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

          No Place

   A Sailormoon Fanfiction
   by dejanatalis@aol.com

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

          For Loki

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


	"Artemis...where are we?"
	"I don't know, Luna."
	The landscape was both familiar and strange, as were the 
visitors' own bodies. The pair found themselves in their human forms, 
long bare arms and legs having taken the place of furry paws. For a 
moment Luna held her hands up in front of her face and simply studied 
them, her eyes tracing each slender finger and manicured nail. It had 
been a long time since she was last out of her feline form.
	Artemis took a few experimental steps forward, swiftly 
remembering how to balance on two feet and acclamating himself to the 
feeling of trousers over his legs and sleeves over his arms. It seemed 
so strange to see thin white cloth covering his body instead of soft 
white fur.
	"What happened?" he asked his companion, his gaze focusing on the 
scene that surrounded them. "Is this a dream?"
	It certainly seemed one. Beneath their feet a pathway of small 
smooth stones stretched forward, meandering its way through the 
magnificent garden that was spread out before them. Long grasses 
interspersed with flowering plants waved in the breeze on either side 
of the path, extending as far as the eye could see into the trees. The 
trees themselves were tall with graceful branches that arched overhead, 
embracing one another in midair high above the walkway. The air was 
filled with a soft rustling as the wind swept through the branches, and 
a light storm of leaves and blossoms swirled around the two visitors.
	The colors of this place were strange. The leaves of the trees 
were green, but a pale green lighter than any foliage in Tokyo, and the 
flower petals ranged from electric blue to the vibrant red of an 
inferno. This was not Earth, and yet, somehow it felt just as familiar 
as the planet the two humanoid felines called home.
	Home...
	Just thinking the word brought a new surge of familiarity to the 
environment. Luna stepped forward, her head tilted back and her eyes 
drinking in as much of the sky's faint rosy tint as they could glimpse 
through the dancing leaves. The breeze sent the skirts of her yellow 
dress rippling, and as it swept through her dark hair it felt almost 
like a lover's caress. For a moment she closed her eyes, relishing the 
sensation, wishing it would never come to an end.
	After a few heartbeats she felt the weight of Artemis' arm around 
her waist.
	"Are you all right?"
	She nodded, bringing herself back to reality, opening her eyes 
and turning to smile at her companion's expression of concern. This 
place was so strange, and the mysterious familiarity it contained may 
have been almost frightening were it not for the presence of Artemis, a 
trusted and valued friend. With him supporting her, Luna felt she could 
brave any adventure, she could embrace any world.
	"I'm just...taking it all in. Remembering," she added, without 
knowing why she chose that particular word.
	"Remembering?" Artemis repeated, looking puzzled. Luna watched 
him for a moment as she had her hands. His human features were both 
alien and mundane, both familiar and strange. Like this place, like 
this moment. Although his expression was one of confusion, she could 
see in his eyes that he felt the same.
	"This place...is not unknown to me." Luna could not find a better 
way to explain it. Even her words were sounding strange, and at the 
same time, the formal language felt rather like an old habit 
resurfacing after a long absence. "It must be a dream."
	"Whose dream, then, is it?" Artemis questioned. "It feels as real 
to me as waking. Are we sharing our dreams?"
	"It would not be the first time," Luna replied with a small 
smile. "As friends and comrades, is there anything we hide from one 
another?"
	Artemis did not reply to this, but simply returned the smile as 
they began to walk together down the stone walkway, curiously eager to 
explore their surroundings. Their path led them around many twists and 
turns, but the scenery changed little, and it soon became apparent that 
this was not a garden but the natural flora of this place. Leaves 
crunched under their shoes as they moved beneath the archway of trees, 
pausing on occasion to remove stray flower petals from one another's 
hair. Before long the feeling of strangeness had all but left them, and 
their smiles were broad expressions of delight, of comfort and 
contentment.
	The road was long, but time passed as if in an instant, the 
journey made all the swifter by the presence of a companion. Before 
long, the trees thinned out, the path took them over a small rise, and 
a breathtaking landscape met their eyes.
	Rolling hills of waving grasses rippled away to the horizon, 
interrupted here and there by patches of elegant forest like the one 
