Well, here goes, my first story, fanfic and crossover all in one. I hope you enjoy it.

The sound of the alarm clock's bells filled the small room with their incessant ringing. A chorus of yawns and groans swiftly followed as Ichigo and his two older brothers were roused from their sleep.

"Mornin'"

"G'mornin"

"Someone get th' clock."

Ichigo rose to the challenge, swinging down off the top of a rickety bunk-bed to touch the top of a small, mechanical alarm clock, silencing it.

"Thanks," muttered Littora, the oldest of the three.

"Don't mention it," Ichigo replied. Ichigo knew that the time, while he couldn't see the clock in the low light, was 4 AM. The room was simple, slightly dirty, and very cramped. If a person were to walk in at that very moment, they would see a bunk-bed to their right and a small cot on the left. Directly across from the door was a dresser that the three brothers stored their clothes in. Behind the window, half covered by the dresser, was a small and grimy window covered in moth-eaten curtains. The imaginary intruder would also have seen three well-muscled brothers, the youngest' bright orange hair, still easily distinguishable even in the dark, and deep amber eyes in stark contrast with his brothers' dirty blond locks and sky blue eyes. The three brothers took their time to dress and prepare for their day, finding and laying out their best clothes. Today was the day of the annual reaping; the day when one girl and one boy from each of the twelve districts would be taken from their families and to a huge outdoor arena to fight to the death. The practice was a barbaric and disgusting reminder of the Districts' failure to defeat the Capitol in an uprising that had been crushed seventy four years ago. The three brothers had asked their mother if they could sleep in on the day of the reaping but she had immediately refused, saying that it would break their schedule and be less useful in the bakery. And so there they stood, just outside the doorway of their room, unsure of what to do with their free time.

"So… what now?" Said Eptasi, the second oldest. He voiced the three brother's thoughts perfectly. What now? With a whole day to spend, what could they do to pass the time? They spent nearly every day in the bakery, moving heavy sacks of flour, kneading dough, and baking bread. Today though, the bakery was closed. They stood silently in the small hallway outside their room for a while, deep in thought and trying to come up with Ideas. It was Ichigo who finally broke the silence.

"I don't know, let's just start walking."

As the three siblings made their way down a street in the merchant district, Ichigo's thoughts turned back to the day of his death for what felt like the millionth time…

A cold feeling was spreading slowly from the hole in Ichigo's chest. Aizen's hand had pierced Ichigo's chest the moment the man realized that Ichigo was powerless.

"You have lost, Ichigo Kurosaki," Aizen gloated, "behold! My Zanpaktou is disappearing," he continued, holding up the disintegrating blade for Ichigo to see. "The Hogyoku has determined that I no longer need a Zanpakuto!" He continued his rant, going on about how far into his 'transcendence' he was as Ichigo's consciousness began to fade. It was not a thing he wanted to hear while he breathed his last few dying breaths. "You're finished! Ichigo Kurosaki!" Aizen took a breath as if to go on, but he was cut off when a glowing spike of red light appeared, stabbing him through his chest. The man stared at the spike for a second, shocked. The singular spike was followed by more, stabbing through his chest in a pattern that resembled a cross "What is this?" He demanded, staggering back and removing his hand from Ichigo's chest, "Is this kidou? When could it have been…?" He trailed off as he reached dup to his chest.

"Seems like it's finally activated." A new voice, quiet yet severe, commented. Kisuke Urahara, hat and all, landed softly on the ground nearby. Ichigo couldn't keep his mind trained on Urahara's voice as he explained that the red light was a kidou that he himself had specially designed to seal Aizen's power.

Aizen began to rant once more about his power, obviously in denial of his defeat. As he spoke, the red light turned solid and grey as it spread across his body. The last things Ichigo saw before the last of his life left him, was Aizen being engulfed by the grey substance and then his encased form morphing into a cross.

"Peeta… Peeta?" Ichigo was dragged out of his thoughts by Eptasi's hand on his shoulder.

"Huh… oh. Yes?" Ichigo mumbled, his mind still halfway in the past.

