~Val~

In my very first memory I was running. I don't remember what I was running from…just that I was scared. Whoever or whatever was chasing me must have been chasing me for a while, because I was out of breath and tired. I flew from tree branch to tree branch, my energy slowly draining. I was alone and they were after me. Somehow, I escaped.

Since then, though, I've made a friend. His name is Otto, but I like to call him O. I met him in the forest a long time ago…I'm not sure how long ago it was. He's my best friend and we talk a lot. Well, he doesn't really talk, but I can tell what he's saying most of the time. He's a flying squirrel. We met one day in the forest where I'd been living. He's a worrywart.

"Val, we should go back to the tree. It's getting dark," said O. He sniffing at an acorn that he'd picked up, but dropped it when he looked up at me.

"I don't want to go back yet," I replied, standing up. O flitted up to my shoulder and perched there.

"You know how dangerous this forest can be at night. You don't want to meet the shadows do you?"

I shivered and then shook of my fear, "No! The shadows don't actually exist! They're not real! You just tell me about them to scare me."

"That's not true. I've seen them. They're looking for something. It was a long time ago, but they've been here. I've seen them twice!"

"You're lying," I said indignantly, crossing my arms.

"Nuh-uh," replied O, shaking his head. I nodded. He shook his head. We went on like that until I was so dizzy that I almost fell over. I stubbed my toe on a rock and yelped.

"Please, Val? I want to go home," he said, begging me now.

I shook my head, my long, rose-colored hair falling over my eyes. I brushed it away, "You can go home if you want, but I'm staying here. I've got adventures to go on!" I took a few steps forward and then noticed something unusual. I sensed small vibrations coming from the earth underneath my bare toes. I sniffed the air curiously.

"Val, we need to go!" said O, his voice urgent and desperate.

"What is that?" I questioned, turning towards where a rumbling sound was coming. I cocked my head and squinted my eyes. That's when the darkness came into my vision. A wall of black bore down on me. I tensed up and launched myself into the air, dodging trees as I flew in the other direction.

"Val! Faster!" shouted O. He was flying alongside me now, his voice terrified, "It's the shadows!"

I pushed myself harder, but didn't see the edge of the forest getting any closer. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the darkness closing in on me. Terror gripped my heart. Finally—and just in time—I spotted the edge of the forest. A bright light lit up the trees ahead of us. I shot out of the darkness and soared up into the open air. I'd been in the forest my whole life, so I wasn't familiar with the brilliant sunset that lay out before me. I thought I was safe, but it wasn't over.

Dark shadows twisted up into the air, hissing and lunging for me. I managed to dodge just in time. "Keep going, Val!" yelled O, leading the way. I followed after him, tears leaking from my eyes. My vision was blurry as the wind ruffled my hair.

"Come back, Val," hissed the shadows, stretching out each syllable and terrifying me even more. I didn't listen to them. Instead, I flew as fast as I could. Soon, a town came into view…at least I thought it was a town. I'd never seen one before. I'd only heard about them from O. I recognized the buildings that he described and the people. They were everywhere, crowding the streets.

I lowered my altitude, plunging towards the streets. It was just like O had told me. I had to weave my way through people. I almost smashed into a man who was holding a cake. He yelled and probably would have waved his fist in anger if his hands weren't occupied with cake.

"This way, Val!" O screamed. I didn't question him. He'd been to this town before. He'd know where it was safe. One of the shadows got dangerously close to me before I turned a corner and it slammed into the wall behind me. It hissed and immediately started after me again.

"In here!" O shouted. He was hovering by a large door. It was a huge, colorful building. There were letters above the door, but I couldn't read them. I'd never learnt to read. I shot towards the door and slammed it open. I flew through the air and slammed into a wall. O landed beside me. One of the shadows wrapped itself around my leg and started pulling me back. I yelled out in pain, a sharp, stinging sensation biting at my shin.

I thought for sure that I was a goner and that the shadow would capture me, but a brilliant light lit up my vision. Warmth enveloped me as the reds and oranges painted my sight. It took me a minute to figure out that the lights were flames. I felt the pain in my leg fade away as the shadow disintegrated. A man stood over me. He stared at me. I was breathing hard and shaking. He leaned down over me and looked like he was about to say something before another shadow shot around him. It grabbed O and pulled away immediately. I yelled out, reaching for my friend.

"VAL!" O screamed. He tried to break free, but the shadow had a hold of him. Tears streamed down my face as my friend was pulled away from me. I flew into the air again, chasing after the shadow. I was too late. It was too far away. A dark hole appeared in the sky and the shadow disappeared into it, O still in its grasp. I felt my strength leave me all at once. My only friend is gone.

I plummeted from the sky, my loose hair streaming around me. I felt something slam against me and then warm arms wrap around me.

"Hey, kid!" shouted a voice. My eyes stayed closed. "Kid!" the voice said again.

"Don't yell at the child!" scolded anther voice, a woman's.

"He's pretty small, isn't he? I wonder how he got mixed up with whatever those things were," a new voice added.

