Hey everyone! Thanks for reading my fanficiton, I hope you enjoy this chapter too. :) Actually this is planned to be a Grayza story, but maybe with some other pairings tagging along. ;) I hope this chapter didn't turn out to depressive X.x, but I really wanted to try something new :)

Absolute-Zero999: I love this mixture too, but there just aren't enough stories for Grayza with this mixture. :/ A love triangle is a great idea, I had thought about it and I think I'm going to try to put it in :D

The cage

It had been some time, since Gray met Juvia. She was a nice girl, but Gray couldn't shake this oppressive feeling away, that his future had already been written. He wasn't quite sure if it was a bad thing. It was just ...He had the feeling that something was missing, but he couldn't grasp it. Whatever it was, it didn't seem that important or else he would remember it, wouldn't he?

Well his life wasn't that bad too. He had a family, not a family like everyone else, but for him it was kind of a family and it had advantages. He was never lonely, because there was always someone around, like right now. He wasn't sure if Lyon was one of his favourite people in his life, because to be honest, he could be really annoying. He had the same affinity like Gray. He controlled the Ice well, but not as good as him, that was for sure and it wasn't thanks to him. It was thanks to someone actually really important to Gray. Indeed, she was really important to him. No. She is still really important to him. She would always be, 'cause thanks to her, he had found some comfort in his life. She had taught him and his childhood friend the world of ice magic and since he met her, he didn't meet anyone, who could stand against her, maybe Deliora. He was undoubtably incomparable.

Suddenly he felt a pat on his left arm. He looked up. Lyon stared at him, like he was watching something fearsome and at the same time something irritating. "You know, she wouldn't like it if you remember her with such a face on", said Lyon, while patting Gray's shoulder. "Lyon, you're creeping me out", stated Gray and moved away from him. That was when he realised, in his hand was her familiar face. He subconsciously had formed her features in his hand and now her face beamed at him, with her soft smile. He gulped and looked away. He couldn't bear her smile and felt how his tension melt away with her face in his palm. "You know I'm proud of her. I'm not sure if I'm thankful for all the things she did, but definitely for teaching me ice magic and you should be too", he murmured grouchily.

Gray didn't want to speak about her, not today and probably not in the near future.

"How much longer does it take?", Gray asked the chauffeur. "About 2 minutes", answered the tanned and well-built man. His name was Karl. Two weeks ago, Joe was his chauffeur, but Gray hadn't seen him since then. How long would this one stay? Maybe he would actually stay a little longer, half a year or so? He snored and leaned his head on one of his hands, while watching the scene outside his car. He watched kids playing football and another group of kids playing tag. Then his eyes caught the sight of a little girl with a golden haired doll and a woman, who pulled her along. When the car stopped at a traffic light, the girl and the woman began to run, but just before crossing the street, the traffic light turned red again. The woman's face darkened and the car's engine started. Gray watched the girl and waved at her. The girl lifted her face and gave him a soft smile. Suddenly the world seemed to lighten up, even if just a little bit.

Finally they arrived at the beautiful and at the same time intimidating mansion. It was hidden behind a high fence, which was at least 10 feet tall and before they could pass it, Karl needed to talk through a security system. Through the intercom came an unfamiliar voice, sounding old, polite and friendly. The big gate in the colour of dark silver, made by strong metal rods, eventually opened. Gray was glad and hoped that the inside of this gigantic piece of land looked more inviting. "This gate is just horrible. It gives me a hell of a coldness, me, an ice mage", murmured Lyon, while staring back at the silvered monster. Gray agreed, it felt cold, but not the positive coldness, which the ice of her gave away. No her magic was warm, chuckled Gray to himself. It remembered him more of the ice, which he hadn't seen and felt for a very long time. It belonged to him, the unquestionable one. Gray began to freeze and rubbed his arms. He felt his shoulders dropping, but he instantly relaxed, when he caught the beautiful garden before him.

"Wow...". Gray was surprised. It was indescribable, nothing like the gate, they just had passed. The garden's greenery just brimmed over with energy. There were small trees and bushes in all sizes and colours, but it didn't look chaotic. It was more like a perfect mosaic. It seemed like one kind of a plant had been duplicated multiple times. When Gray and Lyon left the car, they couldn't stop staring. As they were nearing the eye-catching place, they caught sight of little streams, which flowed between the green spots.

Here and there some delicate flowers adorned the small rivers. They hadn't even the size of his shoes. Thankfully there was a paved way between the little islands and Gray and Lyon moved with a snail's pace through this dreamy garden, which actually be called a park.

