Conjunction
05
Commissioned by Ranmatoushin.
Ranma stretched, cracking his neck as he left the department head's office and walked out onto the main campus. Man, these reports suck.
Ranma hated paperwork of all kinds. Having to write up reports for his teaching work to turn in and in turn be graded himself at the college was a huge pain in his ass. Which was why he got it done as fast as he could and spent part of every evening taking notes on the day's classes, so he would have an easier time doing it.
Should be able to graduate next year. This year is my last year of teaching. Next year, I have to do a thesis… Ugh.
"Ranma? Ranma!"
The man looked up just in time to catch a blonde missile to the chest. Looking down and finding a set of blonde odangos, he chuckled. "Hey, Usagi. How's it going?"
"Good! What about you?" she asked, turning an earnest, happily beaming smile up at him.
"Ah, just finished turning in a report." Glancing up towards the clock tower visible at the center of the campus, he asked, "Wanna go get lunch?"
"Sure! I know just the place!"
Ranma allowed himself to be led to a little Chinese place on campus. After checking to make sure there weren't any Amazons working behind the counter, they sat down and ordered.
"I didn't know you were still a student! I thought you taught at Hotaru's school."
"It's one of those work experience for college credit things. I have to have a certain number of hours of experience before I can get my license. But… lately, I've kind of been doubting my career choice."
"Oh? Why's that?"
"Well… The more time I spend talking to the other teachers, the more complaints I hear. And sure, I have a few problems here and there too, but," Ranma sighed. "I keep thinking about what my old boss told me, a few years back. How there were better options than just getting my license and opening a dojo. With my skills, I could apparently open up a pretty decent construction firm, and the pay would be way better than what I would be making even with a bunch of students."
"But you still want to be a teacher."
Ranma hemmed. "Maybe."
The man blinked as Usagi laid her hand on top of his. Her bright blue eyes stared up into his as she asked, "Only maybe?"
Ranma shrugged. "It was always the plan. Pops taught me what he knew, made me his heir, took me all around Asia to learn from every school and hidden master he could track down on a ten year training trip. Even picked up a curse on the way."
Usagi nodded at that but didn't comment. Given what Hotaru had told him during his first meeting with her as Sailor Saturn, Usagi likely felt it the same way she had. "When we got back, the plan was to take over the school and teach. He just didn't tell me the rest of the plan was to join the Saotome and Tendo schools through marriage between me and one of his old buddy's daughters. Or that he and Soun, his friend, would be retiring and leaving all the responsibility to me while they drank, smoked, and played shogi all day. I guess, somewhere along the way, I just accepted that I should become a sensei and teach the art. But really, that was always pop's dream. I don't even know what I really wanna do. Sure, I wanna teach the art at some point, but… I don't think I'd like teachin' a whole bunch of people. My kids, sure, but beyond that?" He shrugged.
"I see," Usagi nodded, a look of understanding on her face. "I feel kind of the same way. Like, Setsuna keeps saying there's this big plan to bring back the Silver Millennium and we're supposed to take over the world and lead it to this new age of prosperity and enlightenment, with magic, and flying cars, where nobody goes hungry or homeless, and all this other stuff but… I don't see it. I don't know how I'm supposed to make that happen. I mean, I'm just one Japanese girl. Sure, I'm some reincarnated princess of an ancient kingdom from the moon, but like, what's that got to do with anything now, you know?! Why would anyone listen to me? Let alone everyone in the world! Up until just before we met, I was engaged too. I was supposed to marry this guy and have a little girl—Usa, actually. Or close enough. Time stuff, you now?"
"It gets confusing," Ranma admitted. He had dealt with far more than his fair share of magical shenanigans, time travel being one of the most frustrating of those.
"Right?!" Usagi nodded, looking up at him with wide, sparkling blue eyes. "She tries to explain it, but sometimes I just feel like…"
"Like a dumbass?"
The blonde nodded again, hard enough to send her hair flying. "Right!"
Their conversation was put on hold for just a moment as waitress came and dropped off their food. They both dug in with identical happy sounds.
"So," Usagi continued around a mouthful, "you were engaged? But you're with Hotaru and Usa now? How did that happen? If you don't mind me asking. I mean… future sort of daughter stuff and Hotaru's a good friend. We've been looking out for her for a long time now, so she's like a little sister to us. Not to mention all the other craziness with those two and being body-jacked or brainwashed or magically controlled… Ugh. What even is our life? Some days it's like—"
"Like living in a manga?"
"Yeah!" Usagi nodded vehemently.
Ranma chuckled. "You don't know the half of it. I've seen more kidnappings, brainwashings, possessions, and other weird shit than goes on in any three manga you care to name."
Usagi winced. "Ouch. That sounds pretty awful. I mean, it was bad for us, but we kinda knew it was coming considering we were fighting the remnants of a dark kingdom trying to come back. But for a normal guy, that must have been rough." Usagi squeezed his hand in sympathy before continuing, "But yeah, I kinda wanna know what's going on with Usa and Hotaru. And… well, if you want to talk about how you lost your fiancee I'll listen. It helps to talk about these things. Even if it's the last thing in the world you want to do. And sometimes," her pink lips pulled into a small smile, "it helps more when you're talking to someone who isn't involved in the madness, you know?"
Ranma considered, for just a moment, simply not telling her. It wasn't any of her business. But… Hotaru had been coaxing him to open up, slowly but surely, and he didn't feel ashamed about it or like it would really be a problem to tell her. That, and Usagi herself made him want to trust her. After the lust from Usa's spell had worn off, he, Usagi, and Hotaru had gotten to talking and far from being awkward the blonde was surprisingly open and enthusiastic about the whole thing, and about making a new 'friend' in Ranma—even if the circumstances hadn't exactly been ideal. She was a genuinely nice person, much like Hotaru.
That, and he could feel her intent to help in her ki and magic. Her honest, selfless, kindhearted nature was something he had seen only very rarely, before meeting Hotaru. Sure, she could be a bit airheaded and a bit of a goof, but Ranma found he didn't mind it at all.
And she was right, really. It would be easier talking to her about it than, say, his mom. Someone on the outside, with no stake in what had happened. Not another fiancee, rival, or someone pushing him to get married as soon as possible with no regard for what he wanted.
