I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if Chieri hadn't changed her mind about graduating in Next Stage, so I decided to write a fanfic based on that.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own AKB0048 nor it's characters.

Enjoy^^

Prologue: The New General Elections

The arena seemed deadly quiet as Chieri made her way towards the scene. Nagisa could tell that she was having trouble breathing; who couldn't? Chieri seemed to almost loose her balance as she made her way up the few steps to the scene, but she eventually got to the mic, receiving a trophy with the number 6 on from Toku-san the 3rd. She took a hold of the mic, and now everyone could hear her strained breathing.

"I… I'm a 77th generation… understudy… Sono… Sono Chieri…" The bluenette talked with several pauses to breathe, and everyone in the hall gasped when she once again almost lost her balance, accidentally hitting the mic.

As Chieri began a new attempt to say something, Nagisa could tell that she was conflicting with herself about something. Her fans would perhaps not notice, but for someone who spent a great deal of her time with Chieri, it was rather easy to tell.

"I'm… I… I'm… I want to say… that I…" Everyone could tell that the Idol was struggling, and several screams of her names could be heard, bringing tears to Chieri's eyes. She took several deep breaths, and seemed to calm down, if only just a little. Then she dropped the bomb.

"I want to say that… I, Sono Chieri, 77th generation understudy, am going to graduate from AKB0048!"

Silence. Then mistrusting screams from all of her fans. Chieri backed away from the mic, and bowed, and then returning to her place before the mic.

"To get this rank, number 6, in the new general elections, I'm glad to know that that many of you support me, however, I don't deserve that honour." More screams from the audience.

"I was born to a very rich family, the CEO of Zodiac, and my father was against me joining 00. When I ran away and did it anyways, he planned to bring be back by force, but changed his mind. He put a great amount of money into advisement for me." No one in the audience seemed to believe her.

"The commercial for I-girls-noodles, which many of you think I'm in, I'm not. That was an actor father casted to make it look like me. Everything, which have made my popularity-level rise, isn't my effort. It's father's money. Therefor, I'm graduating. It isn't fair that I, who have my father's money behind me, am a part of 00, which should be based on talent and hard work, not unfair methods." The tears were streaming down her face. "I am going to graduate, and this will be the last time you see me on stage." She turned so that she faced Nagisa directly.

"Nagisa, don't try to make me stay, because I've made up my mind. Don't look back, sing on top of your lungs, and make your presence known!" She yelled, while Nagisa had frozen. Those last words, they were the exact same words as Acchan the 13th had told her in her dream! As Nagisa looked back on Chieri, the former had already turned to the audience again.

"Everyone, I'm sorry!" She bowed again. "I'm Sono Chieri. Former understudy and member of AKB0048. Thank you for being so kind to me!"

She went away from the mic, and over to the seat for the 6th-placer. She put her trophy there, and left the stage to the side, trying to ignore the screams of her fans.

The rest of the elections went by in a blur for Nagisa, she could remember Takamina dropping a place from the early rankings, and Yuko announcing her goal of becoming Centre Nova, but not much else. She could only think of the words Chieri had said.

This is the prologue, and it takes place in the equivalent of episode 17.

Before anyone comes screaming at me, this is an AU, which means it's an alternate universe, and that it's not really bound to the happenings of the real show. That means that this story doesn't take place in the same universe as neither of my other fanfics unless stated otherwise^^