Falcon woke from a dreamless sleep to the first rays of the sun. She looked down at the open book she held loosely in her lap and realized she must've fallen asleep while reading. She glanced at the clock in the library and shot up when she realized it was almost 10. She raced downstairs and into the kitchen. Surprisingly, the only person there was Riku.
"Hey," Falcon said, grabbing something out the of the fridge, "sorry I slept late. Where's everyone else?" Riku jerked his thumb toward the postern gate.
"Training," he replied simply. Falcon nodded her thanks and rushed outside. As soon as she reached the training grounds, Yuffie appeared seemingly out of nowhere and landed right in front of her, scaring the living daylights out of her.
"Hey Falcon, Rinoa wants to see you," Yuffie said, "she's in the living room. She said it was important." Falcon hesitated for a second, then nodded and ran off toward the living room. Rinoa was indeed there, inspecting her fingernails; obviously she had been waiting for her.
"Hey, Yuffie said you wanted to see me," Falcon said dully, sitting down on the couch next to her.
"Yeah," Rinoa said, "I'm going to get right to the point. I think it's about time you snapped out of your depression trance." Falcon looked at her, wide-eyed.
"What?" she asked.
"I think it's about time you brighten up," Rinoa repeated.
"That's easy for you to say!" Falcon cried, "you're not the one who's had her heart broken twice!"
"Falcon...think about it," Rinoa said, "you still have us who care about you. This depression is a bit dramatic, don't you think?"
"I'm sorry if I'm sad that the person I loved died, okay?" Falcon spat sarcastically, "is it such a crime?"
"No," Rinoa said calmly, "but I think it's about time you snapped out of it and moved on with life." Falcon felt like she had just been slapped in the face.
"Rinoa!" she cried, "do you know how much pain it causes me? You wouldn't know how it feels. You're still all happy and great with Squall and everything! You don't know how much this hurts!" By now tears were starting to run down her face.
"That's not true!" Rinoa replied, "I know how it feels-!"
"Do you remember the time I told you that I would always have feelings for Squall? No matter how long you've been with him? Do you remember me saying that? 'Cause it's true!" The instant Falcon said this; she knew she'd made a mistake.
"Oh, so that's how it is," Rinoa said, with a snarky tone, "it's all about Squall huh? Well you know what? You had your chance, and you blew it! You could've been with Axel, but no! You refused! Maybe if you had taken that chance, he wouldn't have died! Maybe you still could've saved him! You just let him go, you could've stopped him!" Rinoa knew she was hitting Falcon everywhere it hurt. Rinoa knew she was taking advantage of the guilt Falcon felt for Axel's death. But her temper got the better of her and made her say things she wouldn't normally say. Falcon just stared at her for a second, and then turned and ran, sobbing, out the door. Suddenly Rinoa realized what she said.
"Wait Falcon!" she called, "wait! I didn't mean it, honestly! Falcon, I didn't mean it, come back!" But of course it was too late, Falcon was already out the door, and she took Shiro with her.
'I don't belong here anymore.' Falcon thought as she slammed open the door with Shiro along her side and ran as fast as she could, 'nobody here cares. No one loves me. I can't be loved. A demon doesn't belong. Nobody cares about me anymore.' Tears streaming from her eyes, Falcon ran down Ravine Trail (though it wasn't raining this time), past everyone on the training grounds who all stood and stared at her and she ran by, and just kept going.
"What happened?" Tifa asked, worried. Rinoa came charging out the door a few seconds later.
"Rinoa, what happened!?" Yuffie called. Rinoa approached them, sighing.
"It's all my fault," she said, "I was too harsh with her. I lost my temper. Now she probably hates me."
"That's not true..." Aerith said, "she probably just needs some cooling time."
"Wait, didn't Falcon have Shiro with her?" Sora asked, and everyone froze for a second. If Falcon was running...and Shiro was with her, that could only mean one thing.
She was leaving, and she wasn't coming back.
Instantly, everyone started running after her. Charging down the trail, they tried to catch her before it was too late. No one really knew where she was going, but they weren't going to let her leave and be alone.
Falcon ran and ran, not noticing the burning in her legs. She ran faster and farther then she ever had. And all to get away, from Hollow Bastion.
'They're probably going to come for me,' she figured, 'but I know I don't belong there anymore. I need someplace to go. Can't go for Twilight Town, no other place is safe enough. Then there's only one other place.' She stopped running and sighed, 'Castle Oblivion.'
