AN: Long time no see people! It's been a while. Four and a half months to be exact and a lot has been going on. In the last four and a half months, I finished my novel Confessions of A Teenage Rape Survivor, and it's set to be released October 16th 2014. Yeap folks. I wrote a book and have been getting ready to release it in the time I've been gone (and yes that was a shameless plug. Check out my profile for the link to it if you're interested.). Needless to say, I'm burnt out. So I'm doing what I always do when I'm burnt out. I'm writing fanfiction! Of course, this has been in the works for months but I haven't had time to work on it. Now I'm ready to because it's fun and no pressure writing.

Fair warning, this is a sequel people. You need to go back and read The Magic Games so you won't be clueless. Also, this is a CCS/Hunger Games mesh which means it's not a crossover but more like put the CCS characters and conventions into The Hunger Games setting. That also means it's not necessary for you to have read The Hunger Games to follow these stories. Also this story is rated T for violence, mild language, and content that may not be suitable for anyone under the age of thirteen. Other than that it's pretty mild and as always, excuse any typos or errors.

Now that all that is out the way, without further ado I give you….

Beacon

1

It's all right daijoubu daijoubu daijoubu
kiseki datte okoseru
Here we go ikou yo ikou yo ikou yo
tsubasa hiroge
kitto nani ka ga nani ka ga doko ka de
deaeru hi o matteru
Do! Do! Do! Dreaming! Dreaming!
soshite tobira ga hiraku yo...

"You're doing it again."

I blink out my thoughts and turn to my best friend, Toya. He's still looking straight ahead as we make our way back from the woods. I probably should be in more of a rush considering the cameras will be back in less than an hour for Sakura's and I's Victory Tour, but I'm admittedly relishing these last few moments of peace before my whole life is under all Magea's scrutiny again.

"Doing what?"

"You're singing that song."

"What song?"

"That one you've been singing lately," Toya replied.

I shrug. "I guess I must have picked it up somewhere from the Capitol," I say.

"No you didn't. You used to sing it before, not all the time and never in public, so I never mentioned it. But you've been singing it a lot more lately and I figured I better warn you before you get caught doing it on camera or something," Toya replied. "Where'd you learn it?"

"I don't know. I didn't even realize I was singing anything until now."

Toya hums and says, "Maybe it's from before."

"Before?"

"You know. Before you were with us."

I shrug in dismissal of the idea as we continue to Victor Village after spending the morning in the woods. Since Sakura and I have more money that we know what to do with after winning the Magic Games, Toya's had a lot more time on his hands and much of that time has been spent out in the woods with me.

"Should we go get Sakura and Clow," Toya asks as we enter Victor Village.

I glance at Clow's house and then shake my head. Sakura won't get so caught up in whatever she's up to with Clow that she'll forget that the cameras come back today, especially since she's the one that reminded me this morning. Still, I never know with the two of them when it comes to magic.

I head straight for the kitchen when in the house. I was so eager to enjoy my last few hours of freedom this morning that I rushed out the house without making any coffee and even I'll admit that I have much less patience without it. I'm going to need all the patience in the world when my old prep team and our escort come from the Capitol to help parade Sakura and I through Magea for the Victory Tour. If it were up to me, I'd like to forget that my participation in last year's Magic Games even happened. But the Victory tour, carefully planned for midway between the annual games, won't allow us. In past years, I paid little attention to it, but now I'm one of the stars of the show.

I stop just before getting to the kitchen upon catching sight of Sakura sitting quietly on the couch in the living room. Immediately, I detect that something isn't right. Normally Sakura would have met us at the doorway if she sensed we were coming, which I know she had to with her magic developing as fast as it is now that she has a little more freedom to use it. There are only two conclusions. She's so distracted by something that she didn't sense us or whatever is distracting her is so consuming that she did sense us and didn't care to greet us. Either reason is concerning.

"Sakura," Toya says when he comes in behind me.

She blinks and then yelps, "Hoe!"

So she didn't sense us. It's been a while sense we've scared her so badly that she used that expression.

"You're quiet," Toya points out.

Sakura shrugged and then said, "Just a little tired is all."

The she gasps and stands up and makes her way over to me.

"Look what Clow and I did," Sakura says holding out a pink long rectangular card to me.

"What's this?" I ask, but upon holding it in my hand part of my question is answered as I feel the surge of magic from it. On the front of the card is a drawing of one of the spirits we encountered in the Magic Games or at least it looks like a drawing. Somehow I don't need Sakura to tell me that this is Windy.

The Games weren't over when we first came back to District Twelve as Victors. For weeks, the cameras followed Sakura and I around in our daily lives. Why the Capitol is so interested in our daily lives when we have nothing to do after the Games, I have no clue, but Sakura has become more popular after the Games than she ever was during them. Tomoyo, my stylist, tells me that she's Magea's new darling, and after the games no one could get enough of following her and by proxy, following me, her ever protective guardian, lover, companion—I'm not sure what they're calling me nowadays.

