Well hello there people. I'm actually a new Fairy Tail fan (I'm at episode 134 of the anime) and ohmyfreakinggod i love it! Also, Gruvia forever hell yeah~ This is my first Gruvia fic so, hope you all like it!
Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Fairy Tail.
Where the sun goes to sleep
Gray Fullbuster sat quietly at a table, sighing as his fingers tapped the wooden surface. He had been alone all day long, from 8 in the morning up to now, and as much as he hated to say it, he didn't like it.
Natsu and Lucy where out on a mission, Erza was god knows where doing god knows what and the others…well, all he knew was that no one was sober enough in here to be worth talking to.
Gray suddenly frowned. Something he was used to see next to him was missing. Someone was missing.
"Hey Mira," he suddenly called the white haired lady cleaning a glass behind the bar. "Have you seen Juvia?"
Mirajane blinked a time or two, before answering in a bitter voice "Gray…"
Gray's frown deepened as he got up and slowly made his way toward the woman. She had a sour face on, and even if her mouth was a bit open, it seemed like she was hesitating with her words.
"She came to me before sunrise to tell me…" Mira then looked at Gray directly in the eyes. "She's leaving Fairy Tail, Gray."
The ice mage widened his dark eyes and stood still for a second, before suddenly chuckling. "She's joking, naturally. You know how she's always so damn dramatic…"
Mira's stare was not pleased at all. You could almost see the devil in it. "She was very serious, Gray. She told me she needed to get away from here, not because of us, but because of herself. She said she needed some time away to think things over. And she asked me not to tell anybody."
Mira sighed and closed her eyes and silence fell over the room, until…
"When is she leaving," Gray's voice filled Mira's ears.
She opened her eyes quickly, the image of a determinate Fullbuster appearing in front of her.
"It's probably too late, but she said that by the time the sun is down, there would be no more trace of her in Magnolia."
Gray turned around immediately, heading for the main entrance of the guild.
"Gray." Erza's hard voice suddenly resonated around him and made him stop for a moment. "It's her choice. If she really wants to leave, then you got to let her go. Maybe she didn't find what she wanted in Fairy Tail…"
Gray clenched his fists before starting to run.
'Just make sure she's okay…' Erza thought as she stared at the door until it closed again with a loud bang.
. . . .
He ran. He ran until his throat hurt like hell and his heart pound in his ears, but he never stopped.
Not until he saw a slim blue haired woman on the main road leaving Magnolia.
"Juvia!" he called out as loudly as he could.
The rain woman immediately stopped as she heard her name. That voice. She knew it by heart.
Gray-sama
Juvia turned around, slowly, and widened her eyes as she saw Gray running toward her.
"Juvia," said Gray, taking a second to catch his breath as he got closer to his nakama. He was now standing in front of her, his onyx eyes lingering on the ground for a moment before finally rising his stare, looking at the astounded woman with a serious face.
"What's this crap about leaving the guild?"
He didn't sound too worried, in fact his voice was natural, a little hard, as usual, and it made Juvia turn her head to the side slightly while closing her eyes shut.
Juvia didn't answer. None of them spoke for almost a whole minute, both of them waiting for the other to react, to just…do something.
Juvia finally took a deep breath, not opening her eyes or moving an inch.
"What is Gray doing here?"
The ice mage widened his eyes. Had she really called him Gray? She had never done this before… With her 'Gray-sama', it always sounded like she was completely devoted to him. Now, even if her voice was still soft, she had spoken to him just like she would to any other person in the guild.
She was leaving.
Gray swallowed the rock in the back of his throat before answering.
"The sun isn't down yet."
Juvia gasped silently as her eyes flew open. Her heart began beating faster as her brain registered Gray's words. Did he want her to stay here…in Fairy Tail?
No.
Juvia closed her slightly opened mouth, trying to close her heart at the same time. She couldn't let Gray do that anymore. She couldn't let him bring her some kind of hope before crushing her all over again. He didn't care that way about her…it was obvious. She perfectly knew he didn't see her the way she saw him, and at that time, when she first joined Fairy Tail, it just didn't matter. As long as she could spend time with him, it was alright. But lately, she didn't know if Gray would ever show some kind of affection towards her. It didn't feel like he really appreciated her, even after all those years.
