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District 12 was a small, grimy district, coated in black coal dust. Most of the district was in poverty. It was the least cared for, the most forgotten. Only one man had won the games from this district, years ago. This is where Levy McGarden was born and raised. Now 17, her name was in the bowls at least 20 times. She applied for the extra grain and oil every year, sometimes two times a year. Her two brothers, Jet and Droy, were her only family. They both were 18 now, fraternal twins. Their father died in a mining accident five years ago, their mother died of sickness two years ago. This was the last year their names would be in the bowls. The extra grain and oil was for them, but Levy had a pure heart and wanted to give to everyone. She often helped out the less fortunate around her side of town. Today was the day of the year everyone dreaded. It was the Reaping Day.Her brothers left through the fence to hunt. It was against the rules to do so, but they did it anyways. The Peacekeepers never cared, often they were the ones who would trade with them for other things. Levy was off to the town center, or as close as she could get now. That's where they set up for the Reaping, so it was closed off to the public for now. Her best friend Lucy said she would meet her here so they could spend the day together. The bluenette looked around for her blonde friend, her golden eyes scanning the people around her. They stopped for a moment on a man with a fair amount of muscles and a mess of black hair tied back. He lived here in District 12. To her memory, his name was Gajeel. He must have been enlisted to help set up all the equipment for the day in the town center. His red eyes passed over her for a moment and she looked away, spotting Lucy. "Hey Lev!" Lucy smiled brightly as she approached her friend. Her blonde hair was tied back, well kept and clean. Her outfit was nicer than most in the District, because she was the daughter of the mayor. She was exempt from Reaping, but she couldn't stand to see her people and friends in poverty. Last year, she finally applied for the extra food, giving it out much like Levy. Her name was only in the bowls maybe five times this year. She also didn't see it as fair that she was exempt from this death game. "Is this what you're wearing for today?" She asked, hugging Levy. Levy was dressed in an orange outfit, a dress. The orange was long dulled, but Levy still loved it. Her blue hair was pushed back with a headband she made herself out of scraps of fabric. It was a mess of colors. "Yes, it is. It's one of the nicer things I have. Let's go visit the Hob. My brothers may be there to trade." She offered with a smile. Lucy agreed and off they went. The Hob was an old building absolutely coated in mine dust. It was a black market building. Peacekeepers often traded inside, even though it was technically black market. They didn't care. So long as no one was murdered or the rules seriously broken, they never cared. There was an older woman who served soup. If you brought her food to add, you would get a free bowl of the soup. The girls stopped by a stand with a mismatch of objects. Levy pulled out a few coins, handing them over. "I'll take the roll of string, and four buttons." She explained. Some of her clothes could use a touch up. The woman running the stand handed them over with a kind smile. Lucy picked up a golden pin with a weird bird-like symbol on it. "What kind of bird is this?" She asked curiously. "It isn't any type of bird. It's jus' a symbol." The woman sighed. "Take it. You pay attention to us, which is more than your father does." "Oh, no, I couldn't just take this! Here." Lucy removed a hair pin she had with some sparkling (but fake) gems on it and gave it to the woman in exchange for the pin. "Thank you, dearie." She smiled a toothy smile, revealing some missing teeth. With Levy's help, Lucy pinned it to her shirt with a smile. The girls spent a couple more hours there, running into Jet and Droy at some point. They were trading what meat they had hunted, as well as edible plants they had found. The Hob closed down just before everyone was due in the town center for the Reaping. The four walked together, the boys splitting off to go stand with the boys their age. Lucy and Levy were both the same age, so they could stand together. They both had their fingers pricked to 'check in' with the Capitol's people. The blue haired girl glanced at her friend, a small smile of nervousness on her lips.Lucy reached over and grasped Levy's hand, squeezing her hand lightly. "Hello, District 12! Welcome to the Reaping for the 74th annual Hunger Games!" A tall woman with golden brown hair said in a very cheerful voice. Her outfit was a green, skintight dress with a thick purple stripe running down the center. She had on leggings as well, and thin glasses perched on her nose. She was a pretty woman, Levy decided. "My name is Evergreen, and I am from the Capitol." As if that wasn't obvious. "As you all know, to start off the Reaping, we watch a special video by our own President Hades!" The screens above the stage faded away from the symbol of their district and played the same video every year. About the rebellion, the obliteration of District 13, the creation of the Hunger Games. Eventually it faded out. Behind the Capitol woman, a short, old man with a mustache and rather eccentric outfit snorted in the short silence, taking a swig from a mug in his hand. "What a wonderful video. Now, ladies first." She sauntered over to the large, glass bowl full of paper slips for the girls. "May the odds be ever in your favor!" Her voice was very cheerful as she delicately plucked a folded up paper from the middle of the throng. She opened it carefully, and Levy squeezed Lucy's hand tightly."Levy McGarden!"
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Levy didn't quite register what was happening. Her brain didn't seem to click with her name being called by the green, overly cheerful woman on stage. Lucy looked at her, fear and horror etched into her face. Most of the girls looked at the bluenette, because everyone knew her. Two Peacekeepers came and grabbed her arms, since she was frozen to the spot and couldn't seem to find the will to move her legs. 17. I'm 17, I was so close to freedom... One more year, why is this happening? Her legs finally moved of her own accord and she roughly yanked them from the Peacekeepers. The square was silent. She had helped so many of them, they knew her face, her blue hair, her gentle smile and welcomed optimism. She stepped on stage, where Evergreen put an arm around her shoulders. "Miss Levy, everyone! Give her a hand, our brave female tribute." Evergreen smiled brightly. No one clapped. A few small kids were crying. Jet and Droy were just staring at Levy. She tried to flash them a reassuring smile, but she wasn't sure if it came across that way. It started small, with Lucy and her brothers and a few families she had helped, but slowly, the entire district was holding their right hands, their index finger and thumb making an L. It was a sign of love and support, that no matter where she ended up, she had people behind her. Tears came to her eyes, but she blinked them away. She would not cry here. The Capitol escort sauntered over to the other bowl. "Now, for the boys." She announced, uselessly filling the silence. She stuck her hand in and dug around for a moment before pulling out another piece of paper. She opened it slowly and observed the crowd before her. "Gajeel Redfox!" A murmur went through everyone. He stepped forward without hesitation, his face a firm look of distaste. He was built, from working around the district, doing odd jobs. He was most known for his piercing red eyes and long, black hair that was often tied back because it was simply out of control. He also had metal studs in various places, but they were not Capitol grade. They were back-alley jobs, several of which got infected and he had to get rid of. He wore them as a statement, sort of a "Fuck you" to societal norms for this world, and their district. He was strong, that much was obvious. Maybe this year, District 12 would win. When he reached the stage, he glanced at Levy for a short moment. He dwarfed her in both height and size. She was short and petite, he was tall and built. He screamed victor, she screamed easy target for the bloodbath. He crossed his arms and stared down the crowd, daring them to clap. His black tanktop was ripped around the shoulders, and she wondered if he ever had newer or nicer clothes. He always seemed to wear the same stuff. Evergreen tried to get the crowd to clap, but once again they didn't. She finally wrapped up the Reaping ceremony and the two tributes were lead into the Justice Building. They were in separate rooms. This is where their loved ones would come to say goodbye. The first people to see Levy were her brothers, predictably. Droy was a mess, but Jet was at least very good at faking keeping it together. "Levy... You have to try. Don't give up, not once in there! You're not strong, but you're smart. Outsmart those Career assholes." Jet insisted. Droy tried to give advice, but just broke down and cried on Levy. "I won't give up. I'll... I'll make it home. I promise." Her voice sounded hollow to her. "You can't shut down while I'm gone. Got it? You just can't. And if I don't come back, you have to keep going with your lives. Please, don't let my death put you on hold forever." She said in a serious tone. I can't cry in front of them. I just can't. "Okay... We won't." Jet promised. Droy moaned loudly. "I'll make sure he doesn't." Jet added with a nervous chuckle. A Peacekeeper came in and ushered them out after they said final goodbyes and 'I love you's. The next person to visit her was Lucy. "Oh, Lev... I can't believe you were chosen. I should have volunteered, I shouldn't have let this happen to you." Lucy sounded remorseful. It was obvious she had been crying, but put on a brave face for a goodbye. "Luce, I'm glad you didn't. I'm glad you weren't chosen. I'll make it." Tears came, a few stubborn ones fell. "If I don't..." Her voice cracked. "If I don't, take care of Jet and Droy. I-I know they'll shut down, but they can't do that. They need to live.""I'll make sure of it. I won't let them starve." The blonde promised. She unclipped the strange bird symbol pin she had gotten earlier and pinned it to Levy's top. "You can have a token with you. Take this. Please." She insisted. Levy nodded as more tears escaped, unwanted and unbidden. "I love you, Levy. You're like a sister to me. Come back to us." Lucy smiled a little as a Peacekeeper came to ruin their moments together. They hugged tightly and the Peacekeeper had to physically drag Lucy out of the room. Levy sat there in silence, playing with her new pin as tears dried on her face. Hours passed, or that's what it felt like. She had no more visitors. Eventually, by cover of near nightfall, she and Gajeel were ushered onto the bullet train that would take them straight to the Capitol. It was late, so Evergreen showed them their respective rooms, right across the hall from each other. They both watched as their one and only mentor, Makarov, waltzed past them with a bottle of... Something alcoholic in it. Gajeel never even said a hello to Levy, simply slammed his door shut for the night. Levy also retired for the night, anxiety eating away at her stomach. Morning came, with a wake-up call from Evergreen herself. Her overly cheery voice pierced through Levy's bittersweet dreams. She dressed carefully in a blue vest that had a yellow top to go with it and longer, white jeans. She kept her headband on. The dining car was her first stop, as was Gajeel's. Perfect time to introduce herself to her... Ally? Maybe. "Hi." Levy said softly, catching his attention. He was scarfing down the excellent food they never saw at home. "I-I'm Levy. I don't know if you really know me..." She trailed off, her words dying in her throat as those red eyes seemed to pierce through her very soul. "Seen you around, Shrimp." He shrugged, returning his attention to the food. She frowned. "I said my name is Levy. Not shrimp." She retorted. He only laughed, still not looking at her. Makarov came to join them, already drinking. "Hello, victims. I mean, tributes. Welcome to the train ride. It'll be only a couple days before we're in the Capitol, where you'll go to a tower connected to the Training Center. Yadda yadda, I'll let Evergreen fill you in." He muttered. He was in really casual clothes, with a flowery shirt and shorts. He was a balding man with a thick mustache. "I'm Makarov, the only living Victor of the three this district has ever had." He laughed. "If we're lucky, one of you will join me in the Victor's Village." "Oh, stop scaring them you old stick in the mud." Evergreen chastised him. "He is right, about the Training Center. You are from 12 so you'll be on the 12th floor! The Penthouse, the best floor. We want to shower you in luxury before the Games, give you a taste of the good life." "A taste of what we're missing out on, living in destitute 12?" Gajeel growled out, his grip on his knife tightening. Evergreen didn't seem to know how to answer, so he continued. "You Capitolites act like we chose to live this way. We didn't choose shit." He slammed the knife into the table, cracking it. "I don't need a strategy talk from a guy who's written off life and a cheerful Capitol girl who's way too happy for sending us to die." He went from calm to pissed in a few seconds. It scared Levy a little as she took a step back from him. "Gajeel-" She tried to say, but he stood up and shoved past her, hard enough to hit the ground, as he stalked off to who knows where in the train. "Well, I never. That is a very nice wood he just cracked." Evergreen muttered sadly. "I think it's mahogany..." Levy chose to ignore the woman, turning to Makarov. He was looking down into the depths of his bottle of whatever it was he drank, seemingly lost in thought. "I don't think you've given up on life. If it makes you feel better." She said quietly. He looked up, his face showing how old and tired he really was for once. "Thank you. He's right. I used to be full of strategies and tactics, but when you lose so many kids, you start to give up. I get close to all the tributes, so it kills me to watch them die." He sighed heavily. "I had a kid myself. Because I was a Victor, I was able to spare him from the Games. When he became an adult, I pushed for him to be moved anywhere but 12. He deserved a better place to find a living in. He chose 5, and had a kid himself. I couldn't spare his kid, but Ivan got lucky. Laxus, my grandson and only remaining family, won. He's a mentor now, but he won't speak to me. Ivan was angry at me for not saving Laxus, and Laxus is also angry. When so much in the world is against you, it's hard to remain the same man." He explained as Levy patiently listened. "It's a damn miracle you've remained the same, optimistic person living there." "Well, I always felt like the fact that I could live another day was a blessing in itself. Surviving day to day there is hard enough on its own." She shrugged. "I think Gajeel will come around. Give him time, and maybe don't be drunk when you try to speak to him again." With that last word of advice, she flounced off with a fruit in hand. Makarov chuckled to himself. "I think we have a winner this year." He smirked a little, taking a huge gulp of his drink as Evergreen rolled her eyes at his habits.
