Disclaimer: Disclaiming everything: Characters © Konomi Takeshi-sensei. Plot © Misa-chan.

Warnings: Ladybugs. OOCness. Unwanted Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation Mistakes. Crap. Lameass One-shot. Epic Fail. Blah.

Pairing(s): MaruixAnn

Rating: Pairing: Safe. Writing style: Err…yeah. You decide.

Summary: The only mistake on Tachibana Ann's part was she failed to believe Rikkaidai's tensai when he said he'd do anything for cake.

Author's Notes: Dedicated to the girl who's very obsessed with this pairing! :D Gee, I wonder who that is~ :P Anyways, my first time writing a story that involves Ann-chan ^^;; So there's a big possibility that she might be an OOC *gets buried alive*. This story was supposed to be a MaruixTomo one-shot, but I decided that it's better off being a MaruixAnn. Somehow Tomo-chan just doesn't fit the plot.

Oh, speaking of plots, I do not entirely own the plot of this story. The plot is owned by Misa-chan, technically speaking, because this story happened to her in real life. I just changed the events, and some other major parts, twisted and manipulated the whole story so it will fit Marui, Niou and Ann. So here it is! Lastly, I had Misa-chan's permission with regards to this. ^^ So no worries~ :D

Errr…I guess that's mostly it. Time to end my long author's notes!

Of cakes and ladybugs

He really, really loved cakes; at least she remembered that much. He is the kind of boy who will take tremendous sacrifices in order to taste those mouth-watering delights. And mind you; the words "tremendous sacrifices" should never be belittled or be taken for granted.

It amused and terrified her at the same time, witnessing how an object can easily take control of a human being's mind. Well, it could always mean the person is just stupid enough to be controlled—by a non-living thing for that matter—but she felt that it wasn't the proper reason, either.

The only mistake on Tachibana Ann's part was she failed to believe Rikkaidai's tensai when he said he'd do anything for cake. Not until now, there was only one instance in her life wherein they were able to talk; nonetheless, it seemed like she could never forget it as well. The moments she shared with him were ridiculously amusing, and quite audacious with a twist of insanity.

It all started when she and her family had a trip to the Kanto Region. It was her aunt's birthday, and they just had to go and celebrate. Everything was going slickly. Almost all of her relatives were there, and everyone was having a good time.

That was until someone pointed out there was no cake.

It could have been an indecent reason to start a commotion (of course what's a birthday without a cake?), but Ann just smiled and told her parents that she'll be the one who'll take care of it. After all, she's just going to go to a sweets shop, buy her aunt's cake, then go back. How troublesome can it possibly get?

"Irrashaimase!" a rapturous voice jovially greeted. "How can I help you today?"

Ann gave a cordial smile and a short bow to the waitress beside her. She scanned the sweets shop, and found it awfully crowded. Of course, it was to be expected. After all, this is the best sweets shop in the whole region.

"Onee-san, what's your bestselling cake?" the brunette politely asked, returning the waitress's gleaming smile.

"Ah," the waitress thoughtfully said. She grabbed a menu from a nearby table and handed it to Ann. "Why don't you try our 'Blueberry Crème Deluxe'? It's one of our most popular cakes," she informed and pointed at the counter. "But you better hurry up, Ojo-chan. This cake is promotional, and this is the last day we're selling."

"Sou ka! Arigato, Onee-san!" Ann bowed once more before proceeding to the counter.

"I'm sorry Sir, but that was the last Blueberry Crème Deluxe—"

"WHAT?! NO!!" a despondent voice penetrated the whole room, effortlessly catching everyone's attention. Everyone in the shop halted on their tracks and turned towards the source of the voice. They all wondered what the uproar is about.

Ann herself couldn't bear not to look, so she decided to spare a moment or two to see what was going on. There was a boy with burgundy hair and mauve eyes, standing in front of the counter with his face showing pure disconsolation.

