Tonight, a hunger games fanfic

Tonight

It was always meant to be him and her, in the end. They should have known that no one gets a happy ending.

Watch my back so I make sure

You're right behind me as before

Yesterday the night before tomorrow

He had taken care of her. All this time, he had always been there for his dark-haired beauty. Whether it was when her father died, or when she just wanted someone to be around, so she wasn't lonely.

And time changed nothing.

The first night he saw her again was after the chariots. Wearing a tight black suit, that was on fire. He smiled at the irony of it. The girl that didn't need to be put on fire, they had actually put on fire. She had enough fire of her own, it was obvious that she didn't need a fancy costume to show that.

Their eyes locked. Grey met blue. The storm met the sea. Steel met titanium. Fire met ice. No one else was there. To anyone else, it may have looked like they hated each other. But they could never do that, something like that was physically impossible.

She made him melt, and he made her freeze. But they loved the way it felt.

Then she was gone. And he froze.

Dry my eyes so you won't know

Dry my eyes so I won't show

I know you're right behind me

The roof was quiet. Peaceful, almost. The rushing wind sang over the loud noises from the Capitol. He liked it that way. He didn't have to hear them cheering or betting who would win, or who would die first. It sickened him to know, that in another world, these people wouldn't have to be like that. But what really sickened him was that, if given the choice to choose between a government where everyone lives in peace and harmony or the government that sends children to die each year, they'd choose the latter.

It was cold. But he didn't feel it. He had already frozen. There would be no more warmth for him. He wouldn't allow it. He would leave that arena the way he came in. Dead inside. Except he expected that he would leave the arena dead. Plucked up by one of the hovercrafts and exported back to his family in a wooden box. But he was okay with it. He didn't mind dying if it was for a purpose. And for a purpose it was.

He promised his last thoughts would be of her. He had promised before the Games that when he died, at whatever age, his last thoughts would be filled with her. She was his beacon in the darkness, calling him home. He couldn't live without her. So if they couldn't be together, he wouldn't live at all.

But it was all for her.

It always was. When he made a decision, he could hear her voice, guiding him to choose the right thing. She helped him just as much as he helped her. It was perfect, if it wasn't so tragic. If he lived she would die. She would have haunted his nights, singing songs that made him scream, her ghost following him around during the day, breaking him, until it would have become too much.
And he would have been found dead, with one of her arrows lodged in his heart, because that is what it would have felt like to live without her.

The wind blew through his hair. He ran a hand through his blond curls, breathing in air. But it felt like ice.

But he felt like something was beckoning to him, calling him. Making him move to the garden on the roof.

She sat there. Her dark hair tied into her braid, hands tightly clenching around a genetically enhanced flower. She hummed to a song that was evidently sad, making some of the ice inside of him melt, though, he would still be ice. She blinked rapidly at the flower, ripping off the bright blue petals. Her hands were warm. She felt as if she rubbed her hands together, an inferno would spread across the Capitol, burning to the ground.

However, it didn't.

And she was left wondering why life was so cruel.

"Katniss..."

Her head whipped around. She saw him. He wasn't smiling. He wasn't grinning. He wasn't smirking. His face was set in a frown, icy eyes filled with emotion. Her head turned back to the flower in front of her. There were more than one. She ripped the petals off of the other ones because they reminded her too much of him. Even though he was right there, she couldn't look at him again. Because if she looked at him again, that would make it real.

She didn't want it to be real.

"Katniss."

He moved to sit beside her, dropping to the ground next to her. He turned his head to face her. He twirled a strand of raven hair, that had fallen loose from her braid, between his fingers. She stared at her palms. He ran his hand around her waist, bringing her closer to him. She didn't move.

"Katniss. You can't shut me out."

Receiving no answer, he moved his other hand to lift her chin, making her look him in the eye. Suddenly, it was like their lives together were flashing before their eyes, making them face reality. That the worst has happened. They would loose each other, and they couldn't stop it.

"Cato..."

