Only Human

by Verse12

Ranma-DBZ-ElHazard, Ranma was sent on a trip out of this world, now he returns with some friends. But he isn't the boy he was and his trip home changes him even more.

4. Chapter 3 : Supreme Cell Vs Ranma

#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#

The Tendo Dojo

#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#

Makoto had been sitting on a rock in front of the koi pond since Ifurita had left less than an hour ago. Ifurita had not returned instantaneously like he had hoped might have happened. As he sat there he tried to keep from worrying too much, but anything could have gone wrong. "We still don't know how the time dilation effect actually works, I have some theories but we just don't have enough information" he mused to himself.

'I just can't shake the fact that something is wrong,' Makoto thought worriedly. 'I'm glad though that in the last month our link has strengthened so much that even now I can still feel her in the distance.'

"Makoto are you sure you don't want some tea or some cake?" Kasumi asked in her usual kind way as she opened the shoji door and stepped onto the deck.

Makoto sighed before he replied, "I had better eat something I guess, thank you Kasumi." Makoto stood up and stomped his foot to restore some feeling into it, "I've been sitting here too long" he muttered.

"I'm sure Ifurita is fine Makoto," Kasumi comforted him when she noticed his worry.

Makoto smiled up at Kasumi as she stood on the porch and thanked her for her kindness through all this. "And of course you're right; it hasn't been that lon…" Makoto trailed off as his face fell into a frown and his gaze shifted off to the side.

"Ifurita?" he asked seemingly to himself.

"Makoto are you all right?" Kasumi inquired in concern.

His eyes went unfocused as he looked inward and his breath started to become more ragged.

Louder Makoto asked with a confused cast to his face, "Ifurita, where?"

"Are you all right Makoto," Kasumi inquired with more emphasis trying to get his attention.

Still not hearing Kasumi's worried questions, Makoto's eyes went large as he used his power to stretch out his senses toward the link he shared with Ifurita.

He suddenly took a deep breath as his face became a mask of horror and he let out a heart rending scream "IFURITA, NO!"

Instinctively he delved deep into the link through which his loves pain radiated and his mind began to traverse the long journey toward her.

He let out a soft moan before his legs buckled and his body collapsed to the ground. Kasumi's startled exclamation of concern is the only thing that is heard besides the others as they ran outside to find out what had caused Kasumi such distress.

#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#

Only Human

By Verse12

Verse12 (at) hotmail (dot) com

#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#

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) This is just fans of the shows expressing their love for it for fun; no profit is involved or expected thank you.

Note: Revised 7/19/07 to 9/1/08

#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#

Chapter Three

Supreme Cell vs. Ranma?

#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#

DBZ Universe

#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#

'What to do? What to do?' Ranma thought, 'the power on this guy... its unreal. I thought he was strong before but now... it's just insane!'

'Come on think Ranma, there has to be a way to somehow fix this,' Ranma tried to tune out the gibbering fear soaked babble that came from Krillan and Yamcha as they sensed Cell's new even more powerful strength.

Hearing it made him feel almost ashamed to be human.

He looked down worriedly at Gohan as the boy suddenly sat on the ground next to him in a weary slump, 'he's just staring off into space as he looked over at the what's left of my android double, # 16,' Ranma thought.

'The kid even at his full strength would maybe on his best day and Cell's worst day be about half as powerful as Cell is now. Me and Goku both knew that the kid was unbelievably powerful and that he was our only hope for stopping cell. But the rules have changed; just getting Gohan to unleash his full potential as it stands now isn't going to be enough anymore.'

'He expended almost all of his energy trying to destroy Cell before he sucked up Ifurita, he's barely even conscious now. On top of all that he has a shattered arm and other injuries including that nasty gash under his hairline, though you can hardly see all that blood in that mop of hair of his. Can't even make out the dark purple highlights among all the black hair now though,' Ranma thought with a sight, 'his mom's gonna kill me for letting him get this hurt.'

