A/n: This is the second part of the Gruvia Toy AU based on the beautiful drawings of umikopineapple. Check it out! Also, Gray and Juvia might be a little bit OOC in this story. Sorry about that. I'm still juggling their personalities, quirks and overall characterization. But I hope I'll be able to grasp them soon enough. Also, a big thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorite, and alerted this story! ^^

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.

o-o

Gray visited the dusty attic the following day. He didn't know what kind of force compelled him to say the words yesterday that promised his return. But he did. And he always kept his promises because he was a man - or toy - with honor. Not to mention, Erza would beat the living shit out of him if he didn't keep true to his words.

When he told the whole gang about finding a girl inside a snow globe in the attic, he already expected several of their outbursts. Natsu, like the idiot that he was, exclaimed they should smash the glass globe and save her. With his outburst, followed Lucy's mighty slap on the pink-haired dragon toy's head and explained to him the reasons why they couldn't do that. Which to the utter frustration of the blonde doll, Natsu still didn't understand why.

Erza, casually dressed in her knight armor, suggested to visit the attic to meet the porcelain girl - Juvia. Everyone instantly agreed with the knight's idea, well, all except for Gray. His reaction to the redhead's suggestion was a surprise to everyone, even to Gray himself. And he was starting to get worried that he was slowly losing his sanity.

"Ohhh.. Do you want her all to yourself, Gray?" Mira teased lightly. But there was a mischievous glint in her eyes that sent terror running up and down his spine.

"I do not!"He replied hotly. "Where the hell did you even get that idea?!"

Warmth was slowly spreading across his face, and he was sure an embarrassing rosy color now painted his cheeks, if Mira's widened grin had any indication of it. He continued on just to prove his point.

"Look. We can't all just barge into the attic, even if we all wanted to. And not because I wanted Juvia all for myself," he said, glaring at a snickering Mirajane. "Everyone knows Asuka will definitely notice if a huge number of us will suddenly disappear, right? You know as well as I do that she has a strange cunning ability of knowing if one of her toys goes missing. And I don't want that same experience to repeat again."

Gray shuddered at the memory of Asuka looking for her toys one day, but found only a few of them, when the girl returned from school. Because her toys had suddenly gone MIA to execute an impromptu rescue mission for the resident toy princess, Lucy, when she was abducted by an old perverted man, with a strange fetish to blonde dolls. The mission took a whole day to finish, after fighting some other insane toys along the way, Natsu getting stuck at a bubble gum machine, and Erza pointing her gigantic sword at their enemies.

Overall, they were able to get the blonde doll back which further strengthened the bonds between all of them, especially towards the Princess and her Dragon. But when they reached back home they found a crying, or more like wailing, brokenhearted 4-year old girl. And not even her own parents could pacify the child, not until all of them had safety return did her tears dry, and a beautiful smile bloomed on her face.

"I think Gray has a point,"Lucy agreed, then shuddered as memories flooded her mind. "Asuka will get worried if we suddenly disappear... again."

Nodding in understanding, Erza answered in agreement. "I see. Then we'll just meet Juvia, one toy at a time."

All the of the gathered toys nodded in silent acknowledgement. They really didn't want their little owner to worry too much about them, even if they all did want to meet the certain toy in the attic.

"I still think Gray wants Juvia-chan all for himself, though," Mira commented coyly, then nudged at Lucy with a smirk. "Right Lucy?"

Answering the white-haired doll with her own smirk, Lucy said with a grin, "Yes, I think he does, Mira."

"Damn it, Mira! Stop putting thoughts into other people's mind!" Gray shouted indignantly as laughter erupted around him.

Seriously, it was a huge pain in the ass whenever Mirajane was concerned. Her meddlesome personality always left a disconcerting feeling in Gray for it seemed she had made it her own personal profession to become everyone's matchmaker. He had somewhat managed to stay out of her uncanny matchmaking radar, after that whole debacle Mira setup between Lucy and him, though it was very obvious the blonde only had eyes for the pyromaniac salmon-head toy.

'I'll need to come up with a plan to escape Mira's evil clutches, soon,' he grumbled to himself.

Slowly ascending the stairs that led to the house's musky attic, Gray sighed in exasperation. He had to be extra careful from now on. The white-haired doll's interest was once again locked on him, and it was going to be tricky to elude her matchmaking schemes.

Carefully opening the creaking door, his eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness of the place. It still always made him visibly cringe at how dreary the room was. He straightened his blue jacket, and mentally congratulated himself for not losing it along the way, together with his other clothes.

After one last check that everything was still in place and the package tied on his back was still secure, he searched for the wooden box where the glass globe silently sat on top of it. Excitement was slowly building inside him. He couldn't understand why he was feeling this way, though he really was never good in deciphering his own feelings to begin with, and just normally shove everything with a casual shrug. But this time, it was different. His curiosity was nagging him.

And it wanted answers.

When Gray finally saw Juvia, she was standing in the middle of the glass globe, with her eyes closed and arms outstretched in front of her. Falling snow seemed to dance like glittering crystals around her slim figure. And a small puff of air formed with each steady breath she made.

