"Am I in Heaven?"

            The moment I wake up, there are a thousand questions on my tongue. But the sight of Veah in front of me, doused in bright morning sun, is enough for me to really believe it. Heaven. 

             The edge of Veah's mouth curls into a smirk. "You know, I think I'm getting a little déja vu."

              My mind flashes back to the warehouse, when Veah carried me away from the burning building.

             I had asked, Am I in Heaven?

             She had replied, No, but if you want to be inside of me, that can be arranged. 

             I trace the edge of her jaw with one fingertip. Tentatively. As though she is a mirage, and with a ripple of light, she could vanish.

             But her skin is soft, and when I touch the outline of her luscious, pink mouth, I know I really am dead.

             I made it to heaven after all.

             "Thank you, God," I whisper, closing my eyes.

              Veah catches my hand. "Kaya, you're not dead."

              "It's okay," I breathe. I just wish I could have said goodbye to Cassie. I wish I could have told her I would be looking out for her. "I'm okay. If this is heaven―"

              "Honestly, I'm offended. I thought we were planning to go to hell together."

              The gay party. Rainbow strobelights. I smile as I lean forward, and her lips against mine are paradise with a hint of cherry. "It's not hell if I have you."

               Veah blinks, and I think I see the faintest trace of a gleam in her silver eyes. "I thought I lost you."

              Panic seizes me. "But if I'm dead, does that mean you're―"

              From in another room, I hear a muffled voice say, "You're not dead, you idiot!"

              Veah narrows her eyes at the closed door. "Are you eavesdropping on us?" she calls back.

              Voices that sound suspiciously like Maiko and Ren start to grumble, and then I know we truly are alone.

             "Listen, I'm not going to freak out. It's okay if I'm dead. It's just―"

              "Kiss me," she says suddenly, so low I can barely hear her. I must be hallucinating. 

              "What?"

              Her eyebrows pull together. "What did I say?"

              "Kiss me―"

              "I'd love to," she says, a sinful grin curving her heavenly mouth. And she leans forward, letting me taste her. Cherry blossoms and sweet rain. 

             She stole my trick, I think.

              Suddenly, I don't want to be dead. I want to kiss her, over and over again, for the rest of my life.

              "Is there any chance you can bring me back to life?"

              Veah tucks back a strand of my hair. "You're not dead." 

             "But Okami . . . she let me live?"

             "We found you unconscious on the floor. I should have told you she was part of the Hattori Guild. But never mind that―it doesn't matter. You're alive, and I'm getting you the hell out of here."

              A shudder runs through me. "I heard my neck snap, I―"

              Veah's hand cups one side of my face. I lean into her touch.

             "You're okay, Kaya. You're alive."

             A slow smile spreads on my face. "You mean, we both survived to see today?"

             "That's right."

             "And it's morning?"

             I know she knows what I'm thinking. The marriage. The annulment. We've been married for a whole night, and nobody knows.

              Actually . . . the memory of swinging a wooden chair leg jumps back to me.

             Except Maiko.

             "You owe one hell of an apology to Mai," Veah warns me. "She was pissed. You knocked her out with a chair, for God's sake. How did you think that would go?"

             "I had to stop Okami―"

             "That was one hell of a dangerous stunt you pulled, by the way. You could have died. You were so close to it, and I . . . I don't know why Okami even let you live." Veah hesitates. "What did she say to you?"

              A weak chuckle rasps out of me. "Oh, she was really polite. She told me she was going to let me have a shred of happiness before she ripped it away . . . she would never stop hunting you down . . . she was going to torture me until I begged her to kill me. All in all, it was really fun. She might not be entirely sane, though. Oh," I add, "I think she has this creepy obsession with you."

            For some reason, this doesn't seem to surprise Veah.

            "A shred of happiness before she rips it away?" Veah shakes her head. "I'm getting you out of Tokyo city. It's not safe here."

            "That was just the rambling of a madwoman," I insist. "And . . . I'm alive." I kiss her again. "Don't you know what that means?" 

             "I think it means you need more rest."

             "It means we're still married."

             Her eyes search mine. "We can go to the temple. I can get us an annulment―"

             "No," I say, surprising myself. "I . . . I kind of like Plan B. Just not, you know, the part where you die and I'm your widow."

            "You want us to stay married?"

            And suddenly, I remember something.

            "I love you," I blurt out. "I wanted to tell you that all night, but I forgot and . . . when I thought I was about to die . . ."

             "It's okay," Veah murmurs, holding me tightly. "Shh, Kaya. It's alright."

             "I heard my neck snap. That crack―"

             "I understand," Veah tells me quietly. "But you're safe now, and you're going to stay that way. I have a plane ready―"

            The thought of leaving Tokyo behind is suddenly unfathomable to me. The neon lights, the vitality and the traffic and the people I've met . . . "I want to stay."

            "No."

            "But I―"

            "Absolutely not."

            "Veah."

            "Kaya."

