The day finally gave way to the night, the light to darkness, as the sun sank beneath the calm waves of Destiny Islands.

A silver-haired boy hailing from these very islands stared out at the fading light before narrowing his eyes in disgust at the tranquility of it all, for he'd never find what he craved on this little speck of land. "This world… is just too small…"

Many years later, the same person, now quite old, stared into the stars of the night sky, quietly pitying all other children who would be born and trapped in such a place.

In his arms with an azure-headed girl wrapped in a white sheet, more like a doll than a human as she registered nothing.

"There, you see?" Asked the man, her eyes were open, void of light, her body breathing, just barely. She had no reaction as the man placed her on the trunk of a tree he'd often sat at as a boy. "An empty world, like a prison. I imagine you'll be right at home."

The girl slowly closed her eyes, the sound of the evening tide cradling into slumber, one that she may never be able to awaken from.

The girl sank down, down, down until she at last landed upon a glowing surface. Other than the platform she stood on, the world around her was dark.

Suddenly, a bright light emitted somewhere and a glowing, crystallized orb appeared beside her.

"Who are you…?" The girl asked softly as it slowly floated towards her.

I'm a brand-new heart… I haven't received my name yet…

"A… brand-new heart…?" She repeated, her expression remaining blank. All emotions had been stripped aside from the purest emotion of all, the one that began this story: curiosity. "But… this is my heart… Why are you here…?"

I saw a light shining in the distance… and so, I followed it here…

"That light was mine…" The lost one nodded, placing a hand to her chest. She then looked over to see that one half of her heart had been broken off. That was right… her heart… something had happened to her heart… "My heart is broken… Soon, whatever's left of me will fade along with it…"

Her words echoed as she and seemingly the heart stared at the jagged edges.

… What if… you joined your heart with mine…?

It would be nice to be whole once again, plus it would mean she wouldn't fade or lose any other part of herself…

The girl gave a tiny nod,

The young heart glowed before the girl's own heart mended, a sign they were now together.

You won't fade away anymore and one day, you will be able to claim the part you lost. Until then and for far long after, our hearts share an unbreakable connection…

She placed a hand to her chest, feeling thankful tears come to her eyes as a warmth filled her. Thanks to this selfless heart, she would have the chance to reclaim her missing piece, someday. "Thank you…"

It's time to wake up, this isn't a time for lazing around… All we have to do is…

"Open the door."

At their proclamation, the light burst into petals, revealing her heart's true surface of her laying amongst a midnight blue circle with charms lining it.

The old man walked away, leaving the girl to fade away in the peaceful world he'd grown to despise. Suddenly, he felt something, something familiar. Could it be…?

The girl raised her hand to the night sky and in a flash of light, there was what he'd sensed, what he'd hoped for:

"The keyblade!"

The old man smiled as the girl opened her eyes to stare up into the darkness, the spark of life returned as her keyblade lit up the night sky.

How could he have forgotten?

Destiny was never left to chance.

Four Years Later…

The keyblade wielder's eyes gently opened after having the strange dream. Maybe a memory, she could never tell these days.

As she rose, she noticed the training device ahead of her and gave a determined grunt.

How could she be slacking off at a time like this, the Mark Of Mastery was tomorrow! She'd dreamed of the day ever since she'd regained the light in her eyes and realized she was somewhere new, somewhere safe with her master and friends.

Just as she was about to start training even harder, she noticed a small figure walk past the area and grinned. She nearly went after him but then remembered her trinkets she'd made. She scooped them up before placing them in her pouch.

She walked through the chilly midnight air, she saw the meteor shower that had lured her classmate out to the stargazing hill. Master Eraqus once said the stars liked to reorganize themselves from time to time. It was a pretty and rather common sight here in the Land of Departure.

The woman noticed the boy from before was now sprawled on the ground, sleeping peacefully.

She gave a small laugh and leaned over him. He wouldn't be this young forever, there may even come a day when meteor showers were a bore to him and he wouldn't come out to spend them with her. She dreaded the day, and she had to savor every moment she had with him.

The boy's eyes shot open and he jolted up in shock. "Whoa!"

She giggled slightly, making him shake his head.

"Gimme a break, Aqua!"

"Ven, you hopeless sleepyhead." Aqua laughed. She crossed her arms in motherly disapproval. "You should've at least brought a blanket!"