"You spaced out, you've been doing that a lot recently," Said Littora, his voice filled with concern.

Hogyoku "Nervous? Me too," said Eptasi, his hand squeezing Ichigo's shoulder.

"I'm fine, really, don't worry about me," Ichigo said.

Ichigo had never really gotten used to being the youngest sibling of three. In his previous life, he had always been the older brother figure, there to protect his younger sisters, even if it meant certain death. Now, he was the youngest of three, essentially the kid-brother.

"c'mon, race you two to the fence!" Ichigo called as he raced off in the direction of the district limits. He didn't want them to worry about him, he hated being worried about.

"Hey, wait! Peeta!" Littora called after him, but he was already gone, having climbed onto a nearby rooftop. Ichigo had introduced his two brothers to the idea of getting around by climbing on the rooftops about two years ago, and they had taken to it surprisingly well, lightly jumping from roof to roof with practiced ease. Neither of them, though, could understand how Ichigo was able to do it so easily and skillfully. It was like his feet never touched roofing as he made his way across the district.

"It's like he's been doing it since before he was born," Eptasi had joked once when Ichigo had yet again left both him and Littora in the dust. He would never know how close to the truth he was. Their younger brother often confused and troubled them. Once, he was a sweet child that often smiled a huge, joyful smile that was quite endearing. But everything changed on a rainy day five years ago. The orange haired ten-year-old was getting ready for bed in their shared room after a particularly nasty hit to the head from their mother. From what his two older brothers could gather, he had received the beating because he burnt some bread. Just as he about to climb up to his bunk, he fell down to his knees for a brief moment and stood up a minute later almost a different person. Gone was the bright, endearing smile his brothers knew him so well for, replaced by a hardened scowl and a hot-tempered demeanor.

The first few weeks after The Change (as Eptasi and Littora called it in private) were the hardest. Ichigo hardly spoke at all and when they asked if he was all right he would just brush them off, saying he was fine. After about a month, their brother began to come alive again. He began to open up to them, and he even smiled every once and a while, although never as vibrantly as before. It was like getting to know a completely new person. He had new mannerisms, new opinions about things, and his scowl, although it almost never left his face, actually showed a surprising range of emotion. He began to go out after the bakery closed, breaking out in a full-on sprint to somewhere unknown the second the door closed.

Eventually, about a year after The Change, he approached them, asking if they wanted to join him in his regimen. Wanting to spend more time with their little brother, and also curious about what he did while he was out, they accepted his offer. So began their intensive and grueling training. Each day, after the bakery was closed and the three brothers were released, Ichigo started by having them run as fast as they could along a route that only Ichigo knew. For the first couple of months, they had been unable to reach their goal, running out of energy before they could reach the end of their brother's route. When they could go no further, Ichigo would send them back to the bakery while he himself set off again. They were amazed by his incredible stamina and drive, and they wondered how it was even possible for him to become so strong in only a year. The two brothers had become increasingly curious about Ichigo's destination, often pestering him about it. Ichigo refused to tell them every time, saying that they would have just have to find out for themselves. One day, about halfway through the third month of Ichigo's training, they finally reached their goal.

"This is it," said Ichigo.

"Made it!" Eptasi and Littora panted nearly in unison.

"So, what now?" Littora asked, curiously taking a look at the place where they had arrived and wondering what Ichigo had planned next.

The place that they had arrived at was a small meadow. On the opposite side from where the three siblings were standing, was the forest. Running through the meadow and cutting down the middle, was the tall fence topped by barbed wire that lined the entire district. The fence was supposed to be electrified, but power was intermittent in district twelve, so it was usually dead and safe to touch.

"Into the forest," Ichigo replied matter-of-factly. There was a pause, before both older brothers burst into laughter.

"You nearly had me for a second there," said Eptasi, "nice one, little… AAHHH!" He cut himself off when he saw Ichigo slipping under the fence and through to the other side. "Hold on, wait! Stop!" He called franticly, "do you have any idea what they'll do to you if you get caught?"

