Authors Note: Keep in mind this is the second update I've done today, go back and read chapter four before this one! I wrote this chapter entirely before the last, may be some small continuance errors, but I think I connected them fairly well. This is potentially my longest chapter, as most of the rest are pretty evenly split. Its just that these two split chapters are pretty much going to introduce the main plot from here on out. As usual thank you for the fav's and follows, I really appreciate them!

Undertale does not belong to me. If it did it probably wouldn't be half as fun.

(Also please check out my One-Shot Amalgam, I'm thinking if its recieved well I'll turn it into a series, something to do in order to wind down from this angsty mess.)

Chapter Five

Compassion/Determination

A week later and Chara is still wondering just what the heck her new, and very strange life is going to bring.

"You know, you're super weird..." Chara tells Asriel, one day as they sit side by side on a haphazardly built swing set. If this were the surface this entire park would likely be condemned. Shes surprised really, since most of the rest of the ruins hadn't exactly lived up to the name "ruins." Its still a charming place, buttercups growing everywhere. She wonders if the entire underground is filled with these flowers.

"Huh?" Asriel looks momentarily offended, then notices Chara thin smile. She kicks her feet, swinging backward and listening to the creak of the wood and the rattle of the chains. She tries not to grip the chains too hard, afraid of getting pinched. "I just mean," She pauses to slow down, turning to look him in the eyes, "You don't have any reason to be nice to me, but you are...you saved me, I should owe you."

He goes quiet, staring at Chara, floored by the comment it seems. He giggles after a few seconds of thinking about it. "You don't owe me anything silly, we're friends." Friends? Friends...? What...? "Cat got your tongue?" Chara slowly blinks.

"You have cats down here?" She asks, lamely.

"Well, we have Catty, shes kind of a cat." Asriel answers, shrugging. Chara tucks that information away for later. She starts swinging again, facing forward. She can't look at Asriel right now, not while shes on the verge of crying. Had anyone ever called her a friend before? Yeah, she thinks so. Or at least shes had friends, who were more or less just aquaintances. Chara doesn't think shes ever had a friend whom actually called themselves her friend sincerely though.

In a way, it makes her feel...warm. A shocking feeling, but pleasant.

"So...we're friends...?" She asks, though it sounds more like an unsure statement.

"Of course! I mean, if you want to be." His cheeks turn ruddy, he anxiously rubs his hands, looking almost embarressed. Its cute, toothachingly so, but in that moment all that matters is to Chara is the absolute sincerity there.

She takes a deep, shuddery breath and for the first time in a long time smiles for real. Not any of that condecending crap she usually gives, but a true, toothy grin. Eyes crinkling up at the corners, she throws herself off the swing and barrels into Asriel. He shrieks in surprise, the both of them crash to the ground. Asriel taking most of the impact.

"Yes..." Chara whispers against his fur, "We're friends."

After their little heart to heart Chara is somewhat embarrassed. She knows these feelings won't last long. Shes been happy before, and it always fades with time. In fact, those old doubts had already begun to creep into her mind. What if Asriel met her demons? She couldn't exactly hide her rage, it came on too fast, and lasts for far too long. It caused too much damage, and she knows he will hate her if he finds out.

'Maybe he won't have to...'

She shakes her head, looking up to see him a short distance away. "Hey Chara, have you ever battled before?" He asks, looking far too serious for Chara's liking. A frown tugs at her lips, she quickly shakes her head. He doesn't need to know that shes been in fights before, thats her business, to deal with alone. He perks up so suddenly that Chara thinks she might get mental whiplash.

"I can teach you! Its super fun, I mean...when its just a play fight, an we don't have to hurt each other at all...Mom always says that we just have to ACT, nobody gets hurt that way..."

She lets him ramble for a minute, starting to slowly realize that he isn't talking about fighting, not the kind she understands. Battle really isn't a great name for whatever it is hes trying to teach her. Once hes finished he looks at her expectantly. She doesn't even have the time to feel sheepish for not catching the rest of his explanation. All she knows is she isn't thrilled at the idea of even play fighting, she isn't the kind to pull her punches.

"Sorry," She shrugs, cheeks hot, she hates being flustered. "Isn't it a little dangerous. I'm not healed yet."

Asriel shakes his head, "Nuh uh, its just play fighting, haven't you ever done that before, with a friend...or sibling maybe?" Ah, hes probing now, she figured this would start happening. Chara can understand his curiosity, but delving into her personal life wouldn't be a fun experience for either of them. Besides, she didn't need him running off and blabbing to Toriel about anything. Chara was lucky enough that the King and Queen had so graciously accepted her - a total stranger and weirdo - into their home for the time being.

"Of course!" She says, albeit a little too defensively as she crosses her arms over her chest. She casts her eyes around for something they could use as weapons and finds a small pile of sticks. Most are broken but a few thin ones still remain intact. She picks two up and tosses one to him. He catches it with a grin - "Alright, get ready!" He shouts, putting on a mock tough voice.

