Hello, everyone! Umi here, reporting for the GRAND OPENING of CHAPTER TWO! I think that you all will enjoy this chapter. I enjoyed writing it very much. We get to see what happens to our heroine (I really think they should have picked a better name for female heroes. They make us sound like a firggin' drug) when she awakens in...DUN DUN DUN! Another WORLD! Sorry. Extremely hyper at the moment. Don't you just love good moods? They make the world a much better place. Anywho, TALLEHO! On with the fic!

30 Seconds To Game Over

Chapter Two

You know how in movies when the actor or actress is just waking up, they blink their eyes a couple times and then their fine? Psh. I learned the hard way that it takes a little longer than five seconds for your eyes to adjust to a bright light after being shut for what feels like friggin' eternity. I thought my eyes were going to dry out of their sockets, they burned so badly. Once they were adjusted, I quickly wished they had. Looming overhead was a group of red clad men, all pointing various sharp objects in my face.

I just about wet my pants.

Just about.

As I lay there, completely and utterly afraid that one of them would say "Aw, fuck it." and kill me then, instead of silently standing like a statue over me, I thought back on my life. Had I accomplished what any seventeen year old should hope to accomplish in their short life? Had I made enough of an influence upon my family and friends to be remembered for years to come? So that my death would not be taken lightly, and I would be terribly missed to the point that my own mother would commit suicide because she had lost me?

Dear God, let heaven have chocolate. Amen.

"At ease, men."

I tilted my head to the side slightly to see who had spoken up. Big. Mistake. Spears and other such things were instantly pressed against my skull and neck, making the task of inhaling oxygen very hard to fulfill.

"I said at ease," the voice said again, a tad more sternly this time. It was a man's voice, but it wasn't all deep and hard, like Gan Ning's voice in DW. It sounded more like...

"Lord Xun, this is the girl I told you about. Sir, she just dropped out of the sky!"

Lu Xun. But wait, this guy couldn't be Lu Xun. Lu Xun was a Chinese general way, way, WAY back in time, and is now currently a character in a game. Meaning he is no longer real. He's a fictional character just like Gan Ning and Zhao Yun and Zuo Ci and -

Oh. Crap.

Instantly, everything came tumbling through my mind at once and faster than you can say supercalafragalisticexpialadocious. Zuo Ci had spoken to me. Through the Tv. And then proceeded to spin my living room around like a freakin' merry-go-round and cause me to black out. Not an everyday thing, mind you. I really don't make it a habit to let fictional people jolt me out of my world and into theirs.

As I was gathering my thoughts and trying not to freak out because I was currently inside of a game, unbeknownst to me Lu Xun had called of the Scary Men With Sharp Items and kneeled over me, his face now about a foot above mine. Once I realized this all current thoughts were instantaneously swept from my brain and immediately replaced with thoughts of how gorgeous this man was. He looked exactly like the picture in the little handbook that comes with the game. And I would know. I've gazed at that picture many times. He had the same sandy brown hair that fell oh so elegantly into his face. The same deep, kind brown eyes set in the same handsome, kind face. And his skin was slightly tanned from being out in the sun. He was perfect. He even smiled.

"Hello there. Do not be frightened, we mean you no harm."

I would have liked to believe him, but the Scary Men With Sharp Items were still rigid as a rock and glaring in my general direction. Xun saw me glance warily at them and sighed. Mind you, I was still on the ground and was content on staying there if it meant not getting chopped into pieces, however I could hardly refuse when the young general held out his hand for me to take.

"You'll have to forgive them. Their just doing their job," he said, smiling kindly at me. "My name is Lu Xun. And what may yours be, Miss?"

"L-Leigh," I choked, coughing a little due to the dryness of my throat. Being scared half to death can take it out of you.

"If you would be so kind as to tell me, what are you doing here, Lady Leigh?"

"Um, well, that's the thing. I don't know where here is." They'd all kill me on the spot if I tried to dish them my story, so I decided to play it cool. And besides, he called me "Lady." I was in Instant Infatuation Mode now.

"Your in the Kingdom of Wu," Xun informed me kindly, gesturing towards the luscious green fields around us. He turned his attention back on me, giving my attire a skeptical look. "And where are you from, Lady Leigh? Your clothing is very... peculiar."

