Disclaimer: I do not own Undertale

A/n: Last one - hope you enjoy and happy Easter.

Kindness (Green)

You find the next one studying the flowers that cover the grave. You don't say anything as you walk closer but the human hears your steps and looks up. He's young, you think, but by no means the youngest to have fallen down here. He's shorter than the others too and round where they were thin. His skin is almost the same colour as Chara's, though he bears little other resemblance. His hair is short, his nose is broad and his eyes when he looks at you are warm and brown. He's smiling a toothy smile.

"Hi," he says cheerfully. "I'm Karunal. Nice to meet you."

"Greetings, child," you say. "I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins."

He looks you up and down. "Hi, Toriel. Are you a minotaur? Oh, no, wait, those were bulls. Is everyone down here like you? Is that why they said not to come up here?"

"Er."

"Sorry. Mom says I talk too quickly but this is just so amazing. Where am I anyway?"

You can't help it – you laugh. His smile grows slightly. You have a feeling the pair of you are going to get along.

"This is the Underground, little one, and these are the Ruins. Home of the monsters."

"Monsters?" He peers at you. "You don't look like a monster to me."

"Monsters is the name of my race. It was given to us by humans."

"Oh, well that wasn't very nice of us. Why'd we do that?"

You hesitate but you don't want to start with a lie. "Fear. Once upon a time, your race was scared of us."

"But you're so nice. You're much nicer than Torgunna and Necho and Matty and the others. They'd have hit me by now 'cause they say I don't know when to shut up."

It's a selfish thought but you don't know if you can handle another broken child.

"I will never hit you, child." You pause. "Are Torgunna, Necho and Matty your friends?"

"Yeah. Well, kinda. They just like playing jokes. Hiding shoes, locking me in the cupboard that sorta thing." He pauses thoughtfully. "They're probably real worried about me. They said Pahana – that's Shilah's brother – had gone missing and maybe he'd run up here. Course no one wanted to come up 'cause of the rumours so I said I'd go 'cause someone had to. They didn't think I would but I did. They called me about halfway up though, said they'd got Pahana." He pauses again. "Necho was laughing though. I heard someone ask why he'd told me to go up the mountain and he said he didn't think I'd 'fall or hit' or something. But what was he gonna do? Someone had to look for Pahana."

You try to digest this as quickly as you can. The human looks at you with utter sincerity and you can't bring yourself to doubt him even if you want to doubt children who would hit him. Maybe this Necho really was worried that Karunal would fall.

"So," Karunal says, looking around, "How do I get out?"

Your next breath in is audible and the child's eyes snap to you. "I am afraid that you cannot leave the Ruins, young one. If you leave, you will almost certainly die."

His mouth is an open O of shock. For a few seconds, he only stares at you.

"That kinda sucks," he says. "D'you mean like actually die?"

"You will lose your soul."

"Oh. Uh. OK. Yep, that definitely sucks. Can I at least call my parents? They're gonna wonder where I am." He plunges a hand into a pocket in his trousers and retrieves a mangled piece of plastic and electronics. "Huh. Well, that's not gonna work. Hey, can I borrow your phone? Do you even get phones down here? Bet there's no signal."

Wordlessly, you hand him your phone. He dials a number but it doesn't seem to go through. You've never tried calling the Surface before so maybe no one's picking up. Or maybe you really can't do it.

He lets out a breath and hands it back. "Maybe they'll come look for me then … except they won't be able to leave either. Huh." He shakes his head and smiles again, though it doesn't reach his eyes. "Sorry, Toriel. No point complaining, huh? So, uh, where do humans go if we can't leave the Ruins?"

"You can live with me, innocent one."

"Er, you can call me Karunal, you know. Kaz for short. D'you really take on all the humans? You must have a huge house."

"There are no humans here, ch- Karunal."

His eyes are wide again. "Am I dead? Is this the part where you tell me this is heaven or something?"

"Um…" You try to think of a way to say it. "You are alive, little- Karunal. But it has been many years since a human last fell here. And she died when she left the Ruins."

"She left? Why'd she leave if she knew she was gonna die?"

You think back to Etana, with her tough attitude and hatred of being trapped and say, "For her, some things were worse than death."

"Wow." He blinks. "Anyway, should we go?"

You nearly say go where? It must be the first time that a human has fallen down and been willing to listen to you straight away. You hold out a paw and he takes it instantly. He might actually be it. He might be the human you can save. You promised after all. You will do it.

And yet, if he leaves…

Not that it helped any of the other children. But maybe, just maybe…

You ask him to walk across a room by himself, which he does with no problem. Then you explain the basics of puzzles and monsters to him, encouraging him to just talk to the monsters, even though none of the other humans listened to you when you said that. Finally, you tell him you need to go ahead but that he should wait for you. You would give him your number except you've seen what happened to his phone. Maybe you should have gotten another phone from somewhere. Too late to worry now. Hopefully your mere presence will cow most of the monsters into behaving.

You go ahead and stop to collect a few things here and there. You even stop briefly to get food from a nearby sale, thinking that you could bake something nice for Karunal if he makes it. When he makes it. It seems unfair because you gave the other humans shorter tests, when they didn't choose to go alone by themselves, but you have to know. There's no harm in being prepared, right?

When he doesn't appear, you start to make your way back. Your heart beats faster with each step you take until you hear a cheerful, familiar voice talking and another familiar voice respond. You walk into the next room to see Karunal and a migosp dancing away. When Karunal sees you, he waves cheerily. There are a couple of cuts on his arm and you feel irritated that the monsters did disobey you and attacked him. But you smile and wave. The migosp looks uncertain.

"Hey, Toriel. Sorry, I kinda got bored and figured I'd find you. Have you met Migosp? He's a real good dancer."

"We have met," you say and can't keep the amusement out of your voice.

"Cool. Hey, everyone down here's so nice. The vegetoids even gave me some food. Are they coming with us?"

"They are welcome to come if they so wish, but I doubt they want to come."

"Huh, OK. Let's go then." He turns to the migosp. "Nice to meetcha. I'll come dance again, alright?"

The migosp waves, which is surprising given how much they tend to crave solitude. All the way to the house, Karunal talks. He says that many of the monsters tried to attack him but once he got to know them, they were happy to leave him alone. The loox made the biggest impression: Karunal constantly returns to the fact that the loox was happy to talk and leave Karunal alone when Karunal said he wouldn't pick on him.

In the house, you tell Karunal he can play or take a nap while you make dinner, provided that he doesn't go downstairs. Then you show him the room he is to sleep in and leave him alone. At dinner, you expect him to be talkative at dinner but while he eats the food without complaint and answers your questions, he's clearly preoccupied with something. Eventually, you ask if he's OK.

He nods. "Yeah, it's … can I ask a sorta weird question, Toriel?" You nod. "Where'd … where'd the toys and clothes and shoes come from?"

"Most of them, I found or bought." You hesitate. "As I say, you are not the first human to fall down here."

"Did they all die?" You nod. "Were they all kids like me?" You nod again. He sits back in his chair with a little whump sound. "You weren't kidding, huh? Did they all leave the Ruins?" You nod for a third time. "Why?"

"It is of no importance now, Karunal." You stand up, suddenly finding that you can't look him in the eye. "Would you like dessert?"

His eyes light up. "Yeah!" As you head to the kitchen to pull out the pie, he says, "Hey, Toriel, d'you want me to cook tomorrow? I don't wanna brag but I'm an awesome cook. Even Torgunna says so even if Necho says only sissies know how to cook."

You smile at his enthusiasm. "If it would bring you pleasure, you are more than welcome to help with the cooking. But for tonight, it is dessert and then time for bed."

He cheerfully agrees, finishing his dessert and going to bed without protest. The next day, you start to teach him, as you did with Dhriti and Masako and Etana. He's as enthusiastic here as he is in everything else he does, even though he hates reading ("The letters just aren't where they're meant to be, Toriel") and struggles with basic maths and science questions. Whenever he makes a mistake, he laughs it off, though he seems pleased when you don't laugh at him. In the afternoon, he asks if he can play with the monsters. You agree but insist you go with him, for safety. Your fears turn out to be misplaced: the monsters he runs into remember him and are happy to talk. It actually makes for a pleasant afternoon. In the evening, you let him help you cook and he's right: he is a good cook.

The next few weeks follow a similar pattern: study in the morning, Ruins exploration in the afternoon, and cooking in the evening. You hit a good rapport with him, laughing off your bad gardening ("Someone used to live here who did the gardening. I am trying to maintain it."), hunting for bugs ("We're gonna let them go, aren't we, Tori? Tori? Tori?") and challenging each other to bake-offs . He's always smiling, always cheerful, always willing to laugh at himself and always willing to believe in the good of others. But sometimes, the smile slips a little, or he makes a comment about missing his family and friends, or he makes a joke that's clearly not a joke about himself. The moment you try to address it, however, he smiles sunnily and changes the topic. And you can't exactly talk because there are some topics you do not address: the lives of the children before him; your loneliness; whether there are any nice monsters in your life.

One day, he slumps into his seat and sighs. When you ask him what's wrong, he doesn't shoot you a cheerful smile.

"It's Leif's birthday today."

Leif is Karunal's cousin – as close to him as a brother in many ways. You rub the human's back comfortingly as he slumps forwards.

"I was just thinking, they all think I'm dead. Leif's birthday's probably rubbish 'cause of me."

"Karunal-"

He breathes in. "Sorry, Tori. I just miss him, you know? And my parents. And my friends. I dunno, do you ever get that? Like, you miss people and suddenly you can't stop?"

