Donny Cheng Disclaimer: All characters portrayed in this story are owned by their respective creators and companies. I don't own any of them. Please don't sue me. This story takes place after volume 38 of the Ranma manga. It draws ideas from the anime of both series. This is a sequel to Sailor Moon R1/2, A Goddess's Kiss, and Ranma Muyo in Love! This is part four of my crossover series, Life and Times. C & C welcomed. Flames not. A Ranma 1/2 and Yu Yu Hakusho crossover Restless Spirit By Donny Cheng Ranma opened his eyes slowly. He felt disorientated and the slightest movements just made it worse. The first thing he noticed was that he was floating in the air and there was girl wearing a kimono right beside him, also floating in the air. His mind decided right then and there that it was too much work and promptly shut down on him. "Huh?" The rather cheery looking girl looked at him and smiled. "Hello, Ranma. Do you remember me? I'm Botan. That's right you're dead again. Or rather nearly dead again." "Botan?" The name sounded strangely familiar to Ranma. "Oh, that right! Koenma put a forget spell on you when you went back to life, so that you wouldn't remember any of this. It doesn't matter anyway. Since you're in your spirit form, you should be remembering your past rather quickly." Botan could not help but notice how handsome Ranma had grown. So different from the cute little boy she met a few years ago. It took a moment, but eventually a flood of memories overcame Ranma. * * * * * **flashback** Chibi-Ranma looked fearfully into the pit. He could hear all sorts of weird noises coming from within. "Don't worry son." Genma told Ranma as he slowly lowered his son into the pit. "Pretty soon you will learn one of the most powerful techniques in the history of martial arts." Ranma's apprehension grew as he felt hundreds of bodies moving all around him. All of them hissing and scratching at him. It didn't take long for him and scream in fear and pain. Ranma soon passed out. * * * * * Ranma awoke to discover that he was floating above his still body. He looked fearfully at the cats surrounding it. It was then that he noticed an older girl floating beside him. He nearly screamed, but he had his pride even at that age. Instead he just tried to back away, which is hard if you're flying. Botan smiled reassuringly at the little boy. "Don't be scared. You're just dead that's all. It's not that big a deal. I'm Botan. I guide your spirit to Enma." That would have freaked Ranma out even further, if he weren't annoyed with the whole situation. "It's no big deal? How can you say that so cheerfully? If I am dead, shouldn't you be a little more considerate?" Botan held up her hands like they were paws and stuck out her tongue. It was her usual response to being reprimanded. It also made her look strikingly like a cat. Ranma looked at her with fear in his eyes. "Don't do that. I just got killed by a bunch of cats." Botan couldn't help but smile at the little boy. He was sure brave for his age. Most young kids freak out at dying and not having their parents by their sides. "Okay, I won't do that again. Let's see now." Botan pulled out the book of the dead to check up on Ranma to see if he would go to hell or heaven. What she found surprised her. "You're not supposed to be dead yet. In fact the book doesn't even have a listing for your death." Ranma didn't understand anything of what Botan said. "Then why am I here?" "There's some type of error in the system. It seems our computers can't get a decent track on your life meter. When your meter got low enough, it just assumed that you were dead. I think your body is still alive. You should return to your body when it revives." "Then what do I do it the mean time. Who knows how long before my dad opens the pit and let's me out." "Well I guess I can stay and talk with you for a while." In truth, Botan was lonely for company at the moment. Being a guide was a depressing job and many have faded out because of losing the will to maintain their eternal lives. As a result, she tried to maintain a positive outlook at every possible moment. Ranma smiled as he didn't have anyone to talk with recently, other than his father. **end flashback** * * * * * "I remember everything now. What did I tell you about looking so happy after a person finds out that he's dead? It's very unnerving, you know." Cat ears seemed to grow on Botan's head and whiskers on her face as she stuck her tongue out at him. "And what did I say about acting like a cat?" Ranma said fear arose within him. "You sure are uptight today Ranma." Botan laughed at him. It was fun to tease