Bittersweet Melody

Second Arc: Act Sixteen

She sat in front of her large vanity mirror and ran her fingers through her long, wavy hair. She stared at her reflection and sighed through her nose. What was she doing? What had she gotten herself into? She had agreed to go out on a date…but why?

Cat's eyes darted downward to her desk and onto her small hairbrush. She wrapped her fingers around the pink handle and lifted it up to her head. She began to stroke her long brown locks with the brush, ridding her hair of any knots. Ugh she had to repeat the question in her head, why did she agree to this date?

A creaking sound alerted the girl and caused her to swirl around to face the room door. Her sister was leaned up against the room door with her arms crossed over her chest. Cat lifted her body from her seat and approached her sister with an awkward smile. She interlocked her fingers in front of her body and tilted her head downward. This plan had to be her sister's doing. She must have been planning this for some time, her appearance in the room made that obvious.

"You've got a few visitors." Jam replied with a smirk.

"Visitors?" Cat tilted her head to the side.

"Yes."

She watched as Jam stepped to the side to reveal a group of female visitors. Hiromi led the group with a smile on her face. Behind her stood the girls from the previous day along with Mariam. Each female had their own smile on their face and entered the room, following Hiromi. The brunette leader passed by Jam and stepped deeper into the room with a bag in hand. She watched as Hiromi dropped the large bag on her bed and turned back to face the rest of the females.

"What are you all doing here?" She asked in a shy tone.

"We heard about your date," Hiromi answered. "And we wanted to help you get ready!"

She looked back nervously at the group of females standing in her room. She looked at their faces and scrabbled mentally to recall all of their names. After leaving Takao's home early the previous day, she hadn't got chance to remember or memorize their names. Feeling embarrassed, she sunk her head back into her shoulders and shied away from the girls.

Jam walked into the room and placed her hand on one of the girl's shoulder. "Cat is having trouble remembering everyone's names." She explained as the girl with the goggles looked up to her with a red glow on her face. "How about you guys introduce yourselves."

"I do know Mariam and Hiromi…" She was quick to add.

"Mao." The pink-haired female bowed.

"Mathilda." The girl with the pair of goggles on her head smiled.

The woman with the two-toned hair lifted her fist into the air, "Julia."

"And I'm Emily." The orange-haired girl lifted her hand.

"Nice to meet you." Cat gulped aloud and waved a nervous hand to the girls.

"Enough with the greetings," Hiromi dashed toward her and placed her hand on the singer's shoulder. "Let's fix you up."

"Fix me up?" Cat blinked several times, feeling confused. "What's wrong with me?" She asked looking down at her clothes.

"You're not going on a date, wearing that are you?" Julia approached her with her index finger pointed at her pants.

"It wasn't even my idea to go on this stupid date!" Cat snapped at the taller girl, her cheeks shining a bright shade of pink.

"Even so," Emily giggled. "You should choose something a little more presentable then just a tee and jeans."

"Worn out jeans at that." Hiromi removed her hands from the celebrity's shoulders and tugged at her denim pocket.

Cat cleared her throat and began to back away from the females. Her backside hit her chair behind her. She took a quick look back to look at the chair before turning back to the girls before her. She lifted both hands into the air and began to wave them back and forth at the girls, in an effort to send them off without words. Just before she could speak, a tall figure entered the doorway.

Cat peered up to see Adof standing just outside her room. The older man was holding a tissue to his eye and sniffling, in a rather loud manner. "Miss Greco! How sweet, you're going on your first date!" He whimpered as he dapped his cheek with the white cloth. "And look, all of your girlfriends have come to help you prepare!"

"Not all of her girlfriends!"

Cat felt her eyes open wide to the sound of a high-pitched voice coming from the hallway. Watching the doorway, she watched as Yumi and Rumi enter the room with smiles on their faces. Yumi skipped passed Adof with a long black dress in hand. She ran over to Cat and placed the dress against her chest. Rumi took her time entering the room and stood beside Jam with her hand to her hip.

"This dress is perfect!" Yumi exclaimed.

