Kingdom Hearts: Dream Team

Chapter 5: Sleeping Arrangements 💜

Once again, I was playing navigator, but this time, Shiki was in the backseat with me... talking nonstop. I know she can be as sweet as pie, but she acts like she constantly needs attention. If she were a cat, she would be the type of cat that would not stop meowing and constantly wants attention. Truth be told, I used to be the same way... when I was eight. Now I can't stand it when other people talk too much. Boy... times change! Nowadays, I'm more like Squeaky: someone who likes to keep to myself and doesn't want to be bothered.

"Just keep driving straight," I told Joshua. Of course, I know my way home better than anything else (well, besides my own name, all of my immediate family members, the current Kingdom Hearts storyline, etc.) As the rolling hills passed by, I longed for home. Today was long and a lot of stuff had happened. What I needed now was the tranquility of nature that surrounds my home to soothe my heart and slow the blood flow through all of my vessels. Joshua looked at me and asked, "Do I just keep going straight or..."

"Turn right when you see a gas station. And by the way, keep your eyes on the road!" I didn't mean to shout, but I needed to get my point across. He was practically swerving into the middle of the road! It was five o'clock and I told my mom I would be home before dinnertime. I know living outside of town is supposed to be a relaxing experience, but I get stressed out over the tiniest of things. "Sorry, Joshua," I said, "I didn't mean to yell at you."

Joshua giggled, "It's all right." Neku groaned in the shotgun seat. "I'm bored," he said. I saw him stir in his chair before I heard the most horrible sound. Music! At least I think it was music; it was load! "I think my ears are bleeding," I shouted over the noise. Joshua slapped Neku across the head. "Neku, dear," he said, "I'm trying to drive. Turn it off!" Sometimes those two act like an old married couple.

The music stopped (thank heavens), but afterwards, everything sounded soft. The same effect happens after a rock concert. "I'm sensitive to loud noises," I informed the trio. "You could've said that before I turned it on," said Neku in a resentful tone. Joshua turned at the gas station.

The road was very forested here, becoming denser and denser as we progressed. A few houses were scattered about here and there, but it was mostly empty space. As the asphalt changed to gravel, the tranquility of the woods surrounded us in it's full extent. In what felt like moments, we were at my house.

When we got out of the car, my three guests stared at my house. To be honest, it's not an impressive house; it only has a ground floor and the outside walls are a light brown color. Both the front and backyard slop because the base of the house was built onto a hill. Running on that ground would require a person to splay their legs apart from each other.

"It's on a hill," said Shiki, holding tightly onto Mr. Mew. "Yep," I said, "you could say that makes me a hillbilly of a hillbilly."

They stared at me, awestruck. "That explains your accent," they said to me. I felt kinda offended. I didn't know I had the same accent as most of the people around here. Some people in my area have it worse than others, but mine is really subtle.

"Trust me," I said, "if you think my voice is weird, you should hear my dad." Yes, my dad has a slightly more pronounced accent; he did grow up on a farm with three older sisters and one older brother. But I digress; I led the three of them into the house. I didn't expect how they would react.

The inside of the house is okay; it had red, brown, and green walls. Carpet on the floor is tan and the kitchen has linoleum that looks like wood. The couches are made of soft leather and other furnishings are hard wood. Houses like this are welcoming to anybody. Well, almost anybody.

Neku clung to his headphones and buried his face in his collar. From where I stood, I could tell he didn't like the house. I gave him a reassuring look; he'd get used to the place and I knew it. Knowing there wasn't much left to see in the main part of the house, I took them around the corner to show them my room, but there was one... complication.

Noah was playing a videogame on the couch. "Who is that," asked Joshua. "That's Noah, my little brother." They stared at him. "How old is he?" I explained. "He's almost thirteen, but he started puberty early." I didn't mention it, but with Noah's shoulder-length hair, he sort of looked like Cousin It.

I didn't mention it earlier, but Noah looks a lot like me. We both have the same bronzish hair, but his is much longer than mine. I have turquoise eyes, but Noah's are dark brown like my dad's eyes. People have mentioned this similarity between us. Yet, we both are so different personality-wise.

At the moment, I wasn't afraid. When Noah is in the "Game Zone," he almost completely ignores the outside world. "Noah," I started, "I'm gonna show my new friends my room. Ya cool with that?" He glanced at me for a second. "Yeah, sure. Whatever," he said absentmindedly.

With the Noah situation under control, I took the three of them into my room. With the light purple walls, pink sheets and curtains, white and wood grain furniture, my room usually looks lovely, but not today. "Please excuse the mess," I said. "What's with all these bins?" asked Neku. Looking around the room, I answered, "I inherited my dad's love of... stuff."

After explaining that I have a system about what goes into each bin, it was time to get down to business. "Okay," I started, "You guys need a place to stay for the night?" They nodded. "But I can't let my parents find you here." When they asked why, I said, "If they find you here, they'll ask questions. Questions that I don't wanna answer."

"Aislynn," said Joshua, "just tell us what you had in mind." Planning has never been my strong suit, but I'm really good at coming up with ideas on the spot. "Shiki," I pointed at her as I said it. She looked up, "Yes, I'm listening." Looking back on my plan, I could tell she would either really like it or really hate it.

"Well," I began, "you're going to hide in my closet." Again, she gave me the shocked look (I was really getting tired of that look). "I can't," she groaned. I replied, "Don't worry. It's only a temporary arrangement. Just be glad you don't have to sleep with the boys."

For Neku and Joshua, I had set up a hiding place in... Noah's bathroom. The shower was a perfect hiding place. However, Joshua pointed out a crucial flaw in my plan. He said to me, "But what if he has to take a shower?" Now, I felt dumb. "There is no way I'm taking a shower with that pile of hormones," Neku shouted at me.

"New plan," I said, "you can sleep outside." More shocked expressions; why did it not surprise me? Giving them a stern look, I said, "It's only until we find out what's going on here." Even though they didn't like it, they agreed to the arrangement. "Yay," said Shiki, "What should we do now?" Gathering my thoughts, I said, "Well, I was so busy planning that I hadn't thought about it."