Prepare yourself. This is a sad chapter...even I had tears writing this one out. And I think you guys know what's coming. Heck! Even the title tells why this is a sad chapter for all you science people.

apoptosis

Inori finished her last note of her song. Her light and soft voice slowly faded out as she ended her tune. The bright purple and pink light that once emitted from her body now receded back into her. She was now glowing like a firefly at a summer's night. Crystals that once was her cage now grew a pair of wings on her back. She opened her eyes and glanced back at Shu, the man who inspired her to sing her song.

"Shu...thank you." She walked to him. "I didn't know I can do that."

"Of course. But now you know how amazing you can be." Shu reached out to her.

She approached him with a knowing smile, but then her lips turned. She gasped and quickly jumped back. She tightly held onto her chest, afraid that it might burst. "Sh-Shu! Help!"

"Inori!" Shu reached out with his Void Genome. She just absorbed all of the Apocalypse Virus into her body. And it seems the US government didn't make quite as good an artificial being as Japan. There was no way her body can contain the Virus! Maybe his Void Genome can control this power. "Inori! It's okay! Stay with me!"

"No! No it's not!" Inori cried.

Shu tried to contain the power that bottled up inside Inori. She was still glowing bright magenta and she clutched onto her chest as if it will burst in seconds. Tears were flowing down her pale face like the pain was too much for her.

Maybe...this could work. Shu walked closer to her. If he can absorb some of the virus from her, the two of them can somehow contain it. But if he got the virus, would he die as well? He saw her fall down to her knees, scratching and grabbing at her chest. Shu could feel the intensity of the power increasing within her. She was turning into a bomb! Shu threw inhibition out of the window and quickly grabbed her.

"Shu! Don't!" Inori wrestled herself away from him.

"I'm going to be by your side." Shu told her. "I want to help you."

"You can die!"

"I know the risks. This isn't the first time." Shu slowly grabbed her arm. "Please Inori…"

"Shu…" Inori finally let go of her worries and wrapped her arms around his neck. She hugged him tight for dear life and couldn't let him go. She was terrified.

He could feel her power surging through the Void Genome in his arm. The power was immense! It was too much for the both of them. He can't do it. Unless GHQ can make enhancements to Inori's body to withstand and contain the power in the next few seconds, she won't make out of this alive. He won't make out of this alive. At that moment, Shu realized the inevitable and he knew what he needed to do. He had to get rid of this damn virus like he originally planned eight years ago.

"Inori...I'm sorry…" Shu hesitantly said. "I couldn't do it. I can't save you from this. I'm so sorry."

"Shu…"

Inori's eyes fell. She glanced at her glowing hands. When she first woke up in this body, she found it to be a tight fit but she knew it was hers. But when everyone started using her, she was swayed away from that. She couldn't think of herself as a person, just a tool. But she realized, although her time was short, she had fun with the people who shared her body. Twelve, Ryo, Shu...they never thought of her as a tool. She was a person to them. She was someone with feelings, needs, and dreams.

And Shu, she glanced over at him. He was now crying. She could never explain it, but she always felt a lingering towards him. Who knows? Maybe the past Inori had strong feelings for him that passed onto her. Maybe she was in love with him. Love… She wondered what love felt like. She wondered how it feels to embrace someone, to put your heart and soul into them, and to be treated preciously. Even though she knew she wouldn't get that, she wanted to know the feeling...and Shu came remarkably close. Maybe in her next life, she could fall in love with him again.

So Inori wiped away his tears and lightly touched their foreheads together. "Don't hate yourself. It's not your fault."

"But Inori…"

"You told me you'll be by my side. Me too. No matter what happens, I'll be by your side. So please...let's do this together." Her arm snaked down his and she laced their fingers together.

Shu nodded. "Okay." He gripped onto her tightly, not letting her go for a second.

Ever since his team asked if he would sacrifice himself for the cause, he mentally prepared himself if that was the case. He didn't have a death wish. He just felt a sense of responsibility ever since the incident from his childhood. He felt he hadn't made up for that completely. Inori took the guilt away from him that time. So he intended to return the favor.