Her voice was hoarse, like she had been crying. But that's wrong. Katniss Everdeen never cried. It was impossible for her to commit such an action. Though, before she knew it, tears were forming in her eyes. He had water collecting in his eyes, her fire melting the ice. They never cried. Never had.

But alas, they ended up laying in each others arms crying until they couldn't anymore.

And she had reduced him to a puddle, while he had turned her into a feeble amount of steam.

Though, they had known it would happen.

Because they couldn't fight the inevitable.

No matter how hard they tried.

And don't you let me go, let me go tonight

Don't you let me go, let me go tonight

The arena had been better than she had thought. It was easier to see, really, that it was like a game of chess. And she would be the queen, because she was the queen.

Many cannons had fired. But she only remembers one person's death. Peeta's. She owed a boy, who died before she could repay him. She believed that she might as well have been the girl who raised that axe to his head. Undoubtedly, he would have joined the nightmares that night. And he did.

Asking her why she didn't save him.

She told him to go away, but dead souls always win, and he stuck with her through her trek along the arena. Through the woods, up the hills, searching for water. She had eventually found it when she had almost died of dehydration.

The mockingjay pin was secured to her jacket, and she admired it. Real gold. She believed that the Capitolites must have already making them to sell to the bidders, rooting for her. There had to be at least one person who would of bought one. There would have been one person. Just one.

She ate her meal and sipped her water for the day, thinking it was a success. But then she caught sight of a blue flower, beginning to bloom, spreading its petals. She blinked at it, then his smile flashed before her eyes, his laugh rung in her ears. She launched herself at the plant, ripping it from the ground, holding it close to her chest. Anyone else would think she was crazy, but it reminded her of him.

And she never wanted to let him go.

Don't you let me go, let me go tonight

The fire came from nowhere. The flames rose around her, trying to engulf her. Her lungs screamed, her legs screeched, her eyes howled. The flames took her breath away, made her legs struggle, caused her eyes to burn. She didn't stop running, no matter how much pain she was in.

Then, the fireballs arrived.

They came out of some hidden place in the trees, behind rocks, and out of the ground. She jumped in every direction to try and avoid them, which she managed to do for an extended period of time, but then one of them came from somewhere unknown and ran across her thigh. She would have screamed if her lungs could manage it, but they continued to burn just like the horrifying ache in her thigh.

It was ironic, and she imagined some Capitolites were laughing it up. They had actually set the Girl on Fire, on fire. Oh, the irony. It's one of those few moments she blamed Cinna for her own pain. If he hadn't gone with the Girl on Fire approach, her leg may not have been failing.

Nonetheless, she powered through the pain, ignoring it completely as she sprinted away as fast as she could. The trees were blurry, and every so often she would trip on a loose tree limb and stumble. But she didn't stop. She didn't give up so easily. It wasn't in her nature to just give up when she could be so close to the one thing that could save her life. The one thing that would dull the excruciating pain she was feeling.

The flames died down, and she stumbled across to some water. It was a while before she could get her burns to feel better in the water, but they eventually did. Then she heard it. The whoops and hollers. The Careers.

"Hey!" The District 4 boy shouted. He matched Cato in size and strength, leading them to her. "Girl on Fire!"

She couldn't think of anything else. She ripped herself from the water, - her limbs burning - threw her backpack onto her back and ran through the trees. She knew she wouldn't be able to outrun them, not in the condition she was in. So she does the only thing she could think of.

It hurt to climb the tree, but she would have been safe if she was high enough, wouldn't she? The Careers arrived at the bottom of the tree, angry that they couldn't reach her and happy that they'd found her. To kill her. Sick monsters...

She smiled. "How's everything with you?" she called down cheerfully.

This takes them aback - all except Cato, who expected no less - but she knew the crowd would love it.

"Well enough," says the boy from District 4. "Yourself?"

"It's been a bit warm for my taste," she said. She could almost hear the laughter from the Capitol. "The air's better up here. Why don't you come on up?"

"Think I will," said the same boy.

