Chapter two, yaaay~!

I promise, it should start looking like You're Beautiful somewhere in the next chapter, if you haven't caught the beginning of it already.

Thank you to Weaselgirl0904 and angelofyouth1427 for reviewing my crappy first chapter.

In this chapter:

Pairings/Characters: China, Taiwan

Summary: A dream? Or a dream within a dream? China has no control of his body, and Taiwan cries.

Outside the palace there was dancing, music, and festivities. He wanted to join in, to be a part of it all. But he couldn't.

Of course he couldn't. He was but a simple merchant, providing baijiu and various other alcoholic beverages to those unfortunate enough to fall into its addictive clutches.

"Over here! Over here!" the people would shout to him.

But his feet seemed currently immune to both heir commands and his own. Said feet carried their unwilling master further and further through the crowds of dancers, merchants, bright colors, dragons, and spectators.

Before he had even realized, Yao was standing right in front of the doors to the imperial palace, with deathly still guards on either side of him. Oh, that's right.

His name was Yao, Wang Yao, and this was probably the last place in all of China he wanted to be right now.

Before he had the chance to figure out what the hell was going on, his hands, which were also no longer under his control - damn those traitorous bastards, aru! - placed themselves on the palace doors, and pushed them open. His feet slowly brought him further and further inside, up a flight of stairs that he somehow knew to take, up another.

Soon Yao stood I front of yet another set of doors, which his hand once more opened against his will. At least, they were about to, before someone opened them from the inside.

And before Yao stood Mei, his sister, clad in the most extravagant red hanfu he had ever laid eyes on. As beautiful as the dress was, embroidered with intricate gold designs and patterns, Yao couldn't help but to frown at the sight.

Mei was pure, always had been, her innocence was almost heavenly. A light pink would have suited her better, if not white.

But this red… this passionate crimson color, almost oozing out fiery lust… seemed almost scandalous on her. His train of thought was interrupted when Mei's soft voice broke the silence.

"Yao… I am to be married in a month."

Yao's heart dropped in his chest. "You...what?"

Mei nodded slowly, confirming her previous statement which Yao had prayed to the heavens was not true. But it appeared his prayers had not been answered.

"They're coming in two days, Yao. Three men from different kingdoms are to come here. Which ever I happen to not utterly despise is the one I shall be made to wed. But Yao… I'm not ready! I'll be taken away to another kingdom, but I have not yet even seem my own! Please, Yao, you have to do something! Please… please… Yao!"

But you could no longer hear his sister's please to save her. Nor could he hear the roar of the crowds outside the palace, or the fireworks exploding in brilliant patterns in the sky. No, all he could hear, as the room and the doors and his sister and perhaps even the whole world suddenly shrunk right before his eyes, was the beating of his own heart, and a nameless voice calling out to him.

"Yao, Yao… Yao!" was the last thing the Chinese man heard before drifting into unconsciousness.

"Yao… wake up… Yao!"

Mei - Taiwan, if you didn't get it before. Also the Chinese word for plum.

Baijiu - a Chinese distilled alcoholic beverage.

Hanfu - Traditional Chinese clothing. Not a Cheongsam, guys, not a cheongsam.

Ahahahaha I didn't expect to write the second chapter so quickly.

Review, please? c: