Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Dreams of the Mist ❯ A Friend in the Mist ( Chapter 2 )

Thanks goes out to:

Anonymous - Thanks for the review, here's the next installment, don't worry, this ones long. That's why it took me so long to write.

mako-chan fan - I know, I know, I'm just cruel what can I say. It's true that you hurt the ones you love. Here's the next chapter for you to enjoy, and to find out if I stopped with the Mako torture.

california - I'll try and update this story once every month. I figure that with the length I make each chapter that should be reasonable. I love it when people take time to review my story, thanks so much. It really encourages me.

Girl-chama - This chapter should basically explain nothing. Hehe, I know, I'm evil. I loved reading your review. Thanks for the compliments. Writing is something I really love to do, and when people compliment me on it, it truly inspires me. Your review definitely made my day.

Altheia - Thanks so much for the *second* review. I really am glad that you thought this story was good enough to review for each additional update. I'll try and make an update once a month around the same time. Yay, for taking the time to review, I really appreciate it.

Author's Notes:

Okay I just read my ending author's notes on the last chapter, and I about died laughing, it really must have been early if I wrote all of that, and did you see all those parenthesis. I plead temporary insanity. Well, I'm gonna end this before it turns into another parenthesis disaster field. Now on with the story and let the confusion (and hopefully the plot) begin...

"Strangers are just friends waiting to happen."

-unknown

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Chapter 2:

A Friend in the Mist

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Usagi, calm down, you're going to wear a whole in the floor if you keep that up." Usagi spun around quickly. Her normally cheerful eyes shining with fear and worry.

Everyone's nerves had been high, and Rei's words were the first spoken in the room since the senshi had woken up. Somehow, the transportation from the park to the room they were in now had rendered them unconscious. This coupled with the fact that Usagi was dressed as Princess Serenity, Mamoru was wearing Prince Endymion's armour, and the rest of the senshi were wearing dresses in their respective planetary colors did not lessen the tension in the atmosphere.

"I can't help it Rei-chan," Usagi whispered, her voice soft and small, "Where could she be? I don't even know where I am. How are we ever going to find her?" Usagi's voice had taken on a pleading note, desperate for answers.

"She's right Princess. Worrying isn't going to help. Besides Makoto is a big girl, she can take care of herself." Haruka reassured Usagi gently despite the fact that even she was worried about Makoto.

Usagi turned sharply on her heal once again, golden streams of hair whipping around her wildly as her blue eyes blazed. "Demo Haruka-san, we don't even have our powers, we can't transform. I know Mako-chan is strong, but not even she can take care of that man from the park with just her fists. We don't know where she is, we don't know where we are beyond the fact that after waking up we find ourselves locked in a room, and to make matters worse, if that's at all possible, I can't even feel the Ginzuishou." Usagi collapsed to her knees, finally succumbing to the tears that had been threatening her for the past hour.

"Usagi-chan," Ami whispered softly, as she and the rest of the inner senshi knelt beside their princess, enveloping her in hugs, and trying their best to comfort her.

Setsuna watched her princess sobbing in fear and anxiety, and barely contained her sigh. She stared long and hard at the large wooden door in front of her that barred their escape. It had been locked tight from the outside, and without their powers, not even with their combined strength had they been able to make the solid oaken door budge. Her somber eyes bored into the wood, seeming as though she were trying to see through it, but for the first time in a long while, Setsuna was afraid. She could no longer see the future, she could not look through the mists of time and even glance a possibility. It worried her, and in a room decorated in aged tapestries, ornate rugs, medieval furniture, roughly hewn stone walls, and a sobbing princess, it certainly did not improve her mood to be unsure of what was going to come next.

* * *

This was not right. She knew that right away. She should be hurt, she should be in pain, and by all practical purposes, she should be dead. But she wasn't. In fact, she felt very much alive, if not slightly confused. She stirred a fraction, almost afraid any movement would send shockwaves of pain through her body, but nothing happened, other than the fact that she found it extremely difficult to move, she felt perfectly healthy, and she would trade a little weakness for the pain any day. Wearily, she pulled her tired body into a sitting position and instantly regretted it, her head exploded in flashes of blinding white, and began to throb painfully. Maybe she was not quite as well as she would have hoped.

"Do not move," a gentle voice advised her, "You will only succeed in injuring yourself more." She quickly leapt to her feet at the unknown voice, fear coursing through her, but her knees buckled beneath her as the pounding in her head increased, and she once again collapsed on the ground. The soothing voice rumbled in friendly amusement, "I warned you, did I not?" Slowly she felt her body pulled to her feet and at the gentle touch, her headache immediately disappeared. She reluctantly raised her eyes to look at the owner of the voice. What she saw caused her breath to catch in her throat.

Staring straight back at her was a pair of pale blue eyes. Their liquid depths shimmered with compassion and kindness and mirrored the fragile soul flickering behind them. She had seen those eyes before, she recognized them. However, with the memory of the eyes, came memories of other events.

The burning white hot agony in her body... had it all been an illusion, a dream? She could not help but wonder. It had felt so real at the time. The pain inflicted upon her by the gryffin was still present in her mind even if it had left her body. Then there was the fact that she felt no pain whatsoever. Almost afraid of what she might find, Makoto cautiously glanced down at her figure. Expecting for it to perhaps be transparent as though she were a ghost, or maybe even to be unmarred, and completely free of any damage, proving that this was all just some crazy dream from eating too many of the sweets she had made for Usagi. However, luck was not with her today.

