You weren't asleep, but you were shaking like it was a nightmare. It felt as though strings were tied at your wrist and throat, prepared to whisk you around on a whims notice. You weren't your own person, not with her around. All you could see was that old, pristine dancefloor. You'd once spilled your own blood over. You'd spilt the blood of others on it. Now it craved for another victim. Another innocent soul to ensnare. Maybe it was time to give in and let it all end with you. Maybe you wanted to die. Then she'd be gone.

Mother always said to be productive. Two birds with one stone. "M-Maybe..." You shuttered. "Only one more life and two will be over. I have to kill her. I need to protect Frisk but I... I can't... I can't see. I don't want to see it anymore. I won't dance anymore! Take it away! Take me away! Someone help me! Please! Someone hel-"

You could feel him close to you again, and your own chaotic thoughts subsided. You were comforted by his familiar touch and gentle embrace. "Hey... don't worry kid I'm right here. I'm here for you (Y/N)." Sans cooed.

"I want to die." You said abruptly. "The Underground only needs one more soul to go free right?! Why not mine?!"

You sounded insane, startling Sans as he looked at you. "What are you talking about? How did you know about the souls?" He asked.

"Sans you know it already. There's a demon in my head, and I clearly can't control her." You said.

"What happened?"

"I almost killed Undyne." You shuddered. "Right in front of Frisk... and Alphys... they saw me danc- I m-mean performing, and they were terrified. I was the only monster in that room, and we all knew it. I can't hold on to her."

"That doesn't mean you have to die!" Sans argued.

"What do you suggest I do Sans?! If I die, my soul goes to something better and I take another evil to hell with me!" You retorted, your fingers knotted tightly into his sweatshirt.

"People need you alive (Y/N)." He said, surprisingly gentle. "You're Frisk's best friend and protector."

"That's what I'm doing. I want to protect him..., but I can't, especially when Chara is using these internal... triggers. I feel like a puppet tied up in her plot. Chara can't be trusted at any cost! She's my mother, but more deadly, and twice as dangerous when she can use me at her disposal." Your voice was wavering between grief and anger, and had been increasing in volume. It started at about a whisper, but became a crescendo by the end.

You let your hands loosen and your arms fell away, lying limp at your sides. Your forehead rested on Sans chest, the thick, soft fabric of his sweatshirt protecting from a hard sternum. Your sobs had become quiet, but tears still trailed down your cheeks.

"You can't go on like this, with this Chara person in your head." Sans echoed, gently rubbing your back in small circles.

"I know," You laughed weakly. "Were you even listening to-"

"But I'm not going to let you die either way." He finished.

You sighed, shaking your head slowly. "You don't understand Sans. I'm too weak to keep fighting her. What else can I do?"

"You get stronger." He said frankly, taking you by surprise.

You pushed away from him and tried to decipher his meaning from his expression, but couldn't read past his grin. "Sans, I just told you I can't."

"There's still one thing you haven't tried. The thing you keep trying to avoid at all cost." He probed, as though trying to coax the answer from you.

You sat still confused until it clicked, like a flashlight flickering to light up a pitch black abyss. Clarity in a moment, then panic. "Sans I can't. How would dancing, submitting to this demon in me, help me avoid dancing?!" You barked. "That's what she wants!"

"No submitting. You need to be stronger than her, throw her out. If you can prove you're stronger than her, she'll have no choice but to leave. And you could protect Frisk using the same dancing you keep hidden."

"Even if I agreed," you hissed. "How could I?! I attacked Undyne. I went insane when Papyrus just suggested a dance. How the hell can I get stronger when I can't even think about it?!?!"

"I'll help you." He offered gently. His eyes searched your own as he started to calm you. Your breathing slowed gradually. "How?" You asked.

"You have to trust me." Sans pled, his expression raw with sympathy. You tried not to laugh, only shaking your head. "You do trust me don't you?" He asked.

