Thunderstruck
You don't have to be very familiar with the Hunger Games to understand and enjoy the story. No Hunger Games characters will appear in the story. It's a fusion AU, not a crossover.
All you do need to know is as follows: the world is divided into poor districts and the rich capitol that rules the district. The capitol controls the districts by throwing their kids into murder tournaments every year. Fun times.
That said, this story is an experiment. Hell, even the title is still subject to change. If people like it, I'll post more! If there's not much of a response, I probably won't continue. So, this is me, trying it out.
I hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 1. Reaping Day
The last of the bark strips off the branch easily, and Kakashi smiles. The rims of his nails are nearly black with dirt, but he decides it's worth it when he looks at the result. A long, sturdy branch that will serve very nicely as a walking stick. He'll still need to sneak out his father's knife to carve some decorations into the wood, but all in all the birthday present is coming along nicely.
Kakashi smiles to himself and leans back against the tree. It's quiet in this part of the district. Usually, it's buzzing with people off to chop wood or tend to the saplings. It's nearly evening, however, and the lumberjacks have gone home. Kakashi isn't really supposed to be here either; not only is he too young to be a lumberjack, the peacekeepers don't like it when people linger after working hours.
Ah, well. Making a birthday present for his dad takes commitment.
Not that the present is original, really. Leaf district isn't exactly rich, so pretty much everyone sticks to homemade wood carvings for special occasions. Sometimes, people trade with the peacekeepers for something a bit more special, but Kakashi knows better than to go near a peacekeeper so close to the Reaping. They'd probably take his wanting to trade as attempts at bribery, and only add his name to the Reaping again.
No way he is going to let that happen.
He stands up slowly, eyes squinting against the sharp evening sun. It hangs low in the sky, filtering through branches and casting deep shadows between the trees. Dark clouds have appeared at the horizon. The air is warm- there'll be a thunderstorm tonight.
It's time to go home. His father is enough of a worrywart as it is. It takes a minute to place the stick back into its hiding place, and then he's off.
Kakashi runs through the forest until he reaches the start of the clearing. The houses are made of wood, too. No one can afford stone and everyone knows how to work wood, so it's more practical that way. Fire regulations have to be strict, but at least no one goes cold in winter anymore.
Kakashi and his dad live near the edge of town. They can see Victor Village from their house. They don't see much of their neighbors, who prefer to avoid Kakashi's dad when they can. Kakashi brushes dirty knuckles over the door before pushing it open.
"I'm home," He says, more out of habit than anything. The air smells stale inside, and Kakashi knows his father hasn't had a good day. On good days, Sakumo opens the windows and takes a bath. Sometimes, very rarely, he even goes to the market to pick up dried meat or potatoes. On bad days, like today, he stays indoors and refuses to see anyone other than Kakashi.
Kakashi sighs and pushes away that familiar feeling of dread. His father is on one of the cots, facing away from him. His hair seems greasy.
"C'mon," Kakashi walks over and pulls at his father's shoulder. Sakumo rolls over slowly and manages a weak smile. It doesn't reach his eyes, but he makes an effort to sit up.
"Kakashi. How was your day?" He asks, his deep voice slow and sleepy.
On really bad days, Hatake Sakumo doesn't get up at all.
Kakashi shrugs, "No different from usual," and goes towards the pantry. Well, they call it a pantry. It doesn't really deserve the name- it's too small to be able to hold a lot of food, and it's falling apart anyway. But it's better than nothing. Kakashi rummages through it and manages to procure yesterday's turnips and potatoes. Enough for the evening, at least.
"It's... It's the Reaping, tomorrow. Isn't it?" Sakumo asks. He's not looking at Kakashi.
Kakashi manages a nod. He knows this is why his father is doing so badly. Sakumo always gets worse this time of the year. "Yeah."
"Your mom's anniversary is coming up."
"Yeah." Kakashi turns away and lights the fire. They have a small stove, which is a real luxury out here, and he places a few pans on the fire. He hauls the bucket of water he got that morning up and pours some of its contents into the pans.