Her body was actually not harmed in any way. But she was wearing a flowing silk dress that had not been there the last time she checked, and then, perhaps most frightening of all, the dress was covered in still warm and wet blood, her blood from an attack she remembered but gave no outward appearance of having been in. She was left with more questions than she had previously had when she entered this strange land. She had no conscious idea of exactly how long it had been since she had last seen the robed man. Her thoughts strayed to that man for a second, and she silently let out a string of curses directed at the man who had caused her all this trouble.

Makoto felt the strength she had lost slowly returning to her, and she welcomed back her ability to support her weight with her own legs. She reached down to remove the supportive arm that had been holding her upright until she realized that it was not an arm at all.

She risked another glance back at the shining eyes and paused once again. They were the same shimmering depths of blue that had haunted her in her dreams, teasing just beyond the confines of wakefulness, always there, yet hidden. These were the eyes that had captivated her before the gryffin attacked, that had stood over her protectively, saving her from a worse fate. It was not the eyes that bothered her at all, it was the person the eyes belonged to, or more appropriately, the thing they belonged to.

Staring her straight back in the face was a considerable head, nearly as large as she was tall, the head of a dragon.

Silver scales shone iridescent in the pale blue light shining from the sun overhead, and the sharp curved snout reminded her none too fondly of the gryffin. He was not at all like she had pictured the mythical beasts before. He was more serpentine, filled with a fluid grace, and quiet strength. He smelled lightly of fire, a surprisingly pleasant odor of mingled wood smoke and charcoal. He was not fierce looking, like she had dreams of dragons being, but more gentle, and the angular lines of his sharp features contrasted with the apparent smoothness of his scales. Twin ridges of small knobby protrusions rose just above his eyes and grew until they reached the pinnacle of his massive head. There they branched into two gnarled horns of bone in the same silver color of his scales. Beginning slightly above the center of his forehead was another ridge of sharpened bone. This time, the ridge continued down his spine. Growing out of each vertebrae was a hooked claw, in between which was stretched his silver skin to form a small fin, traveling from the top of his head to the tip of his tail. It had been his tail which had been holding her upright. It was long and supple, smooth to the touch, and carefully wound around her middle so as not to cut her with the razor sharp, barbed fins protruding from his spine. He had all four of his feet planted firmly on the ground, the hind two were larger, more muscular, and obviously designed to be able to hold his entire body weight when standing upright. His forearms were shorter than his hind legs, but no less graceful than the rest of his body. Each foot ended in three malicious looking talons with a rear facing talon acting as a thumb on his front feet, and added balance on his back feet. He was massive and barrel-chested, with large muscles, and sinew stretching across his body. He looked strong, and not just because of the fact that he was a monolith, but Makoto received the impression that even among his own kind, he was revered as strong and impressive. He looked incredibly noble sitting in front of her, his hind legs supported the majority of his weight, and his forearms held up his upper torso regally, so that he assumed an air of grace and confidence. However, the most majestic part of his body, was stretched high overhead. A pair of silver membranous wings stood out against the sky. The pale blue sun shone through his bat-like wings, illuminating the large veins running crisscrossed throughout, and casting an eerie shadow with a light blue tinge.

"Oh dear Kami..." At that moment Makoto could scarcely articulate anything more.

"Do not be afraid," his gentle voice rumbled softly from overhead, "You have nothing to fear from me young one."

"Young one!?" Makoto cried, outraged, apprehension momentarily forgotten. "I'll have you know I'll be turning eighteen in two days. I've been living on my own for most of my life. I am not some child you may talk to like that. Now put me down."

The silver dragon regarded her silently for a moment, before replying, "As you wish." He placed her gently on the ground, making sure she could stand before removing his tail from around her waist to have it wrap around his feet. "But there is one thing you should know," he continued, large eyes still watching her intently, "You may be turning into an adult in your world, but here, you are still a child."

"Why you¾ wait, what did you say, your world?" Makoto's eyes had widened, and her voice had become slightly higher in surprise and anger.

The dragon laughed lightly, a deep rumbling sound resonating from deep within his chest and effectively calming Makoto's nerves. "Yes, child, you are in another world, one removed from your own in another dimension."

If Makoto was surprised at the information she did not show it, instead she yelled angrily at the dragon, marching straight up to it and poking him in the stomach, which was as high as she could reach along his underbelly. She had been aiming for his chest, but for once, her height did not improve her situation much. "Would you *stop* calling me a *child*?! It is getting rather annoying. I already told you, I have been through enough to last me a lifetime. I am more of an adult than many people I have met." She paused for a second before backing up a couple of steps and throwing her hands in the air exasperated. "Why am I telling you this? I don't even know your name and here I am blabbing away about my life." It was obvious the last statement had not been directed at him. However, it only caused another deep rumbling chuckle to vibrate from his throat. "Glad to see you find this amusing," she said testily.

"You are either very brave, or very ignorant," he managed to say in between chuckles. Then upon seeing her anger increase, immediately began to explain. "Do not look at me like that. It is not everyday that a beautiful young female human is found unconscious in the middle of the forest. And then after being attacked by a Greater Gryffin, proceeds to insult her healer and rescuer, who happens to be a rather large, and normally intimidating Elder Brethren." Makoto blinked in utter confusion.

"Wait you lost me. Elder what?"

