Bittersweet Melody

First Arc: Act Two

She was intent on being a part of the boys' team. She did not want to let up on getting her chance. She felt as though her only connection to the team was through this 'Cat'. And she wasn't one to give up, even if Takao seemed bothered by the near mention of the girl. She would prove her worth and she would be a part of something special.

Hiromi sprinted down the street with a single sheet of printer paper in hand. A large smile was spread wide across her face. She had obtained what she had gone in search for, information. She couldn't be more satisfied with herself in this moment; she was proving herself worthwhile by doing this. So, she rushed down the street to Takao's home with everything she had learned the night before.

It didn't take the young female long to reach Takao's front door. As she reached up to knock at the door her ears twitched to the sound of voices. The voices were familiar and came from the backyard. Hiromi realized that the boys must have been training in the back. She let out a happy squeak before clenching the sheet of paper in her hand. She then ran around the large house to find all five boys standing in the backyard.

Panting from her extended sprint, she waved her arms wildly in the air to catch the young male's attention. The five boys looked her way with confused gazes. They were in for the surprise for their lives!

"Hiromi?" Kyoujyu stood up from his sitting position to come face-to-face with the brunette. "Are you all right?"

She placed her free hand over her beating chest and took in a large breath of air, "Yes, I'm fine."

"What's the matter?" Rei asked as he approached her with concern.

"I found something out!" Hiromi exclaimed as she held the piece of printer paper into the air for the boys to see. "I got the tour dates and locations of Cat Greco."

"What?!" Takao, Max, and Kyoujyu shouted in unison.

"Yeah!" She pulled her arm back and gave the boys a warm smile. "I looked it up last night." She said before walking over to Takao and held the sheet of paper out in front of him to read.

He looked to the ground and clenched his fists all while chewing on his bottom lip. Without looking at the paper, lifted his hand up to her and pushed her hand away from him. It was as if lighting struck her body as he turned her away. She felt her whole body go numb with shock and surprise. Her hand limply fell to her side, her fingers just barley clinging to the sheet of paper.

Much to Hiromi's surprise, the other four boys didn't seem too shocked at Takao's actions. It was as if they saw this coming. She felt the sudden urge to cry. The burning sensation behind her eyes began to intensify, as she stood there silent. But she couldn't let the boys see her in such a condition; she had to keep her emotions inside. She could not let any weakness show or she would surely be rejected from the team. So instead of tears, the emotion evolved into anger.

"What are you doing?!" She shouted at Takao, the boys at his side flinching in fear. "I spent the whole night looking this up for you and you're going to turn it down?!"

"I don't care where she's touring," He snorted, turning his back to her.

"Not at all?" She asked in a soft voice.

Silence.

In her heart, she didn't much care if Takao wanted to see Cat Greco, she only cared that she was valuable to the team. She wanted her findings to be proven useful to the team. But it was clear that the team leader wanted nothing to do with Cat or her tour. Maybe she made a mistake, maybe she had overstepped her boundaries and touched a subject too sensitive. She lowered her head in shame, her eyes still glued on the information on the sheet of paper.

"Wait,"

Hiromi's ears perked up at the small sound of Max's voice; maybe there was still hope.

"I care."

All four boy's eyes grew big with surprise as the blond stepped forward. Takao's mouth dropped open; no doubt he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Max walked over to her and placed his hand on top of her own. His hand then slid down to gently touch the sheet of paper. He lifted it to his face and began to read.

A few moments passed by and the tension grew. Surely all the boys had their own thoughts racing through their heads, but what were they thinking? Anger, happiness, or sorrow? It was hard to tell.

"This says she's touring here!" Max yelled out, his eyes still attached to the piece of paper.

"What?!" Takao shouted as he spun around to look the American in the eye.

"Really?!" Kyoujyu squealed with excitement.

Max tore himself away from the paper to look at the group. "Yes but her tour here ended all ready," His voice lowered along with his enthusiasm. "It ended yesterday."

"Aw," Kyoujyu's smile dropped.

Hiromi bit down on her lower lip. She had not read that far into the tour dates. She had been too eager and wound up to read too much into it. She had read that Cat Greco had been in the area and took off with the information. She hadn't thought twice about the date being one day off. How could she be so stupid? Now what were they going to think of her? She gripped her hands into a tight fist.

"We were busy practicing yesterday to notice anything going on in the city," Max let out a large sigh. "I guess it's too late now."

"Not necessarily,"

The group's ears perked to the sound of Rei's calm voice. They turned to the boy to see him standing with his index finger below his lip. It was obvious that he was lost deep in a thought. Rei always seemed to have a clever plan; maybe he thought a way out of their problems?

"It takes a day or two for the tour bus to leave a city," Rei spoke slowly, more than likely organizing his plan as he spoke. "We might just be lucky enough to catch the tour bus before it leaves."

