I Missed You Too [Private/Ask to Join Only] [Arianda/Henrex]

It had been quite a time since Henrex had visited the little demon known as Arianda Vael. And while she had not grown in stature, oh no, she had gained... better assets. She was still petite, but, she had breasts and a butt to her name; and she also had learned much in the time she and Henrex had apart. Not to mention, she was also different in personality. No more was the woman who seemed bitter and not all too happy; now she was the exact opposite. A bubbly mass of joy that would bear hug a grizzly bear and kill it on accident from hugging the thing too tight. But, this was unknown to Henrex. So, when the Hybrid appeared on her doorstep, the demon had to control herself from straight out tackling him through her door. No, she did something more... ingenious.

The second Henrex's knuckles wrapped on her door, it flung inward; as if inviting him in. But, he couldn't exactly accept that invite when tentacles shot out from the door, wrapped around him and yanked him inside. The tentacles flung him into the arms of a woman with black hair with red highlights. Her clothes were red too, at least a little. But, she had that cloak. it was not quite as... patchy as before, but, it was certainly a little ragged. More importantly, SHE WAS ADORABLE! The demon that was unmistakably the Angel of Conflict, Arianda Vael herself, Wrapped her arms in a bear hug around the hybrid and buried her face into the man's chest.

"HENNYYY I MISSED YOU SOOOO MUUUUUCCH!!! Welcome home~~!!!"

It was clearly Arianda, but, there was one difference, she had absolutely no care about whether it was Henrex she was hugging or not. But, another thing was that she truly did miss the boy; all he had to do was look at her eyes or hear her perky voice and that would be all he needed to see or hear. He was home, and Arianda was sure as shit happy to see the Raven.

After so long, Henrex really wasn't sure what to expect from Arianda. After two years, she could have changed so drastically over the course of that time. Or, she...could have remained entirely the same. Some people don't change -- and that was something that he was entirely okay with. If that were the case, then he would accept that.

...However, that was most certainly not the case.

The moment his fingers touched the wood of the door, it swung inward, as if inviting him in. As he went to take a step forward, tendrils shot out and wrapped around him, yanking him inside at rapid speeds, sending him flying right into the arms of a certain demoness, who was quick to stuff her face into his chest, screaming at the top of her lungs how happy she was to see him again.

To this, all Henrex could do was give an incredibly awkward grin.

"Well...this is a surprise."

His hands softly rested on her head, giving the girl affectionate pats and strokes as she made herself comfortable while hugging him. He had to be honest, he wasn't expecting this. So, it wasn't a surprise that the male was rather skittish and unsure of his actions, seeing this sudden change of who she was nearly two years back and simply believing that it was only for this instance that she would be like this.

"Welcome home!"

Those words.

Welcome home.

Henrex could have sworn that his heart had stopped beating for a moment. She had already said this to him, but to hear it again, with the voice that she had, so sincerely...it felt so...strange. It felt so good, and it felt...truthful. It felt like he was coming home, with his sister greeting him at the door.

"Welcome home, big brother!"

The nostalgia already was kicking in, and Henrex was quick to wrap his arms around Arianda, moving her to the nearby couch and setting her down, smiling warmly as he lay back, waiting for Arianda's new hyperactive nature to die down, at least a little bit.

It seems Arianda had surprised the living everything out of Henrex, surprising him with her actions at the moment. He was a little skittish, surprised by her personality change; and how different it was compared to how the demon was previous to their current encounter. The demon smiled up at Henrex, noticing how he seemed... well, a little sad. But, at the same time, he was happy; happy with what the demon was doing. Welcoming him home, giving him one big bear hug of a hug; even nuzzling into the man's chest was making him happy it seemed.

Henrex pulled Arianda over to the couch after wrapping his arms around the demon girl that welcomed him home so readily. She smiled softly as she nuzzled into the man, tempted to doze off from the warm embrace; but, she wouldn't let herself fall asleep that easily with how things were. She yawned softly and then smiled up at Henrex before popping her neck and relaxing quite a bit. Eventually, Arianda looked up at Henrex and examined his features. It was bad enough he was taller than the demon, he also seemed to grow at least a bit more handsome. But, Arianda was still pretty lesbian; but she would sure as shit give Henrex the benefit of the doubt and treat him better than any man.

It took a little bit, but, she finally calmed down at least a little bit and gently poked Henrex's nose, sticking her tongue out at him slightly after doing so.

"It's nice to see you again, Henny~ To what do I owe the visit~? You gonna make good on your promise or are you here just to visit little ol' me~? Or is it both!"

The demon chuckled softly and nuzzled against Henrex once more. If one thing was clear, her bubbly persona was not a one time thing, it was a permanent change; but it was certainly still the same girl. Just, she had changed for the better.

