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[Five years, six months and eighteen days. A long time, and yet to actually believe it was over was difficult. Rise was trying hard not to think too much on it. She was ashamed to admit that she had been dreading this day for a long time, despite how she continued to work towards it--she had simply met too many people she had grown close to for it to be considered a happy occasion for her.

Life was life, it continued, and now it was time for all of them to return home. She should at least try to content herself with the fact that she had met them all--that she had met Matt.

Even if she would never see him again.

Rise closed her eyes as the countdown began, unsure of what to expect. When it reached one she felt a strange, uncomfortable sensation in her stomach that went as soon as it had come. Her eyes shot open and she nearly tumbled to the ground but caught herself before she did. She was now in what looked like a very cozy room. Definitely not the Kishin Chamber, but definitely no place she knew.

Stranger yet was Matt was by her side. She blinked a bit--what was going on?]

Matty?

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[Souji realized that, in the drone of presences, he could feel confusion and familiarity. And goddamn, did things really make sense after that. He took a moment to put the thoughts into order, glossing over each one of them as he did so, sorting them as he had his Personae years before.

Everything clicked into place, when the final piece took priority over all the others.]

Yosuke.

[Repeating a motion that'd been done just the day before a continent away, Souji moved to Yosuke and knelt down, giving precisely two shits about whatever it was getting on his knees as he took hold of Yosuke's neck gently, pressing his forehead against his. Maybe, if he was right, he could do something about this.

It wasn't like he hadn't talked to Lavi about Japan's fetishes in the past, anyways.]

[Yosuke didn't even think twice about grabbing the front of Souji's shirt and gripping it tightly, until his knuckles went white. He was scared, and confused, and Souji's presence was more than reassuring.

He was crying, a little, and maybe it was a bit over dramatic, but that's how he always is. Yosuke always felt things a little too intensely, and this wasn't any exception.]

It won't stop!

Shhh. I know.

[He slid one hand to the back of Yosuke's head, fingers curling in his hair. The other went to his jaw, tipping his head up a little so he could press a long kiss against his forehead.]

But I'm here. I'm here, it'll be okay.

[Soft reassurances could only do so much, though, and Souji focused on the part of Japan that he knew was Yosuke. Whatever he could do to get it to stop, even if it was only a little.]

[But it does help, after a few moments; he stops crying, but doesn't loosen his grip on Souji at all.]

I don't understand-- What-- Why?

[His knees feel damp, and there's grit and gravel digging into his pants, but Souji stays there, wraps his arms around Yosuke to hold him close. He takes a moment to brush a thumb across his cheeks, one at a time as he thinks.]

I don't-- [No, he does know.] BREW. I don't know why, but it did this. And we'll figure out why it did.

[There's a sense of urgency at the back of his mind, but he knows rushing won't do anything. If he can feel the countries, their territories and states and cities, then he knows it won't be long.]

[He sits up a bit at that, because it makes so much sense and he just--]

Can't believe it. S-seriously, how is this even possible?

[It was mostly a rhetorical question, because he looks at Souji, searching for something and apparently finding it, and leans in to kiss him, needing the comfort and reassurance and stability.]

[They're kissing in the middle of an alley in what may as well be a Bizarro Inaba, but he doesn't care. He just cups Yosuke's face, kissing back, remaining grounded in the insane situation.

He thinks of all of his healing and buffer skills, of how they work, their soothing effects and the promise of safety that they gave. And he thinks of their resonance in Death City, whether in battle or at rest. Neither are possible here, now, but he tries to manifest something like those feelings, in his new state, to give them to Yosuke.]

[First off, he better not care, okay, or we'll be upset.

Secondly, it does help; just being around Souji helps. No one else has ever been able to make Yosuke feel this calm, this safe, and that has to mean something, right? Right.

After a few moments, Yosuke isn't as, uh, frantic, and loosens his grip on Souji's t-shirt, pulling away from the kiss to bury his face against Souji's shoulder.]

W-what do we do?

[We don't need any more upset Yosukes, okay. We have enough to deal with right now.

When he pulls away, Souji kisses the side of his head, stays there quietly for a long moment. He's looking at a point behind Yosuke, though it's more like he's staring through the wall. There's a tug somewhere, another continent away, that demands his attention.

Matt and Rise. Canada and... he grasps for what her presence says, what comes to mind when he pulls that card from the deck. Ontario.

After a moment, he's back, and pressing another kiss into Yosuke's hair.]

First, we get out of this alley. Matt and Rise are on the way.

[Feeling much better, if a bit dizzy, Yosuke can't help but perk up at the mention of their friends. Because really, if any of them knew how to handle the current, bizarre situation, it would most likely be Matt.]

Really?

[He grins, excited, and leans in to kiss Souji again, softer this time, less insistent and more just...enjoying being with him. Even if things were weird as fuck, it was good to know some things hadn't changed.]

