Spirits, Ghosts, and Boards Oh My! by Riku Ryuu

To Read or Not to Read

Hi! This story is for TangerineDream's Second Annual Fanfiction Tournament. My partner, the person I am going head to head with, is Creature of Shadow. The prompt given to us was Sense and if you want to, you can vote in the contest. You send your votes to Tangerine, but please rememer to read Shadow's story before voting. If you have any questions, the thread is under the challenge place on the forums.

Enjoy.

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“Is that her?”

“Isn’t she the one?”

“I heard that she’s always right.”

“-Magical-”

“-Scary-”

“She just looks so normal!”

Kagome looked up from her book and scowled at the small crowd of people standing a few feet away from where she sat. Instantly, there was blessed silence.  She didn’t mind that they were talking about her; she didn’t even mind that they were doing a bad job of hiding it. What she did dislike was that they were being loud even though she had relocated to the library to read. No one was going to get between her and the latest book in Izayoi Taisho’s Demon series.

Kagome didn’t have to deal with them much longer as the librarian came to her rescue and shoed the group out of the library. It was true that the librarian was a nice old woman, but she didn’t suffer fools and she made sure none of them disrupted her domain.

The old woman walked back over to Kagome and took a seat next to her.

“What did you get yourself into this time?” She asked in a whisper. Kagome looked up from her book and gave the woman an innocent smile. Kaede was one of the only people she would stop reading to talk to.

“Nothing….” Kagome knew that Kaede wasn’t buying it when she frowned.

“Then what have I been hearing all morning? I’ve heard words linked to yours that I don’t think should be.” Kaede shook her head and her ponytail of black and silver swayed from the movement. “Spirits, magic, ghosts, spells; anyway I see it you have gotten yourself into something.”

Kagome laughed, she couldn’t help it. Several glares were sent her way from people trying to read. She covered her mouth to stop flow and took deep breaths through her nose to calm down.

“This is no laughing matter!” Kaede hissed, still in a whisper. Kagome moved her hand from her mouth and gave the old woman a huge smile.

“Yes it is! All I did was play with an Ouija board at a friend’s sleepover and now everyone thinks I have some connection to the spirit world.” Kagome shook her head and her smile dimmed. “I don’t mind too much, in fact, I do think it is funny, but all I want to do right now is read my book.”

Kaede nodded her head and got to her feet.

“Then I will leave you to it. But Kagome… please be careful.”

Kagome frowned at Kaede’s back as the old woman made her way back to the checkout desk. Kagome had no idea what she meant; there was nothing to be careful about.

Kagome didn’t believe in ghosts or spirits, but she did believe that people could push a small pointer without knowing they did it. So what if the pointer had spelled out her friend’s future boyfriend and they had gotten together within the week? So what if another friend had been told the grade she ended up getting for her math test? All of the things were controlled by the very people who had pushed the pointer to their answer. All Kagome had done was to make more of a production of the game, make it more fun with a few words and some scented candles.

Kagome sighed and looked back to her book. At this rate, she would probably be finished with the book a few days before the next one came out. Kagome was halfway through the page before there was another interruption.

“Kagome Higurashi?” A male voice asked from behind her, bringing her out of the world of magic and romance. Kagome scowled but did not look up from her book.

“Sorry, she’s not here right now. Please leave a message in between the beeps; beep beep. Thank you very much, now get lost.”

There was silence for a moment. Kagome started to think that her unwanted visitor had left but the sound of the chair next to her scraping the floor as it moved dashed her hopes. Kagome huffed and finally looked up from her book. Anger turned to surprise when her blue eyes locked onto golden ones. Out of everyone, the Ice King was the last person she expected to seek her out.

Sesshomaru was the most popular boy in school. Kagome would admit that he was handsome, tall and sleek in perfectly white clothing, his unfashionably long, fascinating silver hair only adding to his good looks, but his bright eyes were icy and he was utterly unapproachable. For some reason all the girls were drawn to him, not caring that they would probably just end up getting frost burn. Kagome wasn’t dumb enough to go after such a cold character, but she wasn’t blind. She was as vulnerable to his good looks as all the others, so her only choice was to stay away from him.

