Hey guys. Here's the second chapter. Oh and thank you so very much to Yuaki1707 for being the first person to read and review. You should totally read the book. The movie is . . .okay but not all great.

Hope you guys like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto (If I did, SasuSaku and my other favorite pairings would be rocking and Kabuto and Karin would be dead) and The Hunger Games (I wish I was Suzanne Collins.)

CHAPTER 2

"Inuzuka Hana."

I could hear that woman's high-pitched voice echoing over and over again in my head, saying my name. I had no idea what to feel. Sad? Horrified? I don't know. I was . . . just surprised. I already knew that the odds won't be in my favor; that glass bowl had thirty two slips of papers that had the name 'Inuzuka Hana' written on them, after all.

The girls moved to either side, giving me a path that led directly to the stage. The Haimaru brothers whined softly. I patted Hiro's head and took a deep breath before slowly walking towards the stage. I could see people looking at me in pity but I didn't look their way; I didn't want to be pitied. It made me feel vulnerable and weak.

The Haimaru brothers walked nervously behind me. I didn't want to bring them into this but they had to go with me; clan rules. I hated it . . . especially in times like these. I met my mother's eyes which were filled with tears. I gave her a reassuring look; she had to stay strong.

A wave of worry rushed over me; what if mom left us again? What if, while I was in the games, she left Kiba all on his own? I clenched my fists; I wouldn't allow that. I would talk to her about it later.

When I reached halfway towards the stage, I heard a child scream. I turned to see Kiba, fighting in the arms of an ANBU, with tears streaming down his face as he looked at me desperately. Akamaru barked at the ANBU for grabbing his master.

Without thinking, I ran towards Kiba and snatched him out of the ANBU's hands. I hugged and shushed him as he hung on to my dress tightly. Akamaru whimpered as he snuggled closer to my leg.

I pulled away and looked at Kiba in the eye, "Kiba, take Akamaru, go find mom and stay with her."

Kiba shook his head, "N-no!"

"Everything is going to be okay!" I told him as the ANBU grabbed my arm and pulled me back towards the stage. I closed my eyes and forced myself to look away from my brother who was crying so much, like he was dying. From the corner of my eye, I saw my mom move towards where he was, with Kuromaru running behind her.

I stepped up onto the stage and the woman smiled at me, "Was that your brother?"

I nodded stiffly. She smiled, "Well maybe he might join you in the games." I sent her a cold glare which made her yelp softly and jump a little. She then composed herself and went over to call out the name of the male tribute.

"Well maybe he might join you in the games." I could punch her for saying that but I forced myself to calm down. I bit the inside of my cheeks until I could taste the metallic taste of blood in my mouth. The worse thing is that the people of Kumo, the Capitol city of the Lightening Country, embrace the Ninja Games as an extreme sport. It's disgusting! I would never want Kiba to be selected for such a horrid thing.

Innocent Kiba who is too wild and naïve and is already ready to throw away his life if it means the well-being of the family. Though he has a strong will, the will of fire which barely exists, the cruel Ninja Games would crush him like a mere bug. I wouldn't allow that to happen to my brother.

But today was Kiba's first reaping. Kiba was one name among a thousand slips of paper so the odds of Kiba being chosen as this year's male tribute are very slim. But that still doesn't soothe my nerves. I'm still worried.

However, I don't even have the time to pray for Kiba's safety when I hear the woman call out the name, "Uchiha Sasuke."

Uchiha Sasuke. I know him. He was a classmate of Kiba's and I believe they were friends too. He was quite talented and was the topper of the class, according to Kiba. He was thirteen years old, meaning this was his second reaping. He had already graduated at the age of nine but he wasn't a Genin yet. I didn't know him personally but younger girls would talk endlessly about him. Also, there was something about him. Something about his name. . .

Sasuke's onyx eyes widened a bit but he sighed and started to walk towards the stage, as if it were a chore he was assigned to do, with his hands in his pockets. His midnight blue hair stood up at the back of his head rebelliously. He was only thirteen and yet he didn't look frightened at all. Like me, he seemed surprised. Only surprised.

