Ok seamonkeys! I am happy with this version of the rest of chapter 5. The other one just sucked. Plain and simple. I think I do better work with no sleep. Who'd have thunk it. I happen to like sleeping. It's one of my favorite hobbies.

Thank you bunches to all my reviewers! Repeat reviewers are so wonderful to me. -Tagg gives cookies to all reviewers!-

Back to the story. It's not too mushy, but there is some suggestive language, though nothing 'good' happens. So don't get your hopes up for fluffy-stuff. Anywho, read on, young ones, read on...

By this time, they had reached their table. It was near a window overlooking the ocean and a small expanse of the garden. There were no aquariums nearby, but the view was soothing in itself. A small, two person table with a spotlessly clean white tablecloth and napkins, it was secluded and very private. The chairs were well made and comfortable. Gippal, pretending to be a gentleman, pulled out her chair for her. Once seated, dinner was ordered, and an appetizer was ordered as an after thought. A hungry Rikku was a Grumpy Rikku. Gippal knew her well enough to realize that. He stared at her while she was nibbling on bread sticks, chin in the palm of his hand.

"When did you learn not to pig out on everything in front of you? It's almost like you have table manners or something." he said, the cocky grin back on his face.

"You're one to talk of table manners, with your elbow on the table while there's food on it." she responded.

"I come here for the food, not the table manners. Normally, I just order something and have them deliver it. They'll do that, if you pay them enough."

Rikku froze the piece of bread stick that was on its way to her mouth. "You're telling me that I got all dressed up when you could have had it delivered."

"Yes."

"Then why are we here, if you don't even like the place?"

"You said you wanted to eat some place nice. This place is nice. It's your fault for being greedy."

Rikku hung her head in her hands. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to get my hair to behave?" she said. "I would have settled for a sit-down restaurant that wasn't fast food. You picked a place you don't even like going to, knowing that I hate wearing dresses and fixing my hair."

"Yep."

"Why?" she asked hotly.

"Because I wanted to see you in a dress." he said with a smirk.

Rikku glared at Gippal while turning the approximate color of a tomato. She was glaring at him for two reasons: reason one, she was angry; reason two, she was heartily embarrassed. The embarrassment was winning, much to Gippal's amusement.

Then he made a mistake. He laughed. Out loud. At her.

The anger made a huge come back and body slammed the embarrassment to the floor. Rikku was furious. "You wanted to see me in a dress?!" she hissed. "This was all some game, wasn't it? Who do you have recording this fiasco of yours? I should have known better than to think I could have a nice dinner with you of all people. So stupid of me. Now you've had your fun at my expense, so enjoy your dinner alone!" She slapped her napkin onto the table and grabbed her hand bag (which she had not lost yet) so she could leave. Just as her chair was moving back, Gippal spoke.

"Rikku."

Rikku stopped, and looked at him. She unbent enough not to leave then and there at his expression. He looked seriously penitent, but that did nothing to alleviate her anger.

"Don't leave. Please." he said as he extended his hand, palm up. "This isn't a game and no one is recording us. Unless you want someone to. They do that here."

"Get back to the apology, Gippal." she said coldly. Gippal winced at her tone of voice.

"Alright. I didn't mean to upset you like that. I just wanted to take you somewhere nice, like you wanted. And see you in a dress. Which you look very attractive in, by the way."

Rikku visibly thawed at the compliment. "I like this train of thought. Keep going." she said with a not-quite-heart-warming smile. She was still angry, after all.

"How's this? Know what I was scowling at in the garden? That group of men who wouldn't stop staring at you. It made me jealous." he said, with pink tinged ears.

"Jealous?" Rikku almost did not believe him. Jealous over ME? No way! She was really quite pleased with his words. No one gets jealous over me. I wonder what brought this on. she thought to herself. Or thought she thought to herself, again.

"Come on Rikku. You know I've always had a thing for you. Why are you so surprised?" he said quietly, not looking at her.

"I really need to stop doing that." she said to herself. "Ok, I'll forget all about you laughing at me under one condition." A real smile graced her face, and all of it was directed at Gippal. He looked up at her, smiling back.

"I'll bite. What's the condition?"

"You have to take me shopping."

"Shopping?"

"Shopping. Carrying the bags, judging outfits on me, buying me something you want me to wear. Deal?" she said, extending her own hand toward Gippal. He took it, but didn't shake it. He just held her hand, stroking her palm absent mindedly.

"You'll wear something I buy for you? Anything?" he asked, a smirk on his face again.

"Within reason, you dirty-minded man." Gippal chuckled.

"Ok, deal. You really are ruining all my fun today, though. Here I thought I would get to see you in something from a centerfold."

"Like I would look good in one of those anyway." she said with a snort.

"You would."

"Nah. My boobs aren't big enough. Centerfolds are always ridiculously large. I keep wondering how they can walk or move with out falling over because they're so top heavy."

Gippal laughed heartily, earning annoyed looks from a table further down the wall. He ignored them. Rikku was laughing with him, picturing herself in that kind of lingerie and laughing at the resulting image.

"So do I, for some of them anyway." he replied. Then he gave her a searching look asking "And how do you know what centerfolds look like, Cid's girl?" He took a drink when he finished talking.

Rikku just smiled innocently at him, saying "The same way I know just how easy it is to fake an orgasm."

Gippal choked on his water, spilling it on the table and himself. He cursed under his breath, drying his suit with his napkin. Before he could remark on Rikku's last comment, the food arrived. Steak and shrimp for Rikku, steak and lobster for Gippal. The aromas coming from the plates overpowered any further conversation. Rikku's eyes widened at her dinner, and she rubbed her hands together expectantly. Gippal shook his head, thinking she would lose her manners, but found that Rikku was eating delicate bites of steak. She even cut her meat properly.

