A soft gasp escaped Wakko as his eyes opened. Letting out a sigh, he sat up and rubbed a hand over his eyes. He'd had another of those vague dreams: just an indistinguishable mix of sounds and blurred images. A familiar sense of frustration filled him; this had been happening all the time over the past week. Despite everything his siblings had been telling him about their past lives, he still couldn't really recall any of it… it felt like it was hovering at the edge of his mind, just out of reach.
Letting out another sigh, Wakko's eyes moved to the window and he found himself gazing at the stars. Something tugged at him, and he closed his eyes.
I wish I would remember.
He wasn't sure why he was doing this again, but maybe, just maybe, if it worked once…
Wakko opened his eyes again, and they moved from the sky to the dimly lit town. Suddenly, a thought came to him. Hearing about his past hadn't really worked so far, but maybe if he saw something…
A sense of cautious excitement filled him, and the thought of asking about it tomorrow came to him. But as the idea kept pulling at him, he decided he couldn't wait. He took a quick glance at his siblings, then slid out of bed. He was finally able to move around without help, though he still got tired before long. But that shouldn't be a problem… he didn't have to go far.
Grabbing his scarf, he glanced at Yakko and Dot one more time before padding out of the room as quietly as he could. He wasn't sure if this would work, so telling them might only get their hopes up for nothing. It was best he did this alone.
When he stepped outside, Wakko shivered a little at the chill and his breath escaped in a misty cloud. Bracing himself, he headed off at a fast walk; running would be faster, but it would wear him out sooner and he had only descriptions to go by to get to his destination. After a few minutes, he finally reached it: the rundown building that, until recently, he and his siblings had called home.
Wakko hesitated outside, scanning the structure. Nothing about the outside jogged his memory. Taking a deep breath, he moved forward and stepped inside. It was almost just as cold inside as outside, and he rubbed his arms as he looked around, racking his mind for any sense of familiarity. There was very little to see, but something against the wall caught his eye. It looked like a mattress, with several strings stretched over it. Frowning, he crossed the room and examined it closely. Slowly, he reached out and plucked one of the strings. Something stirred in his mind, and he closed his eyes as he tried to place it.
Several moments passed as Wakko thought hard… he knew this, but how? Over and over, he tried to remember, but it just wouldn't come no matter how hard he tried. Finally, he opened his eyes and sank down onto a box beside the mattress. He released a heavy sigh and looked down at his feet… maybe it was time to start resigning himself to the fact that he would most likely never get his memory back. He tried to tell himself that it wasn't so bad, not really, but his eyes still began stinging. He closed them again, sniffling quietly.
I guess I can't do anything. Yakko, Dot… I'm sorry.
…
Yakko woke suddenly, as if by some internal alarm. He sat up with a yawn, and out of instinct glanced at his siblings only to find one of the beds empty. Wakko was gone. He froze, staring for a moment, then a rush of alarm filled him. Jumping up, he hurried to the door and glanced out to see if he had just gone out in the hall but saw no one. His alarm increased, along with a trace of exasperation; what was his brother thinking, going off by himself in the cold when he still wasn't fully recovered?
The eldest Warner was just about to rush out after him when he remembered his sister. If she woke up and saw both him and Wakko gone, she would be panicked too. Turning, he hurried over to her. Despite feeling some unease at how she'd probably react to being woken in the middle of the night, he gently shook her shoulder.
"Dot? Dot, wake up!"
A sleepy mumble escaped her, then she opened her eyes and gave him a glare that could peel paint.
"This better be impor-"
Apparently seeing his anxious look, she stopped talking as her glare dropped, and he took the opportunity to speak.
"Sorry, but it is. Wakko's gone…"
"What?!" Dot sat bolt upright, alarm in her face. "Why would he…"
Yakko quickly placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm not sure, but don't worry, I think I know where he went."
His sister's eyes immediately widened in realization. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and hopped off.
"I'm coming too."
"You don't have to…" Yakko started but stopped when she glared at him again.
"Yes, I do," she said firmly. "He's my brother too, and I wanna help him just as much as you!"
Recognizing her stubborn expression, Yakko knew he wouldn't be able to stop her if he tried. He sighed and nodded.
