[AMG/Ranma/SM][FanFic] A Certain Distance Sidestory: Urd and Shampoo Save The World
Rob Kelk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Notes:
This is the fourth sidestory (but the first in the storyline's
chronology) to "A Certain Distance", which appeared on
rec.arts.anime.creative during the last half of 2000. That story is
available on my website, at
<http://robkelk.ottawa-anime.org/fanfics/distance.html>,
and in the rec.arts.anime.creative archives, at
<ftp://ftp.cs.ubc.ca/pub/archive/anime-fan-works/Ah-My-Goddess/A-Certain-Distance/>
Of the various sidestories I planned for the "A Certain Distance" / "A
Closer Distance" cycle, this may be the most important one: the Saffron
story.
The story begun in "A Certain Distance" branched off from the canonical
"Ranma 1/2" storyline somewhere during the original Japanese Volume 36 -
Nodoka knows about Ranma's curse, but the Saotome house wasn't destroyed
by the Horde of Fiancees. This means that any events in Volumes 37 and
38 didn't necessarily happen to this version of the Nerima Wrecking
Crew. No, Ranma never fought Saffron. No, there's no Akaneniichunan.
Yes, Saffron *did* wake up ...
The story begun in "A Certain Distance" also branched off from the
canonical "Oh My Goddess" storyline somewhere earlier than where many
people think that it did. Saying exactly where the divergence point is
would spoil this story, though ...
This particular sidestory begins immediately after "A Certain Distance",
so the events of "A Closer Distance" and the other sidestories have not
yet occurred.
No challenge is intended to the intellectual properties of Fujishima
Kosuke, Takahashi Rumiko, Takeuchi Naoko, or their licencees.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Urd and Shampoo Save The World
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(with some help from a few friends, of course)
Chapter One: Getting There Is Half the Fun
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Urd had just settled in for an evening of watching television when a
chill went up her spine. "Did you sense that?"
"Sense what?" asked Belldandy and Skuld in unison from the kitchen.
Urd thought for a moment. "I think it was some god-level being, trying
to ... wake up?"
"The only being like that in the Earthrealm is Saffron, in China, but -"
Urd stood up quickly. "I guess I'll have to check him out, then.
China, you said?" And she leapt through the television screen.
Belldandy came out of the kitchen. "Oh, Urd. I was about to say that
Saffron would simply ignore us if we leave him alone. But now ..."
"What harm could she do, Big Sister?"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A few hours later, Urd was sitting in a bar in Beijing. "I suppose I
should have found out *where* in China I could find Saffron before I
started ..." she muttered to herself in Mandarin.
"Did you say 'Saffron'?"
Urd turned to the person who had just spoken. "Yes, I did ..." When she
realized who she was talking to, though, she stopped talking. 'Why did
it have to be *him*?' she thought.
"Is there a problem, miss? Say, have we met before?"
Urd sighed. 'No point in trying to lie,' she thought. Out loud, she
replied, "Yes, Mousse. We met in Japan."
"I'll take your word for that, miss. For some reason, I'm having a
great deal of trouble remembering what happened to me in Japan. May I
ask your name?"
"I'm Urd. We met at that last challenge match you had with Ranma."
Mousse looked puzzled for a moment. "Who's Ranma?"
"You don't remember the person who you thought was your rival for
Shampoo's affection?"
Mousse's expression grew even more puzzled. "Who's Shampoo?"
"Oh, boy."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The Master of Hidden Weapons had his hands full, carrying packages for
the Goddess of the Past. But he didn't mind. Actually, he didn't mind
a lot of things nowadays. He wasn't sure why he didn't mind, though.
Urd added another package to the pile that Mousse was carrying for her.
By now, he should have said *something* about being used as a pack
animal, but he was walking along quietly. This worried Urd.
"Okay, I think we've got everything I need now to make a
memory-restoration potion. Now I need a place to set up a workbench."
"You're welcome to use the room I'm renting, miss Urd."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It was finally done. It smelled bad and looked worse, but it was done.
"Sorry about the texture, but this is the best I can do with the
ingredients I could find here. Now you have to drink it all."
"Very well," replied Mousse without a qualm. He took the flask from
Urd, drank the contents in one draught, and promptly fell unconscious.
'He should have at least complained about the taste of the potion ...'
thought Urd. 'Oh, well. Now we wait.'
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Where am I?"
Urd turned to look at Mousse. "You're in the room you rented in
Beijing. How are you feeling?"
"Like I was drinking past my limit last night ... Wait a minute. Why
am I in Beijing, Urd? I'm supposed to be in Tokyo. I have a challenge
match with Ranma later today ... No, that already happened, didn't it?"
Urd smiled. "It sounds like you've got your memory back."
"I had lost my memory? That fiend, enscorelling me like that!"
Urd sighed. "No, it sounds like you've got somebody else's memory
instead of your own ..."
"I'm not talking about Ranma!"
"Oh? Who cast a spell on you, then?"
Mousse thought for a moment. "I'm not absolutely sure, but I think
that Sailor Moon did that to me when she healed me."
Urd had the grace to blush. "Yeah... Sorry about that attack, Mousse.
I guess I over-reacted when my sister got hurt during your fight."
Mousse blushed as deeply as Urd. "It's my fault as much as it is yours,
Urd. I should have been more careful around spectators."
They sat in silence for a moment. Finally, Urd asked, "Why were you two
fighting, anyway?"
Mousse chuckled softly. "Just to keep in practice. There aren't too
many martial artists at the level Ranma and I have reached, so we get
into friendly matches just to keep our skills honed. You should see the
fights that Ranma and Ryoga get into some time; they're much more
intense than the one you saw."
"Haven't you people ever heard of sparring?"
"That isn't the same, Urd. But enough about me and my friends. I
believe you said something about 'Saffron' a few hours ago?"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Over the next week, Mousse and Urd got to know each other while they
made their way halfway across China. Mousse was told about the
day-to-day goings-on at the Morisato residence, and about the dull
tedium of being the system operator of the computer that controlled all
of creation. Urd learned about the dull tedium of training in the
Hidden Weapons style, and of the heartbreak of being repeatedly rejected
by the only woman worth loving.
"Would you like me to do something about Shampoo's feelings towards you,
Mousse?"
"No!" Mousse quickly calmed down. "No, Urd. If you were to change her
personality permanantly, then she wouldn't be the girl I love any more.
And if you just did something temporarily, then she'd hate me forever
when it wore off. No, this is something I have to do without help."
"That's a remarkably mature outlook, Mousse." After a few moments of
quiet, Urd changed the subject. "How much longer have we got to go?"
"Just another couple of days and we'll be back in my home village. Once
we're there, we can ask the Council and the Elders for help against the
Phoenix Tribe."
"'Help *against* the Phoenix Tribe,' Mousse? Are you that sure they
won't be friendly?"
"No, but it never hurts to be prepared."
"If you say so. It's your homeland ..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To be continued ...
-- Rob Kelk <http://robkelk.ottawa-anime.org/> robkelk -at- jksrv -dot-
com "I'm *not* a kid! Nyyyeaaah!" - Skuld (in "Oh My Goddess!" OAV #3)
"When I became a man, I put away childish things, including the fear of
childishness and the desire to be very grown-up." - C.S. Lewis, 1947