Finally, Ranma shook his head, slurping down his chow mein. "Nah, it's fine. We got off on the wrong foot, I guess. I was still new to the curse and I was more of a hothead than I am now, which is saying something…" Usagi giggled and he continued. "So, the curse. It's pretty simple. There's this valley in the mountains in China called Jusenkyo. It's full of springs, normally. Whatever falls in a spring becomes whatever drowned in it last. So, you've got animals like monkeys, boars, snakes, and so on. Then you've got people. Drowned man, drowned woman, drowned girl, you get the idea. I fell into 'Spring of Drowned Girl, very tragic tale of girl who drown fifteen hundred years ago,'" he gave his best imitation of the guide. "It works with water. I get hit with water and I transform. Cold water, girl. Warm water, boy. But I'm still a guy up here," he pointed his chopsticks at his head.
"Wow. That… sounds fun," Usagi murmured, a perverted giggle slipping out.
Ranma rolled his eyes. "Maybe if it were temporary and you were into that kinda thing. But it ain't temporary and I… wasn't into it. So it was the opposite of fun. See, I didn't know this, but I had a seppuku pact hanging over my head from the moment we set out. Pops signed some stupid agreement with mom so she'd let him take me on a ten year training trip and not take her. Basically, he agreed to turn me into a 'man among men' by the time we got back, or we'd kill ourselves. I didn't know that though. To me, it was just, guys behaved a certain way and girls another. I still hate the idea of being 'girly,' but it's a useful skill to have sometimes when I'm wearing the girl face, so I use it like any other martial arts technique," he shrugged. "Anyway, turning into a chick was basically the worst possible thing in the world for me at the time. I didn't realize just how lucky I got. A buncha people didn't get so lucky. This guy I went to school with turns into a pig. There's an Amazon guy who turns into a duck. Another guy who becomes some sort of… how did it go? Yeti riding an ox holding an eel and a crane? Then there's this chick who got cursed to turn into a furry hell beast."
Usagi raised an eyebrow, mouthing 'furry hell beast' with an amused look. Shaking her head, she asked, "Want me to cure it? I can probably dispel it."
Ranma shook his head. "Knowing my luck, I would end up stuck as a girl. So no thanks. Hotaru said maybe you could make it so I could control it though. If you can do that, maybe."
"We can look at it later," Usagi agreed easily. "So, what happened?"
Ranma blinked, taken aback for a second. There was no insistence towards curing it. No disgust, shock, accusations—none of the various reactions he had gotten in Nerima. She had offered to help and seemed content to accept his decision on it. Which meant that so far, three for three, every senshi he had met had had a better reaction to the curse than literally anyone else who had found out, aside from the Jusenkyo guide. Especially people in Nerima.
"Right. Well, I met Akane as a girl. She was being harassed by a bunch of boys all trying to date her, including one nutjob named Kuno. She was in an 'I hate boys' phase. Well, she walked in on me in the bathroom expecting cute curvy redhead and instead got me. She called me a pervert and it stuck for years. A whole bunch of crazy stuff happened after that. Fiancees coming out of the woodwork 'cause pops sold me a dozen times over. Sometimes for some pretty important stuff, other times for as little as a couple of rice balls and a couple of pieces of fish. Then came the guys interested in them looking to kick my ass for 'stealing' them. The occasional guy lookin' ta date, marry, or kidnap my girl form. All sorts of crazy martial arts challenges.
"Basically, every day in Nerima was like living in a loony bin… where the crazies run the place. But we finally got everything mostly settled around the time we graduated high school. We decided to get married, but give it some time first. We went to college together and started taking classes. Moved out of Nerima and got an apartment. I got a job, she didn't. Worked my ass off when I wasn't in class. Got fired one day and came home early. Remember that nutjob I told you bullied her?"
Usagi gasped, her bright blue eyes going wide as she squeezed his hand harder. "…No. She didn't!"
"She did. Caught her fucking him right there in our bed. Had the presence of mind to hide and take photos. Mailed 'em around so everyone would know what happened and nobody could dispute it when I told 'em not just the wedding but the engagement with the Tendo family was off. I knew pops would try to argue, so I cut contact. My mom, well, she's basically told me that I should come back and forgive Akane and marry her, or one of Soun's other daughters. Akane wants nothing to do with me, now that it's all out in the open. Her sisters think what she did was pretty shitty for ruining their family reputation, but they aren't exactly apologizing on her behalf. And as for marryin' one of them… One of 'em's a money-grubbing bitch who sold cheesecake pictures of her sister and my girl form, who values yen more than her own life. The other… It's hard to tell with Kasumi. On the one hand, sometimes she was the only one who would actually listen. On the other hand, it's pretty obvious she's fed up with everyone but she's sticking around because of family duty."
Usagi brought up her other hand to cup Ranma's between both of hers as she looked into his eyes with such a look of understanding, not pity, that even Ranma, dense as he was, could see it was earnest. "I'm sorry. That's… really awful."
Ranma shrugged. "Shit happens. And things have gotten better." He squeezed her hand back, earning a bright smile form the blonde, before asking, "What about you? Who was this guy and what happened there?"
Usagi sighed, her smile fading for a look of annoyance. "Chiba Mamoru. He's the reincarnated prince of Earth. I guess past me and past him were together, but it was some kind of forbidden romance between the Earth and Moon Kingdoms. It ended up in a war that basically wiped out 99.9% of humanity and sent us back to the stone age, literally, at least according to Setsuna. We got together… actually, about how you and Hotaru are now. He was in college and I was in my last year of middle school when we met. There was a whole lot of saving the world craziness, kidnappings, brainwashing, he slept with one of our biggest enemies, we killed the bad guys, then more showed up. And more, and more. Setsuna says we should be clear now, but I'm kinda still waiting for the boot to drop again, you know?"
"Definitely know that feeling. Feel it every day I'm here and I don't have to fight off some new challenger," Ranma agreed. Chuckling, he admitted, "I checked the place for Amazons when we came in, in case we had to run."
Usagi chuckled, before shaking her head. "Well, in between all those bad guys showing up, Mamoru occasionally stepped out and cheated every now and then. I always took him back. I know that was stupid, but I thought I really loved him so I could forgive him a time or two. Or ten. For the longest time I thought I'd have to marry him no matter what, to make sure Usa could live, but Setsuna confirmed that wasn't true. So I'm done with him this time. As for what happened… It's not quite as bad as yours, I think. He called to tell me that he thought we should see other people while we were in college. Except that jackass had a girl there with him, blowing him the whole time!"
