Yakunan woke up to see Xenudah sitting on the bed, fiddling with his hands, his shoulders trembling ever so slightly.

"Xenu..."

Xenudah kept looking down, refusing to meet his father's eyes. "I-It still hurts...us arguing yesterday... It hurts...every time... I don't know why..."

"Oh, Xenu...your heart...it loves so deeply...so immensely… Your empathy, it's so strong… I adore that about you…" Yakunan murmured, running his hand through his son's silky black locks. "I know you hate feeling this way, but…I know how much you've been wanting this day to come… To tell me what you told me yesterday, but now you just feel sad, scared, and frustrated… You're hurting because you love me so much…" He caressed his son's cheek with his hand, wiping away one of his tears with the pad of his thumb. "I know you're scared… Scared to be hurt by this, afraid of how hard it will be to move forward… But you have every right to be... I know you're frightened... I am too…" He took his son's hands and squeezed them gently. "But… I am also so proud of you... So very proud of who you've become." He let out a sigh and glanced away for a few seconds. "Look, I know we haven't gotten along in the past…because…I was so scared…so scared of watching you grow up… I clung too tightly…too tightly on what could have been...and even though I tried to let you go, I couldn't, and so I just held you closer, tighter, more and more… I didn't want to let go of you… I wanted you close forever… But now it's your turn, Xenudah. Now it's your turn…"

"A-Apa…"

"You're my world… You are my everything… But I won't hold you back anymore, my son." He wiped another of his tears away with his thumb and pressed a small kiss against his forehead. "I won't ask you to leave me this time... But please... Please understand that you have to move on too... You have to move on... And I hope you're happy wherever you choose to go. I'll always love you, Xenu... Forevermore…" He hugged him tight and kissed his temple again, "Just remember, Xenudah... You are the brightest star in the night sky... You will shine even brighter once I'm gone."

Xenudah let out an anguished sob, burying his face in Yakunan's chest, clinging onto his shirt, crying uncontrollably as he clung to his father. "Don't leave me, not yet…don't leave me alone…"

Yakunan sat there, holding his crying son in his arms, trying not to cry himself. He knew he had lost him once before...And the last thing he wanted was for that pain to happen again, for Xenudah to suffer again. "I need you to move on someday, my son. It's okay if you can't yet, but someday…you will. I exposed you to the harshness of reality too soon when I left...and I'm sorry…but now that I'm here with you…now that I'm finally getting to see you grow up...I promise I'll never do that again. I'll keep you close until you're ready, okay? For now…just stay here with me…" Yakunan whispered. "I'll wait for you...I won't push you away... We'll get through this together, Xenudah... I love you…"

"But Dad…"

"I won't go, Xenu...not now... Not until you're ready to let me go... But for now, until then, I'll stay right here... Don't think about what may happen eventually... Just focus on today… Just remember you're safe and here with me for now… I'm not letting go… You're my son, Xenudah…and I never want to lose you again."

"So you'll stay..."

"I'll stay and listen to you... I'll protect you from any harm that comes our way... I'll give you my all for this new life of ours... I promise. I love you."

Xenudah nodded, wiping his tears away. "I'm glad you're staying, Apa…"

"I'm glad I finally get to be here with you…"

They sat together on the bed, holding one another tight for a few more moments before finally pulling away.

"Is everything alright?" Shiren peeked her head into the room after about 10 minutes.

"Yes, love." Xenudah replied, his voice soft as he squeezed his father's hand in reassurance before standing up and kissing his wife on the forehead. "We've reconciled… For now, at least."

Shiren smiled softly before hugging her husband. She kissed him gently and pulled away to look at him. "I'm so glad. I'll be in the kitchen, helping Misako and Zane make breakfast."

Xenudah gave her a gentle smile and leaned up for another kiss before nodding. "Alright…"

Yakunan grasped his son's hand, pressing his forehead to Xenudah's own before pulling away and smiling warmly. "Ah, Xenudah. Is there something wrong?"

"No..." Xenudah shook his head. "Everything is fine. I-I guess I'm going to sleep here tonight."

"Are you sure? I mean…" Yakunan glanced at his son. "...If you'd rather be alone..."

"No, Apa..." Xenudah assured him. "It would be nice to have company… Besides...I missed sleeping next to you..." He mumbled quietly.

"Oh, Xenudah...I missed you too…" Yakunan sighed, closing his eyes briefly. "Please take care of yourself, okay? Remember what I said about living without regrets?"

"I know, Apa…" Xenudah squeezed his father's hand reassuringly before leaving the room with his wife. "Thank you for everything!" He called over his shoulder before closing the door behind him.