"Black?" Julia cocked her brow. "It's a little gloomy, isn't it?"

"I don't think so!" Yumi turned.

Emily alerted the group by clapping her hands together. "Let's see what we have to work with." She then turned to the closet and slid the door open.

The closet door opened wide to showcase the clothes lingering inside. Hanging on white plastic hangers were a few t-shirts. Some with sarcastic sayings printed on them, most of them plain in design. Piled on the floor were her many sets of blue jeans. Most of her jeans came with tears or holes of some kind. An unimpressive collection for someone who was once famous for her singing ability.

"Is this all you have?" Mathilda asked as he peered into the closet.

"Yes." Cat answered with a nod.

"What about all the fancy clothes you wore at awards shows and TV appearances?" Hiromi asked with a frown stuck to her face.

"Those were mostly rentals," Adof answered for his client and stepped into the room.

"I don't even want to go," She let out a long, loud sigh before sitting down on her bed.

"Oh come on," Jam threw her arms up into the air and groaned. "You know you want to go."

Mathilda bypassed Jam and the other females and took a silent seat beside Cat. She lifted her left hand and placed it on her back. She began to stroke her back in an effort to comfort her.

"Besides," Mariam spoke up, causing the others to look her way. "This isn't a date per say, this is supposed to help you regain some of those lost memories."

"But calling it a date is so much cuter!" Yumi squealed with excitement and clapped her hands together.

"I don't want to go on a date!" Cat shouted and stuffed her face in her open palms.

"Not even with Max?" Rumi leaned in with a smirk on her face.

Cat dropped her hands from her face in shock then a bright red flash came over her cheeks. The girls around her began to giggle and snort, causing her to once again throw her hands over her face. She then began to shake her head from side to side and mutter something no one could understand. The heat on her face getting the better of her, she fell backward on her bed and continued to grumble.

"Oh get over it," Jam walked toward her sister and began to poke her knee. "What's the worst that'll happen? Max is the only guy you feel safe around right now, right?"

Cat's muffled 'yes' entered the girl's ears and confirmed their thoughts. A loud dinging sound filled the small apartment and caused Adof to spring up. He looked over his shoulder and cocked a single blonde brow. Who could it be? Before leaving the room, he turned to the girls and reassured them.

"I'll be right back, there's someone at the door."

He fled the room, closing the door behind himself. The girls returned to their business. Cat parted her index and middle finger to peek out at the girls in her room. The stood around chatting amongst each other and trying to decide on what she should wear for the evening. She looked over to see Hiromi bent over her bed, looking deep inside her bag. She could hear what, sounded like pencils, shift around in her bag. She removed her hands from her face and began to slowly sit up on her bed.

"Well," Julia inhaled a deep breath through her nose. "It looks like the dress Yumi brought will have to do."

"We don't have much of a choice." Mao mumbled as she moved her finger to her mouth.

"Cat," Emily called out to the female seated on the bed. "Did you shower yet? I need to know what to use on your hair."

"No," Cat shook her head from side to side. "What for? It's just a date."

All the females in the room froze. The looked at her with their eyes wide open with shock. Mao and Julia approached Cat and each grabbed her by one arm. They then began to pull her toward the bathroom door. She squirmed and whined for her older sister as they tugged her along. The paused at the bathroom door and waited for Mathilda as she ran to open the door for them.

Mariam crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head back and forth before sighing, "Just so you all know, Cat uses boy shampoo."

Mao, Julia and Mathilda stopped mid step and turned to look back at Mariam. They then looked down at Cat. The nervous female let out a small chuckle before shrugging her shoulders.

"You guys know that Adof, Ozuma, Dunga and Yusuf live here right? I don't have much of a choice!" She tried her best to defend herself.

"What do you use, Mariam?" Emily asked the blue-haired female.

"Don't worry," Mariam unfolded her arms from her chest and walked past the trio and entered the bathroom. "I have a few things Cat can use for today."

"Sounds good." Hiromi gave a firm head nod. "Go on Cat, wash up."