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The rest of the train trip was uneventful. Gajeel and Levy seemed to skirt around each other, avoiding too much interaction. Gajeel didn't care to get close to her, and Levy was afraid of becoming attached and then having to kill him. After Makarov's talk with Levy, he seemed to change a little. He still drank more alcohol than he probably should more often than he probably should, but he seemed to be less morbid about the event. He even discussed strategies with Levy, sharing tips that would benefit her. Gajeel still wanted nothing to do with him, or Evergreen, who's outfit changed drastically daily. Then, they reached the Capitol. Evergreen was the one to alert them to that fact when everyone was in the dining car. Gajeel glanced up, out the windows, because as much as he didn't care and remained aloof, he had wondered about the glittering Capitol. Levy rushed to the window, her eyes wide with wonder. The city was full of people, all dressed in crazy clothes with crazy features and hair. They were crowding the train, straining to get a glimpse of the new tributes. She didn't wave, simply stared at the crowds as the train rushed past. "Why're you staring out the window like that?" Gajeel asked gruffly. "Because I'm curious." Was Levy's simple answer. The train rolled to a stop, and Evergreen once again took over. "Okay! Put on your best smiles and nicest expressions, and Makarov try to walk in a straight line." She said sternly. Levy gave her a blank look while Gajeel opted for a piercing glare. Their escort sighed heavily. "You're meeting your stylists soon for the opening ceremony, so do try to not scare them off for good." She snapped as they left the train. "Word of advise: do what your stylists ask you to. It'll help you get more sponsors if you look good, no matter if you're likeable or not." Makarov said to the both of them as they went to a building, where the two tributes split off. Levy was left to a group of women who plucked and waxed and scrubbed and scraped every inch of her clean. Her skin felt raw from the constant scrubbing to get the years of coal dust out from her skin. Her finger nails, which she had a bad habit of biting, were styled to look decent and she was hairless on every inch of her body except her face and hair. She felt exposed and vulnerable, but couldn't put up much of a fight. The wax hurt too. After all the picking and pruning was finished, she was told to throw on a robe and not her clothes and was ushered to a room by herself. It was a rather plain room, with a raised platform in the center. She was sure she would have to stand there while the person doing her outfit examined her and decided what to do. The outfits were supposed to reflect their district, and her district was coal mining. There wasn't much to do in the way of outfits for that, every year it was pretty much the same. A coal miners outfit. One year, they just coated them in black dust with scraps to cover their private areas. She hoped this guy didn't do anything like that. After several moments of silence, a large man walked in. He work a stretched white shirt and had crazy, curly orange hair with a hat on top of it. "Hello, my name is Reedus. I'm your stylist." He said in way of introduction. He was carrying her clothes from before, which he set down for now. "I know exactly what I'm going to do with you. It will be a work of art!" He sounded excited, and seemed to be less crazy looking than other Capitol people. Levy decided she liked him the moment he told her she could redress for now. Her pin was still on her clothes, which she was grateful for. She didn't want to lose it. "Can I wear this pin with it? I don't want to risk losing it." She asked quietly. He smiled a little."There's a way to hide it within the outfit I have planned, so of course my dear." He circled her for a moment. "Are you afraid?" "Of the Games?" She pondered as Reedus nodded. "I... I don't know. I don't think I'm afraid of death, exactly, but I'm afraid of what the arena will do to me, assuming I even survive." "You're honest with yourself, which is good. Now! My outfit." He pulled it out of seemingly nowhere, showin off his masterpiece. It was solid black on the bottom, heating up to red and orange and yellow as it went up her body. "Coal burns. So you'll be in the flames." He motioned to a privacy screen in the corner she didn't notice earlier. "Go on, put it on."She went to the curtain and slipped behind it, undressing and putting on the formfitting outfit. It wasn't a dress, it was a top and pants, but they seamlessly fit together where they met at her waist. There were slits coming up the sides of her legs as well, stopping just below her knees. The sleeves were longer, flaring out like flames towards her hands. It hugged her in all the right places, and for one of the few times in her life, she felt good in an outfit. She put on the two hair clips, one on each side of her hair as a final touch. She came out from behind the curtain and Reedus lit up. "Oh! You look wonderful. I thought I'd go for the stunning look for you, drawing the eyes to the beautiful tribute. For the other, I suggested something more stoic. I think you both will be pleased. Come, I'll take you to your carriage. You can wait for the boy there." Levy followed the man through hallways until they reached the outside, where 12 carriages pulled by horses awaited their respective tributes. Gajeel was nowhere to be seen yet. She sighed, looking around after Reedus left. There were two tributes that looked like they belonged here, the boy with white hair and the girl with pink. The girl looked sweet, but her eyes held a dangerous glint. The boy looked aloof and calculating. "You look better than me, shrimp." Gajeel' voice startled her, and she jumped a little. She turned to look at him. He was devoid of color, unlike her. He wore black pants that hung loosely off his hips and a black shirt that looked intentionally ripped in some place. He had a skewed miners hat on his head with smudges on his face. He looked like a mix of a piece of coal and a coal miner. The look suited him, all the black. He looked intimidating, stoic. He looked... dangerous. "You look scary. That's a good thing, though. You wanna look like you can handle yourself in the arena, for sponsors." She was rambling and she knew it. She couldn't help it-she wanted to at least be an ally to him, but they could hardly talk. "I was told to press this when we're ready." He held up a switch. "Dunno what it is. Guess we'll see." He climbed into the carriage and held down a hand to Levy. She grabbed it and he easily lifted her into the air with one hand, setting her down on the carriage. She blushed lightly at being lifted so easily, turning her attention to the front. Their carriage was last in the parade. Everyone was loading up to go, and the first carriage rolled out. She jolted a little with the sudden movement of their carriage, and Gajeel instinctively lashed his hand out to catch her from falling. As their carriage left the tunnel, he glanced at Levy. She nodded, and he flipped the switch. Her hair was on fire. It was a synthetic flame, but it was on fire. She was the flames of a mine, and Gajeel was her miner. Everyone lost it when they saw her and Gajeel. When he flipped the switch, he started to glow like a dying ember, while she was a roaring flame. She bit her lip, smiling at him. He was grinning like a madman, which again suited him and his outfit. The carriages circled around, before stopping and facing a raised stage, where the President would come and address them. President Hades was not an attractive man, or a nice one, in looks or manner. He had a very long, white beard with white hair pulled back and a black eyepatch. He used a walking staff as well, and he had a spiteful tone to his voice. He made opening announcements about the Games and wished everyone luck. "May the odds be ever in your favor, tributes." He smirked, seeming to eye Levy and Gajeel specifically. The carriages rolled away and she continued to stare at him as they left, until he was out of their sight. She had the feeling something big was coming, something she had gotten involved in somehow. It scared her.
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The next stop was the tower they would be staying in, next to the Training Center. Levy, Gajeel, Evergreen, and Makarov got in a glass elevator that brought them to the top floor. "Welcome to the height of luxury." Evergreen smirked widely as the two tributes followed her in awe. Gajeel was masking his better than Levy's. It was incredible! There was a large living room area with several couches and chairs and a huge screen to watch the Games or things related to it or whatever you wanted. There were ceiling to floor windows. There was a long dining table filled with every kind of food someone from 12 could only imagine, with elaborate chairs lining the table. A hallway lead to rooms for everyone, which Evergreen lead them down. Levy's room was twice the size of her room back home, with lots of technology involved. She could change the window wall to show anything, and settled on a sunset. The bathroom was huge, with a ton of things to use in the shower. She decided to take a shower, stripping down and messing with the different smells she could have. Levy was certain she spent an hour in the neverending hot water, scented like a meadow. She washed her hair throughly, feeling relaxed and clean. When she finally exited the shower, the fluffiest towel awaited her. She wrapped it around herself, tucking it in so it stayed up as she braided her hair while it was still wet. She left the bathroom to get dressed, just as Gajeel walked in her room. She sort of froze, as did he, like a deer caught in the sights of a hunter. "I-everyone is going to eat soon." He said gruffly in way of an explanation. "Get out!" She shouted, holding up her towel as she threw a brush at him. He bolted finally and she let out a breath, her cheeks turning rather pink. She slammed her door shut, locking it now, and dressing quickly. She choose a baby blue dress, pinning her pin to the dress and slipping on her orange headband again. Those things, excluding her orange dress, were all she had from home. After feeling satisfied and her cheeks returning to a normal shade, she left for the dining room. Everyone was in there, including her stylist and Gajeel's. He was a large, imposing man, wearing dark sunglasses. Levy sat down, noticing the food from before was gone. It must have just been for snacking. Now a real dinner was being served by silent servers. "Levy, I'm glad you could join us." Evergreen admonished lightly. "The ones serving us are called Avoxes. They are people who have committed a crime and have had their tongue cut out." She explained it so simply, like it wasn't a human life being fucked around with."Thank you." Levy said kindly to the woman who served her. The woman seemed grateful to be acknowledged and smiled in her direction. Evergreen looked surprised Levy even noticed the Avox. "You must be the other Tribute. I am Aria." The stranger at the table said with a nod in her direction. She noticed his eyes were covered. Was he blind? "I am Gajeel's stylist." He added, and Levy nodded. "I liked your idea with the miner and fire. It was different." Levy tried to make conversation, but most topics fell flat. It was hard to converse with them, all cheerful and full of the Capitol life, while her life was numbered by days now. Maybe weeks, if she was very lucky. Dinner passed awkwardly and quietly, and Levy excused herself after a while. Usually Gajeel would be the one to escape, but she just had to get out of there. She found a way to the roof and decided to go up and see the city from above. She was pleasantly surprised by a roof garden, with wind chimes being swung around by the wind. "You wanted to get out of there pretty fast, huh. You're the people person. How come?" A deep voice asked behind her. She glanced behind her, noticed Gajeel was there. He was in a tank top and cargo pants, which is what he seemed most comfortable in. "I can't hold a conversation with them. My life is in the balance, numbered by days, and look at them!" She flung her hand out, like that would punctuate her point. "Eating and wasting enough food to last a couple of families at least a solid week. Not even caring these-these games KILL people!" Her voice was suddenly silenced by Gajeel's large hand over her mouth. She tried to speak, but only muffled sounds came out. "If you're not careful, shrimp, your life will numbered to tomorrow. You can't say shit like that here, of all places. The heart of the Capitol." The red-eyed man yanked his hand back when he felt something wet. The smug little girl licked him! She had a cocky smirk on her face too. "Don't do that, or I will lick you. They wouldn't kill one of their precious tributes before the Games. Where's the fun in that?" She said snidely, before sighing heavily. "I haven't even entered the Games and I already feel like I've changed as a person. Sure, I didn't like the Capitol, but I wasn't like this before. Vindictive, snide..." She stared despondently at the roofs edge. "They've got a forcefield around it." He told her and she rolled her eyes. "Thanks, but that wasn't really crossing my mind." She sighed again, staring at the nightlife of the city. "I was thinking about the city. The lives lead here. The buildings and lights. Why can't it be this way at home too?" She turned to him with lost hope in her eyes. "Can you imagine a 12 where no one starved anymore?" It occurred to her suddenly that this was the first time she was having a real conversation with Gajeel, which made her feel a little self conscious. "No. I can't. Each district is poorer than the last, that's how it's always worked." He huffed, crossing his arms over his massive chest. "It's the fucked up system they made up decades ago." He turned his back on her now. "You should go to bed. Makarov said training starts tomorrow, bright and early. It's a chance to see the other tributes, and learn somethin' new. And you're gonna need all the learning you can get." He snorted as he left. Levy felt anger rise up in her chest, but knew he was right. She had no skills. She knew which plants were edible, and she was a fast runner, but that's all she had going for her. She stayed on the roof for a while longer, pondering on what skills she had or could learn in three days, before finally returning to her room and falling asleep on the softest sheets she ever felt.
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Training day. Levy thought it was best if she left her pin here. There were clothes given to her to wear for training, which matched everyone else's, except for the fact it had a large 12 on it to show she was from 12. Before they left for the Training Center, Makarov asked them if they wanted to train together or separately. Levy wanted to train together, mostly because she didn't know anything and Gajeel looked like he would know some stuff. Gajeel seemed against the idea, but didn't put up too much of a fight. Makarov told them to hide their major skills until they got their private session with the Gamemakers, so it's more of a surprise to the other tributes when they got in the Arena. The Training Center was a little overwhelming to Levy. She was able to see all the tributes, and all of them were bigger than her in height and muscles. Several seemed to be underfed, because they were from poorer districts, but still seemed like they could take her down easily. Gajeel fit right in with the Careers, just based on appearances alone. Makarov told them to stay together and be seen together, so after the woman who showed them around let them go free, she turned to Gajeel. "Where should we go first?" "Well, what can you do?" He said snidely. "I know plants. I read a lot, or what there was to read back home. And I'm fast." She bit her lip, glancing around. The Careers went to the weapons right away, showing off their deadly skills. "Can you spar?" She asked. He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. I don't think sparring you would be a good idea, though, you're so..." He seemed to struggle with the term he wanted to use for her. She stared at him, daring him to say shit. "They have gear in here, cause they don't want us to kill each other yet." Levy pointed out, brushing a strand of blue hair out of her eyes. After several more minutes of arguing, they settled on a simpler task to start off: survival skills. Making a fire, finding or making a shelter, locating a water source by using the land around them. There was a station there to work at that addresses these very things, with an instructor to help if they needed. Gajeel stubbornly refused their help, and tried to refuse Levy too, but she knew what to do for a fire. He was too rough with the sticks, and kept breaking them. "Stop that. Give it here." She twisted the stick against the log with dry brush, and eventually got smoke to appear. She grinned as Gajeel blew on it and a tiny flame appeared. "HEY! You don't take my KNIFE!" A shout broke their small victory. She glanced over with a frown. A man with white hair was yelling at another tan man with brown hair. "I didn't take your fuckin' knife." The brown haired man snarled. A fight broke out, and two instructors ran over to break it up. "Hey, hey! Enough of that, there will be plenty of time to kill each other in the Arena." One of them said to the boys as they stalked off in different directions. Levy noticed something on the ceiling and looked up. There, hanging by the straps in the ceiling, was a young tribute with long blue hair. It was tied in two pigtails and she had a childlike grin on her face, a knife in her hand. A dark-skinned man was looking up at her as well with a chuckle. He had a crescent scar over one eye and he also had some muscle to him. His clothing revealed he was from 11, as was the girl on the ceiling. Levy smiled softly at the girl, amused by her antics. The day continued and the two tributes from 12 visited a camouflage station as well as an edible plants station before lunch. Over lunch, they revisited the idea of sparring and finally agreed to do it. They went into a side room for sparring only and the instructor commanded they wear the gear. "Can't have you getting too injured before the Games." Was the reasoning. The Capitol can't have damaged toys, of course. The gear was hardly anything. A padded headpiece and gloves and shin guards. That was it. Levy looked and felt ridiculous because the gear was meant for bigger people than her. Gajeel's gear didn't look as bad on him. "Okay, Shrimp. What do you know?" He asked. To answer his question, she tried to throw a punch. He blocked easily and slammed an elbow into her side, bringing her down. "You left yourself too open. If you do that and I had a weapon, you'd be dead." He pointed out. Levy wouldn't give up, though, and got up. "The odds of being caught in hand-to-hand combat are low, you know." He tried to reason with her, thinking this was a waste of time, when Levy surprised him by kicking him in his groin. He fell to his knees, a surprised look on his face. "Shhhhit, shorty." He groaned out. She gasped, her hands flying to her face."Oh god, I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean to really hurt you." She apologized but he waved her off. "Don't be. If this was the Arena..." he stood up with a groan again. "That would have worked, you could have finished someone off." The idea of her killing someone made her a little uncomfortable, but she knew it was necesary for this hellish game. They continued to work on sparring and when training ended for the day, she was sore with several bruises. She mentally decided to practice with a weapon tomorrow, because she would need to know how to use one instead of just fight. Dinner was uneventful, but Levy made the best discovery after. "Books!" She shouted with glee, find a bookcase of books. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough for the few days she would be here. She loved to read and figured it would help her keep her mind off of things for an evening. She buried her nose in the book, curled up on the couch. Makarov smiled softly at the sight, leaving her be, and telling Evergreen to leave her alone too. "She's going to be in hell in a few days. Let her have a few quiet moments." He said firmly. Gajeel happened to overhear and left the girl alone too. He spent his evening on the roof, enjoying the fresh air and stars, letting his mind wander far away from the Capitol.
