Conjunction
07
Partially commissioned by Kenainath.
The front door opened and Kaiou Michiru's heart pounded in her chest. She felt herself half leave her seat before forcing her body to still as she waited and listened.
"We're home!" Hotaru called, and Michiru fell back into her chair as her stomach dropped out from under her. Just as it had seemingly every time one of the neighbors' car doors closed a little too hard and she thought it was Haruka coming back.
"Welcome home," Michiru called listlessly as Hotaru and Chibi-Usa, or just Usa as she was now going by, entered and went straight to their shared bedroom.
Michiru was… lonely. But more than that, she was angry. At Haruka, for being an idiot with wandering eyes. At Setsuna, for telling her and Haruka both they were being idiots and promptly fucking off for everything but meal times. At Hotaru, for being so damned understanding and comforting her in her time of need, seeing her at her worst. At Usa, for leaving her alone and giving her space, because the pinkette wasn't as close as Hotaru was. At the world for being so fucking unfair. And at herself, for being angry at the ones who didn't deserve it, for being stupid enough to tolerate Haruka's crap for so long without putting her foot down. For being a jealous bitch who drove off her girlfriend over what was, in reality, literally nothing.
It wasn't like they didn't occasionally pick up girls and go have fun together anyway! There was no real reason she should be angry.
And yet…
And yet, something about the way Haruka looked at the admittedly sinfully delicious redhead drove her up a wall. Rubbed her hackles the wrong way. Brought out the jealousy and anger in her. It was a line too far in her opinion.
Now, instead of apologizing and admitting her fault, Haruka had blown her off to go who knows where. Probably try to chase down that redhead.
Michiru barely noticed when Hotaru and Usa entered the kitchen and the elder of the two got to work at the stove making dinner. She had the presence of mind to apologize, however. "Sorry I hadn't gotten started on food."
"It's fine," Hotaru waved her off, and that just irritated Michiru more, even though she knew it shouldn't.
So, to take her mind off her frustration and dumping her feelings onto two of the three residents of the home who didn't actually deserve it (she felt Setsuna actually did deserve a little of her anger for sticking her nose in, all smug as she was wont to do), she turned her attention to the two youngest. Hotaru bustled about the kitchen with a happy air, a permanent smile on her face and an admittedly sexy little swish in her hips. Usa's eyes trailed Hotaru as she leaned against the counter on the side of the kitchen, out of Hotaru's way but not at the table. A faint smile pulled at the smaller girl's lips as she watched Hotaru work.
Hotaru had been happier than Michiru had ever seen her lately. Excited, too.
Usa had been calmer, softer. Much less of a brat and much more touchy-feely with Hotaru.
Michiru had suspected the two were fucking but… Hotaru's behavior changed first. A couple of weeks before Usa's, in fact. And while Michiru wasn't exactly a gossip like many of the other senshi, she did have a keen nose for it. She sensed something afoot.
Those two are definitely fooling around, but I think there may be someone else involved. One of the Inners? No, I'd have heard about it by now. Maybe… someone from Mugen Academy? Seems plausible, but Hotaru doesn't have many friends there. Usa is becoming a little socialite like her mother, but the sequence of events doesn't make sense for this supposed third party to have come by way of her social circle and not Hotaru's. And then there's the question of whether it's a girl… or a boy.
Contrary to popular belief amongst (most of) the senshi, Michiru and Haruka weren't lesbians. Oh, they were in a relationship together, certainly—but they weren't exclusively homosexual. They just hadn't found the right man. Buried in the Swiss cheese memories of times long past, she knew both her previous self and Haruka's were very, ah, liberal in their sexual proclivities. They'd had sexual relationships with all of the other senshi, the queen, the princess, more male lovers than she cared to remember, and even a few starlights—those last ones were particularly fun.
In her current incarnation, Michiru just hadn't been interested in any boys yet. Oh, certainly, there were plenty of men on the T.V. who got her motor running… but she had Haruka and that was enough for her.
Had been enough.
Maybe I should try finding a guy just to show her how fast I can, she mused, thinking on making her… ex jealous.
The point being, neither she nor Haruka would have been against Hotaru, Usa, or both being interested in boys. It wasn't like they were keeping them away from boys, either. But the way those two got along, it was sort of acknowledged and almost expected by all of the other senshi that they would end up together. For a third wheel to get in the middle of them… Regardless of whether it's a boy or girl, they must be something special.
Michiru was pulled from her thoughts by Hotaru speaking up. "Oh! I almost forgot!"
"Hm?"
"We have a home visit today."
Michiru blinked. "What?"
"Home visit. One of the teachers is coming over. They decided that since we live together, it'd be easier for sensei to do us both at the same time," Usa repeated… before snickering.
Michiru rolled her eyes at the childishly lewd phrasing. "They're supposed to let the parents know a week in advance."
"We, we did," Hotaru reminded, her tone gentle. "You were, well… Distracted. With Haruka. So we let Setsuna know too."
Michiru flinched. "Oh. I see," she murmured. Yes, that made sense. She had been 'distracted' for a while now.
Taking a deep breath, Michiru let it out in a sigh. "Okay!" she nodded. "Who is it? Your homeroom teacher?"
"Our new P.E. teacher. You know how it is," Usa shrugged.
Shit rolls downhill, the aqua-haired woman nodded. "Right. Anything I should know before he gets here?"
Usa's lips pulled into a smirk. Hotaru answered, "Not really. Sensei is nice."
There was something there. In the entirely too nonchalant way Hotaru answered, and in the way Usa looked like she was trying to decide whether or not to say something. Michiru took a shot in the dark, "Does someone have a crush?"
Hotaru remained silent. Tellingly so. Usa, on the other hand, waited exactly three seconds before confirming it. "Oh, no. Hotaru-chan doesn't just have a crush. She loves sensei."
"Usa~!" Hotaru whined, and Michiru could hear the blush.
"Oh~?" the woman asked, smelling more gossip. "Just how old is he?"
"About your age," Usa answered while Hotaru's chopping of vegetables gained a little more force than strictly necessary.
Michiru hummed quietly. That wasn't ideal, but it wasn't awful, either. Realistically, older men were a better bet than younger men anyway—as they tended to be more settled and have their lives and houses in order. And of course, there was the fact that the age gap between Usagi and Mamoru was similar. But we see how that turned out…
Well, it wouldn't be fair to judge every man by the failures of one—otherwise, she might as well judge herself by Haruka's failures.
