The man in the long red robes started to walk slowly and silently down the wall. Everyone was led through plains and grasslands, and finally, as if out of nowhere, there was a small house designed in ancient Chinese style with a doormat with a pair of blue shoes on it. "O Aged One...they have arrived." the man spoke in the direction of the door. "Yes, my faithful Messenger. You have served well." The one called Messenger bowed and quickly left. "Come in, there is room for all." said an old, cracking voice from within. Rei was the first to step through the door. She saw an old man who looked much like her own grandfather, but with a mess of grey hair under his chin and dark with strong features. Although obviously extremely old, there was a strange presence of youth around him as if some unknown power was keeping him young forever while his body aged on. The ancient man squinted though narrow eyes as he spoke. "Ahhh..the prophecy shall be fulfilled and the future saved from devastation." the man smiled slightly. "Only when the nine daughters from the future return to their Originator, will the future be restored and the evils cast from them." he recited the old prophecy he had kept in his memory for centuries. "Daughters, Sir? Are you referring to us?" Ami asked. "Yes, yes. Daughters indeed. Of course, not by blood or relation, but of spirit and fate. You see, many millenia ago, before the Earth was made, and many ages before you or your mothers or grandmothers existed, there were five men created by the Creator to be the five Originators." Before he could go on, Usagi interrupted, "Sorry, but I have no idea what you are talking about." "Oh course you do not, young Rabbit. You know of nobody to tell you these things. Anyways, these five Originators were made of the five points of the star-shaped figure. The top point's Originator was the one who created the Kings and Queens. This includes Queen Selenity and such. I have the left point of the star, being the Originator of the Daughters, of which you are the Daughters. On the right side was the Originator of the Sons. He created the princes of your home planets. The lower two points were made of the Originator of the Guardians, on the right side, and the Originator of Dark and Evil for the left side." "Why would anyone want to make evil?" Minako asked. "To create a balance in the universe's energy. If there is too much good energy, the universe cannot hold it and will collapse. But you do not need to worry, there will always be evil in some part of some galaxy to keep the balance." "So..ultimately, YOU are the one who created all of us?" Ami asked, stunned. "That is correct. When the Creator made the planets, she ordered us to create princesses and guardians for those planets to defend them." he explained. Why have you summoned us here?" Hotaru's monotonous voice was cold and icy as her blank eyes brought shivers to everyone's spine, but the old man only smiled. "In the prophecy, it says that the evils will be cast from you. I am the only one with that ability, and that is the only reason why I exist still...to heal all of you is my final destiny. Once the act is finished, I will die and be taken back to my home at the beginning of time." "What are you talking about? We are not evil!!" Usagi almost yelled at the Originator. "I know that you are not evil. You have been possesed by spirits that weaken your mentalities and implant doubt in your minds, which has already happened. The ones who have possesed you are the Solitaries. Although of one unified group, the people work alone for a single purpose which is to destroy all that is good. We, being Originators did not have the power to destroy, only to create, therefore not being able to destroy the Solitaries when they were created. We created the Ultimate Confinement to keep them from wreaking havoc on the universe." he told Usagi calmly. "But...one of you is missing. Where is the one from Neptune?" he asked, realizing that Michiru was not present. "She's dead." Hakura said, not moving her stare from the floor. "No she isn't!" Rei argued, thinking back at the Deep Aqua Mirror that was still in existance. "Her soul is just gone." "Such misfortune have I expected...one has already been taked to the Garden." The one man shook his head. "The Solitaries have already determined your location and will not cease trying to bring you to the Timeless Garden. You must never be lazy and always stay alert lest you be taken into the Garden as well. Once in the Garden, time will stop for those trapped there, and they may be in the Garden for eternity and never know it. But first, you must be healed." the Originator warned the senshi about the upcoming challenges and hardships. He walked into a small side room that smelled of sweet incense, and the smoke could be seen from afar, curling and writhing about in the forms of dragons and snakes. "Tsukino Usagi, Princess, leader of the Sailor Senshi, you must be healed first." He did not look back to