"You forgot to skin the potatoes," His father says. He sounds tired, but amused. Kakashi can hear him move around and then his father takes the potatoes and a knife. Hmm. That's a good sign.
Sakumo sits down at the small table and skins the potatoes. Kakashi takes the turnip and follows his example.
"She was only eighteen, you know," Sakumo says. His eyes are clouded over. "You were not yet a year old, but they didn't care about that."
Kakashi wishes his father would stop talking already. "Maybe you shouldn't have gone around having kids before you were eighteen, then," He mutters, hoping Sakumo can hear his irritation.
Sakumo pauses, puts his potato down and walks back to the couch. Kakashi feels instant regret.
"Dad, I'm-"
"The Reaping is tomorrow. It's alright. We're both a little bit out of it," Sakumo says absently.
Kakashi frowns and turns back to his potatoes. It's not alright, but there's nothing he can do to fix all the world's wrongs. His mom died a Tribute and his dad is a shell no one knows what to do with. Nothing's right about that.
The knife slips and he cuts his thumb. He frowns at the ruby red welling up from his finger before cleaning it with his mouth. He wipes the rest off on his rough spun pants and tosses the cut up vegetables into the pan on the fire.
They don't speak much during dinner. Kakashi wants to go back out and finish the walking stick. He also wants to shake his father by the shoulders and make him say something, anything, damn it. But he doesn't. He loves his father, and he knows it's not his fault. Not really. He wasn't always like this, anyway.
Kakashi clears the wooden plates off the table and goes to wash them. He thinks of how it used to be, before the accident. Dad used to be bright and cheerful, steady and warm. Then he chopped the wrong tree and three men died. The Peacemakers had him flogged in the main square, but it was the angry stares of men and women who had once been his friends that had done Sakumo in.
He thinks briefly of tomorrow, the Reaping Day. It's all everyone has been talking about for the past few weeks. Kakashi's in there seven times, a few for his age and a few for the tesserae he took last year, when the winter was too long and too cold. Tesserae are like lottery tickets, except they bring bad luck. Ask for a tesserae, and you get food. You also get a bigger chance of being reaped. They don't give a lot of food but it beats starving. Someone like Asuma is only in it four times. Being a victor's kid has its advantages.
He wants to go to bed early that night, but his father grabs his arm and pulls him onto the couch. "Kakashi.. I don't want you taking tesserae again, okay?" His father drapes a heavy arm over Kakashi's shoulders. "Just don't, okay? Don't risk it."
"We gotta eat."
"Not at that cost. Never at that cost"
"Where's this coming from?"
"You know where. Promise me you won't." Sakumo's dark eyes, so similar to his own, burn with intent. "Promise me."
Kakashi nods slowly. "Okay. I won't. If you start working again." It's not really fair, but he has to try.
Sakumo blinks rapidly, almost nervously. "I-I can't."
"It's been so long, dad."
"I can't." Sakumo releases him and moves to his cot. "Go to sleep, Kakashi."
Kakashi wants to hate him for it, but tomorrow is Reaping Day. Two weeks after that is mom's death date. Kakashi is tired.
He goes to bed and dreams of his mother winning her Games.
They both sleep restlessly that night. Sakumo has bags underneath his eyes but he manages to get out of bed and prepare a simple breakfast for them both. Kakashi puts on his best clothes, a pair of soft grey slacks and a blue shirt that his father had once owned. His hair is hopeless as always, sticking in every other direction and so striking in colour that it'll attract attention wherever he goes. His dad's hair is the same, so at least they suffer in company.
Sakumo is always a bit more tactile on Reaping Day. Surprise hugs, running his hand through Kakashi's hair, squeezing his shoulder. Kakashi likes it despite himself. His dad rarely leaves the house and isn't as big and strong as the other men his age, not anymore, but Kakashi never feels as safe as when he's with his dad.
"Almost three thousand children in the district, Kakashi." Sakumo says, trying to sound a bit more upbeat than he usually does. "Three thousand children, most of them with their name in the lottery a couple of times. You won't get picked this year, either. The chances are too small."
