I teleport to the front steps of the house. I knock on the door. I've called and texted Palette without anything more than a voicemail as aresponse. I was getting worried. And I was getting worried fast. Dust opens the door and looks at me. He grins.

"Hey, Goth. What brings you here? Wait..."Dust says

He narrows his eyes, looking around.

"Come in. Then explain."Dust tells me

I nod and go in. He shuts and locks the door behind me.

"I'm here to see Palette. Have you heard from or seen him? Is he even home? I've been trying to contact him but he isn't responding."I say

"Nope. Haven't seen him all day. He hasn't left his room all day. He's home. But the closest thing I know about him is that some dude named Raven kept asking to see him. Blue told me of an incident that happened between them so I denied his entry. Still, that dude didn't seem keen on listening to me and left in a bad mood."Dust says

"Has he come today?"I ask

"Dust get over here before your cooking burns the house down!"Blue shouts

Dust runs to the kitchen, chuckling. I follow him and find Blue at the stove, holding a recipe book. There was a boiling pot on the stove with a whistling kettle.

"What? or Undyne can burn the house down with their cooking and not me?"Dust asks

"That's their house. That's different. Plus, that would catch attention, upset everyone and not blend in."Blue says

"Okay, what's the next step?"Dust asks

"Add blueberries it says."Blue replies

"Okay, get in."Dust says, pointing to Blue then to the pot

"Heh, I'd like to see you try."Blue says

"Challenge accepted."Dust chuckles, grabbing Blue

"Hey! Let me go!"Blue exclaims

"Hey, come on. I'm sure you'll be sweet enough for the recipe. You're a good buddy!" Dust says

"Ya and I won't be your friend if ya cook any!"Blue says

Dust chuckles and puts him down.

"Love you, Blue."Dust says sweetly

"Sure you say that now."Blue says, crossing his arms

"Ahem."I say

Blue looks at me.

"Hm?"He says

"Dust hasn't answered my question. Has Raven come today?"I ask

"Who's Raven, Dust?"Blue asks

"Just someone annoying and trying to bother Palette. Ya, he just left minutes before you came, except he had some kind of staff peeking from behind."Dust says

"W-What? Oh shoot! Thanks for telling me! I gotta go!"I say

I run up the steps leading to the upper floor. I go to Palette's door. I twist the knob but it was locked.

"Palette? You in there? You ok?"I ask

No answer.

"Palette?"I call

Silence

"Palette! Open the door! It's Goth! I know you're in there!"I shout

At first it was silence. Then I hear very faintly, Palette's voice.

"Go.....Gothy?"Palette weakly answers

"It's me, Palette. Are you ok? You got me worried when you didn't answer anymore."I say, pressing against the door

"I'm...I'm....s-so..."Palette says, then goes silent

I was panicking. I look around for anything I could use to get in. Ink was down the hall and sees me pacing, checking the walls for anything. I even begin to try to knock the door down and fail. Ink comes over and asks what's wrong. I explain what's happening or could be happening. Ink nods, understanding. He went into another room and after some commotion, got Error out. Error comes over to me and sees the worry on my face. He looks at the door, then at me.  He nods. He shoots strings at the door and yanks it. The door came right off his hinges. I thank him profusely and run inside. I find Palette laying in the corner of the room. He had slash marks across him. I check on my scythe to find it tucked away in the closet, not a sign of use. I kneel beside him. I hold him close and check his stats. My grip trembles. I check his soul. It was breaking.

"Nononononono!Palette! Stay with me! Wake up! Please! Palette!"I cry

"G...G.....Goth.....y?"Palette says, opening his eyes slightly.

"Yes! It's me! I got ya! Stay with me! Please!"I plea

"I..O...Okay...."Palette says

"Who hurt you, Palette?"I ask

"R...Raven....."Palette Says, then closes his eyes

"Palette!"I shout, seeing his soul break even more

I look around and think fast. I get an idea. I activate my magic and carefully go through with the plan. I restrain from yelling. Once I was done, I gently shake him.Please work. Please wake up. Palette begins to cough and surges upward to sit up. I smile, crying tears of joy. I then drop to the floor, feeling the consequences hit me hard. I grip my chest and hold the ground to hold me from the ground.

