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.
"Tezuka-kun!"
Shinobu, about to climb the stairs to the second floor, paused when he heard his name, causing Shun to plow into him before he could stop himself. Shinobu ignored the younger boy and looked down the hall.
The dorm lady hurried toward him, a scowl on her face.
"Tezuka-kun, there is a girl here waiting for Hasukawa-kun," she said. "I told her he was at the track, but she said that he wasn't." She glared up at him. "I know Hasukawa-kun is always at the track at this time, yet she has the nerve to disagree!" She shook her head. Then, almost as an afterthought, she added, "It's that same girl who tried to barge in here last year."
Shinobu heard Shun gasp, but waved him silent. "I'll take care of it," he told the dorm lady. "Is she in the waiting room?"
"Yes," the dorm lady said. "Get her out of here as soon as possible," she ordered. "She isn't a direct relation to anyone in the dormitory and has no business being here." She turned and returned to her post by the front door.
Shinobu turned and walked in the opposite direction, his desire to go upstairs forgotten. Shun followed behind him.
"Senpai," the younger boy asked, "why would Miya-chan be here? Suka-chan's always at the track in the afternoon."
"I expect we'll have to wait and see," Shinobu said calmly, opening the door to the waiting room and entering.
Igarashi Miya sat in one of the chairs looking mildly irritated but also a bit worried. She looked up as they entered. "Shun! Tezuka-senpai!"
Shinobu nodded at her.
"Miya-chan," Shun said, "what's going on? Suka-chan left for the track several hours ago."
"He wasn't there when I got there," Miya said. "I was supposed to meet him there. He was going to run a few laps, then we were going to go to the mall for a little while before I went home. But when I got to the track, he wasn't there." She sighed. "One of the other runners said that he'd gotten a message from a lady and had left before he started running."
Shinobu frowned. A lady? As far as he knew--as far as anybody knew, Hasukawa had no female admirers other than Igarashi Miya, nor did Hasukawa want any. The only ones who might therefore send him a note would be Igarashi-san, who had no reason to since she was supposed to meet him anyway, or possibly his sister-in-law, Sumire, who also had no reason to send him a note when she could pass it--circuitously, of course--through her husband, Kazuhiro, who worked in the school's infirmary. So who was it from?
"Igarashi-san," he said, "who told you about Hasukawa receiving a message?"
The girl frowned. "I didn't get his name, but he seemed to be younger than Kazuya. He had dark brown hair and bright green eyes."
Shinobu nodded. "It sounds like Fukushima," he said. He turned to Shun. "Go and get him."
"Which one?" Shun asked.
Shinobu sighed. There were two Fukushimas at Ryokuto, and both lived in Greenwood. One was the same age as Hasukawa and Shun. The other was his younger brother. Both looked almost exactly the same except that the younger one looked younger and was slightly smaller than his brother. And there was the obvious difference. "The younger one, of course," he told Shun. "He's the only one on the track team."
Shun slapped his forehead and took off at a run.
"Tezuka-senpai," Miya said softly, "does Kazuya have another girlfriend?"
Shinobu glanced at her. She was pretty enough, especially now that the cold edge in her personality had thawed, but she didn't really interest him. Not that he'd interfere in Hasukawa's relationship, of course, not after everything they'd all been through to get to this point.
"He hasn't said anything to us," he told her. "And do you really think that, after everything he's done to earn your trust and affection, he'd really turn around and chase some other girl?"
Miya flushed. "I guess not," she whispered, then was silent.
Shun arrived a few moments later with the younger Fukushima brother in tow. "Shun said you wanted to see me, senpai?" the boy asked.
"Yes," Shinobu said. "Today did you see who gave Hasukawa the note you told Igarashi-san about?"
The boy nodded. "I did," he said. "I'm the one that gave him the note from his sister."
Shinobu blinked. "His sister? Hasukawa doesn't have a sister."
The boy nodded again. "I knew that, but then I remembered that his brother's married, so maybe it was his sister-in-law."