"A greater dragon, young one," he paused as he considered her for a moment, "You are not familiar with this world are you? Where do you come from child?"

For the moment Makoto ignored the comments about her age, and answered. "I'm from Earth, now who are you?"

The silver dragon merely smile at her demands. "My name is Kirino Akebono. What is yours child?"

Makoto's anger mounted and it was obvious to the dragon that she was more than just annoyed. "Now listen here, the only way I'm telling you my name is if you'll stop calling me a child. I may be young, but I'm more of an adult than most."

Akebono was laughing again. "Alright, very well young one, I will not insult your wisdom anymore. Although, I must ask you one question. How was it you expected me to address you when I did not, and still do not, know your name?"

Makoto's anger dissipated quickly in embarrassment. "Oh right, gomen. Watashi no namae wa Kino Makoto. Oh, and arigatou gozaimasu for saving me, how did you do that by the way?"

Akebono angular muzzle widened into a grin, revealing rows of long, sharp, pointed teeth, and Makoto unconsciously gulped. "Hajimemashite... Makoto-san," he greeted her politely in his gentle voice. "No need to thank me by the way, I am rather glad I saved you." With that said, Akebono's grin widened even more, and Makoto's cheeks flamed in embarrassment. "You are unique Makoto-san, and it has been a pleasure meeting you. However, I can see you have many questions about this world, perhaps it would be best if you followed me. I think you would prefer to have your questions answered by your fellow brethren. Come, follow me." Akebono then began to walk out of the small clearing they were in, ducking his head to avoid the overhanging branches.

"Nani?" Makoto asked, obviously confused as she ran to keep pace with his long, slow strides. "That's it, we're just leaving, but I don't even know where I am. I haven't even thanked you properly, I don't even know how to begin thanking you properly." She paused, now uncomfortable. "You saved my life and I've hardly been anything but rude to you. However I must admit, you deserved a good deal of it for calling me a child." Makoto huffed out the last bit with a slight amount of her previous annoyance.

Akebono merely laughed his great, rumbling, throaty chuckle. "I assure you, you have more than repaid me. It was an honor meeting you Makoto-san, and a pleasure talking with you. I have never met anyone quite like you. It is very hard to find true friends," he said, watching her intently, "but I think I've found one in you Makoto-san. You, at least, were kind enough to talk with me before judging me because of my size and appearance. That is a rare quality among humans."

Makoto blushed lightly, a soft pink painting her cheeks. "I... Arigatou, Akebono-san, for saving me, putting up with my temper, and still be willing to be my friend." She paused for a fraction of a second before continuing. "I'm glad you consider me a friend. But if we're going to be friends, you're going to have to call me Mako-chan, all my friends do." A wide grin had stretched across Makoto's face.

"It would be an honor, but only on one condition." Makoto raised an eyebrow in query. "You must call me Akebono-kun. It is what my friends call me as well."

Makoto smiled broadly. "Well Akebono-kun, where exactly are you taking me."

The silver dragon smiled at the rapid change in subject and said simply, "I suppose you'll just have to wait and see, Mako-chan."

The two traveled in companionable silence for several minutes after that, neither seeking to break the tranquility of the forest around them, with it's beautiful strains of song bird music, and floating mist. It was not long until they came to a gentle, bubbling stream, lined with smooth, round moss-covered stones. Akebono's wide stride easily made it over the stream and Makoto began to hop lightly from stone to stone, catching her balance before leaping to the next stone. She was halfway across the stream when she hit a patch of slippery moss. She felt her body slipping backwards, and she quickly drew in her breath, preparing herself for the icy shock of the water.

It never came.

Akebono's tail had swiftly wrapped around her waist, and Makoto smiled gratefully up at the dragon as he effortlessly brought her the rest of the way across the stream and to the safety of the shore. Once her feet were firmly on the ground, Akebono hastily removed his tail, and began their silent march again. Makoto looked back at the stream longingly and failed in holding in a sigh. Akebono turned to look at her a scaly eyebrow raised in question. Blushing slightly, Makoto looked upwards and opened her mouth to speak before closing it again as though reconsidering her words. Finally, she spoke up.

"Gomen," she apologized simply as she began to walk beside Akebono once again.

"You may go get cleaned up if you wish. I'm sure you wish to be presentable when you meet with the humans of this world." Makoto blinked up confused at Akebono.

"How did you know... Can you read my mind or something?"

"No, no," Akebono chuckled lightly, "It's nothing like that, I assure you. When you live among as many females as I do, you begin to understand some of their ways. Although, I must admit, it doesn't happen very often that I am right about my intuition."

"Do you have a lot of sisters or something?" Makoto asked as she turned completely around and returned to kneel beside the stream. She cupped the cool, clear water in her hands, and let it run gently down her arms, scrubbing until all traces of blood were gone from her skin.

"No," Akebono replied, watching her intently as the tiny droplets of water shone like tears in the pale blue sunlight. "Dragons can only have one child. But my clan is like an extended family. My brethren are my brothers and sisters." Akebono gave a throaty, long suffering sigh, "And, unfortunately, I seem to have more sisters than I have brothers."

