Meet Ranma Saotome he's sixteen years old, a martial artist, has a fear of cats, is engaged to three girls, lives in the Tendo Dojo, and is cursed to turn into a girl when hit with cold water. However, he died a few days ago when saving a little boy from being struck by a car. Ranma then met the spirit guide Botan who offered him the chance to return to his body. And after being shown what his family and friends really thought about him at his wake Ranma decided to accept Botan's offer. Now Ranma and Botan are off to meet with the ruler of Reikai.
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Ranma was currently sitting on the back of a wooden oar with his arms around the waist of what he had to admit was a pretty hot looking spirit guide. Botan was about to take Ranma to Reikai, the spirit world, to meet with her employer. He had told her to give him the opportunity to get his life back and if he accepted to bring the pigtailed martial artist to his office. If Ranma, after serious consideration, chose not to accept the offer then Botan was to bring him to the head of Reikai to be given judgment before beginning his eternal life. Either way Ranma was about to meet with King Enma.
Off all the times Ranma had gone soaring over the streets of Nerima courtesy of Akane Airlines he had never taken a good look at the view below him. Now as the pair floated high above the district in Tokyo with the stars above them and the twinkling lights of Nerima below them Ranma took a good look at what he had missed all those times he cashed in his open mouth insert foot here miles.
"Wow I never knew Nerima looked so amazing from up here." Ranma commented.
"What do you mean by that?" Botan wondered while she looked through a small plain brown notebook she had with her.
"It's just that ever since I came to Nerima I seemed to have spent a lot time traveling across the district by air. I was always going so fast everything seemed to go by in a blur. This is the first time I can actually take a good look at the view below me." Ranma explained.
Botan looked up from her notebook and turned so she would be able to face Ranma while she talked with him more. Botan had been given the highlights of Ranma's life from her employer and knew he had a foot in mouth problem as well as a few other choice details about his life. In her opinion Ranma was quite the interesting assignment.
"I was told about your little problem with sticking your foot in an open mouth and its results Ranma. My boss gave me the more interesting highlights of your life so I would know what might be brought up during conversation." Botan told him.
Ranma began to wonder just how much of his life Botan's boss back in Reikai knew about. As he thought of all the embarrassing and humiliating moments of his life Ranma began to get very nervous and could feel the beads of sweat forming on his forehead. It was bad enough his own mother had tried to get him to put on a dress Ranma didn't know what other embarrassing moments Botan's boss knew about.
"You know about that? Jeez what other stuff do you guys know about?" Ranma wondered.
"Everything Ranma, how do you think my boss is able to pass judgment on your character if he doesn't know what happened during your life from the moment you were born." Botan said.
The moment what Botan had said sank in Ranma swallowed what seemed to be a knot the size of Tokyo tower in his throat. If they knew every little thing that went on in his life then Ranma was doomed.
"I'm toast." Ranma moaned.
"You don't have to worry about that. That's only used when you're truly dead. You're getting your life back Ranma." Botan reassured him.
Ranma wasn't too happy knowing there was someone out there who knew all of his embarrassing secrets. Ranma didn't want any of his rivals knowing anything that they could use against him. The aquatransexual martial artist would surely die of embarrassment if they found out.
"Look we have a schedule to keep and we need to get going before we're late for a meeting with my boss." Botan said.
Botan turned around and put away her notebook inside her kimono. Grabbing hold of her oar Botan concentrated and the pair soon entered a portal that would take them to Reikai and the offices where her bosses were found. The portal was a swirling dervish of color where time seemed to fly by in an instant. As they traveled trough the portal Ranma began to wonder just who they would be seeing about getting his life back. He wondered who the boss Botan spoke about was.
"Say Botan just who is this boss of yours we're going to see?" Ranma inquired.
"Oh well the ruler of Reikai is King Enma. He passes judgment on all incoming spirits and decides where they will spend their eternal life. He'll be the one who will be giving you your life back." Botan explained to Ranma.
Ranma let out a whistle in amazement when he heard he would be meeting with royalty. The aquatransexual martial artist began wondering what the ruler of Reikai looked like.
"Wonder what the big lug looks like." Ranma absentmindedly thought aloud.
"Well there are a few things you're going to have to remember when you meet with King Enma Ranma. For one thing you're going to have to try and keep your mouth shut. You say the wrong thing and he can decide not to give you your life back." Botan told him.
For the remainder of the trip Ranma sat on the oar in silence taking in everything Botan had told him. The spirit guide steered the oar through the portal kicking up the speed a bit so the young martial artist wouldn't have to sweat things out any longer than he had to. And the longer they were inside the portal the more time Ranma would have to think about the upcoming events. When the trip had ended Ranma and Botan were standing in a hallway outside a door with a sign that said Spirit Offices upon it.
