Blind Date

Disclaimer: I don't own.

Saïx and Rinoa side story- The whole thing is in sections and those sections rotate between Saïx's and Rinoa's point of views. I hope you enjoy it…

A/N: Those who don't want to read this read the author's note at the end about a Leon/Cloud prequel.

Blind Date

I HATE women.

They want nothing but money and someone they can fuck before they get bored. I hate them and I never want to be with one ever again.

I'm NOT gay.

I will never be romantically involved with another man. Men are just as disgusting as women, if not more. But I'd rather work with men than work with women.

"Saïx, you haven't really been involved with anyone in a while… don't you want to think about settling down or at least getting a girlfriend?" I turned to see Axel who was carrying a hose to load the fire truck.

Now this idiot here, the gayest man known to the planet, is trying to get me to go on a date. I don't know with who, but I already have an answer.

"Fuck no, I'm not doing it." I said with finality and moved to grab a wrench so that I could make sure all of the configurations on the truck were secure.

"Dude, you didn't even let me explain! You obviously had some bad experiences with women your age, you are definitely not gay, so why don't you just try something new?" Axel said.

"There are only two options… men and women, and I refuse to get involved with either. I didn't think I would have to explain this to anyone. Stop talking to me, you I hate it when people try to talk to me." I said and took a deep breath to calm my anger.

The reason I'm a fire fighter is because I don't have to deal with people… dealing with people makes me angry. And my temper is not to be trifled with.

And that is why I'm having such a hard time with this conversation with Axel…

"Look, let me just say this: Why don't you try dating someone younger?" Axel asked.

I snarled at him, "I am not resorting to pedophilia!" I snapped.

"I'm not saying that!" Axel snapped back before sighing. "I'm not saying that and you know it, Saïx." Axel finished. "Roxas has a friend… she's almost eighteen and I know that sounds bad… but it's not like I'm asking you to do her, I'm just asking you to take a chance and go on a date." Axel said.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea to me! I mean, an almost legal hot girl? I'd be on that like white on rice!" Xigbar said.

"And unlike Xigbar here, you actually have class." Axel said with a smile.

I growled. "Why are you doing this?" I asked.

"Because your lonely, I can see it. Everyone can see it and I just don't think it's fair that your missing out on being happy! You're part of the team, you're a good friend to all of us!" Axel said.

"And think about it Saïx, this girl is willing to go on a date with you… which is almost equivalent to swimming in the ocean with a hungry shark who has a mean streak… I mean, your not the nicest dude on the planet… Rinoa, who is putting herself out there for you, has got to be a keeper. She's almost putting herself up for abuse." Marly said.

"THEN WHY DON'T WE CALL IT OFF IF I'M SO HORRIBLE TO BE AROUND!" I yelled before throwing the wrench I was holding down and moving over to get a screwdriver.

"That's not what Marly is trying to say… Saïx, let me be the voice of reason for you." Cloud said from his spot on a crate.

I sighed and looked to Cloud. Cloud was someone I respected since day one. He was someone who always knew how to act and what to say in any situation. I admired him as a hard working fireman with a strong character. That is why I remain on his team.

"No one is going to force you to do anything… we're only asking that you at least give this girl a chance. Not for us, not for her, but for yourself. I've met her and she's a really nice girl, she'll show you a good time. We just want you to at least try and be happy. And the best way we can think of making that happen is if you meet someone worth while. You have been unfairly mistreated in the past, we know that. But sometimes you need to just move on… not by turning to yourself but by meeting someone new, someone you can rely on. If this doesn't work out, then it wasn't meant to be but that doesn't mean anything if you don't try. And you know it's okay to be a little anxious and to be a little afraid but don't chicken out on this. You're better than that." Cloud said.

I sighed again and rubbed my face before looking at everyone. "So what do I have to do?" I asked.

"We already made a dinner reservation at Rosa Rossa for tonight. You know that really fancy restaurant? So don't forget to dress nice!" Axel said looking at me as if he had just won the lottery.

"You sure didn't waste any time…" I grumbled.

"Just take her out to eat and then see if she wants to do anything afterwards." Cloud said.

I nodded and returned to my work. It was just a stupid date, all I had to do was feed this girl and indulge her for a couple more hours before dropping her off.

-Blind Date-

I got a call from Roxas saying that dinner was a-go. To be honest I was kinda nervous but at the same time…

I was really excited.

I was looking through my drawers and closet for something nice to wear when my doorbell rang. I quickly moved down the stairs and opened the door for Tom. Tom smiled and waltzed into my house like he owned the place.

"I'm here for emotional support and I also called Roxas, who actually called Axel so they're both coming." Tom said with a smile.

"Good! I need all the help I can get. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to dress for this." I said and started to pull Tom up the stairs.

"Don't you just have to dress pretty?" Tom asked.

"No, you dunce! This is very important and very specific." I said as we entered my room again.

"Okay… so what do you have so far?" Tom asked.

"Well, I have three top contenders and I'm not sure what type of shoe to wear. Also make up… I could go all out with liquid liner and colors… or I could go neutral with a charcoal liner and golds and browns, or I could be really modest and do a light sheer with a small amout of liner and mascara. Also lip color… I could go cherry red, or dark red, or coral." I explained and smiled at Tom.

