Author's Note: For those who are reading this now. (As of 10/2014) I wanted to leave a note to all returning readers and new ones. This story is OLD. Like four years old and its BAD. I only keep this story up for nostalgic reasons.

Go ahead and read but be warned that this story is OLD and NOT VERY GOOD. If you like it, thanks! Otherwise, please be aware that I already know this is very outdated. (And I'm not about to rewrite this for the hundredth time.)

Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoy yourselves with this crap! :) Oh and I don't own any part of Beyblade or its characters!

"Maybe I'm a little bit over my head. I come undone at the things he said and he's so funny in his bright red shirt. We were all in love and we all got hurt."- White Houses, Vanessa Carlton

Bittersweet Melody

First Arc: Act One

One short year had passed him by and before he knew it, Takao had found himself in a new light. Bakuten Shoot Beyblade Champion? The feeling was more than amazing. Now, that he had beaten most every enemy in battle it was no longer a task to meet and beat the next opponent, it was beating his own high scores. He had no one to challenge him since the tournament; he only had himself to face in battle. Sure, there was the occasional battle with friends or newcomers but they were short-lived and seemed to lack the rush he had come so accustom to. The champ could only hope and pray that his adrenaline rush would return with the announcement of a new Bakuten Shoot Beyblade tournament.

The idea of new battles, new teams, and new foes was almost overwhelming. Takao found himself feeling a child-like excitement as the days counted down until the tournament was set to begin. Of course, he wouldn't let a day pass him without a good training session with Kyoujyu.

Lucky for him, the Bakuten Shoot Beyblade tournaments were always held during the summer months, when school was no longer an issue. During his last school year, Takao had acquired the first female friend he'd he had for a year. Hiromi. This female was the first friend to 'join' the team since, she left.

She had been there before Hiromi, before the fame, before the champion was titled. Had it really been one whole year? He was beside himself to think he'd seen hadn't seen her in one whole year. Life had sure taken a strange turn in her absence, the newfound popularity and the title of 'Champ'.

The whole situation had taken a number on not only him but his whole team, Kyoujyu, Max, Rei, and Kai. The others had found it somewhat difficult to have this popularity added to their daily routine but for him, it didn't seem so bad. Newspaper, magazines, radio stations all lined up for an interview with the new champs of Bakuten Shoot Beyblade. The attention was great for him but for the others, Takao wasn't sure. Kyoujyu, Max and Rei seemed bothered by it from time to time while Kai was the lone wolf of the team and stayed away from the public's eye.

Ah well, there wasn't much time to stop and think about it anyway, today he was on his way home, nearly leaping the whole way. He couldn't think of anything he enjoyed more a training session after school. He skipped home in delight knowing that his teammates would not be far behind. He knew that they would be waiting for him, most likely in his backyard practicing.

Takao had called a team meeting; they needed to discuss the coming year's tournament. What battle plans would they devise for the coming year? What teams would make a return visit? What skills had they obtained during the past year? All these questions needed to be examined and answered. This year he was determined to once again smash the enemy and become champion for the second year in a row. This time around, he wouldn't show mercy on anyone. It felt almost as if he wanted this championship more than he wanted the previous years.

The champion rushed into his small home, throwing his backpack and other school essentials aside. He slammed open the dojo room doors wide open with excitement. It was there that his eyes landed on his trusty teammates. The BBA team sat in wait for him. Takao could hardly muster up words to form as he looked upon his own teammates.

His eyes scanned from Max, who was sitting on the ground his legs crossed, to Rei who stood next to Kai in the doorway of the dojo and lastly on to Kyoujyu who sat on the dojo floor tapping away at his laptop. His eyes continued to wander until it landed on a fifth shadow in the room. His eyes followed the shadow until it matched up with a body. Hiromi had followed along.

Again? Ugh! His wide smile was quick to drop at the sight of her. Was she here to nag him once again? What urged her to bother him so much? Perhaps she found joy in causing him annoyance and pain. She never seemed to fail at giving him a major headache. She must have followed Kyoujyu to his home; it wouldn't be the first time.

"About time," Kai was first to speak outwardly as he pushed himself off the wall and faced Takao with a glare.

"Yeah," Takao interlaced his fingers and cracked them. "Let's get this thing started." He said with a smile as he passed by Hiromi without a second glance.

She didn't hesitate to shoot Takao glare as he passed her, he could feel it. He was going to give her the silent treatment, something that irritated the young brunette more than anything. He knew she hated it, and she knew he was doing it on purpose. Perhaps if he continued to ignore her, she'd eventually leave. Maybe. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as she threw her hands to her hips and glanced to the left. Was that her attempt to 'show him up'? She'd have to do better than that!

