My first xxxHOLiC fiction. I would love to hear what people think about it, good or bad, but please no flames.

Disclaimer: CLAMP owns me, so how could I possibly own xxxHOLiC?

Today was special. Watanuki could feel it; he didn't even mind staying after to wait for clubs to be over.

He could see Himawari leaving the building now, this was his chance. Watanuki started forward but stopped short as another boy came up to Himawari. Neither had seen Watanuki yet, and he was in earshot, but he chose to remain silent.

"Himawari chan, can I speak with you for a moment?" The boy asked, running a hand through short cropped hair.

"Of course." Himawari smiled brightly, tilting her head to the side in the way she had when she was devoting her full attention to one person.

"I've admired you for a long time, and, well I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me?" Watanuki suppressed a gasp; he was overhearing some one confess their feelings for Himawari on the same day he had finally worked up the courage to do just that. He knew, and separately the boy confessing knew, that their feelings hung in the balance and Himawari's answer would destroy one of them.

"Wow, that's so sweet, I don't know what to say!" Himawari had a look of genuine shock on her face but her smile never faltered. The boy shifted his weight from one foot to another. "Well... yes! I'd love to go out with you." The crushing answer felt like a blow to the stomach to Watanuki.

A strangled sound left his throat before he turned and ran.

Doumeki had finished archery practice early, on purpose. Half way through the practice Yuuko had shown up to speak to him.

"Yuuko san." Doumeki said as a way of greeting.

"Doumeki kun, just the person I wanted to see." Yuuko said as if she didn't know exactly where to find him, all the while wearing the expression a wolf would have right before catching its prey. "I'm afraid I can't stay long but I came to tell you to stick close to Watanuki today, there are things out that don't have his best interests in mind." The glint in her eye said that last statement was meant as 'things that will kill him'. "I need to be going now, oh, and one more thing; tell Watanuki he has the day off."

Doumeki was used to the strange way Yuuko said things by now, and knew to look for the subtext in everything that came out of the woman's mouth no matter how innocent. So as soon as she had left he gathered his things and called an end to his archery practice for the day, much to the annoyance to the other members of the club.

Taking the warning to heart, he still had his bow in hand, and was searching for the bespectacled trouble causing loudmouth. Rounding a corner he was just in time to see the loud mouth in question running from Himawari and some upperclassmen. The situation only took a glance to figure out, after all it didn't take a genius to put two and two together and come up with four.

Doumeki turned on his heel mid-stride to chase after Watanuki.

The younger boy didn't look all that athletic, but years of being chased by blood hungry spirits had made him an excellent runner. Still, it didn't take more than a few blocks for Doumeki to catch up. "Stop." Doumeki called after Watanuki again, hand grasping the bespectacled boy's thin bicep in a firm grip. The sudden backwards force, coupled with Watanuki's forward momentum brought him around to face the archer. His normally bright eyes were muted with unshed tears and a mixture of sorrow and anger etched his face.

"Let go of me you jerk!" Watanuki yelled, swinging his fist at the taller boy's face, Doumeki dodged while managing to keep his hold on Watanuki. "I said le-" Watanuki cut off, eyes going wide and blood draining from his already pale face.

Not worrying about keeping the smaller boy from running anymore, Doumeki turned around, bow coming up as he did so. Before the action could be completed he was unceremoniously knocked several yards away, his bow making a loud clacking sound as it landed next to him on the hard concrete.

Black spots danced across his vision as he fought to regain his breath, forced himself to his feet, and retrieved his bow all at the same time. It was no surprise that Doumeki couldn't see the spirit attacking the smaller boy, but in this case he didn't need to. Whatever it was had Watanuki by the throat, holding him over a foot off the ground. Watanuki himself was turning a spectacular shade of blue from lack of oxygen.

Taking aim at thin air, not for the first time feeling uncertain at the lack of physical arrow or target, he loosed. In the second it took for the spiritual arrow to reach its target Doumeki had the irrational thought that he had missed his target, or some how it hadn't worked causing a fluttering in his chest that might have been the beginnings of panic. The second stretched for far longer than it should have, but after it was over Watanuki fell to the ground in a crumpled heap.

Slinging his bow over his shoulder so that it would be out of the way, he closed the distance between himself and the bespectacled boy, kneeling next to him. Watanuki was coughing and gasping for breath alternately, the natural color returning to his face quickly now that he could breathe again.

"Oi, are you alright?" Doumeki wasn't really expecting an answer; he didn't even think Watanuki could answer. To prove this, Watanuki opened his mouth to yell something at him but was taken over by a fit of coughing again. With a sigh, he picked up the smaller boy bridal style and made his way to the shrine.

