newnajar@aol.com (New Najar)

Dear Diary,

Well, tonight was certainly a most unusual night for me. I saw a side of
Ranma I never ever thought about before. Let me start at the beginning...

As today began, Ranma was already engaged in another battle with
Grandfather. I have no idea what they were fighting over; after this long
a period of time, I just assume it's something those two do as a training
exercise. That's what Grandfather says, and that's good enough for me, so
long as he stays out of my room. Anyway, I'm watching from the breakfast
table along with the rest of my family as Grandfather proceeds to douse
Ranma-kun with cold water and then lunge for Ranma-chan's chest. He got
quite a surprise when he got there! It seems Ranma actually planned for
this encounter in advance.

(I guess if you fight the same opponent long enough, you start learning
what to expect from him; I never paid much attention to those martial arts
lessons the rest of my family seems to be so crazy about. But I'm getting
off track again.)

As I was saying, Ranma expected Grandfather to try this stunt, so he
rigged up the kitchen sink in advance with a garden hose, a funnel, and a
rope tied to the water heater down in the basement to activate it all, to
spray him with hot water from behind. The moment Grandfather grabbed hold
of Ranma, he was already back to being a boy. Well, Grandfather didn't
like that at all, and he started yelling at Ranma, then he started crying,
and then he started attacking Ranma and hitting him with more cold water,
and so on, and so on... And every time Grandfather splashed him, Ranma
yanked the rope and sprayed himself with more hot water. This continued
until the water heater was yanked once too often. Down it fell and off it
went as it broke apart.

"Aw, man, I knew there must've been some reason why I didn't do this
before," Ranma said to himself... herself. Grandfather wasted no time
climbing up Ranma-chan's leg and sighing with joy in his victory. Ranma
elbowed the old man and their fight began all over again. Ranma dashed out
of the house and Grandfather followed along gleefully, leaving Big Sister
to clean up after them as usual. As for me, I knew we wouldn't have any
hot water for the next few days. And I was so looking forward to taking a
nice relaxing bath at home today...

The men continued playing their little games, and Akane was doing her
usual workout in the dojo. I was finishing up my morning jogging about the
same time Big Sister completed the clean-up. We three girls actually had
some spare time for a change, so Kasumi thought it would be a good time
for us to go to the sentou and share a bath together. This time we'd leave
the boys behind and avoid the problems they always caused there. True, it
was fun to watch Akane squirm whenever Grandfather was on the other side
of the bathhouse wall, but sometimes it's nice to just soak in the hot
water and not have to worry about whether the building will crash around
you.

We got all our towels and soaps packed together and prepared to leave. As
usual, Akane took the lookout position, making sure none of the men
(particularly Grandfather) would see us leaving the house. Kasumi asked
again if this was really necessary. To be honest, we've never had any
problems at the bathhouse at all whenever Big Sister comes along with us.
I sometimes suspect she leads a charmed life, but it still seems pretty
boring to me. I make much more money hanging around Akane or Ranma. But
Kasumi IS family, and as I said, sometimes it's nice just to relax.

It was all clear, and we arrived at the sentou without incident. In short
order, we had rinsed and cleaned up, and the three of us found a nice spot
in one of the larger baths. We gradually settled into the hot water and
got a seat where the water came up to just above our waists, where we
could sit and soak and, well, just talk for a change, without worrying
about who was going break down the walls of our home for another macho
fight-to-the-finish.

It got old real fast.

"So," I said to Akane, "have you and Ranma set a date for the wedding
yet?" I know exactly the kind of thing to say to her to get her all
aggravated. That's my job as a sister.

"Hah! Of course we have," she responded in kind. "It will the very next
day after you and Kunou-sempai get married!" And she smiled back at me as
sweetly as I had been smiling at her.

Well, this was something of a surprise! Whenever I'd say something like
this to her before, she usually lost her temper. Was she beginning to
learn how to counter my verbal jousts?

"Oh My, Nabiki-chan! This is the first I've heard about this!" said
Kasumi. "Shouldn't you have informed Father about this by now?"

"Big Sister!! Akane is just kidding!! It's just a joke!!" I actually got
flustered for a moment! I started to turn to Akane to chastise her for
saying that, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kasumi start to
giggle. I looked at Akane, who was giving me her best "Who, me?" look and
trying not to laugh out loud. Not only had I failed to provoke Akane, but
Kasumi had turned it into a joke on me! I was so mad that I did the only
thing I could do; I smacked the water with the palm of my hand and slapped
water into both their faces!

