Disclaimer: I don't own the rangers. That's why this never appeared in Ninja Storm as an episode! Damn Disney!

Summery: When his crush teaches him to snowboard during the ranger's reunion, Cam get more than he bargained for when it appears that his feelings are not unrequited after all…

AN: Set a year after the end of Ninja Storm, this is slash! Just to make that clear. That means guy loves guy. If you don't like it – don't read it! This is a couple I have been meaning to write about for a while now and I know some people keep asking me to do them so here they are! Hope you like! And leave a lil' message using the button at the right-hand-side of the bottom of the page to let me know what you think!

Hot Chocolate

"Your left foot goes in here and your right foot goes there – not yet! You have to get up the slope first."

I sigh and try to listen to what I'm supposed to be doing, but it's a little hard to focus when it's him that's doing the teaching… Concentrate Cam I mentally chide myself. You can't be thinking thoughts like that about a friend. Even so, I find it hard to listen to the words and not just his voice.

"Ok, now practice balancing down this mini-slope," he says and gives me an encouraging grin.

Practice balancing? Who does he think he's talking to? I've been balancing as part of my training for years – it's perfect! I lean forwards slightly and feel the board beneath my feet begin to move. I smile triumphantly as I glide down the slope – easy peasy! But then something happens and the next thing I know I'm on my back looking up at the snow-laden sky.

"Cam!" The sound of crunching snow indicates someone running to me. "Are you ok?"

I swallow hard as I find myself staring into Hunter's blue eyes. "I'm fine," I say.

"You want to try that again?" he asks, the beginnings of a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"Definitely. I'll soon get the hang of this," I say confidently and accept the hand Hunter offers to help me up, trying to keep the blush from spreading across my face.

xxx

Whoever said snowboarding's easy is a damn liar; I swear under my breath as I end up on my arse for about the thousandths time today. "Your brother's so dead," I say to Hunter as he appears beside me, a grin fixed on his face. Glad someone's having fun at my expense. At least we're on a proper run now, not just a practice slope.

"Blake thought it would be a nice reunion for us," Hunter replies, helping me to my feet.

Some reunion I think. I haven't seen any of the others all day; not that I'm complaining about having Hunter all to myself mind you! It hardly seems a year ago that we defeated Lothor and lost our ranger powers. So much has happened since then; Tori, Dustin and Shane have settled into their teaching roles at the Wind Academy, Blake is the star of Factory Blue and we are forever reading about him in the latest sports magazines and Hunter… I glance at the ex-crimson ranger as he snowboards effortlessly down the slope in front of me… is happy I guess. He hasn't lost any of his dark and brooding nature but I think he's happy in his position as Head Sensei of the Thunder Academy. I hope he is at any rate. And as for me? I've taken a teaching position at the Wind Academy – the art of the Samurai. I love my job, but I can't help feeling that something's missing, and I know exactly what. It's just glided down ahead of me…

"Come on slow coach," Hunter calls from below me.

I smile and turn the tip of my board until it's pointing down the slope. Here we go again…

xxx

I manage to reach the bottom without falling again and I glide over to where Hunter stands waiting. "Yes!" I cry, but as I throw my arms up in the air in delight I lose my balance and topple backwards to once again find myself looking up into Hunter's blue eyes.

"Almost," he says with a smile, pulling me up as I blush furiously. Did his hand linger a little too long on my arm, or was that just my wishful imagination?

Hunter opens his mouth to say something, but there is a burst of laughter from behind me and I turn to see Shane, Dustin, Blake and Tori making their way over to us, Blake's arm firmly around the blonde water sensei's waist.

"How's it going?" the younger Bradley brother asks.

"He's doing good for a first-timer," Hunter replies with an encouraging grin in my direction.

"You mean he's managing to stay on his feet for more than a couple of seconds?" Blake says with a laugh.

"Dude, not from the looks of that," Dustin adds, in reference to my visible fall.

I go red and I can feel the anger begin to rise. Just because they can snowboard and I can't… "Everyone has to start somewhere," I mutter.

"On your feet might be a good position," Shane chips in, laughing as well.

"Well we can't all be perfect Shane." The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them.

"Oh come on," Tori says gently, teasingly, "We all saw your little fall just now. Don't worry about it."

Normally I'd have laughed all this off, but something in their tones and manners just irritates me today. Probably all the embarrassment and frustration of not being able to do something, and the added stress of being so close to Hunter and having to be so careful about my feelings… "I could get down that slope you guys were on easily," I say.

Hunter shakes his head and says, "Don't be silly Cam. You and me both know that you're doing fine but you're no way ready for a black slope."

"He could get down it," Dustin chips in, "Just not on his feet!"

The others begin to laugh and, to make matters worse, Hunter joins in.

"Fine," I hiss between my teeth, "I'll prove it." Anger clouding my mind, I grab my snowboard and head purposely in the direction of the ski lift.

"Cam," the others yell after me, but I ignore them and carry on walking. There is the sound of crunching snow and someone runs up behind me. Hunter."Leave me alone," I say without looking at him.

"Come on Cam," he says, grabbing at my arm. "The others have gone back to the hotel. I said I'll talk some sense into you and we'll follow. You're being unreasonable."

I spin to face him, "I'm being unreasonable?" I can't believe my ears. "I'm not the one laughing at someone because they can't do something that you can." I shake his hand away and carry on walking.

