A/N: Finally back on track with this story. Hope everyone had a good holiday season, and be on the lookout for the secret word!

"Yu-Yuma, c-can I speak with you?"

"Huh? Sure Cat-chan, what's up?"

"W-well, I just..." The room started shaking violently and she couldn't get those words out...

"Oh wait, sorry, I promised Kotori I'd hang out with her at the ice cream parlor, can we meet later?"

The shaking was growing worse but she could still see, the sky wasn't quite too dark yet. "—B-but wait, Yuma, I—" The figure turned and suddenly she couldn't see anymore, no matter how hard she blinked those bells wouldn't stop tolling—

"Excuse me, Miss Catherine, but I do believe you're going to be late for school if you don't get up now!"

Cathy shot up in bed with a start, her alarm clock ringing and the maid knocking. Fumbling for her glasses, she squinted at the timepiece, the numbers "7:55" staring back at her in bright pink. "Oh no! How did I manage to oversleep so badly?" There was no time for self-pity however, and she thew on her uniform and splashed some cold water on her face; she'd just have to comb her hair during recess or something. Grabbing her bag, she slid down the banister, almost knocking over poor Philip as he came out bearing a silver tray of tea and toast.

"Goodness Miss Cathy, you should be more careful," the butler gently scolded as she snatched a slice of toast off the tray, crammed it in her mouth and waved a harried goodbye before dashing out the door. "I wonder what's got her in such a hurry this morning." Shaking his head fondly, he closed the door before noticing his now-scattered pile of bread. "Oh, dear me..."

"So, only Cathy is missing? That's unusual, I hope she's all right..." Mr. Kitano closed the screen as roll call was completed. "Okay everyone, I hope you've all got your assignments ready—"

The door suddenly flew open and Cathy sprinted down the aisle and slammed into her seat, cheeks flushed and hair flying all over the place. "W-wait, Mr. Kitano, sorry I'm late!" She fanned herself briefly before realizing that the entire class was staring at her. Gulping, she ducked slightly and hoped she didn't look half as ridiculous as she felt.

"Oh, Miss Cathy, so you made it after all. Still, a tardy is a tardy, so I'm afraid I will have to mark you as late today."

"I-I'm sorry..." If only she hadn't overslept, it was all because of that stupid dream she had. What was it about again? Something with shaking rooms and Yuma...?

"It's all right Cathy, just be a little more aware next time," Mr. Kitano smiled kindly at her and continued collecting everyone's science reports.

'As long as I can keep my head clear, there won't be a next time,' Cathy thought to herself as she handed in the assignment, and resolved to 'cattobingu' harder.

– – – – – –

At lunch, all the boys scarfed down their food at lightning speed in order to maximize their dueling time, which left Cathy in the company of Kotori and her friends, Sachi and Sei. Aside from Kotori though, Cathy never really talked to other girls, but they seemed friendly enough.

"Cathy, did something happen this morning? You've never been late, as far as I can remember..." Kotori asked, casting a curious glance at the cat-gir's frazzled hair, which was now being hastily combed with a ruler.

"W-well, somehow I didn't hear my alarm in time this morning, nya," Cathy decided it was probably for the best if she didn't mention that she dreamed about Yuma. She winced as the ruler hit a particularly knotted patch of hair. Trust a ruler to take the place of an actual comb.

"Missing your alarm? That sounds more like Yuma, doesn't it?" Sachi and Sei giggled slightly, and Cathy could only nod sheepishly.

"Let's hope you don't become like Yuma, heaven knows he's already in enough trouble for being late as is," Kotori shook her head and cast a glance at the guys, who were already in a duel. Noticing Cathy's difficulties in untangling her hair, she offered her own brush. "Here Cat-chan, let me help you with that."

Cathy was surprised at Kotori's offer. "Oh, you don't have to..." But the other girl was already pulling the brush through the strands, and so she could only sit quietly while Kotori untangled the wind-blown knots. "...Thank you, Kotori."

"No need to thank me Cat-chan, it's what friends are for, right?" She smiled and Cathy felt the warm glow of friendship in her heart, glad, not for the first time, for friends like these.

