Chapter 20- Apocalypse Part 3

Multiple bright purple tendrils shot out into the air. The surrounding Shadow Proclamation forces were having trouble maneuvering through the bright energy. One of the tendrils managed to penetrate a ship causing it to explode. After a few minutes the purple lights formed a net around the Earth, visible to everyone.

….

Mana, now in Inori's body, gently floated down in front of Gai and let out a yawn.

"I see you're awake, Mana." Gai said.

Mana nodded and looked to her right. Shu and the Doctor stared back.

"Shu!" Mana started hopped towards Shu and embraced him. "I'm so happy! You came for me!"

Shu gasped.

"It was terrible… there was this annoying woman who kept getting in my way!" Mana said as she buried her head in Shu's chest. "But it's all right now… I crushed her and took this body for my own."

"What was she thinking?" Mana stroked Shu's back. "That manmade monster…"

"Stop!" Shu pushed Mana away. "You look and sound the same but she's nothing like you! Inori is human!"

Mana bowed her head down and started tearing up. "You're mean, Shu. Your big sister loves you so much. Yet… you reject me again, Shu?!" Mana's eyes glowed bright red.

The Doctor activated his amplifier, forming the sword, and pointing it at Mana.

"This planet is under my protection. Under any circumstances, I will not allow it to come to harm. Do you understand me?"

Mana looked at the Doctor. "Oh, I didn't notice you."

"Do even know who I am?"

"Yeah, yeah… the annoying time lord. Tell me, how's your people?" Mana smiled. "I've heard stories about what you've done. You see…"

Gai moved forward and helped Mana up.

"… the Da'ath are all linked to me. We are a hive mind. You can't stop change, Doctor. No matter how fast you run."

"You handle the rest." Gai said to Mana. "I'll take care of this."

Mana's chest started glowing. Gai reached in and pulled out the gleaming silver sword that had once belonged to Inori. The void glowed and emitted an energy blast, making the ground shudder. The entire floor was divided into hexagons with void crystals on top of each. Each hexagon started rising with each platform growing higher than the last. Mana stood on the top platform overlooking the duo.

"You hurt me, Shu." She said. "If you hurt someone, you must be willing to receive the same amount in return. I won't forgive you… even if you apologize."

The glowing purple rift started shaking violently as Mana focused her energy to try and rip it wide open. The Doctor's sonic screwdriver beeped in his pocket. He took it out and checked the readings.

"The Genomic resonance is even higher than Lost Christmas!" He told Shu. "We need to close it before the Earth gets sucked into the void!"

….

Everywhere on Earth, pillars of void energy came raining down and crystallizing people. This was happening to everyone.

….

"The fourth apocalypse has started." Gai stood in between Mana and the two. "The evolution and selection of life on this planet."

He suddenly dashed towards them.

"Yahiro!"

Shu and the Doctor managed to block the attack with their weapons. They, however, stumbled back because of Gai's strength.

"Discard our weak bodies and live among the crystals." Gai kept talking. "The voids were only signs of a new world, where hearts are the main material!"

"That's one hell of a metaphor!" The Doctor came charging at Gai who parried his attack and landed a punch on his face. Before he could do anything else, Shu dashed to Gai and used the shears to push him off the platform. Gai landed on the floor below with ease.

"Souta!" Shu fired the void camera at Gai who jumped out of the way before the platform below him disappeared from a large energy ball. Gai landed with his sword cracking the ground.

The Doctor got back up and looked at the open void. He turned his gaze back at Shu.

"Shu! Do you think you can keep him busy?"

"I'll try." Shu nodded.

Gai jumped into the air and came crashing down onto Shu.

"Gai! Back in Roppongi, you said you'd save Mana! You told me to stab you to save her! How'd it come to this?!" Shu shouted.

Shu managed to get out of the way before Gai's sword hit the ground.

"You were chosen..." Gai said. "…yet you chose to let go."

Gai leapt into the air. "You'll never understand!"

Shu formed Argo's void but Gai interrupted him and sent the boy flying to the ground. Shu crashed on the platform below, forming a crater.

….

The Doctor grunted as he climbed the side of the tall pillar. The void sword on his right arm penetrated the metal easily. Finally, he grabbed the top of the platform and pulled himself up. In front of him was Mana. She was dancing around the rift. Each step she took made the hole in the universe shake faster. She stopped in her tracks and stared at the Doctor.

