Before we start, I had to do a little bit of research for this fanfic. According to Wikipedia, Japan has three different classifications of slope difficulty. They are as follows: Green – Beginner / Red – Intermediate / Black – Expert. This is the classification system I am going to use for this story, so now that you know, enjoy!

...

Almost nothing is sweeter than the feel of fresh snow beneath you as you glide over the smooth surface, agilely weaving your way through bumps and obstacles laid out before you…At least not to someone like Ichigo Kurosaki, self-proclaimed snowboarding extraordinaire.

"Keigo, you can't just follow us to a Black course if you're only Green course material!" an annoyed, orange-haired teen spat to another occupant in the ascending ski lift. There were a total of four members in said lift, but only one was deserving of the title Rookie: Keigo Asano, the nut job and overly hyper friend of the group. Seated next to him was much quieter Mizuiro Kojima, while across from him was Tatsuki Arisawa. Ichigo Kurosaki sat next to the only female, his friend back from karate class.

"I can't help it Ichigo…you guys are all better than me, and you know I don't like being alone," Keigo reciprocated, the points of his fingers poking each other through his gloves.

Ichigo knew that the other teen had brains buried somewhere in his skull, but he was acting more idiotic today than usual. "How do you expect to get down then, without falling on your face every 2 seconds?"

Good question. One that Keigo didn't have a direct answer to. "I'll, uh…figure that out when we get there…"

"You'd better hurry," Mizuiro's voice chimed in, "because we're here."

...

The summit of Mt. Niseko An'nupuri loomed overhead in the noon sky as the four bodies clad in heavy snowboarding gear dismounted the lift and peered at the trail ahead of them; a Black course, in all of its dangerous beauty.

"Ahh, shit," Keigo whimpered upon viewing the jagged cliffs and steep inclines. This course was definitely way out of his league…he actually couldn't even imagine how his three companions could handle this sort of torture.

"I tried to warn you Keigo, if you go for a course that you're not ready for, you could have a hell of a time. I won't blame you if you decide to turn back," Ichigo said to his tense friend, trying to offer his pride a little leeway from the present situation. The teen then shouted, "I'll see you guys at the bottom! Then we'll get lunch!" before pushing off and sending himself down the snowy path below.

"Don't try to act tough now Keigo, this isn't the time or place for that," Mizuiro rode up next, offering his two cents to the teen. After receiving a curt "Shut up", the black-haired teen smiled and pushed off, chasing after the leader.

Tatsuki was the last of the group to leave, but not without reason. If the other two men had seen her show compassion towards Keigo, she never would have been able to live it down, which could easily ruin her tough girl image. "Keigo, you should go back down on the lift. You won't be able to handle this course, trust me. But…if your pride gets the better of you…call us. That's what cell phones are for, yeah? If not then I'll see you at the bottom," she smiled through her tightly wrapped light blue scarf before setting off after her companions.

"Well," Keigo sighed exasperatedly, "that's just great. I came up here in the hopes of not being alone…I thought Tatsuki would take pity on poor little me, but…stupid. Stupid me! Gah…I really don't feel like dying today…I guess I'll take the loss for this one…" Keigo took once last glance at the slopes before turning tail and heading back to the chair lift. At least this way he won't have to worry about being distracted by the pretty girls. 'Hah!' he thought, 'as if that'll stop me! Show off or not, I'm still hott!'

With a lecherous grin plastered on his half-hidden face and his mind full of scantily dressed damsel-in-distress beauties, Keigo hadn't even noticed the girls that were making their way up the ski slope.

...

Five hours had passed since then; officially three hours after Ichigo, Mizuiro and Tatsuki had filed a missing person's report on Keigo. The trio had waited for twenty minutes at the base of the mountain after their trip down the Black course, looking out for their friend. Eventually hunger had gotten the better of them, and they reassured each other that he would call while they were at lunch. Time had passed and the group began to worry about Keigo's whereabouts, so calling the teen on his cell phone seemed the only possible action. After seven calls randomly between the three with no answer, the friends had decided to call for help.

