"Falcon...wake up..." a voice penetrated her sleep. 'Who is actually brave enough to venture into my room to wake me up?' she wondered.
"Wake up..." the voice said again, and she recognized it as...Squall.
"Go away..." she muttered, and turned around.
"Falcon...come on..." he said, shaking her lightly. She groaned, and with much difficulty, propped herself up on her arms and pried her eyes open, wincing at the bright light that flooded her sight.
"We want to talk to you, come on downstairs when you're ready," Squall said, and his footsteps could be heard walking out the door. Falcon dragged herself out of bed and got dressed, still half asleep.
"He must be insane..." she muttered, walking down the stairs and yawning.
"Good morning Falcon..." Yuffie said as Falcon entered one of the many living rooms in Hollow Bastion. Situated on the couches were Squall, Cloud, Rinoa, Tifa, Yuffie, and Aerith. Oh yeah, Sora and Riku were there too. Everyone but...Axel. Falcon raised an eyebrow, amused at the fact Sora and Riku managed to wake up early, this must be important. Seeing as Axel wasn't here, it must be about him, but gee...what could it be...?
"What do you guys want...?" Falcon yawned, plopping down in a chair.
"Did you know Axel paid you a visit last night?" Rinoa asked. Slightly interested, Falcon looked at her in surprise.
"Well of course you don't," Rinoa said, "but he was there, to," she made quotations with her fingers, "check up on you." Falcon raised the other eyebrow.
"What are you trying to say...?" she asked suspiciously.
"We just want to ask..." Tifa began.
"Do you and Axel like each other?" Yuffie finished, overly excited. Falcon, in mid-yawn, nearly choked.
"What!?" she cried, "what are you talking about!?"
"Well, I mean," Rinoa said, "when he was in your room, he was running his hand through your hair, Obviously, you were asleep and couldn't feel it, but I mean…judging from that…"
'Could it be…? Axel likes me…?' Falcon wondered, her mind swimming, 'we were just friends...sure, best friends, but...like?'
"Falcon...?" Aerith's soft voice interrupted her thoughts, "are you okay?"
Falcon shook her head, "yeah, I'm fine. But, are you sure about this...?"
"I saw it with my own eyes," Rinoa said, "sure as possible."
"Do you like him?" Yuffie asked. Falcon thought for a second, and then opened her mouth to say something, but then Axel came down the stairs.
"You guys are talking without me?" he asked, "I feel insulted." Instantly everyone fell silent, and Falcon shot him a grateful glance.
'Saved by Axel...' she thought, sighing.
"So...what talk was so important you had to leave me out of it, huh?" Axel asked, sitting down.
"Umm...we were uh...just uh...talking..." Yuffie said. Axel raised an eyebrow and looked at Falcon, who shrugged, avoiding his gaze.
"Hey Sora, weren't you gonna go to The World that Never Was to go and get Kairi?" Yuffie asked, changing the subject.
Sora quickly nodded, "uh, yeah. In a few days, maybe sometime later this week."
"I think I should go with you," Axel said simply.
"The fewer people who go, the better," Falcon said, "Organization XIII might not notice if just Sora goes with Riku, but if you Axel, go too, it's definitely gonna trigger something."
"Sora doesn't know his way around that world though," Axel pointed out, "and I know where they're keeping Kairi."
"All right, you can come," Sora said, "I think it would be smart to have a guide. The sooner we can get Kairi, the sooner we can get out of there."
"You're not gonna take down the Organization while you're at it?" Tifa asked.
Sora shook his head; "I'm just going to retrieve Kairi for now. Three people definitely isn't gonna be enough to take down the whole Organization, especially since they have the nobodies too."
"So, have you guys gone training this morning yet?" Falcon asked Squall and Cloud. Cloud stood up, and grabbed his sword, shaking his head.
"No, though if you'd like to join us this morning..." he began.
"I'm game!" Falcon shouted, leaping up. Holding out her hands, Fenrir and Bond of Flame appeared in her hands with a flash. She turned and faced Squall, "I challenge you!"
Squall looked surprised, "uh...okay." Other than Cloud, Falcon was the only other person who was at a high enough level to stand a chance against him. The two had fought before, each with their own share of victories. You could never guess who would win. Smirking, Falcon waltzed out of the room and into the huge back field. Everyone followed, wanting to see the outcome of this fight.
Upon reaching the center of the field, Squall and Falcon stood facing each other, weapons out. Suddenly, Axel transported himself next to Falcon using Organization XIII's way of transportation: a black shadowy orb thing.
"Axel?" Falcon asked, "what are you doing?" Axel held out his arms, and shadow tendrils spun along them as his two flaming chakrams appeared in his hands.
Twirling them, he looked down at Falcon, "I'm joining you."
"No fair!" Rinoa cried, running to Squall, "then I'm game too!" Loading her blaster edge, she stood ready for battle. Seeing the two of them together sent a pang of pain through Falcon's heart, and she winced.
'Wait, wasn't I over it already?' she wondered suddenly, 'I thought I...'