“I’m a little busy here. Would you be so kind as to leave?” There was nothing cool about Kagome’s words. Fire flickered in her eyes, a heat that was as far away from Sesshomaru’s frost as you could get.

Sesshomaru ignored both the words and the look.

“I am here on behalf of my father. He wishes to hire you to use an Ouija board for entertainment at my half-brother’s birthday that will take place tomorrow starting at nine at our home. You will be required to get there and be set up before guests start to arrive. If you need any props or items for the ‘reading’ inform me now and they will be waiting at the house when you arrive.”

Kagome blinked at Sesshomaru, completely confused.

“You,” she pointed at him, “want to hire me,” she moved her hand to her chest, “to play with an Ouija board at your brother’s birthday?”

“I will not repeat myself. You will be paid well for your time.”

Kagome laughed.

“I can’t believe that you actually believe the stupid rumors! Do you really think that I can speak to spirits?” Kagome couldn’t help falling into giggles. People looked up from their books and once more sent her glares for the noise. She put a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound.

Sesshomaru’s expression did not change. He waited calmly for Kagome’s giggles to die down before speaking again.

“It does not matter if you can or cannot, all that matters is that you put on a good show.” The frost was on now. Kagome smiled, not sorry at all that she had stepped on his pride. She found it oddly amusing to make the Ice King react.

“Sorry, I’m not interested. Find someone else.” Kagome said and went back to her book. She turned in her chair a little bit to face away from him, obviously dismissing him with her body language. While she thought it would be fun to accept his offer and to get paid for fun, she wanted to finish her book and if she did accept, it would feed the rumors. It was a horrible idea to accept.

“What if I said I could get your book signed by the author?”

Kagome froze. Slowly, she looked up from the book and into Sesshomaru eyes once more. Though still cold, Kagome swore she could see a flash of amusement.

“How would you do that?” She asked suspiciously. There was no way Sesshomaru knew the woman that could write such wonderful romance.

“She is married to my father.”

***

Kagome parked her car and stared at the house in front of her. It was huge, much bigger than the shrine her family called home. The house intimidated her and she thought of just starting the car, backing up, and speeding home before anyone noticed she was even there. Only the thought of getting her book signed by her favorite author and possible meeting her gave Kagome the courage to get out of her car with her bag of supplies and head to the door. The courage only went so far though and it seemed to leave her with her hand poised over the door, just before she could bring it forward to knock.

The door opened, though she had not touched it. Sesshomaru stood on the other side, looking at her with his normal emotionless eyes. For some reason, her heart jumped and started to beat faster. The reaction annoyed her and a frown crossed her lips before she could hide it.

“You only have five minutes to get set up. Hopefully you were not planning to spend that time waiting on the doorstep.” One eyebrow went up and amusement entered his eyes, one of the few emotions Kagome had ever seen him wear.

Kagome huffed at him and pushed past into the entryway. Her first look at the room beyond had her staring in amazement at the tall ceiling and elegant, most likely expensive, furniture. The house reminded her of the one described in one of Izayoi’s first books. The door closed behind her and the loud noise jolting her back into reality.

“Where do you want me to set up?” She asked, not turning around to look at Sesshomaru.

“Go through the first door on the right and inside is the room you will use.  When the first guest comes I will come to check on you.” Though he did not say anything else, Kagome could read between the lines. If she was not ready in time, Sesshomaru would be very displeased with her.

Not that she cared, of course.

“Fine.” Kagome said and walked to the door without a backward glance. She opened it and stepped into the room, eager to get away from Sesshomaru and the confusion he caused inside of her. Kagome pushed the thoughts of the male out of her mind and looked over the room.

The room was not as large as the rest of the house, but it was a good size, still larger than her own bedroom. The walls were painted a light purple and the furniture consisted of a low, long coffee table placed in front of an equally long unusually white couch, two arm chairs that matched the walls, and an eccentric light in the shape of a snail placed on one of the few shelves that were attached to the wall. 