"I told him to call…I can't believe he tried the course…that idiot..!" Tatsuki berated herself over the missing friend. After searching all throughout the resort twice and calling his cell a total of fifteen times, the teens had become more resolute as to what had happened to Keigo.

"Damnit…" Ichigo whispered as he clenched his jaw. Memories of the brown-haired teen quickly flashing through his head before Ichigo reached his conclusion. "I'm going out there to look for him."

"But Ichigo!" Tatsuki choked out past the lump forming in her throat. "Keigo is already lost; we don't need to lose you too!"

"She's right," Mizuiro said calmly, the chaos not seeming to affect his outward appearance. "Besides, there are professionals out there looking for him right now. They've been at it for three hours, I'm sure they'll find him soon. We just have to be patient."

Ichigo was taken somewhat aback by his friend's statements. Usually he met with no resistance when it came to helping another. Why should this time be different though? "I'm going," the teen said as he grabbed his gear and ran out into the evening air. The remaining two could only stare in disbelief at his actions.

...

It was nearing six in the evening as Ichigo made his way out of the warm lodge into the crisp, January air on his quest to help search for his missing friend. Clad in a heavy dark crimson coat and thick black snow pants, adorned with his red and black hat and dark goggles atop his black snowboarding boots with a backpack carrying extra provisions and his snowboard, Ichigo was grateful that Mizuiro and Tatsuki had more sense than him to stay inside; it was starting to get pretty cold. With a sigh he set off through the snow, leery of the task at hand but set on rescuing that idiot Keigo. 'I can't believe him sometimes…' he thought as he narrowed his eyes.

An hour passed and Ichigo still didn't have any luck on his search. Starting to get tired, the teen rested his hand on his hips and surveyed his surroundings: a quickly darkening sky above beautiful, fresh, powdery snow. Ichigo couldn't help but smile at the scenery before quickly pulling his cell phone out of his right jacket pocket. Flipping it open, he realized there was only one bar present. "Shit," he spat. How was he supposed to call anyone if he had crappy reception? This wasn't very good. What if Keigo had been found already and no one could reach through to him? No, even one bar isn't that bad…right?

Ignoring his thoughts, the teen went back to the task at hand. He had already gotten himself chest deep into this mess, and he wasn't about to back out now because of his faltering confidence. Trudging forward, Ichigo was completely oblivious to the ominous clouds in the distance.

...

The wind and blinding snow hit him from nowhere, the frigid cold sending quick chills down his spine. 'Awesome,' Ichigo thought sourly as he fought his way through the onslaught of freezing rain and blinding snow. Blizzards really were a bitch, that's for sure. Now the teen knew he had to give up his search in order to find shelter for himself, no small task given the current situation. He couldn't even see three feet in front of him, let alone a comfortable distance.

Ichigo helplessly stepped through the snow, his pace slowing significantly since the start of the storm. He swore that even if he found a small cave that would be enough, anything to get out of this hell. Unfortunately for him, he didn't wander upon ski patrol or even a cave, but instead what appeared to be an abandoned log cabin. Slamming into the broadside certainly didn't help his pride, but he wasn't about to pass up this opportunity.

Making his way to the front of the cabin, Ichigo prayed that the front door was unlocked. If it wasn't, at least a key under the placemat would be welcome. Slowly climbing the stairs and eventually reaching the large wooden door, the teen grabbed for the knob and held his breath. His hand met with a little resistance, but he was able to shove the door wide enough to slip inside.

The change in temperature hit his face as soon as he had closed the door, his cheeks stinging at the welcomed warmth. Ichigo slowly lifted his goggles from their place over his eyes, a little bit of snow falling from the top crevices. Around him was a large wood-burning stove next to a large pile of lumber, a worn-out leather sofa lay upon an even more worn-out area rug in front of a large fireplace, and a wooden table sitting idly in the corner. Lifting an eyebrow at the old western style room, complete with a large Japanese wolf pelt hung on the wall, Ichigo made his way to the adjacent door, hoping that he would find a bathroom. Instead his eyes rested on an oversized cabin-style bed topped with a thick rose colored comforter. Walking to the now claimed bed, the teen collapsed onto the soft sheets and sighed, feeling content that he would now at least have a comfortable place to sleep.

