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Only Human

By Verse12

Verse12 (at) hotmail (dot) com

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Disclaimer: I do not own these characters nor do I claim too, this is a simple fan based homage. Their creators and the companies they work for and with own the characters and all that pertains to them. (I.E. Rumiko Takahashi, Viz, Shougakukan, Pioneer LDC, Hiroki Hayashi, Ryoe Tsukimura, Akira Toriyama, Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, DiC) This is just fans of the shows expressing their love for it for fun; no profit is involved or expected thank you.

Note: Revised 7/16/07 to 8/29/08 Grammar and spelling mostly with some dialogue changes and a lot of added text.

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Prologue One:

Lives Change

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A pale haired woman in tattered Genie like clothing sat slumped against a chain link fence. As the sun rose and cast it's a golden glow on Shininome High School she wept quietly.

Her name was Ifurita; she was a combat android of great power from the ancient past of an alternate world known as El-Hazard

'The teachers should be here soon, and then the students, I wonder what they will say', she thought.

'A teacher and three students disappear in the night,' she reflected, 'And it's all my fault.

'The circle had to be complete, I sent Makoto and his friends to El-Hazard last night so they could in turn gain their powers and help defeat the Bugrom, and free me.' She thought, 'I was then able to then save them from the out of control, eye of god.'

'In saving them though I was lost to the farthest reaches of time and space and ended up on earth thousands of years ago, so when Makoto found me I could then send then to El-Hazard.

"But now…" she mumbled under her breath, "now he's gone and I'm stuck here and without my power key staff and I have no way to recharge."

She had gained memories from the young man who had freed her, when he used his power to link his mind with machines so she knew that it would not be a well-received event to have teachers and students who had just up and disappeared. With her head down, she wondered how much time she had left, even going into a suspended animation state her last wind up recharge was over ten thousand years ago.

'At least Makoto is safe and happy that will have to be enough for me. We met and his love set me free, free of thousands of years of control by various masters. I still can't believe that he could look beyond what I was and see me on the inside.'

"I can't believe I have a me on the inside," she mumbled in a dazed tone of voice, "I always thought I didn't even have a soul. How did he see something in me that I didn't even know I had myself?"

She looked up at the sun once more and thought that it would be nice if Makoto could be here with her to see its beauty. A sad smile adorned her face as her pale hair covered her eyes when she looked back down.

After a second though her face crinkled up in confusion as the light on her changed as if cut off by something. She glanced up so as to see what had changed, the thought that maybe she should leave the area before anyone showed up for school crossed her mind. As her eyes rose though she had to stop in wonderment her heart had frozen in her chest, she could not breathe for fear of dispelling this thing of beauty that was before her. For there before her stood her Makoto, as quick as she could in her current state she took off in a stumbling run straight for him. Tears streamed from her eyes as she raced for him and threw herself in his arms and cried her eyes out

With the tears that trailed down her cheeks, she cast her gaze up to his smiling face "I told you I would come for you." Is all he was able to say, before he leaned into her tear streaked face to kiss her and the most powerful feeling she could imagine burst from within her chest. The emotions that were created from this act of love were almost too strong for her to believe.

After an eternity of bliss with the lights of trans-reality transit that flickered about them with luminescent beauty, the kiss ended though much too quick for the both of them. After a time her mind slowly restarted and the only thing she could utter was a mumbled, "Wow."

"What happened? How did you get here?" The android woman asked a few moments later in a confused tone of voice.

Makoto smiled at her and replied, "Well it's something like this."

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A couple of minutes later.

Ifurita looked on in wonderment as she touched his face "you do look older?" She said in confusion and he did, he now stood about 5'10'' (1.62 Meters) with a lean yet muscular frame. His hair was a little longer and shaggy but still well kept and his eyes still twinkled with love, understanding and his fierce intelligence.

"Well it's been three years for me Ifurita," he replied as he reached out and caressed her cheek with his hand.

