Disclaimer: I only own what is mine. My OCs and ideas.
A/N: Ok, last chapter to finish off before updating! Yay! Loving all the positive feedback for this story! Thank you, everyone! I think this is a great chapter and I hope everyone loves it. Just about everyone is in it and Ryu has some great parts. Anyway... I don't have much to say after doing all the author's notes reviews for all my other stories (I keep getting distracted, so it took two days). So just enjoy and review!
Reviews:
ArtemisBAMF1218- The song really is perfect for them. I had to make the dance up. I had trouble finding a dance online that they could do.
They are not going to Kiss... yet. But this is a really important chapter for them, and Ryu.
Geisha Women... ok so it can be taken into a certain context... but I don't write that kind of thing. So when I say entertaining; it's more like talking, playing a game, dancing, and performing. As for how Danny found out it would just be him getting scared out of his skin due to the makeup and strange appearance, and having never seen/heard of them before and that kind of thing. Just him being awkward. I have to ask; What do you mean by Danny's going to get whipped?
I may have to use the "vow" idea. :) Also, don't worry they aren't that oblivious, not much longer. Your arranged marriage question will be answered in this chapter.
You're getting ahead of me. Aiko vs. Ice Cream is this chapter. The actually had desserts at the cafe, not ice cream.
Guest (Sarankan?) - Updating all stories today! Hope you enjoy them all!
NyanWolf- I will PM you the info you asked for, I am still working on that stuff for you! It's ok, you're reviewing now! That's what counts! I ship it also to the moon and back, they are such a good couple. I am glad you thought it was romantic and I hope you will continue to try to review! Love to hear from you! Anyway, enjoy this chapter. It's really good (at least I love it!)
TheRandGirl- Glad you loved it and I can't wait to hear what you think about this.
Chapter 25
When they got there they were greeted by a surprising sight.
Sam, Ryu, and Bilbo were all on the long couch. Sam was sitting up straight wide awake, wearing only long sweat pants and completely shirtless.
Ryu was leaning against him snoring softly a bowl of popcorn was in one hand and the other hand was in the bowl. Bilbo was laying in Sam's lap, on his back. Sam was gently rubbing his underside.
Star Wars was playing on the TV. And blankets had been flung every which way.
When Sam spotted a protective looking, Danny, he paled and rushed to explain.
"If I wasn't so scared of her, I would have put her other the other couch! I can't even eat the popcorn without her trying to rip my hand off!" He whispers yelled.
"Fine." Danny shrugged, taking off his jacket. "You hurt her, I break your neck. I assume you know that?"
Sam nodded. "Your whole family is full of crazy people who can kill you in their sleep," He muttered.
Aiko laughed. "Well, aren't you the lucky man of the night?"
Peter coughed. "That would actually be me." He corrected.
Ava laughed. "Sure." She gently kissed Peter's cheek.
She walked over to Aiko, "well, if you boys excuse us, we're going to go take all the make-up off and change."
"Is makeup really that hard to get off?" Ryu muttered, apparently awake.
"Unless you want to look like you got a black eye, then yes," Aiko replied.
"I thought you were asleep!" Sam yelled at the scaly girl pressed into his side.
"I'm awake, now I didn't ask my human pillow if it had an opinion. So you may shut up now, or I'll tell big brother." Ryu threatened.
"You guys aren't seriously going to let her do this to me, are you?" Sam pleaded.
"Think of it as discipline training," Danny suggested.
"Yah, Sam you actually have a girl who likes you. You should be enjoying it." Luke added.
"I'm not comfy." Sam pouted
"I'll punch you if it makes you more comfortable." Ryu offered.
Sam sighed and reached for the popcorn. What followed was the sound of a loud smack. Followed by a; "No, bad Sammy."
"Sammy?" Peter laughed.
"Yup, that's right Petey." Ryu mocked.
"Ryu, maybe you should go to bed, you seem really tired," Luke said trying to stop a fight.