"Yes," came Ichigo's curt reply, "I'm not planning on getting caught," he continued. "Look, either go home or come with me, but if we stay here any longer, we really will get caught." Making a quick decision, Littora and Eptasi quickly crossed through the opening in the fence that Ichigo had just used. Ichigo took them into the forest, tracing a route he had become familiar with. They emerged in a flat, grassy field littered with improvised training equipment. Then, he shocked his brothers once more by telling them both to try to come at him at once and subdue him.

"But we might hurt you!" Littora protested.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Now come." Ichigo said, taking a defensive stance. The two brothers were hesitant, gently trying to grab Ichigo's arms or legs, only to be easily deflected and thrown to the ground. They picked themselves up and turned to face their surprisingly skillful younger brother. "I said not to worry about hurting me!" Said Ichigo as he surged forward for a counter-attack. He danced around his older brothers, focusing on knocking the wind out of them without seriously hurting them. They began to become less cautious when they realized that their punches wouldn't connect. Ichigo, seeing that he had gotten his point across, threw them both to the ground to end the fight.

"Wow," gasped Eptasi from his resting place on the grass.

"Yeah," agreed Littora, "Where'd you learn how to fight like that?"

"Who knows," Ichigo replied, offering a hand to him. After Littora was on his feet, they both helped Eptasi up as well. "I wanted to show you what I'm going to teach you in action. Sorry if I hurt you," Ichigo said.

"You can teach us to do that?" Littora asked, thoroughly impressed.

"Of course," Ichigo replied, "that's the reason I brought you two out here."

"I'm in!" Said Littora.

"Me too!" Eptasi added.

"Let's get started then," said Ichigo. Over the next few months, Ichigo built his brothers' strength and technique, helping them become stronger. He never said it to them, but one of his main goals in strengthening his brothers was to prepare them so that if one of them got reaped for the Hunger Games, then he would have a much higher chance of winning. That was four years ago. Now, Littora and Eptasi were fit and very skilled.

Ichigo, Littora, and Eptasi (In that order, Littora and Eptasi having raced each other on the way,) arrived at the fence that they so often crawled under to get to their secret training area in the forest. They made their way over to a secluded corner created by a small group of trees, and sat down together. The brothers had discovered the little alcove a while ago, and now used it to rest after their training sessions. It was about 5 AM, and the sun had just started its appearance. The next two hours were spent happily bantering back and forth and avoiding the subject of the Reaping.

"Shh!" Ichigo suddenly hissed when he felt a reiatsu approaching, "Someone's coming." Littora and Eptasi, having learned long ago to listen to their younger brother when he said something like this, immediately stopped talking and sunk further into the thicket of trees. The approaching presence turned out to belong to a sixteen year old girl with olive skin, grey eyes, and long black hair worn in a braid.

I wonder if she has a boyfriend… Came a thought, unbidden, from Ichigo's mind.

I did NOT just think that. He thought.

You didn't, I did.

Zangetsu? Is that you? Ichigo asked tentatively.

Indeed,came Zangetsu's measured reply.

Nice to hear you again, Zangetsu. But how? Ichigo asked. He had spent the five years, trying to call forward some sort of power from his previous life. All he had been able to regain before now was some of his reflexes and strength, and it was not even close to what he had had before he died. Naturally, he was curious about why his zanpakuto would decide to appear now.

I am not familiar with how reincarnation works and it is likely that you, as unique as you are, do not follow the normal rules in any case, Zangetsu answered thoughtfully.

So you don't know, Ichigo thought.

No. At that, the conversation trailed of briefly before Ichigo remembered what his zanpakuto said earlier.

What was that about that girl having a boyfriend, anyway? Ichigo asked worriedly. His zanpakuto had always been quiet and measured, never surfacing to speak unless it was absolutely necessary. Hearing him talk about girls felt wrong, and it sent shivers down his spine just thinking about the implications.

I am merely voicing the thought that you would never allow yourself to think. Replied Zangetsu.

What the hell is that supposed to mean? Ichigo mentally shouted, feeling confused.

That you like her.

Ichigo felt a slight blush paint his features at this.

Of course I don't! That was a long time ago and that wasn't me, it was Peeta.