Makoto appraised the dragon. His long, angular face was drawn and tight with sadness, and she knew immediately that the cause of it ran deeper than the fact that he was surrounded by female dragons. Slowly a sly smirk spread across her features, and with a well aimed flick of her wrist, she sent a stream of water flying towards Akebono with the intent of taking his mind off whatever ghosts were haunting him. It was not long before Akebono found himself sputtering as the well aimed splash of cool water met its mark. Makoto smirked, her mission accomplished. Akebono was looking at her with a look of pure, unadulterated shock, the distant look gone from his face and caring eyes. The look of shock was slowly replaced by an evil grin, and Makoto found herself gulping unconsciously. Grinning wickedly, he stepped towards the spring. Eyes wide, Makoto leapt up quickly and raced into the woods the way they had been going. She heard Akebono's indignant cry, but did not dare stop to see if he was giving chase. She ran headlong into the forest, unsure exactly which way she was headed, but her only thought was to escape the laughing threats of a wet death coming from the swiftly approaching figure following her. Makoto gave a small whoop of victory as she saw a patch of unusually thick mist barring the path in front of her. She knew that there was no way she would be able to outrun Akebono's gigantic stride much longer, even if he did have to move trees out of his way before continuing. The mist, however, would be the perfect place to hide and ambush him. She paused only briefly in front of the large patch of mist, eyeing it cautiously and remembering the mist that had started this mess. Holding her head high, however, she stepped into the swirling gray moisture, and felt herself falling.

* * *

The mist danced around her, embracing her and pulling her, before parting. It revealed a stone room of an enormous dining hall in what could only be a castle. Rich, colorful tapestries adorned the walls and a long banquet table with high backed, hand carved wooden chairs were placed around it.

"The mists are restless. The distance grows between the Holy Isle and the Isle of the Priests." Makoto whipped around quickly searching for the speaker. Her eyes fell on a trio, one elder man, and two younger women. They appeared to be in a heated debate and Makoto wondered if that was why they had yet to notice her. Makoto stepped cautiously from the mist that clung to her body, dampening her hair and dress and plastering them both to her head and body.

"Hello? Can-"

"What do you mean the distance grows, they are both the same place." Makoto was cut off abruptly as the three people continued talking as though she didn't exist, and Makoto began to wonder if that was possible. The mist still floated around her following her, and while it did not necessarily hide her body from view, this was no normal mist. She had discovered that first hand. Makoto could not help but wonder if this mist was magical in some way.

"Not quite Igraine," spoke the eldest one of the group, and the only man. "You are a daughter of the Holy Isle, you should know better than most that the two are very different." He had a long white beard and tangled white hair that reached his mid-back, a kind, elderly face, lined with wrinkles, and worn gnarled hands clasped lightly in his lap. But perhaps the feature that stuck out the most was his clothes. They were identical to the robes the man who had been attacking in the park was wearing. Everything down to the flowing pattern, billowed sleeves, crushed velvet material, and dark blue dye was the same. Makoto's eyes widened in surprise and she turned quickly attempting to fight her way back through the mist only to see the other side of the room through the cloud of mist she had just walked through. She wasted no time in cursing herself, both for being lost in another strange world and for attempting to run away.

I should be bashing that guy's brains in for what he did to my friends and here I am running away like a coward. Anger flashing in her eyes, she moved with long, purposeful strides towards the man, but stopped immediately when one of the two women, the one that had not been addressed by the robed man turned and stared straight into her eyes. That was when the voice sounded in her head.

::Calm yourself, child::

Makoto quietly seethed. Why does everyone automatically assume I am a child?

::Because you have much to learn yet, although, I must admit, your mind is far older than your body. You will age much in the days to come. But I will not call you an adult until you justly deserve to be called one:: While Makoto attempted to puzzle through that statement, the woman who had been addressed early answered in a tight, pinched voice.

"You know well enough, Merlin, that I long ago gave up my heritage as a daughter of the Holy Isle, I remember nothing of my time there, nor do I care to ever remember it either." Makoto watched, fascinated. She had heard about Merlin once in her English class, they had been studying mythology, and he had come up in association with old English legends. Supposedly he had been a wizard and advisor to King Arthur. But wasn't he supposed to be sealed inside a crystal cave? Could I possibly be seeing the past?

"Yes, Igraine, sister, he knows that as well as I do, but you must be made to understand this." It was the other woman who spoke now, the same one who had stared right at Makoto. Makoto found it hard to believe that the two were sisters, she had never seen two more different people. Where Igraine was short and average, not overly large, but not thin either, her sister was tall and slim. She looked fragile as though a single touch would break her, but her presence in the room commanded immediate respect, awe, and a slight twinge of fear. Igraine, however, appeared strong as though used to hard work, but her demeanor was reserved, submissive, and subservient. Igraine also had straight dark brown hair hidden behind a veil. Her sister, on the other hand, had long curly blonde hair, reaching well past her back and falling unbound on her shoulders. Their clothes were also opposing. Igraine's was dyed in a dark purple, with silver trimmings and tassels, and the skirt sunk straight to the floor. Her sibling's dress was made of flowing white silk, spilling over the arms of the high-backed chair she sat in to lightly skim the floor. Coupled with the gold embroidery and flowing locks of golden blonde hair, the mystery woman looked the part of an angel, while Igraine, although not quite looking like a demon, did not appear pure in the same way her sister did.