He doesn't notice her shock as he continued, "I thought it would be harder to find you after so long. You didn't look so good when you sent us to El-Hazard."

He used his thumb to wipe away her tears "I've been so worried about you, about how you were surviving by yourself on Earth," he continued

Then in confusion he asked her "Why are you still here at the school after so long

To his bewilderment Ifurita replied, "Makoto I just sent you to El-Hazard a few hours ago?"

"A FEW HOURS AGO!" He repeated in shock.

After some time a thoughtful look appeared on his face "I see" he mumbled "some kind of time dilation effect maybe."

Makoto realized that Ifurita was still leaning against him to hold herself up, "Oh jeez Ifurita I'm sorry here turn around let me wind you up I'm sure you must need it."

"Thank you Makoto" she replied with a shy smile as she turned around and lifted the tails of her waistcoat out of the way.

Raising the power key staff he had used to guide his journey to Ifurita, Makoto inserted the tip into the socket at the base of her spine. "Just hold on a second Ifurita you'll be all right in a bit" he said while he placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly.

"Thank you," Ifurita said and put her hand on top of his and gave it a loving squeeze "I love you so much Makoto. You are too good to me," she said while she looked down "I know that I don't deserve you but I thank you so much for your love anyway."

"Ifurita," Makoto began as he came around in front of her and gave her a hug as she cried on his shoulder.

"I don't care about the things you did before, you didn't have a choice and you know it. The important thing is that when you did have a choice you did the right thing."

They looked into each other's eyes and kissed once more "I'll never forget what you've done for me Makoto."

He smiled at her to try to change the mood, "Enough of that Ifurita I love you for who you are… Now," he said as he placed his forehead on hers "let's get you wound up and go back to everyone in El-hazard, okay?"

"Okay Makoto" Ifurita replied as Makoto stepped back and grasped the power key staff once more

"Alright now hold on," Makoto smiled before he began to turn the staff

"One," he said. Light began to flicker inside the incandescent globes attached to the staff.

"Two," lightning started to flicker up and down the staff.

"Thr…" he began to say before a loud shout of "CRAP" resounded from above them. Makoto looked up to see a red blur as it came straight at them.

With a loud boom the blur crashed between him and Ifurita, right onto the power key staff. The staff was ripped from Ifurita's back and caused her to cry out in pain, energy spilt out of the socket set in the base of her spine.

As Makoto fell back the staff was ripped from his hands and a red headed figure could be seen lying motionless at the bottom of the newly formed crater before him. After a moment the red headed girl got up slowly, several bandages that were wrapped around her from old wounds began to fall off.

She stood there for moment and then she began to feel around in her pants pockets and muttered, "Ah crap made me lose my wallet, stupid tomboy."

She shook her head disgustedly but stopped after pain from the action caused her to wince. Then with disgust that oozed from her voice the busty red head exclaimed, "She didn't have ta hit me all the way out here, s'gonna take forever ta get back."

"This's been the absolute worst day I've had in a long time, can it get any worse?"

Just as Makoto was about to ask what in the world was going on, a hiss and flicker of light caught his eye. He and the girl looked down, and saw that the power key staff was sitting at her feet and was cracked and sparking energy while it mixed with the still flickering inter-reality energy that surrounded the area. Their eyes rose to meet each other as the red head muttered "Ah crap, I had to say that and jinx everything." Before a blinding flash resounded and filled the area, and caused Makoto to raise his hand to his eyes to protect them from the flash.

When the light cleared the girl was gone, with wide eyes Makoto looked at the crater in front of him before he looked over to Ifurita as she sat up from where she had fallen.

"Oh, Oh" was his only statement as he locked eyes with his love.

That is till Ifurita pointed a shaky finger behind him. When he turned around his eyes, impossible, as it seems got even larger. Because lying unconscious on the ground behind him was all of his friends that were supposed to be in El-Hazard, plus Jinnai and a half dozen Bugrom "Oh boy."