I could practically see his head spinning in cirlces. "you really spend time on that?" Tom asked.

"Yes! It's hard to be beautiful!" I snapped playfully.

When the bell rang again and I sent Tom downstairs to get Axel and Roxas while I got everything set up.

I laid the three dresses on my bed and I opened my closet to reveal my rather large collection of shoes.

"Alright…" I said quietly to myself before I heard everyone come in.

"How's everything going?" Roxas asked.

"Pretty good but I need your help. I have options." I said and gestured to the dresses on my bed.

"Alright, I figure you already know what they look like on you… but what do they represent?" Axel asked.

"Dresses represent stuff?" Tom asked and I laughed.

"Well, they send messages." Roxas explained.

"Well, the one on the right is 'classy and modest.' It actually stops right below the knee. I was going for mature." I started.

Axel nodded and gestured for me to go on.

"The one in the midde is 'fun loving.' That's really the only way I can describe it. I like it because its form fitting." I said. It really was a nice dress. It was a racerback but it was crochet so you could still see all of my upper back and it was short enough to be alluring but not too much.

And I really liked my legs.

"And the third one?" Axel asked.

"Well, that one's on the other side of the scale. That one's the 'young, fresh, and not so modest.' It's a form fitting single strap and really short." I finished.

"How short is really short?" Tom asked.

"I mean, when I sit down there's a nice little tease of inner thigh and it doesn't leave much for the imagination…" I said and bit my lip in embarrassment. I mean, did it make me kinda whorish already to have a dress like that?

"I say go with the middle one, you are a fun loving person and I think it's really pretty." Roxas said.

"I would love to say wear the 'not so modest' one, but that's only because that's what I'd like to see if I had a hot blind date. But Saïx would use it against you… so yeah, I agree with Rox." Axel said.

I smiled. "Can you help me with shoes though? The more practicle ones are on the left and the six-inch ones are on the right." I said.

"Damn, that's a lot of shoe!" Axel said and I laughed.

I had a whole closet devoted to shoes and dresses…

"Your parents paid for all of these?" Roxas asked.

"No, I definitely pay for them with my own money. Even though my parents are well off, I still have to work for my wardrobe." I said.

"What do they do?" Roxas asked.

"Well, her mom is a plastic sergeon and her dad is a mechanic." Tom said.

"I'm a mechanic too, actually. I picked it up when I was really young. My desk is covered in tools and small car parts as you can see." I pointed to my desk.

"I didn't even notice that. Wow, I had no idea." Roxas said. "I'm really happy I have a cool friend like you." I giggled at Roxas' comment.

"Excuse me? I'm pretty cool myself, Roxas!" Tom boasted.

I laughed. "Yeah, your cool by association!" I said.

"You both are cool!" Roxas said, probably just to pacify Tom.

"So do you work with your dad?" Axel asked.

"I used to, but a few months ago I started working with this guy named Seifer Almasy at his shop. We are really making some funds together." I said and smiled. I loved working in that shop because I always had work… I was really worked like a dog, but at the end of the day, it was always worth it.

"Can you tell Seifer that Sora and I say hi? He was actually a friend of ours at the orfanage. I'm so glad to hear he's doing well." Roxas said with a small smile on his face.

I nodded. "Yeah, sure."

"Well, to get back on track, I say you wear six-inches. Saïx is a big dude so it would be better if you were almost as tall as him." Axel said.

"Ohhh, wear these!" Tom said and pointed to a new pair I bought a few days ago.

"Good choice!" Axel said.

They were black patent leather shoes. I bought them because they were my definition of 'sexy.'

"Why don't you put everything on?" Roxas asked.

"Okay." I said and moved to take off my shirt.

"RINOA!" Roxas squeaked.

"What?" I asked.

"Don't you think you should change in the bathroom?" Roxas asked.

"No, you're gay, your boyfried's gay obviously, and Tom and I bathed together when we were kids. He knows the drill." I said with a little laugh as I continued to change.

When I was finally done dressing, Roxas was as red as a lobster.

"I guess you've never really seen a half-naked girl before, huh?" I said with a snort.

"I feel like I just did something dirty…" Roxas whined and Axel pulled him into a hug.

"It's okay Rox. I'll give you a nice view of my naked body to make you feel better!" Axel said as he pet Roxas' hair.

Roxas swatted out of his boyfriend's hold and sputtered. "That is not necessary!"

Tom and I laughed and I did a slow turn. "So what do you think?" I asked.

"I'd fuck you!" Tom said.

"Shut up, douchebag. I was hoping for an intelligent assessment." I said.

"If Saïx doesn't find you attractive, he's very lost…" Axel said.

"You look really good." Roxas said.

"I think I'll go with a light make-up but what color should I choose for lipstick?" I held out the three colors for them to see.

Roxas and Axel said "coral" the same time Tom said "bright red."

"Two votes to coral, sorry Tom." I said and started to put on my make up.

"Like I said, I'm really only here for emotional support." Tom repeated.

"Are you wearing your hair down?" Roxas asked.

"Yeah, but I have a hair tie in my clutch so if I get tired of it I can put it up." I said and sighed. I looked to the clock.

It was seven on the dot… Saïx would be here in thirty minutes. I took a breath and sat on my bed."What kind of car does he drive?" I asked.

