He was surprised that no one actually noticed him at first. He had made it all the way to the center of the stage. His hands were shaking slightly, and he felt a cold sweat forming. He slowly grabbed the microphone from its stand.

As Kyle took a deep breath, he mentally prepared himself for the possibility that this would be his last few moments of life.

"STOP IT!" He screamed into the microphone, most likely shattering everyone's eardrums in the process. He didn't care – he needed to get their attention.

Everyone yelled and covered their ears in surprise, but luckily, they stopped what they were doing. They all turned their attention onto him, the lone person standing in the middle of the stage, microphone in hand.

He stomped from around the podium, and chose instead to stand in front of it. Kyle let his anger do the talking.

"What the fuck is wrong with all of you?" he demanded, glaring down at them. "Don't you all see that this is all stupid? You're killing each other, and for what? These are your neighbors! Your children! Your friends' children! Hell, even your family! AND YOU'RE OK WITH DOING THIS?"

He paused. So far he wasn't dead, so he took that as a good sign. He noticed that more people were joining the crowd by the stage. They were people who hadn't been involved with the fighting. Kyle felt a wave of relief, because at least these people would have some common sense.

"Look, I know you are all upset. Hell, you have a right to be upset! But for fuck's sake, don't go killing all of the people who you grew up with! Why can't we act like civilized adults and talk this through?

"Ok, so some of you are angry that people are changing their clothes and using it as an excuse to pretend to be someone they aren't. But that doesn't give you a right to go and shoot them! They are allowed to be whoever they want to be, regardless of how you feel about it. If you don't like it, then don't be friends with them! Don't go trying to shoot them!

"And then some of you are angry that people refuse to change, or that they aren't happy with your new decisions. Well, duh! This town isn't good with change, and now that everyone is doing it, of course they aren't going to be happy. But what really upsets them is that they lost their best friends!"

He hesitated again, to see if he was finally getting through to these people. He wasn't really sure of his effectiveness, but he decided to keep going.

"When I changed my clothes and stopped wearing my hat, I felt good. I finally felt like I was being true to myself. But what I didn't realize is that it had upset my best friend. I didn't understand why he couldn't be happy for me. After all, all I really changed were my clothes. I was still the same person. I was just done pretending to be someone I wasn't. But I learned something today. Whenever you make a change, for better or for worse, you ultimately affect everyone else around you, especially those who really care about you. That shouldn't prevent you, though, from being who you truly are. But you should be respectful and mindful that it will take a while for others to get used to the changes.

"Also, you shouldn't just change your clothes or your attitude just because it's hip or cool. You should never just change to pretend to be someone you aren't. That's not being fair to your family and friends. Instead, you should just be yourself. If the clothes you wear don't reflect who you are, then change them like I did. But don't go pretending to be an asshole or cool when you aren't.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, stop acting like a bunch of fucktards and move on! Stop taking out your fear of change on those who want to be different, and stop pretending to be someone you aren't! And for god's sake, stop fighting each other!"

He continued glaring, his heart pounding. He knew he was right, and he knew that in any other town, his words would have an effect. But this was South Park.

He began to worry when he didn't hear any feedback from the crowd. They weren't cheering. They weren't shooting at him. He preferred any sort of reaction to this silence. He glanced at the newcomers. He knew that they weren't saying anything because they feared what would happen if the mob suddenly turned on them.

Then suddenly, he heard a sound from his left. He looked over, and saw Cartman climbing onto the stage, quickly followed by Stan, Wendy, and even Kenny. They walked over to him. Kenny, Stan, and Wendy faced the crowd, and Cartman held his hand for the microphone. Kyle handed it over without complaint.

"Kyle's right," Cartman's confident voice boomed in the speakers. "Fighting like this won't solve anything, and in fact only causes more harm than good."

"Exactly!" came a familiar voice from the crowd. Kyle blinked, seeing his mother in the back. The crowd turned toward her. "My son and his friends are right! All of you are being ridiculous!" She made her way to the stage, easily making a path. She climbed the stairs and stood by Kenny, not asking for the microphone. "Look at this poor boy that one of you shot! Is this what we want to teach our children?"

