Kingdom Hearts: Dream Team

Chapter 16: Big Brother, Big Sister 💜

Neku did really well at training that night. His psychs seemed to be getting stronger (of course, that's just wishful thinking). The opportunity to DJ at the Homecoming dance had filled him with a new kind of confidence that he seemed to have lack before... and I just loved it. When training was over, Joshua took me to his room. "What's up," I asked him. Fussing with his hair a tiny bit, he explained why he brought me here. "It's time you learned the truth."

Confusion over powered me, as it usually does. "What do you mean, Joshy?" He gestured to the bed and I sat down. Let the lecture begin, I thought to myself. "Don't think of it as a lecture, Aislynn," Joshua gentle said. "Yes, I know what you're thinking." Slowly, he sat down next to me. "Think of it as... a conversation between good friends." I sighed. "Alright," I said. "What is it?"

"Aislynn, you understand that Neku and them were playing the Reaper's Game in Traverse Town." I nodded. "I had brought them there in order to bring them back to Shibuya," he explained. "But the game they're playing now was the one they were playing originally." I didn't understand his meaning. "The four of them had lost their lives," he continued, "And were entered into the Reaper's Game to determine who was worthy of a second chance. They were no longer living, but they still existed."

"But then, something happened and I created a temporary Reaper's Game in Traverse Town in order to help them get back and finish their original game. Sora and Riku helped make that possible. Now, we're here with no recollection of what happened in between." So many thoughts rushed through my head. Neku and them had lost their lives and then their existences. How Joshua created a new Reaper's Game in Traverse Town to help them get back to their world. Finally, Joshua reminded me that none of them could remember what happened. All of that was a twister inside my head (A/N: See what I did there).

"My point is," he went on. "I'm afraid of how being in this world for so long will affect them. You saw how Neku had a breakdown yesterday. What if something like that happens again?" There were no easy answers. I starred at the equations Joshua had written on the wall, hoping the answer would come to me... and it did. "I'll find a way to help them," I assured. "There's always a way to help someone."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The following day in Biology, Beat requested to leave the classroom. The minute he left, a loud scream of frustration could be heard from the hallway. It was so loud, it could probably be heard from the other side of the school building. I knew it was Beat. Something was very wrong and I had to find out what it was.

Lunch period had already passed, so I waited until school was over to ask Beat what was wrong. "It's nothing, yo," he told me. However, I could tell from his strained expression on his face that he was hiding something from me. "Beat," I said with some inflection, "are you sure?" His unsettled look quickly faded and he said, "Course I'm sure." With that, Beat got on his skateboard and rode away. Unfortunately I had a feeling he wasn't being completely honest.

Thursday, same period as yesterday, Beat left the classroom to scream again. My suspicions about something being wrong were confirmed that evening at training. Beat's game was really off this time, as if he had something on his mind that he thought was more important. With the stronger targets, Rhyme wasn't faring any better. Immediately, I decided to halt the training. Rhyme looked at me and asked, "Is something wrong, Aislynn?" I shook my head. "It's Beat," I stated. "Would you please talk to him for me." Rhyme nodded and ran to her partner.

"What's wrong, Beat," she asked him. "You haven't been acting like yourself lately." Rhyme tried to grab her partner's hand, but he pulled away. "It's nothing, yo," he mumbled. That was the very same response he had given me the previous day. "You seem to be upset about something," Rhyme pressed on. Suddenly, Beat jumped from his sitting position, rage written all over his face. "I said it's nothing," he screamed. Beat stomped down the hallway and into his room. That didn't go so well, I thought.

Beat needed to talk to someone about his problem, that much I knew. Though, after the way he left the training room, I was afraid to go in and talk to him. Still, gathering all of my confidence, I entered his room. As I entered, I took note of everything I saw. The walls were dark; Beat had several posters plastered to them. Finding him wasn't hard; he was in a corner, banging his head against the wall. "Please stop," I told him. "It's painful to watch you do that."

When he heard my voice, Beat turned to look at me. His eyes were bloodshot, almost like he had been crying. There was a red spot on his forehead from where he hit the wall. He looked awful; I felt awful. As he walked toward me, a few crystalline tears rolled down his cheeks. I asked him, "You okay?" Beat took me in his arms and gave me the most uncomfortable hug I have ever received. I seriously thought my head was gonna pop at any second now. "Oh, Aislynn," he sobbed into my shoulder, "It's all my fault."

"Sounds... interesting... Beat," I struggled to say. "Please, let go. You're crushing my windpipe." Seconds later, he let go and air filled my lungs again. "Thank you," I gasped. Suddenly, tears welled up in Beat's eyes again and he lay himself on his sheets, burying his face in a pillow. I was shocked, it wasn't like Beat to lay down and cry about... well, anything. I knew something was bothering him, but I didn't know it was this serious.

"Take it easy," I told him, slowly approaching the bed. Beat sat up, his face red and tear-stained. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a tissue and held it out to him. "Here." Beat grabbed the tissue out of my hand and blew his nose, quite loudly I might add. Seeing he was in no shape to discuss the issue, I waited. When it finally looked like he'd settled down, I asked him what was wrong.

"I got a bad grade on a biology test," he blubbered, "And it reminded me of how much of a screw up I am." I sat down next to Beat and put my hand on him, trying to comfort him. "Well, look at Rhyme. She doesn't even remember who I am." Inquisition took over me. "Rhyme knew you?" Beat gave me a stern look, though his face was still red. "Course she knew me. I'm her brother."

Something clicked in my mind. Everything made sense; Beat and Rhyme didn't just look like siblings, they were siblings, even though Rhyme herself didn't remember. The two have the same bond I share with Noah. "It's my fault the two of us are even in this mess," Beat said, interrupting my thoughts. I realized that I wouldn't be able to help him unless I knew the whole story. "Tell me everything," I requested.

Beat told me the story about his life in Shibuya - the life he shared with Rhyme, his little sister. Rhyme had the prodigy of the family, always doing well with schoolwork as well as other things. Meanwhile, Beat was the dropout kid, never being able to measure up to his own sister. He was treated badly by his parents and always ran away from home, just to come back sometime later. On the fateful day, Beat had run away from home again and Rhyme had followed him.

"A car came up behind her," he explained, another tear streaking his face. "I tried to push her out of the way, but we both got hit." I felt bad; Beat tried to protect his sister, but they both ended up losing their lives. When he tried to do something noble, his sacrifice was in vain. "I know how you feel, Beat," I told him. "As a big sister, I would do the same for Noah." I didn't have any easy thoughts on the subject, but I tried my hardest all the same.

"If I couldn't help Noah, I would feel the same guilt that you're feeling now." Pausing, I tried to come up with a solution. Then, it hit me like lightning. "But," I mused, "You have to move past your mistake. If you let your mistake haunt you, you won't be able to help Rhyme or any of us for that matter if we're trouble. Reflect on your mistake, learn from it, and try to do better in the present." Beat slumped and put his head in his hands. "How do I start?"

"You can start with Rhyme. Spend more time with her. Remind her of the sibling bond you two share." It sounded like some pretty sound advice. "Aight," he said. "I'll give it a try." Helping people makes me happy. Sure, this might affect my relationship with Rhy