Upon opening the door the duo was greeted by the sight of a busy office with little red and blue skinned onis running here and there with their arms full of papers and other typical office related items. The onis were all dressed in suit pants, dress shirts, and ties of varying colors, fabrics, and designs. Some wore suspenders and some wore glasses but it was clear that every oni in the room was definitely male. As Ranma continued to watch the scene before him one of the office workers stopped before them long enough to address the pair.
"I'll tell Koenma you're here for your scheduled appointment Botan." The red oni said.
"Koenma but I thought King Enma was the one who gave me the assignment to offer Ranma his life back." Botan wondered.
"Nope the order came directly from Koenma." The oni told her before heading off to find this Koenma he had mentioned.
Ranma turned to face Botan with obvious confusion on his face. He had thought they were going to see King Enma to get his life back. But the oni had told them the order came from someone named Koenma. Ranma began to wonder who Botan actually worked for.
"Botan I thought you said King Enma was your boss." Ranma said quite confused.
"He is Ranma but I also report to his son Koenma. There has to be a logical reason why the assignment to bring you here came from him and not his father." Botan replied.
Ranma gave it a bit of thought before venturing a guess as to why this Koenma fellow had sent the assignment instead of his father.
"Maybe the guy who made the mistake works under this Koenma fellow and now he's trying to cover it up before his pop finds out." Ranma deduced.
"Well whatever the reason we need to get to Koenma's desk before I get it." Botan said.
As Botan lead Ranma to her boss's desk Ranma heard a voice calling out over the hustle and bustle of the office.
"George get me the Saotome file!" the voice called out.
"Um I don't mean to overstep your authority sir but why do you want to see the file on me?" George asked in a nervous voice.
"Not you George! I want the file on Ranma, Ranma Saotome the human not George Saotome the oni." The voice yelled.
"Right Ranma the new guy the other Saotome." George replied.
Ranma looked over at Botan and could tell she was worried. The voice sounded mad and that had Ranma scared. If the owner of the voice was the guy they were supposed to meet with then Ranma began to wonder what he looked like. From what Botan had told him King Enma sounded like a person to be wary about and if that was true then Ranma wondered what his son was like.
"Come on Ranma it's now or never." Botan said.
Botan led Ranma in the direction of the yelling frustrated voice. As they reached the large oak desk covered with all the usual desk supplies and mounds of paper and file folders. Standing on one side of the desk was a blue oni with green eyes, dark hair, wire rimmed glasses, brown leather suspenders, grey pants, and a blue shirt with white collar and cuffs. In his hands was a thick file that Ranma had to assume contained everything in the known universe about him. After handing the file to the person or oni sitting in the large leather desk chair with its back to the pair the oni known as George Saotome left to do whatever it was he did when not retrieving files.
The desk chair turned around and Botan and Ranma were face to face with the man in charge the vice-president of the oni brigade, the prince of Reikai Koenma. The first thing Ranma noticed was that Koenma was not an oni like the rest of the office workers he saw around him he was human or at least human looking. Koenma was dressed in blue and red robes with a blue hat with red trim that had the kanji for Enma upon it with the word Jr. in Romanji below it, his eyes were chestnut brown and he had dark hair, but the most intriguing and obvious feature about him was the baby blue pacifier sticking out of his mouth. The final thing Ranma noticed about Koenma was that he was a toddler; yes Koenma was a member of the diaper brigade. Ranma had a hard time not laughing when he saw Botan's boss.
"Ya expect me to believe this toddler is your boss Koenma." Ranma said as his face turned red from holding in his laughter.
"This toddler as you called me happens to be thousands of years old." Koenma replied.
Botan let out a sigh and hung her head in her hand letting a moan escape.
"You have to forgive him sir Ranma has a problem inserting his foot into his mouth at inappropriate times." Botan said trying to save their hides.
"I'll forgive him this one time but only because he has a good heart and he did save that boy. It was that act of selfless courage that tipped the scales in his favor. All the fighting and con games of his past finally became outnumbered by all the good things in life he did over the years. Besides somehow we goofed when he was hit by the car." Koenma replied.
Ranma felt a bit better about the situation and wondered when he would be getting his body back so he could get back to dealing with all the chaos in Nerima.
"Um excuse me but when are we going to get the show on the road and get me back to life?" Ranma wanted to know.
"It's not that simple Ranma. Before you can have your life back you're going to have to pass a little test." Koenma told Ranma as he produced what looked like and ordinary chicken egg, "This egg contains a spirit beast. It feeds off your thoughts and emotions. If you have positive thoughts and emotions then the beast that hatches will lead you back into your body. If your thoughts and emotions are negative then the spirit beast that hatches will devour your soul. Knowing this do you still want to go through with all of this Ranma?"