see if she followed him or not, and Usagi was compelled to follow him without hesitation. "Young Rabbit, I remember the day I was told to create a princess to be the daughter of the great Queen Selenity. I formed you in the image of your mother, with beauty and great love. But I see the love within your heart has become tarnished and your mind distracted." He motioned to a small circle outlined by a dull light on the ground for her to sit on. "It is prophecized that you will be overcome by a spirit of sorrow and the burdens of life will seem too great for you to handle." Usagi thought about what he had just said. It was all true, because of Mamoru going away, she had become sad day and night, and the pressures of college were too great for her, creating a burden almost unbearable for Usagi. "You have also been possesed with doubt that you are not powerful enough to face a new and extremely strong enemy." The aged man pulled out an old dusty book from the shelf beside him and blew the dust off the cover. He flipped the crumbling pages, stopping at a page with a small cluster of words in the center. The page was intricately designed with pictures of planets and stars. "Close your eyes and concentrate on these words." He started to read out of the great book, "Lights of a thousand stars do not make one moon." As soon as the words were finished, she saw many bright lights, and herself standing on the face of the moon. The moon seemed dull and grey, but the stars so bright and shimmering with light. Then her veiw of the scene was changed, and she could see the moon clearly, with a brightness hundreds of times greater than that of the distant stars. The silver light of the moon washed over her, and a new feeling of great joy was upon her. She opened her eyes and saw the man sitting in the wooden chair coughing a little. "Send in the next senshi." he commanded her. Usagi promptly rose from her stting position and walked out of the room. She looked around at the girls, and Haruka caught her eye, depressed and blank emotion in her eyes. "Haruka must be healed next. She is too depressed for her own good." Usagi thought. "Haruka, you're next." At Usagi's words, she got up and slowly walked to the room and sat down in the circle of light. "Sky senshi, it is said that you shall be with great burden when you return from the future." "Burden?" she thought. Then, memories and vivid pictures flooded her mind. Michiru, lying in the bed, eyes dark and blank. Her mind screaming for her to come back and her blind hope of Michiru waking up from nothing but a deep sleep. Haruka felt a pain through her heart as she remembered these things. "No!! Michiru! Why did you have to remind me, you accursed old man!!!!" Haruka ran out of the room, tears in her eyes, her memory now refreshed of the dead Michiru. Fire flashed in her eyes and she told Ami to go in instead of her for she hated the man for bringing back hurt into her life. Ami walked in, a bit scared at what the man had done to Haruka and wondering if she also would become angry and violent like Haruka in the room beside her. The Originator pointed to the circle on the ground. She sat, assuming that that was what the man wanted her to do. "Now, you are Mizuno Ami, the friend of water and you have been possesed of a spirit of paranoia." Ami grimaced as she pictured the girl at her new college, popular and pretty, but what mattered to Ami, was that she was a genius. Ami had always been the top student at every school she attended, but now her score had been beaten two times by this girl who chose to compete against her. "Close your eyes." he instructed Sailor Mercury. Flipping a few pages farther in the book in his hands, there was one page as if specially made for Ami with designs of ice and crystals for a border that looked so realistic, one would want to reach out and touch it to check if it was not really just a picture. "Three feet of ice...not frozen in one day. Ami, your great knowledge and intelligence cannot be overwhelmed in a short period of time." The man waved his old hand across the Ice Page and shut his eyes also. Ami received a picture in her head of her self as a small, delicate pond only a few feet deep, but surrounded by cold harsh winds and icy snow. "Oh, no!" she thought as she felt herself start to freeze over and become nothing but a block of ice that is no longer able to do anything. But as she looked up to watch her fate, only a thin layer of the pond was frozen. The ice started to crack the instant she looked up at it, and Sailor Mercury in a different form emerged from the pond and the shattered pieces of ice fell upon her in great fury, but rather than cutting and injuring her, they absorbed into her body and created a clear blue aura around her. Her mind now knew that the healing was finished, and she stood up from her seat and opened her eyes to see the old man caughing and breathlessly telling her to send in the next one to be healed. Ami walked outside, looking back at