"But now I realize that I was wrong when I said I didn't need you. So, miss you bad so now I'm coming home."- Permanent December, Miley Cyrus
Bittersweet Melody
Second Arc: Act One
The year had come and gone. Trials and errors had passed. The time for a new chapter for him had begun. The title of world champion had once again was given to him and his team. Team BBA had overcome the hardships and become number one. Why wasn't he surprised? This year would be one to remember, a third-year champion? It had never been done before, but he felt victory so close he could nearly taste it. A new tournament, new battles and new characters to meet, how could he not feel excitement? With the announcement of tag-team battles, he could hardly contain himself. And yet…Max, Rei, Kai…The three boys had separated themselves from Team BBA.
We want to win for ourselves.
Takao felt his heart sink at these words. It was as if the three had given him a slap in the face. Left to his own, to fend for himself? He couldn't stand the idea of being without his teammates. Why would they do this? For a measly title or trophy? No, it had to go deeper than that. To branch off and become leaders of their own teams, that was the gain. What was wrong with sharing the title?
It all happened so quickly; Rei left to be a part of Team Bai Hu Zu, Max left to be a part of the PPB All-starz and Kai left to be a part of Neo Borg. When did it all go wrong? This left him in a very strange predicament now partnered with Daichi. This strange boy had seemingly come out of nowhere, challenging him to a battle and was relentless in his pursuit of victory. The two had become partners on Team BBA and now were their respective. When was it that Daichi now became a part of BBA? Ugh, it was going to be so hard to share his victories with this boy.
Takao sat on the wooden floor, a corridor that connected the dojo to the main area of his home. He sat, staring at his blade with narrowed eyes. Hiromi and Kyoujyu sat by his side in silence. The female sat closet to him, looming over his shoulder. The warm breeze pushed back his hair from his face, revealing his serious expression to her. Hiromi's eyes softened as she moved her delicate, pale hand toward his solo hand.
But even with her gentle touch, he couldn't think about anything but his ex-teammates. At his refusal and ever growing silence, the brunette let out a loud relaxed sigh and stretched her arms into the air.
"Takao?"
Said boy broke his attention from his Beyblade to look up at Kyoujyu. The smaller boy stood before him, his laptop under his left arm and a stern look on his face. What was the deal, why did he have to look so serious? He tilted his head to one side and waited for the smaller male's next comment.
"I should get going," Kyoujyu spoke in a firm tone. "I have some work I need to do at home. I would like to upgrade Einstein while I have a chance. Is that okay?"
"Sure," Takao replied before giving the shorter boy a supportive thumbs-up. "I'll see you around then."
"All right," The four-eyed male turned to look at Hiromi. "Hiromi, would you like me to walk you home?"
Her head perked upward at the sound of her name. "No thank you. I think I'll stick around here for a while." She answered with a smile and wave.
Kyoujyu gave the two a firm nod of his head before turning his back and exiting the backyard, vanishing from sight. Takao returned his stare to his blade. He lifted the small top and inspected it from top to bottom. Hiromi looked at the blue-haired boy with longing eyes.
"Takao?"
"Hm?" He mumbled in reply, still eyeing his Beyblade.
The shorter girl lifted her hands to him and placed her two hands over his Beyblade. He looked at her small hands with a surprised face. He then shifted his look from his blade to her eyes. Her brown eyes glistened in the evening sunlight. What the heck, since when did she have such pretty eyes? He had never noticed before, how large her eyes were. His eyes then lowered to look at her lips. Her lips appeared soft in the orange light around her. What was happening to him?
He couldn't find any words to speak at the moment, what was going on?! Her face lit up as she lowered his hands into his lap. She lifted her hands from his and placed her hands back into her own lap. The warm breeze caught Hiromi's hair to dance in the wind and the setting sun caused her hair to reflect a beautiful shade of red.
Next, she lifted her hand to her face. Her index finger touched the bottom of her lip, what was happening? They were alone for the first time in a long time and this was happening? The first time when there was no one around to interrupt them, no one around to watch them. What was she thinking?
Better yet, what was he thinking?
She leaned forward almost as if it was a reflex. Her hand dropped away from her face and back into her own lap. Takao blinked in confusion, was something wrong with her? Was she sick?
His body became stiff as he watched Hiromi narrow in closer to him. It wasn't long until he could feel her warmth on his own skin. He couldn't move, he couldn't even speak, he was only left with his mouth hanging open as the brunette drew in closer. Finally he could feel her soft hair on his forehead. The girl moved her head to one side and pressed her soft lips on his.