"Ouch," Ranma winced. "That's a shitty thing to do to someone."
"Yeeeah…" Usagi agreed. Looking down at their still joined hands, she smiled. Quietly, she said, "It's kinda like we fit together. Weird, huh?" Looking up at him, she narrowed her eyes into a mock glare. "You should've called me."
"You can't pick up a phone?" Ranma countered automatically, smirking.
"I shouldn't have to! It's a guy's responsibility to call the girl!"
"I suppose you want me to pick up the check too?"
Usagi stuck out her tongue. "Well yeah. But I'll tell you what, get the check for me now and when I'm queen of the world I'll be your sugar mama. You can skip working and just teach or whatever you want. Open that dojo."
Rolling his eyes, Ranma pulled out his wallet and laid out enough for the bill. "I guess I should be the one to ask if you wanna come back to my place too, huh?"
"If you wanna get laid," Usagi grinned impishly.
Ranma hummed. "Well, I mean, I'm already dating the younger model, right?"
"Gah! Rude! Besides, I'm graciously offering to let you have both the mother and the daughter! How many guys can say the girl they're with is open to that, huh? Huh?! Face it buster, I'm awesome and you should totally ask me to come back to your place for more!"
"Sure, sure," Ranma agreed as they left the restaurant. "So, what're we going to do about Usa? Actually, there's a question. What the hell do I call you both? And what kinda dumb blonde names their daughter after themselves?"
"Hey! I resemble that remark!" Usagi stuck her tongue out. "I can't be blamed for things some alternate future me who totally isn't actually me hasn't even done yet! And I mean, yeah, I can see how it would get really confusing. That's why we all called her Chibi or Chibi-Usa, but… I don't think that really works for your relationship with her, huh? Why not just call her Usa and me Usagi?"
"Could work, but she likes being called by her full name. Could get confusing," Ranma shrugged.
Usagi sighed and nodded. "Well, I may be blonde, but at least I'm not dumb enough to make that mistake again." Looking at Ranma out of the corner of her eye, she smirked and added, "If I have a daughter this time, I think I'll name her Ranma."
Ranma stumbled, before shooting her a glare and an annoyed look. Usagi giggled and danced away, sticking out her tongue and pulling her eyelid down playfully. "You did that on purpose."
"Duh! But if I reeeeally~ wanted to screw with you, I'd name her Usagi anyway."
"I see where she gets it from," Ranma rolled his eyes. "Like mother, like daughter."
"Mhmm! She gets all her best from me, you know!"
"I thought you said you couldn't be blamed for stuff some other you hasn't even done yet. Which means—"
"Usa totally counts and you can't take that from me!"
"So you can take credit for her accomplishments, but not blame for her screw-ups. That how that works?"
"Totally!" Usagi nodded, before she turned a somewhat serious look on him. "Seriously though. I don't think Usa's going to mind you dating her mom too, considering she's the one who set us up, that brat!"
"Yeah, so, what was that about? She mentioned some kinda dark lady something or other cosplay or something…?"
Sighing, and blowing one of her bangs out of her face, Usagi nodded. "Right. So, remember when I said we had a bunch of brainwashing and possession stuff? Black Lady is Usa's sexy evil older transformation from when she was brainwashed by the Black Moon Clan. Obviously we dealt with that who situation and she's been fine ever since. I think she just figured out how to change into that form—which is kinda cool, actually. But yeah… so I guess it came with some new toys or something, which is probably where that lust spell came from. Maybe. I have no idea! We'll have to ask her."
"So what, she found out you got dumped and decided to set us up?"
"She tried to parent trap us!" Usagi nodded. "Not that I mind the setup. I'm totally cool with everything so far and I think you're a great guy. No, the problem I have is that that little brat turned off my fuku's birth control settings! I reeeeally wanna pay her back! And since you might have knocked me up already, daddy, wanna help?
Ranma blinked, turning a concerned look on the blonde. "Uh. You mean…?"
Usagi chuckled, reaching up to rub the side of her head. "Maybe? I think it's too early to tell. But, well, the damage is pretty much done anyway. And if something did happen, well, I wouldn't mind." The blonde sent him a sly look. "Definitely naming her Usagi just to screw with you."
Ranma groaned quietly. "Right. Okay. Yeah, sounds like someone needs a spanking."
"So you'll help me get her back?"
"Oh yeah. She's in so much trouble."
Usagi's quiet, malicious laugh would have sent the Inners running for the hills. "Great. Now, let's talk about responsibility—"
"I think it's time for a ten year training trip."
"Gah! How rude! You would just up and leave the mother of your theoretical child in the lurch like that?!"
"Ehh… you're gonna be queen of the world. I think the kid'll be fine." Usagi shot him a glare and he followed up with, "It's the world I'm more worried about."
"Hey! That's not nice!"
The pair bickered and teased each other all the way to the train station. In the end, Ranma never actually asked Usagi to come back with him… but Usagi followed along anyway.
Usa's knee bounced under the table as she ate quickly. Beside her, Hotaru smiled and reached out, laying a cool hand on Usa's thigh. The pinkette stilled, but that did nothing to quell the butterflies in her stomach, or make her panties dry up. Usa hadn't gotten to go play last time Hotaru went out to spend time with sensei and they hadn't been able to go over the past couple of nights because of homework on their part and actual work on sensei's part doing paperwork for his college, so she was going to make up for it tonight.
And Michiru and Haruka were fighting. Again. It was spoiling her mood. She was horny and the pair were bitching about something stupid again. Setsuna was conspicuously absent.
It's going to be so satisfying, springing Ranma on them, she decided, malicious glee running through her at the thought. Gonna have a home visit with Ranma-sensei first. Maybe have him fuck us in our bedroom while Michiru listens…
Finally, Haruka stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her. Michiru fled to their bedroom, slamming the door and sobbing loudly. "About fucking time," Usa breathed out a sigh as she and Hotaru began gathering dishes and moving to clean them. "Come on Hotaru-chan, let's leave this stuff here for later and we can go ahead and go!"
Her best friend/lover/girlfriend sent her a smile and shook her head. "I have a better idea. You go. I'll clean this stuff up and go talk to Michiru. She could use a hug and I know you aren't as attached to her as I am."
Usa bit her bottom lip, before shaking her head and sighing as she saw her hopes of getting laid go up in smoke. "Enh, I'll just wait. I can't just abandon you to the dishes and stuff like that—"
"Usa." Usa winced at the knowing tone. "I had sensei all to myself last time. Well, minus your mom showing up. You should go and spend time with him, just the two of you."
