I couldn't resist. *forgive me*

Afterlife

Naomi awoke to a white room. (It's always a white room, I don't know why). The room was empty and Naomi couldn't see any doors. She was lying on a white cot, and wearing a white gown, like those you wear in hospitals.

"Welcome to heaven," said a tiny voice.

Naomi glanced around and saw an angel. That's right, one of those baby male angels with the diaper and wings and everything. It looked more like a fairy though. It was small enough to fit into the palm of Naomi's hand. It looked bored.

"Uh, I'm sorry but...?"

"They're always confused at first," said the angel, rolling his eyes. "Yes, you're dead. Yes, heaven exists. Yes, I'm an angel. No, you're not dreaming."

"I'm dead," repeated Naomi. She experienced brain freeze as all of a sudden, memories rushed in her head.

"Remembering now?" said the angel, boredly. "I'm on a tight schedule today though, so let's try to wrap this up fast." He cleared his throat and consulted his VERY tiny clipboard. "Any last wishes or concern before you move on?"

"I thought I was already dead," said Naomi, blinking.

"You are," said the angel impatiently. "But you've gotta pass through this intermission room before you get to your afterlife. You know, eternal peace, happiness, that stuff."

"Oh."

"We're giving you one last chance to wrap up any unfinished business you have. So quick, shoot."

Naomi knew without hesitation. "I have to tell L about who Kira is."

"No," said the angel. "Revenge-related requests are not allowed."

"What?" That was the stupidest rule Naomi ever heard.

"Think," sighed the angel. "If everyone could somehow avenge their deaths then wouldn't the whole world be crazy now? Ghosts going around shooting humans in the head? And you'd be dead a couple times over," he added, looking at his clipboard.

Naomi, remembering the number of people she'd put in jail, nodded sheepishly. "Ok. Then..." She grew sad at her next thought. "Can I say bye to my parents?" She knew it was silly and impossible.

"Yup," said the angel, to her surprise.

"But how - " before Naomi could finish her sentence, the angel snapped his fingers and the room blurred.

::

Naomi blinked and looked around. She was no longer in a white room. No, she was in a very familiar room. She was in her parents' bedroom.

She looked down to see her mom and dad snoring softly. The angel poked her on the shoulder. "You have five minutes," he said, and zoomed out the room.

Naomi was glad for the privacy. She leaned forward, brushed her mother's hair. Touched her father's cheek. "Mom, dad," she said. "I have to say goodbye. I'm so sorry. I'm such a bad daughter."

She started to cry, which felt weird because she couldn't remember the last time she did so. Just then, the bed creaked and Naomi looked up with shock. Her mother had sat up and was looking around sleepily.

It doesn't matter, she can't see me, thought Naomi.

"Honey! Oh, it's you!" shrieked her mom.

Uh, so much for that.

Naomi looked in alarm for the angel. Did she break a rule? Was she supposed to be sent to hell now? Meanwhile her mom was squeezing her in a tight hug and Naomi's father woke up too from the commotion. "Naomi!" he said happily, hugging her too. "Where were you? You had us so worried!"

Naomi wanted to play along. She really did. But when she thought about where her corpse was lying and how long her parents would have to spend waiting for her to return, she knew what she had to do.

"No, dad," said Naomi. "I'm dead. You have to believe me. I killed myself. No - someone made me kill myself."

"What?" Her parents gaped at her.

"I know it sounds strange, but it's true! Look - there's an angel." But of course the stupid angel was nowhere to be seen. Naomi grabbed her mom's hand. "When you wake up in the morning I'll be gone, and maybe you won't even remember this, but - just know I love you two so much and you've been such great parents and please, give up on me. I died already. So move on with your lives, love each other, you know what - move to Poland where Aunt Yuko is. You can help her take care of her new granddaughter. Pretend that's me. I won't be coming back so - "

"Time's up," spoke a tiny voice next to her ear. Naomi tried to swallow down the lump in her throat. "Goodbye," she said.

Then the room blurred.

::

They were back in the white room. Naomi still couldn't stop crying. The angel handed her tissues, which was very nice of him since they were so big for him to carry.

"Thank you for that," she said, blowing her nose. "I'm glad I could talk to them, even if it wasn't any use."

"Oh, don't worry," said the angel, boredly returning to his clipboard. "It worked. They'll do what you said. Move on with their lives, love each other, move to Poland, whatever."

"Then - you mean they really could see me?"

"Of course," said the angel, staring at her like she was retarded.

"But won't they wake up and think it was all a dream and - "

"Yeah, duh. But your words were imprinted into their minds. You think we don't take your last requests seriously?" grumbled the angel. "Anyway, now that we're done. Ready to go?"

"Wait," said Naomi. "Where exactly are we going? I mean, what is this... afterlife like?"

"I told you, eternal peace, eternal - "

"Yes, but," Naomi couldn't push the question out of her mind,"What if I don't like it?"

The angel stared at her. "What if you don't like it?"

Naomi nodded. "I mean," she said, clarifying herself, "What your idea - or God's idea, or whoever is running this thing - of heaven might not be the same as mine."

The angel stared at her some more. Then he glanced back at his clipboard. "Ah, I see," he said with clear annoyance.

"Huh?"

"Stop worrying," sighed the angel, "you're not gonna end up spending eternity with that fiancé of yours, Raye whatshisface."

"Penber," said Naomi automatically. "I never said I - "

"Here, it's much easier to just show you," interrupted the angel. He snapped his fingers.

