"This boy's too young to be singing the blues..."
-- "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" - Elton John

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Yellow Brick Road

Written by: AngelAnne

*~*~*~*~*~*

I twist the knob on the radio, wishing I could find something worthwhile to listen to - that isn't my own voice. If it isn't Nagareboshi He for the seventeenth time, it's Chasin' After You or See Me Boku-tachi no Jidai. It's good to get airplay, don't get me wrong, but there is a point where it comes off as too much. I can't escape myself; the songs follow me around, even in silence.

It was a long, tiring photoshoot. And even Seiya Kou, super-idol, can only handle so much. I'm not sure why I left in a huff, or even why I started to argue with Yaten in the first place. I can't remember why he slapped me. I can't remember what I screamed at him. I can't remember what Taiki screamed at me. I remember shouting something particularly insulting and grabbing the car keys... Right now, I want to get home and sleep and make this day go far, far away.

Another day, another dollar, and there is still no sign of the princess. A person could almost get depressed in times like these.

I finally give up on the radio and leave it on some American oldies station.

"She packed my bags last night, pre-flight
Zero hour, nine AM
And I'm gonna be high as a kite by then..."

I swing the van out of the film studio's alley and onto a main road.

"I miss the Earth so much, I miss my wife
It's lonely out in space
On such a timeless flight
And I think it's gonna be a long, long time..."

I stop at a red light, and let the lyrics wash over me. How could this Elton John guy know about how I was feeling? Replace a few words, it was the story of my life.

It's going to be a very long time before my life gets back in order. Even when we find the Princess, there will be a long road ahead of us on the path to rebuilding Kinmokusei. My home.

"I'm not the man they think I am at home,
Oh no no no,
I'm a rocket man
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone..."

And there is Usagi, too. When Galaxia finally takes over, what will happen to her? A fate like ours is too cruel for someone as brilliant as her. It's not fair. It's not fair to someone as pure as my Odango. I want to help her so badly, but it's not my fight.

So why do I feel energized every time I see Sailor Moon heal a phage? Do I really think Earth could have a chance?

There is a screech of metal, a flash of light, and the world seems to end abruptly.

----

"Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids
In fact, it's cold as hell
And there's no one there to raise them
If you did..."

I feel like crap.

I blink my eyes blearily a few times, trying to get a better grasp on where I am. It was a hospital room for certain: white on white, monitors beeping, bags dripping. And I am cold, bandaged, and very sore in places I didn't think aches could come from. The room appears to be empty besides me, so I must be alone. No Taiki or Yaten.

It's a chilling feeling. I guess they had gotten so wrapped up in their own problems, their anger at me, they hadn't even been home when they got the call. Or they'd ignored it all together. I sigh. As long as they're looking for the Princess, I can forgive them for not being concerned for --

"Oh God, Yaten, I hope he wakes up..."

I guess I should have known better.

I look cautiously over to my side, even as all the muscles in my neck protest. Yaten is looking miserably into a plastic cup of coffee, still wearing the crumpled suit from our last photo shoot. His hair has partially come out of his ponytail and has draped itself in all sorts of funny ways. His face is puffy and wet, and he watches the steam rise off his coffee. Taiki is hunched over, elbows on his knees and head in his hands. He too is still in his suit, and I can see he has his glasses on. Guess he had been in the process of putting his contacts in, or maybe taking them out. There is a pile of crumpled tissues and a couple of empty Kleenex boxes by his feet.

"This just figures, you know," Yaten mutters, taking a sip of coffee. "We get to Earth, we're this close to finding the princess, we're generally healthy and sane, and some stupid, fucking moron on a cellphone ruins it for us. Not Galaxia. A damn EARTHLING. We can't ever have a happy ending."

"Never thought you were such a pessimist," Taiki says, not moving from his curled-up position.

I try to get my vocal cords to make some sort of noise, but they won't obey. I move one of my hands, but every muscle screams in protest, so I stop. There has to be some way I can get their attention.

"I never thought I was, either." Yaten pinches the bridge of his nose. "Tragedies bring out the best and worst in people, they say."

Taiki reaches over for a bottle of water, but his head is still hanging. "Who says that?" he mutters, more to himself than Yaten.

"We should really get some sleep," Yaten says. He doesn't really sound like he's making a suggestion, more of an observation. Have they been awake since the photoshoot, however long ago that was?

"What were the odds that he'd come out of this alive?"

"They don't know," Taiki sighs bitterly. "50/50, 40/60, 10/90, who can guess?"

But I'm alive! C'mon guys, look at me!

There is a flurry of sound outside the door. I hear someone demanding something rudely, and then a very familiar voice snaps, "Taiki-san and Yaten-kun don't want anyone else in here but doctors! Seiya is my very special friend and you're going to make him worse by scrounging for interviews. I won't let you in!"

Odango is here. That's very comforting, knowing that everyone important is here.

Well, almost everyone.

"Tsukino-san makes a very good guard," Taiki comments.

