"Sailor Angel and Sailor Phosphora - The Fight Against Catastrophe"
By Angel Sentier and M'Lila Cronk
Chapter Five
Celeste was enjoying the peacefulness of the apartment as she listened to her soft classical music. She leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes, sighing.
"Celeste!!"
She bolted upright, eyes wide as Zara burst into their apartment. "You will not believe this!"
"What?"
Zara dangled a piece of newspaper in front of Celeste's face. "What do you think of that?"
Celeste snatched the paper from her and looked at it.
'THREE LIGHTS TRYOUTS FOR SINGERS AND DANCERS' read the headline. Celeste shrugged. "What about it?"
"You remember how you said we need jobs? Well, ta da! Here's the perfect opportunity! Your voice is positively angelic and I'd like to see anyone beat me in dance!"
A slow smile spread across Celeste's face. "You're right! How wonderful! I was afraid I'd wind up working in a department store or something..."
"What would you do without me?"
"At the risk of getting whapped, I'm going to plead the fifth."
"We're not in America, dear. There is no Bill of Rights here."
Celeste paused. "Okay... then I just don't want to get whapped."
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Seiya strummed a chord on his guitar, angrily. "I don't see why this is necessary!"
Mr. Tasheo, the manager of the Three Lights, furrowed his brow apologetically. "I'm very sorry, but the Three Lights have gone down quite a bit in popularity since you left. Now girl bands are all the rage... If you want to get back in the main stream, you need a new gimmick."
Taiki sighed. "He's right, Seiya."
Yaten mumbled something under his breath that no one quite heard.
"What was that?"
Taiki turned to Mr. Tasheo. "I think he said 'Show them in.'"
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"I have never been so nervous in my entire life. Look at my hands, I'm shaking!"
Zara looked down at Celeste's trembling hands. "Yep, they are shaking."
"You're not helping!!"
Zara looked down at the line of girls that wrapped around the block before glancing back at Celeste. "I'm glad you actually got me up early, for once." An evil grin graced her face. "Poor girls behind us don't stand a chance, heh heh..." She draped an arm across Celeste's shoulder. "Now calm down, Cel, you've got a gorgeous voice! And we've been through a lot tougher situations than this."
She grinned after a moment. "Thanks, Zar... I needed that."
"Tell me again what you would do without me?"
"HEY, ZARA!!"
Both heads turned in unison to see a familiar ebony haired girl stomping her way... a... making her way through the crowd. "S'cuse me, s'cuse me, talent coming through... STEP ASIDE PEOPLE!" Rei made her way over to them. "I should have KNOWN I'd see you here!"
Celeste whispered to Zara. "What is she doing here?"
She whispered back. "You don't want to know... HI Rei! So I guess you're trying out for..."
Rei tossed her hair over her shoulder. "All of the above, of course! You know I'm multi-talented! Don't you remember when we used to put on those little concerts for your father and my parents?" She said smugly.
"Oh, yeah... It'd be fabulous to perform with you again!"
Celeste was looking around. "Is anyone else here?" she asked, meaning the senshi.
"Why?"
"Because I think that's Minako over there, trying to get your attention..."
Rei turned to see the ditzy love goddess looking a bit lost at the people who wouldn't let her through. Rei smacked herself in the head. "Man! I thought I lost her..."
Zara waved her hand in the air. "Minako, over here!"
The sea finally parted and Minkako stumbled through the less than happy crowd of girls who didn't like to see so many girls cutting their way up to the front...
"WOW! What a crazy mob..." Minako exclaimed with an excited smile.
"You're auditioning too? What for?" asked Celeste.
"Lead singer. I've waited my whole life for this... AND I get to get close to Yaten!" Minako sighed, dreamily.
"Minako, you're drooling..."
A voice from the front called everyone's attention. "NEXT TEN AUDITIONEES!"
Automatically, Celeste began to freak out. "Ohmygodohmygodohmygod... I can't do this!!!"
Zara grabbed a hold of Celeste's shoulders. "BREATHE!" Celeste began to hyperventilate. "NORMALLY!"
Minako glanced over Celeste's shoulder. "Is she okay?"
"She's just little excited..."
Rei watched them all go crazy with a look of amusement on her face. 'Well, if she drops out... more opportunity for me!'
And whether she liked it or not, Celeste was dragged into the building with Zara pulling, Minako pushing, and Rei snickering.
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Each of them were given numbers and told to wait offstage in a line. As per her request, Celeste was at the back, to give herself "time to calm down."
The singing came first. Zara turned to Rei. "What song are you doing?"
