Author's Note: Here it is! Part three, the big ending, where Oishi finally gives Eiji his gift. Hope you like it, everyone! Please review and let me know if you like it (or if you don't). I'd really appreciate the feedback (plus I give reviewers cyber hugs, and I'll throw in some cyber cookies, too, lol).

Most importantly, enjoy! And Happy White Day, everyone!


It was a beautiful March morning, chilly but full of that cold sunshine that can brighten a heart too long oppressed by a dark winter. And yet, instead of enjoying the pleasant morning weather, Oishi found that his thoughts were traveling a mile a minute, propelled forward into their current state of turmoil with something like worry.

He was supposed to give the scarf to Eiji today. He didn't just know this, he almost dreaded it. But as for exactly why, he couldn't really explain.

"Okay, Oishi…" He breathed in and let it out as slowly as he could, trying to relax. "Everything's fine. It's no big deal. It's just Eiji."

Really, what was he so worried about? His best friend wasn't going to make fun of him just because he actually took the time to knit him a White Day present.

Was he?

For the millionth time, Oishi attempted to shake off the endless second-guessing and think about something else. But no matter how hard he tried, he was painfully conscious of that bright red color that was hidden somewhere inside his school bag. Even worse, he knew that each step he took was bringing him closer to the person that was supposed to receive that piece of scarlet and then… react, somehow.

The more he thought about it, the more Oishi realized he had no idea how Eiji would react.

That was part of his best friend's charm, Oishi knew. The fact that nobody in the world could predict what Eiji Kikumaru would do next was exactly what made him so interesting to be around. It was also what made some people dread trying to keep up with him. Not Oishi, of course. He enjoyed the challenge, and as far as tennis went, he'd come to learn a thing or two about predicting the unpredictable. It wasn't quite as hard as one might have expected. Then again, it had certainly taken him a lot of work to learn how to do it… which was why even now Oishi could be nervous about how Eiji would react.

He just hoped Eiji wouldn't make fun of him, although the more Oishi thought about it, the more he knew that would never happen. Eiji wasn't like that, especially not about something like a gift. Especially not about a gift from him. Eiji had always liked any present that Oishi had given him before, and he didn't see any reason why this wouldn't be the case now.

Nevertheless, he felt uneasy, to put it mildly.

"Oishi!"

For a moment, Oishi felt his breath get caught in his throat at the sound of his friend's voice calling out to him. Well, this was it.

"Hey, Eiji." He managed something close to his usual smile as his friend came up alongside him. "How's it going?"

"Pretty good, nya." The energetic redhead paused for a moment to consider his present state of being. "Except we have a test in first period and I didn't read the chapter."

"You could always try studying for a change," Oishi offered, heroically managing to refrain from smiling. Eiji wasn't exactly the type to be concerned about his classes or his grades, the polar opposite of his own industrious personality.

"Yes, yes…" Eiji responded absently, obviously giving the suggestion as much serious consideration as a kitten might in regarding a passing butterfly.

Oishi glanced at his friend for a moment in the brief silence, noticing how Eiji's cheeks were flushed a bright pink from the cold and how his breath was forming into fragile clouds around his lips.

He felt his hand rummaging around in his book bag. He was almost surprised at his sudden eagerness to give the gift he'd spent a whole month working on.

"Hey, Eiji?" It took only a split second to recapture his friend's interest.

"Nya?"

"I… well, I made something for you…"

He felt his words and any possible attempt at explanation fade away into irrelevance as he watched his friend's face light up at the sight of the bright red scarf. He could have laughed aloud at that certain sparkle that had ignited in those deep blue eyes.

"Is that really for me, nya?" Eiji exclaimed, incredulous. But for all his surprise, he'd already taken the scarf from Oishi's hands and was currently engaged in admiring it.

"Yeah," answered Oishi, smiling broadly at last. His worries had completely vanished. "It's for you. Since you gave me something last month, I thought you deserved to get something this month."

There. He'd explained it. And Eiji understood perfectly, just like he knew he would. He could tell that much from just one glance at his friend's expression.

"Thanks so much, Oishi!"

And, since Eiji was Eiji, Oishi got a very enthusiastic hug from his best friend in the middle of the sidewalk. Fortunately, it seemed to be the only reason Oishi would have to blush when it came to giving Eiji the scarf, and in comparison to his other fears, the hug in public seemed like an almost welcome embarrassment.

As certain as Oishi was that his best friend liked his gift, he received further proof in the fact that Eiji's tongue starting moving a mile a minute all the way to school. His endless chatter became a pleasant accompaniment to the beautiful weather that Oishi could at last freely enjoy without worry. His friend had already wrapped the scarf around his neck, which was when Oishi discovered, to his satisfaction, that the color really did look perfect on Eiji.