"You again? You really are a persistent old man…"

"Nothing good can come out of this, Mana. You need to close that rift."

"Why should I? I mean… giving birth to a new species… I'll not only be their mother, I'll be their god!"

The Doctor gritted his teeth. "If you do anything else to harm this planet and its people then I'll have to stop you."

Mana chuckled. "And how will you do that? That thing won't be enough to stop me." She pointed at the void sword around the Doctor's arm. "Besides, even if you do manage to kill me, how are you going to close the rift?"

The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out his spare TARDIS key. "With this!"

Mana spread her arms out and sent void crystals flying towards the Doctor. One crystal hit his left hand, making the key fall onto the ground. He tried to grab it but Mana dashed towards him with a crystal sword. The Doctor blocked the attack but was pushed back near the edge. He caught his balance and pushed Mana back.

"Heh…" Mana smiled. "Die, time lord!"

She swung her sword at the Doctor. They exchanged blows, both blocking each other's attacks. The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and shot the crystals from his arm. The shards hit Mana in the shoulders. She grunted.

"It's your fault Shu doesn't like me! You'll pay for that!" Mana gathered more crystals and threw them at the Doctor. He blocked the shards with his AT field but more waves came. Slowly the field deteriorated and cracked. He couldn't keep this up for long.

….

Gai stood over Shu's aching body and pointed the giant sword to him.

"Back then, I would've let you have Mana and the place of Adam." Gai said. "But now you're unworthy…"

Shu glanced up as blood trickled down his arm and onto the ground.

"Die, Shu."

….

After another barrage of crystals, the amplifier finally gave way and shattered, making the device spark and flash. The Doctor fell on his back because of the recoil. He knelt up as Mana pointed her sword at him.

"Face it. You've lost, Doctor." Mana said with a smile.

"No I haven't. The fight's not over yet." He glaced behind Mana. The TARDIS key was sitting in between two crystals. "You've heard the stories, haven't you?… In all those tales, have you heard anything about anybody who's stopped me?"

"No can save you now, why are you still insisting on your victory?"

"Shu can." The Doctor glanced down. "Isn't that right?!"

The time lord's voice echoed throughout the area.

"Because if there's one thing that boy won't do, it's let everybody down! He still has the voids of his friends! Kill him, you kill them! And he wouldn't allow that, would he?!"

….

Shu was prepared to face his death. Suddenly, he heard a loud voice with a Scottish accent.

"He still has the voids of his friends! Kill him, you kill them!"

'That's right. Everyone's voids are still inside me.'

"And he wouldn't allow that, would he?!"

'I can't let them die! But… how am I going to get out of this? I'm not courageous or experienced like Gai… I'm not clever enough to figure a way out like the Doctor…'

"Don't give up, Shu."

Shu looked up and found a multi colored flower. Inori's voice was coming from it.

"Don't worry, you can still move."

….

The Doctor suddenly jerked up with his hand clenching his chest. He started laughing.

"What? Why are you laughing?!" Mana shouted. A loud blast was heard behind her. She turned around to see the rift shaking. An energy tendril suddenly lashed out and attached itself to the Doctor.

"What happened?! What did you do?!"

"Me?" The Doctor grunted between words. "Nothing... you're thick, aren't you?"

Mana became enraged.

"Arrgh!" The Doctor's chest started glowing. "You can't just force Inori out of her… body… she's a tough girl… and guess what? She's also part Da'ath…"

The Doctor screamed as his void was forcefully extracted.

….

Inori held the silver Gallifreyan ball in her hand. Shu looked around him. The surroundings were pure white.

"We don't have much time." Inori reached her hand out. "Everyone is waiting."

….

The Doctor deeply inhaled as time continued and his void was returned to him. He saw that Mana had frozen in place with a glowing hole in the middle of her chest. Looking below him, he spotted Shu holding a dark void sword outlined with bright blue green.

….

"There are people who trusted me with their lives." Shu said to Gai. ""I can't die here. I'll save Inori for sure."

Gai stayed silent.

"Gai… don't get in my way." Shu readied his sword. "I'll defeat you with all I have."

Charging at full speed, Shu screamed. Gai tried to block him but was no match for the void Shu had. He was sent plummeting down. Shu immediately followed, holding the sword and speeding towards Gai. With one motion, Shu slashed Gai's body.

….

The Doctor still felt pain in his chest. He slowly crawled towards the TARDIS key. Grabbing it, he stood up. Mana, with her consciousness now restored, screamed.