"You think we could make it?" Max dug his fingernails into the sheet of paper.

"We just might if we take off now," Rei replied, moving his hands to his hips.

"What?!" Takao's mouth dropped open, "You're not serious are you, guys?"

"Why not?" Max looked left.

"Because we have training to do!" The champ snarled as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I think you guys can go one day without any serious training," Kyoujyu remarked, throwing his laptop in his backpack.

"You're not agreeing with them are you, Kyoujyu?" He looked down at the brown-haired male with an angry expression.

"Like Max said, why not?" Said boy replied, throwing his backpack over his shoulders. "Takao, is something wrong?"

"No!" Takao shook his head before turning away from the group. "What makes you say that?"

Kyoujyu began to scratch his head in question, "You're awful objective about seeing Cat."

"No I'm not!" He fought back.

"Are you sure about that?" Rei smirked as he walked toward and stood beside Takao.

"Yes!"

"Then you won't mind if we go see her?" Rei replied, giving the stubborn male a big slap on the back.

"What?!"

"Come on Takao," Max insisted, "It'll be good for us to see her again. It has been a year."

Along period of silence caused the group to watch Takao. The dark-haired male stood with a look of frustration flushed over his features. Clenched jaw and furrowed eyebrows did not lift even after seconds of waiting. He shut his eyes tight for a moment before shouting his reply.

"Fine!" He threw his uncrossed arms into the air, admitting defeat.

"Come on, Hiromi," Max smiled at the young girl with his hand extended to her. "It's because of you we can see Cat, come along with us."

A bright red flash ran across Hiromi's face as she gave Max a nod. "Okay."

XoXoX

His feet barely touched the ground. He was sprinting behind his team. The others ahead of Takao kept a steady pace as they ran, careful not to bump into anyone and delay the fated meeting any further. Max led the group without hesitation. Was he that excited to see her? Everyone must have been intent on meeting with her, everyone minus Kai of course. All Takao knew was that this was one meeting he was not looking forward to.

Down one street then another, the group took sharp turns as they traveled. Max had come to the decision that their best bet would be to check the local high-end hotel. It was a given that any traveling band would stay at the nearest, most expensive hotel so that is where Max wanted to check first. The group found themselves traveling under a fading sun and rushed as quick as they could. Keeping their timeframe in mind, Max predicted that nighttime would be the best time to catch any leaving celebrity. When the sun had set and not a lot of people would be out and about. Max's idea was if he could stay in the lobby long enough he would eventually catch Cat leaving, if she hadn't already left.

"Not much farther!" Max called out to the group behind him.

The hotel was now only a block away. In the back of the group Takao ran, with one hand over his gut. He felt himself ill. He couldn't really be nervous, could he? No, it wasn't in him to be nervous over a girl; A girl who he had once called friend at that. He had at one time had this female at his side while he battled through his first Beyblade tournament so why would he be nervous? He had to shake off this emotion; it wouldn't do him any good to show weakness now. For all he knew, the girl, might not even be there.

"Here!" Max's feet came to a halt in front of a large building.

Takao groaned, where they really there all ready? They couldn't have run so fast already! Takao cursed under his breath, they had in fact made it to the large hotel. The hotel was obviously reserved for wealthy travelers and not for the average tourist. It was grand in size and dwarfed the teens as they stood before its carpeted entrance.

"You think she'll be here, Max?" Rei asked as he stood beside the blond.

"I'm pretty sure," He replied.

"Let's go then," Rei smiled at Max and gave him a firm pat on the back.

A red glow flashed on Max's freckled face for a moment as he looked at the taller male. He looked at the blond and laughed, no doubt finding the look on the American's face amusing. He lifted his hand and gave Max a thumbs-up for luck; It was obvious that Max was anxious about the meeting, even Takao could have guessed that one. Max gave Rei a nod and walked in front of him, entering the grand hotel.

They group followed behind the blond and entered the building. The hotel seemed even larger on the inside than it had on the outside. The teens awed at the fancy décor and delicate interiors. They were sure they wouldn't be allowed to touch anything and so they kept their arms and hands close to their bodies.

Leading the way, the defensive blader acted as if he knew just what to do. He stepped out in front of the group and made his way to the receptionist's desk. It was a huge risk but the American was obviously willing to take the chance. As he stepped toward the main desk, his nerves began to appear on his features. The woman at the head desk frowned at the sight of Max and waited for his question.

"Excuse me," Max began in his most polite tone, "Has anyone by the name of Greco been staying here?"

The woman hesitated, probably taken back by the young child's question. She inhaled before turning to her computer monitor that was mounted beside her. She began to tap away at the computer and her eyes began to dart back and forth as she read what was being displayed. The woman stopped for a short moment before turning back to Max, now sided with the other four teens.

"And may I ask who are you?"