her Originator, now with new respect, and pitying him in his weak state. She looked around the main room at the senshi who were all depressed or careless, and looking down at the floor in despair. The sight of her friends like this almost brought tears to her blue eyes, but one girl seemed exceptionally hurt. Minako, one of her closest friends whom she rarely ever saw sad, was sitting cross-legged, her finger swirling at the ground, sad eyes fixed in one place. She looked as if some tragic event had befalled her. "Minako-chan, you can go in next." Ami told her quietly to hide her broken voice. Minako rose and mindlessly went through the red curtains to where the old man sat waiting. "Love and Beauty...Sailor Venus, your love has been shadowed by sorrow." Minako waited for him to continue, she knew exactly what he was talking about, and although she did not want to think about Kotebe's betrayal, she knew she still loved her as her best friend for four years now. Minako blinked hard, fighting back the years welling up in her eyes. "Now, close your eyes so the healing process may begin." the Originator's gnarled hands carefully turned to the Love Page, which was lined with yellow hearts with a large picture of the planet Venus in the center in a faded orange color. OVer the picture, in dark writing was "Hide your offended heart, keep your valued friend." The old man seemed to scoop out the energy from the book and aim it at Minako. Glittering beams of light came from his hand and to Minako as he said, "You anger you must never express, and bitter you must never become." Sailor Venus saw Kotebe in her mind, her face creased with worry and looking back resentfully at something. "What is she looking at?" Minako thought. Then she caught a glimpse of her own blond hair. "Huh?" she thought. Now her own face was clear, tears dripping down her face and she was running down the walkway with every bit of strength she had. "Is this what really happened? I thought she didn't care anymore..." Minako pondered as she smiled, now knowing that Koteve still cared about her. The flitternig light encircled her, and an orange aura almost lifted her off the ground. She opened her eyes, happiness dancing across them, and stood. Her Originator was gasping for breath, and his voice was starting to fail him. "Get the next...senshi..." He said, coughing an airy and empty cough. Minako went straight to Makoto, who was sitting on the floor, knees held to her chest. "Mako-chan, it's your turn now." Minako took a second glance at Haruka, blind rage apparant in her usually clear eyes. Sailor Jupiter was healed by the Thunder Page, white lightning bolts extruding from the senter, which read, "To move a tree, dig under the root." The Originator told Minako, "Concentrate." Makoto was hit by nine bolts of lightning, all different colors, then green and white light surrounded her. She saw a huge tree anidst a dark sky. Then, three large men started to push the tree and hack at it with sharpened axes, but to no avail. Thunder and lightning flashed everywhere, shocking the men and resoring the large oak tree, also reviving Makoto who now felt refreshed and strangely different. She walked out and called in Hotaru who was the first to catch her attention. The Originator was now coughing violently, and was panting. Hotaru slowly walked into the small room and looked straight forward, sitting without a word or thought. The man chuckled, "The Firefly of Death..." Then, suddenly, the man's face switched over into a concerned and pained expression. "I'm so sorry...I had to make you...so weak...Close your eyes, Hotaru" Hotaru did not obey her Originator and just stared forward, emotionless, blank. "Very well." He sighed and flipped pages in the great Book to a page of rich black with delicate silver writing which he read aloud to Hotaru, "The messemger of death enters, and all business stops." The man seemed to be aging as the minutes passed by, and he closed his drooping eyes and lowered his head., silver energy streaming down to the page, illuminating the book. He then gathered the energy in his palm and let it flow towards Hotaru who's dark purple eyes were wide with fear but remained unmoving. She gasped as she realized that the man's life energy was being drained by her. Although she tried to resist, the force was much too powerful for her own. She then tried with all her might to move out of the way, but found her legs locked and unable to move. Defeated, a large, single tear fell down her cheek as she felt her life returning to her. She closed her eyes in order to hide from the horrid sight. As soon as darkness flooded her vision, silver light enveloped her and she saw a small fairy-like creature who smiled sweetly at her. "The world needs you, Tomoe Hotaru, my daughter..." "MOTHER?!?!?!" Hotaru's thoughts whirled in confusion. She had always believed that her mother had died during childbirth, too weak to bear the immense pain. But when she looked back, her mother