A/N: So this is my second attempt at a fanfic. Honestly speaking, I should be studying for finals, but I made the mistake of watching Guilty Crown recently :3. In any case, this is born out of my procrastination, and nagging inspiration from a couple sources. A warning if you've read my other fic, though; this mood of this one is going to be very different.

Not much else to say, except that I hope you like this… well… sequel, I guess!

Disclaimer: I do not own Guilty Crown or any of its characters, but I do like most of them, enough to write a story around them ^.^

2042 AD

It'd been three years. Three years since the fall of GHQ. Three years since the world had been freed from the Apocalypse Virus. Three years since he'd lost his vision, his right arm, and more.

What an empty three years it'd been.

Shu Ouma leaned his head back, letting the breeze wash over his face. It was too cool, almost chilly even, but he welcomed the wind's bite. Ever since he'd lost his vision, he'd learned to appreciate the little things that could touch his other senses; anything to make him feel like he was still alive. The touch of the wind, the taste of daifuku, the smell of fresh rice, the melodies of Egoist…

But that line of thought only led to pain, so he stopped thinking about that. He tried to think about something else instead, something happier. He was going to see- well, meet- some old friends soon. Of course, he visited and even stayed over at Tsugumi and Ayase's place often, so it wasn't like that was a big deal, but it'd been quite a while since he'd talked with Yahiro or Souta. After all, Yahiro had a job, and Souta, well… he'd tried to keep in touch with him, but it was too awkward to be alone with him, in spite of his straightforward personality. Or maybe because of it; Shu still thought Souta could be a troublesome person, and their talks were always painful because, really, the biggest thing that had tied them together was…

No, don't think about that. Well, he still liked Souta as a friend, so as long as they weren't left alone, everything should be alright. He was looking forward to asking Yahiro what his job was, since he'd been so hush-hush about it. He'd compared notes with Ayase and Tsugumi, and eventually even asked Kanon outright, but none of them had any clue what he was doing and why he was trying so hard to keep it a secret. One time, when he went to visit Ayase and Tsugumi, they bet on it; he bet Yahiro was working as a trash collector, while the girls both bet that Yahiro was working as a host at a host club. That had made him laugh- it'd been completely worth the pillows planted in his face a second later. At least, it was better than the alternative, the nagging doubt that Shu had hidden away in his heart: that Yahiro had gone back to dealing-

He blinked, then his eyes flickered to the left. In any case, he knew that the other two were also looking forwards to the event, Tsugumi in particular, since she thought of them as part of her family. He knew she was working extremely hard; aside from her teacher's licensure exam, she was also working on a secret side project. Oh, both she and Ayase might try to keep it hidden from him, but he could hear the fatigue in Tsugumi's voice whenever he visited, and once, when he slept over, he'd heard a rapid series of clicks and whirrs. Much more than Funell could make alone. It had sounded a lot like Funell had had babies.

Er… Not in the literal way, of course. Anyways, it looked like she planned on spilling the beans when they met up with Yahiro and Souta, since she'd gotten so busy she wouldn't even respond when he called. He'd just have to wait and see. He wouldn't have to wait long, anyways. After all, it was already almost Hare's birth-

He got up abruptly. His head was aching, and he no longer felt like just sitting around in the park. It seemed like no matter what he tried, the pain was always there, right below the surface. What an empty three years it's been, if I can't think of anything that doesn't hurt, he thought bitterly.

He grabbed his cane, and, sweeping it vigorously in front of him, walked out of the park.


A little later, he sat on a bench in Shibuya. It had been one of the first places repaired after Blessed Christmas. A surprising amount got done in three years; it sounded livelier than it'd ever been three, four years back. If he listened closely, though, he could still hear the sounds of construction crews off in the distance. He didn't do so often. Usually, when he came here, it was so he could drown out his thoughts with noise. Still, there were definitely risks, in coming here.

"What's wrong?" he heard from a girl nearby, not directed at him. "You look like you saw a ghost."

"I-I… It's nothing. Let's go," came the voice of a second girl.

"Hold on, wait for me!" protested the voice of the first girl, fading away as she spoke.

