Chapter 8: Boy On Fire
Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto if I would, Naruto and Sasuke would end up together. Italic is going to be when everyone is watching the Hunger Games and talking.
Naruto didn't want to stay in the tree any longer. Slowly he urged himself to move, and unbuckled his belt, sliding out of the sleeping bag and gathering everything up before leaping out the tree, landing easily. He was just trying to decide which direction to take when he remembered the snares. Maybe checking them while the others could be so close was a dumb idea, but he couldn't help himself. He just drew him back, no matter what the risk was.
On his way, Naruto came across the dying coals of a fire. It must've been the dead girls'. He walked past it quickly, not wanting to think much about the previous night. He headed back to the snares, and grinned when he was rewarded with one large, plump rabbit. He cut it down and sat under a tree, working on skinning the animal. When he was done, he left all the leftover pieces under some leaves.
He bit his lip. Damn, he would've loved a fire right now. Eating rabbit raw could lead to rabbit fever- an unpleasant lesson he'd learned the hard way.
Oh, wait. Naruto picked up the rabbit and hurried back to the dead tribute's fire. The coals were still hot. He set about cooking the rabbit, hoping the cameras were on him. He wanted sponsors to know that he could hunt, that he wouldn't be lured into traps as the others would because of hunger. While he waited, he ground up a charcoaled branch and tried camouflaging the backpack. It didn't do too well; mid would've been better. But for mud, he needed water.
Naruto stood up, picking up his food and heading in the opposite direction the Careers-and Sakura-took. Well, could he call her a Career now? He really wasn't sure. Obviously, she was acting like one now. But he wasn't sure she had it in her to actually be them. Traitor or not, she still seems sweet, and brutish or curel like the others were. She was nothing like Emi, or that horrible Ami. Or Rin.
Rin. Another puzzle he wanted to try to solve. Why didn't she kill him? Maybe she was distracted by all the stuff at the Cornucopia? Or maybe she decided he just wasn't worth her time. He wished he knew. Not that it'd help him in any way.
He finished off some of the rabbit and wrapped the other half in the sheet of plastic, tucking it into his pack for later. It helped the hunger pains in his stomach. But water was his priority now. He needed to find some quickly. He stood up, kicked some dirt over the coals, and walked the opposite direction the Careers had gone. He was still heading downhill, but realized now this could be a good thing. Water ran downhill, after all. He had a better chance of finding it here, and there was no way he was going back to the lake.
He walked on. At some point he heard a twig snap and dived to the floor, taking cover in a bush. It was Sasuke, walking through the woods and looking around. Naruto thought about drawing an arrow and killing him there and then. But he couldn't.
Sasuke held a spear in his hand, and had a small pack attached to his belt. He took another look over his shoulder, before running off into the trees. Naruto waited a good fifteen minutes before getting up and walking on.
He wondered if he held the screens in the Capitol right now. In case he did, he made sure to keep his expression blank. Claudius Templesmith must've been going crazy over all this. A District 11 girl joining the Careers, a 12 tribute only a few feet away. He wondered now, if District 11 had any sponsors. He felt certain Sasuke did. He was handsome and strong, after all. The Capitol liked handsome.
The sun rose in the sky, and even through the canopy of trees it seemed much too bright. After some more walking, he coated his lips with grease from the rabbit and tried to stop panting. But it didn't help. It had only been a day and he was dehydrating fast. He kept walking into the valley, trying to spot any change of environment that could indicate a nearby water source. But no, everything was the same.
As the day wore on, he realized he was in trouble. The dry patch on his tongue refused to moisten, the sun hurt his eyes. He took out the sunglasses and put them on, but they made everything look lopsided and weird, so quickly took them off again. They made him even dizzier than he already was.
Spotting a clump of bushes covered with berries got his hopes up, when he dived forward and picked some, he saw they weren't blueberries like he'd thought. They were a different shape, and when he dug in his fingernail and broke it open, the inside was a dark red. He bit his lip. He knew not to eat any berries unless he was positive they weren't poisonous. But it took a few minutes of repeating this for him to manage throwing them away. He was so tired now. He had to stop and rest every few minutes, and wanted nothing more than to just lie down and not get up again. But it was moving forward that would help him, so he couldn't.
When nightfall came, he climbed a tree as high as he dared with his shaky hands, and strapped himself into the sleeping bag. He couldn't eat, so he just stared up at the sky blankly until the anthem began to play. The only face to appear was Fuka from 6. She must've been the girl who lit the fire. Poor thing.
He shut his eyes and tried to sleep.
"Do you think he'll be ok?" Boruto asked his mother.
"Oh, I'm sure he'll," Mrs. Uzumaki replied quickly. "He's very good in the woods. You know that. I'm sure he'll find water."
