Bitter Berries

Prologue

For the longest time, all I felt was pain and the lingering feeling of the seething rage, the desperation, and oh the shame- I had felt before I had met my demise. There was only one singular thought that spun on repeat in my mind, it was the same thought that was my last and now it forever danced around in my mind, left to be the only thought. In turn of course it was the only thing that I really focused on, alongside the pain that seemed to have seeped into my very being and just buzzed. I felt it all throughout my body, and yet it felt like I had no body to begin with. I was mangled, then flattened out and steamrolled over repeatedly, like I was nothing more then something made to be destroyed and put back together to something's leisure-

.

.

.

When I was finally given relief, I couldn't help but sob gratefully. Which brought concerned sounds that could have been voices but it felt like someone stuffed cotton balls in my ears so the sounds were muffled and fuzzy.

I had tried to focus on the sounds but the relief, unfortunately, didn't last long.

The pain began again, but this time it had focused on my eyes and chest. The worst possible heartburn and eye pains in the history of the world, I believe. Nothing-absolutely nothing-could possibly be compared to the pain that day.

My body felt weak, enervated, and fragile. It was like my body forgot it's most basic motor skills, and all I could do was cry and cry. At times, I felt something cold press against my forehead and the faint sound of someone talking but I could never understand what they were saying and the feeling of something rushing through my body which then the pain would disappear, but it only lasted a few moments and I was back to crying and waiting for the coolness on my forehead and the rush in my body to rid the pain from me for a few more moments.

One day, when the cold touched my forehead and something rushed through my body again, the pain didn't come back.

I awoke.

(. ͡❛ ▿ ͡❛.)

I stared at the uneven, cracked ceiling above me. I traced the cracks with my eyes, turning my head to follow one particularly long crack, something else however caught my attention as an object that was slightly wet slid off my forehead. It took a moment of staring at the object for me to realize it was a hand towel, without much thought I sluggishly moved my hand to grab the towel only to freeze as I caught sight of my hand.

A....a skeleton hand.

Fear, with more bewilderment and confusion, shot through me and adrenaline forced the fog in my head to disappear and my body to move. I sat up and felt immense horror as I looked at my small hands that I knew were not my own. The hands that laid before me were porcelain white that was unnatural for any human and was nothing but bone. Something told me that if I were to check, the rest of my body will be nothing but bone.

Impossible.

Impossible.

I tried to think back before the pain, trying to recall what could have happened that led to this.

My head hurt for a moment, causing me to wince.

Then I remembered.

I fucking died.

I died. I know I did. There is no possible way for a human to survive what happened, I knew there was no way for me to survive, I wouldn't have felt so angry, so desperate, and oh so ashamed.

Then pain and the lingering feelings.

So..how was I here?

I died-so why am I sitting here, clearly breathing?

I was-......

.

.

.

.

Was I-?

I was reborn?

How?

Why a skeleton?

Did whoever that controls reincarnation just get drunk off their ass and screw up on the process?

This is unbelievable, if I was going to come back couldn't I have just....I don't know-...get revived? Is that even possible? Probably considering how I literally got reborn.

As a skeleton.

I couldn't help but feel like I'm missing something here, like some inside joke.

"SANS?"

My gaze slowly turned to the front door of the room as the door creaked open, I had to look down slightly to see who was there. A small skeleton wearing an orange sweater hesitantly entered the room, the skeleton looked visibly relieved when they saw me. They approached me and held the hand that was clutching the towel, with their other hand resting on my forehead as the skeleton checked how warm I was.

"SANS! IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU'RE AWAKE. HOW ARE YOU FEELING?"

It took me a moment to remember how to speak.

"M' fine."

The sweater-wearing skeleton(who's name seemed to sit on the tip of my tongue)quietly looked at me as though they were searching for something, I couldn't help but shift under the skeleton's gaze.

I felt something try to move my fingers, confused I looked down. The skeleton was trying to remove my fingers that were shaking from how tightly I was holding the towel. I felt my face burn as I quickly let go, turning my gaze onto the blanket. The skeleton paused for a moment before they put the hand towel on the nightstand and crawled onto the bed with me. They laid down, pulling me down with them, pulling the blanket over us both and we both laid there in some kind of stare off.

I was laid there staring at the skeleton-who stared back at me-in complete silence, my brain was trying to comprehend what was happening right now. Apparently me just laying there staring at them wasn't something they seemed to like as the skeleton began to curl up in themself, which oddly bothered me despite not knowing who they were.

I felt like I should be doing something.

I should probably be doing something.

I'm probably going to do something.

.

.

.

.

I'm going to do something.

I moved to lay on my side-which caught the skeleton's attention-and awkwardly lifted my arm, then hoped I gave the skeleton the nicest look I could make. It must have worked as without hesitation the skeleton practically threw themself into my arms, burying their face into my chest and wrapping their arms tightly around me, even throwing a leg over. I pulled the blanket over us a bit more as I used my arm to gently-god I hope it was gently-pet the skeleton's skull, which had the skeleton nuzzling into my chest before settling back down. We laid there in silence for a moment before the muffled sound of the skeleton talking filled the silence.

"GOODNIGHT BROTHER."

My petting paused as I processed what the skeleton said before I gradually began to pet the skeleton again.

I need to say something.

Oh god, what do I say?

What is their name-

.

.

.

.

.

.

Oh.

"G'night Papyrus."

Shit.