Mori was flying silently through the early hours of the morning, with two passengers on his back. Lloyd and Magpie were going on their date, and at 4:30am, it had to be the earliest start to a date ever. Following Magpie's directions, Lloyd guided Mori through the gradient sky to an unknown location. Magpie had never told Lloyd exactly where they were going, just that it was a place that meant a lot to her, and that it was the most beautiful at sunrise – hence the early start.

"We're almost there," Magpie stated. "as we crest this hill, you'll see a lake, and in the centre of the lake is a small forest island; that is our destination."

"So, what's in this forest?" Lloyd wondered, as the lake came into view.

"You'll see…" Magpie replied.

He'd be lying if he said he didn't find this answer to be ominous, but Magpie did not seem the wicked type. Even so, as he manipulated the reins to steer Mori down to the island, Lloyd found himself trying to steady his nerves.

Mori touched down on the sands of the island as gently as ever, and while his passengers dismounted, it became clear that the forest was not empty. The dragon growled at the branches and leaves that swayed despite the lack of wind; Lloyd's curiosity was also piqued by this strange and unexpected movement. Magpie approached the trees and whistled a peculiar tune. In the dim pre-dawn light, she turned to smile at Lloyd, and an entire charm of magpies descended upon them.

Lloyd was startled by the sheer number of birds that appeared and kept his hand ready to draw a blade hidden beneath his hoodie, until he saw the magpies settle in a circle around her. Four of the birds rested on her shoulders and arms, then warmly rubbed against her and preened her hair with their beaks. She giggled sweetly.

"Hello everyone!" She said to the numerous corvids around her. "I'm sorry I haven't visited lately!"

They affectionately cawed back at her and excitedly hopped in place.

"Hopefully you've all been keeping safe," She hinted. "you know you can come to me if there's trouble."

Lloyd was astounded by what he was seeing; Magpie was acting like she knew these wild birds, speaking to them as if they were family or friends.

"Uh, when you said you were a bird whisperer, I didn't think you were serious…" He noted.

"No one ever does," Magpie grinned. "but yeah, I can communicate with birds."

"Wow, that's pretty cool!" Lloyd admired. "Wait, you're not an elemental master too, are you?"

"What? No, of course not!" She giggled. "It's just a special ability I've always had."

"So, are they friendly? Can I pet them?" He wondered.

"You might be able to, they're very good judges of character." She nodded.

He approached her and held out his hand to touch one of the magpies on her shoulders, but they flapped their wings wildly and cawed at Lloyd as though he were a threat.

"It's okay, guys, he's a close friend of mine," Magpie sheepishly smiled. "please be kind to him."

One of the birds left its perch on her arm and flew to Lloyd, landing on his shoulder. Lloyd observed as the corvid tilted its head this way and that, then unexpectedly preened his blonde hair. At first, he laughed at the smoothness of the beak against his skin, before he felt the pain of a hair being tugged from his head.

"Ow!" Lloyd cried out.

The magpie flew back to the other birds at Magpie's feet, placing the hair before them so they could all look at it. There was a low rumble of squawking as the 50-strong tribe of magpies appeared to be chatting among themselves. Lloyd glanced at Magpie in mild confusion, and she simply smiled back at him.

Suddenly the charm of corvids all hopped over to Lloyd, surrounding him and softly ruffling their wings. Once again, Lloyd was startled by the abrupt actions of the birds, because he didn't know their intentions were friendly. Mori, however, recognised their passive attitude and stayed where he was, watching intently.

"I knew they would accept you," Magpie beamed. "truly you are a good, trustworthy person."

"Thanks," He smiled back. "I'm, uh, glad they like me."

"I don't know what name they give this little island on modern maps, but it's been the Isle of Magpies for hundreds of years," She mentioned. "before that it was the Isle of Corvids."

The sky was getting lighter, and the dawn was nearing, so Magpie intervened and tentatively held Lloyd's hand.

"Come, the sunrise is imminent," She murmured. "we cannot miss it."

