Chapter Two: The Final Night

District 1

Still only one floor above the ground level, Haruhi, Kaoru, Kyoya, and Benio all could plainly see the majestic city lights out their window. Though the windows were soundproof and blackout curtains were available, the dazzling array of non-stop fireworks and flashing signs, not to mention monitors of some sort replaying clips from the Reapings and the Interviews over and over, gave a silent picture that reminded them of everything that was going on.

"Haruhi, aren't you hungry?" asked Kaoru.

The four tributes were seated in the main dining room section of their floor. The accommodations were exceptionally fancy, of course, though not out of the ordinary for District One's tastes (especially the Ouran natives). Several pieces of fancy tuna sat untouched on Haruhi's plate. She wasn't sure why she wasn't eating. She didn't feel particularly sick or anything… just not hungry.

"You really should eat as much as you can to keep your strength up," said Kyoya. "There's no telling what we'll be facing once we enter the arena tomorrow."

"Even… even after everything that's been happening the past few weeks… I can't believe we're really going in tomorrow," said Kaoru.

"Better begin to believe it," said Benio, in between sips of some delectable-smelling soup. "If we are to survive the first day, you must prepare your mind for the role you will fulfill tomorrow, that of a combatant! One who fights for his life, to return to the loved ones back home-!"

"This isn't some crazy Zuka drama performance," replied Kaoru. "This is our lives we're talking about! You saw our competition! We could be dead tomorrow!"

"That's why we need to talk strategy," said Kyoya. "I've kept careful notes about our training, as well as our strengths. Also, since I'm sure none of you were paying attention, they released several small details about our arena. It's going to be at least partially in a forest, and there's going to be two Cornucopias."

"What? Two? That's… unheard of," said Haruhi, suddenly. "Doesn't that mean there'll be double the bloodbaths?"

"Probably. So, because of this, we need to decide what to do," said Kyoya. "It appears the arena will be large enough for us all to scatter, but you can bet there will be traps in all directions. We should attempt to rendezvous with each other as soon as we possibly can."

"He's correct, for once," said Benio. "There is strength in numbers, after all. We cannot falter if we are together."

"Okay, but, how will we know which way to go?" asked Haruhi.

"Whoever you find yourself paired with at the Cornucopia should be your partner. I haven't been able to fully locate starting positions, but if you're at the South Cornucopia, I suggest going due west, while those of us at the North Cornucopia will go due south. The arena is a large rectangle and the two starting points aren't directly in line with each other," said Kyoya.

"I'm amazed that you could find this all out…" Kaoru muttered.

"You need only pay attention to what's going on around you," said Kyoya, with his trademark grin. "Now… let's review what we obtained in our training and play to our strengths…"

The weeks of training had passed by Haruhi in a blur. With all the random weaponry and magical elements from all the districts crashing together in her mind, she had been mostly overwhelmed at combat, instead spending much of her time learning more survival skills and edible foodstuffs, as well as some first aid. She remembered that Kaoru had also abandoned most weapon training after a couple of days, instead content to quietly follow Haruhi around and struggle with the same stations, minus crafting things like clothing and armor from basic supplies.

Meanwhile, Kyoya had hung back during most training, only occasionally picking up various weapons to practice with. He mostly took notes, carefully watching not only his fellow District One tributes, but also taking notes on the others. It had made him several enemies and almost brought him to blows several times with some of the guys from Six and Three. Benio had done a little bit of everything and, predictably, been highly dramatic about it. At least she proved to be a fairly proficient fencer and duelist, once she got a sword in her hand.

"Based on what I've seen, I can narrow down the biggest threats to our safety. The large man, Will, from District Two, has the highest odds of winning in these Games. But the ruthlessness of Ramirez from District Four, as well as Asch from District Six, concerns me… if they're willing to fight even their own team mates," Kyoya said. "It goes without saying that District Nine should be the easiest targets, but their scores bother me. By the way, Haruhi and Kaoru, how did you end up with 3's?"

"Oh… uh… I didn't really know what to do in my trial today, so…" muttered Kaoru. "I just… kinda tried my hand at a few different weapons, and I don't think they were impressed."

"Which you really should have been perfecting in the past few weeks, but I digress," said Kyoya. "What about you, Fujioka?"

"I… explained how I planned to survive, like with food and such. I thought I did all right, but I suppose they wanted a better show," said Haruhi. "Maybe because I wouldn't bring a lot of entertainment…?"

"Well I was positively ravishing… all while performing a monologue from a screenplay I'd written myself, I performed heroic feats of combat on the motorized dummies. I have no doubt that my beauty has stunned the judges, leading to my score," said Benio.

"But only for a 7," reminded Kaoru.

"Yes, well, I'd love to know what Ootori did to earn his score," snapped Benio. "Did you analyze them to death?"

"Pretty close, actually," Kyoya answered. "The copious amounts of notes I took on every individual seems to have impressed the Gods. I need not pick up a weapon; they know that I know enough to skip any surprises the other Tribute may throw my way. For example, when it comes to that girl, Fina, the perfect score girl…"

As Kyoya began to go over the finer points of each tribute, Haruhi finally found her appetite and took several pieces of sushi, rice, and some of the same soup Benio was drinking. She tried to keep Kyoya's notes straight in her head, but it wasn't long before the names were running together, and she couldn't remember if it was the District Three girl of the District Nine boy who had a strange aversion to swords. She didn't think too much about it, deciding to wait until they met up in the arena tomorrow, where Kyoya could give them step-by-step instructions on how to fight.

"The most important thing tomorrow is to get away from the Cornucopia. Especially you, Haruhi," said Kyoya. "That's where the bloodbath will be. You run in the opposite direction. If you find something on your way out, take it, but don't get over encumbered."

"I… I understand," said Haruhi. "I won't."

"Very good," said Kyoya. "The same applies to you, Kaoru, and you too, Benio. We have to stay alive long enough to meet up with each other."

The grim faces of the others at this suggestion, met with not even an ounce of sarcasm, is what finally made it hit home to Haruhi that they were really going in for a fight to the death. This wasn't some staged Host Club nonsense… this was their lives. Their lives… that could very well be over the next day. Never to see anyone from Ouran again… or her father…

"Now I don't feel good…" Haruhi muttered, pushing her plate away.

"I know… look, I think it'd be best if we got some sleep," said Benio. "Best of luck… good night, gentlemen, fair maiden…"

Haruhi lay in her bed, watching as time marched by on a clock above her wall. At first, the terror of falling asleep clutched at her heart, rising to full-blown panic any time she thought hard about what was to come. But then she thought of her mother, and that alone had a calming effect. As she drifted off to sleep, her thoughts were filled of her friends, her family, and her supporters. She quietly vowed to make good on her promise from the interviews, and to actually try as hard as she could to not only survive… but to win.

District 2 –

"How are you holding up, Grune?" asked Chloe.

"Oh, I'm great!" Grune said, turning away from the window and smiling brightly at her friend. "There's just so many pretty colors outside! I wish I could join them…"

"That is, of course, forbidden," said Jay, sitting in the corner with his eyes closed. "That they are celebrating the demise of much of our competition… it's sickening, isn't it?"

"Well, now that we've eaten… let's talk strategy," said Will, sitting on a couch and turning away from a muted monitor. "First and foremost I think we should discuss our strengths in the arena. We have to get our hands on appropriate weaponry before anything else begins."

