A/N: (Hyperventilates) EEEEEEEEEH!!! Sorry, I squeal a lot. MY FIRST LONG FIC. Please read.

NOTE: Switches POV every chapter. Some implied yaoi. Mostly playful, but one part is implied more in like a secret love kind of way.

Current music: "Cosmic Love" by Nana Mizuki

BUTTERS

It's been a long time. Five years, in fact. I've changed, they've probably changed. Wouldn't be too surprised if they forgot me.

I sighed, leaning into the side of the wall. I was happy, yet sad to be back. No one liked me back then. Even I admit that I was an annoying kid. BUT, this is a good shot to show them I'm not the same old Butters Stotch they knew back then. Hell, I don't even go by that nickname anymore. It's so... CUTE, almost in a gay way.

I sigh again. Well, here goes nothin'...

I entered the classroom nervously. I tried to appear confident, but in reality, I doubt it worked. I walked to the teacher, a dried up old hag with thin lips and a look on her face like she would just as soon kill me as teach me. I shivered in spite of myself.

"Leopold Stotch?"

I nodded. "Actually, ma'am, I go by-"

"Have a seat," she commanded.

I nodded shakily and took a seat in the back next to a guy with blond hair. He wore all black, save for an oversized orange hoodie, and he was staring at me.

I raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Butters?" he asked.

I stared at him. "Used to be. Why? Who are you?"

The guy grinned. "Give ya a hint: Oh my God, you killed..."

I gasped. "Kenny?! I haven't seen you in forever! You're still alive?"

Kenny shrugged. "Yeah, most the time. 'Sup, man?"

I shrugged. "Eh, lotsa shit." Kenny stared at me. "What?"

"Are you sure you're THAT Butters?" he asked.

"Not really," I answered. "Things've changed these five years. I've done some growing up."

Kenny was still wide-eyed. "Obviously. I mean, dude, you don't even look like our Butters."

I looked down at myself. Short-sleeved light blue t-shirt over a long-sleeved grey one that went down and covered half my hands. Jeans. Some kind of tennis shoes... Don't know what they are, don't care. All I care is that they cover my feet. I'd also decided that short hair made my head look weird, so I wanted to let it grow. … Mom said HELL no, so I compromised and just went for longer bangs that hung in my eyes.

Huh... I really HAD changed.

I looked at Kenny. So had he. He kind of- no, REALLY, had the emo look going. Black shirt that was skin-tight, a studded black belt, skinny jeans, eyeliner. But he still had an orange freaking jacket. I guess it was just his thing. He'd also gotten skyscraper tall. It's funny, but I always remembered Kenny as short, and now he towered over me.

Kenny laughed. "So, whatcha been up to?"

I shrugged.

"Me, I been-"

"QUIET!!" barked the demon teacher. I jumped.
"We can talk at lunch," whispered Kenny.

The day went on slowly. TOO slowly. I despised being the new kid. Or the recycled kid.

The lunch bell rang, and I packed up my things, eagerly awaiting the reunion with my old friends. I heard a voice from behind me.

"Hey, thought you could just run away?"

I jumped, dropping my books. I turned around. It was Kenny.

"Agh, sorry!" He immediately dropped to the floor to help me pick everything up. "That was a pretty stupid move, huh? Didn't mean to scare you."

"That's okay," I said.

"Kenny?" asked a deep voice. I looked up to see a guy of medium height with jet black hair. "Don't tell me you've turned to guys. 'Cause if you have, Kenny, I swear to GOD I'm getting the hell away from you right now."

Kenny sighed. "I'm NOT turning to guys." He stood and tilted the other's chin up, looking directly into his eyes with a playful gin. "That is, unless you want me to."

The raven-hair frowned and shoved Kenny away. "Shut up before I kill you."

Kenny grinned. "Easy, Stan. You don't want to become a bastard."

"Stan?" I asked.

"Yeah..." Stan looked confused.

"Butters," said Kenny.

Stan stared at him. "Butters...?" He looked back at me and stared for awhile. Then he gasped, the realization hitting him. "Butters! You're back!"

I nodded.

Stan hadn't changed THAT much, really. He'd gotten taller, but that was about it. He even dressed in the same colors: Red, dark blue, and that weird shade of brownish-gray.

"Kyle's coming," he said. "It's cool to see you again, dude."

"Yeah," I replied.

"Arghhh, Damnit... I hate this..."

I turned around.

Kenny sighed. "That's cause you study too much!"

He was addressing the previous speaker, a really tiny guy with red hair, who was struggling with an enormous green book bag.

The redhead frowned. "Kenny, shut the hell up unless YOU want to carry it."

"Nuh-uh, I ain't getting near that thing! It might eat me!"

"Then shut your fucking mouth, you dumbass whore!"

Stan tapped him on the shoulder. "Butters moved back to South Park. That's him."

"Huh?" The redhead blinked, then looked at me with a surprised expression, like he just noticed that I was there. "Oh. Hey. You probably don't remember me, huh? It's been a long time."

