HG:I

Chapter 4

~Goodbye to All~

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor do I own Hunger Games.

But both are awesome!

I glare at the wooden door, hoping that it would shatter to pieces if I kept staring at it long enough. Exasperated, I let out a frustrated sigh and throw my hands in the air. I stand up from the abyss of the leather couch to pace the small room inside the justice building.

How the hell did I get myself into this?

I pause in mid-step as I recall what happened after I declared myself as a volunteer.

FLASHBACK

"I volunteer."

Heads all around me turn my way, all not bothering to mask the shocked expression plastered to their faces. Up ahead, I see the runt turn around to gaze in awe at me. The way his eyes widened at the look of me, I would've thought he was seeing a super hero or something of that stature.

Maybe he just wasn't expecting a hanyo to take his place. I snicker to myself.

I move my gaze from him to his older sister, who is also gaping at me like I'm a savior, no longer needing Effie's support as she regains her composure.

The Hizador guards in white escort Sota back to his age group; turning on their heals to surround themselves around me. At the sudden closeness, I growl. One guard snaps his head my direction and sticks the barrel of a gun to my side. Through his mask he threatens, "No funny business, boy. Just don't give us any trouble and you'll walk away unharmed. Got that?"

All his words barely made it through the plastic helmet, but I think he intended it to be that way so not even a hidden microphone could hear him.

No witnesses, eh?

A sharp jab to the ribs reminds me that I still haven't given him an answer. I give one sharp nod and the entire group shepards me to the stage. They stop at the stairs and push me from behind to give me the message 'go forward." At the top, Effie is bending as far as she can (which isn't much in her tight clothing) and offers me a hand. I put on a scowl and walk to the top of the stairs, ignoring her hand. It's just for show anyway.

Still, she grabs my elbow and leads me to the center of the stage, right next to the other tribute, Kagome.

"Wow. District twelve's first volunteer! What do you have to say…. Umm…" Effie rolls her left hand, silently asking me to give her my name.

"Inuyasha," I say in a gruff voice.

"Inuyasha!" she repeats. "Well, how do you feel?"

I just soften my scowl to an unreadable expression. I stand taller and cross my arms over my puffed out chest. .

"Well," Effie continues, trying to get something out of me. "Why, if you don't mind me asking, did you do it?"

My arms slacken a bit.

Why did I do it?

Giving it my best shot, I say, "I guess… I just didn't want to see one family be torn up more than it needs to be. I mean, it'd be completely unfair for that family if both children went and-" I stop myself, realizing I was rambling.

One of the cameramen offstage waves at Effie and instead of milking the rest of my answer out of me, she puts a hand on each of us and says, "Okay! Let's give a round of applause for this year's lucky tributes!"

I don't even need to look at the audience to know that they'll do no such thing. I'm a half-demon, for crying out loud – they're probably glad I'm leaving.

But I turn my head anyway to face the crowd and almost lose my breath. Before me, everyone, everyone, is pressing three fingers to their lips and holding them out to me. I glance at Kagome, but she's just as surprised as me. Again, I gaze at the crowd; each and every one of them is giving the symbol of love. To give love. To say they love us, and wish us farewell. I feel a pang at me heart, remembering that that was the last thing my mother did to me a moment before she died….

… And then Effie blows the moment and opens her big mouth.

"Okay!"

She probably has no idea what this means to us.

"Alright, Inuyasha? Kagome? Shake hands!" She steps back to give us some room.

For the first few seconds, we equally study each other, looking each other up and down. Up close, I notice how her scent is slightly… Nice… Her hair looks soft to the touch as a gentle breeze softly tosses it, so softly I wouldn't have seen it back in the audience. Sadly, her outer appearance might get her a couple of sponsors, rich Hizador people who would pay big bucks to help get supplies into the arena, but other than that – she's a goner. Her arms and legs look like they don't have much muscle on them, but when I look back into her brown eyes – all I can find is determination… Well, a little fear too. But who wouldn't be?

She sticks her hand out and I clutch it in an instant. Our hands rise and fall and we let go.

At that moment, the guards appear on stage to escort us into the justice building into separate rooms to say our last good byes. Three minutes tops.

END OF FLASHBACK

Sometime during the middle of my memory, I had resumed pacing like a mad man again. No one has seen me, not one person! I would have though Myoga or Totosai might have come, maybe even Kikyo…

I shake my head and remember that Myoga had visited me. In fact, he still hasn't left!

