Don't Mess With Ouija Boards
Seriously guys. Don't do it. I've never used a ouija board I've watched far too many ghost shows before but my mom and her sister did when they were kids and she thinks that's what caused some of the activity in her house. They would hear footsteps when it was just them in the house and a man in a red cape also walked into her bedroom and stared at her one night before disappearing. Creepy!!!
Title: Don't Mess With Ouija Boards
Author: write_my_dreams
Pairing: Mahiro x Subaru, mentions of Koichi x Rito
Bands: Kiryu, Royz, Mejibray, Lycaon
Genre: AU, supernatural
Warning: Contains ghosts, language, some violence, and ouija boards.
Disclaimer: The band members portrayed do not belong to me, I make no money off of this piece of fanfiction, the writing and the idea are all mine.
Rating: PG-13
Chapter(s): 1/1
Summary: Professional paranormal investigator, Koichi, checks his email and finds a new case from a young couple who are dealing with a haunting after using a Ouija board. Subaru learns that he should never have played with one.
Author's Comment: Phew, finally got this done. I had every intention of getting my paranormal series done for NaNoWriMo but as everyone who's been following me knows I had a really hard time with my job in Japan so that... didn't happen. This is the first part of the series and the next part is a multi-chapter that brings in the rest of Mejibray. That one focuses mostly on Tsuzuku and I hope to have the first chapter out in the next couple weeks.
Communicating with the dead had always been easy for Koichi. He couldn’t see every ghost around him or read their minds, but he could feel them. Feel their emotions, sense when spirits were present, even see one if they had enough energy to manifest. The latter was a rarer occurrence given that most spirits lacked the strength to reveal themselves. Good, Koichi thought. Seeing the dead was always an eerie experience. No mater how many times it happened.
“Hey, Ko, did your rug eat you?” Rito called from the living room.
Koichi rolled his eyes. “No,” he retorted. “I’m trying to find my computer.” He wanted to check for cases on his Mac. If he could find it. He could’ve sworn it was on his bed! He was now searching the hall table, pushing catalogues and cat toys aside. “Found it!” Koichi beamed as he found his computer. Though what had it been doing under all those? Maybe he should clean tomorrow.
“Congratulations.”
Koichi pouted at the sarcasm. How rude. He tucked his computer under his arm, heading into the living room to join Rito on the couch. Koichi flopped down on it and swung his legs over to put his sock-clad feet in his best friend’s lap. He wiggled his toes while Rito raised an eyebrow at him. Koichi didn’t date or let many people get close to him, but he and Rito had connected instantly when they met a few years ago. They often joked that they should stop having separate apartments and just move in together since they spent so much time with each other.
“I’m so glad I’m worthy enough to be your footrest,” the brunette said dryly. He swept his long hair aside then slouched against the cushion as he poked one of the pandas on Koichi’s left sock. “Pink socks with pandas on them? You trying to match your hair, Ko?”
“Ha ha,” Koichi replied. “They’re comfortable. So are you,” he added with a wide grin. Especially since Rito’s “I’m alone with friends and don’t give a fuck if I look like a slut” outfits were very sexy, showing off his toned arms and perfect thighs. Today he wore a simple black V-neck t-shirt, dark green shorts that hugged his ass nicely and left his thighs on display, and fishnets with a rose pattern. Not an ideal outfit for walking around in October, maybe, but Rito didn’t care and Koichi wasn’t about to protest the chance to admire his beautiful friend. Dragging his eyes away Koichi pulled his laptop out from under his arm and opened it. “Don’t worry, Ri-chan. You’ll only be my footrest while I’m checking my cases. It’s been kind of quiet in the paranormal world lately.” Much to his surprise. He’d been inundated with cases for the last couple months so the break, while refreshing, was also concerning. Especially given that it was the second week of October. Idiots (or, in nicer terms, skeptics and the naïve) would get in the spirit of Halloween and check out haunted houses or graveyards, try to contact spirits with Ouija boards, etc. All were phenomenally bad ideas. Koichi had even made a list of things not to do last year and put it on his website. Not that anyone ever listened. Or found his website in time. He sighed softly, thinking of all the times he’d been called by paranormal investigators. Most of them weren’t psychic or sensitive so didn’t know what to do when they encountered hostile spirits. Ugh, then there were the morons who provoked spirits in order to capture activity…
Rito draped his arm over Koichi’s ankles, breaking his train of thought. “Wonder when you’ll start getting overloaded with hauntings.”
“I don't know,” Koichi shrugged. “Probably soon. Business always picks up in October. Same with summer,” he muttered darkly. “I know teenagers do stupid shit, but with all the horror movies out there you’d think they’d know better than to have a séance in their parent’s house or a graveyard!”
Rito chuckled. “I imagine you give them an earful every time.”
“You know I do.” Koichi brushed his hair back as he looked at Rito. “I’m so glad I’ve never had to get rid of a spirit for you.”
“Me too.” A shiver went up Rito’s spine, no doubt thinking of the single ghost he’d seen. He’d told Koichi that he’d gone to Osaka for a concert and woke up in the middle of the night to the sensation of being watched. A woman in a pale kimono stood at the foot of his bed. She’d simply said hello then vanished, almost giving Rito a heart attack. It was a mild haunting compared to the spirits Koichi was used to dealing with.
He noticed Rito frowning. “What?” Was he still thinking about the mysterious ghost?
“I’m wondering if your next client will be as bad as the horny businessman you had to deal with last time.”
Koichi made a face. Horny businessmen were definitely worse than nasty spirits. “I hope not. Rather deal with a poltergeist than guard my ass and reject sexual advances.” He’d dealt with perverted spirits before but humans were, in his experience, worse. The last client kept trying to get Koichi to have sex with him. The harassment reached the point where Koichi had to block his phone and email address to get some peace. What a creep.
Rito started laughing. “True! You wouldn’t have to worry about the poltergeist slobbering over your body.”
Koichi made a noise of agreement as he opened his email. Sometimes people called or wrote letters, but the majority of his cases were sent via email. He clicked junk mail to the trash then skimmed through the three new case emails. The first was asking about a deceased relative he could feel in the house, the second complained of loud footsteps and doors slamming in her home. The third had him drawing his feet back and tucking them under him as he sat up straighter.
“Bad case?” Rito asked, scooting closer to see the computer screen. Sighing softly Koichi repositioned so they were seated side by side. This case had text, photos, and video. One look at the pictures marked this case as serious.
Dear Koichi,
Last week my twin brother came to Tokyo visit me and my boyfriend at our apartment. We were drinking and watching movies, then my brother pulled a Ouija board out of his suitcase and suggested we play.
“Really bad idea,” Rito whispered. “After everything you’ve told me about Ouija boards you couldn’t pay me enough to touch one let alone use it. Plus all the possession movies…”
Koichi grimaced. “Unfortunately, people don’t listen to the warnings. They treat a Ouija board like the toy it was designed to be. Only it isn’t a toy; it’s a doorway. You don’t know what you’re letting through until it’s too late.” He sighed, thinking of all the cases where he’d had to get rid of spirits after a night of “fun” with a Ouija board turned into a nightmare.
My boyfriend was smart. He said it was a bad idea and refused to touch the board. We didn’t listen. Laughed at him and called him a chicken. We asked the board questions and nothing happened at first. We were about to quit and then my hands started tingling. Pushing the planchette to hello. I asked who was there and it spelled out the name Miu. None of us know anyone named Miu. She started spelling out our names: Subaru, Kento, Mahiro. We… we should have stopped playing then, but we didn’t. we asked her more questions and the board kept giving right answers. Like how old am I, what color is Kento’s shirt. We stopped when the power went off since it felt like a sign.
The activity didn’t start until my brother left two days later. Footsteps, doors slamming, feeling a presence even if I’m alone in a room. After my boyfriend got scratched he took the board to a shrine and burned it. The activity got worse after that. Our apartment feels like hell now and I don’t know what else to do. We can’t afford to break our contract and find a new apartment.
Please help us.
