Ranma Saotome; former heir to the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts, heartbreaker, life-wrecker, dead

Not Like You

Disclaimer: Most of the cast belong to Rumiko Takahashi or Naoko Takeuchi. Additional characters belong to their respective owners. The Evil Bunny Empire produces this story for fun and not for profit, however the story is ours and we request that you ask permission before posting it anywhere.

Episode Eight: A death in the family

Ranma returned to the cyberspace of the Mercury Computer and frowned. When Usagi and Ami returned to regular time they automatically returned to their civilian forms and it hadn't given her enough time to activate the program that would allow her out of the super computer.

For now she was stuck here. How could she get Ami to let her out, there was no way of contacting her. The computers monitor couldn't display her image, and its sound card only made beeps. The most advanced computer in the world and its output was prehistoric.

Her best chance would be when Ami became Sailor Mercury again. While Ami was the Senshi of the fastest god alive, her earrings gave a direct connection to the computer. Through that connection she could once again swap herself out with Ami and take over her sister's body. That would be her only chance to activate the program that would allow her to go home.

As amazing as the cyberspace of this computer was, as much as she could do here, the isolation made it unbearable.

WWWWWW

Usagi looked over at Ami as they walked back to the blue-haired girl's home. Ami had been silent since they left the lot where they had their fight with Ramua. Her friend seemed afraid of something. "Ami we're almost back at you're place, are you okay, we don't want to worry your father."

The youngest Mizuno put on a false smile. "I think I'll be alright."

"Well at least your dad shouldn't be mad at you; Luna's gone back to my place." The blonde frowned, what was wrong with the short haired girl?

Ami didn't know what to tell Usagi; whoever it was that fought Ramua, it wasn't her. Someone took over her body and she ended up in a void, an empty, desolate void. She wasn't there very long, but it scared her, she almost felt dead. As they approached her home she saw her father talking to a police officer. What was going on?

Shou didn't know how to react. What was he going to say to Hotaru? As the officer left he noticed Ami and Usagi returning. His daughter had a smile on her face, but as her father he knew something was wrong. Had she seen what happened to the school? "Are the two of you okay?"

"We're fine Mr. Mizuno. We saw a bus crash earlier and Ami is a bit shaken up." Excuses were her specialty; sometimes she did things that would make people forget she was a klutz.

"I see, was anyone hurt?" The professor shook his head, how many incidents happen today, how many people…

"No, but the bus was totaled." Ami put aside her own depression, she worried for her father. What had the officer just reported?

"That's good to hear, come on inside." The father of two was possibly a father of three now. Poor Hotaru.

WWWWWW

Haruka sat on the Mizuno couch frowning. She couldn't help but be a little angry at Ami and Usagi, they were the Sailor Senshi; they were supposed to save people. Why couldn't they save Hotaru's father. The purple-haired little girl hardly got to see him much as it was and now she would never see him again. Looking over at Usagi sitting across from her she let her anger go, she could tell the other blonde was feeling guilty.

"We stopped the bad guy, but we couldn't save one little girl's father." Usagi looked down at her feet. Luna had told her that Haruka knew she was Sailor Moon, and with Professor Mizuno out trying to learn who would take custody of Hotaru, she didn't have to worry about him over hearing things. . Since that was the case she could freely talk about what she was feeling, she needed to talk to someone.

"Look, I'm not really the sort to cheer people up, but Professor Tomoe was a mad scientist. Maybe if the monster wasn't making people rush around he would have blown himself up anyway." The short haired girl didn't know the particulars of what went on, but the rush everyone was in was the monsters fault as far as she knew. From what she saw the two Senshi did try to stop it as fast as they could.

"According to Ami, Ramua, that was the youma's name, messed with people perceptions of time. That's what caused everyone to rush about. If Professor Tomoe wasn't rushing about he would have been safer, and took precautions. I mean he was a smart guy right?" As far at the oldest Tsukino child knew it was 'evil' mad scientist who weren't safe, the good ones were always super cautious. Hotaru's dad was a good guy wasn't he?

"Maybe he would have just blown up his lab instead of the entire school, he'd still be dead. Look I want to blame everything on you too. The fact is though; it's not all your fault."