Then, something unexpected happened. A voice spoke out from the group of boys, "I volunteer as tribute."

I could see looks of surprise and murmurs erupt from the crowd. Sasuke immediately turned around to face the person who had spoken. My eyes widened when I saw just who it was. Now I realized why the name 'Uchiha Sasuke' seemed familiar.

The woman squealed, "Oh my! Konoha's very first volunteer tribute!"

I saw Sasuke telling something, I couldn't hear, to a boy, about seventeen years old, with long black hair tied in a loose ponytail. Both boys shared the same onyx eyes indicating they were brothers. They were in some sort of argument.

As Sasuke's voice raised, I could make out that their conversation was about who was going to participate in the games. It wasn't a fight for who gets the glory of fighting in the Ninja Games; it was a simple act to protect one another. I looked at the older boy, who had volunteered, again.

Finally, Sasuke was taken away by the ANBU while the other boy walked towards the stage. He was wearing a simple black shirt with black trousers. His headband was around his forehead and he had an emotionless expression on his face.

I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed with all my heart, 'Please don't let it be him.'

The woman walked towards the boy, "What's your name?"

"Uchiha Itachi." He replied monotonously. Nope, the odds were not in my favor today. I could see Orochimaru smiling sympathetically at the boy.

"So that Sasuke boy was your brother correct?" The woman asked excitedly. I could sense the flirty tone in her voice which indicated she was attracted to the Uchiha. Itachi simply answered with a 'yes' and stepped away from her.

The woman laughed, "Don't want him stealing all the glory eh? Come on everybody! Let's give a big hand for Konoha's first volunteer tribute!"

But nobody claps. I don't know what made me do it. It was like as if my hand had a life of its own. I turned to Itachi and my sudden movement made him look my way. I pressed my three middle fingers to my lips and held it out towards him. It was an old gesture which meant admiration, thanks and goodbye to someone you love. Not that I loved him though.

He raised an eyebrow at me. I held his gaze and I almost lost myself in his eyes. Soon every member of the crowd follows my lead and holds out pressed their three middle fingers to their lips and held it out. I saw an emotion of sorrow and gratitude flicker briefly across Itachi's eyes before he gave a small bow to the crowd. Maybe I was imagining it; I hardly see him show any emotion.

Orochimaru stepped up to the podium once again and read out a speech about the Treaty of Allegiance. It was like this every year. It was required I wasn't listening to a word that he was saying. I kept glancing at Itachi.

Uchiha Itachi was one of the most popular boys in Konoha, like his younger brother. The girls my age talk about him endlessly. He is truly something. He graduated at the age of six and became a Genin a year later. When I became a Genin, he was promoted to Chunin and now he was in the ANBU. He had gotten an opportunity no one had ever gotten. Orochimaru favors him a lot too.

'Why him?' I can't help but think. I try to convince myself that it doesn't matter. That gesture was something done out of admiration; I admit it, he was brave to do that for his brother. But Uchiha Itachi and I aren't even friends or even neighbors. We don't speak to each other. Our only real communication happened several years ago. He has probably forgotten it by now. But I still remember and I know I'll never ever forget it . . .

It was during the worst time; my father was killed in a mine explosion. We were given a small compensation to last for one month at which my mother was supposed to find a job. Only she didn't. My mother had left me and Kiba alone to fend for ourselves. She simply stayed in bed with a dazed expression with her eyes fixed on some point in the distance. Kuromaru wasn't of much help either; he was depressed about his mistress's behavior.

I was terrified. My mother had locked herself away in a dark world of sadness and I realized that I lost both my father and my mother. I took over the as the head of the family at the age of eleven, with Kiba just seven. The Haimaru brothers tried to help me as much as they could but even they were weak and hungry like us. The money was slowly running out and tried my best to keep Kiba and myself looking presentable. If the ANBU found out that my mother could no longer care for us, they would take us away from her to the community home.

