Truth or Dare (chapter 10) [FIC]

[dd]

A small amount of light filtered into the room.

One of the blinds had been left slightly ajar, giving Sousuke enough sunlight to go about his morning routine without bothering his eyes so soon after waking.

Business as usual. Another new day. Time to shake off the effects of sleep and get ready for school. There were things to learn, a girl to protect, and a mission to fulfill.

“Kaname,” Sousuke muttered, shuffling about his apartment with only a pair of camouflage briefs on. He froze a moment, realizing that he was thinking about a girl in his current state of undress. “My apologies.” He shook his head. Why had he said that? She wasn’t in the same building as him, and would have no idea of what he had just thought. Maybe he was as clueless as Kaname made out.

Made out.

Those two words had him swallowing hard. He frowned, wondering why he always reacted that way. Not only was he nearly seventeen years old, he was also a soldier, and the pilot of Arbalest! Kaname had kissed him the other night, during their study session. She had promised more to come. It was not a problem.

“Owww-ww-w…” Sousuke had absentmindedly stubbed his toe against the leg of the table holding his communications gear. He had never done that before, given his innate sense of orientation with the lights on or off. “There is no logic to this distraction…”

His foot still throbbing, he made up his bed and began laying out his clean and crisply-pressed school uniform. Next to the various pieces of clothing, he placed his books and school supplies. On top of those, he started adding the weapons he would take with him that morning. He would pack up his satchel after showering, getting dressed, and getting breakfast ready.

While in the shower, he thought back to his Japanese History test. He had done very well. The teacher had challenged him after grading things, wondering if he had written his name on someone else’s paper, or cheated somehow. But, the handwriting was unmistakable, and no one else had gone into as much useless detail as he had.

‘Even a blind hog finds an acorn now and again,’ the teacher had said. ‘Maybe you should come to more Truth or Dare parties,’ had been Kaname’s comment. Well, it had been her remark later in the day. Her first response had been to smack him on the top of the head, finding out that he had actually done better than her.

“Truth or Dare,” Sousuke mumbled, the water running down over his face. Lathering up with a bar of soap he had brought from the TDD-1, he thought back to the trials and tribulations he had faced that fateful evening. “Dares are not an issue. It is the Truth that is a problem.” He was not concerned about the deception he lived every day at Jindai High School. That was a necessity. No. he was still worried about Kurz and Melissa. So far, he had managed to keep from letting anything slip. But, that was only because there was only so much broadcast time available, due to security reasons. Had they been able to corner him in person, he wouldn’t have stood a chance.

“Kaname…” Sousuke applied a good bit of fragrant shampoo to his hands, and then began to work it into his hair. “I hope they do not contact her…” He sighed, wondering if she would keep his actions at the slumber party secret. Would she feel some need to protect him, or would she stumble over herself in a rush to tell what she knew? Fortunately, she had not been contacted by his fellow SRT members. At least, if she had, she made no mention of it.

Finished in the bathroom Sousuke went to get his breakfast started before getting dressed. He was not all that hungry yet; but, he would not have another opportunity to eat until lunch time. Food was a crucial part of his morning activities. He was well aware of something that the Duke of Wellington had once said: ‘The success of military operations depends upon supplies; there is no difficulty in fighting, and in finding the means of beating your enemy either with or without losses; but to gain your object you must feed.’ Napoleon had also commented on that same truth, in a brilliant and concise statement: ‘An army travels on its stomach.’

“A soldier is often under a lot of stress,” Sousuke told himself. “Food is vitally important to performance and survival.” He began rummaging through one of his cabinets. “It is also necessary for natural repair and maintenance processes.” He had certainly been under stress that night at Kaname’s. He would have to eat extra portions for a month to make up for that!

There were still a fair number of MREs left. They served his needs perfectly. The pre-packaged chow he had was tasty, healthy, and suitably nutritious. Knowing the psychological benefits to good food, the U.S. military had spent an inordinate amount of time and effort creating good meals for its troops.

"Restriction of food and nutrients leads to rapid weight loss,” Sousuke said, flipping through the various packages. “That in turn leads to which leads to loss of strength, decreased endurance, loss of motivation, and decreased mental alertness.” He frowned. Kissing had led to a loss of strength in his legs and decreased mental alertness. He wasn’t certain about his motivation yet. Kaname had hinted that kissing might wear him out.