"Does that matter?" Roxas asked.

"You can learn a lot about a person by the car they choose. Axel likes attention, he's also got this sort of devil may care attitude. Don't you think his corvette fits the part?" I asked.

Roxas nodded. "Yeah, you're right!" he said happily.

"He's got a black Civic Coupe. One of the new ones." Axel said.

"Nice… It's not really a luxury car but it's a pretty high end Honda. Which means he appreciates nice things. But it also performs well and has a decent horsepower so I think he was really going for stability. If he's got the whole shebang than he has a smooth ride… which probably means he likes consistency. It's black so he wants to blend in… but it's kind of hard for anyone to blend in with a nice car like that." I said smiling at the car choice. It really was a car I could appreciate.

I was starting to feel a little anxious now. I had that really fluttery feeling in my stomach and I laid back on my bed with another deep breath. "Should I be nervous?" I asked, really directing the question to Axel.

"To be honest… yeah. Saïx is a tough egg to crack. I'll be surprised if you don't cry at least once during this date…" Axel said.

My heart started to pound. "Thanks." I said warily.

"Just be yourself Rinoa… if he doesn't like you that's his loss…" Tom said.

I smiled and we started up a small conversation to pass the time. Things like 'what not to do' and 'what to expect.'

When I heard a car pull up the driveway I ran to my window to see my date. The man who came out of the car, even from my distance, you could tell…

He was beautiful.

"What the fuck! When you said he was a big dude, I didn't think you meant ripped-sexy-man!" I said practically drooling at the sight of the guy.

"Well, it's good to know that you find him attractive." Axel said with a smile. "You should head on down there. But don't open the door right after he rings it… let it ruminate a little."

The doorbell rang and I looked at Roxas with panic. "Oh shit! This is really happening!" I whined.

"Yes it is! Now go! I want you to tell me all about it when you get back. Try to have fun!" Roxas said and Tom gave me a hug.

"Good luck, Rinoa." He said and I hugged him back tightly.

"Thank you! GAH!" I squeaked before heading downstairs. I walked to the door and opened it with a smile.

"Hi, you must be Saïx. I'm Rinoa, it's really nice to meet you." I said and offered my hand for a shake.

Saïx's eyes narrowed a little before he took my hand. His hands were quite large compared to mine but they were warm and I couldn't help the widening of my smile.

"Let's go." I said and closed the door to my house. I walked over to his car and I moved to grab the handle only to jump when I felt his back agaist mine as he opened the door for me. I blushed brightly before getting in the car.

I looked around the interior. A Civic wasn't really a luxury car but it might as well have been one. Everything was in top condition and really nice.

"Seatbelt." I almost jumped when I hear Saïx's voice for the first time. It was so deep and it resonated right through me. I found myself immediately following his command and putting on my seatbelt.

And this was the beginning of an interesting night.

-Blind Date-

The first thing I noticed when she opened the door was her teeth. They were obviously well taken care of and white.

But I wouldn't be fooled by the niceness of her teeth. She was a she-wolf ready to eat me alive and toss away the bones when she was done.

I shook her hand and we moved to the car. She grabbed the handel as if she didn't even expect me to open it.

Our generations were so different.

I entered my car and as she looked around in my car curiously, I got a good look at her.

She was so young… and very beautiful. This she-wolf knew what she was doing. Her dress was tight and it easily directed my eyes over the curves of her body to the delicate tone of her legs.

She really knew what she was doing. "Seatbelt." I spoke before turning to the road before me to begin this useless escapade.

We were about five minutes in when she tried to start up a conversation.

"Have you ever been to Rosa Rossa before?" she asked.

"Yes." I said simply.

"It was good right?" she asked.

"Yes." I repeated, hoping she would get the hint that I didn't feel like talking.

"I like Italian food a lot. There's always a lot of cheese. Do you lik-"

"Please stop talking." I said, I could feel myself getting agitated by the sound of her voice. What the hell was I doing? I didn't want to even be here, right?

"Don't tell me to stop talking." She said firmly.

"You're getting on my nerves." I said.

"Do not start with me. We haven't even been in the car for more than five minutes. I figured since you consider yourself an adult and all, you would have the decency to have a civil conversation for the duration of this date." This girl, Rinoa, said in a sharp tone.

She was lecturing me!

"I don't want to hear this from you… shut it." I said again, a headache forming rapidly.

"Dude, you don't even know me! You have no right to tell me to shut it! Jeez it's like the minute you get out of your comfort zone you put up this defensive hostility! Chill out! It's not like I'm an animal trying to eat you alive… I'm your date, remember?" she said with a huff.

I was almost surprised by her ability to read me so well. How did she even know I thought that way? I shook my head inwardly, this didn't change a thing.

She was a young she-wolf, and a stubborn one at that.

-Blind Date-

To be honest, I had never been so afraid to argue with anyone in my life. Everything about him just screamed volatile. At any moment he could just explode and strangle me. But there was part of me that just knew he wouldn't do something like that.

But I was still afraid of arguing with him. With everything I threw at him I would think,

This is it… he's going to throw me out on my ass and I'm going to have to walk home. And that will be the end of my time with such a beautiful man.