"Here, take this, Tyne," said Glimmer, the girl from District 1, and she offered him the silver bow and sheath of arrows. Katniss's arrows! Katniss's bow! Just the sight of them made her want to scream. Scream at Cato for not giving them to her when he had the chance. She met his eye. She tried to look angry, but she couldn't. And he couldn't be angry with her.

"No," says Tyne, pushing away the bow. "I'll do better with my trident."

Katniss didn't even know there was a trident in the arena. She gave Tyne time to hoist himself up into the tree before she began to climb again. Cato had always admired her, the way she could climb up the thinnest of branches in the highest of trees. She's another nine metres in the air when she heard a crack and looked down to see Tyne flailing as he and a branch went down. She was hoping he had broke his neck, when he got back to his feet, swearing at an impossible pace.

The girl from District 4, Coral, she heard someone call her began to scale the tree until the branches began to crack under her feet, and she had the good common sense to return safely to the ground. Glimmer fired a few arrows at her, failing miserably. The Careers regrouped, trying to formulate a plan to reach her. To kill her.

"Just leave her," said Cato. "She'll need food and water. She'll either die up there, or down here."

The Careers agreed, retiring to sleep. But Cato stayed awake, watching her. Her eyes closed and he took his chance. He begun to scale a stronger tree near her, getting as high as possible. Which was around the same level as Katniss.

The Capitol was waiting for him to do something. To kill her. But he didn't give them what he wanted. He just watched her with a sad smile, wondering how she managed to look just as, if not more beautiful in her sleep. He heard the familiar beep of the parachute and glanced up to see it landing in Katniss's tree. He leaned over and removed to lid, finding a tub and a note.

Apply generously and stay alive.
-H

"Burn medicine..." Katniss was asleep. "Katniss."

She woke quickly, looking everywhere. Her eyes settled on him. He threw the burn medicine at her, she caught it with both hands and opened it. She applied it to her burns. She watched him. He watched her. Nothing could have make him look away.

"What are you doing, Cato?" asked Katniss.

"I'm helping."

"I don't need help."

"We both know that's not true," he leaned over as far as he could, reaching for her hand. "Everyone needs help at some point."

He kissed the back of her hand, lingering before looking her in the eye. She sighed. "You have to let me go."

"I never will."

Then he left. And she didn't want him to.

She was engulfed by her own flames, missing the boy who turned her into steam.

Walk the surface of this town

With high heels above the ground

And high horses that we know

Keep us safe until the night

She sat beside what used to be a pile of supplies, before she had blown it up, before she had killed Marvel, before Marvel had killed Rue. The Careers - well, Tyne and Clove - wouldn't come back.
There was nothing left, so there would have been no point.

She twirled the blue flower around in her hands. It hadn't died yet. Some Capitol make flower that was meant to make the arena look pretty once it had been coated in a deep, cruel red that was the blood of the dead children. There should have been a lot more blood, but there wasn't that much.

The Capitol must have done something to make the blood fade away.

She heard footsteps. She didn't need to turn around to see who it was, she already knew. His shadow loomed over her as he moved to sit beside her. She sighed and laid her head on his shoulder. He moved his arm around her waist, holding her close.

"Just this once," she mumbled.

"Okay," he whispered.

Safety came when they were together. Steam and water mixing.

Steaming hot water.

But she returned to fire when she woke later on to find him gone. Again.

We know them all, I know it all

Stay put and play along

'Cause I'm looking for my friend

Now I got you, got you

He wondered aimlessly around. He felt empty. Frozen. Just how he was meant to be. Her voice filled his ears, but it was all just in his head. Just like her laugh, her smile, her eyes, her lips. They'd never be his, not like how he had planned.

She was supposed to be his, he hers.

He had her. She had him.

But nothing is ever a happy ending.

And don't you let me go, let me go tonight

Don't you let me go, let me go tonight

She should have expected they would be in the final three. Him, her and Tyne. It's exactly what she should have expected.

