The boy walked into the hopeless winter night. Lost, freezing, and starving, desperately searching for warmth. But all he found was more frost and ice. Then suddenly he spotted something in this distance. He rushed toward it quickly, hoping that it was someone who could help or perhaps maybe an animal he could kill for food. Yet his hope quickly turned to horror when he discovered that it was two lifeless bodies buried in the snow. A poor young couple had lost their way and the cruel cold had claimed their lives.

He knew it was wrong. He knew that it was disgraceful and wretched, and it frightened him to have to touch a corpse. But he was close to death. He had to do whatever it took to survive. So he began to search the dead man's pocket for anything of value. Money, a pocket watch or a pipe to sell, food, a match, basically any item that could help him survive this night. The man's pockets turned out to be completely empty though. There was absolutely nothing inside.

However that did not mean that there was nothing precious to find. Suddenly there came gasp and he saw something move between the dead couple. The boy moved closer to see what it was. He discovered that the dead woman had her arms tightly wrapped around something, or rather someone.

"My God." He thought when he saw her.

It was a little girl. The most tiny and frail looking girl he had ever seen in his life. He thought surely such a small and delicate female had to be dead by now. But she wasn't. He learned that when he saw her shiver.

"You're alive?" He said in a voice of disbelief.

At first the girl thought that she was dreaming when she heard his voice, but then she heard footsteps. It hurt so much to move, but she willed herself to wriggle out of her dead mother's embrace and lift her head up.

"Is...Is someone there?" She stuttered, her voice as frail as her body was.

The boy froze dead in his tracks, not sure exactly what to do at the moment. She started to slowly from the ground and look for him, he waited to hear her scream in utter fear once she saw his horrible face. No scream came.

"Why..." She paused, feeling all of her strength leave her body due to the cold. "Why is it so dark?"

She started to collapse, the boy caught her before she hit the ground. For a moment he feared that she might instantly dissolve in his touch like a snowflake since she was as light and fragile as one. Then he realized how foolish that fear would have been. This was no snowflake. This was a living child of flesh and blood, like him. That is, if she still lived. She might have died right then and there.

He placed his ear to her chest and listened for a pulse. Her heartbeat fluttered like a bird. She still lived, but not for much longer if she stayed here. So the boy scooped her delicate frame into his arms, held her to his chest to warm her with his body heat, and carried her through the storm.

"I don't know what I'm thinking." He wondered to himself. "It's not like she'll have a better chance at surviving with me. It's nothing but endless snow, ice, and wind from here on out. We'll both be dead in mere seconds. I probably should have just left her."

Yet he couldn't bring himself to do it and when the girl felt herself in his arms, she stirred for a moment. The faces of the two children touched each other, and the lips of the girl sought the cheek of the boy, as if she had expected him to be someone else, and then slept. First kiss of those two souls in the darkness.

The boy was surprised that she had done that and had not shrieked. Just what was the matter with this girl? Then he figured that she must've been delirious or something, and didn't realize whom exactly she had kissed, and he was half right. She didn't know who's cheek her lips had touched. But it most certainly wasn't due delirium.

Further and further into the bitter cold the boy went, losing hope by the hour, certain that he and the girl were done for. Although God seemed to not be ready to take these children because just before the boy could give out, he felt something brush up against him. Something hairy and warm. It was a cat. A rather lovely cat who's coat matched the snow fall. The cat opened her mouth and grabbed the boy's sleeve, gently pulling his arm. A gesture to tell him that he should follow her. He obeyed without the slightest trace of hesitation.

The cat led him over a snow heap and toward a vast sepulchral light made by the reflection of snow and sea. He saw a thing placed as if for shelter. It was a cart, unless it was a hovel. It had wheels, it was a carriage. It had a roof and from the roof, arose a funnel, and out of the funnel there was smoke. He approached the carriage quickly while taking care not to slip on the ice. Once close enough, the cat lifted up her paws and began to pat on the door. The door swung open and out stepped a strapping young man of sixteen with a lantern in hand.

"What is it Shagotte? What have you found?"

When his eyes fell upon the girl in the boy's arms, his face was instantly drained of color and terror filled his green eyes.

"Juvia!"

He dropped the lantern and took the girl from the boy, rushing inside the carriage. He quickly stripped her of her wet clothes, put her in a night dress, and wrapped her up in several thick blankets, then he laid her to rest by the fire burning on the hearth. Next he heated some water, soaked a cloth in it, and placed it on her forehead.

"Oh Juvia." He said trying to control his heavy breathing and rapid heartbeat. "My sweet little sister, I thought I'd never see you again."

The boy knew better than to just intrude, but he was as cold as death and there was a warm fire inside, he pulled his up over his face and just went inside without a word. It was about ten minutes before the young man finally noticed him.

"Where did you find my sister?" He asked the boy.

"Out in the snow."

