You want to know what it's like being on stage, singing in front of all those people?  How can I put into words the excitement, the adrenaline rush?  

Why don't you just come along and I'll just show you.

***

Seiya adjusted his tie one final time, gave himself a quick look in the large, rectangular mirror and nodded to himself, satisfied with his appearance.  Beside him, Yaten slid his yellow rose into the lapel of his blue suit and pinned it into place.  On the far side of the room, Taiki checked the unit for his cordless mic, making sure it was secure around his waist and out of sight.  Once they were on stage, the three boys were very active, and the last thing they needed as to lose a pack in the middle of a show. A knock at the dressing room door heralded the three-minute warning.  The trio exchanged acknowledging glances, then filed out the door.

No matter how many times they did this, Seiya's heart still beat faster as they headed backstage.  The anticipation. The rush.  Singing like this was such a great feeling.

As the music qued up, the trio stepped up to a certain spot which had been marked for each them.  A sound like thunder broke over them as the crowd roared from above. From where they stood below the stage, the noise was almost deafening.  The air was filled with an almost tangible energy; this was going to be a good show. Closing his blue eyes, Seiya concentrated, pooling his power. Beside him, he knew that Taiki and Yaten were doing the same thing, gathering their strength to sing.

For her.

A sudden hush filled the stadium and Seiya knew it was time. His heart beat like thunder as the platform he was standing on slowly went up, the hydraulics lifting him and his teammates up on stage through trap doors in the floor.  He knew that, from the audience’s point of view, they'd see smoke and eerie light effects flashing upon the stage.  Then, they'd see the trio rise, each into his own beam of light.  Seiya resisted the urge to squint as the floor panel slid open and the red light beat down on his black tresses.  He concentrated on the hum, the music, low at first, beginning to build.  Taiki's head must have cleared the stage floor, for all of a sudden, the audience screamed.  Even after so many concerts, it still felt like daggers in his head to have so many young females screaming at them, voices high, shrill, and terribly excited.  His own head cleared the hatch, and he peeked out at the audience through his eyelashes, keeping the illusion of their eyes being closed.  So many people! This had to be their largest concert yet. Surely she'd hear us soon!

The music and the roar of the crowd reached a crescendo at about the same time; the stage lights flared and they sang.  The trio sang through their first song with their typical grace; each move carefully orchestrated to bring about maximum effect. It was a new song, already shooting to the top of the charts.  If the crowd was any indication, Seiya thought, this one would hit number one soon enough.  Not that it matter, other than as a vehicle to relay their message.  

As the tempo changed, the trio slowly moved along the stage.  Seiya picked up the guitar left for him and strapped it on. Pulling out a pick from a slot in the strap, he tapped out the beat with his toe for a couple of measures, then jumped in.  Unlike some of their contemporaries, the Three Lights could actually play instruments.  Seiya could play several, in fact, as could his friends.  Bouncing slightly to keep the rhythm, Seiya advanced up the stage.

Now it was time to play the audience a bit, and so they did.  Taiki moved over to where Yaten was pounding on the keyboard, and the girls screamed. Then the pair went back to back, playing off one another.  The volume went through the roof.  ‘You could always tell who's been to our concert the night before,’ Seiya thought to himself with a chuckle.  They were the ones who could hardly speak the next day.

This was one of the "free jam" sessions they had in the show.  It allowed the trio to show off their talents as musicians; but more importantly, it allowed them to send their message non-vocally.  The boys were grateful for these segments; it let them give their own vocal cords a break.  Seiya made his way to Yaten's far side, and the trio jammed. They took turns playing their respective instruments solo; first Taiki, then Yaten, then Seiya, each blending into the next so fluidly one could hardly tell where one left off and the other started.  Such was the connection between them that they were able to do so with no difficulty whatsoever.

Of course, there was the on-stage antics.  The fans seemed to simply erupt whenever they goofed off on stage.  -- and, of course, the more suggestive, the better, though the boys did their best to keep it pretty clean. ‘Yaoi, my left foot,’ Seiya thought, throwing an arm around Yaten's shoulder during a break in his playing. ‘If they only knew.’ As expected, the stadium erupted into fresh screaming, even as the smaller Light leaned back and hip-bumped him out of the way. Seiya picked the chord up where Yaten left off, expertly masking a wince. Leave it to the Runt to get back at him on stage, where retaliation was hard to do. Damn, that hurt!  A few inches to the right and the black haired idol would have been in some serious pain.  

Yaten fished out his hand held mic then headed off stage left as Seiya, Taiki and the back up band switched tempos.  ‘Coward,’ Seiya thought. Normally, he'd have gone stage right to start his song, putting him right in Seiya's path.  With a shrug, he faded back as Yaten sang his solo.

Taiki nodded as Seiya parked himself next to the taller Light. As they played, they both nodded appreciatively to Yaten's sultry voice.  The smallest Light's husky voice drove the girls wild.  It drove HIM wild, too, Seiya thought; just not THAT way. Still, there was power in that voice and the black haired light poured more energy into the music. The yearning Yaten held for her was almost tangible. 'Hear us!' Seiya pleaded mentally, a sentiment he felt Taiki echo through the music.

As the song ended, Taiki and Seiya walked to their respective guitar stands, while Yaten put his mic on a handy nearby stand.  The next song was going to be fast paced and they needed freedom of movement.  Somewhere along the way, someone got the bright idea to put a dance routine to a couple of their faster paced songs.  But first, the trio played the crowd again; walking forward and clapping their hands over their heads as the band kept playing riffs behind them. The tallest Light walked stage left, Seiya stage center, Yaten stage right, and the proceeded to rile the crowd up more, teasing the girls to see which section would scream loudest. Seiya almost laughed as Taiki had to dance back a bit; he got too close to the edge of the stage and someone tried to pull him off. "I think they like you!" the black haired Light teased his friend, and the crowd roared.