Ranma gave what Koenma had said a moment to sink in and think about what was being presented before him. In order for him to get his life back Ranma had to hatch an egg and hope the beast inside didn't eat his soul. With a hard gulp Ranma gave Koenma his decision.
"Yes I do. I'll do whatever it takes to get my life back." Ranma told Koenma.
"Well then the first step in returning to the land of the living is to make certain you have a body to return to. In other words find a way to keep your body from being cremated." Koenma said, "Oh and Botan I'm appointing you Ranma's official guide. It's your job to make certain he doesn't fail."
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Ranma the Spirit Detective
Episode Two: The First Test: Save My Body
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Ranma floated in the air next to Botan in an Indian styled position staring at the chicken sized egg in his hand. He wondered what sort of spirit beast would hatch from an egg of that size. Ranma also wondered how in the world he was going to stop his funeral from happening. If his parents cremated his body then all would be lost and Ranma would be a spirit for all eternity. The pigtailed martial artist was determined not to fail this test.
"So Botan how are we going to keep my body from being turned into fertilizer?" Ranma inquired as he looked down at the Tendo-ke below them.
Botan had once again pulled out her notebook and was thumbing through it to the appropriate page. When she had found what she was looking for Botan answered Ranma's question.
"Well Ranma all you have to do is tell someone you're going to be coming back to life." Botan said as if it were no big deal.
"That's easier said then done." Ranma said sarcastically.
Botan looked up from her notebook and floated down to the house stopping in front of a window. Ranma followed her wondering how he was going to talk to someone if they couldn't see or hear him. Looking into the window he noticed they had stopped in front of Kasumi's room.
"Let me explain something to you Ranma. Normal everyday people like Kasumi Tendo here can't see or feel spirits when they're awake but a spirit can enter their dreams and speak to them while they sleep. That's when they're closely in tune with the spirit world. So all you have to do is talk to your family and friends in their dreams. And Kasumi is the perfect place to start." Botan said.
"Okay so all I have to do go into Kasumi's dreams and tell her to stop my funeral from taking place. That sounds easy enough." Ranma replied.
Botan watched as Ranma phased through the wall of the house into Kasumi's room shaking her head over how naive Ranma was being. This wasn't going to be some simple little task.
********
Kasumi stood in Dr. Tofu's clinic dressed in a light blue dress with a white collar and a light green apron on top. In her hands Kasumi held a tray with a traditional Japanese tea service for three upon it and on the finger of her left hand was a simple yet beautiful diamond ring. Yes this was what Kasumi had dreamed of for years. Taking the tea service into Tofu's office Kasumi placed the tray on the desk and began serving the tea. Sitting across from Tofu in a simple chair was none other than Ranma Saotome.
"Ranma I'm so glad you could come and visit us. It's been a while." Kasumi said as she handed Ranma a cup of green tea.
"So Ranma what have you been up to lately?" Tofu asked him.
Ranma took the tea from Kasumi and took a sip before answering Tofu's question. He knew he had to get his message to Kasumi without messing with her perfect dream.
"Well ever since I saved that little boy from being hit by the car I've been busy doing a little traveling. I think I met one of my ancestors. That is if there was ever someone named George in my family." Ranma said furthering the conversation.
"You've been quite busy lately." Tofu replied engaging in the small talk
"The real reason I came here is because I need you to give my mom a message the next time you see her Kasumi." Ranma said.
"What message is that Ranma?" Kasumi asked him putting down her tea cup.
"I need you to tell my mom to hold off on the funeral, at least for a while. You see I have this sure chance at coming back and I have to do a couple of things before that can happen. But I can't come back without a body." Ranma told her cutting right to the chase.
Kasumi smiled at the good news and saw that Ranma's tea cup was empty. Going into her role as the perfect hostess and wife Kasumi picked up the teapot and went to offer Ranma more tea.
"More tea Ranma?" she offered.
"Thank you but no. I have to get going. I need to visit with your sister and my parents. It's not that I don't trust you Kasumi it's just that the more people I tell the better chances I'll have of stopping the funeral from taking place." Ranma said.
With that Ranma got up from the chair and let Kasumi get back to her dream of being Dr. Tofu's perfect wife and office assistance.
********
Botan floated over Kasumi's bed and watched as Ranma exited Kasumi's body. The aquatransexual martial artist had a look on his face that had Botan a bit worried. She knew that as a spirit Ranma could change a person's dreams so they could effectively get their message across. But from the look on Ranma's face she could tell he just played along with whatever dream Kasumi was having that night. That was not good if he wanted her to believe him.
"Ranma did you tell her to stop your parents from going through with the funeral?" Botan asked.
"Well I tried. I mean I told her to tell my mom to hold off with the funeral." Ranma said.