"What… what happened?!" She looked around to find the Doctor standing directly in front of the rift.

"Your Adam's dead, Mana. Your kingdom is slowly falling apart." The Doctor held his key up. "And I'm going to make sure it never rises again."

….

Gai opened his eyes. He was slowly falling, face to face with Shu.

"Gai…" Shu said.

"It's OK, Shu." Gai smiled. "Just stay yourself…."

With that, Gai closed his eyes one last time. The entity that had entered his body escaped but didn't make it that far. It emitted a loud screech before ripping itself apart.

….

"No! This planet belongs to my children!" Mana gritted her teeth band furrowed her eyebrows. "I'll obliderate you!"

Mana gathered a large amount of void crystals and sent them flying towards the Doctor who in turn, raised his screwdriver. The shards hit an invisible wall and shattered inches from the Doctor leaving him completely unharmed.

"Sorry, TARDIS force field." The Doctor put on a grin.

Little specks of blue started coming out from the rift. Piece by piece, the TARDIS formed around the Doctor until its bright lights and 'Police Public Call Box' sign were complete. Inside, the Doctor flipped a lever and snapped his fingers. As he exited the box, it screeched. Mana covered her ears with her hands.

"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" Mana screamed.

The Doctor held his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at Mana.

"The moment you joined the Da'ath, you lost your humanity! The moment you obeyed their commands, you denied the fact that you were a person!" The Doctor gripped his sonic tightly. "…and the moment you threatened this planet, you made an enemy of me!"

Mana started glowing bright pink. Her voice was shifting between Inori's and a Da'ath. "I am a god! And I will destroy every last human being on this planet! Who do you think you are?!"

"I'm the Doctor! And I save people!" The Doctor activated his screwdriver. "And if you have any problems with that…"

The sonic buzzed and beeped as the TARDIS' lights became brighter and brighter.

"… to hell with you!"

Mana started separating from Inori's body. Her bright pink Da'ath form was slowly getting sucked into the rift behind the TARDIS.

"I'm sending you back to the void, Mana! Back to where you belong!"

"Noooo!" Mana screamed as her energy form went into the rift.

The Doctor suddenly heard the sound of the Cloister Bells.

"What?" The Doctor scanned the rift. "Oh… were too late, aren't we, old girl?"

A single energy blast shot out and shook the entire facility.

….

"Doctor?" Shu tried waking his friend up. "Doctor!"

The Doctor sprung up.

"Doctor, the void… it's still open!"

The Doctor grabbed the sonic from the floor and stood up.

"The rift is too wide! The TARDIS isn't able to close it!"

From behind the blue box, a single figure walked towards them slowly.

"Shu…" Inori had successfully returned to her body however, half of it was covered in void crystal. She was gently limping forward.

"I… got a lot of feelings from you…" Inori smiled. "It's all… thanks to you…"

Shu's body stopped her from moving any further. Inori reached her crystallized arm out.

"Hey, Shu… Where are you?" Inori was not only blind… she had also lost her sense of touch and hearing as well.

Shu then grabbed her hand and held it tight.

Inori smiled. "Shu… please stay with me…"

"Doctor…" Shu was crying. "What happened to her?"

"I used the TARDIS to pull Mana out of her… it's possible it may have pulled out her Da'ath side as well…" the Doctor looked back at the rift. "The rift needs a large amount of void energy to close otherwise, it'll rip the fabric of this universe and unravel the entirety of time and space."

Shu looked at the gaping hole in the universe. "A large amount of void energy, huh?" Raising his right arm, it glowed brightly. Void crystals started surrounding him and Inori.

"Shu?!" The Doctor yelled. "What are you doing?!"

"Inori…" Shu whispered. "... let's leave together…"

Silver energy flew into Shu's void. All around the world, the void crystals were lifted off the bodies of the victims. The apocalypse virus was being cured. Not only that but voids from people everywhere exited their bodies and disappeared within the rift. The entire facility shook. It started crumbling.

"Shu! Stop!" The Doctor shouted.

'I can feel the hearts of everyone flowing inside of me… even the people who hated me were born and loved by someone…'

The Doctor attempted to chip off the crystal with his hand but he only ended up with a sore fist. The rift was still open. The void energy wasn't enough. He knew that part of Mana was still clinging onto this universe.

"Shu! If you can hear me! The rift is reacting violently! It's still going to tear this universe apart!" The Doctor tried to catch his breath. "The only way to close it… is to send the rest of Mana through!"