Almost unbidden, you think of Asgore, and Asriel and Chara. Of nights sitting with Asgore under artificial stars, of holding Asriel in your arms when he was a baby, of playing games with Asriel and Chara. And then, of course, you think of the tree with no leaves in the yard, the box of shoes, the picture of a monster and a human boy, the toy knife that Karunal has unknowingly moved to the balcony, and six coins, five bullets and a bracelet.

He's looking at you with concern in his eyes. "The children from before?"

You look away. "It is tough to go through what you are going through. Would you like some time alone?"

He actually frowns for a few seconds but then he smiles a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "No. I don't wanna think about it too much. Let's read."

You read with him and teach him and let him play but that day, it feels as though both of you are going through the motions. The feeling doesn't fade for a few days. You think that would be hard enough but Karunal keeps smiling all the way through it and the only time the smile reaches his eyes is when you present him with an apron and pan which you buy on one of your grocery shopping trips. So you smile too and you don't think the smile reaches your eyes either.

Although his natural cheer seeps back, things have changed somehow. You catch him looking at the exit to the Ruins once and you can almost see the longing on his face. You overhear him talking to his monster friends about humans and what's outside the Ruins. Once, you find him at Chara's grave, looking thoughtfully upwards. More than once, he asks about the children who preceded him and the more you avoid the subject, the more he latches on to it.

Until one day, you get up and go to wake him, only to find he's not in the bed. A familiar, sick feeling rises up in your stomach as you walk out of the room to check the living room and the kitchen and the yard. Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. You should have known you couldn't keep a human here. Always, always, they leave and then … and then…

You start to head to the stairs, knowing what you're going to find when you hear a crashing noise from the … corridor. The bedroom corridor. You turn and that's when you notice the door to the locked room is slightly ajar.

"Huh. Oh, hey, Tor-"

He squeaks as you charge in and hold him tightly to you. When you finally release him, he coughs a little. There's a guilty glint in his eye.

"I'm sorry," he says quickly. "I just wanted to know what was in here, that's all. I thought I could paint it maybe, since you keep saying you need to decorate it and that's why I can't go in. How come you never open the door? It looks fine. And are these bullets? I … Tori? Tori, don't cry. Please don't cry. I'm sorry. I am. I really am." He hugs you. "Please don't cry."

You wipe your eyes with a paw. "I am sorry, child," you say in a voice that is far too shaky. "When I woke and could not find you…"

Realisation fills his face. "You thought I left the Ruins, didn't you?" You nod. "Is that…" He looks again at the bullets and the other items on the desk. "Are these all you have left of the other kids?"

You nod again. You haven't been in this room for a long time but even now, your paw traces easily over the three leaves, the picture, the six coins, the five bullets and the bracelet. You close your eyes and breathe out.

Quietly, almost too quietly to hear, Karunal says, "Tori? I take it back. You should cry."

You look down at him. "My child?"

He smiles then and it's a funny smile because it reaches his eyes but it's not happy. "You don't gotta be strong all the time. Sometimes, you gotta let out how you feel. Mom says it helps to cry."

You try to smile. "Does that advice apply to you, Karunal?"

The smile stiffens and he glances away. "I don't have as much to cry about. I didn't lose five children."

"You lost your family."

He freezes now. The smile looks almost grotesque.

"I … well, they're still alive. I just can't... If I leave the Ruins, I'm just gonna be, like, a bracelet or something. Aren't I?" He hesitates. "Tori, what … what is it out there that kills kids? 'Cause the monsters in the Ruins don't think there is anything dangerous out there."

You should lie but you say, "The King."

"The King? But everyone thinks he's great. They say he's a really nice guy who wouldn't hurt a fly."

You should be quiet. You should distract him. You should talk about other things, anything, so long as he doesn't leave and you don't have to talk about everything that came before. All these things you should do and should have done … but when you look in his direction, you can see leaves, notes, a bracelet, coins, bullets and, beyond them, a toy gun, some golden flowers, an old paper clipping and all of those should and should haves just…

"He will hurt a human," you say. "He has killed five already and he has done so regardless of what they said or did. If you escape him, other monsters will attack you. Their desire for your soul will outweigh their integrity." Your voice is almost dream-like now. "And even if you made it to the end, you would be unable to leave unless you also had a monster's soul."

You wait for him to make a joke but he says, "Why are you telling me this, Tori?"

Because all you've accomplished in God knows how many years is making promises and breaking those promises. Because you didn't even ask Etana's name. Because you slept through Masako's escape, because you just let Salaamat and Rhisiart go, because you didn't reach Dhriti in time to save her, because you weren't there to stop Asriel from going to the Surface, because you still don't know what made Chara sick, because, because, because…

"Because one day, you might need to know it."

