Bittersweet Melody
First Arc: Act Nine
"Well, we're here." Max said to himself as he stood before Cat's hotel room door.
Max took in a deep breath of air. Cat's door was laying just inches away from him. He had to admit to himself, he was nervous about knocking. What if she didn't answer? What if she did answer? He found himself more nervous than he had originally planned. What was this their first meeting? He balled up his right hand, preparing to knock with it.
"Knock already!" Takao shouted from the background.
"Just a second, Takao." Max replied before lifting his fist to the door.
"Max is something the matter?" Hiromi's voice broke his source of concentration.
"Nothing!" A red flash came across his cheeks.
"Then let me do it!" Takao reached one arm out and began to shove him to one side.
"Wait," Max pushed back against the pressure Takao's hand.
"Both of you move." Kai snarled as he pushed both boys aside.
Kai slammed his hard fist against the door twice. Ugh, he could feel Kai's frustration growing. What was wrong with him?! Since when was he too nervous to knock on a door? Geez, it was just Cat after all, right?
The door creaked open. Max felt his back straighten as the body behind the door revealed herself. Cat stood in the doorway, a delighted smile running on her face.
"Hey!" She squeaked with excitement.
"What are you wearing?" Takao lifted his hand to his face to hold back any laughter.
Cat's eyes lowered to look down at her own attire. Dressed in a white shirt and swimming trunks, the girl moved her hands outward to express her style. She let out a girlish giggle before she pointed her thumb toward the back door.
"Swimming." She said with a wink. "I told you guys to bring your things, right?" She asked before turning away from the group, allowing the team to enter her hotel room.
The boys looked to Rei whom held a duffle bag on one arm. It was true, Cat had told them to bring their swimming gear but they weren't sure if she was serious. Perhaps it was an outlandish thought to relax and hang out by the poolside but it was obvious that she was serious. The team watched as the girl turned back around and urged them to follow her. Obeying the female, the team entered her large hotel room.
"Hurry up!" Cat laughed as she ran toward the large glass sliding door. "I'll be waiting!"
The team members looked to one another, each keeping their own opinions to themselves. Why not relax? They were on vacation, weren't they? They had traveled all this way; why not take it easy for an hour or two? Takao was one for fun in the sun. The blue-haired boy reached out and snatched the duffle bag from Rei's arm. He then threw the bag to the ground and began to rummage through; throwing every piece of clothing that was not his to the ground. Naturally, his things laid on the bottom of the bag and once he got his hands on his swimming trunks he laughed.
"Let's get going!" Takao cheered before running to the restroom to change.
"Sounds like fun." Hiromi turned to the other boys with a sweet smile.
"Then let's get ready." Rei nodded in agreement.
XoXoX
"The water's just perfect!" Hiromi lifted her hands to her delicate cheeks.
She let the warmth of the sun hit her body, as she stood second-step deep into the pool. The water was cool yet slightly heated by the sun's rays. How perfect. She stretched her arms outward, allowing more sunlight to hit her body. She looked out in the distance to see the pool inhabited by her teammates: Takao, Max and Kyoujyu. The three boys bobbed on the surface of the water, enjoying the cool waters.
Hiromi looked to her left to see Rei and Kai seated on two patio chairs. It was obvious that Kai would refuse to swim with Takao. The idea of getting wet caused the older boy to shutter. She lifted a brow as she studied Rei. He was seated by himself with a look of pleasure on his face. Why wasn't he in the water? Hiromi opened her mouth as if to ask the black-haired boy only to see her answer walk out in front of her. She watched as Jam exited her hotel room and stepped toward the patio chairs. Dressed in a white tank top and magazine in hand, she took a seat beside Rei.
Before she could return her eyes to the pool a large amount of water splashed on her, completely soaking her. Hiromi let out a loud squeak, lifting her hands to her dripping locks. She turned to see who was the cause of this wave only to find Cat swimming by her.
"Cat!" She shouted as she shook her head, trying to dry off her hair.
"WINDMILL!" Cat shouted.
The celebrity then began to swing her arms around in a windmill-like motion, spraying water at anything in the area. Cat let out a loud laughter as she approached the three boys in the pool, her arms still flying around. Takao dove under water to avoid the attack and Max lifted his hands to his face.
"Stop, Cat!" Kyoujyu shouted, shielding his face from the water. "You're playing too rough!"
