A cool hand brushed Pax's bangs out of his eyes.  The hand didn't feel fleshy--it felt like...smooth plastic or something...

"...Child...you cannot stop here...not yet..."

A deep voice murmured.  Static filled the air as Pax tried to crack his eyes open, but the hand moved up to cover his eyes.

"Child.....rest." The voice softened. "You have been through much pain......rest, please."

Pax wasn't sure if he was awake, dreaming or dead.  But shut his eyes and drifted once more.

~~

"Uncle Ed?  Are you here?"

7 year-old Pax pushed his parent-figure's office door open with his tiny hands.  He peeked into the room before sliding in, shutting the door behind him.

The brunet walked further into the room before finding Edward hunched over his desk, mumbling under his breath and scribbling notes or something...

"...Uncle Ed?"

The doctor jumped in his seat, whipping his head around as he smiled nervously.

"P-Paxton, my boy!" The doctor awkwardly shoved the papers in his hands to the corner of his desk, uncaring that he knocked a few pens and pencils to the ground. "I didn't hear you come in...!"

"Uncle Edward?" Pax felt an uncomfortable churning in his gut. "What's...wrong?"

The man bit his lower lip in response--but only for a moment.  Soon the man but on a bright smile, getting up from his seat to usher the brunet from the room.

"Haha, Paxton, my boy, I think it's lunchtime now."

"But--"

"Now, now...!  I'm sure Frisk is hungry too!"

As they began to leave the room, Pax noticed the x-rays that were displayed on a wall.  The child blinked in slight recognition.  He had gotten an x-ray check up just yesterday and his Hyper Intuition told him that those were his results.

But something...something was wrong with the pictures...

Pax then found himself outside of Edward's office, the door closing and cutting his sight off.  Edward gently took Pax's hand and he smiled at the child, murmuring softly.

"Let's go now, Paxton."

Pax lifted his gaze to stare up into green eyes.  There was so much pain in sorrow in those irises.  But that wasn't what startled Pax the most.

Edward always had that look in his eyes when he knew....

...That his patient was beyond saving.

~~

Orange eyes slid open to stare up at a beige-colored ceiling.  Pax waited as his vision cleared before he turned his head slightly to the right to see Frisk with their head in their arms, top-half of their body on the bed, apparently sleeping at the moment with a blanket draped over their small shoulders.

Pax turned his head to the left and he was mildly surprised to see glowing, hazel eyes stare back at him.  Kuri sat up from where he was, folding his wings in as he went closer to the bed.  The monster sat down again, lifting a large paw up to settle on the edge of the bed.  Pax swallowed as he stared into those eyes.

"....Ta...keshi....?"

Kuri's wings fluttered for a moment and he leaned closer to Pax, feathery tail wagging and tongue starting to loll out.  Kuri seemed to grin and he licked the brunet's cheek.  Tsuna felt tears prick his eyes as he let out a soft laugh, reaching his small hands up to hold the dog-face in place.

"I-Is...it really you...?" He whispered, feeling hope and despair fight within him.

Kuri seemed to nod his head while keeping it in place with Pax's hands.  Tsuna chuckled again and leaned forward to lightly bump foreheads with the Rain, tears streaming from his eyes as he shut them, taking a shuddering breath.

"Takeshi...it's good to see you..."

[I thought it was Kuri now, right?  Haha!]

Pax jerked his head back in surprise.  Kuri merely blinked his eyes innocently at Pax, tilting his head in a questioning manner, looking confused.

"I..." Pax started before frowning, leaning forward to connect their foreheads together. 'Takeshi?  Can you hear me?'

[Oh, Tsuna!] Kuri's tail began to wag. [Yeah I can hear you!  Oh gosh, this is so cool!  We can hear each other's thoughts this way.  We have some sort of special telepathy with each other!  Hahahaha!]

Pax smiled amusedly at his friend's excitement.  He backed up and this time, he used one hand to touch Kuri's paw.

'Does it still work this way?'