"S-sure…" Lloyd stammered.

She led him to a grassy area at the edge of the sands, and they sat together, followed by the entire charm of magpies. Much to Lloyd's surprise, they too settled to watch the sunrise; some on the sand and some on the grass, but all were facing the east. Magpie gave him a tender smile, gripping his hand a little tighter. Lloyd smiled softly at her, his cheeks pink from the feel of her warm hand tightly holding his.

As the sun began to ascend over the horizon, Lloyd noticed that the magpies were spreading out their wings. He thought it was a little strange, but it was a chance to see the sunlight glistening on the beautiful iridescence of their feathers. The sunrise was every bit as magnificent as Magpie had said it would be, and this gathering of birds sunning themselves was unlike anything he'd ever seen. He was surrounded by the glimmer of sunlight and cyan colours, and he was amazed by it.

Lloyd grinned and looked over at Magpie.

His jaw dropped.

Right as Lloyd turned to look at her, a pair of wings began to emerge from her shoulder blades. Large, feathery appendages that appeared out of nowhere, just as Phoenix's wings had during his regeneration; the blue-green shimmer of her feathers was identical to that of the corvids around them.

"Magpie…" He gasped. "You… you have wings too?"

She smiled shyly.

"Do you recall what my brother said during his regeneration?" She queried. "About me being a normal magpie that he revived?"

He nodded.

"Well, it wasn't delirium, it's true..." She responded.

"So, you really are a magpie?" He asked.

"I was once, still am to an extent." She nodded, pointedly fluffing up her wings.

"Is this where you're from?" He probed, looking around at the other birds.

"Yeah, although my original family is long gone," She added. "I like to come back and see how the charm is doing."

"Charm?"

"That's the word for a group of magpies," She clarified. "there are other words, but that one is my favourite."

One of the magpies unexpectedly flew over and landed on Lloyd's head, and Magpie chuckled.

"Uh, hi?" He said, glancing up at the bird.

"He really likes you," She insisted. "and he doesn't normally like strangers."

"So, how did you go from bird to human? I know that Phoenix was involved, but there's so many missing pieces to the story," He briefly paused, and realised that he was asking a pretty heavy question. "I mean, you don't have to tell me, I'm just curious."

Magpie gave him an empathetic half-smile.

"It all started with a typical battle for territory; we were fighting against a murder of crows looking to take the island," She elaborated. "we managed to fight the crows off, but there were casualties, and I was one of them – when Phoenix found me, I was dying."

"I'm… so sorry…" He added.

Unsure what else to say, he placed his hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"He tried to heal me, but I was too far gone," She paused. "I later found out he took me through the regen cycle after I died."

Lloyd hesitated.

"What was it like?" He eventually said. "You know, going through the regeneration?"

"I remember the sensation of heat washing over me, and his hands as they reshaped my body; I also remember feeling weirdly... at peace..." She explained. "There was no pain, no fear, just a soothing heat..."

"Wow… that sounds amazing." He commented.

"It was quite a shock, coming back from the dead, and then to find that I'd also become human; it was a lot to take in," She admitted. "but Phoenix adopted me as his sister, he helped protect the island and he helped me adjust to my new circumstances – he was so kind."

Some of the magpies perched themselves on her legs as she sat there, as if sensing that she needed some comfort or reassurance. One of them even sat on her shoulder and nuzzled her cheek. After taking a moment to pet the bird on her shoulder, Magpie looked her date straight in the eyes.

"Lloyd," She opened. "how old do you think I am?"

"Oh, uh, well Cole said you were 22…" He stuttered anxiously, aware that the last time her age came up as a topic, it was something of a sore spot.

Magpie immediately laughed.

"Bless him…" She chuckled. "Add a zero to the end of that number, and you'll be much closer…"

Lloyd blinked a few times.

"220?" He said in a confused tone. "You're 220 years old?"

"236, to be exact," She corrected. "I look good for it though, don't I?"

Lloyd was stunned into silence.

