Disclaimer: As usual xxHolic isn't mine but the ladies of Clamp.

AN: The finals was originally going to be just 1 chapter but the characters had other ideas.

Chapter 23 – Finals Begin

They gathered their things and headed for the shop, that is once Watanuki and Aya were pried apart long enough to do so. That said they were one of the last groups to leave the competition fields that day. Shizuki-san had joined their little group and they all walked slowly thru the village to the elderly psychic's meat bun shop. Watanuki wasn't ready to let go of the Mage just yet so he held on to one of her hands as they walked, Aya's other hand was occupied by that of the tall Archer. She had gathered Doumeki to them when they joined him on the sideline. The elderly woman and the tall swordsman followed the trio, Mokona was riding on Doumeki shoulder. When they arrived at the shop, Doumeki dumped the Animated Meat Bun on a table, leaned his bow and quiver of arrows against the wall and suggested that the Mage and the Seer go out back to the creek and get cleaned up. They practically ran out the door in their haste. Sighing Doumeki turned to the two remaining adults and the Black Manjuu.

"Well Obaa-san looks like dinner tonight will have to be Pork Buns and leftovers. I'll start the tea and warm up some Sake." Slightly confused the swordsman asked the elderly woman what was happening.

"I thought the runner was the cook, they only went to get wash up didn't they?"

"Oh my goodness, no, we won't be seeing them for at least an hour, perhaps more." The elderly woman chuckled, and nodding towards the Archer who had begun to prepare the tea. "They are newlyweds, plus my dear boy I believe you 'saw' what happened on that field as clearly as I did. Perhaps, you would like to stay here for a while?"

"I would be honored Sensei."

Out back near the creek, the Mage and the Seer had found a lovely little patch of soft green grass. As she fell into a pair of mis-matched eyed the Mage felt one of the prices hanging over her head fall away. That soft voice she always identified with the magic whispered 'Done' as student found teacher. She was freed of the compulsion of the mage price that had started on the tournament field just after she had won the fight. She was now free to completely concentrate on the delectable male in her arms.

"Kimihiro, beloved."

"Cerowyn, my love."

And under the twilight sky the Knight Mage and the Seer, laid upon the Earth, Fire claiming them both in its passionate embrace. For a supposedly Uke male, Watanuki was very dominate as he claimed the Mage for his own. They didn't return to the shop for several hours.

Doumeki felt when the two smaller teens started heading back to the shop. He started a fresh pot of tea and set out dinner for the hungry pair, he didn't want them taking too much time, he was eager to drag one or both off to bed. In the end, he dragged the giggling Mage into the back room with him. Watanuki had to spend quite some time fending off the affectionate pipe fox before he could even eat his dinner, by then the now not so stoic teen had cornered the giggling blushing female and tossing her over his shoulder carried her into their temporary bedroom. Smiling and content the Seer cleaned up the dishes before joining his husband and co-wife for a good night's sleep. Tomorrow the Tournament would come to an end and they had to be at their best.

The next morning, the three teens prepared for that afternoons events.

"We should pack our bags and bring them with us to the tournament. I suspect that if things go well and we're able to gain the Magical Item in this world, we'll be leaving soon after. We can always bring them back here if we don't." The ever practical Archer counseled the others. Mokona actually agreed with the Archer, saying that the White Mokona had said the same thing often happened to Syaoran and his friends, though not always. So he wasn't sure if he would be compelled to move them straight away to the next world or if they would be able to choose the time of their leaving.

Fortunately, Watanuki as yet hadn't had much of a chance to really go thru his bag or he might have tried to leave behind or just burn several of the items it contained. Doumeki packed his bag for him as Watanuki cooked the group's breakfast. Watanuki was still wearing the local shorter version of a Yakata, as that would allow him more freedom for running and Doumeki wanted to make sure the outfit the Seer had been wearing on their arrival made it back home. Yuuko had made an excellent choice with this outfit he 'really' liked how the slender male looked in it. Besides in a way Doumeki thought of it as Watanuki's Bridal Gown, he had been wearing it when they Yuuko announced they were married after all. Not that he was stupid enough to tell the Seer he thought so, he wanted to keep his hearing for just a little while longer.

Packing up some Bentos for later the small group, now increased by one swordsman headed to the tournament field. The finals were set to start in the early afternoon, but as running was the first event, Watanuki didn't want to eat anything right before he had to run. Beside the Archery competition always took plenty of time, enough for the slender youth to eat his bento then.

The course for the final contest between the runners was long and brutal obstacle course. Nothing Watanuki couldn't handle, he'd been running thru the streets and alleys of Tokyo, evading the ayakashi trying to eat him for as long as he could remember. The Shadow Messenger was a silent lithe girl with short cropped hair the color of a robin's egg stretching alongside him. They called them to the starting line…

3

2

1

GO!

And they we're off, over the first stretch of the obstacle course this section had several hard turns and hurdles and the Spirit Magnet, leaped over the bales of hay and fences as if they weren't even there, the Shadow messenger matching him pace for pace. The next section was flatter and only curving up and down the local hills, the runners lengthen their strides now, each trying to gain on the other. The Shadow Messenger pulled out ahead just ever so slightly, Watanuki wasn't too concerned there was still another stretch of obstacles before the mile long stretch before the finish line.

