After Gloria learned what friendship meant, she vanished from society. Her mind was like a sponge, learning how the world worked while learning life itself. Life, such a funny term. Did life pertain to Gloria? This was a term she learned one morning when she awoke. Something was wrong with her body. A small area on her lower leg was no longer the thin white flesh that covered her, but instead it was glass. 

"Help, Gloria needs help!" She thought out loud, hoping her thoughts reached her old friends.

Task: Hear Gloria's thoughts before 5pm est 1/5

She wandered down a hall in an old style house. Amina couldn't help the feeling that she had been here once before. The rooms were absolutely gorgeous, decorated in an older Victorian theme. The blonde was fairly certain that she had never been to a house like this before, but there was something in the back of her mind that continued to whisper that she had, that she needed to remember. 

She began to see ghosts of people talking, hearing snippets of conversations. She wandered into a room, and watch as she went from person to person, seemingly bringing them out of a trance. 

"Help," a voice whispered. 

"Who's there?" she asked, whirling around, looking for any sign of movements, the ghostly aspirations disappearing. 

"Help me."

"I'll help you, I just need you to tell me where you are?" she felt herself become frantic. Something was wrong, but she didn't know what. She reached out with her power, trying to feel for anyone or anything that needed her help. 

"Help, Gloria needs help!"

"Gloria!" she screamed, sitting upright in her bed. Was this simply a dream or did Gloria actually need her help?

Sailor Europa

Fuyuko was in the locker room of the local ice skating rink, tying her skates on for practice. She had another competition coming up and she needed to be in top shape to take home the trophy. It was a good thing that all her fighting as a senshi kept her in decent shape, she thought, looking at the magic ring on her right hand. She always kept it on, in case she needed to transform.

"Hm?" Fuyuko looked around the empty room, seeing nothing but rusty lockers and wood benches. She had thought she heard a voice... 


"Help, Gloria needs help!" The words were louder this time, except she now realized it was all in her head. Had she gone crazy, or was this something senshi related? Fuyuko took off and put away her skates again, frowning slightly. She needed to get to the bottom of this. If someone needed help this badly, she would find them.

"Where are you?" she asked, talking to the empty room in hopes of an answer.

Leah was in the studio at school working on a new piece of art. She was prepping some paper for marbeling and trying to decide what she would make next. She had grown to love making books, journals and the such, though she hadn't an idea what to do with them.

Leah was a bit more cheerful. She had met a new friend Zena, a girl she thought she would never talk to. Zena was very bold and had helped Leah to develop her confidence in herself a bit more.

Maybe I will make a journal for Zena,  she thought when she heard- "help, Gloria needs help."


Leah looked around checking to see if anyone had maybe been pranking her, but she saw nothing. She wondered if she were imagining things or if this Gloria needed her help, Gloria, the name sounded quite familiar the more Leah thought about it.

"Thank you sir!" Usagi said, accepting her ice cream cone from the vendor in front of her. Happy with her purchase, the young teenager headed towards home with a smile on her face. Chocolate ice cream always made her happy.

As she walked, Usagi took note of the people and things she saw on her way. It was a habit for her. Her friends were always nagging her for being late to everything, but was it really such a bad thing to stop and literally smell the roses? Usagi didn't think so.

Just as Usagi went for another lick of chocolatey goodness, she froze. Was someone following her?

Turning, Usagi found no one behind her. Why did she feel like someone was with her?

"Help, Gloria needs help!"


Usagi jumped, causing the scoop of ice cream to tumble off of the cone and onto the sidewalk. With a whine, Usagi dropped her arm sadly. "My ice cream..." she whimpered.

Suddenly she realized exactly whose voice she had just heard. "Gloria!" she exclaimed aloud. She needed her help? But how was Usagi going to find her?

Gloria awoke after passing out. She was in a room of mirrors, but instead of her body being reflected, the faces were replaced with those of her friends. Had she contacted them? Gloria faded into her shadow form, melting into the wooden floor that made up the bottom of her room. 

Her shadow traveled quickly, using all the energy she could muster. She needed a holy place to pull herself back together, someplace she could feed from the energy.  When her body came to, she saw a temple before her. She had no idea where she was nor how long she had been traveling. Would the others sense the location? She hoped.

"Please, Gloria needs help." she concentrated, her eyes closed and her mind open.





Task Before 1/7 5pm EST: Have the image appear in your mind, remember the location from your memories, and find Gloria.

