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.

The Land of Departure was shrouded in darkness as night fell, casting eerie shadows over the silent caste. Inside, anticipation filled the air as the Mark of Mastery Exam loomed on the horizon. Everyone was wide awake, eagerly awaiting the noteworthy event that would determine the fate of two aspiring Keyblade Masters.

Master Eraqus sat at his desk, meticulously crafting the challenges for the exam. While he wished for both of his students to succeed, he knew that the path to becoming a Keyblade Master was perilous. Protecting the worlds from darkness was a weighty responsibility, and it was his duty to ensure that his pupils were prepared to walk in the path of light. Though both students showed great promise, their ability to confront the darkness remained uncertain.

A sudden knock on the door drew his attention. He anticipated that everyone would be preparing for the upcoming exam, whether they were participating or not. Still, he certainly didn't expect any visitors at this late hour.

"You may enter," Eraqus acknowledged.

To his surprise, the door swung open to reveal a familiar figure.

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

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

"I was hoping to get a glimpse of our two young prospects, but it seems I have arrived too late," Xehanort replied. "Not to mention that it's been years since we've last seen each other. We have a fair bit of 'catching up' to do."

Eraqus nodded in agreement. While Xehanort had made occasional visits over the years, they hadn't spent much time together since their youth. Time had left Xehanort bald, with only a goatee adorning his face. Though his hunched back made him seem feeble, Eraqus could sense the formidable power beneath Xehanort's seemingly frail exterior. This was not a man to be underestimated.1

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

"Both Aqua and Terra have shown great potential. I believe that they will make exemplary Keyblade Masters," Eraqus remarked. "Aqua demonstrates good judgment and modesty, which will serve her well in the future. Terra, on the other hand, is extremely strong-willed. 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 at the question. 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 woke up and has been cheerful and excitable since then. 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. While they were not trying to hide her, the fact that Xehanort knew about her troubled him.

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

"So young…" Xehanort mused. "Why bring her on this early?"

"Her mother died 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 getting 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.

As Xehanort rose to take his leave, Eraqus couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to his old friend's visit than met the eye. A sense of foreboding lingered in the air as the night grew deeper, leaving Eraqus uneasy.

"Come on…" a young voice pleaded, her eyes fixed on the cup in front of her.

It had been weeks since Aqua taught Sky how to conjure water, but the skill continued to elude her. Mastering fire has been a breeze, and controlling wind was tricky but achievable. Water, on the other hand, remained elusive. No matter how much she concentrated, the element refused to materialize.

It was late, and Sky knew she risked getting a lecture from Master Eraqus if he caught her practicing at this hour. But she was determined to impress Aqua before the exam. She promised herself she wouldn't reset until she could summon even a tiny amount of water.

Sky was only beginning her training and was thrilled to be under the instruction of the blue-haired Keyblade wielder. She was eager to soak up as much knowledge as she could before Aqua's responsibilities pulled her away.

As Terra, Aqua, and Ven refined their skills to become Keyblade Masters, Master Eraqus tasked Sky with basic combat and magic. Though she expressed interest in learning with the future Keyblade Masters, Master Eraqus starkly refused. The differences in their power were too great, and she was far too young.

Sky thought it was completely unfair. Terra had basically said, 'Tough luck.' Master Eraqus had made it clear that there was to be no further discussion.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she concentrated on summoning the element, but the cup remained stubbornly empty.

'Why won't it work?' She pouted in frustration.

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 let out a frustrated sigh and turned toward her bedroom's windowsill. That frustration was soon forgotten the moment her eyes landed on the night sky.

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

Feeling the irritation melt away, Sky pushed herself away from the window and dashed out of the room. Meteor showers were a rare sight in the Land of Departure, and she didn't want to miss it.

Sky eagerly hurried down the hall, noting the two open doors as she passed. To catch a perfect view of the sky, she would need to leave the castle, which was strictly forbidden without a chaperone. Not to mention the fact that the trek to the summit was a little tricky.

Stopping in her tracks, Sky frantically knocked on the door in front of her.

"Terra!" she called out.

No response.

"Terrrraaa!" Sky drawled, a frown forming on her face.

'Maybe he's not here?' Sky's heart sank. Just as she was about to retreat to her room, a click from the door drew her attention.

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

The creaked open, revealing a weary-looking man with brown hair and blue eyes. He looked down at Sky with a puzzled expression, clearly surprised by her sudden appearance.

"Sky…?" he began groggily, "is something wrong?" Terra peered down the hallway, wondering if trouble was brewing.

"There's a meteor shower!" She exclaimed, her face lighting up with excitement.

Terra groaned, rubbing his tired eyes. Sky's boundless energy always seemed to wear him out. Her requests for help were relentless, and it looked like this time was no different. 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.

"You need to go to bed," he grumbled.

"But-"

"No."

"Pleeeeease…" Sky begged. "I can barely see it from my window. And there hasn't been one in a while!"

"I have a ton of stuff to take care of before 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 said.

Terra paused. "She's not here?" Terra repeated, turning back to face 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 signed. Aqua was pushing herself to the limit. The last thing he wanted to do was fall behind. 'And of Ven's gone, they could be training together,' Terra thought. He couldn't afford to be lax in his training, not with the Mark of Mastery exam just around the corner.

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

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

Terra sighed once more, stumbling along.

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

The trek to the summit was no challenge for Terra, but for a young child like Sky, it was nearly impossible. The tall ledges were difficult to travel due to her height. With Terra's help, however, the trek became much easier.

Clearing the last ledge, Sky skipped ahead, 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. Beyond it, Sky spotted Aqua and Ven seated on the cliff's 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 turns into joy as they join in on the laughter.

Eventually, the laughter 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 if 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, with the 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 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, observing Terra and Ven in anticipation. She had watched them spar only a handful of times, yet each time left her in awe.

The two young men locked eyes, tension crackling in the air before Ven launched himself with incredible speed. Swift and precise, Ven unleashed a flurry of strikes, showcasing his incredible agility. Sky marveled at Ven's ability to utilize his slight build to swiftly incapacitate his opponents.

Unphased by his speed, Terra simply raised his own Keyblade, Earthshaker, easily blocking the blonde's attacks. Terra remained unmovable 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.

With those words, Terra charged ahead, parrying another series of attacks. Ven staggered, leaving himself wide open to Terra's heavy-handed blows. After a few hits, 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, taking 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 even think of his next move, Aqua had already unleashed her magic. Darting across the field, Ven narrowly dodged the scorching flames hurtling towards him. Aqua's combat prowess primarily relied on magic. Over time, she seamlessly blended close-quarters combat with long-ranged attacks to overcome her opponents.

Sky's eyes sparkled as she watched Aqua masterfully manipulate the elements. She looked forward to the day when she could wield magic as effortlessly as Aqua could.

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

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

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

The older boy smiled 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'd 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.