But he didn't explode. Instead, he seemed to just absorb everything I threw at him. Almost like a human punching bag.

It was like he hated talking with me so much that he would rather just take all my hits with no comment then to actually fight with me.

With a sigh I started, "How about this, I'll say a random statement about myself and you say a statement about yourself on the same topic. This way we're not even talking to each other… we're merely stating things aloud." I supplied.

There was silence in reply. It sounded like a 'yes' to me.

"I'm seventeen." I stated.

"Twenty-five." He said and I smiled.

"My favorite color is blue." I said.

"Same." He said shortly.

Even though he was doing the bare minimum, I felt like I was making a little progress and that made me happy.

"I own a LOT of shoes." I said with a small giggle.

"I own a lot of CDs." He replied.

When we finally pulled in the restaurant, I ended with another statement: "I really don't like when people are all talk… you know, those people that will say something and then never follow through?"

"I really don't like people in general." Saïx said as he parked before getting out of the car.

"You don't mean that." I said and watched him close the door and walk over to my side to open the door for me.

That was something I could get used to…

"Yes, I do." He said.

"That's really sad." I replied and with a stoke of confidence I rubbed his back for a second before moving towards the restaurant.

-Blind Date-

My back stiffened when I felt her hand at my back. Her warm hand rubbed gently for a second before she moved towards the restaurant. Her body moved in such a natural sway, it could only be described as swagger.

I followed close behind her but too close. I still didn't like her.

I mean, she was pitying me… I didn't need pity, she was the one who didn't understand, she was the one that needed to be pitied.

She was so young, she doesn't know what it's like to be let down in a way that leaves you in a whole you can't climb out of.

She had no idea.

We entered the restaurant and I moved to the host to get our table.

"We have a reservation under Saïx." I said.

"Alright then. Follow me." The host said and I watched him put a hand at the small of Rinoa's back to guide her towards the table.

His hand was pretty low on her back and I felt my blood heat up at the sight. I didn't know why… but I hated the way this host was touching her.

"Here is your table. Please enjoy." He said, eyeing Rinoa up and down before leaving. I growled inwardly at the action.

I watched Rinoa lean in over the table a little. "Was it just me or was that host guy a little bit too touchy?" she asked before she bit her lip.

"It wasn't just you." I said shortly and placed a napkin over my lap.

Rinoa leaned back in her chair and copied my actions with her napkin. I sat and looked around the restaurant in an attempt to avoid conversation. I didn't want to talk anymore and I was feeling agitated from anger I was feeling at the host who had done nothing but guide my date to the table.

A date that I didn't want anything to do with…

"This restaurant really is nice… I bet they're too fancy to have pizza… What kind of foods do you li-"

"Listen little girl, you are giving me a head ache." I said and folded my arms.

She would do nothing but try and talk to me. If I wasn't angry already, I was getting angry now.

-Blind Date-

I really couldn't believe this guy. He was getting hostile again. After all of the progress we made, he was going back into his little cave of security.

"Oh my god, this again! I thought we already established that we were going to be civil to each other. And don't call me a little girl! Do I look like I'm fucking seven? No, so don't call me that, it's belittling and rude!" I snapped, I was actually angry this time.

"Well, y-"

I woulnd't let him finish. "Don't start with me, Saïx! Nobody forced you to go on this date with me! If you really didn't want to come, you would have already kicked me out on the street and drove home. You have obviously realized that you want something and you can't get it alone. So why don't you just cool it, try and get to know me, and see if I'm what your looking for. It's not that hard! I'm not someone who likes toying with people. I'm here because I honestly want to be the thing you've finally decided to look for." I said letting myself go a little. I wanted him to see that I was being genuine.

His dull golden eyes flashed a second before he looked away from me. He knew that I was right. He knew that he would have to give a little more if he wanted anything at all even if it wasn't something I could offer.

I couldn't believe that I found myself attracted to someone so guarded. I guess I really did like hard work.

"I really hate it when we fight… Even though I seem to be good at it, I don't like arguing with you." I said with a small sigh.

"I don't like talking." He said, his eyes staring right at me.

He was being completely serious. And that was something that made my chest hurt. "My heart breaks for you, Saïx. No one should ever have to feel that way." I looked him in the eyes, and I wasn't tearing up per se, but my eyes were glistening with wetness that wouldn't otherwise be there.

His eyes flashed again before he looked behind me.

"Hello, welcome to Rosa Rossa. Is there any drinks I can get you?" a waitress said from her spot behind me.

"Water." I said softly.

"Wine. Red." Saïx said and the waitress moved over to him to show him the options.

I saw her put a hand on his shoulder and lean over so that her breasts were conveniently peeking out of her shirt. I looked at her face.

She looked like a hungry dog ready to take a bite out of a raw fillet mignon. I snorted softly so that she wouldn't hear.

"Alright then. If you need anything else sir, anything at all, my name is Isabella." The waitress said and her hand brushed down Saïx's arm as she turned.

She glared at me before she finally left. I couldn't hold it in and I laughed.

"And what is so funny?" Saïx asked.

"All of the staff here are so shameless! Did you not see the way she was shoving herself at you, then she glared at me! It's so funny!" I laughed.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because you're oblivious to it and I also know that you wouldn't be interested anyway." I said with a smile.

