well, I sent this  to my pre-reader list when the list
was down, but now that it's working again, here it is
for the rest of you.

As for part 6.... that's Hitomi's domain.  Anyone know
where she's gone?  Seems to have dissappeared.

-rpm





   He wasn't sure what it was, but lately he'd felt like he had less
energy than he usually did.  His sprint was half-hearted.  The spring
in his step wasn't quite as springy.
   Something had him in a funk. 
   It couldn't be because he missed _her_, could it? 
   No.  Impossible. 

=======================================================================

[SCENE: kitchen, early morning.  Ranma and Ataru are there, looking
   like they just woke up.  The television is showing the morning
   news, there's two cups of steaming coffee on the table, and Washu
   is behind the grill, cooking something.  A doorbell ringing
   disrupts the tranquil scene, along with an odd sort of whirring
   noise.]

RANMA:  *yawn* I'll get it, I'll get it. 

[SCENE: doorway, behind Ranma's back from ceiling mounted camera.  The
   doorbell rings again impatiently.]

RANMA:  I'm comin' already, sheesh.... 

[CAMERA: Ranma opens the door.  A large, seven foot tall purple
   mecha-suit with two gun-mounted cannons stands patiently. 

MECH-SUIT: excuse me, is Nuku-Nuku in?  

RANMA: (with a surprisingly calm demeanor) Ah... yeah.  Lemme check. 
   (closes the door very slowly, then heads off camera) 

(Camera switches as Ranma makes his way up the stairs, through the
hallway, then knocks at Nuku's door.  The door opens, revealing a
bright and ready Nuku) 

NUKU:  Yes?  

RANMA: There's someone in a mech-suit downstairs for you. 

NUKU:  Mech-suit?  Um... (thinks for a moment) Yay!  Arisa-san! 
       (she bounds happily down the stairs.  Ranma blinks, yawns,
       then looks at the camera.)  

RANMA:  Okay, so maybe I should've fought the mech instead.  (Pauses
       for a moment)  But she's used to it all the time and seems to
       enjoy it.  Should I interrupt?  I don't think so.  

ATARU: (from off-camera) Hey, who are you talking to?  

RANMA: the camera.  

ATARU: Ah.  I see.  

RANMA: (begins to head downstairs, but pauses, then looks at the
       camera)  Look, I ain't kidding.  She'll be fine.  Really.  The
       worst thing that could happen is that her friend will wreck the
       house. (smiles and laughs to himself)  You know, if that happens,
       this place'll feel almost like home. 

======================================================================
http://www.uh.edu/~rpm/sw1.htm


                             =The Surreal World=

                                Writer: RpM
                    Story Concept: Isabel A. "Izzy-chan"
                       Advisory Board:  The Fanfic ML
                               -M- Productions

                                   PART ...
                            Glitches in the Works
                                    OR
                              Love and Robots

======================================================================

CAMERA:  Urd, Washu, Ranma, & Kyosuke are seated at the table, eating
         breakfast.  At the moment, breakfast is a surprisingly large
         boiled egg, with a side of bacon and toast. 

URD:  Hey, where's the kid?

KYOSUKE: kid?

URD: Nuku, where is that girl?  Mornings aren't quite the same without
     her.  

RANMA: I think she's (pauses to listen.  In the distance, there's the
       sounds of explosions and cannonfire) playing with a friend of
       hers.  

URD:  (nodding) Oh, that's nice.  

RANMA: (tapping the large egg) What... exactly... is this?

WASHU: (frowning) It's a boiled egg.

RANMA: Well, yeah, but... egg of what?  

WASHU: Oh.  Juraian Spam.  (She proceeds to crack it open, revealing
       a perfectly ordinary, although ridiculously large boiled egg
       inside.  Urd shrugs and soon joins her in eating.)  

RANMA: (blinks)  spam?  But this doesn't...

WASHU: Galactic coincidence. 

KYOSUKE: (poking egg cautiously) Galactic what?  

WASHU: Galactic coincidence.  In Jurai, a spam is a type of flightless
       bird.  On earth it's canned and processed mammal.  The name
       is just coincidence.  

KYOSUKE:  Ah.... (sees that now even Ranma has gone ahead and started
          eating.  He shrugs and joins in.)  This isn't bad. 