Ranma shook his head in an attempt to get his thoughts back on track and glanced over at Vegeta. 'He has even less of a chance than Gohan, even though he's less hurt right now, the arrogant son of a...'

He ignored Cell as he boasted comments about how great he was and how no one has ever come close to his supreme perfection to everyone there. Ranma just stood there and tried to think of a way out of this mess. 'How do I get into these kinds of situations anyway,' he thought? 'Just following the pack wasn't my way of doing things once upon a time and now all those old thoughts about Nerima have been stirred up just when I need to keep my head on straight, that hasn't been my home for a long, long time. This Ifurita lady showing up now has put us in an even worse shape than we were before.'

'But it has got me thinking about the past I hadn't thought of how things were back there for the long time, well except about mom and… her.'

'That's beside the point though' Ranma thought; 'none of us can match Cell's strength that much is obvious. The stuff I learned under Master Roshi ain't gonna help here. I need to think like pops… no maybe not like pops he would just run off. But I can use those skills that pop pounded into my head me for years, how to turn a disadvantage to an advantage even against someone who's stronger. I can't match them in terms of strength anymore, at least for now anyway so I need to get sneaky. I need to use my true strengths, it isn't always the most powerful fighter that is victorious most of the time it's the smarter fighter.'

"I need to use anything goes" Ranma whispered with a sad smile and drew the attention both of Piccolo and Vegeta.

"Do you have an idea Saotome," Piccolo asked gruffly.

"Maybe," Ranma said in whisper. "Just beginning of an idea actually, give me a minute."

With this Ranma turned his keen tactical intellect to the problem at hand. An idea though began to form in his mind, 'it's not much, but maybe if it works we may just have a shot. Well maybe not a shot but a better chance than now that is, the two keys though are underestimation and a saiyan's true strength.'

With a weary sigh Ranma gathered his courage, put on a cocky grin and muttered "onto step one."

Ranma stepped forward and yelled out to Cell a lame challenge, "HEY, MR. GREEN GUY, YAH YOU, I GOT A CHALLENGE FOR YOU."

Cell smirked before he replied "A challenge for me? How can you even hope to even begin to challenge me in anyway? You, who couldn't even touch me before in my former form let alone me new supreme state would seek to challenge me?"

"We both know that you could kill us all before we could even blink," Ranma said with a smirk of his own.

"Of course I could what's your point weakling," Cell smiled while he buffed his sharp black-segmented claw tipped fingers against his chest.

"My point is that you will probably want ta make it more interesting for yourself so that it will last longer am I right," Ranma said with a smile of his own, "don't want to have things become boring now do we? That was the whole point of these 'Cell Games' of yours anyway wasn't it?"

In the back ground Krillan nervously asked Piccolo "Um, Piccolo why is Ranma trying to give Cell ideas on how to Torture us?"

Piccolo's just looked briefly down onto the small monk with a cold stare and didn't give voice to a reply.

Cell mockingly laughed in reply to Ranma's last question and asked, "You wish to help keep me entertained is that it? No I don't think so you would never give up so easily I've studied you, you know? Once I had realized you had changed this past time line so that it was so vastly different from the future I came from I had to make sure that you couldn't be a threat to my plans. So no I'm sure you have thought up some last ditch hair brained scheme in a vain attempt to defeat me and not something solely for my amusement, not that it might not be amusing to watch you scurry around like the vermin you are in some futile plot. And I may even discover some interesting ways to destroy your so called friends and maybe if you do amuse me enough I might spare you and take you on as my little lackey," Cell finished with a mocking belly laugh.

Ranma laughed in reply and said, "Maybe that's true maybe not I might have a plan or I could be stalling for time in hopes that someone else will think of something. Maybe it's that old where there's life there's hope saying but I do know that no matter how amusing any of are you have no intention of keeping any of us alive for very long.

Before Cell can respond Vegeta yells out "I REFUSE TO BECOME A CLOWN FOR THAT STUPID MONSTER'S AMUSEMENT. I AM THE PRINCE OF ALL SAIYA-JIN I WILL DIE BEFORE I STOOP TO SUCH A LEVEL."

