the Bet- Demon from Japan 
pond by R.Takahashi
ripple interpreted by Greggsharp
metroanime@aol.com
http://members.aol.com/greggsharp/index.html
i don't own these char, i'm just borrowing them.
    1a: Here's Happosai
------------------------------------------
	"They call him the 'world's most evil
martial arts master' and the 'demon', well, I say
he's pretty pathetic. I am an expert on the subject,
and he's NOT evil. Vindictive, yes. Perverted, yes.
Lecherous, defininitely. Evil?"

	Toltiir listened to Set rant. Set did a lot
of this. But then, so did a lot of the various dark
pantheons. It was a release valve.

	"I'm just saying one simple change
here," Set gestured and the timeline flashed back
to a point early in Happosai's career. "Here is his
first attempt to summon a demon for greater power,
and it is here that he learns to tap into his lust in
order to recharge and power his ki."

	"Ok. Lots of things can go wrong with
a demon summoning." Toltiir nodded. Only three
powers-that-be had manipulated this instance before.
One, the Japanese god of Earthquakes, had Happi
point up instead of down at a critical juncture and
had summoned Raideen. Raideen had responded to
his cameo by having Happosai mess up one of the
containment lines. Finally, a Hindu river goddess 
(who asks that her name be withheld) had Happosai
instead learn the dreaded shiatsu lust spot. In THAT
reality, Happosai had died a young man...

	Set caused the young Happosai to 
stumble over one key phrase. Of course, in this
sort of thing, they were ALL key phrases.
-------------------------------------------------
	Happosai braced himself against
the cold wind that suddenly blew from the
center of the pentagram. The sickening stench
of a butcherhouse in summer filled the small
hut and the noise of something like rice hitting
the floor could be clearly heard in what was
otherwise eerie silence.

	Happosai looked down and realized
that all the "rice" were actually the insects that
had been in the air a moment ago. Now they were
merely shriveled husks.

	"Uh-oh." Happosai was a mere lad of
twenty years, not experienced in this sort of thing
at all. Still, he knew from the description in the 
scroll that this was NOT supposed to happen.

	Likewise, the candles that lit the points
of the pentagram should not have flared abruptly
then gone out. The lines of the pentagram should
have remained white, not turned blood red.

	"I think...maybe...I gotta go!" Happosai
made a blur for the door, only to find it wouldn't
open. "Aw, shit!"

	"Ahem."

	Happosai, still facing the door, straightened.
That hadn't been his voice. His voice wasn't nearly so
deep, not nearly so menacing, and didn't make ANYONE'S
spine go all prickly as if the flesh were trying to seperate
away and get the heck out of here.

	"Excuse me, mortal."

	"Who, me?" Happosai slowly looked around.

	There was a well dressed middle-aged man who
looked exactly like you would expect an executive accountant 
to look like, in 1785 terms.

	"Uhm, are you..."

	"Oh no. Not him, you're not nearly THAT important. 
I'm merely a go-between, if you will."

	"I see...well...nice meeting you, but I've really got
things I should be doing." Happosai tried the door again.

	"Now, now, Happosai. Let's get to the brass tacks,
shall we? You get three wishes, or to ask me three questions.
If I can't grant the wish, or answer the question, you get to 
go free. If you can't stump me, then you're ours. Understand?"

	"What kind of questions?"

	"First one. Any kind of questions."

	"No," Happosai turned completely to face the
demon. "I didn't mean..."

	"Happosai. EVIL. Remember. We play by the
rules. Fairness or what is right, that's not part of the deal."

	"I wish to have more power than you do!" 
Happosai chuckled. He stopped when he heard the demon
laughing back at him.

	"One more," said the demon, wiping tears the
color of ash from his face. "One more to try to get out of
this. And I had heard that mortals could at least be clever."

	"I wonder why..." Happosai kept it from being
a question. He thought he had it. He hadn't specified what
KIND of power. "I wish that my soul was safe from you and
your kind!"

	"Oh, granted. Very entertaining," the demon's
attire changed slightly.

	Happosai tried to take a step back. It wasn't an
accountant. It was...a LAWYER!

	"First, you may indeed have more power than
me. Every act of depravity, every act of evil, every crime
you commit that blackens your soul, will increase your
power. You will learn martial arts, you will learn magic,
and no matter what befalls you, you will not die. You
will be a demon in human guise, Happosai, only a tiny
little corner of your mind will remain your own to see
the hell you bring along with you. You will crave death,
but be unable to die except from the hand of an innocent.
After all, you want to be safe from MY KIND."

