Kingdom Hearts: Dream Team

Chapter 23: Plan B... I Think 💜

The day after homecoming is supposed to be a day of recovery for most. Recovery of the mind and body. But for me and the Dream Team, it was a day of recovery... for my house. All of us were pitching in to try and recover what hadn't been destroyed by the Heartless last night. Not very much was found. Only small things remained in one piece and none of the furniture was holding together well. It was horrible.

I sat in the remains at my room, listening to the song "A Thousand Miles" while staring at a photograph. It was of me and Kaylee when we were little. Oh Kaylee, I thought to myself, I hope things are going better for you right now. My thoughts were interrupted when I caught a glimpse of something shiny thing. It was my keyblade necklace!

I had completely forgotten that I hadn't worn my favorite piece of jewelry to the Homecoming dance, mainly because it clashed with my dress. Seeing it was still intact pleased me greatly. Of course, all of the clothes in my closest also remained untouched, but this was even better. Something precious from my childhood was safe. As I tied the leather cord around my neck, I felt a sense of bliss, but also I saw something flash through my mind.

It was just a brief snap, but I recognized it as a memory. In the image, I was almost four being attacked by monsters. However, I knew these weren't heartless, but something else entirely. I don't quite remember what they were because the image was only there for a second. I stared at the  necklace charm, fog filling my mind. In that moment, I realized something I hadn't before... the  charm had changed.

Don't get me wrong, it was still the Kingdom Key, but something was different. The charm, which I believe had once been all gold, now had a silver hilt. At the time, I couldn't quite place why this change was so significant or if it had changed at all. Was I losing my mind? "Aislynn?" My mother's voice rang from the other room. It was time for me to face the music.

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My parents had taken the news really well... I think. First, there was yelling. Then, my dad decided to take my mom out for some fresh air. The rest of us remained at the house. My punishment was still undecided, but I didn't really care. The loss of our base of operations meant that I needed to make my mission my first priority. I just needed a good plan.

"Forget Cyrena," I said. Remembering how powerful she was, I didn't want to lose my heart to her. However, the Heartless problem was something that could easily be fixed. "We just need to find the keyhole!" Everyone asked what a keyhole is (of course). "A keyhole is the heart of a world. If the heartless reach it, a world will disappear. The only was to prevent this is with the keyblade. " There was only one problem... we had no idea where the Keyhole was. Joshua pointed this crucial detail out.

"What about the scanner on your phone?" I had remembered the day Neku and Joshua had used the scanners on their phones to search for energy spikes. If we tapped into my keyblade, we might be able to find out where the keyhole is. "No energy signatures around this area," Joshua observed. "It's probably some where in town."

Just what we needed, a crowd of eyewitnesses. Still, we had to go find it. "If it is in town, we should split up," I mused. "That way we'll be able to cover more ground.  Neku, take Shiki and Beat. Search East Main Street and the surrounding areas. Rhyme, I want you to come with me and Joshua. We'll search the shopping district off the highway." Noah gazed at me. "What do I get to do?" I smiled at my brother. "You get the most important job of all. You get to guard the house!"

"Ah, come on! Why?!" I shook my head. "We need someone protecting the house in case the Heartless attack again. Tell me you can handle this." My brother nodded, saying it would be a good opportunity to test his new weapon. The moogle in Dream Team HQ had created an upgraded version of Noah's bo staff made of titanium. The look on his face told me he was ready and eager to take it for a test run. Knowing we had left the house in capable hands, we departed.

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We had dropped Group B off at Andrea's to begin the search. Meanwhile, Group A remained in the car. Joshua drove us down the backroads to find the keyhole. So far, we weren't having much luck. No major energy signatures had been detected. The thought of this bothered me. My plan was falling apart before my very eyes. If only I had used my foresight.

Earlier, I hadn't really described all of the details of my plan. I had hypothesized that Cyrena possessed the ability to control the heartless. I was hoping that if I sealed the keyhole, she would lose most of that advantage. Of course, this was only a theory. Joshua tapped my shoulder, breaking my thoughts. "Aislynn," he started, "There's something you should know. My memory is back. I remember what happened in Shibuya."