Thanks so much for reading this far, and for any feedback and comments received. Really appreciate it and I'm having a blast writing this story.
Trivia: The title comes from a William Blake anthology Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, which features the poem "The Sick Rose", which Taiki quotes in an episode of Sailor Stars.
Ten points and a cookie to anyone who gets it when Seiya talks about women "Chasing After You".
This story is something that's been brewing in my head for a million years now. What motivated the transformation into men (I know they're just in drag in the manga) and why is that so overlooked and brushed over. It would be a HUGE freaking deal in real life. I always considered Seiya transgendered, Yaten a girl, and Taiki indifferent. And while Seiya will always be my favorite, Taiki's indifference is so intriguing and it really opens up a world to play with the character's head. All right, enough. Back to the good stuff.
Chapter Four
Three months into our disguises as men and I was still putting the towel around my chest when I got out of the shower…
I sighed and pushed the yellow towel lower around my waist. I was still getting used to the flat, narrow chest that had replaced my previously rounded one. I furrowed my brows together and wiped the steam off the mirror. My long, auburn brown hair, dripping wet still, framed my face. My face was smooth, thankfully, but my jawline looked longer than it had last year. I wasn't sure how in depth into manhood Seiya's disguise pen went, but I wasn't ready for the trauma of chest or facial hair. Not this soon. I shook my head, removing the towel from my waist and tied it on my head. Behind me was a dark blue bathrobe, which I put on before opening the bathroom door to let it dry out. I could hear Seiya and Yaten having a heated argument from the living room.
"You think just because you're a man now that you can lounge around with your dick hanging out?" Yaten shrieked in a shrill voice. "Get that wet, disgusting red towel off my couch and go put on some clothes!"
"Hey, who do you think you are, bossing around Seiya Kou?" Seiya sneered, opening his legs wider on the couch. I stepped into the living room and grimaced, covering the side of my eyes with my hand. "And what about you, Yaten? We had an agreement! We're supposed to stay in disguise until we find our princess. But here you are, dressed as a girl, getting ready to go out? What if someone recognizes you?"
Yaten's green eyes were brimming with tears. She touched her face gently, making sure her makeup wasn't running and stamped her foot, which had on a pink moccasin, in Seiya's direction. "No one will recognize me!" Yaten said. "You don't have to worry about that! Taiki and I are invisible next to your fat, bloated head. And I never wanted to be a guy. I agreed to it for the concerts but that's it. I don't like girls screaming around me. I don't want to touch their bodies. And I'm starting to think that this whole scheme is less about our princess and more about Seiya and his pussy buffet!"
"And what's so bad about women chasing after you?" Seiya sneered. "Even Taiki knows when a good thing's dropped on his crotch, and he'd never been into girls before this either. Give it a chance!"
I held Yaten back before she could lunge at him. "Seiya," I said, pinching the bridge of my nose, my other arm crossed over Yaten's body. "Please, either tie your towel or put on your clothes. You're getting hair in places that are unpleasant to look at."
Seiya shot me a glare, but stood up and adjusted the red towel around his waist. Yaten and I glanced at each other and she inhaled deeply through her nose. "I'm leaving," she said, crossing the room to pick up her purse. "If you need me, just text my PHS. I'll be back before midnight."
"Make it ten," Seiya said with a lopsided grin. "It's a school night."
Yaten's mouth dropped open. Even my eyes widened and I stared at Seiya in disbelief. "What did you say?" I asked.
Seiya's grin widened, happy for the attention he was getting from us. "It's all settled," he said, crossing his legs. "The manager of the record label and I agreed that if we go to a regular high school, we'll be seen as more mainstream. Our sales will increase through the roof! And we'll have access to girls that can't afford to come to our shows. One of them might be our princess!"
"This is contrived," Yaten whispered. "Seiya, you've lost your mind. Taiki, tell him!"
"It may not be such a bad idea." I said, resting my chin on my index finger.
"What?" Yaten shrieked.
"Yeah, Taiki!" Seiya said, clapping his hands. "I always knew we had something in common!"
"Let me finish," I said. "Yaten, you're worried about idol status, right? So, let's incorporate ourselves. If we're regular high school students, we can join clubs, talk to people…maybe Seiya's right. Maybe we can find clues that'll lead us to our princess if we're actually out in the wild. Instead of locked up in this penthouse, going on stage a few times a month."
"The voice of reason speaks," Seiya said. He got up from the couch and clapped his hand on my shoulder. "Taiki Kou, you're a good man."
"You're both insane!" Yaten said. "Why didn't we just go to school instead of becoming idol singers? Wouldn't the results be the same?"
"No!" Seiya said. "Because we need to reach the ears of our princess through our song."
I nodded. "Maybe it really is all part of the experience…" I said.