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Meanwhile somewhere else,

"Hey, Hey, you okay" a voice vibrated in the head of the red headed girl lying in a crater. She rose onto her hands and knees and then into a sitting position slowly and in obvious pain she asked, "What's going on? I feel so weak." As she sat back, her eyes alighted on a small boy in a blueish / purple gi with a wild mane of black hair that stuck up in all directions and he had a brown tail that wagged behind him.

"What did you say kid," the girl asked.

"I said you okay? Where did you come from anyway? You just popped outta nowhere. How did you do that? Hey what are you anyway? Why do you have a butt on your chest? I'm Goku, what's your name?" The boy babbled at about a mile a minute.

Eyes wide the girl looked at the boy with confusion, her eyes crossed in confusion at the multitude of questions, "what's that? Butt on my chest? Goku? What?"

He leaned into her face in an innocent way and looked on questioningly, "so what's your name?" His close presence caused the girl to lean back "I… I don't know… I can't remember… I can't remember anything!" Exclaimed the girl in confusion her eyes were wide as she looked at the boy.

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Prologue Two:

El-Hazard: The Past & The Future

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Makoto Mizuhara was an average young man, he was average height, average weight, average appearance, average everything. Till one day something… Extraordinary occurred

He went to Shininome High School, like always which was an average Japanese school like any of a thousand others. But this school had something no others did; something of great archaeological significance was discovered under the basement floor. A temple or something like one, was hidden there, something so ancient it had never been seen before.

One night he had to stay late for reasons that don't really matter now, time itself seemed to freeze. Except for him everything else just stopped, and he was called to the ancient ruins by a manner he could not understand

Once there a panel opened and a woman stumbled forth. She was more beautiful than any woman he had ever seen, she had pale skin that glowed in the dim light. Her light lavender hair fell in waves on her shoulders, and though her odd clothing hung about her in tatters it did little to hide her petite yet voluptuous frame

Her eyes opened and when she focused on him it was with the single most loving and adoring look he had ever seen in his life. She told him she had been waiting for him for ten thousand years. But at his confused reply she responded as though hurt that he did not even know her. As he tried to find out what was going on she stepped back raised her arms and told him she was almost out of power and that with her last bit of strength she would send him to El-Hazard. A light flashed and he seemed to be falling through a tunnel of light and shadow.

What followed was an adventure beyond anything he had ever imagined. He was not alone in his journey to this new world, one of his teachers Mr. Fujisawa, who had a bit of a problem with alcohol and cigarettes, was drawn along with him. A good friend of his Nanami Jinnai who was a lot like Nabiki but more moral and without the shady business deals, ended up in a desert region of El-Hazard, While her slightly disturbed older brother ended up in the region that was controlled by the vicious Bugrom Empire, A race of sentient insectiod creatures.

The trip itself seemed to have changed them Mr. Fujisawa gained great physical power but only when he refrained from liquor. Nanami gained the ability to see through illusions, which came in handy against a group of blue skinned people they ended up having to fight called the Shadow Tribe which had the power of illusion. Her brother Katsuhito, had mega-maniacal tendencies to begin with, and after a bit of confusion and some fast talking he convinced the beautiful Bugrom Queen that he would be the general that would lead them to conquer all that is. This was helped by the fact that he gained the ability to speak and understand the Bugrom language

Makoto though gained the power to directly link his mind with machines so that he could operate them or find anything wrong with them and in some cases he could fix internal programming issues.

He and Mr. Fujisawa ended up in the kingdom of Roshtaria, a wonderful land ruled by two Princesses' the beautiful, wise and kind Princess Rune Venus and her younger sister… Fatora. Fatora by chance happened to look just like Makoto but with long hair, appearance though was the only thing that they were similar in. Fatora had a VERY strong love of the female form and she would try virtually anything she could to get what she wanted.