            "What if . . . what if it was only for a day?"

            "What do you mean?"

            The morning sunlight kisses her face in angelic paint. She is beautiful, and I am suddenly so, so glad I'm alive.

            "A date," I breathe. "Remember the date you promised me? To take me all over Tokyo city and show me your favourite things?"

            "Kaya . . ." she threatens.

            "It's a beautiful day to be alive," I say brightly. "And we're married. Take me out on a date before we leave. Just for a day. That's it."

            "You're crazy, you know that?"

            "And you love me," I tease.

            "That's true."

            "Then what are we waiting for? Let's consummate this marriage."

             She grins wickedly. "In other words, you want me to fuck you."

              I raise an eyebrow. "You know me so well, wife." 

            "The perfect date," I say, blinking as the sunlight stabs my eyes. 

              Veah laces her fingers through mine. "You sound awfully cheerful."

              "Because I'm alive,"  I say, and it feels wonderful to even say it. To know it's true. Slyly, I add, "Although I did end up in Heaven. Quite a few times . . ."

              Veah laughs as we walk down the sidewalk. "I did say if you wanted to be inside of me, it could be arranged."

               "And if we're keeping count . . . we did break a record of twenty-three."

               "Twenty-three? Oh. Twenty-three." 

               As we cross the street, I can't help but laugh giddily. "So where are we going? For the perfect date with my wife?"

             Just the word wife is enough to send a thrill through me.

             "First stop," Veah says, pulling me to the front of a bakery. "Cinnamon buns."

              My jaw drops.

              In Japanese, Veah leans over the counter and speaks to the woman in the baker's hat. The woman smiles, and behind her, the oven glows golden.     

              "You didn't," I say, fighting to keep the smile off my face.

              "I figured my first act as the wife of Kaya Lee Rivers should be to order her cinnamon buns."

              "You know the way to my heart, don't you?"

              It takes a few minutes for the woman to slide two warm, oozing cinnamon buns across the counter. Veah hands one to me, and I whisper, "I love you."

              "Are you talking to me or the cinnamon bun?"

              The sweet scent of sugar and flaky, buttery goodness is irresistible. "Do you want me to lie to you?" I ask Veah.

              "It's good, isn't it?"

              The first bite makes me dissolve. I might as well be a puddle on the side of the road right now. "If it's any consolation," I say, "I love you, too. But you're second to this cinnamon bun."

               Veah watches me with those intense storm-grey eyes, her stare lingering on my mouth as I moan. The warm, soft texture combined with the rich, butter-sweet flavour . . . this is heaven on earth. When the cinnamon bun is finally devoured, I lick my lips.

             "What?" I say, squinting at her. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

              Her hand curls around my waist, and I stumble against her chest. The people on the sidewalk keep walking as though they don't even notice.

              Veah's eyes are bright. Her mouth is a breath away from mine.

             "You have something right here,"  she says, and she kisses me. Cinnamon and sugar.

              "I can't believe you just did that."

              "Come on." She is laughing. "This is only the first stop. We still have an entire day to ourselves."

               And I change my mind. Heaven on earth is right here. 

               "I think you've taken me to all of Tokyo city," I tease. "We've seen all the temples, all the restaurants―and by the way, if you plan on fattening me up, it's definitely going to work."

                Veah narrows her eyes as she drags me across an empty sidewalk. It must almost be evening now, because the sky is a brilliant orange. 

              Up ahead, I see a river.

              "I think you're perfect the way you are," Veah says softly.

              Finally, around the bend, I see what it is she is so excited to show me.

              A bridge.

              On either side, pale pink cherry blossom trees grow. Petals fall to the ground, like fragments of a dawn sky. The river glints like a ribbon of silk. There is a crimson Japanese monument above the bridge, and behind it, the sun is almost setting.

             "This is . . . this is beautiful," I breathe. 

             "I used to come here before," Veah tells me quietly, as we look over the bridge into the still, starry lake. Before―she must be talking about when she wasn't in any Mafia. When she wasn't the boss of the Yakuza. "There are still things you don't know about me, Kaya. But I love you, and one day, I will tell you everything. But today is our perfect date, and I won't ruin it."

             I watch as a single petal from the cherry blossom tree twirls onto the surface of the water.

             I want today to last forever.

             And if only it could have. If only this happiness hadn't been stolen. 

             There was no way I could have known how it would end.

             "Let's play the game," I finally say. "The truth game. I ask a question, you ask a question. But nothing serious."

              "What's your favourite colour?"

              I once answered this question with yellow. But now, I say, "Grey. But not grey like ash or dust. Grey like that moment when the sky is lit up, when thunder swirls just behind the clouds. The moment before lightning strikes. The grey that is bright and invincible and electric."

               Another petal ripples the river's surface. 

              "What's your favourite colour?" I ask.

              "I can't decide."

              "What? That's not an answer. Don't tell me you're already chickening out."