“The change in her came suddenly. Could it be mental illness? Some kind of trick?" He came close to banging his head on the open cabinet door. “What if that is someone impersonating Kaname?” He sighed. He was being foolish. There had been some hints that her feelings had been changing subtly. He had ignored them. He had thought he had a good reason.

Sousuke turned his attention back to his food supplies. What did he wish to eat this morning? Beefsteak with Mushrooms and Western Beans? Pork Rib and Clam Chowder? Beef Ravioli and Potato Sticks? Country Captain Chicken and Buttered Noodles? Chicken Breast and Minestrone Stew? Chicken with Thai Sauce and Wild Rice Pilaf? Beef Patty and Nacho Cheese Pretzels? He was out of Chili and Macaroni; Pasta with Vegetables in Tomato Sauce; Black Bean & Rice Burrito; and his favorite, Beef Teriyaki.

He stood a few moments, turning one package over in his hand, before realizing that he had become lost in thought again. That was not like him. He was looking forward to seeing Kaname again that morning. He hoped that such feelings would not get in the way of his performing his duties.

Forcing himself to be more focused, he unwrapped the package and began taking out its contents. He placed a flexible pouch containing an 8-ounce serving of chicken and sauce on his counter top. The entrée was followed by a flameless heater, a box labeled ‘Yellow and Wild Rice Pilaf,’ and a foil package of crackers. Those in turn were pushed aside to make space for a 37 gram Nutra Fruit cereal bar and packets of spiced cider drink, coffee, sugar, salt, pepper, and grape jelly. He picked up a sealed bag of M&Ms, leaving the towelettes, matches, toilet paper, and spoon in the box.

“These are not enough for a meal,” Sousuke said, opening the candy. He never had a sweet tooth before. But, after Kaname had introduced him to Pocky, he found himself eating pastries and the like at school. He dropped a few, watching them bounce across the floor. “This daydreaming must stop…”

The young mercenary soldier placed the uneaten M&Ms on the counter. He stared at them for a moment, thinking about them in a manner that few consumers ever would. M&Ms are an example of a food product designed around the rigors of military life. He knew that they were born against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War.

Legend has it that on a trip to Spain, Forrest Mars had encountered soldiers who were eating pellets of chocolate that were encased in a hard sugary coating to prevent them from melting. Inspired by this idea, he went back to his kitchen and invented the recipe for M&M's Chocolate Candies. They were later a favorite of American GIs serving in World War II, and were available to troops before becoming widely available to the public.

“I know a lot about things of little significance,” Sousuke said. “But, I know so little about people.” That was changing slowly. A seed did not become a tree overnight. He had to be patient.

He placed his MRE entrée into a bag, and poured in water until it reached a certain mark. Holding the bag upright, he allowed the chemicals in the flameless heater to soak up the water. The water would cause oxidation of the magnesium dust, resulting in enough heat to have things bubbling and steaming within seconds. After propping the bag against one wall, he headed off to get dressed.

After placing his school supplies in his carrying bag, Sousuke checked the clips in his Glock 17 and TMP. Finding some room for a couple of grenades next to his bundle of sharpened pencils, he turned his eyes on his school outfit. He had trade one kind of uniform for another. When he first heard about his mission, he had been very unhappy. What did he know about High School? He was a teen by age only.

Sousuke picked up a spare clip and turned it over in his hand, running his finger along the smooth edges. Things were indeed changing. He had begun to get used to the things that someone his age took for granted: academic tests, PE class, tedious instructors, and girls. On the surface, that sounded wonderful, as it would improve his cover and help him blend in better. But, that wasn’t all it did. It would be hard to leave those things behind, when his true talents were needed full time. It would be even harder to leave a particular person behind.

“I shouldn’t have let her kiss me,” Sousuke said, touching his lips. “I never should have kissed her back.” He began slipping on his clothing with a heavy heart. Being a teenager brought change and difficult decisions. To stay with Mithril, his foster family, he would need to walk away from Kaname Chidori some day. To stay with her, he would have to leave the service, letting go of what little security he had in his life. “It’s not fair for her either.”