He watched in pure fascination, as time seemed to have stopped moving, and felt that strange sensation deep inside him again.

'Beautiful…' he thought, entranced.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and felt as if someone was looking at her through the glass barrier. Slowly turning her head towards his direction, the radiant smile she gave him was enough for butterflies to start fluttering inside his stomach, and color his face red.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia happily exclaimed and ran towards him. "You really did visit Juvia again! Juvia is so happy to see you!"

Gray chuckled and waved at the girl. "Yeah. I promised I'd come back again, didn't I?"

A beautiful rosy color painted her smooth porcelain cheeks. She hid her reddening face beneath a heavy curtain of blue hair. But Gray could see a smile played on her soft lips.

Honestly, Juvia had doubted the toy's word and tried to not let hope bloom in her heart because the pain would invariably be, well, painful. She didn't want to feel it anymore. And it was terrifying to always hope; she had sadly learned.

But Gray had returned as he had promised and she glowed with unabashed delight. She almost didn't notice the things he had tied behind his back.

Unable to keep the curiousity at bay, Juvia shyly asked. "What are those behind you, Gray-sama?" She looked at them with open curiosity and patiently waited as he slowly untied the string which bound several items together. There was a piece of scrap paper, a crayon, and what looked like a small yellow flower.

Placing the things near her, just outside the glass, he looked at her with a grin. "These are things I wanted to show you," he answered. "This is for you."

Juvia couldn't hide the surprised on her face for it had been a while since she saw something from the outside. "F-for me?" she asked uncertainly.

The brunette nodded and held the flower to her. "Asuka played outside in the garden this morning. And well, I-I thought it would be nice to give you something from the outside since you haven't been outside for a long time, you know."

Gray knew he was blabbering like an idiot but he couldn't seem to help it. Watching the awed expression of Juvia made his stomach tightened in knots. And when her deep blue eyes gazed back at him, with a dazzling smile displayed on her lips, he couldn't help but feel smug and mentally congratulated himself for letting his meddlesome friends badger him to bring something for Juvia for today's visit.

"It's beautiful," she whispered, with glittering unshed tears in her eyes. Her hands slowly traced the flower petals on the glass wall while his eyes followed her movements silently. "Thank you, Gray-sama. I promise to treasure this forever."

Feeling unsettled, Gray looked for a post close enough to the glass dome where he could tie the flower, but found none, and just decided to lay it down right beside the orb.

"You're welcome," he replied awkwardly. "It wasn't my idea at first but I'm happy you liked it."

Juvia nodded happily. "I am. But what about the paper and crayon?"

He smiled sheepishly at her, then sat right next to the glass orb, bringing the piece of paper and crayon with him. "We just finished play time for today and I actually wanted to escape someone's evil clutches as much as I can," he said. "So I thought we could use these two to pass the time. Or until it's safe for me to return back."

The slightly horrified look he gave made Juvia worried but eventually laughed when his pleading eyes gazed at her. She shook her head slightly and wondered if she was having some kind of placid dream. A dream that would soon end the moment she blinked and opened her eyes because she knew it was too good to be true. To have someone to chat with again, after all those long moments of isolation in this dark and murky room, it was the kind of situation only her imagination could conjure.

But she was happy nonetheless. Someone was with her right now and she was thankful; because it kept her loneliness at bay, if not for short while. And Juvia would make the most out of this blissful dream.

"Then you're welcome to stay here for as long as you want, Gray-sama," Juvia replied cheerfully.

Gray visited Juvia every day. Each day he would bring something with him like flowers, additional crayons, and other things the other toys thought she would like. And each time, Juvia felt like she was the happiest toy ever. She couldn't remember the time she felt as happy as she was whenever Gray visited her.

He would also tell stories about their quirky little owner and his fellow toys. From what she'd learned so far, Erza was a scarlet-haired fairy knight toy who protected the blonde fairy Princess Lucy against the evil clutches of the blue cat plushie, Happy, who also had a pet pink-haired dragon toy called Natsu.

Happy and Natsu would terrorize the citizens of the fairy toy kingdom and it was up to Erza and the rest of the toy soldiers to protect everyone. Juvia thought it was a very charming and wished she could also play together with everyone, especially together with the toy just outside her glass dome. But it was only wistful thinking for her because there was no way she would be able to escape the glass dome that currently imprisoned her. However, Juvia was a dreamer and she would keep dreaming for as long as she could; hoping that one day she could also be a part of his world. A world beyond the dark, murky attic.

She listened intently as Gray continued to tell stories about the other toys as well. About the most famous doll named Mirajane, who also had other younger toy siblings named Elfman and Lisanna. Although when he mentioned the previous doll's name, Juvia couldn't help notice how his complexion had somewhat paled, and cold sweat formed on his head. Asking if Gray was feeling ill, she furrowed her brows in suspicion when he merely shrugged his shoulders stiffly and shook his head.

