I'm careless, I believe
Above all the others, we'll fly...
This brings tears to my eyes
My sacrifice."
Falcon woke to Axel's voice, but in a way she had never heard before. She yawned and got up, having noticed that he was already gone, probably gone to rummage in the fridge. She strolled into the kitchen, and of course, there he was.
"You sing...?" she asked, surprised.
Axel straightened up, his head emerging from the depths of the fridge. He seemed a bit embarrassed, "yeah...you noticed..." He averted her gaze and scratched his head, blushing slightly.
Falcon smiled, "your voice is beautiful, in singing, I mean."
"Really!?" he cried, excited for a second, then composed himself, "I mean uh...thanks, I think."
Falcon thought for a second, "well, you also get bonus points 'cause I really like that song." Axel sighed and turned back to the fridge. Falcon smiled and walked toward him, "aww...did I hurt your man feelings?" Axel looked at her with a weird expression.
"Man feelings?" he asked, "what, I don't have regular feelings now? I have man feelings?"
"Well technically, as a nobody, you don't have feelings at all," Riku said, entering the room and grabbing a piece of something or another to munch on. Axel looked away; he hated to be reminded of that, as Falcon stiffened up.
"Riku!" she shouted, "how could you-!"
"It's true..." he said simply. Falcon scowled and her eyes blazed dangerously.
"Even if it is true, how could you say something so horrible?" she said. Riku tossed his head once and walked away.
"Riku..." Falcon whispered, "he's usually not like that. He's usually a lot nicer. I don't know..."
"It's alright," Axel said, placing a hand on Falcon's shoulder, "he's right Fal, I don't really have feelings. You know, lack of heart and all."
"No, don't say that!" Falcon cried, turning to him, "you do, I can tell." Axel looked down at her with an unreadable expression in his eyes and sat down at the table. Falcon was struck by that look he gave her, but she didn't know why. It wasn't like that look was one of hatred or disappointment, so why was it that she was frightened of going near him now? She took a step back, troubled by this.
"Falcon, are you feeling alright?" Rinoa's voice asked from behind. Falcon spun around, and nodded. Not knowing what else she could do, she ran outside. It was raining. Half-dazed and not really knowing what she was doing, she drew Fenrir and jammed its blade into the ground. Then she collapsed and began crying.
"Falcon...?" a voice asked a minute later.
"Go away!" she cried, "I don't want to talk to anyone right now!"
"Uh..." it was then that she recognized the voice as Cloud's. Wait a sec, Cloud?! What was he doing out here. She expected Axel or Squall, but Cloud!?
"Cloud...?" she whimpered, sitting up, "what do you want?"
He jerked his finger toward the castle, "everyone's worried about you." With that, he slowly walked back inside. Falcon turned back to Fenrir lodged in the ground, and she slowly stood up, shivering and shaking. Determined, to she wiped the tears from her eyes and yanked Fenrir out of the ground. Spreading her wings, she walked back inside just as the first flash of lightning ripped across the sky.
"Falcon, thank god you're okay!" Yuffie cried as Falcon trudged back inside, dripping wet, and disheveled, she looked like a demon that had just returned from a war in the midst of a thunderstorm, and was just missing the bloodstains. Yuffie refrained from hugging her because she was soaked, but she eyed her with worry when she saw how she was shivering.
"What were you doing?" she asked when she saw Fenrir in Falcon's hand, the bottom half caked with mud. Falcon averted her gaze and brushed past her as if she wasn't even there. Stomping upstairs, she trudged into the bathroom to take a shower.
A few minutes later, Falcon sat in her room, door locked, and stared up at the ceiling, a million things on her mind.
'What's wrong with me...?' she wondered, 'It's like I have no control over what I do. Not even my emotions. This has never happened before, there's something wrong...terribly wrong...'
"Fal...?" Axel's voice called through the door, "open up?" Falcon rolled her eyes, surprising herself. 'What am I doing? I've never felt contempt for Axel before.' She shook her head in an attempt to rid herself of the alien emotions inside her, before getting up and unlocking the door. Due to her lightning speed, she was already sitting down on the bed when Axel walked in.
"Hey Fal, what's wrong?" he asked, "when you came in, it's like you weren't even yourself anymore."
