Note: I have nothing to do with Here is Greenwood and its characters except to be a fan who enjoys the OVAs a lot. This story is my extrapolation of the storylines as seen in the OVAs. I apologize if this story doesn't quite fit in with the manga.
Mitsuru shifted restlessly, but only part of his discomfort was from wearing his school uniform--minus the tie--on the weekend. The rest had to do with the situation he was in...or would soon enter into.
He was in the hallway outside of Room 210. As with 'Devilwood,' they'd decided to use Shun and Hasukawa's room because it was mostly empty of their personal belongings. As a result, it seemed larger than most of the other rooms in the building. The extra space allowed Tochizawa and his crew to set everything up with relative ease while keeping the "set" mostly clear for the actors to move around in.
Mitsuru turned away from the room and stared helplessly at his roommate. "I don't know if I can go through with this, Shinobu," he said softly.
"Everything will be all right, Mitsuru," the other boy said calmly. "Shun and I will be right here the entire time, so don't worry about Hasukawa. If he loses himself too deeply in character, we'll be here to bring him back."
Mitsuru shook his head. "I just hope we can get this done in one take. I don't think I'll be able to do this more than once."
"Everything will be fine," his friend repeated. "Don't worry about it."
Mitsuru was about to respond, but shut his mouth as Hasukawa and Shun approached. From the looks of things, Hasukawa was as nervous as he was. Unlike Mitsuru, the younger boy was wearing a plain light blue T-shirt and plain white shorts, since his character was on the track team, just like Hasukawa was.
"Are you ready, Hasukawa?" he forced himself to ask.
The younger boy looked jumpy and sick, but he tried to smile. "I'm ready, senpai." He frowned. "Just don't push me too hard, okay?"
Mitsuru laughed for the first time that day. "Really? I think I still owe you for that punch you gave me when you first arrived."
Hasukawa's red hair bristled. "Well, it was your fault for pulling such a stupid trick on me," he snapped. "And you hit me on the head with magazines more than enough to make us even!"
Shinobu stepped between them. "I'm glad you're both relaxed enough to argue," he said mildly. "But save your energies for the film."
Hasukawa stepped back, relaxing his stance but his eyes still tight. Mitsuru, for his part, felt slightly relieved. If they could still fight like this despite what they were about to do, then everything would probably be all right. For the first time he started to believe that Shinobu had been right all along.
Tochizawa popped his head out of 210. "Suka? Senpai? We're ready to begin." He ducked back inside.
Mitsuru swallowed once, feeling nervous again, but nowhere near as uncomfortable as he had before. "Ready, Hasukawa?"
"Yes, senpai."
Mitsuru nodded and went inside. Hasukawa moved past him to take his place by the far wall. Mitsuru glanced over his shoulder and saw that Shinobu and Shun were waiting by the door behind Tochizawa. Shinobu nodded once and Shun smiled brightly. Mitsuru nodded in return and glanced at Tochizawa. "Whenever you're ready," he said.
"All right! Lights! Camera! Action!"
* * *
"You bastard."
Kenichi looked up, startled. "Senpai?"
"You stupid, little bastard."
"Senpai, what is it?" Kenichi asked, worried. "Is something wrong?"
"Is something wrong?" Mikuro started to laugh bitterly, a harsh, angry sound. "You have the nerve to stand there and ask me if something's wrong?" Still laughing, he reached out, put his hands on Kenichi's shoulders, and shoved him. Hard.
Kenichi stumbled backwards, hitting the wall with such force that his head flew back, rebounding against the whitewashed concrete. He sank to the floor, stunned.
"I'll tell you what's wrong," Mikuro continued, glaring down at the dazed boy. "I hear you call me 'senpai' and I hear affection and friendship in your voice. But when I hear you call Seishiro 'senpai' I hear a lot more." He reached down and hauled Kenichi up by his shirt collar. "I hear love in your voice, you bastard!" he shouted, shaking the younger boy viciously. "Love! For someone who doesn't love you back!"
Kenichi swayed in Mikuro's grip, trying to still the jerking images before his eyes. "Seishiro does love me," he stammered. "He told me so!"
