>Revised< The Spawn of Satan or Thank God for Little Brothers Chapter 1: In the Beginning * * are for emphasis Thoughts are in these thingies ~ ~ AN is Author's Notes More notes at the bottom. Standard Disclaimers Apply, so don't sue me. * * * * * "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" The scream of frustrated anger rocked the house as a young boy of about ten raced down the stairs followed by a girl of fourteen. The girl had her hair done up in two buns on either side of her head, long tails streaming out from each of them, reaching to below her knees. "Shingooooo!!!! You give that back right now!" screamed the girl as her little brother fled into the living room. "HA-HA-HA!!! Make me, Usagi-baka!" yelled the boy right back. *CRASH* "WAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!" Just another typical day in the Tsukino family household. Little did the two combatants know, all that was about to change. * * * 20 minutes later * * * "Oooooo, that Shingo. He just *had* to take my brooch, and now he's made me late," Usagi muttered to no one in particular as she hurried down the street to the Crown Fruit Parlor and Arcade. "Now minna-chan's gonna be mad at me because of him. Why was I cursed with a little brother anyways?" she wondered aloud. Luna, who was riding on her shoulder, didn't answer "Hey, Odango Atama, talking to yourself?" called an irritatingly familiar voice. Usagi looked up to see the only person (~besides Shingo~ she thought) that she could happily live the rest of her life without. (AN: Yah, yah, yah, we all know she don't really mean it.) "That's a sign of some serious psychological diseases," he went on. "Could you be having a breakdown?" he questioned mock-concernedly. "URUSAI, Mamoru-baka!" she snapped through clenched teeth. "I don't have time to listen to insults today." Usagi stormed past him into the arcade, annoyed when he followed. She ignored him and gazed around the arcade. Spotting her friends at a booth by the window, she made her way over to them and immediately started apologizing for being so late. She was cut short as Hino Rei said, "So what else is new, Usagi? You're always late for everything." "But this time it wasn't my fault!" protested Usagi. "Shingo took my brooch and wouldn't give it back! I had to chase him around the house for ten whole minutes before I caught him. And look," she continued, pointing to a band aid on her knee, "I even fell down the stairs because of him. Luna can tell you. She was there. Weren't you, Luna?" Usagi turned pleading eyes to where Luna had gone to sit next to Artemis. "Actually," began Luna, "Usagi is telling the truth. She might even have been here early if not for the fight with her brother." "Of course I'm telling the truth," Usagi said hotly. Turning to the others, she continued, "There. See? This time it wasn't my fault." "Usagi, calm down," said Kino Makoto. "We believe you." "Yeah, Usagi-chan," chimed in Aino Minako. "Anyway, Rei is right. You always *are* late for everything, so we're used to it." "Besides," Mizuno Ami glanced up from her algebra book to comment, "Rei-chan only arrived a few minutes ago herself." Rei turned red as the others laughed. * * * * * Mamoru watched the girls in the corner window booth from his place at the counter. ~Well, only one girl, really~ he amended silently. He was conscious of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as the girl in question erupted in laughter at something her blue-haired friend, Ami, had said. Struggling to suppress the smile, he sipped at his coffee and tried to think of something else, anything else, besides the bouncing blonde so full of love and joy sitting in the corner. ~Usako . . . ~ his mind murmured as he stared off at nothing. (AN: well that was successful ^_~) "HEY! EARTH TO MAMORU!" "Nani??" Mamoru's head whipped 'round towards the voice that, he realized, had been trying to get his attention for the last few minutes. "'Bout time," commented his friend, Furuhata Motoki. "You were really out of it there." He narrowed his eyes at the corner booth and, grinning slyly, added, "I wonder just *what* you could have been thinking about." Mamoru knew that wasn't a question, and felt his color rise as he followed the direction Motoki's eyes had taken with his