"P-Palette..."I mutter

"Gothy!"Palette cries, coming over

"I'm gonna make Raven pay....Nobody gets to hurt you if I have anything to say about it."I say, then teleport home

I take some breaths in and out. I feel my chest and check my soul. There was a large chunk of it taken out. I sigh, I had put it to Palette's to rebuild his. If Geno can survive on less of a soul, I can survive on this. I get up and find myself in the living room. And what do I find laying on the couch? Raven's scythe with signs of recently be used and fixed. I grab it when I hear a door open. I point it at him and frown.

"You hurt Palette. Never again. I don't care for your excuse, you will not hurt my best friend!"I snap

"Oh? And what are you gonna do about it?"Raven asks

"I'm gonna keep your only tool to do so."I say, using my magic to keep his scythe with me and unable to be summoned

"How many times must I tell you this? I'm protecting you! I'm doing the right thing but you are stopping me! Or do I need to lock you in your room again?"Raven says, lunging at me

I jump back, dodging him.

"Protecting me? Doing the right thing? What's so right about hurting my best friend? I love him and he's been there for me and you! Now you're just blaming him? Hurting him? You're crazy! Overprotective! And you need to stop! Back off! Locking me up won't do any good either! So please, don't you dare do any of that again!"I yell at him

Raven was shocked. He stares at me. His hands turn to fists. That set me off. I run. I run faster than I ever had before. I make turn after turn, trying to lose him. I dart down alleys, jump over fences, anything to make following me difficut. I back up slowly, then bump into someone. I jump and quickly step forward. I hold Palette's scarf and catch my breath. I shut an eye to hide the fact I had only one eye-light. I look over to see a skeleton standing there with his back to me. He had a red scarf and wore blue clothes. I couldn't see his face but telling by his body language, he seemed down. I breathe in and out slowly to catch my breath again. I look around and heave a sigh of relief. I then see my scythe between us, tiliting to me then at the skeleton. It then ties my scarf to the bright red one the skeleton wore. I feel my face warm. Only one person had my scythe. Palette. Could this be him?

The skeleton steps forward to leave, but the scarfs being tied yanks him back. This pulls him back a bit. He shakes his head, not questioning it. Or investigating. He simply puts on a bright yellow hat. I put on a red one to hide who I am even more. The scythe flies in front of him. It shakes, as if shaking a head no. It then shoves this skeleton into me. I could feel our souls beat in sync. My face ignites. I lift my scarf up over my face. He turns around and sees me. I could see our souls faintly hover above us. I freeze. Does he know it's me?

"Oh hey, Reno! How are you?"Palette asks

I was shocked and relieved.

"H-Hey, Palette. I'm alright....Are you?"I reply, my scarf muffling my voice

"Y-Ya...Gothy apparently saved my life from what Error says.....Do you know where he went?"Palette asks

"M-Me? I...I dunno! Pfft! He could be anywhere! I don't..I uh, em, it's not like I don't know him! He could be just down the street o-or...I'm just gonna stop talking now."I saw, panicking

I could see the confusion on his face.I feel my face burn. I also could feel our souls beat.

"Okay...? Well I'm gonna untie our scarves and find him. Thanks for the chat....."Palette says

"O-Ok!"I say

He unties our scarves and walks away. Stupidly, I call after him.

"Don't forget! He will be wearing your scarf!"I shout after him

"Right! Thanks!"Palette says

I sigh from relief. The scythe follows Palette. I take out Raven's and examine it. He will not hurt Palette again. I find a nearby sewer and drop the scythe into it, out of sight. I then feel a yank on my scarf. An arm wraps around me. I look to see Raven there. He drags me away. I fight and resist or struggle, but it was no use. I frown as everything darkens.

Palette's POV

I walk around but after finding no sign of Goth, I return to the house. Out front was Error and Geno talking. I greet them and they welcome me. Error was cooking what seemed to be hotdogs outside. Geno seemed to have come from a stroll as well.