"The docs stopped by and gave her some loopy medication not too long ago," Sam said. "Let's just go with it's not worn off yet."
"Aiko, let's go, we have to talk." Ava grabbed Aiko's wrist and pulled her away.
Once they were safely in Ava's room and the door was securely locked, Ava sat Aiko doing on her bed. "We need to talk about Danny," Ava announced.
"No, we don't," Aiko said standing. She moved to the door.
"Aiko, just hear me out." Ava coaxed. "I want to tell you what MJ and I observed tonight."
Aiko sighed. "What?"
"Sit." Aiko obeyed.
"First off. I think Danny is starting to fall for you." Ava said easily. "That took us a long time to decide whether or not he liked you. But we decided that he really does seem to care for you. So we decided he must have feelings for you."
Ava walked over to a mini-fridge and pulled out a few pints of ice cream and got two spoons, one for Aiko and the other for herself.
"Really?" Aiko asked, reaching for the raspberry. "So you're saying Danny might love me?"
"Not might, I am certain he does. I guess, he just doesn't know how to show it. Did you guys hang out with a lot of other kids when you were younger?" Aiko asked prying off the lid of the cookies and cream.
"It was really just the four of us. Danny, myself, Kasumi, and Hiroshi." Aiko said she smiled. "We always had the most fun together. I can't help but miss them. I mean, I really want to know what's been happening in K'un-Lun. The two of them are old enough to get married now…"
"Help me out, Kazumi and Hiroshy are… girl names, guy names. I have no clue." Ava deadpanned.
"Kasumi, you said it wrong, is a girl and she is two years older than me and a years older than Danny. And Hiroshi, you also said it wrong, is a guy and three years older than me and two years older than Danny." Aiko said easily.
"So I'm guessing he would never act like he likes Kasumi?" Ava asked.
"No, he really respects her, though, she's a healer, which is like the equivalent of a doctor. She's taught him a little bit about basic herbs, like herbs for sleep and disinfecting. And she used to treat him when he got hurt." Aiko said she looked down at the ice cream and felt saddened inside and she explained the past to Ava.
"So he was never around girls, except the two of you?" Ava asked.
"Girls that were his age, yes. Women in general, well there are lots of women who work at the monastery and he really loves spending time with my mom." Aiko smiled. "I miss her too."
"So, basically, this would be a new feeling for him?" Ava asked.
"Yup." Aiko sighed. Her stomach hurt now as she placed down the ice cream, her spoon in the container and put her hands on her lap. "I don't feel good." She mutter weakly.
"How so?" Ava asked.
"I might puke," Aiko warned.
"Well, in that case, let's get you out of that dress." Ava smiled, trying to be supportive. "I'll go get you some pajamas to wear and you go straight to my bathroom and wait there. You might have eaten something bad."
Ava walked out of the room and Aiko bolted to the bathroom. Ava returned bearing her a fresh silk nightgown and sweat pants.
Aiko changed and the pair sat in the bathroom for a while. Aiko on the counter hugging her knees. Ava had brought in the vanilla flavored ice cream.
"What's that for?" Aiko asked.
"I read online, that if you're going to puke you need to eat vanilla ice cream because it'll keep your mouth from burning afterward. I've never tested it, though." She said holding out the pint.
"I don't think you're too sick. You feeling ok, besides the stomach?" Ava asked sitting next to her.
"My head is pounding and I feel really tired and stressed," Aiko admitted. "I'm confused and, uh… I feel like dragon food."
Ava laughed. "That's an interesting way to put it."
Aiko slowly ate the ice cream while Ava took a rag and wiped off Aiko's face gently with warm water. After not even three spoonful's Aiko found herself with her head in a toilet bowl and Ava holding her hair back.
"Are you done?" Ava asked after Aiko had stopped puking and her gagging has also seemed to go away.
Aiko closed her eyes. "I think so. That tasted nasty."
"Well, maybe you should go to bed." Ava offered.