Shu smiled ruefully. He'd faintly recognized the second voice. That girl must have attended Tennouzou High three years back. Of course nobody from back then would want to see him; it would just bring up bad memories. Besides, it sounded like she had built another life after the end of the Apocalypse Virus. He was glad she was doing alright, even if he couldn't remember her name.

This was the second time this had happened. Last time it'd also occurred in Shibuya. Even though Tennouzou High was a fairly large and very nice school, it was hardly the only high school in Tokyo (and a quarter of my class is gone, as well), so a chance meeting like this was rare. Maybe it'd happened other times, too, and he'd just not noticed them. It's not like he recognized them by face or Void, and his hearing was of limited use in Shibuya. The music that constantly blared from the 109 department store was usually nice, though. Repetitive, almost mechanical pop songs suited him right now, even if he never really liked that type of music. Still, he had to be careful, listening to the giant screen, because one of the risks of coming here usually came from it.

He let his head droop, as if he were sighing, as he listened to one song, and then another. And then, the music changed once again, to an achingly familiar song.

"Mou anata kara aisareru koto mo…"

He stiffened for a moment, and he smiled sadly. This was the risk in coming here; Egoist were, once again, playing their signature song, Departures. He should have expected this, really. It had been the song that had stopped the first coming of the Fourth Apocalypse, and then the second, as well. It became a hit, no, an icon, literally overnight, as if the sweet, sad lyrics could contain everybody's feelings of the Apocalypse Virus.

His chest started hurting, but made no move to escape the sound. Every time he heard this song, it ripped at his heart, yet every time he heard this song, he felt better, somehow, as if it could lighten his load. It made sense, said that rational part of his mind, every time he thought about it. After all, this was Inori's- throb- Inori's song. Although it hurt to even listen, her voice still had the strength to heal him, even as thinking about her ripped him apart again. So, he sat there, frozen, as he listened to Inori's voice tear his heart apart and heal it again, over and over, for four minutes.


He stood up to go as soon as the song ended, but hadn't walked more than five steps before somebody bumped into him.

"Wha-"

"Oh-"

He felt himself overbalance as another person, already falling, grabbed onto his coat in an attempt to stay standing. He fell backwards, as the person- no, a teenage girl, he could tell by the voice- fell onto him, heavily.

"Oof." He grunted as the air was driven out of his lungs.

"Nngh… Oh my god!" said the girl, getting up immediately. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you alright?"

Shu, trying desperately to take a breath as she scrambled to her feet, her supporting hand pressing down on his chest, could only nod. "Here, let me help you up," she said.

There was an awkward silence as Shu got up, by himself, remembering to grab his cane as he stood. "Oh, my god, you're- I'm sorry, I didn't realize. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"No, I'm fine," said Shu, as he brushed some gravel off his coat. He heard the girl sigh, almost imperceptibly, and start walking away. He frowned at her back; here was another risk in coming here. He patted his pocket to confirm what he already knew was true; his wallet was gone. Honestly, it'd been the third time this month. This was getting ridiculous, really. The biggest threat to humankind had vanished just three years ago. People should be happy, so why were so many people stealing?

"Wait!" he called out to her back, and her footsteps stopped. "There is one thing."

"Yes?"

"Could you hand me back my wallet?" He heard her let out a tiny gasp. "I seem to have misplaced it in your pocket."

"I-I… Let me see," she stuttered. There came the sound of fabric rustling as the girl, reluctantly, took his wallet out of her pocket. "You're right. Here you go," she said, walking towards him and placing it in his outstretched hand.

"Thank you," he said as he put his wallet back into his pocket. Then, he took a step forward, hearing some onlookers murmur as she gasped. "A piece of advice. Don't try to rob a blind person. I could feel your hand the second it entered my pocket," he whispered, hoping he was loud enough and close enough to her ear for her to get the message.

Well, not like it should matter to him whether or not she did. She didn't respond as he stepped back, and then walked away.


Ten minutes later, he was standing on a train when his phone rang. He frowned before picking up the call.

"Hello?"

"Shu? There you are." answered Haruka. He could hear relief in her voice, followed by an undercurrent of annoyance. "Why didn't you answer my calls?"