"Hm," I said. "Judging by the hair, and the temper, I'd say... Kyle."

He laughed a bit. "Yeah. So... What's new with you?"

"Everything," I admitted.

"Oh." Kyle shrugged. "Can't say the same here, though. I doubt I've changed much at all these past years."

Completely untrue. Kyle's hair now, instead of being a wild Jewfro, now had straightened out except for a few soft waves. He was also, as I said earlier, really short and skinny, and almost had a frail look. Like he was sick or something.

"Where's Eric?" I asked.

Kyle scoffed. "Probably with his gang."

I raised an eyebrow. Had he really joined a...?

Stan noticed my shock. "Yep. He's actually the leader."

"Or so he says..." Kyle muttered.

"But don't worry, they don't mess with anyone Cartman tells 'em not to." Kenny ruffled my hair. "He likes US."

"And he's probably just scared of Kyle," said Stan, pointing at his friend, who now had a dark aura around him. I shuddered.

"So, where'd you say you moved to, again?'

"Tennessee," I answered.

"Make any new friends while you were there?" asked Kenny.

I shook my head.

He grinned. "Good, 'cause you're OUR Butters. Don't you forget it."

"Actually," I said, "I've stopped going by that name."

Everyone else looked shocked.

"Really?" asked Kyle. I nodded. "But... You're Butters."

"Not any more."

"What's your name, then?" asked Stan. "Don't tell me you're going by 'Leopold' now?"

I shook my head. "Nope. Just Leo."

"Oh."

"You're still Butters, though."

I shrugged. "Whatever. I just think it's stupid, especially now that I'm sixteen."

Kenny sighed. "So, whatever the fuck your name is. You goin' to the game tomorrow?"

"What game?" I asked.

"The ping pong game," he replied sarcastically. "The football game, you defect!"

"There's one tomorrow?"

"6:30," answered Kyle.

"Huh." It would give me a chance to catch up. "I'll... I'll ask my parents."

At 6:30 that October evening, I stood outside the stadium, waiting for everyone to get there.

...And freezing my ass off. It had to be in the mid... past one freaking digit. And I'm already cold-natured.

When I thought things couldn't get any worse, someone came and wacked me on the head. I cried out in shock.

"Oy, Butters," said a deeper, yet unmistakable voice.

I turned around. "E...Eric?"

It was. But definitely not the way I remembered him. Eric Cartman was supposed to be fat. But this guy was more muscular. Built like a bull. His brown hair was short, and he wore dark sunglasses that hid his eyes, which I knew were a cold, steel gray. He had on a long black coat, and a toothpick was hanging out of his mouth. He frowned. I shook, not knowing why, and for some reason I was terrified of my old best friend.

But Eric's frown turned into a slight smirk. He swatted me again.

"Ow~!"

"Welcome back."

I rubbed my head where he had hit me, smiling. "Yeah."

Kenny came up, and grinned. "Well, I see you two've found each other again without a problem. Didn't even have to reintroduce you guys."

Eric scoffed. "As freakin' if, Kenneh! Any old retard could see that's Butters!"

Kenny shrugged. "Okay, then. Where's Kyle?"

"Like I care!"

Kenny got a worried look. "Do you think he's okay?" He started spazzing out. "What if something happened to him? Oh, God... Butters, you got a phone?"

"Uh, sure." I handed it to him.

"Thanks."

"Why wouldn't Kyle be okay?" I asked. "You're acting really... Tweekish."

"Speaking of," said a voice, "Look what I found on the way in."

We all turned around.

Kenny breathed a sigh of relief. "Kyle!"

Kyle was with a small (smaller than him, even) nervous kid with wild blond hair. He was twitching like crazy, so I knew it had to be Tweek.

"I-I was with-ngh-C-Craig, but I..." Tweek tore his hair in fear. "AGH! What if the underpants gnomes got him?!" He grabbed Kyle by the collar and shook him. "NO! TH-THE GNOMES!!"

"Hey! Let go!"

"Tweek," said a calm, almost monotonous voice.

"C-Craig?"

Craig stood there with a Styrofoam cup in each hand. "Look what I got you." He held a cup out to Tweek, and he took it.

"Th-th-thanks."

"Take it easy, okay?" Craig put an arm around Tweek.

Kenny leaned to me. "They're fucking," he whispered."

I blushed. "Wh-wha?!"

Craig glared at Kenny, flipping him off. "Are not."

"You don't have to lie to me. I can tell there's something between you guys."

This time, Craig was the one to twitch, and it was out of anger.

"Stan's out there," said Kyle. "That's him. See?"

I nodded.

I looked around at everyone and smiled. This would actually be a pretty sweet year, after all.

R&R. Butters sure did change, didn't he? That happened to me, this summer.

NEXT CHAPTER'S VICTIM: Kenny! Stay tuned, and find out why he was so worried over Kyle. Plus he hasn't died yet. Hm... We'll have to remedy that.

Kenny: 0.o Oh the noes...