Disclaimer: I do not own The Prince of Tennis.

I Dare You

Sakuno quickly went back to the kitchen, and when she reached her destination, she leaned on the wall and sighed heavily. Then she touched her lips, contemplating on what had happened.

"What did I just do…?" she tried to remember the sensation but then some hand was waving itself in front of her face.

"Ryuzaki-san, are you alright?" Jackal stopped waving his hand as Sakuno realized that she had been spacing out. He placed a hand over Sakuno's forehead to check her temperature.

"Eh? Kuwahara-senpai?" she said, confused as she tilted her head slightly to the side.

"You have a very flushed face. I thought you might be having a fever." then he removed his hand and looked a bit more relieved upon knowing that Sakuno was alright.

"Thank you for worrying, Kuwahara-senpai, but I'm perfectly fine." She smiled at him and walked towards the stove, returning to what she had left earlier. Then she turned her head back at her senpai and said, "Please call me Sakuno."

"You can just call me Jackal." Then she nodded.

The Rikkai regulars are now enjoying themselves on the juice that they prepared. The others were unaware about the little present that the Trickster had mixed in the juice. The Junior Ace liked the juice so much that he even commented that it tasted great. Even Sanada quenched his thirst with it.

The ones who drank the juice were oblivious that they were getting a little perkier and friendlier with each glass of that wonderful juice. Sanada and Yagyu were playing shogi near the garden as the others were having fun inside the house.

As Kirihara neared the table to get some more delicious juice, he stole a glance at the kitchen, where our cute little Sakuno paced to and fro, tending what she was cooking with Jackal and Sanada's kaa-san. A small smile formed in his lips as he watched Sakuno enjoy cooking and chatting with her companions.

"Hey, brat, what ya' doin'?" the Trickster along with the Data Master approached him. "You're stalking Sakuno, aren't you?" he placed an arm around the boy who just answered with a grunt. "Our brattling has a crush on somebody who's cute and good in cooking!" he teased.

Kirihara removed himself from his senpai's grip and denied his real feelings. "I told you! I will never have a crush on a girl who's clumsy and weak!" he said as he placed his glass on the table, making little ripples on the surface of the liquid.

Yukimura entered the scene and beamed at the two who were facing him. Kirihara turned around to see his buchou with that godly smile plastered on his face. Then he spoke, "Why don't you tell her what you really feel?" the other just shrugged and drank more juice. Niou smirked evilly as he got himself some of the juice as well.

"There is 76 percent that she will not reject you, Akaya-kun. Why don't you give it a try?" Kirihara just kept quiet. Then Yukimura raised his hand and spoke,

"If you don't want to, then I will tell her for you." He smiled and snapped his fingers. Kirihara's eyes widened and as he tried to get close to his buchou, his senpai-tachi grabbed him, tied him and gagged him and made sure that he will stay quiet.

Yukimura paced through the dining area to the kitchen where his target was and the two others followed him as they dragged poor Akaya. They hid behind the counter that divided the whole room and listened to the upcoming conversation.

Yukimura walked in the kitchen full with confidence. Kirihara got nervous from where he was, cold sweat started to emerge from his pores. He swallowed his saliva; he suddenly felt very thirsty and he wanted more of the juice.

Sakuno felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see her Yukimura-senpai smiling as always. "W-What is it Y-Yukimura-senpai?" she bowed low. She didn't know what the buchou wanted from her.

"I want to tell you something, Sakuno-chan." He paused. Akaya got more and more nervous as seconds drifted away. He tensed his ears, trying to listen very closely at what his senpai would say.

******

"I want to tell you that," Yukimura said slowly. Akaya tried to stand up but hit the overlying corner of the counter. "THUD!" He quickly fell back to where he sat; he wanted to rub his poor head but he couldn't. His hands were tied behind his back. Niou rubbed his head instead and said, "If you stay like a good boy, you won't get hurt." He grinned mischievously. He looked at Renji who produced a small test tube from his pocket that shined eerily.