Usagi giggle a little. "You're right; you're not very good at cheering people up."

"Well since you are Ranma's cousin I figured I should at least try. It's what he would do." Haruka blushed a little as thoughts of Ranma entered her mind.

"Speaking of Ranma, I wonder what he's been teaching Ami. She was able to beat up Ramua and free me from being frozen in time." The Moon's Senshi hadn't put much thought into Ami's fighting skills, but thinking back, it was definitely the Saotome style.

"He told me he hadn't taught Ami anything, she didn't seem interested in the Art." It wasn't too surprising; most girls she knew weren't really interesting in martial arts. She was actually surprised Usagi was. Haruka was even more surprised how much better Usagi was than her. She had some of the best teachers her parent could find, and she held a black belt in a few styles, but the long haired blonde barely broke a sweat in their match the other day.

"Then how did Ami…"

"I don't know. I don't really remember any of it. One minute I was worried; I didn't think I could do anything to stop Ramua, then the next we were in the empty lot and it was over." Ami came down the steps still feeling terrible. First the void, and then coming to home to find out little Hotaru was now an orphan thanks to their fight.

"How's Hotaru?" Because of the digital boy, Haruka found herself thinking of the purple haired girl as a little sister of sorts. She was very worried for her.

"She cried herself to sleep, on my bed."

"….Ami you don't remember anything in between your fear and being in the lot?" Usagi didn't mean to be insensitive, but maybe figuring out the mystery of the fight would make Ami feel a little better.

"Just an endless void…, I almost felt… dead." There, she said it out loud; she still didn't feel any better about it.

"An endless void? That's how Ranma describes the cyber world. That's why he hangs out near the monitors normally instead of off screen." Now she was jealous, Ami got to be in Ranma's shoes? If she could trade place with the digital boy, or even join him she'd be happy. It wasn't like her folks would miss her.

"The way you fought Ramua, could Ranma have taken over your body?" To her it sounded creepy, the digital ghost possessing her blue haired friend. What if he could possess her too? Her cousin in her body was not a pleasant thought. He could very easily ruin her ditzy image.

"Maybe…if that's the life Ranma live, I'm surprised he's not depressed. I wasn't their long but it seemed terrible." Ami frowned. Ranma was so much stronger than she was maybe it was a good thing he took over. An odd thought came to her mind, right now they couldn't communicate with Ranma because he was in the Mercury Computer. Maybe he could trade with her if she became Sailor Mercury again, that would allow him to pass on what he had learned. As long as he had been in there he had to have learned something useful. She made up her mind, she just hoped Hotaru stayed asleep and her father didn't come walking in. Taking out the Mercury pen she raised it above her head. "Mercury Power Make Up!"

The short haired blonde couldn't help but be amazed at Ami's beautiful transformation. It was breathtaking. Then as it stopped she noticed a slight twinkling in Sailor Mercury's eyes. "Ranma?"

"Sorry can't talk now." Ranma had a feeling why Ami transformed in the middle of her home, and she was going to take advantage of it. Removing the Mercury computer from the subspace pocket where Ami subconsciously stored it, she opened it up and activated the program that would allow her back in to the Mizuno network. Then she returned Ami's body to her.

"Ranma what are you doing?" What did he mean he couldn't talk now? Was their another emergency? Haruka hoped she wouldn't have to make up an excuse for why Ami and Usagi were gone when Professor Mizuno got back.

"He's gone already. I was in the void again, but now I'm back."

"And I'm back too. Sorry about that Ami, the program that allows me to travel from the Mercury computer to your family's computers has to be activated from outside. Since I had no way of contacting you I had to take over your body to activate it." Ranma smiled he was grateful to once again be in the Mizuno network. Before crossing back over he restored his form, but placed a sub program that would allow him to switch forms at will even while in the family's computers.

"That was you during the fight too. Right?" Usagi noticed Ranma return caused a smile on Ami's face. She was right with the mystery solved Ami was cured of her depression. Hopefully with Ranma back he'd be able to keep that depression away when she remembered what happen to Hotaru.

