Okay, I know it's been a REEEEEEEEEEEEEALLY long time since I've updated, so SORRY! This has a lot of dialogue in it, and is mostly about Cloud, Pence, and (GASP) Leon, and not so much Namine. Review!

Kidnapping a Map

Namine's POV

"You're an idiot. You could just get Namine the flowers over here, but NO you have to go risk your life for a couple of aqua flowers across the moat, which incidentally has HEARTLESS in it!!"

"Well, I want to be human, so I will get a thank you kiss from Namine when I risk my life for flowers for her."

Cloud looked like her wanted to strangle Pence.

"Do you really know how completely ridicules you sound?!" He snapped "You're risking your life for flowers."

"I know. Isn't it great?"

Pence grabbed a reed and tested its springy-ness before bending it down to the ground.

"Um, I have a question…"

"Silence is golden Cloud, silence is golden."

"O-kay, go ahead."

Pence had just climbed on the reed when Cloud asked,

"I'm just curious, how are you going to get back?"

"Uh oh…AHHHHH!!" Pence tried to get off of the reed, but it was too late.

He hit a Heartless on the head, and it attempted to get him, but it failed. Before he had a chance to swing to his death, and reached out to the reed, gently catching Pence.

"Oh. Thanks Namine." I glared at him.

"You just risked your life for flowers."

"Yup."

"Cloud, what's his IQ?"

"Zero?"

"Ugh."

Everyone was silent…Suddenly a gasping split the air. A black feathered bird fell lifelessly from the sky.

"Oh no!" I cried, and ran to the spot where he landed.

"Ouch." Cloud commented, looking at a huge gory slice on the creature's chest.

Pence glared at his cold tone, and looked at me for help. In response I tore off a bit of my sleeve and wrapped up his wound after dousing it in lake water.

"What the hell?" A surprised voice came from the ground, or more specifically, the puffin. We gaped at him.

"Language." Pence said.

"Shut up. I don't talk to enemies."

"You're talking now." Cloud pointed out.

"We aren't your enemies." The puffin looked suspiciously around.

"No weapons around here. All right, who are you?"

"I'm Namine. The turtle and ex magician is Cloud, and the frog idiot is Pence. He thinks he will become a prince." I explained.

"So we have an ex-magician turned into a turtle, and a wannabe frog prince. What are you miss Namine?"

I stared at the ground. I didn't want people to know…I was a princess, but I didn't want to be, I wasn't one of those, 'oh so in need of help' princesses, and I had let my people down. Let myself down.

"Princess?" The puffin asked. I was shocked

"I'm sorry, what?!"

"Princess. You have it written all over your face."

I gave up.

"Oh."

"So you are a princess." He said, experimentally stretching his wings and legs.

"You did that to confirm it!" I accused him

He then examined his feathers, fixing the crooked ones.

"Yeah, but I'm the suspicious type."

"As I've seen." I muttered.

"So why are you here Princess?"

I sat up.

"Call me Princess one more time." I challenged, my eyes slits.

"Okay, okay, Namine, why are you here?"

"Evil sorcerer wants to take over my kingdom, but wants to do it legally so he has to freaking marry me, which I will never do, but in the process to make me marry him, he set a curse on me so that I turn into a swan during the day, but when the night comes, and I'm on that lake over there, I can turn back into a human, which is good, but I can't escape because to survive I need to be human, so I'm stuck here for just about forever." I gasped for breath. That was one heck of a run on sentence.

"Wow, 93 words." Cloud commented in his bored manner.

I smirked.

"What's your name?" I asked,

"Leon."

"Wow, I like your name."

"Thanks."

I took out my sketchpad, and stared blankly at the white page.

"Artist block again?" Pence asked sympathetically

"Yeah." I said, rubbing my forehead. "I just can't seem to…" I stopped talking as soon as black sparks and darkness crept into the yard.

"Hide!" Cloud whispered, disappearing into the reeds. The others followed him, and I stood up, straightening my long white dress and long blonde hair.

"Are you giving up yet?" Xemnas asked, staring cruelly at me.

"Every night you ask me the same question."

"…"

"And every night I give you the same warning."

"I'll take that as a no." He smiled. "All right then, Swan Girl." He laughed and I turned to see the rising sun. "You can have another day to think about it if you must."

"Oh." I muttered, and stepped into the water, and turned away from my hidden friends. The water swirled around me, transforming me into my second shape…one that I despised and loved at the same time.

I dived under the lake's surface, the water flowing around me as I swam. I came up in the middle of the lake and let a solitary tear escape as I heard Leon's cry of shock.

RXNRXNRXNRXNRXNRXNRXNRXNRXNRXNRXNRXNRXNRXNRXNRXNRXN

"So I guess it was true." Leon said, looking coolly at me. "You really are under a spell."