"Is he handsome?" Michiru asked, her tone teasing.
"Oh yeah. Real hunky," Usa nodded. "I'd hit it."
"Usa!"
"What? I would! Sensei's hot. He's a martial artist, so he's got that lean, muscular build. Mm, those muscles. Usa like."
"Definitely your mother's daughter," Michiru muttered, shaking her head. "So, we've established that he's a bit older and he's rather good looking. But what about his personality? Good looks can't make up for an awful personality, you know."
This time, it was Hotaru who stood up for her sensei. "Ranma-sensei is a kind, honorable man. He's patient and understanding with his students. He listens and actually cares about our problems. He goes out of his way to help those who need it. Yes, he can be a bit rough around the edges, but that's part of his charm."
Michiru raised an eyebrow at that. "'Rough around the edges?' In what way?"
"The way he talks, when he actually relaxes around you. He stops caring about a lot of the typical Japanese stuff…"
"Social niceties," Usa explained, and Hotaru nodded. "He's not rude, he just gets very… blunt."
Michiru's other eyebrow went up. "Oh? And how would you know that?"
Usa rolled her eyes. "Who do you think has been talking my ear off about him since school started?"
"I have not," Hotaru denied.
"You definitely have," Usa countered.
Michiru considered the two with a suspicious gaze. They were up to something, she could feel it. She was tempted to use her psychic powers to find out what, but… she'd let them have their privacy. "When can we expect him?"
"Soon," Hotaru answered, before checking the clock. "An hour, maybe. He said something about changing clothes and grading papers first."
"Well then, I guess it's up to Usa and I to straighten up a bit while you finish cooking. And Usa, tell Diana not to do something silly, like trying to spook Ranma by talking to him," Michiru warned.
Usa sent her a raised eyebrow. "Wow, you have been out of it. Diana's been staying with her dad at Minako's place for about a month now. Since just before the thing with Haruka started. When I told her about it, she decided it was better to just not come back for a while."
Michiru winced. "I'm, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause anyone else trouble—"
"Usa."
"What?!" Usa sent Hotaru a look. "Look, I'm tired of tiptoeing around it, okay!" She put her fists on her hips and turned to Michiru. "Setsuna's right. You're both being dumb. Haruka more, yeah, but you too. And I'm tired of pretending it's not going on or that Haruka hasn't come back, and I certainly won't pretend that I didn't come home last night and find Hotaru-chan had been crying. So, as your future princess, this is an order. Fix your shit or I will fix it for you."
Michiru took in a breath, anger flaring as her deep blue eyes narrowed into a glare. Then, she let it out in a huff. Because as much as Usa was a guest in her house, as much as they were in modern day Japan and this wasn't the time for that sort of arrangement yet… Setsuna assured them it would happen eventually. Usagi would be their queen and Usa, as her daughter, would have authority over the senshi—eventually directly over the team itself as the new Sailor Moon when Usagi stepped down from the role. And Usa had never brought up the relationship or their status in relation to each other before—nor had Usagi. Not seriously, anyway. The fact that she was, and was throwing around curses…
We… have really fucked up if she's actually cursing at me and threatening to pull rank.
Perhaps Usa was hurt by all of it, or perhaps not. But Hotaru was hurt by their actions, and that hurt Usa, so her anger was understandable.
The fact that Hotaru was silent, that she didn't chastise or contradict Usa, that was… telling. Worryingly so.
"And… just how do you suggest I 'fix my shit?'" she asked, the word distasteful in her mouth. Michiru had never liked cursing, even during sex. She found it crass.
"That's your job. Figure it out. But I'd start with maybe dating other people for a change. Mo—Usagi got a new boyfriend after that jerk Mamoru dumped her. You could too."
Michiru blinked. "What."
That was news to her. Big news. Like, Setsuna should have informed them news.
"She's dating Ranma-sensei," Hotaru piped up and Michiru's brain skidded to a halt.
"The same Ranma that's coming to visit?"
"Mm," Hotaru confirmed.
"The Ranma you have a crush on." Hotaru remained silent at that. Turning to Usa, she asked, "Usagi vetted him?"
Usa shrugged. "Why don't you ask her? Must have if she's not just having a fling."
"No," Michiru drew the word out. "This is Usagi. The odds of her actually vetting him are low." Sighing, she hung her head and moved into the living room, where she started cleaning things up. "I see I'm going to have to do it myself."
Usa joined her a moment later. "Sure."
Michiru allowed her mind to wander to this mysterious Ranma-sensei as she and Usa quickly gave the place a once over. Usagi may not have vetted him properly, but… she's got good instincts. If he were an awful person, she wouldn't stand for it. Hotaru, too. And Usa. All three are good judges of character. I don't think anyone could actually fool all three of them. Maybe… Hrm. There's always that standing agreement. I could call Usagi and see what she thinks.
And wouldn't that just piss off Haruka. It was petty, but Michiru kind of wanted to hurt the blonde the way Haruka had hurt her. Was hurting her every day, making her worry that Haruka was out there somewhere looking for that redhead. Or replacing her with someone else. It was dumb, she knew, but… no one ever said feelings were logical or smart.
Eventually, finally, the door bell rang. Michiru made her way towards the front door, but Usa got there first, being closer. "Hey, sensei."
"Good evening, Usa-chan. Can I come in?" a man's voice asked, and Michiru perked up a bit. His voice was… nice. Manly. A bit rough, yes. But nice.
Usa stood aside and waved him in. Michiru came up and bowed as Ranma slipped off his light shoes. "Kaiou Michiru. I'm Hotaru's guardian. Technically, Meio Setsuna is Usa-chan's guardian, but she isn't in right now. And, well, she works at the school."
"Really? I haven't really spoken to her outside of school functions. I'll have to talk to her, then." Ranma sent her a smile and a polite bow. "Saotome Ranma. Nice to meet you."
"Would you like some tea?" Michiru offered, and Ranma nodded.
"Sure. We can sit down and go over the paperwork real quick." Ranma followed her into the kitchen, Usa trailing behind. Spotting Hotaru, he grinned. "Evening, Hotaru-chan. What're you cooking?"
"G-good evening, Ranma-sensei," Hotaru greeted with a blush that Michiru thought looked just adorable on her. "Have a look. I made enough for all of us. That is, if you're hungry."
