Stand Chapter 3, a class of the titans fanfic

Black-trimmed tuxedos and long black dresses littered the church like filthy rags on a clean floor. Among an audience of hundreds was one lonely young boy whose childhood friend had been ripped away from him. Herry stood, tall and silent, as the choir began to sing her favourite song. He would have sung along, but he was trying not to cry.

Her name was Karraline, and she had been his best friend. She had big blue eyes like cornflowers, and tanned skin from working in the sun. She had blonde hair turned a ripe gold from the sun's rays, and she was charming, caring, rambunctious, spirited, and brave. That was everything he wanted to remember and everything he needed to forget. But he couldn't. And even if he did forget her, would the pain go away, just like that, or would there always be the hint of something missing from his heart?

He still had to attend the trial. The event which would decide the fate of her murderer, the teen who had decided to drink and drive, was taking place tomorrow. But he felt too numb inside to want to go. No matter what the penalty was, it wouldn't bring her back.

A single tear ran down his face as he remembered the night she had died. He had been escorting her back to her home after their grade-eight graduation, and he had been her date. He had experienced his first kiss and his first dance. The night had been wonderful, and now the gentle breezes of summer were cooling their necks as they rambled through the quiet streets of their hometown. They had only been about a block away when the truck had come screeching around the corner faster than you could blink, and before Herry could react, he was flying through the air from the force of the impact. Because of his great brawn and strength he had survived. But she, slender and delicate like the choice prairie rose, had not. He still wondered why.

You feel like a candle in a hurricane
Just like a picture with a broken frame
Alone and helpless
Like you've lost your fight
But you'll be alright
You'll be alright

"And now friends will come and reminisce about this exceptional young woman," the minister was saying. Herry felt a subtle push as his mother prodded him along to the front of the pulpit, where he cleared his throat and nervously began to speak. As the words came out, he found himself relaxing, and he didn't stop the tears as they gushed forth like a flood.

"Karraline is the greatest friend you can ever find on earth," he said softly. "She is kind, caring, jolly, and can always make you laugh. I remember the day when I was first picked on for being scrawny. She stood up for me and taught me the meaning of brave, and she taught me the meaning of fight. And not the type of fight with your fists. She taught me the type of fight where you never give up yourself to become like everyone else, because there's always a chance that everyone else is wrong. She is wise, smart, endearing, and fun. And I love her. And even though she's… dead, she's not gone. She's inside every one of us, living in memories and the kindness we treat one another with."

He stopped speaking and stepped back to give someone else a turn, but the whole church was silent, and suddenly there burst forth a loud sob, and suddenly everyone was crying. Strangers turned to one another for comfort, the only link between them being that they had all known this girl named Karraline.

Herry was touched by the scene before him, and it made him realize just how many people had been affected by her death, and her life. A determination to see that her killers wound up behind bars surged up inside him, and he walked down the aisle towards his seat with a straight back and a manly pose. No more was he going to sit back and cry; he was going to stand up for Karraline when she could no longer stand up for herself.

Herry had always been strong; his brawn went beyond that of any mortal. Karraline had always joked about him being the descendant of Hercules. He smiled; that had been her favourite movie. She had always forced him to watch it with her, even though he had hated it. Hercules' life had seemed way too… cliché. He fought monsters, got the girl, and lived happily ever after. But now Herry realized that sometimes cliché is better than heartbreak.

The next day Herry was among the throng of people who filed into the courtroom. As one of the star witnesses of the accident, he was called to the stand many times throughout the day.

When the defence attorney came to question him, Herry looked straight into his small buggy eyes and dared him to ask him if he had actually seen anything.

The man stared back unblinkingly and asked Herry if he had not been too wrapped up in talking with Karraline that he didn't actually see anything.

"All I saw was a green truck screeching around the corner, racing towards us. Then all hell broke loose. I went flying through the air, and the last thing I remember is hearing her scream as the tires dug into her flesh, sucking the very life out of her. Later on, in the hospital, I wake up and discover that she died instantly, and I wasn't able to save her. Then I'm notified that you have already been hired to keep the two… people who did this to her out of jail, and you're asking me the questions? Why would you want to help keep murderers out of jail?"

