"Tell me again why we are doing this?" Kagami complained, flicking her purple twintails aside as the gang of four sat down on the tatami mats in Konatas room. "Filming ourselves doing stupid things seem pretty... stupid."

"To get views on Youtube of course!" The blue-haired otaku-girl Konata explained matter-of-factly. "Have you seen how high the view count gets on these kinds of videos?"

"I think it looks kind of fun", Tsukasa argued, looking at her twin sister. "There are all kinds of dares people do, like eating wasabi paste or touching your own nose with your tongue!"

"I... I don't think I can do those," Miyuki whimpered shepishly, her purple eyes peeking out from behind her glasses. "What if I fail all of them?"

"No worries," Konata explained. "The highest view count is often for the failed dares anyway. Now, if Kagamin here is to scared and stuck up to do this she is free to leave. No? Good, then I will explain the rules."

Konata rose and suddenly went into full performance mode

"WELCOME TO EXPLAIN THE GAME WITH KONATA SENSEI!! <3" she exclaimed, effectively grabbing everyones attention. "The theme for tonights extravaganza is Duct Tape and there are three (3) rules to this special super dare event!

1) We decide the order of who will do the dares by spin-the-bottle, but everyone does atleast one dare.

2) The dare is decided by drawing from this exceptionally fashionable cardboard box. All of the dares are written on paper and contains:
   a)The name of the dare
   b)Instructions on what to do
   c)A difficuly rating from 1-5 stars and...
   d)Punishment for failure!

3) We record everything with this state of the art Video Camera!

Konata struck an astonishing pose, pointing to the mounted camera that seemed to be already recording. "Do we have any questions? No? Then let the first annual Duct Tape Dare Festival begin!"

---

Some time later the bottle was spinning for the fourth time. Kagami, who had been all but certain that Konata would have rigged this somehow to embarrass her was feeling a bit relieved. The bottle had ended upp pointing to everyone but her and, even though the dares were a bit weird, they did not seem to be anything she couldn't handle. Some of them had even seemed quite enjoyable!

The first bottle had pointed towards Konata who had gotten a two star difficulty dare. She had to place three pieces of Duct Tape over her mouth and sing a song while dancing. She had, as always, put on quite a show and everyone had laughed and relaxed a little. The song had been the intro to hit anime series "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" and after the laughter had subsided it was guessed fairly quickly. Kagami hadn't been able to keep from getting in a snide comment about how nice it would be to have Konata pemanently silenced...

Then the turn had come to Kagamis little twin sister Tsukasa. She had to make a knee length skirt out of duct tape and walk to all for corners of the room in 30 seconds. A 2-star dare, but Tsukasa, being as aloof as always had made the skirt way to tight and had ended up with her thighs and knees wielded together. When she wanted to fix her mistake Konata had quickly shouted "GO!" and Tsukasa had scrambled to try to wiggle her way across the room. It had looked quite ridiculous and she had tripped on her way to the fourth corner. Failure ensued and her punishment was to wear the skirt for the rest of the game AND on her way home. Kagami had laughed and teased her flustered sister about possible humiliating detours on their way home.

The third turn was sweet maternal Miyukis. she had been forced to pick up and eat a Pocky stick in one minutes with her hands taped into fists. The sight of the uncoordinated Miyuki desperately trying to handle the tiny snack with her hands trapped in balls of silvery duct tape had been the most endearing yet. She tried and tried but the sight was more reminiscent of a baby without the slightest hint of dexterity. The failure was a fact and Miyuki was forced to write her own name ten times with a pencil in her mouth before being released.

Kagami was slightly unfocused when suddenly she was jerked back to reality by Konata who was prodding her with the card board box full of dares. The bottle had stopped on Kagami at last and all eyes, including the camera, was on her.

"Guess it had to happen, right?" Kagami rationalized as she pulled out a dare and handed it to Konata to read aloud.

"Extreme Duct Tape Escape-Artistry!" Konata turned the paper over so everyone could see. "Wow, Kagami. This... this i a Five Star challenge! You're going to be famous!"

Kagami swallowed. Hard. This sounded... well... extreme. There also seemed to be lots of instructions on the paper in front of her.

"Backing out already, Kagamin?" Konata smiled, sensing weakness and at the same time pushing Kagamis buttons like she always did.