"HoW wAs tHe sEaRch gOiNg? Did yoU fInD GoTh?"Error asks

"No, but I ran into Reno again."I reply

"Reno?"Geno asks

"Apparently another alternate son of you and Reaper's. Reaper met him the other day when he broke into your room."I explain

"Reaper said he found you with Goth when he broke in, saying nothing of a Reno. Also, we searched into the alternate child thing just in case. We found no such thing as a Reno kid. What was he like?"Geno states

"He was shy..stuttering a lot..very jumpy...but also sweet and nice. He also only had one eye light and his face was a bright purple shade."I describe

"IsN't tHat h0w GotH acTs oR lo0k liKe? EspEciAlLy whEn hE's blUsHiNg aRoUnD yOu?"Error suggests

"I...I guess so. I haven't really noticed that last part. W-Wait...D-Does that mean-? Reno w-was-?"I say

Error breaks into laughter.

"Oh my stars! He was right in front of you and you didn't even realize! I'm betting his scythe tried to point it out to you as well! You had him with you! In your hold! And you didn't realize it! Oh my goodness! I'm impressed!"Geno chuckles

I feel my face warm. Geno was right. But I also had him in bed. With me! I had pulled him close and woke up by Reaper's intrusion, only to end up towering over him. He cheered me up, telling me how he felt, but under an alias. Everything that had occurred, was with him! Their laughing didn't help, though. But I had some questions now. I check my soul. Goth had saved my life. I see my soul had a chunk taken out of it. Yet, it was filled with a piece that clearly wasn't naturally mine. Error was a witness. Could he know?

"Error, you saw the incident earlier, right? What exactly happened? What did he do?"I ask

"Oooo, yOu'rE gEtTinG inTo tHaT...."Error says, stopping his laughter

"What's wrong Error? You haven't said a word of that!"Geno claims

"He...to0k a hUge rIsK tO sAve yOu. LeT's pUt iT tHiS wAy. He's dOiNg a GeNo, lIvInG oFf oF lEss tHaN a fUlL sOuL. BuT I tHiNk yoU cOuLd fiGuRe oUt wHeRe tHat pIeCe wEnT. And yOu bEtTeR hOpE hE dOesn'T gEt hUrt. He diD iT qUiCklY aNd hiS sOuL maY bE unStAblE."Error explains

"Woah! That is risky! And that's coming from me! I'd advise you to find him now or asap, Palette."Geno exclaims

I nod, taking the info in. I was trying to think of where Goth could be now. But then, Goth's scythe shook and spins, hopping in alarm. I look at it and it points in a direction. It then shoves itself in my hold. Before I could say anything, it soars off, dragging me with it. At first, I was shocked and yell in surprise. But then, that shock changed to joy. I take my hat out of my pocket and put it on. I'm coming, Gothy.

Goth's POV

Slap!

"Why do you protect him? When will you learn? Come on, Goth, get a hold of yourself! Get your act together! You'll eventually see I'm right."Raven snaps at me

"I protect him because that's what he did to me! Protect me! When will you learn that you're wrong! You first!"I snap, feeling my face

He slaps me across the face again. I weakly hit the ground. He checks my stats. He sees my soul. His eye-light shrinks.

"B-Bro. Y-Your s-s-soul! W-wh-"He stutters

"Oh, so you notice my soul condition. Ya, I know. That's what people do when they care. Protect. Take risks. Care. Love. Meanwhile, all you did just now was hurt. I know I'm unstable. I don't care what you have to say. Also, you're not getting your scythe back. You'll have to check the sewers. Just go."I growl, though my voice shook.

Raven leaves the room. I sit there, sighing. I check my soul and see it had just stopped shaking, beating normally again. I move the bookcase aside and see night has fallen. Time to sneak out. Again. I change into my classic grayish cloak, black shirt and light shorts. I put on the slippers again and adjust Palette's scarf. I put a gray hat on and check to make sure the door is locked.  I then go to the doorway outside and lean on the railing. I gaze up at the sky, seeing all the stars up above. I feel my face warm up a bit, some reminding me of Palette's eye lights. I grip the railing, feeling my soul beat faster. I shake my head, then loosen my grip on the railing.

