Disclaimer: I only own what is mine. My OCs and Ideas.

A/N: Ok, Iron Fist was great! I have a friend over and we watched it Friday and Saturday! I loved it and I am looking forward to The Defenders now!
My favorite part was all the little things that were in there. References to the other shows, Claire in episode five... although episode eleven is my overall favorite! And the Ending! Everything! Ward's character development. The Orson Randall REFERENCE! Davos was amazing, I mean amazing to see him on screen! Ok... that should not be too much of a spoiler for those of you who have not seen it yet... if it is I am very sorry about that!
But the show was good, there is a lot of criticism about it. But it was good in my opinion. It just kept getting better as the show went on! The last episode was amazing. Like episode 12 ends with a cliffhanger and then I was just sitting there like; "How are they going to fix this problem in an hour?"
They did...
Anyway, that's enough. You guys are here to read about this love story and Danny and Aiko's date. Enjoy! Read and Review!

Reviews:

ArtemisBAMF1218- No worries. Ok, we will have to PM and talk about Iron Fist as soon as you watch it! People I know have seen it. But no one seems to appreciate it as much as I did. You will love it! I know you will! You can read the A/N for a tease if you want. :) Enough to get you through.
Me? Organized? People say that a lot... I mean I guess I am organized. But people who know me give me way to much credit, I am a mess most of the time. Thanks though!
Interesting you mention the spa... there's something similar I've already written concerning that kind of thing. I don't know what chapter it is in, though.
Danny is pretty great. He's definitely smooth. This just came to me; it must be from watching Hiroshi fail so many times! Sorry! It's just too funny a thought to ignore.
Alright, get to it! Enjoy!

TheRandGirl- Ok, Iron Fist? What did you think? I fangirled the entire way through. I had the remote the first half of the show and kept pausing it to make comments, guesses, and point out references. My friend had the remote for the second half... with good reasoning... I guess...
Anyway! Enjoy this chapter! Fluff to come!

Chapter 13

Danny had simple said to meet him in the foyer the next afternoon. Nothing more.

Aiko didn't know what he had planned. So, she wore a simple cheongsam dress that went to her ankles, it more traditional and had cut up to about her mid-calf. The sleeves were also longer, reaching her elbows. The dress was a light blue and Aiko had thrown on pants to cover her legs.

"Hey. Sorry I am late." Danny said walking up to her, "you look beautiful."

"Thanks." Aiko smiled. "So… what did you have in mind for today?"

Danny smiled. "Well, would you like to go out to eat?"

"I thought you didn't like going out to eat?" Aiko said softly. "Last time a small child saw you and you didn't enjoy yourself."

"I was thinking a little fancier than that. Or street food." Danny smiled.

"Um… do you want to have a formal lunch?" Aiko asked. "I don't care. What were we going to do afterward?"

"A surprise." Danny smiled. "Formal lunch it is?"

Aiko shrugged; "that's fine."

"Good." Danny smiled.

Aiko had to admit that Danny had meant a formal lunch when he said it.

The place he had taken her to was a tall three story building. And inside was elegant. The room where they were seated was large.

Aiko looked at the menu in front of her, a real formality, usually dishes were written on a sign and hung up to be seen by everyone. A menu meant it was a much nicer place. And likely the nicest in the city.

Aiko reached for her cup and took a long and slow drink.

The tea was omija cha tea, a Korean tea that was served in the summer and either cold or warm, hers was cold. It was also one of Aiko's favorites she had ever tasted.

"Aiko, what do you want?" Danny asked. He looked up at her.

"I don't know." Aiko shrugged. "You meant formal when you said it."

"You have said that at least five times now…" Danny sighed. "If you wanted to go somewhere else you could have told me."

"No, here is fine," Aiko said quickly. She looked back down at her menu. "This place is cool. It's just… I don't know…"

"Yes, you do," Danny said without thinking.