"Hmpf, as if! Give me your best shot!" Kagami snorted.

"As you wish, Kagamin - Queen of Escapes!" Konata bowed. "First instruction of the dare is clothing. This escape act requires a swimsu..."

"A what!?" Kagami exclaimed. "Why do only I need to change?"

"Every dare is different," Konata explained. "Mikyukis dare was the only one involving snacks, yours is the only one that involves a swimsuit. Don't worry, I have one that is perfect for the occasion!"

"Thats not the issue here," Kagami argued, missing the strange fact that Konata had a swimsuit in her own size, but she felt the pressure from her three friends. All of them had done everything they could to complete their dares. Everyone but her...

Five minutes later Kagami stood shyly in front of the camera in a dark blue skin-tight one-piece. It wasn't too revealing atleast, but it didn't exactly leave alot to the presumptive viewers' imaginations either. Tsukasa and Miyuki cheered her on and made encouraging comments that almost made Kagami regret how much she had teased them during their own dares. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Lets begin already!" Kagami ordered her friends.

"First step after clothing is taped hands" Konata read. This was nothing new to the group, and Kagamis hands were soon forced into the same fist-like spheres that Miyuki experienced earlier. Kagami experimentally tried to flex her fingers, but the tape felt rather strong. Certainly not the flimsy kind, but high grade stuff.

The second step was to pull Kagamis removed knee socks over her hands and arms, further immobilizing her hands and fingers. This was followed by more tape, wrapped indicidually around each arm, all the way from her hands and up towards her shoulders. Kagami noted that her hands were now covered with two casings of tape and one sheath of knee socks. The thought of it was enough to make her palms sweaty. She wondered if removal was going to be painful.

"How did you afford all these rolls anyway?" Kagami asked.

"Oh, daddy bought them for me when I told them about these dare videos" Konata explained like it was the most reasonable thing in the world. Kagami decided not to pursue this line of inquiry any further.

"This seems a bit excessive, doesn't it?" Kagami tried when the next step was revealed. Tsukasa and Miyuki had to help force Kagamis arms together behind her back and pull them out from behind her so that Konata could wrap them together.

"Yeah, but it's kind of fun," Tsukasa laughed in her knee length duct tape skirt.

"It's oddly satisfying to see the tape cover more and more," Miyuki giggled as well. "It's like you're a cocoon or a worm of some kind.

Kagamis arms were no in a solid sheath behind her. She could feel her elbows touching and her upper torso getting pushed up and out in front of her. This would be a challenge for sure!

Next step was apparently Kagamis legs. The procedure was somewhat tricky as  she laid down on top of two chairs with half a meter or so between them. Her legs were folded until her heels pressed against her butt cheeks. The sturdy sticky tape was then first wound around each leg individually, pressing her calves against her thighs, then both legs were taped together into one neat useless package.

"Come on, isn't this enough?" Kagami complained as she was lifted up to a table by her friends. Careful not to drop their trussed up escape artist on the floor she was placed with her upper body protruding over the edge of the table. Miyuki and Tsukasa held her legs steady while Konata proceeded to wrap Kagamis entire upper body in duct tape, bringing fresh rolls as needed when the old one ran out.

Before long, the only parts of Kagami not covered with silver was her head, her fanny and her feet. All this manhandling had caused the swimsuit to ride up between Kagamis buttocks like a wedgie and it was growing exceedingly uncomfortable, but Kagamis pride did not allow her to draw any attention to this predicament.

"I guess this is it?" Kagami sighed. "I mean, there isn't anything more to do now, right?"

"Not so fast there, Kagamin!" Konata told her bundled friend. "A true escape artists best weapon is her mouth and teeth! This paper is quite clear on that. That's where you hide lock picks and small blades and all kinds of escape techniques!"

"..." Kagami did not know how to respond. Lock picks? And would they really gag her as well?"

"First step, a pair of fresh white panties" Konata read, bundling them up as she spoke.

"Hey! Wait! What kind of dare is this!?" Kagami pleaded.

"Huh?" Konata looked at her quizzically. "They are clean. It's like any piece of cloth, really"

"Yeah, sis, it's part of the dare after all," Tsukasa chimed in.

"It's not to big to fit either," Miyuki reasoned. "It's a lot better than dirty socks or used handkerchiefs, right?"

