Vile: Another day, another Numbershot chapter. Oh, I can never figure out how to fill these spaces.

Yuma: That's kinda why you talk to us sometimes, right?

Vile: Yeah, good point. You guys do pull off some funny dialogue at times.

Tokunosuke: "At times"? Is that a shot?

Vile: *laughs* No, Tokunosuke. Not everyone can be funny 24/7. Anyway, let's get back into this story. Enjoy, folks!

Numbershot 80: Precious Melody

Chapter 2

Tokunosuke hid in a secluded part of the school, opening his picture book and pulling out various photos, laying them out across the ground. Among the pictures were the homeless man's Number, various monsters used by the mysterious Mitsume, including her own Number (which was a bad image, utterly fuzzy), and Mitsume herself. 'Who are you, Mitsume, ura?' He thought, scrutinizing the photos. 'You can see even through a blindfold… You hunt the Numbers… I know you work for the Distributor. I will find you… I will figure out who you are, ura.' Tokunosuke sighed, placing the pictures back in his book and closing it. "I can't figure it out with this alone. I need more evidence, ura." He left his secluded area and went back out into the school.

*Meanwhile*

Within the principal's office, the principal himself was finishing up some paperwork when he glanced at the safe. 'I'll be glad when this is over.' He thought, going back to finishing his paperwork. However, not long after he thought this, he could've sworn that he started hearing music from nowhere. "Eh?" He looked around, unsure where the beat was coming from. It started as a simple drum beat, but he began hearing a kalimba added to it. The principal tried covering his ears with a groan, but the noise didn't stop, only changing the kalimba to the sound of panflutes. "What in the world…?" He got up and decided to take a walk around the school. It seemed to work: The sound slowly faded out before it went completely silent. "That was strange." The principal mused, rubbing his chin. As he returned to his office, he heard the song fade in once again, the panflute changed to rattles. "It's coming from… my office?" An idea came to him. Re-entering his office, the music back to original volume, he opened up his safe again, and when he did, the music became louder. The card itself had a faint glow. "So it was you. I don't know what it is you want from me… but you're not going to get it." He slammed the safe again, re-locking it and slightly quieting the volume. Slowly, the volume lowered again until it completely quieted. 'Hmm. Polite Number.' He thought before getting to a new piece of paperwork. However, within the safe, the card was still glowing.

The card wasn't finished yet. Spending another day in the school's medical wing, Haiga was merely reading a book when he heard the tribal beat play once more, this time having hints of a gong playing in it. "Hmm?" He was confused, but unlike the principal, he didn't seem to mind it that much. In fact, the longer he heard it, Haiga felt himself getting drowsier, letting out a big yawn. Closing his book and placing it on the nightstand, Haiga pulled the blankets up and slowly drifted off to sleep, the unintentional lullaby fading out when light snoring was heard from him.

The traveling song then made its way to the roof of the school, where Sakura Oumi and the dark red-haired friend of hers were watching the clouds. Its melody was now laced with the sound of a lute being played. The boy was the first one to hear it. "Eh? You hear that?"

Sakura's ears perked up when she heard it. "Yeah… What is that…?" She breathed. The song didn't really bug them, but as it continued to play, both of them felt heat rise to their cheeks. Sakura looked at her friend, her gaze a little glossed over. "Ryou-kun…"

"Eh, Sakura-cha-MMF!" Ryou was cut off when Sakura tackle-kissed him, knocking them both to the ground. Granted, he didn't seem to care, wrapping his arms around the girl and returning her kiss. The melody slowly faded out again, leaving the two new young lovers to themselves.

As the melody traveled through the school, Tokunosuke and Hikaya (in separate locations) both heard part of the melody. "Nani?" They both wondered.

"Such a strange melody, ura…" Tokunosuke breathed.

