Of course, in his grief over Rue he had forgotten about Clove's unconscious form on the ground. Of course, he had been so caught up with the flowers and the bread and the crying that he had missed her sly approach. Of course, she hadn't chosen to go for him but instead Katniss, the girl she had hated since the moment she watched the recaps of the reapings. Of course, he froze in place as Katniss's body dropped to the ground and she wailed in pain. Of course, Clove was already barreling towards him.

He knew this fight would be brutal the second he drew his sword. Clove was getting cocky, having ended each fight with him thus far in a draw. Cato's mind was foggy, his movements driven by pure instinct as he focused on Katniss. She was crawling away from the two now, pain making her movements slow. Clove blocked a blow from Cato's sword with a long knife she had unsheathed from her vest, the other was still lodged in Katniss' side. The contact of the two metal blades sent a spark flying through the air around them.

"You know, I think you might have actually lost your mind. You arrogant prick, so sure you would win and look at you… crying over some stupid little brat from 11. Following this coal rat around like a sick puppy. You're an abomination to everything you have trained for." Clove sneered at him as the two continued to duel, throwing herself on the ground to dodge a blow from his sword. Anger flooded through his body at her words. He started to feel the way he had in his private session, his mind clearing as he slowly slipped into the killing machine he was trained to be. Every movement was calculated, quick, unpredictable.

Anger is one of the best things to feel when swinging a sword, right Brutus?

Clove whipped a knife at him, her movements becoming more frantic as she realized she was on defense now. She missed; the blade wasn't even close to him as he advanced towards her.
"I'm getting really tired of these games Clove. You have been fucking unbearable since the moment we got on the train. What is your issue with Katniss anyways? Is it because you know she is better than you?" He chided, finally catching his district partner. He held his sword to her throat, the tip poking into her neck, sending a single drop of blood down across her collarbone.

"Is it because nobody wants to look at you? You're a background character next to the girl on fire. All your training, your entire life, has been for nothing. You will never win. You're nobody's choice. Just another picture to light up the sky at night while the real players fight their battles." He sneered at the girl in front of him, watching as she seethed and scrambled in his grip. He threw her on the ground in front of him, lightly swiping the tip of his blade across her ankle. Blood gushed from the wound as she screamed at him. Her voice was unrecognizable, her words slurred as she stuttered over her own anger. That's when an arrow shot past him, imbedding itself in the same spot Katniss had hit her in earlier. Another arrow, landing in her shoulder. Katniss continued to fire as the girl scrambled to her feet and ran away. A final shot, landing in the back of her thigh before Clove's form disappeared into the trees.
Cato stood in shock of what he had just done. He realized now that that bloodthirsty killer resided deep inside of him, just not for the innocents. He had taunted Clove, reveled in her pain as he drug out her death. Katniss had been his only saving grace. Her arrows had saved him from completely handing himself over to the monster that has risen to the surface. His mind reeled as he continued to stand and stare at the spot where Clove had disappeared. Time seemed to slow as the sound of his breathing and the rhythmic pound of his heart marched on.

"Cato." Katniss' voice was weak as she called to him. It was only then that he remembered the knife in her side, her scream of pain, the way she had crumpled to the ground. Time sped up again as he flew to her, gathering her in his arms.
The knife wasn't that deep, but blood still leaked out from where it impaled through her jacket. Her breathing was labored, her eyes fluttering as she struggled to remain conscious. Her olive skin was now ashy and pale, her limp body cradled in his arms as he stood and began to sprint. Her hand was still wrapped around her bow, hanging loosely in front of him as he forced himself to run faster than he ever had in his life. He darted through the forest for the second time that day, adrenaline forcing the air into his lungs as he forced his way into the cave. All of their supplies were still here, the medical supplies bunched in the corner he placed her down in front of. His hands were shaking as he tore open the kit, pulling out as much gauze as possible and piling it in massive piles. Katniss was barely conscious now, her body finally starting to give up.

"Katniss, Katniss" he cried, holding her face in his hands, and forcing her to look at him, "C'mon beautiful you have to stay with me. Keep looking at me okay. Just keep your eyes on me. I have to pull this out so I can try to stitch it up… okay?" He pleaded with her. The girl was dazed as she nodded, her eyes rolling back. He gripped the handle with shaking hands, taking a deep breath before he smoothly pulled the blade from her body. Katniss groaned, tears slipping from her eyes as he started pressing gauze into the wound. She breathed heavily now, deep ragged breaths as she shook from the pain. Cato felt himself being ripped apart at the seams.

He splashed the wound with a bottle of antiseptic, shushing Katniss as she cried from the burn. "I know, I know. I'm sorry, love."

"Cato." She sobbed as he forced pressure on the wound again. The blood was seeping through the gauze onto his hands now.

"I have to stitch this Katniss. Just breathe for me, okay? Can you hold this for me?" He motioned to where his hands pressed against the wound. She slipped her hands over his, her entire body vibrating as she fought to keep herself awake.

Fever reducers.

Anti-bacterial ointment.

Iodine.

Bandages.

Medical tape.

Burn cream.

Hand sanitizer.

Anti-septic.

Pain medicine.

"Fuck! Fuck!" He threw the kit at the wall. It was loaded with items, none of them were the needle and thread he needed to save Katniss' life.

"Haymitch!" He screamed, running out of the cave, "Brutus! Please, I'm fucking begging you!" He ran his hands through his hair, nearly ripping the blonde strands from his head as they were stained red from her blood.

"I need something to stitch this up with! Please! God fucking dammit, you swore you would help me you drunk bastards!" He screamed desperately at the sky, tears welling in his eyes as he continued to curse. Then, a parachute started to float towards him. It was the worst torture, watching as the precious supplies descended to him at the speed of a snail. He jumped, grabbing it from the air and ripping it open as he ran back inside.

"Have you- have you ever done this before?" Katniss' shaky voice looked him up and down as he poured the hand sanitizer onto his bloody hands.

"No." He answered, unwrapping the package that held the needle.

"Oh, great." Katniss scowled as he started to wipe away the blood with the only gauze left that wasn't blood-soaked. The needle shook in his hands as he started to line it up to the gash on her side.

"Only you could manage to be annoying while you're dying, little flame." He shook his head, beginning to sew. As he passed through her skin over and over again, the bleeding slowly stopped as the wound closed. The string of colorful language Katniss managed to piece together could make a sailor blush. As he continued on, she calmed down more and more. Eventually, she was fighting to remain conscious. The adrenaline was fading from her system, the pain becoming dull as he tied the end in a knot.

"Can I?" her voice was a whisper, her eyes already closed as he placed the needle down next to her.

"Yes love, you can sleep now." He brushed the hair from her face as finally, she fell unconscious. He sat for who knows how long, fingers absentmindedly coming though the hairs that had fallen lose from her braid.

The events of the day slowly sank in. The explosion, the diversion, the first fight with Clove, Rue's death, Marvel's death, burying the little girl in flowers, the bread from 11, Katniss being stabbed, nearly torturing Clove to death, trying to save Katniss, the needle, the blood. Finally, he broke down. He sobbed into the unconscious girl's death as reality finally sunk in.

Cato Hadley was no stranger to pain. He knew the warm comfort of its embrace too well. But this… this day had shown him that he had no idea what true pain was. Not until he cradled Katniss' limp body in his arms, surrounded by her blood and gauze, her shirt ripped open, her breathing shallow, her face marked with tear marks and blood… undiscernible if it was her own or Rue's. No, it wasn't until he watched the love of his life fading in his arms that he realized that he had become a stranger to pain once more.