	With a laugh the demon vanished, to report
back to his master Set the Serpent.
---------------------------------------
	"No, you can't!" Genma stepped back, fear
written on his face.

	"Oh? Can't I, Genma?" Happosai chuckled.
His gaze flicked back and forth from the mother to the
father, finally settling on the four-year old boy. "Do
you remember? Remember what you promised when
I took you in, so that you could serve me?"

	"No...I..."

	"Your son, Genma. I have already claimed
the life of Soun Tendo's dear wife, and have seriously
undermined his sanity. Do you want to see what I can
do again? The power I possess? Did you really think
that sealing me in that cave with dynamite would stop
me?"

	Happosai walked over to Genma, glaring 
down at the shorter man. "I...am...power, Genma. I
know martial arts manuevers that could burn this
town to a cinder."

	Nodoka silently drew her sword, and
prepared to rush forward while this beast's attention
was on her husband.

	"I don't think so," Happosai said, noting
the faint movement. A single gesture and the light
in the area seemed to dim and flicker briefly.

	"I can't affect an innocent, my dear, so
I wonder what you've done." Happosai addressed
the unhearing Nodoka then flicked his eyes back
to his former pupil. "Nice, isn't it, Genma? A
priceless marble statue of some samurai woman.
Ought to fetch a good price, eh?"

	"No-chan?" Genma's face was ashen.

	"Oh, get up, you blithering idiot. I'm
taking the boy, as promised. I've got some friends
over in the Jusenkyo region who'll have a use for
him when he gets older, and will make different use
of him until then."

	"Jusenkyo?" Genma blinked.

	"Yes, dolt!" Happosai sighed. "They
just don't make cringing minions the way they
used to. You might want to put your statue with
the one that Soun has. I've even put two triggers
on it that'll break the spell. If I die, they'll turn back
to flesh. If your son returns and marries, oh, say a
princess- then your wife will return. If your son
manages to return and marries one of Soun's 
daughters, then their mother will return to flesh.
The other statue will crumble away in either case."

	Happosai grinned down at the cringing
Genma. "Just makes it interesting, don't it? I've 
already explained to Soun about HIS wife's trigger."
-------------------------------------
	Ranma, an eight year old boy now, was
tired but wouldn't give up. The massive wheel was
used for drawing water up from an underground
source, and produced the spray from many fluted
fountains as well as the irrigation water for the crops.

	Other slaves worked the crops. THEY 
were those who had failed to push the wheel. As
a result, they had been taken to Jusenkyo. Now
they were women who served the Musk Dynasty
in a number of ways.

	Ranma's life was the Wheel. On occasion,
the duties were also extended to the Pit, where he was
being trained for battle. Speed was essential there,
where strength and stamina were honed on the Wheel.
Lessons in how to fight, where to strike, and how to
disable were followed by the threat of the water if he
tried to disobey.

	He'd fought back, once. The man who'd
slapped him around afterwards had thought it was funny.

	Then there was Garlic, bringing by his son
Herb, showing off the slaves that his deals with the 
monster Happosai had brought him. A creature of 
great power, greater even than those of the Musk.

	Ranma gritted his teeth and ignored the
comments about him, as if he were some animal.

	"We need more slaves, I think. What
do you think, father?"

	"Don't worry about that, my son. As
the farmgirls get...used up, we shall find more."

	"That won't be necessary, Garlic, Herb."

	Ranma tried not to flinch, knowing who
that voice belonged to.

	"Years ago, I visited a village near here.
I found it very idyllic, with many beautiful maidens."

	"The amazons?"

	"Yes, I slew a number of them. They were
rather upset that I raped one of their number, and...I
was rather reckless in those days. I stole many of 
their treasures, stole the virginity of a dozen more
of their number, and killed a fair number of them."
Happosai watched the muscles twitching in Ranma's
back and smiled.  Such a squeamish boy for Genma's
son. He'd have to do something about that.

	Ranma caught a glimpse of the powerful
figure speaking with Herb and Garlic. If anything,
he looked taller and stronger than ever. Happosai
truly looked as if he massed four times the biggest
soldier of the Musk. Then Ranma's view was cut
as the Wheel continued to move.

	"So, what are you planning then?"