own. Jerking them back to the blonde young man leaning over the counter, Mamoru tried to rectify that telltale mistake, stammering out, "I - I don't know what you're talking about." He tried for an aloof, regal sounding tone of voice, and knew he'd failed miserably when Motoki turned those eyes and that grin on him. Motoki laughed. "Yeah, whatever, Mamoru. But if you keep on teasing her the way you do, you'll never get anywhere with her." (AN: GET YOUR MINDS OUT OF THE GUTTER, PEOPLE. Honestly, is that all you EVER think of?) Mamoru shrugged, giving up pretenses. "I know," he said, somewhat helplessly. "I just can't seem to stop myself. And she's so cute when she's angry." He leaned his chin in his hand, sighed, and drifted off yet again. Motoki just shook his head and moved off to take the orders of the five girls at the window. * * * * * "Kon'nichi wa, minna!" Usagi looked up from her conversation with Minako to see her former crush, Motoki, standing next to their table with pen and pad in hand. "Can I get you guys anything?" he asked. "Yeah, get me something that'll get rid of annoying little brothers and conceited jerks at the same time," said Usagi sourly. Motoki chuckled. "Not having a good day, are we, Usagi-chan?" She shrugged. "First Shingo, that's my brother, was more of a brat than usual, and then I had to run into that - that . . .*that,*" she settled on, not being able to think of a suitably horrible enough word, pointing her finger at a certain black-haired, blue-eyed, drop-dead gorgeous guy sipping coffee at the counter, "outside, and he had the nerve to tell me I was suffering from a mental breakdown, just because I was wondering out loud why I had a little brother in the first place!" She finished panting slightly for breath after this outburst. "Aww, don't worry, Usagi-chan," Motoki sympathetically comforted her with a pat on the shoulder. "They get better as they get older. I remember when me and Unazuki were like that, and now, she's one of my best friends." (AN: For those who don't know, Unazuki is Motoki's younger sister, Lizzy in the crappy DIC dub) "Well, then I can't wait for Shingo to grow up. But that still doesn't solve my other problem," she shot a meaningful glance at Mamoru. "I think he teases you 'cuz he like you," Minako volunteered. "Ugh! Get real, Minako-chan," Usagi complained. "Like *that* would ever happen," she added wistfully. "Come on, Usagi," Makoto teased. "We all know how much *you* like *him* and you tease him all the time, so why shouldn't the same be true for him?" "Sssshhhh!" Usagi frantically tried to shut Makoto up. "What if he hears you?!" she hissed, twisting around in her seat to make sure the 'he' in question hadn't magically appeared behind her. "What's this?" Motoki could hardly believe what he'd heard. "Does little Usagi- chan have a crush on my best friend?" "Oh, please don't say anything to him, Motoki-oniisan! Onegai shimasu!" Usagi begged him. "My, my, my, I never would have guessed," Motoki said wonderingly. "After everything he's ever said and done to you, how did this come about?" Giving up, Usagi slumped in her seat. "I don't know," she said miserably. "That's what's so pathetic about it. If I don't see him, then my day is totally ruined, and when I *do* see him, all I can do is get mad when he teases me. He'd go into shock if I was actually nice to him, and if he learned how much I *like* him calling me Odango Atama, I'd . . .I'd just - diiieee!" she ended on a small wail. "Don't fret so, Usagi," Ami looked up from her textbook again. "Things really aren't as bad as they seem." "Yeah, Odango," commented Rei. "One day Mamoru'll see past the klutziness, the bad grades, and the fact that you knock him down at least once a day on average, and he'll realize that you're his one and only, and that you're destined to be together for all time!" Rei finished in a ringing voice, making an elaborate flourish with her hand. Usagi frowned at her. "I said I liked it when Mamoru called me Odango, not when you call me that. And your little speech was soooo confidence inspiring, I'm sure," she went on sarcastically. "Yeah, Rei-chan," put in Mako, "but you forgot lazy." "And greedy," added Minako. "Also her lack of punctuality," agreed Ami, turning a page in her book. "THAT'S