"Yes. If I can get a sword, you get a bow, Jay get some knives or daggers, and Grune gets some sort of Crystal Eren weapon… then I don't think we will have any trouble in the arena itself," said Chloe.

"Depending on where we start in the two Cornucopias, I believe it would be best for us to at least attempt to obtain weaponry," said Jay. "Except for maybe you, Grune, I would highly suggest avoiding combat at all costs until one of us can protect you."

"That sounds like a fun idea to me… it's always nice to have friends around," said Grune, still smiling out the window. "Oh… they have kites…"

"Next… our competition," said Will. "District Five has the highest average score, but my understanding is their specialty is only with Crystal Eres… so as long as we can get the drop on them before they can get any artifacts or weaponry that grant such power, they should pose little threat."

"I am concerned about the Ohtori boy in District One…" Jay said. "He seems like he knows too much. I don't trust him. His high score bothers me, too…"

"Why, because he got too close to you?" Grune asked.

"No. But I know that I earned my score through combat displays, especially compared to Sealed versus Unsealed. But I don't know what that boy did. It intrigues me and I intend to find out," said Jay.

"As far as non-threats, I'd say we are pretty safe with District Nine this year, which is a good change. I don't understand how District Eleven received such high scores because their tributes seem lacking," Chloe said. "Our biggest threats will probably be District Four and Six."

"That's something we should focus on. Districts. Do any of you feel comfortable teaming up with anyone?" asked Will.

"No," said Chloe, immediately. "I'd rather avoid that if at all possible."

"Yes. It seems that making this a team-focused Games has negated the need to form strategic alliances," said Jay. "But on the other hand, a little espionage may go a long way tomorrow. I wouldn't be utterly opposed, if only for temporary reasons."

"… anything to add, Grune?" Will asked.

"I'm looking forward to meeting those in the arena tomorrow," said Grune.

"Grune… I don't know how you can be so calm about this!" Chloe exclaimed. "Are… are you capable of realizing that we might die tomorrow?"

"We've faced so much more than this, though, and survived," replied Grune. "I wouldn't worry too much."

"At any rate…" Will muttered. "The most important things we need to remember: team up with our own, trust no one else for too long, get the weapons you need, and stay alive."

"Pretty self-explanatory if you ask me. So… what did the two of you do to get such low scores?" asked Jay, smiling at Will and Chloe.

"I honestly don't know," said Chloe. "They must have just thrown a wrench in the scoring for me. I was great both Sealed and Unsealed."

"Same for me. The only difference being I had more control over my Eres when Unsealed, but when Sealed I relied more on my physical strength," said Will. "And since there's already great odds on me being one of the victors…"

"Something just isn't right about that," said Jay. "But it'd be far from the first time the Gods have given ridiculous scores. It'd be like when they purposely reversed every score one year to throw the betting entities off."

"I enjoy the surprises… even if it's followed by sadness," Grune said. "Sometimes it's just easier to find the good part about a bad situation."

No one argued. The members of District Two finished talking strategy and bade each other goodnight. Although Grune still returned to the window until the last reveler had vacated the area in front of the building that held the tributes. She smiled to the sky above, watching the simulated twinkling stars, until she fell asleep sitting against the window, a serene smile still on her face.

District 3 –

The Sohmas and Hana sat at their table in silence for nearly half an hour after they returned from their interviews. Rin and Hatsuharu seemed unable or unwilling to eat, and while Yuki was only able to manage small amounts of the rich, heavenly food at a time, Hana seemed to be gorging herself and enjoying every bite. He watched her in fascination as she devoured bowls upon bowls of delicious stews, rice dishes, and all manner of other things.

"You are amazing. How can you eat so much at a time like this without feeling sick?" asked Yuki.

"Well… this may be my last night alive. I don't want to have any regrets of a taste untasted or a drink undrunk," said Hana. "Food may be scarce in the arena. I must make do with what I have."

"I just… can't eat this," Rin muttered. "I don't want anything to do with these ridiculous Gods and their stupid games…"

"So… our scores were pretty awful," Hatsuharu said. "What happened? I thought we all looked good in training."

Yuki wasn't sure. He and Hatsuharu had sparred many times through their training, while rounding it out with weapons practice and even a few of the magical instruments from the other Districts. Rin had been a holy terror, chopping down dummy after dummy while uttering curses under her breath. Only Hanajima's score made sense; he'd rarely seen her do anything other than read scrolls and books in a corner, sipping on some tea or munching on a snack she'd gotten from somewhere.

"I'm telling you… they low-balled me on purpose, to make me a target, for yelling at them during my exams today," said Rin. "And they know I can win. My blasphemy is just unforgivable for their egos."

"And what about you, Haru?" asked Yuki.

"To tell you the truth, I don't remember much," said Haru, shrugging. "It seemed to be over before it began. But I think there were some shocked whispers when I came to…"

Yuki sighed. "You went Black Haru, didn't you?"

Haru shrugged. "Maybe."

"What about you, Hanajima?" asked Rin.

"Well… I was feeling sleepy during the Sealed section, so I took a nap. But when they Unsealed me there was a request placed for my wave-sensing abilities," said Hana, in between mouthfuls of some green vegetable. "I was only able to sense some of the other Tributes… but some of them have piqued my curiosity."

"Really?" asked Yuki. "Which ones?"

"Something strange is in the air here… a presence that doesn't necessarily belong… and I detected a similar presence on that redheaded girl, Shayla, from District Ten. I think she might be worth keeping around," said Hana. "She was always very nice to me; she even ate lunch with me a couple of times."

Rin snorted derisively. "So she can stab you in the back in the arena before the bloodbath ends…"

"Well, then there was the tall lady from District Two… and the tall one from District Eight… it seems they have a strange way of communicating without words. The two boys from District Six have some weird connection… oh, and it seems there's some sort of hidden potential in the tributes from Districts Seven and Twelve, but I can't place it just yet. And, despite her perfect score, District Four's blonde female has a remarkably refreshing and calm wave coming from her," Hana said, smiling to herself. "It would be nice if she could survive, too… I'd like to understand more about it."

"Yes, well, don't go getting attached," said Rin, again. "Everyone who isn't in this room right now has to die, and as soon as possible. We can't afford to be lenient."

"But I think it would behoove us to be diplomatic and open to alliances, at least at the start," said Yuki, bracingly. "I don't think everyone is trustworthy… especially not Ramirez or Asch or Nan… but I agree with Hanajima that Shayla seems safe. And I don't sense any hostility from Grune or Fina or most of Districts Eleven and Five. I think they're just as unwilling to be here as we are…"

"I don't think any of them really want to be here," said Haru. "Sure fighting is fun… but fighting kids is just… messed up, you know?"

"Yeah, it is," said Rin. "I just hope someone else takes care of District Nine before we have to do it… I'll never be able to forgive myself if we have to put them down."

"I don't trust them," said Hana. "They deserve more respect than they're getting. Especially the blonde one. I think he might become one of the fiercest fighters…"

"Good. Let him take out some of our other enemies before we fight them," said Rin. "… I've had enough of this. I'm going to bed."