Chara giggles, and the next thing she knows a bright, angry red glow surrounds her body. A feeling of tugging at her chest, and then something most suspiciously heart shaped bursts forth from the very center. She watches dizzily as the playground around her transforms into what looks like a grid. Its terrifying, and for the second time in the past week she wonders if she may have hit her head harder than she thought in the fall.

Momentarily panicking, she examines her chest, not at all embarrassed that Asriel is standing not more than a few feet from her. Theres no hole, in fact theres nothing to really indicate that, that red thing came out of her. And she can feel the pounding of her own heart, rapidly beating in her chest, so hard she thinks it might be visible. Sweating a little she looks up at Asriel to confirm that this is really happening.

But Asriel looks perfectly relaxed, as if hes done this plenty of times. He probably has with other kids. Gosh, she isn't quite sure how she feels about this strange turn of events. All she knows is its kind of terrifying to feel herself in two places at once. In her body, and in the red heart thats trapped inside of a rather small box. Okay, she isn't really sure what to do with all of this.

Asriel gives her a thumbs up as she examines the options in front of her. FIGHT, ACT, ITEM, MERCY...Strange, its almost like a game. She touches a hand softly to the floating ACT box, looking at the options that come up.

CHARA [ACT] - TALK

"I think maybe you should explain this to me." She says with a small, apparently annoyed frown. This entire experience is strange, and scary, and she can already feel her defenses rising like a wall around her. She doesn't want to go on the defensive with him, hes nice, and shes sure if he were to hurt her at all he would cry about it immediately, he had done so several times already in fact. Hes kind of a crybaby. Asriel nods, launching into a short, and thankfully brief explanation. At the end of it all Chara is left wondering if reality even exists down here. None of this should be possible - she guesses however that with magic just about anything is possible. She watches him carefully.

He said she would have to dodge his attacks...

A dozen white stars burst toward her glowing red soul. She carefully maneuvers through them easy, this is a piece of cake. Asriel had told her that she probably shouldn't put her all into it if she attacks, since humans are a lot stronger than monsters. She doesn't want to hurt him 0- really she doesn't.

But that doesn't mean she doesn't use up a lot of time staring at the FIGHT box, chewing the inside of her cheek until she tastes coppery blood on her tongue. Her arms twitch towards the box, at the last minute she slaps her hand on ACT.

CHARA [ACT] - TAUNT

"Is that all you got?! Come on I've seen old ladies attack harder than you!" A bit excessive, and she worries for a minute shes hurt his feelings. But he busts out laughing, "Get ready then Chara!" He shouts, using the stick to jab at her rapidly. She dodges his attacks, laughing gleefully. This is fun, as long as she can keep her composure.

CHARA [ACT] - TAUNT

They pass Taunts back and forth for a while, Chara dodges more of his attacks. Finding it fun, but exhausting. It isn't until he lands an attack on her that she begins to feel that familiar tug at the back of her mind. She smashes it down, but her curiosity gets the best of her.

CHARA [FIGHT]

She slashes at him with the stick, in a wide arc. Her arms tremble, trying to contain the force, but he isn't fast enough and it catches him at the very last second. He stares, wide eyed for a moment before big tears fill his eyes. Oh no, oh no she really hurt him! She quickly moves to amend her problem, his meager attacks after that far too easy to dodge, on her turn she goes for the option she had yet to try.

CHARA [MERCY] - SPARE

The strange grid falls away, leaving the two of them just standing there. Chara rushes to his side, feeling like an utter asshole for what she had done. "Asriel?" She asks, hands posed just above his injured leg, she doesn't want to touch him, doesn't want to hurt him more. In that moment it seems everything she thinks about herself is right.

"I-i'm o-okay!" He sobs a little, wiping angrily at the tears. Chara feels hot tears burning her eyes too, she scrubs them a little, refraining from letting them fall. It burns, but she feels like she deserves it. "No, I hurt you..." She mumbles, around the outraged sob she wants to let out.

He wipes his tears again, then looks at Chara. Its silent for a moment, and then something amazing happens. He smiles at her. Its simple, and small, and a little snotty from his crying but its enough to shock her out of the head space she had been in.

"Lets go see if your Mom can patch this up," Chara recommends, standing, and then helping him to stand. The both of them dust off their pants, and head steadily towards the home in the ruins.

If Chara thought that going to Toriel for help would have ended in the both of them getting an hour long lecture about fighting, and then sent to their room until dinner she probably would have found another solution. But as it stood the two of them were stuck in their shared room, trying to keep their voices low as they talked in order to not attract Toriel or Asgores attention. Chara could easily swear that Toriels hearing is better than a bats.

"I'm sorry I got us in trouble," Asriel huffs, kicking the wall with his non-injured leg. One bandage and a Monster Candy later and his other injured leg had been nearly good as new. But because her attack had been physical, and not magical in nature the gash from the stick had stayed. Toriel said it would heal fast, and probably wouldn't scar given that it wasn't much more than a little scrape. Asriel thought Chara would be relieved...she was not.