"But… I wanna go with you—"
The dark haired girl sent her a look as she began rinsing off plates. "If we're going to do this, it has to be fair. I had lots of time to get to know sensei first. You can't just come in and have fun with him, but only love me. It can't work like that. Someone's feelings will get hurt and everything will break. I want you both to be happy."
"I like him just fine…" Usa hemmed. Hotaru simply stared at her, waiting. The pinkette sighed. "I'm being dumb, huh?"
"A little," Hotaru nodded. "He's the one, Usa. You can't hold yourself back, just dipping a toe in because you're scared… or you think it might hurt my feelings." Usa winced as Hotaru hit the nail on the head. "You have to commit. Which means you have to try. And that means spending time with Ranma, not just when I'm there. So go have fun. Just talk to him. It doesn't have to be all sex, sex, sex—even if it's really fun."
"That does sound nice…"
"See? Now, go," Hotaru shooed her towards the back door.
"Alright, alright. I'm going!" Usa giggled. She turned around and pecked Hotaru on the lips, before hurrying out the door. Finding a secure place to transform, she made her way to Ranma's apartment. Landing on the balcony, she slipped inside the unlocked door. The smell of food filled the home and she followed her nose, and the sounds of cooking, to the kitchen.
"What's up, Usa?" Ranma asked without turning to look as he worked at the stove.
"Who's the food for?" she asked, dropping her transformation and taking a seat at the kitchen table. She had changed out of her school uniform when they went home after lunch into a set of tight jeans and a loose blue tee-shirt for a top.
Ranma shrugged. "Whoever wants it. I made enough to eat on for the next few days. You hungry?"
Usa shook her head. "No, we just ate. Which is kinda disappointing, because it smells really good."
Rolling his eyes, Ranma made a small plate with a little of everything on it—barely enough to call a snack. He set it down in front of Usa and went back to finishing off everything else. "Tell me what you think."
Picking up the chopsticks, Usa tried the egg roll. "Mmf, this is so good," she moaned, before moving onto the sushi roll, the rice, sauce, fish, and everything else. "Where'd you learn to cook, sensei?"
"Martial arts cooking," Ranma laughed quietly as he worked. "Turns out, it's useful for more than flinging food at your enemy."
"Your life is crazy."
"You ain't kiddin."
Leaning forward in her chair and pushing the finished plate aside, Usa said, "How about we swap stories, sensei?"
"Sure," Ranma agreed as he reached over and began washing off vegetables to cut for a soup, and in the process shifted from tall and masculine to short and curvy redhead.
Usa eyed up her sensei's female form, pink eyes trailing over her thicc thighs, heart-shaped ass, wide hips, large tits, and that eye-catching red hair. She did note that Ranma didn't even seem to notice the transformation as she kept working. "I'll start. Once upon a time, in the future, there was a great magical kingdom…"
Usa told the story of how she had come to be here, in what was the past for her. The Black Moon Clan attacking. How she fled through the Time Gates. Walking across the confusing landscape on the other side of the Gate to get to the past. Getting suckered into working with the Black Moon Clan and transforming into Black Lady. All the way to going back to the future… only to come back again later.
"So yeah, that's how I came to be here," Usa finished, sipping at a cup of tea Ranma had provided her in the middle of her story.
The redhead whistled as she divided up meals and put them away into plastic containers, which then went into her refrigerator. "That's kinda crazy."
"I know, right?" Grabbing the pot, Usa poured herself another cup. "Your turn."
"Sure. Where should I start…?"
"There," Usa pointed at Ranma herself and the redhead hummed.
"Alright. So, when I was a kid, pops decided he wanted to take me on a ten year training trip and teach me the art…"
Usa listened as Ranma told her about the crazy training methods her father used. Wolves?! Who makes a kid fight a wolf for his supper?! I need to tell the others about this! This guy is serious trouble.
He told her about the beautiful places they went. Who the hell steals a thousand year old scroll from a Buddhist temple?! It's sacrilege!
He told her about meeting his first friend in school. What kind of idiot declares what amounts to a blood feud over bread?! And how do you get lost in an empty classroom? What the fuck is wrong with these people?
Finally, he came to Jusenkyo. What the shit?! Read the fucking manual, moron! It's like this guy is a walking Darwin Award waiting to happen, but he just keeps getting lucky!
"And that's when I got hit by the titty fairy of Jusenkyo. Coulda been worse," Ranma shrugged, sliding the last of the containers into her refrigerator. "Of course, then I had Amazons chasin' after me, fiancees, rivals, martial arts of every stripe, magic left right and center, all while trying to go to a school full of nutjobs and run by the head whacko."
Picking up the tea pot, Ranma tested the water and found it tepid at best. Pouring the water out and grabbing a couple of fresh tea bags, Ranma pulled a kettle from her storage, poured water into it which began to hiss and steam immediately, and topped off the pot before storing the kettle away again. Ranma grabbed herself a cup and moved into the living room, forcing Usa to follow along.
Pouring herself a dab of hot water, Ranma stuck her finger in it and shifted back into a man. Dropping onto his couch, he patted the seat next to him. Usa surprised her sensei by dropping down directly beside him, pressing herself into his side. "Hotaru couldn't make it?" Ranma asked, and Usa nodded.
"Yeah. Her adopted moms had a big fight tonight and one of them stormed off, while the other locked herself up in her room to cry. I wasn't really paying attention to the conversation, but I think they broke up or are 'taking a break' or something. I just know Michiru told Haruka to leave, so she did. Hotaru stuck around to deal with Michiru and told me to come see you."
Ranma put his arm around the small girl, pulling her into a loose hug. "Always sucks, watching parents fight."
Usa shrugged. "Wouldn't know. I haven't seen mine in a few years. Not really anyway. The people I see here and now are more like friends than my parents. Well. Usagi is. Mamoru is kind of a jerk and I haven't seen him since he went off to America to study for a year. This guy is definitely not my dad. Kind of annoyed that he did mom dirty like he did, but I'm not surprised either. They didn't like to talk about it, but Setsuna got chatty when she had enough alcohol in her, so I learned all about what they were like when they were younger and how he cheated on mom a lot before they finally got married. I mean, he had an entire harem of sensei right there, perfectly willing to have sex with him, and mom would've been okay with it because apparently that was always their plan—the stuff they talked about in secret and 'joked' about, but they all agreed to. But no, he'd always go off for random girls and it just, arg! How could she be so stupid, you know?"