You ARE Peeta.

"Peeta?" Said Littora.

"Yeah?" Ichigo said quietly.

"She's gone now," Littora said.

"Oh… Right," Ichigo replied, still dwelling on what Zangetsu had said.

"Oh…? Does our little brother have a crush?" Teased Eptasi, misinterpreting Ichigo's vague response as wistfulness. Ichigo blinked, realizing what Eptasi had just said.

"Geeze! Why does everyone keep thinking I like that girl?" Ichigo cried out in frustration, his eyebrow beginning to twitch slightly. There was an awkward silence.

"…"

"…"

"Who's 'everyone'?"

"No one…"

"…"

I blame you for this, Zangetsu.

The three brothers recovered from the earlier awkwardness relatively easily, slipping back into their familiar and comforting banter and spending another two hours in the thicket of trees before getting up to find some food. After finding some meat pies that were with their budget, they made their way leisurely around town. The closed and darkened shops added to the general feeling of anxiety. It wasn't much to see, but the brothers wanted to spend as much time as possible together, in case today would be their last as a group of three.

"It's almost one o'clock, and the reaping starts at two" Littora said, looking up at the town clock, "we shouldn't be late."

"Guess you're right," said Ichigo. The three brothers made their way towards the town square. Ichigo took note of the feeling of fear that emanated from the people around him, it felt suffocating. The Mellark brothers found themselves surrounded by people as they made their way to the square. Every person fervently hoped that neither they nor their family members would be reaped. His customary scowl deepened at the sight of the brightly colored banners erected to celebrate the annual blood-sport that the 12 districts were forced to compete in. Camera crews covered the roofs as they tried to capture footage of the grisly event from every angle. In front of the Justice Building was a temporary platform supporting a podium in the center with three chairs behind it. The podium was flanked by two large glass balls filled with the names of all the people unfortunate enough to be aged between twelve and eighteen. The time had come for the three brothers to separate and make their way to their designated sections.

"I guess this is it. Good luck, both of you," said Littora, putting a hand on both his brothers' shoulders before turning to head to the spectator section. Littora was no longer eligible for the reaping, having just turned nineteen recently.

"Good luck," Eptasi said, turning to Ichigo.

"I'll see you both after the reaping," said Ichigo, before making his way to his section of the crowd. When he reached his designated section, he noticed that only two of the three chairs on the stage were filled. One was filled by the mayor, a somewhat tall man who was beginning to bald.

What was his name again? Mayor Unduly? Mayor Unmoody? Ichigo had never really been very good with names, and the man was so mild in personality that Ichigo had simply never taken an interest in him.

I believe it is Mayor Undersee, supplied Zangetsu. The other chair was filled with a green clad monstrosity of a woman with pink hair and an artificially white and toothy smile. There was something about her that rubbed him the wrong way. In fact, everything about her rubbed him the wrong way, all the way from her make-up caked face to her gigantic earrings to her unnaturally cheerful demeanor.

The woman and Mayor Undersee were murmuring about something quietly and shooting quick glances at the empty seat in concern. The town clock's bell rung in the distance, signaling the time as two o'clock.

Undersee stepped up to the podium and began to read a scripted speech that was written who-knows-how-long ago. It was a painfully obvious propaganda rant that looked on the Capital with rose-colored glasses and put down the districts whenever possible. It spoke of war and natural disasters and rising sea-levels in a long monotonous list before beginning to talk about the Dark Days. The Dark Days were a time when the districts staged an uprising against the Capital. The end was disastrous, twelve of the districts were beaten into submission, and the thirteenth was completely annihilated. Then, to rub their defeat in their noses, the Capital created the Treaty of Treason. The Treaty of Treason established new laws to 'guarantee peace' and instated the Hunger Games. Each year, as the townspeople know all too well, one girl and one boy from each district were chosen through the process of the Reaping to fight each other in a gladiatorial deathmatch. Twenty four children entered the arena, but only one left it. The entire speech was essentially one gigantic guilt trip from Ichigo's perspective. He could tell that it was written exclusively to manipulate the people of the districts and keep them in line. After the speech was over, Undersee read the names of the previous victors of the Games, of which District 12 had had exactly two. One victor was dead and the other was Heymitch Abernathy. The Mayor had just finished saying Heymitch's name when the man himself stumbled on to the stage in all his blond haired, grey eyed, and apparently very drunk glory. He seemed familiar to Ichigo, but he couldn't quite place it. Abernathy's entrance was hailed by polite applause, which seemed to confuse him. He stumbled his way over to the make-up monster to attempt to give her big hug, a move that was promptly fended off by a hand to the face courtesy of the now very flustered woman. The mayor, now eager to move on and minimize district 12's embarrassment, introduced the make-up plastered woman as Effie Trinket. Happy to have an excuse to escape Heymitch's drunk affections, Effie trotted up to the podium to deliver her signature catch-phrase,