"Could you describe the woman who gave you the note for Hasukawa?"
The younger boy frowned. "She was tall," he said slowly, "nearly as tall as you. She was wearing a really short red dress and had on a red hat. I couldn't really see her face because the hat had this really wide brim and she kept it pulled low. She was wearing red sandals and red gloves, and she took the note for Hasukawa-senpai out of a red handbag."
Something was wrong. Sumire didn't wear short dresses. Admittedly, he'd only seen her once when she came to visit Hasukawa, but she'd been wearing at least a knee-length skirt, and from all indications it seemed like she always wore them. "Can you remember anything else?" he asked.
The other boy shook his head. "Not really. Well, she did have black hair, which came to a little below her shoulders."
"Black hair?" Miya asked, confused. "But Sumire--"
Shinobu waved her silent. "Thank you, Fukushima. You've been a big help."
"Anytime, senpai," the boy said, smiling. He nodded once to Shun and once to Miya, then left.
"Senpai," Shun began the moment the door closed, "Sumire doesn't have black hair."
"And she never wears short dresses," Miya added.
Shinobu shook his head, a terrible suspicion forming in his head. "Igarashi-san," he said, "please go home now and leave everything to us."
The girl blinked. "But I want to help! I can't just--"
"Igarashi-san, you've only just patched things up with your mother, haven't you?"
The girl blinked again, then sighed. "Yes."
"For your mother's sake, then, please go home," Shinobu told her. She won't be happy to learn you're late because of the boy you turned away from Koizumi Tenma for."
Miya sighed again. "I guess you're right," she said. "I'll leave it all up to you." She looked up, her eyes suddenly fierce. "But please tell Kazuya to call me!"
Shinobu nodded his assent.
A few minutes later, he and Shun had left the dormitory and were wandering the streets around the school. There was really no point in asking in the houses; Hasukawa didn't know anybody living near the school. So if he was anywhere at all, then he would be somewhere on the streets.
Unless he was in one of the houses, Shinobu thought worriedly. Because if he was, then he'd been taken in there against his will, and he had a feeling he knew exactly who was behind it all.
Shun followed him silently, lost in his own thoughts. It didn't please Shinobu that the younger boy was possibly coming to the same conclusions he had, but he had other things to worry about.
They had just passed the entrance to the school when it happened.
A wave of malicious, angry pleasure washed over him, dulling his senses as the physical satisfaction and stimulation of another person momentarily overwhelmed his own control.
"Nagisa," he gasped, fighting down the revulsion he felt over the pleasure his sister was suddenly feeling.
Suddenly, pain-filled terror struck into him and through him, shutting out everything in the world around him as it spread through every fiber of his being. In his mind's eye he saw a red-headed boy a year younger than himself screaming in agony and fear.
"KAZUYA!"
Shinobu took off at a run. The fear had subsided to a continual ache that throbbed and pulsed with horrifying intensity each time Kazuya experienced another wave of pain. Underlying it with only slightly less force was his sister's twisted sadistic emotions. Together they formed a beacon that sang out in loud peals to his psyche.
"Hang on, Kazuya," Shinobu hissed through gritted teeth. "I'm coming." And Nagisa would pay for hurting his friend.
* * *
Shun struggled to keep up with Shinobu-senpai. He was a fast runner himself--no match for Suka-chan, of course--and could usually keep pace with Shinobu-senpai or Mitsuru-senpai when necessary. Now, though, Shinobu-senpai was quickly outdistancing him. And he had a strong motivation to do so.
Nagisa! Now everything came together. The black-haired woman in the short red dress who kept her face hidden could only be Shinobu-senpai's sister. Nagisa was the only one who would do something like that. Certainly Sumire wouldn't.