Ranma turned to face Vegeta and yelled out "WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP AND LET ME HANDLE THIS YOU STUPID, IGNORANT… AH JUST SHUT UP," he finished with a negligent wave of his hands.

"Listen Cell, how about a little contest, between you and me?" Ranma said after he had calmed down slightly.

"A contest you say, of what kind?" Cell replied to this inquiry with guarded interest.

"Just this, you take the bag of senzu beans that you took from us," Ranma began.

"These," Cell smirked as he pulled them out of hiding.

"Yeah those, it's a simple game all you have to do is just toss them away behind you and then try to keep me from getting past you to them?" Ranma said with his typical confidence even in the face of insurmountable odds. "Just think of it as a little warm up to entertain you rather than just wiping us all out in an instant, how about it?"

"Hum," Cell mused in contemplation as he ignored Vegeta as he ranted about how stupid this plan was. "Very well I agree, not that it will do you any good even if you do get them. They won't help any of you but I think I see what you have in mind and even if you do get past me I don't think it will do the boy any good. I'll be honest he had a chance at destroying me earlier but even if he was at his peak he couldn't even hope to even keep up with me now. But as you said I could end this anytime I want and I do so want to make this... last," he said with a dark grin before he continued.

"Besides I admit I am curious as to what you have planned out. You see I all the fighters gathered here you are the only one whose techniques I do not have within me but thanks to the lovely and talented Ifurita I can add your repertoire to my perfection. You seem to have an almost uncanny ability to find the weaknesses in an opponent and use them against them I am interested to see if my new abilities will allow me to grasp that more esoteric ability."

"All right just give me a moment here with my friends to say goodbye and I'll be right with you," Ranma said with a smile.

"Take your time," Cell smiled evilly as he flicked his wrist as if dismiss Ranma from his presence.

Ranma floated back over to the group of disbelieving warriors and ignored their questions as he knelt in front of Gohan and spoke quietly so that only the boy could hear him, well except for Piccolo that is. "Gohan," he began as he tried to get the exhausted boy's attention. "I know that a lot has been put on you and that even though you're still not quite ten yet you are one of the strongest fighters ever known and this has been harder on you than you've let on."

"Yah," Gohan mumbled as he looked downcast and tired.

"Me and your dad have been training you since you were born and I am so proud of you, just as your dad was."

"Really," Gohan asked quietly?

"Yes really, but now, now we're up against something of such insane power that even if all of us would pool our power into one then it still would fall short of Cell's. You are the only one of us that has ever gotten even close to defeating him and in the shape you are in now, you couldn't win against Perfect Cell let alone this new Supreme Cell. Do you understand?"

"Yes uncle Ranma," Gohan said sadly, "I know even if I was at full strength I couldn't beat him."

"None of that young man," Ranma barked, upset at Gohan's pity party.

"I know if you fight him like we usually attack these guys, straight up your power against his power you'll most likely fail," he continued in a gentler tone.

Gohan looked up at him in confusion, "So you have a plan then uncle?"

"Well first I'm gonna to get the senzu back so you can get healed up and your mom won't try to kill me for letting you get so beat up. Step two," Ranma commented with a smile, "is kind of going to be in your hands it'll be a long shot but I KNOW you will be able to take advantage of it."

"Um, okay uncle," Gohan said in confusion.

"Just remember," Ranma said "if something were to happen to me I want you to know that are not only one of the strongest people on the planet but you are one of the smartest as well. Use the brains your mother gave you, if you can't out fight him, try to out think him."

Ranma stood up and turned around as he walked back toward Cell as he did this Krillan walked nervously over to Gohan and asked him what Ranma had said.

"Just that he had a plan okay," Gohan blurted tersely, "let's just trust him to handle this alright?"

About 30 meters from Cell Ranma stopped, "Okay I'm ready when you are the only rules I can think of is to see if you can defend that position from me while I try to get past you."

