Bittersweet Melody

Second Arc: Act Twenty One

Below the overpass, he bent over and clenched knees with his open palm. He panted and his chest moved up and down in a rapid motion. The sprint had obviously taken more out of him then he originally planned. The sound of water that flowed beneath the overpass echoed in his ears. The strands of his soft hairs dangled over his cheeks. The cool fall breeze passed through his body. He was finally alone with her, is that what he wanted? He ripped her away from Max and now the two were alone together. What was he thinking? What was with the sudden rash decision?

Cat stood a few feet away from him, her arms folded over her chest. Her black dress and brunette-colored hair flapped in the cool air. She faced her back to him and remained silent. Takao lifted his head to look over at the silent female. He managed to catch his breath enough to close his mouth and stall his panting. Beginning at her feet, his eyes traveled up her body.

"Why did you drag me out here?"

Takao applied pressure to his hands, pushing himself off his knees. He stood up straight to face her. He watched as she shifted her weight to her left leg and rested her chin on her left shoulder. Her eyes fluttered away from him, why couldn't she look at him now? Was it because of the stunt he pulled?

"What's your problem, anyway?"

Takao sighed through his nose. Why had he? Why did his soul urge him to tear her away from Max? It had to be his feelings for her. He couldn't think of any other reason why. Either that or he was incredibly stupid.

"I don't want you to talk to me or see me." She said in a low tone. "I want nothing to do with you."

It was if his heart stopped. Those words. He had heard them too many times before. The first time he had heard those words, they were coming out of his own mouth. That day, that evening in the hospital, he was laying in his sick bed and turned to her uttering those words.

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to come and see me anymore."

Why did he have to say something so stupid? Why did that thought even pass his mind? How could he be so cold, so cruel? Takao clenched his hand to create a fist as he thought. But this wouldn't be the last time he would hear something similar to this. He would hear it yet again but this time coming from her mouth.

"I'm saying them now, don't think it's a good idea for me to see or talk to you anymore."

Why did she have to say that? On one of the last days he would see her before the accident. She told him to forget her, forget she ever existed. He couldn't. He couldn't let her go, not just yet. Why couldn't she have acted like a real blader and fought him at day? Instead, she had to forfeit and call the whole thing quits.

"I can't do that." Takao found the strength to reply. "Not until you get your memory back."

Cat paused for a moment before answering. "So," She said with a small sigh. "After I get my memory back, you'll promise me that you'll leave me alone?"

That was an easy answer so why did he hesitate? A large thump in his chest reminded him that he was still nervous. The ill feeling continued to rage through his body and cause him to be weak in the knees.

Takao unclenched his fist and allowed his fingers to dangle in the wind. He couldn't leave her alone, not until she remembered him. And if she no longer loved him…then so be it. As long as she was the person she was once before. As long as she smiled the way she used to and enjoyed life for what it had to offer, it was fine if he never spoke to her again.

"Fine." He answered, his head dropping. "Once you get your memories back, then I promise we'll never have to see each other again."

A smile spread across her face. "Good."

Silence filled the air. The whistling of the wind shot through Takao's ear. So now he had a time limit. He allowed a small chuckle to pass his lips. A time limit, huh? A sharp piercing sensation hit his in the chest, dead center. He couldn't help but throw his hand up to his chest, and grip at his shirt. Why did his heart ache so? A time limit on their relationship, it was almost as if she were dying. The more she remembered the further their relationship deteriorated.

"So," Cat began to speak, finally turning around to face him. "Let's talk about my memory." She then unfolded her arms from her chest and attached them to her hips. "The sooner I can remember, the faster I can get rid of you."

Another jab to his heart, adding more salt to his open wound. He sighed to himself and tried his best to shrug off her latest comment. He turned his back to Cat and walked over to a small patch of grass. He plopped down on the soft ground, extended his legs out in front of his body and leaned back on his arms. He looked over his shoulder and stared directly at her. Lifting his right arm, he gestured her to come closer.

A flash of red heat hit her cheeks. He could sense the hairs standing on her arm and the goosebumps spreading over her body. Ah, he knew her too well, even when she had lost her memory. He managed to flash his famous cocky smirk as he encouraged her to sit beside him. The heat on her face deepened as she stepped toward him. She refused to do as asked but not before throwing her nastiest glare at him. Oh she wanted to scare him off, did she? Nice but it wouldn't work.

Takao let out a sigh before turning his head to face the waterway that moved under the overpass. He watched as the setting sun reflected shades of orange and pink off the water. The shine from the neighboring city glimmered on the surface.

He shut his eyes for a moment and inhaled the sweet air through his nose. Last year he was in the very same position. Sitting here, in the same spot, he trained for his upcoming battles. And she was there with him on that day. She sat by his side and watched him as he trained. That show of compassion and support made his heart flutter. How did he not notice before? How could he over look her support for so long? Oh how was he craving it now.

"I can't stay here any longer. I'm…I'm going back on tour."

Yes, he could hear her voice in his head now. It was the Cat he knew, the Cat he had lost. And now, he was stuck with her. Just one more minute with the old Cat was all he needed. Just to tell her about his victory over Brooklyn, to tell her about that final battle, to tell her that he loved her.

Takao opened his eyes and looked up to her. She stood above him, her hands once again over her chest. She had a familiar-looking pout on her face as she stared out at the water before her. Takao's eyes then bounced down to her black dress. He had to admit, it was a bit odd to see her in a dress and yet, it was kind of appealing. Taking quick note of his staring eyes, Cat jerked out of place and turned her torso away from him. He leaned in to see a pink shadow on her cheeks. She wasn't still blushing was she?

"Sit down."