And it made sense that she would try to strike at her younger brother through Suka-chan this time. She'd tried to hurt him through Mitsuru-senpai first, then through his own brother, Reina. The only one she hadn't kidnapped yet was Suka-chan, and now, if her henchmen were anywhere close to being useful in acquiring information, she surely knew about the movie they were doing and the roles her younger brother and his friend were playing. It would be a perfect chance to belittle Shinobu-senpai, having her brother and his "lover" at her mercy.
The only thing Shun didn't understand was how Shinobu-senpai thought he would find them. He seemed to know where he was going, but how could he? For his part, Shun would have headed to the Flower Residences, the condominium where Nagisa had struck from the last time. Now, though, they were heading in almost the opposite direction.
And why had Shinobu-senpai suddenly screamed like that? And Suka-chan's given name at that? Normally he and Mitsuru-senpai called Suka-chan by his family name, Hasukawa, as did most of the older students. Everyone else either called him "Hasukawa-senpai" or, like Tochizawa and Furusawa-senpai, by the nickname he'd coined for him, Suka. But now Shinobu-senpai had gone beyond that to simply "Kazuya." What was going on?
Shun shoved the thoughts from his mind as he fought to go faster. Shinobu-senpai had just disappeared over a hill, and there was no telling if he'd turn off or not onto one of the side streets.
Panting and gasping, both from his exertions and sudden fear for his roommate, Shun struggled on.
* * *
It was a nondescript house among other nondescript houses, but Shinobu knew without a doubt that this one was the right one. The echoing beacon that had been Hasukawa's terror and pain had faded, suggesting that either he was unconscious or worse, but he could still sense Nagisa's vindictive pleasure resonating through his mind, and its origins lay somewhere behind the door in front of him. It was locked, of course. But he had a simple solution for that.
He drew his foot back and kicked the door in. It swung on his hinges and struck the wall, but instead of rebounding into his face, the doorknob on the other side crashed through the thin paneling and caught.
Shinobu stormed into the main room and looked around.
His sister stood by a sofa against the far wall, having jumped to her feet at his sudden entrance. She looked paler than usual, though it might have been the effect of the bright red dress and her deep black hair. On the other hand, perhaps the blood had drained away at seeing him. He didn't really care.
Three of Nagisa's four henchmen--A, B, and C, if he remembered correctly--were also in the room. A, the one with the mustache, was standing near Nagisa. B and C were only a few steps away, standing near a prone figure on the ground. A figure with red hair.
A wave of anger swept through Shinobu. He looked up and glared at the two men.
B and C suddenly flew across the room, colliding with A and sending them all tumbling to the ground. Shinobu thought he heard his sister gasp, but he paid no attention, kneeling beside the figure on the floor.
"Hasukawa," he whispered. He slowly reached down and touched the other boy's face.
Hasukawa's eyes flew open at the touch. He tried to scramble away, but his hand slipped, causing him to drop to the floor again. This time, he was able to look up.
"Senpai?"
Shinobu suddenly felt the other boy clawing his way up his body and clinging to him tightly. He automatically started to return the embrace, but, remembering what he'd seen, he stopped and looked down the other boy's back.
Long, red welts crisscrossed Hasukawa's dark skin. Some had started to bleed, the skin broken by Hasukawa's sudden exertions. Others were simply bright bruises that seemed to throb and pulse in time with the heaving sobs that shook Hasukawa's slender frame.
Shinobu gently placed his hands on relatively clear areas to return the embrace. He winced when he heard Hasukawa's sudden gasps, but the other boy only held him tighter and buried his head more firmly into his shoulder.
Some one approached from behind. "Senpai, what--" The voice broke off. "Suka-chan!"
Shinobu ignored Shun. Something else had drawn his attention. Looking down Hasukawa's back, he could see that blood stained his white briefs. It seemed to be in broad, straight lines, no doubt the result of the flogging he'd received, but there might be other causes for it as well. Nagisa wasn't the only one with perverted tastes. There was no telling what her henchmen had done to Hasukawa.
