Chapter Setting: 19

I drag myself along the familiar trail towards the stream then collapsed under harmless shrubs on the bank. I cover myself in mud and fallen leaves throughout the hour and closed my eyes. Minutes, hours, days - I have no idea how long I've been here. I stay still, making myself all ears, listening. What am I listening for? I'm going to die anyway. Then I let my thoughts wonder around Katniss. She's the only thing that's keeping me alive. Besides my camouflage of course.

A few moments later, Claudius Templesmith praises the six survivors from above.

"Congratulations, our six remnants!" his fervent voice bellowed. He's probably just announcing some plot for us to gather in the Cornucopia. In other terms, they're drawing us together to kill each other and get this game over with. That's all this is to them - a mere game.

"…There is a new rule," his voice echoed through my ears, distant and casual. I'm a little surprised that the Gamemakers are adding another one, along with the two others. Not stepping off your circle for sixty seconds and restrained cannibalism are the only two that everyone knows of. I decided to listen to the new rule.

"The new rule applies to all living tributes of the same district. By the end of the game, if both tributes from one district are still alive, which I hope will be, and everyone else are resting in the heavens, then they are proclaimed the winners of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games!"

Katniss is the first person that emerges in my mind. She always has been. And she and I could live! Yet, I lay here, useless and frail and dying. I'm not even sure if she would want to unite with me. I had been with the Careers.

It wasn't until a day after that I heard Katniss's voice. My eyes opened and landed on a nearby mockingjay, imitating her hushed, desperate tone. I turn my gaze over to the stream and to my right, I finally see her.

"You here to finish me off, sweetheart?" I utter throatily, ignoring the pain.

My eyes are closed now, wishing to just hear her voice again. Was that really her?

"Peeta?" she murmurs. "Where are you?" She's real. But I still don't respond, letting myself hear her say my name once more.

"Well, don't step on me," I say as I felt a small foot on my chest. She gasps in astonishment and I chuckle.

"Close your eyes again," she demands softly and I did. I feel her eyes scrutinize my camouflage. After a few seconds, I notice her kneel beside my concealed body, saying, "I guess all those hours decorating cakes paid off."

"Yes, frosting. The final defense of the dying," I respond with a beam. Her face turns serious.

"You're not going to die," she counters with such decisiveness that even I believed it for a second.

"Says who?" I manage to speak.

"Says me," she answers firmly. "We're on the same team now, you know." Same team. We've always been on the same side. My side was to protect her and hers was to stay alive. We've never been nor will become enemies.

"So I heard. Nice of you to find what's left of me," I mutter. At least I get to see her before the rest of me gives up. Might as well enjoy it with Katniss as it lasts.

She retrieved what seems like a bottle and urged me to drink the water, asking as she eyed my leg. "Did Cato cut you?"

"Left leg. Up high."

"Let's get you in the stream, wash you off so I can see what kind of wounds you've got," she suggests.

"Lean down a minutes first," I requested. "Need to tell you something." She leans to me and I whisper in her right ear, "Remember, we're madly in love, so it's all right to kiss me anytime you feel like it."

She bends back with a raised brow then began laughing.

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind," she says gaily. At least I still make her laugh. But all humor and smiles vanishes when she attempts on lifting me up. I wince and I try to hide it, however, the careful but drastic move was causing me to slightly cry out in agony. With much effort, I was released from the grasp of the mud and plants on me. I couldn't help but let a few tears fall as my nearly immobile body clench the unyielding pain. I pant a little and tighten my teeth so another yelp wouldn't escape my lips.

"Look, Peeta, I'm going to roll you into the stream. It's very shallow here, okay?" Katniss assured.

"Excellent." I give her a small smile and she bends down. She counts to three and during the first roll, I cried out, creating these awful sounds that I definitely did not intend to make.

"Okay, change of plans," she says. "I'm not going to put you all the way in."

"No more rolling?" I inquire as I glance at the thin surface of the stream about a foot away.

"That's all done. Let's get you cleaned up. Keep an eye on the woods for me, okay?"

With that, I let her nurture my many wounds, wincing from time to time, though suppressing the pain.

"Katniss," I say then watch her as she ambles towards my mended body. I wasn't completely healed, but Katniss did clean me and reduce a whole burden of pain. I was in a better state than what I'd been in the past days.

She abandoned the torn hand-made covering she attempted to make for the mouth of the cave and sat by me, brushing off some strands of hair that were concealing my eyes.

"Thanks for finding me," I utter with a smile.

"You would have found me if you could," she responds. She has no idea. I would have died for her, too. Well, it already feels like I am.

"Yes. Look, if I don't make it back -"

"Don't talk like that," she reprimands then adds, "I didn't drain all that pus for nothing."

I could've laughed at the remark, though this is serious. I needed to tell her that I love her.

"I know. But just in case I don't -"

"No, Peeta," she intervenes again, now placing a finger on my lips to keep me from speaking. "I don't even want to discuss it."

"But I -"

I was silenced once more, though with pleasant lips. I want it to last, I wanted her forever. Does she realize that she loves me, too? In a matter of seconds, the kiss ended. I was defeated.

"You're not going to die. I forbid it. All right?" she tells.

"All right," I whisper.

She stands up and goes outside. I knew she wouldn't leave me. Not after that. Unwillingly, my eyelids began to fall and I was unconscious.

Note: I finally had my hands on the book! I couldn't update for months because I never had The Hunger Games novel. Plus, I've been working on two of my other fanfics. Anyway, sorry to say but these two couple of scenes are my last ones :( The first three had been fun and I only wrote this for you guys.

Oh yeah, there was A LOT of quotes in this chapter! It wasn't really fun copying all those words, but I chose not to change anything because I wanted it to be Peeta's side of the Games, therefore, thoughts are the only thing I could modify. I also skipped all the cleaning and mending parts because they also contain a lot of quotes and I didn't want to write all that...(These were suppose to be "snippets").

I couldn't skip the first kiss, though. I knew you guys were waiting for that =). It wasn't really detailed and mushy but it happened. Hope you guys liked!