	"Simple, little prince. Tomorrow your
father will ready his forces, then the battle with
the amazons shall commence. At that time, I will
enter the battle. Then we will have enough slaves
for the Musk for years to come."

	"Many would rather die than submit,"
Garlic pointed out.

	"Leave that to me." Happosai thumped
himself on the chest, bowed and left. This...could
be interesting. Particularly if the boy's locks should
somehow come undone tonight. He was just in
this for the entertainment value, after all.
-------------------------------------------------
	"Why should we believe him?"
One of the matriarchs glared at him. "He's only
a little boy, and he admits he's from the Musk."

	Ranma, in chains, tried to glare back.
His reward for escaping and warning these amazons,
seemed rather...underwhelming.

	"He admitted that his escape was 
surprising, even to him." Another elder watched
Ranma carefully. "Though why the Musk would
let him escape is beyond me. Even if they intend
to attack, giving us any sort of warning seems
foolish. Whatever I may think of Happosai, he is
not a fool."

	Ranma blinked. There had been a lot
of reaction to that name. The elder who had said
it made it sound like the very worst sort of insult.

	Ranma listened with half his attention,
especially as many were talking Chinese so quickly
that he couldn't quite follow it. His eyes swept the
crowd, taking in the various women, and stopped
when his eyes came to one of the younger ones
there.

	She was about his own age, with long
purple hair, wearing baggy shapeless clothing. She
was staring at him, but turned away with her nose up
when she noticed he was returning her gaze.

	"ENOUGH!" The woman who had spoke
of Happosai earlier slammed her cane to the floor to
punctuate her statement. "This argument is pointless.
The only way the Musk could profit from..."

	The old woman came to a complete stop,
then glanced at Ranma. "So... Quickly now! Scatter!"

	"Elder? What?"

	"Don't you see, fools, they let the boy
escape to gather all the elders into one place!"

	"Ah, Cologne, you have learned wisdom.
It is too little, too late, but you have learned since we
last met."

	Ranma tried desperately to slip out of
the chains holding him to the peg in the floor. It
had been expertly done, however, and wasn't 
that easily thwarted.

	There was no further speech as Cologne
and the assembled elders launched attacks at the
nine foot tall apparition. 

	Said apparition merely smiled and held
up a coin. "Happo fifty yen satsu."
--------------------------------------------
	Ranma turned his attention back to the
Wheel, not feeling the lash whipping him on to 
greater speeds. He'd lurched into the giant, and
three of the elders had escaped as Happosai 
stumbled. Then Happosai had taken a few moments
to kick Ranma around, the chain and peg making
it a game of tetherball.

	More had escaped as a result.

	The amazon villages had some warning,
but not much. An odd mist had swept through 
almost immediately after, and many of the warriors
had fallen, their strength seeming to flow away from
them. At the heart of the mist had been Happosai,
using a gem, a hoop, and a cry of "Musk Circlet
satsu." He'd drained them, and the Dynasty had
come and stacked proud warriors up like cordwood
to be hauled off.

	Ranma took some satisfaction in knowing
that some had escaped, the look that had passed 
between that one Elder and Ranma had indicated 
that she knew what he had done, and what he fully
expected his punishment to be.

	He just hoped he could somehow die
before that happened.
--------------------------------------------
	"Aren't you going to punish him?"
Garlic was interrupted by another coughing spasm.
"That boy ruined your surprise. Some of the amazons
have fled the region."

	"A bare handful," acknowledged Happosai.
"It was my intention anyway. Simply enslaving them
all at once would have been boring. Let them gain some
powerful allies, bring them here, and then all and sundry
shall be breeding stock for the next generation of Musk
warriors."

	"But if..." Garlic stopped at the look in Happosai's
eyes.  There was to be no questioning of his decision.

	"Besides, Genma's son is not quite old enough,
give him a few years. He will fail in the arena, or fall at the
Wheel, then I shall dunk him in the Spring myself and 
then ravage Genma's new daughter a thousand times worse 
than I did to that idiot Cologne." 

	"We aren't really equipped for this sudden 
influx of slaves," Garlic tried to change the subject.

	"Already taken care of. You have some new
statuary, as well as a number of dolls around. I was quite
creative in how the excess was stored." Happosai smiled.
He would be sleeping with a number of amazons tonight,
breaking them in. Then when they were of no use to him,
he would turn them over to general use, perhaps transform
a few into "pets" or just come up with something on the
spur of the moment.

