light in the midst of darkness {Ikaia oneshot}

District four was in ruins, and all Ikaia could think about was the broken lives resting in front of him as families mourned for the loss of their loved ones, yet apparently this was more catastrophic than losing a loved one in the midst of the hunger games. Ikaia still hadn't forgiven himself for allowing his fourteen year old cousin to journey through the games when he had the chance to volunteer in his place. It's my fault he's dead. It's my fault Kirito hates me. It's my fault my family is hurt. But his mind couldn't focus on Iain because his heart shattered for the district four citizens, and maybe, just maybe, this was the perfect time for him to heal.

At first he thought he came alone praying for some time away from the burden of living with his twin brother, and the rest of the district eleven family, but they all followed, and Ikaia wasn't sure what to do about it. It was hard for him always falling under the shadow of a twin. What was once Kirito and Ikaia or Ikaia and Kirito has turned into only Kirito. Ikaia didn't exist in this new world ever since his brother returned home from the games. Everywhere he turned in district eleven someone would call him a Kirito look-alike, and it shattered him to no end. Yet every morning when he woke up he put on a happy face trying to find hope in the world - district four needed the hope now.

With a shrug of his shoulders he journeyed through district four looking at the debris spread across the ground wondering what it looked like before the tsunami crushed it like a bug beneath its brute force, and his eyes rest on the buildings toppled over. Stone slabs and wooden slabs spread across the district. Down trees. Boats. This wasn't anything compared to the drought he experienced all those years ago, yet it was enough to remind him of the complete and total devastation it caused. Lack of food, water, shelter. The crops started dying despite great efforts to save them.

But this was different.

Never in his entire life had he imagined the destruction nature could cause as he heard people whispering about the death toll, and it was devastating, but Ikaia wanted to save a life. To change someone else's life had the potential of turning his around.

And in that moment Ikaia was lost in humanity realizing that it was possible for every district to work together, but around every corner a peacekeeper lurked in the background trying to keep all citizens under close surveillance. They should participate in the famous hunger games. Yet it wouldn't change anything.

Ikaia turned as he lifted some debris from the ground searching beneath it for anything to help hold protect the society from completely crumbling beneath the weight of such a terrifying event, and time after time Ikaia found the broken body beneath a demolished building, and he called for help praying someone would come rescue the injured. But his mind wasn't capable of leaving the seventy-second arena. All he could see was Iain lying on the ground lifeless after a jet stream of blood spewed from his neck leaving him with nothing left inside. I shouldn't have came. I shouldn't have came. Tears leaked from the corner of his eyes dripping silently onto the ground in front of him as he removed the rest of the debris showing the body of a young, lifeless child. And for a moment he swore it looked just like the precious boy he lost not long ago.

His walls crumbled down, and he dropped to his knees staring at the child hoping for a miracle, but none came, and instead Ikaia carried him away with the help of a male from six towards the front of the gates where the tents set. And his life was left in shambles as he forced himself to find a purpose to life.

Ikaia learned to appreciate life because he never knew when death would call him home.

And in order to appreciate what he had, Ikaia first needed to throw himself down from the high horse he was on and learn to appreciate the small things.

He sat on the ground knees drawn tightly against his chest while watching victim after victim being carried into the tents, and he wondered if anything could save them.

As I'm fading away
I'm sick of this life
I just wanna scream
How could this happen to me?