[Open] Welcome, students!

In the week running up to graduation day a large stage had slowly been erected in the centre of the school grounds, and today it had finally been finished. It was a simple affair, white with the school's signature green trim. A large banner hangs across the front of the stage reading "Congratulations, Students!". On the wings of the stage, speaker sit, connected to a microphone centrestage. Behind the microphone sits a row of chairs, reserved for teachers and important members of the faculty.

In front of the stage a great swathe of white chairs sit in rows, divided into three distinct sections. One for freshmen, one for juniors and one for seniors.

As the school bell rings to signal the start of the day, students begins to file towards the stage with their friends and family, bubbling with excitement at the day to come.

Much to Hawke's annoyance, he, for the final time, was forced to wear the uncomfortable school uniform. The green blazer was not his cup of tea, and the ties were mere clip-ons. Disgraceful.

After making a half-hearted attempt to calm his hair down to something remotely resembling neat, he makes his way out of the dorms and begins hobbling towards the stage that had been built in the green.

Graduation day. Weird. Doesn't feel like a year yet... I'm glad I'm not leaving. Not sure I'm ready to say goodbye to everyone yet....

Once he arrived it didn't seem like the teachers were quite ready to get things underway yet, and the stage was abuzz with activity. The principal could be heard talking into the microphone, but it didn't seem to be picking anything up and you could barely hear his voice. Hawke peered towards the stage and noticed they'd left the microphone unplugged, and they were yet to notice.

Christ.... I'm not even gonna bother. Let them work it out.

He walks over to a familiar face, taps them on the shoulder and says, "Merry graduationmas!"

Chiharu was on the outskirts of the crowd, trying her best to ignore everyone, but to no avail. When Hawke taps her shoulder she doesn't bother to turn to see who it is as he has a very distinctive step. Her only real acknowledgement was to respond with a quiet and tired sounding, "Hello."

A shadow in the school uniform swoops behind the tall Brit with less off a sound-print than a mouse.

...

Actually, it is more like a high school Senior, in a very noticeable green jacket, sneaking up behind the boy but it is still pretty quiet so that should be fine.

"Metal Gear-Metal Gear.."

The bushy-haired 'shadow' seems to emerge from behind Tiberius's left shoulder, into Chiharu's line of sight.

"Metal Gear..."

Mizo hung back at the edge of the crowd. He just stood there on one foot supporting himself with his crutches. Given how things had turned out he wasn't sure he really wanted to be there, but he also wanted to be there for the friends he'd made that were graduating. Still unsure what to do he just stood there.

"'Sup, Chiharu. How's things?" Hawke says with a grin, oblivious to the ninja sneaking up behind him.

She responds in a flat tone.
"Oh I'm terrific, y'know, just attending another mandatory gathering of the entire population of this school into one area. One of my favorite things."

"I wonder, did the robot factory program you with any mode besides dry sarcasm?" Toshi asked with a smirk as he walked up.
"Hey Hawke. Seen any conspicuous boxes lately? Maybe with a giant exclamation mark above them?"

After a slow blink Chiharu gives Toshi a questioning look as she asks, "Why are you looking for strange boxes?"

I look around the still gathering crowed before picking a place to stand idly, and notice that Mizo is doing as I plan to. And he's alone. Maybe he'd appreciate company? I think most people do.

Without greeting, I stand next to Mizo. I do so from a somewhat farther distance than many people would, though only because it's a habit of mine. Another habit, this one of leaving my eyes half closed, shows that I really don't care for being here that much; I don't like large gatherings like this.

"HAWKE-WE'RE GRADUATING!"

Despite my exclamation, my voice seems to have a sad tone in it.

...Even as I wrap my arms around the tall boy and lift; swinging him back and fourth all over the place.

Mizo noticed someone approaching. He turned his head just enough to see who it was out of his peripheral vision. He saw that it was Sora, and he didn't look too thrilled to be here either.
"You look about as excited to be here as I do." he said rather flatly.
"Not a fan of large gatherings I'm guessing?"

Satoshi Veach wrote:"HAWKE-WE'RE GRADUATING!"

Mizo suddenly heard a shout.
He seems almost too happy, or maybe I'm feeling a little too cynical. he thought to himself.

Kuriko trails behind Satoshi, keeping her distance as he carefully lays his trap. Quiet amusement shows on her face as Hawke is picked up and thrown about by her man-child of a boyfriend. She finds herself planted next to Chiharu, who she felt comfortable enough with to strike up a conversation.

"Boys, eh?" She says with a sigh.

"Not really." I respond to to Mizo.
I proceed to look at Veach as he exclaims something rather obvious, and proceeds to make quite a show of picking up Hawke and swinging him back and forth.
I can't help but smile.

