Scarlet
“Huh,” Tar mutters after I finish explaining everything. Then he finally leaves my arms and floats up towards Shirou while reaching out a paw and saying, “Well, it’s nice to et you, Shirou. And thank you for keeping Scarlet company throughout those years.”
A brief pause ensues, confusing both and Tar. Only for Shirou to reach out and pull Tar to her own chest in a hug while calmly saying, “So cute…”
I stare for a few seconds, before deciding to leave them be as I focus on Earth again.
Let’s see… at least the religions aren’t as strong on Earth as they are on other planets. Although Tartarus is very much into the religions. Which ans I won’t be making any public appearances there for a good while.
I focus on searching the universe for any real threats as I ignore Tar, who is currently shouting about needing help to get away from Shirou who is still squeezing him in a hug. But I don’t find anything. So I eventually shift my focus back to Earth again, where I see my family, my friends, and…
A worried frown crosses my face when I spot my house.
Where I see a young woman in her pri judging by appearance staring up at the sky from a balcony while wearing a nightgown. And the emotions I see going through her eyes as her wild and obviously uncared-for hair blows in the wind around her is… saddening.
Is that… Aria?
The girl looks just like an older version of Aria, but it’s hard to tell for sure. What with never really having been good at judging age.
My answer cos rather quickly though. In the form of her black hair turning into tentacles and returning to normal again.
It’s Aria, alright. That’s for sure.
“I’ll be on Earth, co find when you’re done,” I tell the two before teleporting straight to my house while hiding my energy so that no one on Earth knows where I am that I don’t want to know.
And the mont Aria sees , tears begin to leak out of her eyes. Then she jumps straight up at , growing tentacles from her body that propel her forwards until she slams into in a hug. Grabbing onto as tightly as she can seem to manage.
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Which, in all honesty, isn’t that hard.
Right. How could I forget?
I was gone for twenty years.
The girl in my arms cries her heart out, sobbing louder than any sound I’ve ever heard Aria make before. Despite clearly being an adult at this point and no longer a child.
I feel pain in my own heart from hearing her sobbing so loudly. But I don’t say anything. Instead I just hold her in my arms and stroke her hair.
Purposefully ignoring the fact that she’s taller than now by a bit.
Several minutes pass before Tar and Shirou appear near us as I slowly lower Aria and myself down to the ground before entering my house and heading to a couch. At which point I sit down with Aria sitting down next to , pretty much imdiately collapsing on top of , asleep.
I just continue stroking her hair even as she sleeps, not taking my eyes off of the poor girl.
What did she have to go through while I was gone? Did her father raise her? Where-
My thoughts pause when I sense that very father of hers appearing outside of the house and rushing inside. And when I see him, I have to blink in surprise.
Because he looks very emotional right now.
Especially when his eyes lock onto Aria and see the very slight smile she has on her face as she lies with her head in my lap.
I blink at the sight of the tears flowing down his face. And I barely even register it when the man moves forward to kneel in front of and takes Aria’s hand despite her being asleep.
It isn’t until he look up at and says, “Thank you, for coming back to her,” that I finally snap out of it and smile at him in return.
He’s changed a lot.
After Blue cos the Demon King, who arrives while kicking up a lot of wind in my room just from moving through my house incredibly fast. But when he sees with Aria in my lap, he pauses re monts before trying to pick up.
“You’re back!!” he exclaims, tears of his own falling down his face.
Then cos both sets of my parents, who enter a lot more calmly than the old man. And I can’t help but direct my gaze towards Alia’s belly when she enters my sight.
“You already know?” Alia asks with a wry smile on her face.
I nod my head, answering, “I could tell from the other side of the universe the mont I saw you.”
That answer surprises her for a second before she shakes her head and all four of them move up and begin hugging . Crowding the hell out of . Especially since Gramps was already hugging beforehand. Making this a rather large group hug.
Then the next group cos in the form of Arthur, Belle, and their little one. With Arthur and Belle imdiately joining the group hug.
And, to my surprise, they aren’t the last ones. Because the rest of my friends join in after that.
Denise, Emily, and Michael.
Two of which currently have rings on rather specific fingers, implying that Denise and Michael may very well be married or engaged by now too.
I feel the corners of my lips quirk upwards, only for a certain tanuki to jump and land on my head while muttering in my head for alone to hear, “That girl may have the sa figure as you, but you’re the only one I want to lie down on…”
That has chuckling. Because I know it’s just his way of saying he missed .
He scoffs at that but doesn’t decline it.
So I just lie here on the couch in the middle of everyone.
With a wide smile across my face.
“I’m ho, everyone,” I state, to which everyone cheers.
Except Aria, who is still asleep.
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