It made sense – she said she'd seen the regeneration 'a few times', and by her own admission Phoenix went through the cycle every 50 years – but it was crazy, absolute madness even, trying to comprehend that she was over 200 years old.

"Is this why you wanted to bring me here?" Lloyd asked.

Magpie nodded.

"You need to know that I'm not a normal human, that my lifespan is much longer than that of a human because of Phoenix's influence," She confessed. "I like you, Lloyd; I like you a lot, but it's important that you know the truth, in case it's too much for you to accept."

"I don't want to question your judgement, but how did you know you could trust me with the truth?" He questioned. "You've probably had to hide it from so many people – people you realised you couldn't trust even after knowing them for a while – but you haven't known me very long, and you still told me."

"Well, for a start, you're related to Pipsqueak, and I know for a matter of fact that he's trained you with the morals and ethics that he was raised with; not to mention my brother approves of you, based on the stuff he told me when I called him, but above it all…" She stroked under the beak of the magpie on her shoulder. "…the charm accepted you – that's all the proof I really need to see that you're trustworthy."

"Maybe now would be a good time to tell you that I'm not exactly a normal human either…" He baited.

Magpie raised an eyebrow at him, curious as to what exactly he meant.

"You don't seem too fazed that my uncle is still alive, despite being young when Phoenix got his powers – hundreds of generations ago," Lloyd stated vaguely. "didn't you ever wonder why he's still around?"

"Not really, but if he was the son of the first Spinjitzu Master, it makes sense that maybe there's something else going on biologically." Magpie shrugged.

"And as the grandson of the first Spinjitzu Master, there's something else going on biologically with me too," He hinted. "I have my father's Oni blood in my veins, which means I'm going to live longer than most people, including my friends – except maybe Zane."

With a sweet grin, Magpie reached out to touch Lloyd's cheek and her eyes hazily locked onto his. Her face was burning with a cute blush, and the longer she stared at him, the more he too started turning red.

"Lloyd, is this your way of telling me that we might actually be chronologically compatible?" She asked in a hushed tone.

"I… I guess it is…" He replied.

"Wow, the first guy I'm interested in romantically turns out to have a longer life span than most humans…" She giggled. "What are the chances?"

"It certainly seems like Fate has thrown us together," He murmured. "maybe we should make the most of it."

As if sensing that the two of them needed some privacy, the entire charm of magpies took off and disappeared into the forest. Mori was amused by the suddenness of their exit but followed their example and settled into a laid down position – facing away from his master.

Lloyd took the opportunity to pick up from where he had been interrupted the other day, and softly placed his lips on hers. Magpie couldn't hold back a sigh as she melted into the kiss he gave her; his mouth was hot and delicious, and she could feel the warmth radiating from his cheeks. She had never been kissed before, and had no idea what she was doing, so she hoped that he was enjoying her affection.

She got her answer when he put his hand behind her neck and urged her closer. He started kissing her harder, all the while making impassioned murmurs and leaning towards her. When he made a bold move and stroked his tongue along her bottom lip, she squeaked and jumped a little. He briefly stopped kissing her, fearing he'd gone too far, until she grabbed his open hoodie and pulled him close, then roughly took his mouth. Her gasps were muffled as she pressed her tongue against his and began an internal wrestling match, while he curled his arms around her waist and kissed her just as fiercely.

Lloyd's heart was practically beating out of his chest; the sweet taste of her tongue, the floral scent of her hair, the suppleness of her body squishing against him… it was all so enflaming, and the situation was so perfect – the golden rays of the sunrise, the waves gently crashing against the shore just a few feet away, the flutter of Magpie's wings as her feathers excitedly ruffled…

Sagittarius sat with her friends at a table in the food hall of the student's guild. It was lunchtime, and although classes weren't on for another month or so, the guild was always open, and it was their favourite place to eat lunch. Sage wasn't all that hungry, so she nursed an iced coffee while the others ate.

