CHAPTER FOURTEEN

XOX

I should be dead.

That was the first thing that went through his mind, as the pure white, windowless, doorless room slowly faded into view. I should be dead like him.

He briefly wondered if he was dead. Certainly, he felt no pain; and this room was so pure and white it could've been something out of a dream.

He tried to move, but found his arm wouldn't budge. Frowning, he looked down at it—then realized that it was strapped to the bed. A needle attached to a tube was jammed in it, and he could see a pale white liquid being filtered through the tube and into him—some kind of knockout drug, he figured. A brief look about himself, and he realized he was strapped down all over.

Well, it was no wonder. Considering how bent he had been on suicide before, they probably thought he would try something.

They were right. He did want to try something. He wanted to try dragging a knife across his wrists until his red blood made this white room impure and he died to rejoin his beloved, like he should have before.

He didn't know how he'd survived. He recalled the ground, the lake, the vivid blue water rushing to meet him, and then something faint about a hovercraft...perhaps they had grabbed him right before he hit the water, or perhaps the water was Gamemaker-engineered and had supported him. He knew that somehow the Gamemakers had saved him. He wished they hadn't.

He lay there in bed for what seemed like hours. He didn't even bother struggling against the straps; he knew it would be pointless. Instead, he counted out all the ways he could kill himself with common household objects.

A servant girl eventually came in, with some food. She pressed something that raised his bed to a sitting position, then set the tray across his thighs. The tray was so clean it was like a mirror, and he caught a glimpse of his reflection in it.

He hardly seemed different. Same blue hair; same face with lost and distant eyes; same scar—

Wait. No. My scar is gone.

He blinked in surprise as he registered that. His scars were gone. How is that possible?

The Capitol must've done some kind of full-body fix that removed all his injuries and scars, because he didn't feel or see any of his other scars anywhere as he twisted around.

The servant girl pressed something else and he felt the strap around his left arm retract, freeing it. Now he could eat, at least—though the drugs would no doubt knock him out if he tried anything.

She left, and he went to it. His stomach seemed to have shrank, and he wondered how long he'd been out. He got down the small meal, then lay back and contemplated his suicide once again. Eventually, the drugs they were injecting in his system knocked him out.

XOX

This went on for what seemed like weeks. He ate only one other time, and his head seemed to be in a perpetual twilight of confusion. He could hardly recall what was going on around him, but he did recall the doctor telling him the results of the tests they'd performed;

He had acute stress disorder—enough of it that it was likely to develop into post-traumatic stress. He suffered from nightmares; nightmares about Lion laguz, about falling, about his love dying before his eyes. He seemed to get sad and weak easily, then angry, and spent all his time contemplating suicide. And he couldn't speak. Not a word, even though he'd tried. The doctor diagnosed it as being a result of the same stress that had given him PTSD; nobody knew when or if he would ever speak again.

He didn't recall much after that, other than a woman's voice—not Capitol but with a lower-district accent—shouting, angry. Defending him from something he couldn't see.

XOX

Then, finally, he woke up to find that nothing was plugged into his arm any more. A pair of servants unstrapped him and stood guard as he got dressed—apparently, the Gamemakers were still wary that he would try to commit suicide. He wished he could.

As he got dressed, he confirmed that all of his scars were gone—not just the ones gotten in the Arena, but ones gotten over a lifetime of hard work and harsh punishments. His skin looked like satin. He felt slightly unnerved, but the blank emotion that filled him quickly overrode it.

He dressed in the simple shirt and pants—the same kind of clothes he'd worn into the Arena—and then the two servants opened the door, and his team rushed in to greet him.

His stylist ran straight to him. "How are you feeling?"

He said nothing. He couldn't.

Then his escort stepped forward cheerfully and said "Congratulations, Ike! You won!"

And suddenly, he couldn't stop the tears, and broke down into sobs.