Kakashi's father is a clever man, good with numbers and calculations. The first year Kakashi's name had been in the lottery he'd been so frightened that his father had sat him down and showed him the numbers. It had helped then, and it still helps now.
They leave the house when the alarm rings through the district. They nod at neighbors as they trudge off to the main square as well, sullen children in tow. The air is taut with tension, as though a thunder cloud hangs above the village waiting to break loose. No one speaks aside from the littlest children, who don't understand why their older siblings look so scared.
Kakashi doesn't hold his father's hand. He's almost sixteen, and too old for such things. He doesn't mind when his father's shoulder brushes his own, though.
He catches sight of a few other kids his age. Yuuhi Kurenai, with her remarkable red eyes, sends him a weak smile. She's Asuma's girl and they probably want to be together, but Asuma lives in Victor's village with his dad and will take another route to the town center. It seems unfair that Victor's kids can be reaped as well, but then the Games aren't exactly about playing fair in the first place.
Another kid sidles up to Kakashi. It's Gai, who lives nearby. He's one of Kakashi's only friends, even though he's really weird. Gai is energetic and loud and most people prefer to avoid him because he's not exactly cool. But Kakashi likes him, because Gai's dad is also an outcast and Gai doesn't have a mom either. They understand each other. Besides, Gai's not half as dumb as other people seem to think he is.
Kakashi spots Genma too, a boy who is a few years older than him. This is his last year in the Reaping. If his name isn't picked, he's safe. At his side is little Anko from the foster home, who's a little bit unhinged. Kakashi wonders idly what would happen if they pick her, because he feels she's just crazy enough to win it.
They march steadily towards the Town Center. Once they get there, his father scoops him up in a tight hug. "I'll see you afterwards," He says. His smile doesn't reach his eyes, which are wide with fear.
"I'll see you then," Kakashi says, and goes to register. There's a brief sting when his blood is tested, and then he's pushed onto the square where he has to join the other fifteen year olds. Gai is a year older than him and has to stand with the older kids, so there's no time for them to talk. Kakashi ends up next to a boy he vaguely recognizes as one of his classmates, a loud kid who insists on wearing goggles everywhere. Kakashi gets the feeling the kid doesn't like him much, but he's not sure why.
When everyone has filed in, the large screens at the front of the square light up and the Capitol anthem plays. It's every bit as bombastic and tacky as last year, and it's not helped by the slightly too enthusiastic voice-over that summarizes over sixty years of history in a few scant sentences.
There was a war that ended sixty-one years ago, the Districts rebelled, Capitol people died, yada yada yada. The rebels' kids paid for it in the first Hunger Games. Their descendants are still paying for it every year, because the Capitol figures it's a good way to keep them tame. They're not wrong. After a few more minutes of bullshit, the video ends and the screens show a close-up of the stage instead.
The Capitol delegation is pretty small, as per usual. There's the Escort, who will pick the Tributes' names and guide them while they're in the Capitol, and there's a handful of people Kakashi isn't sure what they do. They each look bizarre, with bright hair colors and thick layers of make-up.
The Escort is a different one from last year. She's a young woman with long, blood red hair and striking grey eyes. Her name is Uzumaki Kushina, and the fact that she doesn't wear as much make-up as the other Capitol monkeys and that her voice is solemn when she introduces herself makes Kakashi like her just a little bit more than he otherwise would.
Doesn't mean she's not here to condemn kids to death, though.
The mentors are on the left of the stage, sitting in simple chairs and waiting to find out who their new Tributes will be. Kakashi knows the older one is Asuma's dad; he's in his late fifties or something, with severe lines around dark eyes, and his hair is thinning pretty badly. His name is Sarutobi Hiruzen, but everyone calls him either Sarutobi or 'Third', because he was the third Victor Leaf district ever had. Kakashi remembers liking the man the few times they met.