Subaru
Koichi bit his lip. Destroying a Ouija board was risky because doing so could release the spirit or spirits inside. He clicked the photos next wincing at a set of vivid scratches on someone’s arm. Was this from the day Mahiro was scratched? Two pictures were of religious objects that had been moved or destroyed: cloth charms ripped to shreds, a wooden cross snapped in half and thrown under a couch. Koichi clicked the video, smiling at the scene despite the grave situation. A cute blonde and his black-haired boyfriend sat on the couch. Both were young yet looked tired, anxious. The video was short and consisted of the couple describing recent activity and again asking for his help. Two moments caught Koichi’s attention: a door slamming loudly which made the couple job and a raspy girl’s voice whispering “stay away” moments before Subaru ended the video. Was this Miu?
“…Did you hear that or am I imagining things?” Rito asked.
“You heard it.” Koichi closed the video and started typing a response to Subaru’s email asking when they could meet, wondering if Subaru’s twin had experienced activity as well.
* * *
Mahiro grimaced when Kento pulled a Ouija board out of his suitcase. “Ugh, put that thing away. Haven’t you seen the Exorcist before?”
Subaru giggled, sprawling across his boyfriend’s lap. “Come on, Mahi, it’ll be fun!” he whined. Watching horror movies had put them in the mood for a good scare so why not mess with a Ouija board? He and Kento didn’t believe in ghosts so it wasn’t as if the board would do anything. It was just a weird toy. Sure there were stories of people using Ouija boards and having issues, but Subaru was convinced those were just stories meant to scare people.
“Baru’s right. It’s just a game,” Kento insisted.
“A game that leads to hauntings and possessions!” Mahiro retorted.
Kento pouted as he looked at the board then at Mahiro, big eyes oh so innocent and soulful. Subaru copied his twin’s expression. That look usually got them what they wanted. Mahiro could also pout cutely and look irresistible, but Subaru was the champion when it came to adorable, pleading faces. He and Kento had perfected that when they were kids.
Mahiro threw his hands up in the air with a groan of defeat. “Fine. If a ghost haunts your ass, don’t come crying to me.”
“Rather have you haunting my ass,” Subaru purred exchanging his pout for a seductive look. The pout returned when Mahiro rolled his eyes.
Kento grimaced. “You two are disgusting.”
“You’re just jealous you don't have your own gorgeous boyfriend,” Subaru snickered. He blinked as Mahiro leaned over him to pick up his beer bottle. The blonde glanced at the box realizing he’d have to get up to play. Suddenly it was no longer so appealing since lying in Mahiro’s lap was quite comfortable. He always made a good pillow.
“Subaru!” Kento nudged his leg with his foot. “Are we going to play or not?”
Subaru draped his arm over Mahiro’s thighs. “Mahi’s cozy. I don’t want to move…”
“Don’t then.” Mahiro combed his fingers through Subaru’s soft hair. “I won’t touch that damn board and you two shouldn’t either. You know it could be dangerous.”
“Mahiro, it’s just a game. It’s not like I’m offering up my soul to talk with a demon,” Kento complained.
Subaru giggled as he nuzzled Mahiro’s thigh. “You’re so dramatic.” He finally sat up then moved to sit across from Kento. He felt like they should play ominous music as he watched Kento take the board out of the box setting it between them and laying the planchette in the center of the board. Subaru sneaked a glance at Mahiro, seeing him scowling at the board as he clutched his beer. He would definitely pretend to channel a spirit to scare him.
Mahiro sighed loudly as he moved closer. “Are you two sure you want to go through with this? Just because you believe in ghosts doesn’t mean that they don’t exist! You watch horror movies so you know portals and doorways to the spirit world exist. If you use this board you could let a ghost into our home. Or a demon!”
“And what, it hangs around and watches us fuck? Smacks your nice ass?” Subaru giggled while Kento shrieked loudly in disgust and pretended to gag. The blonde threw his sock at him wishing he had something sturdier. His other options were Mahiro or his beer so… not ideal. Huffing, Subaru sat up straighter. “If us playing bothers you so much why don’t you go to bed?”
“I’m staying. Someone needs to supervise you two.”
Shrugging, Subaru glanced at Kento. “Um, is there something we should say first or do we just start asking questions and seeing if we can get an answer?” Which they wouldn’t because ghosts didn’t exist. Also, even if there were ghosts, Subaru highly doubted they’d come answer him.
“Er… I’m not sure.”
Mahiro groaned. “Just put the board back in your suitcase.”
“No!” the twins protested. Subaru shifted then placed his fingers on his side of the planchette watching as Kento did the same. They pushed the planchette to “hello” and held it there as Subaru asked a question: “What’s my name?”
As expected, there was no cold or tingly feeling like in the movies. No phantom fingers guiding his hands to letters or numbers. Winking at Kento, Subaru pushed the planchette to S. Kento quickly caught on. The twins guided the piece to the remaining letters to spell out Subaru’s name. “Mahiro, I think there’s someone else here!” Kento announced.
“Obviously not your common sense.”
How rude.
After a few questions without magical responses, the Ouija board was becoming dull. Ghosts weren’t real, Mahiro kept staring at the board as if it would fly off the floor and slap him in the face, and answering their own questions wasn’t fun. Subaru wondered why he’d expected anything else. He must’ve gotten carried away with the excitement especially since Mahiro didn’t want him to play with the board. “Let’s do something else,” he suggested.
“Finally,” Mahiro muttered. “Should we break out the shots to celebrate?”
“Let’s play a little longer,” Kento insisted ignoring Mahiro’s protests. Subaru wouldn’t mind doing body shots off Mahiro, but he could hardly do that with his brother here. He was about to suggest they quit and watch a movie, the words catching in his throat when he felt his fingers tingle. A strange energy seemed to push at him prompting him to guide the planchette to “hello”.
Subaru and Kento stared at each other. “Did you…?” the redhead asked. He looked spooked when Subaru shook his head.
“What’s happening?” Mahiro demanded. He scooted closer laying his hand on Subaru’s knee.
“My hands are tingling. I’m not messing with you, I promise.” Subaru stared at his hands wondering what was going on. Was a ghost really with them or was this a product of the beer? No, it had pushed the planchette! He didn’t do that on his own!
“Who are you?” Kento asked.
Miu.
“What the hell?” Mahiro whispered. The trio didn’t know anyone named Miu. Was this… was this truly a ghost?
Kento shifted his hands. “How many of us are here?”
Four.
Subaru swallowed. Three boys and one… ghost? He was still struggling with the concept of ghosts being real when he’d spent his entire life denying their existence. “What’s my name?” he asked.
Subaru.
It didn’t stop there.
Mahiro. Kento. Subaru.
Mahiro bit his lip, looking uneasy as he glanced between the twins and the board. “Say goodbye. Now. I told you this wasn’t a fucking game, that it was a portal. You have to close the doorway now.”
Subaru’s eyes widened as Miu-if it was really her-guided the piece across the board again. Why.
“Subaru!” Mahiro insisted.
“Are you a ghost?” Kento asked, again ignoring Mahiro.
Yes.
Subaru cast his twin a withering look. “Did you seriously ask her if she was a ghost? What a stupid question.” He huffed softly biting his lip at the dark look Mahiro was giving him. Mahiro was definitely pissed at him for not ending the game. “How old am I?”
22. She wasn’t done though pushing the two to spell out “twins”.
“Holy shit,” Kento whispered.
“For fuck’s sake tell her goodbye,” Mahiro hissed. “The longer you let her stay the stronger she gets.”
Subaru wasn’t convinced. All Miu had done was make his hands tingle. The room wasn’t cold and he didn’t feel sick or uneasy. Just… surprised. A little weirded out that he and Kento had actually gotten a ghost to talk to him. “What color is my shirt?”
“Now who’s asking stupid questions,” Kento muttered under his breath.
Blue.
“Miu, how old are you?” Kento asked.
16.
“She was only sixteen when she died,” Subaru bit his lip. Poor Miu to die at such a young age. “How did you die?”
The trio yelped in surprise when the lights abruptly went out plunging them into total darkness. At first they were too stunned to speak then Kento fished out his cell phone, using it to illuminate the darkness. He looked just as alarmed as Subaru felt. The blonde pulled his fingers off the planchette and moved to climb into Mahiro’s lap arms wrapping around his neck. Mahiro’s arms curled around Subaru’s waist pressing him closer. “You made her upset.”
