Author's Note: Hey Guys! It took me a bit of time but I've got the twelfth chapter up now. I hope you enjoy! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games series, in case you thought that I did. :p

Hiraeth

Chapter 12

I climbed out from under the heavy corpse, Brutus's blood pooling onto me. A cannon went off.

I didn't even have time to thank my savior before Enobaria retaliated.

With a deep growl she sent an arrow whizzing past me causing a man to groan weakly behind me.

I threw the knife, that Brutus had dropped, at Enobaria. She dove out of the way, but not soon enough.

It caught the edge of her shoulder. Not enough to cause real serious damage if it were treated properly, but enough to hurt and send her off running.

I turned around to see Haymitch slumped over Brutus's body. At first I thought he was just tired, but then I saw the arrow protruding from his hand.

"Haymitch!" I squatted down next to him, fear escalating quickly.

"Hello, Sweetheart." He spoke, trying to sound casual, but the strain in his voice was obvious.

The arrow was coated in a sickly dark purple, nearly black liquid and the smell was rancid Haymitch groaned.

"It's okay, just hold on, Haymitch!" I said, quickly darting towards the pile of weapons to find something sharp. The first thing I saw was a small knife, so I grabbed it and ran back.

The arrow wasn't in very deep so I knew that I could pull it out. I would normally boil some herbs and cloth to disinfect and bandage the wound if I could, but I didn't have the tools or time.

I had a really bad feeling about the black coated arrow. I quickly pulled the arrow out (while avoiding the dark liquid) and Haymitch flinched.

His blood ran dark, which scared me.

I used the knife I'd found to cut off the sleeve of my jumpsuit. I dipped it in the water, squeezed it out, and wrapped it tightly around his wound. It would have to do until I could find something better.

"C'mon, let's get you out of here." I said, trying to keep my voice soothing.

I helped him stand up and I slung his arm around my shoulder. It didn't know what all they had done to him, but it was clear he was in awful shape.

Getting across the water was easier than I thought it was going to be. I quickly learned that our belts served as flotation devices and I was able to easily swim along while keeping Haymitch with me.

We climbed out of the water and walked for a mile or two before it seemed safe enough to set up camp.

I was tired and Haymitch wasn't in any better shape. His footsteps fell heavily against the earth, creating a ruckus that would be impossible not to hear.

I started a fire, all the while keeping my dagger on hand, and took off the cloth that was wrapped around Haymitch's wound.

I'd never seen anything like it before. There was a thick, stretchy layer of skin that had grown over where wound had been and the tip of his fingers were purple, as if he had dipped them in blueberry juice, but I knew better.

"How did you get out earlier?" I asked, cursing my shaking voice. I was both looking for a distraction and genuinely curious.

Haymitch chuckled with effort.

"Between you and me, I like to keep small weapons or flasks in my shoes, in case I really need them. Well, I've kept a small knife in my shoe during the games, once I was able to get it out, I was able to cut myself free."

"Thank you for saving me." I spoke, bowing my head and not meeting his eyes.

"No problem, Sweetheart."

But it certainly felt problematic.

I chewed up some healing herbs and pressed them to his wound, even though I knew it was no use.

Before long, soft, uneven snores hit my ears. It was then I realized how exhausted I was. My eyelids drooped heavily and my eyes stung.

A rustle of leaves hit my ear and I turned quickly around, keeping as alert as my overworked body would let me.

A lone figure stepped out from behind the shadows.

"Beetee," Momentary relief flooded through me when I saw the man. I wondered briefly where Wiress was as I thought she would be with him.

"He's hurt." I said, hoping that he'd understand that I was too tired, it was too late, I couldn't figure out how to save Haymitch on my own.

Beetee didn't miss a beat.

He rushed over crouched down next to us.

I described to Beetee the arrow and the dark stain that had covered it, reeking with a putrid stench, and Haymitch's wound.

He sat there, listening silently. When I finished speaking he scooted himself closer to Haymitch. Beetee pressed his wrist to Haymitch's forehead.

"Do you know what it was?" I asked. Beetee adjusted his glasses and looked over at me.