"Ah HA!" She continued to splash the smaller boy.
"Cat!" Jam called out to her younger sister from her throne. "Cut it out."
Cat let out a small grunt before her circling arms came to a stop. She poked out her lips in disappointment. Perhaps it had been too long since her last 'play date' with any type of friends. Takao popped out of the water with a loud gasp. He panted for a few seconds before turning to see if his comrades were safe. Max swam over to Takao and wrapped his arms around his neck from behind and began to roughhouse with the boy. Takao let out a loud growl, trying his best to combat the blond.
"You guys are too rough," Kyoujyu blew bubbles in the water as he watching the two boys play.
Cat rolled her eyes at Takao and Max; Hiromi could only assume Cat knew that she would not be invited in their roughhousing. The two boys wouldn't commence in that type of activity with a girl.
With that said, she watched her rival, Cat let out a sigh before looking up to see Jam, Rei and Kai sitting around the pool. The singer let a sneaky grin spread across her face as she drifted toward them. Cat placed her hands on the edge of the pool and looked to see Kai seated on a patio chair with his eyes closed. A small chuckle passed her lips; did she have an idea in mind?
Cat let her arms hang underwater, near her sides. She allowed the water around her to become calm and quiet. In one swift movement, she jerked her arms upward causing water to splash high into the air. A large wave of water landed on Kai's chair, causing him to become wet. The boy's eyes snapped open to see that he was now damp with pool water. He looked around to only to find Cat floating at the edge of the pool with a stupid look on her face. The blue face paint began to run on Kai's face and his cheek twitched with frustration. He should have seen this coming, whether it had been from Takao or Cat.
"You idiot!" Kai shouted at the girl as she doggy-paddled away from the scene.
Kai began to curse under his breath, the other boys laughing as he began to march back into the hotel room. It was obvious the lone wolf had enough of these immature games; apparently he had better things to do so he exited the pool area as angry as he could be. Takao busted out laughing, pointing as he did so. Max had to laugh as well, seeing Kai wet was a rare 'one in a lifetime' opportunity.
"Nice one!" Takao gave Cat a supportive thumbs up.
Hiromi let out a sigh as she hoisted herself up on the edge of the pool. She let her pale legs dangle in the water below her. She had to let out a loud sigh, how relaxing this scene was. No fighting, no battles, just good old fashion fun.
She looked down at the crystal clear waters beneath her. She could see herself reflected in the water. Hiromi paused for a moment as she stared at herself. Was this how things were before she had come along? She let her eyes lift and look toward the four teens in the water. Max and Takao were 'on the attack' and splashing Kyoujyu and Cat with fierce splashes. Wait a minute…was that a smile on their faces? Hiromi felt her head and neck sink into her shoulders. Why was she suddenly nervous, self-conscious?
"Hey Rei," She broke herself away from her own reflections for a moment. "Is this how they always are?"
"Who, Takao?" Rei looked toward the brunette with a cocked eyebrow.
"I mean the team…is this how it was last year?" Hiromi asked in a slow tone.
"Hm," He pondered for a moment, his eyes landing on Takao and the other three teens. "Pretty much."
"Ah," She inhaled a deep breath before returning her eyes to her own reflection.
Maybe things were better before she appeared in the picture. Then again…
"Why…why is it okay for her to be here…but not me?"
Were they feeling the same way about one another? Did they have to be rivals; after all they had been through as a team?
XoXoX
"Miss Greco, room service has arrived."
The team looked up to see Adof standing before them. Now inside the comfort of Cat's large hotel suite, the team had taken advantage of the room services and warm towels. The five swimmers found great comfort in the fact that they had warm towels to wrap themselves up in after a good romp in the pool. Kai apparently giving the whole team the 'silent treatment' due to the earlier incident.
Though it was anything but noticeable once the room service had arrived. How comforting, a warm meal after such a relaxing day. As the sun began to set outside, the team sat around together and filled their stomachs.
"So Cat," Hiromi lifted her fork to her mouth after breaking away from her meal to speak. "Mind if I ask why you came here to New York?"
Takao rolled his eyes after the question had left Hiromi's lips. Hadn't they gone over this subject once before? He was sure he told Hiromi that Cat had come to New York to venture with the team. There was no use in fighting it, Hiromi was going to ask whether he liked it or not, so he crammed more food into his mouth.
