Author's Note: Hey everyone! So I'm almost all caught up on my homework and took a break to type out another chapter. I hope the last chapter left you all interested, I know I'm certainly excited to continue the story. Things are going to get even better :)

FUN FACT #2:

Originally, I had planned to end the series around chapter 10? Then the random idea to make Kyle move came into my mind. While I didn't want to at first, I thought about how it could add more depth to the story. It sure made this story a LOT longer than I had originally expected!

BOOK 2, CHAPTER 1! ENJOY

Chapter 37 – Forward

POV: Stan Marsh

Stan Marsh sat against the hard wooden surface of the caboose. It was uncomfortable where he was positioned, there was literally nothing else but an empty room with hard wooden floors. Stan had leaned against the wall and put his hat behind his head for some cushion, but it did little to ease his achiness. The train had been running for almost two days now. This was the second night the train continued travelling across the country. Stan couldn't sleep well. He figured he'd arrive in New York City within the next few hours. The anticipation was keeping him awake.

'Once we get to New York…I need to find a ship travelling to Sweden…' Stan went over his plan in his head. He had done a lot of research about Sweden over the years, due to him missing Kyle so much. He wanted to know where he was living, what it was like, and how he could get there if he ever wanted to go.

'I can't believe we're actually going to Sweden…' Stan raised his tired eyes and glanced around the car. Stan noticed Kenny on the floor. The blonde had his hood over his head and was sleeping peacefully. Across from Stan, Cartman slept against the wall with his arms folded across his chest and head down, looking grumpy as usual.

The train bounced lightly up and down as it proceeded down the tracks. Through the small windows in the room, Stan could see the train was passing through a small countryside town. Stan noticed the area out here was so much different. There weren't any mountains like back home. Stan figured the three of them were quite far east now.

'Kyle…just where are you?' This was the same question Stan had asked himself over and over again. No matter what he tried to do, there was something about Kyle's disappearance that had him worried. They were best friends since they were babies, it all just seemed strange that Kyle would just stop all contact with Stan. 'I'm going to find out.' Stan was determined to find Kyle at any cost, no matter what that meant.

Stan glanced back over at Kenny. The blonde's stomach was slowly rising and falling as he dreamt. 'He must be sleeping well.' Stan figured. 'I should get some sleep too…' Stan had trouble sleeping tonight. He was very hungry, and didn't want to head up to the passenger cars for fear he'd be discovered riding without a ticket. Sure, he boarded the train due to an emergency, but it wasn't a good idea to make that apparent to the crew onboard the train.

'I guess I can try to get some sleep…' Stan thought to himself. Stan leaned up against the hard wooden wall of the train car and closed his eyelids. He allowed his thoughts to wander for a little while. He tried breathing slowly, letting his breaths come more naturally. Eventually, his thoughts led him to unconsciousness, and his dreaming began again.

…

Stan's dreams led him to the familiar, dark world he had seen many times. Stan laid against the cold snow in his winter clothing and gazed up at the starless sky. The snowflakes above his head slowly descended around him. Each snowflake illuminated the area around him slightly with their multiple, vivid colors.

'Why am I here again?' Stan wondered.

Stan sat up in the snow, it crunched underneath his body. He reached his fingers under the back of his cap and scratched the back of his head. His head felt slightly sore, as if he had been lying against the ground for some time. Stan looked around him at the darkness, trying to see if anything new was happening in this world.

Stan suddenly felt fear pulse through his body as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching from the darkness. Stan darted his eyes in the direction of the sound. He began shaking uncontrollably. He felt as if he had lost the ability to move altogether.

'Who is it?' Stan wondered to himself, eyes wide.

Stan watched as a dark figure slowly approached from the darkness. Stan stared down towards the ground, towards the figure's feet. The glowing snow slowly dropped around the figure's feet, revealing some familiar winter boots. These boots were something Stan remembered from long ago.

'Those boots…'

"Stan." Stan heard the familiar voice of someone from his past. Stan raised his eyes, taking in the familiar sights of his eight year old friend. His clothing was the same as it had been when he was young. The same dark green pants, and the same orange jacket he always wore were all too familiar.

