A/n: Oh, my first step into the world of Kingdom Hearts. How exciting! And I come bearing an under-looked, pretty much unheard of pairing. Kinda. It's hinted, not really main focus. Still, the two people in question are Tifa and Axel, also known as Akufa. I'm so brave. Haha!

This was written for a contest over on DeviantART, hosted by the Akufa club. It's open to everybody- I'm not even a member of Deviant. But the club would love to have some more participants, so feel free to join in on the Axel/Tifa love. My chosen theme is 'Stranger'. Enough chatter; onto the story!

Disclaimer: Nope, Kingdom Hearts is not mine. I would never have come up with the concept of mixing Final Fantasy characters with Disney. Ever.

Chapter 1: Mysterious Stranger

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Why in the world had she jumped in after Cloud and how, in the name of all things sacred and holy, had she wound up here? She had no idea where she was. She had never set foot in such a place. Vast pavement stretches; tall, looming buildings; black, endless sky illuminated by a heart-shaped moon. The whole setting reeked of suspicion and Tifa couldn't keep a tiny chill from creeping up her spine. What sort of place had she fallen into?

And where in the world was Cloud?

Better still, why did she care? Why had she endangered herself by blinding chasing after him? He was constantly doing this- running off on a delivery and disappearing for days. He was always leaving her, barely mumbling out his destination before hopping on his motorcycle and taking flight, leaving her at Seventh Heaven to care for the orphans and run the bar by herself. And she allowed it. She never questioned his need for space and his hunger for atonement. She enabled him by always keeping a plate of dinner at the ready and an open chair at the table. She never asked questions, never asked him to stay.

Except for today. Today she had released some of her anger and asked him why he was always running away. Today she had bitterly demanded to know why she wasn't good enough to ease his pain. Today she had scornfully wondered why he was constantly abandoning the children who adored him so. Today she had allowed herself to expose her love for him and she had pleaded with him to stay.

But Cloud hadn't stayed. He had swung his lean frame onto his vehicle and turned away from her without a single word, like countless times before. This time, however, Tifa had been unable to turn to other cheek and had raced after him. She had been no match for his motorcycle, but the tires left an easy trail to follow and she had still been able to see his flickering tail-light when the blackness had emerged.

She'd never seen such an odd sight before, a spinning vortex of darkness, and had been stunned to the point of stopping at it's sudden appearance. When Cloud had gone directly into it, not even once tapping his breaks or swerving his bike, Tifa had given herself little time to think and heedlessly sprinted towards it. Her anger and hurt at the blond had been easily overshadowed by her concern and worry.

It had taken her seconds to enter the darkness and it seemed she had been in it for just as long. Gone were the familiar green tress of the forest and worn dirt path, replaced by these new stone streets and eerily towering buildings. Crashing headfirst into the the portal of night had been one of the most fool-hearty things she had ever done, and, as she sat alone on the empty streets of this unknown place, Tifa didn't know if she should laugh at the irony or cry for the very same.

She was in a new environment, carried to a place that was completely different from anything she had ever known by a strange portal, and Cloud, the person she had rushed in after, the one man she had been chasing all of her life, was no where to be seen.

Some things never changed.

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Pulling the black coat she wore tighter, Tifa shivered. She had been walking around the odd place she had wound up in for what felt like hours. She hadn't encountered a single soul. Once, she had thought she had heard footsteps, but they had never manifested. She swore she had seen shadows, but they never emerged from the night. She looked for some sign of life, strained to hear the chirping of tires against pavement, but she was rewarded with empty spaces and silence.

Glancing up at the strangely carved moon, Tifa once again wondered where in the world she was. The sky never lightened, not even a tiny bit. In fact, it appeared to Tifa that it was growing darker. She was sure she was wrong and that her mind was only playing tricks on her, but she could feel the hairs on her arm standing on end, despite her effort to warm them with her gloved hands.

This place was creepy. No city was ever this quiet and devoid of life. She wanted nothing more than to leave this strange, barren land and longed for another portal to magically appear so she could step inside it and be transported back home to Edge. Never mind Cloud. If he wanted to be alone so badly, then so be it. She just wanted to back home to the children and forget her stupid journey to this desolate world.

Ten minutes passed by, ticking slowly as she wandered the empty streets, thoughts bouncing from the blond rider to her present situation to her life at home. She wanted desperately to be rid of this place and she wanted to wring Cloud's neck for leaving. She wanted to see the children again and knock herself out for carelessly throwing herself into this situation. She wanted to scream at Cloud for running and throw he arms around him simultaneously.

She didn't want to be alone anymore, here nor home.

Sinking against a building, Tifa lowered her head to her hands, brown hair falling across her shoulders. She was seconds away from screaming at the top of her lungs in a desperate hope of being heard by someone, anyone to get her mind off of things she couldn't control of remedy. She wanted to just open up and yell for Cloud to come and rescue her or some brave knight swoop in and take her back home. She believed herself to be a very capable woman and she took great pride in her ability to defend and provide for herself, but her current predicament had her perched on the border-line of despair.