Rising slowly from bliss, Ichigo began to take off his heavy equipment. With his jacket, snow pants, hat and goggles now hanging in a fashion Ichigo hoped would allow them to dry, the teen took his boots and put them by the front door in a feeble attempt to keep a little normalcy for himself. He then unzipped his backpack hoping that the canned food he had brought hadn't frozen; can openers couldn't open everything, after all, but luckily the insulated fabrics had kept the containers at least somewhat untouched.

Opening his dinner and placing the can on the stove, Ichigo took a large chunk of wood and, after opening the latch, placed it in the crevice below atop old coals. Grabbing matches from his bag and lighting a flame that quickly caught, the teen was left standing waiting for his meal to heat up. Remembering there had been another unopened door off of the bedroom, he made his way to the new area, discovering, much to his relief, a bathroom. It was a simple space with all of the necessary amenities, Ichigo taking special note at the deep tub that he would be able to soak his tired body in.

Ichigo quickly used the restroom before heading back to the stove, the scent of baked beans filling the small cabin. After picking a small fork from a side pocket in his bag, he made fast work of his dinner before sighing at the unsatisfied feeling that the beans left him with. Ichigo put the empty can on the table in the corner, making note to take that back with him. The teen then looked towards the fireplace, noticing the chill in the air. He lit a small fire that he hoped would last the night before heading back into the bathroom and filling the old Japanese style tub with hot water, taking off his underclothes before slipping into the relaxing heat.

'I'll call Mizuiro when I get out of here,' he thought as he slid deeper into peacefulness, fighting his hardest against the sleep in his eyes. When he was done with his bath Ichigo flipped open his cell phone, intent on calling his friends to tell them what happened to him. He gave an angered growl and a "Shit!" upon noticing the 'Out of Range' message displayed on his screen. The teen hastily pulled on his boxers and tossed his now useless phone at the pile of clothes still lying on the floor. Shaking his head, he slowly walked into the bedroom, slinking into the welcoming bed before sighing, the warming air from the fire helping him find a difficult slumber.

...

A dark figure appeared through the calming storm, the moonlight shedding a faint yellow glow to the freshly fallen powder. On sight, one could instantly recognize his bright red jacket as belonging to that of a Ski Patrolman. After having been on the search for an older teenager with striking orange hair that had been reported in around the time that the sudden blizzard had started, the man was exhausted from his searching. Steeling his thoughts on having to camp outside that night, he was greatly surprised and ecstatic upon finding a lone log cabin up on this deserted mountain side. Quickly making his way to the door, he was even more overjoyed to find it unlocked.

After getting inside, the patrolman removed his light blue goggles and white hat, exposing his pale teal hair to the warm air. Curious about the fire but too tired to question its existence, the man removed his boots, tossing them by the door, before taking off his red jacket and white snow pants, laying them in front of the burning flames. Satisfied at himself, he pulled out his cell phone and checked the time, pissed in the process as he found his cell with the message 'Out of Range'. "Fuck," he said tiredly as he splayed himself onto the couch, quickly succumbing to the sleep he desperately needed.

...

Upon waking the next morning, Ichigo groggily stretched before heading to the bathroom to take care of his morning activities, coming out donning the same clothes that he had worn the previous day. Since Ichigo hadn't expected to be caught up in something like this, bringing more than one pair of extra clothes hadn't even occurred to him. He lazily scratched his abdomen as he headed toward the main room, the thought of finding a radio currently the only thing on his mind.

As the teen entered the space he immediately noticed that something was different. First off, there was an extra pair of light blue snow boots near the door. Surveying the room, Ichigo then noticed the clothes sitting next to the now unlit fireplace. 'Okay..?' Ichigo thought to himself as he started to slowly panic. Had this been someone's home after all? Was he intruding? No, trespassing? These thoughts made him pale slightly as he went to inspect the articles of clothing, swearing he had spotted a jacket belonging to someone whose help he could really use. Once he reached the couch though, Ichigo lost all train of thought as he stared at the spectacle below him.