"So, what should we start with, Takao?" Max was quick to cut in an enthused tone, no doubt trying his best to calm the tense atmosphere.

"Well," Takao unlaced his fingers and rose his arms up into the air and began to stretch, "Who wants to practice first? Rei? Wanna go?"

"Sounds good to me." Rei smiled as he stepped up to face the one-time champion.

The two looked at one another, each ready with his own plan of battle. He knew Rei's weaknesses and as well as his strengths and by now he was sure Rei knew his as well. The two took their fighting stances, blades ready on their launchers. A still look in each other's eyes, they were both prepared for their count down.

"3…" Kyoujyu's voice came on cue, "2…1…GO SHOOT!"

The two shot their blades off their launchers and the sound of the blades hitting the ground echoed throughout the dojo. Takao was first to go on the attack, his blade slamming into Rei's. The black haired male was quick to counter with an attack of his own, sending Takao's blade flying back several inches.

Ah, this was how he liked his battles; one-on-one with a tough opponent. He knew Rei was one to be reckon with. He could be vicious if need-be and always saved his best attack for last. Takao knew this and was sure to stay on guard. But it was this type of battle that kept him in the game of blading, the type of battles that kept him on his toes. And if in the end he did not come out the victory he knew that there would be no hard feelings or harsh losses. Sure, the tournament was fun but blading with his friends was something it couldn't be beat.

"So you guys are all set up for this year's tournament?" Hiromi turned to Kyoujyu as the battle ensued.

"Sure are!" The boy replied with in a delightful tone as he continued to tap away at his laptop. "I can't believe it's been a whole year all ready."

"Is it really that hard to believe?" She let a small chuckle escape her lips as she sat beside him.

"Yeah, it is." He replied all the while obtaining the battle information on his computer.

"It almost feels like yesterday!" Max responded to Hiromi's initial question. "…In some ways, anyway."

"Oh?" She tilted her head at the blond's comment. "What do you mean by that?"

Takao let out a grunt as the trio chatted behind him. Their chitchat was setting him up for failure. How dare they interrupt his practice by such meaningless chatter? As the three spoke amongst themselves, the thought of Hiromi even being there entered his mind. Why did she always have to intrude? Why did she insist on following him wherever he went if she disliked blading? Takao clenched his fists, trying his best to keep his concentration on track with the battle.

"Hm," Max mumbled to himself as the tapping from Kyoujyu's computer became slower. "Well, things have just changed around here…that's all."

"I agree with that," Kyoujyu's agreed.

It was then the tapping from the smallest BBA member's fingers came to a complete halt. Takao's ears twitched to the new silence of the continuous tapping. He could feel Kyoujyu staring at his back; no doubt the lone female was doing the same.

"Why? What's changed?" Hiromi asked amongst the sound of the crashing blades.

He grunted once again. Why were they still speaking? Couldn't they see that he had something going on? It was just as he was getting through his train of thought when Rei's blade swiftly came in through his left side and slammed into his blade. The colliding of both blades caused Takao's blade to fly off in defeat. The capped boy gritted his teeth in anger before turning to Hiromi, Kyoujyu and Max.

"Why are you guys talking when we're practicing?!" He shouted before walking toward his beaten blade and picking it up from the ground.

"Sorry about that Takao," Kyoujyu was first to apologize out of the trio.

"But nobody answered my question!" Hiromi puffed up her cheeks, probably feeling impatient with the group of boys.

"Because nobody wants to answer you, Hiromi!" Takao snapped at the young female with a sharp remark.

"Hey!" She countered with a loud snap of her own. "What's wrong with asking a question? It isn't that big of a deal is it?"

Takao threw his hands on his head and gripped on the hair in front of his face, "Just never mind! It isn't important!"

"It isn't?" Max shot a quick glare in his direction.

"No, it isn't!" He growled before storming away from the group.

Enough was enough. He didn't want to talk about the past, the past was over. There was nothing to look forward to but the future, right? Why ramble about something that happened more than a year ago? He wasn't going to sit around and 'chat' about what used to be.

XoXoX

The group watched at Takao walked out of the dojo and into the main area of his home. What the heck was that about? Hiromi sighed to herself as she wondered why he had gotten so upset. It wasn't unusual for the boy to become upset after losing, but this was stranger than normal. Takao wasn't one to take practice matches so seriously.

"What's wrong with him?" She curled her lip and tuned back to Kyoujyu.

"Ah," He lifted his hand and scratched the back of his head.

"This is where I leave," Kai's dark tone cut in as he walked away from the group. "I don't need to be here when it's unnecessary." She watched as the cold male turned a tight corner and left her sight completely.

"So is anyone going to answer my question?" The brunette gnawed on the inside of her cheek, trying her hardest to subdue her frustration with the boys.