He slowly moved his hand down Hasukawa's back, stopping only when it rested at the waistband to the younger boy's briefs. He felt Hasukawa shudder violently.
"Hasukawa," he said softly, then shook his head. "No, Kazuya," he said, correcting himself, "I have to check. You know I do."
At this the other boy's shudders increased, and Shinobu felt the grip on him tighten. Then, he felt Kazuya's slow nod.
"It will be all right," Shinobu whispered softly. Then, he slowly hooked his fingers into the waistband and pulled it away from Kazuya's body. Taking a deep breath, he looked down.
Even at that distance he could see the bloody evidence of his sister's torturous techniques. A single long line of blood-encrusted skin crossed over Kazuya's buttocks, stretching from one side to the other. Surprisingly, he couldn't see any other discolorations, no other bruises from whatever Nagisa had used to flog him. But the skin was darker than it should have been, nearly the exact same tone as Kazuya's back, but with a definite shading of red or pink to it. It was almost as if the entire area had been flogged without a single centimeter being spared.
Shinobu's eyes widened and he looked up, only marginally aware that he was gently lowering Kazuya's briefs back into place. There was only one way such complete bruising could have occurred. He glanced around the room, ignoring the fact that A, B, and C were once again on their feet. There was something that he knew was there. He just had to look for it.
And there it was, leaning against the side of the sofa, just behind A's legs. A paddle of some sort, like the kind used during hazing rituals in Western fraternities. And next to it was what appeared to be a riding crop. But he knew Nagisa hated horses, so there could be only one reason for its presence.
He glared at it, and at the paddle, focusing all his anger and outrage upon those two instruments of torture.
The paddle broke first, tearing itself apart into a shower of splinters. The crop took longer, but it, too, snapped in half, the leather strips that had entwined its length fraying into thin, useless strips of rawhide.
Shinobu transferred his glare to his sister, who suddenly cringed away. "You are a monster, Nagisa," he said coldly. "How can you do such a thing to someone who has never hurt you?"
His sister seemed to rally. "Never hurt me?" she snapped. "It's because of him and your other friends that I can never hurt you! But I can hurt him, and through your lover I can certainly hurt you!"
Shinobu's eyes narrowed. "You're right," he said. "You can hurt him, and through him you can hurt me. And my friends do their best to protect me because they care about me. But you wouldn't understand that, would you, Nagisa? Because you don't have any friends of your own."
He saw his sister's eyes blaze with sudden fury, but he redirected his glare to the sofa. Its legs suddenly gave way, causing it to fall to the floor with a sharp, resounding thump. Nagisa jumped, fear once more replacing her anger.
A door opened, and everybody glanced in its direction, but Shinobu remained focused on his sister. The person who was entering the room wasn't a threat. He could feel that much at least. "Shun," he said without turning, "take the bandages and antiseptic from D. And also see if you can find Kazuya's clothes."
He heard Shun moving away behind him but paid him no attention. He was vaguely aware that D remained where he was and that Shun had pushed past him into the other room. It wasn't until he heard Shun's outraged cry that he glanced in that direction.
Shun stood in the doorway, holding up strips of cloth. "Look what they did to his clothes!" he fumed. "They're rags! The only things they haven't destroyed are his shoes!"
Shinobu turned and glowered at his sister again. "Find him something to wear, Shun," he ordered. "We can't just take him home like this."
"There's a yukata in the closet," D said softly. "You can use that. And some geta by the door."
Shun disappeared into the other room again, reemerging carrying the lightweight kimono that D had suggested. Shun seemed surprised that it had been there at all. Shinobu could understand it: A, B, C, and D seemed to live in their business suits, and it was difficult to imagine any of them in anything else.
Shun approached and gently draped the yukata over Kazuya's shoulders. Shinobu winced when he heard Kauzya's sharp gasp of pain, but he forced himself to set it aside. It was imperative that they dress Kazuya and get out of there and back to the dormitory.
He looked down. "Kazuya," he said softly. He called out again until the boy looked up at him.
