Sweet
Disclaimer: TT I wish, but no, Prince of Tennis isn't mine.
A/N I'm guessing on the time from Tokyo to Kanagawa, since Tokyo to Osaka is a little more than four hours, so yeah... and I'm pretty sure that the mentioned cake flavor isn't real, just my imagination.
Boredom wasn't a word normally associated with the energetic (when he had cake, that is) redhead, though today, it seemed to be the only word that could accurately describe his day.
His mother had basically ordered him, the great 'tensai' to get a certain type of cupcake batter available only in a certain street in Tokyo of all places. He blamed his two brothers; they had been the ones to want apple/cherry/banana/strawberry cake. Why there was such a flavor in the first place, he truly didn't know, though he suspected his mother could have somehow persuaded (or blackmailed) the cake companies to create it. It sounded like something his mother would do, along with sending her eldest and favorite son to the rat-infested streets of Tokyo (...perhaps that was a bit too exaggerated).
So on this somewhat sunny day—it was actually cloudy with a seventy percent chance of precipitation—our favorite tensai (unless you prefer geniuses who aren't self-proclaimed) was strolling leisurely through the 'rat-infested' streets of Tokyo. He was still infuriated with his mother, but the more time he spent in Tokyo, the less chance he had of returning in time for Saturday practice which was about two hours away, meaning he had an hour to find the damn cake batter.
"It should be around here..." he muttered to himself, completely oblivious to the fact that he was in the middle of a school festival. "Aww, where is that stupid--"
"It's over here!" an elated voice shouted, nearly blasting Marui's sensitive ears. A tall dark haired guy, probably a year or so younger than him, was waving ecstatically to a vendor down the street surrounded by several boys of middle school age. Marui noted that some younger boys, mostly freshmen in junior high, and some older ones, like those finishing up high school were walking away dejectedly.
He sniffed, and a delicious aroma entered his nostrils. Drool appeared at the corner of his mouth as his eyes drooped. I smell sweets... Unconsciously, Marui started walking—or possibly dream-walking—to the popular stall.
"Sorry, maybe in a few years!" a cheerful voice said from behind the stall. The redhead vaguely noticed that it was a girl's voice turning down a ten-year-old boy from the crowded stall. He tapped his foot in annoyance; the crowd was just a little too big, and apparently the girl manning the place thought the same because she suddenly shouted out, "There's a stall reserved specifically for high schoolers down this street!"
Almost immediately, the crowd around her dispersed, leaving only a few stragglers behind blocking Marui's view of the stall. Not that he noticed; he was too busy wondering why there would be a sweet stall for high schoolers alone—it wasn't like they had different foods than them junior high kids, right?
"Hey, you! Bubble dude!"
Inwardly, Marui's eye twitched at the fact that people noticed him because of his bubblegum and not because of his awesome tensai-skills. Nonetheless, he met the girl's eyes, vaguely noting that he had seen her somewhere before but his brain had apparently deemed her as 'unimportant' and her name had been filed away accordingly.
Ignoring Marui's blank look, the girl leaned forward on her elbows which had been placed on the flat portion of the stall, her light brown hair falling into her face slightly even with the ribbon holding her hair back. "Did you come here for the sweets as well?" she asked, indicating the title above her head reading, "Sweet Kisses!".
"Uh...not really."
Her eyes widened happily as she exclaimed, "Really? Wow, you're the first person to just come here by accident; everyone else comes here for the kisses—I wouldn't have minded so much if I hadn't lost my clip." She frowned and self-consciously touched her ribbon before adding cheerfully, "I'm Tachibana Ann, by the way. And you are...?"
Marui puffed his chest out importantly, completely obvious that the girl's last name was similar to the boy his teammate had placed in the hospital. "Marui Bunta. And I'll have two kisses."
Ann smiled cheekily, reminding Marui of Kirihara and Niou whenever they decided to play a double-prank on the tennis team. "Two, huh? Well, our rule normally only allows one per customer, but I think I can make an exception to the rule. Besides, Suzume-san did leave me in charge..." Having made up her mind, Ann gestured for Marui to come closer. "Now, close your eyes."
"Is this necessary?" Marui asked skeptically. Kisses didn't require his eyes being closed; after all, they were just pieces of candy shaped to look nothing like a kiss.
"Very," Ann replied mock seriously. "Now do it," she chastised, waiting until the redhead's eyes were shut before leaning in.
Something soft brushed against his left cheek and then the corner of his mouth before leaving his face all together. Marui opened his eyes slowly, his face heating up as he stared at the laughing Ann.
"...What was that?" he asked slowly, mentally rebuking himself for his breathless voice.
"A kiss, Marui-san. Or two, in your case." Ann winked. "Excuse me, I see Suzume-san coming and she looks angry. I'll see you at the Nationals, Marui-san!"
It was only when Marui was on the train to Kanagawa did he realize that the girl who kissed him was the younger sister of Fudomine's captain; he was late for practice; and his mother would murder him for forgetting the apple/cherry/banana/strawberry cake batter. He wasn't sure if he should be more frightened of Sanada who would slap him, or his mother who would cut off his dessert for weeks.
A/N I blame Keisuke Cloudberry for getting me addicted to this pairing, so the story is dedicated to her. To anyone and everyone who reads this, spread Marui/Ann! (and Niou/Ann for that matter)