"Oi Marui, let it go," another boy with hoary hair said, pulling the other boy by the arm. "This is embarrassing. Everyone's staring at you."

"B-B-Bu-Bu-But!!" the redhead stammered, exactly how a little boy stammers over a broken toy. "MY cake!!" He turned to the counter once again. "Who got the last piece? Who?!" he demanded.

The lady at the counter could only give a terrified smile. "I believe it's the girl over there," she answered, pointing at Ann. The boy narrowed his eyes at the brunette, and the girl returned it with a small glare. He slowly walked towards her.

Ann boldly waited for the boy to come. She stood still and thought of something witty to say like, "What do you want?" or "Sorry, but too little too late". The boy was now finally standing in front of her. Her cobalt eyes met his mauve ones.

Ann gestured herself, preparing for any possible 'Operational Cake Assaults'. But to her astonishment, the boy literally kneeled in front of her and begged, "Ojo-chan please give me your cake!! I've been craving for this cake for days! Have mercy, Ojo-chan! I promise I'll do anything for it!!"

The boy with hoary hair ran towards his friend and immediately pulled him upwards. "Piyo~, some words of advice: Have pity on your pride, Marui. Have pity." He turned to Ann and grinned, "Ne, feel free to ignore this idiot."

The redhead pulled his arm away. "Shut up, Niou," he snarled. "You're not helping!" He eyed the girl once again, and continued, "Ojo-chan, please?"

Ann heaved a sigh. She placed her left hand at her hips and haughtily answered, "No. Sorry, but this is for my aunt. Go try your luck some other time."

The boy known as Niou snickered at her remark. "This girl is interesting," he thought.

The other boy, Marui, almost had his jaws dropped because of Ann's display of attitude. "But—" he protested, but the brunette simply thwarted his statement.

"I said no," Ann repeated, stressing on the last word. She turned her back against them, ready to leave the shop when the redhead grabbed her by the arm.

"Please Ojo-chan!"

"No way."

"Please!"

"Nope."

"Pleeeaassseee!"

"NO!"

This continued for awhile, much to Ann's annoyance and to Marui's persistence. Niou just stood there with his eyes overflowing with amazement as he watched the two, fighting over a stupid cake. A few more pleading and rejections were made until Ann eventually realized that the boy wouldn't (pretty much) give up, so without really thinking, she proposed, "Fine. I'll give you this cake if you eat a ladybug."

Niou gave a disgusted expression. "What the hell?"

Marui, on the other hand, felt the opposite. "Really? You mean it?" he asked with voice filled with undying hope.

"Sure," Ann answered with a shrug. A conniving smile was trying to hide on her lips. "You know what; I'll even go out on a date with you. And I'll treat you all the cakes you desire."

"Puri~ isn't this interesting?" Niou remarked with a smirk. And then he rolled his eyes and snorted. "But ladybug? You can't be serious."

Actually, Niou was right; Ann was only being sarcastic about this. She didn't really want the redhead to eat a ladybug. That would mean he could throw up on her, and she'd be liable for any failure with regards to his digestive system. Besides, who would want to see a boy gobbling up a ladybug? Surely, Ann was just sarcastic. Very sarcastic.

…But that's exactly the problem. Boys don't really know how to distinguish a sarcastic Ann from a serious Ann. She was serious when she asked Momoshiro out on a date. Momoshiro thought it was a joke. She was sarcastic when she told the narcissistic Atobe that she'd go out on a date with him. Hyoutei's captain took it seriously. It wasn't because her attitude is hard to comprehend. Maybe a lot of boys are just really stupid? Who knows.

Ann slowly turned around and left the sweets shop, thinking how troublesome this little trip has become.

"Hey, why are you stalking me? I said I won't give the cake."

Ann stopped walking and turned around to face the two boys who had been following her ever since she left the shop. She strictly cocked an eyebrow at them, demanding for an answer.

