Alright so I just wanted to say a couple things before this gets started. First off I added one of my own characters to this story, second of all, I brought a certain SK character into my story a little earlier then they appear in the show, but I like his character and thought it couldn't hurt to have him around. Ummm, I guess that's it, I hope you enjoy it! :)

Clang. Clang-Clang. Horo Horo rolled over and tried to cover his ears. Clang. Clang -Clang-CLANG. He threw his blanket off himself and stood up. Could it actually be possible that they were practicing THIS early in the morning? It was still dark outside, what were they thinking? They had to leave for the second half of the shaman tournament today, why weren't they resting? He headed down the stairs towards the porch. As he walked through the dimly lit kitchen he glanced up at the clock on the wall: 4:45. He let out a small groan and continued towards the front lawn.

As he stepped outside he rubbed his eyes to help them focus, he could faintly see two people fighting. He rubbed his eyes again and walked closer to them. " Hmph. You're up early, I hardly expected to see you till breakfast was ready," a haughty little voice came from the shadows to his right.

" Well maybe I could have slept if it wasn't for all this noise!" Horo Horo shot a glance in the direction of Ren Tao. He was the last person Horo Horo wanted to see this early in the morning, " What are you doing out here this early?"

" If you must know, I came to see Yoh's training. I wanted to get an idea of my competition."

Horo Horo rolled his eyes, " Right, you came to see Yoh…"

Ren jumped to his feet and grabbed his Quan Dao, "Did you want to have a go? You better shut your mouth or I'll make sure that you're far too injured to come with us to the tournament."

" Oh that's what you think! Let's go short pants, I accept your wimpy challenge!"

" Wimpy? Listen you spiky haired monkey, I'm about to wipe the floor with you!"

" News flash short pants, we're outside, there is no floor! HA!"

" THAT'S IT! BASON, SPIRIT FLA-"suddenly an arm wrapped itself around Ren's shoulders.

" Come now Ren, I don't think you really want to fight Horo Horo this early in the morning, do you?" It was Saiyaka Hiwatari. She had come to Tokyo after she had entered the shaman tournament and had been taken in by Yoh and Anna. She was a beautiful young girl of 15, with long flowing red hair, and milky white skin. Her eyes were a soft purple but still they showed the pain and heartache she had met with in her life. She had witnessed her family die when she was only 6; she had spent the following four years in an orphanage until she ran away. After that she had traveled from city to city honing her shaman skills, preparing for the tournament. She would stay with anyone who would take her in for the night, however Yoh felt that not all of those people were as kind to her as he and Anna had been.

Ren jumped, he hadn't seen Saiyaka come up beside him, and in the midst of arguing he hadn't even noticed that she and Yoh had stopped practicing. Ren grabbed Saiyaka's arm and plucked it off his shoulder, " I don't need you telling me what I should and shouldn't be doing."

" It's cool Sai, we weren't serious," Horo Horo gave Saiyaka a goofy smile. Ren opened his mouth to contradict him, but was cut short by a voice from the lawn.

" So which one of you guys am I taking on next?" asked Yoh curiously.

" Why don't you go next Ren? I love watching you and Yoh practice." Saiyaka gave Ren a tiny push towards where Yoh was standing. He glared one last time at Horo Horo then quickly turned away as he reached for his Quan Dao, and headed in Yoh's direction. Saiyaka sat down next to Horo Horo on the stairs. " Are you ready for tomorrow?" she asked, while staring intently at Yoh and Ren.

Horo Horo let out a sigh, " I'm as ready as I'll ever be I guess." He lay back against one of the wooden posts, "You?"

" Pretty much, not too much I can do now. I've made it this far so we'll just have to see how it goes from here on out." She smiled, but her eyes never left the two boys practicing in the yard. Horo Horo closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.