Haru hurried after her, kissing Yuki on the forehead quickly as he went. With just the still-eating Hana left in the room, Yuki felt the silence surrounding him. He thought of all the other tributes he'd seen and watched train the past few days, the kind words some had shared with him, and the evil glares and threatening murmuring he'd heard when he showed off any of his fighting techniques. Trying to keep what he'd seen straight in his head was tough; there were 44 others who he had to try and remember, which was much easier said than done.

"We will be okay. Let's find each other tomorrow and stay together," said Hana. "It's what Tohru would have wanted."

Yuki's eyes widened. In all the excitement of the past week or so of training, he hadn't even thought of Tohru Honda. But as the memory of her wide, brown eyes and kind smile re-entered his brain, a new determination grew inside of him. No matter the cost, he had to get back to this girl… and he had to make sure her best friend was with him when he did.

"That's a great idea. I know Tohru will be rooting for us… so… with her aid… I think we will be okay," said Yuki. "May the odds be ever in our favor, Miss Hanajima."

She smiled at him, as she laid her last, empty bowl back on the table. "Please, call me Hana."

District 4 –

"Vyse, you were so good during your interview!" exclaimed Kirala as the four tributes from District 4 returned to their quarters.

"As if that even matters in tomorrow's fight," Ramirez hissed, stalking past them.

"What's your problem?" asked Vyse. "We gotta stick together if we want to beat the others!"

"I would sooner die in battle than try and aid any of you. The only reason I haven't killed you yet is because I want the whole world to see me do it. District Four needs to know what I am capable of," Ramirez said.

"Ramirez… please…" Fina muttered.

"And you, Fina…" Ramirez said. "Stay away from me in the arena. I don't want to have to be the one to kill you… but I will do it. I will fight alone. No alliances… no trust… nothing. If we cross paths tomorrow, you will die by my hand."

"You're an idiot!" Kirala exclaimed. "This isn't how this is supposed to go! We may be enemies back in Arcadia but we can't risk splitting our forces here! There's almost 50 other tributes to worry about!"

"And all will fall to me," Ramirez said. "I will not share victory with you or with anyone. This is my final warning. Good night."

He went to his room, bypassing the table entirely, and they heard a door slam down the hallway. Vyse sighed heavily, as Fina stared after him, her mouth still hanging open with her last plea on her lips. Kirala quietly suggested they eat their dinner, though it didn't take long for total silence to befall them, nobody even eating their food anymore.

"District Four's last victory was that guy, Lawrence, like 10 or 11 years ago, right?" asked Kirala, quietly. "So… how did he win?"

"Ruthless cunning. And once he picked up a couple of sponsors that gave him the proper food and weaponry, he became unstoppable. I think he killed something like nine tributes on his own," said Vyse.

"It's a shame he didn't come to mentor us," said Fina. "We could have used his advice."

"Yeah… I like how they didn't tell the people on the outside that we barely had escorts, let alone mentors," said Kirala. "I wonder if even the Gods know about this…?"

"Who care?," said Vyse. "Besides… with the four of us working together, we are definitely going to win. We've fought worse situations like this back in Arcadia. We just have to find each other and get a few supplies. Everything will work itself out."

"But Fina… your score! It was just mind-blowing! What did you do to show them your power?!" exclaimed Kirala.

"O-oh… well… I just… performed as many spells as I could when we were Sealed… and when they Unsealed me it was more of the same, though I showed him some of the powers I have as a Silvite, too," Fina muttered.

"I never understood why they Unseal us during the exams," said Vyse. "What's the point?"

"I think it's to compare our overall potential with the potential we've gotten from training ourselves up from nothing in a few short weeks," said Fina. "That would be my guess. I think I must have impressed them greatly."

"But… Vyse… a 4 seems very low for you," said Kirala. "What happened?"

"I didn't do anything. I refused to," said Vyse. "At least when Sealed. I prefer it that way… the Gods don't know what I'm capable of entirely, and I don't know what they're going to throw at me. Heh… it's going to be an adventure."

"That was very reckless of you! You've been marked as an easy target now," said Fina, gasping. "I just… want you to be safe."

"We'll be fine," said Vyse. "So… what do you think our strategy should be?"

"I think it would be a good idea to not get involved with the bloodbath, especially initially," said Kirala. "With nearly 50 tributes, it's going to get messy and violent quickly."

"I… I agree," said Fina. "And… the thought of hurting some of our fellow tributes just feels… wrong…"

"I can't argue with that," said Vyse. "It's not like we're fighting monsters here… or even Valuan soldiers. These are just untrained children."

"I think we should be wary of making alliances," said Kirala. "We don't know who we can trust…"

"I think we can trust District Eleven… I was speaking with Tina during training when we were at some stations. She seems so innocent and harmless," said Fina. "And the folks from Districts Seven and Twelve were always accommodating and nice, even though they're by default supposed to work together."

"Do you think if it's just people left from Seven and Twelve they'll let the Games end?" asked Kirala.

Vyse shook his head. "I highly doubt it. That hasn't stopped them from doing such things in the past…"

"I don't… want to think about it anymore, really…" Fina muttered. "Can we just… talk about Arcadia? For one last night?"

Kirala and Vyse looked at each other and smiled sadly. "Of course."

They sat near the fireplace, as talk meandered around back to their homeland, the friends they left behind, and the suddenly distant-seeming adventures they'd once had. Before they knew it, even the lights outside the window began to darken and, as the night wore on, they bade each other goodnight one last time before returning to their rooms for a fitful night of sleep before the next day's Games.

District 5 –

Harry, Hermione, Luna, and Fred sat quietly around their own table. Only Fred and Luna were eating. Hermione was still pouring over her own books and notes from training, and Harry was too torn between anger and fear to stomach any of the delicacies before him. After ten minutes of starring at his food, Harry finally slid his plate away from him, forcing himself to at least drink some broth from soup.

"Are you feeling sick, Harry?" asked Luna.

"Yeah… but just because this is so off the wall. This whole situation," said Harry. "This… this could be our last night alive."

"Don't say that…" muttered Hermione. "Please, Harry, I can't bear to think that…"

"But it's true! And you saw what we're up against!" Harry yelled. "What chance do we have against places like District Four, Six, Eight, and Nine?! They practically grow warriors!"

"But if we can just get some wands or magic rods…" Hermione said.

"We can't even be sure that there'll be any in there!" Harry retorted. "For all we know they could be placing us in a desert with nothing but clubs!"

"I don't think that'll happen," said Luna. "That wouldn't be a very fun Games… and with all the different aspects of training they had us go through this year… I can't imagine that we'll be stuck with just some boring old clubs."

"Luna's right. They're going to throw some tricks out at us for sure… so we'll have to get creative," said Fred. "That's what I did earlier… and the Gods loved it."

"I was very impressed with your score, Fred," said Luna. "I wish I could have seen what you did."

"Well obviously when I was Unsealed I showed him some of the stuff George and I worked on… or at least drew from our experiences," he said. "But even Sealed I pulled off quite a few lethal shows… it's nice not having to worry about the safety of others for a change."

"And Hermione, you had the highest score of everyone except the nice Fina girl from Four!" exclaimed Luna. "How impressive!"

"Oh I don't know about all that…" muttered Hermione.

"Hermione, don't be modest," said Harry. "District Five hasn't had someone score that highly in twenty years."

"Actually I think we should all be proud of ourselves," said Luna. "District Five's average score hasn't been this high in two generations."

