Frankie lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling distantly, just overlooking what he said to Mythra and why he even thought it was a good idea in the first place. He worried about Pyra too, if she felt whatever Mythra was feeling, then that could only mean he had hurt her too. It was his guess exactly what she was feeling but he didn't want to guess, not in this state.

"One week… one week… one week…" He kept repeating to himself. After a while, he wasn't even sure why he started in the first place. One idea, he thought, was to remind himself just how quickly this was all moving yet again, another had him believe that he had ruined a perfectly good thing in such a short amount of time, but another still called to him and had suggested that, indeed, it had been a week. Only a week. There was still room to grow.

He didn't know which to believe. He needed Kaito really badly right now. He glanced over at his clock every now and then to count the minutes that went by; slower than ever, as would always seem to be the case in situations like this. Just before he could make himself even more upset, he heard a knock at the door. He hoped it was Kaito and turned his head to face it.

"Frankie…?" It was Pyra's voice. The young man felt his heart skip a beat as he pondered quickly to figure out what to do. So much had happened in this one day and it clouded his judgement. Nevertheless, he dragged himself out of bed to greet her, only to be met with a sudden flash of light revealing that the person there to see him wasn't Pyra, but Mythra, looking down guiltily and rubbing her arm sheepishly.

"Hey…" She said. Frankie said nothing and sighed deeply. He was about to turn away until Mythra gently but firmly asserted herself, holding the door open and getting closer to her Driver. "Frank, listen, please… I… I didn't like what you said, okay? But… well… I'm just tired… so… so very tired… you pushed a lot of the wrong buttons… I-I know you didn't mean much harm when you were saying those things and I shouldn't be in this position in the first place but… well… you heard what I said… you figure it out…"

Now Frankie possessed a hangdog expression, those words struck too many chords for him to be comfortable with. All that was exactly what he was afraid of, even if he didn't mean it, but that just made it all the worse for him to think about.

"Kaito told me some things, you know." Mythra explained, getting Frankie's attention. "What I mean to say is… I get it, alright? Sometimes you just gotta hit something real bad when you get heated up, and… well… I'm… I'm sorry for… being me, I guess…" There were a few small seconds of silence as Frankie just stared at his Blade sadly, and her staring sadly back. Mythra instinctively placed a hand on her core crystal and gently shut her eyes. "You've got something you want to say, I know you do. There's no use hiding it, Driver of mine. I'll listen. No matter what it is." Frankie took a deep breath in and out as he finally obliged Mythra.

"I'm sorry too… for being me too…" He said.

"It's been a rough start for the both of us, hasn't it?"

"Yeah…"

"Hah… never would've thought I'd have a Driver who could see eye to eye with me on that front… usually it's just me starting something because I'm just so… edgy and cool or whatever… or at least I wanna be…"

"Well… you are a Blade, so that by definition is pretty edgy. And, for what it's worth… I think you're pretty cool, too. You've got guts I wish I had. I'm usually so afraid to speak up at all because of that…" Mythra looked knowingly at Frankie, unsure of exactly what to say, but desperately wishing she did, so she just spoke her mind.

"You dummy… that… that means a lot to me, you know… to Pyra too." Then she chuckled. "Even though she may be the perfect little snowflake, she's nowhere near as attractive or cool as I am…"

"Hey!" Pyra hollered to her from her space. Though the less cool part she did have to agree with, it did give her a good chuckle when put into perspective, especially with Frankie in the room.

"Well then… you wouldn't mind if we… started over, do you?" Frankie asked hopefully. Mythra smiled once more.

"I'd love to…" Mythra bowed politely and addressed Frankie directly. "A pleasant evening to you, sir, my name is Mythra, I am your Blade, and you are my Driver." Frankie smiled and shook his head affectionately.

"I-I'm Frankie…" He nervously said, playing along with her. "It's… an honor." Now Frankie and Mythra exchanged warm, if tired smiles. Just before Mythra shifted her face to an annoyed scowl and turned away, leaving Frankie confused once again.

