Blaine moved to stand up to face Karofsky but he couldn't make his legs cooperate. He didn't know how long he'd sat in that position, but his legs had gone numb from lack of circulation. Every time he tried to stand, his legs buckled and he fell back to the ground. Fighting the pins and needles sensation, Blaine pushed himself forward and reached for his sword. Karofsky kicked the weapon out of Blaine's reach and laughed cruelly as the boy pulled a knife out of his belt and held it steady.

“Where's your little boyfriend? I hope you didn't lose him somewhere in the arena.” Blaine's heart rose at the confirmation that Kurt was still safe wherever he was. Blaine hadn't failed yet. He ignored the pain from his damaged hand as he held his knife tightly and waited for Karofsky to strike. Every second the larger boy spent taunting him gave Blaine time for the tingling in his legs to stop so he could stand.

“Took you long enough to find me. Did you have a little trouble with the arena? I can only image how hard it must have been for you to have to think this whole time.” Blaine knew his attempt to stall was weak, but he was still giddy from the realization that Kurt was alive. Blaine tried once more to stand up, but was knocked back to the ground when Karofsky aimed a well placed kick at his gut. With the wind knocked out of him and what felt like at least one cracked rib, Blaine quickly rolled out of the way of Karofsky's feet and forced himself to stand. He winced through the pain and charged at the larger boy, hoping to catch him off guard. Blaine managed to knock Karofsky to the ground, falling with him and landing hard. Karofsky recovered from the fall and grabbed Blaine's wrist as he tried to bring his knife down. With a sick laugh, Karofsky squeezed Blaine's wrist hard, bending it back until he heard the satisfying snap of broken bones.

Blaine yelped in pain as he lost his grip on his only weapon. He did the only thing he could think of and headbutted Karofsky as hard as he could. Someone must have already broken the larger boy's nose because Blaine felt the bones shift when his forehead connected hard with Karofsky's face. Karofsky shouted and threw Blaine away from him. His back hit the far wall and he landed hard. Blaine saw his sword only a few feet away and made another lunge toward his weapon. This time Karofsky grabbed Blaine by his hair and dragged him away from it. Blaine struggled against the other boy's grip, ignoring the pain in his scalp as he twisted and pulled his head in the other direction. He kicked his legs wildly and lashed out with his good arm in an attempt to trip Karofsky up. Karofsky used his free arm to pull Blaine tight against his own body, lifting him off the ground and holding his arm across the boy's throat. He laughed at Blaine's weak attempts to break his grip.

In a desperate attempt to get his hands on a weapon, Blaine drew his elbow back as quick as he could, connecting hard with Karofsky's solar plexus. As soon as he heard the larger boy draw in a sharp breath, Blaine snapped his head back hard, connecting once again with Karofsky's face. He heard a muffled pop that told him the impact had dislocated Karofsky's jaw. Blaine continued to struggle in Karofsky's arms.

Karofsky was enjoying Blaine's feeble attempt to get free. He'd been looking forward to this fight since training and the other boy wasn't disappointing. Karofsky noticed something glimmer on the ground a few feet away. Dragging Blaine with him, Karofsky bent over to pick it up. He laughed maliciously when he saw it was a wedding ring. He remembered Blaine's interview confession that he wished he'd asked his faggoty boyfriend to marry him. This must be the ring he wanted to give the other boy.

“Would you look at this.” He held the ring in front of Blaine's face. “You know it must be terrible to have come so close to saving your boyfriend just to fail.” Karofsky's words made Blaine's blood run cold because he'd spent the last few hours with the exact same thought. “Me on the other hand, I get to do exactly what I set out to do. You're my 13th kill. Which makes Hummel the last one I need. I wish you could be there to see what I'm going to do to him. When it's just the two of us, I can take as much time as I want. Maybe I'll draw it out for a few days even. How much do you think a person can bleed? Do you think he screams like a girl?”

Blaine knew Karofsky wasn't bluffing. The arm around his throat was slowly cutting off his air supply and Blaine was trying not to panic. He wasn't afraid to die, but he couldn't leave Kurt alone in the arena with this sociopath. He was too far from his sword to ever make it to it, but he saw that the knife he'd dropped was only a few feet away. Blaine forced himself to relax and focus on getting Kurt home.

Karofsky waited until Blaine had gone limp in his grip before he dropped the boy to the ground. Blaine crumpled at his feet and Karofsky aimed another kick at the boy's ribs. Blaine coughed as the impact knocked the wind out of him for the second time. He braced himself for another kick and when Karofsky's foot connected with his shoulder this time Blaine exaggerated the impact so he could roll to the side without raising the other boy's suspicions. When he was only a few inches from the weapon, Blaine threw caution to the wind and reached out with his uninjured arm to grasp the handle. Karofsky saw what Blaine was doing a second too late and before he could step on the boy's wrist, Blaine had moved out of the way.

