Mission after mission. Collecting heart after heart.

The blonde sighed, a hand firmly pressed to his aching shoulder. Slowly rotating his sore limb, he lightly winced; slaying Heartless was a tiring job, but it was a job best suited for him. After all, he was the Keyblade's chosen one.

Walking down the blinding white hallways of the Organization's headquarters, the blonde had one goal in mind: to find his room, take a nice hot shower, then sleep. However, his plans were ruined as his oceanic eyes met the red locks of his best friend.

"Hey, Roxas!"

The blonde's ears perked up when his name was called. Raising a black gloved hand, Roxas meekly tousled his sandy blonde locks. So much for his plans...

"Hey, Axel." He replied, with much less enthusiasm. "What're you doing here?"

"Well, for your information, I'm currently on a mission." The pyro explained, crossing his thin arms over his chest.

"A mission? Seriously?" Roxas asked. It was his belief that most missions the Organization assigned involved physical tasks, like slaying Heartless. Axel, however, seemed to be doing nothing but just standing around.

"Yes, it's a mission. Actually, it's one that's more important than just slaying Heartless; no offense to you." Axel responded, his green cat-like eyes glowing.

"Are you all talk or are you going to explain this so called mission? Because, to me, it looks like you're just standing around."

"Sheesh, I was getting to the point; no need to be so impatient." Axel spoke. Roxas didn't reply, an emotionless look on his face. The pyro took that as his cue to continue. "Okay. Well, as I said, this mission isn't about collecting hearts. Instead, it's about protecting one."

"What? Protecting a heart?" Roxas asked, clearly confused, "I mean, where did this 'heart' come from, and where is it now?"

"Um, that's why I'm here. Standing guard in front of this door. Protecting the heart inside there. Got it memorized?"

"So, there's a real heart inside there?" Roxas asked, his eyes shifting to the white door, which blended in with the rest of the hallway. On closer inspection, he saw that it was a few doors down from the member's rooms. And that the door Axel was standing in front of was one of the spare bedrooms; built in case more members should join the Organization.

"Technically, yes."

"What do you mean technically?"

"Well, I mean that a heart is in there. However, it is still in the person's body." Axel tried to explain.

The look on Roxas' face was unreadable. "So, you mean that there's a... Somebody in that room? Why?"

"From what I've been told, yes, she still has a heart. Boss ordered some of the other members to take her from her home."

"Like, kidnapping?"

"Well, something like that." Axel replied, sheepishly scratching the back of his head; a habit picked up from his Somebody.

"Why?" Roxas asked, his eyes dangerously flashing. "What good is a Somebody going to do us here? Locked up and guarded?"

Axel's emerald eyes met the flashing blue, trying to decipher the hidden meaning, the locked emotion, behind the gaze.

"She is important in the Superior's plans. That's all the information that I'm allowed to give; the rest is classified. Unless the Superior tells you directly, you're not allowed to know."

"I'll find out eventually, won't I?" Roxas asked, rolling his eyes and slightly chuckling. "They'll probably use her heart to lure out Heartless, won't they? Then they'll need me."

"No," Axel spoke, shaking his head. "I don't think that they'll do that; or at least, I hope not. I mean, she's too important for that, to take that risk. I'm here to make sure she doesn't escape and to make sure that she stays safe."

"Well, it looks like you're doing a grand job of that."

The pyro glared, once more crossing his arms. However, that look slowly faded and was replaced by a mixture of concern and worry.

"What's wrong? Did I take that too far?" Roxas asked, surprised at the sudden change in his best friend.

"No, it's not that." Axel spoke, running a hand through his hair in agitation. "I just don't think that I am doing a good job at this!"

"What do you mean by that?"

"They gave me this assignment because of you." Axel admitted, now leaning against the bright wall of the hallway. "When they first found you, they were worried; you were lifeless, like a puppet. I got you to open up, to be yourself. Of course, that took time. You learned to trust me." He sighed, rubbing his temple with his gloved fingers, as if he had a headache. "But, it's useless. She's lifeless! Like a broken doll. She won't speak or even eat. I bring food, and she just sits there. When I come back it's still there, untouched. I've asked her questions, like about her name, who she is, or how she's feeling. Nothing. I don't think she's moved since she went to sit by the window, staring at the outside. I swear, something's wrong."

"How long has she been here?" Roxas asked, concerned. His mind silently calculated and processed the information. She wasn't eating? Not speaking or moving either? That wasn't healthy. Not even for Axel, considering how he was stressing and freaking out.

"A few days. Two, three at the most." The pyro answered, letting out a sigh. "And she's still as unresponsive as she was when she first came here, unconscious."

"Well, the only thing to do is to keep trying. There's a key needed to break through the walls she's put up, you just need to find it. Trial and error."

Green eyes widened, as if he had just thought of something.

