DISCLAIMER: I do not own Prince of Tennis

A KISS WITH THE SNOW

Snowflakes started to fall from the heavenly sky. It was the first snowflakes and everyone is working their sweat off for the fourth year's last National Tournament. Seigaku was in real trouble. They were about to face their last opponent in the nationals, Rikkadai Gaku Fuzzoku. Everybody was still in the court feeling the anguish heating up their bodies against the rapidly cooling of the atmosphere. At last, Tezuka-buchou commanded them to stop practicing and keep their selves dry.

'Everyone, good work. We'll just continue this tomorrow if the weather's good.' And then, he gave some reports to their coach.

'I can't take this weather. I just can't.' Momo mumbled while leaving the court not noticing that he was about to bumped into Kaidoh.

'Hey!! Look where you're going!!' Kaidoh shouted.

'What?! Are you complaining Mamushi??? You're the one who's not looking where you are going!!!'

'You wanna fight! You're the one who doesn't look where you're going!'

'What!?'

'WHHATTT!!!'

'Both of you cut it down!' Tezuka said shortly. 'Fight outside the court.'

'But he starte— ',

'I said cut it down!' Tezuka cut through Momo's complaint.

'Hay, hay….' Momo whispered almost wanting to cry. 'This is all your fault Mamushi.' He continued talking to Kaidoh.

'Ppsshhhhhh' Kaidoh replied.

'You're fighting again…stop doing that…' Oishi appeared from behind going after them outside the court. He has the looks of concern.

'You should learn to accept that your teammates Kaidoh, Momo. You're giving Oishi a hard time dealing with you every time you fight.' Kikumaru advised getting them both to their necks. Almost choking them.

'Ki…kkkuuu…maru…semp…ai….' Kaidoh said pushing Kikumaru's grasp.

'Oh, and one thing more…Oishi, you said something about some vacation right?' Eiji turned to Oishi.

'Yah, Tezuka invited us to go to their cottage at the Snow Mountains…' Oishi answered with his eyebrows furrowed.

"WWWHHHAAATTTT!!!!!!!" Everybody said almost in unison turning to Oishi. Then there was a long hush. Oishi looked at Tezuka seeking help for what to answer or how to answer.

Oshi wagged his hands briskly. 'Ask Tezuka about the details, it wasn't my idea.' He said helplessly.

Everybody inside and outside the court turned to Tezuka and went to him and started asking questions. And at the end, they remained inside the court being showered by the first snowflakes.

They went to the Snow Mountains the next week after the first snowflake. They rode the train going outside Tokyo and towards Kanazawa passing through Mt. Fuji and Nagoya.

Tezuka's Snow Mountain Cottages were really big. There were separate rooms reserved for each of them but they decided to pair up into two. Inui and Kaidoh go to room 401. Oishi and Kikumaru went to room 402, Kawamura, Fuji and Tezuka deided to go to room 403 while Momo and Echizen to room 404.

They have very delicious foods cooked by Tezuka's grandmother. The lobster was confusingly large, almost the size of an average pillow.

They have lots of conversation. Some are nonsense, some are those of about their families, their standing inside their classrooms, and most of it was their conversation regarding their new techniques and their battle against Rikkaidai. Tezuka asked them if they were ready, they said yes. And he gave them lectures, lectures that are useful to them in terms of fighting and in life. He said he doesn't want to graduate for the mean time and leave Seigaku, but it can't be helped.

'Neh, Fuji-sempai, your third counter was called Hakugei, right?' asked over Echizen finding a nice topic and covering the large tension rising in their atmosphere.

'Yah, why?' Fuji answered taking Echizen's picture with his camera continuously,

Echizen kept quiet after that not knowing what to say next or what topic to open up next. His question was obviously stupid because everybody knows Fuji's techniques already, of course, Echizen do since their fight with Hyotei. Everybody seems to remember except Momo and Kaidoh.

'Hakugei? Doesn't that means –White Whale-?' Momo interrupted.

'Obviously, it's not like that there are black whales.' Kaidoh pushed through making Momo mad again.

'What did you say Mamushi???!!!' Momo yelled.

'You wanna fight huh?!' Kaidoh said in high tone.

'YOU TWO!!! STOP YOUR FIGHTING BABY!!!! BURNIINNNNGGG!!!' and everyone were depending on Kawamura to stop them, even Tezuka who feels that it was useless sometimes to be a captain and lecture his teammates.

The two eventually stopped.

'It's getting late. We should be sleeping now.' Inui reminded them pointing his thumb to the clock. It strikes 1:37 in the morning.

It was seven in the morning and everybody decided to go skiing after they eat their breakfast, except Tezuka who was unusually still asleep.

They eat their meals and drink hot chocos and milk for Echizen. Until now, he feels that it was unfair.

They went on top of the mountain to start their adventure leaving Tezuka behind.

It was ten when Tezuka woke up, feeling uneasiness allover him. He found himself alone. He felt even nervous seeing the color of the sky. It was like flesh that is ripped. There was a tone of blood in the disturbed sky.

He calls everybody's cellphone. Inui answered him informing Oishi, Fuji, and Ecizen's lost when a little avalanche occurred. Tezuka hurried up towards the mountain top. He found Inui, Kawamura, Kaidoh, Kikumaru, Momo and Echizen there. Momo just found Echizen and Eiji was still crying his self out digging something that looks like Oshi's ski. But it turned to be nothing but old planks of colored woods. Back to square one.

They were fighting a little blizzard. Still, Tezuka want to find his teammates. Fuji and Oishi are still missing. He wanted to see his face…to see and feel his best friend's face more than anyone else.

'Oishi!!!' Tezuka shouted.

Kawamura called out for Fuji. There was no answer. They looked for several hours again fighting their greatest enemy, cold and death.

Tezuka was able to find Fuji and carried him towards to location of the group. It feels even sad. He was frustrated. He feels some kind of useless. He wasn't able to find Oishi…

And then, carrying Fuji, he saw Kawamura assisting Oishi. Oishi was half conscious. He wanted to go to Tezuka, but suddenly wanted to die. He saw him, rescuing others first. But he smiled. He wasn't that self-centered. He was glad they were alive and safe. He was gad Tezuka was able to rescue Fuji in time. He was glad; he smiled sadly not noticing the amount of blood dripping against the white snow. It was from his head. Kawamura was shocked. Oishi lost his consciousness and dropped to the snow. Having a kiss with the depths of death. Against the white vanishing thing.

'OISHI!!!!' Tezuka shouted. Warm liquid rolling down his cheeks. He put down Fuji and leaves him in Inui's care. It was all black for Oishi, but he can clearly hear someone else's footsteps against the snow.

'Oishi…Oishi…' He can hear someone calling him.

'Oishi….' Tezuka whispered against their vast surrounding. A white particle that extends towards eternity.

Author's Note: This is the official Side-Story of "One-Sided 'I Love You'".