I watched his brows furrow. "How?"

"Well, I mean, you're not even interested in me and I'm your date. You don't seem very fond of my persistence or boldness… and Isabelle, is three times as bold as I am. She's the type of girl who pushes until she gets what she wants." I explained.

Saïx nodded and sighed. "You're right. I'm not interested." He said.

"Damn, I'm good." I boasted and dusted some imaginary dirt off of my shoulder.

At that moment, I realized we were actually having a conversation. He was willingly responding to the words I was saying and I couldn't help the smile that planted itself on my face.

-Blind Date-

I found myself looking at her when a smile found it's way on her face. Something in my stomach was moving and my heart sped up a little.

And no, neither my stomach nor my heart were fluttering, Nothing I had in my body or on my person had the ability to flutter.

But I hated to admit that fact that I knew what I was feeling. I was a grown man, I wasn't going to deny the emotions I was started feeling.

I was interested in her… the young she-wolf had finally caught me. I would just have to sit quietly and hope she wasn't hungry enough to bite me.

The waitress came back to our table and I watched her almost slam Rinoa's water on the table, causing the water to spatter a little on her dress.

"Here's your water. Oops! Sorry about that." She said, her voice dripping with false sincerity. Rinoa only smiled and put her elbow on the table to rest her head in her hand. She looked as if she was watching an interesting TV show.

When I felt the waitress' hand on my shoulder again I frowned. She gently slid my glass of wine on the table with a smile. "Here's your wine, sir." She said.

I really did not like this girl, her voice instantly caused my headache to return. I slid her arm off my shoulder and gave her a disgusted look. "I'm not interested." I said and shooed her off with a gesture.

The waitress huffed with a surprised look and started to walk off. Rinoa suddenly burst into laughter. She watched as the watress stomped off with a mirthful look on her face. She laughed again.

The headache I had dissipated and I watched her laugh. It wasn't an unpleasant sound and I found myself enjoying it.

I sighed. I was really interested in her. It was so confusing, I hadn't dated for so long and on my first date in a long time, I was already hooked. It didn't make sense and I almost hated myself for giving in so easily.

"Wow, you've become quite inept socially. You're not supposed to just tell her your not interested. You're sopposed to have some tact. Let her off easy!" Rinoa laughed.

I frowned. "I am not socially inept. I just don't see the point in beating around the bush." I said.

"Sure… " Rinoa said, obviously not convinced.

-Blind Date-

Saïx was proving to be a very entertaining guy. He really was socially inept but it worked for him so I wouldn't tease him too much about it.

I mean he really just said that to her with a 'no bullshit' look on his face. And then he rubbed his temples as she spoke as if he her voice was giving him a piercing headache. It was hilarious.

"You might as well have just punched her in the face." I giggled. "But it's okay because I don't really care how she's feeling. She spilled water on my favorite dress… dumb bitch… if she wasn't already making a fool out of herself I would have kicked her ass in the middle of the restauant." I said not realizing that I had started a rant.

"I actually wouldn't have minded seeing that…" Saïx said with a small smile.

I think my jaw hit the floor at that moment. He actually smiled at me! I mean it was a small one, but he smiled! And DAMN was it beautiful.

Is it sad that I had the biggest urge to kiss him at that moment. But I calmed myself down and smiled at him. "Should I be worried that you enjoy watching cat fights?" I asked.

Saïx's small smile turned into a smirk. "No, but your fight would have been justified. It really is such a shame, wetting such an alluring dress." He said.

My face flushed redder than a tomato. What just happened, he went from being socially awkward to being suave in a matter of minutes. I guess one thing was true, Saïx was back in the game.

And he was gaining on me.

"Well, hello again. I'll will be your new waiter since Isabella seemed to be having some trouble. Would you two like to order?" I looked up to see the touchy host from before.

What! This guy creeped me out and now he was my waiter? This was just a sad twist of fate.

"The shrimp fettuccine." Saïx said shortly.

"Ummm… could I have the spinach lasanga?" I asked.

I almost jumped when his hand went to my shoulder. He lowered himself so that his face was level with mine. "You can have anything you want, sweet thing." He said as his hand slid down my upper back before walking away.

I shivered and hugged myself with my arms. "Man, he so creepy!" I said mostly to myself. "He did he really just call me sweet thing?" I asked.

"Yes." Saïx said seeming to revert back into his awkward self.

With a smile I started. "Three of my favorite music arstists are Queen, Zepplin, and Ozzy." I said.

Saïx's eyes flashed as he gave me a puzzled look. "Seriously?" he asked.

"Yeah, my dad had a big influence on my music tastes." I said with a smile.

"They're my favorite too. I also like Kansas and Bon Jovi." Saïx said and I nodded in approval.

"Hell yeah, I guess we wont have to argue about music. Favorite Queen song?" I asked but then started again. "Let me guess, 'Another on Bites the Dust?'" I asked.

He shook his head. "'We will Rock You?'" I asked again. I thought I had him for sure.

He shook his head again and gave me his answer. "'Somebody to Love.'" He said and I couldn't stop the 'Awwww' that escaped my mouth.

"My appreciation for you skyrocketed, just now. How can you be cool, cute, sexy, and weird all at same time?" I asked.

