"Reflections and a Day-off"

by Cassandra

DISCLAIMER: Nada…I don’t own nothing.

"Singing to the Stars: Seiya"

Chapter III

The look on Taiki’s face when he heard the news was priceless and if I had a camera I would have snapped it to give to Ami. Well, if it were me in his place I would have looked the same too. The news was something right out of the Boogie Man’s Lair.

You wanna know what I told him?

Well, Yaten’s going on a date with Minako.

Hey! Don’t look at me like I’m growing another head with three eyes! I’m telling the truth!

I know, I know, it sounds ridiculous but it’s true!

You wanna know what I did? I’m sure you do!

It’s easy, really. If you want Yaten to do something all you gotta do is wind him up a little until he’s so tight he’ll WANT to do it just to get away from you. All I did was taunt him until his ego was so challenged he actually grabbed the phone, dialed her number, and asked her without stuttering and breaking into a sweat.

Then again, the Yaten I know would never stutter or break into a sweat because of a girl.

And so, here I am in the living room again with my guitar, strumming the time away. I’m currently writing a song and so far, I think I’m doing a good job. I may not be a Poet Laureate like Taiki but I could come up with something when I’m in the mood.

"I watch the Earth from my moonstar home

In the limitless universe above

I’d never thought I’d spy

Through my telescope ruby lenses

A beauty so unique, unreachable, innocent

And so it came to pass one day

I couldn’t let your intoxicating heaven of an image slip

Right then I knew, I’d fallen into red drunken emotion…"

What do you think of that? It sounds pretty good if I could say so myself. I’ll show this to Taiki, then he’ll say something like, "Good consisted imagery but…" or something like that. If he doesn’t like it he’ll never be so nice. He believes that frank scrutiny could do wonders for art. Sigh, Taiki would never change.

Or would he? I don’t know about Yaten but to me I think a new Taiki is walking amongst us. The gentler, more human Taiki that knew what it is like to appreciate the innate beauty of something. With the help of Odango and her friends, I could say that all of us have changed. Not just Taiki, not just Yaten, (though I don’t see anything improving. He’s still the grumpy imp that I know! Hehe!) not just yours truly, but all three of us. All three Starlights and for the better too.

I grinned when Taiki looked over my shoulder as he passed behind the couch. He asked for the paper I was writing on and read it silently. When he was done, he handed it back with an unreadable expression on his face. He raised one eyebrow as he spoke, "You seem to be inspired today. A lot more poetic than usual."

I stuck my tongue out at him as I jabbed my thumb to my chest. "Face it Taiki, this Seiya-sama could do anything!"

"Is that a challenge?" Taiki leaned forward as if trying to intimidate me.

"Save the height advantage for Yaten, Taiki. It would never work on me."

To that remark, Taiki gave a snort and punched me lightly on the arm that was slung over the back of the couch. He made his way towards his chair beside the tall lamp and began to read.

Taiki. Taiki was the most serious out of all three of us. He wasn’t here for fun or at least intended to having fun as we settled here on Earth. The mission was all he allowed himself to think about. He was serious maybe because he‘s the logical, practical one. A person who had foolish ideas or fantastical claims would not survive Taiki’s brutal wit and intelligence. He was strongly rooted on reality and nothing and no one could shake him. To him, dreams and romance were a waste of precious time.

As hardened as Taiki was he adored poetry. He read them as well as wrote some and he was good.

I never knew a more complex character all my life.

When we became the Three Lights, he was elated when our manager advised us to go to the local high school, to set a good example to the fans, they said. Yaten and I weren’t too happy about it, though.

Juuban High gave Taiki access to more knowledge and resources. It soon wasn’t a new sight when he would meet up with us at the end of the day with a tall stack of books in his arms. I’m not exaggerating when I say that he probably read almost all the textbooks in print. If I were in his place, I would have gone stark raving mad even before I manage to read a fourth of what he already did.

But as our stay in Juuban lengthened, with adventures with the Earth senshi in between, Taiki seemed to change little by little. He looked happier, he was nicer, hell he even laughed.

I was very happy when Odango made him laugh. Now, he knew the shine that drew me to her. But that is another story.

Over all, Taiki was now set free from his misery, somewhat.

I was snapped out of my musings when I heard a door slam close. I lifted my gaze and grinned immediately when I saw Dating Boy.

I whistled low. "Looking good!"

Behind me, I knew, more than felt, Taiki look at his appearance and give a lopsided smirk.

Yaten flung his ponytail back with a sweep of his effeminate hand in irritation.

Yaten was dressed well for his date in a high-class restaurant of his choice. He was dressed in black slacks under a cream turtleneck that clung to his chest in an excellent manner. Over that was a wine red overcoat of silky material that fell to almost his knees. Only Yaten could get away with a look like that.

The frown etched on his face ruined the beautiful vision that he created. "You are so gonna pay if this coat gets ruined by that twit." He murmured in a deep tone that made me somewhat suspicious. Could it be that he’s nervous of this date?

I smirked as I looked at him appreciatively. If I were in my true form and he wasn’t Yaten, I would have gone and flirted with him on the spot. He was that delicious. Hehe, Fighter out of control…

"If I were Minako, I wouldn’t be able to resist you in that outfit." I drawled, sending him one of my seductive smiles. Presenting, Fighter at her worst teasing mode.

