Here's the second chapter, I hope you like it^^
As in the previous chapter, make sure to read the authors notes last in the chapter, there are some explanations about different things I did/didn't include.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own AKB0048 nor it's characters.
Chapter 2: Inheritor of the name
When the idols got back from Baltistar and Vegastar, they realized that due to Kanata getting Chieri's position, she had suddenly gotten a huge push in popularity. It wasn't anything compared to the rest of the elected members though, but was a lot more than what she had had before the General Elections. Kanata had gotten all Chieri's parts in the Election Senbatsu, which, of course, included the ranked girls' busy scheme.
Even though Kanata was happy over being able to preform with the elected members, she couldn't help but feel she didn't really deserve it. She hadn't been the one ranked. She was the last minute resort; she kept her thoughts to herself, and did her best, as usual.
One thing she was genuinely happy about was the rumours about Mimori, and when she would succeed. Most of the guesses were incredibly soon. As the other girl's friend and captain, she wished that the rumours would turn out to be true. There was also a lot of rumours going on centred around Kanata herself, many with similar subjects.
"Everyone! Are you ready?" Tsubasa called. She was standing in front of the stage, with Ushiyama to her right, and the camerawoman from Atamistar to her left.
"The show's tomorrow! Put your best foot forward!" Ushiyama continued. Everyone replied with a "Got it!".
"Hey, it's that camerawoman…" Yuka said quietly. Orine nodded.
"What's she doing here?" The timid of the two continued. Sonata had now also noticed the woman, and an mischievous grin curved her lips.
"Uh-oh, Grumblator." She said, effectively getting Makoto's attention. "You don't have your pads today." She lifted her hands to her chest, as to prove her point.
"Eh? Shoot!" Makoto replied quietly, clearly a bit panicked at Sonata's words.
Tsubasa, who had gotten used to the occasional talking of the younger idols, ignored Makoto and Sonata.
"This is our group's new camerawoman." She said, sighing, when the other woman skipped a step ahead and posed.
"At your ervice-say!" She said peppily. "Freelance camerawoman Minamino Mikako here! Believe it or not, I'm the former Minegeshi Minami the 5th, aka Miichan!"
The only one of the understudies (as well as the younger sucessors), who didn't seem surprised, was Suzuko. She had recognized Miichan on the spot, but, as usual, hadn't say anything.
"WHAAAT?!"
As the first few beats of RESET sounded through the speakers, the understudies gathered around Suzuko who opened up an image of the former Miichan in her phone.
"I-it's true!" Makoto exclaimed, quickly followed by Yuka.
"You can't be serious!"
"It's nothing new." Suzuko replied. "She's been among the Centre Nova portraits in the dorm this whole time."
"Chan-Mimo, nice pose!" The former Centre Nova called, snapping a photo. "Lovely figure! Like an odel-may! Sexy, Sexy!"
"Okay, understudies turn!" Ushiyama called, and Chance wo Junban started to play. The non-elected understudies quickly entered the stage, and started to dance. They weren't as radiant as the elected members, whom had attracted Kirara's, and a certain successor was not impressed.
"What an utter disappointment." Yuko muttered, watching the understudies with a critical eye. She rose up. "Come on, what happened to you?" She called, interrupting the rehersal.
"Nagisa!" She called out. "You've got to be kidding me! You've got more radiance in you than that! Was it just a fluke of beginners luck at Lancastar?" She stopped, realizing what she was doing. "I'm sorry." She turned and left, leaving a sort of shameful Nagisa, and puzzled understudies and successors behind.
"Oh my, what could have happened to her?" Miichan asked, to which Ushiyama sighed. He had so clearly seen exactly what Yuko was complaining about.
"Don't worry about Yuko… More importantly, Nagisa." He said, effectively getting the understudy's attention. "Come with me. We need to talk." He turned, and walked outside, making Nagisa hurry after him.
"Do you think Yuko is all right?" Tomochin asked, turning to Sayaka, but it was Sae, who sat next to the fitness centred idol, who answered.
"Do you think it might be the pressure of first place that's getting to her?"
"She's made of stronger stuff than that! She'll just blast straight through what hinders her, and continue forward like if nothing happened; With a grin on her face!"Sayaka replied, making all three laugh.
"Mayuyu?" Yukirin walked over to her non-human friend, who had started look around, as if searching for something. "What is it?" she asked.