"What am I even doing?"I mutter quietly

"Gothy!"a voice cheers

"H-huh?"I say in surprise

"Gothy!~♥ I'm here!"The voice exclaims lovingly

I look and see Palette there, happily jumping up and yelling. I feel my face ignite brightly. I look inside and luckily Raven wasn't there, or near my door. Still, that panic comes. I step back a bit.

"P-Palette!"I say, trying not to yell or possibly alert Raven that he's here

Palette keeps jumping up, trying to grab the railing and lift himself up. I try to shush him or get him to quiet down.

"Gothy! I found ya!"Palette cheers

"Palette! Quiet down! How'd you find me?"I say

"Your scythe brought me here!"Palette says

The scythe hovers beside him.

"Okay, well quiet down! Raven is still in the house and if he hears or knows you're here, he'll.....he'll..."I tell him

"Wait! I see a mark across your face! Did he hurt you?"Palette asks

I reach up and feel my cheek that was slapped.

"He...got angry......and he did....But he's left me alone now. I'm o-o-okay."I reply

"That's good to hear that you're okay! Come on, Gothy. Let's go! I want to hang with you again! I want to talk with ya!"Palette says

"O-Okay, but what if Raven comes? He isn't very happy right now."I tell him

"Then I'll speak to him and try to reason with him. I'll get help from the others if I must. It's fine."Palette says

"B-B-But...agh!"I say, feeling the pain of my soul again and gripping the railing

"Gothy!"Palette exclaims

I feel the ground leave me. My grip on the railing is lost I find myself hang upside down in the air, my scarf dangling. I feel a hand on my cheek. I look to see Palette in front of me. His face was bright and he was using blue magic. He smiles, while I feel my face warm. I reach over to him and gaze at him. 

"Let me heal that."He says

"P-Palette..."I say nervously

Is he really gonna take the risks?

"It'll make up for how you saved me, thanks by the way...Though it may not be as major as what you did."He says

"W-Wait..."I stutter

He reaches and feels my cheek. My face brightens. I feel his head gently. I was scared and nervous. I feel a warm sense on the side of my cheek where the wound was.

"There we go. Is that better?"Palette says

I sigh, relieved. He didn't take the risk. I smile. I nod.

"Ya...It is. Thank you, Palette."I say

"Shall we go?"Palette asks

Right at that moment, I sensed another presesence. Raven's. Then I hear him. Faintly.

"Goth? Can we talk?"Raven says

I look at Palette.

"Give me a sec, okay?"I ask

He nods. He then puts me back on the deck, behind the railing. I get up and signal him to stay quiet. I go in the room and open the door. There Raven stood.

"Where's the other piece of your soul?"Raven asks

"I thought you could guess that already. I know what you tried to do and stopped it."I say

He steps forward, towering over me and causing me to step back as he gets deeper into the room. He gets closer to me, making me back up until I'm against the wall.

"You gave it to him? After what he did? Have you learned nothing?"He snaps

"Yes. Yes. I learned you have poor listening skills if that counts."I respond

He frowns. He swings a fist and I duck to dodge it. He glances at the door. He looks at me.

"No wonder you haven't learned. You've avoided it! You've snook out! Maybe I have to try again but with isolation and no secret way out!"Raven snaps, getting closer

"No!"I yell, ducking under his arms and running to the doorway

I feel something hit me in the back of my skull. I fall forward, hitting the ground from the power of the blow.

"Agh! Ow...."I mutter in pain

"I'm trying to help you bro. Do what you wish, but nothing will stop me from doing what's best for ya. Got it?"Raven said

I could see two hands gripping the railing. Then I see two eye-lights peek at me. I recognize them. It was Palette.

"You ok, Gothy?"He whispers

"Mm-hm...."I say, though keep my head low and secretly checking my soul

It was beating quickly and shaking. Unstable, it was. 