Shino stared at the screen, eyes wide. He was worried. Worried for Naruto. His father had once told him how bad dehydration was. How it was one of the worst ways to die. And Shino didn't want that for Naruto. Never in a million years.
In the morning, Naruto's head throbbed and his heart pounded. Rather than jump from the tree, he just fell, lading on his knees with a huff. He knew he should be moving more cautiously, but his mind was foggy and all he could think was water, water….
Maybe he could go back to the lake.
No way. It was like a watering hole. The number one attraction for predators. He wouldn't make it all there, anyway.
He could wait for rain. But there wasn't a clouding in the sky. To keep searching, however agonizing it was, was his only option.
Suddenly Naruto thought of Jiraiya, and felt outrage. That pervert idiot could send him water! Yes, sending in gifts was expensive but surely District 12 had some sponsors!
Naruto took a deep breath and opens his mouth. "Water," he said as loud as he dared, noticing how hoarse and weak his voice was.
But no little parachute came flooting down. Nothing.
What was he playing at? Jiraiya disliked him, but he couldn't want him to die. And even if he did, he wouldn't risk the anger of the District. He had a feeling Ripper, the woman who sold the liquor, would be keeping her business away from him. He wouldn't chance that, would he?
So why wasn't he helping him?
And the obvious came to him. Maybe it was a message. If Jiraiya hadn't sent him water, it must've meant that he was close to it. And this was what drove Naruto to walk further ahead. He could do this, he could do this...
'He's coming a little close to the West side, there." a Gamemaker called out.
"We'll soon drive him back," the Head Gamemaker Carlton Banks smiled, eyeing the camera that showed him Naruto Uzumaki, stumbling alone in a daze. "Muttation?"
"Got it," the Gamemaker replied, "Muttation, habitat… here, will this do?"
Carlton grinned. "Perfect."
Naruto leaned against a tree, panting like a puppy dog. Everything was spinning a little. He stumbled forward another few steps. And then stumbled some more because he was on a steep slope. He blinked dazedly, coming to his senses and seeing it at last. A large pond at the foot of the slope, surrounded by bushes. Ok, maybe it looked a little like a swamp, but he couldn't care less at this point. Water was water.
He ran down the hill, tripping at least twice and ending up falling and landing on his butt only a few feet away from the water. Finally. He crawled forward, grinning like a madman. The water may not have been very clear-and very dark-but he could purify it well enough, surely. He was so thirsty now it was dimming his senses.
He tentatively dipped a hand in the water. And when nothing happened, he sat back for a second, just to catch his breath. As he did, he got his backpack and opened it to find the water container.
That was when the water exploded.
Or that was what it looked like to Naruto. He shrieked, leaping back what distance he could. But now he could see why the water had burst upwards. And he was too slow to react as the tentacle shot out and wrapped tightly around his left leg.
Naruto let out a blood-curdling scream, writhing on the ground and trying to pull back as the tentacle dragged him forward. His calf was burning, stinging with an unbearable pain. His foot was now fully submerged in the water. Naruto's fumbling fingers yanked the knife from his belt, and with a roar he sliced down right through the tentacle grabbing his leg. And again. And again until blood spurted from the slimy black skin and his leg was released. Without waiting, Naruto leaped up and ran back up the hill, finding new energy in his fear. He ran, stumbling through the bushes and tripping over roots until he couldn't go any further.
The next root knocked him flat, the breath knocked out of him as he lay on his stomach. He had tears in his eyes, and prayed the cameras couldn't see. He slowly rolled onto his back, panting and trying to get the air into his lungs. Everything was a blur.
'It's alright. This is a good place to die.'
His hands gripped the soft earth around him, his eyes drifting shut.
"Hey!" Shino squealed, ducking and laughing. It did no good though, as another clump of mud struck him on the leg. "Watch it!"
Naruto just laughed, ducking and diving in behind the reeds as Shino flung mud at him. He was six years old, at the lake with his father and brother. Well, either small lake or large pound, his father always said it could be either.
"You missed me!" he giggled, running across the grass when Shino chased him.
"Alright, you won't be laughing long!"
Naruto shrieked as his dad grabbed him, lifting him up over his shoulders. "Swimming time, squirt! Hold your breath!"
Shino laughed as Naruto was flung into the clear water, squealing all the way. He popped up again immediately, treading water and laughing. He could smell the pond lilies that were floating around him, could feel the mud against his toes. When he kicked his legs….
Mud.
Naruto sat up, breath catching on his throat so suddenly he burst into a fit of coughing. He could feel mud on his fingers, mud on the ground. Ah he could smell lilies! Pond lilies!