"Yes, Igraine, as your sister says, you must listen to what we have to say. It does concern the old ways and the ways of the Holy Isle, your first and true home although you have forsaken it. People are forgetting the old ways, the Old Magic, and thus, so too is the Holy Isle being forgotten. It is drifting farther and farther away from the Isle of Priest and Glattonsbury Abby. Soon it shall be no more than a myth to the people of this world. The Holy Isle is drifting away from this plane of reality, the Gate will soon no longer exist. Our two worlds will forever be separated. That is where you come in Igraine, my dear."

"And if I refuse?" Igraine asked, arching a thin, dark eyebrow.

"You cannot refuse, it is your Fate, and besides, it has already happened." The gray bearded wizard was grinning now at his own brilliance.

"What is that suppose to mean?" It was obvious by the strain in Igraine's voice that her patience had almost left her.

"Simple, my dear, you know as well as I do that the man you slept with the other night was not your husband, even though they appeared identical in appearance. You know this because your husband was killed in battle earlier that morning. What you don't know, however¾"

"What did you do *wizard*!?" Igraine's patience had left her.

Merlin let out a great sigh. "You must understand Igraine, I did not do this in punishment for you leaving the Holy Isle, but I had no other choice. The people of Britain will only follow a man who had a valid claim to the throne of Britain. The old ways and the new ways must be united if our world is to remain connected to this world. That is why I agreed to disguise Uther Pendragon as your husband and fufill his desire to bed you." Merlin quickly held up a hand to forestall any of Igraine's protests. His eyes were hard and his face was no longer that of a kind, elderly man. He radiated power, and demanded respect with a simple gesture of his hand. Makoto found herself quieting her breath in an effort to not anger him with her presence even though before now, he gave no indication that he had even noticed her standing there. "It had to be done, and I am sorry for that. You are with child. And your child shall grow to be King of all of Britain. I will help to guide him along his path, but he will be good-hearted and will not need my guidance, merely my wisdom. He is the son of Uther Pendragon and a daughter of the Holy Isle; he will rule justly and fairly; he will unite Britain. But most importantly, he will save the Holy Isle from fading in oblivion. Of course he will not be able to save the Holy Isle completely, but the gateway will be preserved elsewhere. It shall be everywhere and nowhere. It will exist, but no one will know it does. No one, that is, except for a select few, and it will be those few who guard and protect the gateway. It will be those few who also have the power to call the gateway into existance..." Merlin paused briefly, and it was obvious to Makoto that his next words held grave importance. "The Holy Isle will disappear, but the gateway it housed will be free, and it can be called from anywhere then, not only in Britain. Fate has dealt you an important part in the upcoming events, but do not worry Igraine. It is merely your blood that is needed in our future king. He alone will be the one who rescues our worlds."

"Listen to him Sister... Igraine... you cannot go against Fate. You shall bear this child. He will be Britain's, as well as our world's, savior. He will be the Once and Future King. He will be King Arthur, King of all of Britain, and Son of the Holy Isle. Please Sister, you must understand. This is your Fate, you cannot avoid it." The woman watched her sister for a long moment before sighing. "I believe it is time I take my leave. I bid you farewell for now Sister... and I wish you luck." Then, without so much as a single sound, Igraine's sister stood and began to walk towards the large stone doorway. Merlin stood as well, bowing politely to Igraine and then began to follow his companion out the door. However, she paused for a brief second and turned, her eyes landing briefly on Igraine before traveling to Makoto and looking her straight in the eye. Merlin turned as well and his eyes widened in surprise as he saw her for the first time. Igraine turned as well to see what has interested Merlin and her sister so, but she merely wore a look of confusion as she looked at the spot Makoto was standing on, and Makoto realized that Igraine could not see her.

::Take care, child, for soon you shall have to grow into womanhood all too soon. Always keep your innocence, child, and it shall lead you down the correct path. Look deep inside yourself for your power, and you shall find the strength to both protect and to love. Do not be in such a hurry to age, child. You shall find that when you are no longer a child, it is the one thing that you wish you could be again::

Merlin was watching her with a critical eye now, as though apraising her value. Then, upon finding what he was looking for, he smiled, albeit rather sadly. "Heed well her words, for those who are granted wisdom and advise from the Lady of the Lake, do well to follow it. I wish you a happy ending." Abruptly turning on heel, the two left the room swiftly, dress and robes billowing out behind their retreating backs.

* * *

Slowly the mist began to encroach on Makoto's vision, and she once again found herself falling. Only now, although she could not explain it, she was falling upwards. The mist parted slowly as she landed on hard ground and her knees buckled beneath her. When she finally regained her sense of balance and stood, she found Akebono's pale blue eyes boring into her own. A look of wide-eyed surprise and sudden respect filled his eyes.

"Perhaps," he began slowly, his head tilted in thought, "You are not as much of a child as I had thought." He turned and continued walking, his giant body and powerful limbs bending trunks where the gap in the trees was not big enough for him to fit through and twisting fluidly around larger spaces inbetween trees, looking serpentine in his movements. "You are definitely a unique human Mako-chan. You should feel priveleged. Enmu does not favor many humans, and to give you a piece of his history like that..." Akebono paused apparently searching for the right words. "It is a way of saying you are worthy, and to be thought of as worthy by Enmu, is to be worthy of this world."

Makoto could not see his face, but she was fairly sure she heard relief in his words, and a small amount of pride, although she was not sure why. "Enmu... Japanese for mist... Is Enmu... alive?"

Akebono stopped for a moment and turned to face her. "Enmu is the earliest form of magic, this mist is simply the physical form he decided to take."

