DISCLAIMER

The following is a fan-based

FICTION

Bishoujo Sailor Moon + Other series in this story are not owned by me.

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Intermission: Siblings (3)

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Usagi had a lot to contemplate when it comes to her current enemies - especially since Luna had notified them that Queen Beryl, the woman that attacked them and was then killed by Moon Knight, was the supposed 'planner' of all those horrible events.

There was someone above her, yes, but Beryl was recognized by both Luna and Artemis as the one that sparked the end of the Silver Millennium. To say that Usagi was glad to hear she was now gone would be an understatement, but that also was true of her own unease over the feeling that 'it may not be over just yet'.

Despite the fact that scary monsters had stopped dropping out of nowhere and they had enjoyed a degree of peace between school and other chores, the Scouts had been single-minded in their view of the strange air around: it didn't feel like it was over.

While Beryl was indeed the one that acted as the main mastermind, it was true that the big bad was still on the loose... just unable to act on their plans. Usagi had absolutely no clue on what they were meant to expect, but she had a feeling this baddy was not going down without a fight.

And Luna had been on the move to try and find something - anything - that could help them track down the still weak villain before they can find a way to do evil things once more. To Usagi, it didn't feel like danger was imminent, but that view changed as soon as her and the other girls 'noticed' the strange feeling of drain near their school.

They went on a patrol, and they found the source of this issue: a plant. One that required a lot of power out of Rei to burn properly. It was a special plant that was harvesting lifeforce, but as Luna got to work with Artemis to track down the source of this evil thing, she was surprised to learn that more have been spread around Tokyo and... they all went on patrols.

Differently from the first encounter, the plants had been destroyed before they arrived. Someone had been using a sort of chemical compound to destroy those, Amy recognizing the acidic smell of herbicide that had been concocted just for this sole purpose.

Someone else was on the case, and there was no doubt in her mind that it was Moon Knight. Speaking of him, Usagi couldn't help but remember the last time they met and... the pure anger that poured out of his mind and body. It was in his writhing body as he looked in pain- just not physical pain.

The sight left her with an unsettling feeling from that day onward as he thought of the short hero. He had known something that they hadn't. And Usagi realized half of it as the days went by - Tokyo had been wrecked a bit during that particular day, and yet she only heard of the deaths. The full toll was disclosed, but Usagi felt disgusted to look into it. Something about it left her truly upset, and she could tell her parents were not that proud of thinking of that either.

They couldn't remember much, but they did remember being hit by that very hysteria that had killed so many people. And Usagi felt glad that they not done anything dangerous to themselves or each other. Still, she knew Moon Knight had known the full truth. And he had been utterly enraged within the intense moment.

The blonde also remembered the feeling of helplessness as Beryl first appeared. She didn't feel ready to face her, but something within her felt angered to see her. She hadn't yet learned her true role in the Dark Kingdom, but she had felt like her ugly face had been a familiar one. Something that hurt her and that made her glad that Moon Knight took care of.

Despite the intense emotional weight behind that event, it was the current present that bore Usagi's full attention. Ever since Beryl's death, the search for new trouble had resumed. And the discovery of the energy-draining plants had confirmed that someone was already doing evil things.

Who?

Usagi didn't know, but Shingo had told her something that made sense - if it was a new villain, then they would have something of a 'civilian identity' to keep track of their foes. And while it didn't mean necessarily that it was someone at school, Usagi had a feeling that the new girl in school, An, and her brother were just that.

It wasn't just a matter of disliking the redhead, rather Usagi had raised a fair question that not even Amy had an answer to:

"Who are their parents then? Where do they live?"

As much as that sounded so 'personal', the truth is that all girls knew where each other lived. Even without being friends, one usually knew where fellow students lived out of the chance of having to bring them study material if they skipped school due to feeling sick.

Not only that, but asking their teachers about An gave off odd 'distracted' reactions from them as the adults appeared 'hypnotized' or something of the kind.

It became pretty much clear to Usagi that An and her brother were the cause of this new trouble. How to prove it? Usagi couldn't just corner them without knowing the full truth- at least, not without being aware if it was just them or if there were more baddies helping them.

Minako promised to track them down once in a while, mentioning that she couldn't make it a daily chore considering her current 'odd living conditions'. Usagi believed her, so she didn't raise much of an issue. But then, as if fate was trying to poke back to her about 'needing to be serious', something happened that made Usagi more concerned on the matter.

The school day had been cut short since one of their teachers had been feeling unwell and that had allowed them to leave school early. Usagi had been making her way home with the other girls. All was nice and the same as usual, but as they passed near her brother's school, Usagi had half-expected to see Shingo enjoy the lunch break outdoors with his friends. And she did see this as they approached.

Mika was fixing a cute Moon Knight doll (Usagi already planning to buy it from the masterful doll-maker herself), Momoko was squeaking about some new dishes at her parents' restaurant, and Lilim was gushing over the comic that Shingo was reading.

A 'normal sight' despite how many girls were nagging at her otouto but... but then something caught her attention. A hint of red. Usagi blinked, then stopped. A faux sheepish look appeared on her face.

"S-Sorry, girls, I think I forgot something. I'll be back soon."

Rei huffed. "Usagi, you should be not forget stuff like that."

"Let her be, she is just a bit stressed," Makoto argued in the blonde's defense, while Amy gave her an odd look. "We'll just wait for you at your place, okay?"

"Sure."

She was soon moving out of their sight and turning the corner to approach Shingo's school a bit more. There was soon no doubts in her mind: it was An peeking from the gates right where Shingo was- she was staring at her brother.

Usagi didn't notice her walk picking up pace. She even didn't realize how livid she appeared in that moment as she suddenly got close enough to An to drag her from the collar of her shirt and slam her on the nearby stone pillar.

"W-What do you think you are doing?!"

An looked ready to lash back at her, but the redhead paused. She seemed to realize the pressure exerted by the blonde, unusual compared to the girl's reactions to her bullying. Also, An was being lifted up from the ground, her feet not touching the sidewalk. Usagi didn't care of her discomfort, delivering a single message mirroring her inner ugly feeling.

"You will not approach my brother. I don't care what you are up to in class with me and the others, but you are not to harass my Otouto!"

It was a moment, it was just before she pushed her off, and then ran away in a hurry. An showed her fear, but it wasn't just common 'fear' as to a dumbass getting told off- it was the sight of someone that had seen death looming over them.

Usagi had seen it, feeling a bit shocked too of her own reaction, but justifying it as a must. As much as she wanted to lie to her family, that didn't mean she didn't care for them. And if An wanted to hurt her through her little bro, then she was going to give her hell without much hesitation.

Regardless of her still having trouble sorting out what kind of feeling she had for her own brother, Usagi would never let any of her foes hurt him!

AN

Next time, the plot gets closer to its finale for S1 of Sailor Moon.