Outside, a loud cheer erupted as one of the boys apparently summoned an ace monster. "I wonder who's dueling?" Sachi stood on her stool for a few seconds, before hopping back down. "Ooh, Inchou's facing off against some upperclassman!" This got the attention of all the girls, and lunch was quickly forgotten as they vied for the best view through the glass windows. Cathy managed to squeeze her way between Sachi and Kotori, and turned on her d-gazer to follow the fight. Takashi had managed to summon Vaccinegale onto his field while his opponent was completely wide open. She watched as Vaccinegale decimated the other duelist's lifepoints, and found herself cheering along with the other girls, even though he wouldn't be able to hear them through the glass. Takashi shook hands with his opponent, and then the other boys, namely Yuma and Tetsuo, ran up and gave him a high-five.

"Wow, guess Inchou is still a formidable duelist," Sei commented as they returned to their seats. "Makes me wonder if I shouldn't take up dueling myself."

"Eh? Well, why don't you then?"

"Because Sachi, you already know I'm pretty much all thumbs when it comes to all those complicated rules. Give me a basketball and some hoops and I'll be good for the whole day, but memorizing card strategies? No thanks." The short-haired girl sighed wistfully at the thought. "Still, if I had someone like Inchou teaching me, maybe it wouldn't be so bad..." She and Sachi shared a knowing glance and they both erupted into giggles.

For some reason, Cathy felt her stomach turn a bit at the thought of Takashi teaching—no, just hanging out with someone other than their group. Which was completely unreasonable, given that he interacted with nearly everyone as the class representative. 'It's just because those two aren't part of our Numbers Club...it wouldn't be right for them to get involved...wait, what am I thinking?' Before she could ponder any more on the subject, the guys made a boisterous entrance, still congratulating Takashi on his win.

"Nice combo, Inchou! I think I'm going to have to challenge you next!" Tetsuo clapped him heartily on the shoulder.

"Hey, that's not fair, I already called it outside!" Yuma whined, which was met with a glare from the larger boy.

"Then I guess we should duel for the right to challenge Inchou next!"

"That's fine by me—" both guys stopped short as they noticed the girls crowded behind them. "Whoa, looks like the class rep's got some new fans," Yuma joked, sidling away from the group to join Kotori.

"Ah, Inchou, the way you dueled out there was amazing! It really suits your position!"

"No kidding, you made that third-year look like a third-rate! Maybe you could teach me your secrets sometime," Sei commented rather saucily, which only made Cathy's ire grow. If class didn't start soon, she was afraid she was going to maul someone.

"Well, if you really want to, I can teach you the basics. It's really not that hard to learn," Takashi offered kindly, much to Cathy's chagrin. But of course, it was only natural that someone like Takashi would extend his kindness and generosity to everyone, not just his friends. That thought didn't make her feel much better though.

"Really Inchou? That's so nice of you, maybe we can—"

"—I-I can do it!" Seven heads and fourteen eyes turned to stare at Cathy. Oops. Maybe she shouldn't have shouted. "I-I mean, I can teach you how to duel, too..." It was unnerving with everyone's attention on her, but she steeled herself.

Takashi's eyes seemed to light up at the idea. "Yeah, in fact, I think that's a better idea! Cathy's a great duelist as well, there's a lot you can learn from her. Besides, I might not be able to spare enough time from my duties to really show you all that much," he laughed lightheartedly.

The two girls turned in surprise at the suggestion. "Oh, Cathy? Well...we wouldn't want to trouble you..."

"It won't be any trouble. Really." Cathy forced herself to smile, and in truth, maybe it would be a nice change of pace to talk to girls other than Kotori.

They glanced at each other, unsure of what to say now that their plans had gone in a rather different direction. It was clear that they weren't all that interested in dueling in the first place, only the person who was offering. Luckily for her, Kotori cut in before she could run her mouth off and say something stupid.

"That sounds great, I've actually been kind of interested myself for some time now. You don't mind, do you?" Although her face was serene, the tone of voice she used was the same one she used when Yuma was starting to get on her nerves. Sei and Sachi were obviously no strangers to this side of Kotori, and could only nod meekly in agreement.

The duelist next to her, however, took notice. "Hey, I thought you weren't interested in dueling! That's what you always told me whenever I asked you."

"Well, I changed my mind, especially after watching you guys improve."

