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The Portal of Zeta: iDOLM@STER Neo Vision

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ZetaFlare:
Shiranui Sakura's Route, cont.

A few days later after school, Kenji hears something going on in the music room—the voice sounds familiar. He sees Sakura practicing Koi wa Sensou (Kagura’s song). Normally, she is a very hard worker, but Kenji notices that she’s being overly hard on herself. Sakura is about to start again, but is then shocked to see Kenji watching her. Kenji is worried. He feels like Sakura is hiding her problems from him. Was all that extra practicing what Sakura meant when she told Kenji she couldn’t chat because she was “busy” with stuff? Why didn’t she tell him in the first place? Sakura apologizes. She really didn’t want to worry Kenji at all. The truth is, she’s worried about dealing with Kagura—their recent encounter and the gap that separates them. All this time, she has been remembering what Kagura told her—if she can’t take her work seriously, she will never be able to perform at her level. It was then she decided to change her approach. She’s an idol now. This is her job and she must take it seriously. Become a true performer like Kagura. Kenji fears that he’s losing the Sakura he knew all his life. Sure, Kagura is incredibly talented, but she has no right to try to preach her ways to Sakura. Sakura has always been an excellent performer because she follows her own ethics—works hard, does her best, and has fun. Kenji and her partner idols are very concerned about her, especially after she urged them to put in some extra practice a couple of times. Sakura retorts, claiming she’s involved in the battlefield that is the entertainment industry. There’s no time for fun and games. She feels like she must prove to Kagura that she is not a burden and that she can be just as good as Kagura.

This new outlook, however, soon takes a toll on Sakura. She keeps her trendy nature, but now follows Kagura’s trends. While trying to be like Kagura, she begins to lose some of her charm. She even bombs one of her concerts, causing her to kick herself hard. It doesn't really help that a few gossip panels are claiming that Sakura is not taking her idol job seriously...that she's only doing it just because it's fun. She cares more about her personal happiness rather than her fans. (this was a ploy from Yamato in order to push Sakura to keep going down the path she's currently taking) Fortunately, the other two idols are able to help the unit pull out of its slump.

As soon as the IU preliminaries roll around, Sakura feels ready. She knows Kagura will be there considering NAZO was one of the first entries in the IU. Much to Sakura’s fear, ZetaPro and NAZO have been placed in the same bracket (courtesy of you-know-who’s rigging of the lots). Sakura musters up her courage and puts her all into her performance. While her unit was able to pass, they still placed a distant second to NAZO. Still, this so-called “loss” causes Sakura to fall to her knees in tears. To her, all that extra time and effort were for naught…Kagura is still way out of her league. After ZetaPro gets mocked by NAZO, Kagura tells Sakura that no matter what she does, all she will do is bring her friends down with her. Kagura was just born with natural talent and is destined to rise to the top along with NAZO. This is the difference in their abilities. Later that night, everyone tries to calm Sakura down, but she’s just too scared of the gap between her and Kagura. Surpassing her is hopeless. She figures if she continued being an idol, she would only be a burden to her partners and Kenji. She’s only left with one thing to say:

“I quit!”

Kenji tries his best to stop her, but she quickly packs up and exits the office. The president is concerned, but not too worried. As a producer, he’s seen situations like that before. All she probably needs is some alone time…maybe even a bit of motivation will cheer her up. Still, Kenji feels as though it’s up to him as her best friend to wake Sakura up and bring her back to ZetaPro. Contrary to what Kagura has been telling her, everyone is counting on her for the IU. He decides that maybe he could use a little outside help in order to get Sakura back to her cheerful old self…

(to be continued)
Final part coming soon!