"I would've missed the meteor shower if I took any longer." Ven whined slightly.

Aqua knew what he meant, the meteor showers were always quick in their splendor. She glanced up to see it once again when she felt a wave of sleepiness overtake her.

She'd watched meteor showers plenty of times, but her first hadn't been here. In fact, quite a few had taken place somewhere else, another world that shared the same sky… And the one she thought of now… it was the night Xehanort had brought her here. She about to sleep forever… when the stars lit up her vision… The memory was so fleeting it felt more like a dream.

"Aqua?"

"…Mm? Oh..." She blinked out of the trance to see Ven was looking up at her with concern. Ven could always tell when something was wrong. "It's just, I feel like I've been somewhere before, with a starry sky just like this one."

Ven's face grew even more worried and Aqua knew she said the wrong thing. Maybe he thought she liked that world better? That certainly wasn't the case. Just as she was about to reassure him this though, the boy replied: "Yeah, but you've seen way more meteor showers with us, right?"

"That's right." She had seen so many meteor showers with her master and friends, they tried to watch every one they could together. The Master began to show up less and less often as they grew older, stopping completely once Ventus could summon his keyblade on his own. The trio still made time for them though. "You, me and Terra, we've been together for a long time now, I'm very grateful for that."

She couldn't remember much of her life before coming to the Land of Departure but figured it must've been quite lonely since she'd only arrived with one other person, an older gentleman by the name of Xehanort. Terra and Ven were wonderful friends and Eraqus was a wise and kind master, she didn't know how he compared to Xehanort seeing as she'd forgotten all his lessons, but that didn't bother her.

"Aqua… y'ever wonder what stars are?"

She looked over to Ven and realized she'd been spacing off. Thankfully, he'd been too. What stars were? She knew this, right? Eraqus had told her what they were the first time she'd seen a metor shower. Her memories of that time were incredibly hazy given her doll-like state during that time but if she thought hard enough… "Hmm… Well, they say…"

"That every star up there is another world…"

Terra. I wondered if he'd find us. Aqua smiled, turning to their strong and brave friend. He had that smug look on his face that teased her for not thinking of it as quickly as he had. They'd always been in competition like that but she didn't mind one bit. It was fun and made them both strive to be stronger on their way to becoming keyblade masters.

"Yep, hard to believe there are so many worlds out there besides our own. The light is their hearts, and it's shining down on us like a million lanterns."

"Huh? I don't get it." Ven muttered.

Terra laughed before giving a shrug, rephrasing it into something he might understand a bit better. "In other words, they're just like Aqua."

"Huh?" Like me? Terra thinks I'm like the stars…? Aqua felt her cheeks heat up as she remembered he'd once told her when they were younger that stars were very bright and pretty. No, he probably means I'm a showoff, he thinks I'm always trying to outshine him, but that's just our thing… He knows that, doesn't he? This is way too confusing, I should just ask… "What do you mean…?"

Terra crossed his arms as if wanting her to figure it out.

"Ohhh." She looked to Ven in hope, surely he'd tell her. "I still don't get it."

"Something's gotta be wrong if I'm the only one who gets it." Terra teased, hunkering down beside them. "You guys are totally hopeless!"

"Wha-Are not!" Ven cried in slight anger, making Aqua and Terra laugh at his angry face. "Teeerrraa, take it back!"

About an hour later, a calm silence filled the air as they sat close together watching the stars.

"Oh yeah!" Aqua gasped, standing up. She'd nearly forgotten again. "Terra, you and I have our Mark of Mastery exams tomorrow. I made good luck charms!"

She showed off the glittering trinkets, they were wayfinder charms made of metal and glass, shaped like stars. She'd spent the last month working on them in between training sessions.

She tossed the orange one to Terra and the green one to Ven, saving blue for herself.

"I get one too?" Ven asked in surprise.

"Of course." Aqua smiled back. They shared everything, why would he ever think he'd be excluded?

Terra smirked to her in teasing, raising his up to the sky. "You're gonna need it, Aqua!"

"Oh, and you aren't?" Aqua retorted, punching him gently in the arm before sitting down beside him.

"Cut it out, you two, you both don't need luck! You're gonna pass that exam with flying colors tomorrow!" Ven assured them. He could always make them smile.