"I'm working for their rights, and I didn't say you could talk back to me," the attorney said heatedly.

"WELL, I'M TALKING BACK! AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, TOO DARN BAD! I LOST MY BEST FRIEND TO THOSE LOSERS!" Herry paused, breathless and overcome with emotion. "Imagine having something or someone so close to you, you thought it would be impossible for them to leave you," he said quietly. "Now imagine having that special someone taken away from you, and you couldn't do anything to save them. I know you'd be angry too. I'm not done grieving, but I am done listening to you. Karraline died at their hands, and if these people are too foolish to see it, then justice is perverse." Herry leapt up and marched off the stand, stalking back to his seat.

Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you're made of
You might bend, till you break
Cause its all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you've had enough
You get mad you get strong
Wipe your hands shake it off
Then you Stand,
Yeah then you stand.

"Are you done your examination of this witness?" the judge asked, and the attorney nodded.

As the trial continued, all the other witnesses from the prosecution found the strength from Herry's example to state what they had seen and stick to their story without getting unnerved. Herry almost felt like trumpeting over his victory when the guilty sentence was read, and they would pay for their crime with twenty to thirty years in prison, except this didn't feel like a triumph. Karraline was gone; and that was all he wanted back.

But he knew that there was nothing more he could do; he had won justice for his family and friends, and when you're only mortal, that's all you can do.

That night Herry was walking down the same road Karraline and he had walked down the night of her death. Crickets chirped, and the same caressing breezes wove their way through his hair. He felt lonely and sad, but peaceful as well. He was no longer in torment about her death. He had come to accept the things he could not change, but he knew that he would live for her memories by always standing up for what was right, like she would have done.

Everytime you get up
And get back in the race
One more small piece of you
Starts to fall into place
Ooohhh

Karraline had been stronger than most realized; not in build like Herry was, but in heart. She had had the courage to do the right thing even when people would hate her for it. Herry clenched his fists. He wasn't the only one she had stood up for. She had stood up for all the rejects of society, weaving them into her own social circle so that they were no longer lonely. She had taught them all strength and fortitude, the things that make a true hero.

He glanced up at the sky, and almost fancied that there was a new constellation in the sky; one of a young maiden with a mallet of justice in her hand and the book of wisdom at her feet. He blinked and then it was gone, but it was comforting to think that maybe her memory was like a star, always twinkling, there if someone needs it, and very reassuring.

"I won't let you down, Karra," he promised, hoping that wherever she was, she could hear him. "I'll always stand for what's right, just like you'd want me to. I'll be your hero if nobody else's."

Everytime you get up
And get back in the race
One more small piece of you
Starts to fall into place
Ooohhh

Herry raced towards home, his vow strong in his mind and heart. He felt strong; not in body, but in spirit. He felt as though somehow Karraline had sprinkled some of her personality onto him, helping him to gather his courage and prepare to live without her. He sighed, but he wouldn't cry; Karraline wouldn't want him to. She'd tell him to perk up and laugh and smile his sweet smile, and enjoy life. He laughed then. He laughed and smiled and stopped running to laugh and grin up at the stars.

"This is for you, Karra!" he yelled. People passing by probably thought he was some kind of crazy maniac, but right then Herry felt light. He felt as though he could conquer the world. He had defeated the attorneys and he had won the fight against pain and hurt. He would go on to live for memories, because he was strong enough now to think of her with a smile, instead of crying. He would think of everything she had accomplished, and everything that she had left for HIM to finish. She had had inside strength, and now he had it too. And there was no way he was going to loose it.

He started off for home, and up in the twinkling sky, a new constellation appeared; hung by the hands of the gods to commemorate a young woman: a maiden with the mallet of justice in her hand, and the book of wisdom at her feet, the sign of liberty for all, the rejected and the loved alike.

A/n: Okay, I went a bit farther with this one than planned. Hope you like, even though it handled a very depressing issue. Sorry about that; something just drove me to do that. Please review! Luv, Becky