A scattered dream that's like a far-off memory.

A far-off memory that's like a scattered dream.

I want to line the pieces up - yours and mine.

Night had descended upon the Land of Departure, casting shadows over the silent castle. Though it was long past the time for sleep, most of its inhabitants remains awake, waiting for the day to come. The long-awaited Mark of Master Exam was upon them. Though only two students would be participating, excitement was felt in all the the castle's residents. After all, becoming a Keyblade Master was a rare honor.

Seated at his desk, Master Eraqus was meticulously putting the finishing touches on the exam trails. Though he deeply wanted both his students to pass, he understood the need to challenge his students. Holding the title of Keyblade Master was not for the faint of heart. The title of Keyblad Master demanded unwavering resolve. Safeguarding the worlds from darkness was a solemn duty, and it was his duty to ensure that his pupils walked in the way of light. Both students showed promise, but whether they could handle the darkness remained to be seen.

A knock on the door disrupted his thoughts. He expected everyone else to be resting or preparing for tomorrow. Perhaps someone was seeking last-minute advice, nervous for the trails to come.

"You may enter," Eraqus acknowledged.

Eraqus' eyebrows raised in surprise at the man that walked through the door. He wasn't expecting to see him until tomorrow, before the exam. His early presence was a surprise, but not unwelcome.

"It has been far too long, old friend," the man greeted him, his piercing gold eyes meeting Eraqus' brown.

"Xehanort," Eraqus said, rising from his desk to shake the man's hand. "I was not expecting you so soon."

"I was hoping to get a glimpse at our two young prospects, but it seems I have arrived too late," Xehanort replied. "And it has been years since we last met. We have a fair bit of 'catching up' to do."

Eraqus nodded. Though Xehanort visited sporadically over the years, he hadn't spent much time with the man since their youth. Xehanort had aged considerably, his once-full head of hair was now gone. The man now walked with a hunch. If Eraqus didn't know any better, he would have assumed the man to be feeble. But he could sense the underlying power Xehanort held and he was not to be taken lightly.

Motioning for Xehanort to take a seat, Eraqus settled into his chair once more.

"Aqua and Terra have shown great potential. I believe that they will make exemplary Keyblade Masters," Eraqus remarked. "Aqua demonstrates good judgment and modesty, both of which will serve her well in the future. Terra, on the other hand, possesses unwavering determination. Such strength will help him through the most difficult of trials."

Xehanort nodded, satisfied with his response.

"And what of Ventus?" Xehanort inquired.

Eraqus raised a brow. It had been years since Xehanort had left him with a zombie-like Ventus. He had fallen into a coma shortly after his arrival, much to the dismay of himself and his apprentices. Sometime later, he had woken up and has since been cheerful and excitable. While glad that Ventus had recovered, he had been suspicious of the cause of his condition. Ventus had no memories prior to his arrival, which was odd, but Eraqus decided not to press further.

"Ventus demonstrates great proficiency with his Keyblade," Eraqus noted. "He trains as hard as Terra and Aqua. His cheerful nature will be a great help to him in the future. He is a bit naive, but that will be solved in time."

"So he continues to make progress…" Xehanort stated, deep in thought.

Eraqus leaned back in his chair, studying the pensive man in front of him. He did not like the look in Xehanort's eyes. There was something almost… evil about his change in demeanor. It was as if he was plotting something unsavory.

Before Eraqus could ask, Xehanort suddenly leaned forward in his chair.

"I have heard that you brought a young girl here," Xehanort probed. "Is that true?"

'How did he hear about that?' Eraqus thought with a frown. The way Xehanort acquired information was problematic at best. In the two years that the child had been there, they had not had any visitors, nor had she left. The fact that Xehanort knew about her troubled him.

"Yes," Eraqus admitted cautiously. "Sky has been with us for about two years now. She's only five."

"So young…" Xehanort mused. "Why bring her here at such an age?"