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Today was the last day of training. Over the last two days, Levy had gotten better at handing herself in hand-to-hand combat situations and could handle a weapon. Somewhat. She knew how to use it, the general basics, but she was in no way skilled like the others. She figured she would do best sticking with her skills of running fast and hiding in small places. Sometimes her small stature was a good thing. Tensions were high today. The training for the day would end early and all the tributes would sit in a room, waiting to be called in for individual evaluation. Every tribute would be evaluated from one to twelve, twelve being the best. A higher number could mean more sponsors and their lifesaving gifts. Levy and Gajeel spent the day honing new skills. They needed all the practice with edible plants and weaponry they could get. It could mean life or death in merely a few days. Gajeel felt confident for his individual evaluation, but Levy was mildly freaking out. She had no idea what skills to show. She wasn't good at anything you could really show. Finally, the Gamemakers announced training was closed and everyone was ushered into a side room. One by one, district by district, the amount of people in the room went down. Gajeel would go before her, leaving her completely alone for several minutes. They had become sort of friends, allies for the arena, over the past few days. "Gajeel Redfox, District Twelve." An announcer said. He glanced at the bluenette next to him and patted her knee. "You'll be fine. You got real good with that knife, show that off." He offered. Only silence met his comment and he sighed, getting up and going into the training room to be judged. Time crawled by as she waited to be called. She was about to get up and start pacing due to nerves when they finally summoned her. "Levy McGarden, District Twelve." She stood, her legs suddenly feeling like jelly as she walked to the door and went into the training center. The Gamemakers told her what she already knew: she could use any of the things in the Training Center to show off any skill of her choice, and that she would be judged from one to twelve. She took a deep, steadying breath and looked around at what she had at her disposal. She went to the weapon stand and grabbed three of the smaller knives meant for throwing. She threw them, one after another, at a target. She didn't hit the center once, but did get closer. She heard a snicker and glanced up at the Gamemakers. Most were paying no attention and the rest were amused by her sad attempt. This was her life on the line! She dragged out a dummy and threw three more knives at it, nailing one in the chest. The laughing stopped, but now they were distracted by a roast pig that came out for them to eat. Frustrated with their lack of attention, she scaled a rope hanging down from the ceiling with a knife carefully balanced in her grip. She started to move her body, causing the rope to swing back and forth, until she had a good momentum. "Hey!" She shouted. Her time was nearly up anyways. A few glanced at her just as she got enough momentum to throw the knife at them as she jumped from the rope. It embedded itself in the wall, missing all the people, but gaining a lot of attention. She hit the ground in a roll, standing up with a huff. She just stared at them for a moment before stalking out of the room. Back in the penthouse, Levy started to freak out. Why had she done that? Surely there will be a punishment for throwing a deadly weapon at the Gamemakers. "Hey Shrimp, how'd it go?" Gajeel asked her when he saw her, but she ignored him, making a beeline for the roof. Once she reached it, she exhaled a little. The fresh air did her some good as she laid flat on her back, staring at the sky as it slowly turned to dusk. Gajeel came out and tried to start a conversation with her. "Shh. Just... shh. Shut up. I don't want to talk about it. If you want to be up here, then lay with me and shut up." She told him when he tried to get her to talk. Gajeel did just that, laying next to her with his arms behind his head. They stayed there in companionable silence until the sun went down. Levy pushed herself up, her stomach growling. She wanted to eat, and she knew they would be announcing scores soon. "Hey, Gajeel." She turned to find him asleep. He didn't seem as terrifying when he was asleep. His hard features that were usually in a glare or a smirk were softer, kinder. He looked like he was at peace. She almost didn't want to disturb him. "Wake up, Gajeel." She shoved his side and he opened one eye lazily. "What?" "The suns gone down. We should eat. They'll announce scores soon too. C'mon." She stood up and held out a hand to him. He grabbed it and actually used her to get up, making her stumble since he was stronger and larger than her. She fell into him and blushed darkly, jumping back quickly. "Um... c'mon." She mumbled, hurrying inside. Evergreen and Makarov were waiting for them at the dinner table. "Well, there you two are! My goodness, disappearing like that all evening." Evergreen admonished. "How'd the sessions go?" Makarov asked. Levy decided to finally reveal the mistake she made, and retold the entire story. Evergreen was shocked by her actions, but both Makarov and Gajeel laughed. Makarov nearly fell out of his chair from laughter. "Oh! I would have paid money to see the look on their stupid faces!" He howled. "This is not funny! She has probably ruined her chances for sponsors!" Evergreen snapped over the ruckus. Dinner was served finally and tensions died down. Levy felt a little better about what she did. The TV was showing the talk show that everyone watched in Fiore, meaning scores were soon to be announced. It was run by Ichiya, a flamboyant man with flaming red hair and always in an immaculate white suit. He seemed to sparkle, literally. He and his co-host made small talk before announcing the scores. Levy tuned them all out, except 11. The boy from 11 got a seven and the young girl got an eight. "Gajeel Redfox. Now, he looks like he could hold his own. Maybe he's even a winner?" Ichiya laughed. "He received a score of eight." Makarov clapped a hand on his back. "Not a bad score at all." He laughed heartily. "Levy McGarden. She looks like a tiny thing, but apparently she can impress because she received a score of ten!" Levy was shocked, to say the least. Evergreen cheered excitedly and Gajeel and Makarov looked proud of her. She smiled at them and they spent the rest of the evening chatting and relaxing before everyone retired to their respective rooms.Levy changed into more comfortable clothes to sleep in before climbing into the soft bed. The long, stressful day made her so exhausted she fell asleep almost as soon as she hit the pillow, a dream on her mind.
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The sound of wind chimes twinkled through the air. The school in 12 had wind chimes to make it more cheerful. It was a dismal building, with just enough rooms for the different grades and a couple of extra curriculum rooms. School had just ended. Levy was leaving the school building, just ten years old at the time. Jet and Droy were horsing around out front, both eleven, and Droy was shoved into a tall boy. Tall even at that age, Gajeel glowered at the two boys, his red eyes piercing. "Watch it." He growled. "Why don't you watch it, Redfox?" Jet sneered at him. Even then, Gajeel was a bit of an outcast. He must have been having a particularly bad day, because he threw a punch at Jet. It sent Jet flying to the ground with an 'oof' noise. Levi's eyes widened and she ran forward, throwing herself in the way of the next hit, towards Droy. Gajeel decked her clean across her jaw. She fell down, but glared up at him with her golden eyes.
Gajeel looked remorseful of his actions, like he never meant to hurt the blue-haired girl, but as soon as she spit out the blood that came from a bit lip and glared, he let his own glare return. "That's what you get for getting in my way. Let this be a lesson, shrimp. You won't survive being tiny and weak in this hell." With the last insult to her, he started to leave.
"Hey! You don't hurt our baby sister!" Droy yelled. Jet, who was getting back up, also growled at Gajeel for harming Levy. A fight broke out, but it didn't last long. Gajeel was the clear winner, even if the Peacekeepers hadn't yanked the boys apart. That night, Levy was taught by their mother how to tend to cuts and bruises, and even stitches since one of her brothers needed them. She didn't like that tall boy with the red eyes, he hurt her brothers. She didn't know what to make of him, really. In her observations, he seemed like a loner, who didn't care about what others thought about him. She didn't think he had a good home either, which couldn't help matters. After that, he tended to avoid her. Not that they spoke much to begin with, but now he made an effort to do so. Until...
Levy McGarden woke up with a start, confusion rushing her mind. She had forgotten about that memory. Had Gajeel also forgotten? She didn't know. He hurt her once, then avoided her. At the time he seemed ashamed, until she tried to stand back up to him. Then he was more angry, ready to clock her a second time. It seemed to her that he liked power, control. She was on the ground and he did that, but he felt bad about causing that pain to her. As soon as she fought back, he became angry again. He had no problems picking fights with other people, but her... He avoided her. It was strange. She lay in bed for a few moments longer before finally getting up and dressing for the day with her usual headband placed on her head. She went to the main dining area, like every morning, but what surprised her was that Gajeel had beaten her to it. He was deep in conversation with Makarov currently, not even noticing her presence. "Good morning Levy! I hope you rested well. Today we'll prepare you for a televised interview with Ichiya tomorrow." Evergreen said cheerfully, bringing the two boys attention to Levy. She smiled at everyone, sitting down and quietly munching on the breakfast served. Bacon and eggs and warm biscuits."Levy. There has been a change in plans." Makarov spoke up in a serious tone. She looked up at him as she sipped fresh (fresh! Oh, how anyone would kill for this back home) orange juice. "Gajeel has asked to be trained seperately." That made her cough on her drink a little. She set her glass down with a surprised look at Gajeel. His face was clear of any emotion except for his usual slight glare. "Why?" Levy asked carefully. They were getting along, being friends even. Why would he change that?"I don't have to tell you." He snapped at her. With that smack of reality, he stood sharply and left the dining area. Levy's appetite diminished quickly. Shortly after the breakfast spectacle, Evergreen took Levy to a separate room, where she was giving instruction on proper presentation for the Capitol. "Make sure you stand and sit straight. It's important you give off that air of knowing what's proper." She stated. She had Levy wear high heels she could barely walk in, to give her the appearance of some height. Evergreen had to continually remind Levy to smile, even though the heels hurt and she was in the worst place she could imagine, besides the actual Arena. "You must act like a proper young woman. You seem to know more about manners than others from your district, so that's a start." Evergreen said offhandedly. Levy was a little offended at the comment about her district, but she thought Evergreen honestly didn't know that she was being insulting. She though she was being factual. After hours of presentation prep with Evergreen, she met with Makarov. He had... an interesting tactic to discuss with her. "I'm going to be honest with you, Levy. You're small, you're weak. You're very smart, and that alone can help you survive the bloodbath and first few days, but you've got a real disadvantage. Now, Gajeel doesn't have any except that he comes across as hostile. It will be hard to get him sponsors. You, you're friendly and pretty. However, you need an edge." He explained carefully. He looked almost nervous for what he was going to say to her. He took a swig of some alcoholic drink to steel his nerves. "Ichiya will probably ask you if you had a sweetheart or someone you liked back home. I want you to say yes." "Yes? But I didn't." Levy frowned in confusion. "You did. You do, if you want this edge. And he came with you here."
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"You mean Gajeel." Levy was a little dumbstruck by his request. "He's-I don't-" she struggled for words. "He's... a rock! An immovable wall. Even if I said that, it wouldn't be believable because he would never return the feeling, fake or otherwise." Levy explained in a rush, her face heating up. "I proposed Gajeel say it about you, but he refused. However I don't think it's because he doesn't want to help, I think it's more that he doesn't want to be put on the spot like that." Makarov said calmly. "Exactly! I'd be dragging that spotlight on him if I said something like that." Levy looked a little frantic. "You don't have to do it, but it would give you an emotional edge. How tragic, star-crossed lovers never meant to be." He smirked. "The Capitol would eat it up." "No. No, I can't. I just... can't." And that was all Levy was willing to discuss about it. They moved on to other tactics for dealing with Ichiya, and when they were finished it was time for dinner. Levy took dinner to her room and spent the evening alone with her thoughts. The next morning, after breakfast, she was ushered to meet with Reedus. He was going to dress her up for the interview. "I have another brilliant idea for today." He pulled out a dress this time. It was one shouldered and predominantly yellow, with orange and red ombré throughout the dress. It seemed to shimmer a little as well. Her makeup was light, unassuming. He even designed an orange headband, much like the one she always wore, to go with this outfit. It provided some comfort for her. "Are you ready?""No. I'm scared, actually. They look for a friendly but deadly tribute. I'm friendly, and small. Not deadly, not in any sense of the word." Levy admitted softly. "Be yourself! I bet they'll love who you are. Don't be afraid to give your dress a twirl too." He winked at her. Ready to go, he lead her backstage of the interview stage. He reassured her once more before leaving her alone with other tributes waiting on their interviews as well. Gajeel joined her shortly after, looking good. His hair was tied back, which was always a good look on him. His suit was black pants with a black undershirt and tie, but a grey blazer over it. He looked dashing, honestly. They didn't talk as they waited. Levy went before Gajeel did.She walked out on the stage, a lock of her blue hair falling out of place and in her face. Ichiya met her before the chairs. "Hello, hello! Welcome, Levy McGarden from District 12!" He laughed loudly. His wild orange hair was sticking up in every direction but his white suit was immaculate, with a single blue flower over the pocket on the front. They sat down and the applause of the crowd died down as he began the questioning. "So, Levy. Tell me, do you have much family back home?" "Y-yes." She stuttered. Taking a deep breath, she steadied her nerves and began again. "Yes. I have two brothers. Twins. They're names are Jet and Droy." Smile! She forced a smile on her face. "They must be terribly worried about you." He looked like he pitied her. He didn't, she knew that. "They are, I'm sure. And my best friend, Lucy. But I'm okay, for now." "How have you liked your time in the Capitol so far?" He questioned. "It's been... a little overwhelming at first, but overall okay. The showers are amazing here, and the food." He laughed. "What's your favorite food you've had here that you can't get back home?" "There was this chicken with oranges thing, and a white cream over it. It was amazing." Levy gushed, her cheeks pink from the attention and her own rambling.Ichiya smiled good naturedly at her. "Now, I must say, a lot of us were surprised by your training score of ten. A small thing like you, no offense, must have been very impressive to score the ten. What did you do?" "Oh, I'm not supposed to tell, but I think I shocked the Gamemakers." She nervously smiled as the audience chuckled with her. "How did you feel about the Reaping?" Her face fell a little now. "I was surprised, shocked. I'm 17, after all. I'm very close to not having to participate in these Games, but I was chosen anyways. I'm just glad my brothers weren't chosen, or Lucy." Ichiya nodded solemnly. "Levy, I do have to ask. You look so stunning tonight. Doesn't she?" He addressed the crowd, who cheered greatly. "I'm betting you're a beautiful young woman on any day. Is there a special someone back home?" This was it. Do as Makarov suggested, or don't. I'm sorry, Gajeel. "Well, there is someone who's caught my eye for a while..." She tried to play it off as being shy to admit it. Really, she was nervous about lying to Ichiya, to the Capitol, and for doing this to Gajeel. "He doesn't know. He hardly knew I existed before this." "Oh, man." Ichiya struck a dramatic, sad pose. "How horrible!" "It gets worse." Levy paused, making sure she had his attention. "He's... here with me." That got everyone's attention. The crowd went nuts with this information, some even seeming to protest the Games stopping love. Ichiya was surprised, but maintained his composure well. "Well well! Star crossed lovers, perhaps? Thank you, Levy." Her time was up. She stood, curtsied, and left the stage. She passed Gajeel and he looked like he was in a mixture of shock and anger with her. Something else too... she couldn't put her finger on it. Makarov patted her back with a snicker. "Good job kid. We'll wait for Gajeel before leaving." He explained. There was a tv backstage where she could watch Gajeel's interview. Ichiya started with the easy, normal stuff, like he did with her. He said he didn't have family waiting for him, his parents died when he was younger. He didn't care about the Capitol. He was playing off his interview in a cool, aloof way. It was one way to appear desirable, Levy supposed. After brushing over his training score, Ichiya addressed the elephant in the room. "Gajeel. Be honest with me." Ichiya was the master of remaining cool, but Levy could see he was slightly offput under the sharp gaze of Gajeel's red eyes. "Did you see that confession coming from Levy?" "Nope." He leaned back in the chair, his legs uncrossed and arms crossed over his chest. The fabric of his outfit seemed stretched. "Don't know what good that'll do either. One of us has to die, right? There can't be two winners." It seemed to Levy that Gajeel was slightly playing along with it, hinting at how unfair it was to two 'lovers', but for the most part he was being his usual asshole self. Caring only about himself. "That's true... it's a modern tragedy!" Ichiya wiped a nonexistent tear away. "The star-crossed lovers of the 74th annual--""Whoa, whoa." Gajeel cut him off. "There ain't no star-crossed anything. She admitted to liking me, that's all that happened." "Do you not return these feelings?" Ichiya pressed. Gajeel looked like he badly wanted to say yes, stop all the madness before it started, but he knew that he couldn't. Makarov introduced the very idea to him, he knew what the intent was. Sure, he wanted to win, but he wanted the shrimp to have a fighting chance too. Instead, he stayed silent. Ichiya pounced on that in an instant. "Star crossed lovers indeed." He smirked widely and stood up. "That's all the time we have for tonight, folks. Tune in later this week as the Games begin. And to all the tributes here tonight, may the odds be ever in your favor!" As he was doing his ending speech, Gajeel was ushered off the stage. "Gajeel, I--" Levy tried to say. "We'll talk in a few, save it." He growled out as the four of them left for the penthouse in the tower.