[Yeah!  I can still hear you.]

Pax lifted his hand away.

'Now?'

Kuri just seemed to stare at Pax, leaving the human child to sigh.  The brunet moved a hand forward to touch the other's paw again.

'It seems we must have physical contact with each other in order to form a link between our minds.'

[Haha, seems so...]

Pax furrowed his eyebrows.

'You...do you remember how you got here?'

Kuri's chest rumbled softly for a moment, as if the monster was humming thoughtfully.  The bird-dog then shook his head.

[I remember the battle...] Hazel eyes darkened slightly before lightening up. [And then I remember waking up in this place.  Waking up in my new body was...eventful.  And it took a while to get used to.  I kinda decided to stay out of sight from Toriel-san.] Takeshi laughed nervously in their mental link. [I'll admit that I was confused and a little shy...]

Kuri lifted his furry head to the ceiling, staring at it thoughtfully.

[I'd say I've been here for a...month or so.  I've gotten used to...six legs, a tail and wings to be honest.  And ears.] The monster grinned slightly as he wiggled said body parts. [I think Toriel-san knew of my presence, but she didn't do much about it.  Although she did leave me some water bowls and food.]

Pax nodded at that and relaxed in bed, his thoughts swimming in his mind.

Did that mean the other Guardians were like this?  The rest of his friends and family too?

While Pax mused over his thoughts, Kuri brought him back by snorting softly.  Kuri looked over at Frisk before looking back at Pax.

[So...you're a big brother?]

Pax smiled weakly at that, reaching over to lightly run his fingers through Frisk's hair.  Frisk mumbled something in their sleep before smiling slightly, snuggling into the sleeves of their sweater.

'Yeah.  I am.'

[....And your new parents?]

'....'

[Nevermind.  I can sense the negative thoughts.  That bad, huh?]

'...Yeah...'

Takeshi's grin looked sharper now, his fangs bared as he looked at Pax with narrowed eyes.

[I'll slice 'em to pieces if you want to, Tsuna.] He said cheerily. [No one would find their bodies.]

Pax sweatdropped.

'Um...as much as they deserve it...I wouldn't want you to get in trouble.'

Kuri wagged his tail, snorting softly.

[Haha, always thinking about me!  Good ol' Tuna!]

Pax felt a tick mark on his head.

'...Please...it's Tsuna.  But now, it's Paxton.'

Kuri let out a small noise that suspiciously sounded like a hysterical hyena laugh.

[Paxton.  I heard the name from that nice goat-lady before but I didn't think--!  Pffft--!  Paxton?  Pax-ton.  Paxpax?]

'Argh, hush you!'

"Pax...?"

The two froze and Pax turned his head to see Frisk rubbing an eye sleepily; the brunet removed his hand from Kuri's paw in surprise.  When the younger human saw that their brother was awake, they brightened, ruby-red eyes tearing up.

"Pax...!" They nearly shouted, voice hoarse. "You're...awake...!"

Frisk crawled up onto the bed and hugged Pax tightly, tears leaking out of their eyes as they buried their face into the brunet's chest.  Pax panicked for a moment before returning the hug.

"Sorry for making you worry, Frisk." The brunet laughed nervously. "I guess I was too tired that I fell asleep along the way or something."

Frisk frowned slightly, eyebrows pinched together.

*But you looked all sick and stuff. Ms. Toriel healed you.  She gave me and Kuri butterscotch-cinnamon pie and I saved some for you.* Frisk deepened their frown. *But...she also looked worried...Pax...are you really alright?*

Pax merely smiled and hugged the smaller tighter.

"Of course!"

Frisk shut their eyes, but they continued to frown at Pax, moving their hands up as they let up on their hug, preparing to sign again at the elder.  However, the door opened and Toriel stepped in, a relieved smile on her face.

"Oh, thank goodness.  I thought I had heard voices."