"Hah. Yeah. I know the feeling," Ranma nodded.
Usa turned her head up, shifting in her seat to lock her pink eyes onto Ranma's blue. "You can't cheat on us. The other senshi are fair game, because Hotaru and I both agree it'd be hot. But no one else!"
"Wasn't planning on it," Ranma shook his head. His own gaze sharpened and Usa felt her heart hammer in her chest as she was reminded that the man she was with wasn't just some civilian—he was a warrior like them, someone who had fought and won his own battles, and come out on top time and time again. That little bit of danger was exciting and arousing… "You either. No other guys."
"Mm," Usa nodded instantly. "I won't."
Ranma nodded. "Don't really have any interest in going after your friends. That's all Hotaru." Turning a look down on her, Ranma grinned before leaning in and kissing Usa's lips, making her eyes go wide. He pulled away a moment later. "I got you out of it, so I guess it's not all bad."
"You, I, that—not all bad?! You jerk," Usa pouted, poking out her bottom lip and crossing her arms under her small breasts. When Ranma laughed, she turned away before chuckling herself. "Okay, yeah, I guess I could do worse. Hotaru's got good taste."
Ranma's door bell buzzed and he let Usa go to stand up and go answer it, the girl following along and asking, "Expecting company?"
Sending the pinkette an amused look, Ranma grinned. "Have been since I texted her to tell her you were here."
"Eh? 'Her?' Her who?" Usa saw who a moment later as the front door opened, to reveal the blonde haired, blue eyed form of -her mom- Usagi the elder, wearing jeans that looked painted on and a sweater that did more to emphasize the size of her bust than hide it. The blonde was carrying a small gym bag tucked under her arm. "What're you doing here?"
"Ehehe~," Usagi giggled, slipping in past Ranma, who locked the door behind her while Usagi slipped off her shoes. "Oh, nothing much. Visiting Ranma. Getting a little payback for that prank you pulled. Having some mother/daughter bonding time. That sort of thing."
"Technically, we're not mother/daughter anymore," Usa pointed out. "You're more like an aunt."
"Po-tay-to, po-tah-to," Usagi waved her off. Grabbing Usa by the hand, Usagi dragged her towards Ranma's bedroom, the man following behind them. Once they were in the room, Usagi let go of Usa's hand while Ranma locked the door.
Usa raised an eyebrow as she took in the mischievous look on her would-be mother's face. "…Did you guys plan this?"
"Yup," Ranma confirmed. "Go ahead and strip."
Usa watched as Ranma began doffing his own clothes while Usagi sat her bag on the futon and began to do likewise. Shrugging, the pinkette began undoing the buttons on her shirt. "Sooo… oyakodon, huh? Kinky~," she leered at the pair.
"I know, right?!" Usagi giggled.
"So, what's in the bag?" Usa asked, eyeing it curiously while she tried valiantly to keep her cool… while in reality, her heart was racing and she felt flushed all the way down to her belly. Her panties were soaked and her nipples ached. Something about the idea of finally officially joining in got her motor running. Yes, she and Hotaru had been with Ranma for a while now, but with Usagi there, it was more… more. Because with Usagi in on it, that meant that the rest of the senshi would soon follow. 'Group fun' had always been one of those things that no one really talked about but everyone knew was going on.
Not that she was desperate to get in on that action. Just looking forward to it.
Usa was pulled from her thoughts when Usagi opened her bag and came out with a length of rope and a book. She blinked, eyeing the blonde in confusion. "Eh?"
"Now, come here~" Usagi's giggle was a bit threatening and Usa slowly moved away as Usagi followed her, after dropping the book on the futon.
"Uhh, we've never done anything like that…"
"Neither have we! So we can all learn together~."
The blonde leapt at her not-quite daughter and Usa let out a startled "Eep!" as she tried to evade, only to be brought to the ground by a laughing Usagi. After a brief struggle, Usa found herself pinned to the ground face down, then rolled onto the futon mattress. Ranma watched in amusement as the pair struggled and Usagi came out on top.
"Alright, let's see that thing," Usagi murmured, grabbing the book as she sat in the middle of Usa's back. A look at the cover showed Ranma it was a book on the erotic art of shibari.
"You do realize I know how to do that, right?" Ranma asked, nodding at the book.
Usagi shrugged. "Yeah, but I want to learn, so shush and let me."
Ranma shrugged. Dropping onto the futon beside the… he didn't even know what to call them, beyond 'relatives' at this point, due to time shenanigans. Putting the thought aside, he reached out and petted Usa's head. The pinkette blushed, but slowly leaned into the touch. "We're not going to do anything you don't want. So if you're not okay with something…"
Usa shook her head. "I'm uh… I'm okay with trying it."
Ranma nodded, gently scratching Usa's scalp and drawing a quiet sound of contentment from the girl. "Okay. If we cross a line, say something."
"'Kay," Usa agreed.
"Ah! I've got it! Help me with this," Usagi set the book down and began unspooling the rope.
Between the two of them, they got Usa all tressed up. Once they were finished securing her, Usagi went back to her bag and collected a ball gag. Ranma raised an eyebrow at the kinky toy. "…Do I want to know why you have one of those?"
"Uehehe~" Usagi giggled, sticking her tongue out.
"Uh… has that been used?" Usa asked, eyeing the toy skeptically.
"Don't worry," Usagi waved her off. "I make sure to clean everything."
"Uh huh. So… who was it on last?"
Usagi hummed, taking on a thinking pose for a moment as she considered. "Ah! Rei used it last."
Usa blinked, before slowly nodded. "Yeah, I can see it. I kind of figured Ami for that sort of thing though."
"Oh yeah, absolutely," Usagi nodded as she knelt down and pulled Usa's hair out of the way. "All the time. But Rei likes it too. I mean, think about it. Very traditional girl…"
"Ooh," Usa nodded. "You bought the book for her."
"Yup!"
"Sounds like your friends are nuts," Ranma chuckled.
"You have no idea—mmf!" Usa began, only to be interrupted by Usagi shoving the gag in her mouth.
"And talking time is over for you!" Usagi declared. "You've been a bad girl, Usa-chan. And bad girls get punished. So, in the name of the moon… I'll punish you. Uehehehe!"
"Ham," Ranma muttered, sotto voce.