Kagome placed candles around the room, each one placed just so. Half of her act was the candles, so it was important to make them look as good as she could. Five minutes later the room was lit only by the soft glow of the candle light. The Ouija board she had purchased the day before sat in the middle of the table, wood shinny and new as she had never used it before. The heart shaped pointer was carefully placed in the middle of the board, awaiting the hands of those who would use it.

Kagome heard the door open behind her and looked over her shoulder to see Sesshomaru sticking his head in. She couldn’t help her smile when surprise flashed in his eyes, obviously because it had only taken her five minutes but she was more than ready. She knew that the scene she had set was perfect, now all she needed to do was to wait for everyone to come in.

“Guests have begun to arrive. Once everyone is here, we will move into this room.”Sesshomaru said simply before closing the door once more. Kagome was a little disappointed that he had not commented on her work, but she quickly shook it off.

A few minutes later the door opened and a line of people streamed in. Kagome recognized all of them from school, her same grade even, but she only knew a few of their names. Miroku and Sango stood next to each other, the two voted cutest couple even though Miroku was known to be a pervert. Inuyasha looked a lot like his brother but fire lit his eyes and he seemed much more jumpy than his brother. Kikyo hung on his arm, but instead of looking at him with adoration in her eyes, Kagome could see that she was looking towards Inuyasha’s brother. Kagome ignored the different byplays and motioned to the seats.

“Please, sit down in a circle.”

Kagome waited for them to do as she said. They followed directions well, but they made many jokes while they sat. Kagome took her own seat in between Sesshomaru and Inuyasha.

“Now hold hands, so that we can make the circle.”

“How can we move the pointer if we are holding hands?” Inuyasha asked, scowl on his face. Kagome gave him a single look and he sighed before doing as she said. She lightly took Sesshomaru’s hand in her own and tried to tell herself that the shock she felt was nothing more than static electricity.

“Now close your eyes.”

“Don’t make off with the china while we aren’t looking.” Miroku joked from the other side of the circle. Kagome heard an oof and figured Sango had elbowed him. “Sorry.” He said meekly.

“Stay silent please, or else this will not work.” That got them quiet. “Now we are going to focus on awakening your senses.”

“We start with smell. Breath in, breath deep. Take the scent of candles into your lungs and slowly push it out again. As you take the scent in, slowly take it apart, piece by piece. Can you smell the earthy  cinnamon or the gentle bite of peppermint? Those scents open your mind to inspiration and rouse your psychic awareness. The crisp smell of rain washes away the walls and the barriers we put around our hearts and promote love and friendship. And the last scent, the gentle scent of lilac, protects us and brings about a harmony that you might not have known you were missing.”

“Now listen, listen hard. I know you can hear my voice, but what else can you hear? Can you hear the breaths you take, the air shifting as you bring it in and let it out? Listen to the sound then go deeper inside yourself. Can you hear the beat, the constant beat, that taps inside your chest?”

“Can you feel the beat now? Feel it lifting you up though you feel the ground. The hand in your hand; hard, soft, or ruff; holds you down, holds you here, holds you close.  Earth and sky combine in you, to help you learn the world.”

“Open your eyes. See the flickering of the light, see the flames swaying to and thro. Do you see the candles below, that hold the flames to earth? Red, silver, and blue; courage, stability, and wisdom. See them, feel them, understand them. These things are inside of you, as surely as the scent.”

“Now that your senses are open, we can begin.”

The group all had different reactions to those words. Some blinked, as if coming out of a trance, while others just looked confused by everything. Inuyasha laughed from next to her.

“Well, let’s get this show on the road!” He placed his fingers are the heart shaped pointer. Slowly, the others did the same until everyone was touching the pointer. “Because it is my birthday, I’ll ask the first question.”

The others nodded, still trying to go back to their joking ways after such serious talk.