XOX

Of course, Shinon and Aimee and Lyn congratulated Ike on his victory, but they could all sense that he would rather have lost. They brought him to a good dinner, the first one he'd had in a while. He had a permanent escort of two Peacekeepers that kept a close eye on him, and got twitchy every time he picked up a knife. He seriously considered using it on himself, slash his wrists, but he decided to wait for now. The time would come when he wasn't watched as closely...

He did notice that Shinon wasn't particularly cheerful, despite the fact that Ike was the first tribute he'd mentored that had won. He wondered why.

Before he had time to contemplate it, however, Lyn swept him off to get ready for the stage. Wil, Florina, and Ninian all greeted him ecstatically, but he wasn't in the mood for their cheerfulness. Roy was a little more subdued, as if he sensed Ike's reluctance.

Then they took him to his room, to get him dressed. Roy distracted the two Peacekeepers outside so they wouldn't bother anybody, and while Lyn went off to get his costume, her prep team went to work. Ike took a shower, and then they cut his hair and nails. They chattered continuously, which was fine, since he couldn't speak anyway—at least they had the tact not to talk much about Mia, or Leanne, or the District 12 tributes. They did like talking about the double suicide, though they never mentioned why or how the Gamemakers had let Ike survive, unfortunately.

Then Lyn returned with his clothes—yet another of the Hero Ike's outfits; a different take on the ranger tunic. Apparently she hadn't given up on the Boy of Blue Flames just yet.

He barely noticed his appearance in the mirror. He was only wondering if he could shatter it and cut his wrists with the broken pieces of his reflection. Wondered how his blood would look, spattered red on the glass.

But Lyn seemed so happy, and suddenly, he didn't want to ruin her moment. This was her first Hunger Games and she'd successfully styled a tribute to victory—for without her inspiration, he would likely never have gotten sponsors, and the Games may have gone very differently—and Ike didn't have the heart to hurt her.

They took the elevator to the level where Ike had been trained. It was customary for the victor and his or her support team to rise from beneath the stage—first the prep team, followed by the escort, the stylist(or stylists, as in this case, when they'd worked on both tributes together), the mentor, and finally the victor. For some reason, however, they'd changed things a little; Ike had a completely different, brand-new metal plate that would transport him up to the stage.

Lyn and the prep team disappeared to get their own outfits; Ike waited in silence. He jumped when he heard a noise, and turned.

"Just me." Shinon said. Ike relaxed. "How're you feeling?"

The beorc boy shrugged slightly. His mentor sighed. "Still not talking, I see."

Ike shrugged again.

"...I suppose I'm off, then." Shinon mumbled. "I'll go get a drink, or something."

Ike frowned quizzically. His eyes read, Why would you be drinking at a time like this?

Shinon guessed what he meant. "...If I'm drunk enough, I won't notice Oscar's there," he said bluntly. "Good luck." Then he disappeared.

Ike was still puzzled. What is it that happened between Oscar and him...?

He was startled out of those thoughts by the Capitol anthem, playing somewhere overhead; then he heard the muffled sound of Oscar Osûka, greeting the audience. He couldn't make out any of the words, but he knew what was going on all the same—he'd seen enough Games for that.

There was the crowd's applause as the prep team was presented. Then Aimee was introduced. How long she'd waited for that moment. At least somebodyaround here is getting what they want.

Lyn and Roy received huge cheers—they'd been brilliant, of course, and he figured the Capitol audience just loved the idea of a genius mother-son styling team.

Shinon's appearance brought a round of applause, but Ike could've sworn he heard Oscar coughing nervously over his words. So, Oscar knows something about it too, he thought.

Then he suddenly felt the plate moving, and he was being lifted onto the stage.

Blinding lights. Deafening roars. Oscar announcing his name. He couldn't see anything for a moment, and then the audience was in view, and he could see, and—

His heart stopped.

Then it pounded once. Twice. Three times, and going faster.

Ike thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He thought perhaps his PTSD was affecting how he interpreted his vision. He thought he was dying.

Because a man stood not ten feet away from him—so clean and healthy and beautiful, his eyes expressing the same shock that Ike was feeling himself—and then he said something, a single word;

"Ike?"

