Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Flint: The Time Detective, nor do I own the bishonen Merlock or his beloved Sara. I own Haruka and the villains!
~ Zodiac ~
The Stones of Time
Prologue
Perfection Shattered
~ The Castle of Count Merlock and Lady Sara ~
- 5 Years Later -
Merlock sipped his tea gently as the morning crawled into the room. Life had its ups and down for him, but now everything was going great. Sara was working as a scientist with fellow Russian scholars, finding more ways to help the world with problems such as hunger, disease, and pollution elimination.
What was even better was that she got to work from home on their computer. It had taken a lot of wires and electrical means to hook the castle up with electricity, but it had been worth it to always have Sara around him. Off and on they worked with the time detective. Being eternal now prevented the need for retirement. They got to Flint a lot on those jobs, seeing him grow up into a teenager at last. His hair was less tangled and wild and he was learning faster since the disappearance of Miss Iknow. A new principal, English teacher and a replacement for the missing woman had to be hired in a hurry. The newbies were no one he or Sara knew, just simple people with kids of their own to support.
Merlock could sympathize with them, letting his eyes wander to the opposite corner of the table. Their child was very energetic and imaginative, always doing something reckless and at times, inspiring. Currently the child was rebuilding a broken vampire bat shaped clock Sara had bought for the start of the child's schooling. In less than two hours, the child had taken it apart, pulled out the loose wiring that had rattled inside, and put it back together.
The clock was already back together again by the time Merlock reached for his tea again. Set back in place and tested with it squeaking chime. "Good work, Haruka….maybe Daddy should have you fix the VCR one of these days." Merlock chuckled lightly.
The child looked back with garnet red eyes, and smile with tiny infantile fangs. "Already fixed it, Daddy. Try again…." The genius child spouted sweetly, then hopped off the chair to carry the clock away.
Merlock picked up his tea and followed, watching his lavender hair child set the clock on a nightstand, patting it like it was the one that did a good job. Merlock shook his head. "Haruka Maboroshi* Holmes! Where is my hairdryer!?" Sara's voice filtered loudly from down the hall. Haruka seemed to freeze in place, then tripped a bit under the bed, to hide.
Merlock looked back at the doorway, finding Sara there with a wet head and her shirt was starting to soak to. He shook off the arousal he felt at her wet state. Their child was in the room, this wasn't the place to get amorous. Sara gave a brief smile before passing by and fiddling through the child's closet and drawers, and the alarmed shriek she made after five minutes let Merlock know she found what was left of it. It was one of Haruka's bad habits, taking their things and taking them apart for spare parts for inventions.
He stepped next to her and stared at the mangled handful of wiring and casing that the silver hairdryer once kept on the inside, before Haruka got hold of it. Buttons were missing, some wires, some chips were toasted something awful, and half of the casing was missing.
She turned towards the bed, impatiently tapping her foot as she held the mangled piece of hair beauty out. "Haruka….what did Mommy say about using her things for spare parts?"
Haruka made a noise, like a gulp, peeking an eye out. "Don't?"
"Darn right, don't. You're grounded for a week. I told you to ask for parts when you needed them. We can afford to buy you parts, baby. Just cause you're five doesn't mean you have to keep quiet and be sneaky. Ok?" she scolded.
The child came out all the way, flopping on the bed at last in defeat. "Yes, Mommy. Sorry, Mommy." The child said scornfully. Merlock gave Haruka a look that said," Don't test her patience," which Haruka nodded too, and just sulked.
At that, Merlock and Sara left the room and shut the door, walking back to their room. When they got there, Sara had to dry her hair the normal way, with a towel, then change her shirt, much to Merlock's pleasure. It was a good life, even if their child was a bit of little thief. It wasn't just a problem at home, but Haruka seemed to grab things from stores that were electronic or metal in nature. For a 3rd birthday present, Haruka had asked cutely for a science lab kit. For the fourth, a microscope, then the last birthday was one they had to replace with a toy rocket kit when Haruka asked for a time cycle.
Haruka was too young to be getting so serious, especially with the stealing stuff thing. They'd wait with the child, when Haruka was old enough, then they'd let the child take the test of the Time Detectives.
Merlock hugged Sara from the back, the future seeming so bright and perfect. Haruka was so smart and wanted to aspire to be like them, the town was at peace with them, and time was safe and at peace as well. Sara kissed his cheek, then his lips in his embrace. It seemed to last for hours on end, that sweet bliss of her sunshine kissed lips.
