Epilogue

About a week later, Saix got back from an extremely stressful and tiring mission. He started heading to his room with the intention of a nice, hot bath, but then he started wondering. I wonder what Marluxia's doing…does he have any more of the, uh,stuff...?

He looked around, making sure no one was watching. He slowly walked in the general direction of the greenhouse while constantly looking over his shoulder. All the while, he kept thinking to himself, No, you shouldn't be doing this, go back, I bet he's not even there, you're being stupid, don't do it… When he finally got there, he knocked gently on the door.

"Hey, Saix," came a voice from behind him.

Saix jumped and spun around. That's not who I wanted to see. "Oh, hi. What brings you here?" he said, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"I could ask you the same," Zexion said knowingly.

"I asked first."

"Vexen sent me up here for some herbs." This time he was actually telling the truth, but part of him just wanted to go to the greenhouse to see if there had been any updates regarding Saix's situation. Ah, there's no lie quite like the half truth.

The door opened and Marluxia saw who it was. "What can I do for you two?" he asked cheerfully.

"He was here first," Zexion said, wanting to draw out his visit as long as possible in case he would happen to miss anything.

"Step into my office, Saix," Marluxia said as he motioned inside.

Saix was relieved. He wanted this to take as little time as possible, given the awkward situation. "Thank you, Zexion," and with that Marluxia and Saix went inside, leaving Zexion outside. The schemer didn't particularly want to be left outside like that, but it was better than nothing. Besides, he could still smell any chemical imbalances that could possibly occur, and he could hear what they were saying if he pressed his ear to the door.

Inside, Saix was almost nervous. "Hey, Marluxia," he started, "do you have any, um…you knows?"

Marluxia was pleased by the fact that Saix would come back for more. Good, I wasn't wasting my time by making more...and this time I made sure it wouldn't make him irritable. "I sure do!" He ushered the diviner to the back of the garden which was mostly hidden by the other, larger plants. After finding the berserker nip, he used his skills to find the piece that he could cut off for Saix. He found the part that told him it wanted to be used for this purpose, the part he could cut off without listening to the plant cry. After pruning it off with expert care, he held it in his hand for a moment before giving it to Saix.

"Now Saix," he said, looking at it before giving it to him, "don't eat it this time."

"Oh, I won't," he said, remembering what happened last time. "And I definitely have no plans for tonight, so it's not like I'm going anywhere high." He could smell it already, and it was starting to have an effect on him.

"Ok," Marluxia said cautiously, "don't get into trouble," and with that he handed over the herb.

Saix was almost insulted by the implication that he wouldn't be careful with it, but he brushed it off. "I'll be fine. And if I have any trouble you'll be the first to know." With that, he turned to leave as he put the herb in his pocket. Just as he had his hand on the door, he turned back to the florist. "And by the way," he said, looking at Marluxia in the eye, "Thanks."

Marluxia met his eye, understanding what he meant. "You're very welcome." He watched him open the door and leave, knowing that everything would be all right. In fact, it would be better than all right because Saix would be in a good mood, which in turn would put everyone else in a good mood.

Saix left to go to his room and chill out for the rest of the night. Zexion watched him leave and go down the hall. I suppose he'll be fine. After all, he knows what to expect now. I know he wouldn't be irresponsible with it. Maybe this is a good thing.

Marluxia knew what he was doing when he made it. He made sure it wasn't addictive and it had no adverse side effects. It was purely to make Saix feel, or at least give him the illusion of feeling. And it worked.

Kids, don't try this at home. Drugs are bad for you. And expensive.

In case you didn't notice, the reference to the "you-knows" is a reference to Those Lacking Spines. It's a great fic, if you haven't read it you should check it out ASAP! And for the record, Marluxia does have you-knows. So there.