Usagi dropped into the man's lap, her long legs wrapping around his waist and her arms draping over his shoulders. "Shush, you," she chastised. "We agreed I'm in charge here."
"I don't recall agreeing to that," Ranma muttered, shifting up to kiss along Usagi's jaw as his hands trailed up and down her back, gently feeding ki into pressure points and starting the technique to prime her body for mind-blowing sex.
"Mm, it was an unspoken agreement," Usagi purred as her lips found Ranma's shoulder, her tongue flicking out to lick his skin.
"Mmf?"
"Hehe. She thinks we're not ignoring her on purpose," Usagi giggled, looking over to her would-be daughter. "I'm gonna fuck him in front of you and make you watch. If you're lucky, I might remember to use the other toys I brought to keep you occupied while we're making a baby. I mean, that's what you wanted, isn't it? So, congrats Usa! You've got a front row seat to the making of your sister or brother!"
"I still think naming another kid 'Usagi' is dumb."
"But it annoys you, sooo…" the blonde chuckled, giving Ranma a squeeze and lightly biting his shoulder.
"Oh, I'll show you what happens when you annoy me, brat," Ranma growled, slapping Usagi's round ass.
"Mm!" Usagi's hips jerked in Ranma's lap, rubbing his hard length between them. "Harder~."
"Nut," Ranma accused, rolling his eyes as he spanked her ass again. Grabbing Usagi's hips, he picked her up and angled himself, lining up and slowly lowering her down onto his cock.
Usagi moaned as Ranma's thick rod split her pussy wide open—hard, hot, and throbbing with his pulse as it slid into her depths. There was something more though, this time. A naughty excitement that hadn't been there, any other time she'd ever had sex—either with that jackass Mamoru or the first times with Ranma. It took her a moment to work out what it was, as he slowly filled her up, stretching her out further and deeper than Mamoru ever had.
She had acknowledge it… and Ranma hadn't denied it. That they were going to actually try for a child. Oh sure, he was probably just letting her have her fun tormenting Usa for that trick with her fuku's birth control settings, but even just the possibility of actually trying to make a baby apparently got her fired up like nothing else. Even now, she felt wetter and hotter than she normally was and it felt like her womb tingled and ached to be filled.
Ranma bottomed out inside Usagi and the blonde let out a rush of breath as she clenched around him—both with her arms and legs, and with her cunt as her internal muscles squeezed him tightly. Of course, just fucking Usagi in front of her would-have-been future daughter wasn't the entirety of the game. They had planned this out days ago and there were certain things Usagi wanted to do here. So, reaching out to the pinkette beside them with one hand, Ranma's fingers danced over her back, hitting pressure points and turning Usa's own ki against her, so even without stimulation she could slowly grow more and more aroused over time, her body more sensitive, until she boiled over and came—only it wouldn't end there. The technique would keep going until Ranma undid it, so once she boiled over the first time, she could just rise to that peak again faster the second time, even faster the third, and so on. And that was from a cold start. Usa was so turned on right now that he gave her about five minutes, tops, before she came the first time.
Taking Usagi's hips in his hands, Ranma lifted her all the way up his shaft, before bringing her back down. Usagi ground herself in Ranma's lap when she bottomed out and clenched her pussy tightly when Ranma pulled her back up, before letting go when he brought her back down—much to the man's enjoyment. All those kegels Ami suggested paid off, she mused as she rubbed her big, soft tits against Ranma's hard chest, enjoying the way her aching hard nipples dragged against his skin with their every movement.
"So, did you figure out what you were looking for?" Ranma asked as he slowly pumped Usagi up and down on his shaft.
"Mhmm!" Usagi nodded, beaming a smile down on him. "Set-chan told me how to get into someone's fuku settings. Now I can return the favor and turn off Usa-chan's birth control and lock her out of it."
Usa raised an eyebrow, trying to emote curiosity as she watched the two fucking, feeling her body starting to heat up as her breath started to come in little pants through her nose. She knew what Ranma had done to her… and she absolutely loved it. Being made to cum her brains out while she watched her mother (not actually) fuck her boyfriend was hot as fuck. But some of the things they were talking about was worrying.
Mom's gonna try to get pregnant? With Ranma? Now? What? And they're going to make me watch. What the hell did I do?! I mean, not complaining, but I'd like to know what I'm being 'punished' for here. …I wonder though. If they had a kid, what would it look like? If it's a girl, would she look like me? Maybe she'd have Ranma-chan's red hair. That'd be sexy.
"Sure you want me to knock up Usa?"
What.
"Mhmm!" Usagi nodded, turning to leer down on Usa. "Get her teen pregnant while she's still in school. It'll be great! Oh! Just imagine what she'll look like in the school swim uniform with a big, pregnant belly and her boobs bigger…"
Ranma grunted as his cock throbbed inside Usagi. Admittedly, he liked that idea. "You uh, you got your old uniform…?"
"Uh huh! Wanna play like that? Does sensei want to seduce another student? Knock her up and force her to go to school, where everyone knows her shame?" Usagi grinned.
"Brat. I know where she gets it from now," Ranma growled again, before he turned them over with a laugh from Usagi. Ranma pinned her to the ground and began hammering away at Usagi, the sound of their hips meeting filling the room with a loud clapping sound, along with the sounds of Usagi's moans. "Yeah, I'm gonna knock you up and make you wear your school uniform for me. Usa too."
Wait, wait, wait! They're serious?! I'm, I'm gonna get teen pregnant?! A bolt of worry shot through Usa at the thought… and excitement. Oh my shit that is so hot! Fucking do it!
Usa was forced to watch as Usagi was fucked into the floor, the blonde's titties bouncing on her chest as Ranma hammered her like a nail. The blonde squealed in orgasm and Ranma grunted, and Usa realized that Ranma wasn't actually using his normal 'marital arts' techniques to hold back. Meaning they were probably serious about him trying to knock her (not really) mom up. Usa's own body shuddered at that realization as it came with the realization that they probably weren't playing about Usagi turning off her fuku's birth control.
Usagi sighed in satisfaction as she slumped bonelessly against the floor. Ranma took a moment to relax on top of her as the pair kissed, their hands roaming each other's bodies… and Usa was supremely jealous that not only was it not her getting that kind of attention, but she was tied up here and couldn't play too. "Mrr!"
"Hehe, I think someone's jealous," Usagi chuckled, turning her blue eyes onto Usa with a wicked grin. "Good. Serves you right!" Then, she pulled down her eyelid and stuck out her tongue.