"He?" Makoto asked, a playful note in her voice, "How do you know Enmu isn't a she?"

Akebono chuckled lightly. "Enmu can be either male or female, it depends on what you believe him to be." Noticing that Makoto was staring at him oddly, he asked her a question. "Do you even know what the earliest form of magic is?" Seeing the blank look on Makoto's face he continued, "Maboroshi. The powers of illusion, dreams, and phantasms are magic's earliest forms. They do not take much energy to create because they are not real, but because whoever sees the illusion believes it to be real, it becomes real. That is how Enmu was created. At first Enmu was an illusion, but because it was believed he was real, he became real. It is because of Enmu that this world exists. This is where magic was born, this is where Enmu was born, this is where magic is at its strongest, this is where illusions becomes reality." They walked in silence for a long time after Akebono had spoken with Makoto attempting to understand everything Akebono had just said. "Do not worry too much about understanding illusions or Enmu." Akebono words broke into Makoto's musings. "Enmu has marked you as worthy, as I said before. You may not understand now, but Enmu will not leave one he deems worthy in the dark. You may not realize what he is now, but by the time he's done with you, you'll have wished you weren't worthy." This last sentence sent Akebono into a fit of laughter.

Makoto snorted lightly at him. "You make it sound as though being worthy is a bad thing. I bet you're just jealous. But I really don't know how I'll ever understand anything that *she* tells me. Basically the jist I got was that Enmu is an illusion, but because no one thought *she* was an illusion *she* became real, then *she* created the illusions and this world in which *she* was created. Is that right?"

"That's exactly right, I'm impressed." Makoto wasted no time in facefaulting, anime style.

"What do you mean that's exactly right!? I have no idea what I just said. It doesn't even make sense."

"Enmu is an illusion," Akebono said matter-of-factly, "It's not suppose to make any sense, if it did, it wouldn't be an illusion. Besides, Enmu was created before the dawning of time, which is a magic in itself, so Enmu did not have to follow the normal rules of time that apply today, simply because they did not apply then. Time could not occur linearly before it was even created."

"But Enmu was born before he was created," Makoto retorted, her frustration quickly turning into anger.

"Like I said, Enmu is the first magic, it follows no rules because it created the rules, Time was created after Enmu, therefore, it was ordered and patterned, it followed rules, Enmu, however... Ah!" Akebono said suddenly, eyes brightening and his pace quickening, "Here we are, a field, perfect."

Makoto followed Akebono out of the forest and stepped blinking into the sun. Surrounding her was a sea of grass, waving and bending like waves all around her.

"Now," Akebono said, craning his neck so that his head was facing Makoto, and his body was perpendicular to her. "Climb on."

"You have got to be kidding me!" Makoto cried out.

Simply smiling, Akebono bent his knees and kneeled in front of her. "Trust me, Mako-chan. I would never hurt you." Makoto stared upwards into his eyes, drowing in their azure depths before cautiously reaching out a tentative hand and pulling her weight onto his bent forearm. Akebono laughed at her delicate movements. "You do not have to be afraid of harming me. Dragon hides are far tougher than they appear."

Sending one last glance towards Akebono's reassuring eyes, Makoto pulled herself onto his back settling into a groove inbetween two of his back ridges. "Okay, one last suggestion... hold on!" Before Makoto could comment, Akebono rose into the air with a great sweep of his mighty wings. Makoto squealed excitedly before looking down and clutching onto his neck for dear life.

"I don't think I ever told you this," she began laborously, her breath having left her, "but I really don't like to fly. It brings back bad memories."

"Didn't I tell you to trust me? Well? Do you?"

Makoto paused for the briefest of moments, and then answered. "Yes, I don't know why exactly, but I trust you."

"Perhaps it was because I saved you from certain death." Akebono suggested mildly, a hint of teasing in his voice.

"Naw," Makoto replied jokingly, "That couldn't be it."

"Well then, *child*" Akebono said, making sure to emphasize the word, "what is it?"

Makoto abruptly changed the subject, for some reason afraid of what she might say in answer. "There you go with the child again. Hey! You know, you never did tell me how old you are. You don't sound any older than twenty-six, thirty at the most. That's not all that big of an age difference inbetween us. So what right do you have to call me a child?"

Akebono smiled broadly, rows of fangs and teeth visible in the gleam of the blue sun. To Makoto it looked as though he was hiding some sort of valuable secret. "No," he began, "I am much older than you."

"Oh really," Makoto challenged, "Well exactly how old are you?"

"I just turned 326 last month. You were off by a few centuries. Oh, by the way, dragons live a tad bit longer than humans."

Makoto's jaw dropped straight down.

Akebono began to laugh so hard that he almost unseated Makoto. When he finally got his chuckles under control, he told Makoto one last thing. "You might want to close your mouth, Mako-chan, don't want to catch any flies."

Makoto's jaw snapped shut, he might have simply been teasing her, but with her flying high above the trees at a rapid pace, the possibility of a bug actually flying into her mouth was all too real.

* * *

Makoto enjoyed the rest of her ride atop of Akebono in silence, enjoying the wind as it swept her hair backwards and made her dress billow lightly behind her, although she still had no idea of why she was wearing a dress. At the moment, however, it did not matter. She was content to merely feel the wind caress her face and marvel at the display of power. It took her breathe away to watch from above and look down on the forest of neverending green. It stretched as far as the eye could see, rolling gently over hills and dropping away to disappear in the horizon with the pale blue sun hanging in the sky and illuminating in soft shadows the foliage carpeting the ground.