"No, she's under a curse." Pence injected energetically.

"Shut up Pence." Cloud, Leon, and I said in unison. Pence rolled his eyes and went for a swim in the shallow water.

"Well, what can we do about it?"

I looked at the castle.

"I don't know where I am, and I doubt anyone except Xemnas knows how to get out, and find out." A smile grew on my face. "However, I doubt Xemnas himself had easy time figuring out where he was at first. So unless he's burned a map…"

"We can find one." Cloud finished

I put on a pleading look.

"PLEASE will you help me?"

"Sure."

"Yes Namine!"

"Whatever."

"Great, now we have two sarcastic smart animals around here." I muttered.

"What was that?" Cloud asked, eyes narrowed

"Nothing."

RXNRXNRXNRXNRXNRXNRXNRXNRXNRXNRXNRXNRXNRXNRXNRXNRX

"Okay, here's the plan. Namine, fly around, look in windows for the map-"

"Bo-ring Pence."

"It's not supposed to be interesting, it's supposed to work!" He glared at Cloud, and then muttered under his breath, "I don't get paid enough for this."

"You don't get paid at all." I corrected him.

"Hmm, how should I get paid?"

"Shut up Pence." Leon snapped.

"Namine, take a look around for the map." Cloud said.

"Right." I took off, but not before I heard Pence say:

"That's what I said!"

"It sounds better when I say it."

I suppressed a laugh, and wheeled around the topmost tower, where I had been transformed. On the wall inside, I saw a map of the land I had traveled through on my way here.

I swooped back down to where my friends were.

"I found it! It's on the upper tower!"

Cloud nodded.

"All right. Now, Pence, Leon and I will sneak into the castle, and you will distract anyone who comes near." I nodded, and narrowed my eyes. Good, now I was that much closer to finding him.

Cloud's POV

Idiotic. That was what this was. Idiotic. We were waltzing into a sorcerer's castle to steal a map that would take his prized possession, Namine, away from him. Add that to the fact that he could easily kill us all with a sweep of his hand, this mission was officially labeled as kamikaze.

Lovely.

We crept through the door, and Pence (typically) caught his foot in the door, and let out a loud yelp.

"Pence you idiot, shut up! Do you want to get killed?!" Leon hissed

Pence sniffed, and then tripped over his feet. I groaned inwardly.

I was surrounded by idiots.

I tiptoed (okay, I walked quietly, because it isn't possible for me to tiptoe in turtle form, because turtle's toes are different…) up the stairs, and Pence (once again, the idiot) 'accidentally' pushed Leon back, who bumped into me, and I lost my balance, and having a smooth shell, slid down the stairs.

"I-ow-am-ow-going-ow-to-MURDER-ow-you-ow-Pence!" I growled, as I bounced of every step. Pence looked scared.

"SORRY!" He yelled. Suddenly we heard footsteps, and I scrambled back up the stairs, and as an afterthought, hit Pence hard on the head. He winced, but did not make another move or sound.

We were silent as we saw the assistant, her name was…um, Odette? No…hmm, well she isn't important right now.

Anyway, we squeezed into a corner in the dark, and tried not to be noticed. My dignity is forever shattered, ground, completely and sadly destroyed.

"OW! Get off my foot!"

"Shut up Pence, what would you rather have, a bruised foot, or no foot at all when Xemnas finds you?"

"…"

"That's what I thought."

You really had to admire Leon's tactics.

"There's the map!" I hissed, seeing it in a room across from our hiding spot.

Leon darted out, and grabbed it off the wall with his beak.

"Got it." He said through a mouthful of paper.

I ran quickly (AKA slowly, I'm a turtle) to the window, and waved the map as a flag to signal Namine to pick it up.

Well, Namine saw it.

So did a certain brown-haired assistant.

#

Ahem. Lost myself.

The assistant streaked up the stairs with almost-inhuman speed, and Namine dived down to beat her. We just barely got the map out of the tower when the Assistant came in. (Note the capital letter A)

Leon squawked, which was very un-Leon like, and dove out the window, carrying Pence. Namine did the same thing, carrying the map in her beak, and me in her feet.

I hate heights.

We finally got to the ground, and saw the Assistant glaring at us.

"Some adventure, huh?" Namine asked an imaginary eyebrow raised.

Pence flopped over onto his back.

"Namine, you have NO idea. I am now on two people's death list, a mad Assistant tried to kill me, and…ack!"

"Sorry."

"You stepped on my foot on purpose!"

"Too right I did."

I grinned. Leon and I really do think alike.

Okay, before I hear about any crap questions like- 'Is this a LeonxCloud fic too?' I'd like to say NO IT ISN'T.

I'll try to get another chapter up soon. REVIEW PLEASE!!

Next Chapter-THE HUNT