Wakko gazed out his window, biting his lip in thought. He could feel his sibling's concerned eyes on his back. They weren't concerned because they doubted him, he knew that. They were only concerned that he hadn't made peace with his decision. Truthfully, he was nervous… very nervous. But he'd thought long and hard about it and decided he'd stalled long enough. His ears twitched at the sound of the door opening, and he turned to see Jayna entering. When she looked at him, he saw her eyebrows raise a little.

"Are you ready?" she asked. Wakko took a deep breath, trying to push down his fear, and nodded.

"Yeah… I'm ready."

A small smile tugged at the woman's face, and she nodded in acknowledgement. The middle sibling felt Yakko place a hand on his shoulder and Dot squeeze his hand. He gave them both a reassuring nod before stepping forward. Jayna sat on the floor in her meditative stance and waited for him to do the same. He took another deep breath and did so.

"Close your eyes," Jayna said, her voice calm and gentle. "Clear your mind and focus on the sound of my voice."

Wakko closed his eyes, breathing in slow, rhythmic breaths.

"Focus your energy," Jayna's voice continued. "Let it flow through you."

The middle sibling followed her instructions, inhaling and exhaling slowly. His awareness began to fall away, his mind quieting.

Then, just as suddenly and vividly, that image of the cave, of himself, flashed in front of him. The whole scene, the whole memory filled his mind. He drew in a sharp breath, that deep fear he had held back so far flooding him. Unseen by him, Dot took a step toward him, but Yakko stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. He looked as pained as her, but his voice was a resolved whisper.

"He's gotta do this on his own, sis."

Wakko didn't hear; he was trembling now, his breathing fast and uneven as he struggled not to panic. Jayna's voice came through the fog.

"Let it play out."

Wakko let out a soft whimper.

"I… I can't…"

Jayna's tone remained gentle, but firm.

"You can. That fight is over, you survived. Accept what happened… don't think of what could have. Remember, release the fear."

Alongside the fear, Wakko felt something else rising: determination. Setting his jaw, he took a deep, trembling breath and let it out slowly. As his instructor had said, he let the scene play out, struggling to keep his breathing steady. As he watched, his vision self turned and looked directly at him, glowing white eyes narrowed in a glare. Wakko's heart began to pound even harder, but he clenched his teeth and ordered himself not to look away. Experiencing it before didn't break him… he wasn't going to let it now. The middle sibling kept his eyes locked with his vision self, determined to be brave.

I can do this… I can do this…

In his mind, he felt the barrier blocking his connection quiver. His heart began pounding again, but not with fear this time.

I can do this!

The barrier gave a sharp lurch, then he felt it grow weaker and weaker. Feeling a new sense of determination, he pushed harder.

Come on, come on…

Then, finally, the barrier shattered. That strong, powerful feeling he had felt back in the cave flooded his subconscious, and his eyes flew open, glowing white. He looked up, and the pleased, proud look on Jayna's face told him all he needed to know. The woman nodded in approval.

"Well done, Wakko."

The glow in the middle sibling's eyes faded, but he still felt the connection, as if the block had never been there at all. Exhilaration filled him and he jumped to his feet, whirling to face his siblings with a smile wider than any other that had been on his face in weeks. They looked just as elated as they rushed toward him. Dot crashed into him first, almost knocking him over as her arms flew around him.

"You did it!" she squealed. Yakko swept both younger siblings into a tight hug, his voice full of joy and exuberant pride.

"We knew you could do it, baby bro!"

Wakko returned their embrace just as fiercely, feeling so overjoyed he thought he was going to burst.

I did it! I did it!

After a little while, he turned his head to see Jayna still seated, watching with a smile. He glanced at his siblings, who read his look and released him, both still smiling. Turning, Wakko raced to his instructor and flung his arms around her as far as they would go. He felt her stiffen in surprise, but after a few moments she slowly returned the hug. Her movements were awkward, as if she wasn't quite sure if she was doing it right, and Wakko wondered how long it had been since she did something like this.

"Thanks," he whispered. "For everything."

He heard the same pride in her voice he had heard in his siblings'.

"I only directed you. You did this on your own."

Wakko drew back and beamed up at her, tongue poking out. He saw the woman's smile widen as she patted his head, and when he turned back to his siblings they were still smiling just as wide. Dot wrapped her arms around him again as Yakko ruffled his cap, and Wakko could hear a touch of relief in his voice.

"Glad to see that smile again, sib."

Hugging his sister back, Wakko looked up at his older brother with a grin.

"Me too."

Dot just sniffled, nestling close.

"I knew you'd get it."

Wakko felt a slight twinge of concern at her quivering voice and gently rubbed her back.

"It's okay, baby sister," he soothed. "Please don't cry."

A choked laugh escaped Dot.

"I'm not crying 'cause I'm sad, dummy."

There was no real bite in the words, and Wakko couldn't help but chuckle. He lifted her off the floor and swung her in a circle, prompting a flurry of giggles. Yakko chuckled too as he wrapped them in another hug, then Wakko heard him speak to Jayna.

"Thanks," he said, his voice full of gratitude. Jayna's reply was gentle, and it was easy to tell that she was still smiling.

"No need to thank me… I didn't have much to do with it. I said you all were strong, and I meant it. I had no doubt at all."

Wakko heard her stand and walk over to them. He looked up to see her looking down at him. Her expression had reverted to a calm, fixed expression very similar to the one she wore when they first met. But something had changed… her eyes were brighter, and there was a lightness to the look that hadn't been there before.

"When you're ready to keep learning," she said softly. "It would be my honor to keep teaching you."

Smiling, the middle sibling nodded. Mouth twitching into another small smile, Jayna nodded in return before turning and striding to the door. As she left the room, Wakko found himself considering her words. Getting over this block had been a major hurdle, but he wasn't under the disillusion that it would just fix everything. Still, he knew it had been a big step forward.

You've overcome terrible things before… and you can again.

Those words held so much more meaning now. His family believed in him, they always had. And now, he could to.

Author's Note: I feel I should let readers know, the next and last chapter hasn't been written yet and I'm not sure how long it'll be till it's finished. But never fear… the story will be completed. Again, I may republish this, maybe the day after the second season starts streaming. So if the story is taken down, don't worry, it'll be up again.