Takao's eyes shot open wide as the girl kissed him. What was going on? He felt his hands lift up into the air. What the heck was going on?! They were kissing! Her gentle touch so was intriguing, what else was he supposed to do but go along with it? He moved his hands rest on her shoulders, their lips still locked.
A numbing sensation shot throughout his body, causing his grip on her shoulders to tighten. Her shoulders fell limp at his touch and she hummed against his mouth, fueling the tingling in his legs. No, this couldn't be happening, he wasn't really kissing Hiromi of all people, was he? She wasn't really kissing him back, was she? No way, this was way too strange!
After a moment of silence, the two broke away from one another. His body burned as if he was on fire, was she feeling the same way? As the girl pulled back, a bright red flush appeared on her round cheeks. Did that actually happen? What was she thinking?
Takao opened his mouth to speak but a small 'crunching' sound caused him to pause. The two-time champ turned around to see if anyone was standing behind him, watching what had just happened. No one was in sight. He let out a sigh of relief; thank goodness his Grandfather had not caught him in the act of kissing. He then turned back around to look at Hiromi with serious eyes. The girl was now looking at the ground, her face redder than ever.
"Hiromi?" He spoke in a low tone.
"I have to go now!" She jumped to her feet, her eyes still glued on the ground. "I-I'm sorry! See you later!" She blurted out at once before making a dash for the exit.
Takao watched as the brunette took a sharp corner, leaving his sight completely. He lifted his left hand to his mouth and touched his lips. What the heck possessed the two of them to do something like that? Ugh! There was no way that actually happened, he had to have been dreaming or maybe he had a fever!
Did that mean the usually loud and pushy Hiromi had feelings for him? He felt his lips part and his jaw drop open. The only girl he could never get along with; the one female that caused him the most earaches? This was too strange.
"I care a lot about her. I love her, Takao."
Max…
He fell backward, his back hitting the wooden walkway beneath him. Just what was going on? Gah, it was like the whole world had just turned upside down and inside out. Since when did Hiromi love him? Had she loved him all along? She sure had a strange way of showing it.
A small vibration caused Takao to open his eyes. His cellular phone was buzzing at him. He reached down into his pocket and pulled out his phone. The nifty little gadget had been given to him shortly after winning last year's Beyblade tournament, kind of gift from his Grandfather.
The phone had come in handy, since all of his friend's had one. He flipped open his phone to see that he had one new text message. He let out a sigh as he pressed the confirmation button, allowing him to read the message. It had been awhile since he had received a message. In truth, the boys had stopped sending each other messages after their messy argument about the coming tournament.
'Hope to see you at the tournament.'
Strange, he didn't recognize the sender. He cocked one eyebrow after closing his phone. Who could that have been? He grunted before stuffing his phone back into his pocket. It wasn't beyond the truth to say it could be a creepy fan that had obtained his phone number. He shrugged it off, oh well.
XoXoX
"I don't want to watch this!"
Takao rolled his eyes, was Daichi still talking? He huddled around the remote control, keeping it out of the redhead's grasp. He had grown accustomed to Daichi's demanding behavior by now. The boy hadn't been living with him long, but his habits were easily predicted.
Kyoujyu sighed at all of this. He sat in Takao's living area with the two boys, watching TV. To think, just days before their scheduled trip to New York and he and Daichi were fighting like cats and dogs! In the back of the room an unusually quiet, Hiromi, sat by herself.
Was she embarrassed after that day they spent together? He could only assume so. Why else would she be silent after all of Daichi's whining? This was something new for sure, but he wasn't sure if he was enjoying it. How could they even face each other after the secret kiss they shared?
"Give it to me!" Daichi shouted, snapping him back into reality. "I don't want to watch this."
"Daichi, shut up!" Takao snapped at the younger boy, holding the remote well over the boy's head. "I'm waiting for something!"
"Oh?" Kyoujyu leaned into him, elbowing him in the gut. "And what's that?"
"Just be quiet!" He growled as he upped the volume on his television.
"Hehehe," The brown-haired boy threw his hand in front of his mouth. "Looks like you're missing her."
"I am not!" He protested.
"Missing who?" Daichi's short attention span caused him to jump into the conversation with a question.
"Cat Greco," Kyoujyu replied in a sly voice.
It was true, geez; Kyoujyu could read him like a book. What could he expect after knowing the four-eyed scientist for so long? Even so, he was awaiting word about Cat Greco. After all, why else would he be watching the music channel? He had no other use for watching anything but the sport's channel.
"Who?" Daichi continued with his flood of questions.
"Just an old friend! Now be quiet!" Takao lifted his open palm to Daichi, in his best attempt to silence him.