"Okay, sis. But put your…"
Before he could finish his sentence, Dot had snatched her shawl and put it on. Taking a moment to grab his scarf, Yakko wrapped it around his neck as they rushed to the door. He barely noticed the bite of the cold when they got outside but grabbed his sister's hand and kept hold of it as they hurried down the dark street. He really hoped he was right about where Wakko was, and that he hadn't passed out somewhere else… if they couldn't find him, he could freeze out here.
Neither sibling spoke until their old shelter came into view. When they got close, Dot hesitated.
"Do you hear that?"
Yakko stopped too and listened; relief filled him as he recognized the sound. He tugged on his sister's hand.
"C'mon."
As they hurried toward the ramshackle building, Yakko's relief became punctuated with irritation; he was rarely angry with his siblings, but when they did something reckless he took exception. What if Wakko had passed out somewhere? It could have been hours before they found him! But as soon as they reached the door, the sight inside drove any reprimand out of his mind.
Wakko was sitting in front of his makeshift harp, slowly plucking at the strings. The sound was mournful in itself, but it was nothing compared to the look on his face. Unbidden, the memory came back to Yakko of another night when he had seen this exact same sight.
And what had he done then? Left him alone.
The feeling of remorse was interrupted when he felt Dot squeeze his hand. He looked down at her to see the same sadness in her eyes, but also a look of encouragement. Taking a breath, he pushed it down.
I'm not doing that this time.
Dot followed behind as he stepped inside, and as they approached he saw Wakko's ears twitch. His hand paused over the strings and he looked up, his eyes widening when he saw them. Quickly, he stood up as his sad look turned into an anxious one.
"Guys, I… I'm sorry, I didn't…"
Yakko shook his head.
"No, it's okay… we're just glad we found you. But what're you doing here?"
Wakko sighed and sat back down.
"I just thought, maybe if I saw this place, it might bring something back." He shook his head, looking utterly defeated. "But it didn't."
Yakko glanced at Dot and saw his own sadness etched on her face. Letting out a quiet sigh, he walked over to Wakko and lowered himself to his level. Placing a hand under his chin, he gently lifted it. A lump rose in his throat at the tears in his brother's eyes and he swallowed hard before speaking in a steady tone.
"Wakko, listen… I know you still feel like this is your fault. But you've gotta believe it's not. You can't keep beating yourself up over something you had no control over."
Wakko looked at him for a moment, then his jaw tightened as he looked down again.
"But… but I'm trying, and it just doesn't work."
For once, Yakko found himself unsure of what to say. He glanced over at Dot again, then a thought came to him. He looked back at his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Ya know, the night before you left Acme Falls, Dot said something like that to you."
Wakko looked up, his sad look gaining a trace of curiosity.
"Really?"
Yakko nodded with a slight smile.
"She didn't want you to leave, and she said she was trying to get better, but it wasn't working. And you said sometimes, even when you try really hard, things just don't work. But that doesn't mean it's your fault. It just means you need to depend on the people who love you."
Wakko's eyes had moved to the ground again, and his brow was slowly furrowing as if in deep thought. For several moments, he was silent, but then his eyes widened.
"Yakko…" he said softly. "I… I remember that…"
Stunned silence greeted his words, and Yakko heard Dot gasp through the sound of his heart pounding. Finally, he managed to speak.
"Y-you what?"
Wakko lifted his head, looking as if he couldn't believe what he was saying.
"I remember." His eyes welled up with tears. "I remember everything."
For several moments, Yakko could only stare as the words slowly sunk in. Then his own eyes began stinging, and he felt tears run down his face as he pulled his little brother into a tight hug. Wakko returned it just as fiercely, burying his face in Yakko's shoulder. Dot rushed over and threw her arms around him too, her quiet sniffles filling the silence. Yakko shifted so she could nestle in between him and Wakko, and all three siblings stayed locked in a firm embrace. Finally Wakko spoke, his voice trembling with emotion.
"I love you, big brother. I love you, baby sister."
Dot whimpered something that sounded vaguely like 'I love you' before breaking on a joyful sob. Yakko swallowed hard as he pressed his face into his brother's cap.
"I love you too, baby bro," he whispered. And deep inside, an empty space he hadn't known was there was filled.
At last, at long last, his family was together, and whole.
