Five tributes stood on top of the cornucopia. Rue, Thresh, Katniss, Peeta, and Cato.

Cato was covered in blood, head to toe, and breathing heavily. He glanced at Peeta and Katniss, then to Rue and Thresh. I can kill them, thought Cato, breathing a little harder. Especially the little girl.

Katniss picked an arrow from the pack, and loaded the arrow, and slightly glancing at the muttations with Peeta. The muttations were growling and trying to claw their way up to the five tributes.

Rue was the first to speak, as always. "Only two can come out, right, Thresh?"

Thresh nodded. "Only two this year."

"And there's five of us-"

Cato laughed. "Look the girl can count! Let's applauded her willingly!" he began clapping his hands, with his sword in one.

Rue stared at the ground, gripping her weapon- a knife she had gotten from Clove when she threw it at her. She had forgotten what she was going to say.

Cato noticed the knife. "You got that from Clove right?"

She looked up at him and smiled a smile of mischief. "Maybe I did maybe I didn't."

The boy from district two ignored her. "Now, who shall get the honor of dying by my sword?"

"No one, Cato," Katniss answered, readying her aim on Cato's skull- or making it seem she was. "But you'll die by my bow and arrow!"

She shot the arrow and missed Cato's skull by an inch. Cato stared at her. "You call that a shot? You completely missed my skull!"

Katniss smiled. "Who says I was aiming for your skull, Cato?"

Peeta coughed. "Katniss we shouldn't be intimating Cato-"

"Love boy's right," Cato said, glancing down at the muttations and making a 'tsk' sound with his tongue. "It would be tragic if one of us had to fall and die in the end, hmm. I'm sure we would all like to die fighting."

Thresh replied for Rue in his deep voice. "Maybe we rather die by muttations and not by you or anyone else, Cato."

Cato cocked his head and Thresh. "Was I even speaking to you, eleven?"

"You weren't talking to anyone in particular," Thresh answered. "So anyone could've answered."

Cato growled. "Now, I'm wasting my time. I would've been in the capitol by now, you four!"

"How about," Katniss suggested. "We kill you quickly so you don't waste your special time here with us?"

"Any," Thresh asked. "certain way you want to be killed? Possible like Clove? Bashed in the skull with a rock."

Cato laughed and raised his sword. "No. I won't be dying today!" He slammed in down to where Katniss was, but the luckily dodged his attack.

She loaded another arrow, and readied it from the ground at the back of Cato skull. She fired it, but he moved at the last second, attacking Rue, making the bow only skim the side of his rippled muscular arm.

"Damn you," Katniss muttered.

Peeta was trying to shove Cato over the side of the cornucopia, but wasn't having any luck.

"Let me help you," Thresh said, shoving Cato over the side with Peeta.

He fell into the pack of muttations, howling and screaming as the muttations ripped his skin from his bones off. "I was so close to winning!" he barely yelled over the howling. "I- ah!- it- can't be my end!"

Katniss and Peeta watched Cato be eaten, along with Rue-who had her eyes closed- and Thresh.

Claudius Templesmith came on, "Four tributes left! Only two can win! Let the odds be ever in your favor!" and then he was off, just like that. No actual good luck. That made all of them feel ever-so lucky.

Thresh's mussels seemed to grow larger in Rue's eyes. She remembered his promise.

Rue, I'll protect you from the other tributes. You are too young to go through pain as the others had. I promise.

Katniss loaded an arrow and aimed it at Thresh. Peeta got ready in a running position with his knife.

Thresh gripped rock harder. While Rue held the knife up to her chest as if she would need to do anything at all.

It was almost silent only if the muttations weren't there.

The felt the capitol and the districts held their breath and waited to see what happens.

Katniss lowered her arrows. "Thresh, you and Rue should win. We rather die and not be killed by a man that can hold up to 300 pounds on his shoulders. Or by a girl of the age of twelve." She dropped her arrows and Peeta dropped his knife. Katniss walked passed Thresh and to Rue. She whispered something to Rue and handed her Mockingjay pin to Rue.

"Thank you Katniss," Rue said in marvel. "But I think you should win. You have Peeta! His loves you. No one cares for Thresh or I. Only his Grandparents care for him and only my father cares for me. You need to win Katniss! You have to! For your sister, remember?"

"I remember," Katniss said, sadly. "But I've been making a lot of promises I can't keep lately and I don't want to keep doing that."

Thresh glared at Peeta but dropped the glare.

"But- It'll be our fault if you die, Katniss," Rue said, sounding as if she was about to cry. "I don't want you to die, Katniss!"

"I don't want to die either," mumbled Katniss, pulling Rue into a hug. "But it's for you. When you see Prim. Tell her I did this for her, and please give her the pin, please."

Katniss felt her shirt become somewhat wet. "I can't do that Katniss- and I never be able to!"

Thresh who came beside Rue, pulled Rue away from Katniss. "Rue, calm down it'll be alright-"

"No it won't, Thresh! She the closest thing I had to mom!" wailed Rue. "People are always lying to me. To protect me! That was a lie, Thresh! They only do so to protect themselves!"

"Rue- I-" began Thresh.

"If you're going to say sorry, don't! Because," said the wailing Rue, pushing out of his gripped and storming to the other end of the cornucopia. "You don't actually mean it! You are only saying it to make me feel better, which it won't!"

She'll be more emotional after the games, thought Thresh. Joy.

"Rue," Peeta said, sitting by Rue. "This is the first time we actually talk-"

"And it'll be the last," mumbled Rue, sniffling.

Peeta smiled. "Not necessarily, Rue. We will, Katniss and I, be here." he held his hand to his heart. "We'll be with you all the time."

"But not in person," sniffled Rue.

Peeta laughed half-heartedly. "Then think about the good times and not the bad times, okay? When something or someone you like a lot dies, do you think about the sad times or the happy times?"

"The happy times-"

He smiled. "Then think about the happy times about Katniss."

The growls and clawing of the mutts went quite.

"I u-understand," she said, randomly hugging Peeta. "See you in heaven I suppose, Peeta and Katniss."

He laughed and stood up. "I don't think were going there after this, Rue, but we'll try to get into heaven."

He walked to Katniss and smiled, and kissed her lips. The stood on the edge of the cornucopia where the mutts were. "One…"

"Two…" she said.

"Three," they said together jumping to the mutts.

Rue slammed her eyes closed and plugged her ears to ignore the howling and blood.

"Congratulations Thresh Clearwater and Rue Firethorn!" boomed Claudius. (A/N: I randomly made up the last names since their last names weren't clearly spoken.)

Thresh hugged Rue who cried some more, clutching the Mockingjay pin.

"Shhh," mumbled Thresh. "We will be alright now."

Rue sniffled as the hovercraft came into view. "You aren't lying are you?"

"No I'm not."

He let Rue go as the hovercraft hovered over them. "You're like a big brother Thresh, to me anyway."

Thresh for once, smiled. "You're somewhat like a little sister to me."

The hovercraft lifted the two remaining tributes into the craft and took them to the capitol for their celebration of winning. Their well earn celebration.

With on final look at the area Rue mumbled, "Good-bye Katniss and Peeta."