“Hey-yo, Uncle Bono. Have you seen…, Oh, never mind. There you are Koko.” Metalli poked her head in, sensing that Bona was done using mana and was awake.

“Hey-yo Metallio, you taking my Little Goose?”

Kokomo sat up from lying on the rug when she heard Metalli. She knew she was doing something that Metalli disapproved of.

“Oh, ahhh, Hey-Yesss. I mean Sis.” Kokomo stumbled her words, realizing that she was already caught.

“So, Uncle, why was Koko lying on the ground?”

“She wasn’t.” Bona made no revelation of guilt.

“Uncle, you spoil her too much, you know that. I swear you need a good beating.”

“No, you need to calm down.” Bona formed water above Metalli’s head and dropped it. Metalli knew this was coming and formed a ramp for the water to flow onto the floor in front of her.

“Dang it, foiled again.” Metalli glared at Bona.

“You know what you just did right? You made a big freaking mess. Opps, I mean you made a mess.” Metalli didn’t want Kokomo speaking so vulgarly and tried to cover it up.

“Yeah, yeah. Just watch out for the second one.” Metalli shook her head and walked over to Bona and grabbed him by the collar of his white dress shirt.

“Uncle, you’re acting like a child. Do you want Koko growing up to be like you?”

“Uhh, I don’t see a problem. Metalli, your gonna wrinkle my shirt.” Metalli released her grip and started hitting Bona playfully.

“Ow, ow, stop, your gonna make Kokomo cry.” The sound of a little child’s laughter came from the middle of the room.

Kokomo sat watching, thinking about what her mother told her about love. Sometimes love looks like what she saw between her older sister and her papa. Two people fighting, two people bickering and pranking each other. She was so happy to see her father and sister picking on each other because she knew it meant everything was alright between them.

“Yeah sis, stop it, I will cry supper, supper hard if Papa got hurt.” She made a pouting face and turned her head to the side.

“S-Sorry, Koko, ha, I just think Papa is really annoying.”

“What?!” Bona said pushing himself against his seat, wide eyed.

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Kokomo laughed, “Metalli, let’s go, let’s go! I want to learn how to make animals.” Kokomo jumped up and stood at the doorway, hands on wall, looking up at Metalli.

“Yeah, let’s leave the annoying Papa alone. And I am not giving her back, I’m gonna raise her right you hear?” Metalli pointed a finger at Bona, then turned and walked out of the room holding Kokomo’s hands. Bona decided to continue writing his memoir for Kokomo and stood to close the blinds and recast the spell, taking him back to his past.

At this point, Kokomo was 5 years old, though just barely. For someone her age, she has shown potential in her connection to the mana. Kokomo has been able to produce elements, and objects, but none of her spells were all that powerful or resolute.

Though she truly desired strength, there really was no need for it. Currently Kokomo is walking hand in hand with her older sister through the woods to a training ground that Metalli had set up long ago when she wanted nothing to do with Bona.

“Sis, why do you call Papa Uncle?” Kokomo said, watching where she was stepping. “Mama told me what uncle meant.”

“Hmm, Papa, is my papa, but why do I call him Uncle? I guess its what I used to call him before he was my Papa.”

“Huh, Papa wasn’t always your Papa?” Kokomo stopped walking and shook her head in disbelief.

“Oh, it is not important Koko. You will always be my little sister, Papa will always be Papa, Mama will always be Mama. You understand?” Kokomo had a resolute face on and nodded vigorously.

“I would never not want you to be my sister. No, uh-ah.” Kokomo said. Metalli smiled and picked Kokomo up.

“I can walk! Put me down sis.”

“Its faster this way, now put your arms around my neck, it’ll be more comfortable for the both of us.”

“Humph, fine, soon I’ll be strong, like Papa.” Metalli felt the warmth of Kokomo’s arms as they clung to her neck, and the warmth of Kokomo’s breath as her head rested on her shoulder. Though she still misses her mother and father, she knew they would be happy for her. At first, she regretted it, being happy as Bona’s adopted daughter, but once they talked things over, and Bona found his wife, she loosened up. Suppose it was the passage of time, but no matter what brought this change of heart, she was happy to finally move on.

Most of all, she found this little girl holding on to her, loving her, and smiling at her every morning. Metalli knew that what her parents did in the city that day was all for her sake, because in the presence of Kokomo, her own life meant nothing when facing sacrifice if that sacrifice saved Kokomo.

“Hey, Koko you awake?” Metalli asked to the little girl in her arms.

“Yeah, your so warm Sis.”

“Ha, glad to hear that. You ready to learn a little bit about making animals?”

“Yep.” Kokomo said with a big smile, pushing herself off Metalli’s chest to look up at her older sister. “Put me down, and I can show you what I got.” She had a confident look on.

“Gotcha.” Metalli slowly dropped Kokomo down as if she were placing something fragile into a package.

“Alright, your first lesson is to imagine what it is you want to create…”

Though her sister showed her, and gave her tips, Kokomo’s gooses were always small, about the size of an adult thumb. She tried hard and listened intently. Still, she had fun, and trying repeatedly with her sister’s help was an activity she could partake in all day.

“Koko, you’re amazing. To be able to do as much as this, you are the best little sister ever!” Metalli exclaimed to an exhausted Kokomo.

“Ha, thank you sis, I’m sleepy.” Metalli picked up Kokomo and headed back towards the house. She was humming a song written by a Bard that Bona saved long ago. And as she headed back, she squeezed the little Kokomo in her arms tight with a big smile.

“Eeeek, Metalli, your gonna make me poop.”