He turned to the television with wide eyes. What could he except from Cat? Would she really be in this year's tournament as she said she would? He was filled with all sorts of curious thoughts and ideas!
"Next year I'm going to see you at the tournament."
Her repeated in his voice as clearly as the day she said them. Would it be true? He was on the edge of his seat as he stared into the TV. Meaningless chatter about music news consumed the program and he felt his body grow tense with each passing second. When would she be on? What would she say? How was she doing? For a moment, he could feel his friends; feel his friends watching the same program. They had to be, if it concerned Cat and the Beyblade tournament they would be watching.
Finally a text popped on screen. 'Cat Greco' posted in large lettering on the screen foretold that his old friend would be next to interview. Takao leaned in close to the television. Mimicking his pose, Daichi leaned in close to the television as well. Kyoujyu let a chuckle pass his lips as he shook his head from side to side.
"We're here with Cat Greco."
His mouth and eyes opened wider as the program continued to play. On screen stood the program host with a microphone in one hand, then the camera sifted from the host to a young brunette sitting in a chair, Cat Greco. Takao felt his body stiffen at the sight of the girl.
"Rumor has it that you're going to enter this year's Bakuten Shoot Beyblade tournament. Any word on whose team you will be on?"
Cat chuckled before answering. "Yes, I will be in this year's tournament."
His body gave in and loosened. It was as if Cat was standing before him, speaking to him. Had it really been one whole year since they last spoke, since that fateful day at the airport? His hand clenched as he continued to listen to the TV.
"Who's that?"
His concentration shattered like glass. Daichi had popped up beside him with wide eyes. The champ felt himself grunt as he lifted his hand and dropped his open palm on Daichi's red head, lowering him away from the television. What a nuisance.
"Back off!" Takao snorted at the younger boy.
"HEY!" Daichi whimpered.
"But as teams go," Cat continued to speak to her interviewer with a sly voice. "That'll have to wait until the tournament's opening ceremony."
"Opening ceremony?" Hiromi's voice caused Takao to peer over his shoulder and look at the girl.
"There is also a rumor that you will reveal a few important announcements after the opening ceremony." The reporter said with a happy grin spread across her face. "Care to give us any hints?"
"Haha," Cat closed her eyes for a moment. "I promise that everything will be revealed after the ceremony."
He grunted before flipping off the television set and throwing the remote control across the room. He crossed his arms over his chest and puffed up both cheeks. How frustrating! Now what was he supposed to do, wait? He was no good at waiting!
A pair of heavy footsteps caused him to look over his shoulder. Coming into the room, Hitoshi stood over his younger brother with a delighted look on his face. "Looks like she's doing well for herself." He gave a slight laugh before giving a weak shrug of his shoulders.
"Argh!" Takao stomped his foot down on the ground. "That makes me so angry!"
"What does?" Kyoujyu turned to his friend.
"She didn't tell us what team she's going to be on!" He threw his arms over his head and began to tug on his hair. "I'm dying to know!"
"Well we know she's not going to be on Team BBA Revolution for sure," Hiromi mumbled to herself.
"Who is Cat?" Daichi looked at the taller teens with a look of curiosity on his face.
"Perhaps she'll be on the PPB All-starz," Kyoujyu pondered, his hand on under his chin.
"Oh!" Takao snapped his fingers. "Or maybe Team Bai Hu Zu! That ought to be interesting!"
"Who is Cat?" Monkey boy asked once again.
"You never know." Hitoshi let his arms drop to his sides. "Either way, it'll be nice to see her again. I haven't seen her in years."
"HEY!"
The group jumped to the sound of Daichi yelling. The four older teens turned to see the smaller boy jumping up and down with anger.
"What?" Takao glared down at the small redhead, his hands to his hips.
"Who is Cat Greco?" Daichi's chest moved upward and downward in a rapid motion, out of breath from shouting maybe?
"Oh," Kyoujyu lifted his hands to his forehead and adjusted his eyeglasses. "She's an old friend of Takao and Hitoshi. She used to be a part of our support team."
"Is that all?" The smallest male crossed his arms over his chest and turned away from the group. "I thought she was someone important."
"She is important!" Takao shook his fist at the smaller boy.
"Enough." Hitoshi stepped between the two boys, both hands lifted. "You all need to get ready for your flight tomorrow. We'll be headed out to New York for the opening ceremonies." His shifted his eyes from Daichi to Takao. "Cat will perform one day before the competition actually begins, so take this time to relax before your first battle."
"Sounds like a good idea." Kyoujyu nodded.
A sly smirk claimed Takao's face, "I can't wait."