               Veah looks down into the water below, leaning over the bridge. Her jaw tenses, a sharp line. "I can't decide between green, like a forest in midsummer, or red. But not bright red. Red like gold, red like fire."

               Slowly, her eyes slide to mine. She slips a lock of my copper hair around her finger, twirling it. 

              Your hair . . . it's like gold, she told me in that dark tunnel beneath the church.

               Heat warms my cheeks. "Fine, you get a pass. Who was the first person you ever kissed?"

               "A boy named Hideo Hattori. He was shy, and very kind. It was in an empty classroom when I was twelve, and we were caught by one of our teachers. My parents got a letter sent home. By then, I had figured out it wasn't boys I wanted to be kissing." She pauses at my wide-eyed expression. "What's your favourite memory with Cassie?"

                At this one, I laugh. "One time, when I was maybe sixteen, I caught Cassie trying to dye her hair with Kool-Aid. She has this thing for Kool-Aid, by the way, in case you ever want her to like you. I found her in the bathroom, dipping her pretty hair in this green kiwi-flavoured juice, and I freaked out. The stuff wasn't coming out, and I didn't want her to get in trouble alone, so I dyed my hair with Kool-Aid, too."

            Veah holds back a grin. "What colour?"

           "Blue-raspberry flavoured. It didn't come out for a whole year, you know―hey, stop laughing! It's not funny!"

            In the distance, I see the pink sky darkening. The cherry blossoms sway in the breeze.

            "Ready to go eat at a five-star sushi restaurant?" Veah asks. 

            "Actually . . ." I pull her close to me, kissing her. I can't get enough of it. I can kiss her anytime I want to, and it's . . . amazing. "What if we stayed in? Ordered take-out and watched a movie?"

            "Let's watch something scary. A horror movie."  Veah kisses me hungrily, and I respond to her with a desperation of my own. "How does that sound?"

             I feel like I'm floating. "As long as we can have sex on the kitchen counter, I'm good."

             "Then give me a second to call Maiko and Ren so I can kick them out." Veah winks at me and adds, "I guess I know what we're having for dessert now."

              "And for that matter, against every surface of your entire apartment."

              "Done," Veah says. "But our plane leaves first thing tomorrow, so be ready. We're going back to New Orleans. You'll be able to see Cassie again." 

               "Perfect," I say. I miss my sister. "But in the meantime . . . we have a whole night to ourselves."

               It's cold now―I am beginning to shiver.

                "Oh, I suppose we do." Veah slips off her leather jacket, draping it over my shoulders. And then she offers me her arm, the perfect gentleman. "Come on now, Kaya. And tell me . . . what do you think about a honeymoon?"

             "What should I order?"

              "Anything," I say, kissing her at the doorway. "As long as you bring me back a cinnamon bun. And I don't care who you have to kill to get it."

             "My beautiful, violent wife," Veah says. "Have I created a monster?"

             "I'll show you what a real monster looks like if there's no cinnamon bun when you come back."

              Veah holds her hands up in surrender, backing out of the apartment. "I love you, Kaya."

              I lean against the doorframe, watching her go with a smile that I don't even realize is still on my face. "I love you, too."

              Once she is gone, I close the door behind her and look out into the enormous windows. Behind the glass, there is a neon city, a world vibrant with light. Vitality pours off the streets below, making the entire landscape seem surreal from a distance. 

             I hate that I'm leaving tomorrow. 

             For a moment, Okami's words send a chill through me. Leave Tokyo city. Leave and don't come back. 

             She was crazy, I tell myself. And I'm safe with Veah.

             Some voice inside of me whispers, But Veah's not here right now, is she?

             A shiver crawls down my back.

             It'll probably be awhile before Veah returns with the food, so in the meantime, I should probably pick out a movie.

              While I am debating between Saw, Escape Room, and Taken, there is an urgent knock on the door.

              It's only been half an hour since Veah left. I get to my feet from the carpet of the living room, and I make a quick decision: Taken, the one with Liam Neeson in it. 

              "Just so you know," I call out, as I make my way to the door, "if you don't have a cinnamon bun waiting, I'm going to handcuff us together again!"

               I open the door.

               It's not Veah.

               There are two Japanese police officers, looking entirely too grim. 

                "Are you Kaya Lee Rivers?" one of them asks.

                I hesitate. Do I lie?  "Yes," I finally say. "I am. Why?"

                "You are listed as Heaven Tanaka's emergency contact."

                "What do you mean?"

                My knees buckle as the first officer says, "Your wife has been in a car accident, Miss Rivers."

                No, no, no. This can't be happening.

                The second officer reaches out for my arm, as if to steady me. His grip is unnaturally tight. "I'm afraid we're going to have to escort you to the hospital."

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I thought of about a million things to say right here, so I'll tell you this. Thank you. To every single one of you who is here, who is reading this, who cares about this story. I know there are a lot of you, but I promise I remember each vote and each comment. Anyone who is here is already close to my heart.

From the moon and back,
Sarai