"Hm?" Cat managed to bring her face up from her plate of sweets just long enough to catch Hiromi's question. "Well," She began, wiping the cupcake icing from her mouth with her shirtsleeve. "I had to do a concert here."
A piece of hamburger meat nearly fell out of Takao's mouth upon hearing this. A concert? He was sure that Cat had come out to New York to meet the team there. She did have other objectives. Why was he suddenly sad? Not for an adventure but for work. He felt his stomach suddenly take a flip for the worse and lowered his hamburger away from his mouth. Again with the stomach pains? He moved his hand over his gut and grunted, just when he thought the drama was over.
"Is that so?" Hiromi leaned over into Takao's space and gave him a sly 'I told you so' grin.
"But when I heard that you guys were coming, it made the deal even better." Cat replied with a happy smile. "So I decided to stay in New York a little longer to meet you here."
"A concert huh?" Rei asked, pulling another fork-full of food into his mouth.
"Sounds cool!" Max reached over toward the female and gave her a pat on the back.
"Better than cool, boys." Adof cut into the teen's conversation. "It was fantastic!" He then lifted his cuffed hands to his face a swooned for a moment.
"Wish we could have been there," Max added.
"Well," Cat lifted her finger to her mouth. "We do have a recording of the concert."
"Oh!" Kyoujyu and Max leaned in toward the female with a set of giant smiles on their faces.
Cat pushed her plate to one side and stood up on her two feet. She then walked over toward her luggage bag. She unzipped the large bag and began to pull different items from her bag. Clothes, make up, papers all feel on the bed before her until finally she unburied a DVD case.
She stepped over toward the large TV, which rested in the center of the room atop a dresser drawer. She pressed her index finger against a single button on the DVD player and watched as the DVD tray revealed itself. With a gentle touch, Cat placed the disc in the player. A moment passed after the tray sunk back into the player before the video began. Cat then backed up and rejoined the group and sat back down beside Max and Takao.
Takao felt his stomach twist and turn. Why was he feeling this way? He bit down on his lower lip as he felt his stomach rumble beneath him. He couldn't even place an emotion to this strange stomachache. Was he nervous? Angry? Excited? He couldn't tell.
His eyes turned to the female sitting beside him. He looked at Cat with wide eyes, why did this pain seem to follow wherever she went or when she was mentioned? He let out a sigh before his eyes and head moved to look at the boy sitting beside Cat. Max sat with eyes bursting with wonder before the television. What would he see? What would Cat sound like? Would she dance? Takao watched as Max's mouth opened slightly, preparing himself for what he was about to see. He let another sigh pass his lips.
The television before the group flickered black and then blue, the video was beginning. Before their eyes a loud concert scene played. Massive amounts of fans surrounded a large brightly lit stage. It was then Cat Greco came out and stood in the center of the stage. A loud bass began to play and a rhythmic beat began to spin, the music had cued the girl to begin singing.
The team watched as the girl began to step forward, her voice flowing through her lips and into her microphone earpiece. It seemed unbelievable such a strong voice to come from such a young girl. The team watched as the concert commenced and Cat began dance on stage. The crowd roared, the lights flashed, and the girl sang. As quickly as it seemed to begin, the DVD had come to an end. Cat let out a loud embarrassed laugh as she threw her arm behind her head. She felt a warm flash come over her before she stood up and ripped the DVD from the player.
"That's it!" She said, the red glow still on her face.
"Wow!" Max looked at the girl and gave her a thumbs up. "That was amazing! It must have been great live."
"Did you actually sing and dance?" Hiromi asked, intrigued.
"Well actually," Cat bit down on her lower lip. "Most singers when they do a live performance lip sing."
"But it was still your voice, right?" Kyoujyu asked.
"Of course." Cat gave the younger boy a firm nod.
"Then it was just as good." Rei gave the girl a pleasant smile.
"Well, Takao?" Cat turned to the young blue-haired boy with a look of worry on her face. "What did you think?"
He paused. Why was she asking him? What was he supposed to say? Was it good? Yes, it was nice to watch but it wasn't his area to critique. He inhaled a deep breath before he could answer. Did she want constructive criticism or something? It wasn't the first time Takao had heard the girl sing before, on many occasions he had heard Cat sing when they were younger and she resided with him. Many showers consisted of her many melodies. What was with the sudden interest in what he thought? Why did she need his approval?