"Can we have a slumber party?" Aiko asked. Her eyes were wet and she looked at Ava. "We can invite Ryu."
"I'm kind of surprised you know what that is," Ava admitted. "Maybe tomorrow. Is there something you need off your chest? Something you need to talk about?"
Aiko closed to toilet lid and Ava flushed it as Aiko walked to the sink and washed her face off.
"There is something I want to talk about," Aiko admitted. "I think I might like Danny. Just, I don't know. I mean… I'm confused. After tonight I'm confused."
"Well, why don't you tell him that?" Ava asked.
"That's not how it works." Aiko admitted.
"Then tell me how it works," Ava suggested.
They walked over to Ava's bed. "Whoever I marry, I'll be set up with by my parents. They'll set me up with someone who will be able to be compatible, according to all the traditions with birthdates and such and the stars aligned and… I don't even know. I get the final say though if I don't want to marry them, or if they don't want to marry me." Aiko said as she shook.
"Ok, I think I get it," Ava said crossing her legs. "So if you tell Danny how you feel…?"
"Danny's case is just like mine, however, he is found a wife by the monks since he doesn't have his parents to find him a girl. And they'll likely find some girl from a noble family from a city outside of the main city where we live." Aiko explained. "I don't want to embarrass myself either and mess up our friendship, I don't want to destroy all those years when we were young and didn't have the world on our shoulders."
"So that's the problem, you guys are in different social classes?" Ava asked.
"No, I'm a noble." Aiko corrected.
"Then…" Ava stopped. "I'm confused."
"My powers practically give me the same rights as a man, and I fear this will have me overlooked. I'm not likely to even be considered to marry Danny." Aiko sighed. She stopped and held her head. "Plus, Danny may already be arranged to marry someone else! I think it's a little early for that, considering it's a big deal, he only can get married once, multiple relationships are dishonorable. The king can't have move than one."
Tears streaked down her face. "I'm sorry, Ava."
"It's fine." Ava shrugged. "I used to do this with my sister. Except I was a lot younger, and it was just if the guy would notice me or not. And what he would think of me." Aiko laughed.
"Anything else bothering you?" Ava asked.
"I really miss my home, I feel torn. I love New York and don't want to go home. But I really miss my life there. I want to go home, but I don't. I want to see my family, friends, and teachers. But I want to stay here. It feels like when I go back and walk through the portal, I'll be giving up my childhood and being a kid."
"You're not really a kid." Ava took her turn to laugh.
"I'm going to live a long time Ava, I might as well be a kid until I'm a hundred. You guys seem to forget I'm immortal." Aiko sighed.
"You're going to outlive us all." Ava sighed.
"I don't want to live forever and know my friends are all going to die." Aiko sighed.
"I think it's time you go to bed." Ava sighed looking at Aiko tear stained face. "Do you think you can walk?" Aiko nodded and got up. Almost instantly falling over. Ava caught her and put her back on the bed. "I'll go get Danny." She sighed.
Ava walked out of the room and marched over to Danny's room and pounded on the door with enough force to wake the dead. The others all stared at her.
Danny opened the door a minute later. He was wearing an undershirt and sweatpants and his shoulder was in the brace.
"I probably came to the wrong person." Ava sighed.
"Why?" Danny asked confused.
"You aren't supposed to be lifting things are you?" Ava asked pointing to his shoulder.
"No, why?" Danny asked.
"Aiko can't walk straight so I was going to see if you could carry her to her room." Ava sighed. "I'll get Luke to do it."
"Wait, what's wrong with Aiko?" Danny asked quickly.
"What's with the panic?" Peter asked.
"Her dad will skin me alive if something happens to her here. I was supposed to keep her safe." Danny said quickly. "Trust me, I don't need that. Besides, we grew up together, I care about her well-being." Danny froze for a moment and then looked to Peter getting the underlying message of his tone. "What if Ava randomly couldn't stand or walk straight?"
