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.
Shinobu stepped off the train, calmly juggling the bags he'd brought with him. He had called Kazuya the night before to obtain directions to the Hasukawa residence, at which time Kazuya had changed his invitation to dinner into an invitation to spend the night--or maybe even longer. It was touching that Kazuya should be so concerned about him, but he was accustomed to spending his winter vacation alone. Having dinner with Kazuya and his family would be a novelty, but not necessarily one he wanted to lengthen unduly.
Still, he had accepted the invitation to spend the night at least. There had been something in Kazuya's voice that had raised all sorts of warnings in his head. Spending the night would at least provide him with time to find out what was wrong.
Of course, by agreeing to stay over, he had committed himself to finding new gifts for the Hasukawa family, gifts more expressive of his gratitude for the troubles they were taking on his behalf. It was only proper, after all.
"Tezuka-kun!"
Shinobu looked up, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the crowd at the train station. Then he blinked when he saw the person coming towards him. "Dr. Hasukawa?"
Kazuya's older brother, Kazuhiro, smiled at him in a benign vacant sort of way. "Merry Christmas, Tezuka-kun."
"Merry Christmas," Shinobu responded automatically. Then he looked around. "Did your brother come with you?"
The older man shook his head. "Kazuya's at home. He wanted to come, but he needs to rest his leg as much as possible if it's ever going to heal."
Shinobu again felt the same sense of foreboding he'd experienced the night before. He maintained his outward composure, but inside he felt cold and uneasy.
"Actually," Dr. Hasukawa continued, apparently oblivious to Shinobu's distraction, "He hasn't been feeling too well."
Shinobu shot him a sharp glance. "What's wrong with him?"
"Nothing, nothing," the doctor said quickly. "However, he hasn't really been sleeping well. Sumire said that he woke up around midnight his first night at home because of a nightmare. And for the past several nights he's stayed up pretty late, even coming down around midnight for a snack. Of course, he's been napping on and off throughout each day, and sometimes he misses a meal, so he's just making up for it all, really."
"I see," Shinobu said softly, then he shut his mouth.
Shinobu said nothing as he followed Dr. Hasukawa home. He only partially listened to the man's chatter about maybe buying a car or a motorcycle rather than relying so heavily on the trains and the bicycle he used for short distances. The rest of his mind focused on the unease both Kazuya's voice and his brother's report had raised in him. As a result, he was only peripherally aware of their progress, and before he knew it, they were at their destination.
His companion opened the door of the house. "We're here!" He gestured for Shinobu to enter. Shinobu bowed his head and stepped inside.
A beautiful young woman hurried towards them. "Welcome!" she called as she came. "It's good to see you again, Tezuka-san."
Shinobu bowed to her. Then he reached into one of his bags and pulled out a wide flat box wrapped in elegantly decorated paper. The emblem on the ribbon that bound it proclaimed it to be from one of the most prestigious confectioneries in Tokyo. He handed it to her. "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Hasukawa."
Her eyes widened. "But this is--"
Shinobu shook his head. "I apologize for so inconveniencing you this evening," he said, "especially on such short notice."
She recovered her composure and waved her hand in front of her face. "It's no bother," she said. "And a week was more than sufficient notice."
"But I'll be imposing on you for longer than just this evening." He paused. "I'm not sure if Hasukawa informed you that he invited me to spend the night?"
She nodded. "You're more than welcome to stay here until you return to the dormitory," she offered. "I know Kazuya would be happy if you stayed."
Shinobu shook his head. "I could never impose that long on your hospitality," he said. "But thank you for the offer. Is Hasukawa here?" he asked, changing the subject.
She nodded. "He's upstairs resting. Because of his leg he usually only comes downstairs when he has to."
"I'll take you up," Dr. Hasukawa said. "The guest room is right across the hall from Kazuya's room."
"Thank you," Shinobu said. He nodded again to the doctor's wife, then followed him upstairs.
At the top of the stairs the doctor turned around and gestured to Shinobu's left. "This is your room," he said. Then he reached out and took the bags from Shinobu's hands. "I'll put these inside. Kazuya's room is right over there." He nodded in the other direction. "Just go on in." Then he went into the guest room.
Shinobu turned in the other direction. He took a deep breath, then opened Kazuya's door and stepped inside.
