Bittersweet Melody

Second Arc: Act Twenty

"Are you bummed out because of the movie?"

Cat felt her back stiffen. Her head darted upward and she looked at Max with a wide set of eyes. The blond boy was staring back at her with those perfect baby-blue eyes. She felt her heart slam away in her chest. Why did he have to look at her like that? Those eyes were so irresistible. True, she was down one shoe and cut short one movie but she was with him. Nothing could be that bad as long as she was with him.

"No," She said with a shake of her head.

"You're pretty quiet," Max continued to speak with a smile. "You all right?"

He was asking her? Her heart jump into her throat. Instead of speaking, there would be less of a chance of her stuttering, she nodded her head. He gave her a single nod in reply and continued to walk with her.

"You feel like ice cream or something?" He asked.

"Sure."

With every step, a small cracking sound followed. Cat bent downward and looked at her sticky flip-flop. She stopped mid-step to look down at her sticky shoe, bending at the knee and looking over her shoulder. Old soda continued to stick to her shoe and cause her trouble. How embarrassing! Cat whimpered under her breath as Max walked a few steps ahead of her. How could she get herself into a mess like this on a day like this? She had to be thee worst date in all of dating history!

"I know a great place," Max's voice alerted her. "Come on!"

Before she could respond, he reached out and grabbed her by the hand. She felt waves of heat beat off her cheeks. He was touching her again! Cat allowed her elevated foot to hit the pavement with a soft thud. It was then that Max began to tug on her hand, guiding her away. He broke into a sprint and pulled her along for the ride. The two ran down the street hand in hand. She didn't think her heart could beat as fast as it was now; it was nearly slamming out of her chest at this rate. She was sure that at any second she would go into a cardiac arrest, but it as fine as long as he continued to hold her hand.

XoXoX

"Where are they going now?"

Standing behind a light post, Takao growled. He was running with her now, hand in hand nonetheless! Rei, Kai, Kyoujyu and Daichi were standing behind him, all with frustrated looks on their faces, no doubt! How much longer was this date going to last? Wasn't a visit to Taro and a movie enough?

"I heard Max say something about ice cream." Kyoujyu replied as he adjusted his glasses.

"Ice cream?!" Daichi exclaimed with a childish glee.

"A movie then dessert?" Takao muttered as he grinned his teeth.

"Quite the lady's man, eh?" Rei managed to chuckle at his expense.

Takao shifted toward the older boy and released a hiss, "Rei!"

He lifted his hand to his mouth and tried to fight back the laughter that crawled up his throat. "Sorry, Takao."

"I think I know where they're headed," Kyoujyu broke between both boys with a solo finger lifted to the air. "There's an ice cream parlor not too far from here. I'm betting they went there."

"Does this mean we get ice cream?!" Daichi yelped with excitement.

"No," Kyoujyu was quick to give his answer to the redhead. "We spent all of my money on movie tickets, remember?"

"For a movie ended an hour early." Kai huffed to himself.

"ARGH!" Takao threw his arms over his head and began to tug at his hair. "We're wasting time! Let's go, we hafta catch up to them!"

Takao swirled around and faced his back to his buddies. He then made a single gesture to move the group forward. He broke into a sprint afterward. He had to see her again. See if she was having a good time. She couldn't be. He wouldn't let her have a good time with Max. Recovering her memories didn't require going to the movies or getting ice cream and if Max wasn't going to help, he would. He had to get her memories back, she had to remember him! Remember what they went through together and if that meant ruining her date, then so be it.

XoXoX

She sat in the cold metal chair, looking down at her choice of ice cream. Three scoops of plain vanilla ice cream stared back at her without so much of a drizzle of hot fudge to accompany it. Not a sprinkle in sight. She lifted the spoon up and ran the edge of the utensil around the rounded scoops of ice cream. What was she searching for? Why did this moment feel so empty? Perhaps something was missing? Her eyes leapt from her frozen treat to her date. Max had picked out some strange ice cream flavor, something she didn't want to know. He packed his ice cream full of rainbow-colored jimmies and caramel syrup. She thought she heard Max ask for pineapple syrup, if she wasn't mistaken.

