How often do we stumble over remains of the past? How often does a hard-working man dig up ancient relics of a time long ago, merely by coincidence?

And how often does he wish he could have lived in those days of the ancient world, a time of wonders and miracles?

----

Usagi Tsukino whined as she pulled her face out of the dirt.

"Stupid garden work!"

Luna, who was sitting nearby, shook her head. "I really don't want to say it, but you put yourself into this mess, you know that? If you had put some more work into your English test, your mother wouldn't have made you do this."

"Great! I have to work hard so I don't have to work hard," the odangoed girl whined, while picking up the small spade.

Her friend Makoto Kino grinned as she looked up from her own work. "Well, what do you prefer? Working for school or working in the garden?"

"Very funny, Mako..." Usagi grumbled.

"What I don't get is why we have to help her as well?" Minako Aino complained, the red-bowed girl busy raking the lawn.

"Well, because we want to help our friend, of course," Ami Mizuno smiled. The blue-haired girl was busy binding a few flowers Minako had accidentally pulled out of the soil with her rake, into a bouquet.

"I still don't believe you talked me into this," Minako muttered. "I mean, Rei isn't helping either, is she?"

"That's because she has to help out at the temple, you know that, Minako," Makoto reminded her.

The blonde groaned. "I would have switched with her anytime..."

Her white cat advisor Artemis grinned. "I think you're just lazy."

Minako glowered at him and slightly raised her rake. "Careful! I'm armed!" Artemis gulped.

It was then that Rei Hino, their black-haired friend from the Hikawa Temple, arrived in the Tsukino's garden.

"Hey guys!" she waved.

"Hey Rei," Ami greeted back. "Finished with your work at the temple?"

"Yup," Rei nodded. "And I thought, as the afternoon still has some hours left, why not go over to my friends and help them?"

"Oh Rei, you're a great friend," Usagi cried and hugged the shrine maiden.

"Hey, hey, slow down there, meatball head!"

Usagi let go of her friend and glared at her. "Rei, I thought I told you not to call me that anymore."

Rei grinned and wanted to reply something, when suddenly, a loud 'clang' came from where Makoto was digging.

"Huh?" the pony-tailed girl wondered. "Usagi, did your parents bury anything made from metal in their garden? Because my spade just hit something solid."

Usagi shook her head.

Carefully, so they didn't damage the delicate flowers, the girls pulled whatever Makoto had found out of the soil.

It was a small, iron chest.

They all stared at in in awe.

"I've never seen that before," Usagi said. "And I don't think my parents owned anything like that before."

"I didn't think so," Ami spoke up. "I believe this chest is at least 70 or 80 years old."

"Awesome!" Minako blurted out. "C'mon, open it! I wanna know what's inside!"

Makoto broke the ancient, rusty padlock with a forceful blow of her spade, and it fell to the ground.

Rei opened the chest and pulled out an old leather pouch. Inside, she found a few ancient yen coins.

"Wow!" Makoto whistled. "I wonder how long those have been in there?"

"Think they're still worth anything?" Minako asked.

"Maybe for a collector," Ami shrugged. "Still, I think it's pretty interesting to find such remains of the past in your parent's garden, Usagi. Regarding from how the chest looks, I believe it has been here a long time before you moved into this house."

Makoto took one of the old coins and looked at it with a dreamy expression. "You know, I always wondered how it has been for the people that have been living in old times."

"Well, life wasn't nearly as comfortable as it is nowadays," Ami said.

"I know," Makoto replied. "And I'm glad we have electricity and modern communication and all that stuff. But... at the same time, I envy those people, as they were able to see the world in a way we'll never see it."

"That's true," Rei sighed. "Sometimes, I wonder how our life would have been if we all lived back in those days... and I don't mean just a few years ago, but in the really far past. In medieval times, or even further back, in the ancient world of the Greeks and Romans..."

Usagi giggled. "You would look silly in a toga, Rei!"

Rei just stuck out her tongue.

Makoto, expecting one of their dreaded 'tongue duels', quickly changed the subject. "Hey, Ami! Didn't you tell us you have to write an essay for your history class?"

The junior genius nodded. "Yes, but I still haven't written anything... I couldn't think of a good topic yet."

"Well, why don't you write something about the ancient times? Like... the Seven Wonders of the World, for instance!"

"That's a good idea!" Rei smiled. "And we all can help, like we helped Usagi today."

"The Seven Wonders of the World?" Usagi wondered. "What's that?"

Luna groaned. "Usagi... if you had paid at least a bit attention during history class, you would know."

"They are the most legendary buildings mankind ever created," Ami explained. "Sadly, most of them are destroyed by now. The only ones that still exist are the Pyramids of Giza."

"Oh, I know about them," Usagi nodded. "Mom always wanted to see those."

"Well, but what do we know about the others?" Minako asked. "I would like to help in that matter, but I would have to look into some books before being much of a help in that matter."

"I'm afraid Minako has a point," Makoto sighed. "Ami will most likely be the one who already knows most about that subject."

"If you don't mind, I could tell you one or thing about them," a voice behind them spoke up.

They turned around to see a green-haired woman standing behind them.

"Setsuna!"

The guardian of time smirked. "Really, if you had any questions about the past, you would know that I'm the one you could always ask."

Ami and the others looked happy when they heard this, but then Usagi frowned. "But do you have the time to help us? Don't you have some gates to guard?"

"Please," Setsuna said. "If there's one thing I have, it's some time for my friends. Besides, I could tell you an interesting story that no one except me has ever heard before: The story of the Seven World Wonders, from the perspective of your past selves!"

"C'mon!" Minako giggled. "You're pulling our legs, are you? I mean, there's no way that our ancestors could have lived in Egypt or Greece."

"No, but your previous incarnations," Setsuna stated. "Or do you believe that your current incarnations are the first one to come after the Silver Millennium? It may just be a coincidence, but I can assure you that all of you have witnessed the construction... and possible destruction... of every single World Wonder yourselves, in some incarnation of that time."

NOW the five Inner Senshi were looking at the Time Guardian in awe. "Why didn't you tell us any of this before?" Rei asked.

Setsuna shrugged. "Because you never asked."

"Oh, please tell us, Setsuna!" Ami pleaded.

"Yes, please," Minako nodded. "This is so exciting. C'mon, tell us everything!"

The Senshi of Time smiled at them. "Well... I COULD be persuaded into telling you the true story behind the Seven Wonders of the World... if you would buy me, say... a nice meal?"

"Of course!" Usagi shouted with glee.

Luna glared at Setsuna. "Scrounger..." Setsuna just stuck out her tongue.

----

A short time after that (Usagi's mother had allowed them to go out for dinner after their hard work), they were all sitting around a table inside a nice restaurant.

Setsuna was already holding the menu.

"Now, can you begin?" Usagi pleaded.

"Yes..."

"What story are you telling us first?" Ami asked. "The story of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Or of the Colossus of Rhodes?"

"Yes..."

"Which one?" Rei impatiently asked. "Don't keep us waiting like that."

"Yes..."

"Yes WHAT?" Usagi snapped.

Setsuna looked up from her menu and nodded. "Yes, I believe I'll have a soup as starter."

The Inner Senshi all facefaulted.

"Setsuna..." Rei groaned.

The Senshi of Time giggled. "Hey, I'm just teasing you. Okay, I got it, you're all at the edge of your seats. Well then... where shall I start?"

She folded her hands and looked up at the restaurant's ceiling. "It was so long ago... let's see if I can remember everything correctly... Well then, the first story I'm gonna tell you is about..."