Disclaimer: Don't own Sailor Moon. Belongs to Naoko
Takeuchi.

"Seeking Paradise in a Dream" – Shukaido, keyword, PSME

Special thanks goes out to Storm-chan for the rhyming
phrases...rhyming is *NOT* my forte...and of course, to
mal—who's probably laughing madly about corrupting me, or
something of the sort... ^^;;

Avalon:
Chapter 1
By Mizu

She dreamed. Not so much to say that random images
appeared within her mind, plucked from the memories of the
average day, but strange, full-featured visions that gave
way to abnormal human imagination. However, unlike the
lucid dreaming masters, she was unaware that she was still
lying cuddled in bed; her husband's protective arm, curled
around her slender waist.
So, she stepped forward into the mists of the dream,
bracing herself on a gray-swirled Corinthian column that
appeared from nowhere, yet was set firmly in it's ancient
foundation. She took a step forward, the foggy mists
curling around her ankles. They beckoned at her, wrapping
their translucent, liquid limbs around her body, taunting
her to uncover what laid beyond their hazy gates.
She stepped through, and was immediately engulfed by
the enigmatic clouds of vapor.

***

Underneath, she could feel soft moss gently brushing
her ticklish, bare, feet. The mists cleared considerably,
however, a haze still hung about, slightly obscuring what
lay far ahead.
She blinked, clear, marlin-blue eyes drinking in the
sights around her. She found herself in a primeval forest,
rich with green life.
Giggling, despite herself, she continued to trek
forward, the unfurling ferns brushing past her in greeting.
Her fingers took hold of her powder-lavender nightgown as
she stepped over an overgrown tree root. She wouldn't want
to find herself flat on her face on the ground, now would
she? She'd corrected those annoying habits of falling long
ago, however, traces of her early youth still existed in
her gentle nature.
The forest area was cluttered with plants of all
kinds, almost...jungle-like. Rich vegetation covered the
forest ground, draining the rich soil of it's nutrients.
Funny, Usagi mused, skipping across yet another tree
root. The land doesn't seem to mind.
She halted in mid-step, pausing. Her hand released
her nightdress skirt and began tugging at the plum-colored,
satin ribbons. Where had *that* thought come from? She
inhaled and exhaled slowly, placing a hand to cup her own
forehead. She must be feverish, she drew to her own
conclusion, nodding agreeably. Perhaps she should turn
back, she conceded—but to where? Where *was* she anyway?
She turned the opposite way, fully intended to head
back where she had come. Marching purposefully, she yelped
as her feet almost slipped on a wet stone.
Before her, was a miniature waterfall. They crystal
liquid splashed across weathered stones, splashing every
which way. A child's water game that's lasted throughout
eternity. The water itself seemed to be of a strange hue.
It was not doubted that it was clear, however, there seemed
to be a hint of...gold? in it? Perhaps the light was
playing tricks with her mind.
Yes, that must be it, she nodded to herself. Water
is supposed to be clear, not gold... It's the sun, she
concluded. It's light was too bright for her eyes to bare,
enough to start mixing up her color senses. Her mind clung
on to the distorted form of logic, brought on by her
anxiety. Common sense, however, disagreed. The sunlight
that the forest ground received passed through a thick
canopy of tree-leaves above. She stared upwards at the
trees towered above her. Clinging onto *her* logic, she
shook her head and glanced once more at the small pond.
It seemed untouched by the humanity, probably serving
the occasional traveler who wished their thirst quenched.
The thought of water made her throat ache. She was
thirsty. However, she still doubted the purity of the
water, deeming it to be contaminated, despite her logic.
More vegetation cluttered around the banks of the
tiny pond, as unfelt breezes grazed past arching stems,
causing them to dip their heads forward into the pond.
They seemed to drink their fill from the pond, then raise
their glistening leaves to sparkle in the filtered
sunlight.
She blinked, completely bewildered at her current
situation. The gurgling of the small waterfall filled her
hearing senses, however, another sound became apparent as
well. At first, she dismissed it to be the bright
chortling of the pond, however, she could distinguish
another chortling sound, slightly higher in pitch. She
twitched.
I'm hearing things now, she shook her head. What was
wrong with her today? Creeping to the side, she grabbed
hold of the brush and parted it gently. Her voice caught
in her throat as she bestowed the sight before her.
Two, clear, transparent-like beings flitted in the
air. The wings mounted on their backs sparkled like those
of a dragonfly. They seemed to absorb the yellow light of
the sun, the reflect an entire prism's worth of colors.
They seemed too large to be dragonflies, even so, their
wings were shaped more like a those of a butterfly.
However, Usagi had never seen any butterflies like these
before, fluttering above the running water.
Perhaps they are butterflies? Usagi reasoned with
herself, battling the inner turmoil of fact versus fiction.
But their bodies were clear, like droplets of water
contained in a single entity. And they had limbs!
Butterflies didn't have limbs! Not like that!
The pair of dragon-butterflies danced in circles,
giggling high-pitched giggles. *This* was what Usagi was
hearing? She crouched, unmoving in her foliage-concealed
spot.
She exhaled a breath slowly. Heaven...they were
beautiful... their wings reflected back a kaleidoscope's
worth of colors and patterns...
They must have heard her sigh deeply, for the pair
immediately stopped in their sparkling dance and flitted
away across the pond. Usagi rose abruptly, turning every
which way, but, they were no where in sight. She had lost
them.
She found herself circling the pond some few moments
later, thinking rueful thoughts. Edging away from the
pond, she found herself where she had started. Shrugging,
thinking that she couldn't *possibly* see anything more
strange than she had already, she continued on her original
path in the woods.
It was rather strange how the foliage tended to
"part" the way for her. She shook her head and deemed it
to be a temporary illusion.
Well, to say the least, she hadn't seen the worst
yet...
Along the edge of another massive tree, in the brush,
something rustled audibly. Tip-toeing like an overgrown
child looking for cookies during the blanket of night, she
parted the foliage and peered at the source of the
rustling.
She blinked. It blinked. Neither breathed. Both
were frozen in their tracks. Ever so slowly, the tiny
creature placed its arms at its green sides, its eyes never
leaving Usagi's.
The little creature, and the "leaf rustler", finally
gave way to simply screeching its little head off. In
response, Usagi yelped loudly in return, silencing the
forest, save for the birds that kept singing their melodic
songs, despite the screeching competition a tree elf and a
maiden were having.
Repeated sounds of "EEEEEEEEPPPP!!!" and
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" resounded in the forest. The trees
didn't seem to care...
The small being finally quieted down and soothed it's
shivering. It marched purposefully toward Usagi's peering
face, taking a full survey of what was in front of it.
"What manner of being is this?" It tittered, a heavy
accent apparent in it's high-pitched voice. It tugged at
it's green cap thoughtfully.
"Mayhap a Giant? It's form gone amiss?" The little
elf mused.
Usagi furrowed her eyebrows, shaking her head in
reply. A giant gone amiss? She suppressed a giggle,
continuing to look seriously at the tiny being pondering in
front of her.
"No?" It stroked it's imaginary beard, deep in
thought. Suddenly, it bounced up, a light dawning in it's
face. "A pixie then...stretched from end to end!" It
concluded happily. But his conclusion was short-lived as a
frown appeared on his face. "Can thy tall form flex and
bend?"
It proceeded to walk closer toward Usagi, leaving the
pouch that was previously slung across it's shoulders on
the ground. It motioned for Usagi to bend lower, a request
that Usagi complied with. Walking next to her face, he
tugged sharply at her right ear, almost hanging off it.
"Thy ears...they are round! My, such strangeness
abounds! What manner of creature has such blunted
features?" It dropped from her ears, back on the ground,
bewildered by the observations he had just gathered. It
proceeded to sit cross-legged on the stone, its pouch
forgotten.
A light dawned on Usagi as she figured out how to
deal with a creature such as this. Instantly, she turned
on the famed Usagi charm.
"What a handsome little fellow you are," she
whispered quietly. She received her desired response; it
blushed deep crimson red into it's green body suit.
Suddenly, it had become shy, pulling its hat off and hid
behind it.
"Methinks that thy compliments outshine the sun," It
crinkled its nose in mock realization. "Thy comments are
not that of a pun?" It looked suspiciously at Usagi,
gathering it's pouch once more, preparing to leave.
"Wait!" Usagi raised a hand to stop the tree elf.
"Couldn't you at least tell me where I am?" She asked
softly. "I'm lost, I think..."
The tree elf halted in it's steps, "Lost, lost in the
woods, you say?" It sighed half heartedly. "Why, my
stretched pixie, thou art in the land of the Fae!" It
narrowed it's eyes suspiciously once more. "Thou art a
citizen of this beauteous land, are you not?"
Usagi spoke the truth, "No," she replied, shaking her
head slowly. The little being seemed to gasp in response.
Immediately, it thrust it's tiny palm into his pouch,
grabbing a fist full of powder.
Before Usagi could blink, a shower of sweet-scented
dust covered her face. It smelled...fruity... For some
odd reason, the world had suddenly grown blurry in her
eyes. The mist was returning as mysteriously as it came in
the first place, engulfing her once more.
"Sleep and forget, fair child..." The elf's fading
voice murmured repeatedly. "Dream like that of the
mild..."
They were the last words that she heard before she
plunged headlong into darkness once again.