"I wouldn't want to impose…"
"It's not a problem!" Hotaru assured, before looking to Michiru, "Right?"
The woman giggled. "No, I'm sure it won't be."
With that, she had Ranma sit and prepared tea for everyone. Usa joined him at the table as Ranma opened up a binder and pulled out a pen. Then, Michiru served him tea and joined them, and they started going through everything.
Eventually, Hotaru announced that dinner was done and began putting dishes on the table. Usa got up and quickly began helping set the table, but when Ranma started to rise, the pair forced him to sit back down as they laid out everything. Everyone served themselves and began eating.
"Mm. This is really good, Hotaru-chan," Ranma complimented the girl.
Hotaru beamed a smile at him from across the table. "Thank you, sensei."
When they finished, Michiru showed Ranma around her home and the man nodded, taking dutiful notes in his binder before they returned to the table where he sat it down. "Usa, Hotaru, why don't you two go play in your room while I talk with your sensei some more? This is just going to be boring stuff anyway."
The pair traded a look before Usa shrugged. "Sure. Come on, Hotaru."
With that, the younger girls departed. Michiru made her way to the refrigerator and smiled as she pulled out a blue bottle. Turning to Ranma, she wagged the bottle and asked, "How about something a little stronger than tea?"
Chuckling, the man nodded. "Sure, why not? What is that?"
"Tozai," Michiru answered as she took down a couple of cups and carried it out to the living room, Ranma following along. "I like the watermelon flavor."
"I'm a fan of demon slayer myself, but… I don't mind the sweet stuff." Admittedly, that was mostly in his girl form, but he wasn't going to tell her that and give away the game just yet.
Michiru paused only long enough to turn off the overhead light, leaving the room lit only by a small, warm lamp at either end of the couch. She sat down on her couch, patting the seat beside her as she set everything down on the coffee table in front of them. She poured Ranma a cup and was only somewhat surprised when he took the bottle from her and poured hers. Then, they sat and sipped, taking a moment to simply enjoy the company.
"So," Michiru began, swirling her drink in her cup.
"So," Ranma nodded, his lips twitching into a grin.
Michiru rolled her eyes. "Usa and Hotaru tell me you're dating Usa's mom."
"Usagi? Yeah. She's nice," he confirmed. "Didn't realize you were friends. Actually, I met Usagi through Hotaru, believe it or not."
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"Ah, well… Hotaru came to me after class one day and we got to talking. She asked me what I wanted to do after I finished teaching for my college course, so I told her. At the time, I thought that was opening up a dojo and teaching the art. Not so sure anymore."
"Usa did mention you're a martial artist," Michiru nodded. She also noticed that he used her given name—had done so with both Usa and Hotaru, in fact. Though, she supposed that being their teacher and wanting to be closer to his students, he might do that with all of them. Some of her own teachers did the same.
"Yeah. I'm the best," Ranma confirmed. And he said it with such confidence that, as much as she wanted to call him out on it and say that he couldn't possible be the best… she kind of wanted to believe that he really was. He at least believed he was. And it wasn't just false bravado. It was the kind of confidence that comes with experience. In the same way Michiru knew exactly how good she was with her violin. "Well, when I told her that, Hotaru told me I should give it a try."
"Oh?"
Ranma nodded. "Yeah. I've never actually taught anyone before. Not seriously. It's what I'm in school for—to get my teaching license to open up a dojo. But, well, unofficially it's not actually a problem to take on a student. So I've been teaching her after school, off and on for a while."
That explains it, Michiru realized as everything clicked. Why Hotaru was so happy lately. The sneaky girl was getting in private time with her crush. She had to admit, it was smart. And honestly, she couldn't even really argue against it, because if he was even remotely as good as he thought he was then being able to increase a senshi's base power with skill was always a good thing. It was practical.
"Usa too?"
"Yeah, she joined a bit after Hotaru did," Ranma confirmed her thoughts.
"So, how did you meet Usagi?"
Chuckling quietly, Ranma finished off his cup. Michiru took a moment to pour another before Ranma did the same for her. "Well, that's actually kind of complicated. Apparently, some of those youma things popped up in the park near where Hotaru and I were training."
"Oh," Michiru's heart hammered in her chest. She knew there were still leftovers. That sometimes, they breached and caused problems. But no one had told her about it. "What happened then?"
"Eh, Hotaru transformed and wanted to wipe them out."
Michiru blinked. Did I mishear…?
"But I've been wanting a chance to fight those things ever since I heard about them."
Michiru blinked again. "What…? You, you do realize just how dangerous youma can be, don't you?"
Ranma snorted. "Maybe to normal people without training. I needed to see them for myself. We didn't have any in Nerima. These things were pretty pathetic. Really weak. Like, died to a single punch."
Impossible! Michiru wanted to shout. To call him a liar. But she held her tongue and waited. She would ask Hotaru, afterwards. After all, apparently she had revealed her identity to a civilian!
"Around that time Sailor Moon showed up, so Saturn went ahead and joined in. I got kinda bored, so I finished the rest of them off. Talked with Moon after and she introduced herself as Usagi when Saturn went back to just Hotaru. We kinda hit it off."
"You're just a civilian. That's im—" Michiru cut herself off when Ranma held out a hand, and a glowing blue sphere of pure life force filled his palm. "—possible. Wha…?"
Ranma chuckled and dismissed the ki construct. "I told you. I'm a martial artist."
Michiru's mind reeled, her deep blue eyes wide as she stared at the man sitting beside her. Ranma had gone from her friend/ward's sensei, to Usagi's boyfriend, to interesting in the span of a little over an hour. Slugging back her cup of sake, even though she knew it wasn't dignified at all, she held out her cup and Ranma politely refilled it.
Okay. Okay, think. So, he's an actual, real life, no B.S. martial artist like something out of an anime or a Chinese movie. Strong. Can obviously use energy attacks. Usagi didn't need to vet him because Hotaru did it herself. He can kill youma as easy as breathing if what he says is true, when it took the Inners a while to figure it out. So, what do I do here?
"So, which one are you?"
Michiru sent him a confused look. "Which one…?"
"Senshi. I know Usagi, Usa, and Hotaru all are. You feel like them too. I can feel the magic rolling off of you. The house is full of lingering traces burned in. At least two, no three other regulars."