"HAHAHA!" Cell Laughed arrogantly. "All right whatever, I like your attitude plus I want to see what you're up to. The suspense had better be worth it though or I will defiantly make you pay for wasting my time," Cell said as he stood there chuckling. He then tossed the bag of senzu over his shoulder so that it landed about 600 meters behind him.

Cell smirked at him while he watched Ranma get into a peculiar stance he had never seen before, "you know Cell, I made a promise to my pop a long time ago and for the last twenty years or so I've kept it," Ranma said with a smirk. "Oh I've been tempted sometimes to break it of course but always there was some hope for some other way to win or it wouldn't have helped much in the end. You know there has always been some other or better option, either that or I had amnesia or I was crazy. Now I really don't have any other option. So Cell prepare yourself to face the ultimate techniques of the Saotome School of anything goes martial arts."

"That isn't that run away thing is it?" Yamcha asked in confusion as everyone ignored him, "cause I could actually get behind that."

"So you claim you were actually holding back on techniques for all of these years? Interesting I can't wait to see what pitiful little techniques you pull out of your hat now," Cell said with a smirk.

Ranma smiled and quickly shot a small ki blast into the ground in-between them which caused a cloud of dust and dirt to fill the air and obscured him from Cell. The Z-senshi though caught a glimpse of Ranma as his face fell into an emotionless mask and he raised his arms bent his leg upward as he crouched down lower. Ranma then flickered and faded from sight, not with the zanzoken technique but with what seemed to be true invisibility.

With a wave of his arm Cell dissipated the dust cloud, "pitiful you had to know that this wouldn't distract me but for moments." After the cloud cleared, Cell began to frown as he looked around for a while "creating a disturbance before you hid, nothing earth shattering there, I'm disappointed in you," cell said mockingly.

"Now where have you gone then," the monster sang out sarcastically. "Above?" he said while he looked up "no?" Cell even Spun around and floated up into the air but no signs of the illusive martial artist were yielded, this lack of results caused Cell to frown, "More clever than I gave you credit for it seems. Did you use this distraction to run away? Not that it will do you any good in any case. I just never figured you for a coward like the other humans on this planet."

"WHO SAID I RAN AWAY?" Ranma yelled out from where the senzu were tossed.

Cell spun around and actually looked surprised when his eyes lit on a Ranma as he stood there smirking as he tossed a bag into the air, "looking for these Celly?" Ranma questioned.

"HE GOT THEM," Krillan yelled out.

Yamcha looked over at the Krillan and commented in total fear, "so what? Did you even sense his power what good will that do us, even at his peak Gohan's no match for that monster." Yamcha looked about franticly before his mind just snapped and he desperately tried to make a break for it he scrambled madly about before he launched himself into the air in a vain attempt to get away.

Cell frowned before he took one more glance at Ranma, "I'll deal with you in a moment okay?" He then looked over to Yamcha's retreating form as his eyes flash gold for just a second and Yamcha's rapidly vanishing body exploded into a cloud of bloody chunks.

Shouts of murderer and other exclamations of anger came from multiple throats.

Cell smirked before he turned his gaze about in a lazy arc he looked at the warriors in front of him as they prepared to leap to the attack. "Are you sure you want to do this now?" Cell asked with a cruel smile on his face.

"HOLD OFF," Ranma yelled as he raised his hand in a stopping motion without even a look away from Cell. The others held short at his shout, well except for Vegeta who never moved to begin with. "DON'T MOVE, Yamcha made a mistake so don't you all make another one, just hold short."

With his body still quaking with anger Ranma turned his gaze on Cell and asked, "Why?"

"Why, you ask? Well if you must know because it amused me, I didn't know if I could do that, the idea just occurred to me. Do you think maybe I'm gaining your ability to exploit an opponent's weaknesses do you?" Cell remarked in mock surprise.

"I wouldn't know," Ranma ground out thru grit teeth. He took a deep breath before he forced himself to let out his anger and regain his composure. Ranma then decided to follow one of the prime tenants of anything goes, keep your cool while making the other guy lose his.

