A/N Writing spree? I don't know, but whatever it is I'm doing, I don't really mind. And for those of you who don't understand, a common childish song that is usually sung in about grades 1-4 is the format for this fic. It goes like this:

(Name) and (Name), sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes loves, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage!

…Please do excuse me if this only happens where I live. XD

Disclaimer: Let's be reasonable now, shall we?

Tomoka…

He didn't get her and the unconscious power she had over him. He wanted to pretend that there wasn't something behind that perky cheerleader with an obscenely loud voice just so he wouldn't have to think of her all the time.

Like for instance now, in Math class, during a unit test.

Instead of being able to solve the fractions in front of him, the only thing on his mind was Tomoka. And hell, did that annoy him.

If three quarters of the 348 people in the grade tried out for the basketball team and one half of them are successful, what fraction of the grade is in the basketball team? And how many people are there?

Basketball. It was a stupid sport, unlike tennis, which was one of the best sports ever. It was pretty annoying to see how popular it had become these days, so popular that they had even done it as a unit in Physical Education. Horio, as expected, had failed.

But so did Echizen. At first.

After just a couple of classes, he was shooting hoops, gaining enough momentum to slam dunk if he was just a bit taller. He was even offered a spot on the team from the coach.

Stupid Echizen, being so good at everything.

Stupid Tomoka, for always cheering him on like that. He already had a big enough ego, he didn't need cheerleaders. Why couldn't she be like Sakuno and cheer quietly? Sakuno was just fine with being in the background, but Tomoka? Never.

When he would become a Regular, he wouldn't be surprised if Tomoka ignored him in favour of cheering for her Ryoma-sama, no matter how good Horio would be.

And that thought made Horio very upset.

"Horio? What are you doing, staring off into space like that?" The teacher, now standing by Horio's desk, glared down at the monkey-like boy.

"Eh… Ah… I mean…" Horio looked down at his desk in shame, only to drop his pencil in amazement. Somehow, all his work was done. He had… finished?

Flipping it over, he saw that yes, he had finished all the questions. But when?

"You're finished? I'll take that then." And then the paper was gone, the teacher walking down the aisle to put it on his desk, and Horio cursed Tomoka for distracting him.

Later that week, the tests were handed back and Horio got an A.

He really didn't get the power she had over him.

…And Horio...

It wasn't because of Horio, oh no.

She wasn't cheering because of Horio. She was just cheering because a Regular was out there, playing pretty well against a good opponent. And if that opponent seemed to be very even with the Regular, then that didn't make that much of a difference.

She wasn't gripping the fence because of Horio. She was just anxious, because this was their second year in Seigaku, and Ryoma-sama would be awfully upset if they lost now, making his dream of consecutive Nationals wins crumble.

She wasn't booing at the referee because of Horio. She was just pissed off at how totally biased he was in the other team's favour. Anyone with eyes would have seen that that shot was in, damn it!

She wasn't screaming encouragements because of Horio. She was just too excited and too into the game to be let down now. Not when it was match break. Not when it was the decisive point of the game. Not when the rally was being carried on forever and that Regular had never really been known for his endurance.

She wasn't crying tears of joy because of Horio. She was just so happy that they had made it this far with the loss of all the third years and they had won. They had won. They had-

OH GOD, NO.

She wasn't pushing past referees and team members to get to the courts because of Horio. She was just so proud of the player that if he turned out to be seriously ill and had fainted because of ways other than exhaustion then she probably would break.

She wasn't slapping him because he had the nerve to wake up after hours in the hospital only to grin at her and laugh, wondering "if this is what victory feels like".

She was slapping him because he was Horio, and she had almost thought she'd lost him.

…Sitting in a tree…

"…Tomoka? Is that you?"

"Eh? Horio? Go away, go away! I've already dealt with you enough in the weekdays, don't you dare try to spoil my weekends too."

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm scouting for next year. We can't let our guards down, so I'm going to every strong team and seeing how they're preparing for next year's tournament. Besides, all my exams are finished."

"Why are you in a tree?"

"Dumbass."

"Excuse me?"

"Don't raise your voice! Shhh! They'll find me if you keep talking, you know! Either go away or find your own tree!"

"It's not like you aren't loud enough for them to hear, anyways!"

"No no no no! Get down from there! I refuse to share a tree with you! This is my tree! Stop it right now!"

"Too late. I, with my five years of tree-climbing experience, have already conquered your tree."

"Well then. This mission totally failed."

"Are you implying that with me here it'll all go wrong?"

"Take a look around you, idiot! It's already gone all wrong!"

Dan Taichi approached to crowd somewhat warily. It seemed that most of his Regulars had made a circle around a… tree. Most of them were confused, some of them were laughing, and one little first-year ran over to him.

"D-Dan-buchou! That tree is… talking."

It sounded more like bickering, now that Dan got a little closer.

"Dan-buchou? What's going on?" The little first-year looked up at him.

As he finally was able to recognize the two voices, Dan chuckled. "Don't worry, Seigaku is just crazy like that, desu."

…K-I-S-S-I-N-G…

Horio was a really bad kisser.

This was what was running through Tomoka's mind as the third-year leaned against her door, happy to be in the warmth of her house compared to the chilliness outside.

Horio had been walking her home after their very first date and she'd generously allowed him a kiss, resulting in a… somewhat unpleasant situation.

Well, it probably was his first kiss. Not that she was one to brag, it only being her second.

Although it had been shy and inexperienced and a little awkward due to the lack of communication, it was still their actual first kiss.

Well, she mused, putting a hand to her tingling lips, she'd hopefully have plenty of time later to fix his kissing habits.