"Tsubasa already left." Came the answer.
"She's been awfully busy lately."
"Nyan-Nyan gets the feeling that a storm is coming." A new voice chimed in. Kojiharu, of course, who had – as the rest of the girls in the room – heard their conversation. Both the purple-haired and blue-haired girl turned to her.
"A storm is coming?" The taller asked.
"Hear this." She smiled. "They say a new successor might be born."
After leaving the rest of the girls, Yuko had gone straight to another training room, and went through RESET another time, after which, she had laid down on the floor, just thinking. She didn't notice that the door both opened and closed, and that someone had entered the room.
Before, I was sure that either Chieri or Nagisa would be the dual trains that would pull the other understudies behind them, but now I'm not sure. I have a feeling Chieri wasn't telling the whole story at the elections… Gaah! I just don't get it!
"Motomiya Nagisa, or Sono Chieri." A voice interrupted her thoughts, and she jumped. "Those two are the main source of your confusion now, aren't they?"
"Miichan!" Yuko exclaimed. "How did you..?"
"Just a hunch." The older replied. "Am I right in suggesting that you, before, were sure that either Nagisa, or Chieri would become Acchan?" She smirked when Yuko made a hesitant nod. "Bullseye!"
Turning the topic to something else, Yuko asked. "Miichan, why did you give up your radiance?"
"Oh?"Miichan rose up from leaning on the fence. "I didn't give it up. I lost it. "
"Lost it? How?"
"I guess I could tell you," She shrugged. "but you wouldn't understand. You haven't stood there… "
The successor gritted her teeth, and was about to say something, when Miichan interrupted her.
"Chan-Yuu, you like photography, don't you?"
"Yes, I do. What of it?"
Miichan removed her glasses, signalling that she wasn't 'fooling around', as Tsubasa liked to call it. "Those with Centre Nova potential have a certain instinct."
"..Instinct?"
"The ability to capture the moment. They resonate with those who share the same radiance and capture the moment that radiance manifests. It's just like photography. You gaze through the viewfinder and snap the shutter at the perfect moment. If you do that…" She trailed off as Yuko stood up.
"..I can capture that radiance! Perhaps I'll find a clue to the next Acchan."
"Of course, it does only work if you have the same potential."
Takamina and Tomochin had, after the rehearsal was over, took a shower, and changed clothes. Being on their way back to their dorms, they spotted Yuko in the hallways, with a certain camera in hand.
"Yuko, something on your mind?" The taller of the two newcomers asked.
"Oh, a camera? Take a picture of us!" Takamina asked.
"Oh, sure." Yuko lifted her camera, and snapped the shutter as soon as her fellow successors had posed. Raising up, she decided to look for Nagisa, and see if she could snap any other pictures as well. "Have you guys seen Nagisa since the rehearsal?" She asked.
"Ushiyama wanted to talk with her just after you left, and I haven't seen her since." Takamina replied, and Tomochin nodded. "Me neither."
"Then I guess I'll ask the others." She walked past them, towards the kitchen, where she found Kojiharu and Sayaka.
"Nagisa?" Kojiharu asked.
"Haven't seen 'er." Sayaka followed up. "Have you checked outside? Sae might have seen 'er."
"I'll check with her, then."She raised the camera, and took a picture of the posing Kojiharu and Sayaka. "Thanks anyways."
Outside she found Sae, who had gone on an evening jog, but even here was the results negative. She did get a rather funny picture, though. She found Yukirin and Mayuyu in the couch, and with only the latter aware of the picture taken – Yukirin was sleeping.
"Nagisa is sure taking a while…" Orine inquired.
"She said she'd be right here." Suzuko replied, a lot less worried than Orine. The two of them were sitting with the rest of the girls from their generation, except for Sonata, who had gone before them with Kanata and Mimori. Their conversation was cut short, when the door to the baths opened up.
"That must be her!" Yuka exclaimed, sitting on the edge of the pool, before she turned her head and saw a sight she did not want to see - at least not in that situation. The ninth Oshima Yuko. With a camera.
"Oh, there you are!" The successor exclaimed.
"Yuko-san?" Yuka asked, her eyes trailing from Yuko's face, to the camera, and back to Yuko's face, which now had taken a rather mischievous look.