Botan let out a frustrated sigh and turned to face Ranma. She had to get him to understand what he needed to do plus she needed to find out what he did in Kasumi's subconscious.
"Ranma what happened in Kasumi's dreams?" Botan wanted to know.
"Well I think Kasumi was dreaming she was married to Dr. Tofu. We had tea in his office and held a conversation where I brought up the subject of the funeral." Ranma told her.
Botan tried not to get overly frustrated with Ranma and failed miserably.
"Ranma I can see how Akane would want to pound you senseless. The next time you go into someone's dream you have to take control of it. If you just become a part of the background then they won't believe you and then it's goodbye body." Botan almost yelled.
"Hey I couldn't take away the one thing Kasumi has been dreaming of for some time now. She deserves to have her little dream. It's helping her get through all this." Ranma said, "I promise the next person I 'talk' with I'll be the one calling the shots."
Botan's body relaxed when she heard Ranma's promise. He was serious about wanting his body back and he was starting to take the task before him seriously as well. If he pulled this off Ranma's body would be as good as saved from the funeral fire.
"Okay who's next?" Ranma wanted to know.
Pulling out her notebook Botan looked over the list of people who were close to Ranma. A few people on the list were considered to have strong ties to the spirit realm and a few were considered exceptionally close to Ranma. It just so happened that two of these individuals were currently sleeping within the walls of the Tendo-ke. The closer of these two was a certain female who was responsible for giving Ranma more frequent flyer miles outside an airplane than any other opponent he had ever faced. Ranma was about to go into the dreams of Akane Tendo.
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Ranma floated above Akane's sleeping body and smiled at how peaceful she looked. With a sigh and a quick prayer to the man up above Ranma prepared to enter into the dream world of Akane Tendo. Gathering up all his courage Ranma floated down into Akane's body to deliver his dream message.
Akane stood in a field full of wildflowers wearing her favorite little yellow sweater with the white blouse, red skirt, and the white knee high socks with her brown loafers. As she stood there taking in the fragrant smell of the multi colored flowers before her Akane saw a figure appear before her. There standing before her was Ranma wearing the same red Chinese shirt and black pants he was wearing on the day the car had hit him. With a smile on his face Ranma addressed Akane.
"You know I always did like that on you." He said.
"Gee who knew you could actually complement someone Ranma." Akane quipped.
"I'm not like my father or the old pervert and you know that. But I didn't come here to argue with you over things." Ranma replied.
Akane became curious as to the reason why Ranma had visited her in her dreams. She knew he didn't come to just talk about how she looked and make polite conversation. Ranma had a real reason for having her standing in the middle of a field of wildflowers and Akane wanted to know what it was.
"You didn't come here just to make polite conversation Ranma. So why did you really come?" Akane asked him.
"There is a reason why I wanted to speak to you. I've been given a chance to come back to the land of the living. But I can't come back if I don't have a body to return to. That's why I need to you to talk to my parents and get them to stop the funeral." Ranma told her.
Akane let a smile come across her face when she heard Ranma would be coming back to them. Even if she hadn't admitted to herself she loved Ranma Akane could at least admit she considered Ranma one of her friends. He had helped get the Kuno squad off her back and had in his own unique way without even probably knowing it helped make her a better martial artist. Yes Ranma was indeed her friend and Akane couldn't imagine life without him in it.
"Don't worry Ranma I'll try and convince them to stop the funeral." She told him.
"Thanks Akane you're a real friend." Ranma replied.
With a smile on his face Ranma left Akane in the field of wildflowers to let her have her own dreams. His message sent Ranma moved on to the next person in the Tendo-ke.
********
Ranma and Botan moved down the hall of the Tendo-ke to the guest bedroom where he and his father slept. Ranma's mother Nodoka had taken up residence in the guest room sleeping in a futon next to Genma. The patriarch of the Saotome family looked as though he were sleeping the sleep of the inebriated man. Genma was on his stomach with one leg sticking out from under the covers snoring loudly. Nodoka on the other hand slept with her back to her husband trying hard to ignore the noises from her husband.
Ranma took a good look at his father and felt sorry his mother had to endure what he had been subjected to for the past ten years. Genma was back on one of his binges, something he hadn't done since well before China, and he was even dirtier and smelled of strong sake. Ranma knew what the first thing he was going to do when he returned would be. Ranma was going to attempt to clean up his father's act.
"Alright which one Botan?" Ranma wanted to know.
"Your father is too drunk at the moment and would most likely forget anything you tell him. So your only other chance of saving your body is your mother." Botan told him.
"Well wish me luck." Ranma said before entering his mother's mind.