Crap. I looked down at what I was wearing. Seeing as I had just gotten home from school (and been in a rush to play a certain game that I was beginning to truly despise), I still had on the blasted uniform. An overly large tan sweater ( they don't make them in extra small. I guess they don't expect high school girls to be that small, but think again clothing manufacturers! I am!), a white button down shirt under that, tucked into a brown and red plaid skirt. Then I had tan knee high socks and black dress shoes, scuffed around the edges from where I mysteriously fell from the heavens. Needless to say, this wasn't normal ancient Chinese attire. And I very well couldn't lie to the man about where I'm from. Y'know, him being from this world and all, and me knowing absolutely nothing about it. I quickly tried to scramble my thoughts into a believable answer. Apparently as I was doing this I developed a very confused look on my face, for Xun gave me a concerned gaze.

"Do you not remember where your home is, my lady?"

CHA-CHING! I don't know why I hadn't thought of that before! Play DUMB. According to my brother I'm very good at that...

"Um...no," I said quietly, adding a defeated look for effect.

Xun's gaze softened as he said, "The fall must have jolted your memory around. Which brings me to my next question..." he mumbled, his gaze turning contemplative.

I turned my eyes towards his face, brow furrowed, my face complete innocence.

"Sir," one of the Scary Men With Sharp Items said gruffly. "This could be a trap. She could be a spy from one of the enemy kingdoms."

Lu Xun cocked his head to the side, still gazing at me, trying to decide what to do with the mysterious girl who had fallen from the sky.

"No.." he said after a while. He held out his hand for me to take, which I hesitantly did. He is gorgeous and seems kind, but that doesn't mean I trust him fully. I mean, this is another world and all. "I don't think she's a spy. I think she's telling us the truth. Saddle up, men. Let's head home."

He smiled at me, and then led me over to a herd of horses that were grazing nearby. We stopped at a beautiful white one and Xun gently lifted me into the saddle. I had a mad blush on my face when he climbed up and sat behind me. He took the reins, careful not to touch me.

"Hang on to the saddle, my lady," he said softly. I did as I was told and off we went.

While playing previous DW games, I never really imagined what each kingdom's homeland might look like. I mean, there are levels in the games where you have to protect the kingdom's main fortress and whatnot, but they all basically resemble one another. None really have any distinct qualities that set each apart. Just a big castle with little tents and huts inside of it. So when I spotted an extremely large, building like shape in the distance I thought nothing of it. I really didn't think that was our destination.

Of course, I've never been the brightest apple in the bunch. According to my brother, naturally.

Wu was humongous. And it wasn't just one building. Nooooooooooo. That huge mass of stone was the Emperor's castle. Surrounding it were other elaborate buildings where (as Xun so kindly informed me as we were riding through the massive stone wall that surrounded the whole of the Wu Kingdom) the Emperor's generals were housed. Then there were slightly smaller buildings where the officers slept and trained. And then stables. And storage houses. And there were little shops and stands all along the dirt streets. The rest of the land was taken up with peasant homes and rice fields. There was one main road, made of red brick, that ran from the front gate all the way to the bottom steps of the castle. This is the road that our party was currently riding on. As we through the city, people came out of their homes cheering and waving. I turned slightly to look at Xun, a questioning look on my face.

"Their welcoming us home from battle," he explained, waving and smiling back at them.

"You were in a battle?"

"Very recently, yes. We were on our way home when you all of a sudden fell from the heavens and onto my officer in command. Or so I've been told." He smiled down at me, reigniting my blush from earlier.

It took quite sometime to reach the castle, as everyone (and I do mean everyone) in the city had turned out to welcome back the warriors. When we finally did make it to the castle Xun led the group over to a small building set off to the side. This was, apparently, the royal stables. And they were royally stinky, I might add. Xun jumped down first and then held out his arms for me to cling to. Which I did. Getting on the horse is much easier than getting off of it. I ended up slipping off of the saddle ever so gracefully and straight into Xun's outstretched arms, clinging to him with all the strength I had in me (which isn't very much, I'm embarrassed to say). He chuckled slightly, the sound rumbling through his chest, which my ear was currently pressed against. I lifted me head to look up at him.

And realized that he's much, much taller than I am. At least a good foot or so.

Once again, the bloody blushing starts up. I quickly remove my arms from around him, clearing my throat and straightening my sweater. Y'know, the usual awkward routines. I notice that the horse have been led away and shyly look back at Lu Xun.

"This way, my lady," he says, motioning for me to follow him. "We have to report to the Emperor."

I stop.

"T-The EMPEROR?"

OOOoooooo! Bum bum! Leigh has to meet the Emperor! In all her strange clothed glory! I wonder how that will turn out? You'll have to wait and see, next time in 30 Seconds To Game Over - Chapter Three! R&R, please! Lots of love, Umi-chan