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.
"Well?" Mitsuru snapped. "Where's this explanation you promised me?"
Kazuya opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
"You can't explain, can you?" Mitsuru said coldly. "Because there is no explanation. There is absolutely no way in the world that you could possibly explain why there is a vampire in your room, sitting on your bed, rubbing his head and chin because he was interrupted in drinking your blood and hurt himself when he jumped." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Are you out of your mind?" he screamed.
Kazuya and the vampire flinched, while Shinobu remained engrossed in his book.
Mitsuru was furious. He couldn't remember ever being as angry with his younger friend as he was right now. Sure, there'd been that time during Kazuya's first summer at Greenwood when the boy had tried to turn a discussion about his reasons for not going home around on him. He'd been irritated at the younger boy's comments since they'd struck so close to home. There'd been a number of instances during the filming of "Here is Devilwood" when Kazuya had messed up a scene or missed his cues. During Misako's initial visit to Greenwood, he'd become upset when everyone--even Kazuya, Shun, and Shinobu--had more or less abandoned him to Misako.
But none of it compared to how angry he was now.
"You're just lucky," he said, starting to pace the length of the narrow room. "For some obscure reason, you're still alive. I don't know how long this vampire's been visiting you, but you're just plain lucky that he hasn't killed you." He stopped. "How long has he been visiting you?" he demanded.
"Um...about a month?" Kazuya said in a small voice.
"A month?" Mitsuru screamed again. "I don't believe this. A vampire's been visiting you for a month, and you let him drink your blood?"
He stopped when he was at the door and whirled around. "And you," he said, pointing at Shinobu. "You've just been sitting there and letting this all happen? You just sat there and read your book while our 'little brother' has been risking his life and you did nothing?"
"Aniki--"
Mitsuru made a sharp gesture at Kazuya, cutting the boy off as he resumed his pacing. "It's all my fault," he said. "I knew something was going on but I didn't bother to stop and think about it. I knew Shinobu's proposal to trade rooms didn't make sense, but I went along with it." He shook his head. "I should have guessed that something would happen when Shun read that spell, but I was so dense I thought only about protecting Shun, and didn't even realize that Kazuya would also be in danger. So I gave Shun the charm, and Kazuya got bitten instead."
"Aniki, it isn't--"
Mitsuru whirled on his friend. "Didn't you realize how dangerous this all was?" he snapped. "Did you even stop to think about the risks you were taking? What if you died? Did you stop and think about how that would affect everyone you left behind? Your brother? Sumire? Me?"
And that was it. Mitsuru was afraid. He loved Kazuya as much as he loved Shinobu and Shun, his brother Sho, his parents, his grandfather. And to think that he had been so close to losing his friend and hadn't even realized it. To think that his friend was flirting with death and worse...it terrified him. He couldn't remember ever being so scared in his life. Not when he'd first completely and wholly understood with something other than a child's innocence that he had been abandoned by his real parents. Not when he'd been kidnapped by Shinobu's sister Nagisa. Not when Kazuya had lost himself in his role in "Here is Love" and practically fled from him. The closest might possibly be when he'd learned that Nagisa had kidnapped Kazuya, but he'd learned that after Shinobu had rescued their friend, so it didn't really count. But to think that he could have lost--could still lose--one of his best loved friends...
He couldn't handle it. And that in itself scared him. So he took refuge in his anger and channeled all the fear he couldn't express into his anger and let it out.
"What kind of funeral did you want, Kazuya? Buddhist? Shinto? Did you want us to bury you or cremate you? Maybe cremation would be best. Then we wouldn't have to dig you up and drive a stake through your heart."
He heard Kazuya's sharp intake of breath and knew he was hurting his friend, but he couldn't stop himself.
"Do you know how hard that would be for me?" he said. "Because I'd probably be the only one able to do it, since Shinobu seems disinclined to interfere. And I certainly wouldn't let Shun do it. But do you think I could so easily mutilate your body like that? I'd probably wind up kneeling there until you woke up and killed me!" He shook his head and drew breath to continue.
"That's enough, Mitsuru."
Mitsuru blinked, brought up short. He looked over at his roommate. Shinobu had lowered his book and was gazing steadily at him in that piercing, unnerving way he had. Despite how angry he still was at Shinobu, he took a step back and remained silent.
"I know what you're doing," Shinobu said, his voice still quiet. "You're hurt and you're scared, and you're lashing out at us because you don't know what to do. You love Kazuya and you're afraid of losing him, and can't handle that." He stood up. "I understand how you feel, but you'd better stop before you go too far and say something you'll regret."
Mitsuru stared at his friend. Then, he suddenly felt weak and tired. He sagged against the wall by the door and slowly sank to the floor.
* * *
"Aniki?" Kazuya said. He started to get out of the bed.
"It's all right," Shinobu told him. He glanced back at his friend. "The adrenaline just wore off, that's all." He walked over to Mitsuru, hauled him to his feet, and dragged him over to the desk, where he sat him down in the chair. Then he backed away and resumed his own seat.
