The Frog and The Beast

The Beast Chapter 11

When Erza told me that Natsu would probably understand my problems better than anyone else, I thought she was crazy. How could anyone possibly comprehend what it meant to be turned into a beast? To live forever as a hideous creature, shunned by society? No one could possibly understand that. Yet, a small part of me couldn't help but hope that she was right.

So, sometime after she left, I asked the mirror to show me Natsu. To my shock and amazement, I discovered that Erza might have been right after all. The poor guy had been transformed into a frog—an amphibian that only his sister could communicate with. Everyone else in his life assumed he had vanished into thin air. I watched as he adjusted to his new life, navigating a terrarium that had become his home. Despite his new form, his appetite remained unchanged; I never thought I'd see a frog devour an entire triple-decker sandwich.

It took me days to muster the courage to reach out to him. It wasn't that I feared he would judge me for my appearance; rather, I was terrified he would be angry with me for abandoning him back in middle school. I worried he might say I got what I deserved and had no reason to help me or be my friend again. I wouldn't have blamed him if he had.

To my astonishment and relief, he agreed to come. I could hardly believe it; I had been so sure he would refuse.

We entered the drawing room, a large space filled with antique furniture and dusty bookshelves. The air was thick with the scent of aged wood and something else—something that felt almost magical, like the remnants of long-forgotten spells.

"So, what now?" Natsu asked, breaking the silence that hung in the air.

"Well..." I hesitated, unsure where to begin. "Knowing you, you must be hungry right now. I'll have Ur fix you something. Wendy, why don't you go into the kitchen and tell her what you'd like?"

It was a diversion, a way to speak with Natsu alone, and Wendy recognized that. She had always been a pretty smart kid. She quickly left the drawing room and headed down the hall to the kitchen. Now it was just him and me.

"She's grown so much," I said, glancing at Natsu. "It's hard to believe it's still her. The last time I saw her, she was like a little doll."

"Well, maybe it would be easier to believe if you had come around more to watch her grow," Natsu replied.

I sighed, knowing this confrontation was inevitable. Time to face the music.

"Why am I really here, Gray?" Natsu asked, his tone serious. "You know I can't do anything to change you back."

"I know. But first, I want to apologize for what happened between us. I was wrong to stop being friends with you just because you weren't popular."

"And?"

"And... what?"

"Don't play dumb! You didn't just stop being my friend; you made fun of me! And worse, you made fun of my dad too! I can't believe you, of all people, would stoop to that!" he exclaimed. "Those other idiots like Lyon didn't even know him; they just took one look at his profession and thought it was a joke. But you! You knew my father! He cared about you just as much as I did, and what do you do? You laugh at him and mock him for being a shoemaker?! How could you do that?"

Natsu's words hit me like a punch to the gut. I had never truly considered how mean and treacherous I had been to him and his family, how awful I must have made them feel.

"I was an idiot, Natsu," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. "I was young and stupid, caught up in the need to fit in. I thought that by making fun of you, I could elevate myself in the eyes of others. I didn't think about how it would hurt you or your family. I was selfish."

Natsu's eyes narrowed, pain still etched in his features. "Selfish doesn't even begin to cover it, Gray. You think I didn't notice? You think I didn't feel it? I lost my best friend over a stupid popularity contest, and for what? To be left alone while you laughed with those jerks?"

"It was a mistake. A stupid mistake."

"A mistake that hurt me in ways you can't even imagine, and it would have crushed my father if I had ever told him what you did."

"You never told him?"

"I didn't have the heart. I knew it would destroy him to learn that his job, his passion—something that made him happy and allowed him to care for his family—made his son a laughing stock, even to his best friend. For a father like him, that would have been the worst thing ever. It would have made him feel like a failure, and despite what your asshole uncle said, that was something my dad would never be. Never!"

"I know, and I'm so sorry for everything bad I ever said about him. I know it doesn't change anything, but I never meant any of it. I was just repeating what my uncle said."

"And that makes it okay?"

"No, but... you don't understand, Natsu. My parents were gone, and Nathaniel wasn't like them or your parents. He believed in a superficial kind of love. If I didn't live up to his standards, he would have thrown me away. I would have been left with no one. I just did what I thought would keep him from abandoning me, like he has now."

It was strange to share that fear, a fear I had carried since the moment I came to live with my uncle. I remembered one night overhearing him ranting on the phone at the weather girl for putting on two pounds, telling her that if she got fat, she'd never work in this town again.

"People like people who look good, and anyone who says otherwise is either dumb or ugly!" he had told me. "Remember that, because that's the only way you'll make it in a world like this!"

That's when I started doing whatever I could to please my uncle, and after a few years, I just got used to it.

"If your parents knew it was you in there, they wouldn't throw you away. Well... your mom would probably scream her head off like that time she found a snail in her gardening gloves, but she and your dad would still love you. They'd keep you in their lives. But look where I am, Natsu! Look where my uncle put me! Far away, cut off from society, in a house where no one can see me. He left me here alone because I'm ugly now." I said. "I'm not asking you to forgive me, but I hope you can understand."

I looked down at the floor, hanging my head, expecting him to keep lashing out at me, to tell me that he didn't care about my struggles and that my apology was not accepted. But instead, he hopped into my hairy, clawed hand and looked up at me.

"Nothing excuses what you did to me and my old man," he said. "But I understand, and I forgive you."

"You do?" I asked in disbelief. "Really?"

"Yeah, I think living as a beast and losing your entourage is punishment enough. You don't need me holding a grudge. Besides, we uglies have to stick together now, right?"

"I guess so," I sighed. "You know, it's kind of weird holding you in my hand like this."

Natsu let out a croaky laugh, which sounded more like a ribbit than anything else. "Well, it's not every day you get to be held by your former best friend who now looks like something we used watch horror movies about."

Sure! Here's a revised version of your writing:

"True. It's ironic that... Wait a minute, why do you suddenly feel so warm?"

"Oh..." Natsu blushed, looking sheepish. "Oops."

That's when I felt a warm liquid trickle down my arm.

"Oh gross! Natsu!"

"Sorry!"

"That's disgusting, man!"

"Hey, don't blame me! It's this frog body! You look like a predator, and when frogs are caught by predators, they tend to pee on them as a defense mechanism."

"Ugh!" I gagged in revulsion. I would have thrown him but at the size he is now, that probably would have killed him. "If you ever return to human form, remind me to punch your lights out for this!"