Disclaimer: I don't own Jikuu Tantei Genshi-kun...;__;
AN: Well...nothin' much to put here. Uh....enjoy the story! And all you other authors - keep on writin'! ^_~ Oh! Wait! Heh heh...umm...well, I completely forgot about poor little Lupie-san, so, I'm just gonna cram him in somewhere. *_*;
( All readers fall over, anime style.) Gomen nasai!!! On with the story!!!
AAN ( Another Authors Note): You've all probably noticed that I'm starting to use a lot more Japanese in my stories. I realize that not everyone knows what all these words like 'sugoii', 'nani' or ' kawaii' mean, so, all you have to do is:
* At the top/right corner of the screen, click inside the empty box beside where it says 'Browse Categories', and another box that has AUTHOR, TITLE, SUMMARY, & FULL-TEXT. In that box, click it and drag it down to where it says TITLE. In the box beside it, type 'My Japanese To English Dictionary'. Believe me, it'll save you a LOT of time and frustration.

The Tarot Time Shifters - Cups - part 3 Ly the werewolf

When Flint and everyone else arrived at the village, they certainly weren't expecting what lay before them. All of the village inhabitants were, well, acting out their emotions. Women and young girls were seen frolicking throught the dirty, garbage-filled dirt roads. Grown men were crying like young children, holding eachother and revealing their innermost secrets. Tony blinked. " Okaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy...........Um, can anyone explain what's going on here?"
" I'll bet the Time Shifter 'Cups' is the root of all of this." Merlock mused. Sara turned to her boyfriend and fellow time detective.
" You're probably right, Merlock, but the important thing right now is to find Cups before it does anymore damage."
" Well," Flint chirped, " let's go find it!"

As they ventured through the village, Tony, Merlock, and even Sara were all having a hard time keeping their composure. Seeing large, gruff hunters howl and whine like a small child was quite amusing. Of course, Flint had no idea what was so funny. (What's new..? ^_^;) Pterri glanced around with a questioning eye. " Look around, everyone. What do notice?"
" Gee, Pterri, I don't know. What's wrong with this village?" Tony replied, sarcasm dripping in his voice. The tiny red pteridactyl rolled his eyes.
" No, I mean, well, ugh! Besides the obvious," he continued, glaring at Tony with the last word. " What I mean is the number of people. More and more villagers are being affected the closer we get to...that house!"
" Yeah! Nice job, Pterri! C'mon everyone! Let's go get the Time Shifter Cups!!" Flint raced forward, leaving a large cloud of dust in his wake. No power on Earth could stop Flint Hammerhead from making a new friend.

Nearby, the ominous shape of the Catamaran lay in the forest boardering the village. The voluptuous villaness, Petra Fina ( TP Lady for all you Japanese out there.) lay sprawled out on the hood of her white ship. A pair of binoculars lay limply in one hand. She sighed. She didn't know what it was, but, she lacked the energy to do anything today. " Ugh..Why can't villans get a day off?" She mumbled incoherantly.
" Keep your mind on the job, woman!" Part of her lip rose in an involuntary snarl. The low, scratchy voice of the Uglinator rang in her ears. Petra slowly turned to face the chalk-white Time Shifter.
" For the last time, the name's PETRA FINA!! Got that?! Not WOMAN!! It's Petra Fina! P-E-T-R-A F-I-N-A!!! And as a matter of fact, my mind IS already on the job. I didn't need your constant badgering. Not like anyone does..."
" What was that?"
" MYOB." Heaving another sigh, she lifted the binoculars to her eyes. " Hmm?" Just in time, apparently, the whole gang of Time Detectives ran inside of a small hut. " Grrr....the Time Turds...Wait a minute...." Petra focused the eyewear and looked inside the tiny hut. A small form standing in front of them caught her eye. Focusing even more, it was revealed to her that the Time Detectives had indeed found the first Tarot Time Shifter, Cups. " Ha ha ha ha! Dino! Mite! ...Uglinator....Prepare to attack!"

*********

Meanwhile, inside the hut....

