I'm so happy to meet you guys! We're gonna be best friends!"

"How did you know about us?" You asked, awestruck.

"Oh! Well Papyrus' bro Sans came by yesturday and told me you guys fell down recently. At first I was totally ready to destroy you, but then Sans said he knew I wouldn't be able to find another solution. So to prove him wrong, we're gonna be BEST friends!"

Your mind presented vague memories of this happening in a different way. Frisk sent you a happy look and you sighed, smiling as you raised you gaze to meet Undyne. "Well, I'm happy you think so."

"Yeah!" Frisk cheered. "I can't wait!"

You snickered and ruffled his hair. Undyne laughed heartily and scooped us up, one under each arm. "Now we can cook!"

Papyrus raced after us, smiling happily with a victorious "NYEH!"

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

You heaved for breath, clutching a firm hand over your chest. Red was splattered all around you and Frisk had shrunk away, shaking. Undyne's grin curled violently, an turquoise spear balanced perfectly in her hand.

"Undyne stop!" You cried, fear in your voice. "There won't be any more tomatoes left for the sauce!"

She turned to you and cackled. "Don't worry (Y/N)! There's plenty more in the fridge." She reassured.

"Those are the ones from the fridge..." Frisk groaned. "Those poor vegetables."

"Fruits." You corrected.

He rolled his eyes. "I don't care! I pity them whatever they are."

You snickered. "Humans! Prepare for the best cuisine to ever exist!" Papyrus bragged.

"Okay okay," you chuckled. "I'm gonna catch a breath first. Be back in a sec."

"Okay!" Undyne nodded, hooking Frisk in a tight hug. "Come on Frisk. You're going to help me and Paps with the sauce."

He sent you a vengeful glare and you stuck your tongue out at him playfully. You swung out of the house. Hades swooping from the nearby tree and perching on your shoulder. You rolled your eyes and run your palm over his slick feathers. "You're such a beautiful bird." You cooed. "Crows have always been my favorite. Not only because they're one of the few bird names I could remember."

Without thinking you moved to a patch of echo flowers, chatting happily in a one-sided conversation. "I mean, yeah I love them but at some point we'll have to tell them their spaghetti is poisonous." You confessed. "Or at least we'll have to teach them something other than pasta to cook. I don't know about you but I can totally see Undyne mastering the gri- ah!"

You face planted as you shoe caught under a root. Hades fluttered his wings and landed a foot away from you. Cawing until you began to sat up. "Thanks Hades. Very helpful..." You grunted, rubbing your sore nose.

"Well what did you expect? He is only a crow." A familiar voice asked.

You looked up and saw the flowing cloak of Reaper, becoming almost sadly familiar. Your heart seemed to sink instantly as you shoved yourself up on to your knees. He didn't offer to help you up, almost making you feel disappointed. "Oh, it's you Reaper." You said, never wavering in tone as you sat, back to him as you watched the blooms. "What are you doing here during the day?"

"We have unfinished buisness." He said simply, and you could feel your heart stop.

"If you mean the whole me dying thing, then you're already well aware of my response. I don't intend on surrenders my soul unti-"

"I'm not talking about that." He cut in. "I've already accepted your wishes."

"Oh..." You said, silence falling over you like a curtain. You tried to think of a plausible 'buisness' that wasn't your death related but you were only left more frustrated and depressed as your thoughts went from logic to irrational fantasies of your post-death. Shaking your head, you shoved a hand at him and muttered. "Help me up." You ordered.

He glanced at your hand but didn't move to take it. Flushing red, you growled. "Fine! Be an ass and don't help me up."

You bounced up from your knees and turned to storm off. In a blur of fabric, Reaper had cut you off, now standing before you as he looked at you. "Now what do you-" You started, but he interrupted you again.

Rude.

"If I was to touch you in any way, you would have instantly died." He said calmly, eyes searching your face for any sign of negative reaction.

Your face erupted in red, but not an angry type. Immediately believing that wasn't his reason, you balled your fist and stamped a foot. "So what?! Wouldn't that make your job so much easier? I would have no choice but to surrender to you. Wouldn't that be good for you?"

"No." He said bluntly.

Your red face deepened as you grew more frustrated. "What?" You asked, flustered.

"That wouldn't be better for me." He said gently. "You wouldn't have been happy. If you aren't happy with your passing, I would have no choice but to weigh your heart with both your guilt and dissatisfaction. You'd be sent to hell."