Amina found herself drifting off into an unease sleep after she calmed herself down from her dream about Gloria. It was just a dream right? None of that stuff with the doll who had kidnapped her was real, it was all a dream.

However, her dreams quickly slid back into an eerie setting. Walking along a stone road, she was surrounded by fog. An echo-y voice could be heard;

"Please, Gloria needs help."

"Gloria, if you need my help, let me know where you are so I can help you," she called, turning around in a circle, trying to pinpoint where the voice had come from. Suddenly the fog infront of her parted, revealing what appeared to be an old Shinto Shrine.

"I've seen this place before. Is this where you are Gloria, is this where you're telling me to go? If it is, I'll come for you, don't worry."

Sailor Europa

After waiting for an answer that never came, Fuyuko assumed the voice was just someone yelling form outside, or her own imagination running wild. No longer in the mood to skate, she decided to go home for today. That night, her dreams shifted from the usual memories of her distant past, to a different location. A temple? No...a shrine. She had seen this place before. The voice from earlier called for help again, and combined with the image, Fuyuko assumed that was the place this Gloria person was. She just had to find it now.

Fuyuko woke up as soon as she made her decision, changed into clothes to go out, and left her apartment building in search of the Shinto shrine. She hoped she wasn't too late...

Leah listened for a response but heard nothing. Was she imagining things? She could have sworn she heard a familiar voice. She continued to work on her project for a bit longer. Once she finished everything she was working on, she cleaned up her workspace and made her way to the exit

As she walked through the door she saw something, a building, and heard the voice again, help, Gloria needs help. Maybe she had been working too long, but she couldn't shake off what she had just seen or heard. 

She recognized the Shrine from a class field trip back in high school. After she grabbed a bite to eat she walked towards the train station to catch the next train to get to the shrine.

I'm coming Gloria, she thought as she boarded the train.

Gloria wandered around the temple, a small child stopped her. What did this young boy think of her? Did he think she was simply a little girl looking for a playmate? "Sorry, Gloria can not play, Gloria needs help from her friends." Her leg was becoming stiff, she pulled her dress down over the shiny part that was now porcelain. 




{{Please, appear to Gloria   Find her at the temple}}

Task Before 1/8 5pm EST: Have the image appear in your mind, remember the location from your memories, and find Gloria.

Usagi, confused and upset about her loss of ice cream, shook her head. Was she imagining things? She had to be - there was no way Gloria could randomly enter her mind. Right?

Biting her lip, Usagi continued walking towards her home. Everything seemed to be okay for a while, until Usagi suddenly got that feeling again. Now she knew for sure she wasn't imagining things - something was wrong.

Suddenly, an image flashed in Usagi's mind. A shrine? Where had she seen that before?

"Please, Gloria needs help," a voice echoed. Usagi began to panic. She knew she had seen that shrine before, but where? Gloria needed her, and it didn't seem like she had much time. Squeezing her eyes shut, Usagi tried to remember where she had seen that shrine before. Suddenly, she snapped her fingers, remembering a walk she had with Rei. The priestess had pointed out the shrine, and Usagi remembered wanting to go look at it. Of course, Rei refused and pushed her forward.

But where were they at the time?

Knowing there was no more time to think, Usagi started running. She didn't know where, exactly, but she hoped that she would find the shrine. If she remembered correctly, Rei was taking Usagi to the arcade from the Hikawa Shrine, and there was only one road that led in that direction. Determined now, Usagi ran faster. Eventually she had to slow down, and by the time she arrived at the shrine, dusk was upon her. Breathless, the blonde headed up to the doors of the majestic building. She couldn't help but feel slightly creeped out. Was this place abandoned? Did Gloria live here? Confidently, Usagi knocked on the doors. After waiting a few seconds, she took it upon herself to enter.

Immediately, Usagi felt cold. Why, she wasn't entirely sure, but she definitely did not have a good feeling about this. "Gloria?" she called, her voice echoing. "Gloria, it's me! Usagi! You know, Sailor Moon?"

Sailor Europa

Fuyuko got off the bus she had taken to the right address, and looked up at the large shrine atop the hill. This was definitely the place she had seen in the vision. Steeling herself, she started climbing up the stairs to the entrance. Just as Fuyuko got to the top, she saw a girl slip inside the doors. Who was that?  Was she Gloria or another person entirely? Now with another reason to investigate, she pushed open the doors herself and followed the girl in.