He wasn’t very knowledgeable, when it came to family. His memory of his parents was sketchy at best. But, he did know that the death of Kaname’s mother had hurt her dearly. Staying behind in Japan when her father and sister moved back to America had been difficult too. How would she feel if she grew closer to him, and they had to be parted? It was his duty to protect her, wasn’t it? Did that simply mean her body, or did it include her heart, too?

“Time will tell,” Sousuke said to himself. “No decision needs to be made today.” He took a deep breath and let it out. “Sometimes, the unexpected happens during missions.” He felt his spirits lifting a bit after that. There was no reason to obsess too much on negative things. He had to be at his best today, for himself and Kaname.

Unexpected.

There was a knock at his door, soon followed by two more. Who could that be at this hour? Kaname? Not knowing that he was doing so, Sousuke began humming ‘Lied der Panzertruppen’ as he walked towards the door. He also didn’t realize that he was puckering his lips, practicing how to kiss. He was doing just that when he opened the door.

The sight he saw left him frozen in mid-pucker. All his daydreaming was blown away, like the garbage on the beach during a typhoon. His control of bodily functions was sorely tested, and he was intensely aware of a tic in his left eye.

“C-C-Commander…” Sousuke snapped to attention, finding Cmdr. Richard Mardukas standing outside his door. That was unexpected, to say the least. There had been no prior mention.

“May I come in, Sergeant Sagara? Or, are you going to let a superior officer remain standing in the hallway?” It was more an order than a question.

“Come in, Sir!” Sousuke quickly stood aside, and then followed the naval officer back into his apartment.

“I see that things are as dreary as they were the last time I came by.” Cmdr. Mardukas sneered, tightening his tie. Brushing off his suit jacket, he turned to pierce Sousuke with a fierce look. “This is unacceptable. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I will not be able to direct you in the proper decoration for this room. I only hope that the sordid appearance of your abode does not unduly influence her.”

“H-H-Her?” Sousuke began to sweat heavily. Shocked at seeing his superior, he had forgotten to sweat up until that point.

“I’m quite certain you know who I mean, Sergeant.” Mardukas’ face became even more frightening. “Just as I am certain that you will remember everything I told you the last time she visited Tokyo.” He took out a cloth and began polishing his eyeglasses. “The promise to fire you from a torpedo tube along with a full load of explosives still stands.”

“Y-Y-Yes, S-S-Sir…” Sousuke closed his eyes. He knew exactly who Cmdr. Mardukas must mean.

“May I come in now, Commander?” That was Tessa’s voice. She was standing in the doorway, framed by two bulky men in dark clothes and sunglasses. “There’s not a lot of time left, and I need to get dressed for class.”

“Certainly, Madame Captain.” Cmdr. Mardukas made a small gesture to the guards. They took up position just outside the door. “The accommodations are substandard, but that should not come as a surprise, seeing who lives here.”

“Hello, Sergeant.” Tessa smiled brightly, playing with her ponytail. “Are you surprised to see me again?” Her face pinked up some. “We had so much fun together, that I decided to spent my break here again this time. Isn’t that wonderful?”

“Uhhh…” Sousuke felt like a mouse staring inside a lion’s mouth. The growling noise coming from Cmdr. Mardukas could have frightened the King of the Jungle and any know species of rodent. “B-B-By together… the Captain also means Miss Chidori and all of our classmates…”

“For your sake, I hope so.” Cmdr. Mardukas said, his eyes flashing.

“Oh, Sousuke… you have Pocky…” Tessa clapped her hands. Her use of ‘Sousuke’ instead of ‘Sergeant’ or ‘Sagara’ added a double load of explosives to the torpedo tube in the Commander’s imagination. “Could we share one when I finish showering?” She smiled. “After I get dressed, of course.”

“Uhhh…” Sousuke swallowed hard. Tessa probably meant breaking one in half, the two of them eating their share separately. He couldn’t help but think back to the party at Kaname’s place, or their subsequent study session. “Uhhh…”

“We need to leave now, in order to reach the helicopter before its designated take-off time.” Cmdr. Mardukas pushed his glasses further up his nose. His voice was very pleasant. That signaled potential danger the same way that the glowing numbers on a bomb timer did. “You will take good care of our Captain. It would take far less money to arrange for a military funeral, than it would to maintain a sergeant’s stipend.”

It took Sousuke a while to catch his breath when the other men finally left. His pulse was still racing when there was another knock at the door. He froze, causing the person to knock again.