"You jerk!" Mikuro shoved Kenichi back into the wall again, this time holding onto him and pinning him against it. "He doesn't love you, Kenichi. I love you! Why can't you see that?" He took hold of the front of the other boy's shirt and ripped it apart, tearing the cloth away.
"Wh-what are you doing?" Kenichi stammered, fear making his voice rise.
"I'm going to show you exactly how much I love you," Mikuro said coldly. "I'm going to show you that I love you more than Seishiro ever will." He pulled the boy from the wall and hauled him over to the beds, where he threw him onto the lower bunk.
"Senpai, please! Stop it!" Kenichi tried to rise, but fell back, clutching his head.
"I love you, Kenichi-kun," Mikuro said, quickly unbuttoning his shirt and shrugging out of it and his coat. He started determinedly towards the bed.
* * *
"Cut!"
Shinobu, like the rest of the spectators, applauded. The scene had gone better than he'd expected. For a moment, he'd believed that it wasn't Hasukawa and Mitsuru in there but Kenichi and Mikuro. His two friends had really thrown themselves into their parts.
Tochizawa turned around. "That was terrific, senpai!" he said, his eyes glittering behind his glasses. "We don't have to do another take!" He turned back towards the room. "Mitsuru-senpai, Suka, you were both great!"
"Hasukawa, did you hear that?"
"Senpai, no! Please, don't! Get away from me!"
"Hasukawa?"
Shinobu frowned and pushed his way into the room. What he saw startled him.
Hasukawa had retreated to the far corner of the bed, pulling the blankets over him. His face was a mask of terror, and as they watched, he curled up into a fetal position under the blanket.
"Hasukawa!" Mitsuru shouted, starting forward, but pulling back when the other boy stiffened and seemed to shrink away even more. Shinobu saw how scared and upset his roommate was.
He cursed himself for his stupidity. He'd told both of them that everything would be all right, and now it wasn't. What they'd both feared had come to pass: Hasukawa had gone so deeply into character--aided along by Mitsuru's exceptionally convincing performance, no doubt--that now he remained Kenichi, absolutely terrified of Mitsuru, who he no doubt continued to perceive as Mikuro.
He sighed and pushed past Mitsuru, who had staggered over to the desk. Shun would help him deal with it. It was his responsibility to deal with Hasukawa.
Shinobu sat down on the lower bunk. "Hasukawa," he called softly.
Hasukawa's head emerged above the blanket. "Seishiro?" he gasped.
Shinobu shook his head. "No, Hasukawa, it's Shinobu. Do you remember me? I'm your neighbor in Greenwood. I'm in Room 211."
Something like awareness flickered in the other boy's eyes. "Shinobu? Greenwood?"
"That's right, Hasukawa," Shinobu said soothingly. "The scene's over now, you don't need to be Kenichi anymore. You can go back to being Hasukawa Kazuya now."
Hasukawa stared at him for a few long moments, then suddenly blinked. And blinked again. "Senpai? What happened?"
Shinobu smiled, letting his relief show in his face. "You just did a terrific scene with Mitsuru," he said. "Tochizawa said that you don't need to do it again."
"The scene?" Hasukawa blinked, then understanding appeared in his face. "The scene! It's finally over?" He looked over Shinobu's shoulder, and his eyes widened. Shinobu knew that the younger boy saw Mitsuru.
"Hasukawa, are you all right?" Mitsuru said, his voice ragged.
"I--" Hasukawa swallowed. "I think so." He started to get up, but Shinobu pushed him back down. "Senpai, what--"
"Just stay put," he ordered. "Mitsuru, get over here. Shun, get everybody else out of here." He didn't bother to see if everyone obeyed. He simply pinned Hasukawa against the wall. He didn't let the boy go until he heard the door close and felt the bed shift with Mitsuru's added weight.
He stood up and crossed over to the desk, where he turned the chair around. "Now listen carefully," he said, sitting down. "Hasukawa, do you know who that is?" he asked, pointing at Mitsuru.
Hasukawa looked confused. "Of course I do," he said. "That's Mitsuru-senpai."
"And do you know who I am?" Shinobu asked, pointing to himself.
"You're Shinobu-senpai."
"And do you know who you are?"
"I'm Hasukawa Kazuya," the other boy said impatiently. "Senpai, what's this all about?"