"Well," Kyoujyu cleared his throat, "It's about last year's tournament."

"And? What about it?" Hiromi tilted her head to one side.

"When the tournament ended we lost a part of our team, that's all." He explained, his hands adjusting his high-set glasses.

"What? A part of your team, but aren't teams made up of only four members?" Hiromi lifted her index finger to her lower lip.

"This person wasn't a blader by any means," Kyoujyu continued on, "Just a part of our group."

Hiromi opened her mouth to ask another question when she looked in Max's direction to see that he had turned away from the group, his face toward the bare wall. She could tell something was wrong with the blond, but she couldn't begin to guess what. Should she press on for answers? She then took a moment to look in Rei's direction; he seemed a bit distracted his eyes on his feet.

"Well, where did he go?" Hiromi asked her tone soft, feeling as though she had touched a sensitive subject.

"It's kind of a long story," Kyoujyu explained.

Intrigued, she leaned in toward Kyoujyu. This was the best moment to use her large brown eyes to get what she wanted. She looked at the four-eyed male and batted her eyelashes to the best of her extent. After a moment, the smaller boy let out a small sigh and placed his laptop to one side. Hands in his lap, he inhaled a deep breath.

"Last year when we traveled we had an extra member on our support team." He spoke in a soft tone. Was he nervous that Takao might over hear them? "She-"

"She?!"

"Y-yes," Kyoujyu cleared his throat. "She traveled with us, that's all." He looked at her for a moment before clearing his throat. "She ended up separating from us because she had some work to do in America."

"Oh?" She nodded. "But Takao seems awfully upset about it, why-"

"I'm not upset!"

Hiromi flinched while the boys beside her jumped in surprise. Takao's booming voice was enough to cause them to look up to see him standing before them, still angry. His hands were placed on his hips and an unpleasant frown centered on his face.

"Seems like it to me, Takao." Hiromi replied in a concerned tone.

"I don't care if she's not around anymore," He snorted, his eyes closed. "She wanted to leave so she left. No big deal."

At this, she looked up to see how Max was taking the small talk. She took note of his depressed gaze and slouched posture. Had the mention of this ex-member taken that much of a toll on him? Perhaps the two were close? Or maybe the subject in general was just sensitive for him, after all the, young blond couldn't be used to separation, especially not after his parent's divorce.

She then jerked her head to the right to see Rei standing straight with his blade in his palms. He appeared as if he wanted a distraction, so he didn't want to talk about this either?

Takao turned away from the group once again this time speaking aloud to himself. "I don't need her around. I can do just fine without Cat."

Wait, she had heard of that name before. "Cat?" Hiromi's back shot straight upward as the words entered her ears, "Cat, you mean like Cat Greco?" She asked.

Takao stopped dead in his tracks. What so she was right? She watched as the champion stiffened to an extent she had rarely seen. Her eyes shifted from him and landed on Max. His jaw had dropped a few inches, so she was right! This was great!

"What did you say?" Takao swirled around, only to shoot her a nasty glare.

"You, you, you don't know Cat do you?!" Kyoujyu tripped over his own words, as he looked straight into her eyes.

"Of course I know Cat Greco!" Hiromi shut her eyes and gave the group a wide smile. "Well, I don't actually know her…but I know of her!"

The boys at once gave Hiromi a strange look. Were they confused or intrigued? She resisted the tiny giggle that crawled up the back of her throat. Oh this was sweet, now they had something in common! She could finally contribute to the team! Now there was only one thing left to do, show them her proof!

Hiromi snapped her delicate slender fingers and reached over toward her knapsack that lay on the ground. She unlatched the buckle and reached deep inside her well-organized bag. Inside, it didn't take her long to find what she was searching for. She pulled out a black, three-ringed binder. The boys watched as she flipped the binder open and she began to look with it. She turned a few pages before landing on a single laminated page. She then popped open the binder rings and pulled out the paper. Hiromi, pleased with what she had found, handed the laminated sheet of paper to a confused Takao.

The single sheet of paper was almost glowing with bright colors and large fonts. Takao squinted his eyes as he scanned the page. This article had come out of an American magazine, a girl's magazine at that. Trying his best to read the English words on the page, he quickly scanned through the summary until he stopped on two big words.

Cat Greco.

His hands tighten around the laminated sheet of paper while his eyes widened. He scanned through the rest of the magazine article. After the short summary he came to the bottom of the page, where a large photo was placed and there pictured in the article was Cat, Cat Greco.

"Cat?!" Takao exclaimed aloud, causing all three remaining boys to rush to his side.

The four boys stared upon the girl pictured at the bottom of the magazine article. Their wide eyes and jaws spelled it out for Hiromi. It was like they were looking at a ghost from their past! So this was female that Kyoujyu just spoke of moments ago. How strange!