(Suddenly, there's a *THWAP* sound and the camera goes black) 
=======================================================================

   "Hey," said Kasuga, "I don't know if the station is gonna put up
with that for much longer." 
   Ataru strode in, making sure that the silly putty was firmly in
place.  "If SHE sees me, I'm in deep trouble," he replied.  "I am NOT
in the mood for shock therapy." 
   "You know," said Urd casually, they can still hear you. 
   Ataru froze.  They could still hear, couldn't they? 
   Uh oh. 
   And he'd spent the last several days satisfied with thwapping the
camera with silly putty.  Damn damn damn... not good. 
   "I'm doomed, aren't I?" 
   The rest of the table nodded solemly. 
   Ataru sighed.  "Oh well, it couldn't last forever."  He shrugged
and took a seat at the breakfast table, looking curiously at what was
on the plate. 
   "Hey," he asked, tapping the oversized egg, "what's this?" 
   "Galactic coincidence, I think," said Kyosuke. 
   Ataru mulled that over for a moment. 

=======================================================================
(Camerais still black) 

Ataru's voice:  Hey, this ain't bad.

Washu's voice:  You'd expect anything less from my cooking? 

(moment of silence) 

Ataru's voice:  You cooked this?  

Washu's voice:  Why are you looking at it suspiciously?  

Ataru's voice:  I've had bad experiences with alien cooking.  Hey, I'm
                not going to turn into a wombat after eating this, am
                I?  

Washu's voice:  Don't be ridiculous. 

=======================================================================

   As they settle down to eat breakfast, Nuku walked in looking a bit
dusty.  She was her usual cheery self, just her usual cheery self
looking as if she'd survived a bomb blast. 
   "Good morning!" she cheerily said. 
   "Hey, Nuku," said Urd, "are you okay?  What was all that noise?" 
   "Nuku's friend Arisa came to play!" 
   The group blinked for a moment, wondering about her definition of
'play', then mutually dropped the subject. 
   "Hey, let's go out tonite and do something," said Urd. 
   Kyosuke blinked.  This bunch.  As a group?  In public?  Oh boy.
   "What do you suggest?" wondered Washu. 
   "Nightclubs!" suggested Urd happily. 
   "I dunno," said Ranma, "I'm not feelin' that energetic today." 
Actually, he didn't feel like getting into trouble with women, or more
particularly Akane, who might end up hearing about anything that might
happen that tended to happen when he went out sometimes and totally
misunderstand it like she always did. 
   "Awww," said Urd, "how about you, Kyosuke?  C'mon, hm?" 
   "I don't know," said Kyosuke, sounding doubtful.  Actually, he
didn't feel like getting into any embarrasing situations, possibly
involving girls, that would get Madoka upset.  The last thing he
needed now was an upset Madoka. 
   "Hey, sounds good to me!" said Ataru.  "C'mon, guys!" 
   Urd winced.  She'd forgotten about _him_.  He could prove to be
embarrasing in a night club. 
   "Well, what else can we do?" she wondered. 
   "There is this thing you earthlings do that I'm curious about,"
said Washu. 
   "Oh?" wondered Urd.  "What is it?" 

*

   Mamoru Chiba strolled into the house, whistling.  Appointments to
keep, things to do, he just didn't want to, er, didn't have time to
stick around the house. 
   "Oy, Tux-boy, where ya goin?" asked Ataru as he zoomed past. 
"Rockin'the cradle again?" 
   "Shut up, you.  I've just got some stuff to do and..." 
   Suddenly, Urd appeared behind him and took him by the arm
seductively.  "Nonono, Tux-boy, we're going out tonight.  I need to be
_entertained_."
   Immediately, Mamoru looked at the camera.  "I _swear_, this is NOT
what it sounds like." 

*

   Urd lovingly caressed the ball with her fingers, letting her breath
wash over its surface.  She took it in both hands, gave it an odd sort
of kiss... for best results, she would say...

   "Hey, Ataru, you're droolin'on the floor, man," said Ranma.
   "Huh?  Wha?"

    Then she rolled the ball... gently... away.

   "You know, if someone had told me," said Ranma, "that I'd be in
weird situations like this, nobody would have believed me." 
   "Same here," said Kyosuke. 
   "Happens to me all the time," grumbled a surprisingly subdued
Ataru.