"I'm not cute nor am I weird." Saïx said.

I smiled. "I'll be sure to exclude those words from my vocabulary when describing you."

"Good." He said.

After a few more minutes, the waiter came back with our food and I smiled at my it. So much cheese!

I suddenly felt eyes on me and I looked up to see the waiter staring at me. "I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable but you're just so beautiful I can't take my eyes off off you. You've got to be a model or something." He said.

I smiled. "I'm no model, buddy." I said.

"When'd you quit?" he asked and I laughed.

"I'm too short for that." I said and motioned him to come closer. He moved in and I whispered into his ear. "I'm wearing six inch heels to keep up with my date here. I mean, he's such a big man. And I'm pretty sure that everything is proportionate, if you catch my drift." I said and wiggled my eyebrows with a smile.

I hoped that maybe he would notice that I was trying to show him that I was currently occupied and very interested in my date. Therefore I didn't need him hitting on me. I also hope that if I commented on Saïx's size he would get intimidated and give up but everything went in one ear and out the other.

"You move so naturally in those heels though, you might as well be as tall as you are with them on." He said and moved a little closer to me.

The little alarm inside me that goes off when I had made a big mistake was going off in my head. With a sigh, I said. "I think you have to go wait other tables."

The guy finally realized that he was working and moved to go do his job. I sighed in relief and looked at Saïx. "Okay, so maybe tact just doesn't work on those types. He really wouldn't take a hint." I said.

"What did you tell him?" Saïx asked.

"I just emphasized that you were my date and that you were perfectly capable of kicking his ass… but I did it in a roundaobout way. So it didn't work…" I said.

"Why don't you just do what I did?" Saïx asked.

"Well I don't want to break his spirit, even if it is just a little creepy, it's not everyday you meet a guy who tries to woo so confidently." I said with a smile.

Saïx just nodded and started to eat. I started to eat too. We ate quietly but every once and a while I would look at him or he would look at me and I would smile at him.

-Blind Date-

To be completely honest, spirit or no spirit. I did not like our waiter. In fact, he was worse than the waitress.

Another thing that Rinoa was too young to know was that you actually shouldn't give strangers the benefit of the doubt. She wasn't old enough to know that a attractive young girls like herself are easy targets and that because they are so young, they're very easy to take advantage of.

I wouldn't tell her anything though, because this time she had something that most girls don't have.

An older guy who won't take bullshit from those low lives. Just thinking about that weasel waiter made my blood boil. I wouldn't let Rinoa's genuiness be spoiled by someone so worthless.

Oh God… what was I thinking? So now I'm her protecter? I needed to slow my roll on this. All of this was coming at me so fast, I was having trouble getting a handle on it all.

Was this how it was supposed to feel? All I know is that it was making me uncomfortable but at the same time, I really liked being around this girl.

This girl! She was fucking seventeen! Why is it that I care about this but can't seem to stop myself from liking her?

I took a moment to calm my racing mind. I could deal with this after the date was over.

"Here is your check, sir. Did you enjoy everything, pretty lady?" The waiter asked Rinoa and she nodded.

"Yeah, I really like cheese."

"I like cheese too. What's your favorite?" he asked.

"Havarti by far." She said with a smile.

"No way! That's mine too!"

What the fuck was this? It was like he was starting his own little date with Rinoa right in front of me. I growled.

"I believe it's your job to take care of the plates and all. You can take this too, I would like our," I pointed to Rinoa before pointing to myself, "date to continue elsewhere." I said and glared at him.

The guy had the audacity to smile at me. "Sure thing, sir." He said and ran a hand along Rinoa's back once more and I saw Rinoa jump at something.

I wanted to rip that guy to shreds. I watched him gather our plates and take the check.

"Did he do something to you?" I asked Rinoa who looked a little uneasy.

"I-it caught me by s-surprise, I didn't think he was going to do that." She stuttered a little and I frowned.

"What did he do?" I asked anger rising at her shaken appearance.

"He had already crossed the line when his hands went underneath the back of my dress but then he pinched my back. I just feel so disgusted that I even gave him the benefit of the doubt you know…" she said softly and I watched her grab her hair and start twisting it. It must have been a nervous habit because once her hair untwisted itself, she would do it again before letting it go to repeat the action once more.

That in itself made me furious. She seemed to be so fun-loving, nervous habbits just didn't fit her at all. I glared as the waiter came back to return my card. "You have a nice day, sir." He said and smirked at me.

"Let me walk you out miss." The waiter said and stretched out a hand to touch her lower back again.

Rinoa moved to get away from him and he followed as if he was ignoring the fact that she was obviously trying to get away from him. And that was the last straw.

I grabbed the wrist tightly and pulled him towards me. "Listen buddy, try and touch her again and I will not hesitate to fuck you up." I squeezed his wrist even tighter and the guy started to squirm.

"Do you understand?" I asked and grabbed his other arm and managed to put it in a painful position.

"YES! YES! LET GO MAN!" The guy wailed and I pushed him back.

"Good." I said before grabbing Rinoa's waist gently and walking out of the reasturant.

-Blind Date-

I was completely shocked by what had just happened. And I was mindboggled by the fact that Saïx was guiding me towards the car with a hand around my waist.