***

"Usa..." A sweet, familiar voice lulled her into
reality once more. "Usa...sweet?"
Usagi's eyes parted, as she stretched in her
husband's grasp. "Morning," she greeted, sleep still
clinging to her small frame. She bent forward to dab a
kiss on his cheek.
"Love, you've been asleep for some time," he nuzzled
her neck, smelling the sweet scent of his wife. How he
loved waking beside her warm body, curled around his.
She grinned innocently, fingering the halo-like
wedding band on her left hand. "You never *did* mind, did
you, Demando?"
Demando smiled flirtatiously. "No, I never did..."
He planted his soft lips on her swan-like neck, reveling in
the taste of her yielding skin. She moaned in response,
her fingers instinctively threading themselves into his
fair hair. His arm came to rest on her abdomen, stroking
it gently.
Something flitted by outdoors, as Usagi abruptly
turned her senses toward that direction. It looked
like...a little person with jewel-like wings...
Shaking her head, she dismissed the fact and fell
back into Demando's embrace. One of her slender arms
wrapped around his bare back, feeling the tightly knit
muscles. He raised his head to stare directly in her eyes,
the deep pools of blue that caught hold of his soul when he
first saw them...
With all the love he held in his heart, he bent down,
closing the gap between them once more, his lips fixed on
hers in a tender kiss...

Needless to say, they didn't get up until much
later...

***

"Never in my dream-wort hunting have I met a thing so
strange," a little tree elf mused, walking on the forest
ground. It tugged at it's green cap in deep thought, as it
often did. "Methinks such an oddity can only be of Fate's
arrange..." It shook it's head, continuing on with it's
merry way, leaving all it's troubles behind.

***

::runs and hides:: oi. Yes.



yes, this is based on Arthurian myth. (Where else would I
get the idea of Avalon from?) ^^;; anyway, 99% of my
research is probably incorrect (or made up), so, don't take
my ficcie facts for the truth. I didn't intend on
insulting anyone or their heritage or ideals. I apologize
if I have (or will).

Oh, feedback is nice. ^^

tokiya_ensui@yahoo.com

mizu-chan