AN: Hey everyone it's me again! Sorry I haven't been around much but hey I'm about to take my tests which will decide which University I'll get into, scary so I have to do tons of studying and scrape my social life not that I really have any… Anyway a few of you might've noticed that I removed my second fic 'Four blades' well the reason being is that well it's gone, I don't know how but its gone you know how reliable technology is and I don't intend to go through all of it again. So basically this is my attempt at a second fic it'll be similar to my first fic in terms of genre but a bit more ghostly, I won't say anything about the pairings for now. () means thoughts. Start-o! This fic takes place during volume 10 of the manga.

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina

Chapter one: Taken by mistake.

If I knew I was going to die today, I wouldn't have done all that homework.

Tenchi from Tenchi OVA

-2000 late September-

After spending majority of his life trying to get into Toudai University, Urashima Keitaro finally got in after 3 failed attempts and other numerous incidents but that wasn't the worst bit. The worst bit is even though he passed he broke his leg before the initiation ceremony and missed majority of the first year thus he has to wait until the new school year to start before he can actually begin. During the months of recuperation, which was longer than expected because of his seemingly invincibility? He went through incredible emotional stress due to several girls and some other things. But just when he thought life couldn't get any worse, it does, as it seems fate is about to throw him another curve ball today.

-Hinata Sou-

"Sighs…" Keitaro sighed woefully his head lying on an open textbook. " I can't believe I have to wait until next year to start Toudai. A whole year, it seems so long… I can't be bothered with this." He shoves the book aside and ruffles his hair in frustration. "Argh!! Why me!? Why!?" He shouted. Suddenly the hole above his head opens up and revealed a brunette popping her head.

"Be quiet! Some of us are trying to study!" She tossed a book at him and it hits him dead on the face, smiling she retreated and closed the hole.

"Narusegawa." He mumbled as the book slowly slide off. Flopping on to his back he mumbles to himself. "Just friends, huh?" He closes his eyes as a frown makes its way on his face remembering the incident at the pool.

"Hey Keitaro." Naru pops up again from the hole but stops seeing him lying there. "Keitaro…" She lands next to him and nudges him with her foot "Hey." He looks up to face her.

"Yes?"

"You want to go out with me?"

"You mean a date?" He asks excitedly shooting up from the spot

"No!" She floored him with a punch. "Just to get some stuff."

"Kay." He managed to squeak out.

#-#-#

-Hinata town centre-

"You know this looks really complicated." Keitaro commented looking through one of the textbooks at the store.

"Oh that, it's easy." Naru glanced at the page he was looking at.

"Oh." He put the textbook away feeling his self-esteem shot down a notch.

"I got everything I want. And you?"

"Yeah." He absentmindly replied.

"Then lets go for a drink." She took him to a café where they were quickly seated and ordered their drinks. "What's wrong?" She asked the silent Keitaro.

"Mmm… it's just that this reminds me of our date." They both blushed.

"Hey, hey don't get the wrong idea this is just an outing between friends, got that?" She waged her spoon at him.

"Yeah, friends…hey Narusegawa about that…" He became hesitant for a moment before he plucked up the courage and said what was on his mind. "Are we really just friends?" There was a sudden silence among them.

"Hey! Look at the time, let's go or the others will worry about us." She got up to leave but was stopped by a firm grip.

"Narusegawa, can't we talk about this."

"No!" She wrenched free from his grip and ran off.

"Wait!" He laid down some money and pursued her. "Narusegawa!" He finally caught up with her "Please, lets talk."

"Leave me alone." She pushed him back and ran but unfortunately in her eagerness to get away from him she did not see the truck speeding towards her.

"Narusegawa! Look out!" Keitaro screamed and got up. Looking to her left she saw the on coming truck, frozen by fear she couldn't even move or budge. Just when she thought she was done for she was shoved out of the way by Keitaro and the next thing she knew there was a loud crash.

CRANG-SCREECH-BANG

#-#-#

"Hey, you OK?" Keitaro began to stir from the warm feminine voice. "Good, boy… that sure was some crash. I was beginning to worry."

"Ahh…" He put a hand over his eyes "Did anyone get the license plate of that truck?"

"I don't think that's important right now." The voice said again "I barely pulled you out of that wreckage."

"Thanks, can't believe I survived…" He sat up his hand still over his eyes.

"Who said you did?"

"What?" He immediately turned to the voice and saw a woman kneeling next to him with a staff in her hand.

"How are you Keitaro-san?" The woman cheerfully greeted him and helped him onto his feet. Like the idiot that he is around girls Keitaro just stood there holding her hand and admiring the woman, her long sky blue hair tied in a high ponytail, light pink eyes and the white kimono that she was wearing.

("Wow… what a girl… wait, why is her hand so cold? And that dress it looks a bit plain aside from that blue flower design down the side… hey that kind of looks like what dead people wear… dead people?") He shook his head violently. "Wait a second what did you say to me?"

"How are you?" She answered looking at their hands, Keitaro still a bit dim did not notice this.

"No, before that."

"Oh, that. You're dead." She plainly stated pulling her hand away from his limp hand.

