(A/N: DISCLAIMER: I've only played the first trilogy of PL games [and crossover lol] so please don't spoil anything for me in reviews! And sorry if any of my canon is off, but it shouldn't be since this takes place right after Unwound Future. Enjoy the oneshot! ^_^)

White light.

That was the first thing that absorbed my vision.

It felt like waking up, out of a dream, but… more. My senses were all slowly heightened as my memories started returning to me, although all out of order, for whatever reason. Blurry shapes started sharpening as the memories flooded in, as if if I'd woken up from a concussion, but nothing hurt.

The explosion.

Right, that was the last thing that had happened. Only… it wasn't. I felt my lips purse slightly. I was pretty sure that was the last thing I remembered, and now that my thoughts were clear I was fairly certain I was dead.

Dead.

My memory jolted. That's right— the explosion was the last thing to happen, but it also happened many years prior. The other last thing to have happened was…

"Hello there."

I jolted upright and turned my head to see a very pretty young lady in a white dress smiling down at me. She extended out a hand to help me up. I hesitated, then remembered I was dead and accepted it.

"Um… Hello," I said as I stood. After the initial shock of not being alone cleared away, I was happy to see the unfamiliar girl. Now I could ask some questions about where we were. I cleared my throat and smiled, shaking the hand that had pulled me off the ground.

"It's nice to meet you," I said. "Pardon my abruptness, but I have to ask, are we—"

"Dead? Yes, we are." The purple-haired girl smiled without any hint of uneasiness, which made her already pretty features even more beautiful. She had green eyes, and pale, smooth skin— she was clearly in the prime of her youth.

"Ah," was all I managed to say, before I remembered what else I'd meant to ask. "So is this… the Afterlife?"

"Afterlife? Oh, goodness, no. We're only in the Waiting," she chuckled, watching me cheerfully as I surveyed our surroundings. We were in some sort of completely white room, with bare white couches lining the walls, but somehow I was also able to see the trees and lush scenery outside, despite the complete lack of windows. I frowned in confusion.

"Don't worry," she said, her tone softening a bit. "You'll get used to your new sight soon, and your other senses, as well. Oh, while you're at it, you might want to look down."

Confused, I obeyed the strange girl's commands, and was surprised to see myself wearing a simple white dress identical to her own. Although I wasn't usually overly concerned with my appearance, I quickly ran a hand through my hair, wondering if it was any different. It was still in a ponytail, as I'd left it last, but it felt smoother and silkier, as if I'd brushed it through with the most expensive conditioner in London.

"I'm… different," I said, trying to decide how to feel about the situation. I hesitated. "Do I look all right?"

The purple-haired girl smiled and laughed. "You look gorgeous, of course. If you'd like to see your reflection, I can take you out to a pond."

"Um… yes, I'd like that, thank you," I said, following her as she led me out of the white room through a door-less opening. The trees and other greenery I'd seen through the walls became even more vibrant as we stepped outside.

"Say, I believe I've forgotten to ask for your name," I suddenly realized. "Pardon my bad manners."

"Don't worry," the girl replied with an understanding smile, "everyone is a little taken by surprise when they arrive here. I presume you'll have lots of questions, and that's what I'm here for. Anyhow, my name is Sophia."

"That's a pretty name," I said truthfully. "I'm Claire."

"Well, that's a very pretty name, too. It's nice to officially meet you, Claire," Sophia said with a smile. She seemed to never stop smiling, but it wasn't just out of politeness. Her smiles were genuine, and her eyes sparkled with curiosity towards me.

"So… if we are in… the Waiting, you called it?" I asked. Sophia nodded. "Then… where is everyone else? Surely we aren't the only ones here."

"No, of course not," she replied. "The Waiting Rooms are spaced far apart, so that newcomers like yourself aren't overwhelmed by an influx of new people. We can move to one of the more populous areas now, if you'd like— although generally, people prefer to wait until they're very close with their Escort, and that usually takes at least a year. That way they have someone to stick with while they meet the others, which most claim helps make it easier to make peace with your past." She stated "a year" with the casualty that anyone else might state "an hour."

I blinked in confusion, trying to take in everything she'd said. "Um… make peace with my past?"

"Well, yes, I was informed that you died rather young, did you not? Old people— such as myself—" She giggled— "are sometimes lucky enough to not have too many regrets and unfulfilled wishes we must lay to rest, but young people almost always have quite the burden."