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!" Ichigo noticed that her curly pinkish-white hair had shifted slightly to the right following Heymitch's unwelcome affections, revealing that it was a wig. She continued on to gush about how much of an honor it was to be here in district 12. It was obvious to most though that in truth she desperately wanted to be moved to a district with a victor that didn't try to hug her on sight. Ichigo wandered briefly how many times his own name was entered into the reaping. He had insisted that if the Mellark family had to get a tesserae of grain and oil, that he be the one who entered his name the extra time that was required. He hadn't kept track because he didn't see the point. If he had to enter his name extra times he would do so without any hesitation. If his name got drawn, then there was nothing he could do, even if he knew how many times it was entered.

"Ladies first!" Came Effie's cry as she plunged her hand deep into the glass ball full of all of the girl's names.

Ladies first… how morbid, Ichigo thought as he listened carefully for the name that had yet to be called.

Indeed…Zangetsu agreed.

Even as bad with names as he was, Ichigo always made a point to remember the names of all the tributes as a sign of respect for those who were forced to die just to maintain the district's rocky political standing with the capital.

Effie made a big show of rummaging through the glass ball to pick out a name, making sure to pause for dramatic effect before settling on a folded piece of paper and pulling it from the globe. She unfolded it and, in a clear voice, called out, "Primrose Everdeen!" Ichigo was committing the unfortunate girl's name to memory when he felt his breath catch.

Everdeen… there was a girl in his class at school named Everdeen, the same girl that he had seen entering the forest earlier that day. But, what was her first name? He cursed his deficiency with names as he racked his brain for the name he was searching for. He decided that he would have to wait until the girl whose name had been called made her way up the center of the crowd. He had to crane his neck a little to see the girl, and when he saw that it wasn't the girl he was thinking of, he felt relief. Relief that he wouldn't have to watch someone he knew be murdered. And then immediately after, he felt guilt. The girl now making her way towards the platform was only twelve years old. It could have been either Yuzu or Karin up there, he realized. Little Primrose Everdeen could be someone's little sister or daughter, Just as loved by her family as Ichigo loved his sisters and even his new brothers.

"Prim!" A strangled cry came from the other side of the square, "Prim!" A path opened in the crowd and a girl that looked about sixteen years old rushed forward to pull Prim's arm and throw her behind her. Ichigo's eyes widened, it was the girl from earlier, the one who he remembered from his class.

"I volunteer!" she gasped, "I volunteer as tribute!" At that moment, Ichigo truly respected the brave girl that had decided to trade her life for her sister's. It was something that, if he had to, he would do in a heartbeat for either of his two older brothers. There was a scramble on the stage as Effie, the mayor, and Heymitch (more or less) scrambled to prepare for a volunteer, something that was almost unprecedented in district 12.

"Lovely!" Came Effie's typically cheerful response, "but I believe that there's a small matter of introducing the reaping winner and then asking for volunteers, and if one does not come forth then we, um…" she trailed off, unsure of what the next step was.

"What does it matter?" Mayor Undersee spoke up as he looked at the volunteer's face with a faint glimmer of recognition and sadness, "what does it matter? Let her come forward."

The girl from before, Prim, was now in hysterics and was hugging the volunteer with no apparent intention of letting go "No, Katniss! NO! You can't go!"