"I'm glad to know she's good for something," Yaten grumbles, although he doesn't sound nearly as testy as he usually does when Odango comes up.

There is silence save for the beeping.

"I just hope I get a chance to apologize," he adds. "If he thought we hated him..."

"I'll never forgive myself," Taiki finishes. He seems to be clutching at his chest. "Please, Ouhi, if you're listening...protect him."

I again attempt to make some noise, but nothing happens. They seem so vulnerable like this; it makes me feel miserable. All I wanted to do was go home, not make them feel guilty. They think I hate them for what they said to me, but I'm the one who was wrong! They've put all the blame on themselves!

Why aren't they looking at me?

I guess Yaten is reading my mind, because he looks down in almost the same moment. He shoots out of his chair, and his coffee flies out of his hand and spills all over the floor. "Taiki, he's awake!"

Taiki's head snaps up. He sees my eyes open and immediately runs to the side of the bed, water bottle forgotten.

"Seiya?" Yaten's voice is sounding warbly. It would be been cute enough to laugh at if I could. "Are you...?"

I try again in vain to tell them something, anything, but it wouldn't work. Something like a grunt comes out - it's a start, at least.

"At least he's awake," Taiki says, sounding thoroughly relieved. "You had us so worried, Seiya, we thought we were going to lose you..."

You'll never lose me, guys. I'm too stubborn for that. "I'd never be able to forgive myself if you died thinking we hated you," Yaten mumbles, sniffling. "When we got that call...I thought that was it."

"But you're too much of a stubborn bastard to go and die on us," Taiki is almost smiling. I'm not worried. You two are so strong, you can go on with or without me. Although I like the first option much better than the second.

"You'll be happy to know that Tsukino-san is guarding you from nosy reporters." Yaten holds one of my hands in his own, and mine is so cold compared to his.

That's my Odango. She has a good head on her shoulders.

"We'll let her in soon," Taiki says, putting his hands on Yaten's shoulders. "You've been out for four days and she hasn't moved from that spot since."

He checks the clock. "Make that five days."

And you've been in your suits this whole time? Dammit guys, you're such masochists. You need to take better care of yourselves.

Odango was here all that time, too? I guess she really does care about me.

"And we've been in these photoshoot clothes this whole time," Yaten says, shaking his head. "We were only in the apartment long enough for Taiki to take his contacts out before the hospital called us."

"They caught the driver," Taiki says, "who was smart enough to know that his fate would be a lot worse if it ended up as a hit-and-run. He hasn't been able to stop apologizing, not even to give the police a statement."

Yaten harumphs. "He didn't do it on purpose, but that won't stop me from wanting to rip his empty head off his shoulders."

I want to chuckle. It's a good thing he doesn't hold a grudge or anything.

Odango sticks her head in. "It's all clear out here, guys. There were some nosy newspaper people out here, but they finally gave...up?"

Her statement becomes a question; her mouth droops open when she sees that I'm awake.

"Seiya-kun is awake?" she asks hopefully.

"Yes, by some miracle." Taiki motions for her to come in, but she shakes her head.

"I don't wanna interrupt. He's been unconscious for days, and you guys...well, let me know?"

Yaten smiles a bit. "Sure."

Odango gives me a beautiful smile, mutters something about "I'll be outside," and then disappears.

"You do have to give her credit for being thoughtful," Taiki says, adjusting his glasses. "She was crying so hard when we called her."

"She really cares for you," Yaten says, sounding neither jealous or angry about it. "It's very...heartwarming. Or something."

Yeah. Odango always knows what to do. Despite being a silly crybaby, she can be the most mature, beautiful woman I've seen.

I mean...

Why do I keep thinking like that? This Tsukino Usagi over my princess? No wonder we fought the other day.

"You know what else we need?" Taiki winces. "A shower."

Yaten makes a strange face. "Oh God yes. I smell like a dumpster."

Then go home and take a shower! You don't need to be here every second...But I'm not complaining.

"I don't want to go home yet," he adds, clutching my hand to his chest. "Not now."

"Yeah." Taiki leans over and brushes some hair out of my face. "We've been awake four days without proper cleaning; one more won't hurt.

" You guys... I don't deserve any of this. Why do you even put up with me?

"You mean so much to us." There is a ghost of a smile on Yaten's face.

"We just want you to get better," Taiki says.

Thanks, guys. I never should have worried; you guys wouldn't leave me.

Finally, I can say something. "Thanks."

It seems to be enough. Their eyes light up.

Maybe this won't be as long as I thought.

---

"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)" both belong to the uber-god Elton John. I worship his songwriting/singing prowess. Hoo-eey. BSSM belongs to Takeuchi Naoko, Bandai, and a lot of other people. No infringement is meant by the use of copyrighted titles; this fic is for entertainment purposes only.

There is really no excuse for this, except boredom. I don't write enough first person. Or I delibrately avoid it, I'm not sure. With all the energy I devote to Taiki, I realized that I don't give Seiya and Yaten enough credit. So...yeah. Hope you enjoyed my little random fic splurt!

~AngelAnne