And tears suddenly streamed down Ike's face, because he knew he wasn't dreaming, that somehow, this was all real and this man was actually standing before him, talking, breathing, alive!

His voice cracked as he spoke for the first time since the end of the Hunger Games, and cried out the man's name;

"Zelgius!"

And he took three steps forward and flung himself into his love's arms.

XOX

ZELGIUS

I don't want to let go.

I never want to let him go again.

I half want to kill Micaiah. How could she let me think he was dead, let me consider taking my life when I thought that the Capitol had saved it even as his was stolen away?

I forget about her soon enough. Ike's all that matters. We're kissing in front of the world and nothing else matters at all.

When the audience has finally calmed down, and Oscar had finally convinced Ike and I to stop clinging to each other long enough to proceed with the show, the two of us sit down in the victor's chair—or, as it is this year for us especially, more of the victor's love seat—and the show begins. It is a three hour long video of this year's Hunger Games, and mandatory viewing for all of Tellius. They flash over the reapings and the interviews fairly quickly; I get the last part of my interview in full, while Ike's and the others are mostly skipped over. Bits of Leanne, Kita, Mia, the Careers. Then the actual Games begin, and I numb myself to the show, unwilling to watch the other tributes die again; I focus more on Ike, the boy curled up next to me, wonder how we could possibly both still be alive.

Surely the Capitol would've saved only one tribute? One victor; that has always been the norm. But then again, perhaps they didn't want to have a victor bent on killing himself.

My attention snaps back to the video as I hear Kita's voice, and now I see her death. I notice they cut the shot before Ike gave her the flowers. Because that reeked of rebellion, and there can be none of that.

But they play up me and Ike. Almost every one of our kisses is shown, and several of our tender moments; the whole thing is shaped up as a grand romance, and all the things that feel more important are passed over with barely a shot. Such are how our Games will always be presented...

The video finally nears its end. I see Sakira fall, see Mia fall, but I feel as if I am watching different people than them.

Then there is the two of us on the cliff. The entire scene is played in full, cut and scored to make it seem as tragically romantic as possible. It almost seems like something out of a fairy tale, or at least a fantasy.

Then comes the moment when we jumped. I see the fall all over again, see the bloody waters rushing to meet me, wonder vaguely how the Capitol had gotten a camera angle like that—

The water fills the screen, and for a moment I don't understand it—and then, as I see the water catch us gracefully, as I hear Kieran Fergus' voice again, I know how we survived. The water was Gamemaker engineered and somehow prevented us from dying from the fall...but the shock of hitting it knocked us both out, which is why neither of us remembered surviving. I know this means that Mia should've survived her fall as well, but perhaps they can turn it on or off at will.

I still don't understand why.

The anthem starts playing at the end, and we rise as President Lehran himself takes the stage, followed by a little girl carrying a cushion that holds the crown. The crowd gets confused—there is only one crown, who will he give it to?—until President Lehran gives it a twist and separates it into two halves. He puts the first on Ike with a smile. He is still smiling when he settles the second on my head, but as I look at his eyes, I can see the deep sadness hidden there, and pain—and coldness.

For some reason, those eyes make me angry.

Much bowing and cheering follows. I'm relieved when I finally get to retreat from the stage; however, I don't get to spend much time with Ike before we are both whisked to the president's mansion for the Victory Banquet. I introduce Ike to Micaiah, Sothe, and the rest of my support team; other than that, the evening sort of fades into a blur of wealthy Capitol faces and ecstatic sponsors coming to greet us. I hear the word 'congratulations' so much I begin to wish I will never hear it again.

Actually, I would be happy never to hear that. To never hear a young man be congratulated for the deaths of twenty-two other children. If only there was a way to end it...

Me and Ike and our teams escape back to the Training Center well after midnight. Ike is sent to bed early by his mentor; Micaiah tells me to go back to the twelfth floor, but I sneak back to Ike's room after she's asleep. I'd half-expected for her to lock the door, but it's open.

He's already asleep when I get there, one arm hanging over the left side. Not wanting to disturb him, I lie down next to him and gently wrap an arm around him; he mumbles in his sleep and rolls over, nestling himself closer to me.