"You're looking for someone called Gloria too?" she asked the stranger. And did she just call herself Sailor Moon?

Arriving at the shrine, Amina looked at the directions one more time. Yup, this was the place. Looking up, the appearance of the temple was very reminiscence of her dream.

As she walked up the steps, the shrine began to look more and more familiar. Not seeing anyone inside, Amina quickly slipped into the shrine, only to find two girls already there. One she knew, the other, well, she looked familiar, but Amina couldn't place where she had seen her before.

"Hey, Fuyuko, what are you doing here?" she called out to her friend.

After a short train ride, Leah got off at her stop and walked in the direction of the shrine. Dusk had just set in so Leah quickened her pace. A moment later she was in front of the shrine. She took a deep breath and walked up the long flight of stairs. Once up there she caught her breath for a moment. She really needed to whip back into shape.

Leah walked through the door and saw three girls. One of which she recognized. She couldn't conain her happiness as she nearly ran towards Amina.

"Amina" she called out with a huge smile on her face as she approached the girl and gave her a big hug. She had never been so sociable in all her life, but she felt she and Amina had bonded back in the doll house. 

"Did you all guys get a message from Gloria too?" she asked.

Sailor Europa

Fuyuko turned to look behind her, seeing Amina. Well. that was unexpected. Just how many people had been called here to help? Nonetheless, she was happy that one of her friends were here.

"Oh, hello Amina!" she said, waving. "I came here to investigate a dream I had. Someone was askign for help..." She nodded at the girl who had hugged Amina. "Do you all know who she is?"

Gloria felt a warmth grow around her. Was this the special energy her friends gave off that allowed her to sense them? Gloria sat on the steps leading up to a building of an older alter for a God. 

"Friends! Gloria's friends have come. Gloria is in trouble." Gloria held up her skirt so only her lower leg was bare. The skin that had changed to the fragile material reflected in the setting suns glow. "Gloria is becoming a doll again." She sad sadly looking up at the friends that had gathered around her. "Gloria needs help."

Amina patted the girl on the back somewhat awkwardly. She vaguely remembered this girl. Apparently her memories were better than Amina's given the enthusiastic response. 

"Her name is Gloria," she said, gently de-tangling herself from the embrace. "And it's a longer story. Did Yuuta never tell you guys?"

Sailor Europa

"Not really..." Fuyuko said, before turning her attention to the little girl standing before them. Wee her legs made of...porcelain? How in the world did that happen? And what did she mean but turning back into a doll? Was she originally one? Regardless of what Gloria was, it seemed that she didn't want to be a doll now. 

"What can we do to help you?" Fuyuko asked.

Leah backed away once she had hugged Amina, she didn't appear to remember Leah. Leah wasn't too hurt, she was used to blending in and no one noticing her or remembering her. 

She noticed the other people there, and wanted to say hello, but decided not to.

When Gloria approached them, she looked at her legs. "When did this start happening Gloria?" she asked concerned about the doll turned girl they saved back in the haunted castle.

"Gloria doesn't like when you stare." She said semi angered, returning to her once original self. Calmly, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before speaking again. 

"Gloria was once a doll, one of Hotaru's dollies when Hotaru was bad. Hotaru's bad energy gave Gloria life, but that energy is leaving Gloria." Gloria looked at Amina, focusing on only one of the girls so she could calm herself easier. "Gloria thinks as Hotaru's bad energy leaves, Gloria is becoming a dollie again. Gloria likes living and breathing air, but that can help Gloria!" 

Gloria turned and pointed to a carving in a stone wall inside the temple. It was of a gem, and in the words under it read "Life Stone".

lulz"I love how Gloria speaks.:

Usagi jumped, startled to find an unfamiliar person had entered in the shrine behind her. Quickly covering her momentary fright, the blonde smiled and extended her hand to the unfamiliar girl. "I sure am! Were you called here? I'm Tsukino Usagi! I guess we'll be working together! Who are you?" she said, trying her absolute best to try and play off the fact that she had just shouted her title as Sailor Moon.

Before more could be said, someone who Usagi recognized as Amina, a girl who was with her on the last mission to save Gloria, entered the shrine. Behind her came Leah, yet another member of that previous group. Usagi's smile only widened. Were all of them invited back to help Gloria? What a lovely reunion this would be! However, she did wonder why this unknown girl had been invited to the rescue mission. 