Her eyes then left Max and landed on her surroundings. Wide, large windows surrounded the parlor and allowed the bright sunlight to enter the store. Pastel-colored dots ran up and down the white walls of the shop. To her left was the register and ice cream display. Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and even 'Wild 'n Reckless' ice cream and sherbet were stored in their chilly prison and awaited any hungry costumer. The scent of sweetness filled the air, entering Cat's nostrils and causing her stomach to rumble further. She shivered in her seat; the room's temperature had to be zero! She wrapped her fingers around her orange sweater for warmth.

"What's wrong?"

She jumped in her seat. Her eyes darted over to Max's direction. The blond held a single white napkin to his face. She then looked down to see that half of his ice cream had already been consumed. Looking to her own bowl, she saw that her vanilla ice cream had begun to melt. How long had she been in cyber space?

"Nothing!" Cat squeaked, throwing her hands up in front of her chest.

"You are hungry, right?" He asked, moving the napkin away from his lips.

"Sure!" She smiled. "I-I…"

"It's a bit strange," Max interrupted before moving his elbow to the table and resting his chin on his open palm. "You would usually ask for three completely flavors and then use every topping your wallet could afford."

Cat allowed her back to straighten and hit the back of her chair. "Really?"

"Sure," Max closed his eyes and sent a smile in her direction. "You and Takao sure had a sweet tooth!"

"Well," A light blush dusted over her delicate cheeks. "I do enjoy my sugar."

"Enjoy it?" Max opened his eyes and laughed. "You'd rather have a cupcake for dinner then a hamburger! Anything sweet."

She released a few giggles, moving her hand to her lips as she did so. A look of calmness and serenity washed over his features for a moment, almost like he was remembering something. Maybe it was something in both of their pasts?

While he was lost in his thoughts, Cat looked down to her bowl of melting ice cream. She dug her metal spoon deep into the soft treat. Taking a single spoonful, she lifted the dessert to her mouth. She pushed the spoon into her mouth and on her tongue. Vanilla.

What a wonderful flavor…

Cat removed the spoon from her mouth to see that it was empty. True the vanilla ice cream was wonderful in flavor but what about its texture? There wasn't a crunch to be had, no salt topping to counter its sweet taste. It was missing something for sure. She let the spoon fall back into the glass bowl and she lifted her head to look at the ceiling. What was she missing? Something in her life was lacking…just like her vanilla ice cream.

XoXoX

"They're not doin' anythin'!"

Takao's eyebrow twitched. Just how were they supposed to be good spies, if Daichi spoke so loudly? He turned around and gave the redhead a good swat to the back of the head. The younger boy let out a yip before grabbing onto his head.

"I think I'm allergic to something in this bush!" Kyoujyu yelped with worry.

He twitched again. Sure, he had led his group to the ice cream parlor with only minor scrapes and bruises so what was with all the complaining now? He was knelt down before a bush, his hands grasping at the bush's leaves. His head was ducked just below the ice cream parlor's large window. It was thee perfect hiding spot, he had found it after all! Kyoujyu, Rei, and Daichi followed Takao's lead and hid behind the large bush but not without complaints.

"She looks a little pale," Rei said in a flat tone.

"Well of course!" Daichi barked as he threw his arms to his hips. "Look at her ice cream, there ain't any toppin's!"

Standing well behind the group, Kai stood near the street with his right hand over his face. He had to be embarrassed. Just the sad look in his eyes told everyone such was true. How did he end up dragging Kai along anyway? Then again didn't they always get into trouble like this? Why the older male decided to accompany them will forever be a mystery.

"That's not like her at all!" Takao grunted from his hiding place in the bush. "She's usually second place to me when it comes to toppings!"

"How dreadful." Kai said with a lengthy groan.

Takao whirled around and parted his lips to begin his combative reply, only to be distracted. A small rustle in a bush caught his eye and caused him to turn to the right. Across from the parlor entrance sat a bush, identical from the one he was hiding in. The bush began to shift and budge in different direction, almost as if someone where hiding in it. He cocked one of his thick blue brows and squinted his eyes to clear his vision. Again, the bush twitched and moved in an awkward manner. Someone was defiantly hiding there.

