Hey guys. My net totally sucks so I'm using my uncle's (he doesn't know though LOL) and well I'm sorry to say but the descriptions suck. I'm not really good at them so I hope it's understandable.

Thank you LadyShizu for your kind words. :D

Hope you guys like it. Here's the 4th chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto (If I did, SasuSaku and my other favorite pairings would be rocking and Kabuto and Karin would be dead) and The Hunger Games (I wish I was Suzanne Collins.)

CHAPTER 4

It was . . . beautiful.

The room was very large and the ceiling was dome shaped with no windows and doors except for the one we came in from. The walls were made up of black mirrors which gave a clear reflection. The ceiling was made up of colorful glass material and they seemed to be making up different pictures; pictures of majestic creatures, each with a different number of tails, from one to ten.

I couldn't help but admire them; there was a two tailed cat with a body that seemed to be made up of blue flames, an interesting pink-colored creature which was a mix of an octopus and a bull, a fierce looking fox with red eyes, orange fur and its tails flaring out in every direction and many more. The final creature, depicted above all the creatures, had ten tails and was simply made of black glass so as to form a silhouette-like image. I had a feeling that the pictures in the glass told stories. But once again, I resisted and didn't allow curiosity to get the best of me.

The floor of the room was much different. It was made up of polished wood and there were symbols drawn on it. A black circle was in the middle and from it, markings spread out, like rays of the sun, in eight directions. ANBU members in their uniform and masks hiding their faces stood at the end of each line of marking. It was a teleportation seal.

I had only read a bit about it from the small library in our village but other than that, all I knew was that the tributes were teleported to the Land of Iron rather than walking for days. It used up a lot of chakra, the source of a ninja's power, but it was the only way for quick travel.

Our Fourth Hokage was known as the 'Yellow Flash of the Hidden Leaf' for his teleportation ninjutsu. He was so fast and could move from one place to another in a blink of an eye. He was a well respected ninja but he had died saving the village from the nine tail fox demon.

My head snapped towards the glass picture of the fox on the ceiling. I counted its tails and my heart almost stopped; it had nine tails. I had a feeling that each creature told a story but I couldn't believe it. Could this be the same demon fox our Fourth had died fighting with? If so, why would it be here, depicted so beautifully when it had caused destruction and killed a great ruler? I stared into the eyes of the fox and they seemed to shine maliciously. I shook my head and looked away.

Itachi, without hesitation walked towards the center of the circle. I looked at the ANBU behind me and he nodded, urging me to follow Itachi. I walked towards the center, with Hiro and Hotaru following after me. The circle was big enough for all of us so we didn't have to be pressed up against each other.

"You will meet Hatake Kakashi the minute you are teleported to the Land of Iron," said one of the ANBU, who was a female, standing by the seal. "He'll meet you by the teleportation seal over there."

"Happy Ninja Games," said the ANBU who had nodded at me. "And may the odds be ever in your favor."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes; I was so tired of hearing that. The ANBU members, standing on the line of marking of the seal, bit their thumb to draw some blood and then did a couple of hand signs. After they finished with their hand signs, they all thrust their palms to the ground and the markings of the seals started to glow.

I felt my body being pulled both upwards and downwards by an unknown force and I felt like the force was going to rip me into two. Itachi didn't seem fazed and had an emotion less expression. Hotaru whined in protest and Hiro kept growling. I squeezed my eyes shut and grabbed onto the closest thing next to me.

I suddenly felt my body turn lighter than air; like my body was made of air itself. For a moment, I felt like my entire existence had been erased. Then suddenly, like I was drowning under water, I felt my body become heavier and heavier and felt a force pulling me downwards. My eyes were squeezed shut all the way. When my body felt whole again, I slowly opened my eyes.

I was still standing on the seal and I saw Hotaru and Hiro by my feet. It was as if we never moved from the spot on the circle. But then, I noticed we weren't in the same room as before. We were in a room made up of solid iron walls, polished wooded floors and a glass ceiling which showed the clear blue sky. There were no windows and had only one door.

I heard someone clear their throat. I turned to my left and saw Itachi raising an eyebrow at me. I realized that I was clutching tightly to his arm, like it was dear life. I felt myself go red hot and mumbled an apology as I let go. I looked around; there was no one in the room. I didn't sense any chakra apart from mine, Hotaru's, Hiro's and Itachi's. I was confused. Didn't that ANBU say Kakashi would meet us here?

Itachi's voice snapped me out of my trance, "Are you going to sit up there all day or are you coming down?"

At first I thought he was talking to me but before I could say anything, I immediately sensed the presence of another chakra in the room, right above us. Hiro and Hotaru had noticed too. A figure jumped down and stood a few meters away from where we were.

