Normally, the only scents the icy blonde scientist recognized were the rancid, sometimes putrid ones of his experiments and chemicals in his laboratory. The ones he had gotten used to over a long period of time.

But it was odd that something new struck his fancy one particular day. And it sure wasn't coming from anywhere in the castle. It was coming from somewhere outside.

Vexen had a hard time placing the smell of the rather sweet fragrance that was now fighting its way into his nostrils.

It was flowers.

At that instant, only the thought of a certain rose-haired assassin was what registered in his mind. Marluxia was most likely the culprit of this little incident. How he despised the man; everything about him. His light pink hair, his striking blue eyes, and on top of that, his attitude and plans toward every scheme anyone thought of.

So why was it that the scientist found himself wandering out of his lab to follow the smell?

Even he didn't know. But somehow, the strong, but rather nice-smelling scent was almost making his legs move on their own until he found himself standing in a bright, beautiful garden, flowers scattered nearly everywhere in a neat, orderly fashion.

Vexen's peridot-colored eyes scanned the sight before him. Vibrant hues of red, blue, purple, yellow, and of course, pink, met his gaze, seeming to call out to him. He then stepped forward little by little, glancing at the flowers. Unbeknownst to him, his peach-colored lips began to tilt upwards ever so slightly, forming a smile as he kept looking on.

One flower soon caught his eye.

He looked down at his feet, coming face-to-face with a small, delicate rose in a rather strange, but familiar color. It was a light blue, with hints of white blending in. There was no doubt that it stood out like a sore thumb, but to the blonde, it didn't matter much.

He found the flower to be astonishingly beautiful.

Kneeling down to be eye-level with the light blue rose, he reached his hand out gently and touched the petals of the flower, and in sudden shock, pulled it back. They felt surprisingly cold, almost like... ice.

He touched the flower again, and also found the petals to be hard, unlike most roses. Leaning down a little closer to the flower, he gently put his nose to the petals. The scent he received from the light blue rose was sweet, light, and smelled faintly of water.

Vexen smiled to himself, letting his fingers graze the cold, icy petals of the flower once more. Out of nowhere, he felt a hand clasp his shoulder rather gently. Tearing his gaze away from the rose, peridot hues met ocean ones, and a certain Graceful Assassin found himself kneeling next to the Chilly Academic, both pairs of eyes focused on the flower once more.

"It's beautiful, isn' it?" the pink-haired male asked him. The blonde nodded almost faintly. A quiet chuckle sounded from Marluxia as he tucked a strand of hair behind his ear with a leather-gloved hand.

"Unlike anything I've ever seen before..." Vexen paused mid-sentence, turning his head to face his rose-haired companion. "...what's the reason?"

Marluxia felt his cheeks turn slightly pink as he let out a silent, heavy sigh.

"I... it..."

The blonde scientist continued to stare at him, eagerly awaiting the other's answer. Finally, he found the courage to speak, his voice a hushed whisper.

"I wanted something to remind me of you."

The rose-haired male expected something close to shameful words ratting him out about how stupid his short, but simple explanation really was. In fear of that, his eyes shut tight and he turned his face away from Vexen.

Instead, what Marluxia felt was a pair of cold lips on his cheek, brushing against his skin. A light shiver went down his spine, mimicking the tingling sensation he felt from the blonde's kiss.

"It's beautiful," Vexen whispered ever so gently in his ear. "Thank you."

The assassin proceeded to rest his head on the blonde's shoulder, his face nuzzled into the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent and smiled against his skin.

"You're welcome."