when he had stepped through that door, intending to to go to the bathroom, he hadn't expected to be knocked out, only to wake up in a field of flowers, bright lights surrounding him. however, he felt his gut instinct tug him toward a certain portal, and he blindly went with it, intending to get back to his friends. they had a going away party to commence! he couldn't be stuck here, akira had put him to a bet of whoever could score a date first didn't have to pay for sushi, and he was not about to lose to akira.

so when he stepped through the portal, he did not, of all things, expect to be back in tokyo, in... what seemed like december...? there was snow on the ground too? what the hell... he thought to himself as he rubbed his arms fiercely to warm up, and to top manners off, the day seemed to be slowly setting. so now, clad in just his swimshorts and a towel around his neck, ryuji sakamoto was freezing, and he needed to find shelter and quick, and figure out just what the hell was going on here.

wrapping the towel around himself to help just a little bit of the cold stay out, the blonde looked around for any kind of shelter, and was relieved that he had seemingly been dropped outside of the church and scurried in, quietly closing the door and looking out it for a few moments. this seemed like the tokyo he grew up in but... it was odd. because his tokyo was definitely not snowing, and his tokyo was definitely not in december. it was warm and it was april damn it! sighing, he pulled out his phone to see if he could at least call akira or ann, only to find that his phone wasn't even working. glitching strangely as if it wasn't sure how to function here.

glaring at his phone, he shoved it back in his pocket and went to go sit down at one of the pews, hoping to make sense of the strange events. oddly enough, he chose a pew with someone already in it, but paid them no mind, going back to fiercely rubbing his arms to try to warm up. i gotta get back home man. he frowned to himself, and glanced at the person next to him, throwing caution to the wind. "hey, sorry to bother you with all that... prayin' crap you're doing, but this is tokyo right?"

notes: party boy is here, how does depressed boy react
tag: momo Goro Akechi

the bleach blonde boy huffed in indignation at the stranger's voice, shock not allowing the owner's voice to seep in quite yet as they bit back a sharp reply. he was no fool though, he could feel he was unwanted by this stranger, months of palaces and memento's trained his body to feel shifts in the air or feel when a situation was beginning to go sour, and ryuji leaned back in his spot, giving the person a once over. "oh well considering i was just at the ocean in april in 80 degree weather hanging out with my friends and the next second i'm here, theres reason for me to be confused." he snapped back, his teeth chattering slightly.

ripping his eyes off of the boy next to him, ryuji kicked his feet, his flipflops showing his feet which were starting to thaw slightly, not so much of an angry red anymore. frowning at them, he pulled the towel tighter across his shoulders. reveling in the warm heat of the church. "and who'a you to call me incompetent, huh?" he asked, looking at the stranger. "the only ones who ever do that anymore are morgana and gor-." ryuji paused at the name, biting his tongue. goro definitely had a penchant for that, especially with ryuji, but ryuji never took it to heart from him, knowing that goro, at the time, was all bark. the shock subsided, allowing the voice from earlier to sink in before ryuji widened his eyes in realization.

he must be going crazy. he had to be. it was december in japan and snowing, and apparently goro akechi was sitting next to him, the same cocky attitude he always bore to the thieves. there was no way this was goro akechi though. the man who had betrayed them and then redeemed himself at the last moment before getting himself killed so the phantom thieves could save the world. futaba had said it herself. goro akechi was dead, he died behind that damn barrier on shido's ship! "you're shittin' me..." he breathed, sitting up a little straighter and leaning over, hoping to catch a glimpse of his face. "goro?" he asked, hesitant. he didn't want to get his hopes up for nothing, but if goro was alive and well after all this time? 

he had some words.

notes: ryuji: HOLY SHIT
goro: please stop talking
ryuji, louder, excitedly: HOLY SHIT!!!!
goro; groans
tag: momo Goro Akechi

ryuji grinned, giddy as a child in an ice cream shop as he was reunited with one of his teammates, who he had long presumed dead. a moment ago, he was shocked, and wanted to know all the ifs whens hows and whys, but now? now ryuji was just excited. one of his friends had cheated death, and now ryuji could brag and brag all he liked to him about what they had managed to do, that shido was properly taken care of and there was no more worries for goro to trouble himself with.

truly, he was proud of himself. facing off yaldaboath and winning, ryuji figured he had bragging rights to that manner. he just couldn't wait to tell that to goro. however, just as he was about to speak, the burnette rushed up with a hiss and slapped his hand over ryuji's mouth, causing the latter's eyes to widen. oops, got too loud again. he thought to himself sheepishly, and grinned at him apologetically. watching as he sat back and tugged his hood over his head sharply, causing ryuji's grin to fall into a frown.

what if he's not happy to see me as i am him? doesn't he realize that what we said to him on shido's ship still applies? he thought to himself, before scooting a little closer and shrugged. "sorry, it's in the nature" he mumbled, but did efficiently quiet his voice down for goro's sake. "popular to contrary belief, i can be quiet when i have to be, or did you forget all the memento's and palace raids we did?" he bantered with him, a grin back on his face. 

ryuji hummed at his next statement, leaning back to look around the church, pondering over his thoughts. he figured that... whatever magic that igor and lavenza had used to revive himself and the rest of his team in the velvet room, must've been the same magic that got goro to safety, even though it wasn't in his own timeline. "nah, not gonna question or doubt you bro, have no reason too," ryuji shrugged. "you're alive and well, and thats what matters to me honestly." he said, as if he were discussing the weather - which was cold as shit might he add for the umpteenth dozen time. conveniently a chill ripped through his body. 

"if i had to guess, i'd guess igor and... lavenza i think her name was? probably had something to do with it. they saved me and the rest of the gang from death once, and you redeemed yourself in the end. i don't doubt they might've done the same for you." he hummed. a few months ago, it might've been beyond ryuji to comprehend such things, but when you go against a god and defeat said god, littler things like death seemed easier to understand in the end. "im just confused as to how i'm back in fuckin' december when i was just in april." he grumbled, still mildly upset at not being able to take on akira and that bet of his.

notes: ryuji: FRIEND!!!!
goro: what
ryuji: anyway so i cheated death and it seems like you did too we have some catching up to do
goro: wh-
tag: momo Goro Akechi