"Yeah. As Sailor Mercury, Ami is directly connected to the Mercury Computer. While I was in there I could feel her emotions, and her hopelessness. Since I couldn't cheer her on, I did what I thought was the next best thing, fight in her stead. I'm guessing that was a mistake cause when you transformed this time, you seemed really down. I'm sorry about that Ami." His intentions were to help but overall it didn't seem like he did.

"That's not all your fault Ranma. While we were fighting Ramua, Mugen Academy blew up with Hotaru's father inside." While Ami changed back, Usagi saw the shock on Ranma's face. Her cousin then frowned.

"That's terrible, how is Hotaru?" How much did he miss while inside the Mercury Computer? Ranma became very worried for the purple haired girl.

WWWWWW

Shou sat at his computer wondering about his next move. For now it was decided that Hotaru would stay with him and he'd have access to some of the savings Professor Tomoe had set aside for her. The amount of money wasn't too much, but considering how Professor Tomoe was the sole financer of Mugan Academy he wasn't surprised.

So he needed a new job. He was unofficially a computer genius, but he also was a Science teacher and he could teach math as well. Unfortunately the only open teaching positions were at Juban No. 10, and he didn't want to risk teaching his daughter. What else could he do?

"You look pretty worried." Ranma came down from Ami's room computer now that she and Hotaru were asleep. He sort of wondered how long Hotaru would stay asleep considering the nap she had in the afternoon. Just in case he decided to stay online.

"I'm out of a job now, and I have three children to take care of. I think I'm allowed to be worried." Shou smiled, it was good to see the digital boy had returned from his self exile. "You're back early, the last time something like this happen it took you week to come out of hiding."

"I can adapt to a lot of things, but I can't adapt to being alone. All the additional attention I've been getting lately from Usagi, Haruka, and Hotaru made me more afraid of being alone than of …." He didn't finish his sentence. The professor didn't need to know he wasn't really afraid of Luna, so not saying her name should convince him that he was. Still what he said was true, he was more afraid of being alone then he was cats.

"So the more attention you get the harder it is for you to live without it?" That wasn't too unbelievable. Ranma didn't need food or sleep, but everyone needed something to draw strength from. The Mizuno patriarch frowned, maybe attention was something everyone needed; only Ranma was more open about its necessity. This coming Sunday maybe he should do something with Ami and Hotaru.

"That's probably it? What's the frown for?"

"I was just thinking about what you said earlier this week about spending time with Ami. I don't give her enough attention do I?" And now he'd given Ami more competition for that attention. Still, he couldn't just turn Professor Tomoe's daughter away. It was better for her to be with a family than an orphanage.

"Not in my opinion. It's not like you don't try, but both you and Ami need to enjoy life more. Studying and experimenting all the time is not a good thing. I know you both find it fun, but you need real fun every once in a while too. Hotaru told me how Haruka had her wake Ami up, I think Haruka and Usagi can both be good influence on the two of you." Both blondes knew how to have fun, something the two Mizuno's weren't very good at.

"Usagi I won't argue with, but Haruka…. Granted seeing you again has changed her, but I don't really know." Shou frown, Ranma didn't know his old friend as well as he thought he did.

WWWWWWW

Ami walked to school thinking about the new addition to her family. She liked Hotaru, she reminded he of herself when she was younger. The purple haired girl was bright for her age, and she was alone. Now she always had her father, and then Ranma, so she didn't completely know the depth of Hotaru's loneliness, but she had an inkling.

Hotaru was strong though, she had cried herself to sleep yesterday afternoon and then this morning as she was smiling as if nothing happened. Ranma also let her wake her up this morning, the blue haired girl did not enjoy that. Why had Haruka giving the little girl that idea?

"Hey Ami!"

The first daughter of Shou Mizuno turned to see both her blonde friends coming up behind her. Usagi was the one who greeted her, and Haruka was wearing their school uniform with her arm no longer in the sling. "I'm surprised to see you two together."

"My father has connections and my transfer happened pretty fast. A lot of the other Mugen students don't have new schools yet." When she got home this afternoon, Haruka knew her father was going to be mad at her. He was a firm believer in a world without magic, voodoo, and what not. Finding out Usagi had healed her arm with ki was going to greatly agitate him. Still it was pretty amazing.

"Haru-chan came over really early and begged my dad to teach her." The dumpling haired blonde smiled while the short haired blonde did the opposite.