He glanced over at Kazuya. "You understand that he didn't really mean what he was saying, right?"
Kazuya nodded, an unhappy frown on his face. "He was just scared," he said softly.
Shinobu shook his head. "More than just scared," he said. "That was Mitsuru's equivalent of one of your fear attacks. You just handle it differently." He looked back at his roommate. "Mitsuru, are you all right?" He heard the other boy draw in a long, shaky breath.
"Yes," Mitsuru said softly. "I'm...fine."
Shinobu shook his head. Mitsuru definitely was not fine, and he wasn't exactly sure how to help his friend. "Well," he said finally, "maybe we should start off by introducing you two. Mitsuru, this is Haru." He deliberately kept the tone informal. It was possibly the only way he could undo the damage their premature meeting had caused. "As you may have guessed, Haru is the vampire Shun summoned. He is eighteen years old, sleeps during the day, needs blood to survive...and loves to eat instant ramen."
"Sempai!" Kazuya hissed, his tone slightly outraged and scandalized. Shinobu ignored him.
"Haru, this--as you probably guessed--is Mitsuru, my roommate. He has a sense of humor more warped than my own, he looked like an Amazon with a cold the last time he put on a dress, and...he snores."
"Shinobu!"
Shinobu smiled inwardly at finally getting a rise out of Mitsuru. He congratulated himself when he heard Haru chuckling softly.
"He pulled a number on us, didn't he?" Haru said to Mitsuru. "We'll have to find a way to get back at him."
Shinobu bit back a smirk as he listened to Haru offer a flag of truce to Mitsuru, even as he silently warned himself to be on guard around the two of them. He glanced over at his roommate to see how he reacted. He was rewarded with a rueful sigh.
"You can't get back at him," Mitsuru said. "He always manages to avoid any tricks, if he doesn't turn it back on you first."
"I'm glad you remember that," Shinobu said. He looked around the room. "Now, can we all be calm and polite, if not overly friendly?"
"Yes," Haru said immediately.
"Mitsuru?"
"Yes."
"All right," Shinobu said. "Then I think we should fill you in on some facts about what's been going on, including the fact that we all owe Haru our lives."
Mitsuru blinked. "What?"
Shinobu held up his hand. "I'll explain."
* * *
By the time Shinobu finished--with added comments from Kazuya and the vampire--bringing him up to date on everything that had been happening, Mitsuru felt a bit more kindly disposed towards the vampire...towards Haru. He even felt a little embarrassed now about his outburst. Still, he wasn't so much "more comfortable" around the vampire than he was "less uncomfortable."
"I guess we do owe you our lives," he said to the other boy, turning to watch as Haru helped Kazuya remove the bandage around his leg. "You kept the succubus from getting to us all. Thank you."
"That's all right," Haru said. "No one deserves to be attacked by a succubus."
"But don't think that I'm about to let you near my neck," Mitsuru added.
Haru shook his head. "I'd never take your blood without asking."
Mitsuru stared skeptically at the other boy. "You took Kazuya's without asking. And from what you yourself said, you were doing it all the time before you came to Greenwood."
The vampire flushed. "The circumstances were different then," he said. "Do you think I'd have taken Kazuya's blood if I'd had a choice?"
Kazuya suddenly sat up straighter, turning to look at the vampire who sat beside him. "What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded. "What's wrong with my blood?"
Mitsuru blinked when Haru suddenly winked at him. It was a wink filled with so much mischief that Mitsuru suddenly felt as though he'd known Haru his entire life. He had a feeling he was going to see something worth seeing.
"Oh, nothing's wrong with your blood," Haru said reassuringly. "It's just that I don't really care for type A blood. I prefer type AB blood like Shinobu's."
Mitsuru bit back a smile as he saw all sorts of things wash over Kazuya's face. There was surprise, then confusion, then anger.
"Shinobu's blood?" the younger boy said, his voice holding a touch of jealousy. "But--"
Mitsuru couldn't help it. He burst out laughing, and that set Haru off. He was vaguely aware that Shinobu was shaking his head.
"Slow, Kazuya," his roommate said.
Mitsuru managed to control himself long enough to see Kazuya looking at him, then at Haru, then him again. Kazuya's face clouded with hurt. Mitsuru stopped when he saw how upset Kazuya was becoming.
The younger boy abruptly stood up. He took two steps before dropping to his knees beside Shinobu. Then he rested his head on Shinobu's lap, his eyes suddenly wide and watery as he stared back at Mitsuru.
Mitsuru suddenly felt extremely guilty.
"Aniki," Kazuya said, and his trembling voice made Mitsuru feel even worse. "Aniki, Mitsuru-niichan's picking on me again, and now he's got Haru-niichan doing it, too!"
Mitsuru exchanged a quick glance at Haru, noting the surprise on the other boy's face as well.
