[Ranma][FanFic] The Bet - Devil 1/2
MetroAnime
cleaning out the ol' Hard Drive, and this
was appro for the season. Another Bet that
didn't make it. Enjoy, minaasan!
setting and major char by Rumiko Takahashi
add'l char & situations by Gregg Sharp
webpage: http://members.aol.com/MetroAnime/main.html
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Hel was unhappy. Hel had a tendency to take
this out on anyone in the vicinity. Unlike Toltiir, Hel was
neither particularly inventive or possessed of a sense of
humor.
A Demon First Class, seeing an ancient enemy,
decided to get away from his mistress and go off into battle.
He wasn't aware that the whole thing was a setup, or that
Hel was manipulating events.
Not in imitation of the Bet, but to see what could
be done to hurry off some of those alternate timelines into
darkness, destruction, and death.
Hel _really_ hated happy endings.
She watched the battle taking place over the
area she had chosen and waited. Sure enough, a divergence
occurred. In each of the lines, the equally matched forces of
Darkness and Light saw a victory.
In one timeline, it was the Darkness that rose
triumphant over a certain small body of water. In the other,
the Light was the victor.
In either case, the victory turned pyrrhic when the
Doublet System activated with the loser drowning in the cursed
spring and the victor suddenly died in midair. (Midgloat in the
case of the demon, midsong in the case of the angel.)
To Hel it didn't really matter. Either supplied pain
and suffering, which was her meat and drink. It WOULD matter
to someone else, however.
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"Oh, you must be Ranma," Nabiki said, observing
the figure all covered with rainclothes. He was tall and
broadshouldered, but other than that it was hard to tell
anything about him. Yellow plastic seemed to cover almost
every inch.
"Yeah," came a muffled response. "Can we come
in? It might rain some more. That would be...bad."
"Uhm, your panda's housebroken, right?" Nabiki
looked over the panda who seemed nervous somehow. It
must have been in some fights recently, judging from the
burned patches of fur and cuts. There were even a couple
of bruises that showed through its thick fur.
"Sorta." The figure entered at Nabiki's gesture
and began shucking the raingear with obvious relief.
"Please, you go in first, I...need to make sure there's no
danger."
"What're you afraid of?" Nabiki had sudden
visions of international criminals chasing after a young
martial artist. Just like in some Jackie Chan movie...
"I'll explain. If nothing else, it should
convince oyaji here to abandon this latest scheme."
Ranma pulled the hood off.
Nabiki's mouth opened slightly. Ranma
looked like the remains of a decently attractive guy.
His eyes were sunken and bloodshot, he looked pale
and worn out, and those dark rings around his eyes...
All in all, it made him look like he'd been
engaged in nonstop fighting for days.
Ranma got everyone into the room,
then demonstrated with a cup of hot tea how a
Jusenkyo curse worked, returning his father to
normal. In a very quiet voice, he told him of what
else had happened in Jusenkyo.
---flashback--------------------
The panda knocked Ranma off his pole, Ranma
twisted, only to land on something invisible in the water.
As he went down, he thought he saw red eyes glowing.
"You fall in Spring Of Drowned Girl, terrible...."
The Guide broke off as the water geysered up. This was
NOT how things were supposed to go. He ran back,
looking for the hot water kettle he always kept ready.
Batwings black as night snapped open in
midair. The mortal soul was confused and unready to
marshall a defense, while Amon was ready to destroy
and ravage and kill! Starting with that fat panda there...
Genma blinked as Ranma's form swelled out,
easily tripling in size. Red eyes stared down at the panda
and a mouth composed entirely of sharp teeth smiled
down at him.
"HELLFIRE!" Amon threw a fireball at the
panda. It would be such fun to burn the unbearably
cute creature from the inside out. Fun but it would take
too long. Already the mortal was rallying and trying to
take control again.
Hot water splashed against the demon
as a third of Jusenkyo was turned into a smouldering
crater.
---end flashback-----------------
"It was suddenly gone," Ranma continued.
"I had control of myself, but even my normal form was
changed. I'm a little taller, broader, a LOT stronger. This
is not how the typical Jusenkyo curse worked.
"It was at a visit to a nearby village that I
learned more of what I'm going through."
