She walked.

She didn't know where she was going. She didn't know when she intended to stop. She just kept walking, because she didn't care anymore. She wasn't allowed to set foot in her school, her old friends wouldn't give her the time of day [She wasn't sure if Filia would have been the same way had she met up with her, but she didn't want to find out], her own parents called her a freak and rejected her...

She had nothing left in her hometown to love. Her life was in shambles. And it was all because of that crazed nurse.

"Valentine..." Painwheel growled, clenching her fists. The only reason she kept living at this point was in the hopes that one day she could have the revenge she desired. She was hoping to render the woman who did this to her into an unrecognizable mess of flesh and blood.

And the fact that she was having these thoughts scared her.

She covered her head with her hands and stated to shake her head tears starting to form in her bright red eyes. She wasn't a monster! She was just a girl who was tortured…why did no one understand her?

She started to hear the mumbling of people around her making her even more self-conscious. She gazed up and watched the people flinch back at her gaze some even grabbing their children and hiding them behind them or holding them protectively

The tears started to fall faster and she ran past them, the frightened gasps a stab in her heart. She ran, and ran till she found an alleyway. She ran into the dark tunnel and laid agents to the wall. She slowly slid down and held her knees as she cried. 'Why…why…?'

She hated this...Everything about it. It was a living hell...It just wasn't fair! What did she do to deserve this?! What?! She wanted her old life back! She wanted to be a normal schoolgirl, have friends and a family and a roof...She was a good person, she didn't think she deserved this living nightmare...

However, what she was unaware of is that the alley had another inhabitant.

She was made aware of her companion when she heard soft, timid sniffling coming from a cardboard box.

The girl looked up, tears still falling, and looked at the box. She knew that whatever was inside would be afraid...But her curiousity was piqued...

And so, she approached the box and peeked inside...

Her heart dropped to her stomach as she gazed at the sight of a tiny boy. He was curled up into a ball in the small box shivering and sniffling lightly as if trying to not be noticed.

He was only dressed in an oversized shirt that had seen much better days. His messy hair was shiny indicating it had not been washed in a long time, and his trembling body was not of the cold, but of pain.

The girl's eyes had grown wide tears stopping for a moment to stare down at this hurt child. "Oh…oh my…" she covered her mouth as she watched the boy tense and slowly turn his head to face her. She was momentarily stunned at his emerald green eyes that almost shined.

She flinched lightly back at his scared look and looked away from him now feeling more horrible then before. The boy stared up at her, his eyes tracing the scars and the scary eyes that…almost…looked like his when he was in pain.

The boy blinked when he noticed how sad she looked. He pushed himself to his feet, wincing in pain as he did so. Then, he reached up to her.

"Sad...?" He asked. Carol then realized that this boy was just a little toddler... She looked away.

"Y-Yes...Sad..." She replied, her voice barely audible. The boy didn't like that she was sad, so he reached up his tiny arms to her.

"Neehug?" He asked innocently. She slowly turned to look at him, eyes wide.

"Wh-What...?"

"Youwanhug?"

The girl stared down at him with wide eyes yet slowly nodded her head. The boy leaned up and tried to grab her but he ended up tripping. Before he fell, he was caught in the girl's arms.

Painwheel had caught him when he had fell and now she did not want to let go. The boy looked up at her and stared right into her eyes and reached his arms up and wrapped them around her neck.

The girl held him tightly and leaned her head down and felt a warmth she had not felt in a long time. A warmth that reminded her she was still human. She felt a watery smile spread across her face as she held this little boy, who was also hurt wanted to hug a freak like her.

Unknown to her, the little boy was thinking along the same lines. He wanted to make her feel better, he did not like seeing people sad…it made him sad thinking about it. "Stiilsad?" he asked timidly.

Carol shook her head slowly. "No." She replied, voice quaking. "I'm not sad anymore." Harry pouted.

"Bu cwy!" He said, putting his hand on her cheek to catch her tears. Carol smiled softly.

"I...I'm happy..." She said.

"Happy cwy?" Harry asked, tilting his head. Carol nodded.

"Yes...This is a happy cry." She confirmed. Harry smiled.

"Good." He said with a nod.