"Let me take a picture!" She singsonged with a teasing voice, causing chaos in the bathrooms. Suzuko, a bit unsure of what to do, just hid her chest, and made a wavering Peace-sign. Yuka jumed down into the water, Orine turned around with a bright red face, making her back face Yuko, and Makoto dove as deep into the water as she could.
Continuing to the understudy dorms, she cursed herself for noth thinking of that earlier, she stopped at Kanata and Mimori's door.
"Guess who's here!" She called and opened the door.
Inside of the room, Kanata was doing sit-ups, with Sonata on her bed, looking on the net, and Mimori by the desk.
"Sonata, if you've got nothing better to do, exercise with me." The older sister started.
"No can do!" Came the answer, achieving a small, but tired, giggle from Mimori.
"If you exercise with Kanata, your belly will turn into a washboard."
"You all right, Mimori?" Kanata asked her friend.
"What do you mean?" Mimori replied with a question of her own.
"You sound a bit tired."
"I'm perfectly fine." Mimori reassured her.
"Really? All right then." Kanata resumed her sit-ups, but was interrupted when the door opened.
"Guess who's here!" A voice rang from the door.
"Yuko-san?" Kanata asked, but didn't get an answer before the clicking soind of a camera going off.
Nagisa sat in her top bunker, looking at her posters, fan-cards, badges, etc of Yuko, thinking back on what Ushiyama had said.
"I understand Yuko is your role model. However… Miming someone else won't lead to succession."
"I know. It depends on the esscence of the soul, right?"
"That's not all. There's also its purpose."
"Its purpose?"
"What is that soul fixated on? What is its goal? Inheriting the soul's state of being is the foundation of succession."
"Inheriting the soul's state of being, huh…" She mumbled to herself.
"Nagisa! You here?" Rang the voice of Oshima Yuko the 9th.
"Yuko-san?"
"Mind if I take a picture?" The older girl asked.
"Uh, sure. I don't mind." Nagisa replied.
"Yes!" Yuko cheered, and Nagisa climbed down from her bed.
"It this really okay?" Nagisa asked, standing where Yuko had pointed her to.
"Yeah, sure!"
"But my back's towards the light…"
"Nah, don't sweat it." Yuko interrupted her. "That'll do just fine!"
"Okay…" Nagisa said as the shutter clicked.
Yuko sighed. "I guess any old shot won't do…"
"Yuko-san, was that picture..?"
"Anyway, sorry for bothering you. Later." The successor turned to the door, and began walking towards it, but stopped, when Nagisa asked her question.
"W-Wait! What did you mean earlier? When you said I had more radiance in me than that."
Yuko turned around, and faced the understudy, her usual smile in place. "I meant what I said. I'm your rival. For Centre Nova, that is."
"Centre Nova? Me? But I'm just an understudy…" Her eyes widened, when she remembered what Yuko had said during Acchan the 13's last General Elections. "Next year, I'll definitely, definitely, beat her and become Centre Nova!"
"Exactly." Yuko said, smirking. "So glow brighter for me, or this won't be much of a competition."
Nagisa was, however, prevented from answering, as the door burst open, and Yuka rushed in.
"Nagisa! Come quick! Mimori-san has..."
The three of the girls hurried over to Mimori and Kanata's room, where they found all of the 77th generation understudies, as well as Kanata, beside Mimori, who was sleeping, with a handkerchief on her forehead.
"Mimori-san…"
Later that evening, Tsubasa and Ushiyama got Kanata and Nagisa to the practice-room.
"Nagisa, if Mimori is unable to preform, you will be her stand-in." Tsubasa said, quieting the questioning girls, before they even could get the chance to start talking.
"Memorize the choreography by tonight." Ushiyama continued. "If Mimori won't be able to preform, you'll need to preform both the elected members' and the understudies' parts."
"I can handle it! Please, leave it to me!" Nagisa said, confident for once, mainly because of being able to help her friend if needed.
"Then I'll practice with you." Kanata said, smiling to the younger girl. "As I've seen Mimori's dancing up-close for 2 years, as well as when I've done it lately with the elected members, no-one knows it better than me."
"Okay, thanks!" Nagisa replied.
"Then let's get started!" Ushiyama stated in the, quite demanding, voice he always used when supervising the girls' dancing.
"Okay!" Nagisa replied immediately, and Matenrou no kyori started to play.
Yuko stood in her successor uniform, on the stage, looking at the seats where the audience would be gathering in just a few minutes. She turned at the sounds of footsteps, and recognized Miichan.
