Chapter 3.


For those who don't know, tributes can attract Capitol sponsors, who can send them equipment and food in the arena and thereby potentially save their lives. That's why tributes want to be liked by the audience.


Kakashi wakes up in endlessly soft pillows and a duvet he would have killed for back in the district. For one blissful moment he thinks he is dreaming, but then the train shakes as it thunders over a bumpy piece of track, and he remembers.

He's been reaped. He's on his way to the capitol, where millions of people will watch him die.

Right.

He stares up at the ceiling briefly. Then, on impulse, he pushes himself up and begins a series of quick sit-ups. He might as well try. The sit-ups are followed by push-ups, and then a few squads- for once, he's grateful for the bastard teacher back at the District school who liked to punish kids with physical exercise- and becomes so absorbed by it that he almost falls off the bed when someone knocks on the door.

It's Minato, sticking his yellow head around the door and smiling pleasantly. "Are you awake, Kakashi? Oh, you are. Excellent. Will you come to breakfast?"

Kakashi rubs his head and hopes he hasn't turned red. At times like these he wishes he could hide his face somehow. Perhaps a scarf would do. He nods reluctantly and wonders what types of food would be best to keep up his strength. Meat, probably. Eggs? They rarely got either of those back home. Does he even like eggs? He can't remember.

He puts on yesterday's clothes and enters the hallway. Outside, an unfamiliar landscape passes them by quickly. He doesn't linger. Best not to think too much.

The others are already in the dining room, seated around a well-filled table. Kushina immediately comes over and steers him towards the nearest sink, where she tells him to wash his hands. He frowns at her and tells her he's not a complete idiot. She gives him a stern look that he thinks would be more fitting on the face of the district orphanage matron, and he obeys.

Rin smiles at him when he sits down. He smiles back- or tries to, because he's not sure when he last smiled properly. It comes out weirdly crooked, one half of his mouth going up while the other half stays down. He doubts it reaches his eyes. Rin's smile doesn't fade, though.

"Well, Kakashi-kun, did you sleep wel?" Minato asks, with that same damned cheer.

Kakashi hums under his breath. "Alright," he mutters.

"Good, good," Minato says. "I realize how bizarre all of this must seem to you. Yesterday you were having a normal day back home in the District, and now you're on your way to the Capital. Trust me, I do understand," Minato begins, in what Kakashi recognizes as what has to be the world's most pathetic attempt at gaining their confidence.

"What we're here for, however, is to get the two of you as ready as possible for the Games," Minato continues. "I know it may seem impossible right now, but that's how I felt too. Yet here I am today."

Kakashi snorts. Rin shoots him a worried look.

"What will you be teaching us?" she asks, drawing the attention away from Kakashi.

Sarutobi smiles, the lines in his face lifting a little. "As Rin pointed out yesterday, we will need the two of you to be likeable and presentable. Manners are just one part of that. Smiles work too," he gives Kakashi a pointed look, "as will taking care of one's personal appearance. It may seem ridiculous to look good before a fight to the death, but it may just save your life. Kushina will be your guide in all of this."

Hmm. Strategic pampering. Alright.

Kushina gives them a determined smile. The corners of her mouth waver a little. Kakashi has a feeling she hates this almost as much as he does.

"Secondly, we'll be teaching you some general strategy," Minato takes over, "What to do in the arena, what not to do... That sort of thing."

"What about weapon training?" Kakashi interrupts. Strategy is good and all that, but what is he going to do when a boy twice his size bowls him to the ground?

"I was about to get to that," Minato gives him a smile that is somehow equal parts exasperated and kind. "Do either of you have any experience in fighting, or handling weapons?"

Kakashi shrugs. "Do street fights count?"

"Yes," Minato says, almost eagerly. "Who did you fight?"

"Gai, sometimes. He likes wrestling. And some other kids who got annoying."

"Annoying how?"

