Hey folks, this is the Epilogue for the sad ending. It's not a sad epilogue though. It's rather cheery, and short too. Anyways, i still want your comments. Sankyuu!

Disclaimer: i own Tezuka... Kunisuke, that is.

(words in -...- are text messages.)

Epilogue

Two years later.

Kikumaru was walking back to his shop. He had just made a delivery. He stopped. He saw white flakes falling from the sky. He quickly ran back to the shop. Bursting in, he exclaimed,

"Oishi! First snow!"

The green-eyed man looked up from behind the counter. He had quit his job at the hospital and now tended the flower shop together with Kikumaru.

Beep beep

Oishi looked at his hand phone. It was a message from Kunisuke.

-First snow-

Throughout Japan, five other men received the same message, Momoshiro, Kaidoh, Inui, Echizen, and Kawamura. Oishi smiled and took out a bouquet of white lilies and beige roses.

"Let's go, Eiji."

The duo closed the shop and left a note at the door,

"Business will resume tomorrow. Sorry for the inconvenience caused."

After a one and a half hour journey, they finally arrived at their destination. They got out of the car, only to see that the rest had already arrived.

"Eh? And I thought we would be early."

"Well, you're not, Oishi-senpai!" Momoshiro snickered.

Kawamura hurried the Golden Pair and they all gathered in front of a tombstone. On it was written:

"In dearest memory of Tezuka Kunimitsu and Syusuke. On the day the first snow falls."

They didn't inscribe the date, which they departed. They all thought that it was Heaven's grace that they left with the beauty of nature marking their departure, so it was left as it was. Simple and sweet, just the way Tezuka and Fuji would have liked. Oishi placed the bouquet in front of the tombstone and the young Tezuka started to speak.

"Otosan, Syusuke-ojisan, we have come to visit. The first snow has fallen. I miss you a lot."

Oishi wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulders.

"Tezuka, Kunisuke led the Seigaku team to win the national championships. He is a fantastic player, and a superb Buchou, just like you were."

The data man continued from where Oishi stopped.

"Yes, he is probably the scariest Buchou ever on Seigaku history. He orders laps like you did, has more special moves than Echizen did, and like Fuji, he is immune to my juices."

"Fshh... He countered my Boomerang Snake shot... Fshh..."

"That was nothing, Mamushi! Your snake shots are nothing compared to my ultimate dunk smash! But he can counter my ultimate dunk smash with Fuji-senpai's Higuma Otoshi... Come to think of it, he can do all our special moves. He might just beat Echizen!"

"Mada mada da ne!"

"Age is catching up with you, Echizen! Just admit it!"

"Yada. You're older than me, Momo-senpai!"

Momoshiro got into a squabble with Kaidoh and Echizen again. They only stopped at a familiar order.

"Enough! 20 laps!"

Their jaws dropped and they turned to see Inui smirking, with his hand on the young Tezuka's shoulders.

"That's our Buchou for you."

The rest of the men broke out laughing.

"Eto... That was really like Tezuka, Kunisuke-kun. Um... I think that Kunisuke-kun is like Fuji too... he likes to eat wasabi sushi."

"Nya! In short, he's a monster!"

"Eiji! How can you say that in front of Tezuka?"

"I'm not done with my sentence nya, Oishi! I was going to say... He's a monster, but we all love him!"

The group of men laughed as the boy blushed ever so slightly.

"Let's go! Dinner at Kawamura-senpai's sushi bar right? Echizen, I won't let you lay your hands on my food this time!"

"Mada mada da ne, Momo-senpai!"

They had a great evening at the sushi bar, after which they all went home. The young Kunisuke now lived with the Golden Pair, he took the room Fuji used to occupy. He might have lost both his parents, and his 'stepmother', but he now had seven 'Otosan' who constantly showered their love on him in seven different ways. What more could he ask for?

...Owari...

All right... That marks the end of the fic. Thank's for all the support!

"neko-face"-san: Ryoma X Te-Chan?! Its true, Ryoma is a small guy. but don't forget, he's only 2 years younger than Te-Chan's dad! isn't that.... incest? haha... but it was an interesting thought anyways!

p.s.: there's a happy ending behind! it continues from chapter 7, The Promise. read it, onegai!