Cartman cleared his throat. "Those of you with us, come to the stage! Come up here to stand up against the pointless violence, but most of all, to stand up to simply being true to yourself!"

There was a pause, and Kyle held his breath. Finally, Butters boldly made his way to the stage. This spurred all of his old elementary school classmates to come at the stage, one at a time. Most of them looked like they hadn't been involved with the fight, but some of them had clearly been there. Kyle smiled at them, thankful. Only a second later, their principal also joined them.

"They're right, everyone," Randy Marsh announced, looking forlorn. "Through this whole experience, I didn't even think about the example I was setting for my child. And look – he ended up being here, and he could have gotten hurt." He made his way to the stage, and hugged Stan. "I'm so sorry Stan."

"It's ok, Dad," Stan replied.

Kyle felt a wave of relief as more and more people slowly made their way to the stage. It seemed as if the bloodshed that had been happening almost moments before never happened. He looked over at his friends, and they all shared a look.

It was finally over.

-.-.-.-.-.

"Are you feeling ok, Ken?" Kyle asked when he saw Kenny waking up.

Kenny blinked, looking around. "I seriously didn't die this time?"

Kyle couldn't help but grin. "Nope. You DID pass out on stage, though, so we rushed you over here. The others stayed back to help clean up the mess and take care of things, but I came. They took you into surgery, but you're fine now."

"Wow," Kenny laughed weakly. "I can't believe I didn't die."

"Yeah, me neither." Kyle reached over and squeezed his hand. "But everything is under control. The war is over, and hopefully things will go back to normal in no time."

"That was a really great speech you made today."

Kyle laughed. "Eh, I was pissed. This town can be so fucking lame."

"Can't argue with that," Kenny laughed softly.

They fell silent for a few moments. Kyle didn't really know what else to say on the matter. It felt like they had been talking about the issue for so long, so he didn't want to talk about it anymore.

"So… are you in pain?" he finally asked, studying his friend.

"Nah," Kenny grinned. "I think they have me doped up on drugs… but even so, considering that I only got shot in the stomach, this is nothing compared to what usually happens to me."

"That's true."

"Kyle? Can I tell you something?"

"Sure, Ken… anything."

"I'm pretty doped up on these drugs, but I know that I can tell you this without you taking this the wrong way. But seriously, I love you man. You didn't know it at the time, I'm sure, but you pointed out to the town of South Park one of their biggest flaws. And that speech that you gave really drove home the idea that South Park needs to just accept that change is a part of life. You really inspired me, Kyle. Through this whole experience, you've given me hope that I won't end up poor and useless after graduation and for the rest of my life. I don't want to live here forever, which was kind of what I assumed would happen. But I'm going to go to college. Sure, not a fancy one… but I know that I can apply for student loans, get a semi-decent education, and get a job. I don't want to turn out like my parents. So, I know that you think that this whole riot thing is your fault, but you seriously inspired me to change my life. I hope that you don't regret one moment of what happened. Besides, it's not your fault that South Park is filled with morons."

Kyle's throat felt tight. "Ken…"

"I'm lucky to have you as a friend, Kyle."

Kyle couldn't take it anymore. It was probably the nicest thing Kyle had ever heard in his life, and because it was coming from Kenny, it felt like the greatest compliment in the world. He leaned forward, hugging Kenny in a tight embrace.

"Thank you Kenny," he mumbled.

Kenny laughed. "Ah, better not hold on too long. I don't want Cartman to find out and then I end up dying again."

"I doubt he could ever kill you," Kyle pointed out, pulling away. They both grinned at each other.

Kyle didn't mention it, but Kyle considered himself as the lucky one to have such a good friend, not the other way around.

-.-.-.-.-.

Kyle wondered what school would be like the next day. It was now Sunday, and he was getting ready for work. He sighed, staring at his reflection in the mirror. His hair was slowly starting to grow back, but he still looked ridiculous. He hadn't had time to really get a haircut, but he promised that he would go after school tomorrow. At least then his hair would be the same length. He mourned the future loss of his hair, but he knew that it would grow back.

He put his hat on. Before work, he had to take care of something, and it wasn't going to be easy.

He headed downstairs. His mom was cleaning up some dishes in the kitchen, chatting idly with his dad about yesterday's events.