Yakunan lingered in the room for a little while longer, staring out of the window, watching the sun rise over the horizon, the birds chirping cheerfully and the clouds drifting lazily across the azure blue sky. As long as he had Xenudah with him, it felt like nothing could hurt him again. He stood up and joined his son in the kitchen.

Yakunan smiled as he heard Xenudah's excited laughter coming from the room. He turned to look towards the island where Xenudah, Lloyd, Kai, Jay, Cole, Nya, and Garmadon were making gyoza dumplings, talking animatedly amongst themselves, sharing memories of the past. The sight warmed his heart.

Xenu was finally growing into his own, and Yakunan was glad they had found some semblance of happiness again. Even if it seemed like such a small thing, seeing him happy again was enough for him.

Xenudah gestured to his father to come join him and the others in the kitchen as he finished cutting up the remaining vegetables into smaller piles. "Dad! Come help us out! These ingredients just keep piling up!"

"Okay... I'm coming... What should I chop?"

"Hmm… Well, maybe start with those green onions over there…" Xenudah pointed to the pile of green onions next to him on the counter.

Yakunan smiled and moved over towards the table, leaning on it.

Nya finished folding up another dumpling before putting it onto the plate next to her. "Do you guys need help with anything else? I was thinking of making some fried rice."

Kai chuckled. "Not unless you want to eat all this food yourself!"

Cole's eyes widened. "What? That sounds great!"

Kai laughed. "I thought you might say that!"

Lloyd smirked mischievously. "Maybe you should stop cooking so well then…"

Yakunan rolled his eyes playfully before looking fondly at his son. "You've missed making meals like this, haven't you?

"Of course I did!" Xenudah grinned. "I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed doing all these things. I missed them too…"

Yakunan chuckled. "Well, that explains why you seem more lively than usual…"

"I'm not as energetic as I used to be, Apa…" Xenudah admitted.

"That's okay, Xenudah. It's normal to feel tired. Especially when you're still adjusting to being back home after so many years. It's very understandable that you would have trouble getting used to things right now. But we're going to work hard at making sure everything is alright for you. Okay?"

"Okay. Thank you…"

Xenudah looked over at his father and smiled before looking down at his hands and biting his lower lip.

Lloyd noticed the shift in the atmosphere immediately. "Hey, whatever is going on, can you tell us already? Because we're starting to worry…"

Xenudah sighed softly and rubbed the back of his neck nervously before looking over at the green ninja. "I don't want to worry anyone. I know that I shouldn't be worried about anything right now…but I'm still scared that…that this is all just a dream." He bit his lip.

Yakunan placed his hand on his son's shoulder comfortingly. "Honey, you aren't dreaming. This isn't a nightmare or a dream…This is all real. This is your home now, Xenu, no matter what happens. You are always welcomed and accepted here. No one will ever be able to replace you, and I will forever love you unconditionally. That will never change. Understand?"

Xenudah sniffled a little as his dad held him close, his arms wrapped around him tightly. He couldn't believe it… He never imagined that his dad really cared that much about him… But it was true. His father loved him and would be there for him through thick and thin, even though he wasn't exactly sure how much time had passed between his father's initial departure and their current reunion… But that didn't matter.

All that mattered was that they were back together once again… And that meant everything to him.

He slowly loosened his grip as he looked up at his father, wiping his tears away with the sleeve of his kimono. "Thanks, Dad…"

Yakunan hugged him closer. "Anytime, Xenu… Any time."

"Apa..." Xenudah whispered.

"What now, Xenudah? Shall we take a break and talk for a while? You're worrying me..."

"Yeah..."

Xenudah let go of his father as he hopped off the stool, leading the two over towards an empty table in the center of the room. They both sat down across from each other as they stared at the floor for several moments, neither knowing quite what to say.

"I wanted to talk about something…" Xenudah spoke after some time.

"What is it?"

"It's just…" Xenudah let out a fragile sigh. "I can hardly go more than a few minutes before my past starts haunting me again... I remember how I hurt you…hurt them...I almost..." He swallowed hard, clenching his hands into fists to keep himself from breaking down completely. He took a deep breath and blinked quickly. "I know you won't leave… but what am I supposed to do, Apa?"

"What do you mean, son? I won't leave...not even for a minute… Not until you're ready… We've been through too much to turn our backs on each other now…"

Xenudah bit his lower lip. "But I was afraid that...even after all this time...you'll still resent me…"

Yakunan frowned slightly as he studied his son's expression, concern clear in his features. "Why would I resent you, Xenudah? Why would I possibly hate you for what happened? I'm just relieved that you survived at all. If anything, it gives me all the more reason to want to stay…."