-flashback----------------------------------
"Here, sirs, we come to rustic village of
amazon womans." The Guide pointed out an old
woman leaning on a staff. "That one very wise
Elder. She maybe know what to do."
"Yeah, wait here, oyaji." Ranma left
his father, nervously looking around in case
someone was looking careless with some cold
water. He didn't want IT to get loose again.
Genma grunted in panda form. Noting
a feast nearby, he limped rapidly in that direction.
The Guide followed Ranma. He thought
that the Elder probably spoke Japanese, but you
could never be sure.
"Uhm, excuse me," Ranma began.
"What do you want here, outsider?"
Cologne didn't spare a glance to this stranger.
A male, and an outsider. Nothing of consequence.
"The Guide said that you might
know how to contain a demon."
THAT got Cologne's attention
rather more. Had Happosai returned? No,
there was something about the boy. He was
afraid, and from the look of him he wasn't
used to being afraid of much of anything.
"Explain."
"I fell in this spring...but there
was something already in this spring. It
took control briefly when I changed into
this thing..." Ranma turned pale remembering
the feel as if he had been eaten.
"Over thirty springs go poof.
Big blow up." The Guide supplied this in
hopes he could get help. The springs would
likely reform on their own, but then you'd
end up with original templates gone and
things would be drawn by the pools to come
and drown in them. He didn't want there to
be a Spring of Drowned Jusenkyo Guide.
"So..." Cologne's eyes slitted.
He was talking about a True Demon and
a possession mixed with a Jusenkyo curse?
"<Hey, who let panda eat my
prize?>"
"Huh?" Ranma glanced to see
who was yelling and why, and saw a woman
getting ready to attack his father. "Oh hell,
hang on, I'll be back in a moment."
Ranma started to cross the field,
an amazon flung her drink away, claiming that
her champion must have thrown the match,
since how could a scrawny girl like Shampoo
possibly beat the powerful Dowel?
The fluid hit, and Ranma changed,
though not nearly to the extent he had the
first time.
Striding up to the girl, he told her
to lay off. If anyone was going to pound his
father, it would be him!
Shampoo, never one to back down
from a fight, challenged this stranger to a fight.
The glowing red eyes, black batwings, and that
this stranger was at least 7'2" were something
that she'd think about later.
Ranma didn't even wait for the two
to get on the log, launching an immediate attack.
Shampoo blocked. Her right arm was
broken when Ranma grabbed it.
Shampoo, for the first time in her life,
knew fear. Fear as she saw the clawed hands a
second away from her throat, knowing that this
man's speed and strength were far beyond her
own.
"No..." The man whispered and began
to shake.
Shampoo watched, fascinated as the
red of his eyes slowly drained away and the shaking
grew greater. It was a great relief when he let go of
her arm, but as an amazon she held herself as proud
as she could at the moment.
That she was too scared to run would
only be apparent to a few people there.
"I...will...not...kill." Ranma seemed to be
forcing each word out.
Hot water splashed down and Ranma
fell to his knees from the strain of containing the
demon. He spared a glance and a nod of thanks
to Cologne for the cup of hot tea she'd used.
"<Put away the arrows, they will not be
needed.>" Cologne nodded to the archers, whose
arrows had been affixed with anti-demon wards.
"<Great grandmother, what?>"
"<Guide, I want you to translate this
for the boy's benefit.>" On seeing the Guide nod,
Cologne addressed the village. "<This boy's soul
contains a demon, a powerful demon too dangerous
to be allowed to stay in the village. Otherwise,
Shampoo, you'd be kissing your husband right
about now. This boy will need help in containing
the beast however, and so I and my great-granddaughter
will accompany this boy on his journey.>"
Cologne motioned one of her fellow
Elders near. "<Lotion, if I do not send you a postcard
every week, come and investigate. If the boy cannot
contain the demon, I must try to slay them both. If
the boy succeeds in slaying the demon without killing
himself, he is strong enough to make a good husband
for Shampoo.>"
"<And if we kill him now, we can't be sure
that this wouldn't just free the demon.>" Lotion nodded
to indicate she understood. Watching Aloe put a splint
on Shampoo's arm, she went into thought for a moment.
