Iwaizumi was surprised he and Oikawa managed to chomp down quite a bit of food that morning and even take a decent shower before getting dressed. The atmosphere around the table was already gloomy and they didn't want to make what could potentially be their last meal even more awkward.
In an hour, they will be taken by plane to the newest Arena and have trackers implanted into their skin. Every move they make would determine if they lived or died, either by the hands of other Tributes or by the forces of nature that the Gamemakers came up with. As Iwaizumi shovelled chicken into his stomach, he felt himself want to throw the food back up, only to force more down to make sure he had enough fuel to keep going until his next meal.
"Are you two ready?" Matsukawa asked as they nodded, thanking for the meal before rising to go to the door. Osamu lead the way to the lobby of the apartments, leading them into the car that took them to the outskirts of the city.
"Remember, do not go to the Cornocupia. As tempting as it sounds, going there is a death trap. Sure, there are weapons and food but the Carers will get there first and swipe most of it. They won't hesitate to kill any Tributes standing in their way once they got their hands on weapons. It happens every year, people getting killed before they can get their hands on something. You know how to make a bow, Iwaizumi and you know how to work with knives, Oikawa. Make sure you get to safety in whatever Arena you're thrown into this year. Hide out until its safe and get a grip on your surroundings. Find water, make sure you stick close by to a water source. We will do our best from our end to support you from the outside," Matsukawa said as he placed his hands on the Tribute's shaking knees.
"I believe in your two, alright? You are some of the strongest Tributes I have come across from our District. Play your cards right and you can go home," he said as the car jerked to a stop, Osamu sighing as he moved to open the door.
"Exactly what Matsun said. Keep yourselves alive and we will felt you from our end," Osamu said as Oikawa smiled, "Thanks, Osa-chan."
"Osa-chan?" Osamu growled as Matsukawa placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You go with Oikawa, Osamu. I will deal with Iwaizumi," he said, steering the two boys away from each other when Oikawa turned to look at Iwaizumi.
"I will see you in the Arena, Iwa-chan," he smiled, Osamu tugging his hand towards the building as Matsukawa and Iwaizumi went a separate way. For some reason, they always split the Tributes up before the Games, making sure each District was separated from each other.
Once they reach the end of the hallway, Matsukawa turned to give Iwaizumi a bone crushing hug. Iwaizumi couldn't help but hold onto the man who had taught them what he knew that could keep them alive, Matsukawa's breath hitching as he whispered into him.
"I already lost my best friend to the Games. Don't you dare die on me too. We're going to get old together, drink till we drop and do all kinds of shit, you hear me?" Matsukawa growled as Iwaizumi nodded, "We will."
"Atta boy," Matsukawa grinned as he stepped back, slapping him on the back as Peacekeepers came to escort him to the plane. Matsukawa stood and watched as Iwaizumi stepped onto the plane, the plane's blades whipping his hair as Iwaizumi turned to look at his mentor one last time before the doors closed in on them. When he looked at the older man, he could faintly see tears in his eyes before being shut out, Iwaizumi collapsing into a seat across the small orange haired Tribute from District 1.
"Ah, you're Iwaizumi-san aren't you? Nice to meet you! I'm Hinata Shouyou!" he grinned as he put out a hand to him. Iwaizumi slowly took it, not wanting to offend him or anything as Hinata grinned, "Don't take anything personally. Me and Kageyama are just trying to survive this too so if we do kill you, see you in heaven!"
Iwaizumi felt his blood run cold as the girl next to Hinata burst into sobs, begging the Peacekeepers to let her go home as the silver haired Tribute next to her tried to comfort her. Hinata didn't seem to be bothered by what he said at all, instead leaning in his seat and humming a tune under his breath when some scientists came over and began to inject trackers into their arms. Iwaizumi flinched as the beeping sound of the tracker being activated filled his ears, the slow rumbling of the plane taking off nearly making his stomach turn as they took off into the air.
After successfully not throwing up from the flight and avoiding Hinata's stares throughout the flight, Iwaizumi managed to step off the ground to be escorted to a small room. No one was inside save for a couple of items of clothing he had to wear. He smiled as he tugged on the jacket onto him, glad that he had something comfortable to wear at least when the sound of the countdown began above his head.
"30 seconds to launch."
Weirdly, Iwaizumi didn't feel any panic. Instead, he felt like he needed to rise to this challenge as he walked towards the lone tube situated in the room, the doors open to let him enter as he stepped into it. As soon as he stepped in, the doors whizzed shut behind him, trapping him inside before the mechanical voice spoke once more.
"10 seconds remaining."
Slowly, the pad rose into the air, carrying Iwaizumi with him as the hatch opened to let in sunlight. Iwaizumi had to squint as the sun hit his eyes, blinding him for a moment when the jerking beneath his feet finally came to a stop. As he opened his eyes, he nearly felt his heart drop as he saw the lush forest surrounding them followed by the sound of water lapping around them. Iwaizumi looked down to see that they were surrounded by a huge volume of water, the Cornucopia in front of their eyes in the centre of the water with a single metal pathway for the Tributes to run on leading to it. Above the metal structure was a clock, counting down to the minute the Games begin.
Now, it read 20 seconds.