ENOUGH, YOU GUYS!" Usagi shouted. Motoki chuckled. This was a revelation he hadn't been expecting. ~I guess there's hope for Mamoru after all~ he thought cheerily. Motoki took their orders and moved back behind the counter. Usagi's eyes followed him until he passed Mamoru, then they just stopped and stared. His profile was to her and she watched him with his chin in his hand as he stared off into space. This was so un-Mamoru-like that she debated whether or not to pay him back for all the times he had teased her by sneaking up and scaring him. After all, she had to get him to notice her somehow. But just then Mamoru shook himself out of his trance and, standing up, put some money on the counter, bid Motoki farewell, and left the arcade. ~Oh, well~ she shrugged mentally. ~There's always tomorrow~ Turning her attention back to the others, Usagi promptly got drawn into a debate on whether or not Tuxedo Kamen looked like Makoto's old boyfriend. (AN: Had to get *that* little joke in there *somewhere*) * * * * * Mamoru knew he should go home and study for a major test coming up in his literature class, but he felt too restless to just sit around trying to concentrate. He couldn't seem to get a certain blonde, odango-haired girl out of his mind. ~This is no good~ he thought irritably. ~Usagi, Sailor Moon, *and* the Princess? There has got to be something wrong with me. How can one man be in love with three different girls? At least, I *hope* they're three different girls. If they were one and the same - "I'd be the happiest man alive or end up completely insane." Mamoru noticed the strange looks people were giving him and realized he'd said that last bit aloud. He flushed slightly and hurried down the street to the park to be alone with his thoughts. ~Great, Chiba, maybe you've gone nuts already~ he thought in disgust. ~Still, it's the truth. I *do* love them all~ He thought about that a bit more. He loved all three girls for different reasons. The Princess - She had always been there. The only person he could be absolutely certain would never desert him. After the first few nights, he'd figured out that she *wasn't* just a dream, and he'd vowed to find her and protect her with his life to try and repay that. Sailor Moon - The brave, sometimes clumsy, but always heroic Senshi of Love and Justice. He admired her strength of spirit and the fact that he knew with absolute clarity that she wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice herself to save a single life. Sometimes he wondered what it would be like to care that much about everyone, even total strangers. Then there was Usagi. His Usako. Not a princess, not a warrior, just a normal girl. Mamoru laughed silently at that. If there was anything Usagi wasn't, it was definitely normal. She lit up a room just by walking into it. She had a heart the size of the Moon and wasn't afraid to show it. In that respect, she was a lot like Sailor Moon. He could imagine Usagi going to any length to help someone, but not in his wildest dreams could he see his sweet Usako battling youma after youma. Of all the girls, Usagi was the only one he felt he could actually touch. She was *here*; more so than his dream Princess, hidden in fog so he could never make out her face; and more even than Sailor Moon. With him always playing the mysteriously masked hero, showing up in the nick of time and vanishing directly after the battle, they had never said more than two words to each other that didn't involve some element of fighting. Mamoru sighed, pitying himself momentarily. (AN: Awww, poor baby ^_^) He turned a corner, then stumbled back a few steps, his breath whooshing out of him, as a small whirlwind crashed into him. For a second he thought it was Usagi, and wondered how she had gotten ahead of him. Then he saw that it was in fact a boy of around ten who was picking himself up off the sidewalk and apologizing profusely to him. "Sumimasen, sir, I didn't see you," the boy said. He bowed and added under his breath, "Usagi's bad habits must be rubbing off on me." Mamoru didn't think he was supposed to hear this last part, and wondered if this was the little brother Usagi had been talking to herself about. The kid did look a bit like her. They had the same eyes, though the kid's hair was a darker