"How about we throw you out there?" Taiki shot back.  Apparently the audience liked this idea, for even Taiki winced at the massive amount of noise that rolled back at them.  

Yaten burst out laughing, and as Seiya crossed his arms across his chest, the silver-haired Light added, "Yeah, but then we'd never finish the concert.  They'd never give him back!"

Seiya sweatdropped.  Yeah. Ad lib to that.  Thanks, Pipsqueak. "Well, then, you'd have to go chasing after me," Seiya said with a stage smile, the band picking up the que.  Taiki and Yaten groaned at the horrible segue, but the crowd went wild.  As the first riffs of the guitar wailed out, the trio started their dance.  When they cut this in the studio, most of this was solo for Seiya, but as a dance routine, they sang together. Even Seiya, indisputably the most athletic of the three, was hard pressed to sing, dance, and project their message through the song at the same time.  But they did it, and did it well. Breathless, they struck a final pose as the cheering reached new heights.  Yeah, a *lot* of people weren't going to be able to speak tomorrow...

Still breathing hard, the trio went into "Todokanu Omoi" and its new dance routine.  This song was a bit easier, but still, after two sets the boys were ready for a breather. Taiki didn't get one, however, since his solo was up next.  Seiya marveled at the tall boy’s skill, launching through the difficult song while Yaten and Seiya picked up instruments once more, killing mics to pant in peace. It was a beautiful piece that the brunette had written and composed; it spoke most eloquently of his desire to see his princess again. Seiya was always amazed at the depth and complexity of the music Taiki produced. It was testament to his silent misery, the ebony-haired Light supposed.  The change in tempo and the shrills screams of the fans roused him from his musing.  Taiki had retrieved his guitar, and Yaten was now wearing his portable keyboard.  As one, the trio stepped forward as they segued into "Boku Tachi no Jidai" - the new, expanded rendition Yaten had hacked out the week before.  The ending led directly into another jam session, and this time it was Seiya's turn to stoke the crowd. He was the showman of the group, without a doubt, he thought as he tossed his guitar to the stand and started to skip-walk stage right.  Passing Taiki, Seiya shot him a wink and started clapping over his head again, the universal sign for the audience to start clapping.  At the same time, he launched into the English "rap" Taiki had composed earlier.

"Just throw your hands in the air
And wave them like you just don't care.
We are the Lights.
We rock your body right.
Everybody say 'Oh yeah!'"

Seiya had no idea what he'd just said, and he'd rather not.  His English, while scant, left him the impression that his little rap left much to be desired.  But the effect on the audience was astonishing. They screamed right back at him, just like Taiki said they would.  He paraded up and down the stage, sometimes daring to lean over and slap hands - thank God for quick reflexes.  

"Somebody,
Anybody,
Everybody
Scream!"

Holding the mic out over the audience, they erupted again.  ‘Just when you think they can't get any louder,’ Seiya thought to himself, turning and sprinting upstage. He made a bee-line for the drums, and the drummer saw him coming. Hopping up, he fielded the mic Seiya tossed him, and Seiya fielded the drumsticks the guy threw him in turn.  The black-haired Light then tapped out a staccato beat, which Yaten and Taiki picked up, and the jam began again.  

Seiya played for all he was worth.  He loved the drums; it let him beat out his frustrations.  Down below, he could see Yaten's thin fingers flying over the keyboard, while Taiki strummed like a madman.  Sweat was pouring down all of them; they were holding nothing back.  Seiya could feel their message pouring out of them the way water poured from a pitcher.  When they were done, they'd feel empty and sick, but it was worth it.  

As long as she heard us.

Launching himself from the drums, Seiya jogged back down the stage as the music changed again. He had to keep moving or he'd run out of gas.  As Taiki and Yaten qued up for Seiya's solo, the black-haired Light tossed the drumsticks into the audience.  For some reason, people collected the oddest things as keepsakes.  With that thought in mind, Seiya mopped his brow with a handy handkerchief, then tossed that, too, out into the crowd.

Silly girls.

Seiya's solo was a fast paced song that fit well with his charismatic stage persona. He worked the stage like a pro; up and down, back and forth. Taiki came up and the two of them clowned around, setting the girls in the audience into hysterics.  It almost sent Seiya into hysterics, too, because Taiki kept rolling his eyes at him.  Drawing the attention back to himself, Seiya moved back center stage as Taiki and Yaten set their instruments aside.

"Nagareboshi he" was always the finale.  

The overhead lights dimmed and tri-colored spotlights shown down as the trio picked up their signature song.  No strobe lights, no dancing.  This song was mellow and graceful; the boys refused to mar it with any strange flash and bang.  Fog rolled across the stage as each Light was lit up with his own color.  With this song, they gathered all the energy they'd been projecting, and the energy that had been projected at them, all evening and focused it into one final plea.  This was their calling card.  This was their signature.

'Hear us!' the trio cried mentally, projecting with every fiber of their being. 'Hear us please!'  Their souls cried out for her, for that shining person.  For the one they needed more than anything else in this world.  Or in any other world, for that matter.

Their ‘Moonlight Princess’.  

As they slowly sank into the floor, now back on the marks that they had started at, the emptiness left them shaking. They had given it their all.  There was nothing left go give.  The crowd screamed for an encore, and the boys looked at one another for confirmation.  Nodding once, they took to the stairs, climbing back on stage for one more song.  Empty or not, they would sing one more song. They'd do it because they were pros.

And because, some day, she would hear them.