Disclaimer: Naoko Takeuchi is the creator of both characters and the series. So yeah, all hers!
Note: Written on the 5th of April 2007. Forgot that I hadn't posted it here.
Theme: (image of Footprints in sand), from the smmonthly community on livejournal.
Voluptuous Light.
They were flying along her dreamscape again.
Chibi-Usagi had always loved her dreams. Whenever she awoke and could still remember the contents of a dream, she'd treasure it, and run it through her mind again, memorizing the sensations and colours, forbidding the dream to fade away. She only made exceptions for nightmares, and whenever she woke up from one of these without any comforter to turn to, she would remember her favourite dreams, picture the shining white Pegasus casting away the black fire-breathing mare that gave her so much fear.
Tonight the dream was beach themed. Probably because she had been to the seashore with Mamo-chan, Usagi and the others that same afternoon.
They flew over country fields and towns to reach the long white strip of sand at the water's edge, the little girl squealing happily as she clung on tight to Pegasus's neck. The winged horse danced above the waves before gently allowing the young girl to jump off and land in the soft sand, laughing.
A game of tag followed, the equine creature gamely allowing the child to get within inches of tagging him before darting off.
After a few minutes that seemed like centuries of fun; after all, time is so relative in dreams; the young maiden tired of the chase and fell heavily onto the sand with a contented sigh. She allowed herself to close her eyes and smiled up towards the warm glow of the sun, as she dug her toes into the warm substance at her feet.
"Maiden...?" asked her winged companion, obviously worried something might be wrong. Chibi-Usa wasn't usually one to sit quietly doing nothing
The rosy haired child looked up at him, her eyes taking on a half lidded expression when she decided to speak.
"Pegasus! You've been cheating!"
"Eh?" The mythical horse looked bewildered at the princess's cheeky smile.
She pointed at his hooves, where they hovered about a foot above the sand.
"See! Why don't you try walking in the sand? It's wonderful when it gets between your toes. It feels nice, warm, gritty..." She hesitated a moment, apparently trying to recall something. She mouthed the word a few times before finally coming out with it. "It's a vo-lup-tu-ous feeling. You should try it!"
With a sigh and a sparkle in his eye, Pegasus did so. The distance between him and the ground dwindled until one could hear the soft crunch of sand below his hooves.
He closed his eyelids as he pawed the sand, trying to imagine this "voluptuous" feeling the maiden had described.
He could feel the softness of the ground below, like a big shifting cushion made from thousands of little grains. If he wasn't careful, he might trip and hurt himself. That is, if he were a normal horse.
"It doesn't feel gritty at all," he lied, amusement in his tone. The sand felt a bit abrasive against his hoof, but it was barely noticeable, and quite pleasant actually.
"Oh really?" Asked his friend. She darted towards him to look curiously at one of his hooves.
With what can only be described as a snicker, he rewarded her with a spray of sand. She squealed and did her best to throw some back at him. A couple of exchanges later, they were playing in the surf, water splashing high enough to drench them both, Pegasus using his wings to more than just an unfair advantage.
During a lull in their friendly battle, Chibi-Usa turned her head towards the mountains, where the sun was now quite low. As water and sand trickled down from her hair and nightdress, she sighed, a sad but resigned expression on her face.
"It's time for you to go back, maiden. Morning is coming." Pegasus's features had taken on a very humane look.
"I know... It feels like I only just got here though."
"Now, now..." He gave her a friendly nudge with his muzzle. "You know I'll be here again next time you dream."
"See, you say that, but you weren't here two nights ago, were you?" She replied, a worried tone in her voice. "You said it was because you had some homework of your own to do, but what if something happens to you, and I can't help? I..."
"Don't worry maiden." He said, appreciating her concern, but wanting to put an end to her worries. "I'll be fine."
"... If you say so."
He couldn't tell her about Nehellenia. Not yet. Not now.
"Go."
He watched her leave, a white horse among the many white horses of the surf. He dared not move till he was sure she had left, and wasn't coming back to peek one last time before waking up from her dream.
Only then did he allow himself to change, his equine features fading away as those of a young man, a teenager with wispy white hair and soaked white clothes, emerged.
Slowly, he stepped forward, his bare feet following the small footsteps the young maiden had left in the sand.
When he reached the dry, soft and warmer sand, he stopped, closed his eyes, and gently dug his toes in.
A contented smile came upon his features as he felt the warmth, the slight tickle of the grains as they trickled into place. He flexed his toes and felt the grittiness of the sand, the crunching feeling as the grains resisted. It was, indeed, a very nice feeling.
"Vo-lup-tu-ous..." He repeated with a happy sigh.
"Thank you maiden, for being my light."
And with that thought, he allowed the dreamscape to fade, as he returned to his strenuous duty, that of staying hidden from Nehellenia and her followers.
Fin.
(Cookies for those who guess from whom Chibi-Usa picked up that word!)