“K-K-Kaname…” Sousuke began sweating again, seeing her standing there, school bag in one hand and a box in the other. “G-G-G-…”

“Good morning to you too, silly.” Kaname smiled a bright smile. “I had some food left over after last night. I was wondering if you might like to eat breakfast together. There’s still time.”

“I… there’s… it’s…” Sousuke squared his shoulders and made a supreme effort to regain his composure. The sense of déjà vu was suffocating. “I have an MRE warming.” That wasn’t what he had wanted to say. If he came out and mentioned Tessa unprompted, Kaname would be far less suspicion than she would if…

“Is everything OK, Sousuke?” It was Tessa naturally. Without looking, Sousuke correctly guessed that she was dressed in a towel.

“Tessa?” Kaname’s eyes went wide. Then, they narrowed. “Sous-kaaay…”

“I… she… “ Sousuke wiped his brow. “It was unexpected.” Her bowed. “You probably just missed Commander Mardukas on his way out. He informed me that the Captain wishes to spend more time at our school.”

“Isn’t that great?” Tessa had her usual sweet smile, but there was a definite challenge in her eyes when she met Kaname’s gaze. “You don’t have to spend the night, if you don’t want.” She didn’t mention the fact that Melissa Mao would be stopping by prior to the end of the school day.

“I’ll leave that up to Sousuke,” Kaname said, smiling just as sweetly. The menace in her statement had Sousuke feeling the same way he had when Mardukas was there.

“I suppose I should get dressed then.” Tessa flipped her wet hair and disappeared from view.

“I suppose…” Kaname growled, and then turned to look at Sousuke. “For your sake, I hope you didn’t share any Pocky with her.”

“Uhhh…” Sousuke swallowed hard again. “Pocky?”

“Pocky!” Kaname said, poking him in the chest. “P…O…C…K…Y.” She straightened the collar on his uniform. “I think you can remember what Pocky is, right Sousuke?” That last was said in a lower voice. She patted his cheek.

“Affirmative,” Sousuke said. “I have not eaten any Pocky since your last visit.” He wondered why he answered in such detail. It wasn’t as if Kaname was keeping count or something.

“Good,” Kaname said, taking Sousuke’s hand and leading him back inside. “I can confirm that when I do my count.” She hugged Sousuke when he made a shocked face. “Like I would really do something that paranoid.” She raised one eyebrow. “Where’s the box?” She looked over on the table. The Pocky was still there. She went and retrieved one wrapped cookie, without bothering to see how many were left. “Want to share one before Little Miss Captain comes back out?” She was only teasing. While she might give anything to have Tessa catch them in a kiss, she would never do that to Sousuke. Well, not first thing in the morning.

“If you wish,” Sousuke said, trying to use his new found talent at banter. “However, to be chivalrous, I would have to offer the same thing to my other guest.” He managed to keep a straight face.

“What?” Kaname put her hands on her hips. Her eyes looked to be heavy with lightning. The storm soon passed. “In some ways, I liked you when you were less talkative.” She tossed her hair, but couldn’t keep from smiling. Daring fate, she ran over and gave Sousuke a quick peck on the cheek. “Hmmm. Too bad I didn’t put lipstick on.”

“I’m ready,” Tessa said, stepping out into the room. “Do you like this?” She did a slow turn, showing off her new school uniform.”

“No,” Kaname answered automatically. “He doesn’t.”

“Sousuke?” Tessa batted her eyelashes. She thought about doing a curtsy.

“I believe it is in our best interest to head off for school,” Sousuke said. “We will not wish to be late.” He walked over and grabbed his school bag. Not waiting for anyone else, he headed out through the door. He didn’t answer when Tessa called out “But what about your breakfast?”

Eventually, the three of them reached school without incident. Kaname had made a big show of taking Sousuke’s hand, feeling no need to say that they were almost and sort of dating. Not one to back down from that kind of challenge, Tessa walked over and grabbed hold of her subordinate’s other hand. By the time they all walked up the front steps to Jindai High, Sousuke’s uniform was drenched with sweat.

As one might have expected, Tessa’s return to the school had everyone in a tizzy. She had won the hearts of everyone during her previous stay. Sousuke was faced once more with a situation where he had to put more effort in safeguarding his Captain than he did looking after his charge. If Kaname had made herself a Voodoo doll, he would have been in a lot of pain.