XoXoX
"Is everyone excited, tomorrow is the opening ceremony for the official Bakuten Shoot Beyblade tournament where Cat Greco will perform live and announce her team for this year's tournament! Stay tuned for-"
Click
"Yeah, I'm dying to know." Rick rolled his eyes before lowering the remote control away from the television.
He snorted to himself, what a nuisance. A celebrity doing the opening ceremony for the tournament, it was a laugh. The tournament directors must have become desperate in their pursuit in more views. Having a celebrity blading in the tournament? Who cared, he sure didn't. He had better things to do than watch some girl twirl about on stage.
This tournament wasn't about singing or dancing it was about blading! He stretched his legs outward as he lay on a long couch inside the PPB All-starz' locker room. The team had come together a day early to inspect their surroundings, while he could care less; blading was all that was on his mind. He thought for a moment that he could escape the boredom of real life by watching television but he was wrong.
"You should be concerned." Judy spoke up as she walked past the younger male.
"Oh yeah?" He cocked a white eyebrow. "Because from what I hear, this girl is just another celebrity trying to sell her name out."
"Not every celebrity is the same, Rick." Max stepped in, his voice calm and serious.
"Humph." He lifted his shoulders in a shrug.
Max let a sigh before lifting his head and smiling at the blank television screen. He lifted his arched brow even further, what the heck was that smile about? What was he so happy about? It wasn't like he knew her or anything, right? Ha, maybe he was a fan boy!
"I'm so tired of hearing about Cat Greco and her boyfriend already!" Rick threw his arms into the air before sitting upward.
"What?" Max shifted to the sound of Rick's voice. "Boyfriend?"
"I'm out of here," He stood up on his feet and stepped toward the exit door.
"Where are you going?" Judy protested the boy leaving by approaching him with a stern tone.
"Out," He answered without turning back to look at his addresser. "See you guys later."
The door slammed shut behind him, leaving an echo to vibrate throughout the room. Finally some peace and quiet! Perhaps some fresh air would do him some good; God knew he needed it, after being partnered with Max? He was going to need all the relaxation he could get.
XoXoX
Rick stepped down the dimly lit streets as the sun around him began to set. New York was a magical place at this time of day. He felt his arms stretch out above his head as he let out a long yawn. With the tournament beginning tomorrow, it was in his best interest to take it easy and rest. But, there was an itch he couldn't scratch on his own. He needed some practice, he needed to battle someone! Perhaps he would head to the park and pick on some kid until they battled with him.
No use in wasting the day. Rick took hasty steps toward the local park. Before he could enter the park, a large gathering caught his eye. What was this? A Beyblade match perhaps? He stepped closer to see that a group of young teens had circled around a large Beydish. He slammed his right fist into his open left palm, yes, this is what he needed, an easy match with an amateur!
Rick pushed and pulled the smaller teens aside to see who was battling whom. He looked up to see a blonde-haired female with one arm in the air, declaring his victory to the world. The younger boy, beaten stepped down and admitted his failure.
"Win goes to me!" The girl cheered.
Rick narrowed his eyes at the blonde female. She was wearing sunglasses at sunset? He scanned her body further to see that she was wearing a long coat and tight black pants. Was she hiding her identity or something? Whatever, it wouldn't matter in a few minutes anyway; he was going to beat her blade to a pulp. He pushed himself forward, and stood in front of the strange girl. He lifted his launcher out and toward the female, a cocky smirk wiped on his face.
"Let's go." He let a chuckle pass his lips as he stared at the mysterious girl. "I've been dying for a fight."
"You sure?" The girl pushed her sunglasses up the brim of her nose.
"Yes!" Rick snapped, feeling impatient.
The crowd around the teens screamed in anticipation, another match was underway. The blonde girl lifted her launcher and pointed it directly at Rick. Without warning she pulled hard on her cord and her blade flew to the bottom of the Beydish. Rick grunted, what no warning? Without a word, he released his blade onto the ground. His blade created a loud thud as it hit the plastic dish and it spun around the female's blade in a taunting manner.
"So what's your name anyway?"
His concentration broke as the girl spoke out to him. He lifted his head to see the girl standing before him, her blonde hair singing in the wind. What was her issue? His lip curled with frustration before returning his sights to the Beydish.
"Rick," He answered the female. "Rick Anderson."
"Ah, Ricky!" The girl chirped.
"It's RICK!" He snapped in defense.
The female let out a giggle, moving her hand in front of her mouth, leaving him to snarl aloud, still feeling distracted. His blade reacted to Rick's emotions and its spin became slowed. The blonde girl then shifted her arm outward, commanding her blade to spin forward, bashing against his Beyblade. Rick winced, what was that? What a cheap move! He looked up to his opponent with a glare; it was obvious that she was distracting him purposely.