With a sigh of her own, Chiharu responds to Kuriko by simply saying, "Indeed."

A day of solemn endings and opportunistic expanse, graduation was upon us. Izumi felt rather dull about the matter, disinterested through repetition, each year had gone and passed with one, each as numbing as the last. He had his own opinions toward the matter. One, which seemed to buck convention in the attempt to seek out some sense, that perhaps the event would be better off reserved for the actual exit of students rather than to acknowledge the passing of a grade level. It was like the spring, when the annual bloom signifies that it had arrived. Nowhere near the beauty of the bloom was this, the gaudy, dysfunctional mass array of various faces and platitudinal speech being regurgitated from the disconnected microphones, with talking heads all but unawares. Entering quietly, he made his way toward familiar faces with just a greeting.

"Good morning, it seems some do share my desire to have evaded this. Nonetheless, hello, hello, we're here to up and go, some of us won't be here any more, hello, hello. Not I, but you, who are seniors, who should be here and not us, will be going to be going gone and off ever again to greet the world beyond!"

Dressed in the green blazer given as standard issue to students alongside their initial uniforms. Izumi was more rightly groomed for this and came in with the false spirit of Lewis Carroll guiding his assumed joy along the rails hoping to raise a face or two from their weariness.

"You know...I bet we could sneak into the library and spend the day reading instead. I really don't feel like being here either." he said to Sora

Kaim was quite literally at the very outskirts of the event. He sat alone under a tree. He didn't wear the jumper but just the shirt and the sleeves were rolled up to the elbows, the scarring showing on his arms. Obviously it didn't show on his hands, as those were prosthetic.
He sat back and tried to relax, as he was having one of those moments. It was where the memories ran raw and he relived the pain he felt like he was there.
The knives and broken glass cutting into me.
Her dead in her own blood on the floor.
The bright hospital light beds.
Seeing her confirmed for dead.
Why.....
He buried his face in his hands, then let them rest by his side again. Maybe the heat reminded him? Kaim sighed. Gee whiz, fate sure does hate me.
He looked around, seeing the festivities of graduating. Technically compulsory for all to attend, but if there was someone out of place, he was the top contender. Hell, he came here after the exam happened, so he doesn't even have test results for them to work off. He barely knows anyone and he didn't want to start knowing them either, especially as some where leaving for good unless they took up jobs here.
His cold glare and straight line of a face looked out, with no emotion to show.
Why am I even here...

"...There are a lot of people here. They probably wouldn't keep track of every student."
Mizo's plan sounds pretty alright.

Mizo turned to face the direction of the main building
"Well, if we're going to go we should probably go now." he said.

I nod. The best time to do this is while they're still busy setting things up.
I start walking with Mizo back to the main building.

Just as Hawke opens his mouth to question Toshiaki's strange response, he is picked up and violently thrown about by an unknown assailant. The red mist descends. Carnage ensues. Hawke was pretty much a pacifist, it was very out of character for him to hurt, or even touch, somebody without permission, and it stemmed from his dislike of people touching him unannounced. Primal instincts activated deep within Hawke's subconcious when he sensed a threat to his personal space, and the "annihilate" switch that was located within his head was flipped to the "on" position. In one swift motion, he twists through Satoshi's tough grip and plants his fist right in the boy's stomach with all of his might.... which was kind of a big deal.

His face drops when he realises he'd just attempted to rupture the internal organs of his best friend. "Shit! Dude! I am so sorry!" He reaches out to grab the boys shoulders, then straightens up, pressing his hair back down flat. "Don't touch me unannounced. Ever." He growls.

Toshi watched Mizo and Sora disappear out of the corner of the courtyard.
Figures. They're not exactly the most social.
Then again, neither was I. I guess this new beginning was a good idea after all.

He returned his attention to Satoshi, looking to determine how much Hawke might have injured him.
That was quite a punch. I think Satoshi tensed up enough though.
Note to self: don't start a fight with Hawke.
"You okay there, Solid?"

"AGH-HUAGHA!"

I get the feeling like I've been shot in the stomach as I crumple to the floor on my knees, with my arms wrapped around my abdomen.

I give the first thing that comes to my head as a response to Endō.

*E*"I think I jus' shi' m'self..."

My pants are actually clean but there is no longer any feeling in the lower-half of my torso. Thus, no control over the functions that require feeling there.

Immediately, I perfectly understand the elderly and their conflicts for a moment between the strikes of pain.

Oh, those poor souls-DAMMIT IT HURTS!

"Whoops." Hawke says with a grin, then pats Satoshi on the pack. "Man up buddy."