Eh? "Did you call?" He hadn't heard anything, but that might just be because… "Sorry, I must've been in Shibuya when you called," he explained.

"Shibuya?" He heard surprise in her voice. "What were you doing there?"

"Shopping for glasses, of course."

"Shu…" he heard Haruka say admonishingly, and he blushed a little at his own immaturity.

"No reason, really," he mumbled in reply.

"I see." One of Shu's eyebrows lifted up as there was a short pause. "Well, when are you coming back?"

"I'm heading back right now."

"Then, can you stop by the convenience store and pick up your dinner on your way back?"

"Oh, are you working late today?"

"Yes," she replied, apologetically. "I'm really sorry, Shu, but I need to finish this report for them. They want you to come in tomorrow, too. Is that alright?"

"Yeah, it's fine."

"Ok." There was another short pause, then, "I might be able to come home at eleven."

"That's good," said Shu, noncommittally.

"Take care of yourself until then, alright?"

"Mmhmm."

"…Bye, Shu."

"Bye."

Shu sighed as he put his phone back into his pocket. Ever since the events of Blessed Christmas, Haruka had become very protective of him. It had been a jarring change, at first, but compared to everything else, it was like nothing. He had needed it, in a way. He wasn't sure he would have made it through the first few months without committing suicide if it hadn't been for her support. In a way, it had felt like the years they spent together right after Lost Christmas: even with their losses, they'd been able to find a sort of happiness. That lasted for about six months, until Haruka had found a job. No, that wasn't quite right; until a job found Haruka.

He sighed again. Truth be told, he had liked that side of Haruka; he still liked it. But when she continued tried to protect him, when both of them knew she could do no such thing, when she wasn't even nearby half the time? It grated. Even though it was no fault on her part, it still grated.

Two and a half years ago, after the dust had settled and reconstruction had begun, the United Nations had set up a research facility in Japan called the Centre for Apocalyptic Protection and Prevention, or CAPP, for short. Their aim, in short, was to investigate the sudden disappearance of the Apocalypse Virus, to assess the likelihood of its return, and to take countermeasures against any possible return of the Virus. The results of their investigation were still classified information, but what Shu did know was that somebody, or a couple somebodies, had singled both Haruka and himself out. He only knew that because he had learned that from two representatives of the CAPP, who'd paid them a visit.

It was pretty common knowledge that Haruka had been a senior researcher on the Apocalypse Virus, but they had somehow known that Shu had been the one who had taken away every last trace of the Virus on the planet, and destroyed it. That second fact had been distressing; as far as he knew, only his close friends and the members of Funeral Parlor had known what his Void could do. He didn't think any of them had been asked, so who could've betrayed him?

Somebody had probably just let that fact slip by accident. After coming to that conclusion, Shu promptly forgave them, even though it'd been a potentially life-shattering secret. After all, some things in life were unavoidable, and hadn't he made mistakes just as bad?

Well, it had affected his life, but not as badly as it could have. It had become classified information instantly, as far as he could tell, and he and Haruka were made an offer. For the rest of their lives, CAPP would provide gratuitous amounts of money for the two of them, and keep the secrets that would have made them both into unwilling celebrities. In return, Haruka would return to CAPP in order to lend her expertise to their research team, and Shu would come in, every once in a while, so they could run tests on the boy who had, well, if he were being honest with himself, managed to turn the Apocalypse Virus against itself. It was a pretty good deal, Shu had to admit.

A nice gilded cage.

Wow. He was really in a mood today, wasn't he? It's not like the thought wasn't true, he supposed, but it was one of those thoughts you should never think, like the thought that Haruka sometimes looked hot enough to-

Urk. Even though he was squicked out by his own thought, his ears went red nonetheless; which, well, only increased his self-disgust. Ugh, please. I'm not going there. Just another reason to hate himself, he guessed.

"Don't hate yourself anymore, Shu. You don't have to blame yourself."

"Right," he mumbled. "Sorry, Inori. I forgot."


He walked down the quiet street quickly. This route was etched in his memory, so he knew exactly how long it would take until he reached the convenience store.

