Title: Rose Garden
Summary: The smell of crushed rose petals… what a nostalgic scent. Don't you agree? Zexion certainly does. MarlyZex. Happy 6/11!
Pairings: Zexion/Marluxia
Warnings: Teenage themes.
Beta: Un-beta'd.

A/N: I completely forgot about 6/11! As a result, I had to rush and write this one-shot… I hope it isn't too bad! I usually mess things up when I rush. I want to do this pairing justice, especially since I don't see much of it here.

From what I could gather from Xigbar's prattling, there was a new member in the Organization. It was no use asking for a description; all I got was "Guy looks like a girl" and a snicker. If I wanted to know more about the newcomer, I would have to meet him myself. I could only hope the man would be worth my time.

I headed out of the rooms and through the twisting corridors of the castle at a brisk walk. I had made a point of memorizing the layout of the castle right from the very beginning, and thus knew it well. I made my way towards the twelve rooms where all of the Organization besides Xeh—Xemnas slept. The newcomer would go there first, I knew. All of the newcomers went to their rooms first. As I walked through the passage, I took deep breaths of Never Was's air, sifting through the scents, searching for a smell alien to the off-white castle. I found scents, but they were all familiar to me. The sweet smell of dirt, an acrid wisp of smoke drifting by, a blast of cold air… and a slight shift in the air currents. I caught the new scent.

It smelled like… crushed rose petals. And it was familiar, in a way that made the edges of my mind prickle with anticipation and… something else.

Needless to say, my interest was piqued.

I sped up, just a little, and began delving into my memories of being Ienzo. I hadn't thought of my Somebody in a long, long time, and the memories were slipping away. Where had I smelled that delicate fragrance before?

"My rose garden." The boy brushed back a delicate pink lock of hair, surveying the garden proudly.

The aroma of flowers permeated the area, filling Ienzo's senses. It was heavenly. There were so many kinds of roses in such a small space, and the boy felt the urge to explore and feel every inch of the garden. He stroked the petals of a blood-red rose, gingerly prodded a long thorn on a delicate pink one and looked up at the proud flowers of a climbing rose.

"I take care of it by myself, but I don't find the work tedious. I love tending the flowers." The older boy watched the child explore the small garden. The slate-haired boy found a small weed, gasped and pulled it out. The pink-haired boy smiled.

"Of course, I wouldn't mind a helper…"

Ever since then, Ienzo would come every day to help him. The scent of roses clung to the slate-haired boy's body constantly, like a perfume whose scent would not wash away. Ienzo didn't mind, though. It calmed him and served as a constant reminder of that garden.

I blinked.

Now that was unexpected. A bit unsettling, even. All the more reason to meet this No. XI, an internal voice whispered.

I stopped outside the eleventh door and knocked. The door opened and—his hair is bright pink?—Number XI stood before me.

"Greetings, XI," I said smoothly. Pink hair. That's familiar, too. "I am VI, Zexion."

Blue eyes looked me over. There was a flash of something – recognition, perhaps? – but it faded as quickly as it came and I was unable to identify it. Those blue eyes… where have I seen them before?

"Nice to meet you, Zexion. I am Marluxia," he tells me, pronouncing his name "mar-loo-shia." The voice was familiar as well. Hearing that voice, the name…

"Maru?" I whispered, and suddenly I was little Ienzo again, back in the rose garden with Alimaru. Marluxia gaped for a moment before that beautiful smile I remembered so well surfaced.

I felt something fill up inside me, and I realized how empty I was before.

Nobodies don't have hearts.

But when I'm in Maru's arms like this… I'm Ienzo.

So it's okay, right? To love?