"My showstopper of course, 'Fire Soul Love.' Once they hear me sing that, they'll be begging me to join!" Rei replied, grinning from ear-to-ear.
"Oh, yeah! I remember you doing that one!"
"What about you, Minako-chan?" asked Zara.
She smiled. "The one I always do, 'Route Venus.'"
Minako glanced out at the stage where another girl was singing. "I'm a heel-in..."
"That's 'shoe-in,' Minako-chan," said Rei.
"Heel, shoe... What's the difference?"
Celeste wasn't really listening to the conversation. She clasped her hands in front of her to keep them from shaking. 'Everyone else is so confident,' she thought. 'There's no way I'll be able to pull this off...' She glanced at Zara. 'But I can't just leave... It would be so wonderful if Zara and I got to perform together... I can do this, I can do this...' She repeated the mantra over and over in her head as if it were a magic talisman to keep her from freaking out again.
By the time Celeste's hands had stopped shaking for the most part, Minako had already gone out to sing.
Minako went out onto the stage looking slightly nervous and stiff. She took a moment to look at her judges; Taiki seemed to be scrutinizing her from head to toe and making notes that made her even more self-conscious and Seiya gave her a friendly but bored smile. She took a moment to look at Yaten but was discouraged when he looked asleep!
'That meany! He's sleeping during my audition. Now I can't show him how wonderful I am and make him fall head over heels in love with me!'
A dark depressed hue started to form around her that made Taiki and Seiya look slightly afraid... until she suddenly looked up again with a 'million watt smile' on her face that startled them. Then she began her song.
'I'll show him,' Minako thought to herself as her music began; she calmed down and relaxed into her song. Her voice was energetic and straightforward and her stage presence was amazing! Her audience felt warmth flow through their hearts at her performance and were all smiles when she was done. She gave a polite bow and then wink to her judges before skipping off the stage.
She came back and Zara was afraid that if her smile got any larger, her face would break. "Is there any contest?" she asked in a stage whisper. "They might as well stop the auditions now!"
"Don't speak too soon, Minako-chan," said Rei. It was her turn next. They both clapped her on the back. "Go get 'em!"
Rei gracefully made her way onto the stage with a look of total determination and confidence. She acknowledges her judges while flashing them her "choose me" smile and didn't even look phased when her music started. Unlike Minako's warm and lighthearted voice, Rei's was fiery and passionate. She put everything she had into her lyrics making a radiant and fiery performance. Her voice enveloped the room making everyone feel as if they were on fire. When she was done she gave a satisfied smirk before thanking the judges and gracefully sauntering off the stage.
Meanwhile...
Celeste turned to Zara. "I can't do this, Zara! I'm not good enough!"
Zara rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that! You're twice as good as any of the girls here!"
"Hey!"
"Sorry, Minako-chan." She turned from the irate blond back to Celeste. "The point is that you CAN do this, no matter how much you think you can't. You just have to believe in yourself. Look... If you can be a senshi, battle the forces of evil, and keep the peace in the galaxy, you can certainly stare down a couple of auditioners and wow 'em!"
A slow grin came to Celeste's face. "You're right!"
"Of course I'm right!"
"I can do this!"
"Yes, you can!"
"Tell me to breathe."
"Breathe!"
She took a deep breath and smiled. "What would I ever do without you?"
"I thought you were supposed to be figuring that out..."
A man by the curtain signaled that it was Zara's turn next. She grinned. "Wish me luck!"
"Good luck!"
Zara walked onto the stage as Rei came back, quite pleased with herself. She grinned at Minako. "Okay... NOW they can stop the auditions."
Celeste shushed her, staring out on stage. "I want to hear Zara..."
Zara came onto the stage with an elegant yet ruthful smile that commanded the attention of the audience. "I'm Heno Zara, 18, and I'm singing 'Star Fire.'"
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From the audience, Taiki subtly pushed Yaten's nodding head off his shoulder. "Wake up!" he hissed, jogging Yaten awake.
"What?"
Seiya sighed. "Don't worry, you haven't missed anything too interesting."
Taiki began scribbling on a clipboard. "Well, you did miss Minako-san and Rei-san..."
"I was awake for Minako!" Yaten declared.
Seiya gave him a knowing look. "Awake for only Minako, eh?"
Yaten knew that tone and started sputtering. "What?! Of course, I will listen to... a friend! YEAH! Plus, there was no one else out there doing any better..." he finished his excuse lamely.
Seiya smirked. "Oh really? Then would you mind telling me, if you are so interested in watching our 'friends' audition, why didn't you watch Rei-san who happened to go right after her?"
Yaten turned a shade paler before turning away mumbling something to himself.