"A moment ago you weren't Hasukawa Kazuya," Mitsuru said softly. "You were still Kenichi."
Hasukawa blinked. "What?"
"He's right," Shinobu told him. "You became so involved in your character that you didn't come out of character when Tochizawa yelled 'cut.' When Mitsuru tried to help you out of bed, you practically screamed at him to stay away."
Hasukawa flushed. "I did? I didn't mean to." He glanced over at Mitsuru. "I'm sorry, senpai."
Mitsuru smiled wearily, but his relief shone through. "It's all right, Hasukawa. I'm just glad you're all right."
"Hasukawa," Shinobu said, "you realize that everything Mitsuru did to you during the scene was only acting, right? He'd never really attack you that way." He glanced over at Mitsuru.
His roommate caught the hint. "That's right, Hasukawa. I'd never do anything like that." He smiled, mischief suddenly making his eyes twinkle. "Besides, you're not my type."
Hasukawa blinked, then glared at Mitsuru. "And just what's wrong with me?"
"Well, for starters, you've got a stubborn streak wider than Tokyo Bay."
"You're one to talk!"
Shinobu smiled and listened as his two friends tore into each other with pointed barbs that only just veiled the relief they felt that everything was really all right between them.
* * *
The black Mercedes rolled away from Ryokuto Academy's administration building. While the car's driver headed into Tokyo, his passenger took out a cellular phone and pressed a key, instantly dialing a preprogrammed number. The phone rang twice before somebody answered.
"We have the information we needed on Hasukawa Kazuya," the man said. He listened for a moment. "No, there's nothing extraordinary about him except that he is friends with him. He is also one of the fastest runners on Ryokuto's track team, and he spends nearly every afternoon practicing at the school's field." There was another pause. "We discovered something else as well. Apparently the residents of Ryokurin Hall are filming another movie. This Hasukawa Kazuya is one of the main characters, along with him. According to the school gossip, Hasukawa Kazuya just finished filming a scene with that other boy, Ikeda Mitsuru. We've obtained a copy of the script. I'm sure you'll find the story extremely interesting."
There was another pause, this time much longer as the person on the other end went on at length. The man paled slightly, but recovered his composure quickly. "Very well, we'll begin immediately." He turned off the phone and slipped it back into his suit's pocket.
The driver glanced at him. "What did she say?"
"We're to make arrangements to rent a house near the school."
"That's it?" the driver demanded. "What else did she say?"
The other man told him.
The driver flushed. "Better him than me," he said. Then he guided the Mercedes in a turn that would take them back towards the school.
* * *
A week had passed, and Kazuya felt terrific as he headed for the track. Now that they'd gotten that horrible scene out of the way and weathered its aftermath, his relationship with Mitsuru-senpai could go back to being simply big brother-little brother.
There were differences, of course. He hadn't wanted to believe Shinobu-senpai when he'd said that he'd screamed in terror after the scene was over, but seeing Mitsuru-senpai's weary expression had told him that it was the truth. There had been such concern and pain and relief in his senpai's face that--once he got the last of Kenichi's terror out of his system--he'd felt happy and touched that Mitsuru-senpai cared about him enough to have been so worried. He'd done whatever he could to make the whole thing up to him, even deliberately looking the other way during dinner so that the older boy could snitch some of his food from him. Although Mitsuru-senpai didn't really need him looking the other way to do so.
Nothing Shinobu-senpai had said before had really helped when you came right down to it, but Kazuya couldn't help feeling grateful to his friend. Without Shinobu-senpai's assistance, he probably would still be terrified of being anywhere near Mitsuru-senpai. And perhaps his earlier reassurances about Mitsuru-senpai loving him had helped as well.
Certainly he and Mitsuru-senpai were closer than before. His friend had even invited him along to deliver Mrs. Ikeda's present. He'd ended up spending the entire evening there, and as before the Ikedas had made him feel like part of the family. Sho had been a little withdrawn at the beginning, avoiding Mitsuru-senpai as much as possible, but Kazuya had deliberately sought him out and encouraged him to mend the rift that had grown between the two brothers. That had been cause for greater happiness, and they'd invited him to spend the night, but he and Mitsuru-senpai had decided to go back to the dormitory. As happy as he was to be with his family, Mitsuru-senpai still felt it was better if he separated himself from them as much as possible.