"I know, Kazuya," Shinobu said. Mitsuru looked back in time to see Shinobu gently stroke Kazuya's hair.
"I'm afraid," Shinobu continued, looking down at Kazuya, "that Mitsuru's warped sense of humor is contagious, and apparently Haru didn't have the sense to avoid it."
Mitsuru winced. He looked over at Haru again and saw the rueful grin that crept up onto the other boy's face. "I guess we deserved that," he said. The vampire nodded.
Mitsuru looked back at Kazuya. "I'm sor--" He broke off when he saw the smirk that had appeared on Kazuya's face even while his head remained on Shinobu's lap. Looking up, he saw a similar expression on his roommate's face. "What--"
"Slow, Mitsuru," Shinobu said. "Very, very slow."
Mitsuru shook his head. "I don't believe this," he muttered. "Now Kazuya's getting the better of me."
Kazuya got to his feet. "What do you expect? I've been learning from the best."
Mitsuru felt a little better at that. "Well, thanks," he said.
"Who said anything about you?" Kazuya said smugly. "I was talking about Shinobu-niichan."
Mitsuru winced. "Twice!" he groaned. "Twice in one night!"
Shinobu nodded, smiling serenely. "He's getting better at it. But, as he said, he's learning from the best."
Mitsuru shook his head. "Et tu, Shinobu?" He looked over at Haru. "This just isn't my night," he said.
Haru was staring warily at Kazuya, who had just resumed his seat beside him. "Remind me never to get on their bad sides," he said.
"Don't get on their bad sides," Mitsuru said, shaking his head. "Look, let's call a truce for tonight, okay?" He stood up. "I'd better go back to my room before Shun gets back and starts looking for me."
"Where is Shun, by the way?" Kazuya asked. "I'd have thought he'd have come running when he heard you shouting."
"He went to the baths," Mitsuru said. "He mentioned something about a new hair conditioner and letting it sit for nearly an hour before rinsing it off." He turned to leave.
* * *
Haru watched as the other boy prepared to leave. He wanted Mitsuru to stay, because something still bothered him about how he'd entered. "What I want to know," he said, "is how you found out I was here."
Mitsuru stopped and turned back. "Misako."
Haru immediately felt his heart sink and a spark of anger rising in him.
"You called?" a chirpy voice asked.
Haru blinked as Misako suddenly popped in through the door.
Mitsuru cringed. "No! I didn't call!"
Misako's face fell, and her eyes started to water.
"But we're glad to see you all the same," Kazuya said quickly. "Maybe you can answer some questions for us."
The girl's face cleared, and she smiled again. "Sure!"
Haru stared at Kazuya. "You know her?"
Kazuya blinked at him. "Of course! I thought I told you about her. She's been visiting Mitsuru for a while now." Then he stopped. "How do you know her?"
Haru shook his head. "I encountered Misako the first night I arrived here," he said. "We've been talking every night." He frowned and turned to Misako. "You promised you wouldn't tell anyone about me."
"Wait a minute," Mitsuru said. "Misako, you knew there was a vampire here?"
The ghost bowed her head. "Yes," she said softly.
"Did you know he was drinking Kazuya's blood?"
"Yes," the ghost said.
"And you didn't tell us?" Shinobu asked quietly.
The girl nodded. Then she looked up. "I promised I wouldn't tell!" she said defiantly. "But if he'd hurt Suka, I would have said something! I know how much you both care for him."
"Misako," Haru said, unable to keep his irritation hidden. "You broke your promise tonight, though, didn't you?"
She flinched. "But I thought he knew! I mean, Tezuka-sempai was sleeping in Suka's room, and Mitsuru didn't seem surprised by it, so I thought he understood what was going on!"
Haru shook his head. "Misako!"
"Leave her alone," Mitsuru said suddenly. "At least she told me what was going on, which is more than you can claim."
Misako's face lit up. "Mitsuru, you do care about me!" She launched herself at him. He instinctively flung himself backwards, but it didn't matter.
Haru watched as the ghost passed right through Mitsuru's body and through the wall into the room next door. There was a single moment when he saw her confused expression just before her head vanished through the wood.
Suddenly, there was a loud scream that broke off with a louder crash. Then there was silence.
"I guess Shun's back from the baths," Mitsuru said shakily, straightening up.
Misako abruptly burst back through the wall. "I didn't mean it!" she cried.
"Didn't mean what, Misako?" Haru asked.
"I didn't mean for Shun to get hurt!" she cried. "I didn't!"
Mitsuru and Shinobu jumped to their feet and moved quickly to the door.
"Stay here," Shinobu ordered as he closed the door behind him.
Haru stared at the door, then turned to look at the crying Misako and the concerned Kazuya.
"I'm sure your friend's all right," he said, but he knew that something was wrong. The crash had been too loud, and the following silence too still.
"Shun's fine," Kazuya said softly, but Haru could still hear the worry and fear in his friend's voice.
Haru sighed. The only thing they could do now was wait.
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