It was late in the afternoon, and the Happy Hungry Bunch decided to break the monotony with a game of Truth or Dare.

Yoon had bought the slips from a foreign merchant, who had explained the rules to them.

"So we're supposed to take it in turns?" asked Hak, as they settled down near a small stream.

"Yes. Every time it's someone's turn, they will have to pick a slip which either contains a Truth question or a Dare that they have to carry out."

The order was decided by a clockwise motion. Yoon began first.

Yoon - What do you like the most in a girl or a boy?

"Their appreciation of my beauty," declared the handsome genius without hesitation.

"How refreshingly upfront," remarked Jae Ha breezily.

Kija - If you are given a chance to kiss a person in this room, who would you choose?

Kija blushed so hard his face resembled a cherry.

"W-what sort of brazen question is this?"

"Come on, Kija, You can be honest with us," said Jae Ha with a sly grin. "Although we know the answer already."

Kija was unyielding.

"I refuse to answer this ridiculous question!" he said, in a somewhat panicked voice.

"Refusal would equate to forfeit, which means you'll have to kiss a guy," pointed out Hak ruthlessly.

"That's right. Make your choice, White Snake," grinned Jae Ha. He was clearly enjoying Kija's discomfiture.

Kija looked on the brink of imploding. "Is this what you people call your idea of fun?"

"Come on, Kija. You don't have to say why," pressed Yoon. "Just be out with it. It'll be over in a sec."

It seemed like an eternal had passed before Kija finally blurted it.

"Y… Yona…"

The Princess flushed. "Oh my!" she said, taken aback.

The others glanced at Hak. The Thunder Beast's face was black as a thunderstorm.

"Well, I'm flattered to hear that, Kija," smiled the Princess. "Guess it's my turn now!"

Yona – Yell at the top of your lungs for ten seconds.

"Oh! Miss has received the first dare!" said Zeno excitedly.

"I was eyeing that one," fretted Yoon wistfully.

Hak grinned. "The Princess screaming her head off? Now this I have to see."

"Go on, Miss! Take a deep breath."

Yona sucked air into her lungs until her face resembled a pufferfish. And then she was screaming like she'd never screamed before. Yoon was convinced that even the inhabitants of Hiryruu Castle could hear her.

"Nice one!" said Jae Ha appreciatively, when she'd finished. "You've got a strong pair of lungs, Yona."

"That felt great," sighed the Princess. "I feel like a huge load has been lifted off my shoulders."

Jae Ha rubbed his hands in anticipation. "And I'm up next!"

Jae Ha - Say "in bed" after every sentence for the rest of the game.

Jae Ha grinned devilishly. "Whoa, snap! This is a real treat." His grin deepened ominously. "In bed."

"Right," said Yoon wearily. "I don't think this dare could have suited anyone better."

"Alright everyone, let's give Jae Ha the cold shoulder for the rest of the game," announced Hak airily.

"That's mean, Hak!" pouted Jae Ha, and then changing his tone into a seductive one, "… in bed."

But Hak pointedly ignored him.

Hak - Who was your first crush?

There was an extremely long pause.

Jae Ha whistled. "The heavens are on your side, Thunder Beast. This is finally your chance to declare your eternal love for –"

Hak's elbow flattened his face, rendering the rest of his sentence almost unintelligible.

"– in bed," finished Jae Ha muffledly. Hak straightened up, and the Green Dragon raised his head, wincing.

"That hurt, Hak!... In bed."

Yona's spine was straight, the very image of attentiveness. Zeno said jovially, "You seem to be curious about this, Miss."

Yona nodded. After all, although Hak was her childhood friend, she knew next to nothing about his love life. If he even had one.

Hak shot the Princess a sidelong glance.

"My first crush," he drawled, "was a cumbersome brat."

Yona frowned.

"Who?" she asked. She had never seen Hak mingling with female acquaintances in the palace. It had to be someone from his village.

Hak surveyed her for a long while. The others watched them, their breaths held.

Then Hak swivelled round to face Zeno.

"OK, Yellow Dragon. It's your turn."

"What?" pouted Yona. "Come on, Hak! Tell us. Who was your first crush?"

"Precisely! An improper answer is as good as a forfeit!" egged on Kija.

"I have told you," was Hak's curt reply. "That question was pretty generic."

Yona and the four Dragons were immensely disappointed, but they let the subject drop.

Zeno - What is the meanest thing you have ever done?

Zeno's squinched his face as he struggled to recall. Then his face brightened. "Oh! That's easy. There was a time when I fed earthworm broth to an old man who had a fever –"

"Earthworm broth?" Kija literally jerked back as though he, too, had been offered a bowl of earthworm broth. "That's lunacy!"