"Kyle!" Stan stood up instantly in the snow, and came face to face with a translucent image of Kyle. Kyle appeared just as he looked when he was eight years old. Kyle had the same soft face and same clothing from their days together. Stan blinked, and suddenly felt his entire body become smaller. Stan looked down at his hands, and noticed his gloves seemed looser than before.

"You're the same age as me now, Stan." A young Kyle said in front of him.

Stan put his hands up to his own face. His squeezed his face lightly between his mittens. His face felt squishier, as if Stan had suddenly become youthful again, just as Kyle had said.

'I trust him.' Stan decided. Stan locked his eyes on Kyle's familiar, young eyes. He was burning to speak with him.

"Kyle…" Stan started.

A young Stan and Kyle shared a moment of silence with each other. Their eyes locked onto each other and danced with unknown emotion. Stan suddenly felt a pang of sadness, he missed his friend so much.

"I…" Stan felt a lump rise in his throat.

"We're best friends still, aren't we Stan?" Kyle asked.

Stan couldn't speak to answer Kyle's question. There was a brief, tense silence between them.

"If I meet you again…" Stan paused. "I'll tell you the truth."

Kyle closed his eyes. "I see…"

"I'm going to find you, trust me." Stan declared.

"I believe in you." Kyle replied. "Stan, I need to tell you one thing before you go any further on your journey."

"What?" Stan asked, raising a small eyebrow.

"Listen to me, because if you don't, you could make a big mistake."

Stan formed a hard line with his lips. "Go on." Stan had suddenly noticed his voice was lighter, and squeakier too.

"Stan…I don't want you to come looking for me."

Stan froze and clenched his fists.

"What are you talking about?! You disappeared from us a long time ago, I can't just NOT worry about you! We held each other! We were raised together! All my best memories Kyle…" Stan let tears flow down his young cheeks. "They were with you…"

Kyle sighed. For the first time, Stan saw Kyle's breath rise in the cold air.

"Stan…" Kyle said sadly. "I know it might sound ridiculous. But if you come search for me…" Kyle looked up at the dark sky. "I don't know if you'll like what you find."

"I'm going to find you Kyle. No matter what you say." Stan objected. "Maybe I'm selfish. Maybe your feelings have changed for me. But…in the end…I-"

Stan's words were cut off by Kyle twisting around suddenly.

As Kyle twisted around, Stan saw the most beautiful illusion of his life. As Kyle twirled around, a glorious light green cape suddenly formed itself down Kyle's back. The cape glimmered as it built itself on Kyle. Kyle wore his familiar green hat, but with carved, wooden sticks forming a crown-like shape around his head. Kyle's jacket changed into a long, dark blue shirt. Underneath Kyle's armpits, yellow stripes ran down to his waist. Kyle's pants changed into black and red leggings. It was unlike anything Stan had ever seen before. Stan suddenly saw Kyle reach behind his back and underneath his cape. Stan watched in awe as Kyle pulled out a long silver blade. It shined in the dimness of this strange world.

"Kyle?" Stan asked. It was so odd to see a young Kyle in a combat-like uniform.

Stan blinked once again, and found himself trembling in fear.

'What is he doing?'

Stan had changed location with just the blink of an eye. Suddenly, in front of Stan, there was a large epicenter, which looked as if a bomb had exploded itself across a far stretch of land. Next to Stan, a beat up wooden sign with the words 'South Park' were etched on it.

"This…this can't be…" Stan said to himself.

In the sky, a blood red moon shone over the destroyed town of South Park. Stan gasped as he saw a young Kyle dash out in front of him. Kyle ran forward, then bent his knees slightly. Stan watched in awe as Kyle launched himself high into the sky. Stan's jaw dropped as he watched Kyle launch several feet above the Earth. In the direction Kyle was headed, Stan saw a dark shadow crossing the sky towards Kyle.

Stan saw Kyle clash with the dark figure in mid-air. Two swords met each other, and Stan felt a large gust of air run through Stan's his hair. It blew his cap off far behind him.

"Kyle!" Stan screamed after his best friend.