"Of course!" He breathed out, shaking his head. "Why didn't I think of that before?"

"Think of what?" The blonde asked warily. Axel thinking was never good.

"The 'key'? Aren't you called 'the key'? You can help, maybe you can break through the lifeless exterior. You've been there before, you can help her."

"Axel," Roxas began, lightly shaking his head back and forth. "It doesn't work that way. Besides, this is your mission, not mine."

"It shouldn't matter whose mission it is, as long as the mission is completed. And so far, it's failing; I'm failing! So, someone else should take over. She makes me think of you, when you first arrived; emotionless and unresponsive. I'm sure you can help her, just give it a try. For me?" Axel pleaded.

"Fine," The blonde sighed. "I'll give it a try, but I'm not making any promises. I'm just doing this because you asked, so you definitely owe me."

"Sure; I'll owe you. Whatever. Just get in there and help!" They pyro spoke, opening the door and shoving the blonde Nobody inside.

Blinking in surprise, Roxas had to let his eyes adjust to the darkness of the room. Everything from the walls, carpet, and bedding ranged from different hues of dark blue. The room was fully furnished, even with an attached bathroom on the opposite side of the entrance. Once his eyes adjusted, they scanned the room, looking for any sign of the kidnapped girl.

As his eyes glanced toward the large window, his gaze was locked on the figure resting on the widow seat. Roxas's first thought was, "How could I not have spotted her first?" Her skin was similar to glowing porcelain, with what little light streaming in from the window magnified. Her hair hung limply across her shoulders, falling down her back. It matched the room, only appearing a few shades lighter; like sapphire. He couldn't see her eyes as she was blankly gazing out the window, watching the rain lightly tap on the window pane.

Axel was right, she was emotionless; like a broken doll.

A tap on his shoulder caught his attention, as Roxas turned to face the ginger. Axel inclined his head towards the lifeless girl, motioning Roxas towards her. The blonde's eyes narrowed, but he listened to the unspoken command. Gingerly stepping forward, he approached her.

As he got closer, the smaller details caught his eye. The girl had large, bruise-like shadows underneath eyes that looked as cold as ice; giving her the appearance of a vampire-like creature. She was very frail looking, as well as quite thin. She didn't look healthy at all; it was like she was fading away, slowly but surely. Her head was resting against the cool pane of glass, chapped lips slightly parted with her slow breathing fogging up the surface of the glass. Her hands were resting limply on her lap, with a beautiful white rose resting in them. Unlike her, the flower looked completely healthy; crisp, not wilted at all.

A soft clicking sound perked Roxas's ears, as he craned his head away from the girl. Axel had quietly exited the room and had shut the door, leaving him and the girl alone.

Rolling his oceanic eyes, he made his way towards her, his footsteps muffled by the dark carpet. Deciding to get this over with as soon as possible, he sat down across from her, trying to judge her expression: still lifeless. Her eyes didn't even shift away from gazing out the window.

"So, why are you so unhappy here?" He asked, trying to make his voice seem light and melodic; he didn't want to scare her further into unresponsiveness.

Something must have worked, clicked inside her mind, because she shifted, sitting up a bit straighter. Her icy blue gray eyes locked on the Nobody in front of her.

However, her eyes looked dull and lifeless. Even real ice had more depth than her eyes held, in that moment. It was still progress, Roxas argued in his mind, at least she had turned to gaze at him. Seconds trickled by, and yet still no reply came.

"You are unhappy here, I understand that. But, it's no reason for you to look so lifeless."

Slowly, the girl blinked.

"I'm sure those who care about you," He spoke, wondering for a second what it felt like to care about someone, "Wouldn't want to see you like this. You're giving up without so much as a fight. What would they think?"

Showing more promise than ever, her eyes filled with unshed tears. Her gaze met his eyes again, then darted towards the window. In her lap, her hands tightened around the white rose, clutching it as if her life depended on it.

Roxas's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, trying to decipher the hidden emotions, and then lowered to see her hands clenched around the bloom.

Maybe that was the key; the pure white rose.

"Is that flower significant? It looks valuable to you. So, I'll call you Hana-Chan." [Hana-Chan = Little Flower]

In the blink of an eye, her gaze was back on him. However, her eyes seemed full of life, with much more depth in them that Roxas had ever seen; as if he was looking into her very soul.

Her pale lips parted, as if she was going to speak. A sudden flash in her eyes changed things, as she clamped her lips back together, showing a sudden fire of determination. The fire in her eyes seemed to melt her once icy gaze, and they burned with a cold intensity. Glaring at him, she crossed her thin arms over her chest.

Smirking, Roxas slowly stood up.

"Do yourself a favor and take care of yourself, Hana-Chan. We don't want your health to dwindle. Take care."

Confusion danced across her face; did they actually care about her?

Roxas's grin widened at the look of confusion that clearly dominated her countenance.

Mission accomplished.