shade of blonde than his sister's golden tresses. "It's all right, no harm done," Mamoru assured him. "Besides, I'm used to it," he added as an afterthought. The kid straightened up and smiled wryly. "Then you must know my sister Usagi," he said. Mamoru couldn't help but grin back. For some reason he liked this kid immensely. Maybe it was because he was Usagi's brother. "Yeah, I know the Odango Atama," he said. "Odango Atama! Ha!" said the boy. "I love it. By the way, my name is Tsukino Shingo." "Chiba Mamoru," Mamoru held out a hand in the American style and they shook. "Do you know where I can find Usagi?" asked Shingo. "My mom wants her home *yesterday.* I bet she failed another test," he added gleefully, full of younger brother spite. Mamoru chuckled. If this was what having a younger sibling was like, he was almost - *almost* - glad he didn't have one. "I saw her at the arcade just a little while ago, Shingo-kun. She should still be there," Mamoru told him. "Arigato, Chiba-san," Shingo said. "Just Mamoru, please." "All right, Mamoru-san, and thanks again." Shingo took off down the street in the direction from which Mamoru had come. Mamoru grinned. Suddenly he was feeling a whole lot better. * * * * * End of Chapter One- THANK GOD!!! I hate typing. -_- Anyways, notes and explanations. I can do this. Umm. Well. Let's see. This idea came to me after going on a fanfic marathon. I read all the Usagi and Mamoru romance fanfics I could find, which basically means every fanfic on the First Love web site. (KAMI-SAMA, I just ADORE Alicia Blade's and Lady Starra's fics. They are to DIE for.) Okay, enough sucking up. While I liked all the fics I read, I wanted something with a little more action. (ECCHI!! NOT like THAT!!) I didn't realize this until I woke up one day and this story was just there, waiting to be taken down. Originally, I thought this was gonna be a short story, but I kept writing and writing, so now I realize it'll be a chapter story. Not sure how long. I've got all these ideas and, being me, will probably try to cram them all in here. I've got about the first three chapters down on paper, but this is the only one typed up so far. Let me know what you all think, 'K? My address is: maiyav@yahoo.com "Absence diminishes small loves and increases great ones, as the wind blows out the candle and fans the bonfire." ~Francis Duc de la Rochefoucauld Arigatou Gozaimasu MaiyaV ^_~ List of Japanese words: Baka - 'Idiot' Minna - 'Everyone' -chan - Affection ending, usually used between good friends, to younger children, from younger children towards older children, between family members, and between lovers or married couples. -san - A polite ending acceptable in any situation. Use with a person's first name indicates some degree of friendship, while use with the last name is more common for strangers and acquaintances. The American equivalent is 'Mr'/'Mrs'/'Miss'/'Ms'/etc. -kun - Less common ending, used mostly by female students towards male students (though sometimes a male will use it towards a female) and by male student to male student, and in the workplace, by a senior employee or the employer towards a junior employee. Or as Mamoru used it towards Shingo. He didn't know him well enough, nor did he consider Shingo young enough, to use '-chan' but he did feel friendly enough and consider Shingo young enough to get away with using '-kun' Odango Atama - 'Odango' is dumpling and 'Atama' is head. Hence, 'Dumpling Head' Nani - 'What?' Kon'nichi wa - 'Good Afternoon' or, more simply, 'Hello' Oniisan - 'Older Brother' (said O-knee-sahn) Onegai Shimasu - 'Onegai' (said O-neh-guy) is please, and the 'Shimasu' (said 'Shee- mahs') is the equivalent of our pretty please. -ko - As in 'Usako'. Another term of affection. Means 'Little'. 'Usagi' = 'Rabbit' + '-ko' = 'Little' = 'Usako' = 'Little Rabbit' Kamen - 'Mask' Senshi - 'Warrior' or 'Soldier' Youma - 'Demon' is the closest I can get. Japanese equivalent of monsters like the boogeyman or Dracula. Sumimasen or Suimasen - 'Excuse Me' or a formal apology, as opposed to the less formal 'Gomen' or 'Gomen Nasai' which both mean 'I'm Sorry' Arigato - 'Thank You' Arigato Gozaimasu - 'Thank You Very Much', again, the 'su' is said 's' Urusai - 'Shut Up' Ecchi - 'Pervert' (How'd this get so long?)