"<That was a Demon First Class. If it is as I suspect, the
Jusenkyo curse and the demon's spirit have tangled. He
must emphasize the aspects of his personality that run
counter to a demonic nature. Likewise, he must avoid
those aspects of his life that will strengthen the demon.>"
"<That's what I thought. It is nice to hear
another confirm. I will instruct the boy in this, and this
may also make good training for my Shampoo. She has
had quite a problem learning patience and subtlety.>"
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"So, basically, according to this Elder,
I gotta think good thoughts and be as 'moral and
responsible as a member of my gender can be' in
order to contain this thing. She and her daughter
are setting up a place for themselves nearby, as
a base of operations."
"Oh come on," Akane snorted. "You
expect us to believe that." She threw her water
at him. "You honestly thin...."
Nobody except Genma noticed how
the youngest Tendo daughter's voice had trailed
off, everyone was staring at the transformed boy.
A thick black fur covered a body nearly two and a
half meters tall, with black bat-like wings moving
in and out slightly from his back. Eyes that seemed
to have more than a tint of red to them glared at
Akane. The mouth showed pronounced fangs.
"Hot. Water. Now. Please." Ranma's
voice was now a horrid growl.
"The more control he has, the more
human his appearance. The redder the eyes, the
more the demon has control over him." Genma
explained unnecessarily. Everyone present who
could see the eyes saw the war for control being
waged.
On one side was a very scared young
man who had never backed down from a fight. On
the other was a demonic entity that had already
died and had nothing to lose.
Kasumi was pouring hot water before
the battle could shift either way.
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Ok, obviously i'm just cleaning out
some of the notes and storybits that didn't go
where i wanted em to, and i wanted to clear out
the Darkside for Halloween.
Yes, this is a Devilman/Ranma fusion.
Of a sort. So you get Deathmask, Siren, etc, etc,
coming after Ranma to force him down the dark
path and liberate Amon from the control of this
upstart mortal.
In true crossover fashion, you also
get Phantom Quest, Ghost Sweeper, and others
coming to Nerima after the first large manifestation
of the Demon.
You get Cologne trying to teach
Ranma how to control and contain the demon,
and finally to purge himself of its influence. You
get Shampoo interested in this guy who is
fighting a battle even tougher than the ones she
usually goes through.
You get a scene where Kuno gets
Ranma wet and angry and discovers this is a
Bad Thing. Kuno discovers that the new guy
isn't engaged to Akane, staying at their house,
but is sleeping in a ring of spirit wards in the
dojo and not under the same roof as Akane.
Well, that's more acceptable. Kuno tries to
avoid Ranma-demon. (Besides, he gets the
distinct impression that the demon will literally
eat him alive given half a chance.)
Ranma engaged to one of the three
daughters Tendo, but nobody's anxious to
tie him down as when he's manifesting that
demonic presence he gets SCARY. Possible
scene where Soun's demon head gets eaten
or shredded.
Ranma has to be virtuous. Very
much so. Cologne naturally thinks of Spring
Of Virtuous Man. What will the effect be on
a demon? THAT she isn't sure of. When she
tries, it puts an additional measure of control
on in Ranma's favor.
Ranma fights Ryouga, Mousse,
and others. Including the Senshi as he seems
to have a lot of youma qualities in his cursed
form.
Eventually the Darkness becomes
light as the spirit of the demon dissipates/is
overwhelmed by Ranma. He still has to fight
off Dark Impulses, but is no longer a danger
to everyone nearby. Power level drops without
the demon's spirit, but he's no longer in a
contant battle to maintain his sanity/soul.
Then he's having to fight youma,
gods, and youma bosses because he still has
a lot of that demonic presence. Especially in
his Devilman form. Now he also has to fight
the demons, as they come to avenge Amon
or destroy this upstart demon...
Maybe different allies, as this
Ranma would definitely have something
in common with Grey and possibly some
others. It's even possible there would be
a happy ending here...
Who would Ranma end up with?
Depends on who takes it on/if. Akane? With
her temper? Scenes where Ranma's struggling
to keep from ripping her apart would ensue.
Nabiki? Maybe, he could certainly use someone
cleverer than the average Nerimite. Kasumi?
Only if you're using a non-oblivious Kasumi.
Shampoo? A definite contender here. Ukyou?
Tend to think she'd be thrown off a bit by the
demonic half. Definite chance of Ranma gets
Nobody.
different, ne?
gregg