Based on The Life and Death of Mary Sue by Sakiku.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy XIII

Edit: 7/8/13. Hey, you know what? READ THIS A/N. I don't know where you've seen this fic recommended, listed or whatever. But read it, and you'll be really disappointed, honest. This. Really. Sucks. I'm not exaggerating. Do you really want to read teenage girl wangst? Huh?

I am trying to edit it, but it's going really slow, which is why this fic still sucks. Though either way, I really can't stop you if you're really curious unless I delete it. Huh. Maybe I will. Until then.

My name is Kara Benson. I'm your average girl. Not ugly, not beautiful, not smart, not dumb. Completely and utterly average. Just like the other, I don't know, 85% of the population. I'm reasonably pretty, I suppose, though I could be better. I've got long brown hair, sort of blue (it's really more of a gray) eyes. I'm sort of tall, compared to the midgets in my class. Of course, I'm a midget too, so I can't talk. I'm fourteen (the average video game character age - you don't really see people older than twenty), and just about to go into ninth grade.

At least, I hope I am.

I was playing this video game, for like, the third time. Final Fantasy XIII. Played it, liked it, and well, it grew on me. I just put the disc in, and as soon I selected 'new game', well…

"I suddenly ended up here," I muttered, looking around me.

It was city, probably beautiful once, judging on the buildings; tall skyscrapers, with intricate designs. Even now, it had a sort of sad prettiness. Just like the sort of thing you'd see in Greece or Rome. Beautiful ruins. Cracked glass windows. Broken down doors. Collapsed buildings. There was a reason for this city's disrepair. It was rather obvious. Blasts of green light shooting everywhere, everything completely wrecked. Instant chaos. There were screams, so loud that it was impossible to hear anything else. It was a warzone.

Where was I?

"What are you doing, standing there like that?" somebody in a white robe yelled at me. "Run, you idiot! They're shooting!"

The answer hit me. Final Fantasy XIII. Bodhum. Purge.

That can't be right, I thought, before I told myself to shut up and start running. I didn't have time for denial or acceptance. Didn't have time to even think about it. I ran, as fast as I could. Of course, I promptly tripped over the white robe that I was wearing which seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. "What?" I stared at my arms. How did that get there?

I barely dodged the incoming green light.

Run, you idiot, run!

My lungs burned and I gasped, out of breath. What do I do now? There was a crowd of people in white robes like mine. What should I do? There is a saying that says there is safety in numbers. But common sense and experience speaks that it makes you a giant target.

I suppose I didn't have much common sense, then, because I ran straight to the crowd.

As I came closer, I saw it wasn't much of a crowd. More of a refugee camp.

I searched desperately, something, anything to tell me that I wasn't actually in a game. Two people caught my eye. One with pink hair, and the other...

Did mine eyes deceive me? Surely it really wasn't Hope Estheim, or Oerba Dia Vanille, was it? Maybe it was just two very convincing fakes.

Then again, their faces and hair looked pretty natural; believe me, I've learned to tell when people are wearing makeup or hair dye. Surely no one would seriously get plastic surgery just for this, right?

Then… what, I was really in a game? Or at least, a dream of a game?

Instead of worrying, like I think probably should've, I was thrilled. I mean, seriously? Who else gets to go inside their favorite game, even in a dream? I would go with Lightning and Fang and Hope and Vanille and everyone else, and get all these magic powers and stuff.

"You all okay?" A man asked us. Snow.

I was sure I was okay. I mean, seriously. I just got here.

Another guy – not exactly sure what his name was – came running forward, tripped, and dropped his armful of guns.

I remembered what was in this cutscene. Guns. The option to fight or run.

I could get killed out there. Fight, or run?

The decision isn't a hard one for me. Well, I'd fight, of course! I'm no coward! And I'm sure I won't die! After, all it's just dream, right?

Plus, there's the chance to impress Hope…

He wasn't all that hot at the beginning, but he turned out pretty badass near the end of the game. He was kind of cute (as if anyone wasn't, with the video game standard of beauty), and my age, too!

Hey, what I say? I'm a fangirl at heart!

I grabbed a gun and ran forward to learn how to use it.

…

"All right, lay low and you'll be fine," Snow instructed. "We'll clear out the area."

I saw Vanille, and she was told to guard the other Bodhum… er… escapees? Runaways? Not sure what they're supposed to be called. Whatever. It's not like it matters anyway.

Then a bunch of people came, all armored up, easy to see with their little glowing stripes; PSICOM. No time to think about that now.

"We're going home together!" Snow shouted, raising his fist.

"Come on! Everybody up!"

"Right. New recruits – on me!"

New recruit - that definitely included me. I ran after the guy.

"We're not losing to PSICOM!" Snow yelled. I raised an eyebrow. Apparently we were all not losing to PSICOM.

A bunch of the PSICOM guys ran up, and we fought bravely. Well, they fought bravely. I'm not sure shooting like mad actually counts. Then again, everyone else was, and it worked for them.

PSICOM just kept coming. There were some of those military trained beasts as well. One of them run at me. I winced as its claws scraped my arms, leaving a deep gash. That would certainly give me a bit of a handicap. The good news? The beast didn't notice me firing my gun, and it fell back, a bullet through it's skull. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth. In this case, arms for head.

As I sprinted forward, I spotted one of Snow's grenades. It had dropped, unexploded. Gently, I bent down and picked it up. I could use it. Get a nice -

And that was when my thought process stopped and my grenade exploded in my hands.

I'm still alive? I thought. Pain shot through my arms, and I winced. This… wasn't a dream. You couldn't feel pain in dreams. I looked at the mangled flesh of my arms, and almost threw up.

Hope and Vanille weren't with me, and in any case, they'd look at me if I was crazy if I asked them for a Cure. Well, Hope would. Vanille wouldn't because she was a L'Cie already. Right now, nobody else was a Medic or any good at regenerating arms.

Well, shit. I was gonna die. Idiot. What part of you screams, pick up a grenade? Wait... Oh yeah. I remember now. The part of me that wants a shiny new weapon. Too bad it blew me up.

Not exactly sure what to do, I charged at one of those beasts. Famous last words: If I die, I'm taking them with me.

It snarled, it snapped, and I held on best I could with two stumps and my legs. No pain I suffered with these beasts could compare to what was left of my arms. I remembered my legs were still good, and I kicked and stomped.

Everything was becoming blurry. And now, even the pain was dulled down to an ache. I smiled. Go out with a bang, huh?

One last kick. Then stomp on its head. Glad I.. wear boot. It still… alive… but no head…. is smashed...

Pain… No more. It just goes away.

Then I decide… time to sleep. Hear thud as body hits... ground. Good-bye…