Your Lie In April: Across The Multiverse

YLIA x Multiverse Episode 5: A Wonderful Life

BEFORE YOU READ: The illustration in the last part of the chapter is NOT MY ARTWORK! It was sketched by @gregorsamsa10 on Discord! All thanks and credit to him for the amazing sketch! That's all; enjoy the episode!

Episode 5: A Wonderful Life

"Bring her back!" Kousei snarled, his angry tears flowing down his scrunched-up, reddened face.

The Watcher held up his hand. "Arima, please, listen to me—"

"Bring her back!" Kousei repeated, seizing the corner of the Watcher's giant blue cape.

"Kousei, that's not—!"

"BRING HER BAAAACK!" Kousei screamed again, burying his face in the Watcher's cape and banging on his golden armor with his scrawny fist.

"Arima, you're not listening!" the Watcher implored. "That's not going to make everything better for you!"

"Yes it WILL!" Kousei's muffled voice argued through the cape.

"No Kousei, it won't!"

Kousei's bitter wailing momentarily ceased as he released his feral hold on the Watcher's cape and looked at Strange Supreme. Kousei's face was still red and scrunched up, his eyes blazing red from all his desperate crying. Kousei was about to argue with the Sorcerer Supreme. But as Arima opened his mouth to utter a retort, he hesitated. Strange's eyes were not full of disappointment nor stern scolding from an elder.

Rather, they were full of authentic sorrow and empathy for the pain of the young pianist.

"Kousei, please!" Strange Supreme said. "You have no idea what you are wishing for! Your obsession is not only destroying you, but it will destroy those around you as well if you do not keep it in check!"

"And how would you know that?!" Kousei growled. "I saw every moment of that battle you and the others had with Dr. Doom! Your power alone was more than enough to protect that universe and slay both Doom and his puppet Yeager! What do you know about what I've lost?! I didn't just lose Kaori...I lost everyone!"

The sorcerer was silent, listening to the young prodigy's venting with a kind and mournful heart. Strange was tempted to yell and scream back at the boy, but instead, he put a consoling hand on his shoulder and began opening his Time Stone.

"So did I, Arima," Strange replied gently. "So did I."

"What?" Arima asked, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Just watch," Strange answered as he began taking Arima back through time. Arima had to close his eyes, for seeing all the places and people fly by so quickly made him giddy. Then everything was completely still, and Arima opened his eyes. Around him, he saw that he and Strange Supreme were on a modern city street, right outside what looked to be a small pizza diner.

"Where are we?" Kousei asked.

"At the last place I saw the woman I loved," Strange explained. "Many years ago."

Kousei wiped his tears away and put his glasses back on. "What happened?"

"Just wait," Strange told him. "You'll see."

Sure enough, Kousei suddenly heard the vroom of a fancy sports car in the distance, and turned to see a flashy black Lamborghini approaching from the right. As it came to halt in front of the curb, Kousei saw a man dressed in a dapper suit and a shiny wristwatch emerge from the driver's side.