…

Stan jerked his eyes open and hunched forward quickly. He struggled to catch his breath. Stan took long, deep breaths. Next to him, Stan saw Kenny stir from his sleep and blink his eyes open a few times. Stan put a hand to his sweaty forehead. Kenny blinked a few times at Stan, then sat up quickly.

"Stan, are you OK?" Kenny asked.

Stan didn't respond, he just huffed a few more times.

"Kenny…" Stan said. "You don't think…we're making a mistake finding Kyle do you?"

Kenny looked as if he couldn't believe what Stan had just said. "Wh-Stan? You want to find Kyle don't you?"

Stan remained silent at his question. He shook his head a bit.

"I'm sorry, Kenny, I just had a bad dream…"

"Do you want to talk about it?" Kenny offered.

Stan lowered his head to the ground, staring at the wooden surface of the car.

"Kenny…do you think we'll find Kyle?" Stan asked.

Kenny crossed his arms in front of his chest. "What kind of question is that? Of course we will. We should arrive in New York any minute now, right?"

Stan's eyebrows perked up. "That's right, we're getting close, aren't we?"

Kenny shrugged. "Closer than we were before. This train's last stop is in New York City. We have to make sure to keep a lookout for any skyscrapers or signs we're getting close."

Across the car, Cartman snored in his sleep. Stan and Kenny locked eyes on their chubby friend for a moment, then chuckled together.

"He can sleep through anything, I swear." Kenny mused.

Stan raised his head and looked out of the small windows of the caboose. The stars were glittering in the sky.

'We must be getting close by now…'

"Hey Stan." Kenny said. Kenny crossed his legs underneath him and sat in front of Stan. "You know, if you ever need it…I'm always here to listen…" Stan looked at Kenny. His face seemed to get a little darker under the dim light. Kenny averted his eyes from Stan's gaze and stared at the ground. "You know…if you want to…" Kenny flicked his eyes nervously back to Stan.

"Kenny…" Stan said, a bit nervously. "You've…you've always been a good friend to me…I honestly wish I could have spent a bit more time with you growing up. I know you were a part of our group…it's just…I felt like I spent a lot more time with Kyle than with you…I hope I never made you feel left out or anything…"

Kenny shook his head and waved his hands in the air. "No, no!" Kenny replied. "You've never really made me feel that way…and spending time with you now…I guess that makes up for the past, right?" Stan wasn't sure if he should smile or not.

"Kenny…do you ever wonder about being with someone?"

Kenny inhaled nervously. "I…uhm…" Kenny blushed nervously at Stan's question.

Stan laughed. "Seriously, when are you going to find yourself someone?"

Kenny scratched the back of his head. "I'm not sure…"

"Well, I can tell you one thing." Stan said.

"What's that?" Kenny asked.

"If you would truly go out of your way for someone, that means you love them enough."

Stan's ambiguous comment was left in the air for a few moments.

Suddenly, the train whistled loudly.

"Wait a minute…" Stan said in surprise.

Stan quickly got up from the floor and ran for the rear of the caboose. He opened the door and stepped out onto the wooden platform. Stan gasped as he took in the sight in front of him. Stan was gazing out over an enormous lake. On the other side of the lake, several sky scrapers loomed high in the sky. Stan instantly spotted the empire state building.

"Stan?" Kenny asked as he exited the caboose. Stan watched in awe as New York City loomed just in front of him.

"Woah!" Kenny said. "It's…it's incredible!"

"I know!" Stan replied. Stan held on to the metal bars as the train traveled towards the outskirts of New York City. "Do you know what this means?" Stan asked excitedly.

"It means we're one step closer to finding Kyle." Kenny stated. "Hey Stan, how are we…you know…going from here?"

Stan sighed. "All right, let me explain a bit."

"I brought some extra cash with me, it's in my backpack, along with some other things we need. First, we're going to get something to eat, because I'm seriously starving right now."

Kenny's stomach rumbled. Kenny blushed and giggled in embarrassment.