ZetaFlare:
Shiranui Sakura's Route, conclusion

The next day, Kenji arrives at Sakura’s house. Sakura is worried that Kenji might be mad at her. He’s not mad at all…just worried about her. As her closest friend, Kenji wants to do everything in his power to make her happy. He decided maybe she might need some extra help, so he invited Haruka to come over and chat with her. Sakura can’t believe she is seeing her biggest inspiration in person for who knows how long! It’s been so long that Haruka doesn’t quite remember (either that, or she’s just being her clumsy self), but she’s happy to help a fellow idol out of her slump. Haruka even brought along a homemade cake for the occasion. Kenji can’t believe that Sakura would throw away all she has just because she’s scared that her biggest rival is so many steps ahead of her. All her life, she loved to sing. It was always fun for her. She acquired a great deal of talent and popularity through all the time, effort, and passion she put into her singing. Performing seemed to always make her and her listeners happy. Then, Kagura shows up as an idol, causing her to completely change her outlook. It’s like she gave up her charm in favor of being overly hard on herself, not allowing even the smallest mistakes, and forcing herself to become more serious in order to catch up with Kagura. Then yesterday, she gives up hope after her recent loss to Kagura. Why give it all up because some big-time idol she has known in the past is badgering her for her so-called “weakness?” Haruka tells Sakura she can actually sympathize with her. They both seem to have very similar aspects about being an idol. When Haruka was facing Hibiki in the IU two years ago, she knew Hibiki was on a much higher level than her and feared she would not be able to catch up. However, she never gave up. Rather than try to replicate Hibiki’s style, she followed her own heart and her own style and eventually won the IU. Later, when Haruka felt down in the dumps from not being able to work some social time into the other idols’ busy schedules, she was reminded of why she wanted to become an idol in the first place—to use her passion of singing to make everyone happy. She tells Sakura not to worry about her rivals. Who cares if you’re Japan’s most talented or most popular idol? As long as you are happy and have fun being an idol, that’s all that matters. Kenji then reminds Sakura…Remember that promise she made to him? The one where she would always be by her side no matter what? Sakura is upset and starts to cry, feeling as though she broke her promise. Kenji and Haruka tell her that she can always fix it. The rest of her unit is counting on her as they advance further into the IU. It’s never too late for her to become the idol she always intended to be. Sakura cheers up and promises to become her own idol, true to her own feelings for the sake of herself, her unit, and her fans. Haruka can tell that Sakura definitely has the aura of a true idol. She knows ZetaPro will do great in the IU and wishes them lots of luck as she heads home. Sakura thanks Kenji from the bottom of her heart (she even blushes a little). If it hadn’t been for his help, who knows where she (or the others) could have been now? The two of them returned to the ZetaPro office, where they are greeted by the president and the other two idols with open arms. The president can tell Sakura is shining even brighter than before. He figured she’d come back sooner or later, but is proud of Kenji for taking matters into his own hands.

Sakura’s recent changes allow her to make an incredible comeback. She restores her fans’ faith and significantly increases the size of her fan base.

As ZetaPro prepares to face NAZO once again, Sakura is ready this time around. She’s not scared of Kagura anymore. Kenji, her partners, and the president all know that she is not the burden Kagura claims she is. Now she can face Kagura while following her own path. Unfortunately, the festival is cancelled. When Sakura discovers NAZO’s producer, she’s shocked. She knows about Yamato…both his skills and his history with Kenji. Later, after the president tells the unit about Yamato and NAZO, Sakura is worried that Kenji has to face his biggest rival once again. She’s even more worried that this time Kenji must win for the sake of Yamato and the president. Sakura never fought to win before…only to do her best. Still, as long as she and Kenji have each other, anything is possible. Kenji defeated Yamato once, he can do it again.

I know I also want to include a scene where Sakura joins Kenji at a hot spring. Because fanservice. :3

During the IU finals ceremonies, Kenji and Sakura overhear a conversation between Kagura and her parents. Sakura begins to understand why she takes music so seriously…as if she’s trying to please Yamato and her harsh parents. It seems Kagura and Yamato have a very similar relationship to Kenji and Sakura. Kagura passes by them and gets a little agitated, thinking they stuck their nose where it doesn’t belong. She then claims she will win the IU finals (almost as if she’s being forced to). Sakura says, “May the best unit win,” but Kagura doesn’t want to hear her sympathy and takes off with Yamato.

After Namco Angel is eliminated from the IU by NAZO, Haruka informs 765Pro to keep an eye on Sakura. There’s something special about her. She and her unit could have the potential to defeat NAZO.