"But, the magic of the transformation should keep you from connecting the dots?"
Ranma scoffed. "Mind magic? Yeah, no. I've dealt with so much mind control, brainwashing, and possession crap that I'm basically immune at this point."
Michiru reeled again. "What, what do you mean?"
"Let's just say I've… lived in interesting times," Ranma groused. When Michiru sent him a look demanding more, he shrugged. "Okay, look. When I was around five, my pops took me on a ten year training trip all across most of Asia—Japan, China, both Koreas, Vietnam, India. You name it, if it had any sort of martial arts or mystical mumbo-jumbo we were probably there. Picked up a curse on the way back through China. Fun stuff," he rolled his eyes. "We were chased out of China by Chinese Amazons, one of 'em lookin' to kill me at the time for a perceived insult, cause of something pops did.
"Got back and pops sprang a surprise engagement on me. Turns out, he and his old training buddy agreed to join their martial arts schools through their heirs and children. Except Tendo didn't have an heir because he stopped teaching his daughters after his wife died. The would-be fiancee was, well, nuts. The whole situation was crazy. I was being extorted by the middle Tendo sister. This jackass at the high school decided I was his number one enemy because I was engaged to the girl he liked, so he kept challenging me. His sister got it in her head that she wanted to date me and beat up Akane—that's the youngest sister I was engaged to. My old childhood friend Ukyo shows up and he challenges me to a fight to the death. I win, but it turns out he's actually a she and pops swindled her old man out of her dowry and she's been trying to recover her family honor ever since, either by killing me or marrying me. The amazon showed up and after I beat her, she decided that made me prime husband material, so she went from 'you I kill' to 'you I love.' This other friend of mine showed up wanting to kick my ass because he followed us to Jusenkyo and picked up a curse himself.
"That's just the main characters. There was some crazy new martial arts challenge at least once a week. That, or Ryoga—the cursed guy—would show up. Or Mousse—an Amazon guy interested in Shampoo, the girl who wanted to marry me. And so on. For years. Amazons and a buncha others like to use magic, ki techniques, cursed items, potions, poisons, and other means of screwing with somebody's head. Ran across curses, ghosts, and all kinda other stuff. Oh yeah, then there's the Phoenix tribe, who are sort of enemies of the Amazons, who do a lot of the same crap. Had to kill their personified phoenix god before he could ascend and become an actual god, 'cause the guy had Akane kidnapped and Shampoo brainwashed."
"That… you're pulling my leg."
"Nope."
Michiru frowned. Summoning her mirror to hand. The talisman glowed brightly as she studied it and Ranma, attempting to discern the truth of his words. After a few moments, her jaw progressively falling further open, she finally gave it up and put the mirror on the table. "I need a drink. You need a drink," she muttered, sipping at her alcohol.
"There ain't enough booze in the world," the man snorted.
Michiru finished her cup and shifted over on the couch, pressing herself into the man's side. Ranma said nothing as he refilled her cup and drained his own, which she refilled. After a few moments of silence, Michiru answered. "Sailor Neptune."
Ranma nodded. "Good job on that whole saving the world thing. Thanks."
Michiru giggled. "Thank you. We don't really hear it much."
"I know," he agreed. "So, that's enough heavy stuff. What do you do for fun?"
"Oh, I play the violin and I'm a bit of an artist."
"Really? Think you could play something for me?"
Michiru raised an eyebrow at that. "You really want to hear me play?" Haruka… didn't care, these days. When they were first dating, she came to Michiru's recitals, but lately she had just seemed to lose interest.
"Sure. Music's like the art. A lot of fine control and manual dexterity, and a whole lot of time and practice put in to be any good at it," Ranma nodded.
Michiru considered him for a moment before sitting her drink on the table. Getting up, she made her way back to her -and Haruka's- room. Finding her instrument case, she made her way back to the living room, rejoining Ranma on the couch. She carefully pulled the violin out and got it ready, Ranma watching silently but with interest as she worked—following along with her every action and movement as though he were trying to learn them for himself.
Haruka never did that.
Feeling just a little self-conscious, but still preening at the attention, Michiru brought bow to strings and began to play. She saw Ranma's eyes on her, studying every movement of her hands and fingers as she began to walk through the first thing that came to mind. Closing her eyes, she could still feel the attention on her, but she was used to that—used to ignoring a much larger crowd. So instead, she let her mind wander and her body play on auto-pilot, completely on muscle memory.
Why didn't Haruka ever really take an interest? Sure, she did at first, but it stopped almost… almost as soon as we started having sex, actually. Surely she didn't just feign interest to get into my pants? But, she's always been a bit of a… 'playboy' is the wrong word, but close. A rake? The female equivalent. Crossdressing and approaching naive young musicians and others and picking them up, impressing them with that fancy sportscar, charming them with kind words, and then 'oh by the way, I'm actually a girl. Sorry, is that a problem?' And 'Oh no, I guess it's not a problem, because you're just so handsome—I mean beautiful—and witty, charming, and we're such good friends so of course I'll climb into bed with you.' How did I ever fall for that act?
And it was an act. Michiru could admit that she didn't get to know the real Haruka until well after that initial phase where Haruka had approached her just like, well, every other girl Haruka had been interested in, slept with, and dumped to move on to the next one. Of which she knew there were many. After they both became senshi and the truth came out.
The real Haruka was… a slob. Lazy. Moody. Kind of a jerk. Insecure. A bit narcissistic. Entirely too full of herself. Had a high sex drive. And she was a selfish lover at times.
She was also confident. Romantic, beyond when she was looking to pick someone up. She could be thoughtful, when she put her mind to it. Charming. Witty—enough to keep Michiru, who herself was a bit of a prodigy, interested.
She was flawed, yes. But for all those flaws, Michiru still loved her, and it hurt to be without her. …It also hurt her pride to know that she couldn't keep Haruka satisfied by herself.
And that's what it all boiled down to, didn't it? Why Haruka's eyes wandered in the first place.
Michiru wasn't exactly a 'one and done' kind of girl, but she didn't like marathon sex. Not like Haruka did. She could be satisfied with a quickie and a bit of cuddling. Too much, and her body got overly sensitive in the wrong ways and she couldn't take it anymore. Which meant that Haruka was never truly satisfied, sexually. So of course Haruka would be a bit stingy, or would want to bring in new girls for them to share—specifically so Haruka could run them down, being the more physically active of the two of them. And of course, she would be frustrated with Michiru's inability to perform, and then more frustrated when Michiru's jealousy flared up and she put her foot down on the redhead.