"I believe It was juice from the Noctis fruit." The word itself carried a dark presence, I shivered.

"But that alone wouldn't have done this, no, there was something else..." Beetee trailed off, apparently lost in thought. He ran his hands over Haymitch's arms, squeezing lightly as if searching for something.

"Tracker Jacker venom." A rough, small voice spoke. Haymitch's eyes cracked open slightly.

"They put Tracker Jacker venom in my food."

"How curious…" Beetee spoke softly.

"It's certainly a cruel and calculated way to murder someone. The Noctis fruit by itself is dangerous. It can cause disabilities, illness, pain… but paired with the Tracker Jacker venom, it's lethal. He'll have maybe a day or two at the most. There's not very many ways to reverse the damage of something like that. But there are a few."

Beetee closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.

"How do we save him?" I asked, sounding fearful yet resolute.

"Lux fruit. The fruit of the light." Haymitch spoke quietly.

"Lux fruit?" I asked.

"That's it!" Beetee exclaimed. He crouched down close to the earth and used his finger to trace markings into the earth.

"They would grow perfectly in a climate like this!"

Beetee described the fruit to me, small, white, and sweet. A fruit that was about the size of a grape and was a perfect antidote for Noctis fruit poisoning, one of the few. I hadn't seen any fruit like that in the arena.

"Well, we better start looking." I said, standing up.

"Wait a minute. You need to rest, as does Haymitch. It won't do anyone any good to go looking now. Besides, it would be too dark to see the Lux fruit at this hour."

His arguments seemed solid enough, so after a bit more prompting and him ensuring me that he wouldn't let me sleep more than a few hours, I curled up next to Haymitch and fell asleep.

I awoke naturally at the first break of dawn. Beetee had created his own spile and had some fruit for us to eat. I ate and drank gratefully.

We waited a bit longer and then got Haymitch up so he could eat and drink too.

After breakfast we got up and wandered for a few hours and we didn't find anything.

With every step we took, it only became clearer and clearer that Haymitch wasn't up to the journey. His head lolled slightly to the side and his footsteps were clumsy and uneven, increasingly more so as time went on.

"We need to rest." I finally said. We found a good tree to lean Haymitch against. Beetee wandered nearby to search for food and I paced back and forth, dragging my hand through my matted, twig-filled hair.

I kept looking around at the slightest disturbance in the air. I expected a parachute to float down from above at any moment.

I needed a medicine, a cure, anything… I needed sponsors, but I didn't know how to get them. In the last games, it was easier. All I had to do was act loving with Peeta…

That was it! I wasn't with Peeta in the arena, but that didn't mean I couldn't still tug on the heartstrings of those who adored District 12's star crossed lovers.

I grabbed a large branch, about half my height, and made my way towards the beach out in the open.

"Katniss?" Haymitch said, a hesitant questioning tone accompanied his word. It was clear he didn't want me wandering far off.

I stood in the middle of the beach, holding the stick in my hand. I stood there for a moment, to make sure the cameras could get a good shot, then I turned and began my work.

I drug my stick through the thick, damp sand. The sand cooperated nicely, moving as I wanted it to. When I finished, I stood back and admired my work.

There were two words dug deep into the sand and they were bigger than I was.

For Peeta

It read, and there was no question of whether or not all the viewers knew now that I was fighting for him. That I was determined. That I needed a parachute, bad. But none came.

I huffed, and trudged back towards Haymitch, who, to my disdain, was chuckling.

"What?"

"It was a nice try, Sweetheart."

Was it that obvious? I sat down on the ground next to my former mentor, both of our backs against the large tree trunk.

We sat there in silence for a few moments. If I tried to forget everything else that was going on, I found that the man's presence did comfort me a bit.

But when I looked down at his hand, all of that went away. "Haymitch, we've got to keep looking for the Lux fruit." I said, alarm flooding me.

A deep purple had webbed itself underneath the skin of his fingers and was beginning to creep up into the rest of his left hand. I stood up, reaching out to help Haymitch up as well.

"Katniss, it's no use." Haymitch spoke in a deceptively calm tone. He grabbed my shoulder and turned me around to face him.