*********

Flint stood eye-to-eye with the Tarot Time Shifter, Cups. (Actually, that was pretty funny! No one can be that short! ^_^) The silence in the small living space was so thick you could cut it with a butter knife. Flint was the first to speak, his words careful and deliberate. " Are you the Tarot Time Shifter, Cups?" The tiny creature smiled and nodded. Its appearance rather suited it - its short, but plump body was adorned with silky blue robes that drug along on the floor. Long eyelashes were batted at the small crowd gathered. Two large, cat-like ears stuck out from the side of its head. The strangest thing was that a large goblet, or, in her case, a cup, was perched atop of her head like some sort of a funny hat, or crown. Large, aqua blue eyes started back at them. It was hard not to be lost in those eyes, so deep and blue that it might as well be the ocean itself inside of the tiny creature's head. Finally, it spoke.
" Hello, friends," she greeted, in a quite, but melodic voice. The young caveboy blinked repeatedly.
" Uhhhh....Konnichiwa! My name's- - "
" Flint, I know," she interrupted. " And you," she said, pointing to each person. " are Rocky, Merlock, Bindi, Get-A-Long, Pterri, Lupie,Tony, and....Sara...." Cups seemed to breathe her name. " You, my child, have something very inside of you. A great power that has you have just begun to learn..." For the first time since they arrived, Lupie spoke.
" Sumimasan, Cups, but I was the one who gave her that power. The reason she hasn't fully understood it yet is because she just began her training." He growled, his voice taking on an unusual rudeness.
" Lupie!" Sara hissed. " Be nice! We don't want to scare her off!" Cups merely smiled and shook her head no.
" Not to worry, my dear. I know of your mission, and, I'm sorry to say, I'm not going with you that easily. You'll have to earn me."
" NANI?!?! What are you talking about?! 'Earn' you?" Tony shouted. A mischievious smile came over the time shifter's face.
" You heard me, " she giggled, " you'll have to earn me!" Cups jumped up out of everyone's reach, and pulled a goblet/cup out of her baggy sleeve. She waved it around, sending a shower of blue sparkles over everyone in the room. " SECRET EMOTIONS!!!" When she shouted the incantation, the sparkles vanished into thin air. Flint-tachi blinked and rubbed their eyes for a few seconds to clear their heads. All of a sudden, everyone just burst into tears!
Sara & Tony: " You're the best little brother anyone could ever have!! I love you, Tony!! Waaahhhhhhh....*sob*
" And I love you too, Sara!! You're the most awesomest sister a guy could ever have!! Waaaaaahhhhhhhhh *sob, sniffle*
Sara & Lupie: " I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you, Sara! I promise I'll be nicer!! Aaaoooooooooooooo.....*whimper, whine*
Pterri & Get-A-Long: " I don't care if you're annoying as hell! I still love you!! Waaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!
" Same goes for me! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!! Why can't we all just 'get along?'" ^_~
Merlock & Bindi: " Oh Merlie, I'm sorry for the way I've treated you, and all those horrible things I said and did to Sara!! Waaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!
" I'm sorry too!! Waaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh--Wait...that was YOU who did that?" *sniffle*.
Cups smiled devilishly at her work.
" I'll never go back with those three as long as I live," she muttered to herself. One thing caught her eye, though - Flint. Although she had used the spell on him, he just stood there, completely stone-faced. Emotionless, almost. " Hey, you," she hissed. " I used secret emotions on you, didn't I? Why isn't it working?" Flint continued to stare, the usual glimmer of life and happiness in his eyes gone. Very slowly, his lower lip began to quiver. His large brown eyes welled up with tears. Flint's breaths began to come in short, gasping sobs. Finally...... "WWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Everyone who was crying earlier suddenly covered their ears to block out the deafening sound. Outside, Petra Fina and her cronies wailed and covered their ears as well.
" WWWWWAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!! I MISS MOMMY!!!!!!!!!! I WANNA GO HOME!!!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Large waterfalls of tears poured out of his eyes. Cups herself started to cringe.
" Augghhh!! Make him stop!!!" she wailed. Suddenly....." *sniffle* *sigh*.....Okay! I'm done! Wow, that felt really good!" The young time detective turned to the baffled time shifter. " Domo arigato, Cups-sama! I really needed to get that off my chest. Friends?" As an offering of good will, Flint offered his hand to Cups. She blinked, not really knowing how to respond.
" You.....you want to be friends? After all I've done to you...?" Cups whispered. Flint flashed his trademark grin.
" Well, of course! All time shifters I wanna be friends with! So, whaddya say, Cups? Do you wanna go back home with us?" He asked, his right hand still out in offering. Crystal tears began to form in Cup's eyes.
" Of course....."

CRASH!!!!!

" Huh?!" The whole group shouted in unsion.
" Ha ha ha ha ha!! Prepare for trouble!"
" And make it double!! ^_^" *SMACK* " Sorry, wrong motto!"
" *erhem* As I was saying, prepare for trouble, for it is I, the great Petra Fina!" Flint-tachi wore their usual scowls.
" Grrrrr....You'd better leave Cups alone, Petra!!" The villaness smirked.
" Oh, I'm not the one who's going to touch him.....Uglinator!! Do your stuff!" From behind Petra Fina, a familiar white form darted out from behind her. With lightning speed, Uglinator's head made direct contact with the unsuspecting Cups'.
" CUPS!!!" Flint screamed. The tiny, robed form of Cups lay before Flint and his friends, the disgustingly familiar mark of the Uglinator upon her forehead, like some evil, grotesque blotch of ink.
" Flint..." she squeaked, tears stinging her eyes. " G-Gomen nasai......." Suddenly, her body was surrouned in the swirling shades of the khan transformation. In her place stood a tall, humanoid woman, with long, black robes flowing from her body as if they were living creatures. Dark, souless eyes penetrated their souls, while dark, sinister magic pumped through her veins, with the desire to kill boiling in her blood. Flint squinted his eyes shut, and grabbed onto his granite father, Rocky.
" You guys better hide," he ordered, not taking his eyes off the seductive, yet deadly sight before him. " this could get ugly." Sara, Tony, Merlock, Pterri, and the other time shifters reluctantly followed his unusual request.
Flint began his descent, a battle cry rising in his throat. " YYAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!"