"No you're not, I can see it."Palette whispers

"Leave me alone. I got this."I mutter

"No you don't! Because you're not doing what's best for you! Now let's go!"Raven says obliviously in his rage

I feel there was magic in use. I look at Raven, but he wasn't using any. I realize it was Palette. He was gonna give himself away! What was he doing? I look down, seeing my soul turn blue. I then go flying and feel my internal panic hit its highest point. I then feel two arms wrap around me, pulling me into a hug. I look up and it is Palette. I had my arms around him now. I feel my face warm up fast. OhmystarsohmystarsOhmystarsohmystarsOhmystarsohmystarsOhmystarsohmy starsOhmystarsohmystarsOhmystarsohmystarsOhmystarsohmystarsOhmystarsohmystars! My mind was zipping through thoughts.

"Gothy! I got you!"He says

"Goth!"Raven roars

"Let's go."Palette says, grabbing my scythe

"O-Ok."I stutter.

The scythe pulls us away, zooming as fast as it could. Raven's yells grow faint. Palette keeps a solid grip on me. We stop in front of some diner and the scythe is unsummoned. It served its purpose. Protection. He takes me inside and we talk once getting seated at a table. I smile, glad to be with Palette again. Though I notice he keeps checking my soul.

"Does it...hurt?"He asks

"Not really."I assure him

A supposed staff member comes over and places some multi-colored drink on our table, calling it a free sample of the daily special. Once they left, we continue to talk. Curiousity got to me and I take a sip. At first, it was sweet, but that quickly went to a disgusting taste. Something wasn't right.  I stand up. Palette looks at me.

"I'll be right back. Don't drink this."I say

He nods. I walk at first to speak to the manager or staff about the drink, but suddenly didn't feel good and went to the bathroom. I go to one of the stalls. I throw up. I feel so sick and when I finally stop, I couldn't stop coughing. Was it poisoned? Food poisoning? The heck?  I look at my soul. It was turning black. My eye light shrank. My body trembles. I then sense a presence. A dark one.

"Come on out, Goth. I know you're in there."A voice says from the other side of the stall door

I get up and try to summon my scythe, but it could not appear. I back up, fear filling me. I then get an idea. I get some paper from my pocket and write as quick as I could, then tuck it in Palette's scarf. I put the scarf on the hook or hanger of the door. I frown, stepping back. I know for a fact that Nightmare was on the other side now.

"I know you're in there. I know you got the drink and you aren't in fighting condition. So come out or I come in. Scratch that. You don't get a stupid choice."Nightmare says

The door is kicked open and a tentacle wraps around me, pulling me away. I frown, trying to yell but the tentacle covers my mouth. I notice he went through the emergency bathroom exit. I suddenly feel my soul beat quicker. I check it and see it trying to lighten again, fighting the dark color. It hurt, but I knew it had to mean something good. I turn my head and see Palette opening the door to the bathroom.

"Gothy?"He calls

"Shoot, the alternate nephew."Nightmare mutters

Nightmare then went into a run and drags me away. Everything begins to darken. I reluctantly shut my eyes from the pain overcoming me. I could see a sign, like one at a save screen, saying: Nightmare is taking your soul. NO! I couldn't move. But soon, I could. I open my eyes and I was locked in a room. I quickly get up and check for exits. There weren't any. Woop-dee-freaking do!

I try to summon my scythe again but instead of my white one, a black one appears in my grip. The heck? I quickly drop it in a panic. The only bright part of it was at where I had held it. I check my pockets and pull out my phone. I see Palette was trying to reach me.

I tuck it away. I hear a door open and in walks Nightmare. He quickly comes close. He knocks me against the wall. Holding my wrists tight. I gaze up at him as he glares down at me. But he had a grin on.

"What do you want with me?"I ask

"Just a few tasks to be done with me. You'll be a good member of the gang. Why? You're a killer's son. The son of death himself. Heh."Nightmare replies

"Well too bad for you because I am not gonna do any tasks for you or join your gang. Go ahead and kill me or threaten to, I don't care."I snap

"Oh, but you should! For one thing, I'm the only one that knows where you and your friends are. I can tell E!Gaster or Renew whenever I want and they'll destroy you all for me. Plus, if I kill you, the precious other piece of your soul will disappear as well. Meaning whoever has it will die as well. You don't want them all to die because of you, do ya?"Nightmare says

I bow my head. 

"Okay, what must I do?"I ask

"Heh, glad you came to your senses."Nightmare says