Chapter 2. The Skiing Trip and the Snow Storm (Part 2 of 2)

The girls soon started the snowball fighting with the boys, and Heiji immediately had himself in front of Kazuha, protecting her from the snowball in all the directions. "Kazuha," said Heiji, "you better go back to the hotel before you catch a cold."

Kazuha blushed immediately to his tenderness, and nodded her head slightly. Heiji then joined the boys and left the girls there. "Let the snow woman eat you all!" The girls shouted at all the boys.

"Snow woman?" Kazuha was so curious it.

"You come late for breakfast today," said Miyako, "Fukada-sensei told us the story about the Snow woman that's so famous here --- the Silver Cloth of the Snow woman."

"A long time ago in this mountain, there's a really gorgeous woman in silver clothes, and when she found a man in the mountain, she gave him a mysterious smile," said all the girls to Kazuha, ignoring her face started to turn pale. "She then told the guy if he wanted to exchange her silver clothes with his most important belongings. And the stupid guy was attracted by her breast and nodded his head right away."

"Wh-what happened to the guy then?" asked Kazuha.

"When he started to packed the silver clothes he had just received, then he gave a metal bar which he thought was most important to the snow woman. The snow woman at the end told him that she wanted his warm, bloody heart!"

"A few days later, the man was found dead and the silver clothes were stuck in his body, replacing his heart."

Kazuha was already shaken with terror, "it's just a folk tale, right?"

"Yeah, but a similar incident had happened four years before," continued the girls, turning their back to look at Heiji, "he's a cool guy full of curiosity, he could be in trouble."

"No way that Heiji would be tricked by that stupid…" The girls then all laughed at Kazuha's reaction. "Right, your Heiji would be fine, he's so smart."

"It's too bad now though, you're supposed to ski with him, but you've sprained your ankle."

"It's not 'my Heiji,'" protested Kazuha, her face was blushing deeply now.

"Really? Then would you mind if any of our girls date with him?"

"Maybe I will…" Kazuha's dotted eyes stared at the girls; she thought that her face was so hot that it could almost melt the snow around her.

"All the students from Kaihou Middle School," said one of the teachers, "it's time for lunch."

Heiji looked at his watch, "it's two o'clock, no wonder I feel so hungry." He was sitting with the other boys, and started to sweep through all the food on the table.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind him, "other schools are here also, so our school moves the lunchtime to two," said Kazuha while sitting next to him.

"You two are having lunch together," the boys started teasing them already, "you both are a really good couple."

"Aho!" Heiji then turned to Kazuha and said secretly, "go somewhere else."

"There're no empty seats around," said Kazuha. "Besides, experts are supposed to sit together."

"Heiji, where're you going? It's snowing now," said Kazuha, while holding Heiji's arm, trying to drag him back to the hotel.

"Aho, didn't you just hear what the TV crew had just discussing? There isn't any impossible crime," said Heiji, who had just an argument with the TV crew in the hotel. "It must be a murder that had happened before; I must go and find the truth!"

"But, it's snowing now and it'll turn into a snowstorm later on," said Kazuha worriedly, "can't you wait till the snow stops? I'm afraid that we'll meet the snow woman."

"I'm not that stupid to trade anything with the snow woman," said Heiji, "it's just a stupid story to scare people going out during snowstorm. If you're afraid of it, just stay in the hotel."

"Aho, why would I afraid, I'm just worry that you'll be seduced by the snow woman," explained Kazuha, "and I've promised obasan to take care about you."

Heiji and Kazuha were once again on the lift, traveling to the top of the hill, "can't someone design a safer way to travel upslope?" Kazuha was too afraid that she did not even dare to look around, and all she could do now was tugging Heiji's coat as tightly as she could. Heiji smirked slightly as he looked at Kazuha's reaction.

"I've told you to stay in the hotel," said Heiji, "and don't you think that it's quite nice to look around up here." All of a sudden, the lift stopped.

"What'd happened?" Kazuha asked in a panic voice.

"It's quite obvious that we're stuck in the middle," said Heiji, "maybe there's someone like you can't jump off from the lift." He said in a rather cheerful way so that Kazuha would not be too worried.

KYAAAAAAAAAAAA!

There was a high-pitched voice screaming from the top of the Snowy Mountain, and Kazuha could not help but started shaking involuntarily. She was so afraid that they were in fact stuck in the middle, and kept on wondering what could happen high up there. She did not dare even to open her eyes, but she could feel heat flowing into her body. She opened her eyes slowly, and she saw a warm hand was holding hers tightly.