"I'm what?" He asked still in shock.

"Dead." She took out a black book from her kimono sleeve and started to write in it at a certain page.

"Ha ha…" He laughed weakly "You're joking right?" Without even looking up she pointed behind Keitaro with her pen. Turning slowly he saw the wreckage, shakily he walks towards it.

"You're Urashima Keitaro, right?" She asked and getting no response she holds a mug shot photo next to his face [AN: It's the same photo as his Toudai ID, the really bad one.] "Yeah, Urashima." She scratched her head "Then why doesn't it match." She let go of her staff and just before it hit the ground it levitated slightly just parallel to the ground and she sat on it, taking out an abacus from her sleeve she began to work on it. "Let's see you were born on January 5th 1978 and this is the year 2000…" She continued to work on the sum taking out calendars, star charts, mystic items and even a crystal ball from her sleeve.

"I don't believe this…" Keitaro whispered at the scene, having wormed his way through the small crowd he came to see what the commotion was about and there what he saw shook him to the core. She was there, Naru crying over, over…him? Two paramedics went over to Naru and picked her up by the arms, one of them put a blanket over her and tried to comfort her whilst the other one along with another paramedic tended to Keitaro's bloody lifeless body and there were the police taking away the drunken driver of the truck and taking down notes. "How?" He reached out to his body but was surprised as his hand passed right through his body, staring at his hand he began to tremble. "…"

"Don't bother, that won't do you any good. Since you're dead you'd just past right through things in the living world." The woman scrunched up a piece of paper and tossed it aside. "Something's wrong."

"No, no… this can't be happening! No!" He spun on his heel and ran.

"Hey wait!" The woman called out. "It's dangerous for a lone spirit to wonder around when it gets dark! Argh! I hate it when they do that!" She sighed exasperatedly. "So it's gonna be the hard way, huh?" She looked down at the open black book. "Crap."

#-#-#

("This can't be happening.") Keitaro thought running in a random direction for an hour and finally he collapsed, finding himself in front of a small empty field he walked over to one of the industrial granite pipes and plopped down on it. (" How? When? Why? One minute I was drinking with Narusegawa, then I was chasing her and then the truck and, and…") He shook his head (" That woman, who was she? Maybe she can help.")

"Woof!"

He turned to see a small black dog barking at him.

"So what they say is true, dogs can see ghosts." He bent down to the dog.

"Not really, like us he's dead too." A familiar voice sounded behind him.

"You."

"Good boy Seeker, I knew you'd find him." She bent down and caught the dog jumping into her arms. "You sure were hard to find." She walked up to Keitaro.

"Who are you?"

"I'm what you people call a 'Grim Reaper'." She placed Seeker down.

"THE GRIM REAPER!?" He pointed at her.

" 'A' Grim Reaper not 'the' Grim Reaper, there are more than one you know. I mean how can anyone possibly guide the dead souls of the entire world to the under world by himself. No, I'm the Grim Reaper of this precinct of Hinata." She told him plainly and started dialling on a cell phone. "Hey Fran, it's me. Yeah, I found him. Call off the hunting party… thanks Fran, I'll see you soon."

"Erm, excuse me but er…"

"Yeah?" She smacked her forehead. "That's right I didn't tell you my name." She straightens herself out. "I'm Kagura Yuki and that's Seeker by your feet."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Urashima…"

"Stop." She cuts him off. "Urashima Keitaro, 22 years old, 3 year ronin, perusing a childhood dream, manager of an inn etc etc, am I right?"

"Yeah, how did you?"

"I'm a Grim Reaper, I know these things. Now lets move to more important matters…about your death…" She started nervously.

"Was a mistake." A voice finished. Yuki cringed as she slowly turned her head to the voice.

"Aunt-Haruka!" Keitaro exclaimed and ran towards the figure and upon reaching her she smacked him on the head.

"I'm not your aunt kiddo." She looked down on him.

"Hey, boss." Yuki unsteadily greeted.

"Ow…" Keitaro rubbed his head and looked at the figure that assaulted him, squinting slightly he looked at the figure and as far as he was concerned apart from the long ponytail and business suit the figured looked exactly like his aunt, even the way she held her cigarette in her mouth.

"Stop staring at me kid." She warned him. "Now, Yuki would you like to tell me as to why you took this kid when it wasn't his time?"

"Well, you see boss… well, he er just jumped in front of the truck and look here." She took out her black book and opened it to a page. "The way he's suppose to die is the same as what just happened, so I got mistaken. The record shows he wasn't even suppose to jump in front of the truck, well at least not now anyway." She whispered to her boss.

"Hmm, you have a point." The boss stroke her chin "Perhaps it's one of those 'anomalies ' you know where fate doesn't go according to plan, but it's very rare though… but it doesn't matter when ever one happens we must fix it, last time we ignored one it altered the fate of the entire would." She concluded.

"Right boss!"

"Excuse me." Keitaro interrupted the two whispering women. "Can someone tell me what's happening?"

