Chapter Text
"Ha! Couldn't expect less from our pride and joy!"
Hina twirled her spear to face the ground without a care in the world, this practice was easy as pie.
"At this rate you'll be the next one up, you looking forward to it?" Her trainer, and a former victor, Brill, asked Hina feeling happy for the girl, she was trained her whole life for this she'd be crazy not to be drowning in pride, and Hina was not crazy.
"Obviously, duh!" Hina started towards Brill, "Who's gonna be coming with me?"
Brill took a look at the clipboard held in her hands, it was full of names with individual point values on the side ranging between a couple thousand for the older trainees and a few hundred for the younger, "I can't say for certain yet, however--"
Hina unterrupted her, "Why are you looking on the girls list? I'll be with a male tribute." An eyebrow pushed up in confusion.
"Well, the special rule two years back was all guys, no all girls has happened yet, I'd say it's a good guess considering how the Capitol is with perfection." It did make sense, when last years was announced to not be all girls it was a surprise to a lot of people.
Hina mulled over it for a second only to start leaning on her training spear, "Shouldn't count on it too much, Lycra got super mad last year, let's try to avoid that this time, hehe~"
Brill chuckled, "Fair enough," Lycra really was a pain, despite her high scores she was not mentally ready for it, she was bloodthirsty but not in the way that would bring pride to the district. She wants to kill simply to kill. Sort if like that kid from 6 who got killed for eating his victims, nobody wants that again. Especially not Hina.
It didn't help that this was her last chance to get in, which would mean getting more points than Hina, so not really a possibility.
"We'll just wait for the announcement then," Brill tried not to chuckle.
Seriously that girl needed help.
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A month or so have passed since that conversation, as assumed it's only female tributes, and obviously Hina is going in. The other tribute is nice enough, Hina had talked to her before, easy to work with, a good teammate, and weaknesses to exploit whenever the time comes.
Now was reaping day though, so Hina needed to look the part.
"Sayo, you think this is boppin' enough?" Hina was wearing generic black pants and white shirt with an unzipped jacket of blue which complimented her hair well. Being in district 1 allows for more creative clothing than dirty rags like 12.
Her twin, Sayo turned around, "I'm still not entirely sure what 'boppin'' means, but it's fine."
"I've already said boppin' means boppin'!"
"Yeah I know..."
"Hmm...You okay Sayo?"
Sayo flinched for a second not expecting the question, but still replied, "I just don't like crowded places, that's it."
"Oh! That's why you get this way around reaping day!" Hina was a little surprised she didn't know that already. Nonetheless her mind quickly focuses on the main event, "After the reaping I'll be off to the Games I'm so so excited! Next year you win then we'll be the second set of siblings to win the Games~!"
"That's if I'm high enough on the rankings." It would be her last year next time, so she wouldn't let it slip through her fingers, however losing diligence in training can't happen. Sayo at least knew that.
Hina suddenly started whispering in Sayo's ear, "Don't tell anyone, but I may have seen the ranking you are in third place, meaning when we've gone you'll be in first!" Hinq didn't notice that Sayo wanted to point something out, Sayo herself not speaking up didn't help either.
Brill came to get them before Hina could say anymore.
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They both walked in an almost orderly fashion towards the justice building. People all walking leisurely and even joking about the days events, looking forward to the celebrations.
Hina was extremely excited, it took all she had not to just run inside the town center. Sayo was able to hold her back by standing in Hina's way. The other soon to be tribute must already be there, because no matter where Hina looked she couldn't find the girl. Lucky her.
A peacekeeper started to separate people into nice and simple lines. Hina got separated from Sayo, but there was no fight to be had, they've been separated in reapings many times before.
After a while she got to the authentication booth. It's purpose is to make sure you actually show up, even taking blood for certainty. The woman manning the stand waved her arm to the town center, and with a skip Hina was off.
Once standing in her proper place, she looked around. It was as large as ever, some lucky citizens even had their house bordering the center. Most of them had people looking down from a balcony, some even holding peacekeepers.
Everybody over 18 years old have yet to move in (discounting the people on the aforementioned balcony) usually they come in last. A barricade of cold metal almost like a fence is set up behind the children, as behind is the only place people could go. Obviously people need to enter the center first, so the adults wait.
Everyone was mostly looking at the stage, grand and large like nothing else in 1, you could easily hold a play on it. Everyone waited silently, you weren't meant to speak during this process so nobody did. Although that didn't stop Hina from searching the crowd.
Her planned tribute partner stood close towards the front, must've rushed here. She also saw the red haired girl, Lycra, standing midway in the crowd. She was seething, madness controlling her eyes.
"I say it once, I say it again," Hina thought to herself.
"That girl needs some help."
Noises of metal scraping along pavement stole Hina's attention away. She looked back to see more peacekeepers dragging the barrier accross the way out. She also saw Sayo only a few rows back looking uncomfortable with being cramped up.