"You could've asked me, you know..." Yuma grumbled, but Kotori simply poked him in the ribs.

"So, how about it, Cat-chan? Would you mind showing us the basics of dueling?" She gave Cathy a wink.

Her lips curled into a feline smile. "I'd be glad to."

– – – – – –

Class was over without too much more that day. Their usual Numbers Club meeting was kept rather brief, as there had been little unusual activity lately. Cathy and Kotori were in charge of cleaning up the classroom that day while everyone waited outside. It was a little awkward, and though Cathy wanted to ask Kotori whether or not she was really interested in dueling, she couldn't think of how to start.

"I'm sorry about their behavior at lunch today."

Cathy was momentarily confused by the apology, until it clicked in her mind who Kotori was talking about. "Huh? O-oh, it's fine...why are you apologizing? It's not like you did anything."

"No, but I could tell they were getting on your nerves." Cathy cringed a bit, embarrassed at how easily she had let that slip, but the other girl just gave a slight laugh. "Don't worry, sometimes they can annoy me as well. But they're good friends, once you get to know them."

"I think so too...uh, do you think they were serious about learning how to duel?"

"Dueling? Umm, maybe...I know they like watching, but I think out of all of us, I'm probably the most serious about it." Kotori pondered a bit, thinking of how to best phrase her friends' personalities. "Sei's really into sports, and Sachi does gymnastics, so to be honest, I'm not sure they'll really be interested in going as far as I am, but if you're willing I'll make sure they listen. By the way, why did you offer instead? Not that I'm complaining or anything," she quickly added, not wanting to insinuate anything.

"Uh—" Good question. Why had she been so insistent on making sure they didn't hang out with Takashi? Was it because she wanted to prove herself, or was it because she was...jealous? But that couldn't be, she was in love with Yuma...wasn't she? Maybe this was just her overprotective side speaking, the same way a sister wouldn't want their brother to get mixed up with someone she didn't approve of. 'But why Inchou of all people, and why now...?' An uneasy feeling of alarm ran through her, and she decided that Kotori didn't need to know about those uncertainties. "—I-I figured that, I should probably have more friends outside of our club, and...it seemed like a good opportunity, nya." Licking her lips nervously, she hoped Kotori didn't notice the long pause.

Fortunately, the other girl was too busy dumping out the dustbins to pay much attention. "That's great! Actually, I'm kind of excited. I think you'll like them, they're nice people. Then we can all hang out together!"

Cathy was cheered some by this thought, and the uncertainty eased a bit. "Yeah, sure...nya!" She yelped in surprise as Kotori gave her a quick hug. She wasn't used to physical contact aside from her cats, but she managed to return the hug.

"I think it'll be fun! Maybe I can eventually beat Yuma in a duel! Then he can finally stop nagging about me only watching on the sidelines." Cathy laughed a bit as she imagined Yuma's face as he lost to his girlfriend.

"Uh...ahem, are you guys okay?" The two girls turned and stared at the boys, who in turn were staring back at them. Too late, Cathy realized that they were still hugging each other, and the two groups stared at each other in an awkward silence.

"We were just, uh, having a girl moment. Don't worry about it," Kotori quickly let go and brushed past the boys. "We're done anyway, so we can get going now."

"Oo...kaay...if you say so."

The group headed out together, and parted into their usual groups; only much to her surprise, Takashi joined her, claiming something about have to check out a place downtown before heading home. Nobody gave his comment another thought, and so for the second day in a row, Cathy found herself walking home with him. For some reason it felt a little different than yesterday, but she couldn't quite pinpoint the difference yet.

"You did great today, Cat-chan." Takashi congratulated her as they headed down the sidewalk.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"When you made the suggestion to help Sei and Sachi learn how to duel. To be honest, I was actually kind of relieved," Takashi rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I didn't want to be rude and turn them down, but the truth is I really don't have that much free time. Also, I'm not that great with girls..."

Cathy was surprised at his self revelation. Inchou, not good with people? Sure, he didn't have the same magnetic pull that Yuma did, but most everyone in the class she knew looked up to and respected him. "I-I don't think that's true...everyone likes you, Inch—Takashi."

He only laughed and looked a little more embarrassed by her sincerity. "Eh, that's nice of you to say, but to summarize, it took a lot of practice to be able to talk that easily. That's why I think it's great that you're really making an effort."

