"Now what?" demanded Doumeki.

Watanuki shot him an annoyed look. "Yuuko said to wait."

"Wait for what?" said Doumeki, apparently still pissy about Yuuko having snatched both his bow and the tube fox from them before shoving them both down her well.

"Them," Watanuki shrugged. "That's all she said."

"Them," Doumeki repeated with his my-god-I'm-talking-to-an-idiot expression. "Them what?"

"Hah?"

The expression intensified. "Them spirits? Them humans? Them robots?"

"…how did you just say all that with a straight face? And anyway, she wouldn't say."

Doumeki rolled his eyes at the smoky not-sky. "…at least if you get attacked we can probably stun them with your supreme stupidity by having you talk to them."

"Shaddup," snarled Watanuki, hating the fact that Yuuko had also snatched both their uniform jackets and that if was hot here (so Doumeki had his top buttons undone. Why, kami-sama, why did this unworthy have to tormented by remembering the feel of his torso? Why?). "If you could have got more out of her, you go be her slave-boy, and see if you do better."

Doumeki didn't deign to reply.

Watanuki was drawing in breath for a good shout when voices floated towards them.

"-and that man has even taken my bow, Watanuki, and now what do you think he's making us do this time?"

"You didn't have to come, Shizuka, I could have handled this myself-"

"Yes," cut in the first derisive, low-pitched female voice. "You could have screamed at them and tried to give them disgusting food. Honestly, why do I bother?"

"…my food is not disgusting," sulked the second girl. "And I don't scream."

The two came into view with the first speaker (a tall girl wearing their school uniform and with Doumeki's deep-set eyes and self-assured stride) saying, "I concede the food. But you scream like an actress in a b-grade horror movie."

The second girl (equally tall, dressed the same but with a cleaning scarf over her ruffled hair and frameless glasses) retorted, "My life is a horror movie," before looking forward and meeting the boys's horrified eyes.

Watanuki and Doumeki stared, speechless, at what appeared to be two female versions of themselves.

"My god," the second girl said, mouth falling open. "What the fuck's Yuuko done this time?"

"How interesting," observed the other girl. "Watanuki, you never said you had a twin."

"I don't," she yelled. "And anyway-" her pointing finger stabbed towards Doumeki, who, amazingly enough, was beginning to recover from the shock "-that guy looks like you!"

She made a show of carefully looking Doumeki over. "…I don't look that constipated."

A twitch showed under Doumeki's eye. "And if I had a sister, I doubt she would look like that much of an enjo kosai kogal." (lit: compensated dating girl who likes expensive stuff, he's calling her a prostitute.)

"What did you call me?" she snarled, dropping her arm from the other girl's waist and stepping forward.

Watanuki rushed to defuse the situation. "He didn't mean it," he said, stepping into their line of sight. "And none of us are here to fight. If you're the ones, I think we have a package to collect from you…?"

The bespectacled girl seemed to remember her manners. "Oh, yes," she said, digging in the paper shopping bag she dangled on her arm. "I'm sorry for her behavior- she doesn't have any manners whatsoever."

"I apologize for his," Watanuki said, stepping over to her and bowing slightly. "He's a complete savage, really."

They both smiled immensely sweet, helpful smiles in their respective companion's directions. The effect was slightly creepy, especially since girl-Watanuki had bobbed hair the same length as her counterpart.

"Don't apologize, Watanuki," they snarled in unison, then glared at each other.

She tossed her waist-length hair. "Let's go, Watanuki."

He turned smartly on his heels. "You're done, aren't you?"

They grabbed their respective Watanukis by the arms and began pulling them back so hard that they both stumbled against the backs of the archers.

"Complete savage?" asked Doumeki tightly when they were out of earshot.

"You're nearly tugging my arm off," pointed out Watanuki, too delighted by the advantage over Doumeki to be truly bitchy.

He heard, faintly, a woman's screech, and then fainter still a delighted cackle of wicked humor. He felt like laughing himself.

Doumeki's back was hard and straight and the archer stalked ramrod stiff with Watanuki chuckling behind. The exorcist guiltily felt reassured at the press of warmth, and thought very hard of what Watanuki would have to make for lunch to apologize.

Both of them.

-end-