Twintail and Mirajane S and Erza S, thanks for the review!
I do think the story overall is quite sad...
Akira started to read the scroll. It was written by the very first direct descendant of Itano Tomomi, the woman considered to be Itano Tomomi the 2nd.
To the successor of Akimoto Sayaka,
My ancestor has told me a lot of wonderful things about Akimoto Sayaka-san. She's a wonderful leader, a great performer, and a caring senior. She was once a captain of Team K, a team where my ancestor belonged to. She led this team full of heart and love. She bound all of us so and made us not only a team, but a family.
She is one of the people who represents the real meaning of Team K. She is unorthodox as an idol but still, there is no doubt that she is a real one. She is different but she is not afraid to embrace her uniqueness and I guess that's what appeals her to a lot of people.
Hardships have befallen her but this only tested her. She gracefully stepped down from her captaincy but still regained the honor of becoming the captain of Team K again. These things only made her stand up with more pride and determination.
Even though her stay in AKB has not really been a very sweet ride, she stayed in the group to guide future stars. She is one of the most respected members and this is a message of comfort to the future successor of Akimoto Sayaka-san.
You might think that you deserve to succeed another member, a better member, a more popular member. But hold your head high and be proud that you succeeded the name of one of the most prominent figures of AKB history. A performer who never fails to turn your head towards her, and a leader who will guide you until you can fly on your own.
As you leave the name of AKB, remember what you once stood for and be proud for you became Akimoto Sayaka.
Itano Tomiko
"What are we doing here, Tsubasa-san?" Sayaka asked. The manager had asked her to wear a plain white kimono as they entered the underground temple of Akibastar.
"This is the place where a successor starts her journey with her new name and this is the place where she will end this journey," Tsubasa explained. She was wearing her priestess clothes.
"Oh, I see…" Sayaka said, lowering her head. She was about to graduate but she could not help but feel sad that she would leave the group that she loved the most.
"Tsubasa-san…?"
"Yes?"
"What happens in a successor's graduation?"
The former Mariko smiled. "Well, that is for you to find out."
"Will it hurt?"
"Of course not," Tsubasa replied with a small laugh. "It's a bit awkward but, well, it's not really painful or anything."
The two walked silently around the crystal lake where the kiraras flocked, making the underground cave look starry. As she walked, Sayaka noticed a group of kiraras forming a large mirror. Her own kirara, a fire-shaped one, went towards the group as well. In front of her, an image of a woman with long hair appeared.
"Is she…?"
"Yes, the original Akimoto Sayaka," Tsubasa said. "The kiraras inside this cave are the kirara of succession. They show the reflection of your soul. In your case, it's still of Sayaka's."
"I see…" Sayaka said, staring at the image. "She's… beautiful…"
"You know, original Sayaka and original Mariko were quite close," Tsubasa said.
"Really?" the successor said. "Is that why you loved to bully me, Mariko-sama?" The two women laughed, their voices echoing in the cave.
"Anyway, Sayaka, are you ready for your graduation ceremony?" the manager asked.
Sayaka gulped. "Uhh, yeah…" Tsubasa motioned her to cross the bamboo bridge so that she could stay in the platform in the middle of the crystal lake.
The successor gasped as she saw heaps of glowing stars, kirara, emerge from the water. The water was glowing as well. Sayaka was covered by a blinding light.
When she woke up, she was inside a small old theater. The benches were empty and rusty but the wooden floor where she was standing on was shiny and new. She could hear soft, familiar music as if it came from a radio far away.
"Hello, Sayaka…"
She looked at the person who was walking in front of her. Wearing the trademark royal red checkered uniform was the original bearer of her name, Akimoto Sayaka. The lady was smiling at her. They were almost the same height but Sayaka the 10th felt a bit insecure since Original Sayaka was really radiant. The glow that surrounded her proved that she was not only a radiant idol, but a real artist. Like what they say in her home planet, artists are gods who give light and hope in this era.
"Sayaka-san…?"
"Yes?"
"Where are we?"
"The place where dreams start, the AKB 48 theater," she said, facing the empty benches. "I performed on this stage for 8 years, sowing seeds of growth and waited for them to grow into flowers."
As Akira watched her idol, she suddenly understood something that Maeda Atsuko 13th once said. "It is not only kiraras that glow." Original Sayaka did not have any kiraras with her but it was as if she was wearing millions of them.
"Whoever thought that Sayaka wasn't cut out to be an idol would eat his words if he sees this," she thought.
"Akira?" Sayaka asked, breaking the silence. "Why did you join AKB? Did you ever think of becoming a center nova? Or succeeding Akimoto Sayaka?"
"I didn't… actually…"
"Well, no one wants to be Akimoto Sayaka, I guess…"
"No! I didn't mean it that way," Akira quickly replied. Akira suddenly remembered what she had heard from Sora.
"Everyone respects the original Akimoto Sayaka. Everyone wants to be as strong as you! I know a person who really idolizes you! She wanted to be you, but I became Sayaka instead of her."
"Oh, I see…" Sayaka chuckled. "I know who you are talking about, Akira." The original member smiled. "Sora."
"You know her?"
"Of course," Sayaka replied.
The two girls were silent as they both walked around the tiny theater. Akira, feeling uneasy, blurted out what she had wanted to tell the woman earlier.
"I'm sorry…"
"For what?"
"I couldn't live up to your name," Akira said. "I… I couldn't be as great as you…"
"Silly, you shouldn't think like that," Sayaka replied.