was gone, the Fairy Queen of Pluto, who fluttered away in an eye's single blink. Shimmering black and silver light enveloped Sailor Pluto, healing and raising her to her feet. Then she felt an extra burst of energy which strengthened her mind, making her mentality sronger. The light flickered and faded away, the Originator bent over in his chair, ond hand on his head, eyes scrunched up in pain as he tried to breathe. Hotaru knew what to do, she did not want to bother the man by making him talk. She walked out, looking back at the man who was near death. "Haru..." She started. "No" she thought "What if she reacts the same way as before?" Hotaru shuddered at the frightening scene Haruka had made, screaming and insaneness flickering in her eyes. "Haruka...go next." Hotaru said cautiosly as she looked deep into Haruka's face. Surprisingly, Haruka stood and went into the room without hesitation. "Are you ready this time...Sky Senshi?" Haruka nodded and concentrated on the man's words. "Heaven gave you a soul, earth will lend you a grave." with a heavy sigh, he continued, "Haruka, you keep the souls of the senshi together, without your power, the senshi will fall apart and become near powerless. Haruka's short hair flew backwards as she was hit with gold energy. When the shimmer reached her mind, she saw herself on Uranus as a Queen, using her powers to create beings and give them life. As they all aged, they died off, one by one. Although Haruka ran to save each life, she did not have the ability to, but when the last one died, the souls of the dead fluttered upward, angelic figures illuminating the dark starless night. Queen Uranus smiled as she released the souls to eternity and in turn, they bursted with cool gold light which healed Haruka who became well instantaneously. "Thank you..." she whispered as she felt the burden of her sorrow lifted from her heart. Haruka rose and walked out to Setsuna. "Setsuna, you can go now." She walked in shaking her head. "Sailor Saturn...possesor of Chronos' power...regret...is not always...the best way...to help the lost." the Originatorwheezed and gulped down air as he spoke. Setsuna's eyes met the man's and looked as if about to speak, but she quickly put her head down and thought, "It's no use..I don't care what this old man has to say. Michiru's disappearance is still MY fault!" She yelled at herself inside her head, constant battles raging in her mind, and she shut her eyes tightly and tried to think of something else, but flashes kept coming back. Then, the violence in her mind was soothed and calmed by the man's voice. "An inch of gold cannot purchase an inch of time." He read from the black page decorated with green swirls. "Setsuna, there is nothing you can do about things that are past. What has been done, has been done." Setsuna suddenly found herself on a long mountain road climbing up towards something unknown to her. She looked at her friend, just a few feet away, who had fallen, unable to go further, but found she could not go back. Franticly, she used her Time Staff to rewind time, but it seemed to be powerless. As Setsuna kneeled and sobbed, a bolt of power struck down at her friend, lifting her to the top of the mountain. The power traveled up the road and encircled Setsuna who rose with determination to reach the top. Her eyes flew open, now enlightened andbright. She left the room to get Rei, the last senshi present to recieve healing. "Rei-chan" she tipped her head towards the entrance and Sailor Mars wtood and the man welcomed her. "Fire senshi...your healing...already started..." he took a deep breathe and continued. "I healed you...in your dreams...but not finished yet." Rei and the man both shut their eyes and Rei began to receive healing. Fire burst in front of her face, and she smiled at the warmth of the flames. Far off in the distance, she saw great flooeds rushing at the fire. Rei stood, watching the flames close in on her, but to her surprise, the waters stopped and the heat of the fire remained. "Far waters cannot quench near fires." said an old raspy voice. Sailor Mars was not fully healed, and the Originator's chest was heaving, his lungs no longer working efficiently. She called for Usagi and together they laid down a mat for the man to lie down on. He lied down on it and welcomed the rest. "Well, I guess our time here is finished." Usagi told the whole senshi. "But what do we do about him?" Minako's worried voice carried over to the room where the Originator was lying. "Child, do not worry about me. I am destined to stay here...and die when the power of my life is gone. When you find the last senshi...bring her to me. Good luck...on your quest. The world...depends on you and you alone." "Are you sure you're gonna be ok?" Ami asked, peering in at the man. "Yes.." he replied quietly. "Ok then. Let's get Michiru back!" Haruka exclaimed. "Whoever took her..." Haruka growled and smashed her fist into her palm.

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