AN: Lookie! It's another Chapter! Thank you to all that reviewed. This chapter is the longest yet so hurrah for me~

CCSRonin, I swear Watanuki does remember Doumeki! I tried to subtly incorporate in this chapter. I swear it's in there! You may have to squint and tilt your head...

On a completely unrelated note, I was wondering how old you all think I am. If you guess correctly I will write you a 500+ word Douwata, with a prompt of your choosing. Just post it in your review, first one to get it right receives the prize! Sorry, but you will have to be logged in to be considered. Good luck!

Warnings: A tad rushed in some places, bad dialogue, and crummy characterization.

Chapter 6


Watanuki found he was not comfortable in cars. Whether it was because he hadn't ridden in one since the accident, or because Doumeki was the one driving, he wasn't sure. But it was probably Doumeki driving.

"Scared?" Doumeki asked in a monotone. A knowing monotone.

"Of course not! I should be, because YOU'RE driving, but I'm not! I'm Watanuki Kimihiro, and I don't fear anything!" He retorted.

"Your knuckles are white, moron." Doumeki pointed out and smoothly parked his car. It took Watanuki a few seconds to pry his fingers from the seat and he left a set of rather impressive indentations behind. He flexed his fingers to regain circulation. Doumeki smirked as he walked to the stands.

"Leave the cell in the car," He called out over his shoulder.

"Doumeki Shizuka! What a pleasure it is to have you with us today! I cannot thank you enough!" Ito gushed and shook the actor's hand. Doumeki dipped his head in acknowledgement and signed in.

"And what charity will you be supporting?" Ito asked with a bright smile.

"Pancreatic Cancer Research Center." Doumeki informed him. He nodded and wrote it down, then handed Doumeki a number and told him where wait.

"Your assistant can wait with you, but he should move to the stands before it starts, there's a reserved seat for him." Ito said and waved them off.

"Why that?" Watanuki asked as they made their way to the waiting area, which was just a large patch of land with a tarp hung over it.

"It's the fifth leading killer of men in Japan, sixth for women." Doumeki replied tonelessly.

There were only a few other participants there, they were a little early, and all of them looked focused. Watanuki sat down in one of the folding chairs and watched Doumeki adjust his bow. The young man comforted himself with the knowledge that professionals had been invited too so there was no way Doumeki could win. That would teach him some humility.

Doumeki wasn't concerned with his opponents, he couldn't control them, so what did they matter? The arrows would be provided; he would be allowed only one practice round. They would shoot five arrows per round. Three rounds per set, not including the practice. Two sets with an intermission between so the crowd could buy some refreshments. The first set would be at fifteen meters, the second at thirty.

Doumeki had his bow ready and so he sat down beside Watanuki. He dug out some money from his pocket and handed it to the bespectacled man.

"It's hot, buy yourself some water or you'll get dehydrated." He explained.

"I have money! And I won't get dehydrated anyway! I'm not sickly or anything! Geez!" Watanuki huffed.

"It's for charity," Doumeki reminded him, knowing that would cause him to swallow his pride.

"Fine. Whatever. I'm not getting you anything though! You can get off your lazy ass and get it yourself!" Watanuki snarled and stalked off. Doumeki shook his head, half in amusement, half in disbelief.

"All archers please report to the sign-in stand for some last minute instruction! All archers to the sign-in stand at this time!" The speakers blared, and Doumeki stood up and walked over to the gathering crowd. The instructions weren't much of anything, just the standard rules, and point distribution. Also Ito explained if there were a tie, that the persons involved would shoot another round to determine the winner.

"All spectators please take your seats! Spectators please take your seats! Thank you!" The announcer ordered.

Doumeki returned to the waiting area in time to see Watanuki leaving for his seat with a bottle of water in his hand. As the actor got closer he saw a bottle of water next to his bow, and a bag of Takoyaki Puffs. He shook his head again, half in amusement, and half in disbelief.

---

Watanuki had minimal trouble locating his seat. He was grouped with a few other assistants and beside an actor that decided he "didn't want to embarrass himself, or the sport."

"Yamada Ren," He said and offered his hand to Watanuki.

"A pleasure to meet you. My name is Watanuki Kimihiro," Watanuki said and took the proffered hand. The air quickly became filled with excited chatter, and Yamada had to lean in if he wanted to say anything. Once the archers took their places, however, everyone went silent.

The tense feeling pervaded the air, and Watanuki felt he was sitting on pins and needles as he watched. It was only the practice round, so a lot of the arrow were scattered. Doumeki's seemed a bit more clustered than some. That explained why their school won every competition. Doumeki took it just as seriously then.

Watanuki watched the shooters collect their arrows, the counters would not announce the scores of the practice round, but they would announce the subsequent rounds, and then the tally. Doumeki was all poise and composure.

"Look at him, acting as if he's already won. Smug ass." Watanuki mumbled.

