In the dead of the night: Chapter 2

"So. You really mean it, huh?" Anna clarified. Anna, Yoh, Manta, Tamao, Pilica, Misaki, Vivi, Ren, Horohoro, Chocolove, Ryu, and Faust sat on the couch on the lower platform. [aka! This is like a group meeting called by Yoh.

"Mmhmm." Yoh got up walking to the center of the lower platform while everyone sat on the couch surrounding the lower platform and watched. "Now. There are twelve of us."

"?"

"Including Vivi." Yoh said. "I put some names in this hat. Half of your names are in here. The other half are going to pull them out."

"OH (&#&()(&$#$!" The room exploded with cursing and swearing.

"Settle down!" Yoh grinned. His face immediately swung to a serious flash. "If we want to fight against Melissa, we're going to need to get along and be compatible with one another as much as possible." He mentioned. Faust and Ryu seemed to have agreed to the idea. Chocolove and Ren soon fell into the agreement along with Tamao, Vivi, and Pilica. Misaki, Horohoro, Manta, and Anna were the last to finally agree.

"Good. No exchanging names." Yoh mentioned as people 'awed' and 'booed'. Yoh grinned back. "Even if it has to be a guy and a girl in the same bedroom. There are two queen size beds. That should be plenty!"

"Why Yoh? What did you think we would have thought?" Misaki grumbled.

"Nothing!" Yoh smiled weakly pointing the hat out to her first. "You pull a name first. If it is yours, just put it back in." Misaki smiled. "But you have to show me the name first." She frowned.

Misaki reached her hand in.

"NO LOOKING!" Yoh yelled. Everyone in the room practically winced especially Misaki. She grumbled and looked away pulling out a name. She looked at the notecard and frowned for a minute but then relaxed. Showing the card to Yoh he nodded.

"Tao Ren." Everyone fell in anime style. "Now both of you go pack up and choose your room! Have a good night sleep!" Yoh grinned. Misaki and Ren grumbled walking off towards their rooms retrieving their luggage.

"This is starting off great so far! Manta. You try now." Manta prayed hoping he'd get Yoh. He reached in the hat and pulled out a name. "Oh my dear Lord!" he cried fainting in anime style.

"What is it?" Yoh picked up the note. "Faust VIII." Everyone gave a creeped-out look. "Hustle, kids. It's already 12:30 in the morning."

"So?" Horohoro asked.

"You're next!" Yoh held out the hat.

"Damn, why did I even say anything?" Horohoro sighed as Faust and Manta left to move to their room. He dropped his hand in the hat and pulled out a notecard. "Pilica. Hey, not bad." He thought. Pilica jumped up.

"Cool! At least I know I'm not going to stay with a pervert."

"What's that suppose to mean?!" he yelled.

"Let's hurry up." Pilica warned. The two left.

"Wanna try Anna?" Yoh asked holding out the hat.

"Fine." She muttered pulling out a name as Misaki and Ren started moving their stuff towards their room. "&&$!"

"?"

"Orintier Vivi!" Yoh smiled.

"HAHAHA!" Misaki laughed. Vivi got off the seat and jumped up to the ground going off to his room without saying a word.

"What's with him?" Ren asked.

"Not like you to be so concern," Misaki smirked at him. "Move along, Mr. I'm-Too-Cool-For-You!" Ren pouted before carrying his stuff along. Misaki picked up some of her stuff and moved along choosing the room closest to the windows to look at the New York skyline.

Manta and Faust finally chose the other room that was closest to see the New York skyline on the opposite side of the meeting lobby [each floor of this 'hotel' has four rooms because they're sooo big and can hold many people! Yoh and company chose the room that's on the four edges of the building so one room can see two sides and the other one that was really close can see only one side but that's still pretty good. Plus, it's free for the Shaman contestants!.

Horohoro and Pilica remained in theirs. Anna and Vivi were having technical difficulties.

"Tamao!" Yoh held out the hat.

"Umm…yes. She placed her hand in the hat and drew out a name. Yoh Asakura." She read off.

"Really." Yoh smiled. "Cool." She blushed. "And Chocolove, you're with Ryu."

"…"

Now we'll see how each room is getting along…

"AIIEEEE!" Misaki stretched yawning delightfully. She got up walking over towards the refreshment refrigerator provided by the hotel [for free. Aren't they so lucky?. "Wow! So many choices of soda! Let's see. Sprite!"

"You probably can't get to sleep them."

"Hey! Sprite is CAFFEINE FREE. And besides. Since when did you care if I got any sleep?" Misaki asked demandingly. Ren turned back around angrily sorting out his luggage. The group were going to be staying here in America for quite some time.

"Want some?" Misaki asked.

"And since when were you ever concern?" Ren asked.

"Shut up shut up shut up!" she screamed. Ren smirked to himself his back facing her as he sorted out his clothings. "YOU are suppose to be the cocky one! I for one have to be the sweet little girl trying to be NICE!"

"Nice?!" Ren stood up throwing his shirt to the floor stamping his foot glaring at her. "Sweet little girl?!!" he practically choked.