Worse, Michiru couldn't bring herself to open up and actually talk to Haruka about it. Tell her what the problem was. Tell her about her own insecurities and feelings of inadequacy. Her pride was her own failing, Michiru knew—one of many, really.
Setsuna was right. We're both being dumb.
Michiru felt herself come to a stop and slowly opened her eyes. Ranma was still sitting beside her, still just as attentive as he had been when she started playing. Michiru looked at the clock and blinked—she had been playing for over an hour, nonstop.
"That was good. I think. Don't have much experience to judge," he shrugged. "Sounded good. Sad, though."
"Ah, sorry. It's, it's an original piece I've been working on," Michiru admitted as she realized what she had slipped into playing.
Sending her a grin, Ranma asked, "Can I try?"
Michiru hesitated. "Have you ever played before?"
"Nope."
She considered it for a moment. I offered to teach Haruka, but she had no interest. Didn't even want to try…
"Okay," Michiru nodded. She carefully handed the violin over. "Let's go over…" Ranma brought it up to where it should be, just as she had. "What are you…?"
The strings hissed momentarily as he tried running the bow across them. Michiru smiled as she realized what he was doing. "Tactile learner, right?"
"Hm?"
"You learn by doing."
Ranma nodded. "All my life. You can tell me what this or that is, or is supposed to do, but I don't really get it until I do it, ya know?"
The teal-haired woman nodded. "Just, please be careful?"
He nodded again, before adjusting the way he held the bow and violin. Then, Michiru's jaw dropped open as be began to play. Pachelbel's Canon. One of the songs Michiru had worked her way through in the beginning. Note for note, exactly as she had played it. "How are you doing that?!"
"With style," Ranma grinned cheekily. A thoughtful look crossed his face as he continued to mimic what she had done. That was when Michiru realized that when he was testing the strings, he had actually been figuring out exactly how much pressure to apply and from what angle, to adjust for the differences between her body and his. Because he was exactly copying what she had done, down to every minute finger movement. It was like hearing a recording of herself play, in a way. "Bet I could put ki in it and make all sorts of effects. Sound attacks, maybe put people to sleep, hypnotism…" And he just casually listed off things Michiru herself had either done, considered doing, or seen youma do with sonic attacks.
"Too dependent on a weapon though. If it breaks or something, you're screwed and you've got to waste time dropping it to actually fight," he eventually disregarded the idea, for much the same reason Michiru herself had.
Finally, Ranma finished out the song and handed the violin back. "That was fun."
"You," Michiru stared. "You're impossible."
The man grinned again. "I know, right? I'm just that good."
Carefully, Michiru put away the violin. Then, she turned back to Ranma. She hesitated for just a moment before steeling herself. Shifting her hips, she slung one leg over both of Ranma's and straddled his lap, dropping her hands on his shoulders.
"Michiru?"
Handsome. Athletic. Strong enough to hold his own against at least lesser youma. Intelligent. Ridiculously skilled in his field, so much so that it bled over to other physical fields requiring any kind of hand-eye coordination or manual dexterity, to the point of being able to copy a prodigal violinist just from watching her play once. Not one, not two, but three of her fellow senshi had vetted him—and not just any three, but the three with the highest empathy among them, who would have sussed out any sort of ruse or trick on his part.
"Has Usagi mentioned the… standing arrangement between senshi?" Michiru broached the subject cautiously.
Ranma snorted, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, I've heard about it."
"What are your thoughts on it?"
"I mean… I don't have a problem with the idea of loving two women equally. My problem here is that everything I've seen outside of your little group runs against that. Says it's not possible for two girls to like the same guy and not fight. And I don't mean some arguing or a little catfight, I mean fights that wreck buildings. That was kind of a weekly thing for a while there in Nerima."
Michiru frowned. She had been to Nerima a few times for recitals and had noticed the place seemed a little… off. There hadn't been any youma, but some of the people were oddballs to put it mildly. Then there was the fact that every time she went, it always seemed something was being demolished or was under construction…
Shaking her head, she put the thought aside for now. "But she told you that the other senshi were 'fair game,' correct?"
"Yeah," Ranma confirmed, hesitantly.
Michiru leaned forward, until her forehead rested on his. This close, this intimate, she felt her body tremble with a mixture of emotions. Fear of rejection. Anxiety. Excitement. Arousal—oh, there was a lot of arousal. Michiru was big on mental stimulus, and finding someone who could keep up with her, who was interested in the things she was or was at least willing to be interested because Michiru was interested, someone who could mirror her, even—it was a huge turn-on.
"I don't," Michiru paused, frowning as words failed her for a moment. Finally, she forced herself to be up front and say what she needed to say. "I just got out of a bad relationship. I'm not looking to get into another right now. But you're interesting. I think… I'd really like for us to get to know each other better, if you're open to that. I'd like to be friends. Maybe… friends with a little more?"
"I think I'd like that," Ranma admitted. Biting his lip, he looked away and sighed. "Look, I'm gonna be honest with you. This whole thing, it's a set-up."
"Huh?" Michiru asked, blinking as she pulled back slightly, a look of confusion crossing her face.
"Hotaru and Usa, and Usagi too. They were worried about you and Haruka." Michiru nodded. That made sense, but where was he going with this? "Everything I told you was true, we just… left out the important part. The thing is, I'm actually datin' all three of 'em."
"What?!" Michiru gaped.
"Yeah," Ranma chuckled, reaching out and taking her hands. "Hotaru tracked me down as Saturn first. We talked and she confessed how she felt. I didn't realize she was one of my students until the morning after, when she dropped the transformation. Things kinda… went from there. Then she brought Usa in as Mini Moon and introduced us. Then the thing in the park happened. What I left out was that who we thought was Usa at the time, dressed up as what the other two call 'Dark Lady,' came and hit us with some kinda lust spell. So that's actually how Usagi and I met. We really did hit it off and we like each other, so we've been seeing each other since. Then Hotaru and Usa came up with this plan," he lifted his right hand, joined with her left.
"Basically, the idea was to come in and trick you. What was it they called it? The 'Parent Trap' plan. Basically, screw with you and Haruka both to get you two back together but put me in the middle to keep you away from each other's throats. But… Honestly, I like ya too much to do that to ya. You're nice. Smart. Great with a violin. I can tell you really love it. You actually care about Hotaru and Usa."