"Kazuya, it's time to go," Shinobu said. "You have to stand up so we can dress you."
The younger boy stared at him. Shinobu met and held his gaze, and he gradually felt Kazuya's trembling stop. Kazuya slowly rose to his feet, the yukata falling away. Shinobu caught it before it fell to the floor and repositioned it over the other boy's shoulders.
Kazuya moved liked a zombie, allowing Shinobu to direct his arms through the sleeves. Once they were in place, Shinobu cinched the sash loosely so that it wouldn't press into Kazuya's bruised and lacerated back. That done, Shinobu stood up and gently drew Kazuya back into his arms. Kazuya returned the embrace, once again burrowing into his shoulder.
Shinobu turned his glare back to his sister. "I suggest you leave Tokyo immediately," he said coldly. "If I sense you within two kilometers of Ryokuto Academy tomorrow morning, I will call the police and have them arrest you for the kidnapping and beating of a minor."
"You wouldn't dare," Nagisa sneered.
"If you ever come within a kilometer of Ryokuto again," he continued, ignoring her rebuttal, "I will call Father and tell him that you are interfering with my studies."
This time Nagisa said nothing. If there was anything she feared more than being caught in her perversions, it was their father's anger.
But Shinobu wasn't done. "And if you ever, ever, try to hurt me through any of my friends, and especially Kazuya, I will call Akira and tell him exactly where you are."
And if there was anything Nagisa feared more than their father's wrath, it was their brother's vengeful fury. "You wouldn't dare!" she gasped, this time more out of fear that he would do as he promised. "You don't even know how to get in touch with him!"
"On the contrary," he snapped. "I know exactly where he is. Akira writes to me fairly regularly, and I have his current phone number. I'm sure he'll be pleased to know that I've heard from you again."
He glared at his sister, and this time, she jumped backwards, landing on the ruined sofa. She stared at him in horror, then tried to hide behind A, B, and C, who themselves were rigid with fear.
Shinobu turned and looked at D. "You don't seem to be as evil as the others," he told him. "I suggest you go home and sever all ties with them."
He didn't wait to see D's response. He turned to Shun and nodded towards the door. Shun took the hint and backed out, keeping an eye, no doubt, on Nagisa and her three cronies.
Shinobu looked down at the boy in his arms. "Kazuya," he whispered, "let's go home now."
Kazuya looked up at him once and nodded, but he didn't relinquish his grasp around Shinobu's waist.
Shinobu wanted to do more than simply throw Nagisa and her henchmen around or break things. She'd done worse by breaking--or at least badly damaging--Kazuya's spirit. But Kazuya's well-being was more important now than his desire for vengeance. He continued to glare at Nagisa, but he brought his hand up to Kazuya's head and gently ran it through the younger boy's fine red hair.
After a few moments, he felt Kazuya's grip loosen slightly, and relaxed his own embrace in turn. He didn't let go completely, though, and neither did Kazuya. He kept one arm curved around Kazuya's shoulders, and the younger boy reached up and clung to his hand tightly.
Shinobu gently placed his other hand on Kazuya's elbow and guided him towards the door.
Behind him he heard Nagisa get to her feet. "That's right!" she shrieked. "Go back to your boys, you boy lover! I hope you're happy with your 'Kenichi' there!"
Shinobu stopped and looked over his shoulder. "That's right, Nagisa," he told her. "I love boys. I love the boys at Ryokurin Hall because they are all my friends. And I love Kazuya as well, because he's also my friend. But that's something you wouldn't understand, isn't it, Nagisa? Because you don't have any friends, and you don't know how to love."
He turned and walked out of the house without looking back, ignoring the infuriated screams that followed him out. As he and Kazuya joined Shun and started down the street, he heard another set of footfalls echoing behind him. Those, however, turned in the opposite direction.
Not that he cared. All his attention was focused on the quiet boy walking at his side whose hands still clung tightly to the one that rested on his shoulder.
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