67, 68… He turned on the next step, already knowing he was at the right place by the light touch of the air coming out of the store, and entered.

From the sounds of rustling, it seemed like two or three other people were in the convenience store along with him, wandering the aisles. He opted not to join them. Instead, he went directly to the cashier. "Hello," he called out in greeting.

"Eh… Oh, hello, Shu!" replied the shopkeeper, a somewhat tubby, balding fifty year old man. He didn't actually know what the man looked like; all of that had been told to him, although Shu probably could've guessed the tubby part from the slight wheezing the man gave off. "You should have called before you came! Luka would've liked to see you."

Luka was the shopkeeper's seventeen year old daughter. She was lively and funny, and wore a nice scent of perfume. He'd first met her maybe a month after he started using this convenience store, back when she was still in junior high and her voice had been higher in pitch. Sometimes, he got the feeling that she liked him; her old man certainly seemed to approve, and took every opportunity to have the two talk. Nothing had come of it, though, and although it was nice talking with her, he didn't think of her in that way.

"Sorry," he said. "I'd hate to interrupt her club activities, though. I'm only here to pick up dinner today, anyways."

"Ah, that's a shame," sighed the shopkeeper. "Well, then, is there anything in particular you want?"

"Hmm…"

"My wife baked today's pork buns this morning, if you can't decide," said the old man, nudging Shu's shoulder with his elbow.

"I'll take that, then," Shu said, chuckling. "Here," he said as he pulled out his wallet.

He had a little trouble after he paid, as he tried to hold onto his cane and the pork buns while he put his wallet back. The cashier usually helped, but another person had come up to pay for something, so Shu just rested his cane on the desk. By the time he was ready to go, the other person had already paid, and as he walked out the door, the other person brushed past, muttering.

Wait, what? He felt something fall into his coat pocket, while at the same time, his brain registered the snide, bloodcurdlingly cold voice. "Well, well. Shu Ouma himself."

That voice- he recognized that voice. He recognized it, but he didn't want to. Still… he recognized it. "You..." he hissed, in a low voice, and then, as the person walked away, paying no heed to him, he shouted. "Yuu!"

The steps continued, without the slightest pause. "Don't make a fuss here, Shu. Let's talk elsewhere," said the voice, words laced with a familiar arrogance.

It sounded exactly like Yuu; but then, what was he doing here? The Apocalypse was over, and Gai and Mana were safe from Daath. Everything was already over; there was no point getting involved with Daath again. If it even was him. Shu had to be sure.

So, He turned away and started walking in the other direction, away from his home. He took ten steps, and then twenty, until the only sound he could hear was his own footsteps. Before long, he heard a sound like rustling leaves, followed by a set of footsteps keeping pace with him, and that same cold voice.

"Impertinent."

Shit, it's him, Shu had the time to think before Yuu spoke again.

"To be expected from one was almost king, I suppose."

King. That word brought up mixed emotions. Really, it seemed like everybody had been saying that, three years back. He shoved those feelings aside and said roughly, "Why are you here?"

"To speak with you. Obviously."

A vein might have popped out in Shu's temple. It had been obvious. "Why do you want to talk with me?"

"Why do you think, Shu? I always move on behalf of Daath."

Figured that much, thought Shu. His annoyance was beginning to crest. He stopped walking, and turned to the blond-haired envoy. "Then let me rephrase my question. What does Daath want with me?"

Yuu chuckled coldly as he also stopped. "What we always want, Shu; to restart the Apocalypse, for the evolution of mankind."

Well. He wasn't exactly surprised, but… "Stop talking bullshit, Yuu," he said shortly. "The Apocalypse is over. Inori destroyed the Virus. Gai and Mana are safe from you."

"Yes, I suppose that doll really did ruin our plans," Yuu said, dispassionately, as if he were commenting on the weather.

Rage rose up in Shu's chest, and his fist shot out. He felt it connect with a satisfying thunk, followed by a grunt of pain. "Inori is not a doll," he growled, trying to glare at Yuu.

"Aie…" muttered Yuu from a little to Shu's right. He redirected the glare back towards the source of the voice, aware of how foolish he must look, but not really caring. "That's a very nice prosthetic, Shu. It's faster than your old arm, I think. Definitely stronger."