Seiya was about to go back to his teasing before Taiki decided to put an end to their childish behavor.
"That's enough, guys! The next auditionee is coming in and I don't know about you, but I would like to finish this casting in one piece and leave so we can get on with our mission!" he said all in one breath then gave them a look that brooked no argument.
Yaten, glad for the distraction, turned to see who was up next. All three were shocked to hear a familiar voice ring down at them.
"I'm Heno Zara, 18, and I'm singing 'Star Fire.'"
Yaten let out a barely stifled yawn as Taiki began taking notes on Zara's performance. Seiya, meanwhile, was gazing thoughtfully at the one female who had ever insulted him... and smiled.
Yaten had not been particulerly interested in the audition so far, except maybe when he had watched Minako, which he was still having conflicting thoughts about. But when he turned to see Seiya smiling that certain smile he had only used for one person that he could remember, he stopped a moment to listen to the Heno girl. He sighed. 'You're just setting yourself up for another heartbreak,' he told Seiya silently. For that smile he recognized had only been used one other time... for Usagi.
Zara's voice never wavered as she smoothly sang through her song. Her voice had a unique ring to it that could be defined as... enchanting, it was a pure sound with a dark undertone that captivated the audience's attention. Her eyes seemed to almost pierce through you with a cold chilling stare, but were also alluring and tempting at the same time. She had a wonderful stage presence and confidence that could not be denied. As she hit her final note, it came out in an extremely high blast of pure sound; however, instead of wanting to run from it, the audience felt as though they were being enveloped into it.
When Zara had finished her song she took a moment to study her casting directors. The first one she noticed had long brown hair pulled back and seemed to be very professional looking, he was taking notes while glancing at her now and then with a pleased smile. The next had long white hair and seemed too be staring at her with a look that ranged somewhere between mild amusement and blatant scrutiny, which kind of frightened her. The next had a long black ponytail and... wait! Wasn't he that conceited jerk from her dance class? Yep, it was him alright, giving her an appreciative but mock smile that just screamed 'Well, well, well, look who's here...'
That was just what she didn't need to see. She barely bit back an annoying frown that wanted to replace her current 'I-am-stunning-and-you-want-me' smile. She managed a polite bow and tightly thanked them before walking off the stage to meet a more controlled Celeste.
Her friend promptly began to gush over her performance. "Oh, Zara! You were fabulous! I almost can't believe it! You're sure to get in!"
Zara herself was too hung up on seeing who was in charge to respond immediately. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to get in anymore. That didn't last long. 'Pull yourself together! This would be a great opportunity! And better than working in some boring department store, remember that...'
With a bit of a delayed smile, she replied, "Well, of course!"
Celeste wasn't able to respond. A man with a clipboard called to her. It was her turn.
Instantly, all her control went out the window.
"DON'T MAKE ME DO THIS, PLEASE! I'LL PAY YOU TO LET ME OUT OF THIS RIGHT NOW!"
Rei seemed to consider taking her up on that, but Zara wouldn't hear of it.
"You get your little angelic butt out there and wow their socks off, that's an order!"
Celeste was about to retort that she wasn't in the Veidan Galaxy and therefore wasn't about to be ordered around, but before she could, Zara whirled Celeste in the right direction and pushed her out into the view of Taiki, Yaten, and Seiya.
The Three Lights looked up to see the best deer-caught-in-headlights impression they'd ever seen.
There was a long pause.
They were beginning to think that the girl was actually some sort of statue.
Yaten pointedly looked at his watch. "Taiki..."
Taiki held up a hand. "Give her some slack... She's probably an amateur." He ignored Yaten and Seiya's twin groans. "Everyone deserves a fair chance." He turned to the girl whom he had recognized as his slightly uncoordinated dance partner with a ghost of a smile. "Please state your name, age, and the title of the song you're singing," he prompted her.
Celeste stiffly forced her legs to move to the microphone that stood center stage. She wet her suddenly dry lips before hesitantly speaking in a quavering tone.
"My name--" Everyone winced at the sudden feedback from the microphone. A moment later, she tried again, certain that she should have stayed at the apartment today. "My name is Sorano Celeste, age 18, and I'm singing..." She paused and tried to remember, her throat going dry. "I'm singing 'Flight of Stars.'"
Celeste waited for her music, opened her mouth, and began to sing.
All conversation stopped. Even Minako and Rei stopped disputing who gave the best audition to turn and stare, open-mouthed, toward the stage at Celeste who was pouring out her heart in song. The Three Lights were at a loss. Taiki had dropped his pencil and forgot to write notes, Yaten forgot to make snide comments, and Seiya for once forgot to think about the women in his life.