"They were bullying Gai. Or saying things about- saying bad things." He'd almost misspoken, there. He has to be more careful. He doesn't want to talk about his dad to these people who smile too much.

"Well, that's good," Sarutobi says. "What about you, Rin?"

Rin shakes her head and looks down at the table. Her cheeks are red. "No. I- sometimes I would bandage my brother's scrapes, if he hurt himself at work... I have handled an axe to cut up the wood, too..."

So has the rest of the district, Kakashi thinks unkindly. On the upside, he's the only other person from their district who's in the games. If he ignores the fact that the Grass district uses scythes or that the Mist district uses spears, it's almost comforting.

"Bandaging and taking care of injuries is a useful skill to have," Kushina says kindly, placing a hand on Rin's shoulder. Rin looks up at the redhead and smiles gratefully.

Kakashi leans back into his seat and stares at his food. It's a rich meal- full of nutrition, and probably tastier than anything he's ever had. Why can the Capitol waste money on this, but not on the general welfare of the people in the Districts? Why have them discuss strategies and look as pretty as possible when they are all probably going to die, anyhow?

"Twenty people. One Victor," he mumbles. "One Victor. So... Forget general strategy. What's going to give us an edge?"

He eyes Minato and Sarutobi, who watch him in return. They exchange a look he can't read. "How about you list your strengths for us, Kakashi-kun? And you too, Rin-chan?" Sarutobi asks kindly.

Kakashi frowns. "I know my own skills. I hardly see how any of them will help me."

"You strike me as a bright young man," Sarutobi says, "and I remember your parents. They were bright, too."

Kakashi flinches. Were. "My father is alive," he mutters angrily. "No matter what the District might prefer."

Sarutobi's smile fades. "Of course. My apologies, Kakashi-kun. I just wanted to suggest you may want to focus on strategy, after all. It might serve you well."

Kakashi has never seen his mother's Games, but he knows that she tried to focus on strategy. He knows it worked well for her, well enough to get all the way to the last three. And then some girl from the Suna district caught her in the throat with a poison arrow.

He looks at his mentors and wonders if they know her name, or her connection to him. He hopes they don't. It feels too personal, even though millions of people watched her die, live on screen. It seems only fair that he should keep her secret from the few who didn't see it, at least.

" What else is there?" He says sharply.

"The two of you may want to consider teaming up with other Tributes," Minato offers. "It's a risky strategy, but there is definitely strength in numbers. In the following days you will have the opportunity to meet the other Tributes and ascertain their strengths. Avoid the Tributes from Mist and Sand, they're Careers- but the other District Tributes could be valuable allies."

"What about each other?" Rin asks suddenly. "Kakashi and I could work together, too."

Sarutobi smiles. "Yes. I'd certainly recommend that. If you bundle your strengths, you may benefit from it."

Kakashi gives his fellow Tribute a once-over. She's of average height, but slender. Quite pretty, with big doe-like eyes and straight, brown hair that falls to her chin. She doesn't look like a fighter at all.

He can't really picture her dead either.

"We could try that," he concedes.

Rin beams at him. "I'd like that, Kakashi. We'll work hard together."

How is she so cheerful? Does she not have that sense of impending doom that every other sane human being had? No, wait, she did. She'd looked scared at the Reaping. Why not now, though?

"We'll reach the Capitol in two hours," Sarutobi says, interrupting his thoughts. "Once we're there, the two of you will be taken towards your new quarters, where you will be groomed and have time to rest."

Kakashi's train of thought takes a steep left, derails, and flies into the canyon. "Grooming?"

"Being presentable will make you more likeable," Kushina says primly, and rubs the fabric of his sleeve between two fingers. "You'll also receive new clothing that follows Capitol fashion."

Even Rin seems daunted by that. She's gone pale and her brown eyes are wide. "Ah... Will we have to dye our hair? Or... or wear make-up?"

"It's the feathers and high heels I'm worried about," Kakashi grumbles, trying to pass of genuine anxiety over being made to look like a fool off as teenage sulkiness.