The shrine was closer to the school than Watanuki's apartment, so it seemed logical to go there, besides generations of his family living there should make it a fairly safe place for even some one who constantly attracted trouble. It was only a block away with as far as Watanuki had run; it wasn't in the same direction as Watanuki's through, which led Doumeki to wonder just where the bespectacled boy was going. Maybe Yuuko's shop? Watanuki wouldn't know that he had the day off yet.

By the time the shop had come into view Watanuki had regained his composer, and his ability to yell and flail about without running short on air. "Put me down!" No question about his ability to yell. "I said put me down right now you big jerk, I don't need you to carry me!" Doumeki was finding it a task just to not drop Watanuki with the amount of flailing that was going on.

"Would you stop it." It wasn't a suggestion or a question, Doumeki didn't make suggestions.

"No, put me down!" If at all possible Watanuki got louder and had increased his flailing. Luckily they had crossed the entrance to the shrine by this point and Doumeki felt no qualms about dropping the other. "What did you do that for?"

"You told me to put you down." He grabbed Watanuki by the arm once more and hauled him to his feet, then proceeded to drag him towards the living quarters behind the actual shrine.

"Yes, put me down, not drop me you idiot. And what do you think you're doing? Let go of me!" For a moment Doumeki did consider doing just that so he could plug his ears, he was going to be deaf by the end of the school year if this kept up, but he thought better of it remembering Yuuko's warning.

He pulled open the door and kicked off his shoes, barely giving the other time to do the same before pulling him inside and closing the door. "I'm inviting you in for tea, what does it look like." Only now that they were inside did he release Watanuki.

"Wha- I don't want any tea! You probably don't even know how to make it right." The ranting continued, but he didn't make a move to leave, instead following Doumeki further into his home. "Why did you bring me here anyway; I need to get to work."

"Yuuko san came by during archery practice today, you don't have work." He entered the small and slightly disorganized kitchen. "You make the tea then, the stuff's in that cupboard."

Watanuki sputtered indignantly for a moment, unsure of which matter to address first, he finally settled on huffing loudly and making the tea. Doumeki sat at the small table and watched silently, there was a decisive droop to the other boy's shoulders though he was trying to hide it. He could never understand just why Watanuki was obsessed over that girl; Doumeki wasn't very fond of her himself, he had only put up with her for Watanuki's sake. He couldn't keep spirits away if he avoided the air headed girl, but that didn't look like it would be a problem anymore, he might not even see her at lunch.

Doumeki didn't necessarily have a problem with Himawari; it just sort of bugged him that Watanuki was so obsessed over her and she was a complete dimwit. He was certain that she couldn't be any denser if her skull was made of led. Watanuki was a little dense at times, but he redeemed himself when he wasn't yelling or fawning over Himawari.

"Oi, are you alright?" It was a little out of character, but if Watanuki didn't get over this the idiot would probably get himself in trouble.

"My name isn't 'oi'." Watanuki muttered, not turning away from the stove as he put the water on. "What makes you think I wouldn't be anyway? There's no reason for me to not be alright." His argument was lacking its usual energy giving the lie dead away.

"The fact that the last bit wasn't screamed in my face, or maybe the fact that you were running from Kunogi and that upperclassmen like you had every malevolent spirit in the city on you tail." He replied evenly, watching for whatever reaction Watanuki would give.

The bespectacled boy flinched visibly before turning around, his expression was of anger, but the usual vein throbbing on his forehead was missing. "It doesn't bother me that Himawari chan has a boyfriend now, not at all! I couldn't care less; what's it to you anyway? Did you want to ask her out? Sorry, you missed your chance." His voice was just short of a shout, giving away just how much this was affecting him.

"You're a bad liar. I, on the other hand, couldn't care less that she has a boyfriend; I've never been interested in her." He met the other's eyes evenly, his expression as deadpan as always. Even if it wasn't his usual demeanor he wouldn't have known what kind of face to make.

Doumeki didn't know what reaction he expected from Watanuki; yelling, the usual flailing, even silence, but not what actually happened. The tears reappeared in the corners of the blue eyes, only this time they broke free, streaming down pale cheeks. It appeared that Watanuki's legs also chose that moment to give out, and reacting without thinking, Doumeki was out of his chair catching the other boy before he could hit the ground.

For once Watanuki wasn't pushing him away; instead he had both hands fisted in his shirt and his face pressed against his shoulder, the glasses digging almost painfully into him. Doumeki could feel the tears begin to soak through his uniform. "Why?" The bespectacled boy's voice was barely audible. "Why do I have bad luck, why is she my bad luck?" Another heavy sob and then he continued. "Don't I have any good luck?"

The archer hugged the smaller boy closer, for some reason the situation not at all as awkward as it should have been. "Of course you do, and if you don't I'll be your good luck." Watanuki stiffened in his arms and pulled back a little, wide blue eyes meeting amber. "But it's going to cost you."

"You jerk." Watanuki began to pull away, but Doumeki pulled him back into another hug.

"The price is that you have to stay for dinner."