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Fireflies flitted in the dim twilight, their faint yellow glow highlighting delicate flowers in the wide meadow. In the middle of the meadow stood a tall, tree, its limbs strong, its leaves rustling in a gentle breeze. Against the tree leaned a young boy, his eyes peacefully closed.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"
The voice startled him and he jolted forward, his eyes wide. A tall woman was standing beside him, looking out at the meadow.
She was familiar. He wasn't sure why. Something in the shy curve of her smile, the warm kindness in her eyes. It was like coming home…
"Yes," he said eventually, his voice uncertain. Her smile widened slightly as she glanced at him. "How did you get here?"
"A better question is how you got here," she said and laughed. Even her laugh was gentle, a soft melodious sound that made him feel warm.
"I…woke up here," he said uncertainly. She shook her head. "I didn't? I…" He trailed off, frowning as he tried to think.
"Where are we?" she asked. When he didn't answer she sat on the ground beside him and pulled her knees up to her chest. "We're in heaven."
"Heaven?" A thin needle of fear pierced him. She laid her hand over his. It was cold and made a shiver twist up his arm. "Am…I dead?"
"No, sweetie, you're not dead." She squeezed his hand and then let go. It was a relief, in a way, but he found he missed her touch as well. It had been comforting, even if it was cold. "You came close though."
"So…I'm not dead?"
She gave him a slow, patient smile. So familiar. Where had he seen that smile before?
"No, Tien, you're not dead. Chiaotzu is taking care of you."
"How do you know my name?" Tien snarled, surprised into anger. "How do you know Chiaotzu? How do you know any of this!?"
Her smile widened. Dimples appeared in the middle of her cheeks. Her eyes sparkled with amusement and the glimmer of tears in the twilight.
"I'm Jiaozi. I'm…Chiaotzu's mother," she said softly. "I've been watching him, ever since I ended up here. I've watched him as he's struggled under Shen's teachings, through his loneliness and his pain. I've watched him raise you, as though you were his own." Tears spilled down her pale cheeks and she absentmindedly wiped them away. "He's been so strong, so brave."
As she spoke the distrust in Tien dwindled and blinked out. Chiaotzu had clearly taken after her. Her smile and her laugh and the way she spoke; it was all so obvious now. How hadn't he seen it before?
"He's taken real good care of me," he said awkwardly. "You should be proud."
Her smile broke into a luminous grin. "I am! I am so, so proud." A short silence stretched between them as her smile faltered and she said; "Tien, can I ask you a favour…?"
Tien considered briefly, then nodded. "I suppose so?"
"When the time comes…can you promise you won't leave Chiaotzu behind?"
"What?"
She avoided his eyes. "When you've both lost everything. When you've put your very lives on the line. You for your morals, him for his heart. If you leave him behind after that…he will have nothing."
"Of course I won't leave him behind," Tien said. "He's my brother. I…love him…" He trailed off, flushing, as she looked at him. It felt odd, somehow, saying it aloud. Shen would've been furious.
"He loves you too," Jiaozi said gently. "You're the only good thing left in his life. Shen stole everything away, bit by bit, until my boy was only an empty shell. And then you turned up."
She put an arm around his shoulders. The cold made him shiver, but the touch made him feel warm and secure at the same time. It reminded him of Chiaotzu, holding him close, comforting him after a bad dream or a bad day. His heart broke a little in his chest and he looked up at her.
"Is he okay? While I'm here…is he okay?"
"He's protecting you," she said simply. "But he is hurting. He has realised how much he has to lose now."
This troubled Tien deeply, niggling at him, and he frowned. "When will I wake up?"
"Soon."
"Will…I remember you? When I wake up? Will I remember heaven?"
She smiled. "Maybe somewhere deep down in your subconscious. Maybe you'll have the vague sense of déjà vu if Chiaotzu ever speaks of me, or of the tree near our home. Maybe you'll have dreams where you hear my voice and see the glimmer of fireflies far off in the distance. But maybe not. I can't really say for sure."
He frowned. “Then why make me promise? If I won’t remember?”
“To make me feel better. Take care of my boy for me, Tien. It was lovely meeting his brother properly.”
He opened his mouth to ask her what she meant, but then a curtain came crashing down and everything was black. The cold was gone and he was wonderfully warm, nestled in soft sheets on a hard mattress.
And from the blackness, the voice of his brother, high and sweet and relieved.
“Tien! You’re okay!”
“Chao…zu…?” His mouth and mind felt like they were full of cotton wool. He was trembling. When he opened his eyes his vision was blurry, Chiaotzu’s skin a glimmer in the dark. “Wha…hap…?”
“You’re back.” Chiaotzu started to cry. That wasn’t right. Chiaotzu shouldn’t be crying. Tien frowned as he reached up and touched Chiaotzu’s cheek, smearing the tears sideways.
“Back? Where…did I…go?” He couldn’t remember. Everything was black.
“I thought you were going to leave me. I thought I was going to be alone again… You can’t scare me like that.”
Tien pulled the smaller boy into his arms, feeling the tears soaking into his thin shirt. He was home. Where he needed to be.
“I’ll never leave…” he murmured, closing his eyes. “I…promised…”