"Looks like the training has paid off!" The girl snapped her fingers.
"So you had to train just to get to this point?" He snickered.
The girl bit down on her lower lip, was he getting under her skin? Rick clenched his hand before throwing his balled fist forward, commanding his blade to go on the attack. The crowd around the two bladers let out loud awing sounds as the ground beneath them began to rumble with the shift in his blade.
Rick's blade bulled forward, slamming against the female's white Beyblade. He let a wide smile spread across his face; this would be the move to win it all. His expression dropped as he saw the white blade withstand his attack. He shook his fist, how could she take the full blow of his attack without so much as a wince?
"That's it." The woman muttered to herself.
The wind began to pick up around the battling teens, causing the blonde female's hair to dance in the wildly. Ignoring the roaring wind, Rick pushed forward once again, preparing his blade for a second more lethal attack. The blonde female let out a loud gasp and lifted her hands to her head. She pressed down on her flowing hair in her best attempt to prevent it from swaying. He paused for a moment, looking at the girl with a confused glare. What was she doing? The girl let out a whimper as the wind picked up, causing her hair to flutter further.
"What are you doing?!" He shouted, his voice rising above the loud wind.
"My hair!" The girl let out a scream.
Rick's mouth dropped open several inches as he watched the scene play out before him. With one final push from the wind, the girl's hands latched free from her head and her blonde hair came flying off from her skull. The wig flew in the wind, revealing a brunette female. He narrowed his eyes at the now brown-haired female, what was with the wig? Wait, he bit down on his lip as his eyes focused on the female, he knew this girl from somewhere.
"It's Cat Greco!"
A shout from the crowd caused Rick to realize it for himself. It was Cat Greco. He had seen her many times on television and read about her briefly in magazines, this Cat Greco. He couldn't believe his eyes, was this really Cat Greco? What would the famous female be doing here now, blading with amateurs in the park? Cat let out a whimper before calling back her Beyblade.
"Hey! What are you doing?" He snapped at the female, who paid little attention.
"I gotta go!" Cat let out a loud yip.
Rick opened his mouth to speak but was bombarded by the crowd standing behind him. He released a grunt as the bodies pushed him aside, trying their best to get to Cat Greco. The female let out a loud girlish scream upon seeing this and made a mad dash in the opposite direction. He extended his arm outward, as if to stop the female but was pulled to the back of the crowd.
As the crowd dissipated from around him, Rick's vision became clearer. Cat Greco was gone. He clenched both fists; his battle had been cut short. He lifted one hand up to chest-level and called back his blade. Rick then took a deep breath; it appeared as though his match would have to wait.
"Cat Greco, huh?"
XoXoX
"Rick!"
Ugh, here it was, his partner's lecture for the night. Rick rolled his eyes as Max's voice entered his ears. Again with the nagging? He knew he had it coming, after leaving his team earlier in the evening. He walked deeper into his hotel room, his hands glued to his hips. He passed by Max without so much as a glance; he didn't have a care in the world for what the boy had to say. He plopped down on his large bed and crossed one leg over the other. He closed his eyes and tried his hardest to ignore the fact that he was sharing a room with the blond.
Max let out a sigh while Rick shifted his eyes to the right, couldn't he get the message that no one was interested in his rambling? Who cared if he was out? He needed to relieve some stress! Geez, he was acting as if the whole world had come to a halt just because he left the hotel room. Couldn't he take a single hint?
"Where have you been?" Max asked.
"What does it matter?" He turned a shoulder to the smaller male.
"Do you know what time it is?" His partner crossed his arms over his chest, no doubtingly shooting a glare in his direction.
"No."
"Rick!" Max snapped, "The tournament ceremony starts tomorrow!"
"And?" He peered over his shoulder to look at the blond. "I don't care about some stupid girly concert."
"Cat Greco's concert?" Max blinked several times before lowering his arms from his chest.
"Yeah," Again, he turned his eyes away from Max. "She's not so great. I've seen what she has to offer." A laugh then passed through his lips. "Besides, if you're so worried about this concert tomorrow, why aren't you asleep?"
Max opened his mouth to answer with a comeback but stopped. Ah, good that was just the sight the tanned male wanted to see. The all might Max Mizuhara with no words to combat him with! Maybe that would shut him up for the remainder of the night!
The smaller of the two backed down, pulling himself away from Rick's bed and moving across the room to his own bed. Ah, this was perfect. He had one last day before the tournament and then he would prove to everyone that he was the best and he managed to clam Max up mid-fight? This night couldn't get any better.
Act End.