Yumi took the keys to her new car from her coat pocket. Her father heard the keys and asked, "Yumi where are you going?" "Just going for a drive Dad." Yumi answered.
"Then can you take Hiroki with you and drop him off at Johnny's." asked Mrs. Ishiyama.
"Sure guys, come on Hiroki!" Yumi called, her brother rushing to his sister. "All ready Yumi!" he called, and finally stopped running by stopping at the door.
The brother and sister walked to the sleek, black car, Yumi got into the driver seat, and Hiroki got into the seat behind her.
Yumi stepped on the gas and started to drive out of the driveway. But unbeknownst to the two, some thugs stole parts of the brakes the night before.
The car went smoothly across the street, almost to Johnny's house, when the intersection came up. Yumi tried to turn, but the car was too fast, it didn't move in time. When the car did turn, it rammed into a street light. Yumi was flung forward in her seat, her head slamming into the airbag, popped it and cracked her skull on the dash board.
Then everything went black.
Her eyes opened, she looked at where she was, not recognizing it at all. It was a beautiful field, green , filled with trees an golden, delicious looking fruits.
But those details were far from her mind, she was looking around to try and find Hiroki.
"He's not here." said a gentle voice. Yumi turned around to see a man in a white cloak, with long brown hair and neatly trimmed beard.
"A-am I in N-Naraka?" The man laughed and said, "If this is Naraka, then I wonder what Nirvana is. Well actually this isn't either, but you get the point."
"Then where am I?" Yumi asked. "It depends when and where you were born." said a voice from behind.
She turned around and saw a man, tall, physically fit, his hair chopped off, but Yumi could assume it would be brown or more likely black, with an Asian history. He was clad in an orange with golden colored trim.
"Buddha?" the white cloaked Man asked, surprised to see him, "What are doing here? You should have been reborn an hour ago?"
Buddha shrugged his shoulders and said, "Aborted." "Ah, I'm sorry old friend."
"Wait," Yumi said, slightly confused, "If you're Buddha, and you're…" Yumi was too nervous to say the Other Man's name.
"Go on." Buddha said. "Jesus, then wouldn't that mean… both are…" Before she could finish it the two men laughed heartily. Yumi then quickly asked, "Well where am I?"
"Like I said before," Buddha stated, "It depends where and when you were born or raised."
"Yes," said Jesus, "Like if you were born in ancient Ireland, Mag Mell, if you were born in Haiti, then it would be called Guinne, if you were from ancient Norway it would be Valhalla. If you were from ancient Greece, it would called Elysium Fields."
"You mean this is…Heaven?" "Yep, no place like it, trust me." Jesus said. Yumi was about to talk to Buddha, but he was gone.
"Must be going to his current body." Jesus said. " The reason why Buddha is here because, even though he isn't part of our teachings, he's right as well, it's rather complicated for most humans to wrap their minds around."
Yumi looked at him. "But some can comprehend it, and called it Henotheism." Yumi felt comforted by the man's tone and what he was saying. "But if I'm here, wouldn't that mean I'm…dead?" Jesus then said, "Actually you're just hanging from a thread." A large hole appeared into the ground, with a fluid looking lid over it.
Through it, Yumi could see her body in a hospital bed. Several stitches were in her head, hands and even on her neck. Her friends and family were around her, crying. Hiroki was the most upset out of everyone.
"See Yumi," Jesus said, pointing to the corner of the room, showing the machine counting her heart beat, it was very limited, like one beat every two minutes.
"And see that man back there, in the other corner?" Jesus asked, pointing to a tall man in the other corner. He was tall, in a black cloak. Dark, but he wasn't evil.
"That's my friend and rival, the Angel of Death. He's my rival since he tries to end lives while I prevent them from ending. But he's my friend too, since he is an angel, a heavenly being."
"Never forget Yumi, I always got your back, your's and your friend's." Yumi then hugged the man, and said, "I love you Jesus." Jesus smiled and said, "I love you too Yumi, and never forget it. Regardless of Faiths, my Father, The Ghost, and Me, we love everyone."
Yumi let him go and said, How do I get back?" Jesus answered, "Easy, just jump through the lens and you'll float to your body. Here's a fruit for the road." Jesus handed her a fruit.
Yumi took a tiny bite. The fruit was like eating a pomegranate seed. Yumi literally dived through the lens.
Yumi's eyes slowly opened. The Angel of Death was in the corner still. He looked surprised for a second, but smiled in the next. He muttered to himself, "Well played my Lord, well played indeed." and vanished. When Ulrich noticed she was up, the entire group quickly embraced her, especially her family and Ulrich.
(A/N: The Henotheism twist was to teach tolerating other faiths and that we're all His creations, and are equally loved with and equal chance to Paradise.)