Kirihara's eyes widened once more. He knew what it was but he could not speak. "Yes, that's right. This is the infamous Inui Juice that had been spreading rumors about terrible effects once it is drunk." He moved it closer to Akaya's face which then pulled back from the evil liquid. "Just stay like that and be a good boy and you won't feel the wrath of this fluid." The Junior Ace gulped, afraid of what can happen to him if he drunk that, and so, he obeyed them.

******

"THUD!" Sakuno's attention got caught by a really loud sound and asked, "W-What was t-that?"

Yukimura flashed a reassuring smile and said, "The others might be having a rough-house play, don't worry."

Sakuno looked at him, looking impatient, she said, "What w-were you going to ask me, Yukimura-senpai?" Then Yukimura remembered what he was about to say. Yes, the moment of truth! Renji and Niou watched Kirihara carefully, the other jotting down notes on a piece of paper. Akaya thought that he shouldn't have been friends or even acquainted with these freaks, for they always put him in a tight spot.

"I really like you Sakuno." Yukimura said, the smile on his face still not disappearing. Everyone who was listening jaw dropped. Sakuno was shocked at what she heard and wasn't able to reply.

"Mwmm mmmk ms mat!?" Kirihara muttered under the gag, and his senpai-tachi silenced him.

"Did you understand what he said, Yanagi?" Niou scratched his head and asked him about what Kirihara was trying to say but Yanagi just shrugged and continued to listen to Yukimura's speech.

"I know that right now you love somebody else, but I just wanted you to know how I feel." He paused then continued, "Everyone in the group really likes you, you know." Now, everyone got more shocked. Sakuno's face started to fire up and blood started to rush to her cheeks. "I'm s-sorry for disturbing you. I-I shouldn't h-have said that." Then he quickly turned around and paced out of the kitchen. The others followed him, again, dragging Kirihara along.

"MIMM MMMM MAMU!" Kirihara struggled to talk clearly but he had something in his mouth that prevented him from doing so. Yukimura told the two to remove the restraints on Akaya.

Niou removed whatever that was used to gag Kirihara as Renji removed the rope that they used to tie his hands. He eyed his senpai-tachi and spoke, "What the heck were you trying to do!? You almost gave me a heart attack!" he was really angry but he made sure that he didn't shout or else Sakuno could have heard him.

His Niou-senpai raised a hand and waved his index finger "I dare you to confess your feelings to Sakuno before this party ends, or else…" Niou smiled and glanced at what Renji was holding. Kirihara flinched at the very sight of its color.

"You would do that if you're a real man." Yukimura taunted him which made Kirihara angrier.

"Of course I'm a man! Damn it! What else could I be!?" he snapped at his senpai-tachi and he was about to hurt them when Renji took out that vial containing the ominous liquid. The very sight of it sent chills down his spine. "Che!" then he stomped off to somewhere safe from these freaks.

As he walked away he thought of the dare. 'Dang it! If my dignity wasn't at stake, I wouldn't bite in!' he thought. Inside his head he was really screaming. He tousled his hair in his confusion, "What should I do?" Though he didn't admit it, but rejection was his biggest fear.

He gulped, now he's really in big trouble.

Preview of the next chapter, Memories with the Prince:

"What happened a while ago and why were you soaked?" Yagyu inquired for everybody who were all worried about her.

"Eto... I was bullied by a g-group of g-girls." she said, avoiding the knife part. Marui looked at her with great concern. She smiled in return to say that it was okay.

"Those fan girls, they're starting to get annoying!" Kirihara said as he took a fried tempura into his mouth.

"It's okay." Sakuno said as she stared down on her hands that were clasped together on her lap. "I'm used to it."

Sorry it took so long before I could update. It totally disrupted my plans haha. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to click on the review button below, ne? Tell me whom you are rooting for to win Sakuno's heart. n_n