"Yuu-" Shu almost began to shout, but by this point, he just felt tired of it all. So instead, he simply muttered, "Stop wasting my time." He turned around and began walking back home.

"Ah, yes, my apologies. I would hate to interrupt your wandering of the city, oh blind, broken, one-armed king. Time well spent, no?"

"I don't want to hear that from somebody who should be dead because of that same boy," replied Shu coolly.

"Heh," chuckled Yuu, sounding amused. "Well, dodging your attacks-" suddenly his voice came from Shu's other side- "is like child's play to me. Still, I was surprised that you managed to overpower me in the first place. To be expected from somebody who could be king, I suppose."

Seriously, stop calling me that, Shu thought wearily. Aloud, he said, "Can you please stop calling me that? I'm done; I rejected you. Those days are over."

"Hmm…" mused Yuu, in a thoughtful tone of voice. "You did reject me. That is true. Still, you've proven you can succeed against the odds, so I'm willing to give you another chance."

Shu suddenly felt cold. "What do you mean?" he heard himself ask. "The Virus was destroyed."

"How naïve," commented Yuu casually, before clearing his throat to explain. "The Virus was destroyed, but the Apocalypse will still come. The Virus was only a convenient way to bring the Apocalypse about, but there are many other ways to force humankind's evolution. Well, Shu? How would you like to bring mankind into the future?"

"You…" Memories flashed through his mind; of his raids with Funeral Parlor, of the desperate times of Tennouzou High, of Jun, of Hare and the other Tennozou High students. "You've got to be joking me!" he shouted. "Something like that-" Images of Mana, before she found the meteorite; of Gai, as Triton, and as himself; of Inori, standing on a dais, chained to a cross made out of crystals- "Who would ever want something like that?!"

Yuu seemed unimpressed by his outburst. "Seriously, Shu, you're so close-minded. How about this, then? You said you wouldn't stay with just Mana for eternity. What if, instead, it was Inori?"

What?

"The crown does come with benefits, Shu. Or, if you don't believe me, remember how we brought back Gai and Mana."

Inori… "You're telling me, if I sacrificed the rest of the world, I would get Inori back?" Shu asked, in a strangled voice.

Yuu abruptly seemed to get bored. "Who knows?" he said, noncommittally. "Anything is possible." He sighed, and then said, "Sweet dreams, Shu. I'll be seeing you soon enough." And with that, he abruptly left, accompanied by the sound of falling leaves.

Shu stood there for a moment, until the sound of approaching people knocked him out of his thoughts. He went back home, then, to a dinner that tasted like cigarette smoke.


He stepped out of the shower a few hours later, feeling refreshed after his workout. It was still fairly early- he'd heard the clock strike eight right before he got into the shower- but he was tired, so he decided to go to sleep anyways. There wasn't a whole lot he could do to fill up his time, ever since he lost his sight, and he didn't really feel like listening to music or a light novel right now.

There were always a couple things he did before going to bed, however. First, turn off all the lights, because even though he couldn't see, it was still wasteful. (He always left the front door light on for Haruka, though). Next, he turned on the TV to listen to the news for a little bit, but he heard nothing worth noting. Then, he grimaced, remembering that he was supposed to visit CAPP the next day, and took out his ID card and put it beside his bed. Finally, he reached for his phone, resting his hand on it for a moment. When it buzzed, he knew somebody had left a voice mail recently. He listened to it.

"Hi, Shu!" came Ayase's voice cheerfully. "Are you doing alright? I probably called when you were showering, so I hope you're alright, 'cause I'm not. Tsugumi's been an absolute demon recently. She only comes out of her room to go to the bathroom and eat everything in sight." She chuckled, then paused for a moment, before adding hesitantly, "Say, Shu… Is it alright if I drop the cake at your place tomorrow? I'm afraid it's going to get eaten here…" A quick pause, and the hesitation was over. "Anyways, call me back soon, please. I would like somebody to talk to!" Shu could literally hear the smile that'd been on her face as she hung up the phone.