"That means they're going to be gunning for us, though," Harry muttered. "I overheard Districts Eight and Nine talking about it. I don't think they like getting upstaged by witches and wizards."

"That's why I've prepared small manuals for each of you," said Hermione, briskly, while handing out notes to them. "It's what I've been able to gather on our enemies."

"Wow, Hermione…" muttered Harry, staring at the details. "I didn't know you had time to do this…"

"Well to be honest I didn't do much in training… but I wasn't the only one. That Kyoya Ohtori from District One was doing the same, and he took even more notes than I did," said Hermione. "He's dangerous, and possibly our #1 threat, besides that massive man Will Raynard in District Two…"

"Don't forget Asch and Ramirez, the two who are willing to kill even the rest of their teammates," reminded Fred, staring at the copious amounts of notes she'd taken on them. "… Though I see their bloodthirsty combat training hasn't gone unnoticed."

Harry paged through to some of the other Districts. Hermione had done analyses on almost everyone, including threat levels, specialties, magic affinities displayed during their training, and whether it would be smarter to engage them in combat or to evade. He was, however, surprised to see that she'd made a list of possible allies on the back.

"Allies? You think we should group up with other Districts?" Harry asked.

"At least at first, yes," said Hermione. "I know that no unions can last indefinitely, but I do think we should at least test the waters on some. District Ten and Eleven should be open for negotiations, but there are some individuals that I think we can trust. Haruhi from One, Grune from Two, Hamuko from Seven, and possibly Hana from Three, but… she makes me uncomfortable…"

Harry thought back to the raven-haired, black-eyed girl who always seemed to be smiling, even as she half-heartedly practiced using various weapons around the training arena. Actually, as he thought back through all of the tributes and their attempts at the fight, he wondered if his own display of dueling magic and Defense Against the Dark Arts skills would really help him at all in the following days. And yet the Gods had seemed so impressed with his Patronus…

"I like Hana," said Luna. "I think we can trust her."

"… yes, well… I can understand you thinking that, but we have to be extremely careful about who we choose to partner with, if anyone," said Hermione. "As far as strategy…"

"Get away from everyone else, to start with," said Harry. "No bloodbath. For any of us. Not until we have wands and can fight back."

"Oh definitely. In the middle of the fray is not where I want to be," said Fred. "So split off, and then regroup with whoever from our District you can find, and then run for it."

"That's as sound a plan as any, I fear," said Hermione. "Now, on the subject of weaponry…"

By the time he climbed into bed several hours later, Harry's head was swimming. Between tribute tactics, weapon pros and cons, and the sinking feeling that maybe things were stacked against them, he found it incredibly hard to sleep. The only plus to the whole situation was that his scar, which had plagued him with pain for the weeks leading up to the Reaping, had finally ceased to hurt. And then he remembered what was at stake back in his home world. District Five needed him… all of them. And that resolve was enough to push all other thoughts out of his mind as the desire chased the fear and worry out of his mind.

District 6 –

"Asch. Luke. You both need to stop being so childish about this!" Natalia finally hissed, breaking the silence.

Dinner had already been a long, uneasy affair. Though Asch had attempted to sneak right away to his room, Natalia had forbidden him from leaving them until they discussed their plans for the following day. Luke was still fuming about Asch's outburst at the interviews earlier in the night. Their dinner had been mostly dominated by Natalia or Anise trying to get the boys to talk to each other, but neither had made much progress at all.

"What is there to discuss? Find a weapon. Find each other. Survive. Even you can all do that I hope," Asch hissed.

"It may not be that simple, Asch!" implored Natalia.

"She's right. You saw our competition. We're going against former knights and guard members. I wouldn't count any district out right away, except maybe Ten or Eleven," Anise said. "Even District Nine's kids are all accomplished with some sort of weapon; you saw the pink-haired girl in training with her axes."

"Yeah… I think Asch is right," said Luke, earning a glare from his mirrored self. "Until we come together our best tactics should be to survive as best as possible. And grab weapons if possible."

"Finally the worthless replica says something of use," said Asch. "Don't go getting into any fights if you can avoid it. And Natalia, I don't want you getting involved in the Cornucopia bloodbaths, whichever one you're at."

"Yeah, you too, Anise," said Luke.

"Puh-leeze… I'm a lot quicker than I appear. I don't think I'll be noticed," Anise replied.

"That may be true, but with so many tributes this year my guess is they will be making it a little bit more likely that people will cut down whichever competition they can," said Natalia. "So… I will immediately go from the Cornucopia. How shall we meet up?"

"Maybe they'll have compasses and other such tools in there this year?" Luke asked.

"We should find a way to mark where we've been… notches on a tree or something. But at knee height so it's not noticeable if you aren't looking for it," said Anise.

"Good idea," said Asch. "But don't let any other tributes see you doing it. If we have a sun of some sort to navigate by, take the direction it sets in, call it west, and let's all head northward. Meet up immediately with whoever is at your Cornucopia."

"We need to think about weapons and armor," said Luke. "Get what you can for armor… Asch and I will want swords… Natalia will need a bow… Anise, what should we look out for?"

"Oh don't worry…" Anise said, smirking. "I'll make do with whatever I find. Ideally some magic to surprise my foes would be just wonderful."

"So… stay alive. Get as much as you can. Team up. Tree notches. Once we regroup we'll work out shifts for keeping watch and battle styles," said Asch.

"Seems easy enough…" Natalia said, giggling nervously. "What about temporary alliances like we saw in the past Games?"

"No," said Asch. "Nobody can be trusted."

"I agree," said Anise. "Since it's basically District Teams now, there's no reason to pally-up with some District One moron. You can't even benefit from their sponsors."

"Actually I don't agree," said Luke. "We might need temporary alliances to get through the beginning…"

"Yes…" said Natalia. "Nothing permanent, obviously, but we should not rule out some people…"

"Don't trust District Eight. They're our biggest threat, scores be damned," said Asch.

"I don't trust that glasses guy from One, either… he's too sketchy. Or that Jay guy from District Two," said Anise.

"We might be able to earn the trust of the likes of Districts Seven, Ten, Eleven, and Twelve… none of them seem too crazy on combat back home," said Natalia.

"And if there's no magic weapons tomorrow, District Five is useless," said Luke. "So probably harmless."

"I think District Four is safe to group with for the time being… except that Ramirez person," said Natalia. "He's willing to murder his own District mates… so I wouldn't trust him…"

"Well Asch said he was willing to murder me," said Luke, grumpily.

"Come off it. That was for the cameras. I thought even you would figure that out, moron… seeing as you supposedly do share my brain," Asch snarled.

And just like that, it was broken. Asch stalked off out of the dining room as Natalia chased after him. Luke, his face flushing, turned and stare out the window at the streets and buildings below them. At the 7th floor, they were starting to reach the tops of some of the shorter buildings, but most went right up to the 11th or 12th floors. He couldn't see anyone outside… though he wondered what the partiers would look like.

"Don't let Asch get to you. I think… if it comes down to it… he'll protect all of us tomorrow," said Anise. "Not like he hasn't done it before."

"Right… I know," said Luke. "Thanks, Anise. We're going to be counting on you a lot tomorrow."