He really just set that creep straight and then put his arm around me. Can I take this moment to have an inward seizure at the turn of events.

This was crazy! Did this mean that Saïx actually was interested in me? Oh I sure hope so. With a deep breath I tested my luck.

I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you, Saïx." I said, genuinely relieved that I was out of that crazy restaurant.

No matter how fancy, the waiters there were crazy and that just made everything uncomfortable.

After about a second, Saïx's arms wrapped around me and I sighed in relief.

When we pulled away Saïx asked if I wanted to do anything before he took me home. I thought for a second and asked if we could go for a walk.

Saïx nodded but paused his action to ask, "You want to walk in those shoes?"

I smiled. "I've been walking in heels since my feet were big enough to wear women's sizes. I could run a marathon in these babies." I said with a smile.

Saïx seemed to shrug and started walking down the sidewalk. I ran up to him and grabbed his hand.

We were walking at a pretty slow pace but I was okay with that. It was actually pretty cold so I was thankful when we walked slowly didn't catch much breeze.

We were about fifteen minutes into the walk when I noticed something on the other side of the street.

There was a woman leaning against the car in defeat. The man inside was trying to get the car started but it wouldn't work. I opened my clutch and pulled out the small toolcase I had inside.

"Follow me." I said and walked across the street. Saïx looked puzzled but followed me anyway.

"Do you guys want any help?" I asked.

"I'm sure there's nothing you can do about this, little girl." The man said in a frustrated voice.

"Mark!" The woman yelled, seemingly appalled by the man's remark. She sighed and said, "we're having some car trouble. I doubt there's much you can do." She said.

I smiled. "Believe it or not, but I'm a mechanic. I actually work in a shop on the weekends." I said and showed her my toolcase that I always carry with me.

"Well, if you think you can help, please try." She said.

"Lily! I obviously have this under control!" Mark said.

"No you obviously don't, Mark! Let the girl help!" Lily said.

I looked to Saïx, "Do you mind?" I asked.

"Go ahead, I'm curious." He said with a smirk.

I smiled at him before moving over to the car. "You can stop trying to start it now, it's not going to work." I said gently.

Mark glared at me and grumbled before getting out of the car. I looked to Lily, "Do you know if your battery is working?" I asked.

"It should be, we replaced it recently." She said.

I nodded. "Were your headlights dimming or the battery light flashing at any point the last time you were driving it?" I asked.

"No." Mark said petulantly.

I nodded. "There's no smoke so it's not an overheated engine. May I check under the hood?" I asked. Lily nodded and moved inside the car to pop the hood for me. "Thanks." I said and looked over to see what we had.

The engine looked very nice. I highly doubted anything was wrong with it. It was a well kept V6. "Your engine is very pretty." I said and bent over to look deeper into the car.

I looked around but paused when I felt eyes on me. Lily and Mark seemed to be arguing so I knew it was Saïx. He was looking at my butt as I was bent over this car.

I was going to call him out on it later.

I checked the starter and smiled. "Found the problem." I said. Lily looked at me.

"Can you fix it?" she asked.

"Yeah, you have corroded screws on your starter and it's making it faulty. I can replace them easily." I said and got to work.

With a smirk, I decided I would play with Saïx a little. I waved my ass a little as I carfully removed the starter from the elborate structure that was the workings of a car. After that I stood and wiped my hands on my dress, stealthily pulling the dress up higher on my legs.

He was definitely still watching but I pretended not to notice. I lifted my arms and moved to put my long hair in a pony tail. I made sure to give him my good side as I tied my hair up.

When that was done, I bent over to continue my work, giving Saïx an even nicer view. I giggled to myself, I'm pretty sure I was acting like a slut, but it was all for the cause.

And the cause was showing Saïx that I wasn't a little girl. I knew how to handle my body and I certainly knew how to flaunt it.

I fixed the starter quickly and put it back in the car. Once that was done I pulled my dress down again, the peep show was over.

But I was glad that I still felt Saïx's eyes on me.

"Try starting the car now?" I asked and I closed the hood.

Mark got into his car and I was happy to hear the purr of the engine once again. "Wow, it works." He said in a surprised voice.

"Thank you so much, please take this." She said and handed me money.

I shook my head and said that I was happy to do it. "I love fixing things. It wasn't like I went out of my way to do it." I finished.

"You are too kind. Thanks again." She said and I waved as they dorve off.

-Blind Date-

This girl… no, this woman, should not be allowed to fix cars. I watched her as she fixed the starter. He backside convieniently facing me. And then she made the mistake of grabbing her dress, the action made her dress ride up and she didn't realize that when she bent over I could see her inner thigh. I even noticed a small beauty mark on the inside of her leg.

I was almost tempted to stand directly behind her so that no one could see her, but that would just reveal the fact that I was watching her backside.

Mark was distracted by Lily but that didn't mean that the other men that were walking by didn't notice the sexy girl in a dress fixing a car. Luckily I was scary enough to get them to avert their eyes from her lovely display.

I sighed when she finally fixed her dress. I was half way relieved and half way disappointed that I couldn't examine that exquisite body of hers.

I really needed to stop being around Axel, his strange pervert thoughts were rubbing off on me.

I watched her approach me. "So were you impressed?" she asked.