   *CRASH*

   "Oh yeah!" shouted Urd.  "Another one!"
   "Yay!" cheered Nuku.
   "That's six in a row," muttered Washu.  "Who's next?"
   "Hey, Tux-boy!  You're up next!" yelled Ataru.
   "Bowling with aliens, woo-hoo," Mamoru muttered under his breath. 
   "Now if this was martial arts bowling..." said Ranma quietly. 
   "Don't be ridiculous.  No such thing," said Ataru. 
   Ranma lifted an eyebrow.  "Wanna bet?" 
   For the boys, this was yet another ego-crushing night.  Urd and
Washu had displayed mind-boggling bowling skills, while Nuku had made
good use of her targeting systems (although the boys didn't know
this).  Ranma never bowled in his life, and he hated losing in any
sort of sport, especially to GIRLS.  Mamoru was just getting sick of
the 'Tux-boy' label.  Ataru was just sulking, except for the times he
ogled Urd's form when she bowled.

   Mamoru stared at the pins, determined to at least not lose by a
ridiculous margin again.  Humiliation on public television was
something he didn't need.

   Again.

   He took a deep breath... approached the alley... pulled the ball
back... and... 

   "YO! GOFORITTUXBOY!" yelled Ataru.

   ...stumbled to a halt.

   "Will you stop that?!?!"

*

   Whoosh.

   Something in the air.

   Crackle.

   Energy, surging in the skies.

   Something's on its way.

*

   [Later that night...]


   He sat on the roof, staring blankly at the soda in his hand.  There
was no doubt in his mind now, he was in a rut.
   Maybe... maybe he did miss her.  A part of his mind screamed in
horror at the possibility, and another part tried to rationalize it by
equating it with the way one misses a familiar building or an old
shoe - it wasn't important, but it just didn't seem right without it.

   At least, that's what he told himself.

*

   "Aaah, that was fun," sighed Urd, flopping down on the living room
couch.  Urd was already seated and commanding the remote control.
Nuku was curled up at the end of one couch, looking rather content.
   "What's on the tube, Washu?" asked Urd.
   "Washu... what?" asked the diminutive mad scientist.
   Urd sighed.  "Washu... CHAN."  Nearby, Nuku giggled at their
antics.  They were so fun, her housemates.
   "Much better.  And for your information, I'm just trying to find my
favorite drama," replied Washu.
   "The thing with the overly-dramatic lumps of protoplasm, right?"
asked Urd.
   "Blorple," corrected Washu.
   "Whatever."
   "Yup, that's the one.  Gonna watch?"
   Urd shrugged.  "Might as well.  Besides, I gotta admit, it's kinda
addictive."

*

   *RIIIIING*RIIIIIING*RIIIIING*RIIII-

   //Tendo Residence.//
   "Um... Akane?"
   //R-Ranma?  Is that you?//
   "Yeah, s'me.
   //Ah... so... what's up?//
   "Not much.  Just calling... to... er... say hi, I guess."
   //Oh.//
   "So... um... how are ya doin?"
   //I'm okay, I guess.  How about you?//
   "Doing okay.  Tell me, how're all the guys back in Furinkan?"

*

   The Goddess and the Genius were surprised.
   It wasn't an 'oh my gosh!' sort of surprise or a 'oh noooo!' sort
of surprise.  It was more like a 'you're kidding, right?' sort of
surprise.
   It was caused by Nuku's comments on the Blorple drama.
   It started like this.

   "That's kissing, right?"

   Urd, being the Goddess of Love, reacted first.  "Well... yeah."
She looked at Nuku's curious expression, then she realized something.
"You've never kissed anyone before, have you?"
   Nuku shook her head, embarrased.
   "Hey, it's nothing to be embarrased about," soothed Urd.
"You're... what.... four, five years old?"
   Nuku shrugged.  "Nuku-Nuku is just curious because Nuku-Nuku sees
it on tv all the time, and Mama-san and Papa-san kiss sometimes too
even though they yell and shout and shoot each other."
   Urd grinned.  She had a really fun idea.  It might get the boys in
trouble, but no self-respecting Goddess of Love could resist.
   Washu noticed the scheming look in Urd's eye and asked, "hey,
what're you planning?"
   "Nothing!  Nothing!  Just thinking."  Urd turned her attention back
to Nuku and smiled.  "Well, basically, you're supposed to kiss people
you like.  It's ammmmff?!!"
   Being a bit on the simplistic side, Nuku kissed Urd.
   "NONONO!" yelled a flustered Urd.  "You're supposed to just kiss
the person you really care about!"