"You've had that huge house all to yourself for a few days now," One girl began. "why haven't you thrown a huge party yet? That would've been my first course of action!"

"Let's just say I'm being cautious," Sagittarius replied. "I've got my ear to the ground to make sure the coast is totally clear before I make a move."

"Does that mean you're at least planning to throw a party while your brother and sister are away?" Another girl wondered.

"Not necessarily, but I'm hoping to make the most of the alone time while I have it," Sage responded with a cheeky grin. "one way or another..."

"I wish my brothers were as protective as yours is," A third girl lamented. "I'm the only girl and the middle child, but my brothers seem to just let me do anything I want – not one of them checks in to see how I'm doing."

"Better than having someone like Phoenix constantly keeping an eye on you," Sage rolled her eyes. "honestly he treats me like I'm 12 years old sometimes."

"Speaking of eyes being kept on you, that guy from wood tech is staring at you again..." The first girl whispered delightedly.

Sage knew exactly who she meant, and she grinned as she subtly looked over at the guy in question, sitting at a nearby table. He had dark, windswept hair and shy brown eyes that couldn't seem to look at her completely whenever they spoke. He was polite and reserved, and mostly kept to himself, but he had a gorgeous smile and a buttery voice that really did something for her. She flirtatiously waved to him, and he sheepishly waved back.

Her friends giggled at Sage for flirting with this dude. They didn't see him the way Sage did – to them, he was nice enough, but a bit standoffish at times – but to Sage, he was a sweet, genuine guy that always made her day brighter whenever they hung out or even just crossed paths. She wasn't about to question why he was here too, not when she knew that he helped with the summer woodworking classes for extra credit.

Sagittarius licked her lips and gestured for him to come over to her.

"OMG, Sage you're shameless!" one of the girls hissed with a giggle.

He nervously got up from the table he was sitting at and neatly tucked in his chair, then made his way over to Sage and her friends.

"H-hey Sagittarius," He stammered as he reached the table. "how nice to see you here!"

"Hey Derek," She purred. "keeping busy?"

"Uh yeah, I'm helping out with a public class this afternoon," Derek replied.

"How's it going?" Sage asked. "Had any medical emergencies in class?"

"No, thank goodness, but there was a narrow squeak yesterday morning," He admitted. "someone almost lost a finger while I was finishing a little side project."

"Side project? Ooh! Mind if I ask what it is?"

Derek hesitated, looking over at Sage's friends as a fierce blush crept onto his face. They were giggling in a way that made him mildly uncomfortable, if only because he was not great at talking to girls and often misread the signals they gave off. Sagittarius, however, was always straight forward with him, always made time for him when she saw him on campus, and she had a fantastic sense of humour, not to mention those cute orange feathers she wore on her cheeks... All the more reason for him to make the effort that he had for her; he reached into his pocket and placed a small wooden item on the table.

"Uh, this is my s-side project," He bravely confessed. "I made it for you, because you said you loved bulldogs..."

"Oh Derek, you're so sweet!" Sage blushed, lifting the hand carved figure. "It's too cute! I can't believe you went out of your way to make this!"

"What is it?" One of the girls asked, flicking her brunette hair.

"It's a French bulldog!" Sage squeaked, proudly showing it to her friends. "Isn't it adorable? It looks just like one of the dogs at the cafe where my brother works!"

She turned to Derek with a wide smile and sparkling eyes.

"This is so sweet; no one's ever done anything like this for me before…"

She stood up and leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek. His whole face burned bright red at the sensation of her lips on his skin, and he stared at her, stunned. Her friends continued giggling at his startled reaction, while Sage pulled out a pen from her bag and then proceeded to scrawl her phone number on his hand.

"Listen, here's my number," She mentioned flirtatiously. "if you're free, you should totally come over tomorrow night; we can watch movies together!"

"I'd love to!" He responded excitedly, then cleared his throat. "I mean yeah, that would be great; but, uh, what about your brother...?"

"Phoenix is away with Magpie for at least another week," She insisted. "I've got the house all to myself..."