"You won't yet. But Marui's going to eat a ladybug, remember?" Niou answered with a surreptitious beam as he gazed at random trees, waiting for the spotted insect to show up. "We all agreed that he would."

Ann blinked. "We did?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

Silence.

"Really?"

"Really."

To Ann's dismay (because she never really expected them to take her seriously), they started to look for ladybugs. The ladybugs were usually hiding, but they're easy to spot anyway due to the contrast between red and green. When Niou finally found one, he immediately gave it to Marui.

"No offense," the brunette began. "But are you either a. suffering from a brain damage or b. naturally stupid?" Ann sounded pompous, but she's actually worried sick for the boy.

Marui gazed at the girl and pouted. "How come people always say "no offense" before they start offending you?" He raised the ladybug, ready to eat it anytime.

"Look!" Ann uttered, slightly irritated and slightly nervous at the same time. "You really don't have to do this."

Nonetheless, Marui ignored her; he had already plopped the bug into his mouth. Ann shivered as she imagined the feeling of having a bug in her mouth: all tiny, six hairy legs, crawling around on her tongue. She wanted to faint. Niou, on the other hand, had this weird and grotesque look pasted on his face. He couldn't decide whether to salute Marui for being bold or for being stupid.

By the time Ann stopped imagining the strange feeling, Marui had belched. He also ate another ladybug.

"Game set and match! Rikkaidai Fuzoku! 7 games to 5!" the umpire called the final decision. It's the Kanto Finals, and Doubles 2 just recently ended. Ann gazed at Rikkaidai's doubles players, most especially at the boy who's chewing a green apple bubblegum. That self-proclaimed tensai with burgundy hair and mauve eyes.

A few weeks had passed after the said incident, and it has been in her guilty conscience for a large amount of time. In fact, it nearly seemed that it's going to haunt her for the rest of her life, especially because Marui had never gotten his Blueberry Crème Deluxe. The brunette clearly remembered how she ran away after the redhead had finished eating the two ladybugs.

And now, here they are once again. Tachibana Ann never expected to see him in such occasion. In fact, she never expected such a desperate, cake-freak of a boy to be a talented tennis player. She stood up from her sit and decided to do the proper thing. Apologize.

"Ann-chan?" Kamio asked. "Where are you going?"

But Ann simply ignored him and went straight to Rikkaidai's bench. Niou smirked the moment he saw the brunette.

"Yo!" he called, and the girl just acknowledged his greeting by a small smile.

Ann walked eagerly towards Rikkaidai's tensai and asked, "Ne. Marui Bunta-san, is it?"

For a moment, Marui scrutinized Ann before asking back, "Do I know you?"

"Yes."

The tensai didn't answer.

"I'm Tachibana Ann."

"Sou ka. One of my fangirls?"

"Right. Just keep dreaming," she remarked, rolling her eyes. "I'm the girl…the one who made you eat two ladybugs a few weeks ago…?"

Except for Niou who bursts out laughing, the rest of the Rikkai regulars had their eyes widened. Some inwardly puked, and one of them even nearly fainted while standing up. However, no one said a word.

Marui cocked an eyebrow. It was probably the words "eat" and "ladybugs" that made him remember. He nodded and said, "Yeah. I remember now. You're that Ojo-chan," he grumbled, bitterness dripping from every word.

"Yeah…well, I just wanted to say sorry for making you eat those ladybugs. You never got your cake, too. I'm really, really sorry." Ann bowed her head to show her sincerity.

"It's alright," he shrugged. Marui looked away from her and didn't utter anything. When he turned back to face the brunette, he was grinning. He took a step forward and leaned closer towards Ann. The brunette was too flushed to say anything.

When their faces were just inches away from each other's, Marui smirked and whispered, "But don't forget that you still owe me a date, Tachibana Ann-chan~!"

Author's Notes (again! *gets stabbed*): Yay! That didn't turn out so bad. I guess. I think. I hope. .___.;; *shot dead*

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