"Prim, let go," the volunteer replied harshly, and Ichigo knew she was holding back her tears. A boy from the section of crowd that Ichigo occupied, moved forward and said something to her before picking up Prim and taking her off. Ichigo assumed that he took her to her mother or father. The tribute girl watched him briefly before making her way up the steps up to the stage.

"Well, bravo!" Effie practically gushed. Ichigo felt sick, the woman was actually taking pleasure in the anguish in a family being torn apart, and viewing it as excitement. It disgusted him. "That's the spirit of the games!" She continued, oblivious to the daggers that Ichigo was glaring at her. "What's your name?" At this, the volunteer swallowed hard and said, "Katniss Everdeen."

"I bet my buttons that was your sister. Don't want her to steal all the glory, do we? Come on, everybody! Let's give a big round of applause for our newest tribute!" The demon woman trilled. Silence reigned, not a single person clapped. Ichigo, while he felt that Katniss deserved something, didn't think that it would be right to clap. Instead, he touched the three middle fingers of his left hand to his mouth, and then extended it towards her. All around him, he saw people doing the same, a gesture of goodbye, love, and respect. Ichigo could see her beginning to lose her composure, her eyes watering slightly. Her savior comes in an unlikely form: Heymitch. He came staggering across the stage to throw a surprisingly muscular arm over her shoulder.

"Look at her. Look at this one!" He hollered, "I like her!" Ichigo could tell that Heymitch's scent was not a pleasant one, judging by the way Katniss's nose wrinkled. It was likely laced with alcohol and body odor. "Lots of…" he paused for a minute while he pondered a good word, "Spunk!" He cried triumphantly before adding, "More than you!" He released poor Katniss to charge up to a camera and repeat himself. "More than you!" Ichigo couldn't tell if he was addressing the camera directly, or if he was speaking through it to the Capitol. The hopelessly drunk man opened his mouth to continue, but before he was able to, he tripped off of the stage and knocked himself out. With the cameras briefly faced away from her, trying to catch every last moment of Heymitch's comedy skit, Katniss had just enough time to compose herself. Now that it was certain that Heymitch's little act was over, he was carried off in a stretcher while Effie Trinket began to push ahead with the reaping.

"What an exciting day!" She warbled as she tried and failed to inconspicuously straighten her wig, which had slipped further to the right to sit nearly on the side of her head. "But more excitement to come! It's time to choose our boy tribute!" She planted one hand on her wig in an attempt to keep it in place as she moved swiftly to the bowl that contained the boys' names. Reaching in quickly and forgetting to build tension, she grabbed the first slip of paper she felt.

Please don't be Eptasi, please don't be Eptasi. Ichigo thought as the woman flashed back to the podium and read the name. "Peeta Mellark!" Ichigo stiffened as he recognized the name as his own, the name given to him in this life.

At least it's not Eptasi, he thought as he hardened his scowl to a mask, slipped his hands into his pockets, and strode up to the platform.

Katniss Everdeen had not had a good day. Of course, it wasn't like the day of the reaping was ever a good day, but this was almost up there with losing her father to the coal mines. First, Prim, dear, sweet Prim's name had been drawn. One name, amongst thousands, and it had still been drawn. She hadn't been able to stand by and watch while her sweet sister went to her doom. And now Peeta Mellark, the same Peeta that, when her father had died and she had been scavenging for food in empty trashcans, had given her food. He had burnt bread on purpose and faced his abusive mother's beating just so he could give it Katniss. That day he had stood in front of her, his face marked red where his mother had hit him, offering her two large and slightly burnt loafs of bread. Later when she had seen him at school his face was heavily swollen and his eye was black, a result of the beating he had received. Now, he walked up to the stage, scowling, eyes showing no fear. Katniss had had just enough time to hope that she wouldn't be the one to have to kill him when she felt his hand on her shoulder.