********
Nodoka was standing inside the Tendo Dojo staring at her son. It took her a while to recognize the young man before her as the boy who was laying inside the casket in the actual dojo. The last time she had actually spoken to her son was just after he had turned six. It was on that day that she told her son she loved him and put him to bed. Then very early the next morning Genma took Ranma on the ten year long training trip that resulted in the Jusenkyo curse.
"Ranma can it really be you?" Nodoka asked her son with great hope in her voice.
"Yeah mom it's me." Ranma replied with a small smile.
Nodoka went over to her son and took him into a hug holding him close crying into his chest soaking his silk Chinese shirt. Ranma ran his hand up and down her back trying to calm her. He needed his mother to be in one piece mentally before he could give her his message. After a few minutes Nodoka stopped crying and looked up at Ranma with a small smile on her face.
"It's been far too long Ranma. I'm sorry I tried to do all those things to you when you were a girl." Nodoka said clearing her conscience.
"Yeah you're right and I'm sorry I had to do what I did but pop kept freaking out every time you showed up. It was like he was afraid of you or somethin'." Ranma told her doing the same.
"It was that contract he wrote before you two left that had him scared. He kept claiming he could make you a real man and would commit seppuku if he had failed to do so. All I wanted was a son who would take an interest in what his father had to teach him without becoming an exact copy of him. Sure he's rough around the edges and nothing like Soun but there was something about him that captured my heart and that's why I love him. I'm mad he kept you away for so long but he helped instill in you the values that make you who you are. I just wish I could have been a part of it." Nodoka said.
Ranma looked at his mother and could tell it was hard for her to talk about what Genma had done all those years ago. For ten years Nodoka no clue where her husband and only child were and it tore her up on the inside. The contract had said Genma could turn Ranma into a man amongst men by the time he was sixteen or he would die and honorable death at Nodoka's hand. The pigtailed martial artist so much wanted his mother to be a part of his life once more and the second chance at life he was getting would be a second chance for her as well.
"Mom you can be a part of my life again. I've been given a chance to live again. It'll take a bit of time but when I do come back I want you to be a part of my life. But that can't happen if you have the funeral. You see I kind of need a body to go back to. You need to get pop to agree to not have the funeral." Ranma told her.
"I'll see what I can do about that. You just try and come back to us." Nodoka replied.
Mother and son then shared one last hug before parting ways.
********
When Ranma came out of his mother Botan could see the look of concern on his face. She knew from her notes that there were things Ranma and his father had done recently to hide the curses from Nodoka. And she knew Ranma didn't like doing any of it. It was because of the contract Genma had signed that he had decided to stay with Soun and his daughters in the first place and it was because of the contract Ranma had to become Ranko Tendo.
"So do you think she'll cancel the funeral?" Botan asked Ranma.
"I hope so I sure hope so. I mean she told me about something my pop did before we left on the training trip that explains half of the things he's done since we returned to Japan. She apologized for the things she did during her visits and I apologized for lying to her. My mom wanted another chance to be a part of my life and I told she would have that chance when I returned. Then I told her she needed to cancel the funeral so I could return." Ranma told her.
Botan smiled and hoped for the best. The ball was now in the hands of Kasumi, Akane, and Nodoka so to speak. All they had to now was wait and see what happened when morning rolled around.
********
Morning came to the Tendo-ke and Kasumi went about her morning tasks with a bit of a smile on her face. It had been three days since the wake and later that afternoon when school let out for the day the Tendos and the Saotomes would say their final goodbyes to Ranma Saotome. This was the day before the funeral was scheduled. The next day Genma and Nodoka Saotome would watch as their son's body was cremated. It was then decided each of Ranma's close friends would get a little bit of the ashes to keep at the places he had spent his time at.
As Kasumi worked on making a breakfast of fish, miso soup, soba noodles, and pickled vegetables she thought about the dream she had the night before. The subject of the dream was nothing new. She had dreamed about being married to Dr. Tofu on numerous occasions but this was the first time Ranma had appeared in her dream. And what was more confusing was the fact that he was playing along with her dream. Ranma seemed to know his mother was staying with them until after the funeral when she and Genma would return to her home. And for some reason he wanted Kasumi to tell Nodoka to cancel the funeral so he could come back to life. Kasumi wanted to believe what Ranma had said but she wondered if she was in too much pain over his passing that she was willing to tell herself anything to feel better.
When breakfast time arrived Kasumi noticed the odd looks on the faces of her sister Akane and Ranma's mother. She wondered if they had a peaceful sleep the night before or if they were plagued by strange dreams and nightmares. Placing the trays of food on the table Kasumi decided to ask them about their sleep the night before.
"Akane did you have a good night's rest last night?" Kasumi asked initiating some small talk.
"I did but I had a dream with Ranma in it. He told me I had to try and stop the funeral tomorrow." Akane replied with the odd look still on her face.
