Warning: Death and Sadness...but only for this chapter. It will pick up after this. :)

Fujigora sushi and grill, the most famous restaurant around. It was packed, even for a Saturday night. Honna had never been to eat there before, but she would drive by it on her way through the city sometimes. Sarah promised to take her there someday. Honna wished it hadn’t been under such horrible circumstances.

When she’d called Sarah about the news about her mom’s death, she hadn’t expected her childhood friend to immediately fly out to be there for her. Ever since she’d married a hot-shot inventor, Sarah’s life has been non-stop galleria’s and trips to Hawaii. Honna could never be jealous of her though. She didn’t want that kind of life. But, she also never saw her life turning out like this either.

It was a beautiful night. Stars flickered between tiny puffs of whispery clouds. It was a strange thing to notice at the moment. It was as though her entire world had just been turned upside down and, yet, the universe continued on, careless that it lost such a good soul.

Sarah looked beautiful too. She looked happy. Her bright red curls, expertly twisted into a braid hanging over her shoulder, made the black funeral dress seem more like a fashion statement than a necessity. She hooked their arms together and tipped her head up to the sky, her hazel eyes twinkling with reflections of the stars she watched. “Your mom would’ve liked this.”

“Huh?” Honna said, shaking her head out of the daze she’d drifted into. It had been happening a lot since her mom’s death.

“She would’ve liked us getting together, stargazing again, like when we were kids.” Sarah glanced at her, her colored-red lips turned down in a sad smile. “You remember the stories she used to tell us of what she thought the heavens would be like? Almost like she had already been there. I’m glad she finally gets to see it for real now.”

Tears welled in Honna’s eyes at the thought of her mom lounging in a field of blue daisies, like her mom used to say there was. She hugged Sarah tight and dabbed the corner of her eyes to stop the tears from ruining her makeup. Some people never knew what to say, especially after a death, not Sarah. She always had the right words for everything.

Sorren came back to the waiting area in his fine, tailored, black suit. He stuck out his elbow for Sarah, who delicately placed her hand through the loop like they had practiced it a million times. “Our table is ready now. Sorry about the wait, ladies.”

“Thank you for bringing me to eat here tonight. I’m sorry if I’ve caused any trouble,” Honna said meekly. If she were in this spot, about to head inside the best restaurant in possibly the world, she normally would’ve been ecstatic and bouncing with energy to get inside. But the excitement, if there was any at all, was weak and faded.

“It’s my pleasure, Miss Dione. You should always end a difficult day with a good plate of food.” Sorren looked lovingly from Sarah to Honna. “I apologize for stealing your mom’s words of wisdom. Sarah has told me so much about her, I’ve often found myself quoting her as though I’d heard her say them myself.”

Honna held back yet another rush of tears, she bit at her quivering lip, trying to come up with some way to thank Sorren for saying something so nice without turning into a blubbering mess.

Sarah wiped her own tears away and stomped her black heel into the obsidian walkway. “Damn it, guys. I just got myself to stop crying an hour ago.”

Axel rubbed his hands together, impatiently blowing hot breath on his fingers. “If you girls are done chatting, can we go in now? I’m freezing out here.” His worn thin, rock-band t-shirt did little to shield him from the chill in the air.

Not once in the last year that she’d been dating him, had he been able to stand still for more than a minute. He was always twitching and impatient to get on to the next thing. It bugged her to no end, but for some reason it seemed to be growing much more irritating now. She wanted nothing more than to scream for him to stop rushing her, but the will to create such a scene just wasn't in her.

Honna cringed at the coldness of the uncomfortable metal chair as she nibbled at her overcooked steak. The restaurant was exquisite; oil-bronzed lanterns lined the floor, guiding people to the seating area. The ceiling played recordings of elaborate fireworks exploding into the night sky. Shards of mirrors were placed at different angles along most of the walls, reflecting the people walking by and the simulated fireworks above, mixing the images together with a breath-taking effect. It was clear they had spent all of their budget on the aesthetics and cared far too little about the customer’s comfort or the chef’s talents.

Sarah gave Sorren a quick kiss as he pulled out her chair for her, while Axel plopped down in the seat next them.

“So, Sorren, I hear you’re an inventor?” Axel asked. His leg shook impatiently beneath the table.

Sorren nodded proudly, his perfectly-styled, slick, blond hair fell forward into his calm blue eyes. “Yes, I invented a new form of rubber-cement for running-tracks a few years ago. It is a completely solid matter that changes at the point of impact to a cushioned rubber material then reverts back almost immediately. It allows a person to run much greater distances and relieves physical stress on the runner's body.”