"I don't really see the point!" Cat whimpered. "It's just a date! It's not like Max will care!"

All the girls looked at one another for a moment before replying, "He will."

Mao and Julia began to swing their arms forward and backward causing Cat to swing back and forth. A count down to one began and the nervous female prepared herself for takeoff. Once the two girls reached one, they gave a final single yank and swung the defenseless girl into the bathroom. Mathilda waited until Cat's tumbled into the bathroom to shut the door behind her.

"And don't come out until you're clean!" Jam shouted loud enough for Cat to hear her through the door.

All this just for a date?

XoXoX

The door shut behind Adof with a low volume slam. He turned around to see the group he had invited into his home. Takao, Max, Rei, Kyoujyu, Daichi, and Kai stepped deeper into the small apartment and took seats on the couch. Across from them sat The Saint Shield boys and Team Euro. The group of thirteen boys sat across from each other and gave one another harsh stares. Silence filled the room quickly and caused an awkward atmosphere to emerge.

Adof cleared his throat aloud and sat down on his large red recliner. He reached down into his pocket and pulled out a small cloth then proceeded to remove his sunglasses from his face. He began to wipe down his glasses with the cloth, staring at the boys as he did so.

"So," Adof glanced over at the former BBA. "What calls you boys here? Besides Max, that is." He shut his eyes and his voice dropped in volume. "I know you and Miss Greco have a date this afternoon." His eyes snapped open and he focused on the blond.

Max threw his hands up into the air and began to chuckle. "They just wanted to see me off, that's all."

Adof's eyes ran up and down Max's body. "I can see you're not dressed for the occasion."

The American's back straighten and his eyes dart downward to his outfit. "I didn't think I had to…"

"Where's Cat?" Kyoujyu spoke up, distracting the older man from his verbal assault on Max. "And all the other girls?"

"There all in Cat's room." Dunga answered with a grunt. "Something about 'fixing her up'." He then lifted his hand into the air and began to wave it back and forth. "Whatever that means."

"I saw Hiromi with a make-up bag," Yusuf said aloud with his finger to his bottom lip. "I think they're gonna use it on Cat."

"I also saw Yumi with a black dress." Giancarlo winked at the BBA. "I'm sure they're gonna doll her up for the date."

"Cat? In a dress?" Takao failed to contain his laughter. "That's stupid. Cat hasn't worn a dress since she was in grade school."

"So what? It's just a dress." Daichi snorted.

"Takao," Ralf intervened in a calm voice. "You have to remember, Cat is a young woman." He crossed his left leg over his right. "There are going to be times when she acts like it."

"It is a bit strange though," Kyoujyu chewed on his lower lip. "I don't think I've ever seen her in a dress." He lifted his hand to his face and snapped his fingers. "Wait, I have! In a make-up commercial, remember?" He asked looking to his left then to his right.

"That's right." Rei agreed. "I remember that ad now. She was wearing a dress and make-up."

"Didn't it look strange?" Max replied with a chuckle.

"Better get used to it, Max."

The group of men turned to Kai. The male sat on the couch one leg laying over the other and his arms crossed over his chest. He had his eyes shut and without directly looking at Max, spoke to him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Takao barked at the older male, his fist balled.

One of Kai's eyes fluttered opened and focused on Takao. "He is going on a date with her. He's going to be looking at her all day."

"It's NOT a date!" Takao shouted, slamming his fist on his leg. "Max is only going out with Cat to help her get her memories back!"

"Then what's with the glam squad?" Kai arched one of his eyebrows.

"Are you actually jealous, Takao?" Giancarlo leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees.

He shot a glare at Team Euro. "Of course not!"

"Sounds like it to me," Oliver chuckled as he ran his fingers through his silky hair.

"Don't be stupid," Takao growled as he crossed his arms. "I don't care about what she does!"

"Then next time, when she talks to you, don't be such an asshole."

The group of boys turned to look at Ozuma. The shorter male sat on the loveseat with both fuzzy eyebrows turned downward. He gritted his teeth at Takao, trying his best not to blow his top. The three-time champ looked at the smaller boy and shot a fierce glare his way. He resisted the urge to combat him with another bark, but why waste his time?