I drift off before I'm even aware I'm sleepy. I have no dreams—or nightmares.

XOX

IKE

The next day, Ike woke up on his own to find himself curled up with Zelgius. He didn't even wonder or care how the Branded had got there; he was just glad that he was there.

A few minutes later, Zelgius woke up. He looked into Ike's eyes and smiled. "Good morning, love." he said softly.

Ike's smile was brighter than Zelgius had ever seen it before. "Yes. Yes, it is," he replied faintly, and leaned in to kiss him.

XOX

They had breakfast together; surprisingly, Lyn didn't even bat an eyelash when they both came out of Ike's room. Aimee was too busy talking to notice. And Ike discovered that the District Twelve prep team was about the same as Eleven's; the teams shared breakfast, and the two victors listened to the six of them chatter endlessly about the Games throughout the entire meal, before Lyn, Roy, and Elincia appeared again to shoo them out.

The outfits were more old-style clothes; a blue tunic for Ike, a dark green tunic for Zelgius. The interview would take place just down the hall, in the sitting room.

Ike bumped into Micaiah and Shinon just outside of the room, arguing. "I'm telling you, I can't face him sober!" Shinon protested. "I'm sure you can handle it yourself!"

"You are not hiding this out!" the silver-haired woman insisted. "I've worked too long and too hard for this for you to chicken out now!"

"...What's going on?" Ike asked.

Both mentors stopped talking. "Nothing," Shinon said quickly. Micaiah glared at him, but said nothing.

"...Shinon..." Ike said quietly, "...did something happen...between you and Oscar?"

The man blinked. "I-I don't know what you're talking about." he said quickly.

"Just tell him," Micaiah said.

"No, I'd really rather not." the man replied.

The silver-haired woman sighed in frustration and pointed at the door. "Shinon Gautier! If you don't go in that room and face him and stoprunning, I will announce it to everyone on live TV!"

"You can't! The Gamemakers would never allow it!"

"To hell with them!"

Ike stared at them blankly, confused. Then Roy poked his head out of the door. "Uh, guys?" he said, interrupting the mentors' argument. "The interview's supposed to start soon. You done yet?"

"Yes," Shinon growled, ignoring Micaiah's frustrated glare.

Roy didn't notice her expression. "Okay, then! Come on, Ike!" He grabbed the beorc boy's arm and dragged him inside.

Oscar caught a glance of Shinon as the door swung shut, and frowned—then quickly shook it off, returning to his trademark smile. Ike didn't fail to notice, however; and judging by Zelgius' expression, he hadn't either.

XOX

The interview finally began. Oscar was as wonderful as always; Ike just tried to speak as little as possible. Once he might've felt up to this, but today he let Oscar and Zelgius do the talking.

But eventually, Oscar had to pose him questions that required more substantial answers. He did ask Ike about his PTSD, and he did go easy on him because of it, but half the time Ike was just speaking without thinking about it—not exactly a good thing, but fortunately nothing bad or incriminating came out.

At one point, Oscar asked; "So, Ike... What were your thoughts when Zelgius first kissed you, in that cave?"

Ike thought briefly. "...I was surprised, at first." he replied softly. "I couldn't believe that...I was the one he liked, that he had...chosen me. I was truly...happy."

There were audible sighs from the people in the room.

More questions, more talking. Eventually it came to the end;

"Ike...everybody's wondering this, so I have to ask. When you and Zelgius jumped together...What was going through your mind then?"

Ike knew exactly what he'd been thinking; that perhaps, if they both died, then the Gamemakers would be denied their victor, and in death he would've made one last rebellion against the people that had killed his friends. And then he wouldn't have to live without Zelgius. But if he said all of that here, he was sure he or his family would meet with a little 'accident'; so instead, he spoke the half truth;

"Well, I...I didn't want to go on without him. Like I said in the Arena. I would've...died inside. When I thought he was dead, before the show yesterday...I was already contemplating suicide." He turned to look into Zelgius' eyes and smiled. "I think I'm more glad...that he's alive. That we're both alive, and together."

