Funeral For A Friend

[Ender]

What a wonderful way to start off your first day in a new place. Ender thought to himself as he stood alone against the wall a few feet from Zack Asiv's casket. It was close enough where you could tell he was there, but not close enough for him to be intruding on your emotional last goodbye.

Hands stuffed deep into his pockets, he looked over the group of mourners. Studying their mannerisms one by one, he came to a conclusion about the group. Though not all of them loved, or even liked Zack, they had all respected him, and in the end, that's what counts.

And him? Well, his presence had attracted a small amount of interest, mainly because no one knew who the hell he was. He wasn't talking with the deceased's family or friends, and none of them had seen him before. So why was he there?

It had been only three days ago that he had gotten the call from the school board. At the time, he had been playing a game of chess against a particularly skilled opponent, his cat Asimov. Was there alcohol involved? Why yes, it just happened to be so.

"Youuu, are one sneaky bastard. Using the Slav Defence. I never saw it coming..." *Riiiiiiiing, riiiiiiiiiiing* "ACK! Who the hell's callin' now?! Hmm, don't you try and cheat! I'm watching those greasy paws of your's!" The young man slurred as he pushed himself up from his seat at the table. Stumbling several feet, he balanced himself against the side table, then picked up the telephone.

"Helloo?...What haappe'd?...Zack Asiv? Dead?" wiping the drool from his lip, Ender seemed to regain some composure. "That's unfortunate. Quite a...heroic way to go out though, doncha think?...Aww, that's not very nice...So you want me to take over that school?...Not a chance...Hmm?...I'd much rather teach and let someone else handle all that messy work...Really now? Well, you've got me interested. Alright, I'll do it." It was around that time that Asimov's tail knocked his few remaining pieces off the board. And that was that. Unfortunately he hadn't been told he was to attend the funeral until 6 that morning.

And that's pretty much how it all had happened. So, standing there in his "dressy" clothes, Raikeru thought about the man of honor. They had shared a drink together once, damn could that guy hold his liquor. Only thing I can promise is that I'll take care of your kids, friend.

There was nothing left for the new Supervisor there, there were only a few minutes left before the religious side of the ceremony, and that wasn't for him. The whole thing was an insult in his opinion. Why talk about the man in such a stupid way? Why not talk about who he was, good and bad, what his goals were, instead of all the niceties?

Pulling a flash from his coat pocket, Ender raised it in honor of a fallen hero. In the blink of an eye he was out the door. He would wait outside until it was time for the burial.

[Mitsuki Park]

...so he died fighting for us...

Stupid.

If anything, Zach Asiv was stupid. If he hadn't had those guys come in the first place, none of this wouldn't have happened, and he wouldn't be dead. He could have asked for help to take these guys down, he most certainly didn't have to go through it alone. Maybe his pride got in the way? Maybe he felt as if he owed it to the students to do this on his own? Whatever the reason, Mitsuki felt a surge of pity toward him as her thoughts continued on. Now she wondered, was Mr. Asiv lonely? Sure, he could have had flings with other staff members, but was he ever really...happy? Considering the fact that his family turned out to be "gods"...what did Mr. Asiv really feal while he was at the school? What made him stay?

But Mitsuki knew better than to linger on these thoughts, as they would never be answered. As the funeral went onto the religious part of the "ceremony", she found herself getting up and quietly slipping through the crowd; she did not want to see Mr. Asiv getting buried, as that was the next thing on the list after the religious part. Passing through the people - most of which she didn't know - she pushed the doors quietly and stepped forward.

The wind hit her as soon as she stepped out, but it felt nice. The first thing - or person - she saw was a guy in a coat, but her eyes merely passed over him as she walked forward toward her car. With an impassive expression planted on her face, she passed by him, without giving a glance, straight toward her car where she would then drive off.

Inside on her empty seat would be a bouquet of white roses with a simple note.

Thank you.

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[hualord]

Jason King had been at the all the viewings, and at the ceramony since it had began. He owed it to the man. As he was seeking to destroy him a little bit. Now don't get me wrong, he liked Zack, but disagreed with the man's methods. The Drugs, The Enforcers. Luckily for Zack...

He saved his own soul by realizing his mistake, and fighting for his kids. But now there was still the issue of the drugs.

Zack wasn't his enemy anymore. He didn't have an enemy except for the peddlers of the brimstone.

