Hey! Another chapter! The story is gaining some traction finally. Not as in view count. I mean motivation. I'm gonna try making longer chapters and see what comes of it. In the meantime, here's this one.

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Chapter 6

Chujin stared at his bowl of corn chowder. He was hungry, but it didn't feel right to eat dinner anymore. Dinner was to be enjoyed by family, and now his family had been torn apart. He wasn't sure how to feel about it. Ceroba couldn't look him in the eye. She must have been stewing over this for quite some time.

"He was a human. A kind one. Pure of heart," she managed. "He had been abused by his parents. His self esteem was in the dumpster." Ceroba closed her eyes. "He fought me under the sakura tree in New Home, you know? Or rather, I fought him."

Chujin tensed up briefly at the mention of a human attacking his wife but calmed down. This happened years ago.

"He proved our stipulation about humanity was wrong. How could a child so rich in values come from such a rotten upstart? Selfless to the core." Ceroba painstakingly met Chujin's green glasses. She couldn't tell what was going on in that head of his right now, but what it was he wasn't showing. "When we fought, he never once tried to fight me. In the scuffle, the mask that Kanako made for me was destroyed. I lost myself."

She looked down. "I attacked my friends. I binge drank. I almost threw away everything I had left after I lost you and Kanako. I let go of who I was." Chujin remained motionless in his expressions. "He saved me from myself. I couldn't let him march to his death at the hands of that bigot Asgore. He deserved better.

"I think he knew I thought that, too." Ceroba squinted and rubbed her eyebrows. "I'm still not sure just what he did that day. After the other two left as I was going to take his soul, Clover asked me what I wished for more than anything. I told him I wanted to have my family back."

Chujin clasped his hands and leaned on his elbows. Monsterkind didn't get another human soul since the ballerina, so is it possible that Clover's soul is still...? There is much we don't know about how a human's soul interacts with a monster's.

"He wasn't wrong in that I'd have looked into running more experiments on him than I had in the first year of knowing him. You were right to hide this from me. I doubt I would have trusted him to stay in the same house had I known, though I wish you'd gone about it differently."

"And now that you do?" Ceroba asked. "Do you love him any less now that you know he used to be human? That he isn't actually your biological son?"

"...No. No I do not." Chujin straightened his posture and readjusted his glasses. "He is still my son, and I'd sooner attack Asgore myself than abandon Clover. Let's just let him cool off before we talk again."

…

"-And then he stuck a plate of kevlar under his ass just before running over a mine. Saved his life," Ava explained before taking a swig from her water canteen.

"Woah. Is it really that bad in those parts?" Undyne asked. Ava capped her canteen and nodded. "Yep. It's better now, or better than it was at any rate. I can't tell you how many times I've had to exit the Bradley and scan for suspicious placements in the road."

Undyne looked down. "Damn. Sounds like it was the worst place to be in. Having to be on the lookout all the time. Doesn't it get exhausting?"

"Oh it does, don't get me wrong. We took shifts between sleep schedules. It's not something you really forget, either." Ava stared at the now empty plate in front of her. "It's been a few years, but I still get nervous when I drive past a random trash bag on the curb or any potholes in the road. Once you go through something like that, you're a different person."

She lowered her voice to a whisper. "You'll never be the same as you once were."

Undyne tried to reassure her with a smile. "Well! That's not something you have to worry about with us, Ava! Fighting like that is," her smile faltered. "...just, messed up."

Ava chuckled and put a hand on the fish woman's shoulder. "I'm glad that's something we can agree on." The human gave her new friend a warm smile.

"For what it's worth, you act like someone I've met before. Direct. A bit knuckleheaded. Wants the best for folks." Ava got up from her stool and stretched. "I just wish I could've brought some of that surface spark down here to share."

"Oh yeah, what was it you wanted to ask me again?" Undyne remembered. "You wanted to know if I came across any other humans, right?"