"Is he dead?" asked the first voice. It was a man's voice. I cracked my eyes open and saw the man smile. He had bright pink hair just like me. He was the man who had killed the shadow. "He's awake!" shouted the man. I flinched and squirmed out of his arms. I fell to the ground and tried to run away. Pain erupted in my shin where the shadow had taken hold of me and I stumbled. I fell on my face, but kept trying to get away. These were people! I had no idea what they were like. They could try and eat me just like the shadows ate O.

I collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down my face. I curled up into a ball and hid my face. I heard a flurry of footsteps and then peeked through a crack between my fingers. A large crowd had gathered around me. I squeezed my eyes shut, loneliness and fear dominating me. I heard people talking and whispering to each other.

"Who is he?" asked a man's voice.

"Poor thing," said a woman's. I heard a new set of footsteps as someone walked towards me. I was shaking violently, shock now being the primary emotion I felt.

"Wait, Natsu! Can't you see that he's scared of us?" asked a voice. My ears perked up.

"Why is he scared of us? We just saved his life," said the man.

"Hush, Natsu," said the stern woman's voice.

"I've got an idea," said the gentle voice. Something about it appealed to me. It drew me in. I opened my eyes to see whose it was. I saw a girl standing over me. She was smiling at me, a soft smile. Her golden hair fell down over her chest. She rummaged for something at her waist. She chanted some words and I flinched, squeezing my eyes shut. Suddenly I felt warm. I opened my eyes again slowly.

I was sitting inside of a small room. It was wooden, just like the tree that I called my home. I felt my nerves ease. It was like I was home again. I pressed my hands against the clear wall that was in front of me.

"Is that better?" asked the girl, kneeling beside me. I nodded shyly.

"My name is Lucy. You're safe now," she said, smiling at me again. She seemed nice. I'd never met a person before. Maybe they weren't as bad as I thought they were. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your name?" I stared at her for a few moments, leaning forward.

"V-Val…" I whimpered. "Val, he says timidly," repeated a voice. It came from all around me and I shrunk back. I pressed my back against the wall again, shrinking into the darkness of the room.

"Don't be scared. That was just my friend, Horologeum," she said, her eyes worried. I calmed down a bit.

"Do you think you could come out of there? I want to see what you look like clearly," she said. I hesitated, but then inched forwards. I pressed my palm against the clear wall in front of me and pushed lightly. The wall squeaked open. I felt the cold air rush in and I flinched. I slowly stepped out of the room. I felt the cold stone underneath my feet.

She smiled at me, "You're pretty cute, aren't you?"

"N-No! I'm not cute! I'm tough!" I insisted, doing my best to look tough.

She laughed. "Can I ask you something, Val? Was that your friend that was taken back there?"

My chin quivered and I nodded, shifting from foot to foot. I tried to keep up my 'tough' appearance, but it broke. Tears slid down my face.

"He was my only friend! Now the shadows have him! I'm going to rescue him…I promise! I-I…" my voice cracked and I choked on my tears. Lucy's eyes filled with empathy. She reached forward and pulled me close to her. I let her. Her arms were warm and comforting. I'd never felt another person's arms.

"We'll help you get him back. I swear that we will," she whispered to me. She stood up, still holding me tight. I clutched her shirt and buried my face in her soft chest. She kissed my forehead. She turned back to the other people that were watching.

"I'm going to help him," she said, "And you are too."

"Are you sure that's a good ide—" started the pink-haired guy.

"Yes," Lucy replied immediately. I sunk farther into her warmth.

"Of course we'll help," said the woman with red hair. She smiled slightly at me. I wiped the tears from my face and then wrapped my arms around Lucy.

"I don't see what the harm could be," said the man who wasn't wearing clothes. It didn't seem strange to me, even though all of the others were wearing brightly colored clothing.

"Val, do you want to meet my friends?" Lucy asked. I shook my head and clutched her tighter. She smiled, "It's ok, they're nice." Slowly, I nodded.

"This is Natsu," she said, pointing to pink-hair. I stared at him.

He grinned, "Sorry for scaring you back there. I didn't mean to."

"I wasn't scared!" I said, louder than I'd intended.

"Of course you weren't! A man doesn't frighten so easily!" said the woman. "My name is Erza. It's nice to meet you. You're very brave for facing those shadows all alone."

I smiled at that and nodded. She was nicer than she looked. I wondered what the shiny things she was wearing were.

"I'm Gray, but you can call me older brother," said the naked one.

I frowned, "No thanks."

He mocked shock and then faked crying, "How could you?"

I laughed, "Your friend is a baby, Lucy!"

She smiled and hugged me tighter, "Yeah, I know." I reached up and rapped my arms around her neck. I buried my face in her hair.

"Lucy, will you be my friend?" I whispered.

"Of course I will," she replied, stroking my back softly.

I felt my eyes slide shut, "Good…because I don't want to be alone…"

A/N: Next chapter coming soon! Please leave a review if you liked it. (Yes, more adorable Val moments shall come)

There are still so many questions unanswered. Who is Val? Why doesn't he remember anything? What is his secret? You'll find out soon...if you read the next chapter when it comes out. Look forward to it! :)