"I trust you Sans. The question is should you trust me?"

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
You walked alone through the forest, the chill not bothering you nearly as much as your own demons did. For the first time in a long time, you wore clothes meant to be danced in. They were comfortable to say the least, a pair of leggings with a loosely fitted top so that you could move freely. Your fingers were cloaked under a set of gloves and your face by an over-sized scarf loaned to you by Sans.

Your eyes remained glued to your feet as you navigated your way to the clearing which Sans had found you in. It was a test of courage to get yourself to the clearing more than anything. When you'd broken down, Sans promised to help you tame the creature that haunted you. In truth, you didn't believe that to be possible, but it was more of a matter of trust.

If you could see him without surrendering to your bloodlust.

You listened to the snow crunch beneath you, but you didnt really register the cold. Your mind was buzzing as you marched, until finally standing at the edge of your stage. You looked over the freshly fallen powder, admiring the untouched floor of frost. A chilled breath left your lungs and you stepped out into clear view.

"Sans?" You called, trying to swallow your anxiety.

The wind hollowed, masking the silence with its lonely growl. "Sans, I want to be stronger. I'm here!"

Your voice echoed and you flushed with embarassment. Your eyes cast down, you clutched your arms close to you and closed your eyes. In a flurry of thought, you wondered if it was cold enough that tears would freeze instantly.

'He's not coming. Maybe he just hopes you'll freeze out here.'

"Shut up. Sans is better than that. And if I die out here, you do too." You growled.

Chara snickered, but faded away. You turned slowly, trying to see something in the frozen timber walls about you, but they yielded no company. You breath puffed in front of you.

Your eyes trailed upward on a tree and you remembered a few long nights of your childhood, left alone to the outside in order to better my survival instinct. You shifted from foot to foot, feeling anxious.

"I might as well stretch..." you whispered. Stripping away your jacket and scarf, you left only a loose tank top and some leggings. While frost nipped away at your flesh, it did little to affect you. Your resistance to most elements was incredible.

Leaning against the nearest tree, you started by stretching your legs. Slowly loosening your muscles in a chain of fluid poses. You counted in your head, beat sets of second passing as you waited. 'Hes not coming~'

"Then I'll die waiting." You said bitterly.

"I'd prefer you didn't. The whole point of this is to teach you to dance so you *don't* die."

You turned sharply and yelped, Sans standing mere inches away. "Gyah! Sans! Where did you come from?! I didn't hear you."

He shrugged, his grin seeming relaxed as he stepped away. "Same way you did."

You leaned to the side, peering at the snow tracks you'd left behind. "Really? Because it seems like my footsteps are the only ones."

Sans turned and looked at the snow. "Huh, I suppose so..." he muttered.

It was quiet a moment, then he turned back to you as though the conservation had never happened. "You ready to start or what?"

"You aren't going to stretch?" You asked.

"Already did. Less body to loosen up ya know."

You didn't reply instead shrugging and positioning yourself in front of him. "Okay. Start."

He tilted his head, seeming confused. "What're you doing?"

"Waiting for you to start teaching me."

He laughed, shaking as he did. Removing his hands from his pockets, he shook his head. "You want choreography?"

"Well, yeah. I thought you said you had a way to teach me how to control my pest." You muttered.

"Not with choreography." He chuckled. "Let's try this..."

You felt the air rush from your lungs, and before sat your soul. The fine black tendrils of Chara wrapped around it like spider webs. The world drained of color and only Sans stood before you. Music filled the air around you, heavily electronic but manipulated obviously into a remix. The bass moved through you in waves and you grew confused. "What are you doing?" You asked.

Sans held out a hand and smiled. Pain ripped through you, red flickering in your eyes as Chara roared in your ear again. 'Be careful (Y/N)! I might just kill him if I want to!'

"No... Shut up!" You snapped, squeezing your eyes shut and smacking your palm to your temple.