Toriel walked in further as Chara floated in after her.  The caramel-haired child looked at Pax with narrowed eyes, lips formed in a thin like, causing the brunet to slink lower into his bed.  Toriel seemed to notice his reaction and her smile faltered slightly; the goat-woman walked over to the bed, hands clasped in front of her as she looked over at the odd group before looking at Frisk and Kuri.

"Um, I'm sorry, dears, could you step outside for a moment?  I wish to speak to Paxton by myself..."

Frisk looked at Pax first, face pinched with worry.  In return, the elder sibling smiled and gestured for Kuri and Frisk to go on out.  Frisk sighed softly and slid off of the bed, leaning against Kuri as they both went out of the door.

Once the door was closed behind them, Toriel sighed softly before sitting on the edge of Pax's bed.  Chara floated on the other side, narrowed eyes still on Pax.  Toriel looked down at her paws before looking over at Pax.

"...Paxton, my child..." She fiddled with her fingers, gaze pained. "...Your...your Soul.....why, may I ask, is it so battered?"

Pax breath stopped for a moment.  He was about to say that he was fine, but he saw those sad eyes that were looking at him, leaving no room for lies.  Pax gripped the bed sheets around him before responding.

"I...I think I have an illness of sorts." Pax took a deep breath. "From where I'm from, it's not exactly, um....too curable."

Toriel blinked, expression surprised before her eyes grew a little glassy with understanding.  Chara was watching Pax with wide eyes before tsking, turning their head away.  The Caretaker of the Ruins sighed softly, swallowing audibly before continuing.

"And...why does your Soul...look so much older than your body?"

Pax froze while Chara finally turned their head back to look at the brunet with blazing eyes.  Tsuna bit his lip.

'Well...that's a little hard to explain.'

{Oh is it now?} Chara snarked back, floating closer to Pax's face. {Who the he** are you?  Are you here to kill every single monster in the underground!?}

'...I will tell you.  But first, I need to have Ms. Toriel leave.  This silence is getting kind of awkward.'

The brunet pretended to cough and Toriel stood up, fretting a little.

"Oh, apologies.  You must still be tired." She smiled warmly. "I shall let you rest some more before waking you up again to feed you." The goat-woman gently pat his head. "Please, rest."

Toriel then walked away, shutting the lights off and leaving the room, closing the door behind herself.  Pax sighed as he leaned back against his pillow before looking over at Chara.

'...I don't know if you'll believe me.'

{Just say something.}

Pax sighed.

'I can't tell you everything...you won't believe me anyways.'

Chara sneered.

{Try me.}

The brunet sighed again, shutting his eyes.

'I...I'm from a parallel universe.  And, uh, in that parallel universe...I died as an adult and I was kinda reborn in this one...?'

...

Silence from Chara's end, which was understandable.  Like, it's not everyday that you're told by another person that they're from another world.  Chara blinked...and blinked again.  Slowly, they dragged a hand over their face.

{...Okay...okay, okay.  Let's say I believe you,} They chuckled humorlessly at the brunet. {What are you planning to do down here?}

Pax ran a hand through his hair, sighing for the nth time that day.  He rubbed a hand over his chest thoughtfully before looking up at Chara with a tired smile.

'If...it's dangerous down here, I'd just like to get my little sibling out of here, and a couple of my friends.  And by friends, I mean...I feel like they have been reborn as monsters...'

Chara's eyes scanned the brunet's face, sensing no lies before frowning deeply, pushing the questions about his friends to the back of their mind.

{What about you?  You sound like you're not going with Frisk.}

Pax blinked.  He smiled sadly at the other, falling back against the bed.

'I don't think I'll be able to make it.'

//(One Week Later)//

"Frisk, we need to get going now."

The 5 year-old ceased their playing with Kuri's fur, lifting their head to look at Pax with surprised, shut eyes, sitting up by the fireplace in Toriel's home.

*...Okay...we need to try get back to Uncle Ed, right?  And Aunty Sil.* Frisk smiled. *They're probably worried about us...*

They then frowned slightly with worry.

