E10: Quick Think Strategy

"What did you do Grim?" Mandy and Kurama had both jumped up at the time of the impact.

"I- I guess me scythe wasn't juiced enough," Grim stuttered. "And it worked like a real scythe and-"

"You killed him," Mandy blatantly pointed out.

"Well maybe his not quite dead-"

"Grim, be reasonable."

"I-I- well alright then. So what, he's dead it shouldn't matter now."

"When his mother gets back," Kurama needed to say no more. Mandy and Grim knew how Gladys would react. She and Grim never had had a steady friendship, and this would not improve it. They heard a car pull into the driveway.

"She's here early!" Grim panicked.

"I've got an idea," Mandy said while taking the plastic sheet from the outside table and laid it over Billy's corpse. "But we'll have to move quickly."

Meanwhile...

"Cool I'm floatin'," Billy could not suppress a squeal. He watched Grim, Mandy, and Kurama quickly go into the house. "Hey guys look at me!" He did a somersault mid-air. "Hey GUYS!!" They let the door slam behind them. Billy felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He turned around.

"I'm sorry dear," the hand belonged to a woman with blue hair in a pink kimono. She was floating with him on an oar. "But your dead."

"No I can't be dead," Billy explained. "Grim would never want to kill me. I'm sure that this is some sorta lesson that he wants me to learn."

"No, no," she shook her head. "You are dead. Deceased. I am the Grim Reaper."

"I didn't know you were a girl Grim!"

"What-no!" she flustered. "My name is Botan. I am a spirit guide to the Spirit World."

Back wik the living...

"This isn't going to work," Kurama whispered to Mandy as they heard the key in the door.

"You'd be surprised," Mandy nudged him to be quiet about it. The door opened as Gladys stepped inside carrying groceries.

"Hello kids," her tone was cheerful ignorant of what had happened. "And Grim," she sharply spoke here to remind one of needing some sort of protection. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything." She walked by the recliner and patted the Billy dummy on teh head. She walked into the kitchen and as the door shut they heard the sounds of paper bags rustling and her soft humming which at the moment, seemed eerily calm.

"I can't believe that worked," Kurama gave a sigh of relief.

"Of course it would," Grim got up from the couch and pulled the plunder out of the clothes they had found. "Smells just like 'im."

"Like I said," Mandy smirked. ""You'd be surprised. Now how do we get him back?"

"You want him back?" Grim had to question her. There were many times before that she would not have cared on what had happened to him, so why was now any different.

"We do as I say," Mandy cleared it up to Grim by hitting him with his own scythe.

"We'll have ta go through Spirit World," Grim rubbed the spot on his bony head that got hit.

"Spirit World?" Mandy seemed almost confused. "I thought it was the Netherworld."

"Many different names for it," Grim waved it aside.

"So Grim, what are you waiting for take us."

"It's not that easy I'm afraid," Grim began to take a defensive position for Mandy's reaction.

"Well what do we have to do?"

"Reapers have to report to there boss every century or so," Grim began.

"Well then what's the problem?" Mandy had broken through Grim's defense and was holding on to Grim's cloak collar firmly.

"We missed it by twenty-seven years ago," Grim was thrown back on to the couch.

"There must be some way," Mandy closed her eyes in thought.

"I may know of a way," Kurama spoke up.

Outskirts of town...

There came a slight ringing noise from Hiei's pocket.

What now? Hiei thought as he carefully pulled the ringing item out like it was some sort of explosive. The thing in question was like a high tech walkie-talkie. It opened up like a cell phone with one part a screen to make it more or less like a video phone and the other half a built in compass because the recent spirit detective needed that much help. He flipped it open.

"Hiei," Kurama appeared in the screen. "Do you have a minute?"

"What is it?" Hiei reluctantly said have a strange feeling that what Kurama was going to tell him would be worse than Dib and Zim put together.

"We need to get to Spirit World."

There was a pause on both ends of the conversation.

"I suppose," Hiei began slowly, not quite sure on what he was getting himself into. "I need to get Koenma to send me back to Demon World anyways."

"Great. Met us at the usual spot."

Gates of SW...

"Botan here," Botan strained. During the entire trip, she had spent most of the time explaining in vain, that she was not Grim.

"Grim stop changin' you voice," Billy had forced her to give him a piggy- back ride.

"Ssh!" Botan tried to remain calm.

"Koenma needs to see you, Botan," the voice from the intercom made her jump.

"Um, yes. I'll be right there."

This had given her an idea.

Inside the Office of Death...

A stack off paperwork had been set aside gathering dust. Botan quietly nudged open the door.

"Eclipse, ma'am?" Botan stepped fully into the office. There came a slight crash from the closet.

"She's looking for something," a man came behind Botan making her jump. The man had long white sliver hair and white, sometimes glowing, eyes. He had the aura of someone important. His legendary straw hat was at his side in his hand.

"Raiden sir!" Botan fretted.

"Neat hat!" Billy snatched it out of Raiden's hand.

"Dammit!" came a voice from the closet. Boxes were being thrown out as the Keeper of Death came out unsatisfied with what she found or didn't find. She had wavy crimson hair held up by a clip. Her emerald eyes looked questionably at the three standing in the doorway. "What?"

"I'd really hate to just drop this on you," Botan began. "But Koenma needs to see me and I can't just take him," here she gestured to Billy. "In there. So I was wondering if you could just-"

"Watch him?" Eclipse crossed her arms.

"It would be most appreciated," Botan pleaded. Eclipse looked at Billy.

"Sure, sounds fun."

Botan quickly bowed and rushed out. There was somewhat of an akward silence in the room.

"Why are you dressed like that?" Billy broke it by asking Eclipse the question. She was dressed like a ninja going to a rave party.

"Because I can," Eclipse stuck her tongue out.

"What was it you were looking for?" Raiden was afraid to ask, but he did anyways.

"The freeze ray," Eclipse sighed disappointedly.

"You mean the one that got confiscated?"

"So that's where it went."

"What do you need that for?"

"Heaven's due for an over due freezing."

"You can't be serious."

"You said that last week when I froze hell over," she turned to Billy before Raiden could retort. "Billy was it?"

"Yeah," Billy had put Raiden's hat over his own.

"How would you like to go freeze the wings off some angels?"

"Sounds fun, let's go!!"

"Let's go and get the freeze ray and Ara then we're off!"

Both Billy and Eclipse dashed out, leaving Raiden there shaking his head.

"I don't know who is worse," he muttered to himself as he reluctantly mad himself follow them. "You, Eclipse, or my apprentice."

E10: Quick Think Strategy Fin