"What was that?" Yamada asked with an amused smile. Watanuki flushed, he hadn't meant for anyone to hear him. The whistle blew and everyone fell silent again. A few seconds later the first arrows sailed. Doumeki finished and stood at the line patiently.

The last arrow was fired and the officials swarmed the area to count the points. Nervous chatter resumed.

"Archer Number One: Thirty-four out of fifty!"

The crowd clapped hesitantly. The first archer was a talk show host, so nobody really expected much.

"That's better than most of his practice rounds!" His assistant, Sasaki Masato, shouted from Watanuki's left. A few chuckles escaped.

"Archer Number Two: Forty-three out of fifty!"

Approval rippled through. The professional took a slight bow, he placed fourth in nationals, therefore he only considered the other professional archer, who had placed second, to be his competition.

"Archer Number Three: Twenty-seven out of fifty!"

A few people applauded in jest. The pop star laughed good-naturedly and took a dramatic bow.

"He at least he got the arrows on the target." Yamada remarked.

"Archer Number Four: Forty-six out of fifty!"

That was Doumeki, who only bowed, ignoring the loud cheers from the onlookers. Watanuki leaned back in his chair and wondered how the hell Doumeki was able to do it. The rest of the scores were in the high thirties, except archer number seventeen. He scored an impressive forty-eight.

--

Doumeki took his stance. This was the third round, he had recovered the two points he lost in the first round by the second one. He lined himself up, anchored, aimed and then let the arrow fly. He repeated the process, this time a little higher to hit the bull's eye.

Damn, too high, he lowered the next three and hit the center each time. Now he waited. He remembered this feeling, not quite anxiety, and not quite confidence. He missed this. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. The scores where announced, but Doumeki didn't make much note of them.

"Archer Number Four: Forty-nine out of fifty! A total of: One hundred and forty-three out of one-fifty!"

Doumeki stole a glance towards the reserved stands. He saw Watanuki, he was waiting pensively for the scores too. The actor wondered whom Watanuki was truly rooting for, but it was impossible to tell.

"Archer Number Seventeen: Fifty out of fifty! A perfect score! A total of one hundred and forty-four!"

The crowd roared. Half in support of Arai Katsuro, number seventeen, and the other half for Doumeki.

"We will now have a thirty minute intermission! Please support our competitors and visit the closest concession stand!"

Doumeki quickly adjusted his bow and hung it up in the waiting area. Then he grabbed the bottle of water, which wasn't very cold now, and poured it down his neck.

"Doumeki Shizuka, yeah?" A voice spoke from behind.

"Arai Katsuro," Doumeki returned as he turned around. The man nodded and handed him a moistened towel. Doumeki declined politely.

"You're very good. I have to say, I thought this would be easy, even with Kudo here." Arai said with a laugh.

"Thank you. You are doing well, too." Doumeki responded tersely.

"Thanks. I just wanted you to know, I'm gunning for you now, and I'll definitely win." Boasted Arai, he crossed his arms.

"We'll see." Doumeki said without emotion, he knew Arai was only trying to rile him. It happened often in high school. Doumeki picked up the Tayoyaki Puffs and walked passed him and to the reserved stands.

"Oi, have you been drinking enough water?" Doumeki asked as he approached. He smirked as the hairs on Watanuki's neck stood up making him look like an angry cat.

"My name is not 'oi'! And I can take care of myself! Don't treat me like some child!" Watanuki spat, he had sprung to his feet at some point in his rant. The females in the area stared in awe and whispered amongst themselves that Doumeki was much better looking in person.

Doumeki just started eating some of the puffs, and then he offered up the bag to Watanuki.

"No I don't want any of your stupid food! Who knows where your hands have been?!" Watanuki upbraided.

"You should buy some more water." Doumeki told his personal assistant. Watanuki seethed.

"Go buy your own drinks!" Watanuki shouted even as he was walking over to do so. Doumeki smirked and continued eating. He wished he had remembered to tell Watanuki to pack a bento. It took the young man a long time to return.

"It's too damn crowded! I can't believe you made me wait in that madness! Asshole, here's your water." Watanuki barked and thrust the iced bottle in his hand. Then he opened his and took a long drink; it was really hot after all.

Suddenly he felt cold sliding down his back and he leapt into the air. Doumeki stared at him with bored amber eyes.

"DOUMEKI! What the hell?!" Watanuki bellowed and Doumeki couldn't help but be impressed by the smaller man's lung capacity.

"You were red." Doumeki explained as he took a swig from the open bottle.

"You're supposed to warn the person you idiot! Ugh!" Watanuki continued shouting at his boss who only plugged his ears.

"Everyone please return to your seats at this time! To your seats at this time!"

"I leave to get snacks and you're completely soaked! What happened?" Yamada asked with a soft laugh. He handed Watanuki a bag of candy and tried to dry the back of the poor young man's neck.

"Don't ask," Watanuki sighed, he stopped Yamada by telling him it wasn't necessary, then he handed the candy back to him.

