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It wasn’t that there were really that many people trying to get in. It was just that they all wanted to get in all at once.
“Mori... we’re going to get there early... oof...”
The other blonde was energetically pushing her way through the crowd. She wasn’t getting far. “Aww, Priire... you promised you’d come with me. Come on.”
Priire muttered under her breath, “For her next birthday she gets a sithspawn pet.”
For Mori Hoshi’s August 25th birthday, Priire had given the Kashyyyak girl a pair of tickets to the next Bespin Boys concert. Hoping that the boy-crazy senshi would take whatever padawan had most recently caught her fancy, Priire had no idea that she would be the one going along.
“Look, Mori, I hate crowds. Stand out of the way.” Priire unholstered her blaster, and Mori winced. “Everyone, get out of the way!” Priire cried, her face a study in horror. She held up a badge and her blaster. “I’ve got reports that the Bespin Boys are being held hostage. I need to get in there, so please stand out of the way.” She looked official. “This situation needs to be diffused. And quickly. Or else the concert might be canceled.”
Thousands, it seemed, of screaming girls and a few screaming males cleared a frantic path out of Priire’s way. Priire grabbed Mori’s arm and drug her along.
~*~*~*~*~
“And I thought Mara was a good actress,” Mori commented, brushing her long hair behind her shoulder. “You really had them fooled. Where’d you get the badge anyway?”
“Lifted it off a policeman.”
Mori’s eyes went wide. “Oh no! The whole planet’s police force going to be after us!” She looked panicked for a moment. “That wasn’t very smart!”
Priire laughed. “Relax. I took it from one on Coruscant. We’re safe...”
Mori relaxed.
“...until we get home.”
She panicked again.
~*~*~*~*~
The two blondes sat in excellent seats. Priire had sprung for a perfect view of the stage. Holding a program, Mori frowned. “Who’s this? The Glittersim Girls?”
Priire shuddered. “They’re a group of girls with little or no fashion sense. One of the Sailors likes them. What are their names...?” She tried to remember, but Mori intercepted her thoughts.
“Spooky Spice, Chick Spice, Action Spice, Nutmeg Spice, and Little Spice.”
The other blonde shook her head. “That’s just sick.”
Mori agreed and tried not to groan as the Glittersim Girls started in on their latest hit song — “Gonna Be.”
Something flashed in Priire’s hands, and Mori looked, waiting for her to pull out her blaster and save the word from the Glittersim Girls. Instead, Priire had bracelet in her hands.
“Where’d you get that?”
Priire blinked like she hadn’t really been listening. “This? I... from Koustosu.”
Mori’s eyes turned into little hearts. She might be all of nineteen years old, but she was still a sucker for romance. “That is so sweet! And romantic..."
“You’re sappy.” A faint blush on Priire’s cheeks was ignored as the stars of the concert came on stage.
The Bespin Boys — all in their matching white clothes — paraded out on stage. This tour was called “1000 Years” after their latest release. To Priire it was just as cheesy as their first release — “Bespin Boys Again.”
A million screaming fans and one screaming senshi didn’t seem to think it was cheesy. “Look, Priire!” Mori screamed. “Isn’t this great?”
“Lemme go!” Priire yelped, prompting Mori to drop her on her head. “See if I tell you about the backstage passes,” the bruised blonde muttered.
She suffered through the whole concert. Some of the songs were almost okay... but Priire would never admit it to anyone. She’d rather go Hawkbat on Sith Knight Wayland and Geri.
~*~*~*~*~
Mori was older than Priire but shorter. For some reason, that made everyone think that Mori was Priire’s little sister. Priire denied it, claiming that Ippin was enough sister for one family!
The two laughed about it all the way backstage. There was a big party there for everyone to meet the famed Bespin Boys. Priire wasn’t impressed. She’d seen bigger spreads at... Mori bashed her over the head before she could finish the thought.
“Ouch. All you need is a staff and red hair,” Priire complained.
Mori grinned at her. She wasn’t going to let Priire’s complaints spoil this. It was going to be the most fun she’d had in a long time... getting to meet the Bespin Boys!
~*~*~*~*~
There were so many people in the room that Mori and Priire could hardly breathe. It looked mostly like younger girls and their parents. Priire checked her chrono. “I bet that the parents’ll take their kids home soon.”
Like it was some magical charm, the mothers started prompting their daughters to leave. The party had been going on for two hours anyway. Mori and Priire had gotten there late because Priire wanted to get a Bespin Boys CD to bribe her sister with at some point.
