Drabble #3: Firsts
Word count: 441

Warning: none

Note: this spans almost the rest of the first season, and into the second season. It includes Ryoga's return and battle, Tofu's mom visiting and trying to get him married, Shampoo's first appearance, pre-Martial Arts Skating Competition battle with Mikado, and lastly the almost-kiss in the dojo, interrupted by the family of course. On a side note, I really hate interface. I can't seem to get any kind of formatting going the way I want it to. --;;

Saotome Ranma experienced a lot of "firsts" after his arrival at the Tendo Dojo. He experienced his first defeat, not at the hands of some highly skilled martial arts master, but beneath the table thrown by the Tendo family's youngest daughter. He made a fool of himself deliberately for the first time, just to cheer a single girl up. He held that girl on the branch of a tree and had blushed, because he realized, for the first time, that a girl can be so warm and soft and utterly not the weak creature his Oyaji talked about with a tone of mild disgust.

He experienced his first surge of jealousy when he caught the sight of his fiancée ready to perform some ridiculous hip dance to marry her crush, the doctor. He exploited his girl-side's looks and charms for the first time that day, rushing into the clinic in a flurry of pink skirt and cute act, just so he could stop the dark-haired girl.

For the first time, he found himself giving in to his impulses when it wasn't about martial arts or food.

He experienced a fear second only to his terror of cats when the youngest Tendo declared that they were no longer engaged. He covered that fear up wonderfully, and it was, for the first time, a wonderful poker face. When their engagement resumed, he had never before felt so relieved.

When that stupid play-boy figure-skater tried to kiss his fiancee, he was angry. When that same stupid play-boy figure-skater kissed him, he was furious. For the first time, he put his all into a battle against a person whom he knew to be weaker than him.

When he and his fiancee were sitting in the Dojo, faces only inches apart, he realized that he was about to experience his first real kiss. They were so close. Her eyes were closed, and he could only feel his heart beating furiously. He was excited, confused, fearful and elated all at once. For the first time, he realized he never wanted anything more than to close those few inches of space between the two of them.

When he caught sight of the video camera and the entourage sitting on the side, watching them like some great entertainment show, he felt a disappointment and humiliation so consuming that he, for the first time in his short life, wanted to die.

But sitting so close next to him was a girl who was blushing so prettily, radiating warmth to him even through their clothes. For the first time in his short life, Saotome Ranma realized that he wanted to live.