I know it isn't a tuesday but here goes. NaNoWriMo is slowing me down now since I do have a legitimate novel I'd like to actually make. But don't worry. Mabye finishing this will be like my Christmas present to the world. It's almost over right? Right? Right?! Happy Hunger Games!

Hg 18

Pain exploded in Korra's arm as she felt her clothes filling with blood. She was sure some kind of curse fell out of her mouth as she dived for cover. Already her breathing had turned rough. The blood dripping down her chest was cold.

Korra's shelter from Xie was nothing more than a tree. The trunk was rough but barely wide enough to shield her. The shaft of the arrow stretched far past it's protection. Xie seemed to think it would be funny to strike the exposed shaft with another arrow. The head buried inside her felt like a knife being twisted under her skin. Korra bit her lip hard to hold back the noise that she wanted to scream.

She needed a new place to hide. There was a small wall a few paces she could hide behind. It wouldn't be enough cover for long though. From there she could reach that small building and stay away from those arrows. Then what? Xie wasn't likely going to leave because she stayed in that house.

Korra threw herself at the small fence before she had even thought up the rest of the plan. Staying alive had to be more important. Another arrow shortened a few hairs during her sprint between the wall and the small house. She thought she could hear another arrow hit the wall behind her. How could she be sure?

"Ok, first thing's first," Korra said beginning to dig through the abandoned house. She wasn't going to bother trying to figure out what the torn apart building was supposed to be. She only recognized that it was dirty and things were thrown everywhere. Korra reminded herself to stay clear of the windows though, remembering how easily Xie had shot down the can opener boy through one of them. She wasn't fond of taking an arrow to the throat like he did.

She finally found what she was looking for, or at least close enough to it. A dirty blanket waited in a heap on the floor of a carpet. She had been hoping for something smaller but this would have to do. Wadding a corner she stuffed as much of it into her mouth as she could. She only allowed the brief second to brace herself.

Both hands gripped the shaft of the arrow and pulled her hardest. Flesh and muscle tore as the head of the arrow ripped them from her collar. Her screams were absorbed by the blanket. Tears ran into the cloth as she doubled over and the pain controlled her shaking body for a moment. One hand pressed against the injury in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

An arrow flew through one of the open windows. It shattered some glass lamp or other and stuck straight into the wall. Korra was nowhere near this but it still made her jump. Xie was out there, watching this building like a vulture hawk and felt the need to remind her of it. The moment she stepped into the open Korra had nothing to look forward to but another arrow, this one possibly fatal.

Korra focused enough moisture from the air to use as heeling water. The amount was small and glowed brightly and warm against her skin. The process would keep her alive, knitting her skin and muscle back together again, but she still had the pain to slow her down. Korra would have to hope that not focusing on it would be enough to keep it out of her mind.

Korra stood with her back against the wall just beside the still open doorway. Very carefully she twisted her head enough to look outside judging how she could reach Xie from where she was. The pathway was slightly downhill but completely clear of anything to hide behind. A direct sprint would be useless. Korra knew she wasn't the fastest runner. A shield of ice would be effective for a while but would likely be too heavy.

Frustration gripped Korra and she hit the wall she was leaning against. If only she could airbend. It would be too easy to just blow those arrows out of the way. Or even to firebend like Mako. Turn those arrows into ashes before they reached her. Was he up there waiting already? Had he seen her be hit? Had Asami seen it too? Or her father? He wouldn't have missed a moment like this. In his own games he would have . . .

With a thrust from one palm a sheet of ice stretched in front of her. The surface was smooth and perfect. She leaped onto it using her weight to push her along. Perfectly curved paths she formed with her bending twisted her out of the paths of Xie's arrows. Speed, agility, all captured in her father's signature move. She could see Xie in the windows taking shot after shot, constantly missing the twisting, ice skating, waterbender.

A final push upward drove her icy ramp into the sky. With her collected momentum and a push behind her with her bending she burst through the second story window. Korra's arms wrapped around Xie's middle as the two crashed to the ground. Something stabbed hard into the back of Korra's shoulder. A pain Korra now recognized came from an arrow. The pain only made her grip the girl harder.

Impact broke the two of them apart. For a heartbeat the two of them froze, almost as if expecting the other to strike in that instant. Xie reached for her bow and attempted to draw it. The damaged wood snapped with a loud crack. Xie drew back as if the cracking bow had exploded in her hands. Fear etched in her face as she fled.

"Oh no you don't." Korra said and gave into the chase. The two ran down the stairs and into the main room. Xie had already made for the door, knocking over a stand to try to slow Korra down. She even went as far as to throw something she had found at Korra. A something that she dodged easily. Xie was still scrambling when she threw open the door and burst into the sunlight.

Perfect.

Korra followed her outside blinking in the sun. Why was the fire nation always so bright? She could hear Mako's fire falling from the sky. Glare from the bright sun kept her from being able to see him completely. Xie was still running, making an attempt to hide in a second building. Wei leapt from behind the doorway to block her escape at the last minute.

"Nowhere to run pretty girl." He said.

Xie struck out quickly as she could. In the span of only a few seconds she struck his head with the broken bow she had still been carrying. Wei groaned and touched where she had struck. Before he could do any more she struck with a second weapon burying it in his chest. She darted past Wei as he collapsed.

Mako, quicker than Korra had imagined tore after Xie, "Help him," He ordered as he overtook the archer. For a moment Korra hesitated as he overtook her and knocked her to the ground with a blow to her calves. Only when she knew Mako had the advantage that she was able to break away.

Wei was still a crumpled heap in the doorway when she reached him. His skin had already gone pale. The green of his uniform was becoming an almost black shade of red. Korra tore his clothes away reeling in disgust at the stench. Water that she held to his skin pulled away at the excess blood growing dark in her hands. The arrow she had hit him with was deep and very bloody. A very lucky desperate shot.

"No . . . " She heard him faintly say. Korra didn't answer him right away. A few coughs stained his mouth with blood. Korra was a healer but an injury this severe she couldn't heal fast enough. What had Xie managed to puncture? His heart or lungs? Maybe even both. Korra didn't need to be a hunter to know how impossible his odds were. "I wasn't supposed too . . . This curse . . ."

"You fought honorably," Korra managed to tell him. She tossed her blood filled water aside and brought a second one to her hands. Just as before the glowing light faded as more blood filled it. Korra realized her hands were shaking. "No one, not even Toph could have asked for more."

"Mom . . Lil Sis . . ." He stopped as coughing seized his body again, "You'll stop her, if you win. Don't let the games take her too."

Korra only had faint memories of Mako mentioning that Wei had a sister. A non-bender he had said. She wouldn't have lasted a chance. Korra nodded and promised, "I'll keep her out of here no matter what." It was only after she said those words that she realized she had no real way of actually keeping a person out of the games.

"Korra?" Mako had appeared beside her. He knelt beside Wei, a hand on his shoulder as he took in the injury. Mako's amber eyes watched as Korra continued to heal, stitching the skin on his injured chest. There was little more than a scar that showed where he had been struck. Korra's work was hardly doing anything more than cleaning his skin. Preparing his body for the funeral his family would have for yet another Beifong. His body was shaking, trembling as though still fighting death.

Mako took away his hand and slowly shook his head. Then, even without needing to be asked he promised, "I'll tear down the sky if it means keeping Opal out of the games."

"Heh." His forced laugh was accented with a bloody cough, "You better. Mom'll be after you." He fell still and two cannons fired into the sky.

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