GUILTY CROWN: DETHRONED (PHASE 23)
[Disclaimer: Guilty Crown and all associated characters belong to Production I.G.]
Phase 23.1
(2042 A.D.)
"Shu!" a tender voice echoed in the distance.
At the sound of my name I started moving forward, though how or to where I couldn't tell. All around me was darkness. However, as I floated through the void a light slowly began to shine upon me. Colorless, and empty, somehow—not vibrant like real light. I found myself saddened a bit at the sight. My dreams were the only place I'd seen anything in the past three years since the Fourth Apocalypse incident. Was I forgetting what light looks like? My heart skipped a beat, but not because I might be losing some sense about the world's appearance. If my blindness was making me forget anything at all, could it make me forget...her? Now that I thought about it, her face did look different the last few nights. Less defined. Her eyes didn't sparkle so much as they used to. Tonight she wasn't in my dreams at all, but I knew better than to search. I'd learned from experience that the worst thing I could do was try to keep my dream Inori from leaving me, or search for her out of desperation. My mind would invariably respond by dragging her out of my grasp, and I would have to watch her fall away into the emptiness—just as I once did in reality—bringing back all the pain of that moment.
"Shu!"
I perked up a bit. If she was still calling, perhaps I could see her a bit tonight, after all. And this time I would refresh my mind on every detail—make a conscious effort to retain her memory. I'd lost everything else of Inori. I couldn't bear to lose that, too.
The light continued to grow as I hovered deeper and deeper into it. Soon silky blue helixes started to swirl about, and various patterns joined the dance not long after, all circling around. This was where it all began, and likewise where it ended, though in the real world of course, not my dreams. A blurry figure faded into existence some twenty meters away. I smiled and willed myself to move closer, but to my dismay, the blurriness did not decrease with proximity. The figure had the outline of Inori in her famous Egoist attire—how we'd first met—but try as I might I couldn't make out any detail at all.
"Inori!" I called out.
No response.
"Inori, it's me, Shu!"
"Shu."
There was something off about the way she said my name this time.
"Inori?"
"Shu. Look, Shu."
I squinted, as if that would help in a dream.
"Look...at...me...Shu."
The voice took on a sinister tone as she spoke, and started echoing endlessly all around me, almost assaulting my mind with noise. Suddenly I had no choice over where to go or not to go, and I was drawn in closer and closer to the figure with a magnetic force. The whiteness all around me then turned to flaming red, and the helixes of the Void Genome turned into chains which bound my hands and feet with minds all their own. The figure before me came into focus, but morphed at the same time into someone else strikingly similar in appearance to Inori, yet so wholly different at heart that I could never get their faces confused.
"Mana," I said the name without thinking.
The girl before me giggled wickedly.
"Come to me, Shu. Come find me! Your big sister loves you, you know. Why won't you ever answer me?"
I said nothing, only struggling against the invisible force that drew me closer to Mana with each passing moment.
"Shu, don't fight. I want to be with you always. I want—"
Before she could finish I reached attacking range, so I let out my best kick to try and shove Mana away. She yelped and did float back a short distance at the impact, but by no means did it stop her. She simply glared back at me, eyes redder than the engulfing flames, face set to kill. She let out a horrific scream that tightened the chains around me and intensified the fires a good ten times. Crystals slowly formed about Mana's face as she wailed, distorting her expression into something truly horrifying. My body followed suit, growing crystals about my feet first and then working up until I was completely immobilized and could barely see through them all. When at last my vision was obscured and the world was black again Mana's screams echoed one last time and then all was quiet.
"Is this real, now?" I wondered.
My vision was blank, suggesting that I was awake, but I wasn't satisfied until I tried to move and found that the chains were gone and the only thing surrounding me was a warm blanket. I could feel my soft bed beneath me, and hear the subtle drone of my false right arm as it moved to help prop me up.
"Time," I whispered to the clock I knew was on a stand beside me.