"Let's not get out of hand here." Adof's voice rippled through the tense air.

Takao narrowed his eyes at Ozuma. "Gladly."

XoXoX

With a white towel wrapped around her body, Cat peered out of the bathroom door, "I'm done…" She said as droplets of water dripped from her hair.

"Good," Jam walked over to her and smiled.

She parted her lips to speak but was interrupted by her sister grabbing her by the arm. Jam yanked her younger counterpart by the arm, removing her from the bathroom. She let out a loud squeal, her face bright red with embarrassment. Jam then pulled the younger sibling into the center of the room, in front of the vanity mirror. She applied a gentle pressure to her shoulders and allowed her to sit in the chair. Cat looked back and forth in shock. What was the deal with yanking her out of the bathroom in just a towel? Talk about privacy!

The girls began to gather around her all with smiles on their faces, Hiromi leader the way. "Now what are we going to do with you?" She bent down to match the singer at eye-level.

"Let's start with the hair." Julia's slender fingers ran through her wet locks. "We'll start with a leave in-conditioner, that way your hair won't dry out when we blow dry it."

"Blow dry?" She lifted her chin to look up at Julia.

"We're not going to let you go out with wet hair, silly." Mathilda giggled over her shoulder. "You'll catch a cold."

"But I never blow dry my hair!" She whined.

Emily placed her hand on her head and smiled at her through the vanity mirror. "Today will be the exception."

"After that we'll do your make-up!" Mao mewed, clapping both hands together.

"Make-up?!" Cat turned her body around in her chair and faced the girls with a frown. "I call it quits at make-up! There's no way, I'm wearing make-up! I refuse!"

"But Cat you hafta!" Yumi protested.

"No, no I don't!" She shook her head from side to side in a violent manner. "You'll have to kill be before you put any make-up on me!"

The room fell silent. Cat let her eyes move from female to female to see that each girl had a different expression of shock on her face. She felt her head sink down into her shoulders and a heat rise to her cheeks. Had she said something wrong? Did she say something stupid? Something offensive perhaps?

A few more moments of silence passed before the girls in the room began to laugh aloud. They threw their head back in laughter and allowed the room to echo with giggles. She cocked a brow and looked to each girl once again, now feeling more confused than ever.

"What? What did I say?" She asked in a shy voice.

"Nothing," Hiromi broke from her laughter long enough to reply. "It's just…"

"You sounded normal just then!" Mao opened a single eye and wiped any moisture from the bottom of her shut eye.

The laughing in the room began to die down and Cat moved her head out from between her shoulders. She felt her heart in her chest begin to thump away, was she excited? A pink color began to glow off of her cheeks. She watched as the faces in the room turned from happiness into sadness. Frowns began to replace the many smiles in the small bedroom. Her heart began to slow in her chest. Why was everyone suddenly so sad?

"What's…what's the matter?" Cat asked in a voice just above a whisper.

"It's just…" Mariam responded in a slow, low tone.

"You sounded like your old self." Mathilda moved her head down and her eyes landed on the carpet below.

"Almost," Jam spoke outwardly in a sad voice. "Almost like you never forgot anything."

The room fell silent once again. She watched the girls as they each went through their own emotions, happiness, sadness, and frustration. What could she do to help? She lifted her right hand and placed it on her beating heart. It slammed away and reminded herself that she was still alive and yet, why did she feel so empty? As if something was missing. What could it be? She gripped her towel and inhaled a deep breath through her open mouth. She had to remember, she had to regain all these lost memories. Maybe then she could discover what she was missing.

"Let's get back to work."

The girls turned to her. The wet-haired female had a large smile spreading across her face. As drops of water trickled down the side of her face, she turned back around to face the mirror. She looked at herself and smiled. She had to continue searching for her memories if not for herself but for everyone she cared for. There was no way she would let her memories slip away that easily. Maybe a little lip-gloss would do her some good after all.

Act End.