"I don't know..." she admitted, "I feel like I have no control over what I do. I'm feeling hatred for people that I care about, but I know it's not me. I don't know what's happening." Axel furrowed his eyebrows and looked at her.
"Well that's not normal," he said.
"You think?" she spat, her eyes blazing. Then suddenly, she changed back to normal and sighed, "you see what I mean? I don't know what's going on." Axel tentatively put an arm around her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her.
"Axel, Falcon!" Tifa called from downstairs, "come outside, quick!" Her voice sounded nearly hysterical, so the two of them rushed downstairs as fast as they could. Everyone was gathered outside, so that's where they headed. What they saw would be lodged in their minds forever. As they gazed with horrified eyes down Ravine Trail, there were thousands, and I mean THOUSANDS of heartless and nobodies.
"Holy...crap," Falcon muttered, "when'd they get here?"
"I dunno," Sora said, flashing his keyblade out, "but let's go get 'em!" Falcon crossed her arms, and her double keyblades appeared in her hands with a flash.
"I know why they're here…" she said softly.
"Why?" Yuffie asked, glancing at her.
"My best guess is that they're under orders from the Organization to come and take me back," Falcon said, "they must want their Namine pretty bad. Let's go give 'em a run for their money." She launched into the air, spreading her black dragon wings in flight; she hadn't flown for a while, and hoped that her skills hadn't rusted. As long as none of the enemy wielded arrows, she was safe. Everyone else charged down Ravine Trail, read y to kick some heartless/nobody butt. Some people (Cloud/Tifa, Squall/Yuffie, Sora/Riku) teamed up in twos to fend off the oncoming onslaught. Falcon soared overhead, picking off enemies one by one, sometimes cleaving her way through a whole crowd of them using double sonic blade.
"Namine!" a familiar voice called, "there you are!" She looked down, and her eyes caught sight of…Demyx.
"Demyx…" she growled, landing in front of him, "what do you want?"
"Don't act like you don't know," he replied, "the Organization needs you back, and if you can drag Axel back while you're at it, it'll be all the better." Falcon narrowed her eyes and brought her keyblades up to fighting stance.
"Fat chance," she said, "come and make me." Demyx frowned and held out his arm as his sitar flashed in his hand.
"Fine, have it your way," he said, and speeded toward her, water in his wake. He was almost at her when suddenly, a huge white shape barreled into him, knocking him flat on his back.
"Shiro!" Falcon cried happily, "thank god! You handle him." She took off in another direction as Shiro continued fighting off Demyx. Soon she spotted everyone gathered on a platform above the Ravine Trail, waiting for someone…'me' she realized. She rushed up to the platform and just as soon, Tifa spotted her.
"There you are, we were looking for you," she said.
"I got held up by Demyx, sorry," Falcon replied, "we're here to see Axel, Sora, and Riku off, aren't we?" Axel walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Remember what I told you, got it memorized?" he said good-naturedly. Falcon nodded stiffly, still very reluctant to let him go. Axel turned around and opened a portal to the World That Never Was. Riku stalked in immediately, and Sora glanced back at Axel, signaling him to come along. Axel strolled his way slowly up to the portal and gazed at it for a while, as if studying it. He took one step forward, and then suddenly his right arm was jerked backwards. Surprised, he peered over his shoulder to see Falcon clinging to his arm with a death grip. She released his arm, but instantly threw her arms around him again. Axel smiled, and pat her on the head.
"Fal…" he sighed, "it'll be okay…" Falcon nodded, and released him. She straightened up and whispered to him.
"Be careful…" she said so that only he could hear it. He nodded and grinned.
"Don't worry," he said, "I'll be back so soon, you won't even miss me." With that, he turned and stepped into the dark portal.
A few long seconds passed, and then Falcon lowered her head, "I miss you already..." she whispered.
The fights raged on for only a few more minutes before Organization XII happened to notice that Sora, Riku, and Axel were gone, and were probably headed toward their base. With that notion, the army retreated. Before long, all traces of Organization XIII, heartless, and nobodies were completely gone from the castle grounds. Falcon instantly went back inside and secluded herself in her room.
"I feel so sorry for her..." Yuffie said, "she must not be taking this so lightly..."
"Well, they obviously had something for each other," Rinoa said, "she just misses him, it's alright. When he comes back, everything will be normal again." Rinoa didn't know how wrong she was.