Chapter Text
What if he doesn’t want to see me, Lion thinks, but they pinch their face to focus on what they can control. The dull pain keeps them moving forward and Lion reaches out to knock firmly on the door.
A few moments go by, but nothing.
Lion was right, it’s too late at night for them to be here. Turning around, they start brainstorming about where they should stay for the evening. There was an inn just outside of town they could try. Hopefully after a decent night’s rest, their confidence will be refreshed too.
The metal whine of the door hinge makes Lion turn back.
And it’s him, Will!
“Hey Will, it’s been a while,” Lion’s voice cracks, something they’d normally care about, but it’s been so long since they’ve been in Will’s presence that all of Lion’s negative thoughts dissipate. And the rush of emotions from seeing him again has Lion’s brain buzzing and ready to trip over all their words just to have a conversation with him again.
“What are you doing here?” Will asks.
He’s wearing a plain button-up shirt with black slacks and looking very awake. Lion’s shoulders relax, knowing that they didn’t pull Will out of bed. All they want now is to soak up his voice and get a good look at his face to see if it’s as mesmerizing as they’ve built up in their head, but their eyes shy away as soon as they meet Will’s.
“Well, I wanted to talk to you. And you made it very difficult when you left me in the Golden Land,” Lion says, faking their cool.
They’re not sure exactly how long it’s been since Lion’s seen Will, but they’ve been replaying their last moments together in their mind.
-
"And here's your stop," Will says.
When the whirlwind finally calms down, Lion cautiously opens their eyes and loosens up their grip on Will's arm.
Lion’s eyes are greeted with a garden full of golden flowers and butterflies.
"Thank god." Lion can breathe again.
Whatever angel powers Will used to teleport them made Lion so dizzy, with all the bright lights flying past them, they had to squeeze their eyes shut.
"Lion?" Jessica stands up from her seat in the middle of the garden with Kanon sitting next to her.
Jessica runs over with a big smile on her face.
"You're finally here, Successor-sama!"
"Sorry I'm late," Lion laughs and embraces their sister in a warm hug. It feels like forever since they've seen Jessica, and it makes Lion so relieved she’s doing well.
They almost forget that they’re in the afterlife.
Lion gives Kanon a shy wave, which he returns. They aren’t sure of the best way to interact with him, considering the circumstances.
One day at a time, Lion supposes.
"Well, here, sit down and have some tea!" Jessica gestures at the table.
"Just a second," Lion turns around to Will, but only finds an empty space.
"Will?" Lion says, hoping that he only wandered off.
But there was no answer.
"Will? That guy that was at Beatrice's funeral?" Jessica looks puzzled. She probably didn't see him arrive and he must have left just as fast.
"Yeah, he's the one who took me here," Lion frowns. It was extremely rude to leave without a goodbye.
But they were sure Will would come back and visit them. They had all the time in the universe now they were in heaven, so there aren't any excuses.
Right?
-
Lion sighs, sitting in the field of golden flowers, watching Maria and Sakutarou frolic about.
They pull their knees up to their chest.
The Golden Land is supposed to be a place of endless happiness, but instead, Lion feels off. It's not that they aren't happy to see their family safe and well. In fact, it’s lifted a huge burden off their shoulders knowing that despite how they got here, everything in the end worked out.
But once Lion's mind was free from worry, it also freed their mind to think about their wants. And as pathetic as it is, Lion’s been thinking a lot about Will. Clearly Will didn't think about Lion though, or he would have visited them by now. Lion’s heart starts to ache when they speculate on why Will left them without a word. They stop themselves just as fast, knowing that it’s not going to make them feel better.
So instead, they consider going back to the stack of books they started reading, but they quickly lose interest in that idea. Maybe they can try playing chess with Battler again, but their head starts to ache when they remember their last game that dragged on for so long, they both agree to mercifully end it in a draw. The truth is, Lion's and Battler's play styles are too incompatible for a fun game.
Lion circles back around to their last hope, going to the endless flower fields with Maria and Sakutarou. However, there's only so much tag that Lion could play as a 19-year-old. Instead, they thought simply relaxing here could be nice, but even watching the two of them having fun didn't cheer Lion up.