"And what about you, Zelgius?"

"What is there to say?" The Branded reached over and took the beorc's hand. "He saved my life."

"We saved each other." Ike countered.

Aimee got a little teary, among others.

Finally, it was over. Oscar signed off, the cameras cut, and they were free.

XOX

ZELGIUS

The television crew seems to trickle out slower than they should've. Most seem to be fans of me or Ike or both, and ask for autographs while chattering on about the Games.

They remind me of my prep team. I'm more than glad when they leave.

One girl with long blue hair and kind sapphire eyes does not congratulate me. I'm grateful for that. "I hope you'll be happy." she says softly.

I think I recognize her, but where from...

Then I remember. She was the Head Gamemaker ten years back, in the Games that Ike's mentor won. She must have come here to supervise the interview. "You're a Gamemaker," I say, and I feel an intense burst of hatred well up inside me. I do my best not to show it.

She nods slowly. "I have that...that terrible duty, yes."

Curious, I feel for her emotions; they are mostly of remorse, and I know she's telling the truth. On an impulse, I ask; "Tell me...Why did the Gamemakers decide to save both of us? Why not just one?"

She pauses, then replies in a half-whisper; "We would rather have two happy victors than one lonely, suicidal boy."

"You didn't seem to mind having lonely boys as your victors previously."

"Sad, but true." She sighs, and when she speaks again her voice is so low I'm sure the cameras cannot hear it; "This is the second year in over two hundred that two out of twenty-four children came out of the Arena alive. That still means that five thousand, one hundred and fifty children have died in these atrocities called the Hunger Games."

"Gods, how I despise them..." I cannot stop myself from saying, in an equally low tone.

She nods slightly, and I feel a sudden kinship with her.

When she shakes my hand as she leaves, she presses something into my palm. "I and my brother wish you the best of luck, Zelgius Kadohl." she says softly.

I briefly glance at the object and see it is a folded piece of paper; however, I don't have time to look at it or ask her about it as a woman calls to her; "Ms. Lowell! Your brother's on the phone; he needs your observations on the ecological arrangements for the bipartisan lithographer!"

"Coming, Palla!" She gives me a knowing look and smiles, then quickly hurries away.

XOX

Finally, they're all gone. Except for one.

Micaiah has gotten hold of Oscar and tricked him into lingering; she got my prep team to engage him in conversation—they're all big fans of him—and that has certainly kept him from leaving.

She eventually enters the room again, dragging a very unwilling Shinon over to Oscar. She shoos off the prep team, says something to them, and then retreats a little.

Ike glances up from the floor briefly. "Come on," he says, his voice still faint. "Let's talk to her."

I don't disagree, and we both go over to Micaiah.

She glances up as we approach and laughs slightly. "Figured at least one of you would come over to ask."

"What is between those two, exactly?" I ask for Ike, as he gestures towards Oscar and Shinon. They're talking in low voices; Shinon looks nervous, while Oscar seems sad.

"Well..." She laughs again. "I blocked all the cameras and microphones, so I suppose there's no harm in telling. You want the full story, or abridged version?"

"Full," Ike says.

She nods, then begins.

It turns out, Oscar is not actually Oscar Osûka at all. His name is Oscar Gautier, and he is Shinon's adopted older brother by seven years. He also has two younger brothers, Boyd and Rolf Gautier, and a father that had died ten years ago...shortly after Shinon's Hunger Games.

Apparently, the Gamemakers have a custom of...selling the bodies of their victors. If a victor is considered desirable, they are given as a reward or allowed to be bought for an exorbitant amount of money. If you refuse, someone you love is killed. Micaiah was used that way. The thought of it makes me sick. She became so terrified after the first time she rushed into a marriage with Sothe so it couldn't be done again.

Shinon had been quite attractive when he was seventeen, and, according to Micaiah, there had already been offers made for him before he'd even left the Arena. But Shinon, when he was informed, wanted nothing to do with it. He publicly denounced the Capitol and the Gamemakers, so angry he'd been.

