'When the future looks dark, turn to the past for guidance'
The wind blew around us, a cyclone of powerful vapors. I held Chieri's hand tightly in the darkness. A series of faces flashed before us, before being torn apart by the wind again. Through the whipping air, I could see the cold stars. Are those really what we're aiming to become? Those unreachable, distant lights, where the darkness is overpowering and never ending? Were we like that already?
Chieri's hand tightened around mine, clammy from fear. This was a dream, yet the wind felt real - just as real as our intertwined hands, and Yuko's tear-streaked face. My throat constricted. Then, in a dream, we fell, as the stairs tumbled down around us.
"Nagisa!" Chieri gasped, eyes locked on the scene before us. Her mouth was hanging open. I stared at her, a little worried. What would make the proud Chieri Sono gawp at something like a child? Turning, I did a double take, staring at our surroundings. We were in a small park, surrounded with rusted chain-linked fences and drooping pine trees. The ground was wet, and everything was in dull shades of army greens, browns, and greys. Rain dribbled down from swollen clouds.
"Where…are we?" I asked, stunned. Chieri shook her head, eyes squinted against the drops. She was staring at a group of girls a little ways away. Despite the chilly dampness, they were dressed in workout shorts, windbreakers, and sneakers.
"They can't see us." She whispered, almost to herself. Reaching down, she grabbed at a wilting dandelion - and jumped backwards when her hand went through it.
"It went through you!" I wanted to kick myself sometimes. Why the heck does my mouth always feel like it needs to state the obvious? Chieri stared at the sad flower for a moment, then grabbed my wrist.
"We can still touch though…" She said, obviously relieved, then quickly blushed and dropped my hand. I glanced down at my hands, flexing them.
"…They don't look…like they're see-through." They were shaking slightly. "Do you think…we're dead?" Her blue tassels flew around her face as she shook her head. "We would know if we died. Besides, Yuko sent us here, so we shouldn't be worried." Despite her cool exterior, her hands were scrunched tightly around her shirt, and her eyebrows had pulled close together from anxiety.
"I suppose." I said. If Chieri was trying to be calm for my sake, then I had no excuse for panicking.
"MINAMI! YOU'RE LATE!" We jumped a foot and spun around. A girl with long beige hair sauntered through the gates, wearing a bulky red poncho. Her cat glasses were speckled with raindrops, and water dripped off her chin. "Minami, you should know by now that I shall never be punctual, nor shall I ever try to be. That is a vital part of being Minami Minegishi, who is always fashionably late.
I think I choked. Chieri froze, eyes enormous. Did we just really here that? If what she said was true, and she was the first Miichan, then that meant we had gone back in time by almost 78 years - and if that were true -
I whirled around and gripped Chieri's frozen shoulders. "This is the first generation! We're on Earth!" I spun around again, looking at the assembled girls again.
A girl with a dark brown bob stood at the head, next to a tiny girl with turquoise hair in a high pony. Behind her was a petite girl with grey pigtails similar to Yuka's. The tallest girl had even shorter cropped hair, and in the back was a tawny-haired girl that could only be the first Tomochin. These were the originals - the very center of our ideals.
"Sayaka is stuck at Kendo, Yuki is tutoring Sae, and Haruna's off on a date again." The girl with pigtails stomped her feet as Miichan finished her report.
"She promised she would come today; she's skipped all week!"
The girl in front smiled gently as she turned towards the pouting one. "Calm down, Mayu. Wataru's the first person who's actually cared for Haruna and not just her looks…and money. Just give her a little space, and she'll be back to practice before you know it."
Okay, so the one with the spiky grey pigtails is Mayuyu. I thought. Looking at the other speaker…she had to be the first Acchan. I felt light-headed. Next to me, Chieri stepped forward, "That's Acchan - That has to be Atsuko Maeda. Why…this is completely unorthodox. Why is this happening?" She looked at me, her turquoise orbs full of questions. I shrugged, all possible answers only leading to more mysteries. If the train and the stairwell is the ultimate place of dreams, and shows you what you wish for the most. I thought. Why are we seeing the people who created AKB? It's amazing, but I don't see how it's going to help us take back Akibaster. I looked at Chieri. She was slowly advancing - cautiously, like approaching a wary animal. Does it have something to do with her father?
The teeny one turned to Acchan. "You're too soft on her, Atsuko - She's flippant with boys who don't hold her interest. I am not saying -" She continued as Atsuko opened her mouth. "That she is not taken advantage of…only that I think it would be better is she just avoided dating altogether. It would make her life a whole lot easier if she didn't feel pressured to impress whoever she's dating that day." Atsuko looked down, face troubled.