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The elevator ride was tense. Once they reached the penthouse and exited, before Gajeel had the chance to yell or go off on her or whatever he had planned, Makarov spoke up. "You both did good. I can't make you keep playing this in the arena, but I do suggest it. It could help both of you, not just Levy." He paused. "Go to bed, get some rest. Tomorrow you to go the arena." He gives Levy an awkward hug and shakes hands with Gajeel. "I won't see you in the morning. When the Games start, run away. Don't go to the Cornucopia. A bloodbath waits there and you aren't ready for that. Run, and find water." This was his last piece of advice before he retired to his room.Evergreen looked at the two and hugged both of them, much to Gajeel's chagrin. "I'm also going to bed for the evening. I wish you both the best, and may the odds be ever in your favor!" She flounced off and Levy took one look at Gajeel before scurrying off to her own room. There was barely contained... something resting in those red eyes."Oh, no you don't." He growled. Levy slammed the door to her room shut in response. Gajeel went and found a bottle of wine and grabbed it, with a glass, and went to her room. The doors didn't lock, so he just opened it and went inside. She was sitting on her bed, already changed into more comfortable clothes, with her knees to her chest."Hi." She squeaked."What the hell was that?" He set down the wine and glass on a table forcefully, but luckily didn't break anything."You know. He talked to you too." She said meekly as he came closer to her bed. He grabbed her arm and pushed her back forcefully, making her lay down. Her eyes were wide with fear. Had she really done something to push him too far? He was hovering over her and it struck her how much he looked like a predator that's cornered its next meal."I know he talked to you. Was it real though? Did you mean it? Did you want... this?" His voice was low, a low whisper that went straight to her core, striking her with fear and something else. She made no noise, just stared at him with wide eyes, until he chuckled. He got off her, still chuckling lowly, until it became a laughter. He laid flat on his back as his laughter died out slowly. "Oh fuck. These Games, this place... I fuckin' hate it." He paused. "Quit starin' at me like I'm gonna eat you. Relax, shorty." He got up and grabbed the wine, popping the top and taking a huge gulp right away. He sat on the ground by her bed, his back to her. "This is so fucked."Levy slowly sat up, looking down at him. Her heart rate was slowly turning back to normal, as was her faces color. "Y-yeah. It is. I'm sorry I put you in a weird position." She mumbled. He waved her off."Do what you have to to survive. Yeah?" He offered her the bottle, but she declined. "I got a glass for ya in case you didn't want to drink from the bottle." He added, waving the bottle around."Don't get drunk. The last thing you need is a hangover on the first day in the Arena." She pointed out snidely."You make a good point. I just wanted something to take the edge off... a little somethin'." He sighed heavily, taking another drink. "I think you should win."She looked taken aback by his statement. "You don't want to win?""Course I do. You think I wanna die?" He snapped. "I don't have a family to return to. I don't have a gaggle of friends either. If I won, I'd turn into Makarov. Drinking away and pissing through my days. You're good. You'd help people, you've got family... If this 'star-crossed lovers' thing helps you win, I'll play along.""Gajeel.... If there was a way for both of us to survive, I'd choose that. As it stands, I don't want to die either, but I don't want you to die for me." Levy mumbled. "Why do you think they chose this cruel method of keeping us in line? Surely there was another way, one that didn't have children kill each other.""This world's always been fucked.""You're saying that a lot.""You're not arguing." That made her laugh a little for some reason."Are you going to go back to your room?""Do you want me to?"Levy thought for a moment. "I don't mind if you stay." She admitted quietly, a red color staining her cheeks. He reached behind him and yanked down one of the blankets as well as one of the many pillows."Then I'll stay." He put the pillow down and laid down, pulling the blanket over himself. "Goodnight, Levy." It was the first time he used her name."Goodnight, Gajeel."The morning came too quickly. They were ushered onto a hovercraft and separated. Levy was injected with a tracker in her arm, which pinched for a moment. Reedus is there, offering her a kind smile of reassurance and confidence. They were off to the Arena. When they arrived, she and Reedus went to an underground room. "Here. I didn't design these." He handed her clothes every tribute would wear. The difference was the color of the shirts. It would help identify the districts. Her shirt was black, with tan-green pants to go with it. A black jacket that felt like it was rain proof came with the outfit, and durable-looking shoes. She fidgeting nervously, standing on a circular platform that would raise up in a few moments. Reedus came over with her pin of a strange bird and pinned it to her shirt, half hidden by her jacket. "I won't tell." He promised with a smile. "I don't bet,but if I did, I would put my money on you.""Thank you, for everything Reedus." She smiled. A glass shield came around the circular platform, making a cylinder, and the platform rose up. Blinding sun greeted her golden eyes and she squinted into it. The Cornucopia came into view, the large metal structure filled with weapons and supplies, and even had some scattered around. She spotted a backpack closer to her platform and mentally decided to go for it, because she would need something. There were knives just on the edge of the Cornucopia, but that was too risky. A knife lay closer to the Cornucopia, but near the backpack she was going for. She could probably reach that too. The clock counting down to from 60 started to get lower and lower. 10.
If I did bet, I'd bet my money on you.
5. Come home, Levy! 1. I think you should win. The Games have begun.
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The clock counted down and hit one. A gong sounded. Everyone ran. Levy ran straight for the backpack, snatching it up and slinging it on her back. She hesitated for a moment, ducking when a throwing knife was tossed her direction. It stuck up in the ground and she snatched it up, before taking off into the forest of trees. Blood was already staining the ground at the Cornucopia. She never caught sight of Gajeel. She ran and ran until she felt confident she was far enough from the epicenter of the bloodbath that she could slow down, but she didn't dare stop. She continued to move. Find water. As she walked, she did pause a couple of times to pick edible berries off of plants and munch on them as she moved. She would take time to hunt when she found a safe place to hole up and hide her things. As she trekked through the forest, she came across a rocky part of the Arena. She also heard voices. She needed a place to hide. Her only choice was under a huge rock that was sticking out. It made a sort of cave, and she was small enough she would fit. She could peek out, watch who was coming. She would have to lay flat on her stomach and pray she wouldn't be noticed, or she was dead. She threw her backpack into the small space and flopped down on her stomach, shimming backwards until she was well hidden and facing out. "Do you see that?" A girls voice sounded. All Levy could see from her spot was the shoes of the people, which didn't tell her much at all. "Over there. A column of smoke." She continued. "What an idiot." A boys voice now. Levy could see fives pairs of feet. "It's like they want us to find them. Don't they know anything about how to survive like a man?!" "Easy pickin' then." That voice sounded familiar to Levy. "What, you want to handle it yourself, Redfox?" The same girl from before said. "I can, sure." It was Gajeel's voice. That's why it was familiar. "I can fuckin' prove myself." He added. "Any clues where the blue haired girl went?" A new voice said, one that sounded masculine. "Which one?" Gajeel again. "The one from your district. You know her. Hell, she's in love with you. You can help us track her." The first girls voice sounded again. "Oh... yeah." Gajeel sounded unsure to Levy, but she couldn't be sure. They walked past her spot and she waited a few more minutes before crawling out of her spot. She grabbed her backpack and threw it on again. She had to find water.
Night fell, and Levy found no water. The tiny rock cave would not be a good place to sleep. The ground was out of the question. That left trees. She found a tall, sturdy tree that she could climb with a thick branch she could sleep in. It wouldn't be the most comfortable, but it would be something. She climbed up and sat comfortably on the branch. Inside her bag was a warm sleeping bag, which she silently thanked the Gamemakers for. She laid it out and secured herself to the branch with a belt. The sound of the Capitols song played in the air. A blue project shined above her. She watched to see the fallen tributes. Eleven. That means there's thirteen of us left. Including Gajeel. She couldn't believe he was hunting down tributes in a group. If she took a wild shot in the dark, it was the Careers. Levy felt the sharp sting of betrayal. It took her a long time to fall asleep the first night.
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Levy woke with the sun and the sound of birds. Before leaving her tree perch, she inspected the elements of her bag. There was an empty bottle, some iodine to purify water, a couple small packets of dried fruits and nuts, and a couple of other small things, like gauze. It was a far cry from a full medical kit but even these tiny supplies could make a huge difference. She heard a scream ring out in the air sharply, and then silence. A canon fired. Another tribute fallen.The bluenette packed up her bag quickly, climbing out of her tree. Water was her top priority. If she could find mud, she could find water. She trekked through the forest, before finding an end to the trees. A large field stretched out before her with tall grass. Since she was very short, the grass nearly reached her chin. It would be dangerous to go through, anyone could hide in this and kill easily. She remembered seeing the large man with the crescent scar over his eye from 11 run in here at the beginning of the Games. Too dangerous, she decided. There was a pond near the Cornucopia, but the Careers likely made camp there with all the supplies. Her best bet was a river in the forest. The animals in the Arena had to drink somehow. She ate some of her dried fruit as she walked, not wanting to risk stopping yet. Hunting would require a fire to cook the meat and she didn't want to stop and start a fire just yet. Doing one at night, though, was completely out of the question. The Careers would descend on her like tracker jackers. The trees provided shade, which was nice to keep her from being too overheated without any water. Occasionally, she saw something move in the trees, too big to be a bird. It never seemed to be a threat to her, however, so she never took action. She did keep an eye on it, though. Never let your guard down, after all. Night was falling before she found a water source. She found it by stepping in a large puddle of mud. "Mud!" She exclaimed outloud. She followed the soft ground to a small river, flowing slowly over rocks. Levy finally sat down, pulling out her empty bottle and filling it with the cool water. She put a few drops of iodine in it to make it drinkable and rested by the river. After a while, she downed the whole bottle. She refilled it and dropped in more iodine to have more water for later. She ended up drifting off to sleep from exhaustion.Levy woke with a start. Night had fallen fully, and she was completely exposed on the ground. It was a miracle she wasn't dead, but that's not what woke her. Heat, immense and scarring heat, woke her. A huge, forest-consuming fire was roaring around her. Move, move, get out of range She threw her stuff back in the bag and took off running through the night lit up by fire. It was too big for a tribute to have started it, meaning the Gamemakers were playing with them. She tripped suddenly, the ground rushing up to meet her face.She pushed off the ground as a fireball slammed into the ground right behind her. It singed her pants, burning the back of her leg. She let out a scream. It would alert others to where she was, but she was in too much pain to care. She limped along, as quick as her new injury would allow her to. Her arm also got some heat, but it wasn't a full burn like her leg. Finally, the fire seemed to stop. She collapsed on the ground, a few tears falling down her face. She was in the most pain she had ever been in before. She mentally allowed herself a few moments of weakness before forcing herself up. She couldn't stay still. Levy limped along, her pace slow and exposed, when she found a small pool of water. Now I find water so easily, when I was struggling before. She ripped her pant leg with a hiss and let her leg rest in the water. Instant relief from the cold hitting her overheated, blistered skin overwhelmed her. She splashed some water on her arm too. After several moments, she tried to leave the pool but her leg hurt too much to move. "Fine. Fine. I'll stay here." She muttered, resting her leg and arm. She did move long enough to set up a clumsy, poorly made snare, in hopes of catching something while she sat there. She sat there, soothing her burns and enjoying a moment of peace where she doesn't have to run, when she heard the rustling of footsteps. Adrenaline is an amazing thing. Her pain was far from gone, but the rush from the danger approaching got her up and moving. There was no way she could run from them in this state, so she picked a tall tree and scaled it. She got high enough that she could see them but be free from danger of them. Her snare lay forgotten on the ground. She mentally cursed at that. "Well, well! Look who's caught in a tree~" A girls voice floated up to her ears. Levy peeked down and was faced with a pack of four Careers... and Gajeel.The girl who spoke had a shock of pink, bouncy hair. "Caught ourselves a fairy!" She giggled. A dangerous looking boy with white hair that stuck up smirked up at Levy. "I'll get her." He started to climb her tree, so she climbed up another branch. A huge snap sounded and she looked down quickly. A branch had broken and he went crashing to the ground. "Lyon! Are you okay?" The pink girl sounded very concerned for his well being. Gajeel wouldn't look up at Levy, which hurt a lot more than she expected it to. "'M fine, Sherry." He muttered. Another boy, this one with spiked blue hair and thick eyebrows, tried to climb up as well, but failed. Levy just watched, an amused smile on her face. "Having trouble down there?" She called out, settling in on a branch. That got a clumsily fired arrow at her. One of them had a bow, but couldn't use it well. "Just wait her out." Gajeel finally spoke up. So, he's totally against me now, huh. I guess I did the wrong thing with the 'love confession'. "Think about it." He crossed his muscular arms and looked up at her finally. A smirk sat on his face, malice in his eyes. "She's gotta come down sometime. For food, water." The rest agreed with him and settled in at the base of her tree. Night was falling again, and she had no where to go, so she settled in with her sleeping bag and belt for the night. She couldn't go down, so, she wouldn't. Her sleeping bag kept in heat, however, spiking the pain in her leg immensely. She struggled to sit up and slash open her sleeping bag to release her leg to the cool night air. As she sat up, she noticed a pair of brown eyes watching her from a nearby tree. She frowned, until Levy realized it was the girl tribute from District 11. Wendy stayed perched in her own tree, watching the Careers below, before looking at Levy again. She slowly held a finger to her lips, then pointed above Levy's head. The younger bluenette made a sawing motion with her hand, then disappeared back into the trees.
