Falcon woke the next morning, bright and refreshed, ready to face the day. She ran down the stairs, nearly colliding into Riku, who was coming upstairs.

"Someone's happy today," he said, and Falcon just flashed him a knowing smiled before continuing on her way.

"Good morning everyone!" she called in elatedly as she strode into the kitchen where everyone was eating breakfast. Everyone replied in the usual fashion except, she noticed, for Axel. Determined to not let this bring her down, she stalked over to him and plopped into a chair next to him.

"'Sup, Axel?" she asked, and he turned away, blushing ever so slightly, "how are you this morning?"

"Fine," he said, not trusting his voice to say any more.

"That's it?" she asked, "you are dismal this morning. Whereas I am...hyper!" She proceeded to wave her arms up and down ecstatically.

"Yeah...I can see that..." Axel replied.

By now, Falcon was getting irritated, "okay mister emo, what happened? Did someone rain on your parade?" Now everyone was interested in what was going on, Axel had never avoided Falcon like this before.

"Uh...um...well..." Axel said, for once at a loss for words, "I...uh..." Falcon cocked an eyebrow and crossed her arms, waiting for a response.

"I...uh...um...yesterday..." he mumbled, and Falcon signaled for him to hurry up, "well uh..." He motioned for her to come closer. She seemed reluctant for a second, and then leaned toward him. Instinctively, everyone was automatically interested; Axel wasn't being his usual self. But instead of the expected answer, he leaned forward and gave Falcon a light kiss on the cheek, same as he had done last night. As Falcon's cheeks turned a deep red, he instantly stood up and, excusing himself, walked out of the room, also blushing. The room was silent for a long while.

"I...told you!!!!!" Yuffie cried, jumping up, "I told you, I told you! But no...you didn't believe me when I said he liked you! I was right!! I knew it!" Falcon let out a cough, still blushing like mad, and sat down, trying to regain some of her dignity. She couldn't quite believe what had happened: Axel, one of her best friends, had just kissed her in front of everyone. Axel, who normally would never do that if his life depended on it, had just kissed her. She just couldn't believe it.

Thank god Rinoa was more composed in her response, though Falcon could tell it took everything she had to not act like Yuffie.

"You know Falcon..." she said, "this opportunity is just sticking itself in your face. It couldn't be more obvious if it fell out of the sky and hit you on the head."

"I...know..." Falcon muttered, "I...just can't..."

"He likes you," Squall put simply, "now it's just a matter if you like him back."

"It's not that easy!" Falcon cried, "feelings are complicated!"

"I guess being a demon doesn't make it any easier," Rinoa said.

"No!" Falcon replied, "in fact, it makes it harder!"

"Why don't you go read a bit?" Tifa suggested, "that always seems to relax you...it'll calm your nerves." Falcon nodded, and walked off toward the library, her heart full of turbulent emotions.

Falcon shuffled through the books in the library, trying to find something to match her mood. While she flipped through stuff, she absent-mindedly sang in a soft voice.

"Isn't anyone trying to find me?

Won't somebody come take me home?

It's a damn cold night...

Trying to figure out this life...

Won't you take me by the hand, take me somewhere new

I don't know who you are...but I...I'm with you..."

She heard the door to the library open as she was deep in a book. She peered over the top of the book, and hoped beyond hope that it wasn't Axel. Naturally...it was Axel.

"Oh, damn," he muttered as he saw her, and took a step back. He turned to walk away, but Falcon couldn't take it and called out to him. He turned his head.

"Yeah?" he asked, "what?"

"Umm..." Falcon tried to find the right words that didn't make her sound like she was too cheesy, "can you...stay here...for a sec?" Axel turned and walked toward her. Pulling up a chair, he sat a safe distance from her.

"What is it...?" he asked.

Falcon shook her head, "I...don't know...uh..." she longed to ask the question that had plagued her since...well...fifteen minutes ago, "Uh...Axel...? Why did you do that?"

Obviously this was the question he had been hoping for her not to ask, "I don't know...it's kind of...funny."

"You don't why you..."she couldn't bring herself to say the words, "did that?"

"Yeah I know," Axel agreed, placing a hand to his forehead, "talk about lame with a capital L." Falcon smiled, and shook her head. She was at a loss for words too, so she just sat there and the two of them were enveloped in silence for a minute that seemed like a year.

"Umm...sorry," Axel said, "for...what I did. I uh...shouldn't have..."

Falcon held up a hand, silencing him, "no need. It's okay." Axel looked down, seeming a bit more relaxed that at least that was over. Suddenly Falcon smiled at him and stood up, placing the book back on the shelf, "come on, we haven't even gone training yet."