Subaru swallowed. Had the power really turned off because of Miu? There was no other way to explain it. They’d paid the electric bill last week, it wasn’t stormy. No logical reason he could think of. “I’m sorry,” he tried wondering if he’d get the lights back in exchange for his apology.
“Mahi’s right,” Kento whispered. “We… we need to stop. Um, goodbye, Miu.”
The lights flicked on again.
“Movie?” Subaru suggested having lost all desire to talk to ghosts.
“Let’s watch a Disney movie,” Mahiro said, nudging Subaru off his lap so he could get up. “I think we could use something cheerful after this.”
Subaru smiled nervously. “Yeah. Um, Kento, what movie do you want to watch?”
“Anything but Frozen. I hear ‘Let It Go’ in every store I go to. I’m going to tear my hair out if I have to hear that damn song again,” Kento muttered. He gave the Ouija board a wide berth as he went over to the DVD rack to look through their collection of movies. Biting his lip, Subaru wondered what to do with the board. He really didn’t want to touch it again but it felt like a bad idea to leave it out.
Maybe it was best to leave it there and figure out what to do with it in the morning.
* * *
“No wonder you contacted me so urgently,” Koichi murmured as he rubbed his temples. The negative energy radiating from the apartment was so strong that he could feel it from the hallway. Putting him on edge, warning him to be on his guard. He took a breath then knocked on the door. Moments later Subaru, dressed in jeans and a simple t-shirt, opened the door. He looked relieved to see him.
“Thank you so much for coming.” Subaru stepped aside so Koichi could enter. He slipped off his shoes and moved out of the entryway. Their apartment was small but tidy. The entryway opened into a living room/kitchen area with a couch and TV. The half-closed door at the far wall presumably led to a bedroom while the short hallway went to the bathroom. Someone had turned the living room wall into a collage of movie and rock band posters. Koichi smiled, recognizing some of the bands from the posters on Rito’s walls. Mahiro and Subaru were definitely music and movie lovers. Subaru noticed where Koichi was looking. “Mahi and I love music,” he said. “We used to go to concerts or karaoke all the time. With everything that’s been happening lately though…” he trailed off.
Koichi nodded. “I understand. When there’s a ghost in your home it’s hard to live life normally.”
Subaru rubbed his arms. “The worst part is that it’s my fault,” he whispered. “Mahiro kept telling me not to touch the board. If I’d listened to him, none of this would have happened.”
“You should have listened to him,” Koichi replied. There was no point in being gentle about this subject. “But it’s too late now. You’ve learned your lesson about playing with the paranormal though. Right?”
Subaru blanched. “Definitely. I’ll never do it again.”
Koichi tensed as he felt a wave of sadistic pleasure emanating from the hallway. What just happened? His question was answered for him when a spooked Mahiro bolted from the bathroom. He paused as he saw Koichi and Subaru. “H-Hello.” Mahiro swallowed, bowing his head in gratitude. “Thank you so much for coming to help us.”
“Did the spirit just scratch you?” Koichi asked.
Mahiro’s eyes widened. “How did you know that?”
“I can sense a spirit’s emotions,” Koichi explained. “This one is happy. Maliciously so. I felt its pleasure seconds before you came out so I assumed it hurt you.” The spirit claimed to be a girl named Miu, but spirits sometimes lied.
“Where did you get scratched?” Subaru demanded. “Show me.”
Mahiro hesitantly raised his shirt to show to show three bright red lines across his stomach. Subaru made an exclamation of alarm as he touched the scratches. “I… I was brushing my hair when it happened. My stomach suddenly felt like it was burning so I pulled my shirt up and saw this. Then I heard,” he swallowed nervously, “creepy laughter in my ear. Like the spirit was gloating about scratching me.” He let go of his shirt so he could wrap his arms around Subaru. “I'm so glad you’re here.”
Koichi tilted his head in the direction of the bathroom, trying to add more detail to his mental picture of the spirit. Summoned by a Ouija board, could speak and laugh but wasn’t able to manifest. It enjoyed causing pain because it’d scratched Mahiro at least twice now. Most likely it also took pleasure in conflict. “Have you two been fighting?” he asked.
The couple exchanged a look. “We have,” Subaru admitted. “We fight… almost every day. Sometimes it’s something little, like me not doing the laundry when it was my turn or Mahi not putting the dishes away. Or it’s a bigger fight about how I used the board. When we leave the apartment we’re fine. It’s when we’re here that we’re at each other’s throats.” Subaru sighed as he looked at Mahiro. “We’ve never fought this much before.”
“It’s true,” Mahiro said softly. “If we’re in the apartment then something will set us off. Next thing I know I’m in his face yelling at him.”
Enjoys causing conflict and pain, Koichi added to his list. “You said you feel better outside the apartment. Do you feel tense coming back to the building?”
“Yes. We’re not sure what’s going to happen next.”
“Have you stayed somewhere else during the haunting?”
Subaru brushed his hair back. “We stayed with friends a couple nights. We felt fine then. I don’t think the ghost followed us. I know Koudai or Takemasa would’ve said something,” he added as he looked at Mahiro again.
At least the ghost couldn’t follow them. “That’s good. You mentioned that you hear footsteps and slamming doors… does this happen often?”
“All the time.” Mahiro cast a frown at the bedroom door. “Doors are constantly opening and closing and we’ll hear footsteps going up and down the hallway. We started locking our bedroom door at night because too much would happen otherwise. Books would fall off the shelves, we’d wake up with bruises… though shutting out Miu or whoever she is makes her angry. The door shakes like something desperately wants to get inside.”
“But it never opens?”
“Never,” Mahiro replied. “It’s locked.”
Koichi nodded. “Do you hear scratching at the door?” It reminded him of his cats if he ever dared to keep them out of a room. Only there was a mix of scratching and loud meowing too.
“Yes,” Mahiro said.
“What about during the day if you’re in the bedroom? Do you keep the door shut then?”
The couple nodded. “The same thing happens. Scratching, the door shakes. It’s awful,” Subaru sighed.
“What about voices? You said you heard the spirit laugh at you in the bathroom.”
Subaru shook his head. “There isn’t much. It’s mostly the activity with the doors. Sometimes the lights flicker or the TV will turn on by itself. We’ve talked a few times about leaving a recorder out and seeing if we could pick up any voices.” He smiled sheepishly at Koichi. “We’ve been too afraid of what we would hear to do it though.”
Koichi brushed his hair back. “I don’t blame you. Is your brother experiencing any activity? Or is it just you two?”
“Nothing,” Subaru replied. “He lives in Osaka and it seems like the ghost stayed here instead of going after him. Kento mentioned he’s had some nightmares, but I think that’s just from using the board. Not because he’s being haunted. Or maybe he heard my stories…”
“Are you sure it’s not a freaky twin connection?” Mahiro teased, trying to bring some light into a serious situation.
Subaru rolled his eyes. “It isn’t that.”
Koichi listened with half an ear since the spirit was releasing different emotions than earlier. It felt angry, uneasy. He glanced at the couple again. “Could you show me where you used the board?”
“Behind the couch.” Subaru drew back from Mahiro’s embrace to walk Koichi to the fateful spot. He tapped the carpet with his foot. “It was right here.”
“Did you feel anything during the session? Like a sudden chill?”
Mahiro shook his head. “Nothing.”
“I did,” Subaru said quietly. “There was this… electric tingle in my hands when we made contact with the spirit. It didn’t get cold though.”
“Are there cold spots in your apartment?”
“Nothing. Should we be feeling cold spots?” Mahiro asked.
Koichi shrugged. “Honestly, it depends on the haunting. Sometimes there are cold spots, other times there aren’t. Aside from your bedroom where else is there activity?” He wasn’t sure what type of spirit was here. Maybe a poltergeist? Regular spirits could bang and scratch on doors as well so maybe not. His mother would know right away. Koichi, thankfully, hadn’t inherited her ability to see the dead. Feeling their emotions could be bad enough.