I saw the kids from the community home; the angry marks on their faces, the dull look in their eyes and the look of hopelessness written all over their faces. I couldn't let that happen to Kiba. He would be crushed. So I kept our struggle a secret from everyone.

We were slowly starving to death. The Haimaru brothers were so weak and could barely support themselves but they followed me around to help me out anyways. Kiba was growing thinner and thinner by the day and I was afraid he would get ill. We didn't even have the medicine to treat him and my medical ninjutsu wasn't perfect. I wasn't my father.

I kept telling myself to hold on just a bit longer; at least until April thirteenth. I would turn twelve on April thirteenth and would be able to sign up for the tesserae which would get me the grain and oil to feed us. But there were several weeks to go and we could be dead by then.

Starvation wasn't an uncommon fate in Konoha and the older people who can't feed themselves, children of a family who has too many to feed and those who were helplessly sitting against a wall or lying on the floor or was wandering around the streets are taken by the ANBU to the community homes. But they can't even survive there. The death of the people in the community home was said to be natural or by a disease but that fooled no one.

On the evening of my encounter with Uchiha Itachi, it was cold and gloomy. The sun had long since disappeared behind the mountains and there were no stars in the sky. The sky was covered with angry looking clouds which looked like they were going to release a massive amount of rain. The moon emitted a dim light from behind the clouds.

After forcing the Haimaru brothers to stay home and take care of Kiba I had gone out to sell Kiba's baby clothes at the Public Market but there were no takers. I wanted to trade them at the Hob but I was scared to go in there alone. Even though I had been there occasionally, I was afraid to go without my father.

The wind was blowing violently and I shaking with cold. I was in no condition to do much; I was weak since we had eaten, for the last few days, nothing but boiled water and old mint leaves which I had found in the back of a cupboard. The wind carried away the baby clothes out of my feeble trembling arms. I watched it blow away with the wind but made no attempt to go after them; no one wanted those clothes anyway.

I couldn't go home because at home was my mother who sat in bed like a statue and my younger brother with cracked lips and hollow cheeks. The Haimaru brothers were there too and I could bear the thought of them dying due to lack of food. I couldn't walk into that house with my hands empty of any hope.

I found myself stumbling along a lane behind the houses, shops and buildings of the wealthy people and the ANBU in Konoha. I could smell food from their windows and it made my stomach growl and my mouth to salivate.

Stealing is a serious crime that is punishable by death but there might be something in the trash cans and those were fair game. There might be something, anything, which no one but my family was desperate enough to eat. Unfortunately, the bins had just been emptied.

I don't know how but I ended up behind the Hokage's quarters. I could hear laughter and the smell of some deliciously cooked bird; the Hokage was having dinner with his ANBU. Although I didn't like Orochimaru, maybe there would be something descent to eat in his bin. However, after my shaking fingers managed to open the lid, I looked inside and found it to be so heartlessly bare.

Suddenly, I heard a voice slurred voice yelling at me. It was an ANBU, who was clearly drunk, cursing and yelling at me to stop pawing through the Hokage's trash and that I, a poor and filthy waif, wasn't allowed in this part of town. The words were harsh and ugly, even if the man was drunk and I had nothing to say in defense.

He grabbed my hair and threw me to the side like I was a rag doll. I cried out in pain and the tears streamed down my face. I reached up to brush them away. As I carefully replaced the lid and backed away, I noticed him, a boy with black hair and onyx eyes looking intently at me.

I knew him. We went to school together but he graduated earlier than me. In fact, he graduated earlier than everyone in our year. Usually the kids only graduate at the age of ten or eleven but he had done the impossible and graduated at the age of six. He was currently a Genin. The Hokage favored him a lot since he was said to be very talented. I didn't know his name and we weren't friends since he was stuck with the town kids.

He spoke in a calm and mature voice as he ushered the drunk ANBU back inside. After they left, I made my way farther away from the Hokage's quarters and leaned on the old apple tree in his yard. I realized that it was hopeless; there was nothing more I could do for my family.