“Raving maniacs,” Priire sighed. By this time, most of the younger girls were gone. The only ones left in the room were the Bespin Boys, Priire, Mori, and a handful of older girls acting like lovestruck kids. Priire rolled her eyes then looked at Mori. “Hey, aren’t you going to go talk to them? Mori?”
Mori was hiding behind Priire. “He’s looking at me again!”
Trying to laugh, Priire scrunched up her face. “Which one?”
“Nick. The really cute blonde.”
Priire glanced at the group, making it seem that she wasn’t interested. “Actually, they’re all looking. He’s just staring. Oh, now he’s walking this way.”
“Hi, I’m Nick,” the man introduced himself. He smiled, and Priire wished she had some sunglasses. His smile was literally twinkling.
“I’m Priire.” She took his outstretched hand and shook it.
Nick’s eyes went wide as Priire matched his grip and exceeded it. “Mmm. Nice grip. Who’s your friend?”
“My name’s Mori,” the blonde said, her green eyes wide.
“I gave her tickets to your concert for her birthday. Next time she’s getting a pet.” Priire let a roguish grin come over her face.
Nick looked surprised. “You’re not a fan?”
Mori laughed. “Her?? No way. She used her sister’s N*aboo poster for target practice. One time...” Mori giggled, “she even tried to shoot — what did you call him?”
“Afro-Boy.”
By this time, Nick was pale. “Ah...”
Priire rolled her eyes. “Look,” she said. “My sister made me leave my blaster at home and made me promise not to hurt you.”
The other Bespin Boys — seeming to be bored with the other adoring females — had wandered over. Nick introduced them all, laughing as AJ tried to get the best of Priire in a handshaking “contest.” The blonde Bespin Boy was beginning to think it wasn’t possible.
Mori was about to say something when the door burst in. All of the females in the room except for Mori and Priire screamed and hid behind the Bespin Boys, who were standing in a semi-circle around Mori and Priire. It would have been a nice picture... if the man bursting into the room wasn’t bristling with weapons. Because he was, almost all the girls in the room were looking to the Bespin Boys to protect them.
Almost all of them.
“What do you want?” Priire asked calmly.
Crazed eyes turned on her. Priire kept her composure even though everyone else seemed to be on the verge of losing it. “I want the Bespin Brats.”
Mori didn’t have to glance at Priire to know she was calm. The Kashyyyk girl could feel it radiating from the pilot. Taking strength from that, Mori stood up straight and faced the man.
“Why?”
“Because they broke my little girl’s heart!” the man growled. He turned one of the blasters in his hands on the Bespin Boys.
Because she was in tune with the Force, Mori could feel that one of the Bespin Boys was about to speak. She reached out with the Force and impressed on him the necessity of being quiet. If anyone could diffuse this, it was Priire. She hoped.
Mori, I’ll distract him and you run. Transform when you’re out of sight.
The girl nodded at the thought Priire sent her.
Priire didn’t acknowledge her or anything. She kept her smooth green eyes on the wild one in front of her. “You know you can’t kill them.”
“Why not?” the man screamed. He looked her over. “What’s an unarmed girl going to do about it? I heard you tell them you left your blaster at home!” The man brought his blaster into a firing position.
With a deceptive laziness Priire reached back over her shoulder like she was going to scratch her back. Only the Bespin Boy standing right behind her saw the glint in her hand. Then, before the man had time to pull the trigger, the glint in Priire’s hand became a knife flying through the air. The knife buried itself in the upturned weapon before anyone really noticed Priire’s movements.
“Never underestimate your opponents. Sometimes they have powerful friends,” Priire said. Her face held a dangerous intensity that held the crazed man’s eyes captive.
“And when powerful friends are loyal, you’re in even worse shape!”
All eyes turned to the broken doorway, where a silhouetted figure was now visible.
“I am Sailor Kashyyyk, defender of the forest of Kashyyyk and fighter for love and right! I won’t let you take away the beautiful music and faces of the Bespin Boys!” Sailor Kashyyyk posed. “Vine Whip!”
A long green vine slashed its way through the air and wrapped itself around the man. He tried to break out of it, but another figure did a forward flip through the air to land right behind him. Another knife materialized in her hand and she held it to the man’s neck. Her voice was still calm as she spoke. “We can get you the help you need. Or I can slit your throat. Your choice.”
“Don’t hurt him,” Sailor Kashyyyk warned her.
Priire rolled her eyes. “Gimme some more of that vine, Jungle Girl.”
Kashyyyk laughed and threw a length of vine at her. “That’s Jungle Woman!”
