He had never told anyone, but back when he, Donald, and Goofy had first seen Castle Oblivion, an aching feeling filled his heart. He looks back on it and remembers the feeling of sadness and terror, yet, with that sense that something awful had happened there, he also felt happiness. The type that made him feel as if he had pleasant, wonderful memories there.

He could never describe it, but if he had to, he would relate it to the Secret Place back on the islands. That feeling he got whenever walking into the small cave,whenever he would stare at the drawings he and his childhood friends made, remembering all the conversations and laughs they shared; that feeling of reminiscence, it was the same when at Castle Oblivion.

Why he felt it was what he questioned.

It wasn't the only time. Throughout his journey, that familiar ache settled in his chest; now that he had some sort of break after returning home, his mind pondered on it.

It was currently nighttime, where the streetlights were turned on, and the moon illuminated the neighborhood. Sora laid in his bed, eyes looking out the window and settling on the bright moon. He hadn't been able to sleep with the thoughts of all the times he had felt empty plaguing his mind. He desperately wanted to talk to Riku and Kairi about it, they always managed to help each other out with just about anything and everything. However, it was dark out and they would surely be asleep at this time; and this provided Sora some time to think of how he would explain everything to them come tomorrow.

Or at least he hoped so.

"So, Sora. Is there a reason you wanted to hang out here?"

"Uh yeah, there's something I want to talk to you two about."

The next day, Sora had called his two friends and asked that they meet up at the old playground. While both Riku and Kairi had been confused by the request, they had noticed the sort of urgency and concern in Sora's voice to know that it was something important. So after agreeing on a time, the trio found themselves on the playground where they all used to play before being able to go to the islands themselves.

When Sora had gotten there, he found his friends by the swing set. Kairi had been sitting in one of the seats while Riku was leaning against the metal frame. After joining them by sitting in the other seat and slightly pushing himself back and forth, he started to explain everything.

"Empty?"

"Well kinda," Sora stated," it's a little hard to explain. It kinda feels like...as if something was missing. I don't really know, I mainly remember it from Castle Oblivion when-"

"Wait, Castle Oblivion?" questioned Riku. " I thought you lost your memories from there."

Kairi let out a giggle before pointing at Sora," I'm more surprised to know that you remembered something from almost two years ago when you can barely ever remember what you had for dinner the other night."

Riku gave out a chuckle as Sora gave the red-haired girl a teasing glare," I'll have you know that mom made meatloaf last night."

The girl laughed as Riku rolled his eyes and barely opened his mouth to continue his previous statement when he noticed the look on Sora's face.

"Sora?"

Sora snapped out of his daze and looked up towards the taller teen,"Hm?"

"You okay? You kinda look...guilty?"

The young keyblade wielder shifted his gaze to the side before looking at the ground and slowly bringing himself to a stop. The two companions stared at him in silence as Sora stood up from the swing and slowly walked forward with his back to them. Riku and Kairi gave each other concerned looks before Kairi called out to him.

"Sora?"

The two watched as the teen brought a hand up to his chest before suddenly falling towards the ground.

"SORA!"

"It's a little silly, I was always scared of the thought of being a mother, but now, with you here, I have to say that it's the most wonderful thing in all of the worlds. Haha, did you know there are many other worlds out there Sora? They work a lot differently than here, each with their own unique rules. Maybe, when you get older, I can take you to some of them. Of course, that is if darkness hasn't overtaken them. Master Eraqus told us of growing darkness in the worlds, so for the time being, we're gonna have to stay here in the Land of Departure. I'm sure you don't mind right now though, you can have plenty of adventures here with the others; speaking of which, come here, why don't we go see the others Sora?"

"Darkness may be growing,but with your light, I'm sure you'll be fine."

"MOM!"

Sora found himself sitting on the ground after waking up in a cold sweat. He remained confused for a while before remembering where he was. He was about to turn around when two hands landed on his shoulders.

Kairi appeared on his left with her knees tucked behind her and a concerned look on her face.

"You okay Sora?"

The teen in question blinked a few times before responding,"What happened?"

The hand on his right shoulder left as Riku sat next to Sora's right.

"A bit after you got off the swing set,you just walked forward a bit and then fainted," Riku explained," right now you just woke up shouting 'Mom'."

"Is something going on with your mom Sora?" asked Kairi," cause if you want, we could go to your house and-!"

"No!,"Sora interrupted,"not...I mean...home….we think it is...but not here...la-...l-land.."

His two friends watched him ramble as they exchanged looks and pondered on what to do. Just as Kairi went to calm him down, Sora stopped and stared forward with realization in his eyes.

"Land of Departure."

For a while,those words were just words; the three friends would occasionally ponder on them, trying to figure out what they meant.

However, not much time could be spent on figuring it out, for a few days later did a letter from King Mickey arrive. Sora and Riku left for the Mark of Mastery Exam, and Kairi would soon arrive after with Riku to learn about one in the realm of darkness.

Little did the two, or anyone know, the one in the realm of darkness, was a part of a certain mystery.

"With all due respect Master, I cannot do this task. Forgive me for being selfish, but I would rather look for my son then go in the opposite direction and look for some sort of evil entity."

"I understand you wanting to put all of your energy into finding your son, but it is important that you are aware and prepared for anything and everything else. I am not asking that you focus all of your attention on Xehanort or the growing darkness, I only ask that you stay alert of your surroundings. You may continue your search, but I only wish that if a problem arises,you can help."

"...Okay fine. If...if someone needs help...I'll lend a hand. Forgive my actions I'm just…"

"Do not apologize, I understand your concerns; but remember this Aqua, you hold a connection with your son, I can sense it. Even though you are apart, your lights are still together; you will find him, as long as both of you follow your hearts."