Kazuya sighed and shook his head. Somehow, he vowed, he'd find a way to help Mitsuru-senpai get over that. The Ikedas plainly loved him, even if he wasn't their biological son. Somehow he had to get his friend to understand that it was love that really mattered in tying a family together, not bonds of blood.
"Hasukawa-senpai!"
Kazuya blinked, startled out of his reflections. He still wasn't used to being addressed as "senpai." It was really confusing whenever he was with Mitsuru-senpai or Shinobu-senpai--or both of them--and someone tried to get his attention. He looked up and saw one of the younger track members running towards him. "Fukushima?"
The younger boy stopped in front of him, barely winded. "A lady gave me this note for you," he said, holding out a small envelope.
"Miya-chan?" he wondered aloud, as he took the small packet. They were supposed to meet at the track after he finished some laps. Then he shook his head. Miya was his age, and not even Fukushima would mistake her for a grown woman.
"What did she look like?" he asked, looking up, but Fukushima had already run off in the direction of the track.
He shrugged and opened the envelope, taking out the letter inside.
"Kazuya, please meet me in front of the school at 3:30. I need your advice on picking out an anniversary present for your brother. Love, Sumire."
Kazuya blinked. Anniversary present? Then he remembered. Kazuhiro and Sumire had gotten married in the spring, and their anniversary was coming up soon. He had to get them a gift as well, and this way he and Sumire wouldn't get the same gift for Kazuhiro. Of course, he also had to get a gift for her, but he could get a better feel for what she liked and disliked.
He had reconciled himself to their marriage, even if he still felt some resentment towards Kazuhiro for it. But as long as the two of them were happy, he was happy, and he could still have Sumire in his life, even if most of his attention was centered on Miya.
There was something strange about the letter though. He read it through two more times before he realized what it was. Sumire always drew love hearts on the letters she sent him, and this one didn't have any. Well, maybe she'd been in a rush when she wrote the note and hadn't had time to add the heart.
He shrugged. It was almost 3:30 now. He'd better get to the front of the school quickly. He only hoped it wouldn't take too long, since he wanted to do at least 10 laps before he went out with Miya.
When he got to the front of the school, he was all alone. At first he saw nothing. Then, he noticed a black Mercedes parked across the street. Feeling a little uneasy, he started to back up, ready to sprint back to the track at a moment's notice.
He'd taken several steps back and was starting to turn when a man in a black business suit and dark glasses stepped into his path. Kazuya blinked, then tried to dart around him, but a hand reached around him and covered his mouth and nose with a cloth. There was a strange odor on the cloth that made him dizzy and confused. The last thing he saw as he sank to the ground was a pair of shapely feminine legs that ended in red sandals with 15-centimeter heels.
He felt sick and woozy as he finally regained consciousness. Somewhere along the line someone had stripped him down to his underwear. He started to move, despite the nausea he felt, but pain shot through his biceps as something--or two somethings--clamped down on them. He gasped and looked up, confused.
Two men wearing black business suits and dark glasses held him by his upper arms. It had been their vice-like grips that had caused him so much pain.
As his mind cleared, he suddenly realized that he recognized one of them. He'd ended up defending himself against the man, but it had been Mitsuru-senpai who had finally stopped him. The other man seemed younger and, unlike the first one, more uncomfortable with the situation.
Kazuya swallowed. If these two guys were involved, then that meant...
A low, throaty laugh filled the room. Kazuya immediately looked around for its source.
"Ah, I see you've awakened, Hasukawa Kazuya."
It was a woman's voice and it came from somewhere in front of him, but the room was too dim for him to see anything. There were traces of light high up on the wall, suggesting that the sun was setting, but no one had turned on any lights yet. But he didn't need lights to know who had spoken. He remembered that voice all too well.
"Nagisa," he whispered, his skin crawling with revulsion and fear.
Shinobu-senpai's cold, cruel sister laughed again. A light suddenly came on overhead, illuminating the room entirely. Kazuya half wished the room were still dark.