"Seven. Oh. Four," it replied with its robotic voice.
I let out a sigh and ran the fingers on my left hand through my hair. My replacement right hand was perfectly capable of course, and I could even feel things with it just like a real hand. But the one thing I never quite got over was how different the false hand felt to other parts of my body. Recently it reminded me of past differences: namely, of back when my right hand was the proverbial scepter to my king's crown.
I got up and felt my way about the room to get dressed, and then walked out into the main room of the apartment. Warmth embraced me from one side. I figured it must be a sunny day out.
"Ohayo, Shu."
It was Haruka. Just as she spoke, the smell of rice and miso reached my nostrils. She must have gotten up early to fix breakfast for me. Haruka often did such things these days. I knew she must be trying to make it up to me for not being there...before, but I never questioned her motives to her face. Our relationship could never be completely normal—though not necessarily in a bad way—but it was nice to at least act like family.
"Ohayo, Haruka. Breakfast already?"
"Well, today is a special day, after all."
Was it? I'd forgotten, thanks to my nightmares. Haruka must have noticed the drowsy look on my face.
"The inauguration is today, remember! We'll be an independent country again, yes?"
"A-ah!" It all came back to me.
Independent. No more GHQ, no more "quasi-independent nation" nonsense. With GHQ mostly destroyed during the Fourth Apocalypse a new government was in order already, but when enough time had passed to assure the world that the Apocalypse Virus would not be coming back, Japan's eventual self-sufficiency became an inevitability. However, the UN once voted for Japan's annihilation, and so it took a while for the world's leaders to come around and reach consensus on a new governmental establishment. After three years, the day had finally come when we'd receive a new president and things could start settling into a new normal for real.
"I wish..." I didn't finish my sentence right away, hesitant to bring up the subject. "I wish that Inori could see the big procession today."
Haruka paused in her preparations for the morning meal.
"Most of everything that's happened is thanks to her," I added, trying to tone down the emotion of my words by being merely factual.
I listened to the clink of dishes as Haruka set the food out on the table.
"Perhaps she will see it," she offered. I appreciated the sentiment, but it didn't make me feel any better.
"Who knows?" Haruka continued, voice trailing off a bit. "Maybe...he's with her too, watching over us."
"Oto-san," I thought. Dad. I had to remember that I wasn't the only one to lose somebody very important to me. In fact, I couldn't think of anyone I knew that hadn't lost a loved one in the events surrounding the incident. Sometimes I felt like I was the only one that hadn't completely moved on, but that wasn't true, either. Everyone that came through came through with some scars. Just, some of us...more than others.
GC
The streets were packed with people, making it hard for me to navigate. Due to our contributions in the removal of GHQ, the surviving members of Funeral Parlor, my close assistants from before, Kuhouin Arisa, Haruka, and a few others were all granted front-row seats in the procession. It was a small gesture, but appropriate, I thought. I didn't want any more attention than necessary, but being disregarded entirely would make me worry that people were trying to forget what happened—much as I did after the first Lost Christmas. Of course, the specific person being inaugurated today might have had something to do with our recognition.
Haruka took my hand so that I wouldn't get lost and then we made faster progress through the throng. Many people recognized me along the way. Amidst the river of voices I occasionally heard an exclamation of 'Ouma Shu!' Not all of them sounded pleased to see me, though. A few of the younger voices seemed to harbor some bitterness, too. I didn't blame them: if they were a survivor from a few years ago, at one point they'd probably been subjected to my leadership—not one of my brightest moments in life. Inori may have taken my Guilty Crown, but there were some things which I would always have to bear for myself.
"Hey, Shu!"
No 'Ouma', just my first name. Must be someone I know. Still too far off to tell who yet.
"Oi! Over here!"
The second voice was definitely Souta.
"Ohayo, everyone," I replied as Haruka slowed her pace, which I figured must mean we were at speaking distance to the others. "Let me guess...Souta?"
"Here!"
"Yahiro?"