"You, that, I…" Michiru's mind ran in circles for a moment before she glared down at him. "Those brats!" she hissed, and Ranma chuckled.
"Yeah. Sorry."
That, that made so much more sense. Ranma seemed too earnest to have actually outright lied about anything—discounting the initial lie of omission about what was really going on. So, assuming everything he had told her was true… it lined up with the timeframe. That night Hotaru didn't come home and claimed to have slept over with the Inners—that was the night she went out as Saturn and tracked down and seduced her sensei.
Hotaru. Seduced someone. The thought was almost alien and wrong to her, but… the truth was, Michiru remembered Saturn. At least in bits and pieces. The woman had been quiet, certainly. But she was confident. Sure of herself. And not at all afraid to go after what she wanted.
Everything else fell into place from there. Saturn seduced her sensei and exposed her civilian identity. She began spending time with him and Ranma started training her in martial arts, which was really just one more thing Hotaru enjoyed doing because it meant spending time with Ranma—in the same way Michiru would be thrilled if the person she liked wanted her to teach them how to play. Then Hotaru had introduced Usa to Ranma. Then, the thing with Usagi…
"Wait. There's something I don't get."
"Only one?" Ranma joked.
Michiru rolled her eyes. "You said who you thought was Usa as Dark Lady used a lust spell on you all. Which implies that you don't think that anymore."
"Nah. We talked to Usa and turns out, she was here that night."
"Ahh," Michiru nodded. "Doppelganger of some kind." When Ranma sent her a confused look, she elaborated. "Clone. Copy. Or something else."
"Yeah, that's what we're thinking," he confirmed.
Michiru considered the man below her. She was a little annoyed, but she could admit that it was kind of funny as a prank—because that was definitely the spirit Usa and Usagi meant it in. And she could see the true goal in it—to help her and Haruka. That was all Hotaru. She couldn't be mad at them about it, but she was annoyed. Still… They aren't exactly wrong, are they?
Nothing she had learned had changed her opinion of Ranma. Actually, that he'd told her only improved her estimation of him, because it tacked on 'honest' and 'forthright' to the list of his good qualities. If the situation was different and it was Haruka in his position, there was no way the blonde would have spilled the beans until after she got what she wanted or the mission was done.
"Explain the rest of this plan to me. How was this supposed to work, exactly? Tell Haruka that I've found someone and make her jealous?"
Ranma's lips twitched. "More like show."
"Eh?"
Chuckling, Ranma reached up and scratched at his pigtail. "So, you remember I said I picked up a curse on my travels?"
"Yes, but you don't feel cursed."
"If you'd met me yesterday, you'd have thought different. Apparently, it stood out enough that Hotaru could track me by it. Usagi fixed it."
"Ah. Yeah, that makes sense," Michiru nodded. She took her hands back and leaned forward again, once more resting her forehead against his and her arms over his shoulders, in a very intimate position that made her heart beat faster. Ranma's hands came up and settled on her hips and Michiru felt her pussy clench, growing hot and moist. Her voice dropped to a whisper as she asked, "What kind of curse was it?"
"Well, there's this valley in the mountains in China. Jusenkyo. It's full of cursed springs. Whatever falls in one either drowns in it, or becomes what drowned in a pool last. So you get all kinds of things. Pigs, dogs, tanuki, squirrels, pandas, c-cats, even humans. Like Spring of Drowned Girl, or man, virtuous man, twins, and so on. The curse works with water. Cold water, you change into the cursed form. Warm water turns you back. That guy that followed me? Cursed to turn into a pig. Shampoo got cursed to turn into a cat as punishment for not being able to kill me. The guy who liked her got cursed to turn into a duck 'cause he kept chasin' after her when Amazon law said that she was s'posed to marry me. Pops turns into a panda."
Michiru's eyes narrowed as she considered what he was saying. Finally, she made a guess. "You turn into a girl."
"Heh. Good guess," Ranma nodded. "Yeah."
"So that's how they were going to have you approach Haruka?"
"Mhmm," Ranma agreed. "'Course, Usagi fixed it last night. It's not much of a curse now. Much more convenient. I can do this."
The tall, handsome, dark haired, hunky man beneath her shifted, shrinking a bit in the blink of an eye, and Michiru's eyes widened as she found herself staring down at a vaguely familiar set of features. Short. Wide hips. Narrow waist. Big breasts. Thick thighs. Muscular but feminine. Cute face. Those same blue eyes that she had been staring into just a moment ago… framed under red hair.
"You!"
The woman below her nodded. "Yeah. I use the girl form to do waitressing and stuff for extra cash, or scam vendors out of food. You'd be surprised how many guys just hand out 'free samples' to a cute girl who asks nicely."
"No I wouldn't, half the Inners do that crap all the time," she muttered. "You, you're the reason…" Michiru bit her lip as her anger briefly flared, before forcing it back down.
No, Ranma isn't the reason for the fight. She's what we were fighting about, yes. But she didn't intend to cause problems for us. All of that is on Haruka and I, not her—
"Yeah," Ranma sighed. "I felt kinda responsible when Hotaru and Usa told me what happened, and I realized the girl they were talking about was me. Sorry. I wasn't tryin' anything with her or anything. I really was just on the job at the time, tryin' to get more tips."
Michiru let out her breath in a long sigh, mentally letting go of her anger and hurt with it. Then, she shifted her head, leaning down and claiming the redhead's plush lips. "Mm?!"
Michiru savored the taste of the redhead's mouth—the lingering hint of sweet sake. She broke the kiss a moment later and pulled back a hair. "It's not your fault. Haruka and I each have our own issues. I… I was jealous of you. Really jealous. Haruka wanted to invite you home with us, but I didn't like the idea, because I felt threatened."
"That's not exactly a new reaction," Ranma muttered.
"Change back?" Michiru requested. "I don't dislike you like this, but I, I was enjoying…" she trailed off with a sheepish look. When Ranma shifted below her, back into his masculine form, she smiled. "It's like having a starlight on tap."
"Someone mentioned that. I guess it kinda is now, since it's not a curse," he shrugged.