Shu took away all the Voids that he borrowed from his friends. But he saved one more: Jessica's Void. The sunglasses appeared over his eyes in an instant. He wanted to see his friends one last time. The first person he saw was Daryl, who was busy rounding up the last of Pallbearer's forces. Although Daryl was an enemy first, he grew to be a kind and good person. He saw Shibungi and Argo giving out orders. These two men helped Shu adjust into Funeral Parlor. He may have had some rough patches with Argo, but that guy had his heart in the right place. He found his best friend, Yahiro, coordinating citizens of Tokyo. Yahiro was his first real friend. He was grateful that he stood by him through all their rough times. Jessica and Ryo were in the hospital area of GHQ. Jessica was finally awake and she seemed a little dazed and confused. Ryo looked like he was trying to explain everything to her. Jessica, as bratty as she was to Daryl, she instantly accepted Shu into the crew and she tried her best to help him fit in. And out of all the Voids, hers was probably the most useful to him. Then Shu found Tsugumi working in her command pod. Tsugumi always brought a smile to his face with her cheerful antics and fun personality. She wished for Shu to have a happy end to this story.

And finally, Ayase. He didn't have enough words to thank this wonderful woman. She helped him adjust to his disabilities. She became one of his closest friends over these eight years. She did so many things that he couldn't thank her enough. She didn't have to stick with him, but she still did. And for that, he was grateful. If he wanted to do one last thing, he'd choose to say goodbye to Ayase in person.

Jessica's Void was the last to go. It vanished in front of his eyes and so did Inori. Shu found himself surrounded by a mist of colors containing red, blue, white, purple. Was he already in heaven? Is this what the afterlife looks like? He found himself being pushed in a certain direction. Where was he headed?

Inori sat in the center of this mist, staring blankly in a direction. But she noticed him coming and turned around with a huge smile on her lips. She was dressed in her red costume, the first thing Shu saw her wear. She was beautiful. This Inori suddenly appeared in Shu's arms, hugging him tightly like she did in his dreams. She was his Inori this time.

"Welcome back Shu."

"I'm back…" Shu buried his head into her hair. "I'm sorry for making you wait."

Inori Yuzuriha shook her head. "No. I'm glad you're here. I'll see you soon okay?"

"Yeah…" Shu was finally at peace with his mind and soul and her. "I'll see you soon."

And a wave of bright light enveloped the couple.

-GC-

Daryl and the rest of GHQ were busy arresting every Pallbearer agent they could find that they left Shu up to his own at the top of the mountain. But they were still weary because this Virus could break out again. Then when Daryl reported that there was a barrier preventing them from entering, they had no choice but to let Shu handle it...until a bright pink and purple light shot up from the mountain.

Shit! Daryl didn't see anything good coming out of that. In fact, nothing good can come out of that. He quickly activated his wings and jets. "I'm going up there to check on Shu."

"Daryl, you said that there was a barrier up there." Ayase asked.

"Tsugumi. What's the status up there?" Daryl asked.

"The energy levels up there are going crazy!" Tsugumi read off her bouncing bar graphs. But then, everything fell down to zero. "What!? There's nothing there now."

"What? That makes no sense. I'm going up." Daryl flew up to the mountain. The top of Mt. Fuji was bare...like nothing was ever there. No signs of Virus crystals were present. And with that, no Shu or Inori. Damn it...he actually did it. Daryl gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. He told him not to...but he still did it. Daryl walked a little forward, but he noticed something red on the ground.

Daryl went back down the mountain. "I'm down piloting for today. Ayase, you should bail out too."

"Daryl? What's wrong?" Ayase asked.

"We'll regroup...without Shu."

"What?"

Daryl didn't even answer. He simply removed himself from his Endlave and he ended up back in GHQ headquarters. He rubbed his eyes, trying to adjust to the sudden light. He took off his helmet and shook his head to get rid of the helmet head.

Ayase also returned back to headquarters as her pod opened up. The first thing she did was glare at him. "What is going on? Where is Shu?"

Daryl simply lifted her up and placed her in a wheelchair.

Tsugumi jumped out of her pod and ran over to her two friends. "Why did you two bail out all of a sudden?"

Yahiro also returned. He seemed exhausted, but returning civilians back to the city was complete. He seemed a little confused as well. "What's going? Why are we meeting up all of a sudden? Where's Shu?"

Finally, Daryl found his words. "Shu...he's gone."

Yahiro frowned. "He did it...didn't he?"

"Yeah…"

Yahiro's eyes fell down. "I didn't think...I thought he was going to come back with Inori in his arms. I thought…"

He couldn't even finish. After, a long and solemn silence fell upon the group of friends. Yahiro seemed lost for words. Daryl just spaced out, not responsive to anything outside of his head. Tsugumi sniffled, barely even holding on. But even then, she ended up quietly crying into her fists. And Ayase took it the hardest. She was shocked and sad at the same time. She just sat there, not moving and not reacting. But soon, the tears came and she muffled her cries in her arms. Her close friend was gone...this time, permanently. She remembered her great relief when they found Shu eight years ago. Now, they weren't going to see him ever again.