"W-well, it's true Capitol fashion can be a bit eccentric," Kushina's defence of Capitol fashion is interrupted when Minato begins to laugh. She elbows him, and continues on as if nothing happened. "I wouldn't worry- they won't do anything too extreme. Well, I think."

"You think?" Kakashi remembers the opening parade. Oh. Oh. Scratch dying in an arena hundreds of miles away from home- he'll die of embarrassment first if he is primped up the way the Tributes usually are. Cleavage going below the navel for girls and boys alike, glitter everywhere, probably a terrible imitation of wood bark painted onto their skins... Yeah, no. He would rather die a fiery death than go through with that.

His face must show some of his terror, because Rin suddenly begins to giggle. Not smile, or even laugh, no, giggle. Like she can't stop.

"I'm sorry- it's just- the mental image- we're going off to die, but first we get to dress up like parrots-" she snorts, her giggling suddenly taking on an entirely new meaning.

That's not humor, it's hysteria. Kakashi feels like joining in.


The train thunders into the station two hours later, as promised. When the engines die down, the noise does not- when Kakashi looks out of the window he realizes it's people, cheering and clapping.

They're being applauded.

Minato appears next to him with a big, wide grin. "Smile," he says, forcing it out from between pearly white teeth, "Remember, being likeable is important."

So is not dying, Kakashi thinks, but he forces a tentative smile on his face. "They already know who got reaped, right? So they know what they look like?"

"Yes," Minato replies, still with that slightly unnerving look. He reaches out a hand and ruffles Kakashi's hair. When Kakashi wants to duck away, Minato's hand follows him and draws him back in. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to make you uncomfortable. But I'm- well, popular here. If they see us interact like this, you get to share my spotlight for a bit."

Popular, huh? Minato is handsome in a sleek, almost effeminate way. His bright yellow hair, tan skin and blue eyes complete the picture.

Kakashi is not naive. Minato's appearance is probably a large reason for his popularity. Minato even has something of a reputation as playboy, although Kakashi finds that hard to imagine. He suddenly finds himself wishing for bright colouring himself, instead of the cold monochrome he's inherited from his father.

They exit the train with a guard escort, of course. Even here, in the public eye, the Capitol doesn't bother to pretend they're anything other than what they are. They're herded towards another vehicle Kakashi has never seen the inside of, and moments later they're off.

Rin's cheeks are flushed. She looks highly uncomfortable. "I feel sick," she admits quietly.

An aid points out of the windows. "Try to keep your eyes on the horizon. It helps," she suggests.

Kakashi fights the urge to roll his eyes. Car sickness. Sure. That's likely. "Try breathing in through your nose. Hold it for three seconds, then breathe out through your mouth," he mutters. It helps his father relax, sometimes.

Rin gives him a look that quickly turns into a grateful smile. It doesn't last long, though- she needs to concentrate on her breathing. Contrary to what you might think, breathing in a specific way is a lot harder than it seems. Kakashi knows.

Once they exit the car Rin's face has gained a bit of colour. Kushina takes over here, and leads them into the building. Everything looks sleek and white and clean. It's as if no one has ever walked the floors or used the utilities. It doesn't look human at all.

Minato puts a hand on his shoulder and steers him left when Rin, Sarutobi and Kushina go right.

"Is this where the grooming bit comes in?" Kakashi asks, already dreading the answer.

Minato grimaces. "I won't lie to you. It won't be pretty. If you're like me they'll find dirt in places you'd never expect there to be any."

Kakashi manages to bristle and shudder simultaneously. "Who do they think we are? We have baths," he protests.

Minato gives a funny half-smile and a shrug. "We don't use them very often, though."

Hmm, well. Perhaps if they had enough time to heat water and actually take a bath, that would be different. Thanks, Capitol. "If they think we stink, it's their own fault," Kakashi mutters.