"Um," Max lifted his hand to his chin and turned to the group. "We're very good friends."

"Is that right? Hmm," The woman growled as she turned back to her computer and again began to tap away at the keyboard.

Max looked again back at the group and gave a shrug of his shoulders. Takao had wondered if he had said the right thing, with the expression on the woman's face, neither of them could be sure. Max turned back to face the woman and saw that she had taken her attention away from the monitor and over to a telephone which rested on the large desk. She lifted the phone to her ear and began to punch in a set of digits on the base of the phone. A moment or two passed before she spoke.

"Yes, there are a few people here to see her."

The teens looked at one another with brows lifted. Had they found the right hotel? Takao felt himself tortured by his gut. It tossed and turned as he stood there in the hotel. He had never thought he would be here, now waiting to meet up with his old friend. He was sure that their friendship had long ended. But here he was, waiting.

"They say they're 'friends'."

His ear twitched to the sound of the receptionist spoke once again. The woman was silent for another moment, the person on the other line telling her this and that. She then nodded before her eyes landed on Max. She gently pushed the phone aside from her face and focused on the blond.

"And your name?"

"M-Max!" He jumped back a bit; no doubt butterflies were crawling about in his belly.

"Max." The woman replied in a simple tone.

She waited, nodded and placed the phone back into its cradle. "She'll be down momentarily."

The group's eyes widened to the news. Takao was still in awe that they had stumbled upon the right hotel at the right time. The teens took a moment to look at one another, each speechless to the situation. The stood in the lobby all nervous in their own ways, Meanwhile he was fighting the urge to vomit, his hand still placed on his belly. Max interlaced his fingers and twiddled them. Hiromi, Kyoujyu and Rei stood closest together and looked up, down and about.

Ugh, why did this have to happen? Just when he thought one chapter had been closed in his life, here Hiromi comes and opens the door wide open again. Since when did she care about the team so much? After all the fighting they went through together and suddenly she wants to help? It wasn't making much sense. Besides, when did he ever say he wanted to see Cat again?

She left them and that was it.

"Who here asked for Greco?"

The teens jumped to the sound of a deep, male voice. Takao shuttered as he turned about to face the deep voice. After turning, he and the others saw a very tall blond male. He stood before the group dressed in a black business suit and dark sunglasses. The man had a small device sticking out of his right ear, it seemed to be a phone but the group couldn't be sure.

"I did," Max came forward.

"And you are?"

"My name is Max," He answered. "Max Mizuhara."

"Max?"

Time stopped. All the hair on Takao's arm stood up straight as the words entered his ears. It came from her mouth. It was her voice, he was sure of it. The other teens stopped as well, each flabbergasted by voice.

A small hand appeared from behind the tall man's back. It had gripped on to the man's business suit and gently tugged. A human form soon followed. A girl. She stood a bit shorter than the boys, still taller than Hiromi. Her dark brown hair dangled in front of her face loosely. Her long hair in the back curled and hung low on her back.

"Cat?!" Max exclaimed, his mouth hanging open wide.

"Max!"

The girl tore herself away from the tall blond man and stood out in front of him, her arms open wide. She then leaped forward and wrapped her open arms around Max embracing him in a large hug. He was quick to warm his own arms around the girl, hugging her tight.

"I can't believe it's you." She spoke in a soft voice, her hands gripping the back of his shirt.

"We're all here, Cat." Max replied his voice also soft and gentle.

Cat pulled away from the blonde to verify his statement. She looked beyond his shoulders to see the group of four standing behind him. Her eyes grew to the sight of the team.

"Hi, everyone…" She said tenderly.

"Cat!" Kyoujyu yelped, as he ran forward.

Cat opened her arms and wrapped them around the smaller boy. Rei was quick to follow with another hug from the celebrity. Max, Kyoujyu and Rei stood beside the girl each teen examining each other for differences and similarities. They laughed as the huddled together, not sure of what to say or how to say it. It was an awkward situation for certain. A whole year had passed them by and it was as if they were meeting for the first time all over again.

"Why don't you go say hi?" Hiromi looked to Takao, who had removed himself from the group.

"Eh," Takao bit down on his lip and looked away from Hiromi. "I will, don't worry about it."

"Takao?"

He turned to Max's voice. He looked up to see that Max, Kyoujyu, Rei and Cat had caught on to his absence. The American reached out and grabbed Cat by one hand; he then led her toward Takao. He stood between the two, a smile on his face, and 'introduced' the teens.

"Takao…" Cat spoke in a gentle voice and extended her hand out to the boy.

His eyes darted to the floor. "Hey."

"Takao," Cat said as she stepped toward said boy. "I've missed you." She reached out and took him by the hand, "I've missed everyone." She smiled and turned to the rest of the group. "Very much."

"We've missed you too, Cat." Kyoujyu gave a big grin to the female.