And then she made a face, knowing that at this very moment Horio was probably calling Kachirou or Katsuo (or both), bragging about his amazing kiss with her.

But for some reason, she really didn't mind.

…First comes love…

In the last New Year's Eve of their middle school lives, Horio and Tomoka were sitting on a hill, watching the fireworks and checking their watches. The hill was busy with other couples all sitting on picnic blankets sipping from thermoses and all wrapped up in each other, just like they were.

And for once, not a sound was heard from the couple.

They just sat there, covered in a blanket, enjoying the silence.

Tomoka shifted her head sideways and couldn't suppress a grin. Who knew that after so long, the boy she'd always been annoyed and uncomfortable around would be the one that was sharing a perfect New Year's Eve with her?

She sighed and leaned her head (she had let her hair down instead of the usual pigtails) against his shoulder and sighed happily.

"You know, Satoshi, I think I love you." She murmured softly as someone from somewhere around them exclaimed that it was only one minute left to the New Year.

"Eh, you just noticed?" Horio smiled and whispered into her hair, "I've had three years of 'loving you' experience already."

She swatted his arm and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He frowned, a bit disappointed, but she started to count down along with the crowd before he could say anything more.

At the last number, a cheer rose up, and Horio leaned down to kiss her properly.

"Make that four."

…Then comes marriage…

"…What are you looking at, Satoshi?"

Horio stared at his girlfriend of many years, and thanked his lucky stars they both weren't that smart. Tomorrow they would both have their respective graduating final exams for university, and for the past three days they'd been having study sessions at his apartment, eventually meaning Tomoka had to stay over the night, going to sleep at three a.m. and waking up with coffee at eight.

Of course, they'd spent many a night together, but Horio couldn't help but love the way Tomoka looked in the morning.

For instance, her now shoulder-length brown hair was disheveled and messed up in such a way that it almost made a frazzled halo around her tired face.

The once lively brown eyes now had bags under them and were clouded over with tired-ness and confusion and a tinge of anger at her boyfriend. Her clothes were a mess, her hands stained with ink, and her breath probably was a mixture of morning and coffee.

Horio swore he had never seen a more beautiful person in his life.

"Hey. Satoshi. Don't die on me here." Her voice had a trace of sleepiness to it, and even as she said it she looked down at the notebook in front of her and grimaced.

"Marry me." Was his response.

Her eyes opened and his mouth dropped down to his toes.

Stuttering, he tried to explain that no, that wasn't how he meant it, and he was so tired from all the studying that his mind was getting messed up, but it didn't come out that way.

Instead, he just said, "Please?"

She stared at him, blinking those gorgeously confused eyes until some kind of recognition dawned in them.

He knew she was just about to ask him if this was a joke when he realized he had gotten onto one knee.

Man, the things sleepiness could do to you…

Her words caught in her throat and they sat/kneeled in silence.

Finally, just as he was about to storm off and possibly cry, her lips curved into a smile and then into a full-out grin. Giggling with more expression than she'd had since she was sixteen; she raised her coffee mug to her lips while trying to hide her tears.

"Well, only because you asked so nicely."

And when they met each other across the table for a tear-stained embrace, Horio decided that he never wanted to not face a grumpy Tomoka in the morning ever again.

…And then comes the baby in the baby carriage~

The baby cried.

The father took it in his arms and it calmed down, making his father coo at his new son.

It was then transferred to a blushing godmother who promised to try her best to spoil the little boy silly. And then it was passed on to the two other somewhat wary godfathers, who said in sync that he would definitely be a great little boy.

And as the little boy was given back to his exhausted mother, she gave him and his father both a peck on the forehead. Cradling him gently, he was lured to sleep by the soft whispers of endearment.

Only then did the professional tennis player Echizen Ryoma approach the hospital bed, very very carefully. He didn't like babies. He didn't really like kids in general. He was only here because it was the time of the Japan Open and he really didn't have anything better to do when he had gotten a hurried call from Horio.

"Look, he likes you." Tomoka, unusually calm, chuckled as she shifted the boy into the stiff arms of the tennis player.

Echizen looked down at the sleeping infant and almost smiled. He noticed his hands were in a rather strange position, and it looked kind of familiar…

"Western Grip." He muttered, and the whole room broke out laughing. He smirked a little too, and was just about to say something nice about it when the baby opened his eyes and took a look at the person who was holding him.

"!" It cried.

Shoving it back into the arms of Horio, Echizen muttered "It's got your voice, Tomoka," said his goodbyes and promptly left the room.

As he walked down the empty hallway, trying to stop his ears from ringing, he swore he could still hear that baby crying and screaming even as he left the hospital for his peaceful home. On his way, though, he encountered a very old friend of his.

"Oi! Echizen! You're not going to say hello to your old senpai?" A tall adult gave Echizen a good-hearted pat on the back.

"Momo-senpai? What are you doing here?" Echizen frowned. Too much noise in one day made a very grumpy Echizen.

"I got a call from Horio, telling me to go to the hospital. I heard that-"

"The demon has come back in the form of a small baby." Echizen informed him, starting to walk away.

"Hey! What are you talking about? It can't be that bad, right? And where are you going?"

"I'm going to play tennis."

"Ewwwww!" Tomoka cried, pushing the little boy who had just sung that abominable song away from her.

"Yeah! Ewwwww!" Horio agreed, making a face. "I don't like her! She's got cooties!"

Tomoka stuck out her tongue. "And I would never get together with that unibrowed jerk!"

"Yeah, we'd be a totally bad match!" Horio nodded, both of them backing far, far away from each other as all the other kids in the playground teased them.

Fate smiled down upon the seven-year-old Horio and Tomoka and decided then and there to prove them wrong.