So, slowly, she lost hope. She became really sad, to the point of crying in her bed, each night, alone in the darkness. Of course when the day would come, she'd hide it all. Nobody needed to see this weakness, this shattered side of her.
And one night, it hit her.
How could she be so attached to someone who didn't even want her? How could she stay devoted to a man who didn't feel the need to see her, to talk to her, to touch her…
How could she be so pathetic?
It was time to change. She loved Fairy Tail and her friends with all her heart, but it was time. To try to live happily, to live under the sun by herself. No rain would fall down on her, but it wouldn't be because of a man. It would be because of herself…because of her own strength.
It was time to find a way to feel good about herself.
"It's time," Juvia answered in a murmur, giving Gray one of her very first, very rare, confident look.
Gray widened his eyes as he saw her turning her back to him, and putting one foot ahead of the other, ready to continue her walk.
But somehow, deep inside, Gray felt something.
He couldn't let her leave. At least, not like this.
"Juvia, wait!"
The young woman stopped abruptly, taking a sharp breath to gain enough courage to stop herself from melting at the sound of her name being called by his voice. Could his hard, emotionless tone be…gone?
"Maybe Juvia doesn't belong here… Maybe, just maybe, she should leave and try to smile on her own… Maybe she should leave to where the sun goes to sleep," Juvia murmured, looking at the setting sun far, far away, her eyes twinkling with sadness, hesitation yet…with light curiosity.
Gray couldn't move. It was like his own body was frozen and as he stood there with his mouth slightly opened, he felt his throat dry, and, against all odds, a sharp jab at his heart.
Something inside him fell, and made everything else around him blurry. He breathed in one time, looking around at the trees, the grass, the village he had grown up in… Almost as if nothing made sense anymore. He couldn't stand this horrible feeling.
He couldn't stand her leaving Magnolia.
He couldn't stand her leaving Fairy Tail.
And…maybe, just maybe…he couldn't stand her leaving him.
Gray's mouth closed and his right hand curled into a tight fist as he spoke without thinking, words that meant so much more than nobody would ever know.
"Then stay here and watch the sun with me."
Juvia suddenly widened her eyes in shock as the words made their way through her mind, before going straight to her heart.
He couldn't actually mean it like that…could he?
The blue haired beauty turned around slowly, looking for that unique spark in Gray's eyes that would tell her he was honest. Honest to her but also, honest to his heart.
Her intense stare met his, and at that moment, she just knew, this was real.
Little did she know Gray had realized something at that same time. He had said the right thing. For her, for him… For them.
He then smiled at her, a true and radiant smile that made Juvia's heart skip a beat. Then, as Juvia made a tiny step toward him, Gray held out one, strong and white hand, waiting for her to accept his proposition. To accept his apology. To accept his true, hidden desire.
And she accept it.
. . . .
As the last sun rays of the day were leaving Magnolia, two figures lay in the grass, not talking, not sleeping. Just…enjoying the light on their skin, and the light breeze around them.
Juvia then carefully turned her head to the side, observing Gray's perfect features. She did nothing else. She didn't have pink hearts in her eyes, nor did she squealed and jumped on him. No, instead, she threw her old mask away and let one small, almost invisible smile appear on her face.
Gray saw her blue eyes staring at him. He didn't frown, nor did he sighed in exasperation and left her. No, instead, he threw his old mask away and turned his head, just as slowly, to look back into her eyes.
He stayed like that for a moment, until he turned his head back to face the sky, then closed his eyes without a word.
His hand moved on its own, trailing over the grass when, out of nowhere, Gray took one, single, delicate finger around his, creating a new unspoken bound.
And Juvia, instead of screaming in joy, smiled a bit wider, turned her head to the sky and finally, gave Gray's finger a gentle, affectionate squeeze.
Soooo? Whattayathink? I have to say I hate how some people portray Juvia as some kind of crazy stalker woman. Yes, she has a fun side but there's so much more to her character than just that, and I wanted to play with her serious side a little. She's unique and amazing.
Review?