Lunch time saw a huge crowd of girls and guys standing around Tessa. It was almost as if she were the belle at some ball. Sousuke sat quietly, munching on an Apple Cinnamon flavor HOOAH, the commercial version of an energy bar created for the U.S. Military. Kaname sat next to him, stabbing her bento with a pair of chopsticks, looking over at Tessa with a sour look on her face. How could things get worse than this?

She and Sousuke were about to find out.

“Really? A Slumber party? Truth and Dare?” Tessa turned to look over at Sousuke. “Sousuke was there? I never heard anything about it?” That was a little white lie. It would serve as a very nice lead in to her next question. “What happened?” Her interest wasn’t feigned. She knew where Sousuke had been, but had no idea what had taken place before the attempted kidnapping.

“We all promised not to talk about it,” Maya said.

“Especially since there was some shooting involved.” Ryo added that in a whisper.

“You’re kidding!” Tessa pretended to be shocked. “How exciting.”

“Not as exciting as the game,” Mizuki said, before taking an elbow in the gut from Maya.

“You have to tell me,” Tessa said. “Please. We can wait until the crowd thins.” She pleaded with her eyes. “You girls are so lucky to be able to have that kind of fun.” She sighed. “I wish I could…”

“Well, I suppose it wouldn’t really hurt,” Ryo said.

“You want to bet?” Kaname walked over, daring any of her friends to say a thing more. “There will be absolutely no talk about slumber parties, Truths, or Dares.”

“I’m sorry,” Tessa said, tugging at her hair. “I keep forgetting that I’m an outsider. I didn’t want to intrude.” She got up, wiped at one eye, and started to walk quickly away. That ought to work.

“Good job, Kaname.” Maya gave her friend a disapproving look.

“Hey, wait!” Mizuki walked after Tessa. Ryo and Maya joined her. Not long after that, Ren and the other girls joined them. Only Kyouko stood hovering between Kaname and her other classmates.

“It appears that your friends listen to you as well as I do,” Sousuke said. It was an unwise observation at a inopportune time. The throbbing in his kicked calf was clear proof of that.

“Baka!” Kaname could have meant Sousuke, Tessa, or any of her friends. She turned and gave Sousuke a smirk. “It won’t be much trouble for me, Sousuke. You’re the one who needs to worry, right?”

“Uhhh…” Sousuke thought about firing off his sidearm, to disperse the chattering girls. No. He could deal with the school officials. But, if Cmdr. Mardukas got wind of something like that, his goose would be cooked, loaded into a firing chamber, and shot far off into the deepest depths of the sea.

“So, he was busy studying for a Japanese History test, but somehow ended up on Kaname’s balcony without any socks?” Tessa grinned.

“And without any underwear,” one girl added. “Not that we checked.”

“It really was kind of sweet,” Ryo said. “Kaname had lied to him, and he thought she was in some kind of danger.”

“We talked him into staying to play Truth or Dare,” Kyouko said, flinching when Kaname looked at her.

“That’s right,” Maya stated. “We wanted to find out if he and Kaname routinely met that way at night. If you know what I mean.”

“Did you?” Tessa asked, bringing her hands up to her chest. “Find out, I mean…”

“Well, not really.” Mizuki shrugged. “I kind of doubt it. She wasn’t treating him too nicely. What kind of guy wants a girl who does that?”

“I agree,” Tessa said, chewing on her hair and looking over at Sousuke. She smiled, seeing the look on Kaname’s face.

“Besides, we ended up having too much fun to worry about stuff like that,” another girl blurted out. “I think the only reason that Kaname had him stay was that he made it look like she would prove she was afraid if she kicked him out.”

“Pride,” Maya said. “It can get her to do anything.” She grinned a wicked grin. “Remember that, Sousuke.”

“It wasn’t all that fun at first,” one girl said. “Sousuke was spouting all this stuff about the Edo period.” She shook her head. “We came to the party to get away from that kind of thing.”

“And to gossip,” Ryo added. She went on to mention a number of the other things the girls had done before a certain boy showed up out of nowhere. That had Tessa looking wistful.

“Tell her about Sousuke’s dancing!” One girl sounded very excited. She ducked out of view when everyone turned to look at her.

