Nine

{3rd Person}

'Okay... you two need to listen to me.'

Outside, a car has just pulled up and is waiting to escort the two tributes from District Twelve safely to their interviews with Kisuke Urahara, where they will speak in front of the whole of Karakura. Both tributes are extremely nervous, because of course it means that they are really not that far away from being placed in the arena. This is the last big event before they have to leave.

'Remember to play nice,' Shinji says. 'You've both received ridiculously high scores, but do not get cocky. You've made the Gamemakers believe you have something in you, but you also need to convince the nation that you have potential. Get people to like you. I cannot explain how important this is.'

'We understand,' Dark murmurs. She has been dressed in a long lilac dress made of silk, and her hair is tied back with a hairpin. The front of her dress has two straps extending from where they join at the back of her neck, locked at the front by a shiny silver broach with the symbol of a mockinjay. When she first appeared out of her room where her stylists had been preparing her, Hollow couldn't help but stare. Never before had he seen someone dressed so beautifully, as both of them come from a poor district of poverty. When she caught him staring at her she rolled her eyes and smirked at him. He immediately looked down, his face hot. He began to wonder what it would be like to have a heart, and whether it would be beating particularly fast like the ones of his victims right before he kills them. He himself is dressed in a smart white suit as if his stylists want to emphasise the fact that he's albino. This outfit is definitely the fanciest thing he's ever worn.

'Try to appear confident, but not arrogant, all right? Leave that for the Careers.'

'Fine, fine,' Hollow mutters.

Shinji sighs. 'Look, it's probably a good idea if you listen to me, okay? This is advice coming from someone who actually had to go through all of this.'

'But from experience, improvisation works a lot better than strategy with the Hollow Games,' Dark points out. 'At least, that's the way it works until we actually get into the arena.'

Shinji sighs. 'You two seem to always be able to pull off whatever move you make, I suppose. Do you really want me to leave this to you?'

'Help's nice and all, but lets just see how it goes, shall we?' Hollow says with a grin.

XOXOXOX

[Hollow]

'Please welcome our host for the interviews of the tributes for the Seventy-fourth Annual Hollow Games- Kisuke Urahara!'

'Hello, Karakura!' Kisuke shouts, striding onto the stage, to be greeted with overjoyed roars from the audience. 'Are you ready for the interviews?!'

'YES!'

'I can't hear you- I said, are you ready?!'

'YES!' the crowd screams.

'Then lets get started!' Kisuke says, plopping himself onto the comfy red chair opposite a blue one, where each tribute will sit when it is their turn. The other tributes and I are sitting in a side room behind the stage, watching it happen on the screens in the corners of the room. For this particular event, it is ladies first, so I'll be going last. Once again, we're sitting in order according to our districts, except now the males are after the females, and once again Dark and I are chatting quietly with Nel. I can see why Dark likes her- I did see her doing quite well in the training, and she is very intelligent for someone so young.

'So, Nel... what do you think about an alliance with Dark and I?' I begin.

Nel looks extremely surprised. 'Really? You want me to be on your team?'

Dark shoots me a grateful look, then turns back to Nel. 'Yeah- you're clever, and strong, and I think the three of us would work well together.'

Nel bounces up and down on her chair in excitement. 'Thanks so much! So, should I mention it in my interview if Kisuke asks me?'

'Sure, tell the world,' I say with a grin.

XOXOXOX

'So you're officially in an alliance with Hollow Kurosaki and Dark Kuchiki then?' Kisuke asks, flashing Nel with a brilliant smile as she watches him nervously. She's pretty much at the end of her interview, which means the other tribute from her district will be next, then Dark, and then it will be my turn.

'Y-yes,' Nel stammers. 'I'm really glad. I honestly wasn't sure anyone would want to team up with me, but I'm really lucky, 'cause Hollow and Dark are really strong.'

'That's great!' Kisuke exclaims. 'But why would you think nobody would want an alliance with you? I've heard that you have quite a lot of skills- a good aim, and you're very fast at climbing...'

'Th-thanks!' Nel says with a tentative smile, obviously a little more confident now she's been paid a compliment.

'Lets give a huge round of applause for our female tribute from District Eleven, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck!'

The crowd all cheer and the clapping begins. Nel blushes a deep scarlet in embarrassment, and Kisuke shakes her hand and tells her she's ready to go. Nel runs off the stage in the opposite direction to the other tribute from her district who is coming up, ready for his interview.

XOXOXOX

'So, aside from Nel and Hollow, are you in an alliance with anyone else?' Kisuke asks.

'No, it's just the three of us, but if anyone else feels like joining, feel free,' Dark says with a confident smile, and the audience laughs. How does she do this?! Act like it's so completely natural?!

'I must say, you look absolutely fabulous in that dress!' Kisuke says. 'I think we should certainly give your stylists a round of applause, am I right everyone?!'

More cheering begins, and Dark flashes the audience another smile. Confident, but not arrogant- exactly how Shinji suggested. Perhaps I should have listened to him after all.

'So... I've seen your awesome scythe. Are you any good with it?' Kisuke says with an eager smile.

'Oh yeah! I've had it for such a long time- I mean, I need it to get souls, right? And then I hunt for my family too.'

'But... isn't hunting prey in District Twelve strictly illegal?'

But of course, Dark has a comeback.

'Everyone's gotta break rules sometime in their life- and it's not gonna be while I'm in the arena, is it?'

The audience laughs again, which means that she has given an acceptable answer. Wow... she's pulling this off really well!

'I must say, I'm really impressed with you and Hollow... you're definitely two of the most impressive tributes from District Twelve I've ever seen.'

'Thank you! But it's not as if I want to end up how the tributes from Twelve usually end up!'

'Yes, you're quite right,' Kisuke says with a smile. 'Ladies and gentlemen, lets have a round of applause for District Twelve's female tribute, Dark Kuchiki!'

Dark gets up from the chair, a big smile on her face, and waves to the audience. In the light, she really does look beautiful, glowing as if she's angelic. I find my face going hot again.

XOXOXOX

'So... can you tell me why you volunteered in that young Hollow's place?'

'Well...' I take a deep breath. The whole of Karakura is listening. What exactly should I say?

'I killed someone. I ate the soul of someone who was still alive. Twice actually, 'cause I did it to one of the Gamemakers too.'

Yeah, now I think about it, that was probably not what I should have said.

'Is that so?' Kisuke says, his face serious for once. Apart from that, the whole of Karakura is silent.

'Yep,' I confirm. 'At least I know I might stand a chance in the arena.'

'Yes, I certainly think so,' Kisuke says, but I know he's lying. He thinks that the Sereitei will hurt my family, and they will bring me to my knees like that.

And I know it's not going to happen.

They know I've murdered in District Twelve. Nothing is hidden from them, nothing. And they've even seen me murder a Gamemaker.

If they want to hurt my family, they will have already done it. And I know they haven't done it, because if they had, they would have let me know. To rub it into my face, to break me.

Which means that if the Sereitei is going to break me, they'll do it in the Games.