She winked at him, and Derek practically had smoke coming out of his ears. Everyone on campus knew about Phoenix and his protectiveness of Sagittarius, there was even a rumour that anyone who wanted to date her had to fight one-on-one with the hot-headed sophomore – and this rumour had never been proven or disproven because who would admit to losing a fight against a business student? – but Derek had been offered a unique opportunity; the chance to spend some private time with Sage, no fight necessary.

"Awesome, I'll uh, give you a call later," He nodded as an alarm went off on his phone. "ah, sorry, I'd better go."

"See you soon babe... and thank you..." She beamed, holding the little wooden Frenchie to her cheek.

He blushed and smiled at her, then left the food hall. Sage sat down and admired the handmade figure, giving a sentimental grin.

"So much for being cautious!" one of the girls teased. "You invited him over without a second thought!"

"Y'all are just jealous that no one's making you a figure ofyour favourite breed of dog by hand," Sage countered. "who knew he was this talented?"

"Looks like you're gonna have a party after all..."

"Fetch!" Phoenix said as he threw a ball.

Inferno, his elemental dragon, went chasing after the round object like a dog, grabbed it up in his mouth, then ran back to Phoenix, dropping the ball at his feet. He picked it up and threw it again, continuing the game with his dragon as if it were his pet; Inferno had also aged down and was currently the size of a mastiff dog. Phoenix had recalled how to summon his dragon, but still his life memories hadn't returned. It was very confusing for Magpie, who expected his memories to come back when he was 3 or 4, but here he was at age 7, and still nothing.

Pixal stood and watched them from the front door of the temple as they played, while waiting for a Borg Industries helicopter to appear. Her sisters were coming to see how Phoenix had grown since they'd seen him as a baby, and of the two of them, Hanasu was easily the most excited – she called to let Zane and Pixal know that they were just leaving the tower, and she was practically bouncing in her seat.

"Hey mama! Wanna play?" Phoenix asked her.

"I'm fine thank you ho-oh," Pixal replied. "you have fun with Inferno while you can."

"Whatcha mean, 'while I can'?" He wondered.

"Once Miru and Hanasu get here, you'll have to be on your best behaviour." She explained.

"Aw man," He whined. "do I have to?"

"If you're a good boy while my sisters are here, I'll give you a special treat…" She grinned. "You know, from that bag of goodies Magpie has…"

Phoenix's face lit up, and Pixal chuckled to herself.

Last night, she allowed Magpie to give him a bag of chips from the care package that Aruna had sent, and he reacted to it as though it were crafted by an angel. His starry eyes and infatuated smile when Magpie handed it to him told her everything she needed to know; his memories may not have returned, but his instinctive attraction to the soul that he loved was very obviously still there.

"Promise?" He asked eagerly.

"One piece of melon bread and – if you're especially good – a pack of gummies after dinner tonight." She nodded.

"I'll be good, honest!" He enthusiastically agreed. "Come on Inferno, your scales are kinda dusty, better clean you up before my aunties get here!"

Phoenix headed back into the temple with Inferno right behind him. Pixal chuckled again as she watched him dash up the stairs. He was such a sweet child, and she wondered what he would be like as a teenager. Magpie painted a contrasting picture of both rebellion and emotional vulnerability, but Pixal was unsure if that would be the case this time. Although Magpie had the experience of raising him in the past, it was going differently with Zane and herself – the boy was developing just as fast, with the exception of his memories taking longer to return – and Pixal considered the possibility of him not being his usual conflicted self without his memories to haunt him.

"Still not here?"

Pixal's thoughts were interrupted by Kiku, who was now standing next to her.

"Not yet."

"I figured as much, I noticed Phoenix upstairs giving himself and his dragon a cats lick." Kiku laughed.

"I beg your pardon?" Pixal raised her eyebrow, unaware of this expression.

"A cats lick; it's like a midday touch-up wash – you know, washing your face, hands and arms," Kiku explained. "I figure you told him to go clean up before our sisters get here."