Shu's gone.

Yahiro was the first to leave. He muttered something about going back home or seeing Kanon. He seemed like he didn't want to come back. After that, Daryl simply stood up and left the room without a word. Tsugumi also had no words. She just took the handles of Ayase's wheelchair and wheeled them out of the room. None of them wanted to be in that room anymore. Tsugumi and Ayase just wanted to be in their room, alone and together. Daryl instead found himself wandering to the hospital where Jessica was recuperating. Ryo was taken away for questioning by GHQ officers so it was only Jessica in her room.

"Daryl?" Jessica weakly asked. She noticed his solemn face, a face she rarely saw from him. He did not look good. "What are you doing here?"

"Jessica…" Daryl quietly said. "Shu...he's dead."

Jessica's eyes widened. "What...What did he do?"

"He sacrificed himself to eradicate the Apocalypse Virus. Only he had the power to do so…"

Jessica's face softened. She knew his pain. He went through this once when her father, Rowan, died in his stead. Now this time, it was Shu. He felt guilt from living. And Shu… Jessica only knew him for a few months, but even she felt emptiness in his passing. She felt guilty for living. He had no reason to sacrifice his life, but he still did it regardless. And because he was dead, she managed to remain alive. So Jessica merely kept her silence and listened to her older brother's words.

"I tried...but I failed in the end. I just...why did someone have to die?"

"It's not your fault. Shu just had to make a decision like my father did when he saved you. You couldn't do anything for him." Jessica softly said. "I don't hold a grudge against you because my father died instead of you."

Daryl didn't respond to her. He remained quiet. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah… Whatever Shu and Inori did, they have my eternal thanks." Jessica slowly lifted her hand, finally relieved that there weren't any crystals. "I still can't move very much. It's going to take a while…"

"I know...get better soon." Daryl stood up to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"I have some things left to do."

"Okay."

Daryl left her hospital room. To be honest, he came to visit her just to talk to someone. He already knew she was alright because he had gotten reports that she recovered, which proved that the virus was gone. Tsugumi and Ayase were left in their own worlds to recuperate. They were each other's best friends so they needed each other the most. He respected that. Daryl usually kept things to himself and stayed busy to keep his mind off of everything. He managed well when his father died. But when Rowan died, he ended up traveling all the way to the countryside to talk to Sakuya. For this situation, Jessica was the next best thing.

Daryl left the hospital and wandered into the warehouse where Endlaves were kept. His slightly battered Steiner 2.0 stood next to Beine 1.0. which was pretty disheveled and dented in many places. Ayase went hard during the battle. It was going to take a long time to fix up Beine. So he went to work with Steiner. He first checked if all wiring was still intact and if there were any panels to remove and throw away. Steiner didn't sustain much damage since it was mostly airborne. Steiner was ridden with bullet holes, which were easily fixable. He first got to work on Steiner's arm.

A red clip fell out of a compartment in the arm. Daryl noticed that Inori always wore this red clip in her hair. She must have been given this clip from Shu. He also noticed the man clenching this clip in his hand as he listened to something on his phone. Daryl didn't know why he decided to recover this red hair ornament when he went up the mountain. He just saw it and felt compelled to grab it and leave. Maybe because it was the last thing that both Shu and Inori possessed. But he didn't know what to do with it…

Daryl spent at least half a day tinkering at his Steiner. This whole time, he thought of what to do with the clip. Should he give it to Shu's mother? Should he just put it away? Should he immortalize it for the public to see? Daryl noticed that it was nighttime and he should probably go to bed.

He wandered into the military living quarters, but didn't find the heart to just fall asleep in his room. Instead, he knocked on the door of Tsugumi and Ayase's room.

Tsugumi answered. "Daryl?" She rubbed her eyes. "What are you doing up? It's late. Go to bed."

"Sorry for waking you up…"

"It's okay. We weren't really sleeping..." Tsugumi glanced back to see that Ayase was just sitting on her bed. "What's up?"

"Nothing...I'm just checking to see if you guys are okay." Daryl said as he played with the red clip in his pocket. "Actually...I have something to give her." His eyes directed towards Ayase. He didn't know why...but he felt that woman deserved to keep the clip.

"I'll give it to her." Tsugumi held out her hand.