She almost called out, almost opened her mouth and bellowed for someone to help her, but the thought of being found caused her stomach to do somersaults. What sort of person would willingly life in such a bleak, foreboding place? Should she be looking for a savior, or should she be counting her blessings?

Weight pressing down around her, Tifa closed her eyes, so confused and conflicted that she felt like giving up all together. This place, empty and hollow, was just like her. She could pretend and smile around the orphans, but she really wanted one thing out of life, and he was determined to keep her at arms length. This land was full of hopelessness, and her situation was, too.

Everything was hopeless.

"Hey, there, Sweetness, why so down?"

Brown eyes snapping open, Tifa immediately jumped to her feet. Thoughts of being saved and whisked away were forgotten, replaced by instinctive defense. Staring in bewilderment at the man before her, she felt her concern heighten. Tall and slim, with fiery red hair and mischievous green eyes, he looked nothing like a knight in shining armor. Tifa suddenly decided she didn't need to be rescued, anyway. She took a hesitant step back, wondering all the while where had he come from. She had been alone two seconds ago, she was certain of it.

As she continued to stare at the curious man in front of her, his previous comment slowly took root in her jumbled mind and, before she could stop herself, she demanded, "Sweetness? What type of greeting is that?"

"An appropriate one." Smirking, the mysterious stranger kicked away from the wall he was leaning against. "And again I ask: why so down?"

Circling away from the man, Tifa watched as he casually followed her movements, long black cloak trailing behind him. Though he certainly didn't look like a savior, he didn't exactly radiate cruel intent, either. Constantly moving her feet, she wondered aloud, "Who are you?"

"I could ask you the same thing. But I didn't."

He was arrogant. It was obvious. Tifa found herself frowning. "Well, I did."

Pausing his chase, the red-head grinned. "True, true. But if I answer your question, you have to answer mine." He crossed his arms, as though bargaining with a local grocer.

Tifa stopped her own movements, head titled as she studied him. He didn't appear as if he intended to do her harm. In fact, his entire demeanor suggested that he was completely at ease with her and knew exactly who she was. It was a bit unsettling. Even still, she couldn't help but feel a hint of relief at having a companion, though she didn't trust his sudden appearance.

Without waiting to hear her answer, the man plunged on. "The name's Axel. Be sure to commit it to memory." Reaching out a hand, gloved fingers curling towards her, he encouraged, "Now it's your turn."

Ignoring his prompt, Tifa asked, "And where did you come from, Axel?"

He pursed his lips, brow dipping into a pout. "That wasn't our deal, Doll Face."

Fear subsiding, Tifa felt her face flush with anger. "My name is Tifa. And I don't feel inclined to tell you anything."

"Ah, that's okay." Sauntering up beside her, Axel propped his chin against his knuckles, smirk returning to his face. "I don't really need you to answer me, because I already know."

Feeling very uncomfortable with his close proximity, Tifa sought to take a step back, only to find the red-head circling around her once again. Refusing to allow him to see the small apprehension tickling it's way up her spine, Tifa forced her voice to remain neutral. "Do you?"

"Yep. You're looking for someone. And they're gone. Judging by your feelings towards them, I'd say they're not around very often. So you're feeling glum 'cause they ran off and left ya to fend for yourself."

Swallowing hard, Tifa tried to pretend like his words had no effect on her, but she could tell she was failing; Axel's grin only grew wider with each passing second. How did he know what she was feeling? They were private, inner thoughts. She tried to reason that it was common deduction, but she had just met him- he should have no knowledge of Cloud. He gave her little time to ponder as he continued his speech.

"And now you're feeling just a teensy bit violated, am I right? Wishing you were back home, away from this crazy world with no inhabitants? Your home life must be pretty nice, since you seem to think on it so fondly. Except for where that one person is concerned, the one that's never there. They hurt you, and yet you still keep them around. ...What are they, a boyfriend?"

Tifa could feel her heart beat increase with each passing comment. It was impossible for him to know of her feelings. She had never voiced them. She had never met him before. He shouldn't know anything about her- about Cloud.

A sly, jester-like smile curved Axel's lips. "It is your boyfriend, isn't it? Or, wait, maybe a possible boyfriend? An unrequited love? ...I'm not entirely sure on the matter, but what I am certain of is that he- she, it, whatever- brings out the darkest in you. You're generally a happy person, aren't you, Sweetness? Kind, loving, great to have over for dinner. Just a regular ol' goody-two-shoes. But whatever brought you here makes you question all of who you are and smothers that light inside you." Trailing a finger in front of her face, Axel met her questioning gaze. "And around her, that is not a good thing."

