Chapter Text
The clock was ticking.
Any second now, it would ring, and Shibuya Yuuri would be free to leave and have some fun. There were many things kids his age did to have fun. Go on vacation, hang out in the city, or even spend time with friends. Yuuri, however, had other plans.
To go and spend some time with his friends in his kingdom.
Ever since he became the king of the demon realm, Yuuri had been struggling with juggling his responsibilities as king and as a student. Hence why he was in his world rather than the demon realm. Apparently, his mother, whom he loved dearly, thought it would be best to limit his visits to his kingdom to holidays and summer vacation. While he understood her decision, he wasn’t all that happy about it. School wasn’t hard; it was just less fun than being a king!
Sighing, he sat at his desk, still staring at the clock. Just a few more seconds and… The bell rang, and Yuuri practically ran out of the classroom. He was so excited! It was summer vacation, so he had free rein to come and go to the demon world as much as he liked!
Panting, he waited at the school gate for his friend, Murata Ken. Like himself, Murata was more than just a regular high school student. He was the descendant (or reincarnation of) the great wise man of double black. To be honest, Yuuri wasn’t completely sure what or who Murata was. He always seemed to know more than he let on. But Yuuri was fine with that. He knew that despite how mysterious he liked to be, he wasn’t a bad guy. Strange, but not bad.
“Oi, Shibuya!” A voice called.
Well, speak of the devil, Yuuri thought, watching Murata jog up to him.
He was wearing his usual grin and knowing look. He had the same look when Yuuri had nearly died trying to contain the magic from the four forbidden boxes and stop Sousho from taking over. Yuuri was not as upset about it as his friends were. He hadn't really died then, so why worry about it?
Sure, he nearly died, a holy place was half destroyed, and his friends were nearly killed by his own hands, but all ended well. Now he could travel to the demon kingdom at will. (thumbs up for Yuuri.)
“Hey, Murata.” He replied, waving him over. He was happy to talk to his friend. For one thing, they were the exact same height. It was a nice change of pace from having to stare up at his friends like he usually did. As he thought this, he noticed that, upon closer inspection, Murata looked a little more frazzled than usual. “Hey, man, are you okay? You look tired.”
The black haired teen shook his head and waved off his concern.
“It’s fine. Just a… strange dream.” He assured, as vague as usual. Murata had this habit of being vague to the point where Yuuri wondered if he knew anything about what was being said, but he knew better. Murata always knew what was going on. “Anyway, why were you in such a hurry today? You were practically halfway out the door before the bell was even finished.” He joked.
“Yeah, I know. I was just excited.” He replied, blushing a bit at the thought that he’d been seen like that.
“What for?”
“Oh, I’m going over to the demon kingdom.” He answered. “My mom and I finally worked out a system. I go to school, and on vacations, I can head over. I was actually about to go now. Do you wanna come?” This was a common request. Since he learned he could go to the demon kingdom at will, Yuuri always brought Murata with him. It wasn't as much fun without him, and Murata was always willing to spend time with him.
“Oh!” Murata muttered, looking strangely nervous. “Uh, you don’t mean like today, today, right?” He asked, scratching his head. “I mean, we can go anytime. Like tomorrow or next week… Preferably next week.”
“Murata, if you have something else you need to do, it’s fine if you-” Yuuri started only to be interrupted by Murata.
“No, no, that’s not it at all!” He insisted. Yuuri stared at him for a minute, frowning in confusion. Murata stared back, looking like he was thinking hard about something. After another minute, he let out a sigh. “Fine, I’ll go.”
“Murata, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. I don’t want to force you or anything.” Yuuri assure him, frowning. Murata said nothing, staring into the distance before smiling calmly.
"N-no, it's fine, Shibuya." He replied, rubbing his head. "I think it might be better if I went with you. Besides, I have things to do there too." All at once, his smile had come back. Yuuri thought he'd seen Murata's smile falter just a bit, but the teen turned away before he could confirm it.
*****
After a quick trip to Yuuri’s house to pick up some treats for his friends, the two boys stood in the park by themselves. Despite it being fairly late in the afternoon, the area where the fountain stood was empty today.
"You know, Murata," Yuuri started, standing on the edge of the rim of the fountain. "I’ve always wondered something about this park.”
“What do you mean?” He asked, frowning in confusion.
“I mean, do you ever wonder why it is that this park is empty all the time?” He asked, looking around. “Anytime we come here to visit regularly, it's packed, but the times we need to use it to get to the demon kingdom, it's as quiet as a graveyard. Why do you think that is?" Murata stood next to him and stared at the surface of the water with a serious expression. "Murata?" The boy remained silent. “Murata!?”
“Huh?” Murata jumped at the sound, apparently not paying attention. He caught himself before he asked Yuuri to repeat himself. "Uh, I can't imagine why, but we shouldn't complain. It just means we can use this fountain to go to your kingdom. Don't worry about it." He stated with a smile again.
Yuuri wanted to ask what was bothering his friend, but Murata, realising Yuuri's intentions, grabbed his hand and pulled him into the water. It didn't take long for the normal water to shift around them, the magic with Yuuri creating a bridge from his world to the demon realm. All the while, Murata wondered if his suspicions were right or not.
He really hoped he was wrong.