"You want to start something?!" she held out her fist. "I bet you can't lay a finger on me because I'm a girl, you WEAK WEAK WEAK bastard!"

"Afraid to hurt someone like you? Do you know how many people would be HAPPY to kill you?!?!"

"No one because I I I am too perfect!" she snapped back.

"I am the perfect one here!" Ren slammed his fist against wood of the bedframe cracking it.

"…"

"Weak bastard! I could destroy the bedframe!"

"I want to see you even try to cry from getting a splinter!"

"Shut up, filthy worm weakling thingy piece of shit!"

"There's the window! I can throw you out anytime!"

"Try!"

"…My goodness…" Tamao stared at the door of Misaki and Ren's room. "Dear Yoh, do you really think that is Ayume-sama? I.." A glass breaking was heard from the room. Both had a cartoonish sweatdrop. "…really don't think it is her. The reason is…"

"BASTARD! You just (& cracked the &&$ window!"

"You threw the bat, woman!"

"Batwoman is a whore!"

"Damn you. I didn't mean that!"

"…"

"…"

"The reason is because I don't think anyone can make Ren lose his temper like that…" Tamao smiled weakly with a cartoonish sweatdrop holding up her hot chocolate.

"Don't worry about it, Tamao." Yoh grinned. Tamao blushed. "They'll get along just fine."

"ASSHOLE!" the word echoed throughout the lobby from the room. Cartoonish sweatdrop.

"I mean…it could've been much worst with Horohoro, right?" he shrugged sipping the warm hot cocoa."

"I believe so." Tamao nodded.

Now…let us see how Anna and Vivi are doing………

Anna laid back. Vivi laid back. She got up and jumped out of bed. He got up and jumped out of bed. She walked to the bathroom. Vivi walked to the bathroom. She picked up her toothpaste and placed some on the toothbrush. Vivi picked up his toothpaste and placed some on his toothbrush. She brushed left. He brushed left. Right. Right. Up. Up. Down. Down. Brush out. Brush out. Spit. Spit. Gargle. Gargle.

"WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM!?!?!" both screamed at each other at the exact same time. "STOP FOLLOWING ME! STOP IMITATING ME!!!"

"Can we say the same for Miss Anna and Vivi-kun?" Tamao looked at Anna and Vivi's door to their room. Yoh had a bigger cartoonish sweatdrop.

"But that's the only way we can learn to work with one another." Yoh explained. "They need to stay in their rooms together for a week and for the entire seven days."

"Yoh…" Tamao mentioned.

"Yeah?"

"(&$!" Cursing was heard.

"…"

"…Never mind." Tamao thought. "What are we going to do tomorrow?"

"We're all going to go our separate ways. But we have to stick to the person we're with." Yoh said.

"I bought tickets for us to go see the play in Central Park tomorrow night." Tamao blushed ten shades of red. Yoh had a hint of red for a moment.

"Cool. Are you like…asking me out or something?" Yoh asked. Tamao blushed deep red. "I'll take that as a yes. We'll go tomorrow night, okay?" he whispered secretively.

"Arigatou." She smiled deeply.

How sweet! Now…everyone…

"&(($&!"

"#Y(#&!"

…Almost everyone will get some sleep tonight. Folks. It will be a long day tomorrow morning. And Melissa ---

"Eve." She corrected.

…Yes….Melissa may strike at anytime! Melissa. Your que to give the evil laugh.

"…"

Misaki stared up at the ceiling. For the first time ever, the room fell to silence. The New York City lights were a beautiful sight to look at from a bedroom as big as this and with windows surrounding almost two sides of the room.

"I can't get to sleep." She muttered out loud. No answer from Ren. She waited for a few seconds. "Why don't you answer, nitwit?" she mumbled angrily.

"…I wouldn't risk getting killed." He mumbled back.

"Hmph! That'll show you!" Misaki acknowledged. She sighed turning her head looking out at the city. "America is so pretty…where are we suppose to go to tomorrow?" Some snow began to drizzle from the sky as she saw from the windows [ she's lying in her bed. She has the bed furthest from the windows. Ren's has the closest.

"…"

"Tamao and Yoh are watching the play at Central Park. Maybe we could do some shopping while we're here. America is an expensive country. They must have plenty of wonderful clothes to buy."

"…"

"How about we go to Time Square tomorrow? We could buy some nice gifts for everyone." She suggested. "I mean, all YOU have been wanting is power. Maybe you should take a break from it for once and actually just have fun? Since this is America, you need to wear American kind of clothes."

"Ayume?"

"Ayume what..?" Ren's eyes widened realizing what he had just said.

"Misaki." He covered up. "You're talking an awful lot. I want some sleep now." He muttered shifting his position several times before going to sleep.

'Ayume…who's she? Maybe his past girlfriend or something. No wonder he's so cocky. Maybe he's trying to cover it up. And probably I'm like her in some way. Whatever. It's not like they're any of my business.' She frowned closing her eyes.