The other mentor is much younger, probably not a day over 24. He's handsome, almost feminine, with wild blond hair and crystal blue eyes. The Capitol loves him, people say. But Kakashi remembers his games and knows that despite his sweet appearance, Namikaze Minato is absolutely lethal with a blade. Kakashi has never seen anyone move as fast as that desperate sixteen year old tribute did in his final battle. He wonders if he could move like that, if he was pushed into a corner.
There's another living victor in Konoha, but like Kakashi's dad she doesn't leave the house. She was reaped along with her boyfriend, and people say she was never the same after she got home. Her baby brother got reaped two years later, and that was the end of her sanity.
Uzumaki Kushina has finished her introduction, and that is usually when the Escort wishes them all a 'Happy Hunger Games'. It's the biggest joke in the world and always puts a frown on Kakashi's face. He's glad when Kushina doesn't say it, then remembers that it's ridiculous to be grateful to the lady who's come to take two kids to their graves.
The kid next to him is shifting nervously on his feet, wild enough that his shoulder bumps into Kakashi's. Kakashi gives him an annoyed look. Really?
Dark eyes look back at him through orange glass as the other boy glares back. Shut up, he seems to be saying. Then the boy looks away again, staring at the back of a girl a few rows away.
Kakashi rolls his eyes.
The Escort is about to start calling names.
Sometimes, the previous escort would take ages to pick a card, waiting long enough that some of the kids would start crying. Kushina is not as cruel. She snatches a card from the bowl without smiling. Her voice is steady when she calls out the first name.
"Nohara Rin."
As always, there's a momentary silence. Kakashi blinks. Rin is his age. She's in a parallel class, a quiet studious sort of girl who doesn't draw attention to herself. She's one of the few who doesn't look at Kakashi or his dad like they're vermin.
Kakashi hates Kushina a little bit for drawing out Rin's name.
The boy next to Kakashi cries out, "No!" when the peacemakers move towards Rin, but Rin straightens her shoulders, and moves towards the podium. Her lip is shaking but her eyes are dry, and shit she's brave.
Kushina waits until Rin is on the podium, where she briefly hugs the girl. Rin moves off to the side, where Asuma's dad puts a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looks stunned.
Kushina moves over to the boy's bowl and Kakashi's heart starts to thunder. The boys around him go tense, feet shuffling and shoulders raised.
Kakashi's name is in there four times for the amount of years he's been alive, and another three times for the tesserae he had to take. Seven times total, out of.. what? Over three thousand, according to his dad.
May the odds be ever in your favor. Ha.
Kushina picks a card and reads it out loud.
"Hatake Kakashi."
Somehow, he's not surprised.
Everyone is staring at him. The kid next to him -Obiro? Obito?- blinks a few times, before reaching out and squeezing his shoulder. A look over his shoulder tells Kakashi that Gai is crying silently.
Kakashi thinks about his dad, back in the crowds. His dad, who can barely get up in the morning because he's so blue. His dad, who only has Kakashi.
He knows, with sudden certainty, that he has to win. That if he doesn't, his dad won't bother getting up anymore. That he'll waste away like he's less than dust.
Kakashi has to win for his dad's sake. He can't die out there.
His feet are moving and the crowd parts to let him through. It's bad luck that it's two kids from the same year, he hears someone whisper. Bad luck that one generation gets to lose two of its number. But at least it's Hatake's kid, right? No one ever had high expectations for Hatake's kid.
Kakashi can see himself on the viewing screen, his face enlarged a thousand times. He looks young, his shoulders thin and his dark eyes wide. Is that really him? He looks like he's already lost.
He squares his shoulders, like Rin did, and he looks slightly better on the screen. He's gotta win for his dad.
Author's Note:
May the odds be ever in your favor!
'But Hiraeth,' I hear you say, 'why is Kushina an Evil Capitol Escort?' All will be explained, young Padawan. Rest assured she is every bit the good-hearted, brave woman that she is in canon, but some characters have been maneuvered into unlikely positions for this story to work out. Wait until we meet Jiraiya..
This will probably be a fairly long story, with longer chapters than this first one. I've written out most of it so updates will be regular. Plus, sequel potential..?
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. If so, please leave a review :D Writers live for reviews!