"I also had a dream with Ranma in it." Kasumi said, "It was my usual Tofu dream but this time Ranma had stopped by and told me I had to tell his mother to hold off on having the funeral. I think I wanted to see him one more time so badly that I put him in the dream."
Nodoka looked over at Kasumi and Akane and wondered if her dream was what Kasumi had said a wanting to see her son so badly she dreamt about him the night before. She could tell the youngest Tendo daughter was thinking the same thing.
"I too had a dream with Ranma in it. I think Kasumi is right a part of us wants him back so badly we'll imagine him saying he'll come back to us when we dream." Nodoka said to the girls.
Breakfast that morning was a quiet affair. The Tendos were still trying to get used to not having Ranma at the table fighting with Genma for food. Sure Ryouga had been taking his spot at the table but it just wasn't the same. Without Ranma the Tendo-ke just didn't feel whole.
********
Ranma and Botan watched as Nabiki, Ryouga, and Akane left for school. Nabiki was leading Ryouga through the streets of Nerima while Akane hung back thinking about what Nodoka had told her at the breakfast table that morning. Ranma could tell Akane doubted if what had happened in her dream the night before was real or not. If she doubted and thought over it much longer his body would soon become dust and everything Ranma worked for would be in vain.
"I don't think it worked too well Botan." Ranma said.
"Give it some time Ranma. You keep and eye on your friends and I'll check up on your parents. If nothing happens by the time school let's out we'll move onto plan B." Botan told him.
Botan had hoped they wouldn't have to resort to plan B. Plan B involved actual possession of a person's body. The problem was finding a person with a strong connection to the spirit realm. Not just any person could be possessed and when they were the spirit only had an hour to use the body. That also posed problems because the spirit had to convince the person they were talking to that they were telling the truth. Plan B wasn't always successful and Ranma didn't have a lot of time before his body was cremated.
Botan watched over the Tendo-ke the entire day and not once did Nodoka talk to Genma about the funeral. Genma spent his day sitting hunched over a shogi board with Soun. The pair had resumed their never ending shogi game each trying to outsmart and cheat each other. Kasumi went through her daily routine of maintaining the Tendo home and didn't discuss the funeral matter any further with Nodoka. Botan had seen Nodoka head into the dojo once during the day but figured she was just checking up on the arrangements for the funeral and didn't follow her. All in all the day was a bust.
School was over for the day and Ranma waited for Botan to return. For the strangest reason every time Ranma got close to where Ryouga was the lost boy would begin looking around for something as though he were expecting something to show up. Ranma began to think Ryouga was starting to loose his mind. And when the students at Furinkan began filing out of the building at the end of the day Ranma noticed Ryouga wasn't going home with Nabiki or Akane. Ranma's friends Hiroshi and Daisuke had offered to make certain Ryouga got back to the Tendo-ke in one piece.
"Well that was a bust." Botan said coming up behind Ranma.
"What happened?" Ranma wondered.
"Nothing, absolutely nothing happened today. Kasumi cooked and cleaned, the fathers picked up their shogi game, and your mother didn't even once mention the funeral to your father. I think at one point around lunch she went to make certain the casket was all set for the funeral." Botan said.
"So now what do we do?" Ranma wanted to know.
"We have no choice but to use plan B. We're going to have to find someone in tune with the spirit realm. You can talk to people outside their dreams with such a person." Botan explained.
"Well what are we waiting for let's get going." Ranma said.
Ranma and Botan spent the next twenty minutes searching Nerima for anyone with a connection to the spirit realm when they ran into Ryouga, Hiroshi and Daisuke. The trio was taking their time heading to the Tendo-ke so they could talk about this and that. It was more like Hiroshi and Daisuke learning all they could about Ryouga. The lost boy had his ever-present red umbrella with him and it looked a little out of place with the standard Furinkan uniform he had had on.
"Say Ryouga what was up with you today? You were acting as though you expected someone to show up and challenge you to fight." Hiroshi wanted to know.
"It was the tickle." Ryouga said.
"The tickle?" Daisuke and Hiroshi wondered.
"I can sense when spirits are around. When they're near my whole body begins to tingle and I just freeze up. That's why I call it the tickle. I've had it ever since I was little." Ryouga explained.
Botan was ecstatic to hear Ryouga could feel the presence of spirits because it meant he was in tune with the spirit world. And with Ryouga in tune with the spirit world Ranma could use him to talk to Akane. All he needed to do was take over Ryouga's body.
"Well Ranma it looks like we have our man." Botan said.
"Who?" Ranma asked.
"Ryouga Hibiki." She replied.
Ranma looked at Botan as though she had suddenly lost her mind. The only thing other than the curse that Ryouga had going for him was his bad sense of direction.