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There, in the trees above her, was a wasp nest. It was likely a tracker jacker nest. Tracker jackers were a mutant wasp created by the Capitol in the first rebellion. They would track and kill anyone who disturbed them, and their sting could cause hallucinations if it didn't kill you. Very dangerous creatures. Levy didn't want to hurt Gajeel, but he had betrayed her, and it was one way to get out of the tree. To avoid the nest, she decided to cut the branch entirely. The anthem of the Capitol played and the projection of the dead tributes played overhead. After several moments of debating with herself, she decided to wait until they were asleep and catch the Careers by surprise in the night. During the day, they could recover and track her, but at night she could get away easier. An hour passed before all the Careers fell asleep. They left a fire burning all night, because they didn't care if someone tracked them down. Levy packed her bag, ready to run when she cut the branch, and climbed a few branches higher to reach it. She drew her knife and sawed away at the branch. The action caught the attention of some of the mutant wasps and one stung her hand. It hurt like hell, especially with the stinger stuck in her hand. She paused to dig it out, then continued. She received three more stings-one on her other hand, one on her arm and one one on her face-when the branch came free. The nest fell hard and fast, the tracker jackers that were not inside following their home to the ground. The nest bust open, and all hell broke loose below. Sherry and Lyon woke first, yelling for the others to get up. They both took off running in different directions. A few wasps chased after them, but most stayed by the ruined nest. Another girl got the brunt of the stings and died within a few moments. Levy climbed down as fast as she could and stole the bow and arrows from the dead girl, taking off herself. The four stings she received were starting to mess with her mind, however. Her steps became sluggish, the world around her tilting and swirling. She swore she saw her brothers in the forest, laughing at her failure, Lucy crying at her potential death. It's just the stings, it's just the stings, it's not real not real. One thing broke through the strange visions, although it was still tilting and swirling and being out of focus. Gajeel entered her view suddenly, rage in his expression. "What the hell are you still doing here? Go!" He shoved her, hard, and she stumbled back. He groaned loudly, grabbing her arm and dragging her with him a short distance. "Get out of here. They'll kill you. I'll hold them off, go!" He shouted now, pushing her again but more gently and she took off again. Must've been a hallucination. There's no way he would be kind to me. No way. The sounds of fighting faintly entered Levy's venom-filled mind as she trudged along, until she finally collasped in some brush.Levy woke up. Her body was filled with pain, but also, relief. The first thing to come into her vision was a girl with blue hair tied back in two pigtails. "Hi. You've been out for a couple days. I changed your leaves twice." She said kindly. Levy noticed there were wet leaves on all her stings. "I dug the stingers out too, but a couple you got yourself. Also, a parachute was dropped with some kind of ointment. I think it was for you and your burns. When I put it on your leg, the next day it looked better. I didn't take any for myself though." She held up a bird she had killed and cooked. "I also hunted. I borrowed your knife, but I cleaned it and gave it back." Levy slowly sat up. There was a dull ache all over her body. "Thank you... you didn't have to do this. What's your name?" "I'm Wendy. I know your name. I remember from the interview. Your name is Levy." Wendy got comfortable in front of her. "Eat something. I left your bottle of water alone, but I did take some iodine to make some more drinkable water." Levy was surprised by her kindness. She slowly ate the bird and sighed in relief at a real meal. She downed about half of her saved bottle and packed the ointment away in her bag, for safe keeping. "Why did you do all this?" Levy finally asked. "You look like my mom." She said simply. "I think it's the hair." She laughed a little. "And I thought... maybe we could be allies? For a while. The numbers are getting lower, so we couldn't forever, but for a little bit?" "Yeah. I'd like that." Levy said with a smile. "Yay!" Wendy cheered. "Since you're awake, let's take today and just hunt, get water. Tomorrow we can move on." She suggested, and Levy agreed. They rested for a little while longer, making conversation. "Is Gajeel... is he..." Levy tried to ask. Wendy smiled secretly. "No. He's alive." She filled the older girl in on the tributes who had died. "Last I heard or saw him, he was by the rocky part of the forest, that connects to the fields." She added casually. Levy's eyes lit up at the prospect of him being alive and knowing where he was. "Was all that true? About you being in loooooove?" Wendy teased. Levy's face turned red. "I... well. I first said it because my mentor told me it would be a good tactic. But... I dunno. Maybe I could like him, if we weren't in this death game." She shrugged. "Why don't you tell me about your District?"Wendy noticed her sudden change in topic, but made no comments about it. She talked about District 11, and how it was agricultural. That's how she knew the trick with the leaves for her stings. It was also how she became very good at climbing trees. No one was allowed to keep what they harvested, however. They would be whipped if caught. "Oh! Those glasses in your bag? Those are night vision glasses! A boy back home tried to steal some, but he was killed." She said casually. It hurt Levy's heart to know how common death was. In return, Levy told Wendy about her home. The mines, the Hob market, her brothers and her best friend. She could go on for ages and ages about her family and friend. They were her whole world. Finally, they got up and moved. It was much easier for Levy to move around, and together they hunted a couple more small animals and had full stomachs for the first time since they got in the Arena. The night was falling again. Levy had a suspicion the days were shorter, due to the Gamemakers, for some odd reason. Wendy suggested climbing a tree to sleep in again. They found a tree with a thick branch to sleep in and climbed up. Wendy had no sleeping bag, so Levy had her climb in with her. They were both small, so they both fit. It was warm and cozy, giving Levy a rare sense of peace. "Gajeel saved me. After I dropped that nest. I was hallucinating, but I think that was real." Levy said in the silence. "He's not with the Careers anymore. He's alone. I've been spying on their camp by the lake, where we started. They have..." she yawned. "They have everything there, stockpiled up. All the food and weapons not taken." Wendy mumbled sleepily, curling up next to Levy. "You know, if they didn't have all their stuff, they would be like us... having to fight for food and the like. They would be on the same level as us. In a way." Levy mumbled thoughtfully as Wendy fell asleep. "If we can get rid of their supplies... they won't last long."
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Cannon fire woke Levy in the morning. She nudged the smaller bluenette awake as well. "Time to get up, Wendy." She muttered softly. Wendy sluggishly woke up, smiling sleepily at Levy. "Hi." Wendy sighed, stretching her arms up. They both wiggled out of the sleeping bag and packed up their supplies. "We should go hunting today." Wendy suggested, and Levy agreed. They trekked through the forest, quietly talking as they hunted. "Tell me everything you can about the Careers camp." "Well..." Wendy frowned. "They have everything out in the open. Especially the food. Only one boy, from 3, guards it at all times. Otherwise, it's totally alone." Levy nodded slowly. "Sounds suspicious." "I thought so too. It's by the Cornucopia. The Careers are only ever there when they need stuff, otherwise they're out and hunting down tributes." Wendy explained. "Look!" She exclaimed in a hushed tone, grabbing Levy's arm. "Its called a groosling." She pointed a bird-like creature as she slowly pulled out a slingshot she had made. She loaded a rock and let it fly, smacking the bird in the head and knocking it out. Levy drew her knife and went to kill it. Satisfied, they made a small fire to cook it."So Wendy. Tell me about yourself?" Levy asked. She wanted to make conversation in the silence, while the back of her mind worked on a plan for the Careers. "Sure!" Wendy nodded happily. "I have a cat at home. She's white and her name is Carla." Wendy went on to explain about her mother and father, and a boy at home her age named Romeo that she was friends with. "I also love music." "Music, huh? Surely you don't get a lot of that in 11." Levy pointed out, stamping out the fire and handing her a groosling leg. "Wow! An entire leg..." Wendy dove into her small meal. "Nope. Not a lot of music, but I love what I can get! Every day, when we work, I sing in the trees. In the evening, when the work is done, I signal everyone by whistling. It gets carried by mockingjays. There are some here too." She said between bites to eat. "Hey Wendy? I have a plan."Levy dragged a large, leafy branch over to the pile they started as Wendy dragged a smaller one alongside her. "This stuff is gonna make a lot of smoke, so as soon as you light it, you run, okay?"Wendy nodded firmly. "Got it." She tossed her branch on the pile. "Oh! We need a signal." She whistled a short tune and it was carried through the forest by the mockingjays. "That means I'm safe, I'll be back soon." Levy tried her hand at it, making her own short tune. "And same goes for me. I'm gonna go now." She said. "I'll see you for dinner." She promised. Then, she took off into the trees, heading for the Careers camp. Levy hid, perched in a tree, watching their camp. All of them were there. A huge column of smoke rose into the sky. Wendy must have lit the first fire. "Look! Who do you think did it?" Sherry asked. "Not Gajeel. I'd be surprised if he makes it through the night. C'mon, lets go." Lyon announced. All the Careers left, leaving one boy in charge of guarding. He stood at the front, watching the treeline. Levy watched with surprise as a girl came from the back, hopping around and doing a strange dance. She stole a few things, then danced out. The boy took notice and went after her. The supplies were alone.Levy studied the layout carefully. If that girl had to hop around, there must have been some kind of trap on them. That's when she noticed that the ground in front of the starting places had been dug up. Explosives were in the ground there, and must have been laid around the supplies. A bag of fruit was half on a box of supplies, giving her an idea. It would cost her one of her knives, but she had one more, and Wendy had a couple small ones. She moved so she was in the open now and took aim carefully, before throwing the knife through the air. It spun, blade over handle, until it slammed into the netting holding the fruits. It sliced through it cleanly and the fruits tumbled out, hitting the ground. The resulting explosion knocked Levy off her feet.The bluenette's head swam, her vision fuzzy, and her hearing utterly shot in one ear. She swallowed back her fear and confusion, but couldn't seem to get the ground under feet. Resulting to crawling, she crawled her way into a hiding spot in the leafy bushes, just as the Career's returned. They must have heard the explosion. "WHAT? HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?!" Lyon roared. The boy who was in charge of guarding returned right then, his eyes wide. "WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?" Lyon's rage was turned on the boy. "I-A girl came and stole some things! I went after her!" He seemed to be pleading with the white haired boy, but Lyon had none of it. With a swift move, he snapped the other boy's neck and he fell dead. Levy's eyes widened with fear. Lyon was a lot more powerful than she thought. The Careers don't seem to be going anywhere, so Levy thought it was in her best interests to stay hidden, especially since she couldn't walk straight as it was. She laid there, not exactly comfortable, for the entire day. The Careers left at night to hunt for the person who destroyed their chances of survival. The very person in question stayed exactly where she was, falling asleep in the bushes.
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In the morning, Levy still couldn't hear out of one of her ears. It was frustrating. The Careers were still gone. She felt recovered enough to move, so she slowly got up, stretching her aching muscles from being stuck in the same position for a long time. Making sure she had all her things in order, she headed off into the trees again, heading for a rendezvous place she had set up with Wendy. It was a nice day in the Arena. It wasn't too hot today. Levy was running off an excitement high. She destroyed the Careers supplies. They were now on the same level as the rest of the tributes. She stood a chance now. She reached the rendezvous point, but Wendy was nowhere to be seen. Taking a few moments to clean up in the nearby pond, the bluenette washed off her arms and face, resting and enjoying some water. After a couple hours, though, she got worried and stood up to search for Wendy. She trudged through the trees, worry festering inside her. She finally reached the site of the third fire and noticed it had never been lit. Alarm bells were ringing in her mind. "Wendy?" She called, looking around for any sign of her. Suddenly, she heard Wendy's short song being sung by the mockingjays through the trees and breathed a sigh of relief. That meant she was okay. She still wanted to find Wendy and followed the trail of the song. A scream ripped through the air, making her jump. "Wendy!" She took off like a bolt of lightning, ignoring the scratch of branches and thorns on her arms and legs. She burst through a clearing and found the tiny girl tangled in a net. "Levy! Levy, get me out of here!" Wendy was panicking. "Hey, you're okay. Calm down, Wendy. Calm down." She crouched by the smaller girl, drawing her last knife and cutting at the ropes. She managed to cut them enough to free her and pulled her out with a sigh of relief. Wendy's eyes were filled with tears. "I was so scared, Levy." She whispered, hugging her tightly. She pulled back and smiled at her, but the smile was short-lived. Her eyes widened and she made a choked sound, looking down. A spear was sticking out through her middle. She fell to the ground and Levy whipped around, anger coursing through her like fire. She flung her knife at the boy who hurt Wendy, watching with satification as it slammed into his chest. It didn't kill him right away, though, so she charged towards him, ripping it out and stabbing him forcefully through the stomach and chest. Blood gurgled in his mouth and he fell. A cannon fired. She turned to Wendy, fear and tears in her eyes. Wendy wouldn't survive the injury. "Wendy... you're okay. You're gonna be okay." She whispered. "Did you get them?" Wendy asked quietly. Her voice was so soft, so weak. "Yeah. I got them. I blew everything up." Levy assured her. Wendy smiled, closing her eyes. "You gotta win, Levy. You gotta win, for the both of us. Please." She pleaded. A few tears fell from Levy's eyes. "Okay. I will. Don't you worry." She moved so Wendy's head was in her lap. She gently brushed her hair out of her eyes. "Will you... sing to me...?" Wendy's voice was weaker. Barely there. She was dying. She was dying and there wasn't a goddamn thing Levy could do about it. "Of course." She thought for a moment, an old song her mother used to sing coming to her mind. "Words are born into air, and quickly fade out in the wind. But they find their way inside you, where they live on forevermore." Wendy opened her eyes to stare at the sky. Her eyes were glassy, and Levy's voice got choked up. "When... when skies are dark and full of rain, look inside your heart. The light, so warm, will come and glow, shining just like the sun." Wendy's breathing was slow and ragged. "You can see just how much you've grown, how strong you are... A love will open up to you and it starts from the day you first heard those words."Wendy wasn't moving anymore. Levy cried. She let herself be weak and cry. It was ugly sobs. A cannon fired.Levy knew she had to move. They would take Wendy's body. She would be put in a too-small coffin and sent home. Her family would be heartbroken. Levy was done crying. She was pissed. She hated the Capitol for what they did, for forcing children to do this. She took what was useful from Wendy and the boy she ruthlessly killed, but decided to make a statement. They wouldn't take her if she was still around. Levy gathered all kinds of flowers, lining them around Wendy. She gently removed the spear, but left it by Wendy. It would be taken with her. Good. Less weapons. She put some flowers in her hands, over her stomach. She held up her hand, her thumb and index finger extended into an L shape. "Goodbye, Wendy." Levy left the site of her death, hearing a hovercraft come and take both the bodies away. Another couple tears escaped her, but she quickly wiped them away. She wandered without a goal, hunting small animals and checking old snares. Her only goal was hoping to run into the Careers and kill them, or die trying. She didn't find them during her aimless wandering, so she made camp for the night. She no longer cared if they saw a fire as she started to cook one of the animals she killed. The sun was starting to go down, so they would find her soon enough. A parachute fell down from the sky, stealing her attention from her meat. It contained a loaf of bread, the kind made in District 11. She thought Wendy's family and friends must have pooled money together to gift this to her, when they didn't even have enough to eat themselves. "Thank you, District 11." She said outloud, hoping a camera caught her. She ate a small amount of the fresh bread, packing the rest away to save. The bread made her think about winning and not throwing her life away by waiting for the Careers. She stamped out the fire and climbed a tree to sleep for the night. She would win, for Wendy.Morning came. She didn't want to get up. The only thoughts that got her out of the tree were Wendy, her family and Lucy back home watching, and her food rations. Though she hunted yesterday and now had bread, she wanted to hunt a little more. She packed up again and went hunting. Wendy's death played over and over in her mind. She realized that the boy she killed was the first she deliberately killed in the Games. Guilt trickled into her mind at how his family must have been feeling when they saw that, but satisfaction at killing him to avenge Wendy overruled the feeling. A part of her knew that was bad. A bigger part didn't care. Again, she didn't see or hear the Careers all day. She hunted a bird and had it for lunch with some more of the bread, still fresh from yesterday. It was a quiet day, which is what she really needed.Evening was coming again. Levy felt good with the amount of food she had hunted, the snares she set up, and the scouting she had done. She had an idea of where the Careers may be, but decided to save it for tomorrow. Loud trumpets sounded in the air, making her pause. Must be an announcement. "A feast?" She wondered aloud. "Hello Tributes! There has been a rule change." Ichiya's voice boomed. "Two tributes may win, if both of them are from the same district." Levy's eyes widened with this new information. "Gajeel!" She nearly shouted before she covered her mouth. She needed to find Gajeel. They could both go home.