Naruto turned around and started crawling, fumbling along weakly to the source of the scent. He let out a weak sob of relief. A pond, half sheltered by trees and bushes, mud all over the bank. And those beautiful lilies floating on the surface. Naruto crawled forward to the edge, dipping his hand in. somehow he knew this was ok. Grinning, he filled the flask up with water. And it was little common sense he had left that stopped him from gulping it all down. He took out the bottle of iodine and added the right amount of drops. And while he waited for it to purify, he started rubbing mud over the backpack, camouflaging it completely until it matched the forest floor almost exactly.
When that was done, he trusted enough time had passed and picked up the container. After a few gulps, he put it down again. He had to take it slow. And while he waited for that, he decided to examine his leg.
The entire pants leg almost up to the knee was ripped and ruined, so he got his knife and cut it off entirely. He winced as he looked. It wasn't as bad as he'd expected, at least. That tentacle must've had teeth or spikes or something on it, because Naruto's whole calf was covered with scratches and cuts. But they didn't look serious; the deepest was something he'd had before and nothing too drastic. He washed the blood off his leg and drank some more water. Within the next hour, he'd swallowed the entire two litters. And he felt so much better. Over the next couple of hours, he drank another two litres, then purified another as he ate some more of the rabbit, along with one of the crackers from his pack.
It was evening by now, so he hopped up into a tree and snuggled up in his sleeping bag. Now that he thought about it, that tentacle thing was probably just to drive him back. He had a feeling that if he were to go back there, that swamp might have disappeared allrogher. But he could never be sure.
This was the Hunger Games, after all.
Kiba had never felt anything like this.
As he watched Naurto screaming and trying to break free from the mutt that had him his grasp, he felt undeniable fear. Fear for the boy he'd loved for so long. A boy who sometimes felt like his brother, sometimes his friends…sometimes his lover. But not often. Mostly there were those two struggling souls, who leaned on each other for warmth and support.
And then when he thought of Shino, his cheeks flushed. With Naruto, sure it had been noice. A needy thing, something they did because of all the pressure on their shoulders. But he felt like Shino wanted him. It seemed more sensitive, more raw with emotion.
These two feelings were familiar. Nothing strange and alien. But the fact that he felt these two emotions together as he watched the screen-he just didn't understand this.
He loved Naruto.
Did he love Shino the same way he loved Naruto? Or maybe it was the fact that he didn't feel the same towards Naruto as he did Shino.
It had his head spinning just thinking about it. He trusted he would figure it out soon. Or else try and push it to the back of his mind. For now.
Naruto's eyes opened at the sound of stampeding feet. He rolled onto his back, looking up. His eyes widened. Shit.
His first instinct was to leap from the tree, but he was belted in. He opened the belt and rolled over, falling out and landing on his back with a thump. Trying to catch his breath, he scrambled out of the sleeping bag-which thankful had all his gear in it-and ran.
The wall of fire was gigantic, turning the woods into a world of flames and smoke. Burning branches fell from trees and landed at his feet in a shower of sparks. All he could do was follow the animals running for their lives. Their instincts were sharper than his. But they were much faster, and their feet didn't catch on roots and fallen branches like he did.
The heat was unbearable. But the smoke was worse. He pulled his shirt up over his nose; it was soaked in sweat and offered a thin protection. He ran on, his sleeping bag banging against his back, his face cut and scratches from branches that seemed to appear from nowhere in the smoky haze. But he kept running, choking. Of course, he knew that this was. This fire couldn't be an accident; it was Gamemaker-made. Probably to drive the tributes together. There had been no deaths today, and maybe not much fighting either. The Games were becoming dull. Something they could never do.
He leaped over a burning log, but not high enough. The end of his jacket caught fire, and he had to stop and rip it from his body, stamping out the flames. Then he stuffed it into his sleeping bag and hoped the lack of air inside would extinguish what he hadn't, he couldn't leave it behind, he wouldn't.
His lungs felt like they were burning. He couldn't stop coughing, each breath hurting his chest. He felt a churning feeling in his stomach and took cover under an outcrop of rock. Then he threw up, gagging and retching on the ground. He retched until there was nothing left to come up. He grabbed his water and took a sip to rise out his mouth, then a few swallows to help his throat. He rolled up his sleeping bag and messily stuffed everything into his backpack, before pulling his bow and arrow back onto his shoulder. This part of the woods was unfamiliar to him, but he knew his rest was over and had to run again.
That was when the first fireball shot out and struck a tree half a meter from his head. He shirked, scrambling out from under the rock ledge and taking off.
Well, now the Gamemakers were looking for some real fun. When he heard the hiss of another fireball, he dove down to the ground, not taking the time to look. He was barely on his feet again before the next one hit where he'd been laying, sending up a massive pillar of fire. Never in his life had Naruto felt any fear like this.