"Are you crazy? How can Ryouga be in tune with the spirit realm?" Ranma asked Botan.
"Ryouga can sense spirits. And because of this he's the perfect person to help us." Botan said.
"What do I have to do?" Ranma wondered.
"You my dear Ranma are going to take over Ryouga's body and go find Akane to tell her to stop that funeral. But you'll only have an hour in which to do it. If you mother will listen to anyone it will be Akane." Botan explained.
"How are we going to do that?" Ranma probed further.
"You get his attention and leave the rest to me." Botan said.
With that Ranma prepared to get Ryouga's attention. Taking a deep breath Ranma prepared to yell as loud as he could to gain Ryouga's attention.
"Hey pig boy you couldn't find your way out of a paper bag!" Ranma yelled.
Almost immediately Ryouga's body began to tingle and the lost boy froze in place for a moment. Looking over at a confused Daisuke and Hiroshi Ryouga knew he would have to explain what had just happened to him.
"The tickle, there must be a spirit nearby." Ryouga said.
As soon as the words left his mouth Botan let forth her power and literally froze Ryouga in place the moment a nearby clock hit four pm. The lost boy was as stiff as a board waiting to be possessed.
"Okay Ranma you may now enter his body but remember you only have an hour." Botan told him.
Ranma floated down and went inside Ryouga's body. A moment later Botan's spell wore off and Ranma had total control of Ryouga. Slowly Ranma moved Ryouga's umbrella surprised at how light it felt. Putting a smile upon the face of the lost boy Ranma was ready to try and find Akane before time let up. Daisuke and Hiroshi looked at Ryouga as though he had gone nuts.
"Alright now I can go find Akane!" Ranma said in Ryouga's voice.
"Ryouga are you okay?" Daisuke wondered.
"Yeah man what's gotten into you all of a sudden?" Hiroshi added.
"Uh nothing gotta go bye." Ranma said nervously before running off to look for Akane.
Hiroshi and Daisuke took one look at Ryouga's retreating form and knew he had finally gone off the deep end for good.
"I think all those poundings from Ranma finally caught up to him." Daisuke commented.
Ranma tried to think of what Akane would be doing if she wasn't escorting Ryouga back to her house. His best bet was trying to find Yuka and Sayuri. Akane was more than likely to be with them that afternoon. The three girls did things together and ever since Ranma's death Akane had been spending more time with the two girls than she had been.
As Ranma ran down the streets of Nerima he came upon a group of students from Kolhotz High School in the Nerima district. Ranma could tell they were on the tough side and they boys were pounding their fists into their open palms. The boys came up to Ranma who they thought was Ryouga and confronted the possessed lost boy.
"Hey Hibiki you ain't gonna get away from us this time." The first tough guy said.
Ranma wondered what Ryouga had done to anger the guys and could only watch through the pig boy's eyes as the boys surrounded Ryouga's body. Using Ryouga's body Ranma swung his umbrella around like a baseball bat connecting with the rival tough guys. He then took off one of Ryouga's never ending supply of bandannas and flung the rigid piece of cloth like a boomerang taking out the remaining members of the rival gang.
"Jeez man what's up with you?" a second guy wanted to know.
"Sorry can't stay and chat. I have to see a girl about a body." Ranma said in Ryouga's voice.
With that Ranma ran down the streets of Nerima deciding to look for Akane in the usual places. As he had Ryouga head towards the park Ranma saw another gang of guys from Seishun High School in Nerima. This time there were eight guys waiting for him, or rather Ryouga. They had the same look on their faces as the last group of guys and Ranma knew they wanted to fight Ryouga.
"Jeez Ryouga just what do you do when you get lost each time?" Ranma wondered aloud.
The guys wasted no time waiting for Ryouga's body to get to them and began rushing towards him. Ranma looked down at the watch Ryouga had on and saw he had already wasted a good twenty minutes fighting the other guys and running around Nerima. With a sigh Ranma decided to give Ryouga a free lesson in Anything Goes martial arts by using what he knew to end the fight quickly.
"Ryouga you're about to get a quick lesson in Anything Goes." Ranma said.
Gathering up all his Ki Ranma prepared to use a move Ryouga had never even attempted to try once in his life the Kachu Tenshin Armigurakin.
"Kachu Tenshin Armigurakin!" Ranma yelled sending his hands into a blazing volley of punches.
One by one the second gang went down becoming a pile of bodies. With a satisfied smile Ranma left the gang and headed for the local shopping district to find Akane.
"I'm making you out to be a better fighter than you really are Ryouga. Those guys are going to be in for a surprise the next time they run into you." Ranma commented.
