~Val~

I expected fear, but that wasn't what I felt. I was strangely calm. I stood there, staring at Ambrosia. I didn't move. My friends were fighting around me, battling fiercely against Ambrosia's guild. I watched as Ambrosia strode towards me, meeting her eyes. I saw a feline keenness in her eyes as she stalked towards me. She wasn't looking at anything but me, ignoring the battles that raged around her. Time seemed to slow down. I didn't hear anything but her footsteps. Hissing shadows whirled around her, curling around her pale arms, her waste, her legs, and even her neck.

I took a deep breath as she closed in. She knelt beside me. I was shaking a bit, but once I realized that I quickly stiffened. I didn't want to look weak in front of her. She smiled and took my face in her hands, "Are you scared?"

I glared at her, not saying anything. She stroked the side of my face, "I would understand it if you were. You are just a child, Hugo."

What is she talking about? I didn't have an answer for him.

Kid, let me take over from her. I can take her down. Do it, or your friends will die. I nodded. I hadn't thought that Ambrosia would realize what I was trying to do. Just as I started to slip away from myself and let the older me slip in, Ambrosia slammed her hand against my chest.

I gasped and grasped her wrist, trying to pry her off of me. It didn't work. Somehow I was trapped in my body, unable to let Val take it. "You thought I'd just let you come out, Valaymier? I'd prefer to exterminate you the easy way. You may ask why I chose to put a curse on you all those years ago," she hissed in my ear, "It's because I wanted to torture you before you died!"

I struggled to breath, scratching at her pale skin. She didn't even wince. "Can't…breathe…" I wheezed.

Ambrosia smiled cruelly and then released me. I tried to sit up, but I was slammed down again. This time her hand was on my throat. "I wish I could look into your eyes, Valaymier, as you died slowly by my hands," she said, her eyes laughing, "But I prefer to do this the painless way. Of course, that painless will only apply to me. Your death will hurt."

"Val!" I heard Lucy scream. I painfully turned my head and saw Lucy running towards me. She had a whip in her hand and slashed out at anyone who got in her way. She sprinted as fast as she could. I watched helplessly as a member of Thief Soul knocked her to the side. She fell and engaged in a new battle. She looked exhausted already.

"Val, hang on!" I heard another voice call out. It was Natsu. He easily knocked one of the members out and turned towards me. He plowed through his enemies, determined to get to me. He broke into a run, charging Ambrosia. She didn't even have to look at him to release her shadows and send them flying towards Natsu. His eyes went wide as flames whirled around him. Soon, though, those flames were extinguished, vanishing behind a wall of shadows. When the darkness finally left, Natsu lay unconscious in the tall grass. I felt hot tears flow from my eyes, blinking to try and keep my vision focused. I fought as hard as I could, clinging desperately to consciousness.

My lungs felt like they were exploding. I'd gone too long without a breath. Kid! She's got you trapped. Give in, and then I can help you! I wasn't sure what he meant by give in. Now, Kid! If you don't hurry you'll die! Let go! It suddenly hit me: he meant for me to fall unconscious. I quickly consented, not fighting to stay awake any longer. The last thing I saw was the look on Ambrosia's face: surprise and then outrage. I smiled as I blacked out. She wasn't going to get the best of me.

~Valaymier~

I took the opening, seizing control of my body as he passed out. Sure, I felt bad about it, but that wasn't something to think about right now. I had to defeat Ambrosia, and quickly. My eyes snapped open as I requipped into my armor. I struck Ambrosia in the chest, sending her flying off of me. I flicked my tail back and forth as I walked towards her. I knelt beside Natsu, checking his pulse. I didn't like the guy, but that didn't mean I wanted him to die…I'm not that cruel.

I rose to my full height and stared at Ambrosia, "You would kill a child?"

"If it meant I could kill you, yes," she growled, getting to her feet again. Her arms were limp like those of a rag doll. I narrowed my eyes, feeling anger rise inside of me.

"He's just a kid!" I shouted, my spear appearing in my hand. It glowed brightly, piercing through the suffocating darkness.

"I don't care about that child. I just found him dying on the streets. I figured such filth was worthy of you!" she spat. That caught me off guard, "What did you say?"

Her eyes went wide as if she'd just realized what she'd said. They then hardened, becoming unreadable, "Valaymier, I will take everything you love away from you. Don't doubt me. I'm stronger than you think!"

"You aren't strong. You're weak! Using love as an excuse for this!" I shouted, gesturing to the battle that raged around us. That when I heard a deafening scream. It made me feel sick to my stomach. I flinched and whirled around. To my horror, I saw Lucy on her hands and knees, darkness whirling about her. Ambrosia's shadows were circling her, biting her and scratching her. I immediately flew towards her.