Ranma. Ranma grumbled to something to himself about uncute girls. All of a sudden his face changed to one of seriousness. "So am I dead for real this time?" "No. You just have a really very bad case of stomachache. It seems you just ate something that didn't quite agree with you. They took your body to some person name Cologne." Ranma breathed a sigh of relief. "I always knew that Akane's cooking may well be the death of me one of these days. Why does it always have to be me who eats her food?" "Who's this Akane person?" Botan was shocked to discover a hint of jealousy in her voice. Ranma didn't notice Botan's reaction. "She's just one of my fiancˇes." Botan felt disappointed at hearing that Ranma was already taken. She did a double take. "Just one of your fiancˇes?" Ranma sighed. He was really getting tired of explaining his problems with women. He gave Botan the condensed version of how he became engaged to so many girls. Botan was surprised as she heard about Ranma's life since she last saw him. This lifestyle was sure different from the old Ranma's. Before the only concerns Ranma had were where he was going and what he was going to eat. "Anyway, what am I going to do now? The effects of Akane's cooking usually lasts quite long even with Cologne's cures." He did not like the prospect of waiting for his semi-dead body to awaken. "Well, I guess I could stay with you again." Botan appeared to reply nonchalantly. Inside, she was cheering. Life had become boring since Yusuke and the others ended nearly all of the fighting between Makai and the human world. Ranma shrugged. "Okay." * * * * * Ranma had a grin on his face as he chased the giggling spirit all over the air. Though the Anything Goes style specialized in mid air combat, it had nothing on real flying. He quickly caught up to Botan and grabbed her from behind. "I caught you!" Botan smiled inwardly. Ranma, like other boys, sure looked happy if they think they got the better of you. Letting him win wasn't such a bad idea. It was also a nice excuse for having him touch her constantly. Botan looked at her pager sadly. The sound she was dreading finally came. "It looks like your body is going to be reviving soon, Ranma." "Really? I was just getting the hang out of flying too. It was fun being with you while it lasted. Could you let me keep my memories this time? I think I'd like to remember you this time." Botan blushed. "I think that could be arranged, if you can keep what happened a secret. I want you to know that I had a lovely time on our date too." Botan then kissed Ranma lightly on the cheek. "DATE!? Wha..." Ranma faded out before he could say another word. Botan giggle again. The look on Ranma's face was priceless. That should give him something to think about until the next time they met. * * * * * Way in the future... Ranma, Yusuke, Hiei, and Kurama yelled out their battle cries as they each released the last of their energy at each other. Chi blast collided with rei blast, black dragon fire, and plant. The resulting explosion could be heard far and wide. All four combatants were flung aside. Each hardly had the energy to move a muscle, yet they still tried to rise up and continue. Botan had had enough. She walked into the middle of the battlefield and pulled Ranma out. She looked at him and then the others. "I think you guys should stop now. I could beat the whole lot of you with one hand tied behind my back." "Okay, okay." Yusuke gave Botan a wry grin. He was too tired to argue. The free for all they just had was the most fun he had in ages. He looked over at Hiei and Kurama. They had both already gone into a meditative state to heal their wounds. He could tell they had also enjoyed the fight as they both had a faint smile on their lips. Ranma grinned at Botan and then at Yusuke. "We still haven't found out who's the better man. I'll be back again." Yusuke laughed as he heard this. "I'll be waiting for you to come back to Makai. See you in a decade." Botan rolled her eyes at this macho exchange. Did men ever grow up? Boys! * * * * * Ranma rested on Botan's paddle-like transportation. He watched the scenery change as he flew past. "Botan, where are you going? This doesn't look like the route to the human world." All of a sudden, Ranma and Botan were teleported. Ranma felt himself land in a pitch-black area. "Where am I?" "You're in my room silly. I only get to see you once in a while and even then I have to compete with those other girls. This time I want you to myself." The lights opened to reveal a scantily clad Botan on her bed with an expression not unlike a cat. "Eep!" * * * * * The End. (maybe)