Pushing that thought away, Usagi quickly hugged Amina and Leah, smiling at them both! "It's great to see you two again!" she said, proud that she had remembered and recognized them. When it came to her fellow senshi, Usagi never forgot a face.

Answering Amina's question, Usagi nodded. "I heard her asking for help in my head on my way home today. I came here as soon as I could - I just hope we aren't too late."

Answering Usagi's statement, Gloria appeared before them. Surprised, Usagi listened as the girl spoke, wondering how exactly they were going to save her. Her eyes scanned the "Life Stone," taking in its designs and shapes. It looked intricate and pretty, but where on Earth would they find such an object? 

"We'll do absolutely everything we can to keep you alive and well, Gloria. That's what friends are for, after all!" Usagi said, winking at the human/doll. "Can you give us any ideas as to how we can find this stone?"

When Usagi hugged her, more of her memories of that night began to come back. "Sorry guys, my memories of that night are a little shaky, but it is good to see you both again," she said, smiling at Leah. 

A life stone huh? Amina had never heard of it before. Would it really stop Gloria from turning back into a lifeless doll? They could only try she supposed. As Usagi asked Gloria if she had any idea where they could find the stone, she slowly lowered her mental shields. She cast out a question to the spirits, wondering if any of them had ever heard of a life stone and had some information for her. Message sent, all she could do was wait. If someone knew something they'd hopefully be able to tel her in time.

|---to be updated, I haven't had a chance to stay online today besides my phone--|

Spoiler:

Leah listened as Gloria spoke, she wasn't trying to stare, just to take in the situation. She hoped they could all help Gloria regain her life as a human. It was a second chance on happiness and if anyone deserved it, it was Gloria.

"What can you tell us about this stone." Leah asked hoping to gain some light on the situation.

Gloria's skin was always pale, since she was a doll that came to life, but it was even more white than usual. If you held a white piece of paper against her cheek, it would have surely blended in. 

Gloria turned her head towards Leah, addressing her question. "The Life Stone gives life to whoever has it on their possession. That is what Gloria has learned from the many pages of writing Gloria has read." Just then, Gloria felt something within her, something that communicated from the shadows she used as her power. "Amina, your friends can help Gloria. One of them know where to find what Gloria needs!" Her voice perked up. She slid off the stone structure she was sitting on, but collapsed onto the cold pavement rather than landing balance on her feet. More of her leg was revealed, and within those short few moments, Gloria's leg had more porcelain.

bummp

"I've already sent a request for any information I'm just waiting to hear..." she trailed off, her focus suddenly taken from the real world to a spirit who was attempting to make contact with her. That was quick. Amina hadn't honestly been expecting any response, as it seemed such a far fetch request. 

Izanami-no-Mikoto, the creator of life and death. What you seek is is not as far fetched as you think young one. Legends have it that below a temple in the mountains outside Japan there are tunnels. Barely known to the living so what was hidden remains hidden to this day. Find her resting place and you shall find what you seek. 


Wait, don't go! Where am I suppose to look! Amina cried as she felt the spirits presence begin to fade. 

Sometimes one needs to look at the bigger picture rather than the small details. 


"Izanami-no-Mikoto," Amina repeated as the spirit began to fade. "Has anyone ever heard of her?"

Spoiler:

Fuyuko stood back and listened as Gloria told them about the Life Stone, wondering just where to get this object from. But it seemed that Amina's spirit connections would give them a clue.

"She is a Shinto goddess, one of the first two that created the islands of Japan in legends," Fuyuko said, remembering from school. "But what does she have to do with this? Is she connected with the Life Stone?"

Izanami-no-Mikoto, the creator of life and death

"Life...yes life, life is what Gloria needs." Gloria eyed the girls. "Gloria can take us to the temple, but that will be all of Gloria's energy."

She eyed the girls, slowly standing once again. "Stand next to Gloria, Gloria will shadow travel."

Gloria's shadow went from behind her and morphed into a black pool under her feet. Slowly, the girls began sinking into the concrete.

Leah had been lost in thought thinking of what the life stone could mean, when Gloria said she knew what it meant. She heard the girl say for them to all stand next to her and she would take them where they needed to go. 

Leah did as she was told and once Gloria morphed, Leah felt herself being drawn down with Gloria, she hoped it wasn't a trap, but at the same time was willing to do whatever it would take to help free her new friend.