"After you've been groomed and dressed in your costume, the parade will start. Normally there might have been a day or so between the arrival and the parade, but President Shimura decided to speed things up. It is what it is. I have no idea what theme the Haruno's have come up with for your outfit, but you'll have to wait and see," Minato says, his voice picking up speed as they near another door. "Remember: when you're in the parade, no matter how ridiculous you feel, smile and wave. That's all. Smile and wave."

Kakashi wants to ask who the Haruno's are, but he's too late. The door before him opens and he is ushered through. Minato doesn't follow him. A few aids steer him towards a steel grey cubicle that he recognizes as a shower.

There's a man standing in front of it, and he's possibly the most ridiculous human being Kakashi has ever laid eyes on. He smiles as he sees Kakashi, and touches his own hair. Kakashi would think the move was self-conscious, except that the man's hair is bubblegum pink and vaguely resembles a star. There are sideburns, too. He should be self-conscious, but Kakashi has the awful feeling the opposite is true.

"Haruno Kizashi, a pleasure. I will be your stylist for the duration of your Games. You must be Hatake Kakashi, from the Leaf District," Kizashi says pleasantly. He has watery blue eyes and a warm voice. "Now, let's see if we can make you less of a scarecrow, ehh? Ha! Do you see what I did there?"

Unfortunately, Kakashi does. Smile and wave. "Ha," he says.

Kizashi grins even wider, and points at the shower. "Now, off with those clothes. We need to get you clean."

Kakashi blinks and waits. When Kizashi and his aids make no effort whatsoever to leave, it begins to dawn on him.

"You expect me to undress in front of you," he says blankly.

Kizashi nods. "Don't be embarrassed, you've nothing I haven't seen a thousand times before." He reaches out to a nearby table and turns a framed photograph of a pink-haired toddler so that it's no longer facing Kakashi. "Go ahead!"

Kakashi's ears are burning when he slowly strips off his clothes. He didn't feel dirty until he suddenly had four pairs of critical Capitol eyes on his body- now, he's fairly sure he's the dirtiest kid in the world.

Kizashi tilts his head and tuts. "Could have been worse. I hope my wife is just as lucky with your fellow Tribute. Now, under the shower with you!"

To Kakashi's mortification, they don't leave him alone once he's under the shower, either. In fact, the moment he steps under the scalding hot water stream, one of the aids begins to brush his back with what feels like sandpaper. He flinches away, only to be met by Kizashi's sponge. It's a formidable pincer-move on their part, and he briefly feels admiration. Then, the aid's brush disappears below waist-level.

The minutes that follow are amongst the most mortifying of Kakashi's life. To hell with the Games- this would be enough to give him nightmares. To his shame, Minato had been right as well- dirt really could gather in places you'd never expect.

He's still blushing by the time he takes place in something that's probably supposed to be a chair, but resembles a torture device. Once there, he's subjected to scissors snipping just a little bit too close to his ears for comfort, a razorblade (applied rather liberally to his jaw, armpits, and bafflingly, chest- not that there was much to shave in the first place), and a mean-looking pincer that does things to his eyebrows that bring tears to his eyes.

When it's over, the chair tilts forward once more and he sees a stranger in the mirror.

Okay, that's a dramatic, Gai-like figure of speech, but it is strange to see himself with his hair a couple of inches shorter, and eyebrows that could cut a man.

Kizashi nods, clearly satisfied with the result. "It brings out your cheekbones," he says, though Kakashi has no idea what that's supposed to mean.

Then, Kizashi takes a handful of gelatinous looking goop and promptly upends it on Kakashi's head. The next few minutes are spent sculpting Kakashi's hair into impossible peaks and curls whilst cooing over the 'marvellous colour, you'll set trends if you win', before Kizashi finally slicks it back while retaining some volume at the top. Kakashi begins to grimace.

"Good. Now then, make-up," Kizashi holds out a hand and someone places a brush in it. Then he begins to smooth away blemishes and ruins Kakashi's hard-earned tan in the process. Not burning in the sun is hard when you're as pale as Kakashi naturally is, and he feels oddly insulted that Kizashi chooses to lighten it to an unnaturally pale color. Indignation quickly turns into horror as Kizashi applies black eye shadow in rather creative patterns around Kakashi's eyes.