"I would have done the same," was all that he said before taking his place next to her. She wondered what he meant. Would he truly have volunteered if his brother was chosen instead? Or was he just trying to make an impression for the cameras? Looking at him, she truly couldn't tell, his face was a perfect mask. The Mayor began to read the Treaty of Treason, listing the laws that had went into effect right after the Dark Days. When the mayor finished reading, he motioned for Katniss and Ichigo to shake hands. She took the opportunity to really study him. He was almost six feet tall with brown eyes and orange hair. He was wearing lose blue jeans and a shirt that fell over his muscled chest in a way that Katniss might have found attractive if it weren't for the situation. Instead she just noted his fitness as something that may turn out to be a threat.

Wait… orange hair? How is that even possible? Katniss wondered as she shook his hand. They turned back to the crowd as the anthem of Panem played, signaling the end of the reaping.

After the reaping, the guards that were standing nearby roughly pushed the two new tributes into the Justice Building. Ichigo mentally snorted at the irony of a place called the Justice Building being used for such a purpose. They were herded into an elevator and then into separate rooms furnished with velvet couches and thick carpets. There they waited for the allotted 'goodbye time' with their families to begin. His father came in to capture Ichigo in a crushing hug. He seemed to practically cling to Ichigo, not wanting his youngest son to go. His brothers came next, and it was obvious that Eptasi was holding back tears.

"I tried to volunteer like that girl did, I really did, but I couldn't work up enough courage. I'm sorry!" He said, collapsing to his knees in a bout of grief and guilt.

"It's alright," said Ichigo, comforting his brother with a hand on his shoulder, "it's not like I would have let you anyway."

"But…"

"No buts, now pull yourself together so I can see you smile before I go," said Ichigo."

"Alright," Eptasi said, composing himself slightly. Littora was somewhat better composed.

"Come back, alright?" He said stoically, "make sure you do."

"I will," was Ichigo's reply. He was surprised when both brothers tackled him simultaneously in a silent hug. "Fine, fine, I get it. I'm not planning on dying anytime soon." Ichigo finally had to push them away so he could turn to his mother and say, "I guess this is it for a while, Mother?"

"It seems so," she replied. A silence fell over the room, neither Ichigo nor his mother could think of anything to say to the other. Finally, Ichigo's mother broke the silence, saying, "maybe District 12 will finally have a winner. She's a survivor, that one." To his entire family's surprise, Ichigo snorted.

Unsupportive to the last, he thought.

"I'll miss you too, Mother," He said, chuckling bitterly. Then he walked up to his father to say, "Take care of that Primrose girl, ok? I want to make sure that Katniss's sacrifice isn't in vain. Let her know that too." He began to make his way to the door of the room when he saw that his time was nearly up. He stopped, "oh, and give that girl some cookies, she deserves it," he said before continuing on.

As soon as Ichigo left the room, he was again greeted by guards and then marched out behind the Justice building to a ridiculously shiny and colorful car. Ichigo assumed that it belonged to the Trinket Demon. The car took them to the district limit fence before driving along it. Ichigo looked through the fence, drinking in the scenery just in case he wouldn't have a chance to see it again. The drive was short and the car quickly pulled up to the train station. As soon as they got out of the car, they saw scores of reporters, flying cameras and TV screens supported by hovercraft. They were quickly mobbed as the reporters descended on the two tributes. Katniss saw herself on one of the many TV screens floating around and felt somewhat gratified to see that she looked almost bored, and also saw that her fellow tribute seemed to have perfected a look of his own. His scowl seemed to say 'get on with it, you're wasting my time'. Katniss thought it was somewhat odd that a baker's son could so easily put on a mask like that. They continued their route through the media frenzy to the sleek, shiny train that would take them to the Capitol. When they reached the door that they would be entering the train through, they were stopped for pictures and a quick interview. Both Ichigo and Katniss avoided answering as many questions as they could. After a few minutes of the reporters and their cameras drinking in every inch of the tributes they could, the guards finally pushed back the crowd and released Ichigo and Katniss. Happy to have an escape at last, they boarded the train.

There it is.

This is my first attempt at uploading something to fanfiction, so let me know if I did anything wrong.

The name is also subject to change, so let me know if you have an idea.