“Ohhh?” Tessa’s eyes went wide. “I definitely want to hear about that.” She smiled, seeing half of Sousuke’s protein bar break off in his hand.

“That happened later,” Maya said. “No one here will ever forget it.” She ran a hand through her hair. “The first fun came thanks to Mizuki. She brought up the obvious fact that Sousuke wasn’t wearing pajamas at a pajama party.”

“I loaned him my pajama top,” one girl said.

“And he wore my pajama pants,” another put in.

“Scandalous,” Tessa said. “What happened next?”

“We wanted to give him a make-over; but, he wouldn’t let us.” Ryo made a face at Sousuke. She ignored the slashing gesture that Kaname made across her throat. “Ohhh… I guess we should mention the way that we stuffed socks in Kaname’s mouth…” She made her own gesture in return.

“That sounds like a very good idea,” Tessa remarked. She tried to look innocent when Kaname stood up, glaring at her.

“Don’t forget the grenade!” Ryo grinned. It didn’t seem so embarrassing now. At least not for her. Some of the other girls began coughing.

“Grenade?” Tessa frowned. “Did he set one off, or do something inappropriate with it?”

“No,” one girl noted. “Someone asked ‘Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you happy to see Mizuki?’ It was a joke. You know.” She watched Tessa turn pink. “Sousuke asked if he should take the thing out to show us, saying it was larger than necessary, and that size didn’t really matter.“

“Yes,“ another girl said. “He said what was important was how one used such a thing.“ She thought back to the party, surprised by her feeling of nostalgia. “He said that he would let anyone handle it who wanted to, as long as they do not cause it to explode.”

“Are you OK, Tessa?” Kyouko put out a hand to steady the wobbling girl.

“It’s… I just… I’m fine.” Tessa bit her lip, looking over at Sousuke again. “Go on…”

“Hey, your name came up too!” Mizuki snapped her fingers. When Tessa asked her explain, she continued. “Sousuke mentioned something about you and the beach. He also said that both you and Kaname slept over at his place.” She waved her hands frantically for a moment. “But, he said it wasn’t… well… you know…”

“What did he say about the beach?” Tessa, was looking down at her lap, tugging hard on her hair. There was a faraway look in her eyes.

“It’s not important,” Kaname called from where she sat. “It had nothing to do with the party.” She looked over at Sousuke. “Not a word. Not a single word.” She attacked her remaining lunch with a renewed vigor.

“I remember one of my favorite parts,” a girl said. “I thought he was going to faint when we asked him if he was going to pull on our breasts.”

“But, that just had him mentioning one of his dumb quotes,” another girl said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

“What was the quote, Sousuke?” Tessa asked.

“Uhhh…” Sousuke looked over at Kaname. When she said “Go ahead” in a testy voice, he did so. “For every dark night, there's a bright day after that. So, no matter how hard it gets, keep your head up, stick your chest out, and… uhhh… handle it.”

“Sousuke said that?” Tessa looked surprised. “That Sousuke said that?” She pointed.

“Yup,” Ryo said.

“The guy’s an animal,” another girl claimed. “Don’t let his clueless act fool you.” She smiled. “Kaname wasn’t too happy. She dumped a bowl of Jello on his head. Or was it the pizza that time?”

“Jello,” Maya said. “The pizza came after he asked her if she was angry at his statement, thinking it might be an order.” She smiled. “He said that for her, it is unnecessary, because her chest stuck out on it’s own.”

“I see,” Tessa said, frowning. She looked down at her own chest. Her frown deepened when Ren mentioned that the pizza actually came after Sousuke asserted that one of his conditions for getting a make-over would be for the girls to show cleavage the way that Miss Melissa was prone to do.

A number of the girls spoke up after that, mentioning some of the various Truths and Dares. That had Tessa sitting with a forlorn look on her face, feeling left out. She tried to put on a bright face, but it took more and more of an effort. Watching her, Kaname first felt pleased, but soon found herself feeling sorry for the other Whispered girl. Tessa had a lot sitting on her shoulders, but didn’t have much of an opportunity to make friends.

“Sousuke told us that he had been swimming naked with girls,” ayoung womansaid. Sousuke opned his mouth to say “as a child,” but someone else spoke first.