With war with the Bugrom threatening a strong political front was need. The only problem was Fatora was missing and though it was unknown at the time she was in fact kidnapped by the Shadow Tribe. So Makoto was… convinced to play the role of Fatora. Makoto\Fatora was joined by Mr. Fujisawa and Fatora's very amorous 'friend' the petite Alielle. Also accompanying them was Ura a species of feline that can flatten itself and wrap around someone so that her very hard skin can serve as living armor. As Fatora he was to go on a mission to Mt. Muldoon where three priestess lived, each had a device that controlled an element of nature, the oldest and most desperate for a husband Miz Mishtal the priestess of water. After her was the priestess of wind the very intellectual Afura Mann and the youngest, the priestess of fire, with hair and attitude to match, Shayla-Shayla.

El-Hazard was once long ago a very technologically advanced culture, far beyond us. But long ago a great war devastated the land, and now all that remained were relics of that era. And sadly most of those were weapon systems. The devices used by the priestess' to give them their elemental powers came from this era, as was the so called 'eye of god' a giant mechanical moon that hung low in the sky.

Only the priestess' could open the gateway to the eye so that the weapon could be used against the Bugrom. So that was Makoto\Fatora's mission to get to them and convince them to open the eye.

In the process of doing this he had several clashes with Jinnai and his five Bugrom elite. Which the juvenile general named after the Marx brothers and the extra one he named Margret. He also found His friend Nanami who was doing her best to make her living by selling bentos. Miz Mishtal began to fall for Mr. Fujisawa while Shayla-Shayla and Nanami began to compete over Makoto, much to his embarrassment.

Before he could take the priestess to the eye Jinnai made them think he was going after another super powerful weapon system known as Ifurita. This was a trick though as in their race to stop the Bugrom general they led him straight to Ifurita's hiding place and in a long drawn out battle Jinnai took control of Ifurita. The twist though was when Makoto saw Ifurita he was shocked; it was the same woman that had sent them to El-Hazard in the first place. Her attitude though was nothing like the woman he had met so briefly under Shininome High. She was a cold calculating combat android, and wasted no time in destroying whole cities at Jinnai's command. Every technique used against her was quickly turned back around. Even the priestesses were useless, as Ifurita had the ability to instantly not only copy but improve upon anything she saw.

Eventually Makoto was able to touch Ifurita and his power broke the circuit that made her obey her master, he freed her soul. Ifurita quickly turned against Jinnai and sided with Makoto in the fight though she was greatly weakened. The merging of souls drew Makoto and Ifurita together and they soon after began to fall in love.

Before things could settle down though it was revealed that the Shadow Tribe had gained control of the eye which was discovered to be dimensional cannon and was going to use it against everyone in a mad bid for revenge for some long ago slight.

In the end the Shadow Tribe was completely destroyed as were almost all of the Bugrom only Jinnai his elite as well as Queen Diva survived. But the eye wouldn't stop, it was running rampant, Makoto was going to use his power to merge with the eye and shut it down. Before he could do this though Ifurita showed up and sacrificed herself to stop the eye with Makoto's own power which she had copied. In stopping the eye Ifurita was cast randomly through realities, eventually she came to rest on earth long ago. There she rested until Makoto himself found her and she could complete the circle by sending him on the journey to her younger self.

Makoto meanwhile spent several years on El-Hazard seeking a way back to Ifurita. He had many adventures and misadventures including meeting a second Ifurita class android and a brief trip to a third reality. And dealing with Mr. Fujisawa's marriage to Miz, their subsequent baby and her retiring from the priestess'. Of concern as well was Miz's replacement a young woman named Quaull who had a severe bug phobia and a crush on Makoto. But through it all and despite the amorous attentions of Nanami, Shayla and Quaull he stayed loyal to Ifurita.