"She's my girlfriend. I'm allowed to worry about her." Peter said smugly. "Right Ava?"
Ava sighed deeply. "Back to Aiko. She just made herself sick and she threw up. Likely ate something bad too." Ava said leading the parade of people to her room. Ryu had sluggishly gotten off of Sam and the pair stood a good distance behind.
Danny had followed Luke over to the bed where he gently picked up Aiko bridal style.
"Why did you bring everyone?" Aiko complained.
"Sorry about that." Ava apologized.
"M'fine, Luke. Put me down." Aiko complained.
"Aiko you've never slurred a word as long as we've known you, not even as a joke. I think you should let Luke carry you." Peter shot back at her complaint.
They walked into Aiko's room where. Danny moved the blankets and Luke put her down and Danny covered her up.
"Danny, can I have some cold water?" Aiko asked.
"Sure." Danny walked out, the rest of the team lingered around for a while, but they were gone by the time Danny got back.
"I got you a water bottle with ice water and a few ice packs," Danny announced upon returning. He placed a cold ice back wrapped in a rag on her forehead.
His hand hardly touched her skin but his eyes widened in concern. "Aiko, you have a really bad fever."
"M'fine," Aiko complained.
Danny laughed at the slurred words.
The door slid open and Ryu walked in with a pillow and throw blanket. She walked over to the thermostat and turned the temperature down and then climbed over Aiko into the bed.
"What are you doing?" Danny asked.
"I'm going to sleep here tonight," Ryu said firmly. "Plus, Aiko could use the company."
"Thanks, Ryu," Aiko muttered.
"Ok, I might have some herbs to help you. Do you want me to look?" Danny offered.
"No, m'fine." Aiko protested.
Danny sighed. "I'll just look."
Aiko sighed as Danny walked out.
"He cares for you a lot like he cares for me, ya' know." Ryu smiled with her eyes closed. "I think it is how he shows he cares. He acts like the world is one his shoulders. He'll do just about anything to help anyone. So I bet he's coming back in here with something to help you sleep."
Aiko sighed and pushed herself up. "He's the one that needs to be taken care of sometimes." She reached for her water and drank some.
Sure enough, Danny came back in a while later and placed a candle on Aiko's nightstand and lit it.
"What's that for?" Aiko complained.
"It's a lavender candle. It'll to help you relax and sleep. It'll also calm you down because you seem tense. It helps with anxiety and headaches." Danny explained. "Do you need anything else?"
Aiko nodded. "One more thing. I want you to go take a shower, light one of those candles for yourself and go to bed and not worry about anything all night. And unplug your alarm clock and get some real sleep tonight. And just rest. Because you basically just described yourself."
"And…" Ryu said with a laugh. "Burn…"
"Alright, yes ma'am," Danny said. "Ryu, are you good for the night?"
Ryu scrambled to her feet and stepped over Aiko and just about fell onto Danny wrapping her arms around him. "Love you," She whispered.
Danny hugged her back. "You too." They pulled apart and Danny gently kissed her forehead and then ruffled her hair. "Get some sleep. Both of you."
"You too," Aiko replied as Danny walked out.
"Brother of the Year," Ryu said plopping back on the bed.
"You wouldn't have been saying that a few months ago." Aiko pointed out.
Ryu shrugged. "I guess I needed to grow up some. And I found myself realizing that Danny's not really a bad guy. I still have my doubts about you guys, and going to K'un-Lun is going to be a big step. I don't think I'm going to really trust him until I'm safe in K'un-Lun. That's the real test. But other than that, Danny's ok. I mean he nearly killed Scorpion over me. That means something." Ryu yawned and stretched out. "You don't mind if I sleep in my dragon form do you?"
"Not at all, the bed's like a queen size or something, just don't hog the bed," Aiko replied.
She felt Ryu shifting behind her as she slowly began to nod off. The last couscous thing she remembered was a heavy head resting on her side and let out a hot breath.
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