We sometimes forget just how hard Kasumi has to work to keep our families
together in a good home. Really, she's been so much more than just a
sister to Akane and me. She does all this from a strong sense of duty to
our family and we all too often fail to show her the gratitude she
deserves for her unselfish efforts.

So I think she can be forgiven just once for choosing to get some revenge
right at that moment.

"Why, you wicked young woman!" she said with a gleam in her eye, and she
proceeded to slap water back at me hard, over and over again. I was so
shocked by this, I didn't even notice Akane was now joining in with her.
Suddenly I was in a water-fight-to-the-finish for my life! Well, nobody
says a Tendou ever backs away from a fight, so I started giving as good as
I was getting. I started screaming and splashing my sisters and I think
they started splashing each other as well. I think I even heard Kasumi
yell something like "ROARING DRAGON WATER-BREATH ASSAULT!!" or some other
one of those silly battle-cries Ranma and Daddy like to use. It was hard
to sure, we were making so much noise!

The three of us haven't played together for so long, I forgot how much fun
it was. I was grateful that the sentou wasn't very busy that morning, we
were all laughing and yelling like little children.

Naturally, it had to be right at that moment that the ceiling of the
bathhouse cracked open and Ranma-chan came crashing down into the water
between us.

She landed face-first right into Akane's lap. Big Sister was astonished
and very concerned for Ranma. Me, I probably didn't look too surprised by
it because I always sort of expect something like this to happen anymore
(what IS it that always attracts him to water in the first place?). As for
Akane, she grabbed the now-masculine Ranma by the shoulders and hauled him
back up before he could drown. She noticed he was really out of it, so she
started shaking him to wake him up.

"Excuse me," I jumped in at this point, "but are you sure you want to do
that to him just now?" Honestly, what I meant was that shaking him that
hard might make a possible concussion even worse, but I think Akane took
what I said a different way. She was suddenly aware that she was trying to
awaken him at a time when she wasn't properly attired.

"You old deviant!" was Ranma's rather loud response to Akane's attentions.
Ranma reached up and grabbed Akane by her arms with a look of madness on
his face. "Huh?!... YIIIIIII!?!" was the second clever quip he uttered
when it occurred to him that he wasn't in fact seeing double and that
neither of the two spherical objects he was looking at was the balding
head of Grandfather at all.

This all happened in a very brief span of time. Before Akane had time to
recover and react, Ranma broke away from her grip and turned his back on
her. He remembered her reaction the last time he got a glimpse of her in
the bathroom at home and he wasn't in a hurry to have that episode reoccur
in public. Unfortunately for Ranma, he now found himself face-to-face with
Big Sister!

"Oh, dear," was all Big Sister had time to say. Ranma needed only a second
and a glance to realize he was now in worse trouble than before, and so he
hastily turned ninety degrees and began to make a dash out of the bath.
And so he ran smack into me.

"Be the first on your block to collect the whole set, is that about it?" I
said to him as he observed what it was he'd just collided with.

Ranma then just looked to the sky. I think he was all set to pass out
again. I can't be sure because by this time, Akane had come to terms with
the situation and handled it with her usual diplomatic grace.

"Ranma, you PERVERT!"

I believe it's a testament to the strength and skill of my little sister
that even with all the water resistance of the bath, she was able to kick
Ranma straight up through the crack in the ceiling he'd made upon entering
the sentou.

By the end of the day, Ranma had both been checked over by Doctor Tofu and
resolved his situation with Grandfather. It was probably an action-packed
battle with an exciting and humorous conclusion, like it is most every
night.

Akane was still furious about her earlier encounter with Ranma and was
taking it out on the bricks in the dojo again.

Kasumi was cheerful as ever; she was actually in a better mood than usual,
even for her. I think this had been, for her, one of the more interesting
days of her life.

For me, I wasn't upset. There's no percentage in being angry. It was an
accident. The modern woman doesn't waste time being upset by something
that was unavoidable. Besides, there really wasn't a good angle for a
blackmail scheme in all this. I couldn't get anything out of Akane because
she already publicly accuses Ranma of being a weirdo. Big Sister probably
wouldn't see any problem at all. And I couldn't get anything from Ranma
without also admitting it was off my body that he bounced. No, I just have
to be practical about it; I really can't make any money off this
particular incident at all.

On the other hand, dear Diary, I could always just be petty.

