Thanks to Ulrich362, mcdinh, and Foxen Fudo for reviewing the previous chapter!

I am such a horrible person. I shouldn't have gone on so long of a hiatus, and I shouldn't offer THIS chapter as my return gift.

And on that note, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds or the Hunger Games, but I do own my OCs.

WARNING: PREPARE FOR CHARACTER DEATH. YEAH.

Chapter 14

Much to my chagrin, Brave fits right in to the group. Some of his antics—like him randomly pranking us of all things—makes Mia seem sane in comparison. It's all behind the guise of him being one, a magician, and two, trying to keep us from getting glum.

Yeah. I think I get enough amusement out of Crow. Now I have this wannabe magician trying to drive me insane at every turn.

At least he has a sling in his tiny pouch. Crow dislocated his shoulder or something when he killed the two mutts. All I know is that he needs it in a sling because whenever he tries to move it, it causes him enough pain to nearly pass out.

I guess I got off lucky. The injury on my stomach is only one clean cut, and isn't very deep. It only really bothers me if I stretch out my back. No, what I have to be careful with is my left hand, where I cut it grabbing the blade of my katana in an attempt to overpower the alligator that had been on top of me.

We set up camp in a field of tall grass when midnight draws close. It's then that I decide to ask more about Brave. I mean, I didn't make much of an effort to learn about him in training, unlike Crow did. I'd like to know my allies and their motives, rather than blindly trust him.

…Even if he is an admittedly trustworthy person.

"Hey… Brave?" I ask once I think he's settled.

The redhead looks at me. "Something up?"

I frown a little, shaking my head while I'm at it. "Oh, no," I reply, "I just want to know a little bit more about you, if you don't mind sharing."

He chuckles, "Kinda impossible to keep stuff private in the Games anyway, right? The cameras catch everything we do, plus our families get interviewed once we get to the final eight."

The final eight. Right. I laugh along with him. "You have a point. So, will you tell me more about yourself and your district?"

Brave shrugs. "There's not much to say about District 7. Lots and lots of cutting down trees. It's honestly pretty boring." He shifts his weight, like he's about to get super serious. "All the magic stuff I like to do is because I needed a way to pass time back there. With my nimble hands, it was that or thievery."

Yeah… being a magician is definitely legal, whereas being a thief is not. "Hmm. Any other reason you chose magic?"

"Crow didn't tell you what I did for a living?"

"If he did, I wasn't paying attention," I admit.

"Eh, whatever. See, I run an orphanage just like you guys do back home. The kids really like watching my tricks. Heh, I bet they enjoyed my display with the alligators earlier."

He raises orphans too? But… "Don't you have to be a certain age to run an orphanage?"

"Maybe. Technically, Harald runs it. I'm just the one who cares the most about the place." He gives me this half-baked attempt at a glare. "I'll also have you know that I'm sixteen, not whatever age you think I look like."

I blink a few times. R-Really? But you look younger… more like fourteen… "Um… okay…" I cough a little. "What about your brothers? I mean, I know they're both victors… but I was only, like, three when Harald won and I barely remember Dragan's Games." Enough to remember his victory occurred by him crushing the skull of the only other remaining tribute with his bare hands, but I don't really want to say that.

Brave is silent for a few moments. He scratches his chin a little. "It's kinda hard to explain… Don't get me wrong, they're both cool and all, but…" Brave grins sheepishly, "I don't remember their Games at all, and they don't tell me anything about them."

"Okay, other than that aspect, how are they as people?"

At this his eyes light up. "Harald and Dragan are the best older brothers a guy could ever have. Harald's the cool and collected one, but he's a little strict. Dragon, on the other hand, is super hotheaded. Oh, and I can get away with all the crap when he's around. They balance each other out, you know what I mean?"

I shrug. "A little bit… Crow and Angel are kind of like that."

"H-Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" my adopted brother interjects.

"It means you're an idiot a lot of the time, and Angel cancels out your stupidity."

After a brief argument between the two of us, we all end up laughing. Then, I get to the last question I kind of wanted the answer to. "So… How have you survived so far, Brave?" I ask.

"Huh?" His eyebrows scrunch up, forming creases on his forehead. "What d'you mean?"

I hold in a sigh of frustration. Repeating myself is boring and stupid. "I mean… how are you still alive? It doesn't look like you have much on you."