“Oh great spirits,” he began, obviously trying to make a gag out of all of it, “What am I going to get on the English test next Friday?”

The pointer began to move immediately. Kagome watched in amusement as it passed over the A and the B, across the C and the D, and came to a stop below the F. Inuyasha groaned and his friends broke out in laughter. Sesshomaru and Kagome were the only ones that stayed silent, Kagome because she had expected it and Sesshomaru because he was not much of a laugher.

“I’m next!” Sango said.

The next half hour was spent with the group asking questions and having them answered by themselves and by each other. Kagome knew that there were no spirits and using google she had found out that the Ideomotor effect was the reason that the group found the answers they wanted when the pointer was not pushed for the fun of it. The Ideomotor effect made them move the pointer without even knowing it, but it they seemed to be having fun so she didn’t say a word.

Inuyasha looked up from the board and his eyes moved over to his brother.

“I’ve got one! Sesshomaru hasn’t asked a single question, so I’ll ask one for him!” Inuyasha put his fingers back on the pointer. “Who will have the misfortune of being the Ice King’s wife?”

The pointer was still.

“Really?” Inuyasha looked up at Sesshomaru again, eyes dancing. “Will no one marry the cold and frosty Sesshomaru?”

Kagome frowned, not liking the glee that entered the younger Taisho’s eyes. Sesshomaru’s mask of ice did not drop, thought the words must have done him some harm. He showed no emotion to the world, but chances were that he did that just to protect himself from hits like those that Inuyasha was giving him without remorse. She glanced towards him and their eyes clashed.

For the first time, Kagome saw past Sesshomaru’s mask.

The pointer began to move.

“Hey, who’s moving it?” Inuyasha asked, annoyed that his teasing had been disrupted. No one answered as the pointer slid across the board and paused below the K before moving on.

A, G,O, M.

Kagome lifted her fingers, appalled, and the pointer stopped as the others did the same. The people in the room were now looking at her.

“This isn’t funny.” She said with some heat.

“No, it is not.” Sesshomaru said, but his eyes did not show anger over the letters being spelled out. Instead, they seemed to hold curiosity.

Kagome picked up the pointer.

 “I think we are done for tonight. I hope you had fun.” She moved to the light switch and flipped it on before going over to the candles to blow them out.

“Hey, I still had a few questions!” Inuyasha said before he took her hand, trying to get the pointer. Kagome’s hold was not as strong as she thought it was and the pointer slipped out, but instead of being held by Inuyasha it went flying through the room. It landed with a click on the board, where it rested just below the E.

Kagome backed up, eyes going still on the board. Not wanting to see the look in Sesshomaru’s eyes, she turned and ran from the room, leaving all of her things behind. She was at the front door before a hand grabbed on her arm to stop her from fleeing. One look over her shoulder showed her that it was Sesshomaru himself that had come after her.

“I didn’t mean to do that, I didn’t.” Kagome said quickly, figuring that he was going to be angry with her about her name being spelled out.  “I’m going now.”

Sesshomaru shook his head slowly and let go of Kagome’s arm.

“You forgot your payment.” He said and held out a flash drive and two twenty dollar bills. Kagome took them and looked at the flash drive curiously.

“What’s this?”

“A book that Izayoi just finished. She wanted me to tell you that you can come back anytime and she would be happy to sign any books you bring her. She also wants me to warn you against posting this story anywhere online. You are the only person with a copy so far and if you post it anywhere she will make sure you never get another of her books again.”

Kagome blinked down at the flash drive. It had turned from a simple item into the Holy Grail in her eyes.

“Wow…” She held it close to her heart. “Tell her I can’t thank her enough. I’ll make sure to come back for that signing… Wow.” Kagome backed up towards the door.

“Kagome.”

She paused and looked at Sesshomaru once more.

“Yes?”

“I’m going to be having a party, a very private party, and I would like to hire you.” He said slowly, eyes filled with the same curiosity as before.

“How private?”

“You and me.”

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I hope you liked it! Remember, go read shadows and vote by sending a message to Tangie!

Thank you!