*But...* Their hands faltered for a moment. *Ms. Toriel...will she be alright?*

Pax grimaced slightly, glancing over at Chara.

'What do you think, Chara?'

Chara raised an eyebrow.

{Toriel should be able to let you go.  You should be fine.}

Pax nodded, but his Hyper Intuition prickled.

'Please lead us to the exit.'

~~

Magenta flames flickered across the hall, surrounding the humans.  Pax gritted his teeth while Frisk clung to his side in fear.  Chara's eyes were wide with shock as she gazed at Toriel, who had a cold expression on her face, flames crackling around her.

{What is she doing?!}

Toriel summoned flames into her palms as she stood defensively in front of the Ruins's exit door.  The goat-woman took a deep breath before gazing down at the two humans.

"Fight me." She stated seriously. "If you cannot defend yourself here, then you will not be able to survive in the Underground."

Chara's eyes were wide with desperation.

{What is she talking about?  The monsters should be friendly...}

Kuri barked, standing defensively in front of Pax and Frisk, wings beating to dispel some of the flames surrounding them.  Toriel blinked in mild surprise before sending a wave of flames at Kuri, who ended up being surrounded.

"Please do not involve yourself in this.  This is between me and the children."

Kuri growled, hazel eyes looking over at Pax and Frisk with worry as he tried to dispel the fire again with a beat of his wings.  This time, the cage-like fire remained.

Color drained from the area and Pax had to carry Frisk out of the way of a fireball.  The brunet narrowed his gaze when it was their turn, choosing '* Talk'.

"Ms. Toriel!  You don't need to do this!"

Toriel shook her head, sending more fireballs at the humans.

"Fight!"

Pax dodged the attack with Frisk, hissing between his teeth when his hand got burned when he wasn't fast enough.  Kuri's ears pulled back before he lunged forward through the flames.

When another wave of flames came toward them, Pax and Kuri's eyes glowed blue.

Bang!

Toriel widened her eyes at the sudden burst of energy and the plume of smoke that appeared, obscuring her sight of Pax, Frisk and Kuri.  Chara floated above, eyes wide with shock.

{The...the Souls!?}

An orange Soul floated up; however, within the orange heart was an upside-down one, glowing a bright blue.  Toriel stepped back mildly in surprise when a bright voice laughed.

"Wow, haha! That was an impressive attack."

The dust settled.  Twilight-blue wings spread out into the open.  Kuri was nowhere in sight...and so was Pax.  Frisk, however, was staring up at the strange teen that had brown and black hair, two brown ears poking out of his mop of hair.

The bicolor-haired teen grinned widely at his surroundings.  He wore a dark blue yukata, a black obi decorated with raindrops, and black pants tucked into sandal-boots.  His hazel and orange eyes drifted to look down at Frisk.

"Hey, don't worry." The teen grinned, orange eye glowing brighter than the hazel one for a moment. "Your big bro will handle this."

Toriel stared at the...human(?)...monster(?) before her with surprise.

"Who...are you?"

The teen scratched the back of his head with mild confusion.

"Hm...a mix of both Paxton and Kuri at the moment." He grinned lazily. "Anyways, I'm gonna ask you to please stop attacking us."

In a flash of blue and orange, an ornate sword appeared in his hands. He leveled it carefully, eyes glowing as a grim smile formed on his lips.

"I won't hurt you, but I'm asking you to please let us through."

Toriel narrowed her gaze, fire dancing around her form and the walls surrounding them.

"If you wish to leave, you must fight!"

Paxton and Kuri blinked, wings flaring out.  The bicolor-haired teen grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry," Blue flames illuminated the area as the Rain and Sky Guardian as he closed his eyes. "I will not fight you."

He stabbed his blade into the ground in front of him, resting both hands on the decorated hilt, smiling gently at Toriel.  Frisk hugged his leg, looking at him with wonder.  The teen looked down and smiled brightly before looking back at Toriel.

"I promise you, Ms. Toriel, we won't allow any harm to come to us."