Anise chuckled darkly again. "They'll underestimate me, that's for sure…"

Later, as Luke climbed in to bed, his thoughts drifted back to District Six, where his mother and father undoubtedly were spending another restless night, waiting for the start of the games. He wondered about the rest of their other companions. Surely Guy was still mad at him… and Jade and Tear and Ion were worried… Tear… for some reason her name gave Luke a small start in the pit of his stomach, a sick feeling that etched his way around his body.

And then the realization hit him. He sat up, his heart pounding, and his head spinning. And now he had a reason to fight, and to stay alive. Because someone he loved was waiting for him back in District Six.

District 7 –

"I can't believe those bastards lowballed us so heavily," Akihiko hissed, punching a bag that was tied up near the dining room table.

Hamuko stared at the food in front of her, much of it untouched. Only she had managed half a full meal; Aki was too irritated to eat, Shinji was, as usual, eating like a bird, and Yukari was far too panicked to stomach anything more than broth. She thought back to Minato, who undoubtedly would have demolished everything in sight, no matter how he was feeling. Her thoughts were broken by Yukari, who let out a panicked gasp.

"I know… I forgot to thank them, that's probably what it was… those jerks…" Yukari said. "Probably cost me a lot of points…"

"I don't think that had anything to do with it, Takeba," said Shinji. "You said you missed a few shots, right? Even if you hit the rest of them, that probably doesn't look good. Also, they could have just picked our district to low-ball, like Aki said. They do it every friggen year."

"Yeah, it was Eight last year… and then Four the year before that. And both times they had people in the Top 4, and, of course, Eight won last year," said Hamuko. "I wouldn't worry about it too much. We just get to prove them wrong tomorrow."

"What exactly did you do to get a 9, Akihiko-senpai?" asked Yukari.

"Heh… I punched a lot of stuff. Broke a few things. Showed endurance in the obstacle course… you know. The fun stuff," said Akihiko, the glint of competition in his eyes.

"I feel like I can hear Mitsuru scoffing from Iwatodai…" muttered Shinji.

A quick laugh rolled over all of them, but it was quickly silenced. Laughter was a strange outsider here, something that seemed… obscene. As Akihiko continued to punch the bag, the awkward laughter and the silence that followed it faded into discussions over strategies for the next day. It was readily agreed that none of them should enter the bloodbath, no matter what weaponry they saw. They reviewed edible plants and survival tactics, as well as trying to figure out a system to meet up.

"I know it's probably not a popular sentiment, especially this year, but I don't have any problem forming temporary alliances with other Districts," said Hamuko.

"I… am leery about it, but if you say it's okay…" said Yukari.

"Hamuko, no disrespect here… but I worry when you say that," said Akihiko. "I don't want you to get too close to someone who isn't from Seven. You realize we're going to have to kill them at some point, right?"

"I know that," said Hamuko. "But… as… as heartless as this is, if I have to choose between anyone, even the kids in Nine, and the three of you… there's no contest."

"She's right. We can't afford to be bleeding hearts in there, unless we want to die," said Shinji. "We can use others to stay safe… they know as well as we do that our alliance can't last. So… just keep your guard up. And don't trust the wrong people."

"But how do we know who the wrong people are?" asked Yukari.

"Well we know that crazy bitch in District One won't hurt any girls. So if you can't find Aki or me, try to find her. She's built like an Amazon, so she can probably hold her own in a fight, too," said Shinjiro.

"I actually was training with that redhead girl from District Ten… she seems different. She was always nice to me, even shared pointers on polearm-handling. She could be a good one, too," said Hamuko.

"And of course District Twelve… they can't very well kill us without jeopardizing their families back in Twelve and Seven," said Akihiko.

Yukari nodded. "Excellent. Then… what should we do? About meeting up? Like… how do we know which way to go?"

"I think… as the battle goes on, we will see the Game Gods try to bring people closer together. They do it every year, and with this many tributes, we'll be scattered everywhere. So we have to do what we can to meet up with whoever is at our starting point, and then wait until we can be regrouped. It may take a few days, but… that's better than blindly diving through the arena," said Hamuko.

"Yeah, we won't know if we're going in opposite directions regardless. But if we have any friendly targets that go out and about without us, we should let them pass on messages… if that's even an option," said Yukari, agreeing. "… I… I think I'm going to go to bed."

"Yeah, we should get as much rest as we can for tomorrow. It's going to be a very, very long couple of days," said Shinji.

"I… I can't understand how you're both being so calm about this…" muttered Yukari. "We could all be dead tomorrow."

"Because we've got a huge advantage over everyone else from District Seven," said Akihiko, grinning and giving another massive punch to the bag hanging from the wall, cracking the foundation. "We've fought Shadows before. Just think of it as another SEES exercise. The Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad is taking on a new enemy."

Hamuko wasn't sure how much she liked seeing him compare the other tributes to Shadows, but as the thought took root in her mind, much of her anxiety began to seep away. She waited in her room for him to arrive, long after Yukari had finally turned in from their last nightly chat for what could be forever. They sat on the seat next to the window, staring out at the same pristine moon the Gods and other inhabitants of this world saw every night. It was enormous and took up a lot of the sky they were able to see through their window, yet the stars that twinkled around it were even brighter.

"We're going to be okay. Don't worry," said Akihiko, hugging her tightly.

"I'm… not. Not anymore," she said, turning her eyes up to face him. "We'll get through this. Besides, we made a promise with the others, and I for one don't intend to break it."

District 8 –

"That was all so utterly pointless," Nan grumbled as the group returned to their quarters after the interviews. "All that parading and the interviews… and we don't even get sponsors this year!"

"Well, it is tradition," said Flynn. "So it's not surprising that they wanted to keep at least some parts of the Hunger Games untouched for the viewing audiences…"

"Well I, for one, am thrilled with our scores," said Yuri, grinning and lounging at the dinner table. "We should have gotten the top spot. I wonder what District Five did to make them outscore us…"

"I'm sure they showed the Gods something they liked. Or they're grading them higher to make them targets. But I think we'd be silly to underestimate them, especially if there are weapons of a magical variety in there," said Judith.

"Well I know I was holding back during my demonstrations. I only showed them about half of what I was capable of," said Nan, ripping off a piece of bread and dunking it in some sort of meaty broth. "I didn't even touch on my snares and traps… I'm gonna have no trouble trapping those other tributes here."

"I'm still… reluctant to murder children…" Flynn muttered.

"Hey. Remember. This wasn't our choice. Our only goal now is to survive," said Yuri, his voice dropping to a more serious level.

"Yuri's right. Aside from the honor of District 8 that we should consider, we can't afford to be lenient in the battlefield," said Judith.

"Don't you worry about that with me," said Nan, her eyes narrowing. "Like I said… I'll kill anyone who gets in my way."

"I think we should group up as soon as we can, that way we can be sure to—," began Flynn.

"No. Not me, not right away," said Yuri. "There's a lot of tributes out there. I'm going to lay low for a while. We're up against 44 enemies. It'll be easier for us to move and stay safe if we just stay separate from each other. Once the crowd has thinned out, we should definitely regroup."

"I have no intention of grouping up with the likes of you," said Nan. "I work better alone anyway."

"I plan to live amongst the trees," said Judith, grinning. "They won't even see me coming, let alone be able to attack me. Reconnaissance is my top priority at first."

"I'm amazed you'll be showing restraint, Judy," said Yuri, chuckling. "I figured you'd be the first one into the bloodbath."