"Was she alone?"

"There was a man and a woman. They were dead."

The man paused, almost too scared to ask because he did not want to know the terrible answer. But he knew he had to ask.

"Did the woman have blue hair like mine and my sister's?"

"Yes." The boy answered.

That's when the young man knew for certain that his mother and father were no more, and that his sister was all he had left now.

"Shagotte, keep Juvia warm."

The white cat walked over and curled up next to the girl, keeping her warm while her master stepped outside to have a moment of mourning. The boy took this time to really take in his new surroundings. This carriage was surprisingly quite big, big enough for it to have two beds and a table to sit at. On a shelf he saw a large array of bottles and jars that contained different kinds of strange liquids and mixes. There were musical instruments in one corner, a collection of puppets and other toys hanging in another, and a basket full of blankets. A white kitten popped up from that basket of blankets, no doubt birthed by the cat called Shagotte for she too had a coat that matched the snow.

The kitten approached the boy curiously and sniffed his hand. Next she crawled into his lap and made herself comfortable. This made Gray happy for a moment, happy that this kitten wasn't afraid to be near him like so many others were. He knew that animals were not so easily effected by appearances.

As he began to pet the kitten, feeling her soft and fine coat while making her purr in contentment, he looked over at the girl called Juvia who was being warmed by the kitten's mother. Now that her color was coming back, he thought her to be very pretty looking. Her skin was so fair that it practically glowed under the firelight and her cheeks were slowly turning a rosy pink. It made him think of his mother. She had been raven-haired and much more tall then this girl but her skin was the same shade of fair and her cheeks would turn pink as well.

His poor mother, his poor father. He would never lay eyes on either one of them again. He would never again hear their voices or feel their touch or know their love. They had been taken from him a demon. A demon who not took their lives but then mutilated his face. It enraged the boy terribly.

"Mother, Father." He thought. "I vow by the laws of every land and by the holy lord, that I will find the man who scarred my face and avenge our family!"

He heard the door freak open and the man called Jellal finally came back inside. His green eyes red and puffy, and his cheeks tear stained, all from crying over the loss of his own parents.

"What's your name boy?"

"Gray."

"Gray?"

"Yes."

"Where are you bound?"

"No where."

"Where is your family?"

"In Heaven along with yours."

He look at how Gray had pulled his shirt collar so high that it covered the lower half of his face.

"Why do you wear your shirt like that?"

Gray didn't answer. Jellal could see blood staining the fabric.

"You're bleeding!" He gasped. "Show me your face."

"No." He said shaking his head.

"I won't hurt you. I just want to fix your wound."

"I don't care! I don't want you to see my face! Once you see it, you'll scream and throw me out!"

"Why? Do you have the pox?"

"No."

"Then show me your face!"

"No!"

"Show me your face!"

"No!"

"Show me your face!"

Before Gray could react, Jellal grabbed him and pulled down his shirt. What he saw shocked him beyond all imagination.

"Dear Mary Mother of Christ!" He cried out. "Is that...Is that a mask?"

"No!" The boy spat, tears once again brimming in his eyes. "It's my face! He cut my face!"

He turned away and hurried his face into his hands, sobbing.

"Please don't turn me out! Please don't leave me to die! I didn't ask to look like this!"

Jellal's shock quickly turned to sympathy and compassion, and he moved to give the boy a gentle hug.

"No. I will not do that." He assured him. "I am not so cruel, and you saved my sister's life. If not for you, I would have nothing. I am forever in debt to you, and I shall take care of you alongside my sister."

Afterward Jellal sat Gray down at the table and gave him a loaf of bread and pitcher of milk to fill his belly, then set to work brewing a hot and strong brew to feed his sister once she woke. Gray ate and drank without breathing, he was so starved and dehydrated. Then he almost choked when the girl suddenly started to scream. Jellal was immediately at her side.

"God help me!" She shrieked.

"Juvia, calm down." Her brother said.

"Jellal? Jellal is that you?!"

"Yes it's me! I'm here!" He embraced her close.

"I thought you were dead!" She wept. "I thought the king had you killed!"

"I got away! Don't be frightened, everything's alright now."

But her heart rate became rabid and her hands started flailing.

"Jellal! Help me! Help me Jellal!" She panicked.

"I'm here! What is it? What's wrong?"

"I can't see!" The older brother slowly pulled away from the girl and looked at her eyes. They were moving all around as if disoriented. "I can't see Jellal! I can't see you! Why can't I say see you?!"

"Oh no." Jellal said hugging his sister and shaking his head with new tears replacing the old ones. "Oh God have mercy! No! Not this! Please don't take her family and her sight!"

"Don't leave me Jellal!" She pleaded. "Hold me! It's so dark! I'm afraid!"

That's when Gray finally realized why this girl had not been repulsed by him like all the others. It was because she couldn't see him, because she had gone blind.