A sudden turn brought them to the second obstacle course this one was a little more difficult and dangerous, the fences were spiked with spears and knives stuck out of the top of the bales of hay. But the Seer and the Shadow Messenger soared over these obstacles with the same ease they had shown in the first section of the course. She still had a slight edge on the Spirit bait, but the final stretch was coming up. 'Breathe Kimihiro breathe, there are no spirits here trying to eat you, just run as if there were', Watanuki thought to himself as he ran.

The final stretch loomed before them and the Shadow Messenger took off. Crap, she's been holding back, run Kimihiro run. Show the others that you CAN 'take care of yourself' if the need arises. Damnit, weren't you doing so long before they came, remember damnit, REMEMBER! At that thought a flood of energy entered the Seer thru his pounding feet, before his eyes the ground of the final stretch glowed with a green light. Grabbing for the power he felt there, he 'reached' and then found his stride, becoming one with the earth he ran effortlessly joy flowing thru his every limb, he roared across the finish line far ahead of the Shadow Messenger. When she reached him she finally spoke.

"I am Rin, fleetest runner of the Shadow Messengers. Never before have I been beaten, nor have I ever seen one become one with the ground beneath his feet before such as you have done. Though my elders had told me it could be done. I thank you for showing me this and that there is more yet for me to learn." The fleet footed runner bowed to Watanuki and departed. Oh wow. Oh yeah hey….

"I won. I really WON! WOOHOO! Aya, Shizuka did ya see ME, huh? I WON!" Watanuki floated and twirled with joy over the field and to his friends.

"Idiot."

Doumeki 'convinced' Watanuki change back into the Sapphire outfit he had on when they had arrived in this world before the Archery contest began, his reasoning being was that they should return the Yukata to its owner and leave only with their prizes and what they came with, Shizuka was actually a little surprised when the tactic worked. He just thought the slender male looked far better in that outfit, rather than in the plain Yukata. Though it had shown the Seers legs off completely, for some reason the sapphire blue outfit was more appealing, that slit up the front and those occasional glimpses of the smaller male's trim legs was a far bigger turn on. Seems that a large section of the female and male population in the spectator stands thought so too, if all the whistles the slender male got when he returned to the field were any judge. It always kind of amazed the larger teen that Watanuki seemed so oblivious to the admiring gazes and all the attempts to gain his attention from the girls at school, there had even been brave boy or two (well maybe more) who had tried to get past Shizuka's constant watchfulness. Damn idiot was far too beautiful for his own good, but he was their Idiot, so he and his Mage would see to it that the delicate Seer remained oblivious.

Smirking, the Archer entered the field for the Archery Finals. His personal cheering section sparkled of sapphires and rubies. Mugetsu was wrapped around Watanuki throat, the Black Pork Bun of evil was bouncing on the shoulder of the old Grandmother and the swordsman from yesterday, who it now seemed, was going to be learning from the elderly psychic was standing at her side. The handsome Archer himself was completely oblivious to the fainting and screaming fangirls in the stands as he took the field. He had been ever since a certain haunted boy had entered his life and started turning it upside down. The only girls to capture his attention and then his heart had managed to only add to the chaos that was his life now. He was happy.

Time to do what he had come here to do, his opponent was a solid male with short spiky dark red hair, the calluses on his fingers showed that just like Doumeki he practiced with his Bow daily. Excellent a worthy opponent. The targets had been set up for the first round. The red head went first, thunk, thunk, thunk. Again and again the red headed archer's arrows hit the bull's-eye, 25 out of 25, this would be no high school tournament with part time archers and would be jocks, this, this was a Bowman of considerable skill.

Doumeki stepped to his place and assumed his usual stance, he lifted his bow and notched the arrow, grasping the string with the three fingers of his right hand while he held the arrow, he took a the calming breath as his Obi-san had taught him and reached for the target within his mind's eye as he drew the string of the bow back towards his face.

Notch. Aim. Draw. Release.

Twenty five arrows populated the Bull's-eye when he had finished. The first round was a tie, the arrows retrieved then the targets were moved out five yards. The second round was a repeat of the first. They moved the targets ten yards this time. Again the archers took the field.

Thunk, Thunk, Thunk. Again the third round ended in a draw both archers performing perfectly. The officials had the targets moved one last time. They were at Fifty yards now Doumeki had almost never had to shoot this distance in any of his tournaments before and rarely even in practice. He had shot farther on occasion but those had been single shots and usually to save Watanuki's life. Damnit, no he couldn't let himself get rattled now, breath, remain calm. He was up first this round.

Notch. Aim. Draw. Release. Shit, the arrow hit the target too low. Stop it Shizuka, you are doing yourself no favors swearing at yourself. Adjust and shoot again, that's all you can do and hope the red head doesn't shoot a perfect round.

Notch. Aim. Draw. Release. Yes! A little to the top side of the bull's-eye but within the line, readjust a hair lower. The rest of his shots were as perfect as always, he had found his spot. Now it was the red heads turn, his opponent took his stance, outwardly he looked as calm as had Doumeki, but it seemed that inside he was rattled. He missed four of the 25 shots.

Doumeki had taken the Archery event hands down. The only shot he had missed in the three days of shooting had been that first one in the fourth round in the finals. He was still mentally kicking himself for not practicing this distance more often when the majority of his personal cheering section knocked him to the ground. He found himself buried under the hyperactive Spirit Magnet wearing one miniature pipe fox as a scarf, a curvy blonde Mage and a maniacally giggling animated plush toy. Life was good, he hugged the pile of warm bodies and kissed whoever's lips happened to be closest first then the others, it didn't really matter, they both belonged to him.

Two matches won, one match left, the Grand prize awaits.