Rikku watched him eating, noting that he did possess manners. They ate in companionable silence, Gippal finishing first. Rikku had one shrimp left, but stared in disbelief as a fork speared it and removed the last of her dinner from her plate. The fork belonged to Gippal, who was holding it just out of reach.

"You never answered my question." he said, looking at the shrimp as though he were thinking about eating it.

"Hey! That's mine!" she said, reaching out for the fork. Gippal pulled it further away, teasingly out of reach.

"Answer the question, and you'll get your little shrimp back."

"I happen to have an extensive collection of adult entertainment. Now give it."

Gippal's jaw dropped again. Rikku snapped her fingers and held her hand out. Shaking his head, the shrimp was returned to Rikku, who promptly ate it. She smiled at him again, relishing in his shock. Rikku, two; Gippal, still zilch. "How about dessert?"

"How can you think of dessert when you just ate more food than most women eat in a week?"

"Cause there's always room for dessert." So dessert was ordered, and the dinner plates taken away. Gippal kept giving her 'looks' when he thought she wasn't looking.

"How can you fake an orgasm? It's not like you have any control over it."

"Sure you can!"

"Not all of it. There's muscle contractions and moaning and stuff. You can't fake all of it."

"It's easier than you think. Muscle contractions being one of the easiest parts." she said. "I'd show you, but I don't think you want me to make such a scene." Rikku smiled sweetly at him, loving that she had the upper hand.

"You sure have changed, Rikku. You would have blanched and run away form a conversation like this before."

"That was then. This is now."

"Obviously." was his reply. "So why are you here in Luca? I thought you'd be with your cousin."

Rikku rolled her eyes. "Yunie's busy with her boyfriend. They are so great together, it almost makes you sick. Almost." Rikku smiled then. "She's so happy, Gippal. You should see them." She couldn't help but hear the envy in her voice. Thankfully, he did not hear it, or ignored it.

"Not if it'll make me sick."

Dessert arrived, and Rikku licked her lips. A piece of Chocolate Truffle Cake was beautifully set on a small plate with powdered sugar dusted on top and raspberries on the side. Chocolate sauce had been dribbled on the cake and plate. Rikku used all her will power and offered Gippal some of it. He took a fork full, chewing it slowly. Rikku ate the rest. She almost couldn't finish it, it was so rich. An expression of bliss fell over her face, making her look like a child that just ate a whole box of cookies.

"Didn't you like it, Gippal?" she asked, contemplating whether or not she should lick the plate. She decided against it. It was a nice restaurant, after all.

"It's alright. I'm not big on sweet stuff like that."

"So you don't like me?" Rikku asked pathetically, pouting at him. Gippal reached across the table and lifted her head a little with one finger.

"I like you just fine. You're not all that sweet." he replied wickedly.

"Aww! That's just so sweet of you to say! I can die happy now."

It was Gippal's turn to roll his eye. "Are you finished? I'm about to tear this tie into pieces and feed it to a coelur. Rikku laughed at him.

"I guess. Let's get out of here before I throw my shoes out the window. I hate heels."

With that they left Vinito's behind them. Gippal had ripped his tie apart the minute they left the restaurant. Rikku giggled, wishing she could take off her shoes. Oh well. I think I can make it. They walked down the avenues and streets, making their way back to the older section of Luca.

The air had become considerably colder than before. Rikku shivered as a breeze went right through her thin dress. I should have brought a jacket or something. This dress is NOT made for warmth. Pootie! She started when something warm wrapped itself around her shoulders. It was Gippal's suit coat. Rikku snuggled into it gratefully. It smelled like him too.

"Thanks. Aren't you going to be cold?" she asked.

"Cold doesn't bother me much. You're wearing less than me anyway."

"Hey! It's not revealing or anything. It's silk, too." she said with a pout.

Gippal stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. She turned back to him, wondering what had made him stop. He pulled Rikku up close to him. She was looking up at him, a curious look on her face, when he kissed her.

It wasn't like in the gym. This kiss was gentle, his lips barely brushing against hers. It sent a shiver down her spine. She closed her eyes, and returned the kiss. Gippal wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her up against his body. Rikku found that her hands had come to rest on his chest. She could feel the warmth of his body next to hers, giving her another shiver that had nothing to do with the cold.

When they parted, Rikku looked into his good eye, then laid her head on his chest. "Gippal, I," she said, not wanting to ruin the mood, but needing to say something. "I'm going to be one of your girls, Gippal."

"Rikku, you are not, nor will you ever be, one of my 'girls'." He said into her hair, tightening his arms around her. "And since we're on the subject, there haven't been as many as you think. Not nearly as many. People just like to exaggerate rumors." For some reason, this reassured her. She smiled to herself, and just stood there in at state of bliss that out striped the one induced by the Chocolate Truffle Cake. (That is hard to beat, by the way)

Rikku and Gippal stood there in the middle of the street, holding each other, for she did not know how long. A wind came around the corner and blew across Rikku's bare legs, making her shudder.

"Come on. Let's get you some place warm before you turn into a Rikku-cicle." Rikku giggled and agreed, walking with his arm around her waist back to the Sun Rose.

Soooo...did you like it? And before you ask, Chocolate Truffle Cake is one of the most decadent desserts out there. It practically melts in your mouth. -drooling- It is my favorite chocolate dessert. Even though I can't eat much chocolate. it gives me migrains. -sniffles-

Tagg MUST sleep now, before she falls alseep on her keyboard and wakes up with keyboard-face. So please r&r! Thank you bunches!