Kagami looked puzzld at her friends. Was she somehow weird in reacting so strongly to getting gagged with Konatas panties? Did they think she was being unreasonable? Was she? After all, they all seemed to agree...

"...Fine," Konata agreed, opening her mouth wide.

"Say aaa," Konata giggled as she fed the white panties over Kagamis lips. They filled her mouth just enough to make it difficult to close. Tsukasa and Miyuki looked on fascinated as Konata then brought out a large purple ball , connected to several leather straps.

"The next step is a ball gag," Konata explained, still reading from the paper. Kagamis eyes went wide.

"Wht ih ack?" She tried to communicate through her stuffed mouth. What was this thing, and why did Konata have it in her room?" She did not get many seconds to ponder over this surprising item as it was pushed into her mouth and soon buckled tightly in place behind her neck and under her chin. There was also a strap running on both sides of her nose, up and over her head between her brown ribbons and down to the nape of her neck.

"Hooh hih?" Kagami tried, suddenly realizing she had lost a significant amount of her ability to communicate with her friends. Still, they did not seem too worried, as Konata once again picked up the duct tape, placing three large strips over her lips and the large purple ball. She continued however, by wrapping the sticky silver stuff around Kagamis head, further gagging her.

"Okay, get her down on the floor," Konata said, picking up a piece of brown ribbon, matching the ones in Kagamis hair and prompting her friends to carefully lower the escape artist down from the table. Konata used the satin band to tie Kagamis wiggling big toes together firmly, ending with a secure knot and then a cute little bow. She then fastened a piece of strong twine to the ribbons and led them up to a ring on the straps on top of Kagamis head. Pulling gently, but firmly this forced Kagamis protesting head and upper body backwards and upwards. It also kept her feet more or less immobile.

"Very stylish Kagamin! Are you ready?" Konata checked the instructions, "You have ten minutes to escape, from... now!"

Kagamis eyes bulged. Ten minutes? That was so little! She tried to calm down and mothodically went through her precidament. Could she free her hands? She tried to flex her fingers. They were already soaked in sweat from their confinement, so maybe the adhesive of the tape would loosen? She focused hard on her hands and tried twisting and turning. Nope. No way. The tape clung to her hands and held like it was molded out of metal, and even if she somehow broke free her hands and arms were still trapped. First by her own knee socks, then by more tape and then by the layer forcing her arms together behind her back. It was simply impossible to do without any novel ideas or outside intervention.

Okay, so what about her feet? Except for her big toes her feet were somewhat free atleast. Maybe she could use them to find some loose end? She tried breaking the tape holding her heels traped against her derriere (God! That swimsuit wedgie was really distracting!) but there was no more than a millimeter of movement. She wiggled her toes pathetically, but that, of course, did nothing except pull on her head.

What about her mouth then? Maybe there was some truth to Konatas claim about escape artists secret weapons? Kagami tried closing her mouth, but it was held open by the large ball in her mouth. She tried chewing it, but her jaws barely moved at all, and the rubbery sphere pressing against her teeth was hardly elastic. She tried prodding it with her tongue, but felt only the soggy saliva-drenched white panties against her palates.

"Five minutes!" Konata exclaimed.

"You can do it, Escape-chan!" Tsukasa cheered. Kagami rolled her eyes. Escape-chan? What kind of doofus would think of that nickname?

"Yes! Escape-chan! Do your best!" Miyuki chimed in, pumping both arms.

Kagami now resorted to brute force. She flexed every muscle in her body, tensed up completely and held her breath. Slowly, slowly... nothing happened. She tried rocking from side to side but she had no leverage, no momentum to get her going. She was quickly getting tired and the air tight seal over her mouth made her breathe solely from her nose. She was working up a good sweat, but it got her nowhere.

"One minute!" Konata claimed, "Then it's punishment time!"

"Ushng iygh?" Kagami repeated surprised. She had forgotten about the punishment. Would they leave her like this? What would happen to her? She suddenly felt extremely vulnerable and stressed. She had to get out! Now! She tried everything, shaking violently, throwing her head from side to side, pulling on her big toes. Her pigtails flapped around uselessly in the air, tickling her nose. She rocked more intensly than ever before, actually managing to roll over on her side where she got stuck. Her nostrils flared as they looked for more air and her fingers clawed in vain at the tape. She was stuck. Stuck and helpless and totally at the mercy of her friends. And it was all on camera. The embarrasing situation made her face beet-red.