Until finally he discovered how to return to earth and Ifurita. We pick up as Makoto prepares to travel across realities to get to Ifurita whom he left at his old school years ago

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El-Hazard: during prologue one

Nanami Jinnai straightened Makoto's coat and smiled at her childhood friend, she'd loved him for a long time but as time went on and he never faltered in his love for Ifurita she gradually accepted it. She didn't like it mind you but she accepted it unlike Shayla-Shayla who never had, but Nanami had come to realize that she wanted Makoto to be happy even if that is not with her

She smiled up at him; "Now you go get her and bring her back, okay?" she said and kissed him on the cheek

Makoto looked down at her "You know you could come with me and see your family and stuff."

Nanami looked away and mumbled "I know . . . but now that you have finally mastered the staff we can go back at anytime . . . I just don't want to disturb your reunion with her." She may have accepted his love for Ifurita but she still didn't want to see it.

"All right everyone stand back, I should be back before too long" he smiled at all his friends, Mr. Fujisawa and his family, the priestess', the princesses and Alielle "Goodbye." He stated before he waved the power key staff and disappeared in a flash of light.

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Meanwhile hidden in some bushes while they watched the proceedings the self-proclaimed ruler of El-Hazard Katsuhito Jinnai seethed in anger. "Why that no good rotten Makoto, he's going back earth for Ifurita, he knows he could never defeat me without the edge she gives him. I have to do something to stop him, but what?"

"Gregrang mur grong tang" whispered the Bugrom named Groucho in his gravelly bass tone of voice, while speaking the language of his species.

"I know that you fool, and I am keeping quiet, we just have to keep him from returning with her somehow," Jinnai said in to loud voice.

His musings were cut short by a quiet buzzing. "Grangg fre" Groucho said as he handed a small Bugrom about the size of a hand to Jinnai.

"What, Oh Diva's on the telebug? Why now of all time, Uh, I guess I better give her the news."

"Yes Diva what is it," he muttered

"Mr. Jinnai, what is your report on your reconnaissance of Roshtaria," the Bugrom Queen stated regally

She and Jinnai were both holding a matching set of Bugrom recently breed to duplicate a device Jinnai described from earth. The two bugs take sound and change it to a telepathic signal that is then sent between the two, they are then converted into sound once more.

"Diva it seems that the wretch Mizuhara has gone to get Ifuri…" the rest is cut off as they are blinded by a flash of light. Everyone thought that this must mean that Makoto had returned.

His friends and Jinnai looked over to see his arrival only to be rendered unconscious as the light grew and a familiar sensation of flying down a tunnel occurred.

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Prologue Three

Shadow's Dawn

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After the flash from Ranma's departure cleared a cloaked figure stood proudly on top of Shininome high school, he grinned and looked away from the scene. He turned to a female figure that had a staff with a glowing ball on top, and asked her, "Your majesty were will the foolish boy end up?"

With an evil grin the woman remained cloaked in shadow as the reddish ball on her staff glowed evilly, "does it matter my General?"

The male figure's white cloak pooled around him as he suddenly kneeled at her feet, "forgive me my Empress; I was not trying to question you. I was just troubled of the eventuality of him someday returning to oppose you, as I know you were concerned of him doing before you so handily disposed of him."

"Kunzite… worry not of my reactions," the woman smiled coldly in the dark, "I am not like that fool Beryl. I actually use my brain to accomplish my goals, unlike her. I will not fault you for showing forethought toward our cause."

"Of course my Empress, my life for yours," the dark kingdom General professed his duty to his liege.

"Yes… yes your life is mine, as it should be, as it always should have been," the dark woman stated. And with a slightly less evil smile she continued, "And in answer to your question as to the chaotic one's destination, I could not care less. He will never return, and when the android soon goes for him… she will be lost as well."

"Brilliant my lady," Kunzite effused as the woman regally signaled him to stand.

"Come let us depart, my General," the woman stated with a wave of her staff as she opened a portal to another place. "Tell me Kunzite, what of Beryl's plans? Is everything going according to schedule?"

"Yes my lady, as you said she would, she has directed Jadeite to gathering energy for her use," the white haired General said as they passed through the event horizon of the vortex.