"What... what theme are we going with?" he asks, almost afraid to find out.

"Forest fae," Kizashi answers, going for Kakashi's cheeks. The black hollows out Kakashi's face and makes him look even thinner than before. With a spirited grin, Kizashi finishes the final line.

The final effect is rather terrifying. To the stylist's credit, Kakashi doesn't look much like a boy anymore. Instead, he looks like a skeleton. That's foreshadowing for you.

Kizashi sees his expression and slumps slightly. "It will look good from a distance, trust me."

The costume, at least, is not quite as embarrassing as it might have been. It's tight, much tighter than Kakashi would like, but it doesn't show anything he doesn't want to show (aside from the V-neck, which at least explains the misguided attempt at shaving his chest). It's all in forest colours; green, brown, and a hint of dark blue, all of it dark enough that he would be camouflaged quite effectively in Konoha's forests. Vines seem to grow from his sleeves and curl around his lower arms.

A pair of dusty grey wings are attached to the back. They're tattered and droop a little. He hates them with an intensity.

"Kind of a dark fae thing, huh?" Kakashi guesses. He's not sure of what else to say.

The final touch is a small band of leaves, branches and vines placed around his head. It curls over his forehead rather artistically, and resembles a cross between a tiara and a flower crown. Kakashi is glad they didn't go with the tiara idea.

"Don't you look scary?" Kizashi claps his hands as Kakashi steps in front of the mirror. Scary is one word. Kakashi feels 'ridiculous' might be more accurate. But if he has to be honest, it is strangely striking and lends Kakashi's pale features an almost ethereal air. He could probably pass quite well as a fae- assuming the fae appeared on an ambitious but low-budget tv series.

Rin, it turns out, has been given a similar get-up. Her crown is an actual flower crown, and her dress flows elegantly around her figure. She is the light, good fae to Kakashi's dark counterpart, and it takes him a moment to realize why that bothers him.

If she is the light fae and he the dark one, it is pretty obvious who the Capitol should be rooting for.

He tries to swallow away his nausea.

They're led out of the hall. Just ahead, two children dressed as what Kakashi can best describe as grass hoppers pass through a door.

They're Tributes too, then. Potentially his future murderers.

A small, shaking hand grabs his. It takes him a moment to realize it's Rin.

They pass through the door together and enter a huge hangar. Rin lets go of his hand after squeezing it once. In the hangar, the other Tributes are already waiting. Kakashi has seen the Reaping videos, but it's different to see the kids who are going to try and murder him in the flesh. Some of them are much smaller than he expected, others are taller.

The Chariots are there as well- elegant, black wagons that look smaller in real life than they did on holo-vision. The horses, on the other hand, are much bigger than Kakashi had expected, their black coats shining in the overhead lights as they snort and toss their heads impatiently. Kakashi hopes they will not have to get too close to the huge animals, but a part of him wants to reach out and see whether they're anything like the stray dogs of Konoha district.

The Victors-turned-mentors are present too. Kakashi sees an auburn-haired girl not much older than him and recognizes her as last year's Victor from Mist. Terumi something, he thinks. She won by pushing her final opponent into the stream of lava that curved through her Games' Arena. Her Tributes are a tall, tan boy with vicious looking teeth, and a small girl with long dark hair flowing down her back.

Minato smiles nervously when he beckons them towards the last chariot. He puts his hands in his sides and looks them up and down. "Well. Fairies?"

Kakashi snorts. Rin gives Minato a little curtsey.

"Last year, they went for goblins, whatever they thought those were supposed to be. It was an... interesting look," Minato shudders. "Now. Are you two ready?"

"Do we have a choice?" Kakashi says.

Rin gives him a look. "I think we should make it look like we do," she says.