I was laying down when I saw it hanging above me, I could've cut it down with my keyblade if I'd summoned it a few inches to the left. "I saw it before in my dream or maybe my memory… a tree with star-shaped fruit. I looked it up in Master's books and it says that the fruit represents an unbreakable connection. Sharing one means you'll always find your way back to each other. I think you're supposed to make it with seashells, but I did the best with what I had."

"So this isn't the real thing?" Ven asked in disappointment.

"That remains to be seen." Aqua laughed slightly. She then smiled mysteriously at him. "But I did cast a little magic on it…"

"Really? What?"

"An unbreakable connection!" She repeated, watching the stars twinkle through the glass. Just like all the worlds, she, Terra, and Ven would always share the same destiny, at least, that's what this charm guaranteed. She'd made it because she was worried the exam might separate them, she couldn't let that happen. "No matter where we go, we'll never truly be apart. And that power will see us through, I know it."

Ven and Terra did the same, each lost in their thoughts.

I made the spell myself. If it works, the wayfinder should glow when we're all thinking of each other at the same time, and that glow… maybe it'll let us share our strengths with each other, who knows?

Terra pocketed the charm and summoned his keyblade. "The exam's tomorrow, anyone wanna spar?"

"I can take 'ya!" Ven grinned.

The two went at it, Terra was going easy on him, of course.

Terra's easy was still quite strong. That was just who he was. Steadfast, brave, strong, how could he not become a master in the morning? There was always the threat to their goal of masterhood in emotions, but Terra handled them in his own special way. Rather than ignoring them like Aqua did, he reflected upon them and used them to better his technique. She admired and respected him greatly for that but always wished she got to see more of his fun and sensitive side, she only saw it when the master wasn't looking.

Terra quickly knocked the keyblade out of Ven's hand after only a few strikes. "You've still got a ways to go."

"Aw man!" Ven cried, landing promptly on his bottom.

"Try me now, Ven." She suggested, summoning her own weapon as Terra left the arena. She knew Ven was much better with magic then brute strength, just like her.

Ven's fighting style was just like his personality. He was free as a bird, zipping from one position to the next in mere seconds while keeping a cool head. When they'd first met, Ventus had been so keen on protecting her but it naturally turned into the opposite once Aqua regained herself. Ven was so pure, kind, and sweet, she would do anything to protect that smile.

Aqua, like Terra, also went pretty easy on the boy. She prided herself on strategizing midbattle with any opponent, it came naturally to her and she enjoyed doing it. Unlike Terra, she couldn't only rely on her natural strength alone, she had to work harder to get the upper hand. She always had to, it'd been like that since day 1. So she made sure she was well-rounded, a master at magic and pretty near perfection at physical combat, at least, that's what her friends claimed. Aqua didn't believe them, if she was a true master at these things, her master would've said so. That would have to wait til tomorrow though. And even if she had what it took, which she wasn't too sure of, there was always room to improve.

Ven always landed on his left foot… She shot a blast of ice and he landed directly on it, tripping him backwards. Only until he was on the ground did she realize she'd gotten too wrapped up in the puzzle normal people called battle. "Ven! Are you okay?!"

"Ugh… yeah, I'm okay…" Ven easily got to his feet before smiling at them. "But wow, you guys are gonna clean up at the exam!"

"Speaking of, we ought to get some sleep before it." Aqua reminded them gently, crossing her arms.

Ven nodded sleepily, being tuckered out from the fights.

She and Ven ran off to the castle, not noticing Terra had stayed behind just a moment longer…

That was the last night they'd spend under the same stars

Far away, another young apprentice was training hard, balancing on an ancient tome as she tried to navigate some rough rapids.

The mouse princess had already faced so much with the loss of her Homeworld so she never backed down from any sort of training her master prepared for her, even if it seemed rather life-threatening. Suddenly, she was sucked down a whirlpool, making her cry out in panic.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself in the familiar tower.

Yen Sid, her keyblade master, nodded to her to come to him. "I regret interrupting your training, Minnie, but I'm afraid I must."

The princess scanned his face and saw worry written all over it. She'd never disappointed him before, was it something she did? "Master?"

"It is just… I cannot shake the feeling something terrible is about to transpire…"

Minnie placed a hand to her heart before glancing out at the stars twinkling in the sky, those were all worlds that could be in grave danger any moment, but never to a degree where her master had to step in. If there was an overwhelming amount of darkness in the worlds, she had to eliminate it. That was the job of a keyblade wielder, after all.