A tall, well toned man with pale teal hair messy from sleep lay lightly snoring on the worn couch. Wearing a black muscle shirt with somewhat baggy jeans held closely to his hips with a black belt, Ichigo wondered how this man had even managed to sleep. Those things must have been pretty uncomfortable for him, right? No, he preferred more loose fitting clothing, explaining his green hoodie covering a loose fitting white tee with beige cargo pants. These were the types of clothes that allowed someone the ability to move, not something like that man was wearing…

Ichigo was snapped from his thoughts as the man in question stirred from his sleep, giving a loud yawn as he slowly opened his deep blue eyes. They were hazy from sleep and he was unable to register his surroundings for a few seconds, but soon remembered the events, or lack thereof, from the night before. He rose slowly from his position on the couch, his back sore from the lack of support, before turning to look toward the fireplace. 'No wonder it's so chilly, the fire's out,' he thought as he was about to push off of the couch before he saw something in the corner of his eye. Something that for a second startled him. Turning his head slowly, the man lay his eyes upon the chocolate brown ones of another male, who was staring at him at a small distance.

"Is this your place?" Ichigo spoke somewhat softly to who he hoped wasn't the owner of the cabin he had invaded.

It took the man a second to comprehend the question before replying, "No, I had been wondering if it was yours. Well, seeing as the true owner isn't here, that's both good and bad. We won't get bitched at for coming in uninvited, but now we don't know if there's a radio or anything." The man shifted his weight before lifting himself from his bed from the night before walking over to Ichigo. "There'd better be a bathroom in this place, right?"

"Yeah," Ichigo replied before pointing to the door that led to the bedroom, "there's another door once you get in there. That's it."

"Good," the man grinned as he walked to his destination, Ichigo noting the long strides he took.

'This guy…' he thought slightly before dismissing the thought, not wanting to leave any negative impressions for the only person he currently shared space with. Besides, now he was hungry. Grabbing a small box of Cheerios from his bag by the stove, the teen sauntered over to the couch where the man had been sitting and sat on the opposite side. It seemed like it would be awkward sitting anywhere else on that space, considering the two hadn't even introduced themselves yet.

It wasn't long before the other man came back into the small space, his face washed and hair styled from his hands. He walked to the pile of wood, grabbing two large pieces and bringing them to the fireplace. He rummaged through his red jacket, still laying on the ground, and pulled out a stylized metal lighter. After starting what he thought to be a decent enough fire, at least for now, he turned to Ichigo and said, "By the way, my name's Grimmjow. I'm a Ski Patrolman and was out last night looking for a kid by the name of…" Grimmjow paused as he tried to recall the name, "Ichigo Kurosaki. And now that I think of it, you resemble the hell out of the description I was given."

Ichigo was shocked at this statement. Had his friends called him in missing after he had gotten caught in the blizzard? He only allowed himself to feel touched for a moment before replying, "Yeah. That's me," with a smile. "I was out looking for my other friend when there was a sudden blizzard. I got lost and was lucky enough to find this place."

Grimmjow smirked at Ichigo's comment. He had been the first one to find him! Add another notch to the pride stick, and he was getting even more egotistical. Nothing was better than beating others at their own jobs. "Well," he said as he walked up and stood in front of Ichigo, "My cell is out of range and my shitty handheld transceiver is nothing but static. We'd be best off looking for a radio, or at least something that I'd be able to contact base with."

Ichigo was about to agree before he was interrupted by a mysterious gurgling, appearing to come from the other man's stomach. His laughter was the only response Grimmjow received.

...

A/N~ Yay, a wintery fic! Normally I'm not a big fan of winter, but if a storm can keep two smexy men together in a secluded log cabin for more than one day, then I'm game! It's been a little while since I've written a fic and I really enjoyed writing this one. It was lots of fun!

No, I do not snowboard. Or ski. I never have…but that isn't going to keep me from writing about it! Especially if it involves GrimmIchi hoho X3 for you skiers and snowboarders, please don't beat me up too badly if I did something wrong in here. I'm even more of a rookie than Keigo :(

Ichigo's board is a white Arbor Abacus Snowboard. I found it while searching through board designs and I really like it :)