"Haruna likes feeling special." Tomochin spoke up, hazel eyes sharp on the short girl. "Just because you don't have a family that ignores whatever you do unless its what they want you to do Minami, doesn't mean that everybody does." Takamina opened her mouth, closed it for a second. "It's not fair that she gets hurt every time her date announces his true purpose…so I don't think she should date someone if she's going to get hurt from that."
"Nyan-Nyan's here!" Takamina whirled around to watch the approach of the first Haruna Kojima. She had dark blonde hair, almost brown - which corkscrewed down in perfect curls just below her shoulders. Takamina hesitated, a guilty expression on her face, then walked up.
"Where's Wataru?" She asked, brown eyes searching sparkling green ones. Harlan gave a gorgeous smile and patted Takamina on the head.
"He went home."
"It didn't work out?" The quiet inquiry came from Atsuko Maeda. The figurehead of AkB - now just a teenage girl, tilted her head as she watched her friend. Harlan laughed, shaking back her curls stretched loose from the rain.
"I ditched him"
"Why?"
"He annoyed me." Atsuko hesitated, trying to deduce a hidden meaning from Nyan-Nyan's words.
Miichan walked forward, shoving her face in Haruna's. "Should we go…talk to him?"
Her glasses were off I noticed. Is that something all Miichan's do when they get serious? They take off their glasses?
Haruna giggled again, this time quietly. "Got me again, huh…am I really that obvious?" Takamina shook her head.
"We just know you very well." There was a brief silence in the clearing as Haruna digested the words.
Miichan shifted awkwardly, then spoke up. "I propose another code for our extensive list - no dating while performances are coming up."
Haruna froze, eyes large. After a few minutes, she nodded slowly. "I think that's a good idea for me…but what about the rest of you?"
The cropped-haired one that had been silent up to this point grinned. "Chibimi's too stiff to be asked out by anyone. The only other person who has a chance is Tomo…and maybe Minami."
"Minami has a barbed tongue that scares the boys though." Tomomi said, a mischevious spark in her eyes. "The only other person who has a chance is Atsuko…who is my only other rival."
Both Minami's turned to Tomomi and the cropped-haired one. "My sexiness outweighs my sarcasm by a mile." Miichan pouted, glasses back in place.
"Don't call me Chibimi!"
"It suits you."
"Knock it off!"
"Okay, captain tiny."
"Mariko!"
"Alright, thats enough!" Mitten called, clapping her hands. "No more eloping away during practice for anyone - especially you, Haruna. You have to build up more stamina."
"Nyan-Nyan has plenty of stamina!"
"Your mascara is smearing."
Haruna let out a girly shriek as she groped for a hand mirror in her purse. After examining her eyes for a few seonds, she sent a look of corrodible-worthy acid Miichans way.
"It's waterproof!"
"I know."
"Why would you say that?!"
"Your distressed face is a turn-on."
"You sound like a perv!"
Chuu~ Miichan blew a kiss to the scandalized Nyan-Nyan. Opening her mouth to retort, she was interrupted by Tomomi. "Minegishi-san, dating is no longer allowed within the novice idol group AKB48. Please refrain from actions that suggestt otherwise." Tomochin's signature smile appeared as she finished.
The girls burst out laughing as Miichan sank into a deep bow. "My humblest apologies for disobeying the sacred rules of AKB." Tomochin laughed and fanned her face.
"That includes flirting, Minami." Miichan stuck her tongue out as Tomochin, while winking at the other members. The other girls were still cracking up.
I felt homesick already as I watched the girls have fun. They had quickly gone from a serious discussion to making fun of the new rule. I could see the current members in the original ones. What if…
"Do you think we're stuck here?" Chieri whispered to me, nails digging into her skirt. I gulped. We were both thinking the same thing, then. We both were hoping that we were wrong. If we stayed here, I would never see Mama and Papa and Yuka and Orin…or so many others. Biting down on my lip, I shook my head violently, as if shaking hard enough would shake the negative thoughts out.
"Yuko-san sent us here for a reason…so we should pay attention to what the original members do, and before we know it, we'll go home." I stated, proud and a little surprised at the strength in my voice. Chieri looked down, sucked in a breath of air, and let it out slowly. "Alright." When she looked up again, she was back in control. Chieri would rather die then reveal what she was thinking sometimes. It both amazed and frustrated me to no end. On an impulse, I hugged her tightly. Sometimes what you can't say in words, you can communicate through touch. She stiffened momentarily, then relaxed and cautiously returned it.
"Everyone, we need to focus!" Takamina called, after the bout of laughter dissolved into some hiccups. A chorus of "Yes's" went through the assembled girls
Atsuko walked towards Mariko as everyone got into position. "Thank you, as always." She said in a low voice. Mariko gave a good-natured shrug and grinned. "Anytime." Atsuko nodded and thanked Miichan as well on the way back to the point of the formation. There was a moment of silence, then Atsuko took a deep breath and shouted -
"AKB48! Let's go!"