"I-I'm still kinda hungry… but I guess we won't be eating whatever I just made. We can just… do whatever Miko suggested." Frankie broke out into a smile once again as he joined Mythra's side in the doorway.

"What? And waste money? I don't think so. Cooking helps take my mind off things, and I know something quick, easy, and delicious that'll be perfect for a time like this."

"Y-you do?" Mythra asked. Frankie's smile widened in response as he gave her a single nod. "Well… I-I'm looking forward to it, I guess."

"Looking forward to it? You're gonna help me!" Frankie took Mythra's arm and led her out the room.

"I'm what?!" Mythra blushed brightly as she was dragged into the kitchen, just behind Frankie as he rummaged through the freezer.

"That ice cream rant of yours tipped me off a little. Whether or not that was Pyra talking or just plain you, I don't really care. Anyone with a taste for food like that deserves a starting chance, at least. Sure, today was a pretty nasty failure, but I'll keep an eye on you this time so you can get it right."

Mythra paused herself from saying much. That did sound nice. She might actually be able to do something personal and pass with flying colors for once. She could hear Pyra call to her from beyond.

"Trust me, Mythra, he's good people when it comes to this, but whatever you do, don't let your guard down, okay?"

"W-wait, what do you mean?" Mythra asked back, but Pyra had already left. Leaving the older Blade alone with Frankie.

"Alright…" Frankie took a frozen half-tube of raw ground beef and slammed it down on the table, catching her attention immediately. "Let's get to work."

It started with Frankie placing the tube on a plate and chucking it in the microwave to defrost. Mythra looked back and forth between him and the machine he chucked the food into. Mostly amazed by how diligent he was as he waited. It was that darn concentration she found so cool coming back to punch her right in the chest. She turned to ignore it and not get distracted, but with Miko and Kaito not there, that was easier said than done. Even something as simple as him poking the tube and thoughtfully remarking that there was still more work to be done before letting it defrost some more made her heart contort funny.

When the meat was soft enough, Frankie took a frying pan and laid the meat down on it, creating a sizzling sound, and asked Mythra to take out the onion and garlic powders from the cupboard. As well as the kosher salt and what he called "Cuminos", it took her a little while to find what she was looking for, particularly the seasoning with such an odd name, but all were labeled, even the strange sounding one. When she came back up to the stove with the proper ingredients, Frankie stepped aside and let her take the spatula he was stirring the meat with, shocking her at first, but his welcoming body language told her it was more than okay, and so she timidly complied. She was about to add seasoning right off the bat to the still raw meat, but stopped when Frankie shook his head, 'no', and immediately got back to stirring, if incredibly embarrassed, trying her best not to show it.

When nice and brown, Mythra couldn't help herself. She had to try a piece. With Frankie's refusal to seasoning prior, she assumed this food didn't need it and took a bit to taste. It was fantastic! Moist, intact, good reaction to chewing, perfectly edible. It was the best she had ever done. Frankie shook his head in amusement and seasoned a bit of the meat himself, starting with the cuminos, a Mexican seasoning agent specifically for grounded meats, and allowed Mythra to try it. Even with a little pinch of flavor, Mythra could tell the difference and immediately added more to taste as she teared up proudly of her success before adding the rest of the seasonings. Frankie didn't interfere, he wanted to let Mythra use her own judgment, with her last failure still fresh in her mind and the revelation that a little does indeed go a long way.

When Mythra was finished with the meat, Frankie had brought out a separate pan and some tortillas with some oil. He started by adding a bit of oil to the pan himself and put it away along with the seasonings, hinting to Mythra that this was enough. Mythra caught on quickly as Frankie turned the flame on and handed her the tortillas and a pair of tongs.