With each powerful downward thrust of Akebono's great, leathery wings, Makoto felt her body soar forward, then drift lazily downwards before another wing beat brought her back among the clouds. Trailing a hand through the white moisture surrounding her, she leaned forward, bending at the waist and wrapping her other slender arm around Akebono's neck, laughing merrily in sheer joy and happiness. Akebono dove sharply in surprise before leveling out again and craning his lengthy neck around to look at her. He tiltled his head in question before allowing his lips to curl into a smile, revealing rows of fangs, and yet his eyes still shone compassionately at her, softening the gleaming of his teeth with the warm glow of his cerulean orbs, perfectly mirroring the color of the sun. Makoto straightened and ran a gentle hand down Akebono's silver scales, lightly teasing his neck before turning her face upwards, closing her eyes, and smiling shyly into the wind. She angled her face towards him again, her soft smile still on her face.

"I want to thank you, Akebono-kun," she began softly, "For saving me, caring for me," she paused for a brief moment, before smiling teasingly and adding, "Putting up with me... but most of all, I want to thank you for... for..." She trailed off, unsure how to finish her sentence. Then, without warning she leaned forward again and reached up as far along his neck as she could before planting a swift, gentle kiss on the shimmering, dimond-shaped silver scales. "Arigatou, Akebono-kun, for everything."

She felt a slight tensing of the muscles in his wings and shoulder blades and held her breath as she waited for his reply.

"We are almost there," he said, his voice deeper than it normally was, sounding like dark, rumbling thunder, "Best hold on tightly, a castle isn't the best spot for a landing, there's not a lot of room."

She did not know exactly what she had been expecting him to say, but that had certainly not been it.

She no longer had time to contemplate it as Akebono fell sharply. The castle suddenly rose up to great them, jutting from among the encroaching forest like a rocky outcropping in a grassy field. Its dark stone walls stood ominously tall under the pale blue sun, casting black, evening shadows on the surrounding trees and vegetation. The courtyard the two were flying towards was covered in shadows, and Makoto could not make out any details of the inner part of the medieval castle. Underneath her, Akebono slowed the powerful beating of his wings, and the two descended in slow, jerky movements. When they were still several feet above the ground, she could make out the scurrying figures of people below. Some were moving out of the way of Akebono as he landed, not that she could blame them, but more than anything, she noticed the large group of girls running towards them in flowing dresses, one man leading them dressed in the same type of robes she had seen in the park and in her vision earlier in the day, and finally another man dressed in armor and a flowing cape attempted to keep pace with the frantic girls in front of him. Akebono now hovered only a few inches above the ground. Then, with another, slow, sweeping beat of his wings, he alighted gently on the grassy knoll that made up the center of the courtyard inside the castle walls. The gust from the backsweep of his wings made the running figures momentarily pause before continuing towards the towering dragon standing before them. Akebono bowed and extended his forearm for Makoto to climb down on. She slid gracefully down the smooth, silver scaled sides of the monolith and onto the ground. As soon as her feet hit the grass, she was swept into a mass hug of sobbing friends.

"Oh, Mako-chan, you're alright. I was so worried." The young blond princess sobbed into the taller girl's shoulder.

"Usagi-chan! Oh, hai, I'm fine, Akebono-kun helped me to get out of the forest and to the nearest castle. I had no idea all of you would be here as well."

"Akebono... *-kun*?! Oh, Mako-chan not even gone for an entire day and already she's met a guy." Minako winked slyly at Makoto before turning in a complete circle, attempting to discreetly look for the mystery man but failing miserably.

Makoto let out a contented sigh, happy to have her friends with her again. "Mina-chan!" Makoto cried out attempting to catch the blonde's attention. Blinking Minako looked at her friend waiting to see what she had to say. "Akebono-kun is right in front of you."

"Huh?!" cried Minako, once again looking frantically, "Where?! Where?! Where's the bishonen? You always have such good taste in men. I want to see this one."

A deep rumbling sound, resembling thunder echoed around the courtyard and bounced off the stone walls. "I should think that I'm a fairly hard figure to miss," stated Akebono amused.

"Oh my..." whispered Ami. She took an involuntary step backwards, followed by the rest of the inner and outer senshi except for Makoto and Usagi.

Usagi stared wide-eyed at the massive beast towering high above her, and had it not been for Makoto's restraining hand on her arm, she would have been cowering behind the rest of the senshi.

"It's alright," Makoto assured them, "This is Akebono, he protected me from a creature in the forest and helped to get me to this castle."

"Mako-chan," Rei cried out from behind her, "Do you have any idea what that is?"

"Hai," Makoto replied with a large smile stretching the measure of her face, "I'm fairly sure that's a dragon, but of course since I've never seen one before, I can't be positive."

"I thought it was normally Haruka's job to make facetious jokes during a serious moment," Rei retorted snappishly.

"I assure you I mean no harm." Akebono told them, the corners of his mouth curling slightly, but he was careful not to show the rows of teeth in his mouth.

"He... he *talked*!" Usagi screeched, backpedaling quickly from Makoto's grasp.

"You'd think she'd be used to talking animals by now, what with Luna and all," commented Haruka while she stepped forward, ready to guard her princess with her life if the dragon attacked.