::

The room blurred again. When Naomi opened her eyes this time, she saw she was yet again in a familiar room. The apartment she was living in with Raye, to be exact, before they went to Japan and died.

"... smells so good, Naomi."

Naomi wasn't sure what freaked her out more: the mention of her name or the voice who spoke it.

She turned around, walked towards the dining room, and what she saw made her freeze in her tracks.

"Raye?"

Indeed, her fiancé - dead fiancé - was sitting at the table, reading a newspaper, his jacket folded neatly on his chair. He looked the same as ever with his combed hair and folded legs. "Oh look Naomi, I'm in the paper."

Naomi started to walk over to see what he was talking about, but froze in her tracks - again - when suddenly, someone else bounded out of the kitchen.

It was a woman, with long dark hair just like Naomi's, pants that looked awfully like the same ones Naomi owned, shirt... Ok, everything about her was exactly like Naomi... except the face.

The woman had no face.

Naomi screamed. However, Raye and the woman just ignored her.

"Let me see, Raye," crooned the woman sweetly. "Oh! Wow!" the faceless woman squealed, jumping up and down as she looked down at the article Raye was pointing to. "My Raye-Raye is in the paper for catching all the bad guys! You're amazing, darling!"

Naomi felt a little sick.

"It's nothing," said Raye modestly. He put away the paper and smiled at the faceless woman. "Is dinner ready yet, dear?"

"It is, honey. That's right, do you want me to take your suit to the dry cleaning today?"

"Tomorrow is fine. But my shoes are - "

"Don't you mention it Raye, I'll shine them tonight right after dinner." The faceles woman went back to the kitchen. "I made your favorite, pork chops and roasted turkey!"

'You're a doll, Naomi," smiled Raye.

Naomi stared at him incredulously. "Raye, what are you saying, SHE's not Naomi, I am! What is - "

"Don't even bother," the tiny voice spoke behind Naomi. She turned to see the angel shaking his head, arms crossed. "C'mon, I'll explain it to you after we leave. I can't stand hearing any more of this sugary sweet talk for another second."

::

The room blurred.

"What you just saw," said the angel when they were back in the white room, "was your fiancé's heaven."

Naomi frowned. "HIS heaven?"

"Yep," answered the angel. "You all have your own heavens here. Some can be very different from others, obviously. It's catered to each individual's wants and needs after all."

"And Raye wants and needs some kind of faceless - robot woman? With MY name?"

"You still don't get it," huffed the angel. "That woman IS you. Or supposed to be you, anyway, according to Raye's fantasy world. She doesn't have a face because she doesn't need one."

Naomi shuddered involuntarily.

"You're the one who picked him, not me," muttered the angel.

Naomi tried not to feel insulted. "Ok, so Raye's not going to be in my heaven," she said, getting back to the subject.

"Right. You getting it now?"

"Kind of," nodded Naomi. "Each person is placed into an environment that will make him or her the happiest. That's their heaven, isn't it? And it's all based on what they subconsciously want, so no one will get disappointed or angry."

"Yay," said the angel drily, pretending to applaud.

"Alrighty then," said Naomi, taking a deep breath. "I'm ready."

The angel breathed in relief and raised his fingers to snap -

"Wait!" cried Naomi.

He groaned.

"Sorry," Naomi grimaced. "I forgot. One more question, ok? I promise."

"Humans," the angel said under his breath.

"Since Raye's not in my heaven... does that mean I won't get to see anyone else there? Anyone else I knew from, you know, real life?"

"I didn't say that," shrugged the angel.

"Then if - "

"No more questions," said the angel. "You said it." He gave her a smirk and - snap. The room blurred, one last time.

::

Naomi was standing on a beach. The sea was a turoquoise blue. The sand was soft and white, and she could see some sand castles. She felt kind of embarrassed. This was her idea of the happiest place? How old was she, four?

The angel wasn't around to give snide remarks, though. Naomi remembered his impatient face and guessed his job with her was done; he was moving on to other 'clients' now, guiding them to their afterlives.

She looked down and realized she was no longer wearing the white smock from before but a grey tank and white comfy shorts. Naomi laid down on the sand and stretched. Well, this wasn't too bad. A little boring, but still ok.

Just as she thought that, she heard footsteps running in her direction. Naomi raised herself up on her elbows, squinting.

"Mom!"

She had barely a moment to register what the voice said when someone, literally, jumped on her. Naomi was alarmed, but the next second she was hugging that person back like there was no tomorrow (and technically, there wasn't). She found herself choking back a sob.

The person let go and Naomi leaned back. "...Baby?" she whispered.

In front of her stood a little boy, with skinny arms and legs but chubby cheeks, looking to be around five or six years old. He was grinning cheekily at her. "Hi Mom," he said.

"Mommy?"

Naomi started in shock as she realized there was another person in her presence. She looked down to see small, dainty hands clasping hers. Those hands belonged to the most beautiful little girl she'd ever seen. She was still a toddler, with large round eyes and a shy smile.

Naomi looked at her, speechless. She looked back at the boy. No, it wasn't just a boy. She suddenly understood.

It was her son. And the girl, her daughter.

Naomi began to cry for the second time in a row. "Mommy," the baby girl said, "Are you sad?"

"No, no," said Naomi. She reached over and pulled these children that she never knew close, burying her face in their soft hair. They smelled like baby powder and the ocean and - her.

Finally.

Naomi was in heaven.

I know it's ridiculous, but nope, it's STILL not over.