Everyone always has big smiles on their faces but Lion's stuck moping in the most beautiful place they've ever seen, thinking about a guy that probably forgot Lion's name by now. Will's helped so many people with all different misfortunes, there's no reason he should remember those two days at Rokkenjima.
But when Lion thinks about Will, a wave of warmth rolls over their body and mind. Being so vulnerable with someone, was something Lion hadn't done since they were a child. Even in a life-or-death situation, it was hard to ask for help, especially in such a dramatic way. Lion was supposed to be the Ushiromiya successor and put a lot of pride in their independence. Asking for simple favors was fine, but having to beg someone to save them was embarrassing.
However, that feeling was overwhelmed with how safe Lion felt in Will's arms. It was like nothing bad would ever happen to them again.
The exact way that Lion expected heaven to feel.
And while they don't have the same stress and expectations weighing them down, they don't feel right in the Golden Land, and Lion is left confused wondering what's wrong with them.
"Wow, you seem to be deep in thought."
Lion straightens up to face Beatrice.
"Now’s the perfect time to do it," Lion says, attempting to lighten their own mood.
"And apparently it’s the perfect time to sigh too." Beatrice sits down next to Lion.
"How long have you been watching me?"
Lion's slowly getting used to speaking to her. They like to think of Beatrice as a long-lost twin and that helps wrap their mind around everything.
"Today, only a minute, but you’re always sighing when you think no one's looking too." Beatrice points out. "Do you want to talk about it?"
This whole situation feels like delayed teenage angst and Lion hates it. They really thought they avoided all of this and Jessica could go through it for the both of them.
"I’m trying to figure out what heaven's supposed to be for me," Lion confesses.
"Are you? I'm sure you have some idea of it."
Lion doesn't though. If someone asked when they were alive, Lion would choose no homework and sleeping for as long as they want, but in practice, it’s underwhelming.
"I do, but clearly I'm missing something."
"Then look deeper. It doesn't have to be a specific place, thing, or person."
A person.
"So, uh."
"Yes?"
"This...stays between us," Lion leans in to keep out any other potential eavesdroppers. Having to admit their feelings aloud to ‘themself’ is bad enough.
"Of course," Beatrice agrees with a wicked grin.
"There's someone I want to visit, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's forgotten me by now," Lion tells her.
"Personally, I would do whatever it takes to make him remember, but you're not me. Right?" she winks.
Lion is momentarily stunned with bashfulness when they remember how much Beatrice has gone through. At least Lion's talking to someone that has experience with these feelings.
"Sorry, if this brings up unpleasant memories."
"No need for apologies," Beatrice waves it off. "What did he say when you last talked to him?"
"I haven't spoken to him since I arrived here."
"Then you should definitely start there. Maybe he's just as worried that you forgot him," Beatrice shrugs.
But Lion doesn't even know where to start in finding Will. They know he has a house somewhere and that's about it. Beatrice is right though, Lion shouldn't assume anything about Will's feelings.
And when has Lion waited on anyone for anything? They need to take matters into their own hands.
"Do you know if there's a way out of the Golden Land?" Lion asks.
Beatrice nods and beckons them to follow her.
After a short walk out of the garden, she points down a golden brick road.
"This is the way out."
Lion squints, trying and failing to make out anything beyond the rows of flowers. The path that melts into the horizon is the only landmark in view.
"So, I just walk until I get there," Lion repeats Beatrice's instructions.
"As long as you know where you want to go, you'll find the place. Or maybe I should say who." Beatrice takes a drag of her pipe.
Lion frowns, unsure if role-playing as Dorthy will get them to Will, but they don't have any other options.
"Battler and I have used this road countless times to travel through time and space. You'll be fine," Beatrice gently pats Lion's bag. “Just promise you’ll come back to visit.”
Lion hugs Beatrice.
“Thank you. I’ll write too,” Lion says with all their heart overflowing with gratitude. It’ll be the first thing they’ll do once they find Will.
“Of course. It was much too painful watching you sick with love and heart sinking lower in your chest by the day,” she sighs dramatically and Lion giggles.
“Now,” Beatrice takes Lion by the shoulders and has them face the golden road. “Don’t stop walking until you find Will.”
“I won’t,” Lion says, unfazed, because of course Beatrice knew from the very beginning.
They take a deep breath and pray he’s closer than he feels.