"Let them fry, and then fold them over into a D-Shape"

He said. Mythra nervously nodded as she put one in and monitored it closely. As she did so, Frankie returned to the refrigerator and brought out a block of cheese, some lettuce, and a tomato. He started slicing up half of the large red fruit into manageable toppings before heading to the lettuce to dice them to shreds and finally ending with grating the cheese into nice little granules. He and Mythra worked together side by side, the whole time Mythra couldn't take her eyes off him, this time in pure admiration; she was almost giddily impressed with how focused he was, it gave her a chuckle, but it did briefly distract her from the frying tortilla, as the oil in the pan popping out at her was so keen to remind her that they needed more attention.

Just like that, dinner was ready. Mythra looked at Frankie a bit nervously, but the young man simply smiled proudly at her; it gave her a small bit of confidence and made her feel appreciated, but the thought of yet another failure leading to disappointment still filled her mind and as such, couldn't muster anything more than a guilty, toothy grin. Frankie at this point went to go get Miko, who he could hear snoring from the living room. As he did so, he was surprised to see Kaito, who let his girlfriend rest on his lap as he gently patted her head and stroked her hair lovingly, a sudden horrific faint had turned into a peaceful and happy sleep as she nestled up closer to him. Upon feeling his big brother's presence, the younger, smaller man lifted his head up and smiled warmly, even with Frankie's sort of unsure grimace.

"She told you, huh?" Kaito asked.

"Not everything… but I got the gist of it." Frankie admitted.

"You and her'll get to where you need to go in due time, and I think that's gonna be sooner rather than later. You got me and Miko on your side, big bro. Don't forget that."

Now Frankie broke out into a smile, nodding peacefully in response. He was about to let Kaito know dinner was ready just until Miko's nose began to twitch.

"Kokonut…?" She groaned lazily, stretching out and reaching up to hug her boyfriend's neck. "Is breakfast ready, baby…?" She asked with a smile, still partially asleep.

"Not exactly, Koko Puff… they day hasn't finished yet. It's dinner time." Kaito explained.

Miko's eyes fluttered open before she rubbed her eyes as she let out a massive yawn, getting up from the couch and stretching as tall as a little lady like herself really could. She took one more whiff of the flavorful smells around her and instantly snapped awake.

"Okay! Let's eat!" She cried as she made her way towards the kitchen. Frankie and Kaito smiled widely at each other as they went to follow the latter's eccentric girlfriend.

Miko came to a stop as she saw Mythra awkwardly standing by the stove. Both made unsure eye contact with each other while the former backed up, only to bump into her boyfriend, who caught her as she stumbled. When Frankie came into the room, she shifted her focus to him; a sharp nod and an affirming smile was what he gave her.

"Alright everyone… t-tonight… we-we're having… ta-t-ta….kwooosss…" She announced with a quiver in her voice.

"Tacos…?" Miko repeated, loosening up a bit as Frankie had made the dish many times in the past, hoping not even she would be able to screw up something so simple.

The Blade stepped aside to allow the crew to grab their food, stuffing the shells with meat, and finishing off with the three toppings Frankie had provided. All four sat at the table with two tacos each. Kaito and Miko picked at their food with uncertainty as did Mythra, but Frankie maintained a calm composure, placing a gentle hand on Mythra's shoulder to relax her a bit. As usual, Frankie prayed before his meal and Mythra shyly followed as well.

Now it was the moment of truth. All four of them took a bit of food and bit down nervously.

A bit too salty, kind of dry, the meat was. Some shells were too brittle, others were too soft, some were even a little eschew. The toppings, however, did help out a fair bit. The tomato helped mask the dry texture, the lettuce actually serviced well with the overpowering savor, its own waters becoming rather flavorful as the extra seasoning seeped its way in with each bite, and the cheese didn't hurt one bit, a different flavor to be sure, but a welcoming one that helped keep the food sound.

She had done it.

Mythra had made something edible. Frankie helped very sparsely, and the toppings certainly weren't creations of him; this was all her. To her, it was a major success. Even Miko had to admit the end result wasn't all that bad, even though it wouldn't compare to classic Southern Californian-born Mexican style as Frankie's were. But she didn't care, on that night, Mythra felt a twinge of hope in her heart, and a new bout of appreciation for her Driver.

"Good job, Mythra, I'm proud of you. You deserve this feeling." Pyra said to her quietly.