Cat flinched before looking his way again. The blush lingered on her cheeks as she watched Takao pat the soft grass beside him. She chewed on her bottom lip, hesitating as much as she could. She made a quick glance to her left and right before couching down beside him. Her two feet hit the grass and she twitched at the sensation of the grass on her barefoot. She then tucked her legs beneath her backside and sat. Now what? She looked his way for a second, only to turn away the next. Was she nervous?

"Takao?"

"Hm."

She turned her attention to the waterway. "Did you mean what you said?"

He arched a thick brow before turning her way. "What did I say?"

Cat sunk her head between her shoulders. She shut her eyes tight and began to grip the end of her black dress. "You said," The celebrity muttered as she tugged at her dress. "You said that you were glad that I lost my memory."

He paused. He inhaled a deep breath before thinking. That was right, he had said that. The day before, he had told her that he was happy about it. Why did he have to speak before thinking? He was so rash with his words. But it wasn't like it was unprovoked! She had spit out some nasty comments of her own. But how could he be glad about this situation, it was foolish of her to think he could be. The last thing he wanted was for her to forget.

"No," He gave a simple answer.

Cat nodded. She began to rustle around in on the grass. She moved her legs out from beneath her body and placed them in front of her chest. She ducked her head into her knees and sighed.

XoXoX

"Then why did you say it?"

Cat allowed her eyes to land on Takao. The boy was still staring out at the setting sun. His dark, crimson-colored eyes focusing on the pink clouds above. She began to lose herself in his eyes. How wondrous they were, how deep they appeared. Moments passed without a word from him. What the heck?! So now he wasn't paying attention to her?! She tore her stare away from Takao and moved her head and eyes back to the waterway.

How arrogant! How could he ignore her like that? She wasn't about to take that laying down! She pushed her eyebrows downward, creating a glare and began to turn to face Takao.

Just as she began to shift in his direction, she felt two warm arms wrap around her body. Her eyes widen as a familiar scent filled her nose. She tried her best to focus her vision but all she could see was a bright shade of yellow. She tilted her head upward to see that Takao had pulled her into his chest. He then proceeded to wrap his arms around her body. He cradled her in his arms and buried his face in her brown hair.

She could feel him press his face against her. The sensation of his touch and body temperature caused her face to heat up. A blush quickly spread across her cheeks as she felt her forehead touch his collarbone. Why was he hugging her? Why now? His scent continued to fill her nose. That scent…where had she smelled it before? It wasn't like Max's scent; it was something new yet familiar.

What was he thinking? Why would he grab her like this again? He knew what happened last time… Last time she had slapped him and he still he attempted to hold her? He must have been out of his mind. But why wasn't she pushing him away? Why did she insist on being held in his arms? He was so warm. Cat felt her eyes flutter shut and her tense shoulders relax.

A gentle pressure pushed on her shoulders. She opened her eyes to see that Takao had begun to push her away. Her eyes opened wide as he locked gazes with her. He then moved his face toward her, just until their noses touched. It was as if her face was on fire, she was sure she couldn't blush any harder.

"I want you to remember more than anything." He whispered. "I want you to remember me the way I remember you."

Her lips parted. She wanted to respond, reply to his comment but no words could form on her tongue. Her heart began to pound in her chest and she could feel sweat begin to build on her forehead. It was if she couldn't breathe and yet her chest pushed up and down. Was she breathing or even blinking?

His eyes, she had found herself lost in his eyes for the second time. They burned with passion and yet he looked so lonely. Cat closed her mouth and allowed herself to gulp. How much time had she wasted staring at his eyes, it seemed as if it had been hours. Her eyes then dropped from his eyes to his lips. His lips glistened in the evening light, how soft they looked now.

"I wanted you to come back for me."

Her body went stiff. Her blood began to flow cold in her veins. What did he just say? Cat's gaze fell to the ground as the warmth around her began to fade away. Takao had removed his arms from her body and returned them to his sides. He turned his face away from her and looked back to the setting sun. She allowed her arms to cross over her chest, her mind still trying to process what he had just told her.

"I came back because of you."

Her mouth dropped open. She then began to slowly turn toward Takao. Where had she heard those words before? She felt her body begin to tingle and her limps grow numb. What was she feeling? She couldn't put a name to the emotion; she just knew that she was feeling something.

Catching on to her reaction, Takao looked at the female. He was taken back for a moment, by her expression. He cocked a brow at her after tilting his head to one side. He lifted one arm into the air and reached out to her, he placed his arm on her shoulder and smiled at her.

"Everything will be fine."

Cat shook her head from side to side. She had to shake herself out of this mood! She cleared her throat before shooting a glare at him. She lifted her left hand to her shoulder and pushed away his gentle hand. She then threw her nose up into the air and snorted.

"Take me home!"

He frowned as he pulled his arm back toward his chest. "Fine." He pushed his body off the floor. "Come on then."

Cat looked up to Takao to see that he had offered his hand to her. A quick flash of blush appeared on her face before she could accept the offer. She tried her best to act as though she didn't need his help and turned her face away from him. A moment or two passed before she turned back to see that he was still offering his hand in aid. She puffed up her cheeks with air before grabbing hold of his hand.

Takao pulled her up to her feet. Cat looked at the taller boy, giving him a look of dissatisfaction. He let his arm fall to his side and began to walk ahead of her.

"You coming or not?" He asked without turning around to address her.

She grunted to herself before shooting a glare at his back. She threw her arms over her chest and began to walk behind him. Why was he so tempting? She had to wonder to herself. Even when he was being a jerk, he was amusing. She had to admit it to herself; having been taken away from her date with Max was…romantic? It was something she couldn't and would never admit aloud.

Act End.