“Everywhere,” Mahiro replied. “The spirit follows us. We can’t lock ourselves in the kitchen or the living room so those rooms aren’t safe for us. Dishes will move on their own, I’ll feel something pulling my hair, and a pot flew off the shelf this morning. It would’ve hit Subaru if I hadn’t grabbed him in time.” He sighed as he rubbed his lover’s arm. “I really hope you can help us…”
Koichi hoped so too. “If I’m not strong enough to get rid of this ghost then I’ll put you in touch with someone who can.”
Subaru thanked him then reached for Mahiro’s hand, squeezing it tightly. “Should we go out while you investigate or do you want us to stay here?” he asked, sounding uncertain.
That was a decision Koichi always left up to the client. It was their home so if they weren’t comfortable letting him stay here and investigate by himself, he asked them to wait in a room and not disturb him while he communicated with the spirit. “Do whatever makes you feel most comfortable,” he replied.
The couple exchanged a look. “We’ll stay here in case something happens,” Subaru said. Mahiro nodded in agreement. They took a seat on the couch and promised to stay out of his way. Koichi exhaled deeply then headed down the hallway to face the spirit. He could feel it lurking nearby and suppressed a shudder at the myriad of emotions he felt from it. This was truly a vile spirit…
Koichi pulled a digital recorder from his pocket and clicked it on to capture any responses the spirit made. He liked having one so he could check for voices afterwards. He couldn’t always hear what a spirit said at the time.
“This is not your home,” Koichi said firmly. “You will leave this place and do no more harm to the people living here.” He didn’t flinch or jump when the bathroom door abruptly slammed shut while the door to the bedroom rattled on its hinges. Showing fear or unease gave the ghosts the upper hand. They were similar to humans in that way. A bully would get bored and back off if their victim didn’t cry or try to defend themselves. Koichi had learned that from a young age. So many assumed he was crazy, playing pretend, or was an attention-seeking liar for “claiming” to be psychic. They were the reason Koichi had kept to himself during his school years. It’d been a lonely childhood but it was better than being bullied for something he couldn’t change. It wasn’t his fault that he could sense spirits and feel their emotions. This ability wasn’t something he’d asked for; it was something he’d been born with. He never thought of his abilities as being a curse or a burden though. He liked knowing what was out there and he knew what steps to take to protect himself from negative spirits.
A sinister chuckle brought him back to the present. Koichi gave himself a mental scolding for letting himself get distracted while working. “Who are you?” he shivered as he felt an icy puff of air on the back of his neck. A low growl sounded from the spirit as he repeated his question. Koichi calmly turned to “face” it although he could only sense the spirit’s location, not see it. “I have faced spirits all my life. Breathing on me and slamming a door isn’t going to chase me from the property.” He squared his shoulders, eyes narrowing as he felt the spirit move into the bedroom with another angry hiss. Not so talkative now that it knew it couldn’t scare Koichi away with its usual tactics, was it? Koichi followed the spirit into the bedroom. A book levitated off the bedside table and flew through the air towards his head making him dodge. The book hit the floor and he heard the spirit growl.
“That’s enough!” Koichi said sharply. He pulled a lighter and a sage stick from his jacket pocket. Sage had long been used to ward off negative spirits. He burned sage in his apartment on a weekly basis to keep his home protected due to how it weakened spirits. He heard the spirit hiss in displeasure again as he lit the sage. He carefully blew on the flame so only a tiny one remained then waved the plant, watching the smoke curl around the room. He remained calm and strong even when he felt a burning sensation on his back. He’d been scratched by ghosts often enough that he knew what it felt like and that it was usually more mild than the initial pain indicated. Out of the corner of his eye he saw movement. Expecting another book to launch at his head he was shocked when he turned and came face to face with the spirit haunting Subaru and Mahiro. In life it had been a girl in her late teens. Her eyes were a bloody red while the rest of her-skin, hair, and clothes-were pale. Almost white. Her face contorted in rage as she lunged at Koichi.
“Don’t look at me!” she screamed. Too slow he threw up his arm to protect his face wincing in pain as he claw like fingernails scratched from his eyebrow to his cheekbone. Clapping a hand across his stinging eye Koichi flung the sage at her with his free hand. It struck her chest and passed through her body to land on the floor while she clutched her chest with a howl of pain. She vanished abruptly, her presence no longer registering in the room. A spooked Koichi stared at the spot she’d just occupied. What the hell? Sage was supposed to weaken spirits! The fact that she’d still been able to manifest gave him the chills. Then how she’d suddenly vanished…
“Koichi?” Subaru tentatively called. “Are… are you okay?”
Grimacing, Koichi collected the sage. “I’m fine.” He checked to make sure it hadn’t burned the carpet then he walked around the room, blowing smoke into the corners to purify the bedroom as best as he could. The spirit was too strong for him to get rid of on his own. He’d need to speak to his contacts. Touching his free hand to his back where he’d been scratched, Koichi knew he was lucky that she’d only scratched him. She easily could’ve done more. She could’ve clawed his eye out! It definitely wasn’t safe for Subaru and Mahiro to be here. Once he’d finished saging the bedroom Koichi left the room.
Seeing Koichi holding his hand over his eye, Mahiro sprang off the couch. “Shit, what happened? Are you okay?”
“I… I saw her true face. It made her angry so she scratched me.” Koichi lowered his hand when a worried Subaru asked to see his eye. It was watery and kept stinging. Keeping it open was a difficult task.
“Shit,” Subaru whispered. He blinked when Koichi handed him the sage stick. “What’s this?”
“Sage,” Koichi explained closing his eye again. “I lit it in your bedroom and waved the smoke into the corners. Saging a home helps to weaken the spirit but it won’t get rid of them entirely. You’ll need a priest or a shrine maiden for that. Do you two practice a specific religion?” he asked remembering the charms and the crosses from the photos.
Mahiro shook his head. “Not me.”
“Me neither.”
“All right. My parents are Catholic so when it comes to banishing spirits and cleansing a home, I tend to use a Catholic priest. I know a shrine maiden and a Buddhist monk so it’s up to you who you’d like me to put you in touch with.” Koichi’s opinion on religion was… complicated. He didn’t really believe in it but he went to his parents’ church to purify himself after a nasty case and he had his home blessed when it was threatened by spirits.
Mahiro brushed his bangs back. “I burned the Ouija board at a shrine. Maybe it’s best to bring in a Shinto priestess?”
Keeping his eye shut, Koichi pulled a pen and pad of paper from his jacket. He scribbled down name, phone number, and address for a priestess he knew. “She’ll help you with anything you need.”
“What about your eye?” Subaru asked. “You should go see a doctor…” he trailed off, looking worried as he bit his lip.
“I promise I will once I leave here.” Koichi tried opening his eye, realized that was a mistake when it started watering again, and closed it. “I wanted to make sure you two were taken care of first because this spirit… I believe it’s a poltergeist… behaved differently than they normally do. Be careful here. Until you can get your apartment cleansed and this poltergeist banished, I recommend staying with a friend. Or with your parents if they live nearby and don’t have issues with your relationship.” He was lucky that his parents didn’t care about his sexual preferences. They would prefer he wind up with a woman so they could have grandchildren, but also added that if he gave his heart to a man then he was just as welcome in their home.
“My parents are supportive,” Subaru said. “They live in Kyoto though so Mahi and I can hardly take the time off work to stay with them while we’re getting our apartment cleansed.”
Mahiro nodded. “It’s the same with me. We can stay with Takemasa again. He won’t mind having us as his house guests.” He looked at Koichi again. “Do you think this ghost is likely to follow us? She didn’t when we stayed with friends for the weekend. Our friends offered to let us stay with them, but Baru and I were afraid the ghost would come with us and torment our friends.”
Koichi shook his head. “I don't think she will. She seems to have an attachment to your home.” It would likely be difficult to remove her but he had faith in the priestess he’d recommended to them. So long as they followed his advice and never touched a Ouija board again they would get their apartment and their lives back to normal.
Notes
1) I started this in October '14 so Subaru (and I) had yet to turn 23.
2) I have the start of a mini-sequel written with Subaru and Mahiro enjoying their now ghost free apartment. I just have to find it in one of my 3 notebooks from Japan. Then finish it. I'll try to get to that this week!
3) I'm searching for jobs so I have plenty of time to write now. Do you want me to post chapter by chapter or wait until I have the next part completed? I know I'm not very good at updating in a timely manner so I'll leave that up to the readers.