"Falcon, watch it!" Axel cried, jumping in front of her and blocking a hit from Rinoa's blaster edge with one of his chakrams, "pay attention, will you?" Falcon sighed.
"Sorry," she said, and dashed forward. Standing back-to-back, Falcon and Axel fended off Squall and Rinoa. Squall, with his gunblade, slashed downward, and Falcon dodged at the speed of light. Then she countered with a blow to his right side with Fenrir, and he flipped his gunblade upside-down to block. Quick as a flash, Falcon leaped into the air and cut downwards with her other keyblade, her dragon wings spread out for balance. Caught off guard, Squall just managed to block. Yanking her keyblade backwards, Falcon sped towards Axel and Rinoa on Godspeed wings. Diving downwards, she slid between them and cut across Rinoa with Bond of Flame. Rinoa staggered backwards, clutching a minor wound. As if they could read each other's mind, Axel held out his left hand and Falcon slid her keyblade through one of the openings of his chakram. She spun him around so that he was facing Rinoa, and he launched his other chakram at her. Before waiting for Rinoa to recover, he stepped backwards as Falcon flipped over his head and down slashed with Fenrir, and Rinoa blocked. Axel placed a hand on Falcon's shoulder as she jumped down, and he nodded. Fire began to erupt around him as Falcon crossed her keyblades, generating a shadow aura. Axel's chakrams spun around him, burning fire, as flame columns blasted, erupting around him. Falcon generated her part of the shadow into the attack, and shadow and fire mixed, sending a devastating attack into play. The shadow intertwined around the fire columns, and the attack exploded into a burning flash of flames and shadow, sure enough to have defeated any opponent. Just as suddenly as it started, it was over. Rinoa and Squall were both kneeling on the ground, breathing hard. Axel and Falcon were only little better off.
"Whoa, what was that?" Yuffie asked. Falcon went to help Rinoa and Squall up, and she high-fived Axel, smiling.
He smirked, "nice going Falcon. You haven't lost your touch."
"Neither have you," she replied.
"That...was the most amazing teamwork I have ever seen," Tifa said, "it was like you could read each other's minds. Was that a limit at the end?"
"Yeah, Axel and I developed a limit attack when we were in Organization XIII," Falcon replied.
"You two are perfect partners," Yuffie said, "I mean, you make a great team when you fight together."
"We fought together all the time in Organization XIII," Axel said, "we WERE partners. I guess you could say we developed a knack for knowing what the other was thinking."
"Good going, you two work better together than I ever thought you would," Squall said, placing a hand on Falcon's shoulder, "nice work."
'Better than I ever thought you would...?' Falcon wondered, "hey, what's that supposed to mean!?" Squall turned around just at the exact same time as another headache erupted in Falcon's mind. Instantly, she fell to her knees, screaming as she clutched her head in her hands.
'Not again...' she thought, 'what does Xemnas want this time...?'
"Namine..." the expected voice called, "have you decided yet?"
"I'm not going back!!" Falcon replied, 'I told you already, you're not going to twist me into another devious plot."
"You owe your life to the Organization," Xemnas hissed, growing impatient, "we were the ones who took you in. If not for us, you would've never met Axel or Roxas."
"I don't care!" Falcon cried, "I'm not going back, and that's that!"
"Then keep watch, we'll have to drag you back by force since you're being so stubborn," Xemnas answered, "such a pity..." Then the pain faded, but because the conversation was shorter, Falcon didn't faint.
"Whoa there, it happened again?" Rinoa asked, supporting her.
"Yeah…" Falcon sighed, "Xemnas…wants me to go back…"
"To the Organization!?" Yuffie shouted, "there's no way you're going back there!"
"Xemnas said…they'll drag me back by force if they have to…" Falcon replied, "I'm not sure if I have a choice…"
"Do you know when they're coming?" Squall asked, "maybe we can set up some sort of an ambush."
"I don't know exactly…but I'd say pretty soon…" Falcon said.
"Well then, the only thing we can do is be ready," Aerith said, "how are they going to come? With an army, or-?"
"I don't know!" Falcon cried, "I just…don't know…" Axel stepped forward and helped her up.
"Come on Falcon, you should get some rest," he said, guiding me inside. As soon as I was lying down and comfortable, he turned to face the rest of them and fixed them with a glare, "and you guys, you'd better not stress her out." With that, he stalked out of the room.
Yuffie crossed her arms as she stared at him, "it's like he thinks he can order us around."
"Don't blame him..." Tifa said, snickering, "he's just caring for her."
"I'll miss you Axel," Falcon said, tears beginning to form in her eyes as she stood at the doorway out of Betwixt and Between, "and you too Roxas."
"You'll see us again, don't worry," Roxas assured her, "one of these days, I'm sure."
"You guys have helped me so much in my time here, thanks," Falcon replied, "you're the best friends I could ever have." She spread her black dragon wings in preparations for flight.
"Oh quiet, or I'm gonna start crying," Axel said huffily, "just get goin' already."