"Zack... man... I just don't know what to say. I guess you knew about me, but I'm glad you realized your mistakes, and came to your senses. It's all about the kids, isn't it Zack?"

Idiot... this all could have been avoided, why did you have to be the hero?

He stood there, muttering it all under his breath. What a mess, he was one of the first people to arrive after the bloody battle. He had been rounding up students skipping out on the assembly. Instead he found the battlefield on his second round. Like any good Christian, he called 911, and then notified his colleagues. It was an ugly mess. He notified Hiroko Katashi first, knowing the big man could stomach it. Then his other colleagues. Kaufman, Faust, Oki, and the new teacher.

[Leon]

Dion Regen. Taking up his real name instead of the alias of Dionysus. Recognized as Mr. Zack Asiv's nephew on his brothers side, he showed up in a traditional black suit, and nicely combed hair. This six foot three inch lith male looked down at his uncle's casket. His eyes brown and full of sadness diverted for a moment to a palm print on it and flowers ontop. He closed his eyes not saying anything as he tried to force back the tears, his teeth clenched and lips spread apart. It was an odd relationship between Dion and his uncle.

He could remember the days before his father got wrapped up in a dream and took the whole gang with him. Dion wasn't very old, but he could remember. Uncle Z was always fun to hang out with, and he always seemed to care alot for Dion. He pulled a single icture out of his pocket of Zack standing next to Zeus and between them was Athena holding little Dionysus. they where all smiling or laughing, but it was his only picture.

He looked around to see the people gathered, some leaving, but the church was of descent size, the last goodbyes where being said now. Dionysus would take up a place in carrying the casket to the herse after the ceremony. He placed the picture back in his pocket for when they burried it so he could 'take the memory' with him.

[Oki W. Nanda]

Right. Coming clean. She paused at the casket, tears streaming down her face. Her hair was down, just for him, her clothing a simple black dress without decoration. She studied his face, he only looked like he was sleeping, but- death took something from him...she bit her lip, biting back a sob.

She whispered softly, no one else..should have been able to hear her- "I'm going to miss you, Zack," she fidgeted, resting a deep red rose next to him, wrapped around it was a small golden chain with a small coin attached, "just a small gift..you should recognize it."

The coin had been a something they had found while digging in the backyard. They had spent hours looking it over and in the end he had give it to her. She smiled, he had really wanted it. Bowing her head, she took one last look. Long and sad, her fingertips resting against his cold cheek- if only he were just sleeping.

Walking from the casket, she wiped her eyes. Looking around, she spot Dion. She bobbed her head to him- the only relative there. She gave him a tiny smile, a gentle touch on the shoulder and found herself a small corner. She felt sick- but it wasn't unusual..it was still early and soon enough it would wear off. She closed her eyes and stared at the pew, tears welling down her face, eyes shut.

[Ender]

Sitting in bottom corner of the staircase just in front of the church, Ender had been passed by a dark haired girl. She looked rather young, maybe a student? The one thing that interested him most about her was the way in which she seemed to run from the church. It wasn't completely in the way that she moved, but more in the feeling that she gave off as she left. The sense of distress he picked up was very subtle, and it's owner very self contained. Her departure was quick and quiet, with no badly disguised pleas for attention.

After a few uneventful minutes alone, the man's thought's shifted to other things. He had encountered death twice before. The first had been that of his mother when he was fourteen, who's attention had always been his main target. In essence, the loss he felt was more because of that natural maternal longing every man felt and his need for a social outlet. Truthfully he hadn't really known her and got over it quickly enough. The second came when he was sixteen. A boy whom he had seen as a rival was shot for seemingly no reason by a few thugs. This case was much different from the last, because he felt like he really understood the person. He respected him, because of the challenge he offered, and the similar way they thought. He had even gone after the killers himself, though before he feel into the memory, and deeper, the new Supervisor let out a sigh and shook the thoughts away.

He needed a distraction, and so pulled a book from the other pocket of his suit jacket. It was titled "Starship Troopers" and was a classic commentary on social responsibility from a militant viewpoint. Ender had a soft spot for military fiction.

As his eyes scanned the thin paper pages, a gentle gust tossed his hair about, making it even messier than before. The sun had reached it's peak in a cloudless sky, traffic could be heard sporadically whirring past, and the world kept spinning.