It's not for revenge. Really. Still, the events of this morning made me
recall that I hadn't significantly profited from Ranma for quite some
time. I'd say he owed me on general principles. For example, I hadn't sold
any new photos of the Pig-tailed Goddess to Kunou-chan for a couple of
months. For some reason, tonight seemed like a wonderful night to capture
some new images of Kunou's heart's desire.

So, just a little while ago, I started making my way to Ranma's room. I
picked my time very carefully. Ranma was worn out from his busy day and
decided to go to sleep early. Grandfather was out of the house and
unlikely to return tonight. And it was early enough that Daddy and Uncle
were still playing out their nightly shogi game, so I didn't have to worry
about Mr. Saotome being in there. All I had to do was wait until Ranma
dozed off. Then I could slip into his room, open his futon, carefully pour
some cool water on him without waking him, and start snapping some photos
of her. It was a very warm night, so it was likely that Ranma would be
wearing his boxers and probably not much else. I was certain to get some
pictures for Kunou that would pay my way through college.

I didn't want to draw any attention to myself, so I decided to enter his
room from the outside window. I had several good reasons for this; I
didn't want anyone else to see me heading for his room with a camera and
two kettles of water. Also, I could look into the room first to be sure
Ranma was asleep without opening the door and alerting him.

With everything I needed all in one basket, I slipped outside the house.
It was a lovely evening. There were even fireflies making like little
twinkling stars in the sky. I took this to be a good omen for me. I crept
along the side of the house until I reached Ranma's bedroom window. As
usual, he kept the window open. His father likes to sleep with the window
shut, so Ranma does this to annoy him. It worked out to my advantage, so I
had no complaints. But he also slept with his head facing the window.
While this meant he couldn't see me looking in if he WAS awake, it also
meant I couldn't see his face to be sure he was asleep. So I had to just
watch him for a while to make sure he wasn't moving.

Sadly, it turned out he wasn't asleep just yet. He was tossing and turning
and even mumbling about something. On the positive side, he was wearing
only his boxers just as I had hoped. It was too warm for anything else,
and he didn't even climb into the futon; he laid on top of it. It was
perfect after all. All I had to do was wait there and watch until he fell
asleep. All I had to worry about was when Uncle would come in, and I was
sure that wouldn't be for a long while.

I'd been watching for, I'd guess, maybe ten minutes when Ranma rolled off
his futon, opened it up, and climbed inside of it. Maybe he just felt more
comfortable inside of it, I don't know. He laid back down with his hands
behind his head and proceeded to stare at the ceiling. I was hoping this
was his way of settling down before falling asleep. I didn't really feel
like waiting all night. It's getting dark and a whole lot harder to see
Ranma. I could see that he pulled his arms inside the futon, so now all I
can see is his head, and not all that clearly at that. I decided if
something didn't change real quick, I'd have to give up my plan for
tonight.

Well, something changed.

As I mentioned a moment ago, it was getting harder to see into the room so
I pulled close to the window and cupped my hands around my eyes in order
to see a bit better. Ranma was still moving around a bit, so I could tell
he wasn't asleep. But the way he was moving was strange. He wasn't turning
so much. His head was jerking a bit, but he stayed on his back. There was
some sort of motion going on in the middle of the futon. I had to squint a
bit to see better. It sort of looked like, I don't know, like maybe he was
trying to repeatedly swat a bug on his stomach, or something-- like...

 like... oh... my... god!!

I couldn't believe it! Ranma!?!

I grabbed my camera; I didn't need the water, hot OR cold! I knew I was
about to get a photograph that was going to pay for my retirement! Oh, I
knew this was something Kunou wouldn't buy, but now I was going to get a
shot that Shampoo would just die for! Or maybe I could offer it to Ukyou.
I don't think it's necessarily her style, but maybe she'd pay to keep
anyone else from seeing it. Someone like...

Kodachi...! Oh my god, what Kodachi would pay for this...? Now I think *I*
was feeling faint!

But I had to stop thinking and start acting quickly. I raised the camera
to take the first flash. Oh, no!! The flashbulb!! Ranma was still awake,
technically. He'd see the flash and I don't think he'd be content with
just smashing the camera. Maybe I could open the aperture all the way and
try for a shot without the flash. It would be dark, but maybe it would
still work. But there remained the problem that a single still picture
might not make clear what was actually happening. It was tough enough to
see without Ranma's hands being undercover. Ooh, now I really wish I'd
grabbed the video camera instead of the 35mm.