Toriel's flames flickered, almost distinguishing as her face grew pained.

"...Do not looking at me like that."

Another wave of flames were sent at the humans, but the fire missed them.  Toriel stared a while longer, gazing into the eyes of Pax and Kuri.

Slowly the surrounding magenta flames died out, leaving the flickering blue flames behind.  Toriel sighed, lowering her arms.  The Souls returned to their chests and color returned to the area.

"...I...I am surprised that a human and monster like you two would bind together so easily." The goat-woman stared in wonder at the teen-monster before her. "...Are you two able to come apart?"

The monster-human tapped a finger thoughtfully on his chin before a bright, blue light surrounded him.  His form shrunk before Pax and Kuri were there, standing side by side.  Frisk made a happy noise and quickly hugged Pax tightly.

The brunet smiled down at his sibling before lifting his gaze to Toriel.  He bowed his head slightly before the goat-woman.

"Ms. Toriel, we are very grateful for your help and your generosity....but we cannot stay here forever."

Toriel held up a paw, sighing softly.  She smiled sadly at the two humans and monster before walking forward, kneeling down.

"...I am pathetic," She murmured to herself before looking at Pax. "My child...please...please be careful.  I am not quite sure of the other monsters, but please, beware King Asgore."

Chara drew in a sharp breath, looking confused.

{Dad...?}

Toriel continued, voice somber.

"He will not hesitate to take your Souls."

Pax caught the sickened look on Chara's face before giving a nod of understanding to Toriel.

"We will be careful."

Toriel then bent to hug the humans; Frisk sniffled softly.  She then turned to look at Kuri, a soft smile on her face before she reached to hug the monster.

"Please, watch over them.  I do not know what magic you share with little Paxton, but please, use that power to protect each other."

Kuri barked, tail wagging.

Toriel sighed softly, standing up as she watched them.

"...However...when you leave...you must never come back."

With that, she gave one last sad smile before walking down the burnt halls, back to her home.

Pax and his companions watched her go.  When she was gone, Paxton turned to look at Chara, who was still looking lost.

'So...that was like your adoptive Mom?'

Chara flinched slightly before sighing.

{...Yeah, you caught me.} They shook their head slightly then, trying to clear their thoughts. {But...I don't understand.  What did she mean about...about Dad?}

Chara's eyes glowed as their expression darkened.

{How long have I been gone for...for Dad to become some sort of murderer?}

~~

Pax and Frisk were currently riding on Kuri's back as the large bird-dog monster trotted down a long, purple hall.  Toriel gave them some more cinnamon-butterscotch pie and a few scarves, saying it would be cold before leaving them completely.

Finally, the group came upon a dark room.  In the center of the spacious area was a patch of grass.  Pax's Hyper Intuition prickled before a familiar sunflower came popping out, sneering at the group.

"Clever," He jeered. "Veeery clever."

Kuri growled lowly, wings spreading in a defensive manner.  Pax merely gazed back blankly while Frisk shivered.  Flowey giggled.

"You think being a pacifist will help you?  You think you can survive in this world?" He laughed harshly. "Buddy!  In this world..."

His face melted slightly and his eyes became black voids with white lights in them.

"I T ' S   K I L L   O R   B E   K I L L E D ."

Flowey's face then turned back to normal and he giggled, smiling at the trio.

"Anyways...tell me when you guys get bored." His smile turned sly. "I'd be happy to help get rid of your boredom."

Flowey winked before he disappeared, sinking beneath the dirt. 

[Huh...I've seen that flower before,] Takeshi murmured to Tsuna. [He tried to goad me into killing Toriel-san...]

Pax huffed.

'Adds more to the reason why we should try our best to avoid him at all costs.'

Kuri began to walk forward to the last door.  Silence filled the rest of the trip before it was broken by Kuri.

[...Tsuna...when were you going to tell me that you were dying?]

Pax grew tense.

'When--?'