"By teaching them how to duel?" She was still a little puzzled. Takashi chuckled a bit at her confused face; it was kind of adorable, actually.

"That's part of it, but just interacting with other people overall. I think—no, I know it'll help increase your confidence. Then you won't have any problems talking to Yuma!"

Oh, of course; that was what he meant. "You really think so?" The cat girl twirled strands of hair around her finger, a nervous habit that she had yet to break. A chance to talk with Yuma...and to confess her feelings...it all seemed too good to be true, but if Takashi believed she had a chance, then why shouldn't she? After all, she did promise to herself to 'cattobingu', just like Yuma always had his kattobingu.

"Yeah, and who knows, maybe you'll become friends with them too. You can't just keep talking to us all the time. It's good to have different friends that you can talk about different subjects with." Takashi said good-naturedly, genuinely glad that Cathy seemed to be making some inroads on curing her social anxiety. Perhaps Yuma was really just a starting point; the real issue was Cathy's own insecurities about her ability to socialize with others, outside of simply dueling. Maybe he'd get a chance to know her better as well, in normal, friend situations, instead of involving life-or-death Numbers chaos. 'Though really, I wonder where she got the idea that I was good with girls? Aside from her and Kotori, it's not like I really hang out with them all that much.' He smiled inwardly to himself, a bit flattered but also pleased. All too soon it seemed, the gates of her mansion loomed in front of them. Cathy bowed again, thanking him for his company on the way home, especially since it meant he was going out his way.

"You know, you don't have to keep me company every day...I can get home myself..."

Truthfully, this new roundabout did add another extra 20 minutes to his walk home, but he found himself not caring very much, especially since he usually walked him alone too. "I know, but I have to say, you make for much better company than empty air! Anyway, I, uh, really enjoy your company too. I mean, not that it's bad at school or anything, but sometimes it's nice to just, y'know, hang out together, just...the two of us..." As soon as he realized what he just said, he blushed and looked away awkwardly. "Wait, no, that came out wrong—argh, what I meant was, that, it's nice to talk to you alone, without everybody else's background noise..." he looked at Cathy, who was turning a healthy shade of pink, "...aand I just said that out loud, didn't I?" He slapped his forehead in frustration. So much for being smooth with the ladies. "See, this is what I mean when I said I'm not great with girls."

Cathy couldn't keep her lips from curling up, and she gave a quick giggle before forcing herself to calm down. "It's all right Takashi, I know what you mean too. And I feel the same way...uh, I-I mean, you know, I feel happy talking to you too...u-uh, n-nyan! ...Th-that is to say..." Both teens stood at the gate awkwardly. Why did things always get so embarrassing whenever she tried talking to boys? They were friends, so she shouldn't have any reason to think he would take her the wrong way, right?

Right...?

"L-let's just agree to walk home together, unless one of us has something to do. I mean, to summarize, neither of us are against it, so why not?" Takashi hastily ended the moment before things got too complicated.

"Y-yeah, okay..." Secretly she was relieved that Takashi cut off the conversation, otherwise she might've said something stupid again. "So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow in class then?"

He nodded. "Same to you. Oh, and I don't know what happened this morning, but I hope you were okay," he gave her a curious glance, to which Cathy could only stutter some incoherent phrases about "alarm clocks" and "dreams". Waving goodbye, he headed down the path and Cathy waited until she could no longer see his back before wandering inside in a bit of a daze, unsure of the jumble of feelings that were now swirling inside her head. In her stupor, she nearly walked into Philip for the second time that day, this time as he was about to set the dinner table.

"Oh! Miss Catherine, is something the matter with you? Knocking me over once in a while isn't unusual, but twice in one day is quite a feat." Somehow, the butler managed to catch all the forks and knives back onto the tray before they scattered all over the floor.

"S-sorry Philip, I'm just...tired. I didn't sleep so well last night." The servant merely patted her shoulder comfortingly and proceeded to carry her bag up the stairs.

"No need to fret my Lady, we all have our off days. Perhaps a nice cup of tea and a good book will be the cure?"