Later that night, Falcon and Rinoa were spending some "girl time" on the balcony.

"Axel and I discussed it," Falcon said. Rinoa smiled and looked at her.

"That's great!" she said, "you know, I really think you two should be together." When Falcon gave her a weird look, she added, "I'm not trying to force it on you, of course. I'm just saying..."

Falcon sighed deeply before replying, "I don't know Rinoa...I don't want to rush it..."

"You won't be rushing it...it's just...take it slow and everything will be fine! Trust me!" she said. Falcon nodded, but still looked a bit troubled.

"Well, it's getting late..." Rinoa said, "I think you should pay Axel a last visit and have a little more talk time before he leaves tomorrow."

Falcon nearly jumped up, "what!? He's leaving? Where? Why?" Rinoa almost cracked up at Falcon's horror of being parted with her "boyfriend."

"Don't you remember?" she asked, "he's going with Sora and Riku to go and rescue Kairi." Falcon muttered a barely audible "damn..." before racing inside. Rinoa shook her head and smiled.

"Axel? Axel!" Falcon called out, running around inside the gigantic castle as if the world was going to blow up. She nearly collided with him in one of Hollow Bastion's many hallways.

"Falcon?" he asked, worried, "what's wrong? You sound like the world's gonna blow up." Without replying, she instantly threw her arms around his chest and started sobbing, something she hadn't done for a LONG time.

"Whoa there..." Axel said, thoroughly caught off guard, "you're drenching my cloak...what's made you so upset?" When Falcon didn't reply, probably too busy crying to reply, he frowned in concern and ran his hand through her hair, which usually soothed her a bit.

"Come on...let's go to the living room or something, standing in a hallway like this isn't exactly the peak of comfort," he said, and gently he led her downstairs. Once he had her seated on the couch next to him, he began to ask.

"Okay Falcon...what's up?" he asked, "you gotta tell me." He waited for her sobbing to stop a bit before asking again.

"You...why...why are you...leaving?" Falcon replied between sobs, "why can't you...stay...?"

"What...?" Axel asked, and then it hit him as to what she was talking about, "oh...so that's what all this is about...I get it now." He sighed and looked down at her, her face still buried in his cloak, though she had stopped crying a bit now, now it was just snuffles and the occasional whimper.

"Listen Falcon," he said softly as his hand wandered toward her hair again, "we already discussed this. Sora and Riku need help finding Kairi, and I'm the only one who knows A: where she is, and B: how to get around that place. Got it memorized? They need me there with them."

"But Axel..." she whispered, "you don't need to go. They'd be fine by themselves, they can manage. With you there, there's more chance that you'll be caught." Axel sighed again.

"Falcon...I need to. I don't want to leave you but I'll be back soon, okay?" he asked.

"But it's not fair!" she cried, "I just got you back like two days ago. You can't just leave me again!"

"It'll only be for a day or so," he promised, "don't worry, nothing'll happen." Falcon sniffed and only hugged him tighter, determined to not let go. Axel's expression softened as it dawned on him how much she really wanted him to stay.

Look Fal," he said, calling her a nickname he used to call her when they were a little younger, "I need to. But I promise I'll be back soon. There's nothing more I can say. I like you, really, but it would be easier for Sora and Riku if I went with them. 'Sides, I owe them anyway, got it memorized?" Falcon nodded just the slightest bit as she cuddled up against him, her one source of warmth on the cold winter's night.

"Geez Fal," he said softly, "you must really not want me to go don't you?"

"What gave you that idea?" she asked sarcastically as she finally looked up at him, her normal personality coming back. Axel smirked.

"If it were just me, I wouldn't go either, but..." he began, but Falcon silenced him and nodded.

"Okay fine..." she relented as she sidled up to him, "you can go, but make it quick, okay?"

"It's tomorrow, we still have the rest of night," he said, and Falcon gave him a weird look.

"Don't say it that way," she said, making a disgusted face, "that just sounds wrong."

Axel rolled his eyes, "fine. We still have until tomorrow. There, that better?" he asked. Falcon nodded, "sheesh, talk about picky with a capital P." So for the rest of that day, for lack of a better word, the two of them sat on the couch and talked, reminiscing on old times and stuff like that. As the night grew older (or younger, I can't remember which one's which), Falcon curled up against Axel and fell asleep, who didn't bother carrying her up this time. He stayed awake for a few more minutes, listening to the tick-tock of the clock before sleep overtook him as well.