Carol let out a soft giggle at the small child and leaned back with him in her arms lifting him up and cradling him. She felt the warmth increase when he snuggled into her arms with a soft coo.

Harry for his part was at first scared of her because of her eyes, they looked scary but she was not…she was nice! She gave him hugs! He smiled up at her.

Carol smiled down at him lightly playing with his hair. "What's your name little cutie?" she asked him.

Harry tilted his head lightly before frowning and looking down. "Donnow…theycalmefreak"

Carol's eyes widened. She stared at the boy blankly. "They call you...freak...?" She asked softly. The boy nodded.

"Aun and unkey say fweek..." He looked down. "Ifweek..." Carol's shoulders sagged.

"You're not a freak..." She said gently. I'M the freak here..." Harry tilted his head.

"No." He said in a chiding tone. "I'M feek."

Carol shook her head at him. "No…you are not." She stressed at him.

"You not one too!" he mumbled back at her.

They both gave each other stern looks before Carol soon broke down into small giggles. The boy tilted her head to the side confused at her change. "Whasofunny?"

"It's just…" she couldn't stop, "so…silly."

"Silly?" he asked then smiled lightly. "I likey silly."

Carol smiled down at him and leaned down and kissed the top of his head surprising him greatly. "Thank you."

Harry blinked. "Fankoo?" He asked, clearly confused. "Why fankoo?" Carol smiled.

"I...I haven't laughed in so, SO long..." She admitted.

"Whynowaff?" Harry asked. "Waffgood." Carol nodded.

"I just...didn't have much to laugh about." She explained. "I'm going through some hard times..."

"Hartime? Thatba."

"It IS bad." Carol nodded.

Harry snuggled into her more causing her to smile down at him. "Sowy" he mumbled into her.

Carol smiled down at him with tenderness. He was so precious. She kissed his cheek causing him to giggle a bit. She leaned up and noticed some red stains on the back of his shirt. She felt trepidation start to form as she gazed at the red marks on his shirt.

She looked down at his happy face then back at the red marks and slowly placed her hands on them only for the boy to yelp and pull away from her touch causing her eyes to go wide.

"Little boy…?"

"Ithurts…hurts…" he mumbled with a grimace of pain.

Carol blinked. "I...I'm sorry..." She apologized softly. "I didn't mean to hurt you..." The boy just whimpered in response. "...What happened...?" She asked. The boy sniffled.

"U-Unkey..."

"Unkey?" Carol asked, tilting her head in confusion. Harry nodded.

"Unkey wamad." He explained. "Waned huut me..."

Carol was piecing this information together.

"Your uncle…he…hurt you." She said softly before gasping when she felt him shudder in her arms. She held him close and gazed down at the red marks anger sadness and a sick feeling of happiness knowing she was not alone welled up in her.

"Unekynotwanme" he mumbled softly his voice trembling as a fresh batch of tears started to pour down his face.

Carol frowned down at him sadly and held him close. "Shhh. His lost." She whispered in his ear. She felt her own tears fall for the poor boy and wanted nothing more than to take his pain away somehow.

She ran her hand through his hair and rubbed his scalp to try and sooth him, unaware of a tabby cat standing on the side of a dumpster overlooking the two. It's piercing eyes more human then possible.

The cat narrowed its eyes, as if angry, and hissed before running off. Carol turned to look after it. 'What a mean cat.' She thought before shaking her head and patting the boy's.

"Yowam..." The child said softly, snuggling closer into her. She blushed.

"Huh?"

"You...warm..." He tried again, this time more clearly.

Carol smiled down at him and hugged him tighter. "So are you little guy." She said and closed her eyes leaning her head back onto the wall. What was she going to do now? She couldn't stay here, she needed to keep moving…yet she did not want to let him go.

She felt him stir in her arms and looked down to see a precious sight. The little baby was curled in her arms his eyes closed and his thumb in his mouth fast asleep.

She felt a new determination enter her body as an unknown warmth spread through her. She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm not letting you go." She whispered to him.

Meanwhile the same cat was running down the road before turning into a wall and going right through it, only then did the cat morph into a older woman. She let out a pained sigh and looked up at an older man with a long beard staring back at her.

"Any news?" he asked her his tone soft.

"I found him."