It was the way to resolve a situation that had been passed down for generation after generation. The final decision-making gesture that sealed the fate of so many people.
Kyle couldn't contain his maniacal laughter as he stood on the edge of the cliff's hanger with Stan sobbing beautiful nothings behind him. It was hardly fair what he was doing, but he wouldn't let the other male come any closer. This was it - the end. This was what would make everything conclude, this is what would make him happy - finally happy after so many years of stress, death, and destruction. He tenderly fingered scarred wrists of closed war wounds and took a deep breath as he turned around, balling his hand into a fist as he smiled sadly at his best friend. Stan looked up at him with a stricken face.
"You can't do this. You can't. I need you, what can't you fucking understand about that, Kyle?"
The redhead sunk his face for a moment into his un-fisted palm and ran his fingers over his face, and to Stan, he looked like some kind of shy schoolgirl. The appearance only made his heart ache more and his voice tightened in his chest to mute a sob as Kyle shook his fist at him.
"No, Kyle, I'm not fucking doing that right now! I'm not putting that kind of shit on your life!"
"If you win..."
The Jewish boy trailed off. Stan stared at him; somewhere in the distance Kenny was screaming their names, ripping up the cliffside. Cartman's domineering voice echoed amongst the mountain tops. 'Stupid fucking Jewrat! What the fuck is he thinking?'
Stan stared at the fist a few feet away and Kyle smiled in a pained way, biting back a cry of his own. His wrists were scarred and his eyes were hollow, demonstrating his downward spiral over the course of their teenaged years. The redhead took a threatening step backwards towards the edge. Stan reached out for him and hesitated, biting his lip hard, and then making a fist with his left hand and letting loose a quiet sob at last.
"Rock."
Kyle's smile flickered. "Paper."
"Scissors."
The image of the peace sign at his fingertips remained imprinted in Stan's memory forever as Kyle dropped away, his outspread hand the last thing to disappear over the cliff's edge.