'But this is tricky,' he thought, 'dealing with someone as strong as Cell I can't let him get too steamed. I've got to use my head, keep him off balance yet still cool enough to use his arrogance against him, I just have to draw this out enough for Gohan to see what he has to see.'

'Man this is gonna hurt,' he reflected to himself.

"Now, I said I would deal with you later, well now, is later. I was most impressed by that technique by the way. Very interesting and quite smart of you actually to obscure my vision so that I couldn't use my new powers to obtain it from you," Cell said.

"I'm very happy you're impressed," Ranma replied sarcastically with the small bag of beans still held loosely in his hand.

"You should be," Cell said arrogantly before he blurred. When he stabilized again seemingly unmoved from where he was he had the bag that was in Ranma's hand a split second ago. "Well that was a futile little exercise, wasn't it? Quite boring actually."

'This is for you Gohan I hope you can forgive me for the pain this causes you cause it sure is going to hurt me a lot too,' Ranma thought with a smile just as Cell raised the bag and opened it up. As Cell peered inside he frowned in confusion, "What the?" he questioned as he pulled out a small brown sphere that was about the size of a softball.

"Oh that? It's a little present from my father's sensei It's called a Happou Dai Karin, enjoy," Ranma said with a big fake cheesy grin.

A loud BOOM shook the valley as ki the formed black powder bomb filled the air with choking black smoke.

"STUPID LITTLE FOOL," Cell yelled out and with a swipe of his hand dispelled the smoke which revealed the monster to be covered in black soot. He spun around and squinted his eyes with a muttered, "just you wait, I just have to see that move clearly one time and then it won't hide you from me anymore."

Off to the side the Z-senshi stood "he disappeared again," Krillan stated in awe. "I can't even sense him can any of you?" the bald monk questioned.

"No," Piccolo said in his gruff voice. "There isn't even any blank spot in the surrounding ki to indicate where he could be." While the others watched as Cell felt around for Ranma, they questioned among themselves as to where this move came from and how Ranma held it back for so long. Gohan though just sat there and felt very worried, his whole life he has trained with his dad, uncle Ranma and later with Mr. Piccolo.

'Now though dad is gone and Uncle is, is, I don't know what he's thinking. Even invisible what can he hope to accomplish and if Cell actually gets that invisibility move,' he thought.

Gohan actually shivered in worry at the thought of that technique in Cell's claws.

"Hey kid what's wrong?" Ranma's voice questioned from behind him. "UNC..."

"Sssshhhh!" Ranma's invisible voice questioned, "I don't want anyone to know I'm over here."

"Uncle what's going on," Gohan asked in a whisper.

"Don't worry about that now kid, I just wanted to tell you this, I never had any kids and I always thought of you and your dad as the closest thing I would ever have to having any."

"Uncl..." Gohan began only to be cut off by Ranma. "Don't interrupt it's only a matter of time before Cell gets tired of this game. Here take these," Ranma said as he slipped the bag of Senzu Beans to Gohan.

"The Senzu," the youthful demi-saiya-jin questioned? "Yeah Kid use'em when you got to okay don't hold off on using all of them if you need to."

"And Gohan remember that you're Human as well as Saiya-jin. You're smart kid remember to use that, and... I'm sorry I have to do this to ya."

"Uncle?" Gohan questioned only too hear no reply to his query. Any further questions are cut off when a shout rang from all around the valley.

"KIAO-ARASHI RAISHU DAN " a blazing pinkish blur slammed into Cell and another and another, continuing until a storm of arcing pinkish blades of power and vacuum energy rained down upon Cell from all directions at once as Ranma reappears and is seen racing around the monster at a mind numbing speed. He kept up this torrent of energy for a full minute until finally he had to let up on the attack.

Before the cloud of smoke could dissipate though the panting Ranma moved into his peculiar stance and faded from view once more. When from the cloud Cell stalked out his anger clear on his face, "I am getting upset!" He growled out in a growing fury.