Only Zara seemed unsurprised. She stood just offstage with a little smile that said 'she always worries for nothing' on her face.
Once Celeste realized that she was not sucking, she smiled and began to enjoy herself, moving to the beat of the music and emoting the lyrics. Her stage presence positively sparkled. She ended her song on a high note with just the right amount of vibrato, and although it was not as high or as powerful as Zara's high notes, the tone of it was no less beautiful and she was able to sustain it through the entire ending bars of music.
There was a moment of silence when the music concluded. Zara turned toward Rei and Minako to see what they thought, however, they no longer harbored a twin expression of shock. Instead, both of them were admitting a strong... battle aura?!? 'Whoopsie...' thought Zara. 'Perhaps a little competition wasn't the best thing for Sailor Senshi?'
Meanwhile, Taiki got to his feet and looked at the Three Lights' manager. "Close the audition."
He blinked. "You have decided?"
All three of them nodded and the manager grinned in happiness.
"Her, Sorano Celeste," said Taiki, pointing onstage.
"Yes, Aino Minako!" said Yaten, at the same time.
"Ah, Hino Rei!" guessed the manager at that moment.
"That Heno Zara person," declared Seiya, just as the other three made their pick.
They all blinked at each other, but before they could rectify the situation, four high-pitched shrieks pierced the air and Zara, Minako, and Rei came running out onstage to join Celeste in a huge group hug.
"WE'RE ALL GOING TO SING WITH THE THREE LIGHTS!!!"
The men sighed.
Seiya motioned his cohorts closer. "Huddle up, gentlemen..."
"We can't use them all!" Yaten said.
"Can't we?" Seiya challenged. "Mr. Tasheo said that girl bands are all the rage now... Why not use all four of them? One could lead with me, the other three could be backup singers."
"That really wasn't the original idea though," Taiki exclaimed thoughtfully. "But, we could try this. We could make them into their own group, therefore all of them get equal show, and then we would do combined concerts. Consequently, we get the 'girl band' factor while at the same keeping our own style. Equal stage time, completely new look."
Seiya and Yaten both considered this before agreeing that this sounded like the best plan.
"We would have to work with them though, let them know who would lead, etc..." Yaten pointed out, annoyed at the whole situation before looking over at Minako who was at the minute jumping for joy at the other side of the room. He then smiled.
"Which one would lead then?" Seiya asked.
All three of them glanced up at the girls who were still congratulating each other.
"You two have to admit that Sorano sang the best out of them," Taiki pointed out, to which Yaten and Seiya reluctantly nodded. "And the other three are still strong singers who would blend well with each other." Two more nods. "So are we agreed?"
"How will the other three take this?"
Taiki paused, but Seiya straightened with a grin. "Only one way to find out." He turned toward the stage and declared, "Sorano, you are the new girl lead singer; Heno, Rei-san, and Minako-san... you three will be backup."
The girls paused to digest this, glanced at one another, then...
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"
Seiya smirked at his two friends. "Hmm... I think they took that... rather well."
Two pairs of eyes rolled themselves in his general direction.
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"I'm exhausted!" Zara cried sleepily as she and Celeste made their way back into their apartment.
"I'm to excited to be tired!" exclaimed Celeste excitedly, with an almost accident-free twirl. "We're going to be famous!"
"That twirl needs work and you're already famous in your galaxy, so what's the bid deal with this one?" Zara said a bit under her breath, but Celeste still heard her.
"Hey! Don't kill my mood! It's not singing I'm famous for in my galaxy and what's the matter anyway? You should be just as happy as I am!" Celeste said indignantly, trying to figure out why her friend was in such a bad mood.
"Well... I am! I'm just tired and we both have school tomorrow, which is more important than a band, so I think we should just go to bed," Zara replied haughtily, obviously not wanting to discuss the matter.
Celeste was a bit concerned now because Zara had willingly put school ahead of singing. "Um... Zara, since when did school become more important to you then being famous? You'd almost think you DIDN'T want to be in the band for some reason..." she commented, trying to be as delicate as possible.
"Well, maybe I DON'T want to be in a band! Maybe I want to concentrate more on the mission than play a few songs for earthlings with a couple of conceited jerks! And maybe you should just leave me alone!!!" Zara yelled out before stomping her way into her room to get some much needed sleep.
Celeste looked after her friend in shock wondering what that was all about. She hardly ever blew up like that without good reason unless... She blinked as something Zara said came to her attention. 'Conceited jerks...'
"Oh dear... That again," Celeste said knowingly before shaking her head then walking into her own room to get some sleep. She had a long day ahead of her.
To Be Continued...