"Not bad," Takao finally spoke.
"Thanks." Cat gave the boy a sweet smile. "This is going to a part of my CD," Her voice aided Takao to snap back into the real world. "It's an additional DVD special."
"That's great, Cat." Rei said as he returned his attention to his plate.
"So I'm guessing you all are staying at this hotel too?" Jam's voice caused the champ to turn into her direction.
"Yeah." He answered. "Down stairs somewhere."
"Are you done here, Kinomiya?" Adof bent down beside him and pointed toward his plate.
"Uh, sure." Takao answered as he handed his plate off to Adof.
"Well, that's good." Jam replied before standing up and gathering the other teen's plates.
Ugh, tonight was going to be a long night.
XoXoX
"Cat? Cat are you there?"
Knock, knock
Was she really knocking on Cat's door at 3:43 in the morning? Ugh, how embarrassing! Hiromi waited for a few moments while she chewed on the inside of her cheek. No one, absolutely no one, enjoyed being woken at this hour of the morning, especially a girl that no doubt had a few more interviews or shoots the following day. But this was important! Beyond important, it was like her whole life depended on this!
Knock, knock
She tapped her knuckles against the wooden door for a second time. She had to talk to Cat about everything that was happening. She had to express herself to the older girl and maybe get some perspective on things? Who knows when she'd get a chance like this again!
The door slowly creaked open to reveal a tired Cat Greco. With a few bags under her eyes and her hair a complete mess, she actually appeared human. The celebrity lifted her balled fist to her right eye and began to rub. "Hiromi?" She groaned in question.
"Cat, I needed to ask you something." Hiromi spoke as she stood before Cat in her pajamas.
"Couldn't this wait 'till later?" Cat groaned. "It's like four in the morning."
She twitched. She was just like Takao. The same groan, the same drowsy look in her eyes. This moment just confirmed something for her: Cat and Takao were like siblings. Perhaps she had assumed that, for whatever reason, none of Takao's bad habits wouldn't have rubbed off on a female, but his was just proof that it had. Hiromi looked at the girl, her brow twitching and spoke in a soft whisper.
"Please? I couldn't ask you in front of the boys. It's a girl thing."
The look on Cat's face shifted from tired to confused. A single brow lifted and her lip curled. "All right." She let out a sigh before turning around and gently closing the door behind herself. "Let's head out to the lobby."
The girl's feet made gentle taps on the carpeted hotel floor as they walked down the halls. Not a sound could be heard from the surrounding rooms, an eerie silence that caused Hiromi to shutter. The two girls headed for the lobby, Cat leading the way.
Ugh how awkward was this? Could things get any weirder? But this was something that was just between two girls, right? Two girl friends? Perhaps all the time spent among boys had eaten away at her girlish exterior. But that's all she could assume, since she had just met the celebrity. Maybe they could be friends, rival but friends.
"This is fine." Cat's feet came to a halt.
Hiromi lifted her head and looked around at her surroundings, a large lobby, empty of any persons. She could hear the singer's voice echo within the large empty room. She turned to the left to see a large vending machine. At the same moment Hiromi's eyes landed on the machine Cat's did the same. A look of delight crossed her face as she rushed toward the machine and glanced up and down at the selection of candies and cookies the machine had to offer.
"Cat," Hiromi began, watching the girl press her index finger against the glass of the vending machine. "I wanted to know something."
"Yeah?" She stuck her tongue out as her eyes landed on a bag of chocolate chip cookies.
"What…" Hiromi began her voice soft. "What was it like getting used to being around so many boys?" She blurted out all at once.
"What?" Cat turned to her with a stupefied look on her face.
"I mean…" The smaller female lifted her index knuckle to her lower lip. "What was it like, being around so many boys? Was it hard to get noticed?"
"Hmm…" Cat's attention returned to the bag of cookies inside the vending machine. "Well," She continued to mutter as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumbled bill. "No, not really. Then again I wasn't out to get attention, I didn't need it." She answered, pushing the bill into the machine.
Hiromi watched as the taller girl clapped her hands together, hoping her bill would be accepted in the machine. "You weren't?"
"Of course not." She narrowed her eyes at the machine and then punched in her desired treat number. "I hate getting too much attention. Besides, that's more Takao's thing not mine."