Really. It'll take them twelve or so hours, but they're coming.

[It's still alarming that he knows this, but. At the same time, he's thankful for it. Just knowing how long it'll take, where they are and having the connection...

And being able to tell Yosuke that, keeping the one person he cared about most as calm as possible, makes it more than enough. He kisses back, smiling a little into it before pulling away and shifting to get his feet under him.]

Come on. [He offers him a hand up, once he's standing.]

Yeah.

[Nodding, smiling, he pulls himself off the ground with Souji's help, rubbing at his face.]

Man, now my eyes are gonna be all red and puffy...

You look fine.

[Leaning in to kiss his cheek, he pushes some of his hair back with a light laugh.]

You always do.

[Flushes bright red. Like a tomato. Even his ears are red!]

Yeah whatever...

[muttergrumbleembarrassedforever]

[He'll never not chuckle at tomato red Yosuke.]

It's true. [But he doesn't tease any more than an amused smile.] We should get moving. They won't be here for a while, but we can't stay here all day.

[Shut up, you. Yosuke just clears his throat and attempts to get his face to clear; his cheeks are still a little red, though. But he manages to smile a bit at Souji, before returning to the subject at hand.]

Yeah I'd rather not stay in an alley.

[Pauses. And then looks at, uh, well, the seat of his pants, so to speak.]

Groooooss. I'm gonna need to change...

[He just makes a very unhappy expression, because ew. Sitting on the ground in an alley was not the smartest idea, not at all.]

[Never gonna ~~give you~~ shut up. You love it. Souji shifts, craning to see as well. Maybe if they were out in the open, or if it'd been six years earlier, he wouldn't be reaching to dust off gross alley stuff off the back of Yosuke's pants.

But it's there and now, and some of it can be cleaned off, at least.]

Considering the fact we don't actually live in Inaba yet-- [the thought stings, and no doubt Yosuke will be able to pick up on it] --we're going to have to buy some clothes from the shopping district.

[Yosuke just kind of rolls his eyes at that because really, Souji, that was unnecessary. ...helpful though, so.

He winces at the fact that they haven't even moved there yet--that's a weird thought--and shakes his head.]

How does that even-- no, you know what, never mind. I really don't think I wanna know.

[He pauses to think this over. Then--]

Huh. No Junes. That's a weird thought.

[Shush, it's in his nature to do things like hen over dirt and crap on his boyfriend okay.]

No Junes. [He dusts his knees off, though the fabric's stained. Eh, it was worth it if Yosuke's calm again.] It's really weird. No Junes, no food court, no electronics section.

[Making his way towards the front of the alley again, knowing Yosuke won't be far behind.]

But at least we know that we still have the Amagi Inn and Tatsumi Textiles, right? [Small comforts, but comforts nonetheless.]

[Very small comforts, Souji. It's not like Kanji or Yukiko know them and anyway they're, what, 12? Damn. Sighing a bit, he catches up with Souji and looks thoughtful.]

So-- clothes, and then a place to stay?

[He looks a little apprehensive, but it's not like they have any other choice.]

[It'll be really weird to see their friends being younger than them, but unfortunately it's not the strangest thing they've ever been through.]

Clothes, and then the Amagi Inn. We can't exactly go to my uncle, not without knowing whether or not he and Nanako are the ones that were with us in Death City.

[And maybe that hurts most of all, but Souji pushes it down and instead reaches to touch Yosuke's hand in response to his apprehension. Others before himself, as always.]

[After five years in Death City, not much could top the highest point on his 'weirdness scale' to be honest.]

Yeah.

[Yosuke pauses, smiling in response to the touch and leaning a little closer. It'd be strange for a while, but he figured things would start making more sense eventually. Hell, the voices in his head were already better; less like being in the center of a huge crowd, and more like muffled chatter.]

[The voices, the information, have all been pushed down, taking up the space that his Personae had in the past. A comfortable whisper, familiar despite the foreign concept of nations instead of folklore. But maybe the fact he's focusing on one in particular is helping drown the din, too.

Souji smiles a little at Yosuke, just a quirk, and finally moves to step out from the alley. Since Junes isn't around yet, he's moving in the direction of the northern district.]

Are the voices better now?

[Yosuke nodded, letting out a relieved sigh.]

Much better. Seriously, if that had gone on any longer I think I might have snapped. I mean, I can still hear it but it's... muffled. Kind of like listening to a group of people from a couple rooms away.

[He shrugged.]

I'm glad. [A pause, as if considering, before he chuckles quietly.] It seems like you've got a pretty noisy bunch, so that's a good.

[Souji bumps his shoulder into Yosuke's as he moves, navigating familiar streets. A glance is sent towards the shrine, but he reminds himself that they've got two years before they meet the fox.]

Meanwhile, a backalley abo--I MEAN. A backalley of Inaba.

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