they had just passed through. As the wind swept over the meadowlands, 
the rippling grass flashed gold and green in the warm sunshine pouring 
down from above. Wispy clusters of cloud sailed across the sky, casting 
thin shadows in a patchwork across the fields below. In the center of 
it all, on a flat hill, stood the city.
	It was more beautiful than any on Earth, its gently tinted 
structures a perfect compliment to the splendor of the environment that 
surrounded it. Sweeping towers accented by sculpture and elegant design 
stretched toward the sky, their details so pronounced that even from 
such a distance Luna and Artemis could discern the architect's intent. 
	The fine structures were surrounded by plainer, obviously more 
functional buildings, each with its own accents to prove the hand of 
the artist had designed it with equally loving care. Trees like the 
sort in the forests peeked through here and there among the walls, and 
on the grounds surrounding the city the grasses were tinted like a 
rainbow with fallen leaves and flower petals. 
	It was quite a sight, and at first glance both of the visitors 
knew as one where they were. Neither could remember later which of them 
spoke the word aloud, but it didn't matter; they both breathed it 
simultaneously with their hearts.
	"Mau."
	Luna felt her eyes brim with tears, the landscape before her 
becoming blurred as her heart swelled with joy and sorrow. She had 
never expected to see this place again, let alone stand on the ground 
of her home planet and be surrounded once more by its sights and scents 
and sounds. Beside her, Artemis tried to speak, and found he could not 
utter a single word.
	They stood silently on the edge of the forest for a long moment, 
just gazing upon the city and the world it symbolized, remembering the 
lives they had left behind. Memories that had been hazy with age and 
distorted by the cold sleep became crystal clear and as fresh as if 
they had been made yesterday. Thoughts of happy days filled their 
minds, images of blissful hours floating to the surface as if carried 
by the breeze.
	"Do you think we can go there?" Artemis asked at last, his voice 
hoarse, gazing upon the shining city with longing. Luna shook her head 
sadly. She was breathing this air, feeling this wind in her hair, 
smelling the perfume of these flowers...and yet, the scene before her 
was not quite tangible, like a mirage, a shadow seen through mist.
	"It's only a memory," she said quietly.
	Even so, neither of them could manage to turn their eyes away 
from the splendor of the past. This was a dream that would have to be 
left behind, but for now, just for this moment, they indulged in the 
comfort the image of history brought them.
	"We have many memories together, don't we, Luna?" Artemis let the 
scene before his eyes mingle with other images in his mind, thoughts of 
another lifetime, of more memories made in another place on another 
world. On Earth as on Mau, they had built their lives out of the 
experiences they shared.
	"We do." Memories were flying through Luna's mind as well, 
thoughts of a bond that had weakened in this lifetime rising to the 
forefront. A sad emptiness seeped into Luna's heart at this, an aching 
for that which had been and a knowledge that it might never be again. 
For a moment she tried to keep it to herself, but the sorrow had to be 
shared. 
	"There was a time when we were closer than we are now."
	"No." The city shone brightly in the sun, as real in this fantasy 
as it had ever been in life. Artemis blinked in its shining brilliance, 
but did not look away, determined to fix the image of Mau's long-lost 
glory in his mind forever. "As long as we have our memories, we will 
always be as close," he said. "As long as we remember, this place will 
always be real, as near as the next breath, as bright as the next 
sunrise."
	The truth of those words could not be denied. A single tear 
slipped down Luna's cheek, but she smiled.
	As the world surrounding them darkened, the dream approaching its 
end, Luna and Artemis reached across the distance that separated them 
to clasp one another's hands. By their pasts they were bound together 
as partners, companions, friends through whatever the future would 
bring them. No time, act, word, or event could ever change that, no 
matter how many cities fell or worlds were destroyed. The past was 
past; this chapter of their lives was at an end...but perhaps the best 
was yet to come.


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

           The End

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

"No Place" fanfiction copyright 2006 by dejanatalis@aol.com
Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon and its associated characters and canon 
belong to Naoko Takeuchi and Kodansha. The text of this creative work 
was created by dejanatalis@aol.com and is her exclusive property. Not 
to be used without permission.  Sailor Moon Says: Don't steal! ^.^