I do not own The Outsiders.

Darry's Pov.

I watched as they pulled a casket from the herse, then the other. The
mass in my chest enlarged and pressed against my beating heart.

They're in them, mom and dad are in the coffins.

I watched as the pallbarers hoisted each one on their shoulders and
began to slowly decent to their grave, each wearing a grim expression.

I followed them, taking slow large steps, as they walked to the deep
pits. The thumping in my ears got louder and quicker.

Traveling between the parted sea of people every single one of their
faces were looking at me. I tried to keep my eyes forwards but found
myself looking at the throng my heart picking up pace at each reconizable
figure.

I met a few of their eyes, the women wiping their tear stained cheeks
with napkins, the men giving them reassuring pats and squeezes.

I gritted my teeth and kept moving forwards. Beside me I was aware of
my brothers bawling, stumbling over their own feet and gripping onto
eachother.

Placing hand on each of their backs I pushed them towards the priest.
Through their thick jackets I could feel their sharp edged shoulders,
moving muscles, but most importantly the faint beating of their
hearts. They were alive. I was alive. We were still alive.

I took my place around the coffins as the sermon began. I heard each
word crisp and clear, attempted to make sense of each one and remember
every sentence.

I didn't remember the sentences, not even the words. They will stay with me forever though.

I watched dazed as the priest continued on talking then took a step
back. I then realized the name he had said belonged to me.

Releasing my arm from around Ponyboy's shoulders I walked around their
caskets; mom and dads caskets.

I eyed them while I passed. With a sick realization I realized that
their bodies were in them. The lump in my chest got bigger; pushed
against my stomach so it's contents were churned about.

As I turned around and faced the group I took a deep breath, forcing
the lump downwards. My eyes passed over each face; more than half of
them foreign to me. I took a step forwards and spoke.

"As all of you probably know, Mary and Darrell Curtis were my
parents," my voice seemed too loud, too deep, too calm to be my own.

"When I think of dad, the one word that comes to mind is
gentleman." My eyes landed on Two-Bit, more serious then I've ever
seen. It just added more reasons to know this wasn't real.

"He was wild and free, he was always in good spirits, he joked, he
laughed, he loved. He was the best man he could be." As I said this my
eyes found Ponys body, fragile and shaking as sobs attacked him. I
wished I could be like him, to be able to cry and let myself drain the
storm out, but I wasn't and I couldn't.

"Mom was the perfect lady. She was caring, she was gentle, she could
even keep dad in line." As I said this a few laughs broke out, even
more smiles. I saw Johnny smiling slightly as I said the next part.
"She would take in everything, from a stray dog or cat to a grown man
to care for them and feed them. If she could she'd have kept all of
them to, but she would always send then back where they belong, just a
whole lot fuller and happier, maybe even more hopeful."

"The most reconizable thing about them really was the love between
them. They'd always be looking at eachother, to them nothing else was
more beautiful then eachother." I watched as Soda look up from the
ground for the first time and glance around. His red eyes met my own
for just a second, but it helped me go on. There was nothing more I
wanted to do right then more then be with my brothers.

"They could find the best in the worse people and bring it out in
them." I looked at Dally, his entire body unmoving like he was made
out of stone, his eyes staring at the coffins like they were armed
grenades. I remembered how many times he would follow mom around the house
and try to get her approval back after getting put in the cooler or
suspended from school. Her disappointment at him seemed to hurt him
more than a hundred beatings could.

"Their love for me and my brothers was probably the greatest kind of
love I'll ever know," I had to shut my eyes to stop the tears. "But
even with all that love they still had enough to spare for just about
everyone and everything else." I looked to the ground as I realized
that the gang entirety was looking at me.

"They were the best parents I could ever ask for, an-and..." I swore
as my voice cracked,"I am very thankful for everyone here coming to
reconize them."

I found my arms parked securly around my brothers in a matter of
seconds as I gripped onto them for dear life. The swell inside of me
thudded and pounded as it pushed to escape.

Slowly they lowered the coffins into the ground and my siblings broke
down into tears again. As the wood neared the bottom I felt my heart
try to rip itself apart from me.

This is going to be the final good-bye I came to the sick realization
to. If it wasn't for the two figures holding me up I would've jumped
into the holes after them.

Pony buried his head into my chest as dirt began to get piled onto
them, Soda just looked at it in disbelief.

I pulled them even closer to me and hid any start tears in their hair.
We stayed like that for a while, them holding me up just as much as I
was them.

I felt the mass inside me get smaller and tuck itself away neatly
between my lungs in a just as dangerous but more compact lump.

I probably couldn't have even released it if I tried anymore.

. . .

Soda next, then Pony.
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