Firecracker: The 99th Games Book One

Arena, Day 10

Bright and early, Hinata roused his and Touma's new friends and gathered up all their supplies. They set out towards the Cornucopia as a starting point, constantly scanning the horizon for signs of Fuyuko Kawaguchi.

It was a long trek through the arena, stepping over uprooted vegetables and dodging tree branches. They watched the area for signs of Careers, Touma keeping his eyes on the ground to look out for footprints.

After picking a centerpoint in the Cornucopia, they chose a random direction and headed out. Along the way, they picked up pieces of fruit that had fallen from the trees.

The sun was already setting and the moon was visible when they finally spotted a flash of red hair. Hinata held out an arm to stop the others, peering into the tangle of branches and palm leaves to determine who else was present.

He noticed one of the District 4 boys emerge from the shelter to gather some sticks into a pile. Recognizing him, Hinata gestured for the others to follow him and made his way over, waving.

The District 4 boy jumped, frowning, and reached back into his shelter for a pair of swords. Hinata held up his hands in surrender.

"I'm with Fuyu," he called. "We're district partners. I don't want to hurt you."

"...Hinata?" Fuyuko's voice called. After a moment, she poked her head out from her shelter, accompanied closely by the other District 4 boy--the one who got a 12 in training. She smiled at the sight of Hinata, but recoiled back inside at the sight of the others.

She doesn't trust them, Hinata realized. He took a few steps closer, smiling reassuringly at Fuyuko. "Hey, it's alright," he assured. "These guys know. They just want to go home. If they try to hurt you, we'll all protect you."

Fuyuko didn't emerge. She muttered back and forth with the older District 4 boy for a moment, then slowly poked her head back out, narrowed her eyes at Faqir and Haruka, and finally nodded.

"You can come closer, but if you make any moves to hurt her, you'll be dealing with me," the older District 4 boy warned.

"I understand," Hinata said. "They'll deal with me, too."

"I'm pretty sure you could snap my neck with one hand," Faqir admitted casually. "Messing with you guys sounds stupid. And I know stupid."

"I also know stupid and I agree," Touma added cheerily.

Fuyuko snorted. Hesitating, she beckoned the group closer, quiet.

Wary, the younger boy lowered his swords, stepping aside. Grateful, Hinata led his new alliance over to the others, relieved they had found her relatively quickly.

"Can we come in?" Hinata asked. "We have a lot to discuss."

"...Yoshi told you," Fuyuko guessed quietly.

Hinata nodded.

Nodding back, Fuyuko retreated back into her gremlin cave and hugged the older District 4 boy's arm. He dipped his head in greeting as Hinata and his three buddies joined them in the mass of trees, followed by the younger District 4 boy. All clustered together, the two District 4 boys guarding Fuyuko on either side, they observed each other curiously.

"I'm Hinata," Hinata said. "This is Touma from District 7. He's been with me the whole time."

"I'm Haruka, District 6," Haruka added, eyes locked on the older District 4 boy and cheeks faintly red. "That's Faqir, District 12. We've been together since the start too. Have you three been here the whole time?"