Only his firm self-control kept him from lurching back again in shock and surprise.
Kazuya was asleep on his bed, his interwoven fingers and hands resting across his chest. He'd drawn his unrestricted leg up a bit, while his cast-bound leg lay like a fallen monolith beside it. But what really worried Shinobu was Kazuya's face.
Kazuya had a darker skin-tone than he did, something closer to Mitsuru's complexion. It muted the brightness of his red hair, but just now none of that mattered, because the boy was extremely pale. Maybe it was from a lack of direct sunlight or something along those lines, but Shinobu also thought Kazuya looked wasted and drawn, as though all the life had been drawn out of his features. And more than anything else he could sense how weak and weary Kazuya was.
Why hadn't Kazuya's brother noticed anything? Because he rarely saw Kazuya? Surely he'd seen enough of him before that he'd know something was wrong. Because of Kazuya's injury? Maybe, except that Kazuya had looked better before he left the dormitory than he did now.
Shinobu shook his head and went to the bed. He sat down on the edge, placing his hand over Kazuya's. The younger boy stirred slightly in his sleep, and his expression relaxed and lightened somewhat, hiding some of the weariness.
It was then that Shinobu sensed a strange yet strangely familiar presence in the house. It seemed to be similar to what he'd felt each time Misako had appeared at Greenwood, but not quite. And besides, Kazuya had never mentioned his house being haunted, and he doubted that Misako or her friends would have followed Kazuya home.
Something was going on, and Shinobu didn't like it.
* * *
Kazuya stretched out on his bed and stared morosely at the ceiling.
He'd been both surprised and chagrined when he'd awakened that afternoon to see Shinobu-sempai sitting on his bed, gazing back at him. He'd wanted so badly to be able to greet his aniki properly, especially since his friend had endured his badgering and gone so far against his own inclination to accept the invitation to dinner. And instead of being a proper host, he'd been sleeping when his guest arrived!
It had been only minor comfort that his sempai had dismissed his concerns with an assertion that he had needed the sleep to continue his recovery.
They'd spent the rest of the afternoon catching up, though there really wasn't a lot to share since they'd seen each other only the week before. Still, Kazuya had felt better having one of his best friends there with him. As much as he might love Kazuhiro and Sumire, the home that he'd grown up in no longer felt like "home." For him, home was Greenwood, and part of that was the presence of his friends. With Shinobu-sempai there, the Hasukawa residence felt more like home than it had in a while.
They had only stopped their private conversation to go down to dinner and the more open discussion at the table.
Their meal was a far cry from the elaborate, festive occasion that Americans and Europeans seemed to enjoy at Christmas, but Kazuya enjoyed himself immensely. Part of it was that Sumire had prepared one of his favorite dishes and several of the dishes he knew Shinobu-sempai particularly liked. The other part was that he had succeeded in doing the near impossible: getting Shinobu-sempai to share in a family gathering other than his own. It was a minor miracle, and Kazuya knew it.
Now that dinner, dessert, and the evening's entertainment--the two of them thoroughly trouncing Kazuhiro and Sumire at hana fuda--were over, however, he was getting ready for bed. His brother and his wife had retired already, Kazuhiro obviously smarting from the defeat he'd been handed by his younger brother. Shinobu-sempai had gone downstairs to bathe, and with the house relatively silent, he was just waiting for his other aniki to visit.
He didn't have to wait long.
As always, Haru entered his room as a cloud of shimmering mist that slowly piled upon and drew into itself, until he finally solidified back into his true form. "Merry Christmas, Kazuya," he said.
Kazuya sat up, grinning happily. "Merry Christmas, Haru," he chirped. Then his face fell. "I'm sorry," he said. "I wasn't able to get you a gift."
"What are material things," his friend said, "compared to what you've already given me? Your trust...your faith...your friendship, loyalty, and compassion...you couldn't possibly give me anything more valuable than these." Haru stopped. "Well, your blood, but there's a reason for that." He grinned.
Kazuya grinned back. "And it's a perfectly reasonable reason."
Haru sighed then, the smile slipping away. "I'm just sorry I couldn't get you a gift."
Kazuya shook his head and reached down. He knocked on his cast. "And what you've given me is more important to me than any memento. You have no idea how much I want to get out of this thing!"