I almost jumped in surprise at the question before I relized she was talking about the fact that she had fixed the car and not her body.

"Yes." I said simply.

"You know, I think I like fixing cars in a short dress, I seemed to get a lot more attention that way." She said with a smirk and started to walk back towards the car.

I smirked, she knew I was watching her the whole time. I walked up to her and grabbed her waist again. "So that beauty mark on the inside of your leg-" I started and she gasped with a blush.

"I pulled my dress up that high?" she asked seemingly appalled by her own behavior.

"Oh yes." I said with a smirk. She would have to learn early on that messing with me was of no small consequence.

"Do you think anyone else saw?" she asked, blush still evident on her face.

I laughed. "Honey, you are ten years too early to try and play with me. And no, I scared them off."

-Blind Date-

Oh my god he was laughing! I mean he was laughing at me for failing to be seductive but that didn't matter at this point.

"Well, thank you for protecting my chastity." I said. "Okay… so public displays of my body are officially over. I will not be doing that ever again." I said ashamed of myself.

Saïx chuckled before we made our way back to the car. He opened the car door for me and I got in.

It was when Saïx got in and started the engine of his car that I realized our date was coming to a close.

It made me kind of sad, but hopefully I would be lucky enough to have another one of these in my future. I think we both had a pretty good time.

He opened up to me pretty well I think. And that was no easy task.

But it was definitely worth it.

We sat quietly on the ride back to my house. When we finally got there I smiled, he was going to walk me to my door.

"You know, Axel told me I probably would end up crying on this date, he said that you would be hard company to keep. But that's not really ture at all. I had a really great time with you and I only hope that you had a good time with me too." I said and looked at him, hoping he could see the sincerity in my eyes.

-Blind Date-

I could see that she was being honest with me by the look in her eyes. And I was quite thankful for her words. She was the first person in a long time to tell me that I wasn't an emotional wreck ready to self destruct.

And I hated to admit that Axel was definitely right with this one. She could handle me and she could handle herself, with a little bit of help from me of course.

I sighed and looked at her too. "I enjoyed myself as well." I said.

"Can we maybe do this again? No fancy stuff, just a simple date? I really like spending time with you and I want to do it again sometime soon…" Rinoa said and I could hear her nervousness in her voice.

I stepped up to her and smirked. "Sounds good. Next Saturday, a pretty good Zepplin tribute band is playing. I can buy you a ticket so that you can come with me." I said.

Rinoa smiled brightly. "That sounds wonderful! Please, I want to go with you." She said excitedly.

"Then it's settled." I said with a small smile. God I really hated that Axel was right about this. I will never hear the end of it.

Rinoa took a step up to me and pressed her lips against mine softly. I was too surprised to respond so she pulled away too soon.

And then it felt like a dam had broken inside of me, I really missed kissing someone I liked. I grabbed her roughly and pressed my lips against her's again. She didn't seem surprised by my roughness and simply wrapped her arms around me.

With a small grunt I backed her against her front door and deepened our kiss. She tasted really good and her body language was giving the 'go 'head'. My tongue enxplored her mouth as my hands scoped out the soft curves of her body.

That was something I had forgotten about, women were so soft to touch, Rinoa's skin was so nice. She also had a really good smell. When her leg went up I immediately grabbed the underside of her thigh and she separated her lips from mine to gasp at the feeling.

And that's when we kind of realized what we were doing. I laughed, I was actually feeling her up against her front door.

Rinoa giggled and hid her face in my neck. "Wow, that was pretty intense for a first date, huh?" she said.

"Yeah, sorry about that." I apologized for my lack of self control.

"Nah, I saw it coming." She said and kissed my neck before opening the door behind her. "So, I'll see you around?" she asked and bit her lip.

"Yes… there's no escaping now." I said with a smirk.

She smirked back. "I wasn't planning on it." She said. "Bye." She said and I watched her close the door.

"Goddamnit Axel, I'm not going to thank him." I said.

Though I should.

-Blind Date-

I leaned against the door and covered my face before squealing. I could still feel his lips and hands on me and my heart was fluttering all over the place.

This had to be the greatest night of my life. I looked up to the ceiling and laughed.

"Are you okay, Rin?" I looked to my dad who was looking at me questioningly.

"Yeah, just a little mind blown." I said with a smile.

"That must have been some date." He said.

"You have no idea…" I said. "Now that I think about it, I even had fun arguing with him. Because let me tell you, during the first part the date he was being a real dick. But with a little bit of my womanly charms I got him hooked." I said with a snort.

"And just what are these womanly charms?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"Ask mom." I said before giggling and running up to my bedroom so that I could call Rox and Tom to tell them all about my fantastic date.

A/N: Okay, I actually had a lot of fun writing this. Which is weird because I never liked reading hetero fanfiction. In fact, I enjoyed this so much if you guys want me to continue something with this let me know and I can make a new fic out of it. It won't be really long but I really like this idea, so just review and tell me what you want. I mean, this is the longest entry in fanfiction that I ever wrote. 7,000 words… woah!

Also, those who want to know about how Fire came to be I am thinking about making a Fire prequel with Leon and Cloud. If you like this idea too, let me know. It wont be on fanfiction until I finish Without a Sound which will end with around fifty chapter's probably. But review and tell me if you're interested.