Vile: Sorry for the delay between stories, my fans! I'm trying not to stay pigeonholed to one domain, but it doesn't mean I'll stop writing ZEXAL!

Shark: Wait, another Numbershot for a Number that already exists?

Vile: Yep! I had this idea for a while, so I wrote it now! You can already tell who's going to show up based on the Number.

Yuma: *nods*

Vile: Someone else makes their first appearance in my canon here. ^_^ Standard disclaimer here, folks. Enjoy!

Numbershot 15: Unwilling Puppets

Chapter 1

Shark sat on a bench near a street corner, pouring over the card in his hand: Shark Drake. While he had seemingly tamed the card, something about it seemed very odd. 'Shark Drake… what are you hiding from me?'

Then, two familiar arms wrapped around his neck from behind. "Hi, Shark-kun!" Ariel chirped from behind him, her bright smile still on her face. Shark looked back with a smile and chuckle, making Ariel giggle.

Shark's D-Gazer suddenly went off, so he answered. "Hello?"

"This is Ryoga Kamishiro, correct?" The man on the other end asked, which Shark nodded at. "This is Doctor Enjin from the Heartland Hospital. We're calling you to inform you on your sister's condition."

Shark gulped, nervous. "She… she's all right, isn't she? Nothing happened?" He whimpered. Shark never whimpered, so Ariel knew he was worried.

"Oh, don't worry, she's fine." The doctor replied. "In fact, she wants you to come see her as soon as possible."

"Okay. I'm on my way." Shark replied. "Arigatou." He hung up after the doctor nodded. Shark stood up and faced Ariel. "We need to go, now." Ariel nodded and followed him as Shark headed off into the city.

*Heartland Hospital*

Shark and Ariel entered the building and talked to the clerk, being directed to his sister's room. When they entered, Shark's eyes widened. His sister was sleeping peacefully, but the bandages around her face were gone, showing her almost pristine face, only a few small burns remaining. "R-Rio-nee…" Shark breathed. "But… how?" He walked over to beside his sister, shaking her shoulder gently. "Rio-nee?"

The young woman's eyes shook before opening, showing their gleaming pinkish-red color. She turned and looked at him, smiling. "Hey, Ryoga." She told him, sitting up.

"H-Hey! Aren't you supposed to stay laying down?!" Shark cried.

Rio shook her head. "Mm-mmm. My condition has improved greatly recently. Even my burns are mostly gone. I think it must be some kind of miracle."

Shark had a wide smile on his face. Ariel smiled as well. "That's so cool. I'm glad you're all right." Ariel said.

Rio then noticed Ariel. "Oh, I didn't see you there. You must be Ariel. Shark told me about you." She ruffled her brother's hair. "Nice catch, dude."

"Rio-nee…" Shark groaned in embarrassment, swatting her hand away.

Ariel was laughing. "You two are just like Yuma-kun and Akari-san!" Shark rolled her eyes.

Shark rolled his eyes at Ariel, then looked back at his sister. "How were you doing over the last weeks?"

"I was all right. I had a visitor who kept seeing me daily over the last three weeks." Rio said.

Shark raised an eyebrow. "A visitor? Who?"

"I… I don't know." The older girl replied. "I had my bandages on at first, so I couldn't see him if I wanted to. His voice sounded familiar, though." Shark now knew it was a male. "He always placed his hands on my forehead, then I felt a warm light come over me… I saw bright purple. Then it faded, and he told me he'd come by every day, which he did. And it was so weird: Ever since he started coming, my condition started getting better. Eventually my bandages were able to come off, but when he did, he wanted me to close my eyes so he wouldn't know who he was. I asked him why, and he said that it adds to the secrecy, making it a game of sorts." Rio giggled. "It's actually kind of fun not knowing who he is. I always try to figure out who he is, since I know the voice is familiar to me, but I'm afraid he'll stop coming around if I find out who he is."

Shark frowned. "I doubt he'd stop if you knew who he was. The fact that he came to visit you when the only one who visits you is me shows that he must care about you on some level." Rio smiled. "When does he usually come around?"

"Usually around… 4:30." Rio answered. She smiled. "Arigatou for coming, Ryoga." Rio hugged her brother. "You found a nice girlfriend as well." Shark rolled his eyes and hugged his sister, Ariel smiling at them. Shark broke away from his sister and bid her goodbye before leaving with Ariel.

When they were out of Rio's earshot, Shark checked a clock on the wall. It was 2:30. "The visitor shows up in two hours."

"What are you planning, Shark-kun?" Ariel said.

"We're going to see just who's visiting Rio." Shark replied. "I'm suspicious. Her condition starts clearing up when this guy starts visiting her? He doesn't want her to see who he is? Something's up here, and I don't trust him."

Ariel nodded in understanding. "Yeah, it's really weird. I'm with you with this. I'm curious as to who this guy is myself."

"Then in two hours, we'll come back to see who this guy is." Shark said, Ariel agreeing.

*4:20*

Shark and Ariel returned to the hospital, as they planned. "Has patient Rio Kamishiro had any visitors recently aside from me and this girl?" Shark asked the clerk.

The clerk checked the books. "No, not yet." Shark thanked her, and he and Ariel walked out of the building, hiding in some nearby bushes. "Okay, he should be here soon." After a few minutes of waiting, someone walked toward the hospital entrance. He was wearing a black hood over his head, but he was wearing a white outfit that seemed familiar to Shark.

"I'll go." Ariel whispered, Shark nodding. Ariel followed the man in discreetly.

The man walked to the clerk. "I'm visiting Miss Rio Kamishiro." He said, flashing an ID.

The clerk checked out the ID. "Oh, nice to see you again. Miss Kamishiro is awake right now."

'Bingo.' Ariel thought. The cloaked man walked toward Rio's room, Ariel following him.

When he entered Rio's room, the young woman looked at him. "A hood? No closing my eyes this time?" She asked.

The man chuckled. "I decided to change things up a bit." He said. "Now, just relax." Rio laid back on the bed, closing her eyes with a smile. The man placed his hands on top of her forehead gently. Ariel saw a purple glow coming from his hands, but couldn't see what it was. The glow soon faded, and the man removed his hands. "You should be fully better soon."

Rio opened her eyes. "How would you know?"

"I'm here every day, so I keep tabs." The man replied. "Rest easy, Rio." Rio smiled and nodded, and the man turned and left. Ariel hid behind the nearby corner as the man left, heading out the entrance.

Ariel jumped into the bushes where Shark was. "It's him." She whispered. Nodding, Shark began to follow the man, Ariel right behind him.

As they entered an alley, Shark called out to him. "Hey, buddy!" The hooded man stopped. "Why are you visiting my sister in the hospital? How do you know her?"

The man sighed. "I knew you would find me out eventually, Shark."

"You know Shark, too?" Ariel wondered.

The hooded man turned around. "I know you better… than you think I do." With that, he pulled his hood down, revealing his face.

Shark's eyes widened, then he leveled a harsh glare. "YOU!"

Vile: I personally think Konami is lying about Rio's age, so in my canon, she is 17.

Shark: Don't tell me you put in-

Vile: *slaps hand over Shark's mouth* Yes... I did. Why are you still hung up over this?

Shark: *gives "I don't know" gesture* Old mindsets are hard to break.

Vile: *mulls it over* *nods* Anyhoo, if you guys liked this chapter, leave a review for me! Ja ne for now!

Note: Just to tell you people, I'm moving back into college on the 18th, so you may not see me that day or the 19th. Just to warn you.

Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.