"No, actually, he decided to do it of his own accord," Pixal smiled proudly. "he's such a good boy."

"He's probably trying to earn something yummy from the stash Aruna sent," Kiku smirked. "Magpie told me about the face he made when she gave him some pizza-flavoured chips; how can he be so thirsty when he's still a kid? He hasn't even seen her since he imploded!"

"I did promise him a reward if he was well behaved," Pixal admitted. "and despite his appearance, he's older than Sensei Wu, so I'm not at all surprised that he can still sense traces of her soul energy without having seen her."

"I can't wait to see his reaction when she comes over for the first time; Magpie said she's gonna let Aruna know when he's back to legal age…" Kiku snickered.

"Kiku, don't be so crude!" Pixal scolded, blushing a little at the implication.

"I'm not! That's literally what she said!" Kiku defended. "Magpie doesn't want to create an awkward situation for either of them by reintroducing Aruna to him too young."

Before Pixal could respond to that, they became aware of the sound of chopper blades whirling. They looked out to see a helicopter, emblazoned with the Borg Industries logo on the side, as it came into land. The propellor blades came to a slow stop, and the engine turned off, and suddenly the side door shot open. Hanasu leapt out and practically skipped over to Pixal and Kiku, with Miru and the pilot walking over at a normal pace.

"Pixal! Kiku!" Hanasu squeaked.

"Hey sis," Kiku smiled. "excited much?"

"I'm so looking forward to seeing my darling nephew!" Hanasu giggled. "I've seen the photos you've been sending father, and I simply cannot wait to see him in person!"

"He's upstairs, he'll be down in a moment," Pixal added. "please make yourself at home in the living room."

"Thank you." Hanasu merrily cantered away.

"She's obsessed, I swear…" Miru sighed. "Hello my dear sisters."

"Hello Miru," Pixal smiled, then turned to look at the pilot. "hello sir, thank you for transporting my sisters here; would you care to stay for tea and sweets?"

"Thank you, Ma'am, that would be wonderful, just as long as I'm not imposing." He replied with a respectful bow.

"Not at all, we'd be honoured if you joined us." Pixal gestured in the direction of the living room, and Miru and the pilot followed in Hanasu's excited footsteps.

Pixal closed the front door, and she and Kiku also headed to the living room, where Zane was pouring drinks and Cole was offering some plated treats to their guests.

"Hey Pix," Kiku whispered. "why is Cole here again?"

"He lives here, Kiku…" Pixal tilted her head.

"No, I mean, Lloyd's on his date with Magpie, and everyone else has gone out to give us sibling time," Kiku elaborated. "did Zane want some male company or something?"

Pixal opened her mouth to speak, but didn't get the chance to say anything, as Hanasu's maternal squealing cut her off. She turned to see Hanasu hugging Phoenix as he looked at her with mild confusion – even Inferno was stunned by the droid's enthusiasm.

"You are just the cutest!" Hanasu declared as she let go of him. "I'm your Auntie Hanasu, nice to meet you dear nephew!"

"Uh, nice to meet you Auntie Hana," Phoenix smiled. "this is my dragon, Inferno."

"He's incredibly cute, can I pet him?" Hanasu asked.

"Of course," Phoenix nodded. "he's very friendly."

"Hello little dragon," Hanasu grinned, as Inferno rubbed his head against her hip. "aren't you sweet?"

"Please excuse Hanasu's eagerness, dear Phoenix, she hasn't seen you since you were this big," Miru requested, holding her hands a short distance apart. "I'm your Auntie Miru."

"Nice to meet you Auntie Mizzi," Phoenix bowed. "I hope you don't mind my use of nicknames; it helps me connect names and faces."

"Not at all," Miru smiled. "you're very eloquent for someone so young."

"Thank you." Phoenix replied while Pixal nodded approvingly at him.

"Come along Phoenix, sit next to Miru and myself." Hanasu insisted.