"Oh! Sorry, I forgot you were there. Keitaro-san, this is my boss, the head of the spirit world, Shima Yumiko." She suddenly moves next to Keitaro "But everyone calls her boss, she's what you humans refer to as King Yama." Keitaro's eyes go wide.

"You mean, that's her!?" She nods.

"So be careful of what you say and she doesn't like being called old, even though she's even older than human civilization itself." She whispered the last part so that only he can hear or so she thought.

"I heard that!" Yuki jumped slightly. "Urashima-san." The said person turns to her. "I on behalf of my employee must apologise to you." She bows to him, glaring at Yuki she does the same.

"Yeah, sorry." She bowed deeply.

"What do you mean?" He asked the two.

(" It seems he's a bit dense.") Shima thought. "Ok, I tell it to you straight kid, your death. Was a mistake." She stopped to let the words sink in. "You weren't meant to die."

"Wh-what!?" He screamed.

"The thing is kid, that truck was meant to…" She turns to Yuki.

"Narusegawa Naru, boss." Yuki read from her black book.

"Right, that truck was meant to hit Naru whilst you were suppose to just stand there and stare in horror but something unexpected, a 'anomaly' if you will happened and you pushed her out of the way and here you are kid."

"But if I didn't Narusegawa would've died."

"Well, that's not entirely true." Yuki hesitantly started and turned to her boss, seeing her approval she continued. "She was meant to be hit by that truck and miraculously survive suffering only a few broken bones and be comatosed for 3 weeks." She notes his depressed expression, she turns to her boss to see if should go on and she nods. "But… that's not the worst bit, after she wakes up she realises her feelings for you and responds to your unrequited love by throwing herself into your arms. And from that point onwards the two of you live a happy life, both of you graduate hand in hand, you win the lottery 3 times and become a super millionaire, the two of you get married and have 2 daughters and a son…" She stops seeing Keitaro fallen form. "Are you OK?" The two women slowly approach him and he suddenly springs up.

"I can't believe this happened to me!!" He screams "Why me!! I had so much going for me!! Nnooo!!" He ran around in circles pulling out his hair.

"Was I like that?" Yuki asked her boss.

"Not quite, you also did one more thing." Just as suddenly as he started Keitaro stopped.

"And I died a VIRGIN!!"

"Yup." She nods "Just like when you died." Yuki's face glows a bright red.

"I've never even been with a woman!!"

"Or a man." Yuki comments her boss promptly smacked her on the head.

"Keitaro! Calm down, that's what I'm here to talk to you about." Seeing that her words weren't getting through she took out an electric teaser from her pocket and jabbed the hysteric Keitaro with it.

"Wah-argh!" He screamed and fell to the floor but somehow still remained conscious.

"You calmed down now?" He weakly nods. "Good. Since you weren't meant to die but you did anyway we intend to correct it." She moved back a bit as Keitaro moved up to her face.

"Really? How?" He grabbed her shoulders. "Then lets do it." He shook her shoulders but he fell to the ground again when she hit him for the third time.

"It's not that easy kid. I have to talk to the 2 big guys first." She shudders slightly.

"Huh?"

"You know." Yuki pointed up and down. " THEM."

"Oh." He nods realising what she meant.

"I better be off now, the sooner I see them the sooner we'll get you back to the living world." Shima turned to leave.

"But boss! What about him?"

"Well. Since he's your fault, why don't you look after him till he's resurrected?"

"What!?" Both Yuki and Keitaro half screamed.

"Hey, you said you needed help and since we're short on manpower why not take him. Not full time of course just until he get resurrected, sort of like an apprenticeship Grim Reaper. Yuki, take a few days off to show him around, of course I'll pay you for your troubles. Well, later." She waved and disappeared leaving behind a shocked Yuki and a confused Keitaro. 

"Great." Yuki muttered.

"Erm…" Keitaro was about to say something but stopped when Yuki turned to him.

"Guess we're stuck together, huh?" They both nod unenthusiastically. "Then, Urashima Keitaro, congratulations. You're dead." Keitaro didn't know how to respond to the last comment, was it a joke or a statement to state the obvious but being Keitaro he did what came naturally to him, he screamed, panicked, tripped over his own feet and passed out hitting the floor. "This might be harder than I thought right, Seeker?"

"Woof!" Her canine companion barked answering his master's question.

"Oh, yeah…" She looked down at Keitaro's unconscious form. Taking out her cell phone she dials a number, "Hey, Fran. It's me again, listen I got something on my hands so I might be occupied for a few days… that's great, thanks Fran… yeah, I'll need all the luck. Bye." Putting away the cell phone she half dragged Keitaro to the granite cylinders sat down against and placed Keitaro's head on her lap. "I wonder if I have the strength to get through this?" She asked herself and looked to the night sky.

End of chapter 1

AN: Well, that's it for now this chapter was a bit short because it was for introductory purposes. Don't expect me to update anytime soon, I don't even plan on working on the next chapter until after June 29th 2004 11:30am, that's when my last test ends by the way, so there. I hope you all enjoyed this small sample and please forward your comments, until next time see ya, oh and wish me luck.

PS Again, can anyone please tell me how to upload chapters properly? Any information will do. Thank you.