4) I've spent the last week fussing over this and while I did try to find any errors and typos, please do correct me if I missed something.
Title: Don't Mess With Ouija Boards
Author: write_my_dreams
Pairing: Mahiro x Subaru, mentions of Koichi x Rito
Bands: Kiryu, Royz, Mejibray, Lycaon
Genre: AU, supernatural
Warning: Contains ghosts, language, some violence, and ouija boards.
Disclaimer: The band members portrayed do not belong to me, I make no money off of this piece of fanfiction, the writing and the idea are all mine.
Rating: PG-13
Chapter(s): 1/1
Summary: Professional paranormal investigator, Koichi, checks his email and finds a new case from a young couple who are dealing with a haunting after using a Ouija board. Subaru learns that he should never have played with one.
Author's Comment: Phew, finally got this done. I had every intention of getting my paranormal series done for NaNoWriMo but as everyone who's been following me knows I had a really hard time with my job in Japan so that... didn't happen. This is the first part of the series and the next part is a multi-chapter that brings in the rest of Mejibray. That one focuses mostly on Tsuzuku and I hope to have the first chapter out in the next couple weeks.
Communicating with the dead had always been easy for Koichi. He couldn’t see every ghost around him or read their minds, but he could feel them. Feel their emotions, sense when spirits were present, even see one if they had enough energy to manifest. The latter was a rarer occurrence given that most spirits lacked the strength to reveal themselves. Good, Koichi thought. Seeing the dead was always an eerie experience. No mater how many times it happened.
“Hey, Ko, did your rug eat you?” Rito called from the living room.
Koichi rolled his eyes. “No,” he retorted. “I’m trying to find my computer.” He wanted to check for cases on his Mac. If he could find it. He could’ve sworn it was on his bed! He was now searching the hall table, pushing catalogues and cat toys aside. “Found it!” Koichi beamed as he found his computer. Though what had it been doing under all those? Maybe he should clean tomorrow.
“Congratulations.”
Koichi pouted at the sarcasm. How rude. He tucked his computer under his arm, heading into the living room to join Rito on the couch. Koichi flopped down on it and swung his legs over to put his sock-clad feet in his best friend’s lap. He wiggled his toes while Rito raised an eyebrow at him. Koichi didn’t date or let many people get close to him, but he and Rito had connected instantly when they met a few years ago. They often joked that they should stop having separate apartments and just move in together since they spent so much time with each other.
“I’m so glad I’m worthy enough to be your footrest,” the brunette said dryly. He swept his long hair aside then slouched against the cushion as he poked one of the pandas on Koichi’s left sock. “Pink socks with pandas on them? You trying to match your hair, Ko?”
“Ha ha,” Koichi replied. “They’re comfortable. So are you,” he added with a wide grin. Especially since Rito’s “I’m alone with friends and don’t give a fuck if I look like a slut” outfits were very sexy, showing off his toned arms and perfect thighs. Today he wore a simple black V-neck t-shirt, dark green shorts that hugged his ass nicely and left his thighs on display, and fishnets with a rose pattern. Not an ideal outfit for walking around in October, maybe, but Rito didn’t care and Koichi wasn’t about to protest the chance to admire his beautiful friend. Dragging his eyes away Koichi pulled his laptop out from under his arm and opened it. “Don’t worry, Ri-chan. You’ll only be my footrest while I’m checking my cases. It’s been kind of quiet in the paranormal world lately.” Much to his surprise. He’d been inundated with cases for the last couple months so the break, while refreshing, was also concerning. Especially given that it was the second week of October. Idiots (or, in nicer terms, skeptics and the naïve) would get in the spirit of Halloween and check out haunted houses or graveyards, try to contact spirits with Ouija boards, etc. All were phenomenally bad ideas. Koichi had even made a list of things not to do last year and put it on his website. Not that anyone ever listened. Or found his website in time. He sighed softly, thinking of all the times he’d been called by paranormal investigators. Most of them weren’t psychic or sensitive so didn’t know what to do when they encountered hostile spirits. Ugh, then there were the morons who provoked spirits in order to capture activity…
Rito draped his arm over Koichi’s ankles, breaking his train of thought. “Wonder when you’ll start getting overloaded with hauntings.”
“I don't know,” Koichi shrugged. “Probably soon. Business always picks up in October. Same with summer,” he muttered darkly. “I know teenagers do stupid shit, but with all the horror movies out there you’d think they’d know better than to have a séance in their parent’s house or a graveyard!”
Rito chuckled. “I imagine you give them an earful every time.”
“You know I do.” Koichi brushed his hair back as he looked at Rito. “I’m so glad I’ve never had to get rid of a spirit for you.”
“Me too.” A shiver went up Rito’s spine, no doubt thinking of the single ghost he’d seen. He’d told Koichi that he’d gone to Osaka for a concert and woke up in the middle of the night to the sensation of being watched. A woman in a pale kimono stood at the foot of his bed. She’d simply said hello then vanished, almost giving Rito a heart attack. It was a mild haunting compared to the spirits Koichi was used to dealing with.
He noticed Rito frowning. “What?” Was he still thinking about the mysterious ghost?
“I’m wondering if your next client will be as bad as the horny businessman you had to deal with last time.”
Koichi made a face. Horny businessmen were definitely worse than nasty spirits. “I hope not. Rather deal with a poltergeist than guard my ass and reject sexual advances.” He’d dealt with perverted spirits before but humans were, in his experience, worse. The last client kept trying to get Koichi to have sex with him. The harassment reached the point where Koichi had to block his phone and email address to get some peace. What a creep.
Rito started laughing. “True! You wouldn’t have to worry about the poltergeist slobbering over your body.”
Koichi made a noise of agreement as he opened his email. Sometimes people called or wrote letters, but the majority of his cases were sent via email. He clicked junk mail to the trash then skimmed through the three new case emails. The first was asking about a deceased relative he could feel in the house, the second complained of loud footsteps and doors slamming in her home. The third had him drawing his feet back and tucking them under him as he sat up straighter.
“Bad case?” Rito asked, scooting closer to see the computer screen. Sighing softly Koichi repositioned so they were seated side by side. This case had text, photos, and video. One look at the pictures marked this case as serious.
Dear Koichi,
Last week my twin brother came to Tokyo visit me and my boyfriend at our apartment. We were drinking and watching movies, then my brother pulled a Ouija board out of his suitcase and suggested we play.
“Really bad idea,” Rito whispered. “After everything you’ve told me about Ouija boards you couldn’t pay me enough to touch one let alone use it. Plus all the possession movies…”
Koichi grimaced. “Unfortunately, people don’t listen to the warnings. They treat a Ouija board like the toy it was designed to be. Only it isn’t a toy; it’s a doorway. You don’t know what you’re letting through until it’s too late.” He sighed, thinking of all the cases where he’d had to get rid of spirits after a night of “fun” with a Ouija board turned into a nightmare.
My boyfriend was smart. He said it was a bad idea and refused to touch the board. We didn’t listen. Laughed at him and called him a chicken. We asked the board questions and nothing happened at first. We were about to quit and then my hands started tingling. Pushing the planchette to hello. I asked who was there and it spelled out the name Miu. None of us know anyone named Miu. She started spelling out our names: Subaru, Kento, Mahiro. We… we should have stopped playing then, but we didn’t. we asked her more questions and the board kept giving right answers. Like how old am I, what color is Kento’s shirt. We stopped when the power went off since it felt like a sign.
The activity didn’t start until my brother left two days later. Footsteps, doors slamming, feeling a presence even if I’m alone in a room. After my boyfriend got scratched he took the board to a shrine and burned it. The activity got worse after that. Our apartment feels like hell now and I don’t know what else to do. We can’t afford to break our contract and find a new apartment.
Please help us.