He had silver hair spiked up, mostly towards the left side of his head and one single coal black eye. The other was hidden by the Konoha forehead protector and his whole face was hidden by a mask. He wore a green flask jacket with a black shirt underneath and black pants. He was reading a familiar looking orange book. I then saw the title of the book; Make-out Paradise.

I turned red from embarrassment and from annoyance. That was a book written by one of the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya, who was one of the students of the Third Hokage and also the master of the Fourth Hokage. He was a novelist as well. Jiraiya had mysteriously disappeared during the nine-tails' invasion. Some say he was killed and they was nothing left of him. Therefore his books were kept in our village's library as a memento. I made the mistake of reading it once. That book was . . . very indecent.

He didn't even look at us and simply kept reading his dirty book even when he spoke, "Well done locating me. No need for introductions; I already know who you are. Now zip your lips and follow me." And with that, he started to walk towards the door, while reading his book. What a weird guy. I wonder how a pervert like him, of all people in Konoha, once won the Ninja Games.

But we didn't argue. Itachi walked ahead with his hands in his pockets while Hiro, Hotaru and I walked behind them. We walked through a narrow corridor, similar to the one in Konoha. The corridors were lit with torches and the light from the fire bathed everything in orange.

At the end of the corridor was a door. Kakashi opened it and the light from the other side immediately poured in. I had to shield my eyes from the sudden flash. Without even looking up from his book, Kakashi walked ahead and we followed.

We were now walking through a corridor which had glass walls so everything on the outside could be seen. It was now evening so the final rays of the sun far out in the horizon shone beautifully through the glass. It was amazing; there were many huge buildings and everything was so lush and full of life. The people were going about with their business and the atmosphere seemed so peaceful, like there wasn't a worry in the world.

It was so much bigger and richer than Konoha and I wouldn't mind living here. Hiro and Hotaru wagged their tails as they walked; I guess they liked it here too. I noticed Itachi was looking around too and he seemed fascinated as much as I was.

We reached the end of the corridor and Kakashi opened the door at the end. He walked in calmly and we followed. Inside was a huge long wooden table with so many delicious looking dishes laid out in the most beautiful way possible. It took all my will power to not pounce on the juicy-looking bird in the middle. Hiro and Hotaru barked as they ran ahead. I tried stopping them but they went ahead.

I sighed, "Idiots."

They looked at Kakashi, as if asking for permission to attack the table. Kakashi simply walked over to the table, picked up the whole bird and placed it in front of them without even looking up from his book, "It's all yours."

Hotaru and Hiro licked his mask-covered face and started attacking the bird. Hiro joined him too. I couldn't help but let out a chuckle at their behavior. Kakashi wiped his face and sat down on one of the chairs.

He finally looked at Itachi and me lazily, "Well don't just stand there; let's eat."

I took a seat opposite to Kakashi and Itachi sat next to me. After filling my plate I dug right in. But I didn't eat everything like a pig. My dad taught me table manners so I ate slowly. Itachi didn't gobble everything up either; he spent his childhood with the Hokage and the higher ups so he must be used these things. The food was great; something like this could never be afforded by anyone in Konoha.

As I ate, I noticed Kakashi was still reading and hadn't touched his food at all. I swallowed a mouthful of the mashed potatoes and cleared my throat, "Uh . . . Hatake-san, aren't you going to eat?"

Kakashi looked up again and his visible eye crinkled, indicating he was smiling at me, "Just call me Kakashi and yes I'll eat. I just have to finish off this chapter. I can't take suspense."

What a pervert. But I nodded slowly in response; actually, my mother often told me it was rude to read or do anything else besides eating when at the table. But I guess Kakashi didn't know that. Nevertheless, I simply turned my attention back to my meal.

"Hello Tributes of Konoha!" exclaimed a shrill voice behind us. Itachi and I turned to see the blonde woman from the reaping; the one who had read out the names of the tributes. She sent a flying kiss at Itachi who ignored her. She then cleared her throat and sat down at the table next to Kakashi.

"What are you doing here, Reiko?" Kakashi asked lazily. He didn't even acknowledge her presence and kept reading his book. I also noticed that his plate was now clean. I gaped at him; how in the world did he eat so fast?! I didn't even see him taking off his mask. I shook my head and turned back to the blonde woman, Reiko.

Reiko giggled, "You're still reading that dirty book, I see. I was just going around and meeting the tributes. That guy from Iwa was such a hottie!"

"That boy is eighteen. You are thirty five years old." Kakashi stated, making her flush red. I was taken aback, She didn't seem thirty five; she seemed eighteen. The information freaked me out a bit.