What would she do if it weren't for Philip; the elderly butler had been a part of her household as long as she could remember. With her parents frequently away, he had become somewhat of a grandparent figure in her life, someone who always knew what to say or not say if she had a bad day, and then bring up a cup of hot, milky tea and a book he thought she'd might enjoy. "Thank you, Philip," she whispered gratefully as he set her bag down on a chair previously occupied by a napping calico.

"It is my pleasure, my dear. Now, why don't you change into something comfortable and I'll be right back with that tea and novel I promised," the butler ushered himself out the room as quickly as he had entered.

Flinging open her generous walk-in closet, she selected a casual miniskirt to pair with a black cat-eared parka, finishing the outfit with a pair of pink-and-black stripey kneesocks. Not a second later, Philip announced himself with a short knock and entered carrying a serving tray bearing a china teapot, porcelain cup, milk and sugar cubes. "Enjoy, Miss Cathy," he winked as he set the tea down on her nightstand, along with a rather worn copy of Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll. It had been passed down through her family for generations, and though it had suffered a bit from being dropped into the bathtub one too many times, Alice's adventures never grew old for her.

As she flipped through the familiar words and sentences again for the umpteenth time though, instead of being transported back to Wonderland, she found herself thinking about Takashi. How he was so nice, and helpful, and willing to listen even though he was busy with his own duties. 'Yuma's only ever complimented me on my dueling skills...I wish he would talk to me about other things too, like, does he have any pets, o-or what his favorite dish is...' In comparison, Takashi was much more observant, and chose his words with the utmost care. Well okay, maybe not that formally, but he certainly caught on to her subtleties much better than Yuma. 'And I can't believe he'd just help me like this so selflessly...whereas all I ever do is wish for selfish things...' A nice warmth was spreading through her body, and she realized with a start that it was similar to how she felt whenever Yuma was on her mind.

And now it was happening when she thought about their class president. Cathy set down her cup down hastily, the tea nearly sloshing over the edge, but she was too agitated to notice. The sudden dawning of her possibly changing feelings was almost too much, she hadn't even successfully gotten over her first crush and now she could be falling for another friend! 'N-no, I can't think that...Takashi is a good friend, he's a good person, it-it's not surprising that I end up comparing him to Yuma...' Thinking of Yuma, she was simultaneously relieved and yet depressed that he still made her feel warm and comfortable. 'Keep your head together girl, remember, your goal is to tell Yuma your feelings! This will be all for nothing if you end up falling for someone else!' The novel lay forgotten on the nightstand now as she paced the length of her bedroom, trying to convince herself that she was simply feeling the coziness of her new friendship with Takashi.

"Oh, whatever will I do with myself, nya?" She bent down and picked up the calico that had been rubbing against her legs, taking comfort in the soft fur. "I'm not crazy about boys, am I?" The kitten simply purred and rubbed its nose against her sleeve. "You're right, this isn't about being boy-crazy, it's about gaining enough confidence to talk to Yuma!" A knock interrupted her monologue, and Philip came in with what must've been dinner on a serving tray.

"I figured you would prefer some privacy tonight, Miss Cathy," he sat the tray down and collected the tea set. "Also, I took the liberty of running the bath water and laundering your uniform. Your cats have been groomed and fed, and should you be running late again tomorrow morning I have set an alarm for you as well." With the empty tea set in hand, he closed the door, leaving Cathy with the calico still napping in her arms. She gently set it onto her bed and opened the lid to reveal french onion soup, her favorite whenever she had a cold or was feeling down.

Philip really did know her too well.

