"i know you're somewhere out there,
somewhere far away
i want you back."
✧✧✧

Kira isn't able to fall asleep that night.

Insomnia is nothing new to her. She's used to spending nights wide awake, staring at her bedroom ceiling while her mind churns like a runaway motor. The feeling of exhaustion weighing her down, of her body begging for rest despite her brain refusing, is all too familiar. Tonight, though, the restlessness is far more intense. It eats away at her very being, causing her to toss and turn in bed. And tonight, something more specific than usual keeps her up.

"You're just like your father."

Just five simple words, and yet they've completely shaken her up. They've been looping through her mind like a broken record for hours on end, a haunting, never-ending song that's all but driven her mad by now. A million questions bubble at her lips with no one to answer them. Who in Ninjago was that old stranger? How did he even find her? And how did he know her father?

The village girl takes a deep breath and exhales, trying once again to relax. When that doesn't work, she shifts to face the bedroom window. Her eyes are quick to lock on the glow of the full moon, the only source of light in her otherwise-dark bedroom. There's a faint tugging at her brain, the same tug she always feels when she looks at it. It beckons her closer, and she obeys, moving out of bed and to her windowsill in an instant. She pushes the window open. Cool nighttime air drifts into her face, stirring the fabric of her nightgown and the jet-black waves of her hair. She tucks a stray lock behind her ear, a sigh escaping her as she gazes up at the moon above. Then, for the first time since bidding her mother goodnight that evening, she opens her mouth.

"Hey, Dad. It's me, Kira."

Just like the other thousand times she's done this, the only responses she gets are the whistle of the wind, crickets chirping, and the sound of her own breathing. It doesn't matter to her. She speaks anyway, her voice carrying soft and lonely through the night.

"An old man came by the shop today. He said he was looking for something special, and then he said that I was just like you. I don't really know what he was talking about, or how he could've known you, but...I hope he's right."

A short, dry laugh escapes her. "You know how much I'd love to be like you."

Nobody answers.

It's on nights like these that she wonders why she can't fall asleep like a normal person. How hard is it to just roll over and doze off? Not very, and yet every night is a struggle to do just that. Every time she shuts her eyes, her father's face flashes in her mind. Knowing there's almost nothing to remember him by—no happy memories, no possessions left behind, not even the sound of his voice—keeps her up at night. Whoever that mysterious visitor was, he's reminded her once again that she's never had the one person she longs for most.

"I wish you were here, father," she continues. "Maybe if you were, I wouldn't feel like something's...missing all the time. I wouldn't have to wonder what it would be like to have a full family, or stay up every night wanting you. You'd be right here, and everything would be okay."

She inhales again, her grip on the windowsill tightening as a deep breath leaves her mouth. "Where did you go?" she whispers. "Wherever it is, I hope you're okay. And...well, if you're still around, I hope you'll come back one day. Mom and I miss you, you know."

Crickets.

Kira sighs. "I guess that's all for tonight. I love you."

The girl lingers for a moment, stealing one last glance up at the dazzling celestial body high above, before closing the window and turning away. She settles on the edge of her bed, resting her chin in her hands as her eyes close. She could've been sitting there for minutes or an hour before she hears a light rapping on her door. The girl jerks up, blinking in surprise. "Come in."

The door opens gently, revealing Aimi standing in the doorway. Her brown eyes glimmer faintly in the darkness, the skirt of her own nightgown swishing against her ankles as she enters the moonlit room.

"I thought I'd find you awake," she says with a sad smile. "Couldn't sleep again?"

Kira hesitates. Does she tell her mother about the random stranger who'd shown up when she was alone and freaked her out? That he somehow knew her father, and that knowledge is making it impossible for her to sleep? She doesn't know, so instead she simply mutters:

"Mhm."

Aimi moves forward to settle down beside her, and Kira relaxes slightly as she places a hand gently on top of hers. "You're thinking about your father again, aren't you?"