"Shut up." She snapped at the male. She then plucked a grape from the fruit basket and popped it in her mouth. She then turned to me.

"At least you guys have descent manners," she said as she gave me a sickly sweet smile. "Last year's Konoha tributes ate like a couple of savages!"

Last year's tributes were, coincidentally, brother and sister who had, never in a day of their lives, eaten till they were full. Table manners would have been the last thing on their minds if they saw such a delicious feast laid out for them. I couldn't help but feel angered by that comment. So I dabbed my plate with my finger and licked it clean. I then smiled innocently Reiko. She seemed horrified as I wiped my finger on the table cloth. From the corner of my eye, I saw Itachi smirk slightly before resuming his meal.

"Well I should be going," Reiko said as she stood up. She walked towards the door and turned to face us before she walked out. "Happy Ninja Games! And may the odds-"

Kakashi swiftly plucked a grape and threw it straight into her mouth without even looking away from his book. Reiko choked violently and kept hitting her chest to get rid of the grape. She finally managed to swallow and glared at Kakashi.

"Yes, yes," Kakashi said lazily. "We know; the odds will ever be in blah, blah, blah. Thank you. You may leave." Reiko turned on her heel and stormed off. I snickered quietly; that woman got what she deserved. Kakashi then snapped his perverted book shut.

"Well now that was lovely," he said with a sigh; what a pervert. He then stood up and stretched his arms. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed. Both your rooms are down that hall. Itachi your room is on the first door to the left and Hana your room is on the first door to the right." H-e pointed to a hallway to his left.

"You're supposed to help us with matters dealing with the games, aren't you?" I asked. But Kakashi was already gone. I crossed my arms and glared at the spot where he was standing previously.

"We should get some rest," said Itachi. "We'll get him to talk tomorrow." With that, Itachi walked off towards his room. I let out a yawn. Itachi was right; it was late and rest was essential. I turned to Hotaru and Hiro and saw them lying on their backs, exposing their bellies, and a pile of clean bones on the platter where the bird once was. I smirked and gestured for them to follow me.

I opened the first door on the right and walked in. My room was about twice as big as my entire house back in Konoha. Three walls of the room were solid and a pale yellow color, just like my dress. One wall, the one to the left, was made of glass and the lights from the city could easily be seen. A large bed was in the centre of the room with two bedside tables on either side with lamps on top of them. There was a desk and a shelf with many books and scrolls in the corner.

A large flat-screened T.V hung on the wall opposite to the bed. Near the glass wall was a large mattress with many comfy-looking pillows on them Hiro and Hotaru immediately went over and snuggled into the pillows. Soon, they were asleep. There were two were three other doors in the room. I decided to do a bit of exploring. One of the doors was the bathroom, which was huge and had almost everything. The other door led to a balcony.

I stepped out into the cool evening air and placed my hands on the railing. Because of the light from the city, I could hardly see any stars in the sky. Sometimes, I would camp out in the woods with my father and we would try to count the stars. I always cheated but my dad never minded. He would cheat sometimes too. He would tell me stories as we ate rabbit and sipped water. I missed him terribly.

I wondered how my mother and Kiba were. What were they doing right now? Had they eaten the fish and the bread or were they left untouched? Did my mother slip away again? Was Kiba left all alone with no one but Akamaru as a companion? I shook my head; Tsume promised she would stay strong. I was going to put my faith in her. Besides, I had no choice but to do so. It reassured me a bit to know Sora was with them.

I knew Kiba was going to snuggle up to my mother tonight when he slept. He would take Akamaru to bed with him as well. I knew Sora would keep their feet warm if it got cold at night, like he always does and Kuromaru would protect them from any harm. The thought reassured me a bit. But even though they were all physically okay, would they be okay emotionally?

I let out a sigh and decided to go back inside. I sat cross-legged on the bed and grabbed the remote, which was on one of the bedside tables. I switched on the T.V; they were now showing the reaping from today.

First they showed the reaping in Iwa. When the black haired female's name was called out, she literally squealed in glee while others looked at her in envy. A boy with long blonde hair immediately volunteered to participate instead of the short and plump boy with brown hair. I rolled my eyes; people of Iwa salivated for a chance to take part in the games. They were show-offs but they were all deadly killing machines.

In Oto, the names of a girl with long black hair and a boy with spiky black hair and multiple arms were called out. The boy freaked me out; he looked like a spider. A boy with spiky black hair, probably the girl's lover, cheered loudly for her and the girl blew a kiss in his direction. The Oto tributes seemed pretty pleased and they slapped high fives with each other as they stepped onto the stage. People in Oto were pretty much similar to the people in Iwa.