Iwaizumi turned to see the other Tributes already standing on their pedestals. All of them were focused on the clock, albeit in different stages of panic and calm. The freak duo from District 1 seemed to be bouncing on their toes, eying each other from their spots. District 2 eyed the weapons hungrily, one of them literally licking his lips as the countdown hit 10.
9.
8.
7.
Iwaizumi turned to see Oikawa around three pedestals away from him, his lean frame still as he turned to look at Iwaizumi. Iwazumi jerked his head to the Cornucopia as Oikawa shook his head, mouthing the word 'Run' as Iwaizumi sighed.
6.
5.
Was this the last time he would see him alive again?
4.
3.
They had to.
2.
"Iwa-chan, let's make it alive together."
1.
"Happy Hunger Games. And may the odds be ever in your favour."
BOOM!
…
Osamu dropped Oikawa off without much of a goodbye, although he did appreciate the awkward hug Osamu gave him before going onto the plane. Oikawa had always wanted to be in one of those, flying through the clouds and exploring new places and shooting to the stars.
If he had it his way, he wanted to be an astronomer and study the galaxies.
The moment he stepped onto the plane, he was met with deep blue eyes that glared at him as he sat across him. Kageyama didn't stop looking at him as Oikawa tried to ignore his gaze, his blue eyes seeming to pierce into his soul as Oikawa growled.
"Hey, Tobio-chan, you got a problem with me?"
Kageyama seemed taken aback for the nickname as Kuroo tried not to snort two seats down, earning a glare from the boy as Oikawa sighed, "If you want to settle things in a civilised manner, please do it now. I don't want to be in the Arena with my back on the ground and you with a knife against my throat to get an answer."
Kageyama shuffled his feet as he bit his lip, trying to find the words as Oikawa tapped his foot. There was a soft whirr as the plane took off into the air, the feeling of being suspended in midair sending chills down Oikawa's spine as Kageyama blurted, "I think you should create an alliance with me and Hinata!"
"Excuse me?"
"Ushijima-san you were strong and you could ensure our survival during the Games. Its always a good idea to band up together with strong Tributes before the Games so we can help each other."
"I never took you as someone who is willing to work with others, Tobio-chan."
Kageyama sputtered as Oikawa eyed him carefully, taking in the lanky boy and the nervous tapping he was doing with his foot. Despite him being one of the top candidates for winning the Games, Kageyama Tobio was very much afraid.
"Oikawa-san, aren't you scared to die?"
"Of course I am. Everyone is. That doesn't mean I want to take any lives if necessary."
"No one will be able to get out of this without blood on their hands."
"And me want to help you kill them?" Oikawa snarled as Kageyama shot daggers at him, "Ushijima-san mentioned you had pride and would never join us. I thought I might see some reason in you, but apparently not."
"Ah, so it was Ushijima who coaxed him into it, that bastard," Oikawa mused as he grinned, Kageyama seeming to stiffen in his seat as Oikawa's sneered, "If you ever make it out of the Games alive Tobio-chan, tell Ushiwaka-chan to never forget my worthless pride. That is the only thing going for me now, and I will make sure to use it to win the Games."
Kageyama went silent afterwards, Oikawa leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms. He felt a little triumphant about his little speech, although that meant that he had just made himself a target for Kageyama and his partner.
Oh well. He and Iwaizumi would sort it out later.
Once they were on the ground and escorted to separate rooms, Oikawa grabbed the gear provided for him and stepped into the chute leading to the Arena. When he strained his ears, he could almost hear water as he stepped into it, the doors sliding shut behind him as it rose up into the sunshine. Cool air hit his face as he took in the fresh air, salt hitting his nose as the sound of lapping waves filled his ears.
They were standing on pedestals raised on top of a huge lake. Water surged under them and as Oikawa craned his neck into it, he thought he might have actually seen some sharks in there. He had never seen one of course, although Iwaizumi used to tell him off tales of creatures lurking in the deep that used to kill humans very easily.
He looked around for his friend, spotting him standing three pedestals away from him. They made eye contact. Iwaizumi jerking his head towards the Cornucopia as Oikawa sighed at how stupid he was. The weapons did look enticing though; rows of weapons were lined up along the inside of the Cornucopia with stacks of supplies stacked up on top of each other.
It was a death trap.
The countdown filled their ears as a man spoke the numbers. Oikawa could feel goosebumps rising on his skin as the time ticked closer, the jacket doing little to keep him warm as he looked ahead.
10.
9.
8.
7.
They had to make it out.
6.
5.
4.
They will make it out.
3.
2.
1.
Together.
BOOM!
Tributes of the 74th Hunger Games
District 1 : Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shouyou
District 2 : Shirabu Kenjirou, Goshiki Tsutomu
District 3: Kuroo Tetsurou, Kenma Kozume
District 4 : Haiba Lev, Yaku Morisuke
District 5 : Arakawa Shouta, Sakura Nanami
District 6: Sugawara Koushi, Sawamura Daichi
District 7 : Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji
District 8 : Sakamichi Kunihirou, Saitama Ryuma
District 9 : Mei Kimura, Kirishima Asuna
District 10 : Tanaka Ryunosuke, Shimizu Kiyoko
District 11: Tsukishima Kei, Hitoka Yachi
District 12 : Oikawa Tooru, Iwaizumi Hajime
Alive : 24
Dead : 0