Ignoring the nagging suspicion at the moment, Juvia continued to listen in rapt amusement as Gray showed weird drawings of the different toys he was close friends with. She couldn't help but laugh aloud as blissful happiness swelled inside of her.

And she also felt jealous.

In her isolation, Juvia had often wondered what the outside world would be like. She had seen it before; but it was only behind the cold glass interior of her snow globe. She often imagined what it would feel like to bask under the warm rays of the golden sun, or to feel the soft breeze of the wind on her cheeks, or to taste the little droplets of rain that abated the thirst of the patiently waiting earth. Everything was still a complete mystery to her.

She wanted to know what it felt like to be free from this glass dome that was supposed to be her home; but inadvertently became her own prison. She wanted…

Juvia wanted to know how it felt like to be in Gray's arms. She blushed at the thought.

Would he be cold? Like the expression he often wore when he was disinterested about something that didn't concern him? Juvia doubted that. Gray had given her the warmest of smiles that had driven the cold loneliness in her heart. He was like a ray of warm light after the rain.

"Juvia?" Gray's voice had pulled her out of her gloomy thoughts.

"Yes Gray-sama?" She replied, smiling.

"I-," he continued, then paused. Juvia stared at the toy quizzically and wondered what he was thinking.

Hesitating, Gray's fingers fidgeted at the hem of his blue jacket, wanting the annoying piece of clothing off, and his nervousness only made matters worse. He didn't understand why he was feeling this nervous. It was funny. Natsu would have snickered at him if he ever saw Gray losing his cool like this.

During the times he'd visited Juvia, he'd taken the rare chance of analyzing what that annoying buzzing feeling that started to take root at the pits of his stomach meant. And most of the times, he thought of it as mere indigestion. But negated that thought immediately because, well, he was a bloody toy. And toys do not eat human food, no matter how much of it was stuffed on his face, during teatime with Asuka.

So, it must be something else.

His eyes wondered on Juvia, who was patiently waiting for whatever crap he was about to stay and his gaze silently traced the cold exterior of the glass, then slowly traced the soft contours of her porcelain cheeks, with two small red spots coloring it beautifully.

"I-" He started again, then sighed deeply. "No, it's nothing. Never mind about it."

Panicking, Juvia's bright blue eyes widened in alarm. "Gray-sama, please tell Juvia what's wrong," she pleaded. "If there's something that Juvia can do, even if she's inside this snow globe, she'll do anything to help."

She placed both hands on the dome's glass and looked at him earnestly. Somehow, her beckoning stare started to nerve him and he sighed in defeat.

"It's just… I dunno how exactly to say it," Gray said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"Don't worry Gray-sama," Juvia said, coaxing him to speak further. "Whatever it is, Juvia will listen."

Unable to meet her expectant eyes, he lowered his head and said under his breath, "I won't be able to visit your tomorrow... or even the day after that."

Juvia felt her heart stop. He wasn't going to see her anymore? Did she do something wrong which displeased him? Was he angry at her?

Will Juvia be alone again?

So many negative thoughts passed through her mind that she was only able to stare at him with wide eyes.

"I-I see," Juvia replied meekly. She felt her eyes water and fought desperately to keep her composure. She didn't want Gray to see her cry. Because if she started crying now, she didn't know if she could manage to make herself stop. Getting left behind once more, all alone in this cold dark attic, would be too hard to bear.

"D-did Juvia do something wrong?" she asked. There was a crack in her voice she tried to hide but was unsuccessful. She couldn't breathe. It felt like her whole world was crumbling down on her and her fragile porcelain self was slowly cracking.

Seeing the broke-hearted look on her face, Gray immediately amended and tried to soothe the girl inside the globe. "I-it's not what you think, Juvia!" he cried. He ruffled his dark locks in frustration and glared at the dirty floor. "Ah shit. How do I explain this properly?"

Juvia watched him stay silent for a while. His brows were furrowed furiously against each other, and if looks could kill, the floor would have been dead by now.

"You see…. it's sort of like this," he said, sighing. "Asuka will be visiting her grandfather, who currently lives in Crocus City, for 2 days. And whenever she does, she always brings us - her toys - together with her. So yeah, that's the reason why I can't visit you tomorrow."

As comprehension dawn on Juvia, it felt as if a huge shard of glass was pulled out from her heart and she was able to breathe properly again. Gray wasn't leaving her because he wanted to; it's because he had to. His presence was needed by his owner and there was nothing he could do about it. It was his duty.

Smiling at the scowling toy on the other side of the glass dome, Juvia forced her voice to sound cheerful. "Juvia understands now. Thank you for explaining, Gray."

"But I promise I'll come back as soon as I can," he answered, voice full of conviction, as he placed his hand on the glass orb. He hated the coldness of the barrier that separated them. "And I'll bring you a souvenir, too."

I wish you can come with us.

She laid her palm against his, with the glass still in between them, and smiled.

Juvia wishes to come with you, too.

"I'll be waiting."

A/n: Liked it? Please review! ^^

And the next chapter would be the wrap-up for this story. I didn't plan to write this story with so many chapters so I hope you'll enjoy the next one!