She has a point, probably. She has a habit of being right, but for some reason it doesn't work on his nerves as much as it should.

Someone shouts from the chariot next to them. A huge boy with sleek black hair that frames strange green eyes has pushed past his own mentor. He's the Waterfall male Tribute, Kakashi thinks. He must be at least eighteen, and he's large and muscular. The people in Waterfall are lumberjacks as well, but unlike Kakashi this kid actually looks the part. The cheerful bright-blue outfit he's been put in doesn't make him any less intimidating.

He feels Kakashi's eyes on him and looks up briefly, giving Rin and Kakashi an uninterested once-over. He takes his place in the chariot with an air of confidence that suggests he is not impressed by what he sees.

Not that Kakashi can blame him. He's not sure he'd bet on himself, if he had to fight the Waterfall boy. He looks like a madman.

Behind the Waterfall chariot is the one belonging to Kumo, or Cloud, one of the bigger districts. They produce electricity, though Kakashi isn't sure how they do it. Watermills, or something. Their Tributes are a slight blond boy and a dark-skinned but pale haired girl who eyes everyone nervously. She's dressed in a beautiful sleek silver dress that shimmers when she moves.

The source of the noise comes from the Sound chariot. Sound is a new District set up on behest of one of the current Game-makers, a man named Orochimaru. The population was drawn up from all the other Districts, taking the troublemakers and putting them all into one place. What exactly their job is, Kakashi doesn't know for sure. Maybe they're secretly a prison District. That's certainly what the grapevine believes.

The trouble-maker is a red-haired girl in a bandana, gesticulating wildly and yelling at her fellow Tribute, a large, surprisingly chubby boy with equally red hair. Whatever it is they do in Sound, they must eat well.

Kakashi wants to see what they're fighting about, but the staff interferes and urges them all into their Chariots. Kakashi and Rin will be somewhere in the middle of the queue, so they have to wait and stand as the first chariots leave. On top of the Chariot it seems even smaller. It's much lower than he'd expected, too, and once they start moving he has to grab hold of the railing in order not to fall off.

Rin puts her hand over his when they leave the Hangar. She's shaking a little.

When the doors open, a wall of noise meets them first. There's music- drums, Kakashi thinks, though it's hard to tell through the pounding of his heart- and above all, people screaming and shouting from the massive stands that have been erected on either side of the boulevard they travel down.

There are huge screens again, like there had been at the Reaping, showing his and Rin's faces as they come out of the hangar. They look like they've stepped out of a dark fairytale. Rin, with her flowing light robes and cherubic face looks almost ethereal.

Haruno Kizashi was right- the make-up does look better from a distance. Kakashi's expression makes him look like his IQ is about fifty points below what it actually is, though, so he tries to channel his anger and create what he hopes is a stronger look.

The roar of the audience seems to pick up, though it might just be his imagination. His heart is pounding to the beat of the drum. He decides to keep his eyes trained on a point ahead of him, and that makes it easier to keep his face as stern as he wants it to be.

He's not sure what Rin is doing, but then she's suddenly trailing her free hand outside of the chariot, letting it run through the air as though they're riding through a field of tall grass. Kakashi forgets his composure for a moment to take in her serene expression.

The crowd loves it- the cameras, which had started to focus on the Chariot behind them, turn back to them. Kakashi, afraid that she will fall, turns the hand she's still clutching over so he can thread his fingers through hers. If she falls, he can draw her back.

For a moment, he catches sight of the two of them on the Chariot. Rin, serene and beautiful, and himself, dark and fierce.

He squeezes Rin's fingers tighter, and promises himself to do his best to keep her safe.


AN: Most of the Tributes mentioned in this chapter are drawn from canon. Can you guess who they are? I did shift some of their ages a little...

As for the whole 'Minato as a playboy' thing, I assure you this is not a reputation Minato wants to have. It's just that the Capitol can make people do many things they don't want, so long as they have the right leverage...

Updates will be a bit slower from now on.