"I think we are starting to act more like a couple. Before you were not able to put your arm around me without ending up uncomfortable. But you did the other day without being worried about it. And 'dating' is fun." Aiko laughed. "I just feel like we are actually a couple now."

Danny looked up at Aiko softly with a gentle smirk. "You know... I get what you are saying, but we are still far from what a married couple is like."

"I guess." Aiko sighed. "So you mean that we are still just starting off?"

"Mostly. There are things that will never happen until we are married. It could be years before we are a normal couple. You and I are on the mindset of the outside world. Couples will date for some time before getting married. We'll be in this stage for a while." Danny smiled at Aiko.

Aiko blushed some. "Ok, I guess so."

"What do want to eat?" Danny asked. He easily placed his own menu down on the table

"Um… Anhui cuisine." Aiko decided, she scanned the menu once quickly. "Pumpkin Dumplings and Phoenix Tail Shrimp I guess."

Danny nodded. "I think Shandong."

Aiko smiled. "That fits in with you not eating meat."

Danny smiled. "Yeah. I guess. The cooks had a fun time the first couple of nights with me. Luckily Ryu eats lots of meats."

"You don't eat meat because you can't stomach it, right?" Aiko asked.

Danny nodded. "That is true. After all that time in monasteries, it will mess with your stomach. And once I was already sick because of eating meat, the monks introduced me to the 'all life is sacred' philosophy."

Aiko smiled. "So how did that go over?"

The curtain to the small private room was pushed aside and a girl walked in.

"Are you two ready to order?" She asked softly as she walked up to Aiko and Danny.

"Yes," Danny began. "Seafood Xiaolongbao."

Aiko smiled. "And um… Pumpkin Dumplings and Phoenix Tail Shrimp."

"Smaller portions of both?" She asked.

Aiko nodded. "Please."

She nodded. "Thank you." She bowed and walked out.

Aiko looked back to Danny. "So the cooks?" She asked.

"They didn't know that I don't eat meat so the night after my coronation they just fixed a normal meal for me and I just ate plain rice and some dumplings. They didn't figure it out until Ryu told them." Danny smiled.

"You should be nice to people who work in the palace." Aiko scolded.

"It was fun the first two or three days to see people scrambling around trying to figure me out." Danny smiled. "Then the whole fearful of the king act got old."

Aiko smiled. "Do you think I am going to have to go through that too?"

"I know you are going to have to. Because that is just how it is." Danny smiled as he took a drink. "You will be the queen. People will want to impress you and they will be fearful of you." He placed his cup down and looked Aiko in the eyes. "You will be politically powerful. Not to mention your actual power."

Aiko nodded. "Yeah. You are right. I don't want to be feared. But… at the same time…" Aiko trailed off. She looked down at her lap.

"What?"

"I'm just thinking again. This is a lot of work. I'm in over my head." Aiko sighed. She had had this reoccurring thought repeatedly.

"No, you are not," Danny said gently. He reached across the table and held out his hand.

Aiko placed her hand in his and Danny began to rub it. "You are going to be just fine. If you were going to be in over your head. Then your father would not allow me to marry you. It is true, this will be hard work."

"Danny… I'm going to be queen." Aiko protested weakly. "That is a lot of work, no matter what."

"Aiko, please do not worry about it. Worry about being the queen later. And worry about being my wife first. You must learn the balance between work and freedom." Danny smiled.

"Right." Aiko sighed. "And you've mastered it?"

"No, I'm behind by about a day…" Danny said easily.

"And you are not worried?" Aiko asked.

"I still have the council trying to micromanage my life." Danny sighed, he pulled back his hand from Aiko, and folded his arms and putting them on the table. "One minute they are saying I need to spend more time with you; and the next? I am not working enough."

"And I am a popular topic, aren't I?" Aiko asked, her voice held a quiver at the mentioning of the council.

"Aiko, I love you," Danny said easily.

"So, you don't want to talk about it." Aiko uncovered easily.

