TMNT Hunger Games (Featuring Your OCs)

Chapter 23: District Against District

Donatello feels his heart shatter the second he bursts into his camp. Yukiji holds a bloodied axe, Sarina's body laying on the rocks in a small pool of crimson.

"Yukiji?" he asks. "You..."

"Oh, hello Donatello," she greets coldly.

"How...how could you do this?" he demands, holding back the tears welling in his eyes. "She didn't-"

"Oh come on, you're not stupid," she snaps. "She was going to die anyways. I need to win, because I fancy living a little longer."

"Yuki, if this was-"

"Of course, you're the one who deserted your own district for a pretty smile," she continues harshly, each word making his heart hurt more. "We could've worked together, Donnie. You denied my offer and sided with District 3." She spins her axe and changes her stance. "Fight me."

He shakes his head immediately. "No, I won't."

"What? Coward?"

"I don't want to fight you," he repeats, his voice shaking.

She shrugs. "But I do."

She lunges at him with a fearsome battle cry. He throws his spear up, catching the sharp blade against the sleek staff. She growls as he shoves her away, spinning his spear and aiming it. His russet eyes blaze with a sense of determination.

"Just go. No one has to die here," he whispers.

"Everyone has to die here," she retorts, her axe cutting through the air.

He ducks, feeling the blade whistle past his head. He lurches up and knocks the blunt end of his spear into her gut. She grunts and stumbles back, allowing him to straighten up.

She screams in complete rage and cuts downwards with a mighty two-handed swing. He tries to block, but she shoves down on his spear and knocks it from his strong grip. He gasps, trying to regain hold of his weapon, and she swings again. Her axe head buries itself in his shell, a sharp crack resonating in the rocky arena. He screams out in pain, blood seeping down his back as he crashes to his knees.

She rips her axe out, ready to finish the blow, but he turns and punches her in the face with all he can muster. She tumbles backwards, holding her jaw as she shouts out in surprise.

Donatello scrambles for his spear, hearing her regaining her bearings behind him. He pushes himself harder, nearly passing out from the pain in his shell. She races towards him and wields the axe above him just as he grabs his spear.

He rolls onto his cracked shell and thrusts the pointed end up, his eyes squeezed shut. Yukiji chokes, the pointed tip skewering her through the neck. She gurgles, slumping onto the weapon as her axe falls from her limp fingers. The cannon blows.

Donatello retches, dropping his weapon and pushing himself back to his knees as he stares at Yukiji's body. Tears stream down his cheeks, his entire body shaking. He killed his district partner. It was an accident, but he killed her.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...please forgive me," he wails.

His shoulders shake, his tears dripping onto the sun-baked rock below him. He looks up, seeming to remember that Sarina's body still lays a few feet away. Growing dizzy with blood loss and his shell still hurting like crazy, he stumbles to the cyborg's side. He gently pulls her to his chest, rocking her in his arms as even more tears sting at his eyes.

"I'm so sorry..." he whispers weakly, his vision starting to blur. "I wish...I wish we had more time...I wanted more time to love you..."

He blinks slowly, his head spinning. He lays down, Sarina still held in his arms tightly. He shuts his eyes, the last of his tears drying against his face, and he gently kisses her forehead one last time as he feels his body grow cold with the embrace of death.

The sound of the cannon signifies his last breath.

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Leonardo and Destiny move towards the edge of the forest, hoping to find more water. Three cannons have gone off within the span of half an hour, something that puts the District 7 tributes on edge. They can't help but wonder who's gone.

The two of them crouch behind a boulder, the scrub brush concealing them as they watch for other tributes that may be coming for water. Sure enough, Yumiko dashes from a hiding spot nearby and heads for the water. Her entire body is scratched and dirty, her green skin sunburnt. She flops into the cold water with a long sigh of satisfaction.

Destiny tenses a little, sniffing the air as her ears swivel around. Leonardo watches her, sapphire eyes laced with concern.

"You hear something?" he asks.

She nods as her fierce green eyes fall on the lake. "There's something moving. Or...many small things."

As if on cue, Yumiko lets out a scream. The two tributes watching poke their heads out from their hiding spot, wide-eyed. Little fish nip at Yumiko's skin, swarming her. She struggles to get to shore, obviously in pain.

Destiny takes to the air, soaring out over the lake. She swoops down, grabbing Yumiko's outstretched hand and beating her powerful wings in the air.

"Come on, come on," she urges herself, trying desperately to help the turtle below her.

Yumiko grips Destiny's hand, but her blue eyes are already clouded with agony. Her grip begins to loosen, the ravenous little fish pulling her into the waves.

"Destiny..." she says lowly.

The wolf-raven tugs harder, but the combined strength of the fish tugging at the District 12 tribute is just making things harder. Yumiko stares up at Destiny, surprised that the winged mutant would even attempt to save her.

"Destiny," she repeats, her voice growing weaker by the second.

She looks down at the dark-haired girl, sweating with effort. The turtle shakes her head, releasing the wolf-raven's hand. She plunges below the waves, the reddened waters rippling out. Destiny doesn't have time to react before the cannon blows.

The wolf-raven shakes her head in defeat, her stomach feeling like a pit, and flies back to the shore. She touches down to find Leonardo holding their water bottles, both of them full. He smiles weakly.

"Well...you caused a distraction for those piranhas," he says, shaking the bottles.

Destiny sighs, running her claws through her ringlets. "Leo...there's only five tributes left."

He doesn't answer.

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That night, the two of them watch the sky as the anthem plays. The faces of Sarina Subject of District 3, Donatello Bardi of District 5, Yukiji Homato of District 5, Michelangelo Oak of District 11, and Yumiko Styles of District 12 light up the sky. Destiny shuts her eyes and presses herself against Leonardo, willing herself not to show just how scared she is. Leonardo only stares up at the grid-patterned sky, rubbing gentle circles on the small of her back.