Back at the small group hiding, Lupie glared at the transformed time shifter. " Sara, " he said. The eldest of the Goodman twins eyed the canine time shifter.
" Yes?"
" Genshi-kun is going to need our help soon. Shall we....help him out?" Sara raised an eyebrow, not sure of what he was trying to get across to her. " What I mean is....shall we transform?" Sara's eyes went wide.
" Oh....Oh! Well.....okay....." she replied, looking back at the intensifying battle between Flint and Cups-khan. " But, only for Flint....." Lupie smiled.
" Then it's settled....Lupie shape-shift to....LUPIE-MASTER!!!" Where there once stood a small, harmless looking lap-dog, now stood a large wolf. Blue highlights slashed through his fur like lightning, while large, pointed ears perked up, readying for the fight ahead.
" Okay, I can do this.....Sara transform to......WERE-SARA!!!" A bright light surrounded the young teen. Sara could feel herself change in every possible way - the way her brain worked, the thoughts that governed her being, her own physical body. When the light faded away to nothingness, the muscular, seven-foot tall form of the Fabled Were-Sara stood, her chest heaving, and claws flexing, ready to fight. Tony and Merlock, who had been watching the whole time, backed away in fright. They remembered all too well what Sara's 'alter-ego' was capable of.
" Let's go," Lupie-Master ordered.

Meanwhile, Flint and his former-friend-turned-bad were locked in a heated battle of wits, magic and physical strength. " Cups!! Listen to me! You're my friend! I don't wanna hurt you, but I will if I have to ! Please, don't fight me! I'm begging you!!" Flint looked up at the time shifter. In this form, she held a deadly, seductive beauty. Men would gladly give up their lives just to feel their skin against hers. Cups-khan glared down disdainfully at her fallen opponent. She raised an unforgiving hand, which began to crackle with dark energy.
" RRROOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRRR!!!!!!!!" The young cave boy looked up, expecting to meet his death. Instead, a very familiar figure knocked Cups-khan out of the air. The deadly angel went flying through a window. The rest of the gang followed en suite. Lupie-Master smiled at the turn of events. ' Excellent,' he thought. ' Now that we're outside, Sara and I can use the forest to our advantage....' He ran off to join his disciple in combat.

Petra Fina scowled at the way her plan was turning out. " Damnit! I have to get that time shifter! Cups!!" The evil Tarot Time Shifter managed to kick a very-powerful Were-Sara off of her. She rose into the air, her robes tattered and slashed.
" Yes, mistress?" Petra took out her whip.
" I want you to get rid of those brats! " Cups nodded.
" Yes, ma'am."
" Oh, and one more thing," Petra Fina's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. " Show....no....MERCY."

Cups-khan floated up to face Flint and his gang. Tony was off with the time shifters and Pterri. Merlock stood by Sara, who was also being flanked by her mentor, Lupie-Master. " Okay, we attack on three, got it? One...."
Cups simply floated there, a small smile creeping onto her full, pouting lips. " Two...." All the fighters took their positions. " THREE!!!" The fallen angel suddenly struck with a large energy ball. Unfortunatly, Merlock nearly took the full blast of it, if not for a very quick Sara. Regardless of any efforts, everyone was still injured badly. Sara and Lupie transformed back into their original forms. Merlock lay on the ground beside Sara. The only one left concious?

Flint.

The time shifter glared hatefully down at him. " Why aren't you dead?! I hit you and your friends with one of my strongest shots!!" Cups spat, her once melodic voice laced with venom. Flint smiled weakly at the form floating above him.
" Because...you...didn't want us to die. Right?" Cups backed away, shocked.
" How.....how dare you even think of suggesting something like that!!" Flint's smile widened into a grin.
" We're your friends, Cups. Come back with us....." The womanly form of Cups-khan floated down to the ground in front of Flint. A single tear rolled down her pristine skin.
" My....friend....." The dark brand of the Uglinator vanished off of her forehead. The tiny form of Cups reappeared in front of Flint. The young caveboy happily hugged his new companion.

Off in the distance, Petra Fina scowled as she sat on her large, cushy chair. She wasn't that stupid - after all the times Flint had sent her and her boys flying off into the distance with Rocky, she was wise enough to take off before he came around to deliver a punishment. The Catamaran was silent. " You know, Petra, the Dark Lord's gonna be really PO'ed at you."
" Shut up." she spat to Uglinator. ' I'll find a way to get them all....I have some help that not even Uglinator knows about....' She clutched the tiny token in her pocket - a small, blood red ruby. On the back, was the insignia:

DEVIL.

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Blah! Gomen nasai! Once again, more homework.....-_- Sorry if Sara's transformation was a little too 'power ranger-y'. I couldn't really think of anything else. 'Sides, I wanted it to kind of imitate the time shifter transformation.
'Till next time!
Ja ne~
Ly the werewolf

PS - Look for stories by me and my partner and friend, Darion the Vampire! Our first documented adventure is in the fantasy section. Enjoy, and learn a bit more about me!! ^_~