Finally, dear Diary, I have to admit failure. I couldn't think of a way to
take advantage of this golden opportunity. I wouldn't be able to go back
in, fetch the camcorder, and get back in time to catch anything, and as
for taking the kinds of pictures I originally intended to get tonight,
well, it somehow all seemed anti-climactic. In all my years as an aspiring
economist, I've never suffered so great a defeat. The only saving grace
was that no one would ever know how badly I blew it. All I could do was
repack my camera and the rest of the unused equipment and return to the
front of the house where I headed back to my room for the night. And no
one even noticed me sneaking about during this whole disaster. It would
have been the perfect crime.

All that was left for me was to sit here and write up my disastrous day
here in my journal. I don't know how I will recover from my disappointment
over this. I can only hope that what they say about defeat is true; that
in some way, this will leave me a stronger person.

Still, dear Diary, I have to confess that I'm left with a single puzzling
thought... I'm certain that this isn't Ranma's normal behavior. I'd be
willing to wager that Ranma's... 'activity'... was probably inspired by
something he saw this morning. I mean, I think guys usually fantasize
during times like that... and, well... I'm not sure what's the best way to
put this...

Ranma has seen Akane before. Of course, he got a particularly good view
this time. And then there's Big Sister -- it's no secret she's really the
most Womanly of the three of us, and it certainly isn't a secret to Ranma
anymore. But what if he wasn't thinking about Akane? What if he wasn't
thinking about Kasumi? What if... just maybe... what if...

Dear Diary, what would *I* pay to know just what was going on in Ranma's
mind at that exact moment?

 * * *

At this very moment, over in Ranma's room --

Ranma (flicking something small out of his futon): Oh, man! At last,
that's over with. I should never sleep with the window open, but how was I
to know fireflies could crawl into futons? I almost thought I'd NEVER swat
it!

-----E-N-D-----

Author's Notes:

Hi folks.  It's my turn to post my first fanfic stories online.  My name
is Neil Robertson, and while I may not be as prolific as some of the other
authors here, I do plan to be around for a while.

I have plans for several Ranma 1/2 and Ninja High School stories of many
types. Some will be Lemon stories, though they're not likely to be
explicit.  I'm fond of skating on the edge of the ice in that area,
leaving your imagination to fill in the areas I sketch in.  "Dear Diary"
is a pretty good example of this style.  Should I call this kind a Lemon
Story?  It's quite suggestive but not terribly detailed.  I think of it as
PG-13, or maybe I should call it a Lemonade Story, eh?

Future Ranma storylines in development:  In addition to pages from the
diaries of other Ranma cast members, I have my own version of the
"Absolute Final Adventure in the Ranma 1/2 Saga", with what I hope will be
a genuinely surprising conclusion.  I'm also working on a story that stars
just about everyone from the cast of Ranma 1/2 EXCEPT for Ranma, Akane,
Shampoo, Ukyou, Ryouga, Kunou, Kodachi, Genma, Soun, Nabiki, Kasumi,
Mousse, Happosai, or Cologne.  Hey, while everyone else is out fighting
the Seven Lucky Gods or whatever, things can happen back at home as well. 
Watch for "Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch..."

I'll probably also adapt some of my Ranma 1/2 comic stories that I wrote
for the "Ranma in America" and "Rumic America" doujinshi published in
Japan.  Maybe even that "Maison Ikkoku: The Next Generation" tale (no,
it's not a Trek parody).

I have one really ambitious tale in the works.  It's a Lemon Elseworlds
epic, but quite different from "Split Personalities" or "Ranma .05" (Hi,
Roy. Hi, Darren).  This one is set about 15-20 years in the future in the
remains of what was once Nerima District as Saotome Meibiko, the daughter
of Ranma, searches for clues to the identity of her mother with the aid of
one of the few survivors of the Great Disaster. This one is called "The
Maybe Chronicles" and is a collection of several possible pasts that lead
to this tragic 'present', and how Ranma's daughter may be able to put time
straight.  If I do my job right, folks should see Ranma's relationships
with all the women in his life in new perspectives.

I'll mention some of my Ninja High School plans in the notes after the
first NHS story I post, but I will take a moment to thank Ben Dunn in
advance for giving me his personal permission to post my stories that
feature his characters.  If I could ask Takahashi-sensei for permission, I
would.



 _______________________________________________________________________
|   Neil Robertson   |  Anything I ask about, it's just from curiosity. |
|--------------------|    Anything I tell you, it's from enthusiasm.    |
|  newnajar@aol.com  |       Anything else is probably a hidden agenda. |
'-----------------------------------------------------------------------'