Meanwhile, Eiji was expressing his delight in, well, not so few words.

"Nya! I can't believe you actually made this for me! You're so nice, Oishi! I've never gotten anything handmade before for a present. Did I tell you that already? Oh, and it's the best color ever, too. You know red is my favorite color, right? Well, of course you know. You know everything. I bet you knew how cold I've been this year, too. I was just thinking a week ago that I really, really wanted a scarf or something to keep my neck warm, nya. Did you really make it yourself? It feels so nice, like the kind out of a store! You must be a really good sewer, Oishi. Not like my sister. She spent the whole month before Christmas trying to knit something for her boyfriend and you could tell she'd never sewed something before. And then my brother got something for White Day last year that his girlfriend knitted, and it looked absolutely awful, nya! It looked like a sewing machine exploded. But his girlfriend made him wear it anyway, and we all laughed at him, nya."

Oishi was laughing by now. Really, where did his friend get all these things to say? Did his mouth ever run out and have to get restocked?

But Eiji's next words in particular caught his attention.

"They'll all be so jealous that I actually have a nice scarf that Oishi made for me!"

Oishi wasn't quite sure whether to feel proud at that, or maybe awkward. So he went ahead and felt both. After all, Eiji was comparing the gift to what his brother had received from his girlfriend

"Well, I'm really glad you like it, Eiji," he managed, feeling his color rise a little.

"I love it!" Eiji declared, as though his final word was law and nothing further could be said about the superiority of his red scarf.

There was a moment's pause as Eiji entertained himself by snuggling his chin into the folds of the scarf. He then observed, somewhat muffled, "It's so warm, nya."

"Well, I hope so. I wanted it to be," Oishi replied almost shyly. But he couldn't help mentally laughing at the funny effect of Eiji Kikumaru reduced to a head of hair and two blue eyes that were peeking out from behind the bright red scarf.

Another pause was filled by another muffled question from the catlike redhead.

"Did it take you a really long time to make, Oishi?"

Oishi thought about it for a moment.

"Yeah, I guess it did. I mean, I got it done in a month, but I was knitting for hours at night."

"Really? Just for me?" that same muted voice murmured, as those huge blue eyes stole a sideways glance at Oishi. "You're too nice, nya."

Oishi didn't quite know how to respond to the compliment, so he just shrugged a bit awkwardly, a self-conscious smile on his face. Fortunately, he was saved from having to think up an appropriate reply, since a cheerful "Good morning!" cut through the silence at that moment.

Oishi looked behind him, where both Kawamura and Fuji were smiling and waving, apparently also on their way to school.

"Hey, Taka, Fuji!" Eiji's face lit up again at the sight of his classmates, and he actually turned around and ran straight to them, waving his arms in a general salutation. Oishi, however, simply waited at the street corner so they could all walk to school together.

"Look, look! Look at what I got, nya!"

Oishi gulped. All of a sudden, some of his scattered worries returned. He'd forgotten that, what with Eiji being Eiji, his friend would of course want to show off his new present to all their classmates. And given the hyper acrobat's chatterbox personality, who knew what he would say about Oishi's role in making it? Oishi was still pretty sure he didn't want anyone else knowing he could knit. He could just hear the wisecracks now, if some of the more sarcastic tennis team members found out…

"That's a beautiful scarf, Eiji," Fuji said with an appreciative smile.

"It sure is. Where did you get it?" Kawamura asked in his usual amiable way.

"Oh, it was a present!" Eiji declared happily, glancing back at Oishi in that instant. And much to Oishi's surprise, his friend did a double take. It was as if he suddenly noticed something in Oishi's expression…

"Really? From who?"

There was a moment of silence, and Oishi's heart skipped a beat. He was going to say it, wasn't he? After all, why wouldn't he? It wasn't like Oishi had told Eiji to keep it a secret. But something in his friend's eyes seemed to say that he knew Oishi didn't want him to tell.

A huge grin spread onto Eiji's face as he gave his reply. He had the look of somebody who'd struck gold, and in a sense, he had.

"Mom made it for me!"

It was a beautiful March morning, and Shuichiro Oishi was laughing uncontrollably, while Eiji Kikumaru giggled right along with him, flaming red scarf and all.

In retrospect, Oishi couldn't help thinking that, although Kawamura had looked appropriately perplexed at this outburst from the Golden Pair that day, Fuji had only smiled that knowing smile and glanced in Oishi's direction for a moment. It had been a simple inside joke, of course, and it would have been just like the Seigaku tennis prodigy to have seen right through it. And so, Oishi figured, there were three people that day who were in on the inside joke about mothers and knitting needles.

- the end -