I whip around and rush to the couch and pick the flea up.

"Why the hell did you stick yourself on me, Myoga? Huh?" I hold him up to my face so I can see his reaction perfectly.

"I-I-I-I w-wanted to b-be near y-you, M-master Inuy-yasha. I thought it would b-be better t-this way." His entire frame is shaking, so I flick him away.

I watch him fly and land on his back on the side table next to the couch and ask him, "so what are you gonna do now, old man?"

He lies on his back for a while, but eventually rises (with the help of his four arms) to sit up and look me in the eye. "Well, Master, I plan to stay here in District twelve until you return-"

I grab him and close my hand tightly around him, only his head and shoulders poking out of my fist.

"No, you're coming with me."

"WHAT!" That's coward Myoga for ya, always runs away if he can even get a whiff of danger. But I plan on dragging him through this one.

"You heard me-"

My ears swivel behind me to the click of the door knob and I stick the flea-youki in my left breast pocket. Quickly, I jump onto the couch and sit cross-legged, looking as bored as ever to any onlooker.

The door opens more and that same rosy dress comes to greet me.

"Inuyasha?" Kikyo asks from the doorway. I stand quickly and embrace her tightly, burying my face into her hair.

"I'm right here, Kikyo."

She nods and buries her face into my shoulder.

"Yeah, I realize that. Inuyasha?"

I pull away and take a step back, letting her know that I have my undivided attention on her.

"You have to try," I cock my head at her. She grips my shoulders and says, "Inuyasha! You can hunt! That's already one thing that separates you from the other tributes! Promise me you'll try to win, win the Hunger Games."

I look at her flabbergasted.

Does she really expect me to win? There's going to be Careers out there! People who have trained their entire lives to compete in the Hunger Games! I don't have much of a chance in there-

Kikyo strokes the side of my face with the back of her hand, taking me by surprise.

"I believe in you, Inuyasha. Always remember that."

We stare at each other for half a minute or so when the door flies open. The guard yells that times up and drags Kikyo away from me.

Probably for the last time, too…

The door closes again and I wait forever, the entire time arguing with the bug in my shirt, until the door opens again to reveal someone I didn't fully expect to see.

"Inuyasha!" A little boy just twelve, just old enough to enter, runs over to me and throws his arms around my waist. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you soooo much!" He buries his head in my shirt.

Awkwardly, I place my arms around him.

"Umm… You're welcome?"

"No!" My head snaps up to see a woman waiting patiently by the door, the mom of the family. "You don't understand how grateful we are that you took my son's place. I can never repay you for what you've done, but understand that we will always be in your debt-"

"Don't worry about it." I waved a hand at her. Her mouth drops for a second before turning back into a smile.

I don't want anyone being indebted to me. It just seems wrong.

She turns her head to the side and mutters, "Too bad I can't say the same thing to Kagome…"

I know I wasn't supposed to hear that, but my demon ears heard the words anyway. The mom looks at me, or really, at my ears as they twitch this way and that. She takes half a step towards me.

"May I?"

I shake my head, knowing exactly what she wants, "Sorry, Miss. I don't like anyone touching my ears."

Still in my arms, Sota shifts about until he can face me.

"I almost forgot." He says more to himself than me; he digs into his pant pockets. "Here."

I peer into his outstretched hand, the flash of gold glittering in front of my eyes.

"What's that for?" I ask him, still looking at the Mocking jay pin fitting in the palm of his hand. He stealthily pins it to the collar flap of my shirt before I have time to object.

"Gramps says that this pin will protect you, so I want you to keep this – especially in the arena. Okay?"

Before I can rip the thing off and give it back to him (it can probably buy his family a full pound or two of meat) the door swings open violently and the Hizador guards drag my company away once again.

I sigh and sit on the floor with my back leaning against the couch. Suddenly, I became very tired, exhausted even.

I wonder how Kagome is holding up?

A few minutes later, Effie opens the door and gushes about all the splendors of the Hizador, ushering me to the back of the building where the train was waiting to take me away from everything I've ever known, where all my memories were made, where my little stash of keepsakes is held-

To take me away from life, because I don't think I'll make it out of this thing alive.

A/n: Hey folks! I actually typed this while riding down the Interstate, so round of applause for me!

XDD

Till next time!