Subaru
Koichi bit his lip. Destroying a Ouija board was risky because doing so could release the spirit or spirits inside. He clicked the photos next wincing at a set of vivid scratches on someone’s arm. Was this from the day Mahiro was scratched? Two pictures were of religious objects that had been moved or destroyed: cloth charms ripped to shreds, a wooden cross snapped in half and thrown under a couch. Koichi clicked the video, smiling at the scene despite the grave situation. A cute blonde and his black-haired boyfriend sat on the couch. Both were young yet looked tired, anxious. The video was short and consisted of the couple describing recent activity and again asking for his help. Two moments caught Koichi’s attention: a door slamming loudly which made the couple job and a raspy girl’s voice whispering “stay away” moments before Subaru ended the video. Was this Miu?
“…Did you hear that or am I imagining things?” Rito asked.
“You heard it.” Koichi closed the video and started typing a response to Subaru’s email asking when they could meet, wondering if Subaru’s twin had experienced activity as well.
* * *
Mahiro grimaced when Kento pulled a Ouija board out of his suitcase. “Ugh, put that thing away. Haven’t you seen the Exorcist before?”
Subaru giggled, sprawling across his boyfriend’s lap. “Come on, Mahi, it’ll be fun!” he whined. Watching horror movies had put them in the mood for a good scare so why not mess with a Ouija board? He and Kento didn’t believe in ghosts so it wasn’t as if the board would do anything. It was just a weird toy. Sure there were stories of people using Ouija boards and having issues, but Subaru was convinced those were just stories meant to scare people.
“Baru’s right. It’s just a game,” Kento insisted.
“A game that leads to hauntings and possessions!” Mahiro retorted.
Kento pouted as he looked at the board then at Mahiro, big eyes oh so innocent and soulful. Subaru copied his twin’s expression. That look usually got them what they wanted. Mahiro could also pout cutely and look irresistible, but Subaru was the champion when it came to adorable, pleading faces. He and Kento had perfected that when they were kids.
Mahiro threw his hands up in the air with a groan of defeat. “Fine. If a ghost haunts your ass, don’t come crying to me.”
“Rather have you haunting my ass,” Subaru purred exchanging his pout for a seductive look. The pout returned when Mahiro rolled his eyes.
Kento grimaced. “You two are disgusting.”
“You’re just jealous you don't have your own gorgeous boyfriend,” Subaru snickered. He blinked as Mahiro leaned over him to pick up his beer bottle. The blonde glanced at the box realizing he’d have to get up to play. Suddenly it was no longer so appealing since lying in Mahiro’s lap was quite comfortable. He always made a good pillow.
“Subaru!” Kento nudged his leg with his foot. “Are we going to play or not?”
Subaru draped his arm over Mahiro’s thighs. “Mahi’s cozy. I don’t want to move…”
“Don’t then.” Mahiro combed his fingers through Subaru’s soft hair. “I won’t touch that damn board and you two shouldn’t either. You know it could be dangerous.”
“Mahiro, it’s just a game. It’s not like I’m offering up my soul to talk with a demon,” Kento complained.
Subaru giggled as he nuzzled Mahiro’s thigh. “You’re so dramatic.” He finally sat up then moved to sit across from Kento. He felt like they should play ominous music as he watched Kento take the board out of the box setting it between them and laying the planchette in the center of the board. Subaru sneaked a glance at Mahiro, seeing him scowling at the board as he clutched his beer. He would definitely pretend to channel a spirit to scare him.
Mahiro sighed loudly as he moved closer. “Are you two sure you want to go through with this? Just because you believe in ghosts doesn’t mean that they don’t exist! You watch horror movies so you know portals and doorways to the spirit world exist. If you use this board you could let a ghost into our home. Or a demon!”
“And what, it hangs around and watches us fuck? Smacks your nice ass?” Subaru giggled while Kento shrieked loudly in disgust and pretended to gag. The blonde threw his sock at him wishing he had something sturdier. His other options were Mahiro or his beer so… not ideal. Huffing, Subaru sat up straighter. “If us playing bothers you so much why don’t you go to bed?”
“I’m staying. Someone needs to supervise you two.”
Shrugging, Subaru glanced at Kento. “Um, is there something we should say first or do we just start asking questions and seeing if we can get an answer?” Which they wouldn’t because ghosts didn’t exist. Also, even if there were ghosts, Subaru highly doubted they’d come answer him.
“Er… I’m not sure.”
Mahiro groaned. “Just put the board back in your suitcase.”
“No!” the twins protested. Subaru shifted then placed his fingers on his side of the planchette watching as Kento did the same. They pushed the planchette to “hello” and held it there as Subaru asked a question: “What’s my name?”
As expected, there was no cold or tingly feeling like in the movies. No phantom fingers guiding his hands to letters or numbers. Winking at Kento, Subaru pushed the planchette to S. Kento quickly caught on. The twins guided the piece to the remaining letters to spell out Subaru’s name. “Mahiro, I think there’s someone else here!” Kento announced.
“Obviously not your common sense.”
How rude.
After a few questions without magical responses, the Ouija board was becoming dull. Ghosts weren’t real, Mahiro kept staring at the board as if it would fly off the floor and slap him in the face, and answering their own questions wasn’t fun. Subaru wondered why he’d expected anything else. He must’ve gotten carried away with the excitement especially since Mahiro didn’t want him to play with the board. “Let’s do something else,” he suggested.
“Finally,” Mahiro muttered. “Should we break out the shots to celebrate?”
“Let’s play a little longer,” Kento insisted ignoring Mahiro’s protests. Subaru wouldn’t mind doing body shots off Mahiro, but he could hardly do that with his brother here. He was about to suggest they quit and watch a movie, the words catching in his throat when he felt his fingers tingle. A strange energy seemed to push at him prompting him to guide the planchette to “hello”.
Subaru and Kento stared at each other. “Did you…?” the redhead asked. He looked spooked when Subaru shook his head.
“What’s happening?” Mahiro demanded. He scooted closer laying his hand on Subaru’s knee.
“My hands are tingling. I’m not messing with you, I promise.” Subaru stared at his hands wondering what was going on. Was a ghost really with them or was this a product of the beer? No, it had pushed the planchette! He didn’t do that on his own!
“Who are you?” Kento asked.
Miu.
“What the hell?” Mahiro whispered. The trio didn’t know anyone named Miu. Was this… was this truly a ghost?
Kento shifted his hands. “How many of us are here?”
Four.
Subaru swallowed. Three boys and one… ghost? He was still struggling with the concept of ghosts being real when he’d spent his entire life denying their existence. “What’s my name?” he asked.
Subaru.
It didn’t stop there.
Mahiro. Kento. Subaru.
Mahiro bit his lip, looking uneasy as he glanced between the twins and the board. “Say goodbye. Now. I told you this wasn’t a fucking game, that it was a portal. You have to close the doorway now.”
Subaru’s eyes widened as Miu-if it was really her-guided the piece across the board again. Why.
“Subaru!” Mahiro insisted.
“Are you a ghost?” Kento asked, again ignoring Mahiro.
Yes.
Subaru cast his twin a withering look. “Did you seriously ask her if she was a ghost? What a stupid question.” He huffed softly biting his lip at the dark look Mahiro was giving him. Mahiro was definitely pissed at him for not ending the game. “How old am I?”
22. She wasn’t done though pushing the two to spell out “twins”.
“Holy shit,” Kento whispered.
“For fuck’s sake tell her goodbye,” Mahiro hissed. “The longer you let her stay the stronger she gets.”
Subaru wasn’t convinced. All Miu had done was make his hands tingle. The room wasn’t cold and he didn’t feel sick or uneasy. Just… surprised. A little weirded out that he and Kento had actually gotten a ghost to talk to him. “What color is my shirt?”
“Now who’s asking stupid questions,” Kento muttered under his breath.
Blue.
“Miu, how old are you?” Kento asked.
16.
“She was only sixteen when she died,” Subaru bit his lip. Poor Miu to die at such a young age. “How did you die?”
The trio yelped in surprise when the lights abruptly went out plunging them into total darkness. At first they were too stunned to speak then Kento fished out his cell phone, using it to illuminate the darkness. He looked just as alarmed as Subaru felt. The blonde pulled his fingers off the planchette and moved to climb into Mahiro’s lap arms wrapping around his neck. Mahiro’s arms curled around Subaru’s waist pressing him closer. “You made her upset.”
Subaru swallowed. Had the power really turned off because of Miu? There was no other way to explain it. They’d paid the electric bill last week, it wasn’t stormy. No logical reason he could think of. “I’m sorry,” he tried wondering if he’d get the lights back in exchange for his apology.