"Hey… can I talk to you?" Kyle asked, stepping into the kitchen.

-.-.-.-.-.

Kyle yawned. God he was bored. He looked down at his homework. He hadn't worked on his homework all weekend, for obvious reasons, so now he really should focus on it. However, he really wasn't in the mood.

The door opened, and he looked up hopefully. However, it wasn't the person he wanted to see. Instead, it was Butters' dad.

He nodded in greeting before looking back down at his homework. He knew Cartman probably wouldn't show up today. He was busy keeping Kenny entertained in the hospital. Kyle preferred that Cartman be there for Kenny, but he really wanted to talk to him.

When Mr. Stotch paid for his porno rental and left, Kyle sighed. He glanced at the clock. It was only six. He still had three hours left.

"Hey Jew."

Kyle's heart tightened as he looked up. "Cartman!"

Cartman smirked, coming in. "Glad to see me, I see?"

"Am I ever. Wait… weren't you going to be with Ken?"

"Well, he was actually released about a half hour ago. I went with him back to his house, but decided that he probably needed some rest."

Kyle smiled. "I'm glad that you came."

Cartman leaned against the counter, eying his papers. "Homework?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to do it." He closed his math textbook. "I mean, I doubt anyone in class is going to actually do their homework after what happened."

"I'm sure not," Cartman laughed.

"I can always make up for it later in the week."

"I wonder what school is going to be like tomorrow."

"Yeah."

"It's hard to really feel what the town is feeling, since I was at the hospital all day. I'm really tired of being there, by the way."

"Well, I was inside for most of the day, too, so I don't know either. And I don't blame you for being sick of it." There was a pause in conversation. Kyle glanced at Cartman and bit his lip. "So… I told my mom about my job."

"Wow, how did she take that?"

"Not the best… But we're going to talk more about it when I go home tonight, I'm sure. I don't know."

"Well, whatever. Your grades haven't dropped, so she doesn't really have an argument against you."

"I guess. I'm sure it will all work out."

Cartman looked thoughtful. "Can I ask you something?"

"Um, sure."

"What are we, exactly?"

Kyle blinked. "Well, that's a good question."

"Because… I don't want you dating other people."

Kyle wondered what exactly that meant. "So we're dating?"

"I don't know."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "For a confident guy, you seem pretty uncertain."

"Well, how should I know?" He looked frustrated.

"Let's see. We've kissed. We've made out. We've confessed that we care for each other…" Kyle listed, counting each point with a finger. "I guess the real question is do you WANT to date me?"

Cartman looked hesitant. Kyle took this as a bad sign.

"Oh," he muttered, disappointed.

"No! That's… Goddamnit Kyle. I… I like you. I do. But… I don't know if I'd be… I'd be a good boyfriend. Besides… this whole being gay or bisexual or whatever I am is a bit new to me."

Kyle considered this. "Yeah… and I guess that we've only been openly friends for a month now." He was still disappointed, though.

Cartman studied his shoes. "Look. I don't like… talking about this." Kyle nodded, waiting for him to continue. "This sounds totally lame, but I don't want to fuck things up with you. So I'm worried. But at the same time… I know it's only been a month, but I've liked you for a long time, even though I would have never admitted it. And... well, we've known each other since elementary school."

Kyle nodded, studying his face. It seemed redder than normal.

"I guess… what I'm saying… is that… if you wanna… we could… you know… date I guess. But I don't want to take you out ON dates, because that's totally stupid."

"Ok…"

"And I'm not going to give you flowers or some shit like that."

Kyle kept nodding his head, his eyebrows raised.

"If anyone asks, I'm totally manly."

"Ok…"

"And I'm not going to act all lovey-dovey…"

"Yeah…"

"And if we have sex, I'm totally on top."

Kyle snorted. "Are you done?"

Cartman huffed. "I guess."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "I don't want you to be all 'lovey-dovey.' I just… want you to be yourself. Besides…" He leaned over, feeling bold, and kissed Cartman gently on the lips. "I like the idea of you on top."

He could sense the other boy shiver just before Cartman hungrily captured his lips with his own.

-.-.-.-.-.