"Speaking of that," Haru said, suddenly completely serious, "how are you feeling? Have you experienced any side effects today?"
Kazuya shook his head. Ever since Haru had begun giving him some of his blood, he'd asked the same question each subsequent evening. And every night Kazuya told him the same thing.
"I'm fine, Haru," he said. "I haven't noticed any side effects yet, although to be honest, I haven't gone out of my way to find them."
Haru sighed. "All right," he said. Then he frowned. "Your friend arrived, didn't he?"
"Shinobu-sempai?" Kazuya asked. "He arrived this afternoon."
"I know," Haru said. "I can sense him. He's downstairs, isn't he?"
Kazuya nodded. "He's bathing right now."
"Do you know if he has that book with him?"
Kazuya frowned. "I didn't ask him. Should I?"
"No." Haru sat down on the bed beside him. "I don't sense the book anywhere close by, so he probably didn't bring it. Besides, there are a few more important things to take care of right now anyway." He reached up and drew back the side of his collar.
Kazuya smiled. He, too, reached up to his collar.
* * *
Shinobu stepped out of the bathing room, running his hand through his still damp hair.
Despite himself, he smiled. The evening had actually been enjoyable. There had not been that almost oppressive closeness that had characterized his one visit with Mitsuru's family. There were enough underlying currents of tension--between Kazuya and Kazuhiro most notably--that he hadn't felt completely out of place. And Kazuya had certainly been glad to see him. Of course, given that his injuries had probably confined him almost completely to the house, he was most likely glad for any change in his daily routine.
Be fair, Shinobu chided himself. He'd been glad to see Kazuya, too.
Kazuya hadn't been able to buy him a present, but that was all right. To Shinobu's mind, Kazuya had given him his present the moment he'd invited him over for dinner on Christmas. He only wished he could have given his friend something of comparable value, though it seemed as though Kazuya was happy just having him there.
Kazuya...
Shinobu frowned. There was something going on with Kazuya, only he wasn't entirely certain what it was. Outwardly Kazuya appeared to be the same, but he had changed on the inside. At dinner he had seemed more withdrawn than usual, as though he were busy thinking about something else. On the other hand, Shinobu had no idea whether Kazuya behaved differently at home than at the dormitory. The situations were different, after all.
He had just closed the door behind him when he froze, his hand still on the frame.
The presence he had felt earlier...it was active! And it was encroaching on Kazuya's presence!
Shinobu felt chills race down his spine. The presence was familiar because it was familiar and known to him. He'd sensed it once at Greenwood, and then it had vanished. Now it was here, in Kazuya's home. What was it doing here? What did it want with Kazuya?
Shinobu strode quickly but calmly to the stairs, keeping his tread as quiet as possible. He glided silently up the stairs and, after dropping his bathing things in his room, started over to Kazuya's room.
His hand was reaching to open the door when something in the two essences he sensed in the room beyond stopped him.
The essence he knew to be Kazuya faltered, then faded, while the other grew in intensity and strength. Then, that one ebbed, and Kazuya's suddenly surged and blazed forth. Finally, the two seemed to balance out, with both being slightly brighter than before.
As he fought to recover from the dizziness that swept over him, Shinobu heard talking in the room.
"Try to get some rest, okay?" a strange voice said.
"I will," Kazuya's voice said. "Will you be all right getting your own food tonight?"
"Of course," the first voice answered. "Good night, Kazuya."
Shinobu blinked. Who was calling his friend by his given name?
"Good night," Kazuya said, his voice fading. "And Merry Christmas, aniki."
Shinobu could stand it no longer. He slid the door open and stepped quickly inside. He said nothing as he took in the scene.
Kazuya was rising into a sitting position, his face pale with shock. Sitting on the edge of the bed next to him was a young man, around their age, who was staring at him with a mixture of irritation, confusion, and a small amount of fear.
Shinobu felt a tightness clutching at his stomach. He hadn't wanted to believe what his senses had told him, but now he had no choice.
Kazuya started to get out of bed. "Sempai, I can explain," he said. He froze when Shinobu gazed steadily at him.
"Do explain, Kazuya," he said calmly. "Tell me why there is a vampire in your room."
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