Finally though, the cameras left and the next morning, Sakura is sitting at the kitchen table waiting for me to awake. It almost feels like back before we won the games; with Sakura quietly waiting for me to drink my coffee, with there being no words between us as we walk the familiar path through the meadow, as we both pause to listen for the hum of the electric fence to assure that it's safe to pass through one of its gaping holes. However, as soon as we stepped into the woods, I knew everything had changed. I no longer felt the sense of relief and freedom I used to feel when coming out into the woods, the sense of self. Now the woods are tainted by the Magic Games, where Sakura and I spent weeks trapped in woods just like these fighting to the death with twenty-two other child tributes. Even so, being in the woods was less suffocating than being in town all day and followed by cameras.

Sakura and I don't do anything in particular that first day, other than sitting right outside the tree line and the next two days go much the same way. However, on the fourth day is something different. It feels like the Magic Games. Without much thought, I head straight to get my bow and arrow, which I haven't thought about touching once since we got back. As soon as I pull back an arrow, the source of the disturbance reveals itself.

Windy.

Sakura and I stare at her in dumfound disbelief for a moment, even as Windy greets us with her customary "hugs." Finally I scowl and manage to ask what the spirit is doing here though the answer is obvious enough. Windy confirms it by giving us another of her "hugs." She followed us from the Magic Games. While tributes making companions out of spirits is pretty normal in the Magic Games, I've never heard of one following a Victor out the arena. I'm just glad the spirit had the sense to wait to reveal herself until after the cameras left.

Since Windy made it apparent she had no intention of leaving us, Sakura went straight to Clow for help. Even though I admit that it was Clow's careful guidance that helped get Sakura and I through the games, I'm still not his biggest fan so I had no involvement in Sakura's little project. In fact, until she showed me this card, I had forgotten about it. Sakura's name is written on the bottom of the front and when I flip it over to look at the back, I see the crest that she, Kero, and I created during the games.

"How'd you manage this?"

Sakura shrugged. "I came up with the idea of containing her in something I could carry around, and Clow helped a lot. Now Windy can go with us on the tour."

"That's nice. Make sure you keep it safe," I say handing the card back to her.

Translation: Don't let anyone else know about this. Sakura looks me dead in the eye and then nods, signaling to me that she understands what I really mean. We're already in enough trouble with the Capitol as it is for finding a loophole in their own game and forcing them to take two tributes alive instead of one.

"You should go get ready," I say. "Cameras will be here soon."

Sakura nods and makes her way upstairs.

I finally make my way to the kitchen. As I do so, Toya chuckles.

"There was a time she would have run up to me to show me stuff like that. Now she hardly notices I'm in the room when you're around," Toya says.

I smile a little as I tease, "Jealous?"

"Maybe. But more of Sakura than you," Toya says in a tone that's between joking and serious.

Whatever way he meant it causes me to stiffen for a brief moment. Then I become annoyed and glare at him as I practically slam the pot onto the stove, sloshing water all over the counter.

"Toya. Don't," I warn.

Toya sighs as he comes to the other side of the counter to stand in front of me. I unconsciously take a step back, dismayed that the stove behind me prevents me from creating more distance between us.

"I'm not," Toya assures me with a sigh, but that doesn't stop him from grabbing my hand and pressing a kiss to my forehead. Afterwards, he lets go of my hand and says, "You should go upstairs and get ready too. I'll watch your coffee."

I make my way from Toya and upstairs as fast as I can without running, releasing a breath I didn't realize I was holding when I get to my room, and prepare to take a bath. To think I thought Toya would be upset with me for appearing like I was in love with Sakura in front of the entire nation. The last thing I was expecting was that Toya might be upset because he was jealous. I don't see how I was so blind to it. Instead of becoming more protective of Sakura when we arrived back from the Capitol, he essentially gave Sakura's and I's supposed relationship his blessing to the whole nation.

"Who better to love my sister than the one who would die to protect her?" he said.

It took all my willpower to not open my mouth in shock at the words and instead appear relieved that he approved while the cameras were rolling. Considering the cameras were rolling for weeks afterward, I didn't get a chance to ask him about it for a while or even explain that the whole thing was mostly a ruse to gain the sympathy of the Capitol. When I did finally explain it, Toya chuckled and said, "I knew that."

"How?" I asked.

"Because, Yue, I know you better than anyone," Toya replied.

In hindsight, I should have known there was more to his casual acceptance then, but I didn't really know until he spelled it out for me on my birthday. I have no clue how Sakura and Toya managed to orchestrate a surprise party for me without me knowing, but they did. Normally, my birthday goes by without much fanfare. As far as I'm usually concerned it only means another slip in the reaping bowl. Besides, the efforts are usually only spared for Sakura, whom for so many years a birthday party once a year was the only indulgence we could spare her. Now that we have a lot of time on our hands and more money, both Toya and Sakura saw fit to throw me a party. Eventually they admitted that the party was more of a "thank you" for everything I had done and my birthday presented them with the perfect opportunity to throw it.