Ava reached down into her rucksack and pulled out the stored files. "Yes. Part of my mission is to locate and record their whereabouts, as well as their wellbeing. Before you say anything, I am aware that at least five of them are dead, so don't worry about me being angered."

"Oh. Uh... I've only ever come across two humans before. Three counting you. Let's see here." Undyne looked through the pictures Ava handed her. "Nope... Haven't seen that one... Not this one... I've heard a brief mention of this one... This was the first one, but the king would have more than enough information on them to give you your fill... I've met that one... This one here is still alive... I haven't seen this one."

The human internally sighed. Clover was not among the ones she had seen. This was fine though, as she would still get some more leads out of this. Undyne had seen the one with the glasses.

"This one is Percy Vaden. He is described as being persistent in his pursuit of knowledge. Given how you mentioned one of the kids are still alive, this one is likely dead. Where did you last spot him?"

Undyne thought back to her encounter with him. "In Waterfall. He was walking out from Gerson's place and took off running when he saw me approach. I'm not sure how he made it that far, but he managed to just barely make it to Hotland before... dying to heat stroke."

Undyne kicked herself mentally. His death was foreshadowing what would have happened to her had Frisk not been a good person. "I can get the official documents from the UGRL if you want."

Ava nodded, assuming this was some facility dedicated to information held by monsters. "Okay. While you're there, can you look into the other cases? I need to be as thorough as I can for this report."

Undyne squinted. "What? You got a time limit or something? C'mon. You make it sound as though you're not trapped down here."

The human zipped her rucksack and threw it over her shoulder. "Be that as it may, I will climb the hole I fell down from if I have to. Those above deserve to know what happened." She pulled out a small piece of paper and handed it to Undyne. "Here's my number. If anything happens or if you've made progress, just give me a call."

"Where are you planning on going?" Undyne asked for the last time that day. Ava opened the door. "East of Snowdin. At least until I can get something else to go off of. Keep in touch, will ya?"

The two parted ways, and Ava started walking to the east end of Snowdin. Surely, this would bring her closer to her real goal.

The knowledge that you've gained brings you closer to your PURPOSE.

FILE 10 SAVED

Despite this truth, someone stepped into the middle of the path. It was an animated skeleton with white dots for eyes. It didn't matter how casually he was dressed. He might have a wide smile and inviting laziness to him, but Ava could tell that this monster walked with business. This was a confrontation, and she knew it.

She tried to ignore him and walk right by, but the skeleton was somehow already in front of her. He had moved without her seeing.

"Human," he said slowly. "Don't you know how to greet a new pal?"

Ava wasn't sure what this guy was planning, but it couldn't have been good. She took in a deep breath and maintained eye contact. The skeleton reached an arm out in what appeared to be a handshake invite. Ava spotted a slight deformity in the glove he wore. His smile somehow got bigger. "Come on. Shake my hand."

The human cautiously took a step back. "I'm not your 'pal,' pal," she muttered.

Something about the way the skeleton looked at her after that made a shiver crawl down her back. What was it about him that set her off so badly? Her ROE included disposing of any assailants should she need to, but how would she keep others from finding out she did? Not that she wanted to fight, but it might be what she had to do.

"Aw, come on." He shrugged and took off the gloves he wore and pulled out a woopy cushion from inside. "You got my bones rattling here. The name's Sans by the way."

"I'm not that dumb. Why'd you block the path forward? How'd you get in front of me so fast?" she asked expecting direct answers. "You're planning something more than just pranks."

"Beats me. That face you're giving me?" Sans put his hands back in his pockets. "That's the expression of someone who'd be thinking of ways to kill a person without causing too much noise."

Ava's eyes widened just slightly. How did he know? Wait, no, that was it. He was doing the exact same thing she was attempting. Sans was reading her and judging how she responds.

"Maybe," she said firmly. "Even if you don't mean any harm, I'm in a rush. I have things to do. People to see."

"And what will you do when you see them?" Sans' eyes darkened. The jolly grin gave juxtaposition to a deep graveness. He was no pushover.