"Every second you waste out here looking for a cure is another second lost and I don't have the energy to keep looking. The most important thing is getting you home, and you can't do that while trying to save me."

"I can't leave you, Haymitch." I said, voice shaking almost as bad as my trembling fingers.

"Yes, you can." He said firmly. He grabbed the golden ball that was in the sack Finnick had crafted, took a deep breath, and stared right in my eyes.

"You know what to do, Sweetheart." I nodded, numb, unfeeling. It was all a dream. Or so it felt.

Haymitch groaned deeply and took a ragged breath. He seemed so fragile, I was even scared to just reach out and touch him.

"Just…" Haymitch started, he seemed conflicted, as if he were debating whether or not to continue.

"Tell Effie that I've always kind of liked her crazy outfits. When you can."

I chuckled with a nod, a knot formed in my throat, and tears threatened to overflow.

I leant forward slowly, pressing my lips to his overly warm forehead. I slipped away silently, knowing, with every step that I took, that that would likely be the last time I ever saw Haymitch.

I wasn't far from the Cornucopia, so it wasn't a long journey. I stepped around a few more trees, ducked under their thick branches, and stepped over large rocks, twigs, and weeds.

I found myself out on the beach near the center of the arena. I looked up and there it was, the Cornucopia bathed in the golden light of the sunrise.

Everything was still, too still. I could sense danger, thick on the humid air.

Bam!

A single cannon sounded, chilling my blood. I stood, fear racing through every nerve ending of my body.

"Haymitch?" I shouted, turning around to observe all of my surroundings.

"Beetee?" There was no answer, not that I had really expected there to be. I was too far away to be heard, even if they were still okay.

I just couldn't shake the feeling that something was dreadfully wrong. But I knew I couldn't stop, not then.

I crept forward and quickly immersed myself in the water. I reached the center strip of land and ran across it, eyes locked on the small slot near the top of the Cornucopia. I had to reach it.

"Katniss, look out!" a woman's voice screamed. Johanna. I turned sharply just in time to see Enobaria peaking out from around the edge of the Cornucopia. I threw my dagger, but I missed.

Suddenly Enobaria crashed to the ground, Johanna on top of her.

"Katniss, now!" Johanna screamed, struggling with everything she had to keep Enobaria from getting up and taking both of our lives.

I turned painfully away from them. It took every ounce of remaining strength to keep on going, making my way towards the Cornucopia.

Enobaria saw what I was doing, she growled, and jumped up. She tried to make her way towards me with a fierce determination and hunger in her eyes.

It was then Wiress jumped out of hiding, catching her off guard, and knocked her over.

Wiress muttered something urgently under her breath. She looked meaningfully into my eyes for a moment before the cannon went off and a sword found it's way through her heart.

"Katniss, go!" Johanna shouted in agitation.

I couldn't breathe.

Wiress's small form crumpled to the ground. Johanna leapt forward and knocked into Enobaria again to stall her.

I continued on, forcing myself to go faster. I reached the Cornucopia and pressed against it, trying to climb.

I was sure it was going to be quite difficult to climb, but my shoes and the cloth of my jumpsuit attached to the Cornucopia like velcro, like I was meant to climb it.

I scaled the Cornucopia, ducking quickly as an arrow came flying past me, obviously intending to take me out.

I reached the top and fumbled with the sack attached to my belt. I placed the ball at the entrance of the slot, and with a satisfying click, I pushed it in.

At first, nothing happened. But then there was a deep rumble in the earth beneath me.

The ground shook and I crashed down from on top of the Cornucopia and landed heavily on the sand.

Johanna and Enobaria froze. The fighting around me temporarily stopped as a large crack formed in the ground from where I lay down to the edge of the arena.

The ground began to crumble in towards the black abyss that was quickly growing and I grappled at anything to keep me up, but it was no use.

I just couldn't escape it.

I let out one hollow scream before I fell and everything went black.

Author's Note: Dun, dun, dun! Yeah, I left it there… I hope you guys enjoyed that one! I appreciate any reviews or comments. :)