Axel snorted. “Oh, that’s all I have to do to get rich?”

Honna rolled her eyes. She wouldn’t have blamed Sorren for kicking Axel out of the restaurant for such a rude statement, but Sorren seemed to either not catch the destain in his voice or simply chose to ignore it.

“I got pretty lucky, I guess.” Sorren squeezed Sarah’s hand. It was easy to see the sparkle in their eyes when they touched. “Sarah’s father has a seat on the city council and when I took the material to them to get approved, he poured all of his time and connections into getting it mass-produced and sold world-wide. That’s actually how we met.”

Sarah reached out and touched Honna’s shoulder, snapping her out of her haze again. “Are you doing ok, Honna?” Sarah gave her a pitying smile.

She hated seeing the pity in everyone's eyes lately.

Honna sat up straighter and left the shredded steak discarded on the plate. She tried her hardest to show her friend a reassuring smile in return. “Yes, sorry. I’m just not hungry.”

“Don’t apologize.” Sarah looked at her own plate of pasta. “Of course you’re not hungry.” She smirked and pushed her plate away. “This food isn’t all it was cracked up to be anyways. If your mom was here she’d probably walk right into that kitchen and show them the right way to season a steak.”

Honna smiled sadly. “Yeah, she probably would’ve made them all go home and clean their rooms too.”

Sarah wiped a tear from her eye. “So how did you two meet?” she asked, obviously trying changing the subject to something she thought would be a happier. “And why do I never get any holiday pictures of the two of you? You make such a cute couple.”

“I hate pictures,” Axel grumbled, smoothing a hand through his greasy black hair. “If you wanted to see her, you could’ve visited.”

Honna watched Sarah’s face twist in disgust and spoke up quickly before she could tear him to pieces. “We met at the gaming convention,” she said, pulling Sarah’s attention back to her. “You remember when mom and I used to enter virtual-reality competitions together? Well, he was there with his friends and we just got to talking.”

Honna nudged Axel’s shoulder playfully. “I guess I was the prettiest gamer-girl he could find.”

He snickered and shoved her back. Then... he just said it. Without a second thought. As though it was a fact they had both known from the very beginning. “Well, you’re not the prettiest…” He stopped mid-sentence as the shift in atmosphere made him realize he had said something wrong, then went on to finish, “but you had the best personality.”

Thus, the goblin was born. “You thought he picked you for your looks?” he cackled. “How could you be so pathetic?”

Honna swatted the goblin back into the darkest pits of her mind. She glanced around the room and could tell which of the people closest to them had heard his remark. A few women sucked in a quick audible gasp. One man quickly tried to hide barking laughter with a cough after his girlfriend kicked him in the shin.

Sarah snapped Axel on the back of his hand with a spoon. “I know I don’t know you, but could you maybe not pick on her so soon after her mother has died? Thanks.”

Axel rolled his eyes and shook the pain on his hand away.

Honna’s mind fought between brushing it off as a harmless joke and wincing at the memory of him saying the words so easily. Axel spent the rest of the evening knocking back as many drinks as he could get the bartender to serve him.

A rancid thought snuck into her mind. One that not even the goblin was cruel enough to say. Axel would’ve never said such a thing when mom was alive. Is he really using her death as an opportunity to be mean? Was he holding back when she was alive?

Sarah squeezed me in a tight hug outside. “Are you sure you don’t want to come stay with us? We don’t leave for another week and we could get our own room where no one will bother us,” she said with a not-so-subtle glance at Axel as he stumbled to the car. “We could chat all night long, like we used to.”

“Come on!” Axel called from the car window. “We gotta leave early tomorrow and I’m tired.” His words slurred together from the alcohol settling in.

Honna frowned and hugged Sarah again. “I’ll be fine. Thanks for coming.”

“Call if you need me, sweetie.” Sarah nodded and glared at the car. “For anything at all.”

Honna turned to walk away but Sarah grabbed her arm gently. “Oh, by the way. I forgot to give you this.” She dug through her purse and handed her a small, purple pebble. “For your collection,” she said with a sad smile. “I found it sitting by my feet when you called about your mom. I know how you love shiny things, especially ones with meaning.”

She jumped into Sarah’s arms and cried into her neck. Even through the expensive life-style, she was still the same little girl that lived across the street who used to sit outside with her for hours, helping her hunt for pretty stones.