Henrex took a deep breath as he let his nerves calm, relaxing as he lay back on the couch, still being "mauled" by a ferocious little red-hooded demon. It felt...really nice. She wasn't as bitter and cynical as she had been before, and so...cold to him. Now, she felt so much more friendly, happy and -- quite frankly -- it suited her better. However, it was still rather conflicting of the resemblence to his sister.

A sibling that he loved dearly, meeting a similar fate to him -- and he hadn't seen her since. Because of that...it was a bit of a saddening nostalgia.

Eventually, he looked down at Arianda and noticed that she was also looking at him. Both of them stared at the other, seeing the change in one another, with Henrex smiling and chuckling softly -- even blushing from staring at her for so long. Then, Henrex could take a breather as Arianda's hyperactiveness seemed to die down -- even if just by a little bit.

And thus, after she spoke, she would see Henrex's smile get just a little bit wider as he nodded, sitting up slightly as she nestled back into him, with Henrex softly running his hand through her hair, stroking her head as he nodded. He hadn't forgotten the promise that he had made to her -- and now, there was no better time to fulfill that promise.

"Both. I wanted to visit and fulfill my promise. What better time than now?"

The little red hooded demon was glad to see that Henrex wasn't being quite as antsy now; he'd probably calmed down some after getting used to Arianda's new appearance and attitude. Honestly, it was quite the dramatic shift, but, it probably fit her better; no, it did fit her better. After all, She. Fucking. Loved. HUGS. Obviously a better fit. But, how could Ari know that she was reminding her poor friend about his poor sister; who she would hear and know about eventually. But, for now, how could she know she was acting the same? She was simply greeting Henrex how she felt best; and to call this his home just felt right to her, in a sense.

The demon soon let out a soft yawn before turning her silver eyes back towards Henrex when he spoke; a small grin appearing on her face as she gently poked his nose again. She stuck her tongue out at him once more time before she kissed him on the cheek then slipped out of his grasp before he could respond; grinning all the way.

"Welp! Best to start catching up before we move onto Ari Ninja training~! Lemme just get something from my fridge..."

The demon walked into her kitchen quite quickly, yanking open the fridge in there. If Henrex followed, and if he didn't see the fridge before, he may have a bit of a jaw drop. Arianda's fridge was filled top to bottom with chocolate bars; all of differing brands. Some were better than others, some were just for the hell of it, but most were certainly for the demon to eat whenever the hell she felt like it. She plucked out a particular chocolate bar, one perfected by Hershey's -- which seemed to somehow be in business in this world -- and started to nibble on the contents before walking back to where the couch was and flopping down onto it. She sat next to Henrex, her legs cross and the chocolate bar in hand; as well as some of it in her mouth.

"So! How were the Iga Mountains, Henny? And how was the Ninja training and such? It's been a little, two years and all, so we may as well talk a little bit before we move on to the training, you know~?"

Then came a adorable little smile. Henrex was home, and Ari was right there with him.

After a bit of time to get used to the personality change that Arianda had gone through during his time of absence, Henrex felt a lot more at ease now -- he could relax, having got over his initial shock of his friend and mentor being so...different. Then, another poke on the nose and a sudden kiss on the cheek -- causing the young man's cheeks to flush red -- and she stepped away, heading right towards her fridge.

Getting to his feet and following her, Henrex watched as she opened her fridge, his eyes widening at the sight of nothing but chocolate within. The stuff was everything that encompassed her fridge. Well, Henrex knew she liked chocolate, but...to this extreme? That was...surprising. So, as he took a bar for himself, he followed her back to the couch, sitting down and laying back, his head tilted towards the ceiling and smiling as she asked about his journey.

"It was...interesting. I hadn't been to the village in so long, it was strange to get used to again."

Henrex chuckled softly as he remembered the events of just getting there -- getting caught in a snare by Shiro, meeting the elders once more, and reuniting with the various people that he hadn't seen in decades. It was nostalgic -- but there was a hint of sadness. He knew that when he had left, Soke...wasn't in the best conditions. The Grandmaster was dying.

He knew that he would have to return once more, to see his teacher one final time -- if not before. The future of the village would probably rest on someone like Shiro's hands. After all...he was Soke's grandson. A melancholic sigh came from the male as he leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands.

"...But, there were some bad times."

He remained silent, before sighing again.

"Soke...my teacher, is dying, Ari. I don't know how much time he has left. I'm going to have to leave again to see him, at least one last time."

His head turned to Arianda, a grim look passing over his face as he gazed at his friend, before lowering. It wasn't his intention to make the mood so sorrowful and grim, but...well, it is what it is.

The demon looked on at Henrex as he spoke, spoke about his time in the Iga mountains. Apparently, it seemed to go rather well for him. Even getting caught in some odd traps didn't seem to upset him; which was a little funny in the end. One would think getting trapped would ruin it all, but, that's probably different when it comes to your family; or those like it. So, the demon listened and watched as Henrex recounted his time at his homeland to her; but, it all soon seemed to turn sour.