That comment made him look pale all of a sudden. I roared with laughter when he high-tailed it back to his room. "Coward!" I crowed as I howled with shameless laughter.

"I am not!" Yaten yelled from his room. I heard a door slam as his muffled exclamations continued. "Seiya you little shit! You’re going to pay for this!"

I was still rolling around on the floor when Taiki’s voice of reason rang through the apartment. "Yaten, you better get going. You’ll be late and that would be a sign of disrespect to Minako." Taiki took one look at me and rolled his eyes.

"I don’t give a shit!"

"Yaten, I know you don’t want to do it but you’re the one who invited her. Come on, stop being a baby! Be a man and do as you promised!"

"Shut up Taiki! I’m not really a man so I don’t have to do this!"

I laughed harder at that one, if that was possible.

Sighing, I grabbed the phone and dialed Minako’s number.

"Moshi moshi?"

"Minako? Listen, could you wait a little while longer?" I bit down my laughter as I looked at Taiki who was still trying to get Yaten out of his room. "Yaten’s sort of having a, uh, an identity crisis."

A green eye rested on me from behind an semi-closed door and Taiki’s tree of a physique. "I am not either!"

Yaten, our little hothead. Yaten may be small and the most feminine of us three but don’t try crossing the little fella. Yaten may be intelligent but he’s not wise enough to keep his trap shut when he thinks something does not suit him fine. He’s loud, frank and rude and I have no idea where he got all those words he uses to insult with. His hobbies are bitching about the Earth, insulting everything and everyone around him, making people mad with him, and ripping up his fan mail.

On the latter, he does it because he’s convinced of the insincerity of his fans.

"How could they say they love us if they don’t even know us?" Direct quote.

Explaining about the normality of the situation would never work. He probably wouldn’t listen anyway.

As bad as he may seem, the mask falls at the presence of Odango’s pet cat, Luna. Cats are the only living things that he’s nice to. I bet my last yen that it is only to Luna that he managed to say his pains to.

Charming isn’t he?

And yet girls all over Japan fall truly, madly, deeply in love with him.

Hehe, difficult men are such magnets. **wink**

Aino Minako was the personification of his disdain: the Ultimate Three Lights Fan.

Time and time again, Yaten and Minako would have their moments and they played their roles perfectly. Yaten, the ever-snobbish star and Minako, the star-struck fan.

She irritated him so much until that fateful audition where she finally showed him the real Minako: the one with the special shine. Through that audition, Yaten learned that there are things in life aside from the mission. One should set time aside to do what you want to do for yourself.

And he’s changed ever since. You haven’t noticed? Well, you’ll only see it when you catch him during one of his rare quiet and thoughtful times.

He’s still a hothead and he still disposes of his fan mail bit if you look closely you’ll see peace in those once fiery green cat eyes.

As mean and as irritating as he was, that’s how we like him. I wouldn’t really like it if he changed so much. I just couldn’t imagine him being cheerful and loving all of a sudden. It would scare the crap out of me, that's for sure.

It would scare me to pieces if he starts baking cookies then giving them away in cute little packages tide close by big green ribbons.

I probably wouldn’t eat them even if he paid me.

**shudder**

I grabbed my guitar and stepped across the room to glide the sliding doors open to the wide balcony outside.

Yaten finally left after I promised that I’ll take all responsibility if ever he misbehaves because of Minako’s advances, if any. Yaten was weird, but then I’m worse coz I agreed.

Taiki, who couldn’t take it anymore, collapsed into mad hysterics.

"What are you Seiya, his mother?!" He managed to gasp out in between guffaws.

I closed my eyes as I let the wind blow my black curls away from my face as I held on to the railing.

The moon was a beautiful crescent of light and the stars twinkled like silver sequins against blue-black velvet. The city answered in kind to the pleasant night sky as it displayed a light show of its own.

Tokyo was so beautiful at night.

I sat down on one of the white chairs scattered around in the balcony and faced the moon with a small smile.

The moon.

Odango.

Odango is the moon.

The moon is unique.

The moon is unreachable.

The moon is innocent…

Romeo is the east and Juliet is the sun.

Seiya Kou is Sailor Star Fighter and Tsukino Usagi is Sailor Moon.

He is a Kinmoku senshi. She is the Moon Princess.

He is an intruder to Earth. She is supposed to protect it.

I have no one. She has her Mamo-chan.

Thinking of that makes my heart ache somehow.

Knowing that we are really not meant to be.

I leaned back against the chair in a motion of despair.

I smiled sadly this time. Odango changed me too. She showed me how to lose gracefully. How to lose her to someone who is destined to be with her and loves her more than life itself.

I used to be a fighter who pushes to win but now, I’m a changed man.

Odango, I may be changed but that doesn’t mean that I’ll stop loving you…

"Kakyuu-hime, where are you?" I whispered to the cold, silent stars.

I had my guitar cradled against my chest and almost absently, I began to strum.

"To the one so far away

You don’t know how I see you

You, the one with gold as hair and sapphires as eyes

It’s your hand I wish to hold

Your lips I yearn to kiss

I sail with you through the eternal night sky

In your dreams

You dream of me but that is not enough

Wistfully, I watch you in wordless moonlight silence…"

owari