Reaching out for the bag, Usagi pulled it over to herself and began digging around in it. Ranma pulled out her her with a wet sound and a quiet moan from Usagi. Grinning down at Usa, he reached up and undid her ball gag.
"Ah, thanks. I was getting kinda—mmf?!"
Ranma grinned down at her as he fed his cock, covered in his and Usagi's mixed fluids, into Usa's mouth. The little brat glared up at him, but began to eagerly suck and lick the rod inside her mouth. "Good girl, Usa," he praised her, petting Usa's head again in a way that wiped the glare off her face and made her body go all limp and relaxed…
Only for Usa to make a strangled sound of surprise as she felt Usagi spread her cheeks. She couldn't see what was going on, but it wasn't hard to figure out when she felt something hard and made of glass rub against her absolutely soaked lower lips.
Usa moaned as her mother slowly pumped a glass dildo in and out of her tight, wet little cunt, her hips shaking a bit as she tried unsuccessfully to match Usagi's pace. After only a few strokes, Usagi stopped and Usa moaned. Then, she felt something wet and cold drip into the crack of her ass, pooling around her asshole. Usa's eyes went wide and she shook her head.
Ranma smiled down on her, grabbing Usa's odango-tama and forcing himself into her throat. "Do you really want her to stop, Usa?"
Usa stilled, before slowly shaking her head 'no' once.
"Didn't think so. Keep going, Usagi," Ranma instructed as he began to slowly fuck her daughter's face up and down on his cock.
"Hehe~. Don't worry, Usa-chan. I've done this lots with the girls. I know what I'm doing," Usagi assured. Then, she pulled the glass dildo out of Usa's pussy.
Usa whimpered as she felt the head of the toy press into the bud of her puckered ass. That whimper became a muffled squeal as Usagi pushed and popped the first inch or so past the ring of her asshole. Usagi gently rubbed the curve of Usa's ass as she slowly worked the toy in and out, making sure its passage was nice and smooth as she eventually settled it completely inside her daughter. "There. See? Not so bad, is it?"
Usa moaned around Ranma's cock. That moan became another squeal when she heard something start vibrating and, with no warning or preparation at all, a vibrating pill was pressed against her clit. Usa squirmed, trying to get away, but Usagi held her down and, a moment later, Usa felt the little toy being affixed to her body with some kind of tape.
Usagi pulled Usa's head off of Ranma's cock and the pair rolled the pinkette over. Usa panted and moaned, writhing as she was forced to come. "Ahn~"
Usagi took out another two of the little pill vibrators and taped them to Usa's nipples, before the blonde put the gag back in her daughter's mouth. Grinning down on Usa, she turned around and positioned herself so her crotch was over Usa's head. "Now, watch close. We're going to make you a little brother or sister!"
Ranma moved around behind the bent over blonde, rubbing his hand over her lower back and ass, before lining himself up and sliding into her wet cunt. "That's if the first creampie didn't do it," Ranma chuckled as he began to fuck Usagi on top of Usa, forcing the pinkette to watch as his cock split her mother open. Drops of Usagi's arousal mixed with Ranma's sperm dripped onto Usa's face from Usagi's cunt, leaving the pinkette quickly covered in a drizzle of thick bodily fluids that filled her nose with the scent of their sex.
Usagi leaned down and spread Usa's folds. The little vibrator here was really in the way of what she wanted to do, so she pulled the tape off and shoved the little pill straight into Usa's cunt, earning a quiet muffled sound of pleasure from her daughter. Usagi brought her lips down and put her oral skills to good use, kissing, sucking, and licking Usa's clit as Ranma pounded away at her cunt. The blonde giggled when Usa's hips jerked beneath her and the pinkette gushed a particularly wet orgasm.
Usa whimpered into her gag as her body betrayed her and she was forced to come again and again, her mother's skilled tongue—along with the toys—drawing out one orgasm after another. Everything became a bit of a blur as she watched one of her lovers fuck her mother above her, before the pair obviously came again and she was treated to the sight of Ranma's cock throbbing as it pumped her mother full—over-full, really, as it began to dribble down onto her face again. Usa's eyes rolled in her head and she grunted into her gag as she came, her whole body locking up from the force of it.
Usa was only dimly aware of the gag being removed and a straw popped into her mouth. She sucked down water greedily as she panted and slowly recovered—the feeling of a constantly building orgasm gone, for the moment.
"Don't tag out on us now, Usa-chan~! We're just getting started~."
"Uh huh," Usa panted tiredly. "Wanna get fucked now."
"Yeah? You ready for Ranma to make you a mommy like me?" Usagi asked, stroking Usa's face with a warm, wet wash cloth.
"Sure," Usa nodded. "Sounds fun. We can both get pregnant together. Fuck it, why don't I name my kid Usagi too?"
"I will spank that ass," Ranma threatened, but there was no heat in his voice as he began stroking Usa's head again.
"So, this is fun and everything, but what'd I do?!" Usa asked, out of curiosity. "I mean, if I'm gonna do the time I might as well know the crime. Or is this just some kinky roleplay thing?"
Ranma and Usagi exchanged a confused look. After a moment, Ranma asked, "You don't know?"
"Wouldn't ask if I did," Usa pointed out, before taking the straw in her mouth and sucking down more water.
Usagi sent her a mild glare. "So you don't remember transforming into Black Lady—"
"Dark Lady," Usa corrected. "Black Lady was a Black Moon Clan thing. It's," Usa sighed as she chuckled ruefully, "like Hotaru called it. Darker and Edgier Moon."
Usagi snorted. "Whatever you wanna call yourself. You don't remember doing that?"
"Nope. Haven't figured out the transformation yet. I'm almost there though, so we can definitely have fun with that later. Ah~, I'm gonna kidnap Hotaru and Ranma, you'll have to come 'save' her by defeating the wicked Dark Lady. With sex. Obviously."
"Naturally," Ranma nodded. "Seriously though. Some of those monster things showed up in a park one night—"
"Wait. Youma?" Usa's eyes went wide and she sent Usagi a worried look. The blonde nodded. "Oh fuck."
"Yeah," Usagi agreed. "Youma showed up. Saturn and I got to watch Ranma beat them—"
"Really?!" Usa asked, turning an incredulous look on the man. "I missed it? Shit! Oh man, that sucks. I wanted to see Ranma looking like a badass. You only get so much from a spar, you know?"