"Heya (Y/N), ignore her. This is about overcoming Chara. Take my hand."

Sans moved closer, his soul started to swirl around your. Your eyes watched as they swayed, your own pulsing hectically. Slowly they fell into a beat, dancing about to the heavy beated song. You looked back at Sans, his hand still extended. Shaking, you placed your palm in his. Instantly, you flew through the air.

He pulled you with incredible strength and held you. His voice turning low, he instructed you. "Follow my lead."

Releasing you, you fell. Instinctively you rolled to your feet, instantly falling into the beat of the song. Chara cackled in your ear, but your eyes remained on Sans. He didn't dance much outside of Grillby's, but it felt familiar in a way. His movement was calculated and skillful, like an attack. His eye glowed blue with passion as his style erupted from him. Hip Hop, you now knew.

In a way, his abrasive dance reminded you of your own, hodgepodge technique, except his meant no malice. "Dance!" He yelled, shocking you to movement.

Chara was smug, growling in your ear. 'Don't feel bad! His death is his own fault.'

You grit your teeth, ignoring the voice and falling into place. You closed your eyes tightly and threw yourself into your performance. You contorted your body, moving jagged, then fluidly as though you weren't even human at all. Without intending, you grew near to Sans and eyes flew open, glistening red. You took his wrist in yours, throwing his head down as you tumbled over top of him and spun. Your leg, your strongest weapon, sliced down where his neck was, but he was gone. Thin fingers clasped around your waist and chilled breath whispered against you.

"I want to see you dance (Y/N)." He whispered.

You twisted and he was there. You threw up a fist and he caught it with ease. In one hand holding your hands above you and in the other he held your waist. You were taken by surprise and he smiled. "Now go!" He ordered. Releasing you, you fell into line with him. Facing one another, you started mimick his dance like clockwork. You mirrored his movement, but moved no closer. His smile grew.

Jumping towards you, he took you in his arms and in an instant you became one entity. Heavy bass rocked you together as you spun about him and he caught you, flipping you into the air with timing so perfect it felt as though the music was set to you, rather than you to it. Your foot touched the ground and you felt yourself loosen, taking to the music as naturally as walking.

You loosened, becoming less mechanical as you spun towards Sans. Though your style, some odd concoction of several others, didn't seem anything like Sans' own hip hop, you fit together well, dancing as though you'd been practicing for months.

The song ended and your chest heaved. Sweat coated you as you froze, quiet taking the air as color came black to the world around you, and your soul returned home. Sans smiled towards you, seeming happy. Neither of you said anything, and you couldn't help the pure joy that overcame you. You grabbed Sans and wrapped your arms around him, squeezing him. "Thank you Sans." You whispered.

'And thank you, (Y/N).' Your hand clenched around something behind Sans back and panicked flooded you.

Sans smiled disappeared, eyes widening in an instant.
______________________________________________________________________________
I suppose its been awhile, huh? A whole year... so weird. Well, uh, hi! My name is Bug~Chan, and I'm the author.

It's been awhile since I updated any stories, obviously. I suppose I've just been busy. But I'm sorry. To each and every person who muddles through my stories, I'm sorry. I never meant to leave anyone hanging. And honestly I feel like such a hippocrit because I hate it when Authors vanish off the face of the Earth.

I've branched off to work more on independent writing. Not fanfiction. Deleted an old account, deleted some stories too. But that's dumb. That's not an excuse. Anyway, I want to finish these stories. For you guys!

So if a month goes by and you're like, "Hey! It's been a month! Why hasn't this bish posted a new chapter yet?" Spam me! Please do! If I'm not responding here, spam me at kate_bug2019! (Katherine Davi). That's my new account. I want to finish these stories and if y'all aren't getting the content you want, I want y'all to yell and scream at me until I do.

I really am sorry for leaving. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Hopefully more sooner rather than later.

Until then,
Bug~Chan