Childhood Loyalties

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or any related characters in any way, shape or form.

Author's Notes: I can't really justify this one, so I'm not going to bother. It's kind of an experiment, I guess you could call it. There's no semblance of continuity in these; they're just an attempt to see if I could come up with fifteen different attempted romantic(ish) paragraphs.

15 Little Moments

1: It was only a cheap, ordinary birthday card with his notably poor handwriting inside, but she treasured it all the same. Why? Because the day she got it, she realized she hadn't even told him when her birthday was.

2: He couldn't remember how it had happened – how it was that he had been aimlessly wandering the streets, injured and feverish. All that he could remember was comforting whispers, and cool, soft hands on his head, When he finally came to his senses, the first thing he saw was her, sitting at his side, fast asleep.

3: When her hard work pays off at last, and her cry of "Hiryu Shoten Ha" is not desperate, but triumphant, the only thing more important to her then the pride she feels is the fact that he, too, looks proud of her accomplishment.

4: He has no idea that the attack is incoming, until he hears the telltale clang of her spatula as she uses it first to shield him, and then to flatten his attacker.

5: She's never had anyone to depend on before, always had to look out for herself, and she takes pride in her ability to do so. Nonetheless, she snuggles deeper into his arms as he carries her aloft, the feeling of contentment at this proof that he does care, and the enjoyment of the sensation of almost-flight, overwhelming her pride in her independence.

6: He's at a loss for words to say; all he did was try and give her a bento as a way to thank her for all the okonomiyaki she's ever given him, the next thing he knows, she's looking at him the way Akane occasionally does if he has to risk his neck to save her… Though he has to admit, she really proves him right for calling her the "cute fiancée"…

7: It's a quiet, lazy afternoon, she's got no other customers, it's raining softly outside, and she and Ranma are merely making small talk. Hardly what anyone else would call romantic… but anyone else wouldn't be caught up in a love dodecahedron, and Ukyo will gladly take what she can get.

8: When he told her that he'd found a clue to a possible cure and asked her for some help, he was just intending she'd make up something to keep the others from following and screwing things up, not that she'd up and tag along with him to help get past whatever traps and guards might be in the way.

9: They're miles from civilization, dirty, soaked from a storm that broke out at the worst possible moment, he's currently in female form and all in all it's been one hell of a day. Still, at the end of it, she can lean against his (even if he's currently a she, she'll always think of Ranma as a he) shoulder, and she doesn't push her away, and she's content enough.

10: Words fail to describe how touched he is when he learns that Ukyo not only remembered his birthday, but actually prepared a small, private and innocent celebration for the two of them. When Akane spearheads its destruction, fearing something "dirty" is going on, Ranma is angrier with her then he can ever recall being.

11: This wouldn't have been her preferred choice in movies for their first date… but she's too caught up in the sheer enjoyment of watching determined mecha pilots fighting on a ridiculously grandiose scale to care. That Ranma was clearly enjoying this just as much as she was made it all the harder to resist.

12: He toweled the sweat from his body, taking deep, regular breaths, and watched with a sense of admiration as his partner did her best to emulate his ease, despite the fact that she had been having a harder time of their sparring session then he was. "Not bad, Ucchan."

13: Ukyo would never have told anyone this, but once the whole mess with the Ultimate Weakness Moxibustion had been over, she'd bribed Genma Saotome to share with her all of the pictures of Ranma that he had. Her fiancé, however reluctant he might be to accept the title, had just been so cute when he was little!

14: After Ranma had mastered the Hiryu Shoten Ha and gotten his strength back, he'd tried his best to forget about the humiliating photos of him that his father had shown to Ukyo and Akane, and the sexy photos he'd been forced to take of his other side to get Happosai all heated up. He was quite surprised when, maybe two weeks later, he got an "anonymous" letter containing a note that he wasn't the only one who had embarrassing photos… as proven by the array of humiliating kiddie photographs of Ukyo that it contained. He was a bit more startled by the ones of a fully mature Ukyo wearing lingerie and posing, to say the least.

15: Neither of them knew who started it, but at this point in time neither of them cared. Finally, lack of oxygen forced them to break apart, both of their eyes somewhat glazed. Ranma was the first to speak… if one could call a soft, disbelieving exclamation of "wow" speaking. Ukyo was the first one to regain all of her senses. "Not bad," She told him, grinning wickedly, "But I bet you can't do it again- eep!" She squeaked in shock as Ranma smirked back and drew her in again.