Daryl simply dropped the red clip into her palm and quickly said, "Good night. Sleep well", and he went back into his room in silence. He didn't know what to do to console the ladies.

Tsugumi withheld her gasp when she received the clip. She didn't want to alarm Ayase. She knew what this was...Inori's red hair clip. She also knew that Shu kept it safe eight years ago. It reminded him of Inori. Now it reminded them of Shu and Inori.

Tsugumi went over to her best friend. "Aya-nee. That was Daryl."

"What did he want?"

"He wanted to give you this." Tsugumi gently placed a red clip into her hands.

"This…" Ayase couldn't even finish as she collapsed into Tsugumi, crying her eyes out.

Tsugumi couldn't hold herself together and the tears were raining down from her eyes and traced the outlines of her face. She tightly gripped Ayase's arm as she buried herself into her friend's shoulder.

They've been stuck together like this all afternoon and night. Tsugumi couldn't believe that they left this bunker with confident spirits only to come back broken. Ayase was lying on her bed and Tsugumi laid down next to her - they remained like this ever since they entered their room. They were mostly silent, only exchanging a few words every hour or so. This was the best way for them to grieve...just being with each other.

"Why? Why!? I told him I wanted to see him alive! Why did he have to…just why…?"

"Aya-nee…" Tsugumi shook her head. "I don't know. I don't know."

They didn't know the reason Shu decided to do what he did. And they will never know.

Ayase clutched onto the red clip to her chest as she sank herself deeper into Tsugumi's arms. Did Shu think of her when he decided to sacrifice himself? Was that why she had the hair clip he treasured so much? Ayase always felt a sense of longing for Shu, but she knew he didn't feel the same way. His heart only felt love for Inori. And she was okay with that. She wanted to be his friend who will stick with him through any hard times.

Now she was going through her hardest time… Ayase wished he was here to hug her.

Tsugumi tried her best to console her. She was also just as distraught that Shu was gone. Tsugumi stood by him and always welcomed him into her home. She helped him adjust into Funeral Parlor. She helped trained him. And she helped him during GHQ's siege eight years ago. She wished for him to achieve a happy ending.

Did Shu get that happy ending?

-GC-

The next morning, Argo sounded off the wake up call to all GHQ personnel. It was pretty early...around nine o'clock in the morning. Ayase and Tsugumi groggily tried to get up as they didn't get much sleep that night. Daryl was already up, bright and early, as he was polishing his guns. He was used to getting up at the crack of dawn due to military training. Twelve and Ryo also heard the announcement. Twelve was locked in a containment room with only a bed, a sink, and a toilet. Ryo was in a glass prison, merely laying around and staring at the ceiling. Jessica was awoken by this announcement and she requested for assistance to wheel her out.

Everyone congregated in the main courtyard of GHQ. This courtyard was probably the prettiest part of the military headquarters as it led to the entrance of it. Pilots, nurses, doctors, soldiers, and other personels congregated randomly amongst the crowd. Daryl stood off near the back, leaning against a wall, and he stared up at their leader. Jessica was wheeled in the courtyard and left with other injured soldiers. Tsugumi and Ayase stood at the very front with Argo and they all stared up at Shibungi.

Shibungi cleared his throat and spoke, "I have gathered you all here today in order to give remembrance to our fallen heroes. Yesterday's operation was a success. We only suffered a few casualties. Their lives are not in vain as we eliminated the threat. We will honor those who have died so Japan and every one of us can remain alive and strong. We will give a moment of silence to those who have fallen. May their souls rest in peace."

A minute of silence swept through the giant crowd.

"And finally, I would like to give a moment of silence to Shu. He was a man with enough courage to choose to sacrifice himself to save all of us. He was a brave soul. He saved us eight years ago and he saved us again today. Shu Ouma, you will be missed. May your soul find peace in heaven."

Everyone fell silent and they bowed their heads in respect. In their souls, they all thanked this man. Shu was their king who led them towards victory and he was a kind king to save them all.

I wanted to write a whole chapter commemorating Shu and Inori because I think the event and grief deserved a whole chapter. It may have pushed Daryl and Tsugumi as side characters, but they can come back next chapter. I always intended Shu and Inori to die because I think they should have died in the anime. I felt like that death would be the best redemption for these characters. And I wanted Ayase to be the focus of this chapter since she was the person closest to Shu. And it will make sense in the next few chapters why she gets the red clip. It gets better next chapter! Things will get better! I promise. Please review!