When Ranma got to the shopping district in Nerima he noticed he had exactly fifteen minutes before he had to vacate Ryouga's body. Frantically looking around the area Ranma had Ryouga looking pretty much the way he normally did. Five minutes later Ranma's luck kicked in and he saw Akane, Yuka, and Sayuri coming out of a small American chain store that sold fragrant bath products and other bathroom notions. Heading up to the trio Ranma tried to think of a way that he could get Akane's attention that only he would do. After careful thought Ranma remembered something he would say that would surely result in a mallet to the head or a foot to the behind.
"Hey tomboy when are you going to learn how to cook something that can't power a nuclear power plant." Ranma had Ryouga say to Akane.
Ranma knew he was having the desired effect on Akane when he felt her battle aura rise. Akane whipped around ready to give the borrowed lost boy her usual response.
"Ranma no baka!" she yelled.
Akane stopped short of punting Ryouga's body into the atmosphere when she saw who was standing before him.
"Ryouga what are you doing here?" Akane asked.
"Jeez you kawaiikune tomboy I've spent the last fifty minutes beating up guys after Ryouga just so I could talk to you." Ranma replied.
It was at that point that Akane realized that Ryouga was sounding just like Ranma. Taking a closer look at the way Ryouga was standing Akane noticed he was carrying himself just like Ranma would.
"Ranma is that you?" Akane asked still unsure of what she was seeing and hearing.
"Yeah it's me." Ranma said, "Do you still remember that dream of us in the field of flowers from last night?"
"How did you know about that? Unless the dream was real." Akane wondered.
"It was real all right. I need ya to get back to your house and tell my parents to not go through with the funeral. I need my body in one piece or else I'm not going to be able to return to you guys." Ranma told her.
Akane looked into Ryouga's eyes and smiled at him knowing she was really smiling at Ranma.
"I will Ranma." Akane said, "Before I go can I hold you once."
"Um yeah I guess that would be okay." Ranma said as he noticed he still had three minutes left.
With that Akane wrapped her arms around Ryouga's body and began to cry into his shirt. Ranma looked up into the sky looking for Botan to tell her he was ready to leave.
"Okay Botan I'm ready." Ranma said.
It happened in the blink of an eye. When Ryouga regained control of his body he noticed Akane was in his arms crying. Ryouga wondered how he ended up in the shopping district and why Akane was crying. Not wanting to take advantage of the situation Ryouga decided it would be for the best if he walked with Akane back to her house.
"Um Akane you want me to walk with you back home?" Ryouga asked her.
Akane looked up and noticed Ryouga was once again Ryouga and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She needed to get back home and taking Ryouga up on his offer was just what she needed.
"I'd like that Ryouga." Akane said.
The two friends said goodbye to Yuka and Sayuri before heading back to the Tendo-ke. When they arrived at the house Akane went into the kitchen where she saw Kasumi and Nodoka preparing dinner.
"Kasumi, auntie the dreams from last night were real. I just talked with Ranma and he said you have to stop the funeral auntie. He really is going to come back to us." Akane said.
Nodoka stopped chopping the vegetables for the dinner and placed her hands upon Akane's shoulders. When she had gone into the dojo earlier that afternoon she had noticed the faintest sign of life coming from Ranma's body when she had opened the casket.
"I know. I checked on his body earlier and I could feel his breath coming from his body. I then dragged you father and Genma away from the shogi board a little while ago and when they felt the breathing coming from the body they agreed to cancel the funeral. My son was right I am going to get another chance to be a part of his life." Nodoka said.
The three women were happy because very soon the Tendo-ke would be complete once more. For Ranma Saotome was going to return to life.
********
Wow another episode finished. Ranma has successfully saved his body. In this episode we were introduced to the binky sucking toddler Koenma and his favorite executive assistant George Saotome. When I saw what George's last name was I knew I had to put in that whole file scene. I have plans to have Ranma inquire about George when he returns to life. Now as you saw in this episode Ryouga has become the Kuwabara of the story and in order for that to happen he needed to return to school. So I apologize to all you Kuwabara fans out there but I needed someone from Ranma to be the big rival and Ryouga was it. Oh and in case you're wondering the two rival schools mentioned come from Ranma. Kolhotz is home to Martial Arts Figure Skating and Seishun is home to Martial Arts Cheerleading.
Now that Ranma's body isn't going to be cremated what will happen next? Ms. Hinako and Principal Kuno are up to their usual dirty tricks and with Ranma gone their focus is Ryouga Hibiki. But what happens when they give Ryouga a nearly impossible challenge of no fighting for a week and improving his exam scores? Will Ryouga rise to the challenge or will he, Hiroshi, and Daisuke be doomed to failure and expulsion? Find out in Ranma the Spirit Detective episode three: The Second Test: Ryouga vs. the Faculty.