When I reached her, golden light flared up around me. The shadows squealed and writhed when my light his them. Lucy looked up, still cowering. When she saw me she smiled and reached for me. I knelt beside her and took her hand. "I knew you'd save me, Val," she breathed before she fell asleep. I wrapped my arms protectively around her, my light still engulfing us. I brushed her hair from her face and smiled. She was safe.

"No!" Ambrosia screeched. My head snapped up and my gaze hardened again, disguising the relief I felt that Lucy was safe in my arms again. "She shouldn't get your love! It belongs to me!"

She shot a series of shadows towards me, but the protective spell I'd cast just disintegrated them all. I stared at her, "Someone like you could never obtain my love."

A look of sheer insanity appeared on her face, "Why her?"

"Lucy is different from you. She's pure and good. You're just disgusting," I snarled. That did it. She lunged for me. Well, I thought she'd lunged for me. She'd actually directed her attack towards Lucy. I noticed just in time, barely able to cover Lucy's unconscious body with my own. I felt Ambrosia' darkness pierce my skin. I cried out as her hand dug into my chest. She smiled maniacally, her insanity gleaming in her eyes. I looked down and saw that her entire hand was inside my chest. Her pale wrist protruded vulgarly from my torso.

There was no blood, though. Darkness seemed to shimmer from where her hand pierced me. I felt her fingers moved around inside of me and gasped. I was still on my knees, so I didn't need to worry about staying upright. I felt her hand wrap around my heart. Her grip tightened and I felt unbearable pressure in my entire body. "What are you…doing to me?" I gasped; my arms hung limply at my sides.

"I could just take your heart," she whispered in my ear, her face inches from mine. I felt her pull a tiny bit and I cried out in pain. I was breathing hard now, which only made it that much more agonizing.

"It hurts, doesn't it? Having your heart taken," she whispered stroking my face with the hand that wasn't buried in my chest. I saw a smile creeping along her lips, "I suppose I'll do you a favor before I kill you. I just don't like the idea of ending you while you're still tainted." I felt her arm shift inside of me as she yanked her arm from my chest. I fell to the ground, shivering and sweating. I clutched my chest, still able to feel her presence inside of me. I squeezed my eyes shut and then opened them again. I rolled over onto my back weakly.

Ambrosia knelt beside me, sliding her hand along my chest, "I suppose you didn't know I could do that, yes? Well, I did warn you that I was stronger than you thought."

"Go to hell, Ambrosia," I spat, still breathing hard.

She laughed quietly, "I do love it when you say my name, Valaymier, but I have no intention of complying. If I did, I wouldn't be able to do this!" She raised her arms and brought it down towards me. My eyes went wide as her hand entered my skull. I couldn't move at all and her fingers touched my mind. She was grinning wickedly, "This might hurt…a lot."

That's when I felt her grasp something inside my head. She took hold of it and pulled. She ripped whatever it was out of my head. My entire essence became pain. I couldn't scream. I couldn't move. I could only lie there, drowning in anguish. My head pounded. I felt a cold hand turn my head to the side as my vision blurred. I saw a flash of blue and then Ambrosia's face loomed down close to mine. I felt her hair brush against my cheek.

"Say hello to Hugo," she whispered. My eyes slid shut as I gave into my suffering.

~Gray~

My ribs ached. Well, ached isn't the right word. It was more like a burning, stabbing, unspeakably excruciating sensation. I let out a low moan, trying not to breath quickly and worsen my pain. I figured that my ribs were probably broken. I vaguely remembered being struck in the chest by something. It all happened so quickly that I didn't have time to process what it had been. I couldn't remember anything after that.

I tried to open my eyes, but they felt like they were glued shut. I groaned again, trying to stay awake. I didn't even try to move my body. I figured that would hurt more than breathing, (which felt not unlike how I imagined the aftereffects of being hit by a train felt like). I focused on anything other than my pain. By doing so, I realized that someone was talking.

It took me a moment to understand what they were saying. "Aw, are you tired?" cooed a voice, which sounded like Ambrosia.

"I hate you," replied a weak voice. That one was Val—the older and more perverted one.

"Oh, not nearly as much as I hate you." Her voice was cheerful, yet carried a spiteful undertone.

"Why can't I move?" Val asked exhaustedly.

"You've only just been freed from my 'curse'. It'll be a while before you can move again…" I summoned my strength and cracked my eyes open. What I saw disgusted me. Val's eyes were closed. He was sweating and shaking violently. That wouldn't have been so bad if his head wasn't resting in Ambrosia's lap. Perhaps the creepiest thing, though, was the fact that Ambrosia had removed Val's shirt. Her thin fingers were gliding along Val's chest.

Ambrosia was sitting on what looked like a throne. It was a dark black color and reminded me of the shadows that were lurking all around the room, circling around it as if biding their time until their master's next command. Val was sprawled out beside her, his face darkened due to the dimness of the room. I figured that this was the inside of the guildhall. I wondered why there weren't any other members here, but didn't give much thought to the question. I figured it had something to do with Ambrosia's cruel nature: she must have selfishly desired to keep Val to herself. I would have shivered if I didn't know that it would hurt like hell.