Michiru leaned back in and pressed her lips to his. Her tongue darted out, exploring his mouth, and she hummed. The taste was the same. Still Ranma, with the sweet sake aftertaste. She smiled against his lips and pulled back. "Finish telling me about the plan."
"Right," Ranma muttered after a moment and Michiru giggled at the somewhat dazed look on his face… along with the hard, hot length pressing into her crotch. With only her panties and his clothes separating them, she could feel his heat slowly driving her wild. Ranma cleared his throat as Michiru slowly ground herself back and forth on his rod. "Basically, the idea was to sleep with you as a guy and Haruka as a girl and send you pictures of each other doing it, to make each of you jealous. Then play with the curse a bit, going back and forth from room to room. I've done that to people to keep them separate—make people think I'm two people. Usually, I claim the girl form is my sister. So, talk to someone as a guy, walk into the kitchen, splash water on myself, come back as the girl, talk a bit, then go back and do it again with hot water. Until you both figured it out or caught me in the act. It'd make you both mad at me instead of each other. That's where the plan gets kinda hazy. Hotaru wasn't sure what would happen. Usa seemed to think it'd just go straight to a threesome like some kinda doujin."
Michiru snorted. "Knowing Haruka, yes, I could see that happening and being dragged along into her pace. So, who's using the camera right now? Usa? Hotaru?"
"Oh, me."
Michiru sent the man a confused look. "Huh?"
"Come on out."
Michiru blinked as the redhead from before just appeared in the corner of the room, holding one of those instant Polaroid cameras. The redhead waved. "Hey."
"Uh." Michiru looked back and forth between them. "How?"
"Instant curse water. I ordered a bunch a while back for, ah… 'research purposes.'"
"Sex. You mean sex."
Ranma shrugged. "I mean sex. And other things. A backup plan, in case anyone from Nerima showed up. It's temporary and goes away with hot water, so you can fill a canteen with it, splash someone, they turn into whatever the water is, then I can deal with them without actually having to fight and risk destroyin' my new place or getting a bad reputation here." Nodding at the redhead, he said, "That's from instant Drowned Twins. Wish I'd have had it back when I was still in Nerima."
"Why's she a girl?"
"Just in case you could see through the umi-sen ken," Ranma shrugged.
"Interesting," Michiru purred. She considered the redhead and the camera, before grinning. "Take me to bed."
Ranma blinked. "You sure?"
"Yes. Bring her too."
"Score~!" the redhead chuckled as the pair got up from the couch and Michiru led Ranma back through the house.
Michiru paused in front of Hotaru and Usa's door. Opening it up, she found them lying on Hotaru's bed, Hotaru reading a book while Usa played her Nintendo. "You two are getting so many spankings later."
They looked up to see Ranma and Michiru, along with Ranko. "You told her?" Usa whined.
"Sorry," the man shrugged. "Didn't seem right, lying to her."
Hotaru beamed a smile at them. "And that is why I love you, sensei."
"So… does this mean we get to join in?" When Michiru raised an eyebrow, Usa sent her a knowing look. "Oh please, you're about to go fuck. Don't try to bullshit us."
Michiru sent the pinkette a droll look. "Perhaps we are. But I want to have this to myself, for now."
"Have fun," Hotaru giggled. Turning to the redhead, she said, "When they're done, why don't you come play with us?"
"Ehh. Real me isn't gonna remember what happened—"
"But we will, and it'll be fun. And I love you just the same," Hotaru smiled.
Ranko sighed. "When ya look at me like that, I can't say no."
"I know."
"Fine," the redhead agreed as Michiru pulled Ranma along. "Later."
With that, the trio made their way into Michiru's bedroom. As soon as the door was shut behind them, Michiru wrapped her arms around Ranma and kissed him again. Ranma picked her up by the hips, carrying her towards the bed as her long legs wrapped around his waist. As they went, Michiru's hands trailed down, opening up Ranma's red top and exposing his chest to her questing fingers.
"Mm, very nice," she murmured, feeling the rock hard muscle beneath his skin.
Ranma worked her blouse up out of her skirt, while Ranko undid Michiru's skirt and pulled it off, along with unfastening the aqua-haired girl's bra. Between the two of them, they got her and Ranma divested of clothes quickly and the man and woman fell onto the bed, while Ranko set up in the corner, grabbing a chair out from under Michiru's desk and turning it around to sit down on. Lining up the camera, she began taking pictures, being mindful to avoid any possible reflections giving her away.
Ranma's fingers danced over Michiru's body and the woman wondered what he was doing, until she felt her body respond—growing hot and flushed, more aroused than she had ever been in her entire life. Her pussy was absolutely soaked and her womb ached to be filled.
"How are you doing this to me?" she whispered as she broke their kiss and Ranma attacked the delicate flesh of her neck, along with her ear.
"Lots of practice," he chuckled. "And a bunch of lewd techniques. The old great grandmaster of my school taught me everything he knew. The old letch knew more about sex and sex techniques than basically anyone in the world."
"Cheater~," Michiru accused as she moaned under his ministrations. It never felt this good with Haruka. She wasn't this skilled. It's like, like he knows everything about me. My body has no secrets from him. Wait, no, I should warn him…
"Ranma, wait," she breathed as he sucked at her neck, his tongue licking her in a way that made her hips jerk.
"What's up?" he asked, lightly nipping her and drawing a whimper from Michiru's lips.
"I, I get sensitive, after I… you know."
"Orgasm?" he asked, and she nodded. "Like, hurts to keep going?"
"Yeah," Michiru admitted. "So, please be gentle."
Ranma chuckled, and something in the tone made Michiru worry. "Nah."
"'Nah?'" she echoed, her legs coming up and rubbing his own.
"No need. Here, hang on."
Sitting up, Ranma leaned over Michiru's supine form. His hands began tracing down her body, starting at her neck. Moving down to her large breasts. Teasing her hard, perky nipples. Down her belly, where Michiru felt a spark of something enter her and her eyes rolled up, her body arching up off the bed as she moaned deep and loud, her entire body locking up in what felt like it must surely be the strongest orgasm of her life as her hands clenched the sheets and hot fluid leaked from her cunt—feeling more like she was bleeding from her pussy than simply arousal.
Michiru barely noticed as his hands ghosted down the rest of her body. She did notice when Ranma forced her onto her stomach and she collapsed bonelessly, face first into the pillow, still coming and shaking, and it should hurt by now but it didn't. His hands ghosted over her back, up her spine, branched out here and there until Michiru felt more like a puddle than a human being. Then, fingers touched her ass and there was another spark that made her see stars. Finally, he touched her clit directly… and it all stopped.