My knees buckled and I slid down the tree trunk to its roots. Tears kept streaming down my face. Soon, the clouds released their moisture and the rain poured down heavily. The wind blew mercilessly and engulfed me in the bitter cold. My clothes were so soaked and it left me chilled to the bone. It was too much; I was so weak and oh so tired.

"Let me die," I thought miserably. "Let me die here in the rain. Just put me out of my misery."

There was a clatter in the Hokage's quarters and I heard the ANBU yelling again and the sound of a sharp blow. I then heard the Hokage give his creepy laugh and saying something through his laughter. I vaguely wondered what was going on.

"I'm heading out. I'll throw these on the way." I heard the boy, from earlier, say. He walked into the rain and I couldn't help but wonder if he was cold; he was only wearing a blue t-shirt and white training shorts. He walked towards me with his hands in his pocket. On impulse, I clumsily stood up and hid behind the tree. I slowly peered at the boy from my hiding.

He never looked my way. He walked directly by me and I shrank away from him, trying to hide myself. He then turned towards me. The action startled me so I let out a soft yelp. He never looked at me but I noticed the red angry mark which stood out on the fair skin of his cheek.

That ANBU had hit him. I was shocked; I thought being closer to the Hokage would make like easier for him. I didn't realize that such a thing could happen. He tossed two objects in my direction and I caught them quickly. My eyes widened; the objects he tossed to me were two loaves of bread. It was burnt on the outside but if the burnt chunks were torn off, it would be as good as any other bread.

I looked up to see if the boy had really meant to toss it in my direction it but he wasn't there; he was already gone. He must have meant for me to have it. I shoved the loaves up under my shirt and wrapped my jacket about me tightly. I walked home as quickly as my shaky legs could carry me. The bread emitted a searing heat into my skin but I clutched it tighter, as if it were my lifeline.

By the time I reached home, the loaves of bread had cooled somewhat but the insides were still warm. When I dropped them on the table, the Haimaru brothers wagged their tail excitedly and Kiba's hands reached up to tear off a chunk but I made them all sit first.

I forced my mother to join us and Kuromaru helped me. I poured some warm tea and tore off the burnt parts of the bread. Sora liked them so I fed it to him. We ate one whole loaf slice by slice. It was good bread filled with nuts and raisins.

I put my clothes to dry at the fire and crawled into bed. I fell into a dreamless sleep and it didn't occur to me until the next morning that the boy might have burnt the bread on purpose. Tossed it in the fire and risked a beating just to get them to me. I shook off the thought. Besides, why would he do that? We didn't even know each other. Even so, tossing me the bread was an enormous kindness.

I would pass the boy around the streets. He didn't acknowledge me in any way but once I found him staring at me from a roof top when I was returning from my hunt. He had seen me come out of the woods. We locked eyes for a moment but he looked away and went off. I was afraid he was going to report me but he didn't I was never summoned or taken away by the ANBU.

One day, I saw a dandelion growing behind our house. It was the first dandelion of the year. I thought of the hours spent with my father in the woods and I knew just how we were going to survive. I could never shake the connection between this boy, Uchiha Itachi, and the bread that gave me hope and the dandelion that reminded me that I wasn't doomed.

I feel like I owe him something and I hate owing people. Maybe if I had thanked him at some point, I wouldn't be so conflicted right now. I had thought about it but he was always with the ANBU and so the opportunity never seemed to present itself.

And it never will. Now we were going to be thrown in an arena and were expected to fight each other to the death. How can I thank him now? I don't think it would be sincere if I'm trying to slit his throat with my kunai.

After Orochimaru finishes, he motions for me and Itachi to shake hands. His hands are warm. He looks at me straight in the eye and gives me a small nod which I think is meant to be a way of reassuring and saying good luck. We turn back to face the crowd as the national anthem of Konoha plays.

"There are twenty four of us; odds are someone else will kill him before I do." I think to myself.

But then again, the odds have not been very dependable of the late.

Well that's that. Stay tuned for chapter 3 ^_^