"Cam." He grabs at my arm again and I turn and shove him away. "I said leave me alone. Go back to the hotel if you want – I'm going snowboarding." I storm off towards the ski lift and get on. I know I'm being silly. A black ski run? Who am I kidding? I can barely manage a blue run, let alone a black one! But the anger is running through my veins, setting me on fire. I'll show them…

I reach the top and stare down at the run in front of me. Doesn't look too bad I think, naively. The sun is beginning its descent, sending long shadows stretching out before me. I smile and attach my feet into my board. Let's do this… I push off and begin my own descent into the valley.

To begin with everything is going fine, but then I really get into the slope and see why this is a 'black run'. It takes all of my few skills just to keep myself in the right direction, let alone on my feet. There is no way I am getting to the bottom of this without taking a spill.

Even as I think this, my board hits a buried tree root and I fly through the air. The image of snow coming towards me very quickly is the last thing I see before darkness envelops me.

xxx

"Cam, Cam!" Hunter's voice sounds muffed, which isn't surprising considering I am head first in a snow bank.

Daylight drifts in as Hunter clears the snow away from me and hauls me into a sitting position. "Are you ok?" he asks, worry showing in his blue eyes. There is another emotion in them, but I can't tell what it is. For someone who is so dark and brooding, Hunter expresses so many emotions in his eyes. But this one is a new one to me.

"I'm fine," I say, putting a hand to my forehead. There is a lump rising just under my hairline and I know it's going to sting tomorrow. Hunter shakes his head and opens his mouth to say something, but I cut him off, "I know, I know, I'm an idiot. You don't have to say you told me so. It's just… I wanted to prove that I'm not useless." I look down at the snow, scrunching some in my gloved hand.

Hunter gives a little laugh, "I wasn't going to say that. What I was going to say was you're doing better than I did when I first started." I look up at that. He smiles at me and carries on, "Blake's comment he made on how you were managing to stay on your feet for more than a few seconds? It was directed at me, not you. When I first started I could barely stand on the board, let alone go anywhere. My brother found it hysterical. But look at me now – I can beat Blake on any slope! It's like you said, everyone has to start somewhere."

I smile at him gratefully, but then a thought strikes me. "Hunter, I'm sorry," I say in a small voice.

"For being an idiot? Apology accepted." He grins at me but I shake my head.

"No, for stopping you enjoying yourself. I mean, you could be off with the others having fun but instead you're stuck teaching me on the baby slopes."

There is a silence following my words. I look at Hunter to find an unreadable expression on his face. When he finally answers me his voice is thick, "What makes you think I'm not having fun?" he asks. I give him an incredulous look that says 'do I really need to answer that?' He shakes his head, "They were right; you are oblivious."

My head begins to spin as he looks into my eyes. They? I assumed he means the others. And oblivious? "To what?" I manage, my voice coming out as a squeak.

"I like you Cam," he says, turning away slightly. I am surprised to see a faint blush appearing on his cheeks. "I mean really like you. I've been trying to drop hints for a while now but trying to be subtle around you is like hinting to the Californian weather that it should snow – it's never going to get it! And I think you like me…" His voice trails off, suddenly uncertain.

"Was I that obvious?" I ask, as things begin to click together in my brain. Hunter has always been nice to me, spoke to me every time he saw me, went out of his way to see me…

"Not really. I just have an eye for these things." He grins at me.

I feel so stupid. All this time he's been trying to hit on me and it's gone completely over my head. "I am such an idiot," I start to babble. "All this time and I couldn't see what was right in front of my face. Why did you bother? Of all the guys there is, you had to pick the one who was clueless! And I thought you weren't interested in me…"

I am cut off as Hunter's lips brush against mine, tenderly at first and then more passionately. I move closer into his arms, ignoring the fact that we are halfway down a black ski run and the sun is setting. All that is forgotten as I melt into Hunter's embrace, conscious thought lost as we enjoy one perfect moment of just being together, feeling our lips touch… Breathlessly we pull apart and Hunter smiles ruefully, "I said I liked you, not any other guy." He stands up, "Come on, it's getting late. We've still got to get to the bottom of this slope and to our hotel."

I shiver; the cold is starting to seep through my layers of ski gears. "We're gonna freeze to death if we stay out here," I remark as we begin to board down into the valley, Hunter's arm on mine supporting and guiding me, well that's the official reason.

"Mmm," Hunter murmurs, his concentration focused on getting us down safely.

I wait until we are nearly at the bottom, then I say suggestively, "Of course, I know a way we can both get warm." The look on Hunter's face is priceless and he splutters as he tries, and fails to think of a comeback. I know there is a smirk on my face but I can't help it.

"Really?" he finally says, his face as red as Shane's ski jacket.

"Hot chocolate," I reply primly as I smoothly reach the end of the ski run in one piece and do a perfect stop.

I leave Hunter standing staring after me, a grin forming on his face, "Hot chocolate eh?" he says as joins me.

"With marshmallows and cream," I add, detaching myself from my board and heading towards the hotel.

"I can deal with that," Hunter says nonchalantly, walking beside me.

I spin and pull him close into another passionate kiss that leaves him gasping. "Well it'll be in my room this evening," I whisper in his ear and walk off, once again leaving him standing, staring after me. Maybe this holiday wasn't going to be such a disaster after all…

The End.