And his family had paid the price. Due to his actions, both in and out of the Arena, when he returned home, he found his home had burned down. The Peacekeepers told him that his entire family—his stepfather, Jaster Gautier, and his stepbrothers Oscar, Boyd, and Rolf—had all died in the fire. He was crushed, but with no family left, he couldn't be threatened into serving the Gamemakers—and after he retreated into himself with a bottle, he became less desirable anyway, until no one even remembered.

But a year after Shinon's Hunger Games had ended, when the reaping came again, Shinon discovered that the old announcer, commentator, and show host had been replaced—by his eldest brother, now with the surname Osûka and denied to have ever been in District Eleven. Oscar had told Micaiah that the Capitol had tortured him, reprogrammed him until he believed that he really was from the Capitol; over the years, he'd remembered his past, with a little help from Micaiah herself.

Shinon had been shattered by Oscar's reappearance. Just when he'd finally started to get over his family's death, his older brother had appeared as a puppet of the Gamemakers—to serve as a reminder to him and anyone who'd known him what happened when you broke the rules. The pain was too much for him, so he decided he would just never see or hear Oscar again, pretend that he wasn't still alive...

Micaiah had learned all this when she stumbled upon Shinon, drunk on his youngest brother's birthday in the middle of his first Hunger Games as a mentor. He, being too senseless to know better, had told her everything; she'd gone and spoken to Oscar; and she'd been trying to get the two of them in a room together ever since.

"That's...what they did...so awful," Ike says quietly when she finishes. She nods.

Words fail me. Nothing seems appropriate after hearing something like that...and it reveals so many things I didn't know.

Prostituting the tributes? Murder, torture, 'reprogramming'? I knew the Capitol and the Gamemakers were cruel, but I had no idea of the true extent. It seems unfathomable that anyone could commit atrocities like that, could ever wish for them to happen—yet I know that someone has, because after all, the Gamemakers' orders came from President Lehran...

I feel a sudden intense hatred for the Heron and the Capitol, greater than anything I've ever felt. Something like this cannot be allowed to continue. I don't want anyone to be hurt like that again, yet I seem powerless to prevent it...

I realize that Ike and Micaiah have been talking, but they fall silent for a moment. I follow their gazes to Oscar and Shinon. The red-head stares at the ground, ashamed; Oscar puts a hand on his shoulder, says something comforting.

…..Perhaps I am imagining it, but I think I see tears on Shinon's cheeks.

Ike quietly voices my thoughts, and Micaiah smiles sadly. "Yes. This...this is the first time I've ever seen him cry..."

The older man(though appearing younger) took a step forward and hugged his stepbrother warmly. "I didn't even think he was capable of emotion," Ike says in a faint voice.

My mentor laughs. "No, he's not that...he simply...hides it very well."

They start talking again; Oscar and Shinon are hugging and crying, and seem to be happy. But watching them only makes me angry again.

The atrocities committed by the Gamemakers cannot be done again. I cannot stand by uselessly and let it be done, with or without my knowledge.

I cannot allow Ike to be used in the way Micaiah has described. I have no family other than him, and as a victor they cannot hurt him, not publicly—and if anything, he would become a martyr if he died—but he has two families for them to destroy...and somehow, I have the feeling that any marriage between us would not stop the Gamemakers—no, Lehran—from using him. Two victors have denied them their fun; I doubt they will let it happen again.

I have to stop this. But I don't know how.

I suddenly realize that the paper the girl put in my hand earlier is still there. Turning slightly so that the others can't see it, I unfold it.

There is a picture of Yune, similar to the pin that Ike gave me before the Games began. A flame design is drawn around it, and the number 13 is lightly sketched in the background; a few words are handwritten underneath the drawing;

"Every resistance begins with a spark."

Underneath the words are two small signatures. I read them carefully and recognize the names; one is the girl I spoke to earlier, and the other...

Another Gamemaker. The only one that Micaiah trusts.

Unintentionally, I smile. Perhaps there is a way I can help to end this, after all.

