An Impossible Romance

Roxas and Zexion went to destroy the Heartless that had appeared in Jump City, but the local team of heroes had appeared to fight them off as well. "Hoods up, Roxas," Zexion said, not wanting to be seen by them even if they had to work together to get the job done this time. The two groups herded the Heartless to one spot between them and finished them off. Zexion disappeared before the Titans could speak to them, but Roxas stayed behind to chat. Zexion reappeared on a rooftop a block away and looked on as Roxas took off his hood and chatted with the Titans. "Damn it, Roxas, you're too personable!" he muttered to himself in disgust.
Raven, who had followed him, appeared on the roof behind him, but he didn't sense her until it was too late. "Hey!" she shouted at him, trying to get his attention.
"Wah!" He was so startled he almost fell off the roof. His hood fell back instead as he braced himself, kneeling.
Raven removed her hood and extended her hand in greeting and as an assist. "My name is Raven. And you are?"
"Ienzo..." Zexion was so flustered that he had given her his true name by mistake. She was beautiful and smelled like old books. He had no memory of ever feeling this way before. "No, I mean, um, I go by Zexion now."
"Okay." As soon as Raven helped him up, she sensed the darkness in him as she had in Terra, the former Titan. Touching Zexion's hand had let her see into his heart, except for the fact that he didn't have one, so instead she'd seen everything that had happened to make him this way. She didn't necessarily like what she saw, but she couldn't dismiss him as an enemy just yet without the proper spell.
Zexion sensed none of this but thought that she was just holding his hand for a lot longer than normal. Because of this, he thought that she had mutual feelings for him, but then he wondered where these feelings were coming from on his part. "I should go," he said, excusing himself.
"If those things return, will you be back to finish them off again?"
"If not me then someone else...but I'd like to. "
"I'll be waiting."
***
When they returned to the castle in the Land of the In-between, Zexion went to  talk to Vexen. He was in the lab working on his replica project. "What is it, Zexion? I'm close to a breakthrough."
"Our emotions are based on the memories of our former selves, correct?"
"That's the theory the Superior decided makes the most sense. Why are you asking this?"
"I...encountered an emotion I have no memory of experiencing before."
"Describe it." Vexen was at the very least intrigued. He hadn't tried to brush it off as something he just hadn't remembered yet. Instead, he stopped what he was doing and pulled out a clipboard and pen to analyze what Zexion was about to tell him.
"Roxas and I were battling Heartless in a world called Jump City. Some local heroes were fighting them too, so we ended up working together. I tried to leave afterward, but they engaged Roxas in conversation. One of them caught up to me and asked me my name." Zexion's face began to redden. "Before I realized what I had said, I had told her my real name."
"'Her?'" Vexen scribbled away but looked up when he heard this.
"Yes. Her name is Raven. Objectively, she has short purple hair and purple eyes, and she wears a blue hooded cloak. Subjectively..." Zexion could feel his cheeks burning from within. "She has a pretty face and smells like a musty library." Plus she's shorter than me and has the power of darkness too!
Vexen put down the clipboard, not bothering to continue. "Do I need to give you the talk about the birds and the bees again?"
"What? No, no! I'm fine."
"Then what is the purpose of your inquiry?"
"I don't remember having been in love with anyone before. How can I be feeling a new emotion if I don't have a heart?"
"We still have fully functioning brains, Zexion, and even though you don't have a heart, you know what love is. The attraction you feel toward this girl is nothing more than an inevitable conclusion."
"'Inevitable conclusion?'"
"Yes. Call it a part of growing up. Now, whether or not you decide to act on it is another matter. The Superior certainly wouldn't understand...or approve."
"...Right. So...I can never go to see her then?"
"That would probably be best, although I wouldn't try to stop you...for research purposes, of course."
"Of course."