….

Shu opened his eyes. He was in that same white space. Inori stood in front of him holding a piece of string intricately tied around her hands.

"Take it." Inori smiled.

Shu instinctively took the string as Inori started fading away.

"Inori!"

….

Piece by piece, the crystals surrounding Shu fell out. The Doctor held his sonic screwdriver high and completely shattered the cocoon Shu was in. The Doctor caught Shu as he fell down. He was unconscious.

"Inori!" The Doctor called out. However, when rest of the crystal cocoon got sucked into the rift, Inori was nowhere to be found. "Come on, Shu. Let's get out of here."

The Doctor held Shu in a bridal postision as he looked around. The facility was falling apart, chunks of Mana's void flew into the rip. The time lord immediately brought Shu into the TARDIS. He set him down on the staircase and pulled the dematerialization lever. With one last wheeze, the TARDIS closed the dimensional rift and disappeared.

….

"Yahiro, look!" Kanon pointed at the blue box appearing in front of them. All of Shu's friends ran up to it. The Doctor came out carrying Shu.

"You guys are alright!" Souta grinned.

"Hey, where's Inori?" Yahiro asked.

"Gone." The Doctor set Shu down against a wall. "I'm sorry."

The group bowed their heads in sadness.

"But she knew she had to die in order for this universe to live and look…" the Doctor pointed at Shu. "…she managed to save Shu in the process."

Everyone started smiling. The time lord reached into Shu's pocket and grabbed Andromeda's plasma pistol.

"I'm going to keep this… the Shadow Proclamation might want to have it." the Doctor went back and opened the doors of the TARDIS. "Anyway, tell Shu I said goodbye."

"Wait!" Yahiro shouted. "You're not coming back?!"

"About that…" the Doctor scratched his head. "I need to rest after all this…"

"At least say goodbye to the rest…" Kanon said.

"I'm not really good with goodbyes… besides, who said I'm not coming back?"

"It was a pleasure, Doctor." Souta said.

"As I said…" the Doctor went inside and turned around with a smile. "…not good with goodbyes. So see you soon."

The TARDIS doors shut and the blue box slowly fades away.

The Doctor pulls a few switches and pushes a a couple of buttons. He then headed downstairs and took the amplifier off his arm, placing the device inside a plastic box. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the void notebook and placed it inside the box as well. After covering it in a lid, the Doctor placed it on one of the shelves.

"Help me!"

The time lord heard a voice from the console.

"Someone, please! Help me!"

He immediately ran to the monitors and turned them on. The TARDIS' exterior camera systems kicked in. He had apparently landed on a planet during some kind of war. The surroundings were gray and barren. Light smoke covered the area like fog. And in the middle of it all, was a little boy with ragged clothes. He reminded him of Shu, scared, alone, calling out for help. Around the lad seemed to be hands poking out from the ground... Hand Mines!

"Help me!"

Without thinking, the Doctor ran outside and threw his screwdriver at the boy.

"Your chances of survival are one in a thousand!" He said. "So here's what you do... you forget the thousand and you concentrate on the one!"

*TWO YEARS LATER*

Shu walked across the street, mindful of where he was stepping. He was blind, after all.

'I hope I'm not late…'

Shu managed to find the restaurant Souta had told him about, with the help of his walking stick of course. Entering the establishment, he was greeted by a group of familiar faces.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Ayase said.

"Sorry for the wait." Shu smiled as he sat down.

Since the rift had taken all voids, Shu had to replace his arm with a metal prosthetic.

"You sure you couldn't contact him?" Tsugumi asked.

"I tried his number but he won't answer." Shu explained. "He's probably off saving planets again."

"Alright then!" Souta lifted his champagne glass in the air. "To this year!"

To which everyone replied. "Cheers!"

On the table was a small cake decorated with strawberries. Chocolate covered one side of the plate spelling out: 'Happy Birthday Hare!'

….

The Doctor materialized the TARDIS in an alleyway. Before heading out the doors he looked behind him.

Run you clever boy

And be a Doctor.

