A/N: Here's the second part. I decided to just upload it now, just for kicks.

Part Two

In the steel-and-glass greenhouse, Marluxia smiled to himself as the potted camellia before him straightened, and the blossoms slowly turned to face him.

This camellia was one of his favourite flowering shrubs, especially the flowers themselves. When in bud, the outer leaflets were stiff and nigh impenetrable, but with time and affection, the petals revealed were delicately perfumed, fragile, and easily bruised.

This particular plant specimen was shy, but extremely trusting once it fell under Marluxia's care.

It reminded him of someone he knew.

A few minutes previous, the rose-locked man had heard someone enter the greenhouse. Only now, after giving the precious camellia his undivided attention, did he turn to acknowledge the person's presence.

Expecting Zexion—who often visited him in the glass room—or the Superior, he was a little surprised (not to mention pleased) to find Anarixa admiring a cluster of new, white daffodils.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" He asked as he approached her.

Looking up with a light smile, she nodded. "Mm. Very."

Well, she seems to be in a much better mood than yesterday, Marluxia thought to himself.

"You seem to be feeling better, darling."

"Yes, I am! Thank you for noticing."

He definitely enjoyed her presence much more when she smiled. Frowns did not quite suit her features, and the gloomy aura that accompanied them dimmed the otherwise contented nature of her surroundings.

Moving to tend to a sickly red hibiscus that was afflicted with aphids—but still in a position to talk with Fifteen—Marluxia inclined his head towards her. "Not a problem…and it's good to see you smile."

This remark elicited the very subject to form upon her countenance.

"Now, I assume that Xigbar has told you of Axel's ever-present melancholy?" He hated to ask, but Eleven needed confirmation of the rumor.

Anarixa's whole demeanor frosted over, something Marluxia knew would happen. "Yeah…I feel kinda bad about that now…"

Marluxia waved his hand at her to dispel her worries. "Oh, don't darling. He'll get over himself quite quickly. Besides, Luxord and Selixoe are taking him out for a drink tonight."

"Oh…okay."

He smiled a little at her and turned to his hibiscus. In all honesty, he too felt a tad bit of empathy for the pyrokinetic. The wrath and anguish that Rixa had unleashed upon the young man was enough to make anyone depressed. Among other things mentioned in her rage, she had promised never to speak to Axel again, nor be friends with him any longer.

Eight had never wanted that. Just because he didn't fancy her romantically, this did not mean he didn't want to remain friends.

She would not listen.

As a result, Axel had taken up a remorseful, glum manner akin to Zexion, and was only just beginning to snap out of it.

But now, Marluxia had another inquiry rolling around his mind, one that had only surfaced after his first long talk with Number Fifteen in the library.

He stroked the petals of a crimson blossom, alternately trying to cheer it up and sort out his words.

Finally, he turned to face Anarixa, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

"Erm, Anarixa, I was wondering…"

He trailed off as she looked up from the passionflower vine she'd been examining.

"Yes? And you are allowed to call me 'Rixa', you know." Her ruby eyes were wide and gentle, the atmosphere of the calm and fragrant greenhouse clearly having a positive effect on her.

Meeting her soft gaze was making Marluxia's strong will waver. He still had a chance to divert the conversation to something completely harmless, but then again he would never forgive himself if he did.

He took a deep breath to steady himself, a subtle blush beginning to creep up his neck. "Well, Rixa, I am quite curious—and have been for some time—if you might like to go on a date with me?"

Now that he had finally gotten the sentence past his tongue, Marluxia found he suddenly couldn't stop the flow of words. "If you don't, I completely understand. This is awfully sudden, especially after the entire fiasco with Eight, but if you would like to…"

It was official. He was an absolute bumbling, tongue-tied, flustered-over-a-girl fool. His face was now very red, but not unattractively so.

Anarixa found his uncharacteristic ramble adorably sweet.

She took a step closer to him, gazing down at the stone floor and busying her hands with a stray blossom she'd found on the table. When she looked up, a blush had formed on her cheeks also.

"Um, actually, I was kind of hoping you would ask."

Marluxia nearly melted into a small rose-scented puddle at the smile and the answer she offered him.

A wonderfully gleeful smile broke out on his face, his dark blue eyes glinting. "Fantastic! I'm glad I could oblige you."

He took her hand in both of his and kissed it. If he had possessed a heart, it would have been beating wildly with joy. "Rixa, I have not felt so happy in a very long while as I do now."

Returning his previously said words, she smiled and replied, "Well, I'm happy I could oblige you."

She reached up and gently brushed a strand of rose-hued hair from his face before softly kissing his cheek.

Marluxia felt that no words could express what he imagined he was feeling at the moment, so he wordlessly turned and plucked up a few of the flowers Fifteen had passed by earlier and carefully placed them into her grasp.

Smiling softly, Rixa breathed in their delicate fragrance.

"Thanks, Marluxia. I love carnations."

The End

A/N: As I read over this, I realized that it doesn't really coincide with the games' descriptions of the Nobodies, about their hearts and emotions and things like that. I have my own theories about these things, and they kind of came to the surface in this two-shot. Would it really be possible (even in the tiniest amount) for Marluxia and Anarixa to even have a semblance of emotions, such as are exhibited in this piece? I'd like to think so...

But I digress. Anyway! I'm very pleased with how this turned out! I hope you enjoyed reading it, and if you did, please review. They make me smile.
C.D.M.