Xenudah let out a small whimper, closing his eyes as his breathing became irregular, overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught of emotions that flooded through him. He leaned his head against the palm of his hand as tears fell from his eyes uncontrollably. "I can't do this anymore…" He gasped. "Everything is overwhelming me! Every bad feeling, every bad dream I had ever since we got here... I...I'm too scared of hurting you…of losing you again..." Tears streamed down his face freely. "I can't hold it in any longer, Apa! Please... I can't do it… I can't..."

"Then we'll take one step at a time... You don't have to rush it, Xenudah… I'll listen and wait for however long you need… Just take your time with this... Let it all come crashing down. Let your emotions run free… I'm here to support you… Now and always… Hmm…shall we move to the couch instead?"

"Y-Yeah…"

At Xenudah's request, the two stood up, making their way over to the couch nearby.

Yakunan gently pulled his son close, hugging him tightly, trying to get his boy to relax, brushing his hair softly as he cried. He felt a lump forming in his throat. How could his beautiful son ever think that he'd leave him behind like he had done in the past? He needed him… So badly… "I'm right here, child... You won't lose me again... We'll make it through this...together…one step at a time…as long as you need to…"

Xenudah buried his head deeper into his father's chest, holding tight to the fabric of his haori, tears soaking it. He was so grateful for his father, for taking care of him now more than ever… For helping him find his place again… He knew that he wouldn't have been able to cope without him. Without having someone to confide in, someone who loved him for who he was, someone who supported him and who cared about him... Someone to trust and lean on... Someone who could understand… Someone who could see all the good in him… And he loved his father more than anything in the entire world... More than life itself...

"I love you... I'm sorry... I can't keep doing this alone anymore..."

"I know… I know…" Once again, Yakunan sang the song he had sung to his child the other night. The song that brought hope to him… Hope that the two of them would overcome this new obstacle… And that this would become their new beginning together.

"A-Apa…can you remind me of moments from when I was younger? How we used to be? Before I was left behind?"

"Of course… Hmm…I remember this one day where you were bored, so bored in fact that you'd spend hours curled up next to the tree by the cave we shared. There weren't any clouds to make it easier on the light, but you still loved spending time there, regardless." Yakunan brushed his son's hair, rocking him gently. "I told you that the sky above would always stay blue, even if you could never touch it… It was the best time for you, wasn't it? When you felt most free…? You were content in those moments… Content in your own happiness."

"And then you'd join me, and we'd talk about the most trivial things." Xenudah replied wistfully. "Like what we did in the village, or whether the others in town had any interesting stories to tell... Sometimes you'd sing, and sometimes I'd join you, but whenever you stopped singing for a moment or two, we'd look at each other and smile."

"That tree was our little safe space, remember? We'd spend whole days curled up under that same tree, talking until we forgot why we came out there in the first place…"

"Remember that one time we tried to catch a bug that was crawling across the ground, but it somehow managed to wriggle itself into the crevice of a crack in the rock across the way?"

"The wind suddenly picked up, sending tiny pebbles flying in our direction, and when you reached for a stick with which to protect yourself, it broke off in your hand instead."

"You ended up having to climb up the tree for another stick!"

"The bugs didn't seem to stop moving until the sun started setting, and one would crawl on your arm and you'd let it tickle you."

"We ended up falling asleep underneath that tree because I'd gotten so tired, and when we woke up, it was morning. We completely forgot how long we'd been there. Sometimes I'd watch you create little clouds with your elemental powers.

"Even then, you seemed happy to watch me make those pretty shapes."

"I wish I had a lot more time with you before...that…" Xenudah sniffled.

Yakunan smiled sadly as his eyes met his son's. "Me too... Me too…" He held Xenudah closer as he leaned his forehead on top of his, closing his eyes.

"I'm glad you finally came back," Xenudah said softly. "If only it hadn't taken us this long to reconnect… But thank you for coming back."

Yakunan chuckled lightly. "For you, Xenudah, anything. You're my whole world, you know…"

"Apa... Can you promise me something?"

"Anything."

"Promise me... That you'll always be there for me, no matter what happens? No matter what people try to pull me away from you?"

"I'll always do everything I can to help you... To support you. Always."

"Always."

They hugged each other tighter, tears streaming down their cheeks as they continued to embrace. This time, Xenudah began humming the lullaby that he remembered his father singing to him before he had fallen asleep. He wouldn't let go. Not this time.