Title: There's no Business
Author: Faith
Theme: Showbusiness
Genre: general
Fandom: Sailor Moon
Version: Manga
Rating: G
Word Count: 1400
Disclaimer: I do not own the Starlights, they belong to Naoko Takeuchi. I do not own the song, There's No Business, Like Showbusiness, it was written by Irving Berlin.
Story :
The costumes, the scenery, the makeup, the props
The audience that lifts you when you're down
Seiya walked out of the dressing room as she went to the costume rack. She still had no idea what made Yaten insist on them doing a musical type video. And of all things to do a re-enactment of There's No Business Like Show Business was absurd! It was not as if they were doing the whole poorly done movie from 1954, it was just the one song, but it was still quite absurd to the leader of the group. Seiya finally relented to Yaten in doing the video but she hated it from square one.
The headaches, the heartaches, the backaches, the flops
The sheriff who escorts you out of town
Had Seiya and Taiki realized that letting Yaten do the video based on the movie would require them to listen to it continuously for days, they wouldn’t have agreed to it. Neither of them understood what it was that Yaten saw in the song or the movie for that matter. Then there was that matter on the costumes.
The opening when your heart beats like a drum
Seiya grabbed her costume and took it into the dressing room. "Yaten, tell me again why you play the girl and me and Taiki both play guys?"
Seiya hated tuxedos and especially tuxedos with tails. They were so confining and non-flattering to her figure. Not that she wanted to show her figure off, she understood that they needed to keep up the disguise just a little longer if nothing else.
The closing when the customers won't come
"Seiya, look at me! Can you see me actually pulling off looking like a guy?" Yaten spun around and smiled her glamorous smile.
There's no business like show business
Like no business I know
Both Taiki and Seiya looked at Yaten. "You aren't serious right? The three of us have been passed off as guys for months now."
They remembered the horror of a time that it took to convince Yaten to dress as a man and to not be so feminine. They had given into her when it came to the jewelry and even decided to make their earrings and mics part of their style as the Three Lights.
"Well, we all know I am the pretty one so if any of us play the girl it's me." Yaten walked out to the costume rack, grabbed the exquisite ball gown, and took it back to the dressing room. It was white with sequins sewn into the bodice of the strapless dress.
Everything about it is appealing
"I can't see either of you pulling this gown off either. It is me!"
Everything the traffic will allow
Taiki walked passed Yaten and grabbed the tuxedo that was ordered for her. "You know maybe we should just be honest and let everybody know that we aren't guys. Yaten's going to cause the questions as is in that getup."
“They wouldn’t believe it. I am the only one pretty enough for everybody to believe is a girl. You two look like boys.” Yaten laughed and disappeared into the dressing room.
No where could you have that happy feeling
Seiya saw her chance; she followed Yaten into the dressing room. "Hey! We have already found the princess, so why don't we stop with the charade? I know I would rather not be wasting time and energy singing when we can be defeating Galaxia."
When you aren't stealing that extra bow
There's no people like show people
They smile when they are low
Taiki and Yaten looked to Seiya in shock. Both were speechless for a few minutes. Then it was Taiki that spoke. "We have to keep our cover. If we were to quit, Galaxia's minions may stop attacking people around us. So if we were to stop, we could possibly prolong this madness. We would have to search harder for them and more damage would be done."
"And this is not madness? Wasn't our plans to just be teen idols just long enough to find the princess then we would attack Galaxia and defeat her?" Seiya sighed, "Don't get me wrong, I love to sing, but right now, there are more important things." Seiya bit her bottom lip at the end of her sentence. Truth be known, she knew that Usagi and the others would not leave them alone and she did not want them to get hurt in the middle of all this.
Yesterday they told you, you would not go far
“Our mission was to get the princess and then to defeat Galaxia. What do we care about these earthlings?” Yaten asked as Taiki actually thought about what she had said moments earlier.
“It’s not that I care, I am just sick of seeing the destruction. I want to hurry up and get rid of Galaxia and her minions.” Taiki responded.
That night you opened and there you are
“Why can’t we join Sailor Moon and the others to defend this planet and then work with her to defeat Galaxia? I am sure Kakyuu would agree. If we could help Usako.”
Yaten walked right up to Seiya and smacked her. "Will you get your mind here and now instead of on that stupid rabbit? Kakyuu needs us to stay to our path."
Next day on your dressing room they've hung a star
Seiya stared at Yaten and rubbed her jaw. She was shocked that the shorter woman hit her.
“No fighting right now you two. We have to concentrate on this performance so they can get the lighting and all. That way we don’t have to listen to the blasted song anymore.” Taiki said smugly.
Let's go on with the show
As the women stood there looking at each other the stage manager approached, "Curtain call"
The cowboys, the wrestlers, the tumblers, the clowns
The roustabouts that move the show at dawn
Taiki and Seiya looked at each other and groaned. They quickly went into the dressing room and changed into the tuxedos. Neither of them felt very comfortable in tails, but if it would shut Yaten up, so be it. As they walked out into the hallway, Yaten was there in the ball gown.
"Come on they just want to see how we are going to do the ending, we will finish talking about this later."
The music, the spotlights, the people, the towns
Your baggage with the labels pasted on
The three approached the staging area and watched as the director called on the spotlights and they took their places. As they stepped into the light, there were murmurs across the set about Yaten in a ball gown and actually filling it out.
The sawdust and the horses and the smell
"Now remember Starlights, this is the last refrain."
The towel you've taken from the last hotel
"HIT IT!"
Seiya, Yaten and Taiki grabbed their Microphones with vigor and each checked their shoes to make sure the taps were on. The music started and so did they,
"There's no business like show business
If you tell me it's so
Traveling through the country is so thrilling
Standing out in front on opening nights
Smiling as you watch the benches filling
And see your billing up there in lights
Seiya and Taiki tapped in sync as Yaten tapped in between them. It was going to be a big ending and they wanted to show it as such. Yaten was obviously not Ethel Merman, but she did do a wondrous job at making you think it was her if you were familiar with the legendary actress’ style and grace.
There's no people like show people
They smile when they are low
Even with a turkey that you know will fold
You may be stranded out in the cold
Still you wouldn't trade it for a sack o' gold
Let's go on with the show
Let's go on with the show!
The show!
The show! "
As the song ended, the threesome bowed in true vaudeville grace. The entire set erupted in applause.
“You know kids; you really do have some talent. We have to see about getting you hooked up with a movie deal or something.” The director announced over his oversized bullhorn.
The lights looked at each other, then back out to the director, and just smiled.