[When our Souls did that bond thing.  I could feel what was good and bad about you, Tsuna.] Kuri let a low rumble leave his throat, the sound bordering on a whine. [....I just got one of my friends back.  You can't leave yet, Tsuna.]

The brunet blinked in surprise before moving a hand up to pat Kuri's head as the bird-dog continued to trot forward with his six legs.

"It's alright, buddy." 'I'll be fine, Takeshi.  Trust me.  Everything will turn out okay.'

The monster huffed in response before stopping at a large stone door.  Kuri bent his head forward and shoved, door scrapping open slowly.

Cold air hit them first and Pax narrowed his eyes at the sudden change of lighting.  He blinked his orange eyes in mild surprise when he saw the snowy path before them, trees towering above.

Pax quickly hopped off of Kuri and went inside of the backpack for the scarves, trailing back to where Frisk was seated to wrap a red one around their neck.  Pax then walked back to the front, a hand on Kuri's shoulder.

'I'll walk for a bit, okay?  Don't worry, I just need to stretch my legs.'

Takeshi huffed, looking at the brunet with a kicked puppy look before walking forward with Pax's hand on his shoulder.  The door to the Ruins closed behind them as they walked down the path further.

Pax narrowed his eyes as they moved down the path, stepping over a large branch.  Frisk looked around with their ruby-red eyes in slight awe before closing their irises, snuggling deeper into their scarf.

Snap.

Pax whirled around, arms up in a defensive and ready position.  He saw the large, broken branch that he and Kuri had stepped over earlier.  Pax sensed a powerful energy in the trees and he looked around.

"...Hello?" The brunet glanced around again. "...If someone's out there...we mean no harm."

There was no response and Pax sighed, patting Kuri's side to walk again.  As they walked further down the path, Pax felt a presence behind them and spun around again, barely catching a shadow vanish.

Pax turned around to the front again, keeping a hand on Kuri.

'Someone is definitely following us.' Tsuna told his Rain with caution through their mental link. "If things go down the wrong way, we run.'

[Gotcha, Tsuna.]

Frisk sat up slightly, eyebrows pinched together with worry as they looked over at Pax.

*Pax?  I can sense someone.....is there someone there?*

Pax merely smiled, giving a reassuring thumbs-up.

"It's fine, Frisk.  You don't have to worry."

The group finally came across a large...gate of sorts.  Pax looked at the bridge before them, about to take a step on it to test its strength before he heard feet crunching through snow.  Pax froze as the footsteps came closer before stopping.

"H u m a n s ." A voice gruffly spoke. "D o n ' t   y o u   k n o w   h o w   t o   g r e e t   a   n e w   p a l ?"

Pax prepared himself mentally for a fight, relaxing his form slightly.

"T u r n   a r o u n d ," The newcomer continued. "A n d   s h a k e   m y   h a n d ."

'...Try to be as peaceful as possible,' Tsuna reminded himself as he turned around slowly. 'We don't have to fight all of the time...'

He reached out to the hand extended before him before grasping it.

Pppbbbbbffffftttt!

Pax blinked in mild surprise before recognizing the pink whoopie cushion within the stranger's...wait...their hand...

Pax felt smooth, cool fingers grasping his.  It wasn't squishy like flesh.

Pax slowly lifted his gaze, shock filling him as he looked up into empty sockets filled with tiny, white lights.

A skeleton.

A living, breathing, talking skeleton was standing in front of Pax.  The...monster was wearing a blue jacket, a white t-shirt, black jersey pants, socks and house slippers.  Pax blinked again while the skeleton grinned down at the brunet.

"hehe, the good ol' whoopie-cushion-in-the-hand trick." The skeleton's eye-lights flitted along Pax's face for a moment as he widened his grin. "it's always funny."

Pax let out a breath he had been holding before he let a small huff of laughter escape his lips.  Kuri turned around fully with Frisk peeking curiously above, the tiny human scooting up a bit.

"i'm sans." The stranger introduced. "sans the skeleton."