"Only if it will grant me a usable weapon," she replied, winking at him. "Otherwise, I'd rather learn as much about the arena as I can before I start to fight."

"Okay… fine…" Flynn muttered, sighing. "In that case, everyone just stay safe. And don't do anything reckless. Especially you, Yuri, and you, Nan. We can't afford to have our strength cut; the competition this year is fiercer than we've ever seen it."

"Yeah. Districts Two, Four, and Six are going to be our biggest competition," agreed Yuri. "At least we don't have to worry about Nine as much this year… they seem relatively harmless."

"Don't underestimate any of them," growled Nan. "I watched some of them in training. They are young, but they will scrap and fight and claw their way into survival. And I think they're playing up their size and age to try and trick us into a false sense of security."

"Okay, okay, don't underestimate Nine, got it," Yuri said, holding his hands up in surrender. "What about Eleven? Should we be careful with them?"

"No," Nan replied immediately. "Nothing more than cannon fodder."

"Can we just… not talk about them like that?" Flynn muttered, picking at a plate of food he'd made for himself. "I just… it burns me to have to murder innocents…"

"Let's talk about something else," said Judith, brightly. "What did you all do for your training today, exactly?"

Truthfully, Yuri was happy to have a change of subject with Judy. The pit of anger he felt for the Gods in his stomach grew every time he had to imagine himself killing one of the youngsters from District Nine, all of which reminded him of the kids from the lower quarter. Or those from the basic districts of One, Seven, Ten, Eleven, or Twelve, where their worlds were stable and walking outside didn't almost guarantee death via monster. They may have sealed everyone's powers and made it so they were on a 'level playing field,' but Yuri also knew he wasn't going to be bested by any greenhorn fighter in the arena.

"I think it might be okay to group up with some people… the trustworthy ones from the non-threatening districts," said Judith.

"I'm not doing that," Nan said, flatly. "I'll just kill anyone who tries to group up with me."

"I think that's a mistake on you part," said Yuri. "I don't think we should trust anyone from Two or Six, and it goes without saying we shouldn't trust that psycho from Four. Or that angry chick from Three. But beyond that we may find use for those in the lesser Districts."

"I agree," said Flynn. "And if they're like the tributes from the past few years, those from the higher-numbered Districts will be looking for protection, at least at first."

"All right… I think we've talked enough about this gloom and doom. Let's just spend the rest of tonight talking about literally anything but tomorrow," said Yuri. "Hey, Flynn, remember when we were still in the Knights and we got in that bar fight with the twins…?"

Nan didn't seem to appreciate the sudden shift in the stories, stomping off to bed after the third tale of Yuri's rule-breaking and the punishment he and Flynn suffered because of it. Judith, however, was really into it, giggling and chuckling at all the right spots as they recounted tales of their youth. By the time any of them realized it, the moon was well on its way through the sky and the clock on the wall told them that, at least in Terca Lumeres time, they should have gone to bed hours ago.

"All right… that's enough for me," said Flynn. "Time for some shut-eye. See you tomorrow, Yuri, Judith."

Yuri stood up and stretched, his joints and back cracking from sitting for so long. "You coming to bed, Judy?"

"In a minute… gonna say goodnight to Ba'ul," said Judith, going to sit next to the window.

"You can still talk to him?" Yuri asked in shock, spinning around.

Judith grinned and winked at him. "The Gods seem to think they sealed all of our powers… but it appears to me that they've missed a few after all. It makes me wonder… what do our other combatants have at their arsenal that we aren't aware of…?"

District 9 –

Genis stuffed his face with food during their final dinner. The others ate with a little more restraint, but Genis wanted to make sure he gave his body the chance to put on as much weight and strength as possible for the next day. Once he finally started to slow down, the others began to make conversation for the first time since they came to their quarters.

"It was good of Caesar to paint us all as victims with hard lives," said Seles. "That's not to say it's a lie, of course, but I believe that it makes us more innocent looking… as though we aren't threats."

"Heh… fools. Just wait until we get our hands on weaponry," said Mithos. "Anyone who says that District Nine is an easy target will be badly mistaken."

"I think we'll be fine, really," said Genis, wiping his mouth off as his stomach groaned with content. "After all, we've all fought together, and we did so well in training…"

"Those scores were ridiculous," seethed Mithos. "I know I, for one, did a lot better, especially when they unsealed us momentarily to check out a comparison."

"I agree" said Presea. "My performance was more than adequate during both my sealed and unsealed phases. The Game Gods have manipulated our scores."

"I showed them combat and magic abilities… on a high scale, I might add," Seles said. "My Freeze Lancer spell took out twelve dummies… at once, even! That deserves more than a stupid seven…"

"And I commanded a massive flow of spells," Genis said. "Everything from Fireball to Absolute to Tidal Wave to Cyclone… I left that training area a mess."

"Perhaps that was their way of warning us that magical artifacts will not be a part of tomorrow's arena?" Presea suggested.

"That doesn't make sense, or your score would have been much higher. No, I'm sure the Gods think they're being clever and trying to make us seem weak and basic," Mithos said. "Which just… infuriates me!"

"Well, just wait until tomorrow, then," said Seles. "They're still doing us a favor. Nobody will suspect us, so when we show what we're able to do… we will win easily."

"So… what is our strategy?" asked Genis. "Like… what should we do?"

"We should obtain weaponry and armor as soon as feasibly possible," said Presea. "We do not know what exactly we will face as the days go on… so gathering supplies is a must."

"They did tell us that there will be two Cornucopias, so I think our best bet is to group with whoever we have with us at the start," said Seles. "And then we should try our best to regroup."

"How will we find each other if we are split?" asked Genis.

"Easy. We kill the competition until there's only the four of us left," said Mithos.

"That… may prove difficult. I am concerned about certain other Districts, many of whom seem to be equal to us in terms of world conditioning…" said Presea.

"Yeah, most of them are fighters, too. And most of them know each other. It seems… very odd for this to all be a coincidence," said Seles.

"I agree," said Genis. "Do you think we can trust anyone else, even for a temporary alliance?"

"No," said Mithos, immediately. "Trust no one. With the Districts as teams this year, you are only making yourself vulnerable. If you are separated from Nine, stay away from all others and their lies."

"I… understood," said Seles. "Well… I shall now bid you all good night. May the odds be in our favor."

"Agreed," said Genis. "Good night, Seles."

Presea soon followed after and Genis and Mithos walked to their rooms together. They quietly discussed some of their more fearsome opponents, as well as strategies for how to stay alive during the following day. Genis was suddenly struck by how not-nervous he was. Considering that tomorrow was a fight to the death… but then again, he was used to that by now.

"And it's because you're a half-elf," said Mithos, when Genis expressed his feelings. "Remember… we are above all those humans we're fighting tomorrow. We have the best of both worlds. And we'll show them… and everyone in District Nine… that blood elves are not the scum of the earth, but rather among the most powerful beings in the world."

District 10 –

The first thing everyone did when they got back to their quarters was to shower and scrape off the make-up they'd been wearing to the show. One by one everyone returned to the dining room to get their final dinner in the training center's accommodations. Teruhiko and Shayla had already completed their first course by the time Jack and Melody showed back up, the latter's hair still wrapped in a towel and their faces flush from the hot shower.

"Glad you lovebirds could join us," Teruhiko joked.