Suddenly Lyon stopped him and pointed in a direction, where Gray could make out a person, on a white bank. It was Juvia. He was glad, that they had actually met her outside, so maybe he could get the chance to be some more minutes captured by this scene, before leaving back to his place.

"Hey Juvia", greeted Gray the girl, who stood up as soon as she caught the sight of him.

"Welcome Gray-sama. I'm honored for visiting Juvia's place. Juvia hopes you like it and have an enjoyable time", she told him happily.

Then Lyon began to move past Gray and coughed slightly, before he greeted her with a dazzling smile. "My name is Lyon. I'm very pleased to meet you, beautiful lady", he reached for her hand and kissed softly the back of her hand. He took Juvia off guard and she began to blush. She instantly pulled her hand away and broke eye contact with him. "Nice to meet you too", she murmured, while turning back to Gray.

Gray couldn't help rolling his eyes, what happened to Lyon. He was such a dumbass.

"My purpose for this ride was the conversation with your father. I heard, that he had some important affairs to deal with my...", Gray gulped. "..dad", he finished, proud of himself. She watched him without blinking and eye and just nodded. "Please follow Juvia", she said and indicated the direction. Gray and Lyon followed her, without Lyon taking his eyes from her.

When Gray finally arrived at the large hall, which was exquisite decorated, like the rest of the mansion and didn't disappoint him in the least, he caught the glimpse of the familiar man at the end of the saloon. Gray didn't hesitated and let himself to the important partner of his father. He bowed deeply, before talking to the severe mister before him and introducing Lyon. Juvia father introduced himself and didn't let any time flew by. He dismissed his daughter and Gray's companion, while taking Gray into a back room, to discuss with him, the purpose of his appearance.

Juvia just obeyed and left the hall. Lyon didn't know what to do and just followed her. "Hey! Wait for me! Juvia? Wasn't it? Where are you going?", he called out, while catching up with her. Juvia didn't turn back and just kept walking, but after a while she stopped and said: "You know, you don't have to follow Juvia", she murmured and inhaled deeply. "Hey. I don't have anything to do and actually I really would like to get to know you better", he told her and stood before her. Now she raised her head and looked him in the eyes. He winked at her. "Com'on let's go back to the garden or show me around", he suggested, while showing her a flirtatious smile. "Juvia mustn't do this, but the garden is okay, Juvia thinks", and began to move in the direction of the garden.

Lyon watched every step of hers and couldn't help himself. She looked really charming. When they arrived at the garden, they walked along the islands and Lyon began to ask her different questions, but most of them, Juvia didn't dare to answer. "So you... actually didn't leave this mansion very often, huh?", he asked and bend down. Juvia nodded.

"Aren't you curious about the outside world", he asked her. He felt her hesitating, but she answered. "Juvia mustn't feel something like that". Lyon shoulders slumped. She was like a beautiful princess caged in a wonderful castle, adorned with dangerous, thorned flowers. As his eyes watched the streams, he got an idea. "So... and what about some entertainment? That is okay, right?", he grinned at her. She nodded and now looked a bit curiously at him. His hands suddenly began to form a glittering tiara, made from ice and put it softly on her head. "An elegant crown, for the most beautiful princess in the world", he charmed her. She blushed for the second time today. That made Lyon's day.

She touched the tiara on her head and chuckled to herself, when her ears caught the sound of the front door slamming, without her head realizing it, her hands clumsily pushed the tiara. In an instant Lyon's tiara fell to the ground and got smashed in thousand pieces. She blinked a few times and bent down, without raising her head she apologized: "Juvia is sorry. This is all Juvia's fault" and her fingers stroked the ice splitters, thus the ice began to transform into water, bending it's way back into the streams. Lyon watched her and tried to tell her, that there wasn't any problem, but he stopped in his tracks, when he felt the atmosphere changing.

"I'm going Lyon. It was nice to meet you Juvia", Gray stated and didn't look any of them in the eyes. He just kept walking back to the car. As Juvia stood up, she felt eyes piercing into her back. "I'm looking forward to next time", she answered to him, her voice nothing more than a whisper. She turned around, there her father stood in front of the door. "Juvia", he called, his voice a hint of a warning in it, a warning for what? Juvia didn't do anything wrong, did she? "Your mother is looking for you, please come inside, my daughter", he exclaimed and nodded pleasantly to Gray, who turned to him, before entering into the car.

Lyon's thoughts raced, as he couldn't shake the feeling off, that he had overstepped a mark. His heart hammered in his torso. He looked to Gray, who sat next to him. Even if he would ask him what had happened, he probably wouldn't answer. No. Gray was already in another world. He sat beside him, but at the same time, he was away. Somewhere, where Lyon, Karl, this car and everything else around him, had no place.