"Late," a female voice answered.
"Ah, Tsugumi?"
"Aye aye!"
"Then Ayase must be here, too."
"Ohayo, Shu-kun, Haruka-san," the voice came from a bit lower than Tsugumi—definitely Ayase. "Arugo and Arisa are around here somewhere, too."
"Tell me," I said, "what does it look like? How many people are there, exactly?"
"'Exactly'," Tsugumi complained. "That could take a while."
"It's been a long time since I've seen this many people gathered together," Souta answered. "In fact I don't remember another time at all. It looks like the whole country's here!"
"The whole country..." I repeated thoughtfully. "Even though most of them won't even be able to see him, they still are here to show their support."
Tsugumi laughed victoriously.
"That'll show 'em we don't need some GHQ!"
"Yes," Ayase agreed. "If everyone here is ready to work together, we'll have no trouble standing on our own two feet."
"Besides, it looks like every billboard in the city is live-streaming the event," Souta added. "Even if not everyone can see him in person, it's still worth something to be in the crowd watching one of the big screens, right?"
I tried to get a mental picture of the scenario. I'm sure the result fell miserably short of the real thing, but even just thinking about it brought a smile to my face.
"Hey everyone, sorry I'm late!" a voice called from behind.
"Yahiro! We were starting to wonder if you'd ever make it," Souta joked.
A hand touched mine. With a tiny bit of fumbling, I managed to shake hands with Yahiro. Soon the crowd slowly quieted down as the sound of a military band filled the air. The procession had begun. The throng shifted to clear the streets and for everyone to try and get a good view. I let myself get pushed back behind the others—wouldn't make much sense for a blind man to stand in someone's way. But with me behind them everyone got so caught up in watching the procession for themselves that nobody thought to tell me who was doing what or where anything was happening. I could have spoken up, but I decided not to. I had some idea about all the UN officials and local politicians that would precede the new president, and I wanted to let everyone enjoy the moment without distraction. This was what we'd all sacrificed so much and waited so long for, after all. But I had to admit, it was a bit lonely, standing there in silence—alone in the midst of millions. I imagined myself standing beside Inori, pointing out everyone I recognized and explaining their roles to her. In response she smiled gently, hands folded in front of her. Her eyes gleamed in the sunlight. She seemed so happy...just to be alive.
The music stopped, and suddenly I realized that I'd daydreamed through the whole march to the capitol building. It might have been regrettable, but deep down I preferred the daydream to the reality I missed out on to experience it.
"Look, there he is," someone in the throng exclaimed.
"Shibungi-san must have just stepped onto the platform," I guessed.
Shibungi for president. Can't say I ever would have expected that back in my early days with Funeral Parlor. But now, knowing his history with Gai and how instrumental he was in the final demise of GHQ, I couldn't imagine anyone better for the job. The man was only just beginning his fourth decade—very young, by political standards—but as an expert strategist and experienced soldier he was more than qualified to work among the ranks of those many years his elders. And besides all that, he was a core member of Funeral Parlor. It was a relief to know that Japan would be governed by someone who was clearly anti-GHQ, and someone I could personally trust, even though Shibungi and I were never close.
"People of Japan," Shibungi's voice echoed from a hundred sources all throughout the city, "it is with both a light and heavy heart that I address you here, today. I think of the many whose dream was for this great country to once again stand independent, and I think of those men, women, and even children—the many who gave up this dream so that we might one day see it realized in their stead. I think of the many successes which brought us here, and the many failures which taught us along the way."
Everyone listened intently as the speech went on for several minutes. Shibungi may have been well-known to a certain inside group, but this would be the first time the majority of average citizens ever saw or heard from him. To gain the dedicated support of the entire nation, he had to earn its trust and respect in this one speech. Without even seeing anyone's reaction, I could tell he was succeeding. There was just an air about the place. Maybe it was in the silence—nobody found anything disagreeable about the speech to discuss amongst themselves. But it's not like Shibungi just said what everyone wanted to hear. Instead he candidly explained some of the challenges ahead and openly spoke of the nation's weaknesses just as he did as its strengths.
