Day 36: Waiting Room/Lobby 1

[forgot_my_life]

Oh yeah. This was bad. Grabbing a chair and ignoring the woman who had brought him in, Takaya crossed his arms and glared at the wall. He wasn't going to participate in this bullshit. Being told he had 'company' and that he should he happy about it had ruined what was otherwise an okay day

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[mazoku_king]

"Eh? Visitors?" Yuuri's eyes had widened in surprise when he had been pulled away and told he had a visitor. Who was here that would come and visit him? Wasn't he on another world? He had no idea what was going on, and any attempt to question his nurse went deflected - not that Yuuri noticed such a tactic.

Following along behind his nurse, Yuuri peered into the waiting room before crying out softly in surprise as he was pushed inside.

Turning around, the young Maou was met with a closed door for his effort. So, he wasn't going anywhere then? Sighing, Yuuri turned back around and began glancing around the room. Who was going to visit him? It was a question that kept nagging at him.

[damned_visitors]

A moment later, the door opened once more and a teenaged boy around the same age slipped inside, his black hair tousled slightly and his dark eyes peering about the room intently from behind his glasses before he spotted the young Maou.

"Shoji!" Murata greeted, his expression brightening in relief as he crossed the room towards his classmate. "You look well!"

[mazoku_king]

Thinkint that his nurse had forgotten something, Yuuri turned around to question her but found himself going wide-eyed at the sight before him. "MURATA?!" Yuuri loudly exclaimed as he saw the all-too familiar sight of his friend and classmate.

As Murata moved, so did Yuuri. Instantly closing the short distance between them, Yuuri reached out to grab Murata's shoulders and shake them - the fact that Murata had called him 'Shoji' instead of 'Shibuya' went entirely over the young Maou's head. "You got stuck here too?! Aaah I'm sorry, Murata, I dragged you into this mess. Are you alright?"

[damned_visitors]

Murata blinked owlishly at Shoji's sudden rush of nonsensical words, then pushed his glasses back up his nose from where they'd slid down at the other boy's vehement shaking.

"Of course I'm alright. I should be asking you that. How are you feeling? You've really had people worried."

[mazoku_king]

"Eh?" Yuuri glanced at Murata questionably. People worried? Who would worry about him? It wasn't like going from world to world was something anyone worried about any more. Well, his mum was always worried about him - whether he was on Earth or Shin Makoku... and Shori was as well, but they didn't count since they always worried over everything - especially Shori. "I didn't think that Conrad and the others knew we were here?"

Speaking of the others reminded Yuuri of Wolfram's presence, and not a moment later, the young Maou was grabbing at Murata's shoulders again as he announced. "Wolfram's trapped here as well! But he's from a different time than me."

[damned_visitors]

"Wolfram who?" Murata blinked again, looking more bewildered by this conversation the more words spilled from his friend's lips. He shook his head, bewilderment melting into a sympathetic expression. "Shoji, you... Look, let's sit down, yeah? You still seem a little confused."

[mazoku_king]

"Huh?" Yuuri stood there and mirrored Murata's previous gesture as he blinked in confusion. What was Murata going on about? How could he not remember Wolfram? "Ahh Murata, you didn't hit your head or something, did you?" He jokingly asked before the name finally registered in his head.

"Shoji?" The young Maou echoed before glancing back over his shoulder and around his room to see where this 'Shoji' was. His efforts gave him nothing, and just as he turned back to ask just who Shoji was, it hit him. "EEeh?" Pointing towards himself, Yuuri stared at Murata wide-eyed as he questioned. "I'm Shibuya. Come on, stop messing around with me Murata."

[damned_visitors]

Murata shook his head, staring at his friend in bewilderment as he sank down on one of the chairs. "You really did fry your brain preparing for all those exams, didn't you? Shoji, if you were that stressed over taking them, I could have helped you study or something. Sure, they're important, but not so much that you end up here. Your mother's been so upset and worried."

[mazoku_king]

"What's going on with you Murata? Exams aren't for another couple of months yet." Yuuri had no idea what was going on. What was Murata even talking about? Exams, stress? Eh?! His mother?! Yuuri's eyes widened at the last point made by Murata. "Eeh? Mum know's that I'm here? But I thought she was back on Earth?!"

A flash of his mother appeared in his head at the mention of her, and he smiled awkwardly as he heard her voice, 'Yuu-chan, call me Mama.'

[damned_visitors]

"Shoji, you are on earth," Murata explained, looking exasperated and confused. "You always have been. You never left. You just... studied a little too hard and over-taxed your brain. Your imagination has been running a little away with you, I think."

[mazoku_king]

"Huh?" Murata's 'explanation' caused Yuuri to frown. While he was all confused over what was going on, he just knew something wasn't right with Murata.

"Why are you speaking like that Murata?" Yuuri asked as he moved to sit beside his friend. Glancing over towards the other boy, all traces of Yuuri's confusion fled his mind as he inquired. "You and I have been over to Shin Makoku dozens of times."

[damned_visitors]

"Over to where?" Murata asked, looking thoroughly bewildered. "Is that a new restaurant or something? I've never heard of it."

[mazoku_king]

If this was a joke, then he didn't get it. Something was 'off' about Murata, and he just couldn't put his finger on it--- His eyes widened as realisation hit him. Claire had mentioned something about brainwashing, hadn't she? Alarmed, the first thought that ran through Yuuri's head was the possibility that Murata had been brainwashed.

That was worse than him imagining Murata wrapped up in a straight-jacket.

"I'm sorry Murata!" Yuuri suddenly blurted, "Not only is it my fault that you're stuck here, but now you're brainwashed as well!" That was the only thing that would explain why Murata was acting so funny.

[damned_visitors]

"Shoji," Murata replied patiently, shaking his head at his friend. "Listen to yourself. No one is stuck here. This isn't a prison, or a punishment. It's a hospital, and it's designed to help you get better. I know you want to go home, but your mother and father and brother are worried about you. That's why they got you this help. And honestly, I can see why. You're a bit worrying like this, Shoji."

[mazoku_king]

"Listen to me? You should listen to you!" Yuuri cried out in desperation. Poor Murata! Not only was he dragged to the wrong world by him, but he'd managed to get his good friend brainwashed! Aah why did life have to be so cruel? Murata was too young to be brainwashed!

"This is like a prison! I've been trying to get myself home with Wolfram, but my powers don't let me. Besides that, they have monsters that run around attacking people at night - well, not that I've run into any of them yet, but I'm sure that Cloud and the others were telling the truth." Sighing, the young Maou wondered if he could even get through to Murata like this.

Steeling his mind, Yuuri turned to face Murata front on as he glanced seriously at his friend. Grabbing onto Murata's shoulders to emphasize his meaning, Yuuri murmured, "I don't know how, but I'm going to help you remember. And then when that happens, we can think of a way to get Wolfram and all the others to their proper home. Right, Murata?"

[damned_visitors]

Murata's expression was sympathetic as he clasped his hands on his friend's shoulders, his eyes sad as he listened to the nonsense his friend babbled.

"Shoji, Shoji, calm down," Murata tried to soothe him. "You know me, you know I want you home more than anyone, but Shoji, these delusions of yours are kind of frightening. You need help and that's why you're here, because these doctors can help you remember. The last thing anyone wants is to see you hurt, and that's why you're here. If you let them help you, then you can come home again."

And Shoji definitely needed the help. Murata purposely avoided mentioning the event that had landed his friend here, when his mother had found Shouji hysterical and trying to drown himself in the bathtub, claiming it was some sort of portal to another world.