Priire caught it and expertly lashed the man’s wrists and his ankles together. She ripped a piece of cloth off of her ship and used it for a gag. “Score one for the forces of love and right. Good job, Kashyyyk.”
Before the forest Sailor could leave, Nick put a hand on her arm. “Hey, did you see a girl out there? Mori?”
“I sent her to call the cops. She should be back soon. I have to go now,” Kashyyyk moved his hand from her arm and left in a flurry of gold-edged purple.
~*~*~*~*~
A few minutes later, Priire was leaning over one of the fainted females. She didn’t realize that the man whom she’s tied up so nicely had gotten loose. He had a sharp edge on his chrono that he used to slice through the vines. Now, with the quietest movements possible, he had taken a blaster and was aiming it at Nick.
Just as he fired, Mori walked in and yelled out a warning.
Priire didn’t think as she dove for the Bespin Boy. The blasterbolt seared its way across her back as she and Nick rolled out of the way.
“No!” Mori cried. She grabbed a discarded length of vine and whipped it around the man’s neck with precision. He wasn’t going anywhere as her strong hands tightened the noose whenever he struggled. Two of the Bespin Boys walked over to help her.
Priire was on her back on the floor with Nick on top of her. She didn’t open her eyes but growled pleasantly, “If you don’t get off of me, I’m going to tell my boyfriend.”
“You have a boyfriend?” Nick sounded disappointed.
The girl winced in pain. “Yeah... and I think my back’s stuck to the floor.”
Her statement was almost humorous. Nick movedl, and Priire carefully lifted herself off the floor with her left hand. She gathered her bracelet off the floor where it had fallen. From how the blasterbolt had hit her, it had seared her right arm slightly. “Mmm, that’s not gonna feel good in the morning,” she winced. Priire brushed dirt off the undamaged portion of her right arm, forgetting that there was a covered-up tattoo on it.
“Mori? Are you okay?” Nick asked. He walked over to her after thanking Priire for saving his life. “Mori?”
The blonde smiled. “I’m fine. Thank you.”
The police, a little late, rushed in. The scene that met them was amusing - several unconscious females being watched over by a Bespin Boy, two Bespin Boys helping another girl restrain a crazy-looking man, one Bespin Boy talking with the long-haired blonde, and another Bespin Boy examining the back of a blaster-burned girl.
“You’re a little late,” the blaster-burned girl said. “Ouch,” she complained as the Bespin Boy pulled part of her sleeve off of the wound.
“Whoa, where’d you get that great tattoo?”
Priire grinned. “I’m not telling.”
The lead policeman held up his hands. “What happened here?”
“4... 3... 2... 1...” Mori counted to herself.
Just as she said "one," another group of beings burst into the room. “Aster!” a redhead yelled. “Who did you shoot this time?”
“This time I was the target,” Priire laughed.
“I called for backup while I was out,” Mori explained. “But we handled it.”
Some of the Bespin Boys started telling the police what had happened while they carted away the crazy man. The others went over to see how Priire was doing. Actually, there was a large group of girls and Bespin Boys around Priire. A sudden path was cleared as the worried tones of a tall man were heard.
“Priire?”
“Kousotsu!”
The tall, dark man laughed. “Usually we’re cleaning up your messes... now you’re the mess.”
She stuck her tongue out at him. “Imp.”
“Who’s he?” one of the Bespin Boys asked. “Hey, I found some gauze.”
Kousotsu took the gauze from the Bespin Boy’s hand. “I’m her boyfriend.”
“Lucky man,” the Bespin Boy commented.
Koustosu laughed. “Sometimes,” he said as Ippin helped him bandage the blaster burn.
“So, Mori. Do you want to have dinner sometime?”
Hearts formed in the green eyes of the Kashyyyk girl. “Really, Nick?”
“Sure,” the Bespin Boy said. “My treat.”
Ippin laughed. “I think someone has a crush on someone...” She winked, then ducked as Mori threw something at her.
Catching the cookie that Mori had used for a projectile, Priire took a bite. “Not bad.”
Koustosu sighed. “You’re never getting out of my sight again. You get in too much trouble.”
“Me?” Priire protested.
Mori echoed it. “It was the Boys!”
The dark-haired man nodded seriously. “Didn’t your mother tell you that Boys were trouble?”
“Trouble’s my middle name. I hang around you, don’t I?” Her eyes sparkled as she laughed.
“Look! A new song!” Nick shouted. “All you people, can’t you see, can’t you see? How much trouble is in her reality? When someone goes down, you know that she’s around, and that makes her larger than life...”
Someone threw a pillow at the singing Bespin Boy.