“Mahi’s right,” Kento whispered. “We… we need to stop. Um, goodbye, Miu.”
The lights flicked on again.
“Movie?” Subaru suggested having lost all desire to talk to ghosts.
“Let’s watch a Disney movie,” Mahiro said, nudging Subaru off his lap so he could get up. “I think we could use something cheerful after this.”
Subaru smiled nervously. “Yeah. Um, Kento, what movie do you want to watch?”
“Anything but Frozen. I hear ‘Let It Go’ in every store I go to. I’m going to tear my hair out if I have to hear that damn song again,” Kento muttered. He gave the Ouija board a wide berth as he went over to the DVD rack to look through their collection of movies. Biting his lip, Subaru wondered what to do with the board. He really didn’t want to touch it again but it felt like a bad idea to leave it out.
Maybe it was best to leave it there and figure out what to do with it in the morning.
* * *
“No wonder you contacted me so urgently,” Koichi murmured as he rubbed his temples. The negative energy radiating from the apartment was so strong that he could feel it from the hallway. Putting him on edge, warning him to be on his guard. He took a breath then knocked on the door. Moments later Subaru, dressed in jeans and a simple t-shirt, opened the door. He looked relieved to see him.
“Thank you so much for coming.” Subaru stepped aside so Koichi could enter. He slipped off his shoes and moved out of the entryway. Their apartment was small but tidy. The entryway opened into a living room/kitchen area with a couch and TV. The half-closed door at the far wall presumably led to a bedroom while the short hallway went to the bathroom. Someone had turned the living room wall into a collage of movie and rock band posters. Koichi smiled, recognizing some of the bands from the posters on Rito’s walls. Mahiro and Subaru were definitely music and movie lovers. Subaru noticed where Koichi was looking. “Mahi and I love music,” he said. “We used to go to concerts or karaoke all the time. With everything that’s been happening lately though…” he trailed off.
Koichi nodded. “I understand. When there’s a ghost in your home it’s hard to live life normally.”
Subaru rubbed his arms. “The worst part is that it’s my fault,” he whispered. “Mahiro kept telling me not to touch the board. If I’d listened to him, none of this would have happened.”
“You should have listened to him,” Koichi replied. There was no point in being gentle about this subject. “But it’s too late now. You’ve learned your lesson about playing with the paranormal though. Right?”
Subaru blanched. “Definitely. I’ll never do it again.”
Koichi tensed as he felt a wave of sadistic pleasure emanating from the hallway. What just happened? His question was answered for him when a spooked Mahiro bolted from the bathroom. He paused as he saw Koichi and Subaru. “H-Hello.” Mahiro swallowed, bowing his head in gratitude. “Thank you so much for coming to help us.”
“Did the spirit just scratch you?” Koichi asked.
Mahiro’s eyes widened. “How did you know that?”
“I can sense a spirit’s emotions,” Koichi explained. “This one is happy. Maliciously so. I felt its pleasure seconds before you came out so I assumed it hurt you.” The spirit claimed to be a girl named Miu, but spirits sometimes lied.
“Where did you get scratched?” Subaru demanded. “Show me.”
Mahiro hesitantly raised his shirt to show to show three bright red lines across his stomach. Subaru made an exclamation of alarm as he touched the scratches. “I… I was brushing my hair when it happened. My stomach suddenly felt like it was burning so I pulled my shirt up and saw this. Then I heard,” he swallowed nervously, “creepy laughter in my ear. Like the spirit was gloating about scratching me.” He let go of his shirt so he could wrap his arms around Subaru. “I'm so glad you’re here.”
Koichi tilted his head in the direction of the bathroom, trying to add more detail to his mental picture of the spirit. Summoned by a Ouija board, could speak and laugh but wasn’t able to manifest. It enjoyed causing pain because it’d scratched Mahiro at least twice now. Most likely it also took pleasure in conflict. “Have you two been fighting?” he asked.
The couple exchanged a look. “We have,” Subaru admitted. “We fight… almost every day. Sometimes it’s something little, like me not doing the laundry when it was my turn or Mahi not putting the dishes away. Or it’s a bigger fight about how I used the board. When we leave the apartment we’re fine. It’s when we’re here that we’re at each other’s throats.” Subaru sighed as he looked at Mahiro. “We’ve never fought this much before.”
“It’s true,” Mahiro said softly. “If we’re in the apartment then something will set us off. Next thing I know I’m in his face yelling at him.”
Enjoys causing conflict and pain, Koichi added to his list. “You said you feel better outside the apartment. Do you feel tense coming back to the building?”
“Yes. We’re not sure what’s going to happen next.”
“Have you stayed somewhere else during the haunting?”
Subaru brushed his hair back. “We stayed with friends a couple nights. We felt fine then. I don’t think the ghost followed us. I know Koudai or Takemasa would’ve said something,” he added as he looked at Mahiro again.
At least the ghost couldn’t follow them. “That’s good. You mentioned that you hear footsteps and slamming doors… does this happen often?”
“All the time.” Mahiro cast a frown at the bedroom door. “Doors are constantly opening and closing and we’ll hear footsteps going up and down the hallway. We started locking our bedroom door at night because too much would happen otherwise. Books would fall off the shelves, we’d wake up with bruises… though shutting out Miu or whoever she is makes her angry. The door shakes like something desperately wants to get inside.”
“But it never opens?”
“Never,” Mahiro replied. “It’s locked.”
Koichi nodded. “Do you hear scratching at the door?” It reminded him of his cats if he ever dared to keep them out of a room. Only there was a mix of scratching and loud meowing too.
“Yes,” Mahiro said.
“What about during the day if you’re in the bedroom? Do you keep the door shut then?”
The couple nodded. “The same thing happens. Scratching, the door shakes. It’s awful,” Subaru sighed.
“What about voices? You said you heard the spirit laugh at you in the bathroom.”
Subaru shook his head. “There isn’t much. It’s mostly the activity with the doors. Sometimes the lights flicker or the TV will turn on by itself. We’ve talked a few times about leaving a recorder out and seeing if we could pick up any voices.” He smiled sheepishly at Koichi. “We’ve been too afraid of what we would hear to do it though.”
Koichi brushed his hair back. “I don’t blame you. Is your brother experiencing any activity? Or is it just you two?”
“Nothing,” Subaru replied. “He lives in Osaka and it seems like the ghost stayed here instead of going after him. Kento mentioned he’s had some nightmares, but I think that’s just from using the board. Not because he’s being haunted. Or maybe he heard my stories…”
“Are you sure it’s not a freaky twin connection?” Mahiro teased, trying to bring some light into a serious situation.
Subaru rolled his eyes. “It isn’t that.”
Koichi listened with half an ear since the spirit was releasing different emotions than earlier. It felt angry, uneasy. He glanced at the couple again. “Could you show me where you used the board?”
“Behind the couch.” Subaru drew back from Mahiro’s embrace to walk Koichi to the fateful spot. He tapped the carpet with his foot. “It was right here.”
“Did you feel anything during the session? Like a sudden chill?”
Mahiro shook his head. “Nothing.”
“I did,” Subaru said quietly. “There was this… electric tingle in my hands when we made contact with the spirit. It didn’t get cold though.”
“Are there cold spots in your apartment?”
“Nothing. Should we be feeling cold spots?” Mahiro asked.
Koichi shrugged. “Honestly, it depends on the haunting. Sometimes there are cold spots, other times there aren’t. Aside from your bedroom where else is there activity?” He wasn’t sure what type of spirit was here. Maybe a poltergeist? Regular spirits could bang and scratch on doors as well so maybe not. His mother would know right away. Koichi, thankfully, hadn’t inherited her ability to see the dead. Feeling their emotions could be bad enough.
“Everywhere,” Mahiro replied. “The spirit follows us. We can’t lock ourselves in the kitchen or the living room so those rooms aren’t safe for us. Dishes will move on their own, I’ll feel something pulling my hair, and a pot flew off the shelf this morning. It would’ve hit Subaru if I hadn’t grabbed him in time.” He sighed as he rubbed his lover’s arm. “I really hope you can help us…”
Koichi hoped so too. “If I’m not strong enough to get rid of this ghost then I’ll put you in touch with someone who can.”