The fact still stood that she had deliberatley hurt him out of curiosity, and she had known at the time she wouldn't have been able to hold back enough. In the end she always hurt the things she liked the most.

"No, I agreed to it too." Chara admits, casually staring at her short, stubby nails. Shes been biting them down to the quick lately. Nerves she supposes. He rolls his eyes, "You don't have to be so...resigned all the time you know."

She ignores his comment, instead moving to the bedside dresser, where she knew he stashed his coloring paper and pencils. Its funny, shes only been here a week and she feels like she already knows everything about this kid. "Whatchu doin?" he asks, kicking the wall again.

"Drawi-"

"ASRIEL DO NOT LET ME HEAR YOU KICK THE WALL AGAIN!" The both of them hear, loud and clear even though Toriel is at least two rooms away in the dining room. Good lord. Chara doesn't realize shes tensed up until she looks down at the broken pencil in her hand. Embarrassed to have reacted so intensely, she tosses it aside. She could say sorry, but its not like he doesn't have a dozen more pencils like it.

"Gosh, nobody can ever accuse mom of being deaf." Asriel snickers, shifting to lay spread out over the bed instead of laying with his feet against the wall. He turns on his side and watches Chara for a few minutes. Chara waits patiently for him to start snoring or start talking, she isn't ignoring him per se, but she still isn't used to having someone around her 24/7.

Eventually the snoring starts, and she is left to color in her drawing in peace.

Dinner is...awkward, and not just because Toriel had been lecturing them not even a couple hours ago. Its because Chara can't stand this whole family setting thing. Its not the first time the four of them have been grouped together like this, however its still as awkward as every other time. Chara has spent the most time with Asriel, and the least with Asgore. Toriel...well, she sees her enough to get lectured and bandaged up but so far neither of the adults had showed her any real ill will. Its both shocking, and terrifying as she waits for the coin to flip. Any second, she thinks, any second they are going to make her every expectation a reality.

And when they don't shes left floored, stunned as she finishes off her snail soup - yuck, what the heck Toriel - and mutters a quiet 'thank you' to the goatlady. She wants to ask permission to leave the table, but as soon as she opens her mouth Toriel is focusing her attention intensley on her. Chara shuts up quickly, her thoughts turning to the obvious 'this is it, this is where they turn on me.'

"Have you given any thought as to what you will do now, My Child?" Toriel asks. All seriousness Chara relaxes when the yelling never comes. She shrugs, pursing her lips - how would she even know what to do. Shes probably stuck down here for all she knows. If the monsters can't get out then its unlikely she could either. And why would she want to leave anyway, shes found an actual friend.

Still, she isn't sure what exactly she wants. She didn't come into this with a plan, and she still doesn't have one. She slowly meets Toriels gaze, and shrugs a second time, reiterating that she has no plan. Toriel claps her hands, then reaches on toward Asgore. As if for support, this time hes the one who speaks.

"You see Chara, even a place as nice as the underground isn't safe for a lone child," He pauses to smile, soft and sweet - Chara can see where Asriel gets it from. "We would love it if you would consider staying with us, we would adopt and raise you alongside Asriel." He finishes. Chara waits with bated breath for laughter to break out, for this to be declared a joke, but when that doesn't happen...

"I-i, y-you want to adopt me? Me? As in like, oh man," She hesitates, hands clenching tightly in her lap, beneath the table. Curled into fists so tight she thinks they might fall off soon from the lack of circulation. Adoption? She would have parents? Real ones? She can't believe it right away, everyone has motives, and these two barely know her.

But judging from Asriel, maybe they really were just as caring as the impression they gave off. Jeeze, today was just full of surprises, first becoming someones friend, and now shes going to be someones child, someones sister. Its unthinkable...and apparently shes already given her answer from the amount of rapid nodding shes doing.

"Okay," She says shakily, dropping her head and letting her messy bangs fall naturally over her eyes. If they see her crying, will they think shes weak? Or would they even care. Her father...the bastard that was her father, he would have exploited her weakness in this moment. Thats what she expects, but once again, the growing trend of proving her ingrained expectations wrong comes with soft, warm arms around her. Asgore, Asriel, and Toriel are all hugging her. She feels hot tears slide down her cheeks and she laughs.

'This is weird.' She thinks to herself, choosing instead to proclaim out loud, "I'd love to stay."

And she is happy to stay, comfortable, fed, happy with a sibling that shes closer with than her real biological ones. And a mother, who is more than just an airhead trying to force her to be someone she is not. And a father, who might be scary, but has proven to be a gentle giant. She just wonders fearfully if it'll last, and if these new feelings will prove her downfall.

Authors Note: I'm bad at interactions, but hey, this is all just some really good practice. The more I write, the better I'll get right? Isn't that the saying?