“And, that he’d spent a lot of time around prostitutes,” Ryo said. “Strip clubs, too.” Once again, the young soldier couldn’t get a word in edgewise.

“He kissed Mizuki…” Maya mentioned. “Again.”

“You should have seen his ballet routine!” Mizuki didn’t want to be reminded about either of her kisses with Sousuke. “And the part where he was asking Ren and the other girls if they liked his derriere.”

“I would have like to see that, too…” Tessa said. “The whole thing, I mean.” She felt a bit short of breath. “I can’t believe that all happened at one party.”

“That’s just the beginning,” Kyouko said. “I’ll be right back. She ran off to get the photographs that neither Kaname nor Sousuke had any idea existed.

“What did she mean?” Tessa looked over at Sousuke again. For a moment, she wondered if a Captain of a submarine could have a Truth or Dare party onboard. There was little chance of that, even if it met the criteria for proper naval etiquette if Commander Mardukas was on board. She giggled, picturing that stern and proper man in girl’s pajamas.

Someone mentionedhow Kaname had pushed Sousuke and he tripped, accidentally groping two sleeping girls. Another girl wondered what had happened on the balcony after that, telling their visitor the things that Sousuke had let slip later.

“Care to tell us what happened out in the dark, Miss Chidori?“ Tessa wasn’t certain that she really wanted to know.

“No!“ Kaname said. “Neither does Sousuke.“ Under her breath she added “Not if he knows what’s good for him.“

Sousuke, for his part, was taking things remarkably well, or so it seemed. Appearances can be deceiving. He was not concerned about Kaname’s worsening mood, even though he might end up paying for it later, guilty or not. Captain Testarossa was at school again. That would make his life difficult, and promised another stretch of sleepless nights and sickness. Still, he could handle that much. He had done so before.

There was one very big difference, however.

During her prior stay, Tessa had not heard about everything that had happened at a pajama party. First, he felt mortified, even though he no longer considered his Captain to be a goddess. Second, and more important, the thought of Kurz and Melissa finding out had him perched at the very edge of hysteria.

“There was also the perfume contest,” Ren mentioned.

“What was his favorite?” Tessa asked. When one girl told her ‘Carnal Flowers,’ she asked if she could borrow a pencil. Kaname looked ready to chew steel and spit tacks when she saw all of her so-called friends rush to find something for Tessa to write with. Looking over at Kaname, the smaller girl winked.

Kaname narrowed her eyes. There was a way to deal with that. She slid over to lean against Sousuke. Sure, it was a bit dangerous, with her friends watching. What the hell. Life’s too short. She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

The pencil in Tessa’s hand snapped. She tapped one of the pieces in her palm while the girls all began whispering amongst themselves.

“I’ll tell you what the best ’Truth’ of the night was,” Maya said, bringing everyone’s attention back to the Truth or dare game. “No so much for the question itself, but for the Dares it caused.”

“I know the one,” Ryo said. “It was ‘If you were to drink your fill of wine from someone’s mouth, who would you choose?’”

“Kaname had to walk around the room acting like a chicken for a whole minute,” Mizuki said, the mother of all smiles on her face.

“That must have been wonderful,” Tessa said. “It seems so… well… appropriate.”

“Are you going to kiss me again, Kaname?” Sousuke might be clueless much of the time, but he had correctly deduced why Kaname had been acting affectionate out in public. He also remembered what had happened the last time the two girls had been vying for his attention. Lying incapacitated in bed, he had ended up with a bowl of hot porridge dumped on his face.

“Be quiet, Sousuke!” Kaname said, pinching him hard on the thigh.

“After that, Sousuke had to take a Dare.” Kyouko had returned. Without letting Kaname see her, she passed the pictures over to Tessa. She almost dropped the whole stack, seeing one shot where a couple of intoxicated girls where stuffing money down Sousuke’s pants.

“Chippendales,” one girl said. Her smile vanished when she saw that she was one of those drunk girls in the picture.

“You don’t know what you missed,” another girl said to Tessa. “But, that wasn’t the last of it.” She went on to describe Sousuke being questioned about his preference in women’s bodies.

“Your name came up again,” Ryo said. “Thanks to Mizuke.”