"Usagi, do you think I should maybe join you guys? I mean it was Ranma's skill that was able to beat Ramua." Ranma was always trying to get her interested in the Art; maybe it was worth learning how to defend herself. Ami didn't want to be a burden to Usagi.

"That's up to you really; I mean Martial Arts aren't for everyone." Usagi noticed her friend's frown. Ami probably felt useless. "Remember, if it wasn't for you I could have fallen into one of Ramua's time traps. Thanks to you we were able to get to her safely."

"I don't think the Art would be for you. I know Ranma would like everyone in the world to be a martial artist, but reality doesn't work that way unless you live in Nerima. You already have a powerful weapon that Usagi and I don't." The short haired blonde was relieved to see a smile appear on Ami's face.

"Are you saying I'm dumb!"

"Well you are a blonde."

"So are you!"

As they continued to walk school Ami felt much better about herself. Maybe she couldn't fight, but as Usagi pointed out there were things they couldn't fight their way out of. As the two blondes bickered back and forth she hoped she could prove Haruka right, that her brain was just as powerful as Usagi and Ranma's fist.

WWWWWW

Hotaru studied the board carefully. Right now Ranma had the advantage, this game was very difficult. She had three pieces she could move but if she wasn't careful Ranma would take one. In the end she decided to move the one closest her goal. Then she saw the digital boy smirk and he popped the bubble, the die landed on exactly the number he needed. "I hate this game!"

"So does Ami, it relies more on luck then true intelligence, so she loses all the time by over thinking." The ghost in the machine moved his piece onto Hotaru's and sent it back to home. So far the purple haired girl had beaten him in Chess, Othello, Go, and Stratego. Trouble was giving the little genius just that. He was grateful Shou programmed such a wide variety of games into the computer.

"Do you think Ami will be mad when she gets home? She didn't seem happy when I woke her up this morning." The little girl pressed the mouse button to pop the bubble and the die landed on a six. She had two options take out the piece Ranma just sent home back out or to send his piece home. Following Ranma's advice she sent his piece home.

"Hah, good job." Ranma took popped the bubble and got a useless roll. "I think it will take a little bit of time to get used to the violent awakenings. But I think it's better for her to be woken up by a real person rather than a digital one."

"Ranma I don't want to hear that. You are still a real person." Shou walked into the living room, he had been on the phone in his study trying to find a new job with very little luck. If it came down to it he might be stuck taking the job at Juban No. 10.

"You're the boss." Ranma smile as Hotaru moved another of her pieces closer to her goal. Being trapped in the Mercury Computer reminded him of his limitations, but being back in the families' computers did make him feel more alive.

WWWWWW

Jadeite looked over at the Hikawa shrine. It seemed like a good location for his next scheme. Now how to infiltrate it?

"Hello there young man, how would you like to be a priest?"

Looking down at the short bald man, he smiled. Thing couldn't have gone better for the dark general. "Yes, I would like that very much.

TTTTTT

Complaint department:

Sorry this chapter comes up a little short. I think this is the best stopping point before the next chapter.

Howard Russell, I was thinking something more along a Doctor Zimmerman projector with the Mercury Computer as the hologram Ranma's core, but in the end I canned that idea and went with Ranma temporarily controlling Ami's body instead.

ranko lina Inverse, at this time Ranma isn't really a Senshi, he won't be throughout "Not Like You", should I ever get to the sequel there is a possibility, but that a ways off.

Sargon Dorsai, may I assume you've read plenty of Sailor Moon fanfics? I don't recall there ever being an official explanation for Luna's memory gaps. The other Senshi will appear in the same order they did in the anime, and a "real" Michiru will not be appearing in this story. She might show up in the sequel , if and when that happens.

Tatsu-Zzmage, only one of them can be in the body/cyberspace at a time, so they can't see each other face to face in either world.

Suikie, from my research it would be painful not to wear a bra with Ranma's chest size. It probably wasn't mentioned in Ranma ½ because it wasn't funny, I'm not trying to be too funny so I mentioned it. As for reduction, well I'm assuming anything bigger than an A-cup would be too big for a former male.

Chinangel, he's a ghost in the machine, not in a shell. There will be no android body.