He lifted himself from his crouching position and crossed his arms over his chest. Kyoujyu, Rei and Daichi followed his motion and stood beside him, feeling confused at their leader's actions. Takao moved toward the flinching bush and extended his arms toward its green leaves.

With one swift movement, he parted the bush and revealed a batch of blue hair. Takao proceeded to grab the head of hair and yank it out of the bush. An ear-piercing scream filled the air, causing him to drop the head of hair and place his open palms over his ears. A small body fell from her hiding spot in the bush and fell to the hard pavement.

Seconds after closing his eyes, due to the scream, Takao reopened his eyes and looked to the floor. There sat a fallen Yumi, her knees scrapped from her fall. Her hair was now a mess, thanks to his crafty thinking. She sat, on her knees, with her eyes closed and her hand to her head.

"Yumi?!" His mouth dropped wide open.

"Yumi?" Kyoujyu, Rei and Daichi spoke at once, soon after Takao.

The smaller blue-haired female whimpered before pushing her legs out from under her. With her open palm to the floor, she pushed her body from the pavement and stood up straight. She then moved her hands up to her head and began to run her fingers through her silky aqua-colored hair, fixing the damage he had done.

Further rustling in the bushes caused Takao and his gang to look away from Yumi and back to the bush. Out of the small bush came Hiromi, Mao, Emily, Mathilda, Julia and Rumi. Wait; didn't he leave these girls back at Cat's apartment? What were they doing here and now?

"Nice going, idiot." Rumi muttered as she made her way to Yumi.

"Idiot?!" Takao snapped, "Who are you calling an idiot?!"

Rumi shot a glare at him before returning to her partner. The smaller of the two, Yumi, dipped her head in shame and let out a small whimper. Rumi patted her partner on the back, her effort to comfort her and aided in fixing her hair.

"What are you guys doing here?" Rei was the first of the boys to approach the girls with questions.

"N-nothing!" A bright red flash overcame Mathilda as she shook her hands wildly.

"It looks like you're spying." Daichi replied with a sly voice.

"Like you're not?" Julia gave her shoulder to the boys, before turning her face away from the group.

He had to come up with an excuse! He swallowed a mouthful of air before his mind could process anything. An excuse, he would have to come up with one fast. He couldn't let on that he…cared. His heart slammed in his chest and his breathing picked up in speed. Was he actually nervous?

"Adof asked us to!" He managed to shout without a stutter.

"Uh huh, sure." Emily laughed through her nose.

"It's the truth!" Takao combated with another shout.

"Takao," Hiromi pushed passed her female partners and spoke in a soft tone. "What are you doing? Why are you following Max and Cat around?"

"I just told you!" He barked at the smaller brunette, causing her to flinch.

Hiromi looked to the floor. What was with her sudden look of fear/nervousness? Since when did she get herself mixed up in these types of situations? As far as the champ knew, she was far superior than to spy on someone else's date.

The sound of a bell ringing vibrated in the teen's ears. The parlor door had slammed open. They all turned to see two figures standing in the doorway. The light of the setting sun hit their faces and revealed their identities to the curious teens. Max and Cat darkened the doorway and looked at the group with shocked expressions.

"Takao?" Max was first to break the awkward silence.

"Max!" Takao exclaimed back, sweat dripping from his face.

"What are you doing here?" Cat's face turned sour as she hissed.

Max's head then turned right. He saw the group of females looking back at him with wide eyes and open mouths. "Girls?" He asked.

Alerted, Cat turned to the group of girls to the right. Her eyebrows arched in shock and she wrapped her arms around her body. She chewed on her lip and fought back what looked like the urge to cry.

"What's going on here?!" She snapped, her eyes glossy with moisture. "Why are you all here?!"

Kyoujyu stepped forward, wanting to be the voice of reason. "Adof asked us to watch over you."

"So you agreed?" She whirled around to face the boys.