With that she paused and looked back at the General, "inform him I require his presence as soon as possible, but have him maintain his deception as to his true allegiances towards the fool Beryl, make sure he does not draw attention to himself."

"Yes my Empress, it shall be done," Kunzite stated with a bow.

"Also are Nephlite and Zoicite ready for their parts in our little deception?" The evil woman questioned.

"Yes my Empress, all is in readiness. We shall do our part," Kunzite said with an evil grin.

"And when the foolish priestess's of El-hazard do what I know they will, we shall have everything set for finishing off Beryl once and for all, then very few things will ever try to stand in our way after that," the staff wielding woman said with a feral smile.

With another pause the woman looked back at the other end of the portal they had just stepped into, and she can just make out the stirring El-Hazardian natives down on the ground. She saw Makoto and the android as they woke up the passed out and unexpected visitors. She chuckled darkly as she saw Jinnai's reactions to being back on earth as he jumped up and commanded the Bugrom to retreat from his foes.

"That Jinnai boy may be a nuisance," she mused, "that is until we can get through with making him, all he and the Bugrom shall become in the new order," she spoke with a cold, cold glare.

Nodding his agreement Kunzite commented, "Queen Diva I see was also pulled along with… what was it? Oh yes a telebug signal," he said with a chuckle at the idea of such a thing.

She looked back at him and nodded "yes she is unconscious over in those bushes; unfortunately we must tolerate her presence… for now."

"I see the fool Fujisawa found the chaotic one's wallet," the dark General stated.

"All is indeed progressing as planned, in short order they will move the bulk of them into the former shrine, where Sailor Mars would have lived," the evil Empress spoke.

"Yes," Kunzite replied with a sinister smile, "had she ever actually been born, and of course had the poor, poor grandfather not died of a… broken heart," he finished with a laugh.

"Thus leaving the Cherry hill temple abandoned for the mount Muldoon women to occupy as planned," the woman said equally pleased but less vocal in her replies.

With a final look back, the malevolent two turned around and stepped completely through the vortex into a darkened room. With a dull snap the portal closed behind them as the dark General followed his mistress, "one thing still vexes me my General," she stated with a quiet tone of voice.

"Yes my Empress?" he asked suddenly very leery.

"Have you made any progress in dealing with Sailor-V?" she questioned with a forced nonchalance.

With an audible gulp Kunzite stammered, "no my Empress, whatever has hidden her from your sight for so long makes finding her very difficult."

With an angered sigh the Empress turned toward the General, "I have an almost infinite level of patience my dear General. And I realize I have hampered your movements by forcing you to pretend you still obey Beryl. But I am most displeased by the lack of results, by all four of you on this matter. And while at present all she is doing is hampering Beryl and drawing her ire, in time she will become a problem for us."

"I will do my bes…" the General began only to be sharply cut off by the evil woman, "JUST GET IT DONE!" she barked.

"Yes my Empress," he stated and collapsed to one knee at her feet.

With a sigh of exasperation she indicated for him to rise once more, "yes, yes, let us be on our way, we don't have all the time in the world," she said with an ironic chuckle.

After a minute of walking she muttered under her breath, to low for Kunzite to hear, "How she and the cat have remained hidden for so long I cannot fathom though."

"Soon my queen all your plans shall reach fruition and all of your enemies will either join you or be crushed beneath your heel," the General said with devoted fervor as they entered a large dark throne room.

"Yes, yes they shall," the still hidden woman said as she reached the large dark green throne and reclined lazily upon it, the staff resting at her finger tips in front of her, her malevolent gaze on all before her. 'And with Ranma and soon Ifurita out of the way,' she thought 'nothing can stop my rise to power.'

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To Be Continued

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End Notes:

In case you did not know yes Ranma is in Dragon Ball, it's about 2 years before Bulma shows up.

Let me know what you think, later.

Signed: Verse12