"So when is Kenny going to be back?" Wendy asked, taking a bite out of her sandwich.

Kyle shrugged. They were sitting at their usual lunch table on Monday. Wendy had joined them.

"I don't know," Stan answered. "It seems that Kenny recovers quickly from injuries, so he might be able to come back as early as tomorrow. He might try to milk out an extra day of it… but knowing Kenny, he'd rather be here with us than his family."

"Well, it will be good to have him back," Wendy said.

"Eh, that just means that he'll steal all my food," Cartman grumbled.

"Whatever," Kyle argued. "You purposefully get extra food for him."

"I only do it because I know if I don't, he'll steal it anyway. Then I'd be hungry."

"Right."

"You know what?" Stan interjected. "This is awesome. All of us together again, the school is relatively back to normal… I missed this."

Kyle nodded. "Yeah, this is great. I'm glad that things are back to how they are supposed to be."

"Fags."

Kyle rolled his eyes, frustrated. "Cartman, why do you have to be such a douche? We all know you're happy about it too."

"Yeah, but I'm not going to point it out."

Kyle shook his head, glancing at Stan. "I guess some things never change."

Stan laughed. "I guess not."

-.-.-.-.-.

Stan took a sip from his shake, studying Kyle from across the table. "So… dish about you and Cartman."

"I agree," Kenny added.

They had decided to hang out after school on Tuesday. Cartman didn't join them. He claimed it was because he didn't want to hang out with losers like them, but Kyle explained to them that it was really because it was Cartman's mom's birthday. Kyle, Kenny, and Stan decided to go to their favorite burger joint for some fries and something to drink.

Kyle almost choked on his French fry. "What do you want to know?"

Stan shrugged. "I don't know… how the hell did it happen?"

Kyle thought for a moment, taking a sip of his soda. "Well… I don't really know exactly. I guess the super short version is that he kept visiting me at work, we became better friends, especially after I called him out on it, and then… well… things just kind of progressed."

"When did you… start going out?" It was strange to hear it like that.

"I guess we didn't really decide until last night. But we had our first kiss the day Kenny died."

"That's kind of weird," Kenny pointed out.

Kyle snorted. "Yeah, I guess. I just think Cartman was really upset about it, so it just kind of happened."

"Huh," Stan commented.

"I'm glad that I could bring you two love birds together," Kenny laughed, stealing one of Kyle's French fries for himself.

"Sorry, I'm sure it sounds super creepy," Kyle admitted. They munched on their food for a few moments before Kyle suddenly broke into laughter.

"What?" Stan asked, tilting his head.

"Want to know something hilarious? So, remember how Cartman was bragging how he won that bet with me? It seems like he totally forgot about it."

"Really? That's really unlike him."

"Yeah, I know."

"What bet?" Kenny asked.

"I bet Cartman that when Mr. Stotch came in to the video store one night that he wouldn't buy porn with both of us standing there. Cartman won."

Kenny laughed. "Nice."

"But that day was the day I got taken to the hospital, and things just got crazy from there. I'm sure he'll remember eventually, but I'm not going to be the one to remind him."

Stan got a curious look on his face. "I know I said I didn't want to know, but… what exactly did you bet?"

Kyle grinned, looking devious. "A hand job."

Stan spit his shake up all over the counter while Kenny broke into a fit of unsuppressed laughter.

~Fin~

-.-.-.-.-.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, that's it. I hope you all enjoyed my story. Please let me know in your reviews!

By the way, I know the ending is, yet again, abrupt. I apologize sincerely. I guess I need to work on my endings. -_- I promise to try harder on my next story (which is currently in the planning stage).

Speaking of reviews, I want to extend my greatest thanks to all of those who encouraged me along the way with amazing reviews and comments about how they enjoyed the story. I know I didn't get back to any of you, really…. I promise to improve that next time as well. However, I also plan to respond to all of you that reviewed. Anyway, I really worked hard on this project. I don't consider myself a writer (probably because I'm not), and the encouragement really means the world to me. It pushes me to do better, but also motivates me to continue writing. Hopefully I have grown as a writer since my last project, Hate.

Again, thank you all for taking this journey with me. I hope that it was worth the trip.

~Kymanlvr