"But," Hiromi watched Cat with a confused look. "You're a singer; you must have wanted attention if you wanted to be famous." She rolled her large eyes as she watched Cat bend down to machine and pull out her selected bag of sweets.
The celebrity didn't hesitate before ripping open the bag. "I became famous because I was doing something I loved." She paused for a moment, looking down into the deep contents of the bag. "I didn't want to become famous…I just wanted to sing."
Hiromi looked at the girl, she had suddenly become silent. What? Why become a pop star if you didn't want fame and fortune? The highlights of being famous sounded amazing to Hiromi. Your name in lights, CDs, concerts and all the financial benefits it brought. Who wouldn't want that lifestyle? Cat let out a deep sigh before reaching down in the bag. She then pulled out a single cookie and held it up to eye-level.
"I also needed the money," She continued to speak as she gazed at the cookie with longing eyes. "I needed to find my sister."
"Oh," Hiromi's eyes dropped to the floor.
"After I became famous in America I had the means to find her."
"But you don't have anything to worry about."
Hiromi's ears twitched to the sound of Cat's voice. She looked upward so her eyes could meet Cat's eyes. The taller girl had lowered the baked good and was now looking at her with a warm look. She felt her face grow warm for a solid moment. Was she blushing?
Hiromi lifted hand to touch her face, unaware that Cat had dropped her bag of cookies to the floor. Without notice, she felt a two warm arms wrap around her body. Was this a hug? She felt her mouth drop open and her arms dropped to her side as Cat embraced her. She pulled her head slightly away from the woman to verify to herself that this was actually happening.
"Thank you…" She whispered into Hiromi's ear.
The warmth from Cat's breath caused shivers to shoot up her spine. Cat squeezed down tighter on the girl and let out a small whimper.
"Without you, I wouldn't be here with the team now."
Could this be true? Yes it was fact, without her Team BBA wouldn't have had a second chance with Cat Greco. But she had never personally taken credit for finding the young woman and yet she had always regretted it. So many times the thought passed through her mind. What if I didn't do this? What if I didn't mention it? Hiromi felt the arms around her body loosen. Cat had begun to pull away from the brunette. The opposing female moved her hands to Hiromi's shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes.
"Don't worry." She said in a gentle tone. "They know you're here. In fact," A sigh passed her lips. "I think they like you more than they liked me!"
"What?!" Hiromi's voice echoed in the empty lobby. "What do you mean by that?"
"I lost Takao's trust."
She froze. Takao's trust? Hiromi narrowed her eyes at the female for a moment unsure of what she meant. It then hit her with full force. Team Phykick. Cat had gone behind Takao's back and joined with the enemy and for a short period time threatened his Holy Beast. However brief the time, it had happened and it was something Takao wouldn't forget easily. She felt her chest burn for a moment; did Cat have her trust? Could this all be an act? She felt herself back away from Cat, how was she supposed to feel?
"By going behind his back," Cat spoke to the floor in a low tone. "I lost his trust. I lost what special connection I had with him. That includes the others as well." She inhaled a deep breath of air before continuing. "And I don't blame them. But…there are things that Takao will never understand about me."
"I-I…" Hiromi began.
Cat lifted her hand to pause the shorter female. "It's all right. Just know that…you still have their trust."
"I will."
"So," Cat looked to the ground and spotted her bag of cookies. "Can I go back to bed now?" She asked before bending down to pluck the bag off the floor.
"Oh!" She slapped her hands on her cheeks. "I'm sorry, you must have something to do tomorrow, I'm sorry!"
"Forget about it." The singer shrugged the girl off before sticking her hand inside the small cookie bag.
"All right then." Hiromi let out a small sigh before bowing politely in front of Cat. "Good night."
"I'll walk you to your room." She jerked her arm in the direction of their hotel room.
Hiromi took the taller girl up on her offer and began to follow her. Time seemed to tick away faster this time around for her. She could feel her feet tap across the carpet at a faster rate that earlier. Was she was walking faster? She had to wonder. Perhaps Cat wanted to return to sleep or perhaps she had struck an unsteady cord within her. She couldn't be sure; this girl could be so strange at times.
The two soon arrived at her room door. They parted as easily as they greeted, leaving her in the room alone. Things seemed more settled now, she felt more settled. Perhaps tomorrow would be a better day.
Act End.