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Levy settled in for the evening in a tree. She thought about Gajeel as she did. Was he okay? Was he alive? Badly hurt? She didn't know anything for sure, except that he was alive since his face was not reflected in the evening. She thought about her 'confession' to liking him. Loving him. Did she mean that at all? She could certainly fake it for the Games, but... Was it real? She liked him as a person. He was a decent person. Strong. Attractive. Protective. A bit brash, but even that wasn't something she hated. He gave her butterflies and blushes. Secret smiles and stupid childhood memories. She had bad ones of him, but good ones too. She admitted to herself silently that she did, in fact, have feelings for him. She only hoped he would be willing to fake it for both their sakes, even if it was real for her. Her thoughts wandered to the remaining Tributes. The only true threats were Lyon and the girl who followed him like a lost puppy... Sherry, Levy thought. They would need to be on the lookout for them. Once morning came and Levy packed up camp, she went for the river. Gajeel needed water, and she thought she remembered he was hurt. Wendy said he was by the rocky part that connected to the fields. That was days ago, but it was a place to start. It was a bit of a hike for her, but she started to trek anyways. She downed half a bottle of water by the time she reached the stream, so she refilled and purified her bottle and walked a bit slower now, looking for Gajeel. "What is...?" She leaned down to investigate something that looked an awful lot like blood when a sharp pain hit her leg. She yelled, clutching her leg and falling down. She nearly fell into the river and its current. Blood was pouring from her leg. She looked up to see a boy tribute with a menacing grin. Her leg hurt. It burned. If she didn't clean this soon, it would get infected. She couldn't even move, she doubted she could walk. She was going to die. She was going to die, until a tall, dark-skinned boy came barreling through the trees. With a war cry, he slammed into the boy and knocked him unconscious with a rock. No... He killed the boy with a rock. Dented his skull and he was gone. "Just this once, twelve. For Wendy." He didn't look at her. She realized this was the other eleven tribute, Pantherlily. "Gajeel is coming. He and I were about to have a standoff and he heard your yell. Asked for my help in return for not killing me." He looked towards the fields. "Take care of that leg." Then, he ran off. Levy felt like she was seeing things. Imagining things. The massive pain in her leg lead her to believe otherwise, however. Gajeel came up and took a look at the scene. Blood spilled on the rocks, Levy on the ground holding her leg uselessly, a dead tribute. With a grunt, he lifted the dead boy and tossed him carelessly towards the trees. He kept the sword. He was a sight to see: cuts and bruises slowly healing littered his body, a few sure to scar. His hair was a wild mane, its hair tie long lost. His eyes looked more feral and dangerous than she had ever seen before. He kept the sword close by in case they had any unwanted visitors, but kneeled down by Levy. "Shit... he got you good, shrimp." He muttered, reaching out to touch her leg but stopping himself. "I... I need to cl-clean it." Levy groaned. "Help me... get to the water." She tried to shift towards it, but winced in pain. Gajeel lifted her like she was a doll, jostling her injury, but got her to the water. He helped her wash it out, watching the stream turn red, then pink, then normal. The bleeding had stopped. He could almost see bone, and that alone made him scared for the small girl. Once Levy deemed it clean enough, it was obvious she was going to pass out. He couldn't leave them out in the open like this. He dug through her bag and pulled out a knife, which he used to cut off her pants leg around the injury. He cleaned that in the river too and then used it to wrap up the leg. "You look like you need stitches." There was no way he could do stitches here. The best he could do was wrap it well, hiding it from the elements. "Did you hear?" Levy's voice was quiet, slurred. Bloodloss had gotten to her. "We can both go... go home." She passed out, alarming him greatly until he realized she was only passed out. "If that's the case," he muttered while picking her and her bag up, "then I have to get you home. You won't survive with your leg like this." He said softly, looking down at her. He walked with Levy in his arms. She was so light, so fragile, but she knew how to hold her own in here. She had been doing so for a while. He was impressed. He found a small cave in the rocks. He was going to struggle a little getting in, since he was much larger, but she was tiny. She would fit easily. It would be a tight fit with them both. He had to wake her to get her inside. "Hey. I need you to wake up, cause I gotta get you inside here." He nudged her head gently. Her head lolled a little before her eyes opened slowly. "Gajeel?" She mumbled. She saw the cave and he explained she needed to get inside. Carefully, slowly, painfully, she dragged herself inside. He gathered rocks and leaves to cover the entrance behind them, leaving barely any light trickling in through the cracks. "I don't think I'm gonna make it." She was more lucid and awake now. Gajeel helped her lay out her sleeping bag. She felt rather warm so she just used it as a cushion between her and the ground. "I can't run or walk... there's no fixing this out here and I just..." tears came to her eyes. She didn't want to cry and be weak in the Arena but she had been so damn strong for so damn long. It was hard. This was hard. "Don't talk like that. You said we both could go home, yeah? So we just gotta kill everyone else. Or wait till there's one left and I'll take care of him." Gajeel crossed his arms, sitting against the wall next to her and staring at the entrance. "You're gonna make it shrimp." Levy looked at him. He had a look of determination on his face. He looked like he wasn't gonna let anything happen to her. This was the first time he's actually... cared about her. She knew it was an act for him, but to her this meant the world. She was overwhelmed with feelings for him and pain and being tied. She burst into tears. Gajeel jolted sharply, shocked by her sudden tears. She just cried, leaning against him. He put an arm around her shoulders carefully, unsure of how to help her beyond holding her. "I-I just-this place is Hell! And I-I've been so strong, it's exhausting, and-and now I can't even walk and I-!" She babbled through her tears. Gajeel absentmindedly stroked her hair. He knew she shouldn't be weak. He allowed her a few moments of weakness, because he also knew what it was like to break. After several minutes, her violent sobs slowed to sniffles. "Are you done?" He felt her nod. "Good. You're gonna make it. I don't wanna hear one more damn word about you not making it, you hear?" He turned to look her in the eyes. Her eyes were glossy but wide and listening. "You're gonna fucking make it." "Gajeel... I just-" she was cut off by a pair of chapped, rough, but warm lips on hers. Her eyes widened as he pulled back. He had a tiny smirk, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm gonna help you."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
After the sudden kiss, Levy fell asleep. Gajeel stayed awake, watching and listening. He heard the soft beeping of a parachute falling and left the cave to investigate. A hot dish awaited him and he smirked at it. "I gotcha Makarov." He muttered, bringing it back inside. The container would keep it warm for the morning. He ended up nodding off but jerking awake at every tiny sound. It was a rough night.Morning came, bringing light filtering through the rocks and barriacade he had set up. He nudged the sleeping girl awake. She felt unusually warm. "Wake up shrimp." He said softly. "Cmon, up." She blinked slowly. She felt sluggish and warm and... off. "Hey." She mumbled. She pushed herself into a sitting position, groaning with the effort. Her leg felt like it was on fire. "This came down last night. Here." He handed her the still warm container. "I'm gonna rewrap your leg. Okay?" He told her seriously. She nodded slowly and he unwrapped her leg. The cloth was not blood-soaked but could do with another wash. "I'm gonna go clean this out but I'll be close." "I have food in my bag still." She told him. "You don't have to hunt today." "Alright." He left the cave, quietly heading down to the stream to wash out the wrap. Levy looked at her own leg. She knew some first aid and knew a lot of plants, medicinal or otherwise, thanks to Droy, but she couldn't fix this here. "Shit." She muttered. There were already lines extending from the wound. Infection already? That was too fast. There must have been something with that sword. This explained why she felt so warm.Gajeel returned and wrapped her leg back up. Levy smiled gratefully at him. "How're you feeling?" "It might be infected." She said bluntly. "I can't fix that unless we get a medicine." She added. He cursed colorfully under his breath. "How many are left?" "I don't know. This isn't good girlie." He muttered, staring at her. "I know." She sighed, leaning her head against him. "Tell me a story." "What?""Tell me a story. It'll take our minds off it. You're not gonna leave me here to hunt down tributes because I could get killed. And I know you won't do that because you've done all this for me. There's no way you'd leave me to die." She said matter-of-factly. He chuckled at her fondly. "Fine. Whadda want to hear?" "How about something about you?" "Alright...." He shifted so she leaned against him more comfortably. "When I was younger, I got my first piercing. I ran with the kids who would steal from others. Not money, hardly anyone had money. Food. Believe it or not, I'm an okay cook with what I can get. I couldn't get a real job, I was still a kid, so I stole food, went to the Hob, make stuff to sell, sold it, and got money. That's how I survived. With that money, I got my first piercing. My earring." He explained, revealing a lot about himself in just a piercing story."What happened to your family?" Levy asked quietly. His face hardened. "Same thing that happens to everyone's. Dad died in the mines." He refused to talk about his mother in the Arena. She could sense it was very touchy so she dropped the subject, instead choosing to tell a silly story of her own: her brothers and her picking berries on bushes inside the fence and she fell in the mud. They stayed in the cave most of the day, with Gajeel leaving to scout around a couple times. Evening was falling when the sound of trumpets interrupted their companionable silence. "Another announcement?" Levy pushed herself into a better sitting position, listening intently. "Hello tributes. There will be a feast, at dawn." Levy was immediately uninterested and was going to tell Gajeel to ignore it. They had food, they didn't need to be drawn into a bloodbath. The voice continued before she could voice any of this. "There will be an item each of you desperately need, whether it be a blanket or medicine. It will be at the Cornucopia." Then the announcement ended. "Medicine... you need that. I'm going." Gajeel's tone left zero room for argument. Levy stared at him. He looked determined. "You'll die without it." She relented. "Fine. But we have to prepare first. I think we should set up traps outside, as well as seal the cave in. I can't go anywhere, but I can be armed and protected." He agreed wholeheartedly and with the last bit of daylight, he set small traps up. He gave her the sword that cut her to defend herself with. The fact that she already had infection led them both to believe it was poisoned, which made it a great defense. He promised to seal her in when he left. Finally, they settled down to sleep. Levy laid her head on his lap and he stayed awake as she drifted off. He let himself drift off for an hour or two, but when he woke up, he knew he had to go. Gajeel gently moved her to the ground. He fished out a larger knife as his own weapon, but left all supplies here. He kissed her head softly before he left the small cave. Before he left the area, he stacked rocks and placed vines so the cave blended in. He double checked the traps and started walking. Getting to the Cornucopia was going to be quite a trek.The forest was quiet. The leaves crunching underfoot and the occasional small animal scampering by were the only sounds he could hear, beyond his own breathing. It was almost peaceful. If he closed his eyes, he could even imagine he was outside the fence at home. He never once put his knife away. It would be bad if he was jumped on his way to the Cornucopia. He finally reached the Cornucopia and settled down in the brush on the edges of the open area. Waiting for the dawn, and with it, the 'feast'. Hours passed and the sun started to come up. Gajeel regretted slightly not sleeping more, but pushed it aside. A table was coming out of the ground with backpacks on it. Now was his chance. A girl darted out of the Cornucopia, fast as lightning, snatched a backpack, and ran. He blinked. It happened so fast, he wasn't sure if he even saw it. Why didn't he think of that? He saw a small backpack with his district number on it and ran for it. Other tributes came out of the trees, all charging for their respective backpacks. He grabbed his backpack as a knife clipped his shoulder. He shouted in pain, but it was a shallow cut. Barely grazed him. A smaller body slammed into his. Pink hair filled his vision. It was another tribute, the girl from 2. Sherry, he thought loosely. "Hey look, it's Gajeel. Traitor." She growled. He fought back against her. He was larger than her, this shouldn't be hard, but damn she was a fighter."Get the hell off me." He growled back. Sherry was spiteful and vengeful, though. She pinned him hard, a small knife to his throat. "Who's that medicine for? You look fine. Is it for lover girl? That fairy?" She scoffed. "I can't believe you betrayed your allies for her. You don't even care for her!" She smirked now. "I'm gonna cut you up into little pieces." She dragged the knife down his face, barely cutting the skin as she did so, hardly drawing blood. He arched his back, hoping to throw her off of him. A spear landed in the ground near them, distracting her long enough for him to free his arms and throw her off. The spear was thrown by Pantherlily, who didn't stick around for the show. He darted back to the fields after grabbing his pack. Gajeel lifted the spear out of the ground, looking down at Sherry who lay below her. "Fuck you." He snapped, throwing it with some incredible strength towards her stomach. Just like Wendy. Her last shout was for Lyon to save her. Gajeel left the Cornucopia as Lyon showed up, seeing his tribute and ally dead. "GAJEEL! I SWEAR, I'LL KILL YOU, EVEN IF I DIE HERE TOO! YOU'LL NEVER GO HOME!" He shouted into the air. He was too late to save her, but he knew who had done this. Gajeel just kept going, having to get to Levy. "I'm coming, Shrimp."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Gajeel stumbled to the stream by the cave, washing off the blood from his face and shoulder, before he went into the cave. He made sure to block it up with rocks again before he settled with Levy. "Hey. Wake up." He shook her awake. Her eyes were unfocused and glossy with sleep, but she woke up immediately when she saw the needle he pulled out. "Oh no, Gajeel, don't--" She tried to protest but he jammed it into her arm. She cried out at the sudden, sharp pain as he injected her with the medicine. "Dammit, that hurts!" "You shouldn't have tensed up then!" He snapped back. That's when she noticed the cut on his shoulder and the thin one on his face. "You're hurt." She shifted up a little, taking the edge of her shirt and tearing it. She wet the cloth with some water and dabbed at his cuts, hoping to help him. He didn't protest, but made a face when she pressed too hard. "Sorry." She mumbled. "What happened out there?" He gave her a brief overview of what happened. "Think Pantherlily took off with Lyon's pack too. He'll chase him down, meaning we're safe for now." "He saved me earlier. Why?" Levy wondered quietly. "He must have seen Wendy and I as allies because he said it was for her." "I asked him to help me, in exchange for me not killing him." Gajeel said bluntly. "No I know... I remember him saying that. But that's a debt I'll never be able to repay him." She explained. "Do you get that?" He was very quiet for a moment, then he spoke. "Yeah. I do." They were both poor. They both knew what it was to owe someone your life. Levy didn't know it, but Gajeel owed his own life to her. "I want to go home." She said suddenly. He looked at her, really looked at her, and saw how tired she was. She looked so tired, so ready to give up. These Games would suck the life out of you before you even died. It was truly, purely hell. "We will go home." He promised, and hoped he could keep that promise.Gajeel slept for most of the day, having not slept much during the night. Levy stayed awake, going through their supplies. She catalogued mentally the things they had, keeping in check the food supplies they had. Her mind was slowly clearing of the feverish infection from before, and going through everything distracted her from what was going on. As evening came, rain started. They would be stuck inside the cave until it let up, at least until she was 100%. Gajeel slowly woke up, grumbling and pulling her close to him. It made her face flush, not from fever. "Gajeel?" She whispered. He looked up at her blearily, his red eyes tired. "Hey." He mumbled. He noticed he was hugging her close, but didn't try to move away from her when she didn't move either. "It's evening, but it's raining. I don't think we should leave with the rain." She told him quietly. "I took stock of what we have though. We're nearly out of food." She added, her hand moving to run through his dirty hair. "How's your leg?" He asked, shifting so he was sitting up better, still having her be close to him. He liked having her close, he realized. His fake feelings might even be real. Except they couldn't be. He was too broken, too damaged. These Games only made him more so.Levy looked down at her leg, still wrapped snuggly to protect