This story is based on a picture that shows Rowen and Yuli sitting on the top of a hill, with a sketchpad and markers. Mia, Ryo, Cye, Kento, and Sage are all portraits in the nighttime sky.

Friends In The Stars

By Lothlórien

"So, Yuli, do you see anything yet?" Rowen teased the little boy as he goofed off with his watercolors and American sketchpad that Sage had sent back from the US.

"Yeah!" Yuli kept glancing at the star maps that Rowen had given him for his birthday. The boy sighed and set his brush down and picked up the pencil, "I wish the others were here."

"Well, Sage lives in the US now," Rowen smirked as he remembered Sage's face when Yuli had bear hugged him on his way onto the plane, "Kento's visiting relatives, Cye went back to Britain to help his sister with her kids for a while, and Ryo…"

"Ryo's on his honeymoon!" Yuli made a face, and then broke into laughter. Rowen had to join him.

Sure enough, Ryo had finally gotten the nerve to ask Mia to marry him. Now, they were visiting the Bahamas on a luxurious cruise ship. That cruise was the others' wedding present to him.

"I wish they were here," Yuli sighed and went back to sketching.

"What are you drawing?" Rowen tried to look, but Yuli pulled away.

"Not yet!" He quickly sketched a few more lines and held up the picture in front of Rowen's face.

"That's really good!"

It was a small sketch of the star above them, each with a friend in the constellations.

"See? There's Sage, Ryo, Kento, Mia, Cye…" He pointed out all the pictures and then showed them in the sky, "And White Blaze is over there!"

Rowen chuckled and gave the kid a hug.

"You have a wild imagination."