Maybe if he got out of this part of the woods, there would be no more launchers. But he couldn't keep a plan in his head as he dodged and fanned past the fireballs. He could lose his life in a split second, if a Gamemaker wanted it. He just kept running, trusting he would get into another part of the woods soon.
Eventually, the attacks seemed to lessen. Which was good, because he was retching again. This time it was nothing but an acidic substance that burned his throat and forced him to stop as his body convulsed violently, trying to rid itself of the poisons from this attack. There was no hissing, so he stayed still, the force of the reaching stinging his eyes. Tears streamed down his cheeks, his clothes were drenched in sweat. He was wiping at his eyes angrily when the hissing came.
He didn't react fast enough. The fireball skimmed past his side, skidding over his right calf on its way. He screamed in pain, falling onto his knees. He rolled around to quell the flames on his trousers leg. Then angrily ripped the blackened fabric away. He was shaking, his calf burning, his hands covered in red welts. He couldn't move any further if they wanted to kill him, now was their chance.
He heard Iruka's voice in his head: "The boy on fire."
The Gamemakers must've been hysterical. Maybe Iruka's designs were inspired this torture.
The attack is over now. He knew the Gamemakers didn't want to kill him. Not yet, at least. Occasionally, a gamemaker would kill a tribute just to show the others they could. But mostly they moved them around so they would face each other.
Which could only mean one thing. If he wasn't being fired at anymore (no pun intended), there was another tribute nearby.
If he could he would drag himself into a tree, but the smoke was much too thick. He forced himself to stand and limped away from the wall of flames. As he got further away, the woods became darker, foggy and dim with smoke. He realized he could see the occasional stream of sunlight through the haze. He could just about see ten meters in every direction. A tribute could be hiding here. He could've drawn his bow, but he doubted he could hold it for long. But the pain in his hands was nothing compared to his calf. He hated burns more than any other would. He could hardly bear the small ones from the oven, let alone this.
He let out a weak cough, stopping and leaving against a tree. Then he heard the crack of a twig on the ground. Oh Shit!
He hurried forward, then realized it was a mistake. Going too fast too suddenly made his head spin, his face grow hotter than before. With a faint cough, he felt himself falling, landing on the ground with a soft thump. He saw his poor burnt hands, one twirling a little plant around his finger, before he heard the cannon go off.
'Oh God, it's a Career...they're going to kill me…
But he couldn't get up. His eyes slid shut and his head finally stopped hurting as he blacked out.
"He's going to kill him, Kiba!" Shino was screaming, hands in his hair, eyes wide with horror. Kiba quickly rested a hand on his shoulder. "It's only the fourth day, this isn't fair!"
"Wait!" Kiba stopped his ranting. "Just stop. Look." he didn't know what he felt right then. Jealousy, maybe? Or just shock.
Nobody expected what happen then.
Sasuke looked down at the still body by his feet.
He hadn't expected to kill so soon. But there was a wicked part of him that felt satisfied when he heard the crunch of his spear in Moegi's back, jarring her spine. He'd hoped that in these Games, he wouldn't kill anyone without a reason. Without a reason besides the 'fellow tributes must die' excuse. But he felt this time, he had a valid reason.
He left his spear in Moegi's body and took hers. She had no supplies so he didn't bother searching her. He left her there and walked away, the sound of the hovercraft echoing behind him. He walked forward another step to where his reason lay. In his hand he held the spear that had been seconds away from stopping his heart. That was a better reason than any.
Naruto lay still on his side, his hair hanging down over his face. His lips were slightly parted, and Sasuke could hear every breath he took. Sasuke knelt down next to Naruto, brushing the hair out of his eyes. A smile cept over Sasuke's lips as he watched the boy laying there. Sasuke knew the cameras would see his smile. And didn't care all that much.
He wanted to examine Naruto's wounds, but decided that it would be better if he left them alone. He slid a hand down under Naruto's waist, another behind his knees, and picked him up. Standing up, he carried Naruto carefully across the forest floor, coughing a little at the smoke still surrounding them. But it wasn't as thick as before, and he knew he would be ok. It didn't take him long to get to the pond. He lay Naruto down gently next to the water, flat on his back. As he did, the blonde's eyes fluttered faintly and Sasuke froze. But Naruto didn't wake up. He would wake up here, and find himself alone. Maybe he'd wonder how he got there, or maybe he'd just assume he was so dazed when he fainted he had no idea where he was. What matted was that here, he could heal. Which was what Sasuke wanted.
And when he leaned down and pressed a kiss to Naruto's sweaty forehead, before getting up and running off, all of Panem knew who Sasuke Uchiha loved.
Hope you like the story
Sorry for not writing, not for a while been busy with work and I'm starting to write The Princess Bride Harry Potter version. And I'm trying to get done writing this story. I'll try to type out chapter 9 soon. And I'll try to wirte some more of the story and type it.
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