As Sakura confronts NAZO for the final match, she stands tall against Kagura. She’s no longer afraid of her. She has become much stronger since she decided to walk down her own path. Now she will prove once and for all that she is not a burden. Besides, she, her partners, and Kenji are bound by the power of unity. For Kenji’s sake, she is not willing to lose!

(ENDING)

Later that night, after ZetaPro wins the IU finals, Kagura spots Sakura as she chats with Kenji. Kagura has a bit of a change of heart with Sakura. She claims she was impressed by ZetaPro’s performance. Sakura has grown up a lot since her idol debut. Rather than trying to emulate her rival, she stood up for her own beliefs. Her uplifting attitude really helps keep the pace for her unit. Plus, she has a really kind and supportive friend in Kenji. She really isn’t a burden after all. She has earned Kagura’s respect. Sakura is worried that Kagura’s parents might be angry at her for NAZO’s loss. On the contrary, they were very proud of her. That was one of the best performances they have ever seen from her. They have no control over what the judges say. Still, Sakura better be ready for the next time they face each other. They’re still rival idols after all. Kagura takes her leave, laughing.

Kenji notices that Sakura’s face is looking red. Sakura claims she couldn’t have become a top idol without Kenji’s guidance. She figures now is the time—she confesses her love for Kenji and kisses him. Awww. <3

ZetaFlare:
Possible change for Sakura's story?

I'm not entirely sure about Yamato's events with Sakura prior to the final showdown.
I did have one idea in mind that would allow Yamato to be a total prick and mess with both Sakura and Kenji. Yamato's spies had been noticing that Sakura has been acting a little lovey-dovey towards Kenji lately, so on the day of the finals, Yamato steals Sakura's first kiss in order to wreck their morale. Yamato then gives her one final warning...what if word on the street got out that she and Kenji have been romantic with each other? A scandal like that could possibly lead to public humiliation and an early retirement. Better drop out of the IU and surrender to NAZO now while she still has the chance. Sakura is devastated to the point of hiding away out of sheer humiliation.

The other two idols then notice that Sakura has been taking longer than usual to prepare for the performance. As Kenji goes out and searches for her, he hears a faint crying over by the pier. Sakura says she doesn't want to talk about it, but Kenji says everyone is worried about her. He, her partners and especially her fans need her. Kenji really wants to be by her side and help her through her troubles, but how can he if he doesn't know what's wrong? It's his job as her closest friend as well as her producer. Sakura apologizes for holding out on him, then tells him what really happened. Upon hearing about the kiss, Kenji then flies into a rage and confronts Yamato. Kaito, Sakura, and the other two idols are able to stop him and calm him down before he can vent his frustration upon his rival.

Well, Yamato has been a thorn in Kenji's side for a long time... (the rest of the story of the finals goes on as usual)

Amazing_Grace:
Now that this has been completed, time to rant about how amazing it was!

I just adore all the thought you put into your story and your characters. They get so much development throughout the story, and it's just...it's just great. As a writer, that means a lot to me.

Sakura is a real cutie, and I totally ship her with Kenji. :P I liked being able to read about their relationship progressing. You're a great storyteller, and from what I can tell, you have a great style when it comes to writing.

And as for Yamato messing with Sakura...I actually think that idea is a great one. It's a nice way to display how terrible Yamato is without making him go WAY OVER THE TOP!!, because to Sakura, this was a HUGE deal.

ZetaFlare:
Thanks, Grace! Sakura's story was one of the first I came up with (she is the main character after all). Considering she and her producer are childhood friends who have known each other for about ten years (she's accustomed to giving him a pet name), I decided why not go with a more romantic ending? How about Haruka's involvement in the story? Remember how Haruka would always sing in the park when she was little? I made Sakura one of the kids who would always come listen...which would then fuel her passion for singing.

Even though I made her unlockable, I think I'll do Setsuna next (I think you may know why ;) ). I've got her story pretty much mapped out. I have to warn you, though, there is an event around the midway point that may be a bit of a tearjerker.

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