Thankfully the adults easily got into their positions, everybody must be tired of waiting at this point. Adults started to settle when a posh sounding, "testing, testing," echoed through the crowd.
Suddenly every single living being stared in attention.
The years escort stood, mostly just happy to keep District 1 for the 6th year in a row, said, "Oh! That was a little loud wasn't it," she tried a gentle gesture towards the sound crew, but the mic picking up an, "Ugh, go on!" betrayed her graceful facade.
Penop (Which was her name) continued on as if nothing happened, "As you all know we are here to celebrate the 99th annual Hunger Games!"
Claps erupted from around the square, some people even yelled things such as "yoohoo!" Or "hell yeah!" Though all they got in return was a gun aimed in their direction. You can't have a crowd of this size get too rowdy, can you.
She tried to wave her hands to calm the crowd, which to her credit, did work. "Okay, before we can begin the main event, mayor?" A man looking a little too happy stood up and took the mic, almost shoving the other away.
"How rude!" She said under her breath.
The speech was the same as always, the war, the deaths, the shame upon the districts, and how the games are meant to be a punishment for the war, and as a way to return honor onto their home. As most, Hina simply tuned it out, everybody knew it off by heart in all honesty, no point in listening for another year.
Maybe she should've paid a little more attention for when she snapped back to reality the escort was picking out the first name. There was only one pot of course as two girls are to be chosen, the boys being there for formality purposes only.
Then, she read the paper aloud.
It was just some random girl. The name picking wasn't important if you got picked you'll have to stand on the stage for a minute whilst they ask for volunteers, which there always was.
If it was allowed volunteers would be asked for first, however the people who wrote the Hunger Games' rules made it mandatory to randomly select someone during a reaping. Back then they must not have thought about volunteers. When the Capitol saw that people would willingly want in they studied the rule book again. Nowhere does it state that the chosen tribute can be...changed after their name is drawn.
Thus, the tradition of calling a name then asking for volunteers was born.
The called girl sighed, finding it a pain to go up on stage in front of anyone. She had nothing to fear, 1 always have their trained tributes to replace them.
The escort still acted like this wasn't the case, however, "Congratulations!" Hina nearly snickered at the way her voice went so high-pitched at the end.
"Can we get this over with?" Deadpan.
Whoever this girl was, she had some nerve.
"W-Well, um, sure!" The escort awkwardly stumbled out, struggling to not yell at the girl.
At this point Hina was buzzing.
This was it. The moment she's been waiting for. Her time to show herself to the capitol, neigh Panem as a whole.
Penop waved her hand across the crowd to make absolute certain she'll see then inevitable raised hand, "So... Any volunteers?"
Hina's hand shot straight up, "I volunteer as tribute!" She'd always wanted to say that! Eee~!
"Ahhh! There we are! Come up darling!"
With a spring in her step, Hina skipped to the stage, people moving out her way like she was royalty. By the time she made it the other girl already left, it was Hina's time and Hina's time alone.
A hand stretched out belonging to Penop, Hina took it quickly, almost too quickly as she nearly pulled the hands' owner down the stairs. Hina swore she heard her mutter a quiet "fuck!"
Nonetheless, she and Hina walked towards center stage, "You look absolutely stunning don't you." Penop tried to create a conversation.
"I'm not going to wear rags on such an important day!" Hina replied.
"Right you are! Right you are! Haha, can we get a round of applause for...um..." Penop must've forgotten to ask for her name.
Hina took the matter in her own hands by grabbing the mic and almost screaming, "I'm Hikawa Hina! Your newest victor!"
Cheers erupted from the crowd, everybody seeming to forget the no talking rule. Everybody like confidence, that's what Brill told her at least. She was openly confident and look where she ended up!
Penop tried to calm things down before anyone got shot, "Okay everyone I know we're excited, but we still have one more darling to join lovely Hina here."
Once again, Hina went to dream land, she thought about a multitude of things. She was beyond excited no words were worthy to describe it.
Hina remembered the time, what, five years ago? She got the news about being accepted to be trained as a career, she may have expected it, sure, though excitement wasn't something she could contain.
Three people that year, everybody wanted to make it in that course, few ever did. It was herself, Sayo, and some other boy, they were going to train for years trying to rack up enough points from their trainers to reach the top and be allowed to volounteer. Trying to volunteer when you aren't supposed to is beyond shameful. You train for so long to bring pride to your district to only disrespect it like that? It's arguably worse than not getting in at all.
Hina still was in dreamland when they asked for a volunteer. She wouldn't have paid attention, except...the voice that rang out wasn't the easy to work with, good at teamwork girl with weaknesses to exploit calling out.
It was somebody else.
"I volunteer!" The voice was from her twin, Hikawa Sayo.