—————————————————————————

When dusk turned to night, Frankie and Mythra bid Kaito and Miko farewell, both parties extremely tired from every last event that happened all in this one day. All of them needed to be ready to return to business tomorrow, so hitting the hay early sounded like a great idea.

"Back to square one for us, huh?" Mythra asked with a light smile on her face as she and Frankie went back indoors.

"You don't mind, do you?" He asked.

"I guess all these crazy twists and turns life kept throwing at us day after day really took us on quite the ride. It might be nice going slow now that we have a chance to." She smiled cheekily at Frankie this time. "After all, it has only been a week…"

"I'm getting real sick of hearing that…" He muttered back. Mythra snickered to herself as the two approached her room.

"It was real nice of Kari to let me and Pyra work at our own pace for the time being… I don't think Pyra needs any of that right now…" Mythra intoned.

"She looked so happy when she started too…" Frankie bemoaned, looking down sorrowfully.

"It's all this lasting euphoria, didn't think it'd be hanging around this long. I'm sure she'll get back into the swing of things eventually but…" Mythra sighed heavily as she shook her head. "That isn't a story for right now… both of us want to save that for another time…"

"Oh… okay… sorry…"

"Don't be." Mythra said with a small smile. "We're all still learning things in this little circle we've built upon ourselves. It's only a matter of time until we can just… live in it."

'And I'm so looking forward to that.' She thought.

"Right… and I'll just… keep doing what I'm doing, I guess." Frankie said with a nod.

"I will too. Both of us will." Then Mythra glowed suddenly and in her place stood Pyra!

"Goodnight, Frankie! And thank you!"

Frankie reached out to try and talk to her, but just as soon as she showed up, she vanished and allowed Mythra to take her place again.

"Hey, now! I thought we agreed we'd take things slow!" Mythra laughed as she playfully stopped Frankie's arm from reaching too far.

"R-right… sorry Mythra. I still owe you that outing though."

"Looking forward to it." Mythra winked quickly before turning away to enter her room, shifting her focus to Frankie one last time. "Night, Big Guy." And then she was gone.

Frankie wasn't sure of what to make of these past few seconds… but one thing was for sure, he was glad about it all. He knew there was still much about these two girls he needed to learn and he couldn't wait to hear from Kaito or Miko, but that would have to wait a little bit longer. Everyone was tired and he didn't want to bug either of them. It was shower time.

Mythra was already fast asleep, no dreams came to her, but it was a peaceful rest nonetheless. Then the door creaked open. Frankie, wearing a bathrobe after finishing his shower crept in silently.

"Mythra… you awake…?" He whispered. Nothing. The young man gulped nervously as he walked slowly over to her. In his hands he held Jimmy, Mythra's Pikachu plushie and placed him very carefully by her side in bed, not disturbing her one bit. "Just thought you might want to sleep with him tonight… Good night, Mythra…" Still no response, but that wasn't important now. Frankie left her room and headed towards his own, completely missing when Mythra took the doll and held it so very close and tightly with a big wide smile on her face.

"…In Jesus name we pray… amen…" Frankie had finished praying his nightly prayers and immediately took to searching the web for nice relaxing music to fall asleep to, setting his alarm to 7:30 AM as usual and getting ready to cozy up in bed and drift off, leaving the day behind him. His mother's words came back to him.

"Tomorrow is a new day…"

For once, that certainly seemed to be the case.

"I'm brushin' up on lookin' down, I'm workin' on my roar!" His phone suddenly rang. Slightly annoyed, he was about to end the call and silence his phone immediately until he saw it was from Kaito. He didn't hesitate, at that point, to answer.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Hey big bro…" Kaito began.

"What's wrong, Kaito?

"N-nothing's wrong with me, Frankie, I promise."

"Okay… so why are you calling me so late…?"

There was a long strand of silence between the two. Frankie could hear Kaito take a deep breath from the other line before he finally got to say what he needed to.

"Big bro… what do you know about… The Aegis?"