The aqua-haired girl sobbed into her pillow as she caught her breath. "How's that? No pain, right?"
Michiru nodded. It had been… amazing. Wonderful. Impossible. Which she was quickly coming to associate with Ranma. "What did you do?" she managed to get out.
"A few pressure points. It's a technique typically meant for guys, for after we come, to let us keep going without getting overwhelmed. 'Cept the letch explained, and later showed me, that some girls have the same problem. This is how you fix that. It ain't permanent, not without some more equipment, but I could do it easily. If you want."
"Yes!" Michiru nodded, agreeing immediately as she latched onto his words. If her body reacted normally, then she wouldn't turn down Haruka when she wanted to keep going.
But… that assumes Haruka and I get back together. Although, I think this plan could work, even with me knowing. We just have to make Haruka jealous and she'll come running back. She's possessive, even if she doesn't admit it. But what about Ranma?
…Who am I kidding?
It would be more fun to keep him around, if he's amenable. Which, from the sound of things between him, Hotaru, and Usa, he is.
And then, Michiru's thoughts were scattered as Ranma's hands grasped her ass cheeks and spread them. Looking at him over her shoulder, she raised an eyebrow as he grinned at her, before lining himself up. Michiru shifted her hips a bit and spread her legs just a hair and the head of Ranma's thick, hot, hard cock brushed her lower lips. Michiru bit her lips, her eyes lidded as she watched him. The camera snapped and flashed in the corner but she ignored it as Ranma slid into her tight pussy.
"Ahn~" Michiru breathed a moan as she was penetrated by a man for the first time in this lifetime. Ranma filled her in a way that the toys she and Haruka used simply didn't. Oh, sure, she had bigger toys—but not by much!—but there was something different between those lifeless plastic or latex toys and a man's real cock. They weren't alive. They weren't properly warm. They didn't pulse with the beat of his heart. They didn't provide feedback for the person using them, when Michiru squeezed her internal muscles just so, and they didn't let her see the treat that was watching her new lover's face as he delighted in her tight depths.
Michiru smiled as she shifted her hips as much as she could in this prone position, matching Ranma's thrusts as he slid in and out of her, his thick cock rubbing all of the best spots inside her. And then, something changed. On the next thrust in, something new filled her and Michiru's eyes rolled in her head as her body shook. When he pulled back, it receded with his rod. In and out, back and forth, it was like being hit with a constant wave…
Something she, as the senshi of Neptune, was intimately familiar with on a spiritual and magical level. She responded instinctively, pushing back with her own magic and matching his waves with her own—their seas mingling together into one. It was amazingly, deeply intimate in a way she had never been with Haruka. It swept away all her thoughts and left her in the moment—just two lovers, clinging to each other in the waves.
Michiru was barely aware when Ranma rolled her over and took her missionary, other than to wrap her arms around him and plant her feet on the bed, using the foothold to thrust her hips in time with his own. Their bodies were perfectly in sync, moving to a rhythm as old as time as she cried out beneath him—cresting peak after peak as her world became a series of orgasms that rolled in with the regularity and implacable strength of the tide.
And then, with a grunt, Ranma buried himself inside of her and Michiru's body was flooded with warmth and life. She came with a mewling, desperate sound as her body swallowed everything Ranma had to offer and asked for more. She barely registered the camera flashing again as she panted, her hair a sweaty teal mess on her pillow as Ranma's weight pressed her into the bed. It was… comfortable. Nice. His body was hard and steady, a rock that her tide would embrace and part around, but could only ever wear down with time.
"That," Michiru huffed out as she reached up, her hand cupping Ranma's cheek, "that was amazing. Thank you, Ranma."
The man above her grinned. "Any time. Really."
Michiru giggled. Stretching out, she sighed as she enjoyed the pleasant ache and nice, loose, relaxed feeling of her freshly fucked body. "I needed that, so much."
"Under a lot of stress, huh?" he asked, and she nodded, a slight frown pulling her lips down.
"Yeah."
"Well, I know the cure for that."
"More sex?" Michiru raised an eyebrow.
Ranma grinned. "That, too. But no. Roll over," he instructed, and pulled out of her.
Michiru whimpered at the loss, at the sudden empty feeling, the feeling of loss at no longer being literally joined at the hip and filled down to her womb with his thick cock. But when she rolled over, she felt the gift he had left behind sloshing inside her and giggled at the feeling of being full in a different way—in a way Haruka could never have given her. Then, Ranma's hands were on her back and Michiru was moaning for a different reason entirely.
Ranma's hands worked over her, kneading her muscles, pressing into pressure points and knots alike. He took her neck in his hands and twisted this way and that, popping every vertebra, before moving his hands down her back and applying pressure, popping her back as well. He even grabbed her by the shoulder and forced Michiru to lean back, putting more pressure on her back and popping everything down to the middle of her back. And when she thought he was finished popping her back, he proved her wrong as he started at her tailbone and worked his way back up.
Michiru's eyes slid closed as her body started to feel like jello. Ranma's fingers worked over her back, down to her ass, over her thighs, down to her calves, then her feet.
"You're a sex god and you give massages. You're the best of both worlds when it comes to men and women. Do you cook too?"
"Yep," Ranma confirmed.
"How are you not married?"
Ranma was quiet for a moment before answering, "That engagement didn't work out."
Michiru winced. "Oh. I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Ranma shrugged her off as Ranko slipped out of the room, leaving the camera and pictures behind. "If 'kane hadn't left me, I'd have never met Hotaru. Usa. Usagi. You. It sucked at the time, yeah. But just between us, I think I came out of it better than her."
"Mm," Michiru sighed. "Change into a girl for me. I want to try the other side, too."
"Hehe," a feminine giggle came from behind her, and a warm, soft, squishy form planted itself in the middle of the now taller girl's back. Well, not all of Ranma was squishy—mostly just those ridiculously large breasts. "Man, being able to switch back and forth is great. No more worrying that I'll change any time a pipe busts, or water runs uphill or something."
"Then there's the sex?" Michiru asked with a knowing tone.
Ranma's lips found her neck and Michiru mewled at the attention. "Maybe. Guess you'll just have to find out."
Best of both worlds~.