Truth or Dare

No surprises were to be had that day. Everything had gone eerily as planned. Tarps were up by nightfall and a small campfire was lit. It was a little unusual. Ami usually insisted on not using campfires in the past weeks, insisting that we needed to leave the grounds as we found them. But this particular night was colder than most and we were pretty wet from the rapids. The flames flickered against the moonlit sky and danced on the rocky cliff behind us. Magnificent. Yet, I'd come to expect that out here.

Purin bounded over to me. They were getting ready to play a game. Sounded innocent enough…

Truth or dare: of all the games in the world, why were we playing truth or dare? There was just too much our friends could use against us here… It was not going to be pretty. I was first-a truth.

"Who's the better kisser: Shirogane, Kisshu, or Aoyama?" Mint narrowed her eyes and smiled slyly at me.

"Wow! Ichigo's kisses a lot of guys," mused Purin. I turned beet red.

"What's my dare?"

"Go skinny dipping in the river." Not good options. I decided to take the truth. Ryou was looking into the flames of the fire. The jerk wasn't even interested in my response! Aoyama, I lied casually. That got a response.

"Isn't there a rule about lying on a truth?" Ryou looked over at Mint who nodded. "I believe the rule is if you are suspected of lying you must take the dare." Everyone turned to stare at me.

"I'm not lying," I replied laughing nervously. It was no good. I never was a good lair. I was faced with a decision… hurt my pride and tell the truth, or bare all and dive into the river… He was looking at me now. Smirking. I bit my lower lip and glared. I couldn't believe I was about to do this…

I walked quickly into the woods and changed into my swimming suit before walking down to the water's edge. The water was beyond cold-but it beat having to fuel Ryou's overly inflated ego. Taking a deep breath I dunked myself under the water. I held my swimming suit up above water, being sure to remain well covered. My friends cheered and clapped jokingly.

I was never so happy to be near a fire! I was back in my pajamas snuggled into my sleeping bag while the game continued. Retasu was next-truth.

"Who do you have a crush on?" Zakuro winked at her. She turned bright red and adjusted her glasses.

"Well, I sort of thought Pai was pretty cute… and we had deep conversations…" she blushed, concealing a smile as she said this. I was kind of surprised. I thought she'd liked Ryou personally. Mint's turn-dare.

"Go all day tomorrow without any tea." Mint went pale but agreed to the challenge. "We'll all make sure you stick to it," I continued with a wink.

"Okay, Ryou; you're up!" I grinned at him mischievously: payback.

"Dare me."

"I dare you to—"

"Kiss Ichigo-onee-chan!" Purin smiled and bounced around excitedly.

"Is that all?"

"No! That's not a dare for you, it's punishment for me!"

"Me thinks the lady doth protest too much!"

"Just shut up and kiss me."

The whole circle fell quiet, waiting to see what would happen next.

"As you wish, Strawberry," he replied quickly closing the large gap between them.

"And no quick pecks on the lips either! We want to see a real kiss," Mint added.

I leaned forward, eyes squinted shut, and prayed that my ears and tail wouldn't pop out. That would give Mint material for a month! Not to mention that Ryou would be all smug about it… No kiss. I peaked open one eye:

"I won't kiss you," he muttered, "I refuse to give a kiss to someone who's unwilling to kiss me."

Liar, I thought. He'd kissed me dozens of times when I hadn't been willing… although, I never exactly stopped him or punished him for doing so… I blushed a little and looked down.

"What's my truth, Ichigo?"

I paused and looked up at him in earnest: "have you ever been in love?"

Ryou looked at me wide eyed, a little blush creeping across his face.

"What'll it be Shirogane," nudged Zakuro, "a kiss or a love confession?"

"Yes…" he murmured. "I have been in love."

We both sat there silently, no one even daring to poke fun or pry further. Fortunately, the awkwardness was interrupted by a call for dinner. I couldn't help but notice Ryou didn't join us. By the time the others were done eating and heading down to the water for a before-bed-swim, he had yet to move an inch. The light of the fire danced across his face; he seemed so lost, like a little child not knowing where to turn. I closed the distance between us and sat beside him. We didn't speak, he didn't even really acknowledge my existence, but I sat there with him none the less.

"Did you need something Strawberry." He finally looked over at me, mildly annoyed. I simply replied no and continued watching the flames with him. His eyes never left me. I turned back to him.

"How do you feel about me Ryou?" I felt my face burn from a blush, but I had to ask him. I couldn't take not knowing any more. He stared at me speechless before a calm smile crept onto his lips. He gazed back into the fire.

"You've gotten a lot stronger on this trip Strawberry." I scolded him and pointed out that his comment, though nice, did not answer my question. "Do you really need me to say it…?"

"It would be nice…" I drew a little design in the dirt with my fingers. He leaned back and stared up at the sky.

"I'm not ready to say it." There was something in the calm, simple way he made that comment that really pissed me off.

I stood up and looked down at him. "If you want to be with me Ryou, you need to say something and say it soon. I'm not going to wait around wondering. And the next Aoyama in my life may not screw up." I turned and walked away in a huff.

I awoke early the next morning. Well before anyone else… The world outside smelled like dew and soft chirping could be heard amongst the trees. I felt warm… My eyes opened slowly… there I was, lying in Ryou's strong arms. I blushed, unwilling to move from the position. He was still fast asleep. Sometime during the night I must have rolled over into his chest and he must have instinctually wrapped his arms around me. Carefully, I removed myself from his grasp and left the tarp.

The river sparkled in the morning sun and a soft roar could be heard from the upcoming raids. I splashed some of the cool water on my face. People were starting to stir… hmm…

"Good morning!" I cheered as everyone emerged from their tarps. It was roughly seven.

"I must still be asleep," commented Mint yawning. "It looks like Ichigo is sitting over the gas cooker making breakfast…"

"I don't think you're dreaming…" Purin clung to Retasu nervously.

"Do you know how to cook Ichigo?" She looked nervous too.

"You guys are horrible," I muttered stirring the food. "I'm not the best cook in the world, but it's not going to kill you." They all took a step back. "Very funny."

"Let's get this over with," teased Ryou coming over and taking a bowl. Everyone watched him take a bite… chew… he was keeping a good poker face. The suspense was killing me. "Not bad Strawberry," he finally concluded. That was probably the best I was going to get. Still, it got everyone to eat my breakfast.

The morning went quickly. We were on the water by a quarter to eight. The rapids had been lowered in level due to the heavy rain, but according to Ami they would be back to normal by the following morning. Of course, this meant another long day of floating down the river with the least talkative human on the face of the earth. I didn't know at the time just how eventful this day would be… and the changes it would bring about.