"Er… right," I stammered. I wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, so instead I opted to comment, "You don't look as old as you say."

"Well, of course not. We are all in new bodies, although none of us will get our wings until we move on from the Waiting."

Something clicked, and suddenly things finally started to make sense, like puzzle pieces falling into place. "Until we make peace with our past, you mean. Right?"

Sophia smiled in delight. "Precisely! You're quite observant, aren't you, Claire?"

"Well… I try. So let me see if I have this all straight so far. Everyone here is dead, but has some sort of regret or burden that keeps them tied to their life back on Earth. Our purpose in the Waiting is to resolve those things so that we can move on to the Afterlife, which is where we'll receive our wings." I realized that I was pacing back and forth while I talked out of habit, but it didn't seem to bother Sophia, so I continued. "Each newcomer to the Waiting wakes up in a Waiting Room, and is sent an Escort to explain things to them and help them adjust. The Escort is also supposed to serve as a friend to the newcomer, because making bonds with other people is essential to letting go of past regrets." I looked up. "How am I doing so far?"

"You've got everything figured out already!" Sophia exclaimed, then quickly added, "Well, except for how Escorts are chosen for newcomers, but I don't think you could really figure that out without a hint."

"Oh?" I asked. "I'll take that as a challenge."

Sophia looked surprised at this, but also intrigued. "Very well, then. Why do you think I was sent to you?"

I took a deep breath, wanting to make a good impression. I studied the pretty girl up and down. At first I thought her white dress (which, being the same as mine, was clearly a result of being in the Waiting and not related to her life) would make things harder to analyze, but then I realized that a few things had been left on her, making it more than easy for me to pick out what was important.

"Hmm… well, you're wearing a white necklace— which is very pretty, by the way— and I don't have one, so clearly that was carried here from your life back on Earth, and not given to you upon arrival, unlike your dress. And you stated that you passed on much later in life, so it seems unlikely that you were wearing such fancy jewelry for the sake of going out… I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that it was given to you by a lover. Am I getting close?"

Sophia paused, her expression almost unreadable for a moment. Then she nodded, so I kept going.

"I thought so. Your earlier mention of things that tie us to our old lives seemed extremely important, and you don't strike me as the type to be held back by material things. But… you also don't seem to show any signs of regret or sadness at the mention of your lover. In fact, I'd say you were suppressing a smile. So I don't think you had a harmful relationship, or a one-sided one…" Suddenly, I froze. "Oh."

My Escort's expression softened again. "Now I'm going to guess that you've figured out the answer, haven't you?"

"… does everyone call this place the Waiting?"

Sophia smiled. "…No. That's just my name for it."

"Ah."

We were both silent for a few moments. My memories were as clear as day now, and I understood why Sophia had been sent to me.

"So… what was his name?" I asked after a pause. Sophia smiled, but her smile wasn't tainted by sadness.

"Anton. Anton Herzen. He'll be here soon."

"Ah…" I glanced up at the sky, which was a shade of blue impossible to describe in words. Everything in the Waiting was impossible to describe.

"And as for you?" Sophia asked gently.

"Hershel."

"Layton?!"

I was so startled that I almost tripped over my own feet. "How did you know?"

"Oh, that's so wonderful! Katia— she's my granddaughter— mentions him sometimes in her prayers. He helped her connect with Anton, and take care of him per my request. They're very happy now." She beamed with pride, and, in a softer voice, said, "You have good taste."

I laughed a little at the abruptness of the statement, then, trying to compose myself, I nodded. "Yes, I know."

Now it was her turn to laugh. "You're quite the character, aren't you, Claire?"

"I suppose so." I smiled and looked at my Escort with curiosity. "You know, I'm glad you were sent to me."

"Oh, good, because I was just thinking how much I liked being sent to you," she chuckled. "Ah, the pond is just up ahead."

As I followed Sophia to the clear, reflective pond, I felt something in my heart lighten up a little. Yes, I was dead. But the area was beautiful, the air was clean, and I had a friend now.

I was happy.

I could wait.

(A/N:

Me: wow I should work on that one fanfiction I have about the dead characters chilling in the afterlife that was written with the sole purposes of healing some of the pain of them dying, and also trying to get attention from my friend who really likes one of the dead characters

Me: ...nah I'll just write a oneshot

Me, after writing the oneshot: ...wait)