"Well, well." The older sighed. "From the looks of it, you couldn't capture the radiance of the Centre Nova."
"Yeah…" Yuko nodded, with her trademark grin in place. "However, I'm going to find out today. Where I – Where all of us glow most radiantly. Here, on-top of this stage!"
The understudies ran off the stage, having sung Yume wa Nando mo Umarekawaru, waving and smiling towards the fans, and the elected members entered the stage. Oogoe Diamond started to sound in the speakers. Kanata was the in the front, but Takamina was centre, with Mimori to her left, and Kojiharu to her right.
The show had been about to start when Megumi showed up with Mimori, and the fevery one had insisted with that it was her duty as an elected member to preform in front of those that had voted for her, and Tsubasa and Ushiyama had given in and allowed it.
Beside the stage, the understudies had gathered. Only Nagisa had to be there, but the others wanted to keep an eye on Mimori, as well as see the performance.
"The duty of an elected member, huh?" Nagisa asked.
"That's the radiance of a chosen one…" Orine continued for her friend.
Just as the performers came offstage for a short break, Mimori barely made it away from the stage before collapsing.
"Mimori!" Kanata exclaimed as she dove forward to catch her friend.
"Mimori?" Sonata asked sounding rather terrified.
"Your body is hot!"Placing a hand on Mimori's forehead, Kanata exclaimed once more. "You're burning up!"
"Way to show 'em, Mimori!" Takamina came up. "We'll take care of the rest. Nagisa!" She turned to said understudy. "Let's go!"
"Okay!" The asked understudy replied.
"N-No…" Mimori cut in, which made Kanata reach her limit.
"Mimori, you can't go on! If you continue, you'll just hurt yourself, and then you wouldn't be able to preform in front of your fans for much longer!" Kanata had been with Mimori so long now, that she knew exactly what to say to convince her friend, and the other way around.
"N-Nagisa…" The elected member rose her hand. "Please… I'm sorry." Nagisa smiled, with tears in her eyes, and grabbed Mimori's hand, squeezing it reassuringly.
"Just leave it to me. I'll make you proud!" Nagisa replied, and the tears in her eyes flowed over, as did Mimori's.
Nagisa's uniform changed colour, and she ran out along with the elected members. As the song started playing, people began noticing that Mimori hadn't entered the stage, and that Nagisa had her place. The Kirara's flocked around the preforming girls as they started to sing. As Yuko started to shine brighter and brighter, a tunnel of light appeared around her, and Nagisa felt like she was being left behind. As she started chasing after, she noticed Yuko had glanced back at her, giving a smile which wasn't meant for the audience, nor the other preforming girls. It was meant for her, Nagisa, and from what Nagisa understood of it, it said 'Do it! Show me your dream!'. Nagisa gripped the microphone harder, with both hands, and yelled as hard as she could.
"I'm also going to shine!"
Her sudden yell surprised all of the performers, who stopped dancing. "Nagisa?" Kanata asked, and she could see the other understudies more or less freaking out about her statement in the corner of her eye.
"Nagisa, we're in the middle of a performance!" Takamina scolded, before continuing to sing. Kanata was quick to follow her example, and Yuko as well, who gave a small smirk. The two of them backed down a little, showing Nagisa to go up in front, and as she did that, the rest of the singing and dancing girls filled the gap up.
"I, Motomiya Nagisa, want to glow with even more radiance than Yuko-san, or Acchan the 13th. I want to become Centre Nova!" She yelled the last part, and rose her finger straight up in the air, to which her Kirara flew over, and stopped a feet above it, where it started to glow very intensely.
From behind of her, Yuko's smile widened.
"Well said."
That's it for this chapter. It's quite alike the original episode, but as the previous chapter, I did my best to change it up^^
About the missing conversation (/s) (as well as scenes where only the staff are included) between Tsubasa/Ushiyama/Miichan in the beginning of the episode, it's intended. I'm mostly writing this from the understudies' perspective, and they didn't (at least not in this version) hear it. Thus, it's not included^^
And for Yuko's 'rant' towards Nagisa alone, in the anime, she scolded both Nagisa and Chieri, and they are easily the brightest in their generation, and since Chieri is gone in this version of the story (and and graduated not too long ago), no-one has been able to become that bright yet, thus is Yuko only scolding her.