The Frog and The Beast

The Beast Chapter 4

Amidst the chaos with Ur, Jenny, and the rose, I nearly forgot about Kagura. As soon as Jenny and I stepped into the dance hall, I scanned the room for her, eagerly awaiting her arrival. When she finally appeared, she wore a black and purple dress that looked like it belonged in a gothic horror story.

"Hey, where's your ticket?" one of the ticket-taking drones asked her.

"I was looking for someone," she replied.

I caught a fleeting look of pity on the ticket taker's face, as if she understood the unspoken drama unfolding between us. But she simply said, "Sorry, I can't let you in without a ticket."

"I'm waiting for my date," Kagura insisted.

Another pitying glance followed. "Okay," the volunteer said, "Just stand back a little."

"Fine."

I turned to Jenny and pointed at where Kagura stood. "Showtime." That was when Kagura finally noticed me.

Jenny knew exactly what to do. She grabbed me and planted a passionate kiss on my lips. "I love you, Glen."

I kissed her back but didn't echo her words. When we broke apart, I saw Kagura staring at us, her expression unreadable.

"What are you looking at, Ugly?" I taunted.

Jenny erupted into laughter, and soon others joined in, mocking Kagura for thinking I would ever be interested in her. The only ones who didn't laugh were Lucy Heartfilia, the likely candidate for Spring Princess, and her friend Cana. They exchanged the same pitying look the ticket drone had given Kagura.

I half-expected Kagura to cry. It was always fun to kick the nerds when they were down, to make them weep before delivering another blow. I had been anticipating this night for a while, and it almost made up for the corsage nonsense. But she didn't cry. She didn't even look angry. She stood there, blank-faced, yet I could see a flicker of expectancy in her eyes.

"So you're actually doing this, then?" she said. "You really invited me to a dance just to make me look stupid?"

I laughed again. "You thought someone like me would take someone like you to a dance?"

"No, I didn't," she replied. "I knew you were rotten to the core, but Erza insisted I give you a chance. She said your kind isn't so skin-deep."

"My kind? You mean human beings?" I chuckled, implying she was of a different species altogether.

"Yes, exactly," she nodded. "I know your kind isn't complex; you're just as awful as you appear. But I had hoped you wouldn't make my decision so easy."

"What decision?"

"You'll see, Gray."

At that moment, I froze. She had called me Gray—my real name. Nobody knew my real name, not even Lyon. How did she find out? I wanted to ask, but before I could, she vanished as if she had never been there.

"Where did she go?" I muttered, but no one answered. Jenny pulled me onto the dance floor, and for the rest of the evening, I tried to focus on the music and trying to get Jenny to go to third base with me. Yet, Kagura's words echoed incessantly in my mind.

"You'll see, Gray. You'll see, Gray. You'll see, Gray."

I didn't know what bothered me more: what she meant by "You'll see," or how she discovered my real name. I couldn't even enjoy the moment when I was announced Spring Prince or when I shared a dance with the Spring Princess, Lucy.

"Did you really have to do that?" Lucy whispered as we danced.

"Do what?" I replied, feeling sweat bead on my brow.