"I wonder what it could be?" Hikaya said to herself

Finally, the music began to play at better volume again, this time targeting the unaware Taichi. The haunting melody, now accompanied by the sound of a xylophone playing, entered his ears, making him slightly freak out. "N-Nani?" However, unlike all the previous listeners, Taichi felt himself immediately being tormented by the music. "Aaaaah!" He fell to his knees, gripping his head.

Three girls (the recurring cyan-haired, dark pink-haired, and blackish-haired trio) who were nearby saw this and quickly rushed over. "Taichi-kun? What's wrong?" The cyan-haired one asked.

"Please… stop…" Taichi mused. "That song… Make it stop… Make it stop! IT HURTS!" His pleas fell on deaf ears, as the music only seemed to get louder.

However, with that, lyrics began to fade into his head: "You are… not the one… Find… the one… Release me…" Images flashed into Taichi's head.

His eyes turning bloodshot, Taichi rose to his feet. "AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" He then took off down the hallway like a missile, gripping his head.

"Taichi-kun!" The cyan-haired girl cried.

"Come on, after him!" The brunette said, taking off with her friends hot on her heels.

As Taichi tore through the school, he shot right past Hikaya, who immediately turned on her heel to see him. "What the?" Then she heard traces of the same music that tormented the poor boy. 'That melody again…' Seeing the trio of girls rushing after Taichi, she knew something had to be wrong. She immediately raced off down another hallway.

Taichi finally screeched to a stop… in front of the principal's office, wrenching open the door. He burst into the actual office, startling the principal but completely ignoring him, grabbing the door to the safe. "Taichi, what are you doing?!" The principal cried, grabbing him only to be elbowed in the face, knocking him back.

Taichi couldn't open the safe, so he frantically kept spinning the dial, coming up with nothing. Desperate, he turned to the principal. "What's the combination?! Tell me! Please!"

"What's gotten into you, Taichi?" The principal cried as the girls burst into the room.

"The music… It hurts! It hurts so bad!" Taichi cried. "I know it's in there! Please, get it out! Help me!"

"Do what he says." Another voice said calmly. Everyone turned to see the figure known as Mitsume standing there. In the new lighting, she could be seen as rather short, and her attire was fully skin-tight, yet multi-piece: A black long-sleeve shirt with a hole cut out where her midriff was, a gray belt, cyan pants, gray gloves, and black shoes. "If that card remains in that safe, it will torment him until he perishes. You don't want that… do you?"

The principal didn't like the sound of that. "…Fine. But I'm only doing this so my student will be safe."

"I expected nothing more or less from you." Mitsume replied. The principal went to the safe, calmly turning the dial to match the combination. After the final turn, the safe opened up, revealing the card. "Good."

However, Taichi shoved him out of the way and snatched it. "You accursed piece of paper…"

"Don't be a fool. You can't handle directly touching that power." Mitsume told him. "Give it to me. I will rid you of it."

Taichi snapped her head to her, his eyes having turned fully bloodshot. "You… honestly think… I will allow anyone else to have this card?!"

Mitsume groaned. "Blast. He's already been overtaken by the Number's power."

"I know what must be done with this card… No one else will possess it!" Taichi grumbled. "You will never find me… Never!"

"You fool. My eye sees all." Mitsume told him bluntly. "No matter where you run, I will locate you, and I will take the card from you."

Taichi backstepped. "Then I will continue to run… No matter how much I must run, I will keep you one step behind me!"

"You would evade me for the sake of the pain you feel? Is your wish one of death?" Mitsume asked.

"No… my wish is one of destruction." Taichi replied, raising the card. "I will destroy this card!"

Vile: Uh-oh, now we've got a problem: Taichi's out to destroy the Number!

Yuma: We know how well something like THAT will go. *thinks back to Numbershot 69*

Astral: And you just had to keep us out of the action for this one.

Vile: Don't worry, Astral, no Number injury will happen here. …Or will it? XD Keep with it to see what the ultimate resolution is. If you guys liked this chapter, leave a review for me! Ja ne 'til tomorrow!

Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.