"And how do we know you won't hurt us?!" Rei cried out, craning her neck so that she could look up at the dragon.

"Because he saved my life," Makoto whispered softly.

"Nani? What do you mean Mako-chan, what happened?" Usagi asked her senshi, her voice taking on a higher pitch of worry.

"I... I was attacked by a gryffin," Makoto paused for a moment, remembering the pain, the fear, and the utter helplessness she had felt when she had been attacked. "I was dying," Makoto admitted to her friends, "I still don't know how he did it, but he saved my life, brought me back from the very brink of death, and then brought me here, to you. I don't care if you don't trust him, but I owe him my life, and I would entrust my life to him again if necessary."

Usagi choked back the rest of her sobs but could not keep the tears from streaming down her face as she finally noticed the dried blood and tears in the fabric of Makoto's dress. "Oh, kami, Mako-chan, I... we didn't know, oh..." Usagi once again had Makoto in her arms, but this time it was the blonde who was offering solace to the brunette.

"Usagi..." Makoto sighed, glad to have her friends with her again. Ami looked extremely pale, looking at the amount of blood coating Makoto's dress. All her friends looked exceedingly worried, the shock of her return having worn off and the worry for their friend and fellow warrior replacing it.

"I should be going now, Mako-chan. It is time that I returned to my clan." The silver dragon spoke softly, his deep voice still echoing off the walls.

"Akebono-kun? But... Where are you going?" Makoto's voice had taken on a desperate, pleading note. She wasn't quite sure why, but she knew that she did not want Akebono to leave just yet. I haven't repaid him yet for everything he's done. I have to repay him first. That's the *only* reason I want him to stay, because he is a friend. She told herself vehemently.

"It was a pleasure having met you Mako-chan, but I'm afraid I must be going. My clan... my family, need me to return. Perhaps Fate will let our paths cross later in life. Until then Mako-chan, take care." He bunched his muscles together, then paused and turned towards the robed man who had led the senshi out the door and had not spoken a word since he arrived. "I ask that you care of these strangers in our land as though they were your own. Do you understand?" Akebono's voice had changed slightly when he addressed the man on the grass in front of him. His words were spoken forcefully and clipped as though he was forced to speak civily towards the man.

"Hai, Akebono-sama. It would be my pleasure to host these travellers from afar." The man replied in answer to the dragon, head bowed, eyes cast reverently on the ground, and a look of absolute humbleness crossing his features. When he addressed Akebono so formally and with so much respect, the senshi raised an eyebrow.

Akebono smiled and then gave what Ami could only assume was the traditional goodbye said in this place. "May Selene light your path in darkness and night."

"And may Enmu grant you the strength to follow it," the man continued where the dragon had ended, completing the farewell, his voice still low with humility. Akebono then wasted no time in spreading his gigantic wings to their maximum length and leaping into the air. Makoto stood watching him fly until the glint of his silver scales in the setting sun disappeared among the clouds. Slowly she turned to her friends and smiled, a genuine smile, glad to be with her friends again. However, the robed man cleared his throat and all attention was turned towards him.

"Forgive me for the rude treatment earlier, but we do not take kindly to strangers here. Besides until we knew your intentions, we could not simply allow you free run of the castle."

"What are you talking about?" Makoto asked curiously.

"He had us locked inside a room." Ami answered Makoto quickly before Rei or Haruka and their tempers became involved. Then upon seeing Makoto's temper about to flare, she amended. "It was a rather nice room..."

"When a dragon had been spotted, they were released from their room. Were you not? Simply because we do not appreciate strangers, does not mean we ill treat them or leave them to die." The man's old, sage voice broke through the haze of anger Makoto had been in upon hearing that her friends had been locked away like prisoners. She paused to listen as the old man continued to explain. "We believed that the dragon had been a Dark Brethren, but when he neared and we saw Akebono-sama, we halted the alarm."

"I don't understand." Makoto said, but it was obvious from the blank looks surrounding her that she was not the only one.

The man raised a gray eyebrow in surprise. "You mean to tell me that you were with a dragon for the better part of the day and still don't know about the Brethren?"

"Er... well... hai?" She ventured tentatively, before straightening up and explaining, "Akebono told me he would take me to the nearest human settlement and my questions could be answered there. He seemed to think that I would have an easier time understanding everything, if it came from a human."

"Perfectly understandable," the man replied, "Dragons do tend to talk over the heads of those outside their Brethren and clan."

"You lost me again."

"Oh, terribly sorry. I suppose I shall have to start at the beginning. Well first thing first. I believe some introductions are in order. My name is Toshinokou, and I am a Third Level Mage. Welcome, my friends, to the world beyond the gates of the Holy Isle, welcome to Avalon."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Author's Notes:

Translations:

Hajimemashite - Nice to meet you

Kirino Akebono - Dawning of the Mist

Enmu - mist, fog, haze

Maboroshi - dream, illusion, phantom

bishonen - pretty, handsome guy

Toshinokou - old man's wisdom (arch.)

The meaning of Akebono's name will play an important part later on, and hopefully become obvious as to why I chose it. I think the meaning of the Japanese words I used should be pretty self-explanatory, but if it's not, it shouldn't change the story too much not to know a couple words here and there. Otherwise, review and tell me what you think. Eighteen whole pages, whew! Glad that's out now. Oh yeah, and for some strange, unknown reason, the spell-check on my computer isn't working, go figure. So ignore any misspelled words, okay?