Yaten rolled her eyes and opened the door. "I thought higher of you, Taiki," she said. "But with those male hormones rolling through your head…you're just as bad as Seiya. Don't wait up for me."
"I'll leave the pen out!" Seiya shouted mockingly out the door. "Don't forget to use to in the morning!" But the door slammed and Yaten was gone. "Heh…who knew he'd have such a hard time with this. If it's so hard for him to give up men, maybe one of us should fuck him."
"Don't start," I said, lifting my hand. "Sexuality is personal. Don't make fun of Yaten. Remember how unhappy you were as a woman? Wasn't that long ago."
"Yeah, yeah," Seiya said, rolling his eyes. "But he shouldn't worry. We'll get to that school tomorrow morning and we'll blend in, like any other high school guy."
"Yeah," I said, taking the towel off my head. "We'll blend right in. Just like everybody else."
The crowd was so thick the next morning that we could barely get out of our car.
Girls tried to push their way in the second I pressed the brakes. Hands slammed at the sides on the car. Seiya grinned and rolled down his window in the back seat.
"Oy!" he shouted. "Does anyone want to help me with my English homework?"
Girls screamed and Seiya laughed as he pressed the button to roll up his window. "This again?" I asked, leaning my head against the steering wheel. Yaten scoffed and crossed his arms over his flat chest in his boy's school uniform. Seiya had chased him down and bugged him all morning until he agreed to change his body back to male.
"Enough of this already," he said. "I'm getting out of this car. Let them do what they want to me." Yaten unbuckled, shoved open the car door, and squeezed into the crowd. He held his middle finger high in the air. A burst of high pitched cheers rang through the crowd as the female students followed Yaten. Seiya and I looked at each other in disbelief.
"Damn," Seiya said, getting out of the car. "And I thought I had the art of flirting down."
"I guess some people really do like being abused…" I said, getting out and standing next to Seiya.
"Not me!" A girl's voice burst into my ears. I almost lost my balance as a girl with long black hair broke between me and Seiya, looping her arms into ours. Her school uniform was different from the female version of the ones we were wearing and leaves stuck to her hair like she'd been hiding in the bushes. "I always liked cool, nice guys better. Seiya and Taiki are my favorites!"
"Rei-chan, don't be so pushy," a tall girl with a high ponytail said. "Don't you have to get to school soon?"
The black haired girl, who her friend called Rei, smirked and wrapped her arms tighter around ours. "Some occasions just call for being late," she said in a husky voice.
"Please ignore my crazy friend," the girl with the brown ponytail said. "My name is Makoto Kino…fan club member 1606. Please…if I can help you with anything at all…" The girl's voice trailed off and her face turned beet red.
Seiya smirked at her and tipped up her chin. "Thank you, Kino-san…" he whispered. I rolled my eyes. I reconized the tone. Seiya called it his get them hot cool voice. "Taiki and I are so lucky that we're attending a school with such helpful girls."
"Good morning, everyone!" A cheerful voice cried out. A short girl with blonde pigtails ran up to us all. She looked around confused. "Why are you all still outside? Who are these guys?"
"Usagi!" Rei screamed. "Don't you dare talk like that around the Three Lights. Well, two of the three lights. Don't you know who these guys are?"
The blonde girl opened her eyes wide and looked around. "Male students, according to their uniforms," she said. "What's the big deal?"
"You don't know…" Seiya started. The girl gave him big, blank eyes and shook her head. Seiya lips turned up with an excited twitch and he gave me a look. "Done. Come on, Odango-Bun-Head! Show me around the school!" He broke his arm away from Rei's grasp and linked it with Usagi's.
"Hey!" Usagi cried out as Seiya dragged her away. "You can't just grab me like that! What kind of guy do you think you are?" Seiya laughed, and Rei, seething, stomped her foot and followed them to the gate. I sighed and closed my eyes.
"Please excuse me friend," I said, looking away from Makoto, the only one remaining. "He's usually pretty nice. But the excitement of high school's gone to his head. Or the whole band thing. One or the other."
"Oh…it's okay," Makoto said, stammering. "We should get to class anyway. I'll show you where the office is, if you don't mind."
"Thank you," I said. "I appreciate your help."
I walked with her in silence, as she made rambling, stuttering, forced conversation. "Here's the gym," she said. "And the auditorium…and this here are the freshman classrooms. Oh, and there's my friend Ami on her way to the bathroom. Hold on, I know she'll want to meet you. She's number 25 in the fan club. Ami! Ami, come here!"
Number 25? I thought. Did someone recently tell me something about…
Makoto ran off to bring her friend over. A small girl with short blue hair and a beet red face was pushed over to me. I froze as I immediately recognized her. The girl from my dressing room. My mouth went dry. I coughed a few times. She smiled.
"Taiki-san," she said softly. "It's nice to meet you. Welcome to Juuban High School."