"Aaand times out!" Konata decided.

"Aaaw, poor sis," Tsukasa cried out empatically, patting her helpless sisters head. "You fought so hard!"

"Yes, Escape-chan, it was a wonderful performance!" Miyuki comforted. "You were so close!"

Kagami heard her friends trying to cheer her up, but her focus now was on release. When would they free her?

It looked like Konata was the only one who managed to read Kagamis mind, because she loudly read from the paper that started this whole affair.

If the escape artist does not succeed in freeing herself within ten minutes, she is forced into deprivation and to choose between
   a) To stay restrained until she is able to free herself for a maximum of two hours or
   b) To reach and activate an escape device while being tickled with feathers.

"Ichled!?" Kagami yelled through the layers of obstructing materials in and around her mouth. Would they really tickle her with feathers? This was crazy! But she couldn't stand being tied up like this for two more hours. It had only been ten minutes and she was already exhausted. She had never felt such loss of power and control and frankly she just wanted to get out, not matter the cost.

"...vee" she mumbled while averting her eyes. This was sooo humiliating!

"B it is. Your escape device will be this phone," Konata explained holding a cell phone. "I will place it somewhere in the room and you just need to touch it with your nose, okay?"

Kagami nodded her acceptance.

"Then it's just the matter of the deprivation", Konata said. Kagami looked puzzled. Wasnt she deprived already? Deprived of mobility and of freedom?

"Deprived means sensory deprivation" Konata kneeled down in front of her face with the roll of duct tape. Kagami stared blankly at her friend. "It means you get blindfolded, 'Escape-chan'" Konata smiled as she somehow got a wide, smooth, piece of duct tape under the leather harness of the ball gag and firmly in place over Kagamis large purple eyes.

It only took the helpless girl a moment to realize what this meant. Not only was she even more helpless than before, how was she supposed to find the escape device without being able to see? She was just about to protest when she felt the first whisks of a feather over her unprotected soles. She twitched at the sudden touch and shrieked in muffled suprise. Then another came. Two feathers were simultaneously stroking each of her feet. Without being able to see her sense of touch went bonkers. She tried to wiggle and squirm away from the teasing touches.

She tried to focus on moving forward, jumping inside and letting out small yelps. every time one of the feathers grazed her. She heard Tsukasa giggle.

"That looks sooo funny! Sis, you look so silly all wriggly like that! Hmm... I wonder what happens if you tickle her here?"

Suddenly Kagami felt a feather brush her neck, making her squirm and twist desperatly. The feeling drove her crazy and her hands tried urgently to get rid of the sensation, but to no avail. The feather, and Tsukasas giggling innocent voice, moved to behind Kagamis ear, and then to her nose, making her snort ungracefully.

It became harder and harder for Kagami, bound and gagged to complete helplessness, to keep focus and not burst out in laughter. She came nearer and nearer to the tipping point, when suddenly one of the feathers started tickling her posterior, right around the frustrating swimsuit wedgie. Kagami suddenly howled behind her gag and started laughing uncontrollably. She knew she had to focus and find the phone, the escape device, but she could hardly move an inch even without the hysterical spasms which now convulsed through her body. She shrieked and wailed without a hint of her normal composure and grace and thrashed trussed and powerless from side to side.

Her friends giggled and seemed to have the time of their life and Kagami knew that there was only one way to stop the madness. She had no way of communicating and between her ceaseless bursts of laughter she was finding it more and more exhausting just to get air down her nose. The tea they had been drinking an hour before also started to make itseld noticed in her nether regions. Geeheheez, she thought as she screamed louder and louder. If this doesn't ehehend soohohooon I might not be ahahahaaable to hold it! Pleeehehehese let me fiiind the phohohooone!

The phone however, was presently beyond Kagamis reach. Just beyond. Konata had slyly taped the small device firmly between her distressed friends shoulderblades. Neither Tsukasa nor Miyuki had noticed anything, they were far to busy enjoying themselves with their cute plaything.

"So close, Escape-chan", Konata thought, before going back to finding Kagamis most nerve-racking spots. "Maybe if this goes on long enough, someone will call you?"

So close, but so far away...