"Her mother passed and I promised to take care of her," Eraqus stated.

"Will she inherit the Keyblade?" Xehanort asked.

"Not yet," Eraqus replied. "Perhaps in a few years, but for now she is too young. Though Aqua does seem to enjoy teaching her magic."

He could feel the unease creep into his mind. The less Xehanort knew about her, the better, Eraqus decided. She was too young to get caught up in whatever Xehanort was planning.

Xehanort nodded pensively before rising from his seat.

"It is late," Xehanort noted. "It would be wise of us to get some rest before the exam."

"Agreed," Eraqus said, also rising from his seat and leading him out the door.

Xehanort's sudden interest in his younger apprentices filled Eraqus with apprehension. He wasn't sure when, but he was sure something bad was about to happen. And he was not going to allow his students to get in the middle of it.

"Come on…" a young voice pleaded.

Sky stood in her dimly lit room, focusing her energy on the cup in front of her. It had been weeks since Aqua taught her how to conjure water, but the skill was eluding her. Fire had come naturally. Wind was trickier but achievable. But water? It seemed impossible, no matter how hard she tried.

It was late, and Sky was sure to receive a scolding from Master Eraqus if he found out she was practicing at this hour; but she was determined to surprise Aqua before the exam. She vowed not to sleep until she could summon at least a drop of water.

Sky was still in the early stages of her training and was thrilled to be under the instruction of the blue-haired Keyblade wielder. She wanted to learn all she could before Aqua's duties called her elsewhere.

While Terra, Aqua and Ven were dedicated to becoming Keyblade Masters, Master Eraqus had tasked Sky with the basics combat and magic. Though she expressed interest in learning with the future Keyblade Masters, Master Eraqus starkly refused. The difference in power level was too great and she was far too young.

Sky called it unfair. Terra had basically said 'tough luck.' No more arguments were to be had with Master Eraqus.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Sky attempted to will the element into existence. But the cup remained empty.

'Why won't it work?' She pouted, determination deflating.

Vexed by her lack of progress, Sky opened her eyes and rose from her spot on the floor.

'You can't force the magic to come out,' Aqua's voice reverberated through her mind. 'You have to let it flow through you.'

Sky huffed in frustration turning towards the windowsill of the bedroom. But the annoyance was soon forgotten the moment her eyes landed on the night sky.

"A meteor shower!" She exclaimed, eyes gleaming with excitement.

Irritation fading, Sky pushed herself away from the window and dashed out of her room, racing down the hallway. Meteor showers were a rare occurrence in the Land of Departure and she didn't want to miss it.

Sky excitedly made her way down the hall, noting the two open doors as she passed. To get a good view of the sky, she would need to leave the castle, which was strictly forbidden without a chaperone.

Skidding to a halt, Sky frantically knocked on the door in front of her.

"Terra!" she called out.

No answer.

"Terrrraaa!" Sky drawled, a frown beginning to form on her face.

'Maybe he's not here?' Sky wondered. As she was about to sulk back to her room, a click from the door could be heard.

She immediately brightened, the excitement of possibly leaving the castle returning.

The door swung open, revealing a weary, browned-haired, blue-eyed man. He glanced down at the young girl, puzzled by her sudden appearance.

"Sky…?" he began groggily, "is something wrong?" Terra peered down the hallway, anticipating trouble.

"There's a meteor shower!" She exclaimed, eyes shining with unbridled joy.

Terra groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. Every time she needed something, Sky would come and beg him for help. With the appearance of a meteor shower, she wanted to leave the castle. Master Eraqus gave him an earful the last time he took her out without permission. He wasn't going to give in to her demands. Not this time.

"Go back to bed," he grumbled.

"But-"

"No."

"Pleeeeease…" Sky begged. "I can barely see it from my window and it's been so long since we've had one!"

