Aria walks around the mansion alone, she wanted time to herself to think. As she walked through the empty halls alone, she felt like someone or something was watching her. Aria heard the laughter of children and looked around, nobody was there.

Their wouldn't be children in the manor so this was strange. Aria turned around as she heard the laughter again. She slowly and carefully walked down the halls once again. Aria stopped in her tracks when she saw at the end of the hall 2 children running past.

Aria ran after them and followed them into a room, but once she was in there they were gone. Aria shook her head and looked around confused. The furniture and things in the room were covered in white sheets.

"What is this room?" Aria asks herself

Aria walked up to something and pulled the sheet off it, there stood a rocking horse. Aria's eyes widened, she then went around pulling the sheets off everything. A toy box, a doll house, a dresser with photos, a sofa, and ninja gi for children.

Aria heard the children's laughter again and this time when she turned around she was faced with two blonde children in the middle of the room playing with toys together.

"Hey, you're not-" when Aria went to touch one her hand went through them "they're not real.. they're illusions"

"Lloyd look at this!" The girl says happily as she stands up, she spins in a motion briefly doing spinjitzu before falling on her butt "hehehe" she rubs her head "well, I had it for a second"

The boy laughs and claps "that's amazing Aria, you're going to be the best ninja ever"

"I see" Aria stares at the children "It's an illusion of a memory.. that damn core"

"Silly I'm not training to be a ninja, I'm training to be a Queen, just like my mommy" the little girl says "Dad says when I'm old enough I'm gonna take his place and rule over everything"

"That sounds so cool" the little boy pouts "but then you won't have time to play with me anymore"

"Silly of course I will" the little girl smiles "cause you'll be with me forever"

"promise?" the little boy holds out his pinky

"promise" the little girl interlocks their pinky's

"Fate is so cruel" Aria says

"Aria"

The image disappears as Aria turns around to see her mother.

"What are you doing in your old play room?" Layla asks eyeing the old pictures of Aria and Lloyd as children on the dresser

"Nothing" Aria walks towards her mother

Layla takes Aria's hand and smiles "Let's get out of here, you're far too old to be in here"

"right" Aria glances back in the room before following her mother out

---

Aria and Layla sat in the living room together in front of the fire while the Overlord was out managing the city.

"Aria" Layla speaks as she puts down her book

"hm?" Aria looks up from her scrolls

"Do you remember him, the little boy you played with as a child?" Layla asks

"Yes" Aria replies "he's Lloyd isn't he?"

"Yes.. right" Layla says sadly "I had hoped you didn't remember"

"I've kinda always known mother, I just didn't want to think about it" Aria lets out a laugh "my childhood best friend became my boyfriend.. and now is my enemy"

"You two were so cute when you were younger" Layla says "always wanting to wear matching clothes, always wanting to play together. Lloyd and Misako would be here every Christmas and I remember you always standing out in the snow waiting for them to arrive.. or more importantly, for him to arrive"

"It was a Christmas ball when me and Lloyd met, wasn't it?" Aria asks "we were 2.. we could barely even talk"

"That's right" Layla smiles "You were so young and yet you already knew what it was like to love"

"Come on mom, I was only 3 when me and Lloyd met, I couldn't have been in love" Aria looks out the window "even if I was, I was only a child"

"Sadly things can never go back to how it was." Layla sighs "Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if things went differently, but now all our precious memories with our dear friends are only things that happened.. once upon a december"