Armed, Blaine forced himself to his feet again and steadied his balance as he waited for the next attack. Karofsky had had enough. As much as he was enjoying the fight, he was ready for the fun part to begin. He drew his sword and laughed as Blaine held a knife in his damaged hand. Karofsky took a few steps back and bent to pick up Blaine's short sword. He tossed the weapon in the other boy's direction. It slid a few feet and landed at his feet.

“Might as well make it a fair fight. You wouldn't want to disappoint your adoring fans, now would you?” Karofsky knew he'd broken Blaine's right wrist, so even with a weapon the boy would be no match for his own skill with a blade.

Blaine couldn't believe the larger boy's stupidity. Tucking his knife back into his belt, Blaine picked up his sword and positioned his feet into a defensive stance. It was a good thing he was left handed. Karofsky had probably had a lifetime of training with weapons, but Blaine knew outsmarting his opponent should be easy. All he had to do was tire him out. He just wished his ribs didn't hurt so bad. Blaine waited for the other boy to make the first move. When Karofsky leapt forward, Blaine easily dodged his blade, bringing his own sword up to block the blow. Using his short stature to his advantage, Blaine thrust his blade at Karofsky's feet hoping to knock the boy to the ground. Karofsky had anticipated the move and quickly changed position out of Blaine's aim.

The entire audience held their breath as the fight continued. Burt felt sick to his stomach when Karofsky threatened to torture Kurt before killing him. He knew the boy wasn't bluffing. His heart had caught in his chest while Blaine struggled in Karofsky's arms. The look on Karofsky's face terrified Burt. He wondered how much truth there had been to Santana's taunts. He wouldn't waste his pity on the brutal boy though. Burt bit his lip hard when Karofsky caught Blaine across the ribs with his blade. Blaine had jumped backward quick enough that the wound wasn't lethal, but Burt realized there was little chance that Blaine would win this fight. After an emotional roller coaster over the past few days, Blaine wasn't up to his usual speed or agility. He was no match for Karofsky's brute force.

Blaine was exhausted. He hadn't been able to launch an attack on the other boy for the past few minutes. Instead he'd been ducking and dodging blow after blow. It was a close call when Karofsky had grazed his ribs. Blaine could feel his shirt sticking to his chest as blood soaked through. He had no idea how Karofsky had the stamina for his continued attacks, but Blaine was starting to worry. Sweating and panting he knew his moves were starting to get sloppy and slow. Without warning, Karofsky swept his weapon at Blaine's feet. Blaine jumped to avoid the blade, but he lost his balance and fell hard. Karofsky used his advantage to kick Blaine's weapon out of his hand. Karofsky placed his foot on Blaine's chest, pinning him to the ground. He placed the point of his blade at Blaine's throat, gloating in his victory.

“Not bad. I'm sure that was very entertaining for the Capitol.” Karofsky hadn't expected the boy to hold out as long as he had. “But what should I do with you now? I could kill you, but where's the fun in that?” Killing the boy seemed boring after the built up anticipation of the fight.

For the first time since the reaping, Blaine was terrified for himself. He'd come into the Games prepared to die, but he didn't want it to be like this. Just like the girl he'd killed, and just like Sam, Blaine wanted his death to be quick. And as painless as possible. He knew that wasn't an option now.

“I know. We'll make our own fun, and I'll even make you a deal. I know it's in your nature to be stubborn, so you'll probably just lay there the entire time I cut you up, forcing yourself not to scream or make any noise. And that's no fun for me. When I hurt you, I want to hear it. So we're going to play. I want you to be an active participant. If you're a good boy, then when I come across your little boyfriend, I'll kill him quick.” Karofsky had no intention of keeping his word, but by that point Anderson would be dead.

Blaine knew that whatever Karofsky had planned was going to be unpleasant. He would do whatever he could to spare Kurt from dying the same way. With a shaky nod, he agreed to Karofsky's sick deal. The larger boy smiled maliciously and sheathed his sword. He knelt on Blaine's chest, his weight already making it difficult for Blaine to breathe. Karofsky pulled the knife out of Blaine's belt and ran his thumb over the blade, testing its sharpness.

“Now, where to start?” Karofsky shifted his weight so he didn't completely cut off Blaine's air supply. The fun would end far too soon if the boy passed out.

Grabbing Blaine's hair in one hand, Karofsky forced his head back, exposing his throat and neck. Karofsky pressed the knife under his chin and dragged it up Blaine's cheek, cutting a shallow line across his face. Blaine winced when the knife cut into his skin, tears already starting to form in his eyes. He blinked rapidly, trying to dispel them. Karofsky tightened his grip in Blaine's hair and pulled hard. Blaine cried out at the shock of it.

Karofsky continued making small cuts on Blaine's cheeks. As much as he'd originally wanted to disfigure the boy, he realized it would be far more satisfying to keep him looking like the boy the Capitol loved so much. When he'd finished with Blaine's face, he was bleeding from almost a dozen shallow cuts, but was still recognizable.