His eyes widen. For a moment, you two just look at each other.

"Have you ever met the King, Tori?"

"I knew him, once."

"Did he come to the Ruins?"

You close your eyes to banish images of the way your house used to look.

"He used to live here. A very long time ago." For a few seconds, you are both silent. Then you shake your head. "Let us speak no more of these things. Come, little one. It's time for breakfast."

He looks at you as though he might object but then he takes your paw. After a few seconds, he says, "Is he evil?"

It feels as though the ground has fallen away. You take a breath to stop yourself from stuttering. "I do not know," you say slowly. "But I despise him."

His eyes are wide when you look at him. "Really?" You nod. "Have you tried talking to him though? 'Cause you said all monsters could be reasoned with and I reckon everyone can be saved, so I thought maybe if I-"

"No, Karunal."

"Maybe he doesn't know much about humans. If I sat down-"

"No, Karunal." When he opens his mouth, you say, "I know him, Karunal. He is weak. A populist. He is lost deep in grief. He is broken. He lives for one purpose now and that is to kill any human he sees so he can pretend he is trying to free us. You can say whatever you want to him – he will not listen."

"Toriel, you-"

"No, Karunal."

"You're shaking." You look down at him and then at your paws. Funny. They are shaking. He takes them in his tiny human hands and looks up at you. "This is what it feels like to miss someone you love and not stop, isn't it?"

"Karunal…"

He looks up at you. "What would it take to make you happy, Tori?"

The simplicity of that question catches you off guard and you don't respond. You are happy, aren't you? Happy as you can be. Happy as long as you don't think about…

You cough. "Come, child. Let us eat breakfast."

"But you didn't-"

"Please."

He follows you. For the rest of the day, he barely speaks to you but you feel his eyes on you and you know it is concern, not anger, that is keeping him away.

(You sit up late that evening, unable to sleep and he comes and joins you in front of the fire. Your eyes are wet and your paws patter uselessly on the arm of your old armchair. Neither of you speaks but when the flames are no more than flickering embers, he stands and hugs you tightly before going back to his room.)

In the days that follow, Karunal watches you and asks questions – about love, about change, about good and evil and grief. At Chara's grave, he doesn't ask but you can tell that he's worked out that the flowers mark the resting place of one of your children. He looks at the gardening you do and quietly remarks that the King is supposed to be a great gardener. He talks to you about family, looking up at the roof as he does so.

(Not every evening but at least twice a week, you sit up late into the night and Karunal sits with you, leaning against your leg and pretending he didn't see your expression when he walked into the room).

And then one day, you return to the house to find it empty. A quick scour shows that Karunal's backpack is gone, as is some of your food, his apron and a pan. He's left the shoes he came in, which he since outgrew. Your heart sinks as you search all of the rooms. He finally left. He finally left for home.

But then, on his bed, you find a note, surrounded by the usual chaos that is Karunal's method of keeping his room "clean". You pick it up and nearly shriek when you read it.

Tori

Don't be mad! I'm coming back! But you've dun so much for me and you've been so sad resently that I thort maybe I cud help. So I thort I cud go tlak to the king. I kno what you said but I bet he mises you too. Maybe he'll stop kiling kids and come back. We cud be a famly Tori.

And if he is vilent I'll hit him with my pan and run back. Ha ha hopfuly it won't get that bad tho.

See you soon!

Kaz

This time, you start to open the door before you stop, the slight draft from the outside gently hitting your face. Indecision rips through you. You promised never to leave the Ruins. You told Karunal not to leave. Maybe he'll just keep going and go back to his friends and family. Maybe he'll turn around and come back.

It's a lie, of course, and it doesn't take long for you to hear that he, too, has died in the depths of Hotland and that the soul they took was green, a deep green that spoke of kindness and health. Another variation of colour to join the palette that the King has collected. The worst part though is that he could have made it to the Barrier – if only he hadn't stopped to speak to the King. If only he hadn't chosen to stay with you rather than leave.

The mangled mess of his phone joins the other items in the room you do not open.

In the night that follows Karunal's death, as you sit in the living room, eyes dry and expression blank, you make a decision (because there's next time. There's always a next time and there will always be a next time, no matter how many times you wish there could be a last time for you). You cannot leave the Ruins (you could, a traitor voice whispers. If you cared about these children, you would. Otherwise how are you any better than Asgore?) so you will have to keep the next human here. That is the only way to ensure you finally keep your promises and to give your soul even some semblance of colour now. You will not tell them what is outside the Ruins. You will not tell them of the history of monsters. You will not suggest there is a way back to the Surface. You will not tell them of the other humans or of Asgore. You will not let them see any of your own pain. If you have to, you will destroy that exit to the Ruins.

You will keep them safe next time, you tell yourself.

But you don't promise and, somehow, you know that's going to make all the difference.

Fin