She smiled down at him, "If I were you I would worry about the child more. You're strong. Even after binding you two together, you didn't weaken. That's because you've been surviving, thriving, off of his heart."

"I don't…understand," Val breathed.

Ambrosia ran her fingers through Val's long hair, "I chose that child because he has a strong heart. I knew that the curse would break eventually. No one's heart lasts forever. What I didn't expect was that his heart would last so long, though. He must have found something that he loved very much." She shrugged, "It's none of my concern. He'll probably die anyway."

Val's eyes fluttered open, beads of sweat on his eyelashes, "He won't die. He's stronger than you. He's stronger than me."

Ambrosia laughed out loud, "He's simply a child! He'll die within the hour!"

"No!" Val managed to shout, "You've underestimated him!" I wasn't sure who this 'him' they were talking about was. I was confused.

"Being trapped in a Hugo's body all these years doesn't make you hate him?"

"I could never hate him," Val said, letting his eyes slide closed again.

"I never expected him to begin to look like you. I suppose that plan was flawed, yes? Then again, I also never expected him to last so long. Maybe if he'd died earlier he wouldn't have started to resemble you."

"Don't talk about him like that. He's like a brother to me," Val breathed.

"A brother!? How long have you known him? A week?" she shouted, outraged.

"You wouldn't understand."

Ambrosia's face grew sober, "For a moment there I wished that I'd met this Valaymier and fallen in love with him instead of you."

Val scoffed, "You don't love me."

Ambrosia looked sad. Her eyes seemed empty. When she finally spoke, her voice was quiet, "I think you'd be surprised how much I loved you."

Val's eyes opened and he stared at her. I stared at her too. There was a long silence. That's when the thought hit me. Where were the others? I turned my head. It felt heavy. I saw Natsu passed out on top of Erza. I wondered how Thief Soul had managed to best Erza and Natsu, but then thought better of it. They had Ambrosia. Considering what I'd seen of the dark wizard, she was more powerful than all of us combined, which only goes to show how strong Val was.

I scanned the room and then realized something. My side felt warm. I glanced down at my chest and saw Lucy there. No wonder my most likely broken ribs were hurting so much. Of course, she was on the uninjured side, but it still made it harder for me to breath easily. She was fast asleep. When I noticed the scratches and bruises all over her I felt concern rise up inside of me. She was one of my best friends, and seeing her like this hurt. I wanted to protect her, and I'd failed. I was too focused on my own fights, unable to help her when she needed me. I was angry with myself for that, but I was glad that she was still breathing.

I shifted my arm painfully and took her hand. I weakly squeezed it and her eyes drifted open. Her eyes weren't focused on anything. She was staring forward. Soon, when I squeezed her hand again, her gaze shifted to me. I smiled. She smiled back weakly.

"Where are we?" she whispered, trying to sit up.

"Don't move," I replied, "We're in the Thief Soul guildhall." Her eyes went wide, "What happened?"

"I'm not sure. I just woke up here. I'm pretty sure we were beaten pretty badly, though."

She nodded against my chest and I winced, "Try not to move, ok? I think my ribs are broken."

"Oh…sorry," she whispered back. She glanced up to where Ambrosia and Val were. I saw horror appear on her face. I tightened my grip on her hand, "Don't move, Lucy."

"But…Val is…" she squeaked. Something caught my eye. Lying a few feet away was a young boy. His eyes were closed and his breath was labored. Medium length, light blue hair fell over his eyes. He was dirty and wearing rags. I nudged Lucy, "Who's that kid?"

Lucy stared over at where the child was lying, "I don't know…" She slowly began to move so as not to draw Ambrosia's attention. "Where are you going? Stop," I hissed.

She shook her head, "No. I need to help him. I don't know why, but he seems familiar. It's like I recognize him. I have to go to him." That's when it hit me. Why else would Lucy recognize that boy? The younger Val, the one we came to love so much, wasn't just a simple curse. He was a real person. 'Binding you together' 'I chose that child because he had a strong heart'

It all made sense now. That innocent and pure child that had stumbled into our guildhall that day was more than a curse. He was unique. He was his own person. He wasn't Val…and he was passed out a few feet away from me.

Worst of all: he might be dying.

A/N: Don't worry, guys! This is so not a tragedy! Plus, I'm too in love with Val/Hugo to actually let him go. He's too precious to my heart. Ok, so that was a little weird, but basically all you have to know is that I won't kill him. That last line was only from Gray's POV. I know I probably scared those of you who are in love with Val/Hugo, but don't FTFO. As promised, I tried to make this chapter a little longer. If I left you a little confused, don't worry about it. I plan on explaining more in the next chapter. Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review! :)