	He could only hope the rest of his plans went
as well.
---------------------------------------------------
	Ranma collapsed on the threadbare blanket
that was his bed. His back was aflame from the lashings
he'd taken, his muscles sore, and he moaned slightly
as the twitching sensation from overstressed muscles
gradually decreased.

	When someone rubbed his aching calves,
he briefly stiffened, then forced himself to look back
at the one doing it.

	Reddish eyes met his without any apparent
emotion. "You tried," came a soft voice.

	"They got you too? Oh man." Ranma slumped
back. "I thought you got..." Those hands clamped down
hard suddenly. She squeezed twice more.

	"So they got the kids too," Ranma finished.
She didn't want him to say that she was at the meeting?
Surely Happosai would have seen her...

	"Yes. You're a kid yourself, eh? Your name?"

	"I am Ranma Saotome."

	"I am Shampoo. It looks like we will be sharing
a cell, Ranma. Do not get any funny ideas."

	"Huh?" Ranma tried to move but he hurt too
much. "What do you mean?"

	"If you do not know now, then I will not tell
you. You are working at the Wheel? I am to clean and
polish the floors, as well as...the new statues."

	"New statues?"

	"Don't worry now. Sleep. We watch out
for each other, yes?"
-------------------------------------------------
	Ranma's fighting training increased 
daily, and the reason was soon apparent. If he
failed to perform, not only was he punished, but
his cellmate would be punished as well.

	Happosai never took a direct hand,
but was constantly monitoring Ranma's progress.
He took some pride in the fact that the son of
one of his pupils would actually turn into a 
decent fighter. Of course, decent by Happosai's
standards was incredible by anyone else's.

	Once Happosai demonstrated on
an amazon he'd tired of, just what would happen
to Ranma's "friend" if Ranma failed to perform
at his best. A splash of water turned the woman
into a cat. The warning was that if Ranma did
it a second time, the change would also be mental,
the third disobedience would bring out an object
that would lock the subject forever in cursed form.

	"A living death," Happosai called it.

	Soon a third joined them in the cell. A
recent acquisition who did not speak the language.
The girl was to be one of the cooking staff until she
was old enough to be bred, and the silent understanding
was that here was another leash to hang on Ranma.

	It took several days for them to get the
story from her due to the language barrier. Though
Ranma knew he was Japanese, he didn't speak much
of that language. Apparently her father had met with
Happosai, during one of the trips into Japan. He
saw the little girl cook, and killed the father. Casually,
as if the act took little effort and no consideration.
He wanted to take the eight year old, and so he did.

	Her name was Ukyou.
--------------------------
	The breakfasts were done, the laundry was
drying, and now Kasumi moved to the next step on
her daily schedule.

	She bowed once. "Hello mother."

	The statue did not move, did not
react in any way. It remained a statue. Though
Kasumi had never received any indication that
her mother could still hear her, she took the time
and it was now a ritual, tending a small flower bed
that surrounded the statue, and speaking to
her mother.

	She was in the same position as she
had been since Happosai threw the curse at her,
and had told father and children exactly what was
necessary for her mother to return to normal. He
also mentioned what the cost would be. For her
mother to live, someone else would die.

	She didn't feel right about it. Not one
bit. She dearly wanted her mother to return, but
she didn't want to see someone else die to 
accomplish it. She had talked to her mother about
it many times.

	It was sad that two friends, who had
endured the hell of serving under Happosai, now
periodically were bitter enemies before they 
inevitably reconciled and began the cycle anew.

	"Well, mother, Akane and Nabiki are
doing well in school," Kasumi continued with the
small talk as she weeded, watered, and checked
the flowers for the signs of any of the harmful
insects that might come. "There seems to be 
a lot of talk about a rice shortage. I hope the
price doesn't go up as much as the last time."

	The statue of her mother, still in
mid-step, naginata in hand, continued to 
look in the direction of the dojo as she had
for years. It had been too unnerving to have
her continually looking towards the door
to the house, and so she'd been moved just
a little.

	"Well, mother," Kasumi said,
wiping sweat off. "I think that about does
it for our time together today. I must get
a little shopping done before I start dinner."

	Kasumi bowed again, then ran
off. She had her duties, at least until her
mother returned. She refused to think of it
as a permanent vocation, she was just filling
in for her.
-------------------------------------------
	<splice here to chapt 1b>
this is only being cut here due to AOL mail
limits. there's more...