She took his hand and guided him to the sofa where Miru was sitting, then encouraged him to sit between them. Inferno also followed and curled up on the floor at Phoenix's feet. The pilot was absolutely stunned by this entire scene – he was expecting to see a meeting between the boss' four droid daughters, he did not expect to see a young boy with a pair of feathery wings and a pet dragon. As if detecting his confusion, Cole patted the pilot's shoulder.

"I get it, it's a weird situation all round," Cole spoke in a low voice. "but in case you were wondering, yes, the wings are real."

"I'm just a bit surprised," the man quietly replied. "and I've never been so close to a dragon, I thought they were much bigger."

"Apparently, they start small just like other animals," Cole chuckled. "but they're not exactly widespread enough for that to be common knowledge."

"So, can I ask what the heck is going on right now?" He wondered as he observed Miru and Hanasu chatting with Phoenix and his parents.

"Well, it's a long story, but Zane and Pixal offered to look after Phoenix until he's back to normal," Cole attempted to explain. "he's not well, and he'll heal on his own, but he needed guardians to watch over him because his parents aren't here anymore."

"Poor kid…" the man lamented. "and the scar?"

"Another long story, but basically he was attacked by a snake when he was younger," Cole paused. "what's your name by the way?"

"Oh, it's Jake, Jake Johnson." He responded.

"Wait, aren't you the guy who drove us around the bars after the wedding?" Cole questioned, recognising the name.

Jake nodded.

"Wow, from driver to helicopter pilot, you're really moving up in the world!" Cole praised.

"…Isn't that right, Cole?"

Cole looked up to see Zane glancing at him with a smile.

"Sorry, can you repeat that? I didn't hear what you said…" Cole sheepishly admitted.

"You're letting Phoenix stay with you, now that he's a little too old to be sharing a room with his parents." Zane repeated.

"Yeah," Cole smiled. "it's gonna be fun, right buddy?"

"Yeah!" Phoenix excitedly agreed. "Cole is my favourite uncle, he's more like a big brother."

"Better not let Jay hear you say that!" Cole joked.

"It's a pity he can't have his own room…" Hanasu stated.

"Well, there's a reason he's staying with Cole instead of just temporarily reshuffling everyone's sleeping arrangements to give him his own space," Zane hinted. "Pixal, darling, would you like to tell Phoenix the news?"

Phoenix tilted his head.

"Ho-oh, from tomorrow, you'll be training with your father and the other ninja," Pixal beamed, watching delightedly at the excitement that spread across her son's face. "Cole is taking on the responsibility of making sure you get a decent sleep and can get up early for the daily training sessions."

"Are you for real?" Phoenix elatedly grinned at his parents in turn. "I can go out with dad and learn to be a ninja?!"

"You're old enough now," Pixal nodded. "and your father and I feel like you can be trusted to treat this seriously."

Phoenix was so deliriously happy, that he immediately jumped up and gave Pixal a tight, warm hug, then ran over to Zane and did the same with him. After that, he clambered into Cole's lap and tried to put his arms around the earth ninja's broad shoulders. Cole laughed and hugged Phoenix back, playfully ruffling the boy's silver hair.

"This is amazing! Mama, dad, thanks so much for letting me do this!" Phoenix exclaimed, then happily grinned at Cole. "Uncle Cole, you're the best!"

"No wonder you're the favourite uncle," Miru chuckled as Phoenix sat on Cole's knee and wildly fluttered his wings. "not everyone would be so willing to take on such an important task."

"It's the least I can do," Cole shrugged. "we were besties in a past life, right buddy?"

"Yep!" Phoenix confirmed, holding out his clenched hand for a fist-bump.

Cole was a bit stunned. Fist-bumping was their thing before Phoenix regenerated, but he hadn't done the gesture since. As far as he knew, no one else had done the fist-bump with Phoenix, or in front of him; maybe this was the first sign of his memories coming back…

He didn't want to leave his buddy hanging, so he gave the fist-bump and smiled as Phoenix giggled.

"This is the best day ever!" Phoenix declared.