Even though I don't like anything remotely social, nor am I the sentimental type, I couldn't help but be touched that the two thought so much of me that they wanted to do this for me even though it was likely I'd be a grump from beginning to end. So for their sakes, I managed to muster up a pleasantness that I couldn't even muster up for the ending ceremonies of the Magic Games. Besides, it wasn't a big party. There was Clow and Yukito and a few people from school that I tolerated (meaning that I didn't glare at them every time I saw them). They tried to get Tomoyo to come, but she's swamped with all kind of requests since her styling debut in the Magic Games. Still just because I was pleasant didn't mean that all the social excitement wasn't taking its toll on me. So when I thought no one would miss me anymore, I quietly slipped out the house and went to the woods. I'm only there for a few minutes when I realize that someone noticed my disappearance. At first I assumed it was Sakura, but to my surprise it's Toya who followed me.

I'd be lying if I said things weren't awkward between us. While nothing had really changed, at the same time everything had changed, and Toya and I have to relearn how to be friends. It doesn't take long and after a while, I'm trying to hide my smile of amusement at Toya's dry sense of humor as he recalls all the things that happened while Sakura and I were participating in the Magic Games.

Upon noticing that I'm trying to hide my amusement, he smiles at me and says, "I missed you when you were gone you know."

I don't say anything in response, only nodding my head in acknowledgment.

"I don't know what I would have done if they hadn't let you both win," he adds.

I shrugged. "You would have lived."

"Would have been difficult."

"You'd have had Sakura."

"Sakura's not you."

At this point, my instincts alert me to the fact that Toya might mean this in a much different way than platonic friendship, but like always, like when I realized Sakura's feeling for me might be more than a ploy to win the Magic Games, I deny it. I continue to deny it even when I notice the gap between us has closed.

"Toya," I begin, but forget what I was about to say just as soon as his lips touch mine. I hardly remember what was going through my head, but I remember the sensations. Toya's lips are somehow soft, yet firm, and warm against mine. I'm not sure how long it lasted, but just as soon as I begin to comprehend what's happening, he pulls away from me.

I stare at him, not sure what to think or what to feel. Luckily, Toya didn't ask. He simply smiled at me and said, "I just had to do that once." Then he left.

There's been no awkwardness between us. In that sense, Toya is just like Sakura. Both are so afraid of unintentionally pressuring me into something that they're content to wait for me to sort out my own feelings, knowing that it might be forever. At the same time, both are doing exactly what they seem to be trying so hard not to do. It's not their fault. It can't really be helped.

Before the Magic Games, it wasn't practical to think about a long term relationship with anyone when there was no certainty that I wouldn't be reaped into the next Magic Games. Even without the threat of the Magic Games, Toya, Sakura, and I were always one misfortune away from starving to death. So when Clow asked me months ago if I had even had a crush on a girl before, I was being honest when I said I hadn't. But now that there's no danger of being reaped into the games and we have more than enough money to keep food on the table, I can think about what my future might be like, including who I'd like to spend it with.

With Sakura, our relationship would always be under someone's scrutiny, on display for the whole nation to see. We couldn't even have a disagreement without the Capitol catching wind of it and displaying it all over the television. We'd be forced to act like the perfect happy couple, to smile for the cameras, to please the crowd. I'd never know if anything was real or fake. With Toya, our relationship would belong to us alone. Our relationship could be private and would have to be private. We would never be able to show any public affection. In the districts, homosexual relationships are strictly forbidden for the simple reason that the Capitol doesn't want anything interfering with the reproduction of its labor force. They breed us like cattle and therefore homosexuality is punishable by death. Toya's and I's very life would depend on keeping our relationship hidden. No. Not our lives, but Toya's life. I'm a Victor. If the officials found out, they wouldn't kill me, but they'd kill Toya, probably make me watch, and force me to live with the guilt of his death. These scenarios are assuming I want a relationship at all.

By the time I arrived, Toya and Sakura's mother, Nadeshiko, was long dead. Though Fujitaka seemed to function well enough, I could see the lingering sadness in his eyes, the constant longing for her to be with him again. That kind of need and longing seems like more trouble than it's worth. There's always the fear that the person you love will be taken away from you, whether by the Capitol or through something natural that no one has any control over.

The doorbell rings and manages to snap me out my thoughts. No sooner than I've thrown something on, do I hear the commotion downstairs as everyone files into the house. I put my conflicting thoughts about my love life aside at that point. Right now, I've got a show to put on.

AN: So what do you think so far? It's a setup chapter, but it really does help set the tone for the rest of the story. Now about updating…

Honestly, I have no clue when I'll be updating this story. As of right now, I have exactly two chapters of it written. However since I'm done writing my novel (Tentatively. I was done two edits ago too) I'll be working on this a lot and will probably have five or six chapter done by next week. With the story not all the way written, I won't set a review quota yet, but I will say that review do motivate me to keep writing and not move on to other projects. I write for me, but I write for you too and your excitement and reactions urge me on.