"Yeah, before Saix or the others find out," Roxas added. Falcon nodded and with a jump, took off into the night.
"You're sure we'll see her again?" Axel said, "you know we'll be the first ones they question when they find out Namine's missing."
Roxas nodded, "yeah, I know. Don't worry, best friends always see each other again."
"God that sounded so cheesy," Axel said, "when did you get cheesy?" Roxas smiled, and shook his head.
"Maybe tonight..." he began softly, "we'll fly so far away...we'll be lost, before the dawn..."
"That was weird," Axel said, "who are you and what have you done with Roxas!?"
"She really was an extraordinary girl," Roxas said, "I'll miss her."
"Yeah, I'm missing her more than I thought I would..." Axel agreed.
"What do you think of all this?" Cloud asked, "what should we do?"
"Who knows?" Yuffie said, leaning back into the couch, "like Aerith said, we can only be ready."
"Hey, she's up!" Tifa cried, leaning over Falcon, "Falcon, are you all right?"
She sat up, holding her head with one hand, and nodded, "yeah, fine thanks. I just had another one of those realistic dreams."
"What was it this time?" Axel asked.
"When I left the Organization, the convo at Betwixt and Between, I never knew you guys said that after I left," Falcon said, "those words that Roxas said were from a song, and Axel, I didn't know you missed me so much."
Axel looked away for a second, "yeah, yeah."
"You hungry?" Sora suddenly asked, "we just finished eating." Falcon's stomach grumbled in response.
"Yeah, starving," she replied. Walking downstairs, she began munching on food, deep in thought. She saw Shiro out of the corner of her eye and turned to him.
"Shiro-chan, do you know what it is that's going on?" she asked, "we are spiritually connected." Shiro cocked his head and placed his chin on Falcon's lap. She smiled and stroked the top of his head, "I guess not..."
"Hey Falcon..." a voice from behind her said. From instinct, she whipped around, Fenrir already in her hand. Axel held up his hands placatingly.
"Whoa there..." he said, and Fenrir flashed out of Falcon's hand, "I'm not Xemnas..."
"Sorry...natural instinct," she apologized, "what?"
"Do you have any idea what's goin' on?" he asked, "has this ever happened to you before?"
Falcon shook her head, sadness in her emerald eyes, "no, never. I don't know...ever since you came back...I think it's because you escaped from the Organization that Xemnas wants me back. Maybe for some other weird reason...I dunno."
Axel smirked and stroked Falcon's hair with his hand, "it's okay. You just let me know if anything else weird comes up, okay?" Falcon smiled in gratitude.
"Thanks Axel, you're the best friend I could ever have," she said. Just for added security, she gave Axel a hug, throwing her arms around his neck. Caught off guard for a second, Axel flinched, then his expression softened and he shook his head.
"You're getting soft Falcon," he said as he returned the embrace.
"Well, it is the middle of winter, and it's cold," she said, "you're the element of fire, so naturally..."
"Yeah, yeah..." Axel sighed, "I know..." A low whistle was heard behind them, and breaking apart, they glanced back to see Yuffie and Rinoa. Falcon groaned and rolled her eyes, she knew what was coming.
"Hey you lovebirds..." Yuffie said, "I caught a Kodak moment here."
Axel sighed, "we're not-"
"Say no more," Yuffie said, cutting him off, "we know how you feel." She walked around, shaking a finger, "step one: denial, step two: more denial."
"So what's step three?" Falcon asked sarcastically.
"Lame excuses," Yuffie replied, "come on, everyone knows you two already like each other, stop keeping it so hush-hush and just admit it!" Falcon looked down, a troubled look in her eyes. Rinoa could immediately tell what she was thinking.
"Take this chance," she said, "opportunities like this don't come everyday. Squall does care for you, but you've definitely got a better chance with Axel."
"Rinoa!" Falcon cried, blushing slightly, something that had never happened to her before, "don't say that!"
"Why not?" she asked, "you know I'm outspoken."
"But...he's right here..." I hissed, "good going."
Rinoa laughed, "you worry too much. Just go for it, take a chance." Falcon lowered her head, muttering something inaudible.
"Seriously Falcon, take a chance with him, you never know what might happen," Yuffie said, "who knows, it might turn to your advantage."
"You people are talking as if I'm not here," Axel said, "I'm not invisible, you know."
"Same goes for you," Rinoa instantly said, "opportunity strike."
"Maybe you should've just stayed silent, it would've been safer," Falcon said to Axel, who nodded, "anyway, can we change the subject?"
"You should get to sleep again," Yuffie said, "for your info, it's almost midnight."
Falcon nodded, and started up the stairs, then turned back, "good night everyone."
"'Night," they replied. Satisfied that she had avoided ultimate embarrassment, Falcon climbed into bed and soon fell asleep. Unbeknownst to her, or anyone else for that matter, early the next morning Axel walked into her room and, checking to make sure that no one was there, bent down and gave her a light peck on the cheek before walking away.