***Author's Notes***

*Characters maybe slightly out of character due to character development during the first few fanfics of my fanfic series.

* Please read my previous fanfics before moving onto this one so there isn't much confusion!

Its been a couple of years since he became free of his mistress. Xellos yawned as he stood sat on a roof of the Vase and Mace shop Filia worked at. He looked down and saw Val Gaav playing outside in the field out back. Val was still a toddler and knew a how to talk alittle bit well as much as any other little kid would know. Val at times would call Xellos "papa" or dad" which made Xellos cringed at times but would shrug it off for Val's sake.

"Eventually he'll learn." Xellos thought to himself. As a monster he had hard time believing he would be a adopted father to a dragon, something he killed thousands of during the War of the Monsters Fall. But many times he enjoyed Val's presence. Val was never much trouble for him. A few times Val would sleep next to him. He kind of felt bad that at one point of Val's early life that Xellos was sent to kill him if he didn't join the monster race. It was amazing that this little guy once wanted to destroy the world and was a servant to the demon dragon king. He wonder if he would ever tell Val that when he gets older. Technically that wasn't really Val doing all that but the evil that corrupted him.

"But What would you do?" Xellos wondered. "If you found out that I nearly killed you once? Would you think of me the same? Or would you hate me?" Such questions! But it troubled him sometimes but when Val looked up he looked concern for him and wondered what was wrong.

"Did I do something wrong?" Val would asked.

"No you did nothing wrong." Xellos said and smiled at him which would cheer Val up. "It was what I did to you that was wrong" He thought. But he had no other choice at the time. "I hope you forgive me when ever you found out."

Xellos flew down when notice Val was going alittle to far from the shop. He landed beside him.

"Where do you think you're going?" Xellos smirked

Val laughed and ran off.

"Hey don't wonder off that far!" Xellos went after him and grabbed him

"Papa" Val giggled "Let go!"

"Now I just don't want you wondering off into trouble" Xellos said ignoring the "papa" part.

"Why?" Val asked as he looked up.

"It's too dangerous for a young one like you to wonder off" Xellos replied

Val jumped trying to get a butterfly but Xellos grabbed his arm.

"Val are you listening? Accidents can happen. Your mother would get very upset with me if I let anything happen to you."

"How sweet" Said a real disturbing voice

Xellos looked around. "That voice! No it can't be!"

Then a figure stood above them. There in a trench coat and red wild hair was known by the name that struck fear. A name Xellos wished to never hear again.

"Gaav!" Xellos shouted in complete shock. "It can't be Gaav is dead and so is his alternate version of him!"

"My alternate what?" Gaav smirked "Yes I WAS dead. But now I have returned to take my revenge on you and take back what belongs to me."

"What belongs to you?" Xellos finally realized what he meant and turn to Val. "Val! Get out of here now hurry!"

"Papa?" Val said worriedly

"It's time to play a game!" Xellos said "Hide from the hot tempered demon dragon king!"

Val ran off in fear. He knew something was wrong and he was scare.

"You won't get away!" Gaav announced

"I don't think so!" Xellos struck Gaav with his staff. Gaav shot out a powerful fire dart that struck Xellos in the shoulder. Xellos struck him again with his stand and then flew down grabbed Val.

He took him into a meadow and put Val in a small ditch surrounded by tall grass. He didn't want to endanger Filia and the others.

"Stay here okay?" Xellos told Val. "and don't come out until I say its okay I'll be back soon."

"Papa?" Val was so scared. He didn't know what was going on.

Xellos flew off. He wasn't too sure if he was actually going survive his next encounter of Gaav but he couldn't let Gaav have Val. They don't need to repeat what happen in Val's early life.

"So you showed up" Gaav laughed "Where is that little runt?"

"That is a secret!" Xellos replied.

They fought on until Gaav struck deeply across Xellos's shoulder and chest. Xellos fell to the ground beaten and exhausted. Gaav also was alittle worn out and decided to leave. He would be back though.

Val came out of hiding and saw Xellos lying there motionless. He slowing came over to Xellos.

"Papa…" Val quietly said choked by fear "Come on…get up!" He shook Xellos on the shoulder "Come on we got to go home now…" But Xellos didn't respond nor did he move. "No…" Val crawled under his arm and just laid beside him.

All of a sudden he heard of a voice. "Hey that's Xellos!" Val peaked up.

Lina knelt beside him. "What happened?"

Val came out from under his arm. "He tried to save me… he not…"

"No he's still breathing." Said Lina "But he looks real bad."

"Miss Lina wait up!" Amelia and the others came over. "Mr. Xellos! Oh what happen to him?"

"Mean red scary guy attacked him!" Val answered

"Mean red scary guy?" Gourry replied.

***Author's Notes***

*Uh oh Gaav is back!!!! And aww isn't this sweet. Val calling Xellos papa? LOL Well hey who knows! XD

*More to come in the next Chapter.