Falcon, together with Shiro, entered the grand doors of Castle Oblivion. After being attacked by countless little shadow heartless, they had finally arrived. She navigated her way through the giant castle by sheer instinct. It had only been two years ago; she could remember most of it. Shiro understood spiritually why they were here, and so he didn't complain. It surprised Falcon how no one had noticed she was here, or maybe they had, and wouldn't show themselves yet. As she ascended the stairs that seemed to be suspended in mid-air, she was attacked by the Sorcerers, Xemnas's nobody servants. Quickly, she summoned her own nobody servants: wolves, in retaliation. They were wolves, but also nobodies, and upon her order, quickly sprang upon the Sorcerers.
"Something's attacking my Sorcerers," Xemnas noticed from his platform high above the castle, "those keyblade wielders must be back." As he peered closer however, he noticed that it was wolves killing off his nobodies.
"Wolves?" Xemnas breathed, "those are Namine's nobodies." He charged down as fast his cloak would allow him to (which wasn't very fast) and went off to alert the rest of the Organization.
"Well, well," a voice said. Falcon quickly spun around, her two keyblades ready, "if it isn't Namine. I knew you'd come back." Falcon's eyes narrowed as a shadowy orb appeared in front of her.
"Demyx..." she growled. Shiro emitted a deep-throated growl as well, the fur on his back bristling. The dirty blonde haired, green-eyed melodious nocturne strolled toward her.
"Now you know I don't like fighting Fal," he said, "come on, we used to get along well." Falcon let her keyblades shimmer away, and she faced him, her eyes still flashing hostility, "so what made you come back, you were so stubborn." Falcon stopped growling and sighed, shaking her head.
"Axel..." she whispered.
"Oh so No. 8 kicked the bucket eh?" Demyx asked, "such a pity. We've already lost Larxene, Marluxia, Lexaeus, Vexen, and Zexion." Falcon's eyes widened at the huge loss, not that she really had liked any of them, but man, that was HUGE!!!
"That's basically half the Organization!" she cried.
"Which is why we need you back," Demyx agreed, "now come on, everyone else should hear this. After all, you ARE staying right?" He placed a hand on her shoulder and guided her. It was true...next to Axel and Roxas, Demyx and Falcon were pretty tight, which was partially why she was upset about seeing him.
"How's the rest of the Organization doing?" Falcon asked weakly.
"Oh you know, busy as always," Demyx replied, "Xemnas is ordering everyone as usual, Saix is the puppy lapdog, same old." Falcon couldn't suppress a grin for that one. Demyx's wisecracking could always make her smile.
"If what you say is true...then that leaves..." Falcon counted in her mind, "Xemnas, Xigbar, Xaldin, Saix, you, and...I think that's it..."
"Don't forget Luxord," Demyx added.
Falcon rolled her eyes, "right. Man, all the people I don't like are left."
Demyx gave her a look of mock horror, "I feel insulted."
"Oh, 'cept you," Falcon said, "Roxas has joined with Sora. It looks like the Organization is really falling apart." Demyx didn't say anything to that.
"I'm glad you decided to come back to us Namine," Xemnas said, "I'm sure you've heard of our heavy losses. Now we need you more than ever." Falcon nodded.
"They'll come for me," she said, "Sora, Riku, and the others. They won't let me go so easily."
"I'm sure we'll be ready," Saix replied, "with our Namine back, we will be unstoppable. After all, you will help us defeat them, correct?" Falcon was torn between indecision for a second, and then nodded stiffly.
"Good," Saix said, "then it shouldn't be a problem." Suddenly Falcon remembered something Cloud had once said.
"If the rest of the members of the Organization get killed before you do, wouldn't that be the end?" he had said. That was a point. If Sora, Riku, and the others managed to kill the rest of the Organization-no, Falcon wouldn't go there.
Falcon spent most of her time on the roof of Castle Oblivion, staring senselessly at Kingdom Hearts high above. Still a bit traumatized by Axel's death, and her renewed bonds with Organization XIII, she was ready to fight alongside them once more, but against the people whom she had grown so close to?
'Please...' she thought, 'Sora, Riku, all of you, don't come for me. I don't want to have to fight against you.' She winced at the thought of having to fight against Squall or Rinoa, but she knew she had to. Now that she had renewed her promises as Namine, she had to. There was no choice. She couldn't have rebelled again even if she had wanted to. Shiro seemed to understand this as well.
'Well, I have to pick one side or the other,' she figured, 'I can't straddle the fence. I owe the Organization my life, that much I know.'