"Aiko, yes. You have been the main topic lately. Other stuff has come up, but the council is just worried about you some. And it's just stressful trying to plan a wedding and stuff." Danny sighed.

"Let me help you," Aiko said easily.

"You have your own things to do…" Danny replied.

"It's not nearly as important. I want to help you do it right the first time." Aiko snapped.

Danny looked at her, his expression was clearly uneasy. "Aiko…"

"What?" Aiko asked.

"You are being defensive. You are not under attack." Danny said soothingly.

"I know… it is just…" Aiko trailed off and the couple sat in silence for a while.

Aiko looked down at her lap and played with her hands. The food could not come soon enough.

She took a drink and avoided looking at Danny.

She didn't want to fight him… it was just… not as smooth as she wanted.

"You can help me with the preparations." Danny decided.

The pair's ears both hear it at the same time. Someone was coming.

The girl who had taken their orders had walked in and was caring their food.

She served them both quietly and once more left them to their own business.

"I just want to skip a few months," Danny commented as Aiko picked up her chopsticks to begin eating.

"What do you mean?" Aiko asked.

"I am looking forward to the wedding, but I want to just have our normal life together already." Danny smiled. "I want to wake up in the morning, right next to you, think you are the most beautiful thing in the world and everything to just be peaceful."

Aiko's face heated up. "Ok…"

Danny smiled at her and slowly began to eat.

They were quiet for a while.

Aiko had to admit, the food was good. And it was nice to just eat quietly.

"So where are we going?" Aiko asked softly.

Danny smiled at her. "Well, a surprise… but it's not likely going to be all that great."

"That is not reassuring." Aiko sighed. "Tell me."

"No," Danny said once more.

"Danny. Tell me." Aiko commanded.

"No. Danny said again.

"Annoying." Aiko sighed.

"I love you too," Danny replied.

Aiko felt her heart race.

She internally cursed herself. They had been engaged for two weeks. When was she going to stop being the nervous type around him? When were things not going to be awkward between them?

They were getting married. That ship had long since sailed. It was official. And everyone at least knew her name, if not her face.

"We are here," Danny announced.

Aiko looked up at the building they stuff before. It was clearly Japanese architecture.

Aiko sighed. "Geisha?" She asked. "Danny, what on earth are you thinking?"

"What are you accusing me of?" Danny asked turning to face her.

"What?" Aiko asked. "I'm not accusing you of anything."

"You were yesterday." Danny pointed out crossing his arms. "You were mad at me because I did not tell you right away about what the meeting was about."

"I had the suspicion it was about me and you would not tell me what it was about," Aiko said.

"And then you indirectly implied that I might not love you," Danny said hurt.

Aiko looked up at his stern expression. He was trying to hide the fact that it was hurting his feelings.

"I'm sorry about that." Aiko sighed. "I didn't mean to."

"But you did," Danny said, not dropping the subject.

"What are we doing here?" Aiko asked. "A show or something?"

"Do not change the subject," Danny said.

"You told me while we were eating that more stuff about me has come up. What are you talking about me for?" Aiko asked.

"Because you are to be my queen. The council wants to make sure you are ready, much like they did for me. Except they had much more time to prepare me." Danny replied.

Aiko sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Look, I guess I got upset that you would not tell me about what was going on. And my mind thought the worst of you."

Danny just continued to watch her.

"Look, I am sorry." Aiko finished. "Can you forgive me?"

Danny didn't say anything. He just watched her with hard eyes. "I forgive you." He said quietly.

Aiko smiled up at him. "So… what are we doing here?"

Danny looked over at the building. He took in a deep breath. "It was not my idea, but it was suggested that we should practice dancing together."

Aiko smiled. "No one has started bothering to teach me to formally dance. Apparently, it is lower on the list of expectations that I thought."

Danny looked down at her and tried to smile. "It is going to come up."

Aiko took his hand. "Are we going in?"

"Sure," Danny said easily.

He also held Aiko's hand. Wrapping his fingers so they were bent.

Aiko followed him as he led her inside.

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