The Cornucopia was slick with blood from the dead mutts at the bottom. But barely any were dead. She stood with her bow raised at Tyne, who had Cato in a headlock. Why hadn't he snapped Cato's neck? He matched the boy in strength, so why didn't he?

"Why haven't you killed us yet, Girl on Fire?" said Tyne.

She looked at Cato. He was trying to wrestle out of Tyne's grip, but somehow had been getting air into his lungs. He was almost dead, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Her heart broke.

Don't you let me go, let me go tonight

"Oh," said Tyne with an evil grin. "You love him, don't you?"

She didn't answer. She kept the arrow aimed at his head, trying to think of a way to save him.

"Everyone thought it was Lover Boy," said Tyne. "But no. It was always Brutal, Bloody Cato who froze little Fire Girl's heart."

Cato growled and tried to kick Tyne. It didn't work.

"Oh, and let me guess," said Tyne. "You love her too, don't you?"

She couldn't think.

"Oh, what a tragedy," said Tyne. "Let me imagine what your story must have been like. You met as kids, became best friends, then when you got older, you fell for each other." The mutts howled all around them. "Cato must have had to volunteer for the Games, and he promised he would have came back to you. To live your lives happily together, get married and have kids, how sweet."

She wanted to kill him as much as Cato did.

"But then, the Games came," said Tyne with a shake of his head. "And Cato volunteered, and your sister got reaped. You wouldn't let her go into the Games, so now here we are."

She stared at him.

"Only one victor, remember?" Tyne was sobbing, knowing that his end must have been close. "No one gets a happily ever after."

I dry my eye, dry my eye

Falling deeper by the hour

Dry my eye

Dry my eye, dry my eye

Don't let me fall deeper now

Dry my eye

The tears fell down Tyne's face, as he felt Cato do something with his own blood on his hand. His life was over, anyway. He had nothing left to live for.

He smiled when Katniss aimed the arrow at his hand. "Dying is a lot easier when you have nothing left to live for."

Then the arrow pierced his hand and he fell to the mutts.

Don't you let me go, let me go tonight

"Katniss, did you shoot him?"

The cannon answered.

"Come here," Cato opened his arms. She ran into them and breathed in his scent. He lifted her chin and looked her in the eye. He smiled at her, then covered her lips with his. This showed the Capitol why he didn't kill her the night of the fire in the tree or when she blew up the supplies.

Because Tyne was right. He loved her.

They pulled away from each other when air was needed.

Then reality came crashing down when he smiled sadly at her. "One victor, Katniss."

He pulled away from her and looked down at the grass below the Cornucopia. The mutts had gone, disappeared into the ground. He jumped down, looking around and helped Katniss off. He backed away from her and pulled out his sword.

"Cato, no..."

Then he smiled. A genuine smile. "I love you, Katniss Everdeen."

That's when he plunged his sword into his stomach.

Don't you let me go, let me go tonight

She screamed as he fell to the ground. Blood pooled out of his stomach, as he fell on his back on the ground. He felt something grab his hand, and saw Katniss clutching his hand. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. He wanted to reach up and wipe them away, but he didn't have any strength left.

"Cato..." she sobbed as laid her forehead against his.

He was almost gone.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, Cato," she sobbed.

He managed a smile. Then he was happy.

Because he kept his promise.

His last thoughts were only of her.

Let me go, let me go

The cannon boomed.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the victor of the seventy-fourth Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen of District 12!"

She wasn't a victor, because as soon as that was announced, she ripped an arrow from the sheath and stabbed it in her heart.

The blue flower lay between her fingertips.

Don't you let me go, let me go tonight

They couldn't be together in life.

So they were together in death.

Because the world was too cruel for them to have their real happy ending.

A/N: My first Catoniss oneshot. I'm so proud of this. I am done with fluff. Done. I still like it, but I am actually good at writing gothic tales. The things they make us do in English. The lyrics are from the song 'Tonight' by Lykke Li. It's a really good song, I suggest you listen to it. Thanx for reading and please review!