La b y r i n t h I s l a n d

"Namine, we're in the middle of the ocean! This isn't exactly a getaway vacation. We're stranded. This is survival." - Cloud

CHAPTER 2: Get It Together

"So does anyone know anything about surviving on a stranded island?" Hayner asked the group.

"Some of you fetch firewood and the others find fruit. Namine, find a freshwater source of some sort." Cloud ordered them. The others looked at each other.

"Hold up. Who put you in charge?" Roxas was annoyed.

"I'm the oldest here, so do what I told you to do." Cloud didn't want to put anymore effort.

"You're not the boss of me. I can lead too." Roxas argued.

"You think you're a better leader than me?" Cloud was angry now.

"Hah, I sure do. You don't know anything." Roxas taunted.

Angered, Cloud pulled out his buster sword. "You really don't want to get me pissed off, kid." Cloud pointed his giant sword at Roxas. "You don't scare me." Roxas's hand glowed, and in a split second a giant key was in his hand. "What is that thing..?" Cloud stared at the giant key. "It's called a keyblade. I'll show you how it works!" Roxas ran up to Cloud and struck a blow. Cloud blocked with his buster sword, and swiftly fought back. The two swung at each other, each dodging each other's moves. As Cloud was about to swing an actual life- threatening blow at Roxas, Sora came in between them and blocked Cloud's move with his own keyblade.

"Stop fighting you two! The only way to survive on this island is together!" Sora yelled; The two stopped and looked at each other. Cloud put his sword away. Roxas's keyblade withdrew. "I say Sora lead!" Pence called out, while the others evidently agreed. "Fine." Cloud nodded and backed away from Roxas. Sora smiled as the others suggested he lead them.

"Okay then. Well…. Hayner and Pence find fruit around this island. Cloud, use your sword to cut down a tree for firewood. Nami-"

"Hey I can make a fire for the firewood!" Axel interrupted. He seemed eager, and the others stared at him. "Uh, continue.." Axel shrunk.

"Alrighty. As I was saying, Namine find a freshwater source, like a river or something. Roxas, stay with me. Meet back hear as soon as you find the things. This area will be our camp." Sora was a good leader. The others set out exploring the island to see what they could find.

One Hour Later

Hayner and Pence were the first to come back to the camp site. They carried various fruits. "We're back! We found some different types of fruits and stuff. I can't wait to dig in." Pence said to Sora and Roxas. Hayner and Pence put down all that they gathered from the island and organized it on the sand.

"That looks really good! It should be enough to feed all of us. Uh, it's all edible… right?" Sora stared at an unusual-looking fruit that seemed to look fuzzy on the outside. "Let's just make Pence eat that one." Hayner chuckled. "Hey!" Pence playfully shoved Hayner, and they all laughed.

Namine came a few minutes later. "Hey Sora! There seems to be a stream not too far from here. I'll show you guys where it is. Since I finished my job early, I explored the island. I found this little cave. It was really cool." Namine smiled happily to the guys. They smiled back at her. Pence whispered to Hayner, "She's kinda cute." Hayner smirked and whispered back with, "She's my kind of girl." Pence and Hayner glanced at each other.

"So what'd you guys do while we were gone?" Namine asked Roxas and Sora. "We made, this!" Sora pointed to what looked like a tiny, slanted shelter. There were a group of leaves and branches welded together that were held up on two large branches, slanted on one side. "That's really cool! And we can put the fire place in front of it." Pence yelped with excitement. "We worked really hard on it. It definitely won't be able to fit all of us, but we can take turns on who can sleep in it; plus it also provides a good shade." Roxas said, proud of his work.

Cloud came back soon after. He carried a large bundle of wood -that seemed to be once a palm tree- and set it down in front of the shelter. "There's your firewood. I see you made that. Nice work." The group understood Cloud's serious tone, but smiled as he complimented their self-made shelter.

All of a sudden the wood was enflamed with a large fire. "What in the world?" The group yelled, startled at the unexpected light show.

"Hahahahaha. Calm down, guys. You needed a fire right?" Axel came from behind the large fire display, evidently laughing.

"Well you better not burn down the shelter we worked so hard on!" Sora called out.

"What took you so long? You didn't even need to find anything." Cloud called out to Axel, wondering what he had done all this time.

"Relax spiky, I just explored the place. You see that volcano up there?" Axel upwards, and a volcano appeared over the trees. It was somewhere deep in the forests of the island. "It's my turf now." Axel smiled a crooked smirk.

Having everything they needed, the group ate the various fruits and sat around the fire. Sora sat with Roxas who sat with Hayner and Pence. Axel sat with Namine and Cloud. "This isn't bad." Axel mentioned, taking a bite out of the tropical fruit (it's a mango, maybe.) he skinned. He took a branch and poked it though the fruit and roasted it above the fire. The others did the same.

Nobody else spoke; they listened to the sounds of the beach. The sounds of the waves breaking onshore, the slight ocean breeze, the seagulls soaring above them, and the campfire cracking. It was a beautiful day.

Yes, they've only been on the beach for more than an hour. But it was really calm, soothing, and beautiful. "You know, even though we're stranded here, it's not that bad…" Hayner mentioned, and his friends nodded.

Cloud didn't fall for the beach, nor anything that wasn't supposed to happen. "No. I need to get out of here." Cloud's voice was deep, and the others looked at him.

"Cloud, take in the view. It's beautiful here. Admit you like it!" His younger sister next to him persuaded her brother as best as she could.

"No Namine. We're supposed to be in Twilight Town to stay in the mansion for the summer."

"I know. But that would've been boring. We should enjoy our time here until someone rescues us."

"Namine, we're in the middle of the ocean! This isn't exactly a getaway vacation. We're stranded. This is survival." Cloud was angry, and so became Namine. She got up and stormed into the tropic forest. "She'll be back." Cloud grabbed another fruit and roasted it above the fire. Well, the beach wasn't a miracle worker with its view ..

Later

The sun was setting, and it was absolutely gorgeous. The sky was a heavenly pink and purple. The sun was setting on the water, a glowing orange. The water reflected the colors of the sky. The scene was a painting.

Everyone sat on the beach and watched the painting with awe. Namine came back to watch too. "Maybe this place isn't too bad after all…" Cloud mentioned in a soft tone that nobody else could hear.