In Suna, the names of the Kazekage's daughter and son were called out. The blonde daughter smiled wickedly as she stepped onto the stage and her brunette brother waved at the crowd as he followed after his sister. The Kazekage had a look of pride in his eyes but the people in the crowd looked relieved. I guess Suna was similar to Konoha; except for the fact that they were richer and some people respected the games.

In Kumo, a girl with dark skin and frizzy red hair was chosen and she smirked as she walked up to the stage. A boy with pale blonde hair who had a lollipop in his mouth walked towards the stage with a bored expression. The crowd went wild and the girl even blew some kisses to the crowd. The boy simply waved. Kumo was also one of the villages who respected the games and honored it, like Oto and Iwa.

In Yuki, two young kids were chosen. I watched as their parents wept miserably. The tributes seemed shaking and were fighting their tears. I pitied them; Yuki was one of the poorest villages in the Water country and the Mizukage paid them no attention. Their village was laden with snow and the only thing they could do for survival was ice fishing.

In Kiri, a fair-skinned girl with long brown hair was chosen. She did not show any emotion. A boy with spiky indigo hair, bluish skin and shark-like teeth was chosen as well. He was grinning maliciously as he stepped onto the stage. I shuddered; people in Kiri were experts on swords. Both tributes looked like they knew twenty ways to kill with a sharp object.

In Taki, a boy with brown hair tied in a high ponytail and a girl with auburn hair was chosen. They seemed pretty shaken. Nevertheless, they stepped onto the stage. They didn't look honored or frightened. They looked . . . bored. I made a mental note to keep an eye on them.

In Kusa, a boy with red hair streaked with black and a girl with curly blonde hair was chosen. The girl looked terrified and the boy looked like he was scared too but he made an effort to hold back his emotions. I didn't think these two were a threat but that didn't mean I wasn't going to keep an eye on them.

In Ame, the female tribute was beautiful with short blue hair and a beautiful paper in her hair. She didn't show any emotion and walked towards the stage slowly. The people shook their heads in sympathy. Some shed tears. I realized she must have been important to the people of Ame. The boy tribute seemed about twelve years old with spiky orange hair and orange eyes. He was very similar to Kiba in both size and demeanor. He shakily walked towards the stage and I saw the female tribute look at him longingly.

Finally, it was Konoha. I saw myself hugging Kiba and walking away as my brother was taken away by the ANBU. I wiped my eyes before any tears could leak out. I watched myself step up onto the stage slowly. Then Sasuke's name was called out and I watched as Itachi volunteered for him. I watched their argument and Itachi walking towards the stage as Sasuke was taken away by the ANBU. My gesture of admiration and the crowd following my lead was also shown. After Itachi and I shook hands, the screen went blank.

I lay down on the soft bed and stared at the ceiling. Tomorrow, Itachi and I will have to talk to Kakashi about how to survive. I couldn't help but wonder how a pervert like him could help us. But then again, he did survive the dreaded games once. I turned to see Hotaru and Hiro snuggled up together on the mattress.

I smiled sadly; I didn't want to put them through this at all. But they were too stubborn. I kept telling myself that they had to be with me because we were Inuzukas. It helped a little in pushing away the guilty feeling.

I thought about all the other tributes. I had to look out for the tributes of Iwa, Oto, Kumo and Suna. That girl from Ame seemed mysterious and very deadly. The boy from Kiri seemed vicious. The other tributes might have something up their sleeves as well. I felt a cold sweat run down my forehead and I reached up to wipe it away. Strong or not, I wasn't going down without a fight.

I couldn't help but think about Itachi as well. No doubt he will be one of the strongest in the arena. He had the Sharingan and he was an ANBU as well. Maybe the others will be too concerned about him and forget me. Maybe I could use that as an advantage. I hated the other villages, mainly Kumo, Oto, Suna and Iwa, for looking down on Konoha like we were trash. I wanted to win, not just for my family but for my village. And even if I went down, I wanted Itachi to win and prove that Konoha may be poor but wasn't weak.

A yawn escaped my lips and I reluctantly dragged myself out of bed to change my clothes. A soft white-colored night gown had been laid out for me so I stripped out of my mother's dress and put it on. I climbed into the covers and snuggled into the pillow. Before I fell into a dreamless sleep, I could have sworn I saw a pair of red eyes watching me.

Hah! I had to make Kakashi as Haymitch. Don't worry; I'm just using the plot from the book. It will have its twists and turns. Just wait till the games begin. Okay guys, it's time for a vote.

Q. Should I add the star-crossed lovers' thing or should I add a bit of a surprise twist to it? (Either way, ItaHana will be there. Don't worry ^^)

Vote yes or no on my poll or simply tell me your opinion as a feedback for this chapter.

I'll try updating soon. Stay tuned!