Standing ram-rod straight, Tifa's stomach started doing jumping-jacks. She couldn't deny the unease creeping into her body. This man knew way too much about her, and everything he spoke of was something that, by all definitions, he should not know. And that last comment sounded very much like a threat.

Wetting her tongue and wondering when her mouth had turned into cotton, she managed, "You'd threaten a lady?" She intentionally ignored everything he had said, hoping to at least be able to put on false airs. Axel just cocked his head.

"Me? Threaten a beauty like yourself? Never." He stopped his pacing. "I'm just warning ya."

Capitalizing on the opening, Tifa cautiously skirted away from him, willing herself to remain calm. She no longer cared about leaving this strange world, she just wanted to get away from this odd man. She did not want to have to fight with the stranger and use up strength she might have to use to get back home.

"Well, thanks. I'll commit it to memory."

She turned to flee, reminding herself not to run, but Axel was in front of her in seconds, a hand on her shoulder and his lean frame standing above hers. Tifa felt her heart kick into over-drive. Up close he didn't look quite as menacing as he had circling around her like a caged animal; his face was young, probably in his early twenties. His crimson hair was swept up and hung around his shoulders, resting in his dark hood. He had curious little black tattoos under his eyes, shaped like elongated triangles. His nose was round and his cheeks were smooth. He was actually rather handsome. But his eyes- they were a bright shade of emerald, large and expressive- but the hardness they held behind them caused Tifa to recoil.

She wasn't sure what had steeled them over, but she did know that she sensed more than just a harshness from them. She could almost swear she saw a sorrow behind them, an injured spirit, and she found herself taken aback, some of the trepidation leaving her.

"Whoa, there, Sweetness. You can't just take off. I said I was warning you, not threatening you. That means that if I'm not the bad guy, someone else is." His words confused her. She had been wondering around this place for at least two good hours and hadn't seen a single soul until Axel had popped up. Seeing the wary glint in her eyes prompted Axel to add, "Just because they aren't here right now doesn't mean they won't find their way back home eventually."

"They?"

"Trust me, I don't work for the best company in town. My fellow employees don't have my excellent people skills."

Tifa considered Axel's words, wondering about this enigma of a person. "So if you work for these people, why should I trust you? If they seek to harm me, shouldn't you?"

He shrugged, dropping his hold on her shoulder. "Eh, I'm feeling lazy today." Waving his leather-clad hand, he opened up a portal identical to the one that had led her to this land. "Consider this your lucky break."

Watching the swirling black mass appear, Tifa was torn between alleviation and confusion. This man could either be helping her, or sending her to her doom. She knew absolutely nothing about him, but what she had seen from him suggested that he sought great pleasure in dabbling with settings and people. He seemed as though he took very little serious and simply liked toying with things. He appeared anything but trustworthy.

He was nothing more than a stranger to her, but something about him tugged at her, and Tifa knew that, even though he had done nothing to earn it, a tiny part of her wanted to trust him.

"Why help me?" she questioned, unable to step towards the portal yet unable to turn away. "I don't understand."

He stared at her, green eyes boring into her, and for a moment Tifa didn't think he was going to answer her. She was about to give up on receiving an answer when he turned his head, mumbling, "Let's just say that I know how it fe- what it's like to be looking for someone."

His voice was quiet, and his statement seemed sincere. Tifa watched him look to the pavement, and was once again hit with the thought that there was a sadness in this person that she knew all too well. Taking a tentative step forward, she stretched her hand into the portal, standing still as the darkness twirled around her fingers.

"I can't guarantee it'll get ya home, but maybe you'll be able to find who you're looking for."

Turning to Axel, Tifa nodded. "...Thanks, Axel. I hope you can find who you're looking for, too."

Before she could think or deliberate any further, she moved her entire body into the portal, closing her eyes as it transported her away from the heart-shaped moon and the red-headed man. As she allowed the loop hole to carry her to another land, her mind jumped between Cloud and the interesting figure she had just met. She knew virtually nothing about him and, though he made her emotions jump from one feeling to the next, she couldn't deny the pull she felt nipping at her heart.

There was definitely something more to that mysterious stranger.

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A/n: Poor Tifa. I like Cloud, but I don't think I could wait around for him. I'd say this would take place near the beginning of the game, where Axel is still searching for Roxas and Tifa has just started her journey to find Cloud. I try to stick with storyline, even with my crack. Hehe. And Axel can read Tifa's heart because of the darkness Cloud invokes. Never dabbled with these characters before personally, though I have helped RenjiLuvah. If you're an Akufa fan, check out her stuff.

Um, feedback is love? I've never stepped out into this fandom, so having some comments would be nice. All views are welcome, and constructive criticism is fine. If ya don't like, feel free to tell me why. But I do hope you enjoyed it. I had great fun writing it.

Might, and this is a very big might, turn this into a mini-series. But it's still in the planning stages. Regardless, thanks for reading.

- L2G