it from the elements. "It hurts, but it's duller than before. I think the fever is gone too." Gajeel looked at her, silently asking her permission. She nodded and he slowly unwrapped her leg. It looked a lot better. He wrapped it back up, smiling a little."Looks better." He sighed softly. He remembered the food they received from Makarov before, after he kissed her. Guess I gotta play up the romance. He thought. He was very out of his element, and there was no real way to tell her about it either. "Thank you. For going out there for me, risking your life for the medicine." She said quietly. He looked down at her and smiled a little. "You think I wouldn't do that for ya, shrimp?" He chuckled a little and she shrugged. "What do I really know about you?" She teased, mirth in her eyes for the first time in a long time. He was thinking about kissing her again, but she beat him to it. It was feather-light and barely there, on the side of his mouth, but it was genuine. It was shy and sweet and crowds at home would eat it up. It made him smile. No one was hurt, or dying. It was real. "You should rest." He finally said in the growing silence. "You should too. And it's cold, so we should share the sleeping bag." She pointed out, red dusting her cheeks. "I'm way too big for that." He opened the bag and laid it across them, then pulled her closer to him, making her squeak. "Calm down. This way we both are covered up, and you don't have to lay on the ground." He muttered, acting like it was nothing. Tentively, she curled into his chest. She felt safe with him, which surprised her. He was a very terrifying man, but he made her feel safe, even if he dwarfed her in all ways.The next morning, it was still raining. Gajeel didn't want to risk her going out with her leg still on the mend, but they needed food. He knew he would have to do something, but he didn't want to do anything drastic. He finally struck a conversation with her. "Do you even remember much of me from back home?" He asked her as they laid there, curled up together lazily. It was a rare moment of peace. "I do... you were mean to my brothers." She raised an eyebrow at him. "But I remember some good things too. You'd get in between me and a bully. I remember seeing you in the Hob one day, selling things. My brothers tried to buy from you, but you sneered them off. I tried to buy from you and you let me, albeit begrudgingly." She mused quietly. "My turn. Why did you kiss me?" The question caught him off guard. "Cause you're.... you. You're pretty. You like me, apparently, and.... I dunno." He muttered. "Was it wrong?""No." He didn't know she was being brutally honest. "You know how I feel." Her voice was soft, and slow. He wanted to kiss her, for real this time, but before he got the chance, he heard the noise of a package being dropped. He shifted so he could get to the entrance and pulled in the soaked container. Inside was a simple meal, cheese and fruit and bread. It was a meal, though, and neither would complain. They ate and talked about what it would be like if they won. They would be set up in the Victor Villiage, with nice houses. Makarov would be their only neighbor. Gajeel would be alone, but Levy's brothers could come with her. They wouldn't have to work in the mines. They would have food, they would be well off. It was a fantasy for those who were poor in twelve. At night, Levy convinced her large ally to peek through the barrier to see who was gone. He did, and had sad news to report. "Pantherlily is dead." He sighed roughly. If Gajeel couldn't win and make sure Levy got home, he would have wanted the big man from eleven to win. "That leaves some chick who's really good at hiding, and Lyon." He frowned. They were so close, so close to going home. "Tomorrow we should hunt. And maybe find those two, and go home." Levy said meekly. Gajeel nodded in agreement and settled down with her again. The days felt shorter. The Gamemakers were likely screwing around with them. He told her to sleep, he would keep watch for a while. Her steady breathing against his chest reassured him and made him feel better about everything. He was going to win, and she was going to go home. He was certain.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The rain was chased away by the morning sun. Gajeel woke up Levy quietly, telling her they should leave. She nodded blearily, and they packed up some of their things. They agreed to leave some things in the cave, as they fully planned on returning to it for the next night, but take the more important things with them. Levy's pack was a little lighter than Gajeel's, because he worried the weight would be bad for her with her leg, which was still mostly on the mend. He lead the way to a part of the forest where he would often hunt or gather. Her leg caused her to limp, which made a lot of noice. It scared away game, to the point he got frustrated with her. "Shrimp." He growled out. "Could ya please try to not make so much noise?" "I'm sorry Gajeel." She muttered. "What if we split up? I can gather berries and roots. I know some edible plants." She offered. He seemed hesitant, so she continued. "There are birds here, they'll carry sound. I did it with... with Wendy." She whistled a short tune, listening as it was carried through the trees. "We can use the birds to keep in contact. If I don't answer, or if you don't answer, then likely something happened." She crossed her arms, not taking no for an answer. "Fine. Meet back at the cave, in an hour at most." He finally gave in with a sigh. She grinned and left him be, so he could hunt in quiet. Without her loud leg, he was able to hunt down a couple of small animals. Levy had found her way to the stream, washing off berries she had picked and roots she had dug up. She left piles of each on a small tarp, then went to find more. She kept in contact with Gajeel through the birds, though it got quiet after a while. She wondered briefly if he was alright, but was too delighted by the discovery of what looked like a large blueberry bush to think on it as much as she probably should have. She picked as many as she could carry, because she really liked blueberries, and went to the tarp, dropping off half of them so she could wash the other half. Gajeel worried when she didn't answer his last whistle, and hurried back towards the cave. He came across the tarp, which looks disturbed, like someone had eaten what berries and roots lay there. "Shrimp!" Nothing. "Levy!" He shouted, using her given name for once. "Levy where-" he stopped short when she walked up, carrying berries that were wet. "Gajeel. I was washing off these berries in the stream." She held them up with a proud smile, only to have them smacked out of her hand. "Gajeel!" She shouted. "Why did you do that?!""Those aren't edible, Levy! Those are Dragon's Poison, you'll be dead before they hit your stomach!" His eyes were frantic and wide. "Don't you know a damn Dragon's Poison from a blueberry?!" "I didn't know, I thought they were blueberries..." She looked confused and apologetic, when the sound of cannonfire interrupted them. They looked around, hoping to see who it was. A hovercraft came and lifted a girl up, her white hair dangling down from her dead body. "Lyon must be close." She whispered. Gajeel shook his head, staring at the berries with a somber realization."The berries looked like someone had taken some. She must have taken them, thinking they were edible, and eaten them." Gajeel sighed, looking to the sky. "Dead before they hit your stomach." Levy stared at the berries, almost surprised she had inadvertently killed a girl. She had already killed once, but this was different for some reason. "So there's only one person left." She realized suddenly, looking at Gajeel. "Lyon." They both said. Gajeel's expression was hard. Levy's was thoughtful. "Lets cook what we have, then find him. I'm done spending time here." Gajeel spat out. "Grab the rest of those berries, just in case." He added, almost like an afterthought. She scooped them up and carefully packed them away in her pack.Gajeel practically stomped back to the cave, snatching up sticks as he went so he could make a fire. He wasted little time in cooking the squirrels and one rabbit he killed. He couldn't care less if Lyon saw their fire and came for them. He was ready for this to end. Levy watched as he cooked the animals in near silence, wondering what was going on through his mind. She pushed her blue hair out of her eyes, wondering if this would be the last night in the Arena. "What'll you do if Lyon shows up?" She asked, finally breaking the tense silence. "I'll kill 'im. What do you think I'm gonna do?" He answered gruffly. Gone was the almost-sweet man from the couple of days in the cave. In his place was the gruff bully she remembered, except he wasn't picking on her. He was surviving. She knew all the sweet-talk and kisses were just an act on his part, but being faced with the reality of it was almost like a slap to the face. "Right." She muttered. "I'm going to get some water." She stood up carefully, wincing a little on her leg. She walked the short distance down to the stream, a bottle in hand. Her eyes widened as she crouched by the riverbed. This can't be real... "Gajeel." She called softly, but loud enough for him to hear her. He came over, grumbling about her being helpless, until he, too, saw the stream. Before the two tired tributes from District Twelve was an empty stream, as dry as a desert. The ground didn't hold a single sign of having once been filled with water. It was as if it never was a stream to begin with.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"The Gamemakers are fucking with us." Gajeel ground his teeth together, his red eyes flashing dangerously. "Let's check a couple other water sources first... But you're probably right. They're gonna push us to Lyon, to give them a good ending." She pointed out, staring at the dry riverbed hopelessly. Her much taller ally held out his hand, helping her stand. "Let's finish what I'm cooking, then we go." He promised, bringing her back to their meager campsite. The meat was just about finished over the fire, or as finished as it could be. The two sat down and enjoyed the warm meal, but ate quickly. "We should leave our stuff here. Lyon's gonna look for a water source too. If we don't find him today, we come back to our stuff. If we do, we kill him and go home. So, bring weapons, a water bottle for when we do find water, and those berries." Levy nodded in agreement, finding her bow and arrows and strapping them to her back. She also took one of the knives they had and slipped it on her belt. Gajeel chose to arm himself with the possibly poisoned sword and his own sharp, jagged knife. They stood up, taking only one pack with water bottles and the berries in it and started to walk to the treeline. The blunette had the strangest feeling that she would never see that cave again. She looked back, remembering the few days she spent in their. In pain. With a fever. Curled up on Gajeel. The way he risked his life for her. The way his lips felt on her. She stopped walking as she looked back, remembering. Gajeel stopped too, following her gaze. He glanced at her, then back at the cave. He gave it a firm middle finger with a toothy smirk. It made her laugh, loudly. "Let's go." She started to walk again and he followed her quietly. They found a pond and another, smaller stream. Both were as bone-dry as the first. "They're pushing us to the Cornucopia." The shorter girl realized. "There's a lake there." She looked up at him. "Is it childish and stupid to admit that I'm a little scared?" She said quietly. She didn't want to show weakness to everyone who was surely watching in all the districts, but she couldn't help it. Everything had built up to this moment, and she was scared. She had been scared since her name came out of that damn glass bowl, but she put on a brave face. Now, her mask was cracking. "Nah. You'd be stupid not to be." He ruffled her hair a little. "We're gonna make it, Shrimp. Promise."The walk continued in tense quiet. Even the birds had stopped singing. After a long time, they finally broke through the trees. There stood the imposing metal Cornucopia, and a shining, water-filled lake. "I don't see Lyon. Let's get water in the meantime?" Levy suggested, nodding her head towards the lake. Gajeel frowned, following her, but making sure to check inside the Cornucopia first. Lyon was nowhere to be found. The two tributes sat down, sipping on the water slowly. It was fresh and clean and parched their thirst from the long trek. Levy had smartly snuck in the last of their bread and split it with Gajeel. It was hardly enough to fill them, but something to chase away the edges of hunger and keep them busy until Lyon decided to show himself. The bluenette whistled her short song in the air, letting it hang in the air for several moments before the birds picked it up and sang it back and forth. She smiled at the pleasant sound.The peaceful moment, which almost seemed like a dream in a place like this, was broken when Lyon ran through the treeline, panting and sweating. He looked like he had been running for a long time. Gajeel was up faster than Levy, throwing a knife at him and hitting him square in his chest. He was clad in some kind of armor though, as it bounced away. He looked fearful, and didn't even try to attack them as he ran right past them. Levy looked to the treeline and grabbed Gajeel's arm before he could chase Lyon down. "Look." Bursting from the trees was a mass of strange creatures. They had white fur and reminded her of huge monkeys. Their ears were sharp and pointed, like their teeth. They were coming after Lyon, and now her and Gajeel. "Muttations." Gajeel started to run for the Cornucopia and Levy quickly followed. Her injured leg kept her from going as fast as him, however, and she was starting to fall behind. The giant of a man noticed and fell back with her to pick her up, like she weighed nothing, and sprinted for the Cornucopia. He practically threw her up on top of the hard, metal structure. She righted herself and held down a hand to help him. His own leg got caught and he let out a shout of pain when it was sliced open. She struggled to help him up but finally, finally she pulled him up. One of the muttations tried to climb up and she aimed for its head with her bow and arrows. She was going to kill it, except... the eyes. "Gajeel. Gajeel, it's her eyes. It's Wendy's eyes." Her voice was strangled with confusion and fear. "It's not her. Shoot it!" He growled, trying to stop his leg from bleeding out. Levy couldn't bring herself to fire, however. The eyes... they were the same as Wendy's. The little bluenette of a girl that reminded her so much of herself. She couldn't do it. With a strangled shout, Gajeel took her knife off her belt and stabbed it in the head. It fell, dead. She breathed heavily as he pulled back, the knife still in his hand. She lowered her bow slowly, eyes darting around frantically, when she was suddenly grabbed by her hair. She screamed as she was yanked up and held in a chokehold. "You kill me, and she goes down with me!" Lyon shouted. His eyes looked crazed with bloodlust and anger and hate. "I will drag her down into those creatures and she will be torn apart with me." He threatened, his hold tightening. She gasped for air, staring at Gajeel. He struggled to stand on his own injured leg, and Levy noticed something in his eyes she hadn't seen before. Something very dark, just below the surface, waiting to break out. "I don't think so, you piece of shit." He threw Levy's knife at his hand, making Lyon let go with a shout of surprise and pain. Levy turned and shoved him with all her might and he stumbled off the metal Cornucopia, falling into the creatures. She saw his eyes, full of fear, before the creatures pounced on him. His screams of pain and agony filled the silence of the Arena. Levy made her way over to Gajeel, who had all but collapsed. She helped him make a tourniquet for his leg, to stop the bleeding. It looked almost worse than her own earlier injury. "You're alright." She whispered, relief in her eyes. He also looked relieved, but that darkness was still there. Had it always been there, and she just hadn't noticed? "Shoot 'im." He finally said in a gruff voice. "They won't kill him, you know that. Anything to prolong this." "Give him mercy?" She asked. She would, of course, but she was a little surprised he was saying this. Gajeel nodded, so she moved to the edge with her bow and arrows. She pulled an arrow back, looking at Lyon. He was in pain, he looked scared and sad. She felt bad for him. She let the arrow fly, and she could have sworn that he looked relieved before it killed him. A cannon fired. The creatures left, retreating to the woods. The two exhausted, hurt, and barely hanging on tributes sat, waiting for the final announcement. It didn't come. Levy slid down the side, landing on her feet neatly. Gajeel came down next, and he just about crumpled again. She helped him stand, looking at the sky in confusion. "Why hasn't the announcement come yet?" She wondered quietly. "Ah, hello tributes. Unfortunately, the earlier rule change cannot be allowed. There can only ever be one tribute left standing. As always, may the odds be ever in your favor." Ichiya's voice boomed around the silent Arena. Levy's eyes widened as she looked at Gajeel. She couldn't kill him. He could probably kill her though. "Gajeel... I'm sorry." She muttered. "Kill me. Go home." "I don't have anythin' waiting for me. You do." He huffed out. "But I can't kill you. I... I just can't." She felt like she was going to cry, but she couldn't let herself do that. Not now. "Then I'll do it myself." He picked up an abandoned dagger off the ground, ready to end this, but she put a dainty hand on his. "No. They have to have a winner. They won't let us both die." She fished out the berries she put in her pocket from the pack. "Here." She handed him some. "Levy." He looked at her, frowning, using her given name. "This'll kill you before they can announce it.""Not if we don't chew. Put it in your mouth." She whispered. "It's alright." She tipped her head back, dumping the berries in her mouth. Gajeel stared at her and did the same after a moment. "STOP STOP!" Ichiya's voice sounded frantic. "May I present the winners of the 74th annual Hunger Games!"
