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.

Kazuya sighed deeply as he sank into the furo. It had been so long since he could actually just sit and soak. He looked down into the water towards his foot, and grinned as he wriggled his toes and could actually see them instead of rapidly-greying white plaster.

Then, hearing a soft noise that sounded almost like a chuckle, he looked up.

"Happy?" Shinobu-sempai asked as he slipped into the water.

Kazuya nodded. "You have no idea."

Shinobu-sempai shrugged. "Maybe I do. I certainly haven't missed the soaks, but today was rather wet and chilly, wasn't it? The hot water is certainly welcome."

Kazuya shook his head. "Yeah, it's nice that it's warm, but now I can stretch!" And he did so, straining all his muscles until he actually started to hurt, then he relaxed.

Shinobu-sempai smiled again, then he turned away, the smile slipping from his face.

Kazuya frowned. "Aniki, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Kazuya," Shinobu-sempai said.

"I thought you'd be happy after everything we did today," Kazuya said.

"Oh, I am happy," his friend said, smiling briefly, but Kazuya could tell that it was forced. "But there's still a lot of work to be done yet."

"Aniki," Kazuya said, "we've tracked down all four of the spirits Shun summoned. Haru's our friend, and he destroyed the succubus. The rusalka understands that it was all a mistake and she's willing to leave everyone alone until we can send her back to where she came from, the mummy..." Kazuya paused. "Okay, we don't know where the mummy is, but so far no one's died from the sickness it's spreading, and we know at least that it's in Tokyo somewhere. And the book--"

"The book is what's bothering me," his friend interrupted. "That, and what we need to do about it."

"You've sealed away the book," Kazuya pointed out, "so no one's going to be summoning any more spirits or monsters."

Shinobu-sempai gazed steadily at him. "Kazuya, do you really think that's it? Do you truly believe that just by confining the book to a box that we've solved all our problems?"

Kazuya stared at his friend, then sighed. "We're not even close, are we?" He sank down lower and blew bubbles in the water.

"Let's ignore the book for a moment," Shinobu-sempai said. "If it really came down to it and any or all of the spirits Shun summoned came to Greenwood, we could probably find a way to defeat them all. When we all come together, Greenwood's collection of oddballs and misfits can solve practically any problem. And you know that Greenwood's residents are no strangers to spectral phenomena and spiritual hauntings."

Kazuya nodded. Misako's initial appearance had only surprised them all, not scared them silly. Well, except for the way she'd originally presented herself, but that was her idea of artistic license, so it could be excused. And certainly everyone--except Mitsuru, of course--had grown used to Misako being around, inviting her into their rooms for conversations. They'd all even more or less taken the side effects of her tantrums in stride...once everyone finished cleaning up, that is.

"So spirits and ghosts we can deal with," Shinobu-sempai continued. "But that book has never been alive the way Misako was. That book was created for the purpose of evil, and that's what it was trying to do when Shun was reading from it: evil."

Kazuya started to shiver despite the hot water that surrounded him.

"When I first took that book around to the temples and churches and shrines," his friend continued, "all the priests, from the oldest and wisest to the newest novices, came running to see what sort of evil thing had entered their sanctuaries. I had a very difficult time convincing them that I was there for help and not to destroy them all."

Kazuya felt his shivering becoming worse, but he quickly forced himself to think about other things. His mind latched onto Haru, and he desperately focused on recreating his friend's face and features in his mind.

"Even after all the work was done, I could still sense the book's evil, even through all the wards and spells and charms the priests wrapped it in." Shinobu-sempai sighed. "Even if we can stop the mummy...and I think a match or a cigarette lighter will do the job...we still have to find a way to neutralize that book."

Kazuya heard everything his friend was saying, but he fought hard to keep his mind on Haru and how he felt whenever the vampire was nearby.

"The real problem," Shinobu-sempai said, "is that the solution to releasing Haru and the rusalka and the mummy from Shun's summoning spells may well be in that book, only we can't read it because the counterspells are written in those other languages, and the book wouldn't let us read them the way it let Shun read the summoning spells. And we can't take the book to any experts, since they'll end up actually reading the spells and just causing more problems."

"Sempai, stop!" Kazuya cried. Despite all his efforts, he felt the terror overwhelming him again.

"Kazuya? What is it? What's wrong?"

"Sempai, help me!" Kazuya hissed through his gritted teeth as he tried to control his shivering body. He felt the water surge as his friend drew closer.

"What is it, Kazuya?" Shinobu-sempai demanded. "What's--"

Kazuya looked up at his friend, trying to hold back the tears that all his futile efforts were causing. He abruptly found his shoulders being gripped tightly, and his eyes locked into place by his friend's fiercely intent gaze.