"I do not promise you a perfect future, or even an easy one," the speech continued. "However, it is my pledge before you today to do everything within my power to help us build a better future: to be but one stepping stone along the path towards the sort of upstanding and forward-thinking society that our children deserve, and that perhaps our children's children may have the luxury of seeing for themselves. It has taken three years in particular for us to reach this day, and indeed many years before. We would do ourselves a disservice to use this hard-earned opportunity for merely our own benefit. There is certainly cause for joy and celebration, but we must not forget that the hardest work is yet to come. Therefore, I ask only that you stand with me as my comrade and my colleague. For it is only as we stand united that we can—"
Suddenly Shibungi's voice lost its penetrating power throughout the city. One by one, it sounded to me as if all of the billboards displaying the event shut down down. Before long I could only hear the speech because I was close enough to the stage where it was being delivered. At first Shibungi tried to go on professionally, but when gasps broke out amongst the crowd, he had no choice but to pause.
"Is that—"
"No way!"
"It can't be..."
Several of the voices belonged to my own friends. I was just about to ask what was going on when a new sound reached my ears. It nearly stopped my heart.
"Saita nonohana yo," a familiar, soft voice sang, "aa douka oshiete okure, hito wa naze kizutsukeatte arasou no deshou..."
Tears welled up in my eyes and I gasped for air, restarting my heart.
"Inori..." I whispered.
It was like the crowd—the whole world—ceased to exist. The song was obviously not a recording. The voice was too imperfect, and unaccompanied by instruments. I'd never heard one of Inori's recordings sound like that before, and I knew all of her recordings by heart. All of them.
"Rin to saku hana yo, soko kara nani ga mieru hito wa naze yurushiau koto, dekinai no deshou..."
Mesmerized, I started walking forward towards the loudest source of the sound. I bumped carelessly into a few people along the way, but didn't so much as flinch or apologize. A few steps more and my feet collided with something hard. I stumbled to my knees, but my hands caught onto the object and kept me from falling. Felt like stairs. I straightened up and kept walking, careful to step up this time.
"Kareteyuku tomo ni, omae wa nani wo omou, kotoba wo motanu sona wa de, nanto ai wo tsutaeru..."
"Inori..."
The sound was right before me now. I reached out my false right hand and within a couple more steps I found a wall—or maybe one of the big screens. Then I just stood there, listening, chest swelling to the point that I thought it might burst. Tears streamed down my face.
"Natsu no hi wa kagette, kaze ga nabiita, futatsu kasa—"
Inori's gentle voice was cut off by a chorus of skull-piercing feedback, after which Shibungi once again had control. I knew only because he cleared his throat, not because he actually said anything. What I didn't know right away was that he was clearing his throat at...well, me. I thought back through what I'd done, and then it hit me: I just wandered right up onto the stage as Japan's new president was giving his inaugural address! If I'd been anyone else I'm sure security would have knocked me down before I could get there, but as it was someone simply took me firmly by the hand and half-pushed, half-guided me back down the stairs and to my companions while Shibungi tried to regain order throughout the murmuring city.
"Wh—what was that? What did you see?" I asked.
"Shu..." was all Haruka got out.
"Well, it was really fuzzy," Yahiro started slowly, "but I think we all saw the same thing on those screens."
I waited impatiently for further explanation.
"A crystal tower..." Ayase added.
"Yeah, go on!" I prompted.
"A crystal tower...with Inori inside."
Author's notes: Imagine this intro plays here: youtube /watch?v=hV5o_QqliWE
Also, you are now reading the one-year anniversary edit of this fic! I've fixed a lot of typos, tweaked a lot of sentences until they 'felt right,' and even added a few bits of new content (nothing major). If this is your first time reading, welcome! And if you're a returning reader, I hope you enjoy this new edit!