They returned with a hollow laugh. "Well… you know… it's our last night before the Games, so… we thought a little last-minute privacy was in order…"

Shayla nodded. "Understandable. Now that you're here… let's discuss some things."

"Like what? Stay alive, right? And don't run into the blood bath?" Melody asked.

"Yes, but, more importantly, make evasion your top priority," said Shayla. "Do not kill unless absolutely necessary."

"Yeah… about that… have you heard anything from Siyon yet?" asked Teruhiko in a whisper.

"Don't worry, we are being unmonitored here," said Shayla. "We can speak normally and freely. The Gods do not monitor us on our last night. But… no, I have not made contact with her just yet. But I know she's trying and will break through to us in a few days' time. She still has to be careful since this is her first year as a Priestess Ascended…"

"And that Lady Shandra will help, right?" asked Melody. "She seemed to be on our side…"

"I… do not know how much she can help, but she will do what she can to assist," said Shayla. "The most important thing… defense. Get weapons, but don't be stupid. This goes for you especially, Teruhiko…"

"Hey, trust me… I'm not about to run into the fray. I may have been loud and crazy during training, but I'm not an idiot," he said, chuckling. "Jack and I will behave."

"When we split from the Cornucopia, if you can see the other person, run with them in a way that gets you as far away from danger as possible… and then regroup and keep running," said Jack.

"As things die down, if you can, make contact with safe, desirable tributes. We… will not be able to save everyone, regrettably," said Shayla, sighing. "But I know there are many we can trust. I can sense it. Grune from District Two, Saki Hanajima from District Three, Vyse and Fina from District Four, Luna Lovegood from District Five, and almost all of Districts Seven, Eleven, and Twelve should be okay, except for possibly the Aragaki boy in Seven, though I think if we can get his friends, we can get him."

"Are there any we should avoid outright?" asked Melody.

"We can unfortunately write off Ramirez from District Four and Asch from District Six indefinitely. I'm not sure even getting their teammates on our side would be suitable. Same with Nan from District Eight. Kyoya Ohtori from District One is not to be trusted until we have convinced the others to join us. And guys, do not go near Benio Amakusa under any circumstances until I've had the chance to speak with her," said Shayla.

"Geeze… that's gonna be hard to keep straight in my head," said Melody, sighing. "I don't suppose we can just tell everyone the plan?"

"It wouldn't work… it's too good to be true. I'm not sure I even believe it…" Teruhiko said. "We'd just have our throats cut for stopping. Everyone is ready to fight to the death tomorrow. We have to be ready too, y'know? In case things don't… work out…"

Shayla nodded, rubbing her forehead. It was a risk, of course, that Siyon may be found out or would not be able to penetrate the barriers into the arena… in which case they would eventually have to fight for real to become victorious. If they didn't do it willingly, the Game Gods would force it after a while. And then they would lose their chance to be rid of the Gods forever.

"So… we make friends, we stay alive… and we regroup. Seems like an easy plan when you just say it out loud," said Jack, smiling sadly.

"Yeah," said Shayla. "I know it's useless to say this, but let's try and get some sleep… we are going to need all of our strength for tomorrow… and an indefinite amount of days to come."

District 11 –

Tina hadn't calmed down since the ending of the interviews. Her high score, especially compared to Quinn's, hadn't made any sense to her when it was announced, and her nerves showed no signs of stopping as she jabbered away nervously through dinner, working herself into a near full-blown panic attack several times before one of the others distracted her long enough for her to catch her breath.

"And… and for my private sessions today I didn't do anything special. I… I used a wand and showed that I knew how to construct some really cheap snares… and… and… what food to eat… but I missed every time with the ranged weapons…" Tina said.

"Yes, Tina, we know," said Puck. "You've only said it like 30 times."

"But… but… this could be our last night alive…" Tina said, softly.

The others winced and fell silent as a quick sob escaped Tina. They were all aware of this, of course, but thinking the thought itself in its entirety… was too scary, and far too painful. The uneasy silence persisted until Puck finally started talking about his performance, and why he definitely deserved the score he got.

"… and you should have seen how many fell when I threw the ax across the room! And I even managed to do that power thing they showed us, when they unsealed us…" said Puck, enthusiastically. "They had to have been speechless; I think I actually broke part of the wall!"

"Or they made you a target for breaking their precious gym," said Quinn, dismissively. "I showed a well-rounded knowledge of weaponry and survival skills that I'd learned all week… but I guess they weren't as impressed with my lack of specialization."

"Or they're purposely messing with your scores… you know they do that," said Sam. "Don't let it get to you, Quinn."

"I'm not," she replied, smoothing out her hair. "I won't let anything distract me tomorrow."

"… I'm so scared, you guys… I don't want to be here… I don't want to die," said Tina.

"I know, Tina, we are all scared. Whether we admit it or not," said Sam, glancing at Puck, who still demolished a hunk of some sort of meaty leg. "But we can't let it show, not until we can regroup. If we stay together… maybe… maybe we can win."

"Against the warriors and soldiers and knights from the other districts?!" cried Tina.

"Oh my God, Tina, enough! Just stop!" Puck exclaimed. "You're bringing us all down!"

"Well she's scared, Puck! We're not all ready to kill like you," said Quinn.

"I'm ready to do what it takes to survive… not that any of you would know about that…" hissed Puck.

"Oh, really? Did you forget those few months where we were homeless and I had to take my fucking clothes off to support my family?" asked Sam, standing up. "If you all want to give up hope, fine! But I'm not going to stop fighting until I can go back home… or die trying!"

The four broke off away from each other, though no one left the room. Tina held her head in her hands, rocking back and forth as silent tears fell down her face. Puck slammed his plate of food over on a counter in a kitchen area, fuming as he glared at the wall in front of him. Sam stood next to a wall, his hand gripping it, his body quivering with frustration. Quinn sat against the far window, her head against the glass, looking out into the lights of the city of the Gods they were stationed in for the time being. It reminded her very strongly of New York City. And before she knew it, she was singing.

"I remember tears streaming down your face when I said I'd never let you go…" she sang, softly.

As her voice carried around the room, the others turned to look at her. Quinn continued to sing under her breath, rocking back and forth. Sam and Tina wiped their eyes and walked over to stand next to the singing girl. Puck disappeared momentarily but returned a few moments later with a guitar in tow, as Quinn finished the first chorus.

"Don't you dare look out your window, darling everything's on fire…" sang Sam, making Quinn spin around in surprise.

"The war outside our door keeps raging on…" Tina added.

"Hold on to this lullaby, even when the music's gone," they sang together, as Quinn smiled.

"Just close your eyes; the sun is going down…" everyone sang. "You'll be all right; no one can hurt you now… come morning light… you and I'll be safe… and… sound…"

Puck strummed his guitar as they launched back into the song from the beginning, their voices filling the room. Tina smiled through her tears, belting out a particularly powerful solo line in their second attempt at the chorus. Puck kept the beat, strumming and slapping the side of his guitar as Sam and Quinn sang the second verse again.

"Come morning light… you and I'll be safe… and… sound…" they all sang, coming to the end.

"I never thought we'd spend our last night singing T-Swift," said Puck, after silence filled the room again.

"It… it was nice. It almost felt like we were back in District Ele… Lima," said Tina.