"I have a lot to do before the exam tomorrow. And that includes sleeping. I'm sure Aqua would say the same thing," Terra said, turning to close the door so he could get some much-needed rest.

"But Aqua's not even here!" Sky pouted.

Terra froze.

"She's not here?" Terra reiterated, turning back towards the child.

'Is she getting in some last-minute training without me?' He wondered.

Sky shook her head.

"Nope. And Ven's not here either. They're not in their rooms," she added.

Terra sighed. Aqua's dedication was unmatched. The last thing he wanted to do was fall behind. 'And if Ven's gone, they could be training together,' he thought. He couldn't afford to be lax in his training, not with the Mark of Mastery exam just around the corner.

"Fine," he relented. "But only for a little while. Master would kill me if he knew you were out this late… again."

"Yay!" Sky exclaimed, grabbing Terra's hand and pulling him down the hallway. "Let's go!"

Terra sighed once more, stumbling along.

'This girl is going to be the death of me…'

The trek to the summit was no challenge for Terra, but for a child as young as Sky, it was nearly impossible. But with Terra there, the journey was much easier.

Once he hoisted her up the last ledge, Sky eagerly skipped down the winding path, hoping they hadn't missed the meteor shower.

A few twists and turns later, the grassy summit clearing came into view. Not much was kept on the summit as the space was often used for sparring. A lone bench sat near the cliff, used by Master Eraqus to observe his apprentices as they trained. Past the bench, Sky spotted Aqua and Ven sitting on the cliff edge, quietly conversing while watching the stars.

"You ever wonder what stars are?" Terra and Sky could hear Ven ask as they approached. "Where the light comes from?"

"Hmmm…" Aqua contemplated. "Well they say-"

"That every star up there is another world," Terra interrupted.

Startled by the sudden intrusion, Aqua and Ven turned around.

"Terra!" Aqua greeted.

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

Ven stared back in confusion.

"What? I don't get it."

"In other words, they're just like you, Ven," Terra said.

"What does that mean?" Ven asked, exasperated by the comment.

"You'll find out someday…"

"But I wanna know now!"

"You're too young to know now!"

Aqua laughed, then turned to the young girl beside Terra.

"Speaking of too young…"Aqua said, leaving the two boys to argue. "Shouldn't you be in bed? You know master doesn't like it when you're up this late," she chastised.

"But I wanted to see the meteor shower…"Sky pouted.

"Alright, alright…" Aqua laughed. "But when we get back to the castle, it's straight to bed."

"Okay!" Sky beamed and hopped up on the bench.

"Quit treating me like a kid!" Ven exclaimed.

The two girls turned their attention back to Ven and Terra as they continued to argue, giggling at the sight.

"Hey! What are you two laughing about?" Terra asked.

"I can't help it," Aqua said, stifling her laughter. "You two would make the weirdest brothers."

"Huh?" Ven and Terra stared back at the giggling girls, confused. Confusion quickly tuns into glee as they join in on the laughter.

Eventually, the laugher calmed and everyone settled on their spots by the cliff's edge, staring up at the stars.

'So pretty…' Sky thought in awe. It seemed as of the stars were falling out of the sky. Once the streak of a meteor faded, another quickly took its place. It wasn't often that the apprentices had a moment to relax and now the with Mark of Mastery exam coming up, it was important to enjoy these moments of peace.

"Oh yeah!" Aqua piped up, rising from her place on the cliff. "Terra, you and I have our Mark of Mastery exam tomorrow." She pulled out four charms shaped like stars from her back pocket. "I made us good luck charms!"

She tossed an orange one to Terra and a green one to Ven. Making her way toward the bench, she hands Sky a purple charm.

"We get one too?" Ven smiled, turning the charm over in his hands.

"Of course. One for each of us," Aqua said. "Somewhere out there, there's this tree with star-shaped fruit… and the fruit represents an unbreakable connection. So, as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing can ever drive you apart. You will always find your way back to each other. Technically, I think you're supposed to make them with seashells, but I did the best with what I had."