"Yes," Rei stepped forward with his hand extended toward the singer.

"How could you?" She hissed once again as she shook her head from side to side.

"It wasn't like we were doin' anythin' bad!" Daichi shrugged his tiny shoulders. "It's not like you was on a real date or anythin'."

"That doesn't matter!" She fought back.

"Don't make this into a bigger deal than it has to be." Kai spoke in his usual low tone and shot a glare at her.

"It is a big deal!" Cat yelped as she gripped the orange sweater around her shoulders.

Takao flinched. Oh geez, what had he just gotten himself into? Ugh not only did he ruin a perfectly good day for her but then he made her cry? Man, why did things like this always happen to him? It wasn't entirely his fault! The girls were just as much to blame, right? Either way things weren't looking good; it was going to take a lot more effort to win back Cat's affections this time.

XoXoX

A bright red blush ran over Cat's face. What had she gotten herself into? She knew this was a dumb idea from the start. Why did she have to agree to this? She could have saved herself a lot of embarrassment, shame and time. But she had to go, she had to let her female 'friends' doll her up for this stupid date. And now here she was, standing in her stupid black dress and lip-gloss. How more pathetic could she look?

"Cat," Mao stepped forward and spoke in a gentle tone. "We were just curious."

Cat shifted her attention to the group of females. "And you guys." She snarled, her lip curled in disgust. "How could you all do this to me? After you knew what it meant to me!"

Mathilda held her tiny hands to her chest and whimpered, "We didn't mean to-"

"Yes you did!" She shouted, causing the females to flinch. "You were supposed to be my friends!" She lowered her head, her hair shadowing her eyes. "It's no wonder I always hung out with boys, I couldn't stand girls!"

"Come on Cat," Hiromi reached and touched her on the shoulder. "You don't mean that."

A slap caused the boys to twitch. She pushed Hiromi's gentle touch away before lifting her head and allowed the light to touch her face. Small tears began to drip from her eyes and trickle down her red cheeks. She lifted her arms to her face and began to wipe away the moisture. She couldn't let them see one more tear, not like this. She wouldn't give them the pleasure of seeing her cry. She had to be strong; something like this couldn't get her down.

As she dropped her left arm to her side, a warm hand grabbed it. Cat stiffened upon contact and jerked to the left to see that Takao and grabbed her by the arm. The urge to cry came to a sudden halt, and she felt her heart nearly jump out of her ribcage. What was he doing?! Cat parted her lips and just as the words began to fall from her lips, she watched as Takao jolted forward.

He broke into a sprint, while yanking Cat along. Her flip-flops barely touched the floor as he ran forward. The two broke free from Max, from the others. As he rushed forward, passed the girls, they could hear them call out to him.

"What are you doing?!"

Filled her ears as he traveled forward. She couldn't look back, not now. He dashed down the street, pushing anyone in the way aside. Down the street, through traffic, passed stores. Cat whimpered and whined as she was pulled along. Her black dress flapped in the wind, her legs feeling the cool air as they ran. Her faulty flip-flop became a sacrifice for Takao's sudden act of courage and was lost somewhere along the streets. She ran with one barefoot with him.

What was his problem? What was the sudden plot to kidnap her? She was on a date! She couldn't leave Max hanging! Cat looked over her shoulder and watched as the people around her stared. The image of Max and the others soon disappeared. It was just the two of them now. What was he planning on doing to her? He wouldn't pull another kissing stunt on her, would he?

"Don't you get it?! I want you to remember! I want you back! I don't want you to forget!"

Who was this boy? Takao. What did he want with her? As she was pulled along she felt the cold wind hit her hot cheeks. Why was she blushing? She watched his back as he ran. She could see his hair dancing in the cool air. If he ran any harder, his hat would surely become a sacrifice along with her fallen flip-flop. What was it about this boy that stirred a strange emotion within her? It was a sickening kind of feeling…

"I love you…"

That was it! Cat felt the warmth on her face deepen. He loved her. He kissed her. For now, she would follow him. Just until she figured out who he was and why he loved her. Where would he take her? What would he tell her next?

Act End.