"Kazuha, don't worry," said Heiji in a warm, gentle voice. Their fingers were intertwining with each others, "the lift would move soon."

There were an awkward moment of silence between them, Kazuha looked at their entwined hands and her face flushed immediately. This was not their first time to hold each other hands, but she just could not stop her heart from beating faster than normal. Besides, she enjoyed this feeling so much that made her more confused. She tilted her head up to look at Heiji more clearly, and she found out that his eyes were staring upward, looking determined.

"Eh…Heiji" said Kazuha softly, "maybe…" The lift moved once again before Kazuha finished her question. Heiji immediately jumped off once the lift had arrived to the top of the hill, leaving Kazuha still sitting on it.

"What'd happened?" Heiji asked immediately the people there, "what? A murder?" He was absorbed to the case at once.

Heiji finally solved the case, with the help from his parents, and Kazuha had been following him all the time he went investigating for details of the case. "Heiji, let's go back to the hotel," said Kazuha.

"Oh, sure," said Heiji, "but before we go back, let me carry you down the hill."

"Eh? What did you say?" Kazuha could not believe what she had just heard.

"Aho! You ignore your sprained ankle and followed me everywhere," said Heiji in an annoyed but worried voice. He then escorted her to a nearby chair, and started taking off her left shoe. "Look at this, your ankle is more swollen then that in the morning. What've you done, Aho?"

"Oh, that'll be fine," said Kazuha, her face blushed deeply when Heiji started taking off her socks and massaging her sprained ankle gently.

"Argh!" Kazuha could not help but cried out slightly, "that's okay; I can walk back down myself."

Heiji ignored her rejection and continued carrying her on his back, "don't be embarrassed. I'm the one that's carrying you, and I haven't complained yet."

Heiji, with Kazuha carrying on his back, started their journey back to their hotel in the snow storm. Both of them had already noticed that their journey had spent much more time then they had expected.

"Heiji, are you sure this's the right way to go back?" Kazuha said in a worried voice, "We've been walking for almost half an hour already."

"There's only one straight road back to our hotel," said Heiji, "don't you think we get lost. I'm walking slowly because I'm afraid that I'll fall you down. Moreover, you're too heavy that it's impossible for me to go fast!"

"Don't you dare to say this again? Hattori Heiji!" Kazuha was trying to attack him on his back and Heiji had just managed to escape from her attack. However, he did not notice the bumpy road ahead and he almost fell down. Kazuha hugged him more tightly to prevent from falling down from his back.

"Aho! Do you want to strangle me? You've held me too tight," said Heiji. There was a tint of pink on his tanned face, and he was glad that Kazuha would not notice it. She had embraced him so closely that he could feel the soft warm body of her, and the slight curvature of her body that he never noticed before.

"Eh, sorry," said Kazuha, she had also become aware of their close contact, and loosen her grip a bit. An awkward moment of silence had continued between the two young people until they had finally reached the hotel.

"Hey, Hattori," said Takada from their class, "what'd happened to you and Toyama-san? I've heard that you two were so lovely hugging each other to come back."

"Idiot! Where did you hear that nonsense? It's just that Kazuha had sprained her ankle, and she can't walk, so I carry her back," said Heiji.

"Oh, really?" Takada looked at Heiji with half-mooned eyes, "if it's other girl that sprained her ankle, will you still carry her? Or will you let other boys to carry your Toyama-san?"

"She's not mine, idiot!" Heiji immediately returned him an evil stare, "and no guys dare to carry Kazuha!" The words had already slipped out from his mouth before he noticed how possessive he was towards Kazuha. "We're just childhood friends!" He yelled out loudly at Takada, trying to persuade himself also.

To be continued……

Sorry for the late update, too busy and also too lazy to write the fanfic. But I'll try to update sooner the next time. Actually, I've changed something to my original idea at the end of this chapter. Before, I want Heiji and Kazuha to meet the snow storm, so that they're forced to stay in a cave/hut by themselves alone for a night, but I've changed it now. Hope you all still like it! PLEASE READ & REVIEW! So that I know that you like the story and continue quickly!

Next Chapter --- Heiji (and Kazuha) first real case solved by himself! (This is actually the real first chapter I've thought for Kansai Couple II, and the first two chapters are added after I've read the manga)….and this first case I've thought of it a long time already.