"I see your stomach agrees, too." Stan chuckled. "Anyway…so once we arrive at New York City central station, we're going to find some place to eat together. Afterword's, at the very eastern side of Manhattan, there's a large harbor that holds both cargo ships and cruise ships. Sadly, I don't think we'll be travelling in luxury. I don't have enough money for that. However, cargo ships are cheaper to buy rooms on. We need to find a ship headed for Stockholm, Sweden. Once we do that, we can board it, and travel over to Sweden. It should take a few weeks, roughly."

Kenny sighed. "That seems like a long time."

Stan nodded. "I know, but we're doing this for Kyle. I have his address, so as soon as we get to Sweden, that's our number one stop."

Stan and Kenny twisted around suddenly as they heard movement from within the train car.

"Hey fags, what's goin'- woah!" Cartman said as he noticed New York City in the distance. A slight breeze picked up. Stan watched as it blew through Cartman's hair. "This is...incredible. We're eating when we stop right? My stomach is killing me."

The train twisted around slightly, and the tracks led the boys along the edge of the enormous lake. It seemed as if the lake was sparkling from the stars in the sky.

"Yes, Cartman." Stan replied. "We're going to eat somewhere…somewhere…nice…"

"Sweeeeet." Cartman said. Stan chuckled a bit. That was something always did as a kid. He would always enunciate his words a certain way when he was younger. Seeing him older and bringing up his old habit made Stan amused.

"We're going to be together again." Stan said. "Kenny…Cartman…me…and Kyle…we're making a step, guys. We're getting closer. It's interesting…it almost feels like we're going to be…legendary for doing this…" Stan grinned. "Let's rock!"

"Yeah!" Kenny agreed. He held out a fist high in the air. Stan followed suit. The two looked at Cartman in expectation.

"Too lazy." Cartman complained.

Stan and Kenny lightly brought their fists down on Cartman's head. "Ass-munch…" Stan mumbled.

…

Elsewhere…

A boy wearing a brown scarf sat inside a small coffee shop in New York City. He sipped lightly on his coffee. It tasted warm inside his mouth. The coffee shop was deserted tonight except for a few barista's behind the front counter.

The boy's memories flooded over him again.

…

"Hot chocolate?" the eight year old had asked Stan at the time. The sky was a gloomy gray color as the afternoon passed by. Stan and the boy sat together on the Stark's Pond bench. Stan had brought two steaming cups filled with the warm, sweet beverage. The steam from the drinks rose between the boy and Stan.

"It's really good." Stan said. "Try it, I'm sure you'll like it." The boy in the scarf nodded and took a warm cup between his hands. It warmed his bare palms at the very touch.

"Go on." Stan prompted, lifting his own cup towards his eight year old friend before taking a sip.

"I'll try it…" the boy said. He had never tasted hot chocolate before in his life. He was a bit nervous about trying new things. He lifted the cup slowly to his lips, and took a sip between the narrow flap on top of the plastic coffee cup. The sweet beverage filled his mouth. It was unlike anything he had tried before, it was so good to him. The boy swallowed.

"Wow, this IS good!" the boy said. The steam from the cup had made his cheeks grow a bit red.

'He's so nice to me…' the boy thought. 'I've never had any friends like this before…Thank you Stan, you've really made me happy…'

"There's all sorts of things I can show you." Stan said excitedly. "I can show you how to ice skate tomorrow, if you'd like." The boy didn't know that the next day would bring him a harsh confession.

"Yeah…I think I'd like that." The brown-haired boy replied. "It's fun…spending time with you…"

"I think so, too." Stan replied, grinning.

The two boys smiled at each other with innocent eyes.

'He's my best friend, and always will be…' the boy had thought.

…

The boy in the coffee shop took the last sip from his cup and slapped his cup against the table. He rose from the table and proceeded to the front door.

'He's not my friend.' The boy thought bitterly as he left the coffee shop. He stepped out onto the empty streets on the outskirts of New York City.

In the distance, the boy heard a train whistle. The boy suddenly spun around to face the direction of the sound. Something about the sound of the train interested him, though he didn't know why. The boy couldn't see the train past all the buildings surrounding him, but felt something about the train was seemingly beckoning him towards it.

The boy closed his eyes for a moment. A slight gust of wind made his scarf wave slightly.

At that time, he would never expect what the future would bring.