"Yeah… and I mean it. We are going to all be fine tomorrow. We need to stick together and do what we need to do to survive. If we wait long enough, maybe everyone else will kill each other and we won't have to… fight…" Quinn said.

"Yeah…" agreed Sam, throwing his arms around Puck and Quinn, who in turn threw theirs around Tina. "So let's do this for our friends, our families, and the rest of New Directions. Let's have another song, yeah?"

"And… any time you're nervous… let's use 'Safe and Sound' as the promise we made to make it through and survive," said Tina. "Thanks for that, Quinn."

"It was nothing. We need to practice for the Victory parade… we'll be the first District to sing at the end of it," said Quinn, smiling brightly. "So… what shall we sing next?"

District 12 –

From the top story, Yu was amazed at how much of the God's city he could see. It wasn't anything like Inaba, and it was far bigger than Iwatodai. Since he and Yosuke had lived in cities for most of their childhood and Rise and Naoto were both well-travelled, the splendor only held their attention for a few minutes before the creeping feelings of dread and doubt and fear began to grip them. Yu picked at his meal, but the girls ate nothing and Yosuke only drank jug after jug of water, sneaking off to the bathroom every five minutes thereafter. After he returned for the third time, Naoto finally spoke up.

"It bothers me to have to even consider this, but… what should our plan of attack be tomorrow?" she asked.

"I think our best offense is a good defense, honestly," said Yu. "We've fought before, but this isn't like fighting Shadows… and our Personas seem to be as good as sealed."

"I've tried to summon Susano-o all night… no luck," said Yosuke. "I could do it during training today, for the brief moment when they unsealed us, but it was more like… I had his power inside me, as opposed to him as an extension of myself."

"I remember something similar with Yamato Takeru… although I admit the shock of having the power myself may have led to an embarrassing error in training, which in turn lowered my score…" admitted Naoto, sheepishly.

"But, wow senpai!" Rise gushed. "I can't believe you scored 11 points! You're fantastic right up to the very end, huh?"

"You're wrong…" Yu said, quietly. "This… this isn't the end. Yukiko, Chie, Kanji, Teddie, Nanako… they're all waiting for us back in Inaba. We have to get back to District Twelve."

"You said it, partner," said Yosuke, clapping him on the back. "And after the crazy year we've been having… I have no doubt that we can do it."

"So… since they're splitting us up at the two Cornucopias tomorrow, what should we do?" asked Rise.

"Split up and then join together," said Yu.

"Do not go into the fray at the beginning. If you can sneak something as you are running away, fine, but don't get involved in the bloodbath," said Naoto. "We are not in prime fighting condition without our Personas and can't afford to be injured early on."

"From there, we should regroup, right?" asked Yosuke. "So whichever two are going to be at the same starting point should work together to stay alive until we can all regroup."

"Exactly," said Yu. "When you can, get weapons… and do what you need to do to survive. I don't like this… this isn't me… but we've already faced the worst sides of ourselves once. And whatever happens… that's on the Game Gods, not us."

"You're right… if they hadn't forced us here, we wouldn't have to possibly consider killing innocent children and teens tomorrow," Rise muttered.

"I think we should seriously consider our rivals, both as allies and risks," said Naoto. "There are several I do not trust at all…"

"Yeah," Yosuke said. "Anyone willing to murder their own teammates, for one…"

"Right," said Naoto nodding. "But I do not believe District Six or District Nine will be anything close to helpful… they were very cold and segregated during training and I don't think I ever saw them share one nice word with another group."

"We can always rely on District Seven, at least until they're… you know…" Rise said, catching herself as she spoke. "Oh… it'd be horrible if any of them were my fans…"

"You make a valid point, though," Naoto said. "Seven and Twelve often work together, at least at first, during most of the games."

Yu frowned. "What do you think about District Ten?" he asked.

"I… actually am not threatened by them," said Naoto.

"Yeah… the girls were so kind to me during training; that Melody girl even let me borrow some eye-liner she snuck in here," she said. "I don't want to be the one to kill her…"

"There's something about… the redhead girl, Shayla," said Yu. "It's like… she seems to know too much. I'm not sure how I feel about it…"

"Like that guy from District One? He creeps me out…" Yosuke said, shivering.

"I would only trust Haruhi from District One… the others seem too calculating or unbalanced," said Naoto.

"I… don't want to get too attached to any of them, though…" Rise muttered. "Because… for us to win… all of them have to die."

"Yeah… but don't let it get to you," said Yu, stroking Rise's cheek. "It's… it's something we have to do… as awful as it is."

Yu and the others stared out the window again, sighing. They sat listlessly for a few more minutes until Naoto suggested they all go to bed to try and gather as much energy as possible for the next day. Once he was alone in his room, Yu's thoughts drifted to not only his family members, but the dozens of friends he'd made in Inaba over the short time he'd stayed there. He could feel them cheering him on from across time and space, and that gave him the resolve to steel himself for whatever the next day would bring. It's not my choice he repeated to himself, as he drifted slowly to sleep. I won't let this become… my new shadow…

"Well folks! It has come! The night before the big games!" exclaimed Caesar. "Joining us one last time before he becomes consumed with making sure the Games are a success… Game God Delta!"

"It is good to be here with you again," said Delta. "But we have many last minute things to attend to, so let us commence quickly with our business."

"The Cornucopia… since there's two of them, we wondered if you might share with us the starting positions of each of our candidates. For strategic last second betting purposes, of course," said Caesar.

"That should be no problem. All of our tributes are now asleep and access to any sort of communication has been cut off. That in mind… with the North Cornucopia we arranged them by District, in order, around on the metal starting plates. The South was absolutely random. But two tributes are at each Cornucopia, to prevent dominance at one or the other by a certain District."

"And here is the line up!" exclaimed Caesar, as a diagram appeared. "Starting at the top and working our way around clockwise…"

North Cornucopia:

District 1: Haruhi Fujioka

District 2: Jay

District 3: Hatsuharu Sohma

District 4: Fina

District 5: Hermione Granger

District 6: Luke fon Fabre

District 7: Hamuko Arisato

District 8: Flynn Scifo

District 9: Mithos

District 10: Teruhiko Yakako

District 11: Noah "Puck" Puckerman

District 12: Yosuke Hanamura

District 1: Kaoru Hitachiin

District 2: Chloe Valens

District 3: Saki Hanajima

District 4: Vyse

District 5: Fred Weasley

District 6: Asch the Bloody

District 7: Yukari Takeba

District 8: Yuri Lowell

District 9: Genis Sage

District 10: Melody Moon

District 11: Quinn Fabray

District 12: Naoto Shirogane

South Cornucopia:

District 1: Kyoya Ohtori

District 6: Natalia Luzu Kimlasca-Lanvaldear

District 4: Ramirez

District 7: Shinjiro Aragaki

District 10: Jack Harper

District 8: Nan

District 11: Sam Evans

District 9: Presea Combatir

District 3: Rin Sohma

District 5: Harry Potter

District 2: Will Reynard

District 12: Yu Narukami

District 7: Akihiko Sanada

District 12: Rise Kujikawa

District 4: Kirala

District 8: Judith

District 9: Seles Wilder

District 5: Luna Lovegood

District 11: Tina Cohen-Chang

District 1: Benio Amakusa

District 3: Yuki Sohma

District 10: Shayla Harper

District 6: Anise Tatlin

District 2: Grune