Then he heard screaming, Haruka's screaming. He broke from Sara, their eyes matching fear, only to see a young man with a gun in their face. He had grayish blue hair, likes sapphires in silk, the hair sweeping past his gray uniform. Before they could rush him, or even question him, he fired, some sort of a high pitched ray. It didn't matter either way. Merlock and Sara hit the floor in seconds, unable to fight the pain that they….and their only child, were at his mercy.
~ The World of Novas ~
The kidnapper, Sapphron Reefe, entered the throne room of pure onyx black, vainly pushing his hair back. His free arm holding the struggling and biting child securely. The great Merlock and Sara Holmes fell at his perfect feet in seconds. He was angry at them for even having the gall to make babies. He felt he deserved more of a challenge than them. All in all, he'd been waiting years for revenge against Sara, the genius of their school. Now he was older, no longer the child that was skipped over because Sara was so damned smart or Tony was so friggin' athletic. Now he could get back at her and her brother for being so damned famous as the saviors of time and science and sports. Now he'd have all that fame like he deserved, as his family had always deserved.
He was the smart one, he was the rich one, the strong one, not some luck of the draw twin morons and their vampire freaks.
He stepped up the throne with sinister smirk, and dropped the child at the feet of his master. "Luna Master, I have captured the Holmes family. This is their offspring, as you requested I bring…..it." Sapphron sneered as the child whimpered in fear at his master's presence.
The woman just looked down, her golden hair streaked with whites and silvers hanging off the throne, possibly as long as to the back of her knees. She wore a black dress, perfectly fit about her slender body. Her face was like porcelain doll, red lipstick, black eyes, completely black, and everything looked penciled in. Like her face was painted. It was like staring at a horror movie vampire with too much perfect make-up. He dared never say it. She was also holding the pendant of the Holmes family, smiling like a psychotic doll.
"Well, we have the key to the World of Stars," she said in her echoing voice, then looked dead at the quivering child," And now a means to obtain the Zodiac Stones. Then I will not only rule the moon and lunar events, but the very cosmos. I can shape time any way I wish with the stars."
Haruka just shivering, those scared red eyes aimed at her own black ones, terrified. Sapphron had to agree mentally that her eyes were very intimidating, just like a doll's life eyes, that of a shark….of death. He shivered mentally as the child stood up warily. "I do not understand why we need this freak to get the stones. I could easily do it for you, my mistress, if only you would tell me where and how."
She scoffed at him. "You are mortal….you would not survive the trials and lands the Zodiac are scattered through. Though the World of Beauty would be simple and Dread is no longer a threat, there are still things there that can freeze a man's very soul. Merlock would not do it, and as old as he is and young as he looks, he'd try something funny or sacrifice his petty self. No, we need someone with real fear and ….ah heh, purity," she said dryly, and approached the child," A virgin, and we need to train Haruka Holmes to be our dark plague of the universes. Being a vampire half-breed makes it all the better…..beautiful, little Haruka is the perfect virgin. Merlock, is too goodie-goodie to agree to anything, and too impure. And I'd rather still have a bargaining chip. They can't be destroyed by normal means, but they can be destroyed. I want this fresh soul instead, to show Merlock and Sara how week they are now. How their pitiful Time Detective legacy is empty, by turning their child into my….minion. I will not allow them to mess this up. Flint….will be alone in this."
Haruku kicked her, and she winced, then was grabbed up sharply by the hair. "And what if I refuse, you old bag!!?" Haruka screamed in her face.
She grinned, her mouth full of shark-like teeth. "Then you'll never see your parents again….alive or in one piece."
Haruka paled badly, then was dropped back into Sapphron's arms. "Train the brat. Show the beauty how useless it is. They will never see this coming, hah, hah! I will rule this universe, and you will both help me. You'd better, brat, or I'll eat your parents alive" she glimmered, gnashing her teeth together. Haruka struggled again, afraid for them all now, and began to weep. Sapphron lugged the crying child off. It'd take time, but they needed Haruka for his innocence.
Sapphron wasn't innocent, mentally or physically, and he regretted it. He was being overshadowed again, but he'd have the last laugh. He'd be the one by Luna's side, ruling everything and everyone. Then, he'd have his revenge, against time and space.
To Be Continued….
*Haruka Maboroshi means Far-Away Dream in Japanese.
Teaser: The fate of the Holmes family and the plot of Sapphron and the Luna Master unfolds. New heroes join the Time Detectives, and what the heck gender is Haruka??