"But you were also a great captain! WOTA records say that you're one of the greatest and even though you stepped down, everyone still respected you as a captain!"
"Aren't you pressuring yourself too much to become someone else?" Sayaka asked. She went towards her successor and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. Akira instantly felt warmth. She was glowing as brightly as her original counterpart!
"Akira, all of the Sayakas who came here to meet me said the same thing. 'I couldn't live up to your name', 'I couldn't be like Sayaka', those sorts of things.
"But I think I know why you succeeded that name. It's not because you're like a fighter, or strong, or a leader. It's because you can be yourself even though you succeeded someone. If you attempt to imitate me, then definitely you are not fit to be me," Sayaka explained. "You were able to become Akimoto Sayaka without erasing Igarashi Akira.
"It's the same with everyone. You can always succeed an AKB member but one way or another, you will be different. We can never imitate someone else. What we can only do is to have something special that we will be proud of." Sayaka looked at Akira. "Don't you have something unique that you can be proud of? Something that you can boast in front of me?"
"So… I was good in micsaber combat and energetic dancing?"
"Of course!" Sayaka said. "You were able to defend entertainment, something that I really love doing when I was alive. You are one of the people who give hope and happiness across the galaxy."
"I actually feel at ease upon hearing those things," Akira replied.
Sayaka smiled again. Akira thought that she was lucky to succeed such a beautiful woman. Sora was right about her. She kinda wished Sora would be there to see her heroine.
"Hey, Sayaka-san. I have a question."
"Hmm…?"
"WOTAs say that Sayaka and Sae's souls are bound together. Is that true?"
Sayaka laughed loudly, but Akira saw that she was blushing like a tomato. "Where did that come from?"
"From… everyone…"
"Well, Sae and I were called Twin Towers. She's really special to me and I do think that she feels the same as well. Sometimes, Sayaka and Sae successors graduate at the same time and we both meet them here in the theater."
"Sora had to graduate earlier than me." Akira said with regret. She started sniffing. "She might be angry at me. Maybe I should have graduated after what happened to her."
Sayaka placed her hand on her successor's shoulder. "Sae didn't want me to graduate just because of a petty thing," she said. "Sora would not want you to graduate because of something like that."
"Why?"
"Why? Because she definitely loves to see you radiantly singing for freedom."
Akira's eyes were wide. "How did you know about those things?"
"We're idols. We can be anywhere and nowhere. We sing to fill light inside the shadows of human hearts. Sometimes, Sora would feel very sad about her early retirement, but she never lets herself lose inside the shadows," Sayaka said. "You fill her with hope every time you sing, even though she cannot see you personally. That's one of the reasons why she told you not to leave. When she loses the hope to believe in light, you are there to make her believe."
"Really?"
"But you won't realize that, of course. 'Kizuna legend.'"
"Kizuna… legend…" Akira tried to remember the lines of the song. Unlike other Sayakas and Saes, Sora and she did not have any chance to sing that song. They should have, but Sae graduated before they had the opportunity to do so.
The original member looked at the spotlight. "Hey, I'm not really good at explaining these things but I do believe that it's not because you two have succeeded Sae and I. It's because the two of you have a special bond." Sayaka pointed at Akira's heart. "Right here."
Suddenly, there was a light in the middle of the stage, making the successor jump. "What's that?"
"It's time, Akira. You've already ended your journey as Akimoto Sayaka." Akira watched as her fiery kirara went towards the original bearer of her name. Sayaka gave a small pat on the creature before it went back to Akira, glowing brighter than ever.
"When will I see you again?"
"I don't know. Maybe one day we can stand on this stage together," Sayaka replied.
Akira felt the need to rush towards the original Akimoto Sayaka and hug her. She started crying.
"Why are you crying?"
"I may look like I'm strong, Sayaka-san, but I'm scared…" Akira sniffed. "I don't know what will happen to me after my graduation."
Sayaka chuckled as she patted the successor's head. "You've thought about this, right?"
"Yes."
"You're ready for this, right?"
Akira nodded.
Sayaka smiled. "I know that you've thought about this decision for a long time, Akira. If you think that you're ready, you are definitely ready."
"What… what does it feel like graduating from AKB?"
"It's a painful feeling, like a little bird flying away from her mother's nest. But if you know that your wings are large enough to bring you to places, then there's nothing to be afraid about." She let go of the hug. "After all, you will always be a puzzle piece of the AKB family, whether you are an original member or a successor." She gently pushed the successor's back to the middle of the stage. "Now, be ready to fly…"
"Thank you, Sayaka-san…"
"And Akira…?"
"Yes?"
"You also have to be honest with your feelings." She started walking away from the successor as everything became brighter, fading into white.
"Don't worry, Akira, I will sing with you until the end…"
When Akira woke up, she was lying on the platform in the middle of the crystal lake. Tsubasa was looking at her. "I saw her."
Tsubasa smiled. "I know. In an official graduation ceremony, the successor will meet the soul inside the starting place of dreams. I didn't understand that myself before, though." She helped Akira up. "Sensei-sensei has given you your final song. Practice this well." She handed a hologram tool to the successor.
"Tsubasa-san! I cannot sing this!" she said as she saw the song's title. "This is… only Sayaka-san can sing this!"
"Well, prove that you are Akimoto Sayaka the 10th, then," Tsubasa said. "Only a true Sayaka can sing that legendary song."