"I think this penalty is having more of an impact on Kija," remarked Yoon. For the White Dragon's sake, the group quickly moved on.

Shin Ah - Who is the sexiest girl in the group?

A few jaws dropped. Trust the Blue Dragon's luck to have him be smacked with such a brutal question!

Fortunately, a certain little critter saved the day – Ao scampered onto his shoulder and struck a pose, squeaking confidently.

"Ao?" said Shin Ah, puzzled.

"Ao?" repeated everyone else.

Ao nodded coquettishly. Jae Ha clapped his hands together.

"Certainly! Ao wins hands down, no doubt about it," he said, with a rather forced laugh. "And with that we're back to Yoon! In bed."

And although no one could see it, Shin Ah was immensely relieved.

Yoon - What is something you want to buy, but can't?

Apparently, this was a very passionate subject for the young genius.

"First of all, I'd buy every cooking equipment I can get my hands on. And then I'd buy huge plots of lands to grow every sort of herb imagineable and get a big palace for all of us to live in and –"

"The question said something, not some things," cut in Hak.

"Hmph." Yoon looked disgruntled.

"But it was interesting to hear," beamed Yona heartily.

Kija looked apprehensive as his turn came again.

Kija - Say "in bed" after every sentence for the rest of the game

Kija buried his face in his hands as Jae Ha leaned over and slapped him companionably on the back.

"Well, my brother, it seems we share a common camaraderie," he guffawed. "In bed."

Kija simply moaned agonisingly.

"You're not going to say anything, are you, White Dragon?" said Yoon, eyeing the pitiful Kija with some sympathy.

"It's no big deal, White Snake. This is just a game after all," said Hak matter-of-factly. At that, Kija shot him a poisonous glare. "Well, if you don't like it that much, just kiss Shin Ah and be done with it."

Why Shin Ah? wondered the others. The Blue Dragon jerked up at Hak's comment, no doubt startled. Kija shook his head feverishly, looking even more mortified.

"It's alright, Kija. No one's forcing you to do it," said Yona, trying in vain to comfort him.

The White Dragon nodded disconsolately.

Yona - What did you want to become when you were a child?

The words "Soo Won's bride" floated into the Princess's mind, but she shook them away. This was no time to put her emotions in turmoil.

"A queen, of course," she said, with utter frankness. Everyone stared at her.

"Well, I was a princess," she said defensively. "Children dream of silly stuff most of the time."

"Well put," said Jae Ha. "And you still are a princess, Yona. In bed."

"Not another word, Droopy Eyes," warned Hak.

Jae Ha – Jump into the nearest river with all your clothes on.

"Now that's just bothersome," said Yoon. "As if I haven't enough laundry to get done with."

"It's loads better than having to put my lips on a guy. In bed," said Jae Ha merrily. "Here goes nothing! In bed!"

With a running leap, the Green Dragon plunged into the rushing currents.

When Jae Ha clambered back onto shore, he was soaked from head to foot. He grinned and struck one of his grand poses.

"Bravo," said Yoon dryly, clapping along with the rest.

As the Green Dragon went off to change into a dry set of clothes, the others resumed the game.

Hak - What does your dream boy or girl look like?

Jae Ha came rushing back to his spot just as Hak was reading out the question. The Thunder Beast's face became a tad more contorted as the meaning of the question sank in.

Jae Ha couldn't resist the situation. "My, my! It seems you can't evade the truth, Hak. Not even in bed."

"Be quiet, Droopy-Eyes!" snapped Hak. Why was he being hit with such ill-omened questions? "My dream girl would be one who has looks and personality. There, simple as that."

"No it isn't!" argued Kija. "Give us more details or you'll pay the price, Dark Dragon!"

The nerve on Hak's temple was twitching visibly. "If you've got a problem with it, White Snake, I'd be more than happy to settle this personally."

Yona gave a short laugh. "This side of you is rare to see, Hak."

Hak turned red as Yoon declared, "Thunder Beast, White Dragon – you both have to suffer the penalty. Thunder Beast's answer is inadequate, and White Dragon forgot to uphold his dare."

Hak looked ready to blow up. Kija covered his mouth, looking horrified.

"Yes! Suffer the penalty!" sang Zeno cheerfully.

"Oh, be quiet!" said Kija indignantly. He looked around the group. His eyes widened.

"If I have to kiss a guy, it will have to be Shin Ah," he said, and crossed over to land a smack on Shin Ah's mask.

"Ah!" cried Yoon in surprise. Yona's eyes resembled saucers. Jae Ha was convulsing with silent laughter. No wonder Hak had suggested kissing the Blue Dragon – his mask would prevent any lips from actually touching his face.