Subaru thanked him then reached for Mahiro’s hand, squeezing it tightly. “Should we go out while you investigate or do you want us to stay here?” he asked, sounding uncertain.
That was a decision Koichi always left up to the client. It was their home so if they weren’t comfortable letting him stay here and investigate by himself, he asked them to wait in a room and not disturb him while he communicated with the spirit. “Do whatever makes you feel most comfortable,” he replied.
The couple exchanged a look. “We’ll stay here in case something happens,” Subaru said. Mahiro nodded in agreement. They took a seat on the couch and promised to stay out of his way. Koichi exhaled deeply then headed down the hallway to face the spirit. He could feel it lurking nearby and suppressed a shudder at the myriad of emotions he felt from it. This was truly a vile spirit…
Koichi pulled a digital recorder from his pocket and clicked it on to capture any responses the spirit made. He liked having one so he could check for voices afterwards. He couldn’t always hear what a spirit said at the time.
“This is not your home,” Koichi said firmly. “You will leave this place and do no more harm to the people living here.” He didn’t flinch or jump when the bathroom door abruptly slammed shut while the door to the bedroom rattled on its hinges. Showing fear or unease gave the ghosts the upper hand. They were similar to humans in that way. A bully would get bored and back off if their victim didn’t cry or try to defend themselves. Koichi had learned that from a young age. So many assumed he was crazy, playing pretend, or was an attention-seeking liar for “claiming” to be psychic. They were the reason Koichi had kept to himself during his school years. It’d been a lonely childhood but it was better than being bullied for something he couldn’t change. It wasn’t his fault that he could sense spirits and feel their emotions. This ability wasn’t something he’d asked for; it was something he’d been born with. He never thought of his abilities as being a curse or a burden though. He liked knowing what was out there and he knew what steps to take to protect himself from negative spirits.
A sinister chuckle brought him back to the present. Koichi gave himself a mental scolding for letting himself get distracted while working. “Who are you?” he shivered as he felt an icy puff of air on the back of his neck. A low growl sounded from the spirit as he repeated his question. Koichi calmly turned to “face” it although he could only sense the spirit’s location, not see it. “I have faced spirits all my life. Breathing on me and slamming a door isn’t going to chase me from the property.” He squared his shoulders, eyes narrowing as he felt the spirit move into the bedroom with another angry hiss. Not so talkative now that it knew it couldn’t scare Koichi away with its usual tactics, was it? Koichi followed the spirit into the bedroom. A book levitated off the bedside table and flew through the air towards his head making him dodge. The book hit the floor and he heard the spirit growl.
“That’s enough!” Koichi said sharply. He pulled a lighter and a sage stick from his jacket pocket. Sage had long been used to ward off negative spirits. He burned sage in his apartment on a weekly basis to keep his home protected due to how it weakened spirits. He heard the spirit hiss in displeasure again as he lit the sage. He carefully blew on the flame so only a tiny one remained then waved the plant, watching the smoke curl around the room. He remained calm and strong even when he felt a burning sensation on his back. He’d been scratched by ghosts often enough that he knew what it felt like and that it was usually more mild than the initial pain indicated. Out of the corner of his eye he saw movement. Expecting another book to launch at his head he was shocked when he turned and came face to face with the spirit haunting Subaru and Mahiro. In life it had been a girl in her late teens. Her eyes were a bloody red while the rest of her-skin, hair, and clothes-were pale. Almost white. Her face contorted in rage as she lunged at Koichi.
“Don’t look at me!” she screamed. Too slow he threw up his arm to protect his face wincing in pain as he claw like fingernails scratched from his eyebrow to his cheekbone. Clapping a hand across his stinging eye Koichi flung the sage at her with his free hand. It struck her chest and passed through her body to land on the floor while she clutched her chest with a howl of pain. She vanished abruptly, her presence no longer registering in the room. A spooked Koichi stared at the spot she’d just occupied. What the hell? Sage was supposed to weaken spirits! The fact that she’d still been able to manifest gave him the chills. Then how she’d suddenly vanished…
“Koichi?” Subaru tentatively called. “Are… are you okay?”
Grimacing, Koichi collected the sage. “I’m fine.” He checked to make sure it hadn’t burned the carpet then he walked around the room, blowing smoke into the corners to purify the bedroom as best as he could. The spirit was too strong for him to get rid of on his own. He’d need to speak to his contacts. Touching his free hand to his back where he’d been scratched, Koichi knew he was lucky that she’d only scratched him. She easily could’ve done more. She could’ve clawed his eye out! It definitely wasn’t safe for Subaru and Mahiro to be here. Once he’d finished saging the bedroom Koichi left the room.
Seeing Koichi holding his hand over his eye, Mahiro sprang off the couch. “Shit, what happened? Are you okay?”
“I… I saw her true face. It made her angry so she scratched me.” Koichi lowered his hand when a worried Subaru asked to see his eye. It was watery and kept stinging. Keeping it open was a difficult task.
“Shit,” Subaru whispered. He blinked when Koichi handed him the sage stick. “What’s this?”
“Sage,” Koichi explained closing his eye again. “I lit it in your bedroom and waved the smoke into the corners. Saging a home helps to weaken the spirit but it won’t get rid of them entirely. You’ll need a priest or a shrine maiden for that. Do you two practice a specific religion?” he asked remembering the charms and the crosses from the photos.
Mahiro shook his head. “Not me.”
“Me neither.”
“All right. My parents are Catholic so when it comes to banishing spirits and cleansing a home, I tend to use a Catholic priest. I know a shrine maiden and a Buddhist monk so it’s up to you who you’d like me to put you in touch with.” Koichi’s opinion on religion was… complicated. He didn’t really believe in it but he went to his parents’ church to purify himself after a nasty case and he had his home blessed when it was threatened by spirits.
Mahiro brushed his bangs back. “I burned the Ouija board at a shrine. Maybe it’s best to bring in a Shinto priestess?”
Keeping his eye shut, Koichi pulled a pen and pad of paper from his jacket. He scribbled down name, phone number, and address for a priestess he knew. “She’ll help you with anything you need.”
“What about your eye?” Subaru asked. “You should go see a doctor…” he trailed off, looking worried as he bit his lip.
“I promise I will once I leave here.” Koichi tried opening his eye, realized that was a mistake when it started watering again, and closed it. “I wanted to make sure you two were taken care of first because this spirit… I believe it’s a poltergeist… behaved differently than they normally do. Be careful here. Until you can get your apartment cleansed and this poltergeist banished, I recommend staying with a friend. Or with your parents if they live nearby and don’t have issues with your relationship.” He was lucky that his parents didn’t care about his sexual preferences. They would prefer he wind up with a woman so they could have grandchildren, but also added that if he gave his heart to a man then he was just as welcome in their home.
“My parents are supportive,” Subaru said. “They live in Kyoto though so Mahi and I can hardly take the time off work to stay with them while we’re getting our apartment cleansed.”
Mahiro nodded. “It’s the same with me. We can stay with Takemasa again. He won’t mind having us as his house guests.” He looked at Koichi again. “Do you think this ghost is likely to follow us? She didn’t when we stayed with friends for the weekend. Our friends offered to let us stay with them, but Baru and I were afraid the ghost would come with us and torment our friends.”
Koichi shook his head. “I don't think she will. She seems to have an attachment to your home.” It would likely be difficult to remove her but he had faith in the priestess he’d recommended to them. So long as they followed his advice and never touched a Ouija board again they would get their apartment and their lives back to normal.
Notes
1) I started this in October '14 so Subaru (and I) had yet to turn 23.
2) I have the start of a mini-sequel written with Subaru and Mahiro enjoying their now ghost free apartment. I just have to find it in one of my 3 notebooks from Japan. Then finish it. I'll try to get to that this week!
3) I'm searching for jobs so I have plenty of time to write now. Do you want me to post chapter by chapter or wait until I have the next part completed? I know I'm not very good at updating in a timely manner so I'll leave that up to the readers.
4) I've spent the last week fussing over this and while I did try to find any errors and typos, please do correct me if I missed something.