"So," Rei patted the girl's shoulder, "It seems you've made it quite well for yourself."

"Ha!" Cat let go of Takao's hand, "What do you mean by that?" She asked in a playful tone.

"Just the fact that you've got an album coming out!" Kyoujyu poked the girl in the side with his elbow.

She laughed and placed her hand behind her head. "I suppose so!"

"That answers what you've been up to, Cat." Max smiled.

"And let me guess," She spoke, her index finger extended. "You guys are preparing for this year's tournament?"

"Of course!" Kyoujyu shook his fist with excitement. "Just ask Takao, we've been training more than ever before."

Cat turned to Takao. His eyes were still glued to the floor beneath him. His gut was still roaring within him even though she was now standing before him. Takao was hoping that the nerves would wear off once she was in front of him. He couldn't think of a single thing to say to the girl. What could he say? In truth he wanted to ask a number of questions but he couldn't bring himself to begin. He wanted to know why? Why had she left? For some dream, was that all?

"Takao?" Hiromi extended her arm to the boy and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Huh?" He jumped to look the shorter brunette in the eye. "What?"

"Oh?" Cat bent in toward Hiromi and Takao. "You're new! Haven't seen you before."

"Ah!" Hiromi backed away, a blush flashed on her delicate cheeks. "I'm Hiromi!" She muttered as she threw her hands in front of face in an attempt to hide her red cheeks.

"Hiromi?" Cat lifted her finger to lip. "Very nice to meet you," She then offered her hand to her. "Looks like you've been taking care of the team since I've been gone."

"Oh," Hiromi agreed to the greeting offer and gave the foreign her small pale hand to shake.

"Is that right, Takao?" Cat mewed in a sly tone as she nudged him with her elbow.

"Hey!" Takao snorted pulling his body away from his old 'friend'. "She's just been following us around, it's not like that!"

"Ah, I see." She gave him a quick wink. "And I see Kai is absent." She said looking about for the boy.

"Yeah," Rei began with a laugh, "He refused to come and see you."

"I wouldn't doubt that." Cat replied with a roll of her eyes.

"Miss Greco,"

The group turned to the sound of a man's voice. The group turned to see that the tall, blond man that had come before Cat, was speaking to the young female. He pushed up the sunglasses on his nose as if they were real glasses and held out his hand to her.

"Oh guys," Cat smiled as she ran to the man's side. "This is my manager, Adof."

"Manager?" Takao tilted his head to one side.

"Yes," Adof cleared his throat, "I am Miss Greco's manager and personal assistant. I go everywhere with her and aid in the production process. Nice to meet you," He lowered his face to reveal his blue eyes, "I assume you are the Beyblade team that helped Miss Greco get her career on the road?"

"I guess so…" Takao muttered, his stomach tossing and turning.

"Yes," Adof smiled and again pushed his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose once again, "Because I saw Miss Greco perform on stage at the final Beyblade battle she is where she is now." He walked toward Takao and offered his hand to him. "Thank you for helping getting Miss Greco her first start."

"Uh," He muttered returning the gesture and shaking hands with the taller man.

"Now," Adof turned to his client with a serious expression, "Miss Greco, what would you like to do now? You know you have a visitor on the way."

"Hm, that's right…" Cat mumbled as she cuffed her chin with her hand. "Hey," She turned to the group with a delightful smile, "Why don't you all stay here a little while? I have someone I'd like you to meet."

"Oh?" Max turned to the rest of the group, "That's fine with me, how about you guys?"

"Sounds fine to me!" Kyoujyu was swift to turn to the champ. "How about you…Takao?"

"Uh," He let out a loud exaggerated sigh. "I should tell my Grandpa where I'm at."

"Oh good!" Cat clapped her hands together in excitement. "Then you'll invite him?"

"Yeah, sure…" He grumbled to himself.

Cat turned to Adof and held her empty palm open to him. The older man reached into his front pocket and pulled out a small cellular phone. He placed it in Cat's empty palm. She grasped the tiny phone and flipped the top open. She approached Takao with a silly grin on her face. She then grabbed on to him; pulling his arm toward her, she placed the phone in his hand.

"Go ahead and give him a call," Cat said with a smile "I'd love to see him again."

"All right, give me a second." Takao grunted before turning his back to the group.

He dialed his home phone number on to the tiny phone. His Grandfather was sure to pick up. Takao was quick to explain himself and where he was. Upon hearing that Cat was back in town, he jumped at the chance to see her again. Gritting his teeth at this thought of a 'family reunion', Takao felt his stomach take a turn for the worst. Ugh, was he still nervous? No, he couldn't be.

"All right, I'll see you in a bit." He flipped the cellular phone shut and turned to face the group once again. "He'll be here."

"That's great!" Cat squeaked with delight.

"Yeah, perfect."

Act End.