Apparently, Henrex's teacher, some grandmaster or something like that, was dying; and he would have to leave again. As the man looked at him, she simply stared for a few moments before pulling him in a gentle hug.

"That is... I'm sorry, Henny... I doubt there is anything I can do to help. Not to mention, even if you taught me, I doubt I could go with you. Not only because I'm an outsider to them, but also because I have my own responsibilities. Sadly..."

Arianda let a soft sigh escape her lips before she looked at Henrex and hugged him even tighter; not letting the man go from her embrace just yet. If he needed a little bit of comfort, this would have to do for now. Arianda still was not used to how she is now, being empathetic and all that; it's a bit of something to get used to anyways. Eventually, if Henrex tried to pull away or didn't have his arms around Ari to hug her as well, the demon would slowly pull away from the hug before petting Henrex on the head gently.

"I'm sorry your Grandmaster is dying... really. But, unfortunately, death is not something we can exactly help in this world... However, those we have close to us make the fact that we all may eventually die a bit less scary~"

Arianda gave Henrex a big, goofy, smile; clearly implying that just their bond, their friendship, would probably make things better for the two of them. Arianda was just like this now, but, it was clear that she cared for Henrex. Maybe not in a relationship way, but, definitely in a familial way, sort of thing. Of course, that won't stop her from kissing him on the cheek or anything; just ways to show that she cares. Ah, but, hopefully, Ari could learn Ninjutsu from Henrex instead of the man leaving as soon as he arrived.

Soon after he spoke of Soke, he went silent. There was a tinge of regret as he did, unsure if it was really smart or needed of him to bring something like that up. But...it was hard for him not to. Soke was a wonderful teacher -- he was someone who was able to weave his teachings into ninjutsu, allowing him to let go of the past and become who he was today. This sense of progression, for the most part, was something that Soke had the most influence over.

So, it was hard for him not to feel sentimental about the old man, and the fact that he was dying...it hurt, knowing that yet another person that was close to him -- someone that he loved and cared about like family -- was soon to pass. But, he was only human -- humans wither, decay, and die. But, maybe...he would join his family in the heavens, gods willing. Then, whoever the next Grandmaster would be, they would be able to carry on Soke's legacy.

Then, he finally noticed that Arianda had brought him into a hug. It wasn't hard for him to know what she was thinking. She knew that there was little, if anything, that she could do to help. So, at the very least, she could provide him with a bit of comfort in knowing the fact that someone he cared for didn't have long. Even in the process of reincarnation and the Soul Cycle, it was unlikely that Soke would ever be the same as he once was.

But, the comfort that Arianda brought him was something that allowed his turmoil to lessen. Now, it didn't feel as weightful and overwhelming. He was able to think clearly, and it didn't feel as terrifying as it initially seemed. After taking a deep breath, Henrex slowly turned around and wrapped her arms around Arianda's neck, returning her embrace, breaking it soon after.

"A-Anyways...we should get started."

It was clear, clear to the demon that Henrex held in his arms, that he was bothered by his master dying; by him passing away. He was a Shinigami; one of the soul cycle. If he did things right, it is likely Henrex could get his master to pass on without any issue. But, maybe it wasn't that simple; Arianda had no idea. She wasn't a Shinigami, she was a demon; a demonic entity who knew nothing of the Shinigami's affairs. But, she at least knew some of the basics. Well, enough at the least. Arianda hummed softly and soon buried her face into Henrex's neck; giving Henrex a bit more comfort before speaking softly into his neck.

"You know, when you leave... you really could take me with you this time, Henny. I'd be glad to go and help you..."

She smiled as she buried her face still into Henrex's neck before the man finally spoke; seemingly breaking himself out of his melancholy. It was temporary, a rather finite solution to his sad emotions that swarmed in his being. It didn't help that he already ate Negativity, this kind of thing only made it worse. Arianda let out a soft sigh before kissing Henrex on the forehead and hugging him tight enough that a few bones probably popped. NOTHING BROKE. But some things definitely made a few pops here and there. Arianda then jumped off of Henrex's lap and then sat down on the floor in front of him; smiling up at the man.

"Well! Unless you have another idea of what to do, I suggest you start with step one~! Oh and, if we need more space, we can always go out by the pool or go to the demon world from my training room. My Mansion in Europe doesn't have quite as big of an area for training. But! I'll leave that up to you, you are the 'Sensei' this time, Henny~!"

Arianda gave Henrex a big, goofy, grin as she looked up at the man; clearly ready to start her Ninjutsu training. Of course, she would probably goof up a lot, and when she succeed it may be a little silly, or serious; but Henrex should know that Arianda was clearly glad he was back. Not to mention, she was also glad he had grown as he did; after all, even 800 year old people have some room to grow physically.