The words written on his chalkboard. He had just been at a diner talking with a lovely English waitress. It was a nice conversation that ended up with a dematerializing diner, however, he still hasn't found the mysterious woman Clara. It's like he had known her for a long time. They traveled together, they ran together, hell, she was with him at the Cloister Bells on Gallifrey when she told him something... but he couldn't remember what she looked like or how she laughed. He couldn't recall her smile. He had tried looking through his things on the shelf when he came across one particular box containing his old amplifier and something called a void notebook. That's when he remembered everything. The Da'ath, the voids, Shu and Inori... and an unanswered question. This is why he had returned to Tokyo. To see an old friend.

….

Shu sat on a bench in the park. This was a regular thing. He pulled out his MP3 player and put on his wireless earpiece. Pushing the play button, Inori's voice came out.

"Mou anata kara aisareru koto mo"

"Hitsuyou to sareru koto mo na"

"I have an earphone splitter. If that helps…"

Shu heard a familiar Scottish accent beside him. The Doctor sat beside him. He was wearing a neat velvet coat. He held out an earphone splitter as well as his own set of earphones. Shu smirked and passed him out another wireless earpiece.

"Ooh… neat…" the Doctor took the earpiece and put it on. He put the splitter and earphones back into his coat.

Together, they listened to Inori's soothing voice.

"Soshite watashi wa koushite hitoribocchi de"

"Ano toki anata wa nante itta no?"

"How are you?" Shu asked.

"Fine… and you?"

"Good."

"Todokanai kotoba wa chuu wo mau"

They continued listening and looking at the lake in front of them.

"Wakatteru no ni kyou mo shite shimau"

"Kanawanu negaigoto wo"

"I saw you with the others. What's the occasion?" The Doctor asked.

"Hare's birthday."

"Oh... sorry I couldn't come. I was busy with... things."

Shu smirked. "As always."

"Do you still think about her?"

Shu looked down. "All the time."

"Of course... she's important to you after all."

"Doctor?" Shu asked. "Are you OK?

The Doctor paused. "Yeah... I am."

"Hanasanai de "

"Gyutto te wo nigitteite"

Standing up, he pulled out a notebook from his pocket. "Look, the reason I came back is because I found this."

Shu felt around and placed his hand on the notebook.

"It's a list of people with their corresponding voids. I thought you might like to read through it from time to time."

Shu laughed. "Doctor, I'm blind!"

"What?"

"Why do you think I haven't been looking at you or the fact that I have this stick?" Shu lifted his walking stick.

"I just thought you were avoiding eye contact and that was a cane to make you look cooler."

Shu laughed even more. "I wish things could be like this all the time."

The Doctor took the earpiece off and handed it back to Shu. "You know... there's a vacancy in the TARDIS right now."

Shu paused the MP3 player. "You want me to go with you?"

"Yeah. Anywhere in time and space."

"What happened to Clara?"

The Doctor stayed silent.

"Doctor?"

"Clara... that name keeps popping up."

"You said that she's traveling with you, right?"

"Shu, to be honest... I don't remember anything about her. I remember that she traveled with me, yes, but... I don't remember what she was like. I'm still trying to find her of course... but I haven't come up with results yet."

Shu smiled. "She must be important to you."

The Doctor smiled back. "I think so too."

"About your offer, I think I'll pass."

The Doctor stared back in confusion. "Why?"

"I'm blind, old man. If we get into trouble, I won't be useful. Besides, I think I've had enough adventure for now."

"I understand. Say hi to everyone for me."

The Doctor started walking back to the TARDIS.

"Wait! Doctor!" Shu called. The Doctor stopped in his tracks.

"Have you figured out what opened the rift?"

"That's actually a question I just remembered after finding that notebook. It's a question I'm trying to solve now."

"Good luck then."

The Doctor grinned and headed to the alleyway where the TARDIS had been parked.

"Anata no nukumori ga kiechau mae ni"

"Dakishimete"

….

Arriving at the TARDIS, the Doctor tried to grab the key from his pocket but was interrupted by a sudden drop of blood coming from his nose. Everything was blurry yet again. He remembered that this had happened to him before.

The Doctor...

The Doctor stumbled back. When he had regained his focus, the TARDIS was no longer there. He quickly checked the alley to find his blue box. Nothing. The time lord felt a sudden pull. Behind him was a bright white light which enveloped the Doctor.

To be continued...

Author's Notes: Well, that concludes this fanfic... for now. Thanks everyone for reading and I'll try to write more in the future. BTW the end scene with the Doctor and Shu takes place after season 9 of Doctor Who if you didn't catch it. Why? Because I don't want him having sonic sunglasses for the story I'm planning after this. They're a cool concept but I like the new blue screwdriver better.