YJ GAMES - For pandy-snowfalling

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Characters/Pairings: Artemis/ Wally aka Spitfire.

Summary: YJ / Hunger Games crossover. Artemis must find Wally in the woods before it's too late.

Author's Note: In The Huger Games this scene is around page 244.

…

Claudius Templesmith's voice booms down from overhead, congratulating the six of us who remain. There has been a rule change in the Games. A rule change! Under the new rule, both tributes from the same district will be declared winners if they are the last two alive. Two tributes can win this year. If they're from the same district. Both can live. Both of them can live.

"Wally!" Artemis cries out, before she can stop herself or even realize that she's spoken. Her hands fly quickly to her face to cover her mouth, hopping no one has heard or, or that she has revealed her position hidden in the tree. She waits frozen to the spot, as the sounds of night wrap around her. Wally was now her ally, her partner, her way out of this and back to her sister Zatanna.

"Well this certainty plays into the star-crossed lovers' idea." Artemis mutters to herself, "What are they trying to do? Give the games a plot? As if. As if."

As Artemis shifts in the tree, she listens for any sign of having been heard. Well, let them come with their night-vision and superstrength. I've got to find my stupid speedster. She thinks to herself. If I was Wally, where would I be that wasn't a food pantry? Probably near the stream, the one by the camp I'd made earlier with Megan. It's a good food source, after all.

Artemis follows the stream down a stretch of woods she has yet to be in. Muddy banks covered in tangled water plants lead to large rocks that increase in size until they give off the impression of a trap. It was the kind of rocky terrain Artemis didn't like, hard to fight in. Harder to hide from an attack. But she keeps up her tracking. Near everyone else here has career training or powers, Artemis thinks to herself as she searches the woods as carefully as possible. I might not have powers but I've got instinct, and that's just as good right? Come on Baywatch, I know you've got to be around here somewhere. She pauses a second, seeing a darker red than usual grace the side of a boulder There! I swear Kid, you better not be dead. Or I'll resurrect you just to off you again myself.

Artemis approaches the bloody boulder, touching it, to bring the dried blood to her nose. It's long dried by now, and the spatter pattern suggests he might have been running a bit unstably. Hopefully he didn't fall into the speed force, Artemis thinks to herself. Hugging close to the rock, Artemis follows the blood trail that marks Wally's path through the woods. Here some blood with fabric tears, there some blood with the appearance of having being fallen in. Artemis dares to speak in the quietest voice she can manage, barely above a whisper "Wally, Wally. Where are you?" Here nothing but birds as response, Artemis sighs, and starts back the way she came.

Crossing over the stream once again, Artemis is somewhat less careful, and as her foot breaks the surface of the water, she hears a voice. She freezes exactly where she stands, half in and half out of the water.

"You here to finish me off for good like you always wanted to beautiful?"

Artemis snaps her head to the left, honing in on the hoarse, previously care-free voice. Artemis looks around, but is greeted by only the sight of rocks and mud. "Wally?" Artemis whispers, this whole thing is stupid she thinks I must be losing my mind. "Wally, this isn't a joke. Where are you?" Artemis picks up a stick, and starts pocking at rocks, body tighter than a drawn bowstring.

"Hey don't step on me. This face is a winner, and it'd be a shame to break it."

"Oh will you grow up!" Artemis shouts at the disembodied voice, "Not everyone' spends their time fangirling over you, you know."

She can hear Wally laughing, it's comforting, but in a way seeing a feral dog might be after being stuck in an empty desert for days would be. Just then, something grabs her ankle and she gasps, looking frantically down. And there, covered in mud, are two pins of shiny green eyes, in a sky of dirt. Forget superspeed, Artemis thinks, Wally should just morph into a tree. He's giving Megan a run for her money. Well, maybe that's a good thing, considering. Artemis bites her tongue to keep from laughing, both from the overbearing weight of sadness, as well as the ridiculousness of the whole situation.

"Wait, can you close your eyes?" Artemis asks. And Wally silent obliges. And just like that, he completely disappears, like hints of laughter on the wind. Artemis kneels beside where she guesses his body is. "I guess all that time being covered in failed science experiments paid off in the long run."

Wally smiles at this. "Yes, agar gel plates. The final defensive art of not dying, what with being a growth medium and all. Paradox!"

"Oh come off of it. You're not going to die."

"Says who? You? Like you haven't tried to kill me more than once back home."

"That was different. If I say you're not going to die, you're not going to die. Teammates, remember?"

Wally focuses his eyes dead on Artemis'. "So I heard." He said, "Nice of you to find me. Well, what's left of me."

"Well, better to find half of you then none of you. Did Cato cut you?"

"Yeah, left leg. Way up high. Might have been a vital. Can't really feel it very well, you know."

Artemis nods her head. "Ok, then let's move you into the stream. Wash you off and see what kind of wounds you've got."

"Can you lean over for a second first, Artemis?"

Artemis nods and puts her good ear to his mouth.

"Remember," Wally said, "we're madly in love. So it's all right for you to kiss me and my fine self anytime you feel like it. You should feel honored, not many girls get that privilege."

This caused Artemis to reel back, laughing.

"Thanks, Kid Mouth, I'll keep the over in mind. Come on then, let's get you up."

Artemis moves to support Wally's weight on her shoulder – see feels his weight when he leans into her, but they only have to go two feet – it can't be that hard, Artemis reasons with herself. "Ugh." Artemis says, dragging the unmoving Wally as best she can. Occasionally she can hear the suppressed gasps or notes of pain escape his cracked lips, but there is nothing she can do for him until they get to the water.

"Ok, new approach." Artemis says, noticing the clean streak on Wally face, were tears must have been. "I'm going to roll you over to the stream, where it's shallow, ok?"

"Excellent." Wally says.

Artemis nods and then slumps Wally back onto the forest floor. "Oh three, ready? One, two three." And as Artemis pushes Wally, doing her best to ignore his muffled pain and sounds like dying, until his body is at the edge of the stream. Artemis wipes her forehead with the back of her hand, panting.

"Are we done with the rolling?" Wally asks.

"Yeah," Artemis manages to say with a shaky voice, "that's all done now. Time to get you cleaned up. Keep your eyes trained on the wood for me ok?"