Wakko sat quietly, trying to ease his tension as Jayna's hands lightly touched his temples. Her eyes were closed in concentration, and he resisted the urge to ask what she was doing. After a few moments, she opened her eyes and gave him a sympathetic look.
"I can feel a lot of energy twisted up in there," she said, her voice gentle. "But I think some meditation can help. Do you want to try?"
Wakko felt a twinge of nerves and glanced over at his siblings; at his request, they were there to watch. He saw the concern in their eyes but both smiled and nodded their encouragement. Looking back at his instructor, the middle sibling took a breath and nodded. If they all thought he could do it, he trusted them. The woman gave him a small smile; even though she did it way more often now, it was still strange to see one on her.
"If I didn't think you could do it, I wouldn't have suggested it."
She rested her hands palms up on her knees and nodded to Wakko, prompting him to copy her stance.
"Close your eyes," she instructed. He did so, and she went on in a calm, soothing tone. "Match your breaths to mine and focus on the sound of my voice."
Wakko's ears twitched as he listened to her slow, steady breathing and began to copy it.
"Let your mind clear," her voice continued. "Put aside your concerns and worries for now, focus on the task at hand."
The middle sibling did his best to follow her directions, trying to set aside his cluttered thoughts as he breathed slowly and in time with Jayna. He wasn't sure how long they did it, but finally he felt his tension starting to ease as his mind grew quieter. A calmness he hadn't felt in days began creeping in.
Then abruptly, suddenly, an image flashed in front of him. It was himself, as if he had stepped back in time, back to the cave. His shirt was ragged and streaked with dirt, the broken chains dangling from his wrists as his hands hung slack at his sides. The hatless figure stood motionless, staring at him with glowing white eyes and a cold, almost menacing expression.
Wakko tensed, drawing in a sharp breath. His breathing grew quicker as fear flooded in. Unseen by him, both his siblings tensed as well. Then a hand rested on his shoulder and Jayna's voice came again, calm and collected.
"It's all right… come back now."
Wakko's eyes flew open, the image disappearing. Breathing hard, he hugged himself as he began trembling. Both his siblings immediately rushed to him and encased him in a hug. He let out a whimper as he pressed close to them.
"Guys, I… I…"
"Shh, it's okay," Yakko soothed, rubbing his back. "It's okay, we're here."
Dot looked up, glaring at Jayna.
"I thought that was supposed to help!" she said indignantly. The woman met her fierce gaze with composure, her voice still calm.
"Part of recovering from a traumatic experience is facing it. Accepting it and learning to release the fear."
She looked at Wakko, her eyes and voice so gentle it was almost motherly.
"Wakko, have you felt your connection to the spirits?"
Those words made the middle sibling's heart fall. He hadn't said anything about that, mainly because he didn't want Yakko and Dot to worry. But there was no avoiding it now.
"I… I'm not sure," he said softly. "It's not like it's gone, it's just… really weak for some reason. When I try to connect, nothing happens."
"Nothing happens because you don't want it to happen," Jayna said. Wakko looked up, confused, and he heard the same confusion in Yakko's voice when he spoke.
"What d' you mean?"
"I think it's for a few reasons," Jayna replied. "Mainly, because he's afraid of going through what happened when he spent himself again."
She then looked back at Wakko.
"But I think it's also because you've seen what your power can do at its strongest, and deep down, now you fear it."
The middle sibling shifted, feeling a strong sense of shame. He didn't want to be scared anymore, especially not of himself, but she was right… he was. Though it looked like there wasn't much reason to be… he couldn't even access that power anymore. His dismal thoughts were interrupted when Jayna spoke again, her voice still kind and understanding.
"There's no reason to be ashamed. What you're feeling is perfectly natural. But your power is a gift. It's part of you, as much as anything else about you. You can't lose it any more than you can stop being you."
There was a moment of silence, then Wakko let out a heavy sigh.
"I'm not so sure I haven't," he said in a dejected tone. He heard Dot sniffle a little before hugging him again. Yakko did the same, his voice sad but reassuring.
"You're still you, sib. Just 'cause you're having trouble now doesn't mean you're not the same person."
A gentle hand lifted Wakko's chin, and he found himself looking into his instructor's serious green eyes.
"He's right. I know it feels impossible right now, but this isn't the first time you've had to overcome suffering. And what you did proves you still can. You faced so much pain alone, and you still didn't give up. Not only that, you stopped that man from hurting anyone else the way he hurt you, and you spared him when you had every reason not to. That takes a lot of strength, and if you're strong enough to do that, you're strong enough to get past this."
Wakko looked up at her, his eyes beginning to well. Finally, he closed them and nestled into his siblings' embrace, sniffling quietly.
"And we're here for ya while you do," Yakko said, rubbing his back again. "Power or no power, we love you, and we'll do whatever it takes to fix this."
Dot didn't say anything, probably because she didn't trust herself not to cry, but she tightened her embrace a little and he felt her nod. Slowly, Wakko felt the knot in his chest loosen, and the corners of his mouth twitched up into a smile. It felt like it had been so long since he'd genuinely smiled, and he'd wondered if he even could again.
"Thanks," he whispered. He could tell his brother was smiling too when he replied in a soft, gentle voice.
"Anytime, baby bro."
They sat in silence for a while, holding each other, and Wakko could hear that Jayna was staying quiet, giving them their moment. Finally, she spoke again.
"We don't need to try that again until you're ready. But there are some other things we can do… breathing techniques to calm the nerves."
Wakko hesitated, biting his lip. Would he see that image again if he did that? His siblings apparently guessed what he was thinking, because Yakko patted his back.
"If ya don't feel up to it, you don't have to. It's okay."
For a few moments, the middle sibling considered backing out. But he found himself thinking about what he'd told himself back in the cave. He'd wanted to be brave, like he knew his parents would be. That man's mocking voice echoed in his head.
So vulnerable… so weak…
With that, Wakko took a deep breath.
No. He doesn't get to take that from me too.
He drew back and met his siblings' concerned looks with a reassuring smile.
"It's okay," he said softly. "I can do that."
The concern never left their faces, but Yakko and Dot only gave him a smile in return and one more hug before standing and stepping back. Wakko looked at Jayna, who gave him a gentle but searching look.
"Are you sure?"
He took another slow, calming breath and nodded.
"Yeah. I can do that," he said again. The woman gave him another small smile and nodded.
"All right then… just breathing for now. We'll do more when you're ready."
As she began directing him through the first technique, Wakko felt a twinge of unease. He was going to have to face what happened sooner or later if he was going to get over it, he knew that. Pushing down the unease, he focused on his lesson.
Not yet.
It was like his instructor said… he could do it when he was ready.
If I ever am.