A/N: I love angst... can you tell?

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution.

Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust
By: Crystal, aka Matt & Mimi

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust..."

The boy stared as the coffin was lowered into the ground. Out of the entire congregation, he was the only one not crying. But then again, out of the entire congregation, he was the only one hiding in the shadows.

The boy was no friend of this person, this poor, deceased individual, yet he felt himself drawn here. After all, they were once best friends, and that counted for something, right?

"Why'd ya hafta die, huh?" the boy heard a soft Southern accent whisper.

"It's okay to cry, Rogue," another voice said. "It's really okay to let it all out."

"But this is just not fair, man!" another, angry voice cried out. "We'd just..."

"I know," Jean Grey's gentle voice whispered. "I know."

"Why..." came a plaintive valley girl's voice. "Just, why?..."

And yet no tears fell down the boy's face. Not fair... okay to cry... why...

... Why?

"Yo, you ready to leave this joint, man?"

The boy turned around and stared at his sudden companion. "In a moment, Toad," came the reply.

"Yeah, man," Todd "Toad" Tolensky said sympathetically. "Man, cemetaries give me the creeps."

"Yeah..." came the boy's wistful reply.

"Look, man, it's okay to cry," Toad said.

"'Okay to cry...'" the boy echoed. He looked at Toad, and a sardonic laugh came from him. "Okay to cry..."

"You can't keep this inside you forever, Pietro," Toad said harshly.

"I can't-hah, hah!-keep it inside-hah!" the boy gasped throught his laughter. "Hah-hah!"

"Dammit, Maximoff, you're in just as much pain as them!" Toad cried out, waving his hand at the X-Men. "You might as well admit it!"

"No pain," the boy said mirthfully. "No pain..."

"Maximoff!"

The boy looked at Toad. "No pain..." the boy whispered. He fell into Toad's arms. "No pain..."

"Let it out..." Toad whispered again.

And with that, the boy cried. "It's not fair..." he said through his sobs. "It was so sudden... I hated him, but I never wanted him to die... I never got to say goodbye... I never got to say how sorry I am... so sorry that I let this whole stupid argument disagreement come between our friendship... so sorry that I let my best friend slip between my fingers... so sorry... I'm so sorry... Why... why... oh, God, why... why didn't I say sorry? Why didn't I go the second I heard that he was in a coma...? I never thought that he could die... never thought that any of us could die... why...?"

And still, Todd Tolensky held on to the boy. "Ya gotta let it all out," he whispered. "Don't hold it in..."

"I never... said sorry..." the boy said tearfully. "I never... told him... that... I... love him... like the brother I never had... never... said... that... I... was... such... a... prick... for..."

"I know," Toad whispered.

"-for... never... telling... him... that... it... was o-okay... to... go out with my sister... I let it ruin our relationship... Dammit, Todd, I... I'm sorry, Evan, I'm sorry... so sorry... so, so sorry..."