He smiled to himself. She still had a little trouble asking for help. It was cute. He wrote a message (strange how, even though he couldn't see, the finger movements had been ingrained in his memory so much, he didn't need to see what he was typing) saying: "Anytime after 5 p.m. is ok. Sry for not calling, too sleepy atm." Then, he sent it.

He got an answer almost immediately afterwards. The phone buzzed, and he brought it to his ear automatically until he realized it was a text, and his eyebrow twitched. She was probably annoyed at him, then. She knew he had no good way of reading texts aside from asking Haruka, and the last time he'd done that, Haruka had simply burst into laughter before reading out all the descriptors directed at him. He hadn't known that Ayase could be so… imaginative… with certain parts of his anatomy. He didn't ask Haruka to read his texts anymore.

"Aiya…" he groaned aloud, as he let himself fall back onto his bed. That's too bad. Oh well, at least I get to see her tomorrow, he thought. He put the phone aside and slipped into his blankets.


He saw, in front of him, a square of black. It was funny; black had always been the dullest colour he could think of, but even so, just by being able to see the colour black, he knew already that he must be dreaming.

Still, it was strange. Lately, his visual memories had been fading, to the point that he could barely remember what Inori's pink hair looked like. His dreams had been following suit, until everything had blurred into a fog of grey. Here, though, he could clearly see straight lines, and the fact that they outlined alternating squares of white and black. He hadn't been able to make that distinction in a while, but beyond that, he could even tell that what he was looking at was a floor. Amazing.

He looked up.

He saw metal bars in front of him, each spaced out by a pane of glass. Beyond that, he saw a sky of brilliant blue, dotted by wisps of white that were… clouds. Right, they were clouds. Wow, he must be really high up. He reveled in this dream, as his newfound vision helped him remember objects that were inaccessible to a blind person.

He looked further up, and saw a circle on the wall, with an arrow pointing out from its center. It was ornately carved, out of a dark-coloured wood. As he watched, the arrow was slowly moving clockwise, so slowly it was almost imperceptible.

He looked to his side, and saw a person standing by the wall, next to a series of buttons. This was… Right. He glanced around him once to confirm. It looked like an elevator. He turned back towards the other person, who was the only other person inhabiting the elevator. As he turned towards her, she looked towards him, and he blinked in surprise.

She wore a muted brown dress. It would have looked fit for a princess, if she hadn't been wearing wide-rimmed hat that was the same colour. The woman herself was strange, as well; her skin was dark, or at least, darker than his, yet she had flaming red hair, the sort he'd never seen before, the sort that belonged to a person lighter skinned than pretty much anybody he knew. Even with that strange combination, she was quite pretty. She was smiling as she looked at him, not too widely, but enough to crinkle the skin around her eyes.

He blushed a little, and turned away. It'd been a while since he'd actually seen a girl; talking with one wasn't quite the same when you were blind. "Eh…" he mumbled, before asking awkwardly, "Where are we?"

The woman giggled in reply, eyes closing in mirth. "An elevator, of course! We're going up!"

"R-right." They had been going up; the clouds were whizzing by, he hadn't noticed before. He looked back up at her. Their eyes met-

And the dream ended.


Shu's eyes snapped open instantly. He didn't feel even a hint of grogginess; he'd woken up completely in an instant. Something must've woken him up. He listened for a moment, and heard light scuffling noises coming from the kitchen. Haruka must be home.

He sighed. Even though his eyes were open, nothing had changed. He still couldn't see anything. The sharpness of the dream he'd just had was fading, too. He thought about that dream. He'd seen things he hadn't seen in a long time, things he'd forgotten. He'd never had a dream like that before. Did it mean something?

"Sweet dreams, Shu." Shu shuddered upon remembering those words. He pulled the sheets closer to him, and tried to go back to sleep.

A/N: Whelp, finally decided on a plotline I wanted to use (Took long enough). I'm locked into it now; time to see where it takes me :3

Hope you enjoy. I'll probably release the next chapter within the next couple weeks, while everything's still fresh.

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the object Yuu drops in Shu's coat. Shu might've, though.

P.S. Seriously, Yuu should be a character option.