Tezuka Nagisa sat calmly upon a sofa against the far wall. She wore a blood-red dress that only heightened the blackness of her hair and the paleness of her skin. She held something long and thin and dark in her right hand and was lightly tapping its end against her left palm. With a sudden sense of foreboding Kazuya recognized it as a riding crop, the sort used by European riders during equestrian trials and dressage shows.
Nagisa suddenly rose to her feet and strode gracefully towards him. The men lifted him up and settled him onto his feet, but neither relinquished his grip on his arms.
Nagisa lightly tapped his nose with the crop. "Kazuya," she said softly, "do you mind if I call you Kazuya?"
Kazuya wanted to tell her yes, he did mind, but she continued, trailing he crop down his throat to his chest, where she poked at his sternum. "I've been doing some reading, Kazuya," she said, her voice husky. She leaned towards him, moving so close that their lips were almost touching. He tried to back away, but one of the men held his head in place.
"Tell me, Kazuya," Nagisa said seductively, "do you find me attractive?"
Kazuya personally found her the most repulsive creature on the face of the Earth, but again she continued on before he could speak. Actually, he had a feeling he wouldn't be allowed to speak for a while.
"Let me assure you, Kazuya," she continued, practically purring now, "that I'm much more attractive than my brother, and I'm sure you'll enjoy your experiences with me much more rewarding than anything he could offer."
Kazuya's eyes widened. She couldn't possibly have--
"And I assure you, I can be much more gentle than your friend Mitsuru was when he enjoyed your body."
No, she could have and had acquired a copy of Tochizawa's script. How else could she possibly know about the scenes they'd been doing?
The crop suddenly jabbed painfully into his chest.
"But I'm not going to be gentle," Nagisa snapped, her voice an ugly hiss. "You and your friends have interfered in my plans to humiliate my brother too many times. And since you're the only one I haven't really met yet, I thought it would be absolutely wonderful if we could take some time to get to know each other." She suddenly smiled, and it was an ugly, evil smile. "And one of the things I just have to know about you is how much pain you can endure before you scream for mercy. And believe me, I will make you scream. And this time neither Shinobu nor your friends will be able to rescue you."
"I know what you really want," Kazuya spat, determined to get some blows in before she tortured him. "You want to know what Shinobu's weaknesses are, don't you?"
Nagisa laughed. "You silly boy," she said coldly. "I already know what his weak points are. His friends. By hurting you I hurt him."
Kazuya forced himself to laugh. "Shows how much you know! We're his strengths, not his weaknesses. When he finds out what you've done to me, he'll do more this time than shoot you with a toy gun. Or haven't you realized that yet, you ugly old hag?"
The hands on his arms tightened painfully, but Kazuya continued to glare at Nagisa. He half expected her to hit him.
She held up the crop and examined it. "This is too good for you," she said calmly, heading towards a door across the room. She dropped the crop on the sofa as she walked by. She opened the door and drew something out. "I think we'll start with this."
Kazuya suddenly felt cold. It was a paddle like the kind American fraternities used in their hazing rituals. But while there were usually limits observed during those rituals, he had a feeling that Nagisa wouldn't exercise any restraint on her perverted passions.
"Turn him around, boys," she said, coming back towards them.
"Miss Nagisa--" one of the men--the one who seemed younger and more uncomfortable--began.
"Quiet!" she ordered. "D, if you can't handle this, tell A or B to take your place!"
Kazuya remembered A quite well, and Mitsuru-senpai had mentioned that B was just as bad as A. He hoped that D would remain--he might possibly be able to prevent Nagisa from fully indulging in her passions--but D was already letting go of his arm. He turned his head, trying with his gaze to beg the man to return, but D left the room. He glanced back once, and it seemed to Kazuya that he was sorry to abandon him. A few moments later another man entered.
It isn't A, so it must be B, Kazuya thought to himself. But that thought did little to help him. B's grip, if anything, was even stronger than C's was; if he squeezed any harder, he'd probably lose his arm because of lack of blood circulation.
"Turn him around," Nagisa repeated. This time she was obeyed immediately.
Kazuya closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, waiting for the first blow. He wouldn't scream, no matter how hard she hit him.
He only hoped Shinobu-senpai, Mitsuru-senpai, and Shun rescued him before Nagisa went too far.
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