"So, in order to adjust for this year's festival budget—no no no, they're not going to care about the budget," Takashi sighed and scratched his head as he attempted to figure out the class' budget for the student council meeting tomorrow. Each class had a limit, and theirs was was already over the limit quite a bit, despite the festival not taking place for another two months. The only way was to convince everybody to cut down on the number of activities they planned, but he knew that would probably cause a riot among his peers. 'Maybe I should just cut them out and say that I had no choice...' Normally he was proud to be responsible for taking care of class activities, but there was no denying the roadblocks that came with trying to please a class of 30-plus students. 'Sometimes, I think the only reason I got so good at talking was out of sheer necessity. Speaking of which, I wonder if Cat-chan's okay? I've never seen her late before.' Ever since their conversation at the cafe, she seemed determined to change herself. Which wasn't a bad thing, and Takashi agreed that coming out of her shell would help her out in the long run; but he feared that perhaps he may have inadvertently pushed her a little too much. 'I hope she doesn't think she needs to change everything about her! I have to say, I like her the way she is right now.' Cathy may have been painfully shy, but after forming up the Numbers Club with them, he had observed her slowly becoming more social and less quiet. It was a shame, really, that Yuma either failed to or didn't appreciate her traits—a good listener, loyal friend, and a kind, quiet soul. It wasn't that Takashi didn't like Kotori or admire her tenacity, but personally he preferred someone who didn't have a tendency to vocalize her every concern. Kotori wasn't afraid to voice her opinions, especially when it involved Yuma, and he had a feeling she could be quite the scary girlfriend when enraged.

'Yuma doesn't know what he's missing...then again, he and Kotori are already pretty compatible, in terms of personality. Maybe it's a good thing I don't have anyone to compete with.' Immediately he smacked his head against his desk. This was the second time he caught himself having more than just "friendly" feelings towards Cathy, and it was starting to scare him. Sure, they were fairly good friends, and he enjoyed hanging out with her, but that didn't mean he wanted to go out with her or do romantic things the way Yuma and Kotori did...at least, that was what he kept telling himself.

"Hey, what's wrong with wanting a girlfriend? Isn't that what middle school's about? Experiencing romance?"

Takashi jerked around in his seat, but there was nobody behind him.

'What the—who are you?'

"I am you, duh. But you can call me your unconscious. See, I know what it is you desire, deep in your heart, even if you don't realize it yet."

He groaned. This was not the time to be playing shoulder-angel-devil with himself, not with a load of meeting notes to write up. 'Uh huh. Well, thanks for the advice, but I can deal with this myself.'

"Hey hey now, what's with the cold shoulder? I'm just trying to help." The Voice was being unhelpfully loud, and begrudgingly Takashi gave in. He was going to be scrambling at the meeting tomorrow, but now that this train of thought had started, it was nigh unstoppable.

'Fine. What are you talking about?'

"Isn't obvious? Why not have Cathy fall for you instead? Then she doesn't have to pine over Yuma anymore, Kotori can stop fighting her for Yuma's attention, and you get a girlfriend! To summarize, everyone wins!"

'Not if it's forced! Remember how we got into this in the first place? Helping her confess to Yuma?'

"Yeah yeah, so what? You ever consider the fact that she might change her mind?"

'I—no, no, I am not going to be swayed by some frivolous desires! Cathy and I are good friends, and I'd like to keep it the way it is.'

"...Fine, be stubborn like that; though I have to say, for a class president, you sure are dense," the Voice sneered tauntingly, and Takashi felt his irritation go through the roof.

"I am not—!"

"Takashi, is something wrong?" His bedroom door opened and his mom, already wearing her bathrobe and about to head off to bed, peered in with a bewildered look.

"U-uh, mom, hi! I was just, uh, checking over the budget for tomorrow's meeting—it's a little over—yeah, sorry about that! Chuckling nervously, he made a show of packing up his bag for tomorrow.

"Well, don't stress too much sweetie, you should get to bed." The door closed and he heaved a sigh of relief. 'Thanks for nothing, head voice.' Of course, there was no response. The lights dimmed as he climbed into bed, physically and mentally exhausted from the day's events.

If he was really going to keep his promise to Cathy, he'd have to gain a better hold on his own feelings.

A/N: I'm sorry this took so long, I really am ;A; but I hope it was worth the wait, as I wanted to make sure it was good. I hope this is not progressing too fast, I want to really develop their relationship over time, but I felt if I made another platonic chapter, then it would become boring pretty fast. Secretly in my headcanon I've always imagined Takashi to be kind of an awkward academic at heart, so this is how I've portrayed him. I've made Cathy and Kotori's friendship more obvious than in the show, b/c I feel that if Kotori is going out with Yuma then Cathy would at least have the sense and dignity to leave them alone. And yeah, Philip the elderly butler is an OC I made just so Cathy would have someone to talk to at home.

The secret word randomly chosen this time was "hugging", submitted by animecartoonlover36! Leave another one with your reviews and I'll choose another one!