"I SENSE YOU NOW!" Cell yelled out before he turned around just in time to see the human warrior visible once more right in his face as he screamed "DOKUJA TANKETSU SHO," the former Neriman's hand shot forward in a clawed palm strike. The blow actually rocked the green monster back, it regained its balance just as Ranma shouted out a confusing cry of "DON'T MOVE" as he flung both of his arms out to open cell guard before he struck Cell with a quick brutal kick to the monsters chest while he yelled "MOKO KAIMON HA."

Ranma hopped back as he screamed "KA-ME-HA-ME-HA" and fired a blast of power at Cell point blank just as Ranma was preparing to fade from view once more a clawed hand appeared and griped Ranma's neck from behind, the monster leaned forward into the dangling man's field of view and smiled, "you lose little man."

"I don't think so," the anything goes heir spat out in defiance. "Goshin Ryu Sei Fu" he growled out as he pulled a cloth from his gi top and used his ki to wrap it around Cells head tightly while he used a wristlock to escape the grip and flip over Dr. Gero's creation with a shout of, "Rigyo Honshin." Once he was behind Cell Ranma shot his hands forward as he focused his ki into his finger as he quipped out, "try this jerk, HAKU DATO SHIN SHO REVISED." As he was still trying to get the clinging cloth from his face Cell was unprepared for the hundreds of strikes that needled through his body; the explosions of energy sent damage ripping straight through him and out the other side leaving no outside mark on him. A cascading series of explosions dotted the landscape behind Cell as the monster roared in pain.

Bent over, Cell finally ripped the cloth from his head, Cell panted for breath as he screamed out "THAT'S IT. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU DID THAT BUT YOU WILL PAY, YOU LITTLE NOTHING." As the monster looked around he growled in anger "I know how to find you, you slippery piece of..."

Cell then got down into a crouch as he began to power up and roared, the power level of the green behemoth skyrocketed and torrents of energy began to flood the area in waves of power. Rocks and debris flew away from him as the power blazed and filled the area. Eventually, like sonar, the energy finally illuminated Ranma, "THERE YOU ARE" Cell screamed as he flickered and moved faster than even Gohan could see.

Cell smirked as he appeared in front of Ranma, "thanks for the move." With a shout of "DOKUJA TANKETSU SHO," Cell sent his hand forward in the unique palm strike Ranma had just used on him and Ranma's ribcage burst like overripe fruit from the force of the blow. Cells hand then traveled forward as he ripped apart Ranma's insides as blood and chunks of flesh rained over the terrain.

Finished with this murderous deed Cell smirked at Ranma as the light faded from his eyes. "What did you hope to accomplish with this fool?" the evil thing said, "I know you had some kind of plan."

Ranma fell to the ground as cell dropped him like a sack of garbage. His lungs destroyed and his ki being the only thing that kept him alive Ranma whispered "di…d, wha... I ha, to." Ranma croaked out and with his dying breath he hoarsely whispered "A... kan... sorr…e" and then Ranma Saotome the sole heir to the Saotome school of Musubetsu Kakuto Ryu breathed his last.

#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#

To be continued in:

Chapter Four: Supreme Cell vs. Gohan

#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#-#

End Notes:

Some people have stated some concerns about how I have made Cell's absorption abilities work. My inference is that his absorption capabilities in his perfect form would quite likely be capable of absorbing any organic based android he wishes, and as to why he did not absorb android 16, well android 16 was completely robotic while Ifurita is more like 17 and 18 in that they all have an organic base.

Oh, the reason the HAKU DATO SHIN SHO is able to hurt Cell is because the move sends damage through a target and bypasses defenses it comes out the other side as it bypassed Cell's powerful exo-skeleton and ki defenses and hurt him on the inside where his flesh and organs are more vulnerable. But Cell was still too strong for this move to do more than hurt him a bit and piss him off.

Well what do you think, huh? Let me know please review thank you.

Signed: Verse12