XOX

IKE

And then the two new victors were going home. They said a hurried goodbye to their stylists and prep teams, even though they would see them again soon for their victory tour of the districts.

Zelgius posed a question to Micaiah; "Can we both go back to District Eleven, or do I have to return to Twelve?"

She sighed, slightly melodramatically. "No, I'm afraid you have to go back to Eleven and Twelve all by yourselves."

Ike blinked. "But..." he said, his voice incredibly weak all of a sudden. "I..."

She laughed suddenly. "Okay, okay! It was a joke. Zelgius can go back to Eleven with you, so long as he doesn't 'mix with the locals', which means he can't leave the Victor's Village, basically. That's what they did with a couple of Dragon laguz victors that got married a while back. ...Stupid laws. I'll work my way around them eventually."

Both of them brightened immediately. "Thank you, Micaiah." Zelgius said.

"My pleasure," she replied. "Seems to be what I do around here, anyway. Mentoring and sorting out families...ah, well. Just a day in the life of Maddy!"

"Eh?" both boys asked simultaneously.

"Oh, that's what Shinon calls me sometimes," she said casually. "Because of my initials. 'Micaiah Altina Deyan'...'M' 'A' 'D', you see?"

All three of them laughed. "Anyway, got to go." she said cheerfully, seeing Sothe waving her over. "I'll see you later!"

XOX

And now the train sped away from the Capitol, like a silver arrow into the night. The next morning they would get to District Eleven, and go to their new home. Ike's family would move in with him and Zelgius—they would share the same house, since Zelgius would technically still be part of District Twelve and his house would be in the Victor's Village there. He would have to introduce Zelgius to his family, and he would have to make sure Mia's family was alright...

He wasn't really worrying about any of that at the moment, though. He was much more content to just look out the window, and watch the trees flying by, and let his mind wander to unimportant things.

The Hunger Games were over. Somehow, he and Zelgius had escaped the Arena together, had survived the post-Games shows, and were going home.

Everything felt like a dream. Like it was unreal—it couldn't be real, it was too perfect. He'd defeated the bad guys and escaped unscathed...

Not entirely unscathed. He still remembered everyone he'd left behind in that Arena—Leanne, Kita, Mia—even Volug, who he realized now had actually been a sort of friend, even if Ike hadn't known it, to the end. Ike's voice still seemed weak, and he still had problems speaking—to be honest, he didn't know if it was actually PTSD, or if the Capitol had done something to him so he wouldn't be able to speak out, like his mentor apparently had.

But still, he was hopeful. He believed that, perhaps somehow, things really could be 'alright' again—more or less. In the twisted world of the Hunger Games, nothing was ever truly alright.

"Ike?"

He looked over and smiled as his lover came to join him. "Zelgius."

The Branded put a hand on Ike's arm. "It's late. You should get some rest."

"I know." The beorc sighed slightly, reaching up to touch Zelgius' hand. "I'll go to bed soon. I was just...thinking. About...District Eleven, and...the Hunger Games."

Zelgius wrapped his arm around Ike's shoulders. "Someday, love." he said, so softly the cameras and microphones couldn't pick it up. "Someday the Hunger Games will be gone. And I will do everything I can to make sure that day comes soon."

Ike's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "What? But...how..."

"Ssh." Zelgius tapped a finger against his lips. "We'll talk about that some other time, love." He leaned in and kissed Ike gently on the mouth. "Later."

"Mmm..." Ike turned and wrapped his arms around Zelgius, kissing him back warmly. "If you say so..."

"Come on."

And they went back. And Ike thought;

Yes...Someday, they will be gone. Someday, you will end them.

And I will use all my power to help you do so.

Ah, it's finally ended! Unless I write a sequel...Possible, probably unlikely, eh, whatever. :3
The Oscar and Shinon subplot finally ended...For some reason, that was in my mind the entire time I was writing this, but I have no idea where it came from, and I wonder if my foreshadowing worked at all or if it was just weird...^^;
Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Reviews are always appreciated! :D
(And we'll see later about the sequel thing~)

~DarkieDucessa