"Kazuya, calm down," Shinobu-sempai said, his voice soft but firm. "You need to relax. Let go of your fear and terror. Relax. Nothing's going to happen to you. Relax. Relax. Relax."

Kazuya, unable to tear his gaze away from his friend's eyes, found himself slowly relaxing. Abruptly the tension that had been gripping him dissipated, and he sagged back into the water. He sighed with relief.

"Are you all right now?" Shinobu-sempai asked quietly, still gripping his shoulders.

Kazuya nodded. "I'm fine," he said weakly. "I just feel really, really tired now."

"Then let's go upstairs and let you rest."

Kazuya nodded again.

* * *

Shinobu slowly unwound the bandage, then redid them tighter than before. The bandage needed to be loose enough to provide some flexibility and mobility, yet taut enough to provide the kind of strength and support Kazuya's leg would need to continue healing properly. Although...

"Aniki, I'm sorry."

Shinobu looked up. "Why are you apologizing?"

The other boy flushed. "It seems as though every time I get hurt, you're always the one who ends up helping me take care of myself. I know you have more important things to do than put up with my uselessness."

Shinobu stared steadily at his friend until Kazuya looked away nervously. "Kazuya," he said, "I'm doing this because I can do it. You're my friend. Friends do these things for each other." He looked back down and began wrapping Kazuya's leg again. "Besides, considering how Mitsuru is, I know more about first aid anyway."

"I don't get it," Kazuya said.

Shinobu shrugged. "You know that Mitsuru heals with unnatural speed, especially his face. The only time he ever needs anybody's help to heal is when he's sick. So, since he himself doesn't really need first aid, he doesn't know much more than the basics. I've always thought the knowledge would be useful to have, so I studied it."

"Oh." Kazuya was silent for several long moments while Shinobu continued his careful wrapping. Then he spoke again.

"Aniki, is this really necessary?"

Shinobu looked up. "You mean wrapping your leg?"

Kazuya nodded. "I know the doctor couldn't believe it, but my leg's entirely healed, thanks to Haru's blood. Since it's completely fine, do I really need to have that bandage wrapped around my leg?"

Shinobu sighed. "Kazuya, do you know what the words 'inconspicuous' and 'discreet' mean?"

"Of course I do," his friend said, his voice indignant.

"Then I assume you also know the meanings of 'conspicuous' and 'indiscreet,'" Shinobu said. "It would be rather indiscreet of you to be walking around the dormitory, with this bandage conspicuously absent from your leg. Everybody knows that you broke your leg last month, and everybody knows that broken bones don't completely heal within just under three weeks. By all rights--especially since the entire dormitory knows that you were wearing a plaster cast this morning and probably knows you were actually healing more slowly than normal--you should still be in a plaster cast instead of this bandage. If you start walking around without this bandage on at least, everyone will start to wonder, and things may start coming out that you would rather didn't."

Kazuya flushed. "All right," he said. "I understand."

Shinobu nodded. "I know the whole thing confused the doctor, so let's not rouse any more suspicions, all right? This bandage will help us on that score."

Kazuya sighed. "Okay, I'll use the bandage."

"I knew you'd see it my way," Shinobu said. He finished wrapping the bandage and clipped it into place. "There. All done."

Kazuya sighed and fell back onto the bed. "That's a relief," he said happily. "My leg feels much lighter."

Shinobu smiled as he stood up, then it slipped away. He sat down at the desk. "Kazuya," he said, allowing himself to sound serious and concerned.

Kazuya looked over him, his own smile fading. "Aniki, what is it? What's wrong?"

"You tell me," Shinobu said.

"What?"

"You tell me," Shinobu repeated. "Today down in the baths something happened. You suddenly started shaking and you couldn't stop."

Kazuya flushed again. "Oh. That."

"Kazuya, talk to me," Shinobu urged. "What happened?"

Kazuya sighed. "I guess I had another attack."

Shinobu drew in his breath sharply. "It's happened before?"

Kazuya nodded. "A couple of weeks ago, when Haru first visited me at home."

"Tell me," Shinobu ordered.

He listened as Kazuya told him about how he and Haru had begun talking about the book, and how he'd become so upset about it that he'd begun shaking and shivering, and hadn't been able to stop himself.

"Haru had to bite me to stop me," Kazuya said.

Shinobu's eyebrow rose. "Bite you?"

"To drink my blood," Kazuya added. "He weakened me to the point where I couldn't really focus on the book anymore, and the shaking suddenly stopped. I couldn't move after that, but I couldn't shiver either."

"You were talking about the book?" Shinobu asked. "Like we were doing today?"