“Hey!” Mizuki wasn’t too thrilled about being dragged into things again. “Kyouko started it. She said that you were pretty, trying to tease Kaname.” She looked over at Kyouko for corroboration. Hearing none, she turned to Maya. “Maya asked whether Sousuke would prefer a small, pretty petite girl like you, or a larger chunkier girl like Kaname.” She faced Ryo. “And you were in on the act, too.” She looked over at Tessa. “Ryo asked if Sousuke liked a girl with a nice small round tush like yours, or…“ She was interrupted.

“I think we all get the picture,” Kaname said. “Let’s not drag things down in the gutter.” She paused. “In case you’re wondering, he chose me. Hmmmpppfff.” She folded her arms across her chest and stuck her nose in the air.

Maya and Ryo both tried to bring up Mizuki’s fruit routine, but the other girls had already moved on to a different part of the story. Tessa looked out of sorts when they told her what happened with Spin the Bottle and the Pocky. She fidgeted when she heard about the repeated pile-ons and the fact that Kaname had been pressed up against Sousuke.

“Should I tell Tessa about my saluting,” Sousuke said, rubbing the area where Kaname had pinched him. That was no way to treat a Specialist.

“What do you mean… saluting…” Kaname didn’t catch on at first. Thinking back to what happened, she became bright red. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. “If you do… you will never salute again...” She motioned with her finger over her chest area. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

“Be quiet, Kaname.” Sousuke actually grinned. That was the only thing that kept Kaname from exacting her retribution then and there. It would come later for sure. He didn’t care. Some costly victories were worth the price one had to pay.

“Y-… Y-… Y-…” Kaname just shut her mouth. She had been hoping for a more vocal Sousuke for quite a while. There was a reason that people had to be careful what they wished for.

Tessa didn’t bat an eye when she heard about the condoms. Melissa had clued her in to that little secret during one of their baths in Da Danaan’s giant tub. She embarrassed herself by snorting, when she heard about Sousuke’s karaoke routine. “Sousuke, could you sing the Teapot song for me?”

“Negative,” Sousuke said, beginning to sweat. What would he do if the Captain ordered him to do that later? He pictured a red-faced Cmdr. Mardukas shouting at him: ‘What do you mean you refused a direct order? Take him to the brig!’

“Please,” Maya said.

“It was so-o-o-o-o cute,” Ryo added, clasping her hands together.

“I’d like to see it again too, Sousuke.” Kaname gave him a haughty look. He should no better than to try and get the better of her.

“No,” Sousuke said firmly. “If I showed you, I’d have to kill you.” He kicked his school bag. It was anyone’s guess what he might have hidden in there.

“Hah hah hah,” Mizuki said. “That’s a very funny joke.”

“Joke?” Sousuke scratched his head. In all actuality he was joking. But, he had spoken in his usual deadpan manner. That raised some doubt. Even a small amount of uncertainty could be costly around him, so the girls let the matter drop.

The day seemed to pass quickly after that. On the walk home, Tessa stopped and stretched. She played with her ponytail for a few moments, staring at Sousuke.

“Captain?” Sousuke asked.

“Sergeant Sagara,” Tessa said, trading rank for rank. “Sgt. Major Mao and Sgt. Weber do not know about the slumber party, do they?” She pursed her lips. "The details, I mean."

“C-… C-… Captain?” Sousuke froze.

“I bet they don’t," Tessa said. "Neither of them could have kept that kind of secret. It would be all over Da Danaan by now.” She smiled. “Not to mention Sydney and Merida Island.”

“Captain… what… I don’t…” Sousuke was at a loss for words. Why had Tessa brought that up?

“You’re not going to blackmail him, are you?” Kaname looked like she was getting angry. “That’s low”

“Who said anything about blackmail?” Tessa tried to look innocent. She failed miserably. “I was just curious.” She started walking again. “But, you know, there is one thing I would like to do while I’m in Tokyo.”

“What?” Kaname was quite certain that she didn’t want to know the answer.

“I would be fun to have a Truth or Party,” Tessa said. “It’s always nice when everyone has secrets, isn’t it?”

“Uhhh…”

[pilot03]

DD.....you are the best!!! I keep checking the Fan Fic section just to see if you have update this fine forum with any new fics! Just wanted to give you some of the praise you deserve for your hard work. I would love to see what you could do with a KurzXMao fic. That would be funny. Props for your Narauto fics too!