You felt you frustration drain and replace with embarrassment. "You actually worried about me?" You asked quietly, almost inaudibly.

"Well duh." He chuckled. "You're giving me a lot of trouble but Tori really cares about you, and so do I."

"Life..." You said quietly. "How is she?"

"She's worried, but I've been keeping her well updated. She really only wants to see you happy and safe."

You snickered, the image of her smiling face flashing beyond your eyelids. "That's great." You smiled.

Realizing he was breaking your defense faster than authors can break the fourth wall, you shook your head and straightened up, looking at him head on. He chipped at your armor too easily. Eventually the chips would give way to cracks, then cracks to gaps, leading to you eventually crumbling before him.

"Well, it's been great talking to you Death but I have to get return back to Frisk and the others. They will be expecting me back soon." You said sternly.

You didn't want to let Reaper see he could get to you, so you reshackled the emotions holding you down and erected the walls needed to keep them that way. "Now if you'll just let me get by."

"Why won't you believe me when I say I worried?" He asked, almost accusingly.

"How do you know I didn't believe you? I could very well just want to get back before my friends worry about me?"

He pointed at your chest and the outline of broken soul shined from beneath the surface of your chest. "I could see as your soul darkened. You felt grief, either that or betrayal."

You sighed. "Heh, I guess you do really know me better than I do." You admitted.

"Why won't you trust me?" He asked.

"I just... can't." You said gruffly, looking away.

"That's not a reason." He pressed.

"It's the best I have!" You yelled, face red.

He was silent and he sighed, leaning back from you. "You remember the conversation we were having last night?" He asked.

"I'd barely call it a conversation." You sneered. "I was vomiting blood and black ooze. It was disgusting."

"I don't mean that." He sighed.

You blushed slightly, your memory selectively void of any other part of it. "I have no clue what you're talking about." You huffed.

"(Y/N), you asked me about what happens when I reap a soul." He said gently. "You were scared of the day that I... take you away. You asked me to promise you."

You were quiet, but your mind was livid with bitter words that knotted your stomach and left you doubting your ever fiber. Go ahead. Just tell me how you won't make any exceptions for me. Tell me how I'm doomed to face pain greater than hell because I'm an incompetent, whining-

"I promise." He said.

You froze completely. Moving rigidly, you looked up at him. "Come again?" You asked.

"I promise that I won't hurt you. I promise I'll take care of you, and your soul as best as I can. You may not believe me, but I really do care."

Your face erupted in red and you could feel your heart beating in your throat. "Reaper...."

"Please," he grinned. "Call me Death. That's what my friends call me."

You wanted to hug him, but kept your arms curled around yourself. You'd die if you touched him. Instead, you smiled at him. "Thank you... Death. It means the world to me."

He grinned. "I'll see you tonight." He said.

You blushed and shuddered. "Ew! You make it sound nasty." You gagged.

His skull was dusted with a shade of vibrant purple and he averted his gaze. Hades cawed quietly, but he followed it by pecking your face. You hissed and rubbed your cheek as you glared at him. "It's not my fault he worded it like that." You complained.

Hades seemed unamused by your reasoning. Death shook his head slowly. "Whatever. Just don't be surprised if I'm in the field tonight."

"Fine." You responded. "I'll be expecting you."

"Good."

You blinked and he was gone, the last flicker of motion coming from his cloak as he teleport to somewhere unknown.

You glanced at Hades and he seemed to shrug. Your eyes scanned your surroundings, finding no sign of him. The smell of smoke was thick in the air and warmth seemed to radiate through the ground. Not having time to ponder Death's speedy escape, you caught sight of black smoke and followed it. Your legs moved faster and faster until you came to a familiar area where a building sat ablaze.

Frisk, Undyne and Papyrus all stood outside the home as they watched the house burn. You glanced at your watch and deducted your absence of five minutes. Your jaw hung open as you waved in mute at the blaze. "I, you... ten.... how... fire.... uh?!"

Frisk looked at you and a cold sweat dribbled down his face. "Undyne turned up the heat too much. First it was the paper towels, then the cabinet, then the rest...."

You gazed in amazement at the blaze. Undyne laughed nervously as she blushed. "Let's, uh, just go to Grillby's." She suggested.

You nodded, cradling your growing headache in a palm. "Yeah... let's."