"You are such a girl sometimes," Terra laughed.

"Hey! What do you mean by 'sometimes?'" Aqua glared at the man.

"So this isn't a real good luck charm?" Ven asked, slightly disappointed.

Aqua turned to Ven, slightly smiling.

"Well, that's yet to be seen. But I did work a little magic on it."

"Really? What?" Ven perked up.

"An unbreakable connection!" She adds.

"It's so pretty!" Sky smiled. "So we'll always be connected? Even when you're off on different worlds?"

"Sounds like it," Terra said. "And my charm is will be telling yours to listen to Master," he teased.

"I don't think that's how it works," Sky said, annoyed.

"Says who?"

"Says me," Sky retorted.

"Anyways…" Terra started, steering away from the subject. "Tomorrow's the exam. Anybody wanna spar?"

"I can take ya!" Ven volunteered, summoning his Keyblade, Wayward Wind.

As the two boys made their way to the middle of the clearing, Aqua settled on the bench next to Sky.

"Don't tell Master we let you watch a training session," Aqua said.

Sky nodded, eyes locked on Terra and Ven, her anticipation building. She had only seen them spar a few times and was left in awe at how they handled combat so effortlessly.

The boys stared each other down before Ven launched himself in Terra's direction. With incredible speed, Ven began a flurry of attacks in quick succession. He used his short and slim stature to his advantage, quickly taking our targets before they could overwhelm him. Sky marveled at his swiftness.

Unphased by his speed, Terra simply lifted his own Keyblade, Earthshaker, and easily blocked the blonde's attacks. Terra remained immovable as Ven sent a barrage of attacks his way. Though Terra moved slowly, he relied solely on brute force to defeat his opponents. Simply put, he was built like a tank and there was no getting past him.

"Quit going easy on me! You're not gonna win unless you stay on the offensive. "Ven called out.

At those words, Terra charged forward, intercepting another series of attacks. Ven stumbled back, leaving himself vulnerable to Terra's heavy-handed blows. After a few punishing blows, Terra eased up, leaving a stunned Ven to recover from the blitz.

"Well, that works fine if you're fighting one on one," Aqua said, summoning her own Keyblade, Rainfell, and took Terra's place. "But you need to know how to handle a crowd too."

Terra stood next to Sky, taking a moment to catch his breath.

"I hope you're taking good notes," he joked. "That's gonna be you out there someday."

"Do you think I'll be good at it?" Sky looked up at him, eyes gleaming.

"Of course," Terra said, ruffling her hair. "But you need to work hard at it."

Sky nodded and turned her attention back to the clearing.

Before Ven could make a move, Aqua had already summoned her magic. Running around the field, Ven quickly dodged the fire coming his way. Aqua's fighting style primarily relied on magic. Over time, she was able to mix close-combat with ranged-combat to defeat her enemies.

Sky's eyes sparkled as she watched Aqua masterfully conjure the elements. One day, she hoped that she could use magic with the ease and grace Aqua displayed.

"Okay! Let's wrap this up!" Terra called out.

Sky hopped off the bench and made her way towards Ven.

"That was so cool, Ven!" She exclaimed. "Can you teach me to move that fast?"

The older boy smiled down at her. A few months after waking up from his coma, Master Eraqus had brought the young girl to live with them. Ven had come to think of her as his little sister. Whenever he wasn't studying or training, he would often spend time with Sky, telling her about his training sessions and things he's learned.

"Sure!" He said. "But, uh, only when Master lets you start training with me," he added, sheepishly.

"Hey, we're gonna head back," Terra called, walking towards the mountain path.

"Wait for me!" Sky said, running after him.

Staring up at the night sky one last time, Aqua clutched her charm to her chest.

"Together… always…" she whispered to herself before catching up to the others.

That would be the last night we ever spent beneath the same stars.