"Oh…" His eyes light up, and he claps his hands together. "See, that's because I was following around the Careers, and every time one of them was distracted I'd grab food out of their supplies. They were catching on to me, so I quit doing that… then I saved you guys from that alligator attack, and the rest is history."

…Why am I not surprised he tried something like that? But… wait… "D-Does that mean the Careers are close-by?"

"Nope. I lost them early this morning down by the beach."

Phew… that would be a rude awakening—getting attacked by the Careers.

"'M catchin' some Zs…" Crow says. His eyelids are drooping, and his movements are sluggish at best. He curls up in the sleeping bag he claimed for himself. "G'night…"

He has the right idea. It's late, and we all need to sleep.

The sudden boom of the anthem makes my heart leap into my throat. I don't know why they even showed that—no one died today. But when it dies back down, I can actually get some sleep.

XXX

A few days pass without any incidence. The Arena is more of a heavily wooded area again, except not with pine trees because that frigid air isn't around. And our clothes have changed once again—they're geared towards a moderate climate instead of a hot one.

I'm starting to get a little worried. It's too early in the Games for their to be a break in everyone dying that lasts for this long. I bet the Gamemakers are getting tired of waiting… and I also bet the Careers are getting angry that everyone else is really good at keeping away from them. Something is going to happen soon… I can just feel it.

But without anything actually happening, I'm being forced to let my guard down. The alternative, after all, is getting Brave to pull some sort of prank on me. And I really don't want that.

…I really wish Brave wasn't basically forcing me to have my guard let down. It's why I wasn't expecting what happened tonight. I wish I had been alert. Maybe… Maybe I could have saved him.

See, I'd gone to bed after finishing my shift of watch duty. I don't know how long I was asleep. Crow just starts shaking me, and screaming in my ear. "The woods are on fire!"

My eyes snap open, and the stench of smoke fills my nose. It's thick around us, the heat threatening to choke me. Like Crow said, the forest is on fire. Or at least, the parts to the north of our group. Meaning… we have an escape route.

No one says anything. We're too drowsy to do anything other than grab our stuff and run. The fire's spreading rapidly—too rapidly. Adrenaline is the only thing keeping me going right now. Still, the flames look like they're going to reach us soon…!

"Eeek!" Mia screams, stopping in her path and a hand flying to her head. At first, I'm annoyed. Then I wonder if she's hurt. "M-My headband! It's gone!"

Aaaaand, it's the headband. Of course it's the headband. I spin around, my eyes trying to scour through the flames and smoke. I'm not seeing anything pink… wait… it's lying under a fallen branch. Grumbling, I shout, "Keep going! I'll get it for you!"

Bruno shouts something similar, and since he's closer I let him get it.

I shouldn't have done that. I should have gotten it myself.

His peripheral vision doesn't work right because of the bandages over his one eye… and by the time I scream at him to get out of the way—by the time I'm running in an attempt to get him out of there—the flaming tree lands on him.

There isn't enough air in my lungs to let out a screech. But the cannon doesn't go off immediately, so my brain starts functioning again. I finish running over there. Bruno's already trying to get it off of him, but it's hard when he's stuck face-down and his entire lower half is pinned.

I don't even know what I'm thinking at this point. Save Bruno at all costs? Maybe. Maybe that's why I didn't care when I burned my hands on that wood. Maybe the adrenaline made me do it. I'm still not sure.

The stupid pink headband is still in his hands. I stare at it, grunting while I try once more to move the fallen tree. "Ngh… why'd you have to…? What makes… that headband so important?" I ask. Important enough to risk your life?

"It's… it's the… o-one thing that… makes Mia ha-happy…" he grunts. "Please… j-just… try to keep her… safe. For me…"

If I'm supposed to be crying right now, the heat is making the tears dry up. "Okay. For you. But… I'm… not giving up on you yet…! Agh!" My hands slip off of the bark, and I land on it instead. My clothes don't catch on fire—are they fireproof for some reason?—but the exposed parts of me do. That includes the bandages from the alligator attack.

"Sky, take it and go!" Bruno shoves the pink plastic headband into my hands.

I make one last attempt, but logic gets the better of me. I just can't move the tree. Reluctantly, I turn back around and keep running, patting away the fires on me while I try not to look back.

It's a full ten minutes before the cannon that signal's Bruno's death fires.

To be continued…

I told you. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry.

You'll still review, won't you?