The ghost

Part 8 - "Botan"

Hanamichi-ghost turned out to be a much stronger opponent than Hanamichi-human. He was able jump higher than he had before. He was difficult for blocking, because the ghost could pass through Rukawa's body and take a ball away...

Rukawa needed all his forces and skills to not to lose. And for the first time, since they met, their match was finished with a minimal difference of score. 56:55. Rukawa won. Hanamichi was floating on his own personal seventh heaven, if it was appropriate to make such coparisons to a ghost...

The dark-haired boy sat on a floor, panting. He was tired, very tired... Rukawa had an eye on the red-haired ghost, who was running and jumping on a court. He, as well as an usual ghost, did not feel weariness at all.

"Sakuragi Hanamichi!"

Rukawa and Hanamichi together looked back. There was a girl in pink kimono, who was poised on oar in meter above the floor. She had a light-blue hair collected in high ponytail. The girl waved affably to Hanamichi.

"Hi! I'm Botan - a ferry-girl of souls to the Reikai."

Surprised, Hanamichi stared at the girl; his eyes wide with shock. He never saw the girls, who were flying on the oars. For Rukawa this 'flying' Botan was unusual phenomenon as well, but by force of habit, he did not show any sign that of surprise.

"What do you want?" Rukawa asked the girl.

"Huh?" Botan seemed to be very much surprised. In a lightning fast motion, the girl appeared before the fox-eyed boy. She gazed at him dazedly.

"You are alive," she summarized, puzzled.
"Of course I'm alive!" Rukawa snapped.

Botan flew around him and stopped in front of him again.

"But the living people can not see me!" She wondered.
"WHAT?!" the boys exclaimed simultaneously.

With loud whack the ball dropped out of hands of a shocked Hanamichi. Then there was an awkward pause. The improbable scenarios, versions and suppositions began to spin in the both boys' minds.

Suddenly Botan slapped herself on the forehead. "Oh! How stupid I am! I almost forgot that the people with a strong 'ki' can see me as well".

The girl opened a big book, which she pulled out from a sleeve of her kimono and, having looked through it, nodded to her thoughts.

"You are Rukawa Kaede and you are really alive. Still... Sorry boys, I'm just used to deal with the souls of the dead, so I almost forget about live people sometimes... Sorry again. But you have a really strong ki, Rukawa-san!"

Botan smiled cheerfully and hid the book back into her sleeve. Meantime, Rukawa and Hanamichi had recovered from shock. Rukawa rose from the floor and the redhead boy came up to him. And now both boys doubtfully looked at 'the spirit's guide'.

"So what do you want of me?" Hanamichi asked, frowning.

The bright smile of pink-haired girl disappeared immediately. She frowned as well. Fiddling with her kimono, she didn't know what to begin from. Her embarrassment was so obvious that the suspicions grown in Rukawa's mind.

"You said that you are the soul's guide to the Reikai... Did... Did Sakuragi die?"

Shocked, Hanamichi looked at Rukawa then at the girl. Botan bit her bottom lip.

"Well," she responded finally. "No. He is not dead yet." Hanamichi sighed with relief. "But he is dying now."

End of part 8.

Note: "Botan the Reikai ferry-girl " is from anime/manga "Yu Yu Hakusho".
Well, I like YYH too, so... you can see my YYH-site http://www.oocities.org/Tokyo/Market/6222/main_en.html .

© Star Mirage, 2000