Kira remains silent, giving her all the answer she needs. She sits there for a moment, her gaze distant, before turning to her mother and blurting, "Can you tell me about him? About how you met him, maybe?"

"I've told you that story at least a hundred times, love."

"Could you tell me again? I just...I need to hear something about him. Please."

"Alright." Aimi's eyes flash with a knowing look as she grins. "Goodness, it feels like ages ago. It was just another normal day for me, keeping up the family tea shop back at home. Then, the next thing I knew, the most handsome man I'd ever seen walked in and asked for a cup."

"It was the family green tea, right?" Kira pipes up.

"Good memory." Her mother winks. "He said it was the best thing he'd ever tasted. Then he asked me if I had anything else available, and I told him I was."

"I still can't believe you said that to him."

"Hey, I saw a cute guy and went for it!"

They share a giggle, and Kira feels a bit lighter as her shoulders bounce with laughter.

"At any rate, he started visiting the shop more often," continues Aimi. "He took me on dates everywhere when we started going out...to the park, all these different restaurants, you name it. Then the months turned into years. He proposed, we got married, all that fun stuff. We moved to Jamanakai to settle down and raise you when I got pregnant."

A wistful sigh escapes her. "Those last few months were the most exciting of our lives. We were so ready to welcome our little girl into the world. Him, especially...he was always gushing about being a father, about how he was gonna spoil you rotten and make sure you were always safe. And then, well...." Her voice trails off. She clears her throat before continuing again, gaze growing misty and voice quieting. "We were three months away from having you. He was there one moment, and the next...he was gone."

She sniffs, fixing her daughter with moisture in her eyes. "And now it's just me and you."

Kira sniffles, blinking back the tears she hadn't even realized had formed. A soft sigh escapes her as she leans against her mother's side, resting her head on her shoulder. "I don't understand," she whispers. "How could someone just...disappear out of thin air?"

"This world works in strange, cruel ways, my love, ways we may never understand. That's why sometimes it's best to think of our loved ones the way we remember them in our hearts...not as they are now. Whatever that may be."

"But I don't remember him at all."

"I know. And I wish more than anything that you could."

Kira sniffs. Could it be better this way, she wonders, that she doesn't remember her father? If she did, maybe his absence would only hurt more...then again, the hurt is there regardless, and not a day goes by that she doesn't feel it. She whimpers and snuggles closer to her mom, wiping at her eyes. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Kira. More than anything in this world."

They sit there side-by-side, mother and daughter, watching the moon together. Silence permeates the little bedroom, just like it had not so long ago—but with her mom's warm presence beside her, Kira finds it a little less lonely. Her breaths come steady, each inhale and exhale helping her relax. Her eyelids begin to droop, and she doesn't fight it, allowing them to close all the way. Consciousness begins to slip away from her. She's drifting, dozing off...

Knock knock knock.

They both stiffen at the sudden sound of knocking from downstairs. Kira jolts awake, blinking the sleep rapidly from her eyes with a groan.

"Who in Ninjago could be here at this hour?" Aimi narrows her eyes.

She rises to her feet and leaves the room, hurrying down to greet whoever's there. Kira starts after her, pausing halfway to linger at the top of the stairs. There's quiet as her mother's footsteps head toward the front door, followed by the soft creaking as she opens it. A gasp sounds. A low, unfamiliar voice murmurs. Aimi says something back. The voice replies. Then her mother speaks again, and this time she's loud enough that Kira can hear what she's saying.

"You promised you wouldn't come back."

The village girl tenses. Without a second thought, she practically flies down the stairs, racing through the kitchen and to the front door.

"Mom?" she squeaks. "What's going—"

She pauses, choking on her words, as she finds herself staring at a familiar face.

"Hello again, my young friend." The elderly man from earlier smiles at her, stroking his lengthy white beard. "I am glad our paths have crossed yet again."