Hak seemed to have resigned himself. With every show of reluctance, he touched his lips to Shin Ah's mask with the barest amount of contact.

"There. Are you satisfied now?" demanded Kija, as Hak returned to his place looking like the devil had taken his soul.

Yoon tried to maintain a calm expression. "Alright. But from now on, if anyone wants to kiss Shin Ah, it will really have to be on his cheek."

"Oh come on, isn't that going a little too far?" said Yona.

Yoon shook his head. "Yona, there is a reason this game is called "Truth or Dare." A lightweight penalty would defeat the purpose of playing it."

"Why do I have the feeling you're enjoying this?" grinned Jae Ha. "In bed."

Zeno - Have you ever slapped someone? Why?

"Well," said Zeno thoughtfully, "there was one time when I had to wake a friend of mine. But he was a pretty heavy sleeper, so when shaking him didn't work –"

"You're amazing, Zeno," said Yoon with uncontained exasperation. "You manage to give unpredictable answers in a downright honest manner."

"Thanks!" said Zeno happily.

"It wasn't a compliment!"

"Shin Ah, you're up next," reminded Jae Ha.

Shin Ah - What is a question you don't want us to ask you and why?

The Blue Dragon's answer was soft. "I don't want you to ask me why I gave Ao her name, because it doesn't suit her."

There was a long silence.

"Why are Shin Ah's answers always somehow related to Ao?" sighed Yoon.

"Well, so long as he's honest," said Jae Ha. "In bed."

Yoon - Keep your eyes closed for the next three turns

"This game just keeps getting weirder and weirder," remarked Yoon, shutting his eyes with a sigh.

"You should be glad it wasn't anything worse," said Hak ominously.

Kija - What is something you want to buy, but can't?

"Yona's glory!" was his simple answer, followed by the whisper of "in bed". The others, who had been expecting something like this, looked unsurprised.

Yona beamed. "Thank you, Kija."

The White Dragon blushed furiously.

Yona - Lick the cheek of the person on your right.

Yoon's eyes flew open at once. The others could have sworn they heard Hak's vein snap. Kija looked as though his insides were about to explode - he was the very person sitting on the Princess's right.

"It seems the game has taken an unexpected turn," said Jae Ha, blinking. No one noticed that he had forgotten to carry out his dare – they were too busy staring at Yona.

The Princess was completely mortified.

"I – I forfeit," she whispered, as though confessing to a heinous crime.

The others' blank faces turned to those of complete consternation.

"Wait a minute, Yona!" spluttered Yoon. "The penalty is to let a guy kiss your neck! You can't allow that!"

Hak looked ready to commit bloody murder. Even Jae Ha was uneasy at his expression.

"Now, now, Hak," he said, hastily trying to appease him. "This is just a game – a game!"

"Yona, the Thunder Beast is about to go on a murderous rampage," said Yoon, staring at Hak warily. "You'd better do something quick."

Yona looked like she was about to lose it.

"I forfeit," she confirmed, blushing harder than a tomato.

There was a slight stir in the group. The word seemed to breathe a bit of life back into Kija; he straightened up, shaken out of his stupor. Hak looked tense.

"And… who do you choose?" asked Yoon tensely.

Yona was clearly bracing herself. "I… I choose…"

All heads were leaning towards her, their faces anxious…

"… I choose Hak."

Yoon didn't think anything could beat the expressions on their faces when Yona had read out her dare, but evidently he was wrong. Eyes were stretched to their widest, and jaws were dropped so low he was surprised they didn't hit the ground.

But in the end, nothing could beat Hak's expression.

A full minute passed before the Thunder Beast remembered himself.

"Well, it seems I have no choice," he said, as though resigning himself to a troublesome task. "Princess, if I may…"

He knelt before Yona. As if in tacit agreement, the others turned away.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The group jumped a mile. A boar had come charging out of nowhere towards Zeno, and the Yellow Dragon only just managed to save himself by catching hold of its tusks.

The furious boar swung its massive head to and fro as Zeno squealed, clinging on for dear life.

"Zeno!" gasped Yoon. Without any ado, Yona grabbed her bow and took aim at the frenzied beast.

Thwack. Her arrow embedded itself in the beast's flank. With a squeal of rage, the beast sent Zeno flying with one furious swing and then took off at high speed.

"Zeno! Are you OK?"

The Yellow Dragon lay gasping on the ground. His eyes were enormous.

"I – I'm fine. Thank you, miss."

"I think we should call it a day," said Yoon tentatively.

The others wholeheartedly agreed.

(Weeelll, that's it for round one. I had tons of fun penning this one and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have! Oh I'm open to suggestions as well, so if anyone has ideas for the next round please feel free to voice them out and I'll try my best to fit them in!^^)