Kazuya nodded. "He was telling me about how evil the book was." A shadow passed over his face.

"Don't," Shinobu ordered immediately.

Kazuya looked up, confused. "What?"

"Don't think about it," Shinobu said. "Don't think about the book at all. Tell me more about the attack. Have you had them before this?"

Kazuya nodded. "I remember having one shortly after my mother died. I was afraid that I'd lose Kazuhiro, too, and I just couldn't stop shaking."

Shinobu thought for a moment. "Then it's fear that triggers these attacks," he said softly.

"I guess so," Kazuya said. "How did you know what to do today?"

"Because I've pulled you through an attack before," Shinobu said.

Kazuya blinked. "You did? When?"

"When my sister decided to meet you," Shinobu said quietly. "You don't remember it, do you?"

"Your sister kidnapping me?" Kazuya snapped. "Of course I do!"

Shinobu shook his head. "Not the kidnapping. The attack. And not by her henchmen."

"I still don't know what you're talking about."

Shinobu nodded. "I didn't think so. You were in the throes of an attack when Shun and I rescued you that time."

"I was?"

"You were curled up on the floor, and then you were clinging to me while we got you out of there." Shinobu thought for a moment. "At first I thought you were shivering because you were cold, or because you were feeling really embarrassed about it all. Now I know it was because you were really terrified of something."

"But I wasn't--"

"It's all right, Kazuya," Shinobu said, cutting his friend off. "Nagisa has that effect on a lot of people." He had a feeling that Kazuya had been afraid of his friends knowing what had been done to him, and of what they might say about it. Still, Kazuya chose not to acknowledge that, so he didn't press the issue. Nagisa made a convenient scapegoat.

"What's more important right now," Shinobu continued, ignoring his friend's stammered objections, "is that you keep yourself from having any more attacks, especially while we're discussing the book."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Kazuya demanded. "The only reason I didn't have any attacks the next day was because Haru did something to my mind that kept me from actually thinking about it."

Shinobu's eyes narrowed. "Oh, really?" he said softly. "Then maybe we should ask him to put it back in place."

* * *

Mitsuru tried to focus on the book in his hand, but something kept distracting him. Finally he sighed and set the book aside. Then he turned his full attention to the current situation.

Something was definitely bothering him. It wasn't that Shinobu had traded rooms with Shun; he was fine with that. It wasn't that Shun's cheerful personality had become worried and somber; that disturbed him, but it wasn't what was distracting him from his book. It wasn't that Shinobu was with Kazuya and he was stuck with Shun.

Or was it?

Mitsuru frowned. He knew he was protective of Kazuya--okay, sometimes maybe too protective--but why should he be worried about Shinobu and Kazuya staying in the same room? It wasn't like they hadn't done the same thing back when Nagisa had kidnapped Kazuya.

And surely he wasn't jealous of Shinobu being able to spend so much time with Kazuya. That was absolutely ridiculous!

And yet...Shinobu's reasons for changing rooms had struck him as being strange and illogical, and even now they were...

"Konban wa, Mitsuru!"

Despite himself, Mitsuru cried out as Misako suddenly floated in through the closed window. "Misako! What are you doing here?"

She looked hurt. "Can't I come and visit? she asked, her eyes starting to water.

"Of course you can," he said quickly, desperate to keep her from crying and devastating Greenwood all over again.

She immediately brightened. "That's great!" she gushed. She looked around. "I guess your roommate's planning on moving back in here later."

"Of course he is," Mitsuru said. "He's just staying next door to help Kazuya."

"Oh," she said. "Well, I just thought he was being thoughtful of you."

Mitsuru frowned. "What are you talking about?" he demanded.

"I thought he moved next door so they wouldn't disturb you when the vampire visits."

Mitsuru's jaw dropped. "When the what visits?"

Misako blinked. "The vampire?" she offered.

Mitsuru jumped up and stormed out of the room. He spun on his heel, marched over the neighboring room, and flung the door open.

His jaw dropped.

Shinobu sat at the desk, calmly reading a book while somebody was leaning over the lower bunk. Only the person wasn't Kazuya; he was in the bunk. This other person was someone he'd never seen before, and from his location by the door, Mitsuru could see that the other person was doing something to Kazuya's throat.

"What's going on here?" he demanded.

The figure on the bed jumped up, bumping his head on the upper bunk, before cracking his chin on Kazuya's head as the other boy rose up into a sitting position.

Mitsuru stared at Shinobu, who continued reading silently as though nothing were happening around him.

"I can explain, aniki," Kazuya said, rubbing his forehead.

Mitsuru crossed his arms across his chest. "I'm waiting," he said coldly. "Start talking, Kazuya."

The younger boy swallowed, then nodded.

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