"So anyway," Ranma continued. "You showed up, cast some kind of lust spell, and left. Moon, Saturn, and I had sex in the park, then came back here and went again to burn off the remainder of the lust ki."
Usa blinked. "Lust ki?"
"Yeah, those youma were full of it. Killing them filled the area with it and you used some kind of ki and magic spell on us from it. I've dealt with similar from the old lech, so I could mostly throw it off. Those two were a bit unprepared for it."
"Uh… Ranma. I don't know how to use ki yet. I know you've shown me and Hotaru, but I haven't got it down."
The man frowned at that, before turning a look on Usagi. "So, any ideas?"
"Maybe?" the blonde murmured as she considered it. "It's… I mean, yeah? Lots."
"Too many," Usa supplied. "Brainwashing, clone, amnesia, someone else under an illusion…"
"And then there's time travel."
"The future I came from is gone, remember?"
"Yeah. So, the way Set-chan explained it, Usa's from a timeline that won't happen anymore because I won't have anything to do with Mamoru. But that was definitely Usa. She wasn't evil or she would've actually attacked, not just, well, played a prank. That does help rule out a lot of the worst possibilities, really. So… maybe it's a different Usa?" She scratched her head in confusion. "I don't see how that would be possible though, without Ma… moru…"
"Mo—Usagi?" Usa asked.
Usagi looked at Ranma, before turning her blue eyes onto Usa below her. "…Haha. No~, I'm being dumb. Never mind. Okay, so if it wasn't Usa, we definitely need to warn the others to be on the lookout."
"Sounds good," Usa agreed.
Usagi turned a leer on Ranma. "I'll introduce you to my friends—"
"Wait!" Usa interrupted, drawing the pair's attention. "Not yet!"
"And just why not?" Usagi sent her a skeptical look.
Usa looked shifty-eyed for a moment before quietly admitting, "Haruka and Michiru are arguing. I think they broke up tonight."
"…And?"
Usa rolled her eyes. "We're pretty sure it's over Ranma. Or Ranma-chan, actually. His girl form."
"Hah, yeah," Ranma reached up to scratch at his pigtail. "Apparently I met them in my waitressing side-job and the blonde took my flirting a little too seriously, and it made the other one jealous."
"So me and Hotaru came up with an idea. Something to fix things and make everyone happy."
Usagi nodded. "Go on."
Usa told her the plan she and Hotaru had come up with.
Usagi sent an incredulous look at Ranma, who simply shrugged. "Hotaru wants to try, so I'll give it a try."
Laughing quietly, the blonde shook her head. "Oh, they're going to be annoyed when they find out I was involved in this. But… as the future queen, I have to look to the futures of all my senshi. Do it. If you can." Then, she giggled. "Besides, the looks on their faces when they figure it out. Ahh, I wanna be there to watch!"
"Can't exactly set up a video camera in the corner, you know," Usa rolled her eyes. "Earth tech isn't there yet, on tiny cameras in everything."
"I'll talk to Ami. Maybe there's something she could do…?" Usagi shrugged, before turning her full attention back on Usa. "Now… it's time to continue your punishment."
Usa blinked. "Eh?! But I thought we just established it was a case of mistaken identity!"
Usagi leered. "We can't be too sure. And besides, the idea of being pregnant together is appealing. Now, let me just fix your fuku…"
"Noo~!" Usa whined as Usagi reached out and touched her head, feeling the magic as it reached into her and something in her connection with her armor changed.
Then, Ranma was lifting her legs up, holding them over her head and exposing her bare, fat little cunt to his cock. "You ready to be a mommy, Usa?"
"No, no, no, no no no no nooo~! Ung!" And then Ranma's cock was splitting her wide open and filling her up. And then, her cries were cut off as Usagi squatted over her face and settled down, her pussy settling right over Usa's lips.
"Show me what you've learned, Usa-chan~" Usagi chuckled, wriggling back and forth on Usa's face, incidentally smearing her daughter's mouth and nose with more of her juices and Ranma's sperm.
Usagi reached out and wriggled her fingers. Getting the idea, Ranma took her hands as he slowly began to plow in and out of Usa, who finally stuck out her tongue and started lapping away at Usagi's slit. Just that little bit of attention forced a flood of sperm and lubrication from Usagi's sopping snatch and Usa had to swallow as the hot mixture flooded into her little mouth.
"Ahn~," Usagi moaned quietly, leaning into Ranma as she began to grind back and forth on Usa's face. "She's, ah, not bad at this. Definitely going to have to teach her a few things though."
"Yeah? All that experience from playing with your friends?"
"Mhmm!" Usagi confirmed with a grin. "You'll love them! It's gonna be great. Ahh, maybe I should introduce you to them one by one though, instead of all as a group. Maybe start, mmf, start with Ami. She's sweet and she and Rei have never had a boyfriend…"
"What's she like?" Ranma asked as he thrust a little harder into Usa's pussy, the girl starting to clench up around him.
"Mm, short. Curvy. Shy and quiet, but very friendly once you get to know her and she opens up."
Ranma nodded—she sounded nice enough. "What is it with you three and wanting me to hook up with all of your friends?"
Usagi laughed quietly at that. "I guess that depends on who you ask. I'm sure Hotaru and Usa both have their own reasons. Me? I just want all of my friends, the people I love, to be happy together—oh!"
"Eh?"
"Hehe, she's sucking my clit."
Ranma shook his head. "We should probably untie her after this."
"Yeah," Usagi agreed. "Make her the meat in the middle and show her lots of love and affection."
Ranma watched as the blonde's eyes fluttered as she grew closer to orgasm. "That's it, come for me Usagi. Show me your face when your daughter makes you come."
"Nn!" Usagi whimpered, her body shuddering as Ranma's words set her off. Collapsing forward, she giggled against his chest as she rode out her orgasm. "Oh, that's naughty. Mama like~."
"'Mama,' huh?"
"Well, I mean, there's a very real chance it could happen, papa."
Ranma didn't comment. He did, however, grow a bit more enthusiastic in his treatment of the mother/daughter pair.
In the end, Usagi never revealed that she hadn't actually turned off Usa's birth control settings. She wanted to scare (and maybe excite) Usa a little, not actually complicate her life like that yet.
It was only a few weeks later, when she was late on her period, that Usagi realized their fun little bit of 'play' might have taken a more serious turn…