[meigan]

As a staff member of PHS 259, albeit a fairly new one, Olivia found it necessary to attend the funeral of the school's supervisor: Zack Asiv. He had been the first person she met at 259, of course, and he had shown her around and such. It was a nice gesture, and she could tell that even though she'd heard some terrible things (he was the reason these 'enforcers' were skulking about? Horrible beasts of humans...), that deep down he had been a good person.

The art teacher, devoid of her normal brilliant colors, was dressed in a simple black dress with a flowing skirt that fluttered about her knees in the light wind as she walked up and into the church. Even her violet hair seemed to be dimmed down, pulled back into a simple knot, a few pieces straying to frame her face. Her amber gaze glanced momentarily at man with dark disheveled hair...she had never met him before, but she inwardly shook her head. It was quite possible that Zack Asiv had friends and family outside of the school. She nodded her head in respect as she finished climbing the steps and made her way inside.

Nearly everyone inside seemed to be displaying a different degree of sadness and upset...ness. Some were outright crying, others stony faced and grim. Frowning sadly, her eyes dim from their normal sparkly hue, she approached the coffin. Like most dead people who have been make uped and dressed nicely, he looked peaceful..had he found his peace? Gently, she placed a yellow rose amongst the other flowers around him. Yellow, the color of friendship. We could have been friends, but who's to know? Well, for his kindness, and in his act to protect the children despite his mistakes, he was a friend. A friend to all. Olivia bowed her head slightly, saying a silent prayer. "Sleep well, friend." She whispered before turning around to find a seat in a pew. That was when she saw a familiar face lurking toward the corner, twisted with grief. Olivia slowly made her way over to the woman and sat down beside her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Oki?"

[chihiro]

So, Mr. Asiv was dead? Part of Chihiro wanted to say 'serves him right!' for issuing the power of the enforcers. She'd had a few run ins with them since the assembly..they were terrible people. But the other part of her was sad. Asiv had been a teacher, and though his methods were insanely and dangerously unorthodox, he still managed to get the massage across, and had a way of demanding said student's attention. Out of respect, Chihiro too was clad in black...a black skirt with a black and silver tank top, her long raven hair pulled back into a low ponytail. Her eyes glistened as she approached his casket. She didn't like dead people. No one should lie that perfectly still. It unnerved her, but she would do this for Asiv.

Once she was close enough to look in, she did so, nervously. He looked...empty. The normal lines of expression in his face were gone. He was completely devoid of everything, life. Well, obviously, but this just made it all the more literal. He looked, waxy almost, as if he were simply a waxen replica, and the real Asiv would jump out behind the curtains and yell 'Gotcha!' But...she knew that wasn't true, it was her dead-people-phobia talking.

Slowly, she opened her clenched hand, revealing a piece of paper. It was the paper license issued to her the day she passed driver's ed, the one that came before her actual license. It was because of Asiv and his assinine teaching that she had earned it. Amongst the explosions and crazy dangerous track, when Chihiro was freaking out, he had simply told her to concentrate, and to keep an even head, that she could do it. She didn't know whether he meant to teach her about more than driving then...if it weren't for that lesson, she probably wouldn't be as sane as she was now, with everything she'd been through.

Closing her eyes and bowing her head in respect, she placed the paper as close to his folded hands as possible (ew, ew, ew, don't touch him ><), and whispered a 'thank you' before going back down the isle and out so other people could give their respects. Just as she didn't like dead people, she didn't do funerals.

[Leon]

As the last good bye's ended it was more or less time for the speeches if their where any, Dion couldn't say anything at this point, his uncle was still a mystery to him, but he did know alittle about him from long ago, so he decided to go first. Standing up to the podium, not looking at anyone, he didn't share his Uncle's stage abilities, and speech sense, but he did have some stuff to say. So he began:

"I didn't know my Uncle as the Supervisor of 259, like most of you probably do... I dont even have any memories of being around him in the past 9 or 10 years... But what I do remember, was a kind man, who tried to teach many lessons through simple words. A voice so calming any troubles you had seem to just wash away... I'd prefer to remember him as my Uncle, because thats all I remember him as."

And he was done, a simple few words as it was. But it was how he felt about it. He would return to his seat with tears running down his face, but he smiled, he smiled for Uncle Z. Next would be others if they had speeches or not, and once whoever had verbal words to share of the person laying there to listen. They would have the closest to him carry the casket to the herse, then drive to the graveyard where he would be burried. Dion would be one carrying his uncle.