Kingdom Hearts: Dream Team

Chapter 24: Visions and Memories 💜

I was shocked. "It happened while we were cleaning the house," Joshua explained. "I might have fallen asleep or maybe I was imagining it, but I had a vision. A bunch of images flashed before my eyes, but all of it was enough to jog my memory." Rhyme spoke up from the backseat. "Same with me. I remember, too." Fog rolled into my mind. How could the two of them suddenly remember? I asked them what their most recent memory was before they came to my world.

"I remember contacting Neku about a large spike of energy at the scramble," Joshua mused. "We got there and found a reaper in a black coat. She was incredibly powerful, even I was having difficulties while fighting her. We lost and this mysterious reaper vanished into a portal, taking Neku and Shiki along for the ride." While he spoke, I tried my hardest to look for any clues. "I followed them," Joshua went on. He gestured to Rhyme in the backseat. "Do you have anything to add?"

Rhyme sounded like she knew exactly what she was talking about. Apparently, Joshua had warned her and Beat not to follow him through the portal. However, Beat (being the caring soul he is) chose to ignore the warning and had gone through with Rhyme in tow. I shifted in my seat.

The idea of visions puzzled me. Then, I remembered my vision, the vision I had in my room when I put on my keyblade necklace. The idea of my friends' memories returning through visions was intriguing. What if my vision was a memory, too? Obviously, it wouldn't be the same as the rest of the Dream Team, as I wasn't with them in Shibuya. My vision looked like it came from my early childhood: something I had long forgotten. What was it I was trying to remember?

Joshua broke my thoughts when he mentioned that the mysterious reaper possessed a strange ability... the power to control the Heartless. "A reaper isn't supposed to be able to wield such a darkness on their own." From this, he concluded that this reaper made a deal with someone that possessed strong ties to the darkness. I already had an idea of a possible suspect. Suddenly, Joshua let out a noise that sounded like he was in great pain. Rhyme gasped and when I looked at the driver's seat, I was horrified.

Joshua was unconscious and we were still moving! Panicking, I unhooked my seatbelt and stretched my left leg to the driver's side, trying to hit the brake. Rhyme screamed bloody murder. I grabbed the steering wheel, attempting to keep myself steady. Finally, after a few agonizing minutes, my foot touched the brake pedal. Taking us off-road, I tried stopping the car... and hit a tree. Looks like I wasn't ready for my learner's permit.

As the shock from the crash settled in, my boyfriend snapped awake. "Aislynn, what happened?!" I shook my head. "You passed out, but don't worry. I stopped the car." Before he could start the car again, I took the key out of the ignition. "Oh no you don't! You scared both me and Rhyme when you did that. You shouldn't be driving if that happens again." Joshua sighed; he knew I had him beat this time. Exiting the damaged car, we all searched the area.

Joshua took out his phone and scanned the area. "I think I found something," I said, a hint of excitement in his voice. Looking at his phone, I saw a large energy field coming from the direction of town. "Where is that?" Rhyme grabbed my hand and bracelets jingled. "Near Tri-City Theatre," I exclaimed. "Quite a distance from here." Joshua had one foot in the car. "No," I asserted. "That car is totaled and who knows if it still works. We'll have to walk it." As much as it pained me, I knew there was no other option.

"You know I could just fly us there," the angel said, stating the obvious. I stared at him briefly. "We'd be seen and besides, what if you pull the trick you did in the car?" An exaggerated scoff escaped him. "I felt weak. I couldn't resist." I let out a  long sigh. "Just call Neku and tell him we found the keyhole. Give him the address and tell them to meet us there." My vision blurred as I touched the charm of my necklace.

What I believe was another vision flashed through my eyes. However, this one was different from the first. In the vision, I saw myself (a three-year-old girl) being given my keyblade necklace. At first, I couldn't identify who the other person in the image was, but it soon became crystal clear. The person who had given me the necklace was none other than his majesty, King Mickey.

As quick as it had appeared, the vision was gone. I was shocked. Was my vision really a  memory? If it was, I had met King Mickey once when I was very little. This explained why my necklace charm had changed. It was of the Kingdom Key D, the keyblade his majesty currently wielded. However, I still had no idea if these memories were useful or if they even were memories at all.

"Aislynn, are you okay?" It was Rhyme's voice. "You sort of drifted off." My vision cleared and I saw that we were almost to our destination. "I'm fine," I responded, realizing that I didn't sound entirely sure. Joshua grabbed me from behind, giving me the same reassuring touch I was accustomed to. "I called Neku," he whispered. "He and the others agreed to meet us there." Nodding my approval. I decided that we should keep going.

You are the leader, Aislynn, I thought to myself. Your team needs you now more than ever. I had to focus. The meanings of my visions would have to wait because I had a mission, to get my friends back to their world. That takes top priority and I can't have any distractions. As my thoughts raced around in my head, we continued our trek.