Takao dropped the page from his view and glared at her, "Where did you get this?!" He shouted, excitement obviously pumping through his veins.

"It was an article," Hiromi explained, "In a magazine I like to read."

"But this is an American magazine!" Kyoujyu popped in as he pointed toward the article. "Where did you get this?"

"There's a bookstore in the mall that sells American magazines and books." She continued with a sigh and a roll of her eyes. "Since I take an English class, I like to read American magazines."

"Oh wow!" Max's eyes got wide as he gave a gentle tug on the paper, pulling it toward his eyes to read. "This says here that Cat is…" He narrowed his eyes as his eyes scanned the paper. "Is a pop star!"

"What?!" Takao shouted, yanking the paper back toward himself. "Where does it say that?!"

"Here," Max indicated by pointing with his index finger. "Cat Greco's first album to be released!"

"Well, well," Rei gave a wide smile as he placed his hand behind his head. "It seems like she got what she wanted after all!"

"Right," Kyoujyu exhaled deeply. "That's amazing, it really is her!"

"I've been listening to a few of her singles," Hiromi's voice caught the boys off guard. "I really enjoy listening to her voice." She stood to her feet alongside the boys, "But this is really the girl you used to travel with?"

"It is!" Kyoujyu smiled, "That's her."

"Wait a minute," Hiromi lifted her hand to her chin in question. "That reminds me," The boys looked at the female as she spoke softly, "I thought I read somewhere that Cat Greco got her career started at a Bakuten Shoot Beyblade Tournament…"

The four boys look at one another in silence for a solid moment. The silence was the only answer she needed. So all the information she had translated was true. What a strange coincidence! After a short moment of silence Max, Rei and Kyoujyu let out a big laugh and pulled away from the laminated magazine page.

"This great news," A large smile widened on Max's face.

"Psh," Takao turned his nose upward and turned his back to the group.

Ignoring Takao's clear attitude toward information on Cat, Hiromi looked at the other boys with a smile. She felt for the first time she had proven her worth by giving them some news they didn't know of. She had longed for some time to feel appreciated by the boys; as much as she denied it aloud, she wanted their respect greatly. Maybe this way, she was getting somewhere in the search of value within the team.

"Well you know," A slight blush came over her face as she spoke in a soft voice. "I heard that Cat Greco was on tour to expand news of her CD release."

"And your point?" Takao snapped.

"She might be coming back to this area," The girl bit on her lower lip, nervous that her idea and or suggestion may be rejected by the boys. "I assume she grew up here, right?"

Takao flinched and became silent.

His features became stiff while his skin grew pale. He turned in his lower lip and began to chew on it. His fists at his sides clenched while his eyebrows furrowed. What was he thinking? Was he mad, scared or maybe a bit of both? She had never seen such an expression on his face before, was this girl a source of some kind of pain for him?

"Takao?"

Said boy flinched once again but this time at the sound of his name on Max's lips. The blond extended his arm out to Takao, his fingers touching his shoulder. With the warm presence on his body, the capped boy appeared to return to reality. He shook his head back and forth before clearing his throat.

"What?" He asked, turning about to face Max.

"Are you all right?" The American asked his voice low.

"I'm fine."

Taking the hint, Max backed away from Takao. Hiromi watched as the two boys separated from one another. What was with the sudden tense air between them? Had Max over stepped his boundaries? Perhaps this topic was still too fresh in Takao's mind. Maybe bringing the subject back into the light was a bad idea. Had she done something wrong?

No, she couldn't have disrespected them! Not after all her hard work in trying to fit in! She had to undo this, she had to make things right. She couldn't live with herself knowing that she messed up the only chance at making the team. Ugh! Why did the subject have to come up at all?!

Then again, maybe bringing Cat back into their lives would be the best thing. What was the harm in it, it's not like the pop star ever hurt any of the boys, right? There was only one way to find out.

"I could always check if the tour is coming here," Her voice broke the odd silence. "I mean, if you wanted."

"Do what you want," Takao shrugged off the offer with haste. "We have training to do."

"Takao…" Kyoujyu muttered under his breath as he watched the older boy walk away from the group.

"Come on!" He shouted, causing the group the flinch. "Let's get back to training."

"It's all right, Hiromi," Max bent down to look her in the face as Kyoujyu and Rei followed their leader. "I think it's great you knew about this." A smile widened on her face as he continued, "If you want to look up Cat's tour schedule, I'd appreciate it. Okay?"

Hiromi closed her eyes and gave Max a big, firm head nod. She, for once, was feeling needed to the team. Even if Takao didn't agree to it, she did not want to give up on her being an essential part of the team.

Act End.