Ava jumped back and readied her combat knife. "I'll get to that when I do. For now, you're getting on my nerves. Too many questions for someone who never answered mine."

Sans shrugged again. Then one of his eyes changed blue and yellow. "Guess you like doing things the hard way, huh?"

Ava felt a sudden foreboding danger welling up as the world changed to black and white. She was back in the strange combat interface she found herself in when attacking Dalv.

…

Clover walked past the bell in the center of the town. The Wild East always felt like a strange place to be in, but at least he felt like he most belonged. Cowboys and gunslinging were just his thing. It was his home away from home.

"Clover, yer not lookin' too hot. What's been eatin' ya?" Starlo asked with a hint of worry. The fox monster tipped his hat over his eyes. "Can I get a word with you in private?"

Hoo boy. This is gonna be one a' those talks.

"S'pose I could. Lets stomp on over to the fence east side o' town."

Starlo could feel the lack of energy behind Clover's motions. This was serious. He had never seen his "nephew" so down in the dumps before. The strength Clover once walked with was not with him at the moment. Even so, they stopped by the fence and leaned on it.

"So, about the kid I was named after..." Clover looked over to the town's eastern gate leading to the cornfields. "How much did he mean to you?"

Starlo frowned. "Hmm... That's an impossible question ta answer, Clover. He meant more to me than I can rightly describe." He stood straight and looked Clover in the eyes. "I'm not seein' where this is goin' though. What brought this up?"

Clover sighed. "Kanako found a photo of him in the backpack I was found with. The one I never used. After seeing what he actually looked like, things just sorta clicked together." He turned to face Blackjack's gunshop. "I'm him, aren't I? I'm the sixth human we needed to destroy the barrier?"

"...I don't know, Clover. I was only there after Ceroba brought y'all back home. I thought I was seein' ghosts because I technically was." Starlo hung his head. "I wanted to believe he was happy with his sacrifice. Even so, I couldn't shake the feelin' he was still here with us."

"It's a bit strange, but I get that feeling too. I never met 'em, but I get riled up when something isn't just. When that happens, it feels like I'm not alone in the argument. Some sorta reassurance someone has my back on it."

His ears perked up at the sound of boots dashing through sand. Clover and Starlo turned to see Kanako making a B-line for them. It was crazy the speeds she could reach when she set her mind on something.

"BIG BROOOTHER!" she wailed. "I'M SOOORRYYY!"

Clover got up and held his paws up in front of him defensively. This turned out to be a good idea as Kanako tackle hugged him to the ground. "-OOF" She nuzzled her nose against his neck, tears soaking the sand behind it.

"I'msosorryforrootingaroundinyourstuffiwantedtosurpriseyoubygivingyouagiftforyoureighteenthbirthdaytocelebratebutiendedupmakingabigmessandfoundthatpictureandnowmomanddadarescaredyoudhurtyourselforthattheyhurtyouandididntwanttohurtyouandimsorryididandsaidyouwerentmybrotherand-"

"Slow it down there! I can barely understand what you're saying!" Clover stammered. Kanako squeezed her arms around him tighter. "Breath slower please. I'm still here for you, Koko."

"I swear I'm not angry. (sniffle) I love you and I got scared that after you found out you were a human you'd try to do something like the last human did and attack people and I didn't want that for people because I didn't want them getting hurt or you getting hurt because they would attack back and-"

Clover gave her a head pat and hugged her back. "I'm not going to hurt anyone unless they threaten my family. Doesn't matter what I am. Doesn't matter what they are. I'm sorry I ran out and left you to deal with the aftermath. That was irresponsible of me."

Starlo smiled and chuckled to himself. He looked past the town's gate in the direction of the cornfields. Maybe this Clover was the same as the first one. A moment of recollection befell him. He was swiftly taken out of it when he spotted a certain robot speeding down the road towards them from the Steamworks.

Axis had been outside of his primary work zone. This could only mean one thing. A human had been spotted fighting someone.