"No, I got it for you, I already have some. See?" The blonde said and popped a piece into his mouth.

"O-oh, thank you," Watanuki bowed and then opened the gummies.

--

"Damn," Doumeki muttered, he had been thinking it a lot, but Arai had hit another fifty, which meant trouble for him. The arrows were brought back and the whistle blown. Doumeki would have to score perfectly this round and the next if he wanted to at least tie.

He was getting too caught up in this now; apparently Arai had managed to rattle him. Doumeki brushed off that thought. He'd scored forty-nine, placing him with 192, while Arai had 194, only a two point lead. He released his arrows and scored another forty-nine. He breathed deeply through his nose trying to hide his disappointment.

"Archer Number Seventeen: Forty-six!"

Doumeki smirked satisfactorily, that put him ahead again. If he scored a fifty this round he'd win no matter how well Arai did.

--

Watanuki was literally on the edge of his seat, Dou-er Arai had to do well this round! Even though the seats were close, the targets were too far away to read. Each 'thunk' was deafening.

"You're really into archery, huh, Watanuki?" A voice said from his right. Kimihiro jostled, and it took him a moment to recover and identify the voice as Yamada.

"Oh, ah, no, actually I'm not. This is the first competition I've been to since high school."

Yamada nodded in understanding, and then the announcers began speaking.

They breezed through the other competitors and skipped Doumeki's and Arai's scores to build the anticipation. Watanuki licked his dry lips nervously.

"In third place is Archer Number Two: Kudo Akihiko! Congratulations! And now ladies and gentlemen, we have… a tie! Between archers four and seventeen!"

The crowd cheered wildly.

"Doumeki Shizuka and Arai Katsuro will shoot one round! Winner takes all!"

"C'mon, c'mon," Watanuki quietly cheered. Everyone seemed to be holding his or her breath and leaning in to get a better view. Watanuki felt his heart pounding in his chest, and he chastised himself for it, he wasn't competing!

Thunk, thunk, thunk.

Arrow after arrow embedded itself in the target. Watanuki's hands were tightly clasp together and he waited impatiently.

Four officials took to the field, two per target. Arai winked at Doumeki, who ignored it and stood calmly.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Women and children! Everyone! With a score of fifty to forty-seven…the first prize winner…is…a man!" The spokesperson joked, he got a few uneasy laughs but everyone quieted shortly after.

"With all due seriousness here, we have a winner. First place goes to, drum roll please," He said and paused.

"JUST GET ON WITH IT!" Sasaki yelled what everyone else was thinking.

"The winner is, by three points, DOUMEKI SHIZUKA!"

"YES!" Watanuki jumped to his feet, without realizing it, but it wasn't as if he were the only one. He sat back down, mortified, and praying Doumeki hadn't seen. It was only the tension he told himself, the relief from all the built up stress.

--

Doumeki was told to remain where he was by the officials, the newspaper would be taking pictures and wanted to ask at least a few questions. Arai was also told to wait, but he stormed off before anyone could stop him.

"Doumeki, Doumeki! Look over here sir! What was it like?"

"Doumeki how does it feel to have beaten a professional?"

Cameras flashed, film rolled, and to his credit, Doumeki did respond to a few questions even if they were one-worded answers. Then he tore himself away from the crowd, and was thankful that Ito intercepted and allowed him to get away.

"Let's go," Doumeki said and started to "help" Watanuki to the car. He really did hate all the publicity.

"Hey! I can walk just fine you know! Let go!" Watanuki protested, but he did speed up. They hurried into Doumeki's car, and the actor was peeling out before either of them had their seatbelts on.

"You're a maniac! Slow down!" Kimihiro yelled and rushed to get the seatbelt to click. He could feel the blood pounding in his ears. God he hated cars.

"Why does it scare you so much? It's just like the subway." Doumeki told him, but he kept his eyes on the road.

"Yeah, except the subway isn't being driven by an idiot! And did you just run that red light?! You did!"

"It was still yellow."

"Yellow means slow down not speed up!" Watanuki screeched. Doumeki slowed down and glanced over at his reluctant passenger.

"It really scares you, doesn't it?" He asked, this time with a note of concern. He started driving more cautiously, and slowly.

"No! I already told you, I'm not scared!" Watanuki countered. He tried to relax in order to prove his point.

Time to take his mind off the car ride, Doumeki decided, "You're very loud, you know, I could hear you cheering over everyone else when they announced my name."

Watanuki went scarlet, "N-now wait a minute, I wasn't cheering for you!"

Doumeki just smirked.

"I wasn't! Honestly, Arai should have won! Clearly it was a fluke!" Watanuki protested. Doumeki nodded his head in a patronizing manner.

"Shut up! I didn't want you to win! Quit smirking!"

Doumeki pulled into his driveway and parked. He got out, followed by his personal assistant, who only stopped ranting to answer the phone.


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