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They both immediately spit out the berries and Levy finally let herself cry. She hugged Gajeel tightly, burying her face in his thick hair. A hovercraft came and lifted them up. Levy didn't want to be seperated from him but allowed herself to be dragged away so doctors could work on him. She was given something to drink in a separate room. The wall had a mirror and she didn't recognize herself. She looked crazed, dirty, exhausted. It wasn't Levy McGarden, book-loving small girl from 12. It was Levy McGarden, someone who won the Games by chance and would forever be changed by it. The hovercraft landed at the Training Center and she watched as Gajeel was taken away to be worked on more. He was conscious, however, and thrashed around violently. "Let me see her! Let me go, dammit!" He snarled, until they stuck him with a needle and he passed out. Levy was also stuck with a needle and fell unconscious.Levy woke to find herself clean and healed. Her hearing had returned. Her leg had barely a scar. Every other tiny injury was fixed, and she didn't look like someone who spent weeks surviving in a death arena anymore. She was, however, restrained. An Avox was in the room and gave her a tiny smile when she noticed she was awake. "Did Gajeel make it?" She asked quietly. After a moment, the Avox nodded. She sighed with relief, closing her eyes. She went in and out of sleep for a while, maybe even days, she couldn't keep track. Finally, she woke up and she wasn't restrained at all. She stood up, wobbling on her legs a little. Taking a few, tentively steps, she noticed her limp was almost completely gone. Capitol medicine was amazing. There was an outfit laid out for her, the same as what the tributes wore in the Arena. Her pin was there too. It made her smile. She slipped out of her hospital gown and got dressed, pinning her pin to her shirt and wearing it like a badge. She stepped out of the room, seeing Evergreen, Reedus, and Makarov standing out there. She rushed to Makarov, hugging the short man tightly. He laughed. "You did a good job, girlie." He let her go and she hugged Reedus next, silently thanking him for everything he had done. "You shall have a reunion with Gajeel at the closing ceremony. Come, I will prep and dress you." Reedus lead her away to be prepped and dressed. She was dressed up like a doll in a simple, cream dress. It made her look innocent and sweet. "Gajeel will like this." He teased lightly, but they both knew it had more than just that aspect to it. It meant something to the Capitol. Everything seemed to be happening so fast. She was whisked away to a waiting area under the stage, where Makarov stood, waiting for her. "You look good. Enjoy your reunion with Gajeel." He smiled, but it seemed fake to her. "Let's go, lets go! Makarov, we're up!" Evergreen smiled brightly at Levy. He nodded once at Levy before leaving her alone. Her thoughts ran wild. Was this okay? Everything seemed to be ending perfectly. It was almost too good to be true. Before she could think too long, she was raised up to the stage. The lights blinded her for a moment, but once her vision cleared, she saw Gajeel standing there. She ran to him, a smile splitting her cheeks as she hugged him tightly. "Hey shrimp." He muttered into her blue, styled hair. He sounded a little tense to her and she wondered why."Ahh, love. Isn't it wonderful?" Ichiya's voice interrupted them. She pulled back and looked at him. He was smiling, all bright and shiny and screaming Capitol. He motioned to a soft love seat and they sat together. She noticed he was walking a little funny, but didn't say much of it. "So. I'll save my questions for the interview later. This is simply to explore your time in the Games, with a highlights reel!" Levy put her head against his shoulder, watching. The highlights showed the beginning. Gajeel working with the Careers. Levy working with Wendy. Wendy dying. Levy going on her own. Being saved by Pantherlily. Finding Gajeel. Their time in the cave, including their different kisses. The ending. More than a few times, Levy had to look away. Once the reel was over, the crowd cheered as President Hades came out. He smiled at the two, but Levy could see he was unhappy in
His eyes. He placed a crown on each of their heads, announcing they were the winners and announcing a victory banquet after the ceremony. Levy and Gajeel both had little interest in the banquet, but had to go. They danced together, although awkwardly. They stayed together, but couldn't get a single private moment. Mostly they just flitted about the room, being polite but hardly engaging in conversation with anyone. They wanted the night to be over so they could go to sleep, and then go home. After the long banquet, they were allowed to go back to the training center. They said their goodnights and went to bed, but Gajeel couldn't find it in him to sleep. He wanted to talk to Levy, alone. With a frustrated groan, he flung himself out of bed, cursing his leg as he hobbled to his door. It was locked from the outside. "The fuck?" He banged on the door, but couldn't get out. He needed to tell her what Makarov told him. Levy also wanted to talk to Gajeel, simply wanting time with him. In the middle of the night, she tried to leave and find him, but she, too, was locked in her room. She muttered a string of curses at whoever did this, going back to her bed but hardly sleeping.The next day, they would be interviewed and go home. They didn't get a private moment, again, until the interview. Dressed up all prim and proper with Gajeel in a suit and Levy in an innocent dress again, they sat on the unfortunately familiar stage with Ichiya. "So, star crossed lovers who can finally be together." He grinned widely. "How does it feel? To have won?" Levy felt sick to her stomach knowing she killed people. "It feels... amazing. Because I get to go home, with him." She squeezed Gajeel's hand a little, for show and for comfort. "What she said." He responded gruffly. "Now, Gajeel. We all heard Levy's confession before the games, and we watched your relationship develop in the Arena. When did you realize you loved her back?" Ichiya pressed. Gajeel stayed quiet for a moment. "I... I guess it would be when she was hurt. Real bad. I didn't want to loose her." He answered finally, looking sheepish. "And you risked your life for her to get that medicine. Incredible." He laughed. "Oh, you two. You're in for some great things!" He turned to Levy. "Levy, I know it will probably be hard to talk about, but can you tell us about Wendy?" Levy's face fell and her voice felt caught in her throat. "She was my ally. She was a sweet girl. If I hadn't won, I would have wanted her to win." Her voice was quiet, almost harsh. Ichiya had the decency to notice the sore subject and changed topics. "Gajeel. How's the new leg?" Levy looked at Gajeel with surprise. She didn't know he had a prosthetic leg now. Gajeel slowly lifted his pants leg, revealing a metal leg. "It's fine. Hard to get used to. Sometimes it's painful." He shrugged. "But at least I have a leg still." Ichiya smiled, continuing with small talk and questions, before asking a big one. "What's as going through your mind when you pulled out those berries?" "I couldn't kill him. I..." Her face flushed pink a little. "I love him. I couldn't kill him, and I couldn't let him kill himself." "I couldn't kill her either. I care about her." Gajeel interrupted. He didn't want to say 'I love her' just yet. "I couldn't go home without him, so I decided.... With him, or not at all." Levy finished, looking at Gajeel now. The crowd cheered at their love. "Such a sweet story! And now, you can be together!" Ichiya wiped away a fake tear. The interview wrapped up a few minutes after that, and they both left the stage together. Makarov told them it was perfect. Levy looked at Gajeel with a slightly pained look. She told the truth out there, and he only acted. She wondered if he knew.
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The train ride home was as long as the first one, taking a day or so. They did have to stop to refuel at one point. Levy walked around the train, killing time with her wandering. She paused outside Gajeel's room, wanting to talk to him. Instead, she overheard Makarov talking to Gajeel. "You're going to have to keep it up in the District. This doesn't end with the train ride." He said sharply. "I know old man. She knows I'm fakin' it too, you might as well tell her what's up." Gajeel growled out. Levy walked into the room, planning on pretending she heard none of that, but she couldn't. "What's going on?" She asked, crossing her arms with a small glare. "The Capitol is pissed about the berry stunt. We have to convince them we're in love. We just keep faking it like we have been." Gajeel said it like it was nothing. He was faking it, she knew this, but... he didn't know she wasn't anymore. "We keep faking it?" She felt the sharp, warm sting of tears, which she forced away. "Hate to break it to you, but you're the only one faking it." Gajeel looked surprised and she couldn't believe how incredibly dense he was. She turned and marched down the hall, just as the train started to move again. She didn't stop at her room, or any other room. She kept going until she reached the back of the long train, where the was a door that lead to the outside. It was a small area where she could stand, a railing keeping her safe, as she watched the different districts they passed go by. She closed her eyes to the wind, holding back the stupid tears and stupid emotions she felt. She heard the door open after a while and felt the presence of another person, but she refused to be the first one to speak. She stared at the passing scenery, not even giving the other person the satisfaction of her looking their direction. "I thought it was all an act, for you." Gajeel's voice finally said. He leaned against the railing, watching also. His black hair was more tame than it had been in the Arena, but it maintained the same wildness. "It was, at first. I said it because Makarov told me too. But as time went on, as we talked and intereactsd before the Games, as I remembered more about the times I saw you at home.... the more I talked to Wendy," her face fell a little at the mention of her fallen ally. "The more I realized I did have a little crush on you. And then it grew. And... I don't know if it's love, but it's real, whatever it is. Everything that happened in the cave, that wasn't an act for me." She finally looked at him, her blue hair loose and flying in the wind. "What about you?" He groaned a little. "Well, shrimp. I don't know. I've never let myself love anyone. Too scared, I guess. I dunno. I care about ya. Most of it was an act but me takin' care of you? Getting you home? That was real. I don't know where I stand." He ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. They both fell silent after having talked it out, watching the fields and trees whisk past them at incredible speeds.The train arrived at District 12 around mid afternoon. Makarov and Evergreen exited first. Evergreen would stick around with a camera crew to showcase the Victor Village a little, then take the same train back to the Capitol. Levy looked at Gajeel, holding out her hand to him. "Are you willing to pretend, just a little longer?" She asked quietly. He glanced down at her offered hand, taking the much smaller hand in his own large ones. "Sure, Levy." Together, they exited the train onto the platform, where a cheering crowd greeted them happily. She plastered on a smile that was only half-fake, because she was happy to be home, but they were cheering because she killed people. They killed people. It affected Gajeel as much as it did her. They played pretend happy, pretend couple for the cameras and the crowds, but as soon as Levy could, she went home. She knew she wouldn't spend much more time here, as she would be moved to the Victor Village soon. Her brothers tried to ask her questions but she only shook them off until she started to sob from relief and the memories she had built up inside her. They held her close and comforted her, and Lucy came by when she had the chance as well.Gajeel didn't have a family to come home to, but he did have a black cat that would visit him sometimes. That cat was waiting for him. He had never named the cat, thinking if he named it, it became his, and he didn't want the cat to be attached to him. He decided that he would name the cat, and named him Pantherlily, Lily for short, in honor of the man who spared his and Levy's lives in the Arena. The cat curled up in Gajeel's lap as he sat in his quiet house. He didn't cry. Instead, he sat with his thoughts of everything that had happened, letting it sink in, and enjoying the quiet familiarity of his house before he had to leave it.Both parties were glad that the Games were over, and glad the worst was behind them.